Health Coach | Speaker | Writer | Welcome to my digital diary! I'm here to help you blend life & fitness to find your health & happy! Thank you for being part of my family & allowing me to add value to your journey!
Had a lady tell me one time I was narcissistic & a materialistic โinfluencerโ because I had hair & lash extensions + lip filler.
Anyone else been criticized for evolving yourself because YOU wanted to? Tends to trigger shamedoesnโt it?!
@msrachelhollis had a podcast I listened to that was straight fire๐ฅ Spoke to my soul & explained feelings about our looks & how we present ourselves to a T! Another great podcast is with Michael Sandler & Mitch Horowitz.
๐๏ธ๐Included podcasts & book as resources for you on the last slides in this blog!
Little did this woman know my thin hair is due to malabsorption issues because of my #crohnsdisease I donโt care if anyone else approves of the way I look or dress anymore because I know I live for ME.
I work my ๐off, invest my money where I see fit + Im providing income for those amazing creators that allow us to look the way WE want!
If I feel good about myself, then everyone else, including myself, benefits from that good juju energy!
Live YOUR color. Dress in colors & the way that invokes the feelings & essence you want to exude! Colors that make your life vibrant! We all have our colors & preferences. They match our auras & energy! Think about that before you step out your door!
We act in accordance to the image we see of ourselves. So what kind of life & health do you want to live & how do you want to feel about yourself? What do you need to do to be that & live that? Thatโs all you need to know. Thereโs your answers.
Do you think youโre beautiful? Healthy? Strong? Loved? Successful? What are you telling yourself? #thoughtsbecomethings
Peep the book psycho-cybernetics. The author believes that if we can simply program ourselves to think the right things & reboot our self-esteem, we create a better/happier life!
#PsychoCybernetics explains how thinking of the human mind as a machine can help improve self-image, which will dramatically increase your success, health, love, & happiness.
If you need permission to be whoever it is you want to be, here it is.
Hi 5 to all my other self love leaders. Iโm right there beside you raising that trophy ๐๐
Oxox Coach K
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of healthcare, fitness, & personal development. Travel Radiographer, motivational writer, nutritionist, Medium โ gifts of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture & healthcare were her first loves.
She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through Crohnโs disease & life as a radiologic technologist with 18 years experience!
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohnโs, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive CrossFit athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, embrace their gifts, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!
These are my favorite sparkly PJ pants. They came from @target Little girls size 14. They are not โflatteringโ at all & I could give a shit less. A former version of me would not wear these because I didnโt look โskinnyโ in them.
I prefer this me, this 41 year old, weird as shit version of me probably more than any other version of me. (And Iโve been a lot of versions of me! ๐)
Iโve been a competitive CrossFit athlete, runner, cardio queen, jacked, fat, skinny fat, partnered, single, married, divorced twice, with men, with women, confused af, broke af, happy af, lost af, fuggn you name it.
If you scroll my feed & peep highlights Iโve been all shapes & sizes & everything in between. (๐ผ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐/๐๐๐๐/๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข ๐ธ๐ถ ๐๐๐) link below ๐
I now embrace an intuitive, vibrationally lead life. And I wish this for all of you too. I wish you healing, happiness, & love. #vibrationalliving #vibrationaleating
Book suggestion๐Please read ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌโฆchanged my life. short read. I live by these 4 agreements & my own personal creed which I share in IG stories.
Vibrational Living.
What is it, how it helped me attract love & money, heal my gut, lose fat/weight, & continuously/effortlessly create & live my dream life.
Letโs get real here (yโall know if youโve followed me for a while thatโs how we roll)โฆ๐I used to be a sick, overweight, unhappy, lonely, broke bitch. ๐คทโโ๏ธIt is what it is.
We donโt filter around here because real life isnโt filtered. Itโs dirty, itโs beautiful, itโs pain, itโs pleasure & every shade of 50 shades of fucked up AND amazingness & everything in between. โ๏ธโ๏ธ ๐ ๐จ๐ฑ๐น๐ฅ
Life:
Itโs death. Itโs rebirth. Its peaks. Its valleys. Itโs sunshine. Itโs rain. The only thing that is guaranteed is that things are going to change.
Iโve lost 55lbs of weight, self-loathing, scarcity energy, + a bunch of fucks I did not need to give as a younger version of myself. I fully believe releasing that anxiety & emotional weight was actually what helped me open my chakras & release the physical weight.
I like to stay away from labels & allow myself + others to have the freedom to eat & live & love as they choose. I called this vibrational living. I eat this way & workout this way. I love this way. I invest my money this way. I dress this way๐ I do everything this way.
This is what myย MOย means when I say โI donโt do rules I do what feels right.โ
Straight up, Hereโs whatโs making you fat, sick, sad, anxiety stricken, broke, unfulfilled, & lonely:(I did all these things too. But I chose to make a decision & stick to my commitments to change & co-create a better me & the life of MY dreams)
Thoughts about feeling MIS๐ซaligned in Vibration๐ดAnxiety is NOT your problem. Anxiety & triggers are just trying to get your ATTENTION.
WHY you feel anxiety, depression, unfulfillment, self loathing, sadness, loneliness, &/or WHY you binge eat, over spend, people please, over work, sleep around, drink, smoke, self sabotage, etcโฆ
โฆyou donโt feel safe, seen, heard, understood, accepted in your life/body/relationship/job/whatevs you wanna out here. You lack purpose & are confused af. Youโve lost yourself. You donโt trust yourself &/or other people.
Self sabotage is addictive. It can be like a dopamine hit. Anxieties & triggers are your smoke detector in your kitchen.
Identify self sabotaging behaviors. Your body would be FAILING you if you didnโt recognize you were lonely, sick, unhappy & all the other feels too.
Start the change by by SHOWING up. Shift & become your own safe house. Then you can be one for others. ๐ก ๐
๐คGo first & just be weird.
You need communication AND connection. You can have one without the other which leads to imbalance. Stop the โshame spiralโ.
Steps to building a non-anxious, vibrationally aligned life:
#1 โ Choose YOUR TRUTH & reality.
#2 โ Choose true connection with yourself & others.
#3 โ Choose freedom & joy in every sense of the words!
#4 โ Choose mindfulness, nourishment, kindness, inner peace, belief, self love, optimism, goodness in all.
A question that changes it all: What do I need right now? Now pause. Breathe. And answer from your heart & your gut.
Love you. Mean it.ย ๐ซถ
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of healthcare, fitness, & personal development. Travel Radiographer, motivational writer, nutritionist, Medium โ gifts of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture & healthcare were her first loves.
She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through Crohnโs disease & life as a radiologic technologist with 18 years experience!
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohnโs, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive CrossFit athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, embrace their gifts, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!
โIf youโre angry or regretful youโre living in the past, if youโre worrying youโre living in the future, if youโre content youโll know youโre living in the present. And thatโs when life all starts to make sense.โ
And THAT my friends is what I hold ontoโฆEvery. Single. Day, now.
Walked in the moonlight this morning. ๐ Thereโs something about early mornings that charge the soul & allow you to discover & reveal yourself.
I find I wake up now by 3 AM every morning no matter what day it is. I stopped, forcing myself to go back to sleep. ๐
๐๐คญ๐side note, I have made a bed in the back of my red Ford Ecosport. Her name is Ruby btw. Sheโs my bestie & Iโm so grateful to have her as my sidekick during this season of life. Sheโs keeps me safe & gives me freedom. Bed kinda like this one ๐ ๐
I have made naps my new favorite thing during the day at lunch. I have also stopped forcing myself to stay up when Iโm tired. My nap whenever it feels right. I sleep so peaceful in my car. Good thing Iโm fun sized. ๐ (5โ1 & 105 on a good day ๐ I can still hear my dad telling me I need to put some more lead in my ass Haha) Random thought & confession ๐คทโโ๏ธ
Where are all my nappers at?! ๐
I open up my fridge. ๐ฅฉ๐
We eating good up in this bish. Beef chuck roast & pork country ribs today from Samโs Club. Iโll cut these up and air fry them. (Surprise surprise ๐)
Some thoughts about my current food & body. I really love my softer, yet still โathleticโ physique. The former more โserious CrossFit athleteโ Katie glimmers thru.
(you can scroll through my Instagram to see previous versions of myself. My personal healing & weight loss story is in the link in my Instagram bio) link: https://lilbitoffit.com/my-first-1-year-on-the-carnivore-diet-my-story-journey-transitioning-to-a-meat-based-carnivore-diet/
Itโs much easier to maintain muscle & shape once youโve done the due diligence to build it. That means you have to eat & train with intention Yโall. Not stepping on that soapbox, but somebody needed to hear it. In fact, probably a lot of you who are under eating.
I no longer judge or compare her to the former athlete, or any other former version of myself. I am really proud of every single version I have been. I want my energy to be good now, my digestion to be effortless, & to feel robust & healthy. I call it vibrational, living & eating.
Thatโs all I care about now. I donโt care about setting body goals anymore, but I am truly grateful for everything Iโve learned throughout all of my seasonsโฆas someone struggling with bulimia, being underweight, being overweight, being a former competitive CrossFit athlete, runner, & everything in between.
Here lately I crave variety in my diet. Higher fat, carnivore than what I was used to. Less ground meat, more steaks, ribs & pork. Iโve been able to consume pork now without any issues in moderation. Itโs amazing how the body transforms.
The air fryer is still BAE. His name is Abe by the way. He travels with me. I cook just about everything in him. Heโs an instant Vortex 6 quart.
I laugh cuz I feel Iโm at a โweird inbetweenerโ age at 41. Iโm an old soul but have such a young spirit.
Stuck between young enough to do it often, old enough to do it right & old enough to know better, young enough not to care.
๐๐ผโโ๏ธMOOD.
Anyone else?๐
Many times Iโve had to remind myself & ask what Iโm living for & who Iโm living for, & if none of those answers are ME, well then, Iโm living the wrong life.
Iโm weird as hell according to society standards. I own it with acceptance, love, & PRIDE, now.
I name all my plants, animals, favorite appliances, & things I use because I feel everything in life is alive, has energy, & deserves to be respected & loved.
Denim & Diamondsโฆ image below taken of me by the talented Dave McKenna of Brownsburg, Indiana.
I love all things sparkly, lacey, & pearly. Recently bought these super EXTRA little girls pants size 14 from target yesterday. Totally donโt need them but they fucking make me feel so happy when I put them on. I literally sit in my living room with these pants on & feel like Jasmine in Aladdin. Another semi embarrassing confession, but again, idgaf.๐
I see & treat the janitor the same as I see a physician or someone highly affluent & โsuccessful.โ I see souls & energy first, not race, color, sex, sexual preference, or status.
Q from a follower: How do you make decisions & know whatโs right for you?
A: youโll have to feel your way but as far as for me, Iโm a human design, manifesting generator profile 2/4 (google or YouTube it if you donโt know yours) Iโm driven by my gut feelings/intuition. Warm/light/happy feelings=a YES, heavy/icky/forced/or cold feelings=a NO.
Feel into your feelings & body. There are your answers. I find now as far as food Iโm less of a volume eater & more of a nourishment + energy management + experience eater. I no longer have bulimia or binge eat.
Some days I crave different foods or colors or textures. Some days i crave savory food, different textures, crispy food, creamy food, nourishing food, savory foods, cold food, hot food, denser foods, lighter food, sweet food, etc. Some days I want more carbs, most days I donโt & simply want meat.
Daily energetics. Some days I feel certain colors. Like brights or neons Or neutrals or specific colors and I dress & accessorize in those colors because they make me feel amazing, vibrant & share the emotions Iโm feeling.
They make me more abundant, help attract more love, higher vibe people and places, feel happier, lighter, more joyful . Eating the foods Iโm desiring also does this just like colors. A reason I donโt force things anymore like diets or workouts or jobs or wardrobes or people or my style.
(A reason I hate uniforms & HARDRULES for anything because this is society trying to control us & our creative, vibrational expression.)
If I can offer you anything today with this diary entry, one of the hardest lessons Iโve learned is that itโs MY JOB to create a joyful reality.
RECAP of last nights big life announcement if you missed itโฆ
โOld keys donโt open new doors. BIG Life update!!!โฃ
โฃMonthly vibe check for October: clearing out the cobwebsโฃ
โฃI slowly started paying attention to the glimmers. โจ The things that lit me up & made me feel sparkly & light & happy & joyful.โฃ
โฃTaking note of the areas that felt stagnant & heavy.โฃ
โฃI think itโs important to address how & why cobwebs & dust accumulate. Itโs because we are avoiding or not seeing a process/place/people/etc we need to clear out. โฃ
โฃToday (9/29/23) is also a full moon, which is a period of clearing & releasing.โฃ
โฃAllow the change of seasons to clear out the gunk/corners/hard to reach areas. Open your windows, seasonally clean. Literally & figuratively.โฃ
โฃI had to do this, too.โฃ
โฃMy BIG announcement as my time here in Quincy comes to an endโฆโฃ
โฃI struggled with the comfort in extending my contract, or staying in Fishers, IN, or choosing the excitement/fear of another unknown adventure. (These still make me scared sh*tless.)โฃ
โฃAs you learn to lean in & trust, the Universe always shows you your path. Doesnโt mean it ainโt frustratingโฆtrust meโฆIโve been heavy & grumbly. โฃ
โฃ๐ฅณBut today, I officially accepted my next chapter & adventure, Iโll be moving to Omaha, Nebraska very soon for my next assignment with @aureusmedical at a family medicine practice starting November 6th. Iโll be there for 20 weeks into March!โฃ
โฃCannot be more PUMPED & grateful.โฃ
โฃLFG๐ซถ Watch out Cornhuskers, this Boilermaker is comin in HOT!โฃ
๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ค๐ค๐โฃโ
Affirmation for you if it hits you in the feels at this moment in life. I know it does for me.
Cord Cutting for New Beginnings
โI release any & all negative past, present, & future energetic cords that are attached to me. I release any and all cords that no longer serve me. I call my energy back to me. I go forth new, recharged, healthy, happy, abundant, & full of love.โ
Let everyday be YOURS, OWN IT, & NEVER APOLOGIZE for who you are.
Oxox
Coach K
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of healthcare, fitness, & personal development. Travel Radiographer, motivational writer, nutritionist, Medium โ gifts of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture & healthcare were her first loves.
She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through Crohnโs disease & life as a radiologic technologist with 18 years experience!
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohnโs, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive CrossFit athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, embrace their gifts, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!
You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
Who do you think you are?โ she asked me (my supervisor).
In a performance review when I was 27 I was told that I had a โstrong silenceโ & was โdifferentโ which others took as me being arrogant & cold & that I โneeded to be more understanding of other peopleโs weaknesses.โ
๐๐ผโโ๏ธIn Beth Dutton fashion, let me interpret this: โYour resting bitch face, your sparkle, & the fact you can do other peopleโs jobs better make them uncomfortable.โ ๐คทโโ๏ธ๐
It was eye-opening & ego shattering at the same time. I had no idea that was how I was being perceived. It did encourage me to sit down & observe past behaviors & presentation & how I was “different.”
At that time I was going thru a divorce, in radiology school full-time & working part time on top of it. As I put it, stressed to the titties.๐ซฃ
I was like come on sister, my life feels like getting stuck halfway putting on a sports bra when youโre sweaty & ya need Jesus to come down & cut you out of it ๐
When youโre โdifferentโ & a โhigh performerโ in life, you might notice that some other people, well โ arenโt.
If you want a great life, tattoo these words on your brain: LIFE IS NOT HARD ON YOU; YOU MAKE LIFE HARD FOR YOURSELF.
Life can be hard & people wonโt understand you sometimes, yes, but the majority of the โhardโ sh*t in life people think is really “hard” in my opinion is really the EASY SH*T.
Just be you & stop over complicating things. People donโt need to understand you you just have to love yourself.
Took myself thrift shopping & a rainy date to the gym yesterday. Had a beautiful day of treasure hunting!
The thing Iโve learned over the years is that many live life haphazardly complacent in a mediocre, lost stateโฆ
I hope this can meet you with inspiration today โค๏ธ
Oxox Coach K
HOW TO SHOP AT THRIFT STORES: 7 TIPS FOR FINDING THE HIDDEN GEMS
1. Go in with the right mindsetโitโs about finding a treasure.
2. Look through everything, ALL sections. Try them on, they look different on ๐ If it looks even remotely interesting, throw it in the cart. Have fun!
4. Go often & when the store opens to get the best buys.
5. Feel good supporting the community! My FAVorite part is giving back! My thrift store order of ops: Mom & pop stores โ Church stores โ> Salvation Army โ> Goodwill.
6.Wear outfits that are easy to layer over so you don’t need a fitting room.
7. Buy it if you LOVE it!
HOW TO BUILD A STRENGTH TRAINING ROUTINE
COUNTRY STYLE AIR FRYER RIBS RECIPE
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of healthcare, fitness, & personal development. Travel Radiographer, motivational writer/speaker, nutritionist โ doer of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture & healthcare were her first loves.
She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through Crohnโs disease & life as a radiologic technologist with 18 years experience!
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohnโs, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!
You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
โWhen you are “getting your shit together” & finding clarity it oftentimes gets lonely. Thereโs growth in being alone & there’s a big difference in being lonely vs alone. You donโt have to be the person with a lot to say & you don’t owe anyone any explanations. The most powerful person is the best listener, especially with yourself.โ
Iโll never forget that.
I’m writing this update & sharing my thoughts just as much for me as it is for you. Enjoy the storytelling! I appreciate all of you who take time to read & allow me to add value to your lives whether it be here on the blog, Instagram, or “real life.”
I’m at a point in my life where I’m so trusting in my abilities, self awareness, adaptability, & faith that the Universe always takes care of me, it’s unfathomable. I always end up where I’m meant to be. Especially when I feel anxious, stagnant, & just fuckin weird sometimes.
I finally surrendered & quit trying to make sense or rigidly control everything.
I live by the MO: “I don’t do rules, I do what feels right.“
Maybe you’re here in a similar energetic space, too.
Warm summer days, the road & the radio = life’s simple pleasures
When you first meet me, Iโm pretty quiet. (Unless Iโm jacked up on caffeine๐)
I’m an observer, an “experience collector” I like to say.
I might not have a ton to say. I may not have a ton of questions to ask, but thatโs because I do a lot of listening.
Not in a judgmental sense, but out of an intention to learn. To actually hear your story. To connect with your energy & not just the words coming out of your mouth.
The more you listen, the more people tell you. The more you get quiet with yourself, the more clarity you have with your answers & paths you wish to take.
In these times when I go internal & solitary (hermit mode lol), some people in my life tend to get triggered. My silence is nothing personal, but a protective growth measure & absolute survival necessity for me.
โSIDE NOTE โ
{A tip that will help you live a more peaceful life: live by the Four Agreements}
The Four Agreements are:
Be Impeccable With Your Word.
Don’t Take Anything Personally.
Don’t Make Assumptions.
Always Do Your Best.
Best I’ve ever felt & looked. My 40’s have treated me well! Every year gets better!
Here are a few blogs for you, because I know I’ll get asked about food/workouts/routines, etc. โ
Iโve had a lot of conversations. Iโve listened to a lot of stories from yโall. Iโve heard a lot about life. Iโve had a lot of wisdom, vulnerability, courage, & confession shared with me.
And while Iโd never disclose the words & revelations composing these exchanges, the one thing I am constantly reminded of is: โnobody has their shit together.
The ONLY way to truly have your shit togetherโฆis to accept that youโre NEVER going to have it together & to find out how to live within that.
The people we admire for their โtogethernessโ just have one piece or a few pieces of the puzzle figured out. What they donโt do, is let the subsequent balls dropping interfere with their success & progress.
Managing overwhelm comes with how well you know your comfort zone. Not for the purpose of staying within it, but having enough awareness to know when it is beneficial for you to push past your pre-existing limits & when you need to stay in it.
Hey, I like my bourbon on the rocks kinda like my life LOL! Beef & bourbon can solve alotta problems ya know. [ Write that down ๐ ]
Having it together is boring. It doesnโt give you much else to learn nor extension to grow.
Iโd rather take my mess & have a story to show๐
I stumbled across a letter I wrote to myself my freshman year at Purdue.
During orientation, we were told to write these letters to our future selves with our hopes & dreams.
“Dear Katie, I hope you always remember how wildly beautiful you are. And on those days that you forget, I hope you always remember you have the strength to come back, forgive yourself & try again.”
The one piece that struck me โ I ended it saying that, โI hope that when I read this letter, I have learned to love myself & have grown as a person.โ
Youโll learn as you get older when you know youโre rare, you live different.
You love different. You surround yourself with other rare, high value people, too.
You donโt waste your rarity taking things personal or trying to control other people.
You donโt waste your time trying to chase or convince others of your worth.
So proud of the woman I used to be that created the woman I am today.
I wrote another letter on July 1st to myself on my 40th birthday eve last year.
I sent it to a woman today mourning a younger version of herselfโฆ
โPeople everywhere walk around fearing aging, & trying to deny its fate. But it is excitingโฆa new decade, a new start, a new adventure!
I love how much you have grown in your acceptance of being just who you are over the last few decades.
I love how you are willing to do the hard work of examining thoughts, actions & past experiences. How you work to find all the little elements that make you, you.
I love how you have taken on challenges & stepped into new things, with some trepidation but also excitement.
I love that you feel more & more comfortable in your own skin, with your own particular way of dressing, loving, eating, & being.
I love that you are a good friend & an encourager of women.
I know that last decade had pain, some heartache & tears, & I canโt promise that the next decade wonโt hold that too. But I pray that you will continue to remember that grief is a part of life, that you will allow it to wash over you but not overwhelm you.
I pray that you grow in your writing. That your words reach women of all ages, that you lift them up will a simple phrase or a recognition of โme tooโ.
I pray that you continue to grow in your capacity to love. That you will continue to be a true, honest friend & lover. One who is able to have hard conversations & grow a friendship & relationship.
I pray that you will not despise the small ordinariness of life. But also, that you wonโt get subsumed by it & will reach for extraordinary experiences.
I pray that you will continue to treat your body with the respect & honor it deserves. Not despising any part of it, but celebrating that you are a woman of 40 years.
Above all I pray that you will continue to listen to your maker & creator, when he says โthis is the way, walk in itโ. (Isaiah 30:21)
Happy 40th, & may the next decade be better than the last,
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohnโs Disease, disordered eating, body transformation, & adapting to a carnivore diet lifestyle.
Katie also has over 18 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, Brand Growth & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!
You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
This guide has now passed thousands of views! Big thank you to everyone who continues to share (my posts & your story too) & be a big part of my life as my digital family!
You guys make my days so much brighter & I hope you know how much you mean to me!
Iโve lost 55 lbs thanks to carnivore & intermittent fasting! Follow me on Instagram (@lil_bit_of_fit) to see my day-to-day journey with living a meat-based life as a busy xray tech & 40 year old athlete with Crohn’s Disease.
Interested in trying carnivore & fasting with me? Join my coaching community & book a coaching call! I also provide you with a recipe book, Meat & Macros Guide & 2 workout plans!
I tried every diet in the book to lose weight & heal my gut issues. While I did see occasional results, I eventually couldnโt sustain it and then yo-yoโd. IF & carnivore have been the simplest and most manageable way I have found to improve my health & fitness (and stick with it).
This post is intended for my friends (and friends of friends) who have been following my health journey on Instagram, Facebook, or have asked how to get started. Because the interest has been in the thousands (so amazing!), Iโve wanted to share this information more publicly.
In the interest of time, Iโve created this super quick educational start guide with a couple troubleshooting videos!
Letโs dive into fasting & why you may not be seeing results.
I see this oftentimes with all yโall chronically under eating, trying to do protein sparing modified fasting (PSMF) or OMAD (one meal a day) with a disordered eating history.
Tap for a short video on why fasting may not be working for you!
Yes, I prefer to utilize intermittent fasting. It works best for my digestion. I eat when Iโm hungry & fast when Iโm not. Typical fasting window is around 14-20hrs, biggest meal I consume after my workout in the am. I also love to incorporate fat & carb cycling. โฃ It is not necessary for you to fast to achieve your health and body goals no matter what diet you prefer.
Remember: health & happy hormones first. โฃโฃ
Here’s a previous video answering a client question talking about why fasting wasn’t working for her
Intermittent fasting, also known as intermittent energy restriction, is simply an umbrella term for various meal timing schedules that cycle between voluntary fasting or reduced calorie intake and eating over a given period of time.
It is just a tool to help you to manage meal times & calorie intake, it is not a dirty word nor is it a quick fix or magic pill. There are 100 different ways to “fast” & everyone has their own “definition” of what they consider fasting. Some drink coffee & water, some don’t. Some use no calorie sweeteners, some don’t. There are more optimal times, situations, & schedules that are more effective & efficient. Make sure it fits easily into your lifestyle & schedule. Pick whatever suits your needs. Remember adherence & consistency are always keys!
Most utilize the 16/8 or 14/10 or 12/10 windows. (Fast 16 hrs/eat 8) You can also periodically fast 24 hrs or longer. I personally do NOT do extended fasts.
16/8, 14/10, 12/12 Protocols – Ex: Fast 16hrs/8hr eating window
OMAD – One meal a day, fast the rest
TMAD – Two meals a day, fast the rest
PSMF – Protein Sparing Modified Fasts: highly restrictive diet that involves severely limiting the intake of calories, carbs, & fat & consuming only lean (zero-low fat) protein
5:2 – Eat normal 5 days, restrict calories to 500-600 for 2 days
Eat Stop Eat – Eat normal for 5 days then fast for 24hrs for 2 days
4:3 or Alternate Day Fasting – Fast every other day, eat normal on non-fasting days
Skip Meals Spontaneously – skip meals when you’re not hungry
Will fasting help me lose body fat?
Why your story & background matter when it comes to fasting efficacy
Before we dive into fasting deets I want to reiterate & touch on WHY your story & food/dieting/health history matter when it comes to the experiences & results you get (or lack of).
Lets be honest, the main reason most people choose the Carnivore Diet & utilizing fasting is because they want fat loss. Thatโs fine, we all wanna look good nekkid, HOWEVER, the difference lies in our starting point: calorically, metabolically, hormonally, physiologically, mentally, emotionally โ the whole picture.
I feel we really should approach any nutrition protocol from a health/healing perspective, first, aesthetic perspective, second.
Some of us come from the SAD (Standard American Diet), some have been dieting basically our entire lives & still think 1200 calories is the magic number for weight loss, some fear fat, some fear carbs, some are binge eating &/or suffering from disordered eating & still in denial, some come from Keto, some have been struggling with gut issues/autoimmune stuff for decades & really have no idea what they can eat.
All of these different stories & starting points impact the transition & adaptation to any diet. You do not have to fast at all if you don’t want to.
Usually I see two different stories, & thus experiences, when working with clients. Weโll call them Peter & Patty.
Are you Peter or Patty?
PETER
Peter is male, used to over consuming the typical SAD, dad bod (aka looks like he might lick something deemed โhealthyโ & work out occasionally but really loves tacos & would much rather smash a 6 pack vs have a 6 pack). Simply eating meat & cutting out all the other crap significantly reduces his caloric intake & the fat just falls off.
PATTY
Patty is female, lets say 30-40yrs old, habitual yo-yo dieter, excessive exerciser, wants to lose fat & build muscle but doesnโt wanna be โbulkyโ (sigh smdh), scared to eat more than 1200-1500 calories & gaining weight is one of her biggest fears.
Sheโs tried every diet in the book. Had some success with โKetoโ (doesnโt really know what keto means but sheโs eating less carbs right?!) but always falls off the wagon, stressful home life/ job, struggled with bloating & gut issues for years.
Her neighbor, Peter, looks great since carnivore, so she decides itโs gonna be the magic quick fix to all her issues. Sooo Patty stops tracking food (because she was told it didnโt matter on the carnivore diet) & starts smashin all the bacon, ribeyes, cheese, ribs, & chicken wings.
Her gut issues get better, the first week she dropped 3lbs, but now she’s about 6 weeks in & hungry, tired, & the scale is going up! So she decided to start fasting more, & ups her steps to 20k/d. (Further stressing her body out more btw).
She gives it another month with more weight gain. She wants to quit after a couple months despite her gut issues resolving. It doesnโt work she says, โI didnโt lose weight.โ
Things that matter when choosing any diet, macros, calories, &/or fasting protocols
Training modalitiesโฃโฃ (how you prefer to workout. CrossFit vs running vs yoga vs Orange Theory vs walking vs Barre vs Bodybuilding vs power lifting etc)โฃโฃ
Thatโs a LOT of stuff, right? Itโs not as simple as just picking a set of macro numbers, or calories, or a magic diet camp or fasting protocol. You are not a template or calculator, youโre a human. This is why we set up coaching consultations to help you!
A BIG reminder, we should not be dieting any more than 1-2 times per year, no longer than 12-16 weeks. You should be chillin, eating at your maintenance calories, enjoying life and getting strong AF the majority of the year! Like this chart? Allllll the free content available on Instagram!
Why should I try fasting?โฃโฃ
Itโs simple, eating fewer times works better for your schedule, less thinking/measuring. Your lifestyle aligns w/your eating schedule. Helpful when in a calorie deficit to allot larger meals.โฃ โฃโฃ
Metabolic flexibility. It will utilize the fuel from previous meals/glycogen first, then it will use your fat stores to fuel your day.โฃโฃ
Hunger response. Are you bored or really hungry? You learn/feel the difference. A big reason I would utilize IF with clients. It helps connect with your bodyโs true hunger signals.โฃโฃ
Benefits of fasting: hormone balance, reduced insulin resistance, risk of diabetes, inflammation, improved focus, gut health & digestion, fat loss in a calorie deficit.
Why it works for fat loss
While I will reiterate fasting is not a diet, it can help with fat loss goals by creating a calorie deficit in various ways:
Reduces the number of meals in a day
Helps create food rules to prevent over eating & snacking, especially for people who are abstainers
Helps reduce your weekly calorie average
Helps you feel & get back in tune with true hunger cues which helps prevent eating when you’re not truly hungry. Many of us eat out of learned habit like eating in front of the tv at night, eating desert just because it is available, or seeing/smelling/hearing food cook
When should I not fast?
Youโre on the gain train. If youโre ok cramming 3-4000 calories down your pie hole in a short amount of time go for it. For most, IF protocols are utilized for eating less calories simply by decreasing feeding time.โฃโฃ โฃโฃ
It screws with your mind & feels restrictive. Canโt sustain it easily & comfortably w/your lifestyle. If it increases cortisol/blood sugar/affecting your sleep/mood/energy negatively.
If you canโt feel fullness cues & eat past satiety & all you do is think about eating during your fasting โ STOP! Try eating more frequent meals during the day.
Who should NOT fast &/or fasting is not ideal
Pregnant Women
Women who are nursing
People who are reverse dieting
People training for high performance
People who have abused or overly fasted
People who have chronically under eaten for an extended period of time (aka you’ve made chasing a smaller body your hobby)
People who are trying to gain muscle
Women a week before their cycle
People healing &/or struggling with adrenal insufficiency & fatigue
People with eating disorders &/or disordered eating habits, poor relationships with food, exercise, &/or body image where restriction is a huge trigger
Getting Started
Chances are that youโve already done many intermittent fasts in your life.
If youโve ever eaten dinner, then slept late and not eaten until lunch the next day, then youโve probably already fasted for 16+ hours.
Some people instinctively eat this way. They simply donโt feel hungry in the morning.
Many people consider the 16/8 method the simplest and most sustainable way of intermittent fasting โ you might want to try this practice first.
If you find it easy and feel good during the fast, then have fun, experiment and maybe try moving on to more advanced fasts like 24-hour fasts 1โ2 times per week (Eat-Stop-Eat) or only eating 500โ600 calories 1โ2 days per week (5:2 diet).
Another approach is to simply fast whenever itโs convenient โ simply skip meals from time to time when youโre not hungry or donโt have time to cook.
There is no need to follow a structured intermittent fasting plan to derive at least some of the benefits.
Experiment with the different approaches and find something that you enjoy and fits your schedule.
At the end of the day, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to nutrition. The best diet for you is the one you can stick to in the long run.
I find for those who have a poor relationship with carbs & sugar, chronic gut or health issues, autoimmune needs, etc for example, a lower carb, animal or meat-based approach is extremely effective for health, healing, & fat loss.
Here’s my routine & what has help me drop 55lbs & put my Crohn’s disease & bulimia in med-free remission.
Intermittent fasting is great for some people, not others. The only way to find out which group you belong to is to try it out.
If you feel good when fasting and find it to be a sustainable way of eating, it can be a very powerful tool to lose weight and improve your health.
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohnโs Disease, disordered eating, body transformation, & adapting to a carnivore diet lifestyle.
Katie also has over 18 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, Brand Growth & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!
You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
In my own words, I would say cadence is the lattice (or path) by which we live life.
Everyone has a cadence in their life.
Two questions that PING๐ฅ punched me in the gut:
๐โIs my cadence life-giving or is it exhausting?โ
๐โDoes it allow me to flourish & thrive or does it leave me overwhelmed?โ
Commanding your cadenceโฆ
brings chaos into order
turns hopes into habits
provides flexibility within structure
is critical to choose the reality of your life.
This is the beauty: you get to choose the cadence of your life. No one gets to choose it for you.
As you begin to do this & be intentional & live this way, what you will find is there’s actually an optimalcadence for you.
There are elements that allow you to find the optimal cadence for your own life. Every priority or event has its own optimal cadence (flow/priority of importance/repeatability).
For example, brushing your teeth is a cadence that needs to be more frequent. If you’re going a week without brushing your teeth, we have problems.
Eating & sleeping WELL & working out (SHOULD BE) top priority cadences effortlessly repeated, because they make us our healthiest, happiest, best selves, which transitions into every facet of our lives.
Then there are other shades of cadence that are less frequent: Visiting family or friends across the country or things like indulging in a luxurious vacation.
They’re both priorities.
They both matter, but the optimal cadence for them is different.
A second point is that everyone’s individual cadence is unique to them, just like diets, workouts, relationships, movies, etc.
Each of us has different temperaments, needs, preferences, love languages, etc โ wirings.
Some of you might be morning people like me. Early birds. I am a morning person. I love it when it’s dark & quiet. I love watching the sun come up. I get most of my channeled messages and ideas early in the morning while walking. Some people hate that.
Some people are night owls & they produce their best work late at night after everybody’s asleep.
Sometimes work obligations can affect your optimal cadence. For some folks & families, especially people who work in healthcare or sales/business who travel a lot, they might have an on-call schedule or crazy work schedule.
In this case, your optimal cadence as a human or family might have to look different because you know on a weekend you’re not going to get friends & family time. You’re going to have to prioritize that differently earlier in the week to ensure you have time with your kids & spouse & friends because of the fact that your on call schedule or travel is going to be disruptive.
Lastly, every season can have a different optimal cadence.
Right now, Iโm healthy & strong living in maintenance, focused on longevity & just being happy.
I havenโt had a Crohnโs flare in four years since changing my diet & lifestyle. [๐ธ๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ค๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ช๐ฐ & ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ด, ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ, ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด, ๐จ๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ถ๐ฆ๐ด, & ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ & ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐บ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ.] You can find that here
There was a time I was very sick, very broke, very lonely, & I had to adjust my life to heal those parts of myself.
There was a time I was a competitive CrossFit athlete & had to eat & live differently.
There was a time I was training for a photo shoot in a fat loss cut & had to eat & live differently.
There was a time I was severely in debt, had no idea what my purpose in life was & I lived differently then, too.
All these seasons were confusing & hard as fuck & came with their own sets of lessons, pros & cons.
One idea as you’re beginning to think through cadences in your own life can be to study others around you.
Especially those that you admire or have learned from ahead of you in life.
Remember the truth, you choose the cadence of your life. No one can give it to you. You get to choose.
I’m going to share a few of my personal cadences. I posted my bulletproof daily routine on IG to help yโall see how I prioritize my life so that you can create your own success, routine. You can find that here
These are just examples, this isn’t to say it’s for you, because again, your cadence is unique to you. Hopefully some of the ones I’m sharing here can help you think about things differently in your life.
My cadences are:
Gratitude, Positive Affirmations, & a Walk first thing in the morning. They help me align physically & mentally for my day. They put my mental filter, my heart filter, & my physical filter for the day in the right place.
Right after that I sit in silence or listen to a nourishing podcast while I eat my meaty breakfast in front of my red light. Then I use my infrared sauna. (All resources, guides, products, & discount codes are here in the link in my IG bio)
Sitting in silence after having slept & walking are some of the best processing times for me contemplating what has happened & contemplating what’s ahead.
After the work day, I mentally recap what I did well & what I could do better. I also give thanks for doing my best & remind myself that I live by the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
I touch base with my family & close circle every week.
I challenge myself & do something new &/or put myself in a different environment every week.
I make saving & investing my time, energy, & money wisely a daily game so that itโs fun & easy for me so that I have more financial & personal wealth.
Notice thereโs different timings we talked earlier about different priorities that have different optimal cadences, & that’s what structure here shows.
With structure comes freedom & flexibility because youโre strong in your foundation & what you believe & stand for.
It’s not overly complicated. You don’t have to have it all perfect at once. You just need to start. For me, there’s daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, & annual cadences.
Why is commanding your cadence so critical to choose & create the reality of your life?
The first is commanding your cadence facilitates your habits. Habits are some of the most powerful elements of our life. There was a Duke researcher in 2006, who did this large study around habits. What he found was that greater than 40% of the actions that we take in a single day are out of habit.
Think about that for a secondโฆGREATER than 40% of the actions you take are out of habit! You do them by default.
You did them because you did them before. When you command your cadence, you facilitate your habits.
The second point about why commanding your cadence is critical is it protects your priorities.
Life comes at us. Life circumstances inevitably will derail us.
If we don’t have a cadence, we’re going to become aimless. We’re going to drift off course from our purpose. You can be listless in life but having command of your cadence actually serves you to get back on track towards your purpose.
Hereโs a couple application questions to think about this weekend & into this next week:
๐What priority in my life do I need to command its cadence?
๐Who do I admire in life that I can learn one new cadence from?
As you reflect on those questions, begin to take command of your cadence. When you do, you will begin to live life on purpose. Your body will change for the better, your relationships will change for the better, your finances will change for the better, your sense of inner peace & health will change for the better.
As you become purpose driven, you will live a more FULL & MEANINGFUL life. Remember, you are in control of your cadences in life. What are you going to choose?
oxox Coach K
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohnโs Disease, disordered eating, CrossFit, & adapting a carnivore diet lifestyle.
Katie also has over 17 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & personal life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!
I get that question from folks all the time, in person & online, when asked to give advice about getting in shape, protecting energy, & preventing self sabotage.
I lay out a really simple, low-maintenance approach. Itโs true โ I donโt put much effort into all this health & fitness stuff. What I do, I do week-in, week-out, though. And it all starts with self awareness, self love, & frankly, not giving a f*ck what other people think or do.
So yes, over several decades, I have put in A TON of effort in total. It’s taken over 10 years to build the body y’all see today. But day-to-day, not so much. BECAUSE I’ve made it a lifestyle. I eat plenty of food (around 2000 cal/d on avg) & still enjoy occasional social alcohol in moderation.
I want you to look & feel fabulous as you get older, too, so strap yourself in for a typical, really low-maintenance week for me (that you can copy or use as inspiration) that helps me stay lean & healthy as an empath at 40.
Mapped out my daily routine here just for you in this IG post!
I Train for 5 Hours a Week, Tops
โAh but youโre a nutritionist & single & have no kids, you can work out all the time if you want to?!โ
Yeah, I couldโฆbut why the f*ck would I want to?
Iโve been working out for 30 years โ believe me, the novelty wore off long ago. Nowadays, workouts are like vacuuming for me โ a necessary thing I need to get done so things donโt get messy & I feel my best. We all wanna look good nekkid too!
I workout out for 4-5 sessions of 40โ60 mins a week [depends if I get side-tracked by that work thing or extracurricular activities between sessions ๐ ] Every muscle group gets hit with a wee dose of damage because I am too damn old to waddle around for days after some hardcore leg day or CrossFit workout. Upper body push/pull days & lower body glute/leg splits. Schedule varies with work schedule.(Routines, guides, & resources in link in IG bio)
I Walk 15k Steps/d As A Target
Walking Is a True Health Hack. I have no desire to run at a medium pace for an hour or do hours of CrossFit WOD’s a day anymore, messing up my joints & hormones. If I need to get somewhere 5 miles away, Iโll drive. Thanks.
But I do plenty of brisk walking โ 15k steps per day is my target. This has enormous payoffs on several levels:
Low-impact stamina-building.
Vitamin D for hormonal balance cuz I walk outside in the sun.
Clears my head & energy like nothing else does.
Torches tons of calories per week.
Takeaway for You
If you hate a particular exercise, please donโt force yourself to do it โ thereโs more than one way to skin a cat.
Walking is fantastic. Also, I have no idea how many calories cat skinning burns <opens Google>.
I Take & Use a Few Things To Thrive
You can easily find yourself taking handfuls of pills & powders daily because you think they’ll magically solve all your problems. They won’t if you don’t have your foundational success routine in place first. If youโre eating a varied & healthy diet (for YOU) & exercising, you donโt need to supplement with much at all.
There are a few things I take & use that help me thrive. You can find these along with discount codes in the link in my IG bio & highlights.
If youโre taking tons of shit, do an audit & ask yourself, โWhat happens if I stop taking this?โ If the answer is โnothing,โ then save your $$
I Eat 2 Meals & Nothing I Donโt Like
I want to maintain my weight while eating enough to build a wee bit more muscle if I can. This means I aim to eat at my maintenance level in total each week. Use the TDEEcalculator.net to find yours.
I do what works for me, which is a form of intermittent fasting every day in windows that suit my work & social schedule.
coffee & plenty of water + Ultima Replenisher electrolytes
a big breakfast of protein & healthy fats after my walk or workout in the morning
a smaller meaty meal mid-late afternoon
fast overnight until the next day usually 12-18 hrs. No snacking
throw in occasional a large OMAD (one meal a day) on days I work a 1st shift & then a 3rd shift or if I’m just not as hungry
I donโt eat kale โ itโs gross. I donโt eat veggies, fruit or fiber because I can’t break them down due to my Crohn’s disease(my whole story is documented in the link in my IG bio & highlights). Carbs & sugar I have a really shitty relationship with so I abstain. I donโt eat any food โbecause itโs healthyโ, I eat what healthy food I like because I like it.
Takeaway for You
Start with the healthy foods you like. Base meals on those. Keep protein high for muscle retention & satiety. Avoid trigger foods, sugar, & junk.
Post workout breakfast. 1.25 lbs of *0% ground beef #meatbars Airfry. 380. 12 minutes. Did not consume the fat in the bottom of the airfyer to make it leaner.
click for guide here
My Weekends Are Never A Shit Show
You could get in great shape if you gave up sugar, alcohol, & junk food & ate only grilled chicken & broccoli for meals for 12 weeks straight. But youโd also hate life & everyone around you, & after 12 weeks, you would probably binge off the rails.
80-90% for Health. 20-10% for Flexibility
Instead of quick fix, masochistic approaches to dieting, we can lose body fat & stay lean intentionally managing calories & eating healthy foods the majority of the time, say Monday to Friday, or 80-90% of the time, meaning things like:
High protein breakfasts (eggs, bacon, sausage, etc)
High protein lunches/dinner (meat, seafood, eggs, etc)
No-minimal sugar & snacks between meals (2-3 meals/day)
Intermittent fasting overnight (12-16+ hours) Do what works for you as far as eating windows.
Use carbs (fruit, veggies, oats, rice, etc) intentionally. Typically the more active, the more you tolerate. If they cause issues mentally & physically, you may do better abstaining.
If you like weekend/social flexibility, use wisely.
Takeaway for You
Controlling your weight long term: control portions & eat your protein. Remind yourself what makes you feel your best mentally & physically.
Health & Fitness Tips As An Empath
Tips that have helped me to eat well, stay fit, & release negativity before self sabotaging & over eating:
Minimize Sugar & Processed Food As Much As Possible: Although you may crave carbs & sugar (as well as alcohol), they will destabilize you mentally & physically. This makes you more susceptible to absorbing unwanted energy & self sabotaging. These kinds of hyperpalatable foods are like drugs, leaving you wanting more.
Prioritize Protein: Protein stabilizes everyone. It gives a sense of grounding & satiation. Get protein at every meal, at least 30g. Big reason many food addicts thrive, lose weight, & heal on carnivore.
Rest: Sleep. Solitude is your best friend to energetically rest & reset. Go take a restorative walk in nature.
Eat Alone & Mindfully: most of us empaths need to avoid outside energy & distractions when eating. It allows us to have full presence, chew thoroughly & savor our food which helps us feel true hunger & satiety cues. This aids in avoiding over eating & thus weight gain.
Manage Your Emotions, Time, & Energy: Managing your emotions actually frees up the energy youโre spending on things that do not serve you. Emotions are messengers. They alert you to boundaries being crossed. If youโre like I was, that is what made me want to stuff my face with donuts, cookies, cake, chips, cereal, crackers, & ice cream & then throw it up. I was suppressing emotions & giving my time & energy to everyone else. UNTIL I realized that self loathing & sabotaging behavior meant staying sick, broke, & lonely AF.
Move Your Body: Walk, go to the gym, get out in the sunlight, connect with friends. We cope with stress, including loneliness, by using dopamine-triggering substances & behaviors as a means of avoiding painful emotions & self-awareness. But if we make a commitment to living a kick-ass life, then moving the body will get the dopamine flowing, reconnecting us to what we truly enjoy, like our friends & families. I will reiterate again, walking is a GODsend. If in doubt, go walk!
Final Thoughts
Most of adult life isnโt about finding new answers, but unravelling the web of misinformation we pick up over the years.
Hereโs the truth about exercise & eating well โ itโs a lot simpler than it sounds. The more you eat well & exercise, the stronger youโll get, the better you’ll feel, and, the more youโll enjoy it. Then it becomes you & your lifestyle.
When people ask my fitness regimen & I respond with “I workout 4-5x per week for 45-60 minutes & walk 15k steps per day.”…I get, โI could NEVER find time for that!โ or โHow long do you have to do this for? Are you losing fat or on a diet?โ
I shake my damn head. Because, society has programmed us that exercise & eating healthy are short-term things to lose weight for an event or to fit into clothes – not a LIFESTYLE.
Like reps & weight, theyโre merely tools to build a fulfilling life. On their own, theyโre meaningless. I started counting intentional moments & habits. I no longer log hours of workouts a day, binge & restrict food from a place of self loathing, or find myself obsessed with chasing a smaller body. You can’t live a BIG life chasing a SMALL body on an EMPTY tank & TIRED soul.
oxox Coach K
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohnโs Disease, disordered eating, body transformation, & adapting to a carnivore diet lifestyle.
Katie also has over 17 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, Brand Growth & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!
You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
I tried every program possible to get in shape in my 20’s & 30’s & I still felt like sh*t. I didn’t “look like I worked out” & had low energy. My gut was a dumpster fire.
I constantly had โprojectsโ.
Keto for 30 days. CrossFit competitions. Fat loss cuts on a never ending cycle. Cold showers forโฆ wellโฆ I didnโt last long with that one, to be honest. Brrrr. Not my thing.
It seemed this kind of dopamine hit, short-termism was “fine” for me in my 20’s. (I turn 41 this year.)
After 40 your body starts arguing with you a little, you wise up (hopefully), & learn a few things by, frankly, doing a lot of dumb sh*t. Things that donโt work as well as they once did.
So to avoid wasting time on dumb stuff, if you want to: get in shape lose weight look & feel younger than your age You gotta change & flow in alignment with your season.
Look around you. You wonโt see many folks over 40 in great shape & full of energy for the majority. I’ve worked in healthcare in radiology & as a nutrition coach for 18 years. I see it everyday. People younger than me, in worse shape & health because they don’t take care of themselves. Because 99% of people struggle to do something that canโt be found in their social media feeds and Google searchesโฆ
โฆconsistently show up & master the big rocks to true transformation, health, & fitness.
Here’s how I do the damn thang. Enjoy!
oxox Coach K
Minimally Optimal Effective Dose
What is M.O.E.D. ?
I noticed after turning 40 my physique & health were actually getting BETTER by doing LESS & simply focusing on enjoying my workouts while staying consistent af. The Minimally Optimal Effective Dose meant doing just enough to move the needle & improve your health, fitness, & body shape as I got older.
For any age, it is better to nail consistency week-in week-out than to only manage to do something much higher maintenance for weeks, while hating life, being desperate to stop, & eventually giving up & falling into bad habits.
I’ve noticed as I’ve aged, if I push it too much in the gym I get puffy, inflamed, gain weight & experience fatigue as a negative stress response vs if I take it “easier” on my body with lifting, simple movement & keeping my heart rate at a more moderate pace.
My workout M.O.E.D. methodology: 45 min-1 hr of resistance training 4-5d/wk paired with short bursts of cardio + daily walking (I get 15k steps/d).
Slice & dice it any way you want, do what works for you. You can do two 20 minute workouts a day, 1 long workout, etc.
This will:
build strength & muscle
improve cardiovascular fitness
help you burn body fat & transform your body shape in no time
You can fit this in every single week because you havenโt had to turn your busy work & family life upside down.
Zone Training Basics
Training zones allow us to understand which energy systems & muscle fibers we use at a given exercise intensity level.
There are 6 zones. Zone 1 is the lowest intensity (for example, sitting on the sofa to watch Netflix), while Zone 6 is the highest (for instance, all-out sprinting).
Zone 1: Energy source mainly used: fat (and oxygen)
Zone 2: (easy jog; relaxed biking). Energy source mainly used: fat (and oxygen)
Zone 3: Energy source mainly used: fat trending into carbohydrates
Zone 4: Energy source mainly used: carbohydrates
Zone 5: Energy source mainly used: carbohydrates
Zone 6: (all-out sprinting). Energy source mainly used: carbohydrates trending into creatine phosphate.
**The fuel type you burn to create ATP changes with exercise intensity. In zones 1 & 2, you are primarily burning fat. In Zone 2, you also exercise at a level that optimally stimulates your cellsโ mitochondria.
The Benefits of Zone 2 Cardio
Why do I spend much of my physical activity time in Zone 2 cardio?
First, I want to increase the number & efficiency of my mitochondria. In Zone 2, I maximally stimulate my mitochondria to produce ATP (energy). Your body will create more mitochondria in response. With more mitochondria, I can create more ATP through fat oxidation.
As you work in Zone 2, your body will get better at burning fat for energy. You may lower your risk of health problems such as insulin resistance, cancer, & dementia.
I do Zone 2 training to improve my health & longevity. I also have more energy throughout the day, I’m not as sore, my mental clarity if better, & my heart rate has lowered.
I get my heart rate up higher 2-3 times a week but no longer redline my CrossFit workouts daily like I used to.
Healthy Eating & Fat Loss M.O.E.D.
80-90% for Health. 20-10% for Flexibility
You can still lose weight after 40. Yes, I do feel the levels of indulgence we could get away with in the past bite us in the ass pretty quickly. <weeps quietly>.
Instead of quick fix, masochistic approaches to dieting, we can lose body fat & stay lean using the minimally optimal effective dose of dietary effort โ intentionally managing calories & eating healthy foods the majority of the time, say Monday to Friday, or 80-90% of the time, meaning things like:
High protein breakfasts (eggs, bacon, sausage, etc)
High protein lunches/dinner (meat, seafood, eggs, etc)
No-minimal sugar & snacks between meals (2-3 meals/day)
Intermittent fasting overnight (12-16+ hours) Do what works for you as far as eating windows.
Use carbs (fruit, veggies, oats, rice, etc) intentionally. Typically the more active, the more you tolerate. If they cause issues mentally & physically, you may do better abstaining.
If you like weekend/social flexibility, use wisely.
Energy Boosting, Stress Reducing, Biohacking
Sleep & Walk more while balancing hormones.
The people I meet over 40 who have boundless energy & seem younger than their years all have a few things in common:
they are conscious of managing stress
they prioritize their sleep & get outside in the sun
they understand the importance of hormonal balance
Ultimately all those things are interconnected.
Sleep helps you manage stress & regulate hormones
Reducing stress helps you sleep & keep Cortisol low which again regulates hormones
Keeping hormones balanced improves mood, energy levels, libido, & metabolism
So what are the tiniest, simplest yet most effective steps for us to achieve all that? 2 simple habits:
Fit in as much walking as you can each week. This reduces stress, helps you sleep, builds stamina, burns calories, & lifts your mood.
Prioritize sleep by getting 7-8 hrs/night. Avoid screens, alcohol, & heavy meals before bedtime.
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohnโs Disease, disordered eating, body transformation, & adapting to a carnivore diet lifestyle.
Katie also has over 17 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, Brand Growth & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!
I remember getting anxiety when I thought I’d miss a workout due to travel or work because I couldn’t get to a gym. Then the C-word hit in 2020 & rocked our worlds right?!
Tips on how I optimize workouts at home, work, & travel creating a more peaceful, successful, abundant, strong af life!โฃ
Workout 1st thing in the morning. Have a success routine nailed down. Walk after meals, set an alarm every 20-30 minutes to get up & walk around, take stairs, & park further away.โฃ Add a weighted vest to your routines!
Get movement & steps in while your food cooks, down time at work, make walking especially outside your meditation! Sometimes I do a mini workout with bodyweight or dumbbells while my meat air frysโฃ. I keep dumbbells, yoga mat, resistance bands, & a suspension set at work in the cabinet. I don’t sit much & walk around as much as possible.
If youโre 1 that travels often, have pre-packed bags with essentials ready to grab & go with workout gear & snacks. Book hotels with a fitness center, fridge/kitchens, & or near parks/trails.
I keep an overnight bag with me at all times.โฃ Travel with my barbell & bumper weights in my trunk. I keep a bag of my bands, dumbbells, trx, weighted vest, etc in my car. I got all mine from Amazon.
I lay clothes out for the next day & set my coffee on auto brew. It speeds up the process & gets me pumped to get sh*t done! YouTube & Google are wonderful resources for workouts. They have apps that generate workouts for you too. Do your own life admin!
Have ready to go meals or snacks. I keep string cheese, packets of tuna, hard boiled eggs, ready bacon just in case & I donโt have time to go to the store.โฃ Rotisserie chickens on the go are BAE!
I have a whole Biohacking/Anti-aging guide HERE complete with all the products & supplements that keep me looking/feeling my best!
You can ready more about my carnivore, weight loss, & gut healing story to help answer all your questions HERE!
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her familyโs beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohnโs Disease, disordered eating, body transformation, & adapting to a carnivore diet lifestyle.
Katie also has over 17 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, Brand Growth & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!
You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
Join my coaching community & book a coaching call! I also provide you with a recipe book, Meat & Macros Guide & 2 workout plans!
