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!
We weren’t meant to live in a constant state of restriction. Feeling like sh*t, no energy no matter how many coffee or Bangs I shoved down my pie hole, chronic constipation, no body comp changes, cold all the freakin time – THAT was my normal back in the day.
I committed every sin I’ve talked about here on the interwebs. I used to CrossFit my a$$ off hours a day 7 d/wk on 1500 calories, eating all the carbs & plants, wrecking me mentally & physically. I wondered why I could never recover & I never looked “jacked” like other female athletes that weren’t working “half as hard” & eating twice as much as me.
Like a fine wine bitches. 😉
Fast forward today, my 39 year old self finally fit the puzzle pieces together & learned not to fear food, not to see it as something I had to earn or burn off. I’m 5’1, 105lbs. I workout 5 d/wk, I lift & CrossFit, I walk a lot, and I eat ALOT. I avg 1850-2000 calories a day most days, primarily ground beef, eggs, lamb, & Perdue ground chicken.
Reminder, maintenance calories are how many calories we can eat in a day & maintain optimal body function without seeing any changes to muscle & fat composition. In other words, chillin like a villain.
If you’re eating below where you need to be calorically & basically feeling the exact opposite of the signs we’re talkin about in the slides of this post, you most likely need to do what’s called a reverse diet. Don’t know how? I have a whole 354 page EGuide with a section dedicated to this very subject.
Included are some things you may not want to hear:
A healthy body loses body fat & any weight you gain in the process of gaining health is weight you needed to gain.
It may take years to get the body you want going through numerous periodization cycles.
There is a cost to being a certain level of lean.
That athletic body you covet just may weigh more than you think.
Unless you’re a newbie & never worked out before or dieted, fat loss takes a calorie deficit, muscle gain takes at least maintenance & more likely surplus. Pick one. You cannot do both at the same time.
Also, our bodies are all different. What weight & body fat % one person is might work great for them as far as hormonal & metabolic health, others it may not be optimal & you may need to eat more to remedy any issues.
And if you refuse to eat more when you need to restore your health, you have far pressing more important issues than looking good in a bikini.
There are 50 shades of a meat based diet. Some people include small amounts of carbs, some do fat or carb re-feeds, some do not. Don’t be that Ahole that shames other people for including other things & different approaches into their diets because you don’t. We all have different needs/preferences. I see it too much. No need for dogma of any kind, we are here to learn & support one another. Choose what work best for you.
Seems most “higher” protein carnivores are around 40P/60F, 50P/50F, 60P/40F as far a protein/fat macro ratios. Always go your own way, again, we’re all different!
I’m showing you what I’d do for myself as far as macros, not saying you have to follow these, but a visual & calculation breakdown were requested. If you need coaching, fill out an inquiry here & I’ll send details via email.
Your 1st steps in choosing any kind of diet need to be:
1. KNOW YOUR WHY & BE SELF AWARE
2. UNDERSTAND YOUR STORY & FOUNDATIONAL STARTING POINT
3. DEFINE YOUR REALISTIC GOAL
4. SET A PLAN & ORGANIZE YOUR SUCCESS ROUTINE
As far as Carnivore, get adapted & heal FIRST. I wrote a blog from an interview on my experiences the 1st year of my carnivore journey. Please read that interview here (link also in IG bio to blog post) — it will answer the majority of your questions as far as my story, living with Crohn’s as an athlete, adapting, transitions I went through, & my special digestive needs & trigger foods.
I don’t recommend any kind of manipulations with the carnivore diet for fat loss until you are adapted, eating at maintenance, & thriving confidently with this lifestyle.
Fat Loss Tips:
Create a calorie deficit from pulling from your fat macros. Protein should stay consistent (around 1g/lb of body weight or goal weight for most) Tracking will help. It creates awareness & more educated decision making when making adjustments. Protein for most/meal should be around 30g minimum, most do fine around 40-60g/meal if you’re eating 2-3 meals/d.
Choose meats that are easier to track & control like ground meats & eggs. Leaner meat will naturally be lower in calories.
When in a calorie deficit, & this will depend on your degree of calorie deficit, it can be helpful to increase your protein macros to maintain as much lean muscle mass as possible especially if you’re strength training. (YOU SHOULD BE)
If you’re fat cycling for fat loss, try 4-5 lean days/wk, 2-3 higher fat days/wk. Its helpful to have higher calorie (high fat days) on days of higher activity or harder workouts. You can also reserve these for days of social events for easier adherence.
Diet breaks & structured refeeds can be wonderful tools to create adherence, consistency, & decreased hormonal & metabolic stress. I included a graphic on different kinds of periodization.
Intermittent fasting can also be a wonderful tool to allow larger meals for satiety while staying within your allotted calories. Choose eating windows that work for you & your schedule. Do not abuse fasting. Extended fasting is not necessary, most do fine fasting 14-16 hrs overnight. It will bite you in the a$$ by increasing stress on the body if you abuse them. Same for overdoing protein sparing modified fasting (PSMF). PSMF are more applicable to people with significant weight to lose, of higher body fat, & kept only 2-3 days/week. If you cannot control yourself with portions after fasting because you’re SO ravenous, decreases your fasting windows.
If in doubt, WALK. Simply increasing steps & choosing lower intensity activities will be easier on your body yet still help create a calorie deficit by increased activity.
If you’re including carbs in your training & fat loss diet, keep them around workouts. Your largest meal I prefer post workout for recovery & optimization & earlier in the day. Taper meal sizes as the day goes on.
If you’re waking up starving, having sh*tty sleep, peeing all the time, low energy – these are signs you may need higher fat, higher calories, &/or a period of a diet break or refeed. YES, hunger will be part of a fat loss diet, but you also want to optimize hormone & metabolic efficiency as much as you can. That’s what diet breaks & refeeds are for. If you’re body & mind are stressed to the titties as I say, it will not drop body fat easily or optimally.
Sleep is a nonnegotiable, 7-8 hrs/night. If you eat carbs, a little before bed can help decrease your cortisol level. Do not eat late, heavy meals. You won’t sleep well & your digestion will be a dumpster fire. If having loose stool after meals &/or wonky digestion, include some digestive enzymes before or mid meal to help, decrease meal sizes & decrease fat. You will adjust. I use Nuethix Formulations Utilyze, Discount Code: lilbitoffit
A woman who knows herself & what she brings to the table is not afraid to eat alone. – me
— Literally & figuratively.
“Wellness Truths” & Reminders for Life I’ve learned thru my healing & fitness journey. Basically everything detailed in this blog, you’ll wanna take notes!
Tons of new followers on IG, WELCOME, I hope these answer all of your questions!
I’m speaking from my experience here, remember, we are all beautifully unique & different human beings. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to anything in life. You have to find your special blend.
For example, many people give advice that aren’t always applicable to everyone like:
👉🏻Everything in Moderation
Not everyone can moderate. I am an abstainer. Food is like a drug to me, carbs specifically. They are not the devil I just have a poor relationship with them. I do better with food rules. Moderation leads to self sabotage for someone like me. We can’t have one cookie, it leads to the whole package & emotional distress — just like an alcoholic can’t have one drink.
👉🏻Just Eat Until You’re Full
Some people don’t know what it feels like to be comfortably full. They can’t assess or distinguish satiety signals. Those do better with portion control measures, macros, food rules & eating schedules.
👉🏻Just Eat When You’re Hungry
Just like satiety cues, some people don’t know when they’re really hungry and when they’re emotionally eating. These are skills you have to learn and they start with self-awareness. Hunger can be stimulated even when you’re not hungry simply by smelling food, seeing food, thirst, learned habits like eating in front of the TV, boredom, & stress eating.
I hope these raindrops of enlightenment can fill your cup with the nourishment you need to create your own blend & thrive. ☕️ 💧 🌱 🪴 🌻
I talk about food, macros, training, all your questions & everything in between, keep reading!
REMINDERS FOR LIFE
🌻Grant yourself permission.
You are allowed to:
Feel how you feel. Want what you want. Know what you know. Sense what you sense. Crave what you crave. Be where you are & do things your way. Learn to trust yourself.
🌻Stop accepting your story if you wish for another.
You’re not going to master the rest of your life in one day. Relax. Make a decision & master the day. Then just keep doing that every day. Decide who you are & how you react. Live a life & timeline authentic to YOU.
🌻You are the creator & the cause.
Thoughts become things. You are the creator of your world. You can create new realities inside & outside any experience. You can create ways out of or into any experience. You attract what you put out.
🌻If you don’t make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.
Read that again.
🌻It gets better.
Love finds you when you love yourself & your life first. It’s the space in between the life & love we’ve lost & the life & love we hope for that we find ourselves.
🌻Leaders are readers & surround themselves with successful people.
Success leaves clues. Fuel your body & your BRAIN. Listen to podcasts, read, ask questions, get a coach or mentor. Cut out toxic people & energy vampires.
🌻Minimize toxins the best you can for healthy hormones.
This means parabans, plastics, pesticides, processed food, artificial ingredients. Ditch the Tupperware, check your beauty products, cleaning supplies, & READ INGREDIENT & NUTRITION LABELS.
🌻Move in the morning.
Workout, walk, yoga, mobility. Shoot for 10k steps/day. Increasing your NEAT (non-exercise movement) has the biggest impact on total calorie burn throughout the day. Walk after eating meals & after lunch. Set break times every 20-30 minutes. Simply get up & walk.
🌻Your body likes routine.
Set eating times & pick foods that suit your lifestyle, schedule, & wellness goals. This is different for everyone.
MY WELLNESS SECRETS & TRUTHS
🌻For me, I prefer 2 meals a day. The largest after my workout for recovery, the second late afternoon around 1-2pm. My digestion is slow & not as efficient in the evening, therefore I keep my largest meals early in the day & fast anywhere from 16-20 hours overnight depending on my work & workout schedule. I do not do extended fasting. Fasting is not a dirty word. It is simply a tool & strategy to optimize fueling your body. Just like macros.
🌻Set realistic expectations as far as fat loss and aesthetic goals. Realize a certain level of leanness is going to require sacrifices. You will be hungry. It will suck. If you want shredded abs & all the striations, stop your bitching and put in the fxcking work. That work requires MINDSET work as well. If you’re not willing to do what those people are willing to do to look that way, set another goal. As a coach myself, our job is to tell you what you need to hear not what you want to hear. Sometimes that means setting a new goal, eating more food, committing to a healing process, resting, and learning to love yourself first.
🌻Balancing blood sugar is the key to fat loss, feeling satisfied, & minimizing cravings. Keep meals protein & fat focused. You should not be snacking in between meals. If you feel the need to snack, your meal either didn’t contain enough protein and or fat or was not large enough. I love my NutriSense continuous glucose monitor, you can snag one here for yourself! CODE: KATIECGM25 for some $$. It has helped me manage my blood sugar levels by giving me data to make more educated decisions about fasting, meal sizes, meal options, exercise intensity – ALL THE THINGS!
✅Protein is the most satiating. General range: 1g of protein per body weight or goal weight for most. Avid exercisers, athletes, people lifting weights, and older people require more. Most do well spreading out around 30-50 g per meal without digestive distress.
✅For carbs, most people do well controlling blood sugar regulation with meals under 40 g of carbohydrates. The less active you are the less carbohydrates you typically require. The body optimizes carbohydrates most efficiently post workout and in the evening before bed because it reduces your cortisol (stress) level and can help you sleep better.
✅Nail your protein first and then determine what fuel source is most appropriate for your health needs, digestion, training and fitness goals. Your fuel sources are carbohydrates and fats.
🌻I work out fasted at 5 AM most mornings. Fasting blood glucose I like around 75-90 You can test with a simple glucometer from Amazon or any drug store or get yourself a NutriSense CGM like I talked about in above bullets. I feel best working out 4-5 days/week. Mix of cardio & strength training. Do shit you LOVE that keep you active and in the gym & take rest days. I prefer 1 active recovery day & 1 full rest day.
🌻 Manage stress. Schedule self care & rest days. Sleep 7-8 hrs a night. If you’re sleeping less than 6 you did not earn your workout. My secret weapons:
✅Favorite self care is coloring, writing, walking, live music, time with friends, a spa day, pedicure, working out, & a new mani via my @impressmanicure press on nails. I get them at CVS, Kroger, Target, & Meijer.
🌻I don’t ‘treat myself’ or ‘cheat.’ Food is not a reward/something to earn. I also dislike saying cheat because it implies it’s going to benefit you in some way. Cheaters cheat to win. Do you really think you’re winning by cheating yourself?
🌻I eat 2 meals/d on avg as I said before. My days off or if I can sleep in, I now eat 1 meal. You must experiment. Your experience/needs will be different than mine. It takes TIME. It took me an entire year to fully adapt to an animal based lifestyle, & yes, I gained 15lbs initially. I’ve now lost around 20.
🌻Majority of meals are my Airfryer Crispy meat bars. 85% ground beef, ground chicken. Avg 2lbs of meat/d. Ground meat is easier to digest & track. I removed most pork & dairy, I don’t digest’em well. I don’t add extra fat often. Choose meats that are higher in fat. No I don’t like organ meat, I prefer the taste of grain fed over grass fed beef.
Airfryer Crispy Meat Bars
The secret is leaving it loosely packed for the crispy exterior. Do not pack them into tight patties. Break them up into 4 to 5 sections. Chicken and turkey are harder to break up, it’s super loosey-goosey. Times will vary depending on your air fryer. I have an Instant 6qt. On Amazon favorites list, link in bio on IG.
Set Airfry, 380, 12 minutes, no preheat.
🌻I stick to beef because it’s satisfying & delicious but not SO delicious I want to binge. Food addicts tend to have issues controlling carbs, sugar, sugar free substitutes, keto treats, dairy, butter, cheese, bacon, pork rinds, hyper palatable & processed meats)
🌻There are 50 freaking shades of the carnivore diet. Don’t hate on other people because they include other things into their diets. We all have different toleration‘s & needs. I have a million sensitivities so I typically only season with pink Himalayan sea salt. The majority of my food is meat & eggs. Epic Brand baked Himalayan sea salt pork rinds if I need something crunchy and low carb.
🌻Rice cakes on occasion post workout or in the evening if I need them, rarely above 50g/day. I do fine on white rice, rice cakes, rice Chex cereal, & honey as far as carbs. I don’t crave carbs anymore, so I rarely need a refeed day anymore.
🌻Preworkout & morning drink I enjoy @strongcoffeecompany Latte. It’s kind of like a creamer for me. It does have caffeine. I blend about 4oz coffee, 5-6oz hot water, & 1/2 scoop of the strong coffee company latte. Use a packet of stevia if you want yours sweeter. Link in bio on Instagram. Discount code: KatieKelly
🌻 I don’t take many supplements anymore but I do recommend the NuEthix Formulations Brand. I have use these all throughout my healing, health, fat loss, performance — you name it journeys! Link in bio also on this website & IG. Discount Code: lilbitoffit
Feel free to message me on the gram, we can go over a supplement regimen that’s appropriate for you.
🌻I track macros loosely. It keeps me accountable & I know where to adjust.
**Again these numbers are for ME**
I hesitate to give any specific numbers but I want to show you guys how much food you can actually eat & enjoy when you commit to healing & eating foods that work for you!
I’m 5’1, now around 105-107, crossFit & lift 5 days a week, average 13-15,000 steps/d, active job.
Macros VARY but these are my AVG ratios: 0-5% Carb, around 30% Protein, & 60% Fat
Around 1900-2100 cal/d. Protein I’m around 130g-170g (Yes, I realize that’s a 💩 ton but I thrive on higher protein & moderate fat. I don’t have a gallbladder so my threshold is lower than most keto, low carb, and carnivore connoisseur‘s)
I don’t over complicate things or give a shit that people say, “Oh my gosh if you eat too much protein you’re going to get fat because it all turns to glucose, yada yada.” It’s better (for me & most people out there anyways) than eating boxes of pop tarts and Twinkies. Yes, too high a protein can cause issues if your fat isn’t high enough on a low carb approach. Eat what you want people as long as it keeps you you’re healthiest self and you feel great. The most common mistake I see when people are trying to adopt a low-carb lifestyle is not eating enough food in general and their protein being too high and fat not high enough.
🌻YES, you can CrossFit & carnivore, CAREFULLY. Comes down to allowing yourself to fully adapt to being fat-fueled, meal timing, eating ample calories, & RECOVERY. I did a full interview on my first year on carnivore here. Please check it out it will answer most of your questions about transitioning to carnivore.
🌻 Sleep=nonnegotiable. 7 hrs min. Zzyquil helps. I take it most nights because I can’t shut my mind off. It is what it is I’m transparent here. Don’t you dare tell me to cut out coffee, that is a nonnegotiable for me. I am well aware of a healthy caffeine intake. I keep mine under 300 mg a day and only in the mornings.
🌻Questions about steps. Yes, I still hit 13-15k steps/day, even on rest days, drinkin a ton of water + electrolytes, fasting when I’m not hungry (~18hrs avg), eating when I am. No extended fasts, no snacking. I like Ultima Replenisher in grape and raspberry flavor. Link in bio on Instagram as well.
🌻I do drink coffee daily. Have cocktails socially. I don’t typically eat & have cocktails I choose 1 or the other. Set a 2-3 drink max limit. I don’t drink half as much as I used to. Some months I won’t drink it all, others, I’ll pick one day & go out on the weekend. I’m an adult it’s my choice. I don’t deny or beat myself up if I choose to be a human & drink & make memories with friends & family. Go your own way! I do feel better not drinking, duh, as most of us will. Lack of sleep, stress, & consuming food triggers cause more issues with any gut or Crohn’s flare‘s for me. Alcohol on occasion, I’m OK with. Be your own mixologist. I typically order a diet coke and ask for a shot of vodka that I mix myself. That way you have control over how much alcohol is in it.
You determine your non-negotiables. Some days it’s electrolytes & my crispy airfryer meat bars, other days it’s vodka & bourbon. 🤷♀️Whatevs. Just be aware of the repercussions of your choices.
🌻Go get your health markers, hormones, gut stuff, bloodwork, etc tested if you feel like things are off. I can’t stress that enough stop guessing.
Please feel free to reach out if you need a consultation by myself or need recommendations for other coaches more applicable to you and your needs! Fill out a basic inquiry here so I can learn about you!
Whew y’all. That’s a lot of brain dumping & word vomit! I hope these tidbits can serve you in a way that you need to help you be your happiest and healthiest!!
Again never hesitate to reach out to me, I live on the gram most of the time and do my best to answer each and everyone of you back!
♦️How To Setup Your Macros & Calorie Periodization for a Fat Loss Cut♦️
Save & share this one!
How do we diet smart without totally turning our metabolism and hormones into dumpster fires🔥? #nutritionperiodization
3 things I believe are under-rated, yet make a BIG difference in progress:
☝️Sleep
✌️Caloric Periodization
🤟Carb & Meal Timing
Sleep: dudes I don’t care what diet you’re following you’re not going to get anywhere if you do not get your sleep under control.
Caloric Periodization: This is the way we structure our macros (& calories) across time periods. (A week or multiple weeks) The BIG reason 👉🏻 it’s how we create sustainability & adherence. Let’s be real, diets aren’t fun. You’re gonna be hungry. It’s a big stress on our bodies. By incorporating structured refeed and diet breaks we give our bodies and minds the reset we need to stay committed to our goals.
Carb & Meal Timing: Tips I’ve learned overtime throughout my journey… keep your largest meals earlier in the day, preferably post workout. This is when our bodies are most insulin sensitive & metabolize food & carbs more efficiently. Fast 12 hours overnight — this will prevent evening snacking. This is why setting meal times & intermittent fasting are effective tools when dieting & when it comes to adherence. Don’t demonize carbs, use them with respect & with intention. If you have a bad relationship with carbohydrates, check yourself. Self sabotaging habits & emotional weight can be the exact things weighing you down. Avoid trigger foods, mental & physical, keep them out of the house.
Love y’all!
What’s your preferred method of dieting? I prefer a one day re-feed a week when dieting! 🤗 👇🏻
The old school way of thinking in order to achieve our fat loss & health goals: “I have to ‘want it enough’ to achieve it.”
On one hand, they do have a point, it does take intention PLUS action.
On the other hand, it’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of perfection & a totalitarian approach & restriction.
Beliefs like eating nachos or excess calories on a Saturday night equates to failure.
Beliefs like eating a strict meal plan of chicken & broccoli with a kitchen overflowing of Tupperware.
What you need to ask yourself, “Is this sustainable & how do I want to eat the rest of my life that makes me feel AMAZING?!
For me & many of my clients in the past, this restriction & perfection mindset meant come the weekend, we’d binge & purge aisle 5 of all the foods we’d denied ourselves & wash it down with 4-5 cocktails & wake up to self loathing & a week of over exercising later.
Sound familiar?
The longer we go trying to control things, deny flexibility & living LIFE, the less controlled & unfulfilling your life will become.
Here are lessons I’ve learned about balance along my fat loss & healing journey.
How to calorie cycle for fat loss! TAG & SHARE 🎉
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✅Personally, I like to eat (roughly) the same 200-300 range of calories each day.
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✅I have clients who prefer cycling their calories based on when they work out.
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✅I have clients who cycle their calories to accommodate their weekend partying, too. 😉🍻
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👉🏻The Bottom Line ✅: success comes down to finding something you can follow consistently. While there’s nothing magical about calorie cycling, it can be an excellent tool for creating a more enjoyable plan 👍
Questions about macros & flexibility? Drop’em on Instagram!
Need something more in depth? Fill out the inquiry & we’ll chat🤗
Fax Friday. I am really glad I keep LEGACY photos now of my fitness journey. For decades I would’ve cringed at the thought of taking a picture of myself.
Now I use them as a tool to adjust my nutrition protocols for my health & fitness goals. It all comes down with your relationship with things, fam. Change your perspectives!
I want to make the most evidence based progress related changes possible. Because my health fxcking deserves it.
I will continue to harp at all of you to educate yourselves, find mentors, find coaches, people to help you along your health & fitness journey.
None of us know everything but there are plenty of free resources & awesome people out there to help you make the right decisions when it comes to your goals.
These cookie cutter programs & templates don’t give you the tools to help you make informed choices when you’re finished.
That’s the point of trying new things & hiring people to help you. We don’t want you to need us forever. If you need us forever we’re not doing our jobs.
I don’t believe in any perfect way of eating — only the perfect way of eating for YOU.
You’ve asked about things I’ve learned through my fitness journey & why you may be gaining weight on low carb.
THINGS IVE LEARNED ALONG MY FITNESS JOURNEY:
💓 Carbs are not the enemy, your relationship & application of them is what determines their meaning. Higher carbs will give you more energy, help you recover from higher intensity activity, they make your muscles fuller, sometimes an insulin reset is needed for specific symptoms, dis-ease, & seasons.
Consult with a coach or practitioner beforehand if you don’t know what you’re doing.
💓Higher fat & protein diets keep you more satiated, they keep your energy levels & blood sugar more stable, they will help with insulin resistance, they are not necessary to follow forever. For some, like myself, they help with digestive symptoms & help you lean out around your stomach as long as your calories match your needs & energy balance.
💓 For me, gluten free, dairy free, low fodmap, low lectin, low oxalate, animal based, low fiber work best to control digestive symptoms & my Crohn’s. I have worked with a functional medicine doctor to rid myself of SIBO & CANDIDA years ago. Symptoms were much better after undergoing a 12 week protocol. GET TESTED, QUIT GUESSING. Through trial & error & decades of experience I figured out what works best for my body. Which will be different from your body.
💓Educate yourselves. I’ve had to adjust my nutrition & training numerous times with specific food choices & workout modalities — it’s OK to experiment. That’s the only way you’re going to learn what truly works for YOU. There are no magic sets of macros or diet camps or fasting protocols, etc — they’re all simply tools for your toolbelt & puzzle pieces that will either fit or they don’t. Go your own way. 5 things that ALWAYS MATTER no matter what diet you’re doing: Your mindset, sleep, simple movement, & the quality & quantity of food you consume.
REASONS YOU MAY BE GAINING WEIGHT ON CARNIVORE OR LOW CARB:
🥩You’re eating in a surplus. As with ANY diet you choose if you are eating in a surplus chances are you will put on body fat. It’s part of it. This is when you should be focusing on muscle gain & strength.
🥩You’ve been eating in a chronic deficit & your body is finally getting the nutrients it needs to function & grow muscle. You WANT muscle growth. More muscle=more food=more badass. You can’t have the athletic body without building the muscle underneath FIRST. This weight gain is actually weight restoration.
🥩You’re snacking too much on things like pork rinds, fat bombs, or fake keto junk like Atkins bars. They’re easy to overeat & nutrient deficient. Even no cal artificial sweeteners can trigger hunger, water retention, & over eating. Go back to the basics for a while & experiment. Simplify. Meat, water, coffee, no sweeteners.
🥩You’re choosing highly palatable meats & foods like ribeyes, bacon, cheese, butter, processed meats, etc. they are delicious, YES, but can trigger over eating when you’re not really hungry. It’s like when you’re not hungry but then they bring out dessert. Most of us will have that extra piece of cake. Choose foods that are satisfying & get the job done. My choice (FOR ME) is ground beef & ground chicken cooked in the air fryer. Fuggin delicious & satiating, but not so much I’m triggered to eat more for pleasure & not true hunger.
🥩You’re overly fasting, overly training, not sleeping, still eating foods you don’t digest well, &/or over caffeinating or consuming excess alcohol. All these things are stressors which increases our blood glucose & cortisol level. Chronically high cortisol & hormone imbalances affect your weight, recovery, energy, & fat loss. Reduce your workout intensity & volume, SLEEP, reduce caffeine/alcohol, cut out foods & habits that hinder your digestion, shorten your fasting window or STOP fasting. Get a @nutrisenseio continuous glucose monitor to track blood sugar levels. It’s a wealth of information & will help you more accurately make adjustments!
🥩You’re eating too much protein, throwing hormones & your biofeedback off. Try increasing your fats & start with protein around 1g per lb of LEAN BODY MASS or 20-30% of your daily calories. Our energy sources come from fats & carbs. Play around with it, you’ll find your thresholds. Play around with different kinds of meats & macros ratios. There’s no one-size-fits-all. If in doubt, invest in a coach or practitioner to help!
When I started an animal based nutrition approach this is what I heard. In this photo I was about 10lbs heavier on vacation, embracing the journey.
Had many of you ask about this yesterday & my recent weight loss.
I’m excited many of you want to try a more animal based approach & YES I absolutely believe its a wonderful lifestyle of eating which corrects many health issues, but I also want to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons & not just wanting to hop on the “bandwagon” because you seek weight loss.
It’s not for everyone’s lifestyle needs, some of you NEED specific kinds of carbs in your diet to feel & function better. Just because I prefer this style of eating doesn’t mean I think everyone should do it. No diet dogma here. We’re all different.
I had a question from a follower yesterday asking what she needed to do to heal gut issues & finally see weight loss.
I responded with some hard truths.
You will most likely have to do things you don’t wanna do. Things I had to do:
Reduce workouts: no more 2 hrs of CrossFit & 20k+ steps a day. More rest days. I have to modify, reduce intensity & steps. Requires me swallowing my ego & not picking weights & movements I don’t need to do anymore for LONGEVITY as a goal.
Ate in MAINTENANCE & SURPLUS for almost 8 MONTHS. GAINED 15lbs in the process. Experimented with intuitive eating, macro ratios, fasting, meat, portions, tracking glucose & ketones, etc. Figured out I get better results tracking macros. Ground meats work better as far as tracking, simplicity, & satiety. Carb refeed days via rice cakes or white rice work great when I need them with minimal negative feedback. My appetite did “correct.” I eat slower & know know when I’m truly full.
Different fasting windows affect you differently. Don’t recommend any newby to fast, just get adapted to the way of eating 1st. You’ll find what works best. I can fast longer now. I don’t do extended fasts. The longest I go is about 20hrs.
What gets TRACKED gets MANAGED. I know a lot of you don’t wanna track but HOW ARE YOU GONNA KNOW WHAT TO CHANGE IF YOU DONT HAVE ANY AWARENESS OF WHERE YOU’RE STARTING? Quality & quantity matter. After a while you master it & won’t have to track but you need to learn quality & quantity & how it affects you 1st. It’s about making EDUCATED choices.
If you’re having gut/hormone issues, do a true elimination diet & stick to something longer than a few days or 2 weeks. This takes TIME. You didn’t have these issues after 1 day &/or put on the weight in 1 day. There are no quick fixes or magic. Put in the work. Get help from a coach or practitioner, get tested! Quit guessing. I worked with multiple practitioners, coaches, protocols & diets, & tracked symptoms/trigger foods for DECADES.
Do the DUE DILIGENCE — experiment, eat more, educate yourself, sleep more, have patience, seek help, fix your relationship with food & self 1st, quit binging on the weekends, overtraining, & treating your body like a dumpster fire.
