A Simple Ultimate Guide to Fasting

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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!

I’ve lost 60 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 rockin travel xray tech & almost 42 year old athlete of life with Crohn’s Disease. (Birthday July 2nd 🎉)

I tried every diet in the book to lose weight & heal my gut issues. While I did see occasional results, I eventually couldn’t sustain it and then yo-yo’d. 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!), I’ve wanted to share this information more publicly.

In the interest of time, I’ve created this super quick educational start guide with a couple troubleshooting videos!

Let’s dive into fasting & why you may not be seeing results.

I see this oftentimes with all y’all 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 I’m hungry & fast when I’m 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.
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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.
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Here’s a previous video answering a client question talking about why fasting wasn’t working for her

Coaching FAQs Here if you’re needing help

What is intermittent fasting?⁣⁣

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. That’s fine, we all wanna look good nekkid, HOWEVER, the difference lies in our starting point: calorically, metabolically, hormonally, physiologically, mentally, emotionally – 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. We’ll 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 “healthy” & 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 doesn’t wanna be “bulky” (sigh smdh), scared to eat more than 1200-1500 calories & gaining weight is one of her biggest fears.

She’s tried every diet in the book. Had some success with “Keto” (doesn’t really know what keto means but she’s 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 it’s gonna be the magic quick fix to all her issues. Sooo Patty stops tracking food (because she was told it didn’t 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 doesn’t work she says, “I didn’t lose weight.”

Things that matter when choosing any diet, macros, calories, &/or fasting protocols

Things I need as a coach to help you figure out appropriate macros/diet/fitness/fasting approaches:

Age, Current Weight, Height⁣⁣
Training modalities⁣⁣ (how you prefer to workout. CrossFit vs running vs yoga vs Orange Theory vs walking vs Barre vs Bodybuilding vs power lifting etc)⁣⁣
Daily Activity ⁣⁣(steps, job, kids, schedules etc)⁣⁣
Training Frequency, Volume, Intensity ⁣⁣
Previous Dieting History⁣⁣ (disordered eating, low carb, high carb, low fat, have you been chronically dieting, eating surplus, etc)⁣⁣
Medical History⁣⁣ (allergies, IBD, IBS, gut issues, hormonal issues, cancer, thyroid, etc)⁣⁣
Your goals, preferences, special needs)⁣⁣
Mindset & mental health⁣⁣
Lifestyle⁣⁣ & Stress (kids, stressful job, shitty sleep, relationship problems, etc)

That’s a LOT of stuff, right? It’s 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, you’re a human. This is why we set up coaching consultations to help you!

indiana lilbitoffit maintenance calories chart carnivore reverse diet katie kelly — 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?⁣⁣

It’s 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.⁣
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Metabolic flexibility. It will utilize the fuel from previous meals/glycogen first, then it will use your fat stores to fuel your day.⁣⁣

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 body’s true hunger signals.⁣⁣

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?

You’re on the gain train. If you’re 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.⁣⁣
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It screws with your mind & feels restrictive. Can’t sustain it easily & comfortably w/your lifestyle. If it increases cortisol/blood sugar/affecting your sleep/mood/energy negatively.

If you can’t feel fullness cues & eat past satiety & all you do is think about eating during your fasting — 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 you’ve already done many intermittent fasts in your life.

If you’ve ever eaten dinner, then slept late and not eaten until lunch the next day, then you’ve probably already fasted for 16+ hours.

Some people instinctively eat this way. They simply don’t feel hungry in the morning.

Many people consider the 16/8 method the simplest and most sustainable way of intermittent fasting — 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 1–2 times per week (Eat-Stop-Eat) or only eating 500–600 calories 1–2 days per week (5:2 diet).

Another approach is to simply fast whenever it’s convenient — simply skip meals from time to time when you’re not hungry or don’t 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.

👇older posts to reference for ideas & help👇

body transformation woman carnivore diet

Here’s my routine & what has help me drop lbs & put my Crohn’s disease & bulimia in med-free remission.

https://lilbitoffit.com/the-stupidly-simple-system-i-use-to-stay-in-shape-and-love-my-body-as-an-empath-at-age-40/

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.

oxox Coach K

All links, coaching, services, discount codes, & free content Here!

February 5, 2024February 5, 2024

How To Eat Carbs And Still Lose Fat On a Low Carb Diet

So you tried low carb, keto, maybe dabbled in some carnivore too & now you’re ready to add some carbs back in…⁣

Yikes, right?!

It’s normal to be a little scared & anxious after seeing results on a low carb approach to your nutrition, but feeling you need to switch things up.

I’ve felt that too! But after pushing through the fear & embracing more vibrational, functional eating, you’ll strengthen your trust muscle with each experience & season of experimentation! It’ll help you find your sustainable lifestyle approach to look & feel your best!

⁣Y’all know I’m an advocate for meat-based, protein-focused nutrition for my Crohn’s & health preferences if you’ve been here a while. If you’re new, WELCOME! Pumped to have you here in this safe space of love, wellness, & learning!⁣

I’ve lost 60lbs & put my bulimia & Crohn’s disease in med-free remission via a flexible carnivore diet approach & kept it off for over 4 years!

weight loss before and after katie kelly carnivore — Tap photo for a blog guide I documented just for you on how I lose the weight & gained health!

Y’all should also embrace that nutrition isn’t one size fits all! I fully support a no diet dogma approach & support trying new things to find YOUR WAY. ⁣

⁣So say low carb worked short term, maybe you lost a few lbs, maybe you tried it for a reset, a medical condition — whatever. ⁣⁣

For most, yes, you’ll lose weight initially, primarily because of water loss & more food awareness (quality & quantity). Most don’t stick with the low carb/keto/carnivore diet long-term unless they’re on it for a specific reason or it fits their lifestyle/preferences appropriately. That’s ok too!⁣

⁣⁣The most common reason people fail to stick to any diet regimen: “real life” & social situations ends up “getting in the way.” Adherence & consistency are the keys to any success plan. ⁣🤷‍♀️You ultimately make the decision to stick to your commitments to yourself or not.⁣

⁣⁣You can incorporate carb cycling just like you incorporate fat cycling, it’s the same concept just utilizing a different macro as a fuel source. I have a blogs on resetting your insulin & leptin resistance here and specifically how to carb & fat cycle here.

Regardless of why you stop, there are things to know to help ease your transition.

You can save this post on Instagram here!

⁣⁣MAIN POINTS

1.) Have a plan⁣

2.) Get familiar with portion sizes⁣

3.) The order you eat your food matters

4.) Focus on whole foods over processed⁣

5.) Go slow⁣

6.) Expect fluctuations⁣

Things I believe in no matter what diet:

⁣⁣NO diet dogma & eating for HEALTH
Cyclical, seasonal eating
Quality, Quantity, When, & What you eat matter
Variety & nutrient density
Eating for efficient digestion & absorption
Experimentation & fun = learning & results!
Optimal protein centric meals
Eating for strength, health, & functionality
Loving your life & being kind to others!
Self love living + an abundance mindset!

Take it slow, you got this! ⁣ No need to exclude or be dogmatic about any food choices or diet as long as they help you be your best!⁣

⁣Here are some more gut friendly, gluten free, low fiber, low fodmap options that worked for me.

Great options for pre or post workout carbs. I keep mine post workout in the form of plain rice cakes mainly if I feel I need a carb refuel after heavy training or high intensity cross training or cardio. These tend to be easy on the stomach with minimal bloating & gut issues for most.

Let’s dive in further!

Regardless of why, there are some things to know to help ease your transition. ⁣⁣

1.) Have a realistic plan

One of the biggest problems with dieting altogether — lack of clarity/planning. Most people end up falling back into bad habits. What’s your why? What’s sustainable & realistic for you? What’s your relationship with food, self-awareness, and your body image? Your story matters & your results hinge on all of these details.

2.) Assess portion sizes

⁣Quantity, quality, when & what you eat all matter. With any form of restriction, especially carbs, once you allow them, you’re more likely to go ham. Make sure you’re a moderator (not an abstainer) & comfortable & ready to add them back in. Measure & weigh your portions! Check nutrition labels for anything you’re sensitive to.

It’s all about balancing blood sugar. Food order & when you eat matter. Sugar & carbs spike your blood sugar more than any other macro (protein & fats are the other 2 macros).

Tips:

Don’t eat your carbs naked (by themselves): pair them with a protein like ground beef or grilled chicken or a fat of your choosing like bacon fat, butter, or a nut butter if you aren’t sensitive to those. It acts as a buffer & slows your blood sugar spike. If you can eat fiber & non starchy veggies, these will help buffer the spike as well, but not as efficiently as protein & fats.
- Examples: white rice & butter & ground beef, rice cake & peanut butter, grilled chicken and sweet potato, etc.
- When eating a meal, eat your protein & fat first, veggies if you eat them next, then your starchy carbs. You’re less likely to overeat as well because protein & fats are more satiating.
- I time my carbs if I’m going to eat them after my workouts. That’s when I refuel my body & it uses the carbs more efficiently vs storing them as body fat. Also reduces your cortisol levels & helps with recovery. Choose sources that serve you best mentally & physically. I personally avoid anything treat-like or sugary, including fruit to prevent binge eating tendencies & gut issues. High fiber, fruits & veggies, & sugar are huge gut irritants for me. You may be able to eat them and that’s ok! Do you!

trigger food gut lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana carnivore

3.) Quality Matters

Rather than going straight for processed options like chips, pasta, doughnuts, & cupcakes, go for whole-food, non-starchy vegetables first like your greens, then white rice, potatoes, gf oats, fruit, etc. Again, choose things that are not physical or mental triggers for you.

4.) Go Slow

Keep it easy on your GI system: choose gluten free, cook food thoroughly, & go low fodmap if you’re one that struggles with any G.I. distress. Start with adding carbs in at 1 meal/d for a few weeks & assess how you respond. If you’re good, add a serving into another meal. White rice is usually a safer, gut friendly option.

5.) Expect Fluctuations

You might have weight & blood sugar fluctuations — it depends on how your body metabolizes carbs, your diet, exercise, etc. Much of the weight changes are water weight initially. Pair carbs with protein & fat to help control those blood sugar spikes. With every gram of carb, you get 4g of water.⁣ Bloating & constipation could happen because of the re-introduction of fibrous foods, drink your water! You may have more energy or less. You might feel hungrier. Again, we’re all bio individually different. Have patience.

Supplements to Help With Carb + Nutrient Utilization & Body Goals

I was tired of struggling with post-meal blood sugar spikes when eating carbs and grappling with insulin sensitivity issues. NuEthix Formulations has a wonderful profuct, Slin-Trol™, the glucose disposal agent designed to assist your approach to managing blood sugar levels.

Slin-Trol™ enhances your body’s ability to efficiently utilize glucose, ensuring it is directed towards muscle cells rather than being stored as fat.

DIRECTIONS: As A Dietary Supplement, Take 1 Tablet With Carb Containing Meals To Improve The Nutrient Partitioning Of The Meal And To Possibly Minimize Fat Storage.

I take mine prior to my largest meals & walk 10-15 minutes after eating for better digestion.

Utilyze is a dietary supplement designed to support digestive wellness and nutrient absorption.

It contains a blend of digestive enzymes that target the breakdown of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in the body, which can improve overall digestive function and help with nutrient absorption.

Utilyze comes in convenient travel packets and aims to support overall health and wellness through improved digestion. This supplement is gluten-free, non-GMO, and suitable for adults of all ages.

DIRECTIONS: As A Dietary Supplement Take 1 Packet With Larger Meals 2 To 3 Times A Day.

Cort-Eaze is a natural supplement designed to help with stress and anxiety relief. It contains a blend of herbs and nutrients that work together to promote a healthy stress response and support adrenal function. I use it for recovery & cortisol balance, which can affect your sleep, digestion & ability to build muscle & lose fat.

Some of the key ingredients in Cort-Eaze include ashwagandha, rhodiola, holy basil, and magnesium, all of which have been shown to help reduce cortisol levels and support overall mental and physical well-being.

DIRECTIONS: Take Two Capsules Daily. I take mine post workout & before bed. One post workout & one before bed.

Helpful Educational Resources

forever strong — Fabulous book on protein focused, anti-aging nutrition!

Fabulous book on protein focused, anti-aging nutrition!

EXCELLENT article on food sequencing and balancing blood sugar here

Take-Home Message

Watching glucose spikes is particularly important if you have diabetes or a handful of other medical conditions. Your treating doctor or dietitian will advise how to modify your meals or food intake to avoid glucose spikes. Food ordering & timing may be part of that advice.

For anyone wanting to live a healthier, leaner, stronger life, consider removing sugary beverages & foods, processed food, & focusing on protein/meat-based foods as the foundation of your meals. Add fiber, proteins or fats to carbohydrates to slow gastric emptying and flatten glucose spikes. Walk 10-15 after meals & shoot for 10k steps per day. Lift 3-4x per week and watch your body & well being change!

If you found this blog helpful, join me on Instagram for daily inspiration & subscribe to our newsletter community here! I would love to have you!

January 21, 2022

How long will it take me to lose 30 pounds?

THE question everyone asks when they go to start a diet… “How long is it gonna take?”

I know you hate hearing “it depends” but there’s really no other answer for it.

Typically, if you are a smaller individual with less body weight to lose, lower in body fat%, it should take a lil longer to lose the same amount of total weight as someone who has more weight & body fat to lose.

In general terms, I would recommend a rate of weight loss of 0.4-0.8% total bodyweight per week.

Any slower, people get discouraged, any faster it’s hard to adhere & sustain plus you run the risk of losing lean body mass. We want to maintain as much lean muscle as possible when dieting.

Ain’t nobody wanna be #skinnyfat & be running around with a pancake booty.

Also, your story and history matter. Any “coach” that slashes your calories or prescribes macros without reviewing your history and current starting point you may wanna rethink.

Just had this exact conversation with a Consultation client this week. Her coach slashed her calories to 1500 without educating her what her true maintenance calories should be & what time frame was appropriate for her diet.

My client thought 1500 was her maintenance calories at 5’10, working out five days a week and this is what she should be eating for life🤯

Your coach should also explain & go over how to properly reverse out of your diet & what it means to periodize your nutrition properly to get the body you desire.

Feel free to save, tag, and share this post with your friends.

I go through different examples of how long it would possibly take you to lose 30 pounds and two different stories that may sound similar to yours.

Swipe through y’all!

Peace love and meat 🥩

Oxox

Coach K

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022

Should I do cardio before or after lifting? How can I lose fat and gain muscle? Things you may not want to hear…

Love yourself enough to go after your goal physique.⁣
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In many cases this may mean doing the exact opposite of what you think you need to do. ⁣
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Swipe for reminders answering some of your questions the past couple days.⁣
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Losing weight will neither make you a stronger, healthier, more acceptable human nor a happier person. ⁣
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To answer your questions of “Should I do cardio before or after weights?” and “How do I train for better performance for my competition or race AND lose body fat?”⁣
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If your goal is to BUILD muscle, strength & have better performance, we want to be doing resistance training when we have our best ability to perform well & that means eating like it too.⁣
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That means your cardio session before lifting or constant worrying about burning more calories is the exact OPPOSITE of your goal of better performance, building muscle, & getting stronger.⁣
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You don’t want to deplete your energy systems by doing excess cardio before lifting if your goal is to get strong, perform well, & lift as efficiently as you can.⁣
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Building muscle & getting stronger are hard af. Why would you want to purposely make it more difficult?⁣
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Also, losing body fat & building muscle are 2 different goals. Commit to one, eat & train like you mean it.⁣
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So take away…⁣
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Love yourself enough to do the things you need to do to optimally crush your goals. Be clear on your goal & execute.⁣
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Lfg. ⁣
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Oxox Coach K

January 19, 2022

How many calories should I be eating?

“How many calories do you eat?” “How many calories should I eat?”

Fabulous question & one that is unique for you. Just because your neighbor eats a certain amount of calories or follows a certain diet or just because I do doesn’t mean it’s correct for you.

Lemme explain…

The number of calories someone requires to maintain their bodyweight is unique & specific to them. Therefore, just because 2 people are the same height, weight, age & gender, doesn’t mean they should consume the same amount of energy (which is calories) per day.

Daily caloric requirements are influenced by many factors including these & swipe for cheat sheets!⬇️

▪️ Occupation (active vs sedentary)

▪️ Training frequency & intensity

▪️ Recent dieting history (metabolic adaptation, disordered eating, etc)

▪️ NEAT levels outside of work (walking for ex)

▪️ Diet quality, thermic effect of food (whole foods vs highly-processed)

▪️ Overall health & hormone status

▪️ Sleep Quality, Stress

▪️ How much muscle you have

It’s a matter of perspective. What you think is “alotta calories” is highly subjective, as different people will have different interpretations of what they consider to be “alotta food.”

Also, macro requirements will depend on the individual as well, everyone has a different threshold of energy & macro ratios of which they thrive.

Pay more attention to the below vs hyperfocusing on numbers:

▪️ Energy availability is in a great position to optimize health, performance & recovery

▪️ Your diet includes whole foods highly bioavailable & packed with essential nutrient requirements

▪️ Your relationship with food is healthy, hunger & satiation cues are on point

Enjoy the cheat sheets, experiment, & have fun! Don’t be afraid to eat!

You got this! How many calories are you crushing? 🦾🥩

January 15, 2022

Why your body never changes and what to do instead

Listen, I belonged to the “I’m working my azz off (literally) club why am I not seeing results?” for decades.⁣

Weekends were always excuses, social time was always an excuse, i’ve been good all week so I deserve this…it’s easy to make excuses.

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Happy swiping. Do any of these sound familiar to you?⁣

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Triggered much?⁣

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Good. Our triggers tell us where we need to heal & change.⁣

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The majority of the questions asked this week were centered around not seeing body change or fat loss despite cutting food.

Most of the time they come down to these things that you don’t want to hear.

If you keep doing what you’ve always done you will always get the same result. Remember that. ⁣

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I tell you guys these things with love.⁣

You’re worth the change.⁣

⁣

Oxox Coach K⁣

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January 6, 2022

Signs you’re eating at your maintenance calories & what you need to do if you are not

Y’all wanna know what most people get wrong when it comes to dieting in general?

Not dieting.

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.

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.

Keepin it real,

Coach K

September 23, 2021

Amenorrhea with exercise and athletics. Mistakes I made and why we want metabolic flexibility.

I had no idea when I lost my normal period in my early 20’s something was wrong.

Admission: chronic exerciser & habitual dieter.

At 25 I was diagnosed with cervical cancer & had part of my cervix removed. Went through divorce number 1 at 27, had a high stress job & lifestyle.

Discovered Crossfit in my early 30’s, which was like chasing a bad shot of cheap tequila with another bad shot of cheap tequila. Exacerbated my tendency for extremes.

I was overly stressed, under fed, experiencing Crohn’s flares, over training — I completely lost my period. Basically I just ignored it. I didn’t care I was just trying to chase PR’s.

At some point in your life, you’ve probably declared that your period is a major pain in the tush. But while it may be a nuisance it’s a good insight into your overall health & one we use as a biofeedback marker to help you achieve your health & fitness goals.

A recent article by Outside Magazine explained how common these issues are with female athletes & avid exercisers:

“Researchers estimate that as many as 60 percent of exercising women may experience one component of the female athlete triad, which includes disordered eating, loss of a menstrual cycle, and loss of bone density.

When an athlete’s nutritional intake doesn’t meet the body’s needs, whether due to reduced dietary intake—intentional or not—or increased exercise, the body shuttles resources to systems that are essential to survival, suppresses energy-intensive processes like menstruation and growth, and alters hormone levels.”

Quick tips on what your period tells you:

Bright Red Blood

Means you are simply at the beginning of your cycle. The ‘fresher’ the blood the more red it’ll be.

Darker Brown Blood

Brownish blood is basically just older blood that’s been in your uterus for a lot longer than fresh blood. It’s had a chance to oxidize. Can also be prevalent if you have an IUD, especially the progesterone kind. This is because you’re shedding a smaller amount of the uterus lining every month, which means the blood stays in there longer.

Clotting

Totally normal, but if you have large clots on a regular basis, they could be indicative of a larger problem like hypothyroidism, uterine fibroids, symptomatic anemia, or heavy bleeding (menorrhagia).

Irregular or Absence (Amenorrhea)

Occasional irregular periods may be totally normal, but it could also be a red flag. For starters, stress is a huge culprit.

When you’re stressed, your body produces more cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels can block signals that lead to the release of an egg that then leads to your period.

Other Common symptoms related to overdoing it, warranting an overhaul:

Irritability, mood swings

Cold extremities, hair loss, gut issues, bad digestion, bloating

No sex drive, Irregular or no menstrual cycle

Increase in belly fat⁣⁣, unexplained weight gain, plateaus

Chronic fatigue & soreness⁣, terrible recovery, poor sleep

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Common Stressors:

Chronically eating in a calorie deficit⁣, not enough fat in the diet

Candida, Bacterial Overgrowth, Food Intolerances⁣

Malabsorption, gut inflammation⁣

Over training, hormonal imbalances ⁣

Too much caffeine, lack of quality sleep

Overly fasting or using fasting to extremes

Low quality food, autoimmune disorders, nutritional deficiencies ⁣

A prevalent problem in the fitness scene as discussed above: UNDER EATING & OVER TRAINING resulting in amenorrhea

Experiencing this myself first hand, here is some advice to help you destress & rebalance — not only to help you get your period back, but to also move the needle forward towards achieving your fitness goals.

Tips to Help

EAT. Eat enough food to support body systems & your activity

The number one reason athletes & avid exercisers lose their cycle & go down a rabbit hole of metabolic adaptation & basically life sucking.

We’re preconditioned to think 1200 calories is the magic number to eat to lose weight. We spend endless time punching numbers in calculators that have no idea our medical history, lifestyle, stress level, or the fact we think sugar free jello & rice cakes dipped in Walden Farms Syrup are meals. Invest in a coach y’all, life isn’t a template or calculator. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

We underestimate the calories and nutrient dense foods needed to support muscle growth to get the ‘tone’ that every woman talks about but refuses to eat & lift weights accordingly to gain. We also tend to over exercise & do too much HIIT & cardio on top of under fueling. Focus on strength training & reduce high intensity activity.

When we don’t eat enough, and/or our body fat is very low, we don’t have enough energy stores to efficiently support body functions like reproduction. As a result, hormones and body systems down regulate (like your period & thyroid function) to survive.

Many women can have trouble losing weight and may even gain weight when eating a chronic deficit over a period of time. This is typically due to the down regulation of thyroid hormones that slow down metabolic rate. This has become commonplace in women who are training hard, competing, repeatedly doing HIIT style workouts like CrossFit and the Orange Theories without adequate food and recovery.

Find the “Right” Diet for YOU

Look, I tried to do paleo for years trying to run and CrossFit despite not being able to properly break down fruits, vegetables, nut & seeds. Add it to my list of dumb shxt Katie learned the hard way.

Not only did my physique not change, my performance suffered, my recovery suffered, I was sore all the time, pissed off, bloated, and hangry.

I was officially finally diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2018. Guess what my body cannot digest and absorb? Nuts and seeds, fibers, raw fruits & vegetables.

Guess what makes up the majority of the Paleo diet? All of the above.

We need adequate food and the right kinds of foods for our unique needs for lean muscle gain, recovery, reproduction, healthy hormone balance, and cortisol control. More food is not automatically going to cause you to gain weight and go into the dreaded ‘fat storage mode.’

Carbs are by far the most insulin-stimulating macro & antagonist to your cortisol level (stress hormone). So if you’re eating a low carb diet and performing highly glycolytic activities like CrossFit, all the boot camps and Orange Theory‘s, your insulin levels will be low. If you have a good relationship with carbs & can digest them with ease, they’re not the devil. You may need to incorporate more into your diet if you feel things are “off.”

Your body senses that resources are limited and down regulates accordingly.

Now, with that said, carbohydrate requirements will vary. We all have different fitness goals, train in different modalities and metabolize carbohydrates to varying degrees.

If you are one with PCOS, for example, you may do better on a lower carb approach but lifestyle and training needs to be tailored appropriately. Work with a qualified practitioner.

If you don’t know how many calories to eat for your activity I wrote a phenomenal post and resource on that here. Below are helpful infographics to guide you to more optimal choices.

Meat based macro ratios more applicable for healing & muscle gain phases

Meat based macro ratios more applicable for maintenance phases

Remember, standing on the podium or holding that medal in your hands doesn’t require you to have abs. Athletes don’t eat less & train more, they eat more & train intentionally.

Make Sleep a Non-negotiable

We should be sleeping well for at least 7-9 hrs per night. Make sure your environment is:

Cool & dark

Shut off electronics an hour or so before bed

Read & wind down with things that are relaxing

Keep caffeine <200 mg per day ideally and only in the mornings

Don’t eat large meals too close to bedtime

Taking a natural supplement like Nuethix Formulations Relax Liposomal (Discount Code: lilbitoffit ) or Natural Vitality Calmful Sleep with Magnesium can also help

Two wonderful resources:

Dr. Jolene Brighten’s Beyond the Pill

Lara Briden’s The Period Repair Manual

This transitions into what it means to be metabolically flexible…

What we want is Metabolic Flexibility

I used to be a huge sugar burner. I didn’t understand why I had energy crashes, craved carbs & was hungry all the time despite eating plenty of food.⁣
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Even when I was eating in a surplus, training for performance & muscle gain. I was eating plenty of meat paired with more rice, rice Chex, & rice cakes – no matter how large my meals were I was always hungry like 2 hours later. ⁣
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It was super frustrating & not convenient at all as I work in healthcare & don’t have time to have meals every 2 hours.⁣
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I fluctuated from a sugar burner, to metabolically flexible, & everywhere somewhere in between during my health & fitness journey. ⁣
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Since going meat-based with my diet I no longer have these issues of being a “sugar burner.” I now can incorporate smaller portions of white rice based carb around training occasionally with minimal negative issues. I really don’t crave them anymore.⁣
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Becoming metabolically flexible, which just means you’re able to burn both glucose & fat as fuel, was the biggest life changer. It took a lot of experimentation & patience but there is light at the end of the tunnel for y’all!⁣
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I can easily fast overnight & in between meals for hours, without having to force it or feel like I want to rip someone’s head off because I’m hangry lol!⁣
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I don’t have to worry about multiple snacks available at all times because I have to eat every 2 hours. That’s food freedom for me.⁣
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Here are a couple cheat sheets simply to help educate & help you along your health journey! ⁣

PR’d this 5k fat fueled & fasted, metabolic flexibility is where it’s at y’all!

Stop ignoring the problem, seek help from a qualified doctor, health practitioner, & coach. ⁣
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Your quality of life hinges on it❤️ I’d love to hear yall’s experiences & if you struggled with this like me!

Experiencing any of the problems above in this blog?

If you’re an athlete or woman struggling like I did, and need personalized help tailoring your nutrition, work with me one on one HERE.

Don’t forget to share this with the women in your squad who deserve to be well-fed!