Week 2 | Food Increase, Cycles, and the MSF

Well friends, grab you a drink and a snack (preferably high protein) because we got some shit to talk about ;)

Got it? Good... Let's dig into this. 

Week 2 | Food Increase, Cycles, and the MSF

Food Increase

This week, I hit a low weight. 

Not just for this research, but the lowest weight I have been in a while. 

And while this may seem exciting for those who want to see QUICK results, I knew that it meant one thing and one thing only. 

I am not eating enough. 

If you are sitting there thinking, "But why? You are trying to lose weight, and you are losing weight. Mission accomplished."

My response would be... Mission not accomplished. 

Because my goal is not to see the scale get as low as possible. 

I could do that without any problems whatsoever. 

Don't forget, I am the queen at getting skinny by any means necessary... 

If you have followed my journey for any amount of time, you know what I have been willing to do be thin, and that is NOT what I am trying to do for you all. 

My goals are: 

-Lose fat
-Keep Muscle
-Create simple guidelines to follow
-Create sustainable habits

And at the pace I was losing the weight, there is a solid possibly that I am losing muscle AND I know for a fact that it will not be sustainable. 

Adjustments needed to be made. 

So here's what I did: 

Added a cold foam to my protein coffee (Staple Protein) in the mornings. 

Added a carb to my BAS (some crackers, a breadstick, potatoes, rice)

Increased my protein portion for my Balanced Plate. 

For each of my meals I made a SLIGHT adjustment that probably added 200-400 calories per day. 

I didn't want to have a huge swing in calories, as I was obviously on the right track, it just needed some adjustments. 

If I would have kept pushing forward, not eating enough, at some point my body would have probably said, "Yeah, no... Fuck this." and the binge eating would have ensued.

Small adjustments before getting to that point is the goal, so I will report more on how this is working out in the coming weeks. 

Cycles

Can I let you in on one of the most freeing things I have ever done in my life? 

I learned what my menstrual cycle is and how it relates to my hunger/lack of hunger. 

Do you ever have days when you think to yourself, "Why can't I stop eating?!"

I did. 

For years. 

And it never dawned on me that it could be connected with my cycle because the timeframe that my hunger spikes is not even close to the start of my period. 

Mine is 9 days before - 7 days before. 

Like clockwork, every month I would have a couple days where I would be ravenous, and before I learned why I would talk so shitty to myself about this... 

"Why are you like this??" 

"Why don't you have any self control?" 

"It's not that hard to stick with the plan. Just do it!"  

It never even occurred to me that it was happening because of a biological reason. 

Once I took the time to learn this and understand why it was happening, guess what happened? 

I stopped eating like an asshole.

Because I was no longer in this power struggle with myself. 

I acknowledged that I am going to be hungrier on these days, and gave myself grace.

I ate a little more, knowing that it would make me feel better, and I did not spend another minute of my time feeling shitty about it. 

So, if you are planning to try this no tracking strategy when I am done with this research, this is step #1. 

Use an app or a notebook, but KEEP TRACK. 

It takes a few months to notice patterns, but once you do, it is life changing. 

You can't trust your hunger cues, cravings, the way the scale is moving, etc. until you know WHY they are happening... 

And to be able to do this, you have to know the way your body works. Period. 

PS - Days 9-7 hit this week, which is why I am sharing this information. AND it will probably be an integral part of the program once it is written, so might as well give you all a heads up to work on it now, right? :)

The MSF

Yesterday we went to the Missouri State Fair and had a really good time. 

I was nervous about eating lunch there because state fairs aren't typically known for their healthy food options. 

But, I also know that I never want my nutrition decisions to hinder my children's experiences. 

Also, I feel confident enough in my ability to find decent food no matter where I go. 

Yes, I could have packed food, but where is the challenge in that? lol...

In all seriousness, I wanted to see what I could find there... So off we went. 

And what do you know, I found a taco salad fairly quickly. 

It had more fat that I was wanting, I am certain. 

But overall, the veggies were good, it had a good amount of protein, and it was delicious. 

I enjoyed it with a diet coke and counted it as my balanced plate (Not enough veggies to count as the BAS). 

Then a little while and 12,000 steps later, I enjoyed a caramel apple. 

It was super good, and not as calorie dense as some other fair treats. 

So all in all, I consider the day a success and now know that the fair is definitely somewhere I can enjoy and stay on track. 

Here's the stats: 

-Started the week at 133.2
-Ended the week at 131.6

If you looked at my chart here and thought, "Ash, I don't know if this is working." Then I need you to do a few things for me... 

1) Believe me when I say that this is normal
2) Hang tight for the next couple weeks (It's about to get fun)
3) Trust the process

Other Notes: 

- Had one alcoholic beverage this week. Celebrated being done with back to school
shopping... lol
-Started resistance again this week. Feeling strong despite being in a calorie deficit.

That wraps up another week! 

Come back for Week 3 when I will tackle another concert and the lake! :)

Talk soon!
Ash B