Okay… Hi 🙂
I’m going to try make these weekly check in’s short and sweet but this one may be a little longer because I have a lot to say (…uhm actually, what’s new haha). So, I completed my first week of my ‘reverse diet’ and imma be real with you right now, it was A. really bloody hard and B. a slight mess.
Now for those of you who are like “Schae, back the frig up, what the heck is a reverse diet?”, well let me put it in a nutshell. Reverse dieting is basically a way to increase your metabolic capacity without the weight gain after dieting or sitting in a deficit for a period of time. To do this you must slowly (super slowly) add in calories, usually in the forms of carbohydrates and fat and monitor your weight over the course of 1-2 weeks. If it goes up by a lot (I wouldn’t stress about minor fluctuations), you are moving too fast and if it stays the same or even decreases, its safe to say you could add in an extra 50-100 calories. This is basically just a way to limit the amount of fat you put on after being on a ‘cut’ (as gym goers like to call it).
Sounds simple, right?
Trying to channel my inner superwoman pose…… daily!
Simple schmiple. It’s been really hard. It is such a mental process in the sense that it has tested me more than ‘prep’ ever did. I think because you are aware that there is simply no date… no stage in 2 weeks, no peak week plan, simply just fueling your body and training. As much as you shouldn’t focus on a time frame for your goals, when you are aiming for a competition, especially with a certain federation, its hard not to be aware of time/date in that sense. As much as I want to say that its easy to not get caught up in that, its far from the truth.
Positive shoutout to my butt which is making a comeback
My first week was poop. I was hungry, I ate. That’s all there was to it. So I ended up putting on a little more than I would have liked when I did my usual Sunday check in with my coach. From Saturday through to the following Sunday (not the day after lol) I had put on exactly 1kg. I saw it coming because I knew I had been more than lenient for the week so I was a little prepared. Instead of feeling down about it, I kicked myself in the foot and realized that I really did have a new week to start again and get myself back on track. In all honesty I felt damn refreshed (hungry… but refreshed). My training for the week was the best it had felt in a long time, I was participating in exercise just because I wanted to (holla at me f45), I celebrated an anniversary at Soju Girl (review coming this week), I hit heavy deadlifts and I went to bed at night with a happy full belly… worth the 1kg? potentially, yes.
Check in for the week
IN SAYING THAT, (Doris don’t fire me for the above, there is flip side promise)… this week I have made it my goal to stick 100000000% to my reverse dieting macro’s. I really do owe it to myself at the end of the day. Going through a grueling 20 week prep to put back on the weight I sweated my ass off in every HIIT session is not my ideal situation at all (although it would be darn fun).
So here is to a new week my friends… remember to try and look for the positive in all situations and if you slip up, try pick up on how you got there in the first place and what exactly sparked it. Be kind to yourself – A BIG ONE. I could have beaten myself up about it after I stood on that scale, but I didn’t… for good reason. Want to know what that reason is?… course you do! Either way I would have had to deal with the consequences of my decisions, there is no ifs or buts about it. So why would I approach it with a negative attitude towards myself? To potentially avoid it happening again?… THAT I knew was not going to happen! Therefore, taking the positive approach seemed like the better response to my mid week slip ups. I went to the markets and stocked up on fruit and veg, went for some walks with friends on the weekend, meal prepped my little heart out on Monday and calculated my macros for pretty much the whole week. A.K.A I’m kicking this week in the balls. *insert superwoman pose, 1kg heavier*
Keep growing pals! (wish this saying was literally growing me though because lord knows I was the shortest one on stage, both times…)
Until next time,
Be kind, enjoy life, smile a little more, stick your tongue out Alana style, grow your butt Schae style and take a damn big breath of fresh air…
Schae X
my life in balance 