My 12 Week Weight Loss Program

Hey Ya'll and Welcome Back!
(this post is longer but just wanted to explain the best I can)

  I wanted to share a 12 week weight loss program that I created for myself.  I am going to be trying something I have never done before. (I am not a nutritionist or doctor and just sharing what I am personally doing).  Counting my macros and carb cycling.  Along with counting everything I eat I am also doing a fitness program.  I will explain all of this in today's post.  This is something that I have done tons of research on and wanted to see how it works for me.  After these twelve weeks I will reevaluate myself and make adjustments as needed.  Over time I feel like this program will become easier in terms of what meals work for me once I get the hang of it.  It will not be easy by any means but I am ready for the challenge!

  Let's start with macros.  What are macros?  Macros are calculated by the amount of carbs, protein and fat calculated totals in a day. These three things are essentially what calories come from. We all have different macro totals and no one person is the same.  If your interested in finding your macro totals I have used and recommend bodybuilding.com to help you.  Your macros are based on your weight, height, if you want to build muscle, lose fat, maintain and how active you are in a day.  One way I would suggest figuring out if you want to start tracking your macros is by writing everything you eat in a week.  When you right down each food include the carbs,protein and fat in each food.  Total each days amount for each and see where you are.  Counting macros is a game that I play each day involving lots of math. (for those of you who say you don't use math in life).  😏  If you are someone who counts their macros then you definitely use math, just saying.  One helpful tool I have is using the My Fitness Pal app.  You can not only track your macros but caloric intake.  Also, this app helps you to stay on track when you go out to eat because it contains foods from several different restaurants. It comes in handy when you don't want to get out the food you've eaten and forgot to right the numbers down.  I honestly never thought I would be someone to be on a macro based diet.  Each day gets easier and it is also very eye opening.  You begin to become very aware of what you are putting into your body.  Nutrition Facts are very important and that is why they are on every food item.  Now that I have explained macros the best I can we can move onto carb cycling.

  Carb cycling is having a starting carb intake for the day.  For two days after that I will be decreasing my carbs by 50g and on the fourth and fifth day I increase my carbs by 75g.  This is how my carb cycling is configured and people have different ways of doing this.  I have seen people do this and have done lots of research on this.  So for me I have three low carb days and two high carb days.  As I am writing this post I am on Day 2 of carb cycling.  Day 3 is my lowest carb day of the week and I am curious to see how I feel after tomorrow.  Thankfully for me I get to enjoy some carbs for two days after having the lowest carb day.  With that being said I am not going to go crazy and it just means I can eat foods such as brown rice (grains), beans, sweet or red potatoes, oats, and breads (whole wheat).  Healthy carbs that contain a higher number of carbs. So far carb cycling is going well and I do a happy dance when my carb totals are right on for the day.  💃

  As far as my fitness program goes I am someone who enjoys working out at home.  I workout in my room where I have weights and other equipment.  You can still work out at home even if you don't have anything but yourself.  For one it is where I feel the most comfortable and eventually will work my way to the gym.  I follow a YouTube channel called FitnessBlender for all of my workouts.  I am doing a 5 day challenge but extending it for longer.  One thing I love about these workouts is that they involve some kind of HIIT routine.  HIIT is high intensity interval training and helps burn fat.  Their workouts are the right combination of strength training and cardio.  These workouts are not boring and keep you engaged the whole time.  One part of this journey is building my confidence to do these type of workouts in a gym.   A part of me likes working out alone with no one else around and I can blast whatever music I want lol.💪

  12 weeks is about three months and during my program football season begins.  Even though I will be tempted to indulge in gameday foods this is where meal prepping comes in handy.  This doesn't mean I can't still have fun at games it just means I will have to pack and bring my own foods with.  I will be on the tail end of my program then, so that gives me time to really find what works for me.  When I complete this 12 weeks I will for sure be enjoying a cheat meal!  

  At the end of the day it is all about discipline and how bad you want something.  I don't think I was ever mentally ready to ever try something like this before.  After doing my homework and seeking out help I have found this to be something I want to try.  Don't worry I will be letting ya'll know how it is going each week and overall what I thought.  I already feel better and have fallen in love with cooking delicious meals at home where I can control what goes into my food and body.  

  I hope this was helpful and for those on your own weight loss journey would love to know what kinds of programs ya'll are doing.  One thing I love is learning new ways to improve my diet and open to advice.

For more information on macros, carb cycling and anything else relating to these topics I would definitely recommend checking out bodybuilding.com

Until next time, hope ya'll have a great day and God Bless😊