Time to put on my big girl pants, PIVOT and dial it in.
I am oddly excited.
Strangely excited to be going back into a deficit right now.
Hmm… that might need to be a conversation for a different time.
For right now, we’re gonna use it. We’re gonna ride this wave…. and not ask too many questions about that piece LOL!
I mean… whose actually excited about going into a deficit…
ANYWAY…
Recently, I talked about different things going on within my own health and wellness…
To give you the quick recap, someone was sexually harassing my autistic child, I had a separation that led to divorce, there was an issue with somebody using my photos to catfish men, some fraudulent bank issues, a back injury, weight gain, and two autoimmune diagnosis during a flare from all of the stress my body was under… Which, at the end of this blog linked below, I prematurely said was in remission. Still working on that… three rounds of steroids later and a mix of different meds.
I also talked to about the self sabotage that I practiced with myself during my last adventure of trying to trim off the weight that I had put on over the last year. In the middle of all of that that I said above, I thought it was a good time if any to go ahead and go into a deficit to make myself feel better. Good gravy… that did not go as planned.
ANNND…. talked about my mental doom spiral for the hand that I was dealt. Not to mention, allowing you into the mess that’s in my head just the same as everybody else. I am just as human as the next person. Just because I am myself a nutritionist and trainer doesn’t mean that my head’s not as messy. If not, it actually means that I can be right there with you, which is why I can deeply understand where people are coming from when they need help.
Finally, I mentioned what I was going to do. What is it that they say about the best laid plans?
GOAL: THE SCALE & MY BODY COMPOSITION: Better current health and maintain body composition checks.
- Complete weekly body comp check-in (photos, measurements, clothing fit).
- Track calories/macros daily at maintenance.
- Reassess body composition goals post-half marathon (November).
GOAL: SETBACKS & CONSISTENCY: Complete the half marathon in November feeling strong and proud.
- Train 5x/week (3x running with intervals & HR focus, 2x strength).
- Track and adjust for recovery, fatigue, or flares as needed.
- Attend all scheduled doctor/health check-ins.
And this one here ended with… “so that is me… from now until November”. But things change. Things changed quite rapidly sometimes. Sometimes we have to pull back on our efforts. Sometimes we have to see the moments of opportunity for what they are.
Be flexible in our approach and consistent in our forward motion.
What changed?
Goal task completed: I have been putting on old clothes on a weekly basis and comparing pictures to where I am and where I’ve been. Really being as objective as I can with myself. Also, reaching out for help with perception from friends and my coach.
Goal task completed: Tracking calories and macros daily. I want to also give the perception here regarding the efforts that I had put on. Yes, I was working to track at a formula figured maintenance. However, I was allowing my body to lead the way with what I needed on different days to help my recovery. I was not aiming for a set number really… beyond my protein levels.
Goal task completed: I am training five times a week. I am at the volume needed to run a half marathon early. A lot of the medical changes and lifestyle changes that I have implemented over the last two months have made the world of a difference.
Goal task completed: I have been tracking and adjusting for recovery, fatigue, and flare/remission. With a lot of effort with monitoring my lungs, my heart, my training and how well I recover, I am at the point where I believe this is the best I’m going to get and that is good enough with me. I have a lot of confidence in my capability to run a half marathon after completing a 9 mile long run and feeling like I could still go longer.
Goal task completed: I have attended all the schedule doctor and other health check-ins. Of course I am going to have more as time goes by but things are looking much better than they were months ago. I am on new medications that are challenging in themselves, but it is time to get up and move forward.
There is only one gold task left… Reassess body composition goals post-half marathon (November). AND…this is where we PIVOT!
Everything has been going much better than expected and I don’t necessarily need to be at maintenance calories in order to complete the training needed for the half marathon. I have six weeks that I can make something happen for myself that I haven’t been in a good head actual space to do and quite sometime.
Time to dial it in with a deficit! Because 10 pounds… looks very different right now. And I know that that has more to it. It has a lot more to it. But that muscle is freaking sexy, and I want it back. I want it to be seen. So I’m going to take this down… and then I’m going to see what I have. And build it back up.
What does dialing it in mean?
I’ve always been very open about my own journey with things because I think we look to others sometimes to see if we need to change something or we need to be somewhere. We seek inspiration. We seek motivation. We seek possibility. And despite what others might say regarding comparison, I do think that sometimes it is valuable to look at somebody our own age and with similar struggles be able to achieve something that we are also working towards.
So… dialing it in.
It doesn’t mean going full force into the most intense practices with an action/task… it means taking where you are and dialing it in from that point. The intensity that you dial it in to is what fits your situation. And that’s when you get to the point where you realize you have to be good with two out of three things…Goal, Timeline, or Actions
I only pick 2️⃣. It helps me not put too much pressure on different situations. I used to push so hard that I would burn out or if I had a slip up, I’d struggle hard coming back.
If you pick a goal and a timeline, there’s gonna be certain things that you have to do no matter what and you can make those promises to yourself because of what you’re setting in place. The hard part with this one is that you have to really be radically honest with yourself and what you’re capable of.
If you pick a goal and processes, you can just let it lay out in front of you and decide as you go where you wanna end it. Not everybody is motivated by a date. Some dates put too much pressure on people or make them feel inflexible.
If you pick a timeline and processes, you get to see how far it’s going to take you in that amount of time. You learn to gauge your own capability. This doesn’t work for everyone because some need set goals.
Life is going to change either way. You could have choice in the way that it changes or you could let it happen and make do with what is on the other side.
Pick 2️⃣ & Blinders on 🥽
The first thing that I have… the timeline. A six week opportunity.
Now, to choose my processes.
And allow the goal to simply be weight loss instead of a number.
My timeline is set. Here are my processes.
Where I am starting…
- Tracking here and there.
- Estimating a bunch of things both at home and from restaurants.
- Having some form of food or drink outside of the home multiple days out of the week.
- Not prioritizing my protein to a higher level, but still getting an adequate amount. Also using some supplemental sources that helped my hyper-palatability wants and needs.
- Not focusing completely on hydration outside of basic needs for running.
What I intend to do…
- Continue my training with a lesser running volume to better match my timeline for the half marathon and complete the 3 strength workouts that my coach programs.
- Track and weigh everything. I know that I need to do a self audit on my estimation and my portion sizes. This brings me back to the foundation.
- Minimize the estimations as much as possible, but still allowing room for some enjoyment with the kids during the rest of the summer. The goal is one event a week. It might be going to the movies. It might be a pizza night. It might be brunch on the weekend. But only one time a week.
- My only food or drink outside of the home will be things that I can fit within my numbers as well as minimizing estimation with. This will require me to look ahead and pick three items to have in my back pocket… Macro Options for Starbucks: My 3 Picks & Swaps & Macro Options for Chick-Fil-A: My 3 Picks & Swaps will definitely come in handy again.
- I will prep my proteins ahead of time to ensure that I get them from the sources that I want to get them from. This last weekend, I meal prepped a delicious breakfast with sweet potato hash browns, turkey sausage and an egg, egg white & cottage cheese bake AND had a full pack of chicken tenderloins and a new Greek yogurt based marinade that were grilled to split into lunch meal prep with rice and veggies, as well as to have some in the back up container to help reach my protein at the end of the night in case dinner doesn’t do it.
- Hydration is everything right now. I have been challenged a little bit with this due to my grip being an issue and not being able to walk with my Hydro flask in my hand. I am dealing with some issues with trigger finger, nerve pain, and swollen joints. I bought myself a Crossbody bag for my Hydro flask to take on my walks with me to freeze my hands. I will drink one a day which is 40 ounces and I will drink two more 20 ounce cups within the house.
That’s it!
That’s all I have for you at the moment.
Ain’t nothing left to it, but to do it now.
Also… food noise sucks. I hear it too.
I have been feasting over here on maintenance calories while running and lifting while my body has been placed on steroids to help get into remission. I have been feasting. My mind is thinking about all of the things that I have been feasting on that are not my chicken or egg bake.
…but my food is dang good so… we gonna be alright!
I appreciate you for reading this!
It has been a wild and crazy last year for me and I’m always honored for the people who are in the space with me. If you need anything, reach out. I’m more than happy to chat. As my previous clients know well, I am only a Facebook or Instagram message away.
With Love, Coach Nik
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