Well, I have been so sad, heartbroken and just sick about the shooting in Las Vegas a couple of days ago. 
I just keep watching the news or reading stories on the internet about these people whoās lives are now forever changed. My heart hurts for them. I will never understand what drives people to do these types of things??? The only thing I can think of is that people who do these things are absolute psychopaths and that is why I will never understand it!
I will say that although Iāve been so heartsick about this terrible tragedy and all of the crap in the world, Iāve also been so touched, inspired and encouraged as Iāve read about all of the stories of love, selflessness and heroism too.
There are some incredible people out there.
Itās interesting how major tragedies really bring people together and can bring out the best in people. It seems like during a catastrophe, people forget about race, religion, socioeconomic status, politics and all of the other differences that cause so much conflict for some people! For just a little while, everyone is equal and all that really matters is loving and helping each other.
Iāve just been so amazed and touched by some of the stories Iāve read about. This ladyās story in particular really moved me. What an amazing lady.
It brings me a little comfort as I remember that there are FAR more good people out in the world, than bad.
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Well I started a new healthy plan yesterday. With all of the craziness going on in world, it sounds very insignificant and unimportant to talk about health and fitness right now. I apologize for that.
I do like to focus on positive things though and I think health, fitness and self improvement are things that definitely make my life better and full of purpose. 
I finished my Oxygen Challenge just over 2 weeks ago. It was great, I learned a ton, Iām so glad I did it and I will write a post all about it ASAP. Iāve also enjoyed taking a little break since I finished that challenge. This past week in particular, I ate a lot of my favorite foods and treats and it was so much fun! I donāt regret one bit of it, although I knew I couldnāt live that way for too long or I would blow up, my hormones would get all jacked, my body would have issues and Iād just feel horrible.
In fact, in just that week+ of time, I definitely noticed some ill effects on my body. I didnāt sleep as well, my face broke out a bit, my body poofed up (of course!) and I just felt more tired and sluggish. I also got a stomach ache every time I ate more than just a little bit of sugar. I was grateful for that though because it reminded me that my body doesnāt want me to feed it a bunch of crap!
Oh, and just for the record, I still ate very well. I didnāt have an all out binge week! I still ate a lot of good things, I just had a lot of crappy things as well! It was great.
BUT, Iām back to working hard again! I like to set up specific goals for myself and follow āa set planā to keep me motivated and on track. Iāve learned that if I just tell myself, āIām just going to eat well and exercise,ā I donāt work as hard and I make far too many excuses for myself. When Iām looking for actual results, Iāve learned I have to have an actual plan!
Iām constantly reading and learning about health and fitness. The science behind nutrition and the mind/body connection really fascinates me! I donāt believe there is a BEST way to eat or an IDEAL diet out there. I truly believe that you have to find out what works best for YOU. You have to find something that will help you feel your best, help you get the results youāre looking for and something you can stick to for the long haul (Iām not a fan of extreme or fad diets!)
Soooo, Iāve compiled a plan for myself based on a bunch of different things Iāve researched, things Iāve been doing or have done in the past and things that just seem to work for me! Here are the basics of my planā¦
- Iām going to count macros once again
- Iām going to follow a carb cycling plan
- Iām going to implement intermittent fasting
These three things are all things Iāve done in the past and all things that have worked well for me! However, this time Iāll be following a little different carb cycling and macro plan than Iāve done before!
Macro Counting
As far as macro counting goes (keeping track of how much protein, carbs and fat youāre eating and keeping that consumption to a certain ratio)ā¦I really love it. It really is such a great way to learn about nutrition and how different foods affect the body. I also really like that it is easily āblack and white.ā You follow a specific macro plan and each day you keep track of your progress (I love to track mine of My Fitness Pal) and stick to the plan!
With that being said, I would never want to count macros forever. I do not want to live a lifestyle where I have to weigh, measure and track every single thing I eat!
No thank you.
BUT, once in a while, especially when Iām really looking for results, I DO like to count macros and pay closer attention to what Iām eating! Itās always motivating to me, very eye opening and I learn so much!
Soooo, Iām going to keep my calories between 1400-1650, depending on my workout and my appetite for the day (If I workout really hard and/or I feel a little bit hungrier one day, Iāll eat on the higher end of that range. If I miss a workout or Iām just not that hungry, Iāll eat on the lower end.)
Carb Cycling
As far as the carb cycling goes, Iām going to doā¦
- Three days in a row of a High Carb/Low Fat diet (50% carbs, 35% protein, 15% fat)
- One day of a Low Carb/Higher Protein and Fat diet (10% carbs, 40% protein, 50% fat)
- and then Three days in a row of a Moderate Carb/Protein/Fat diet (30% carbs, 35% protein, 35% fat.)
I know that sounds complicated, but it just makes sense to me! I love to change things up because it keeps things interesting. I also think the body responds well when we donāt follow the same diet all the time. Iāve also learned that manipulating macros and carbs specifically, yields results.
ALSO, using an app like My Fitness Pal (there are other good ones out there too!) makes this plan doable and possible. I donāt know how in the world I could ever stick to a macro plan without an app to keep track of it all!
ALSO, Iāve known about macro counting for years, but it always sounded so complicated and intimidating to me! I finally started doing it a few years ago and it became easier and easier. As I became more aware of the nutritional makeup of the foods I ate, it was a lot easier to stick to my macros and plan ahead. It really is NOT as complicated as it seems.
If youāre someone who has never macro counted before and want to get started, I would first recommend keeping track of the food you eat in My Fitness Pal (or a similar app) for a while and paying attention to how much protein, fat and carbs you eat. It really is eye opening!
Refeed Days
A lot of carb cycling and macro plans include ārefeed days.ā These are basically days when you eat more calories! You still eat quality food and you still stick to a set macro ratio, but you just eat more food! This does allow for a few treats or indulgent foods as long as you can keep them within the macro ratio.
Iāve seen plans that include a refeed once a week, once every few weeks or once a month. Iāve also seen refeeds that double the calories or plans that just raise them by a percentage. Iām going to have a refeed once every three weeks, for two days in a row for now. I may change it to once every two weeks eventually. Iām going to up my calories by 50% during that time and keep within my typical high carb day macro ratio.
Refeed days have been shown to increase fat loss, regulate hormones and give people a much needed break! Hereās a great article about it if you care to read it.
Intermittent Fasting
Okay, Iāve been sort of following an Intermittent Fasting plan for a while now. There are a lot of different ways to do this, but the way Iāve been doing it (I think itās the most common way) is to eat for about 8 hours and fast for 16. I donāt follow this to the minute, but I just generally try to stick to it.
Thereās a lot of science out there that tells why Intermittent Fasting is good for the body. Just Google it, or hereās a good comprehensive article you can read if you want. For ME, I really like it because it just simplifies my life and makes it easier for me to eat less in general. Iāve found itās quite easy for me to just put off breakfast in the morning (I usually have my first meal around 11 or noon.) THEN, I eat all of my calories between 11 or 12 AM and 7 or 8 PM. This really helps me to not be hungry throughout the day and helps to control cravings.
I also like that I donāt necessarily have to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day (I keep reading more and more research that suggests that this doesnāt really make a difference anyway!) I just eat when I feel like eating (within the eating window, of course), keep track of it in my app and stick to my macros!
I really like Intermittent Fasting. Iām not completely 100% hardcore with it every day, I just like to follow it as a general rule. There are days when I wake up starving. On those days, I eat earlier. There might also be a crazy day when I need to eat later at night, so I do. But, generally I try to keep it within that 12 AM-8 PMish window.
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OKAY, this has been a very complicated and probably overwhelming to read blog post! Iām so sorry ābout that. My plan really isnāt that complicatedā¦itās just hard to explain. Iām excited about it though. Iāve told you guys many times that I love trying new things. It keeps life interesting and I think it helps me to stick to a healthy lifestyle.
If I just ate the same things and stuck to the same old, same old diet and healthy plan every day, I would go nuts! I love experimenting and seeing how my body responds. I think itās fun. Oh, and Iām committing myself 100% to this plan for one month. At the end of the month, I will evaluate and see if I want to continue with it or not. Oh, and Kev is doing it with me too! Woot!
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Well, Iāve been very wordy in this post and havenāt shared too many pictures. Iāll share some pics from the past couple weeks āround here.
This past weekend was the Semi Annual āGeneral Conferenceā for our church. Itās basically just a series of uplifting meetings held throughout Saturday and Sunday in which our church leaders share inspiring messages of hope, faith, courage and various life strengthening/enriching things. Itās one of my favorite weekends of the year and I love it!
Kev and I were able to attend one of the sessions with a couple of our kids.
Afterward, we took the kiddos out to lunch at TonyBurgers! Itās one of the best hamburger places in Utah and since I knew Iād be starting my new healthy plan, I was happy we went there!
My cute nine year old also had his Scout Pinewood Derby last week.
He and Kev worked so hard on his car (his is the black one on the end), but it didnāt do too great at the race. It didnāt do too bad either; it just did aāight. It was a fun night though!
My sweet daughter also went to the Homecoming Dance at her school a couple weekends ago. She had a great time!
Life is always busy, but Iām grateful itās been full of a lot of great things! I have just a few more cute pics to shareā¦.
I took these pictures on Sunday and they made me laugh! Kev had made a pot of Top Raman for himself (for the record, Iām not a fan of Raman noodlesā¦I know they are super fake and high in sodium, but several of my kids AND Kev love them, so once in a while, after much begging and pleading, I buy them.)
Anyway, Kev had made a spicy kind (chili flavor), so he didnāt think the kids would like it. However, when my three year old saw daddy eating noodles, he wanted some! Soon after, my seven year old wanted some as well! I just had to laugh as Kev sat there feeding them. We also thought it was funny that our seven year old thought it was spicy, but it didnāt even seem to phase the three year old! Ha.
Oh, and you can see that container of pineapple nearby that I offered the kids in an effort to give them some more nutritionā¦.nobody took me up on it! Sigh.
Well, I think that is all I have to share! I hope this post even made sense. Itās hard to explain everything as well as I would like to! I will of course, update this blog and my social media as I follow this plan. I hope you all have a great night!
I will never understand the Las Vegas shooting and I think it is just part of the new normal, which is of course completely depressing.
When it comes to carb cycling / intermittent fasting / counting macros, I have been living that lifestyle for about a year now and have seen huge results. I donāt do reefed days because it is too much for my body to consume, but generally, my body responds well to changes in nutrition / diet. I learned so much tracking macros, it has definitely helped fine tune my nutrition. Have a great weekend !
Sadly Karen, I think youāre right about the ānew normalā in the world. Very, very depressing.
Iām so glad to hear youāve had such good results with carb cycling, intermittent fasting and macro counting! I love macro counting too and have learned so much from it! Iāve played around with carb cycling and IF on and off the past couple of years, but Iām hoping as I consistently put all of these things into play, Iāll love the results!
Always love the pictures of your family. My youngest has been begging for ramen, and Iāve relented a couple of times, even though itās not part of our regular diet ā you just canāt fill boys up sometimes!
Thanks so much Beth! It IS so hard to feed hungry boys, lol. ;-}