Cutting Calories, Powerlifting, and Stupid Cardio

Hey guys!

I thought I'd update you all... again. My cut is going well. I haven't weighed myself and don't care to since starting. I will weigh myself in maybe a week or two, but my ultimate goal is to see progress in the mirror before worrying about the scale.

To be quite blunt, this cut sucks. Did I think it would be super fun? Not at all. I was excited at the beginning, but my enthusiasm has since waned. Am I giving up? Not at all! 

(Note: I know have some readers who have or may be experiencing an eating disorder, so at this point of the post I would advise you to STOP reading for fear of triggering.)

My calories have obviously dropped and it's a lot harder to fit certain macros in than I thought. I used to eat by feel, meaning I would eat what I want when the time came to eat. If I was feeling like protein pancakes, I'd cook me up some. If I was feeling a huge bowls of veggies with chicken and rice, I would do that. However, I can't do that now. I have to hit certain macros and the foods I choose have to accommodate the macros.

My carbs are sooo much lower than I am used to, and I hate it. And before anyone jumps on me questioning if this is healthy for me, hear me out. This is for the sole purpose of experience. I want to test my body to see what works best for me: high carb/low fat (which I think ultimately is my niche) or high fat/low carb. I'm pretty moderate right now; I have a macro split of 45% protein, 35% carbs, and 20% fat. I have a scale to make sure all my measurements are accurate.

My macros hit perfectly on Tuesday! I use MyFitnessPal.

It's also super hard to hit the protein. Since the highest percentage of my macros is obviously protein, I have to eat a lot. And I mean a lot more than I am used to. I'm eating above my body weight in protein. I have to plan my protein intake throughout the day so I make sure I hit it all. It's almost guaranteed that by the end of the day, I still have at least 20-30 grams of protein left to hit so I will usually cook up some egg whites or take some protein powder. It's not fun... lol! But I do like my grilled chicken. However, I am used to HUNKS of grilled chicken breast, and now my portions are so much smaller. *sadface*

In terms of my saving grace for not falling off the wagon and stuffing my face in a pie, I have Arctic Zero 150-calorie whey ice cream and Quest protein bars/peanut butter cups to save me. Yes, I am not going to balls-to-the-wall with this cut and eating only ***CLEAN*** veggies, lean meats, etc. I am eating fruit because I don't care about sugar as long as I'm not overdoing it. I also use Walden Farms products, especially their pancake syrup, to make my nutrition more bearable, lol! So thank you very much to the brands Arctic Zero, Quest, and Walden Farms for saving my ass. ;)

In terms of training, I haven't noticed any decreases in strength... yet. In fact, on squat day yesterday, I actually managed to go UP in weight which felt fantastic! I definitely convinced myself beforehand that since I cut calories, I would lose strength. But it's all mindset. I wouldn't give in!

My training partner is an avid follower of powerlifting as well. He alternates between bodybuilding splits and powerlifting programs to shake things up every now and then, but now he is in full force powerlifting mode, which means I am too! I have never done powerlifting splits before but I am gradually getting used to it and enjoying it! I've always done bodybuilder type splits and variations of exercises, so this is quite new to me.

It's so weird not calling my workouts "leg day" or "chest day" anymore. Now I have bench press day, squat day, deadlift day, and overhead press day. We typically spend an hour or so on the main lift doing usually 6 sets of 1-3 reps, and then we either A) drop the weight by 50% and continue doing sets of 10 reps or B) do a different exercise to finish off. For example, after we bench, we may do some incline dumbbell presses. And that's it. I'm so used to doing like 5-7 sets of an exercise as that's typical of a bodybuilder, but only doing one or two is so different. At first I did NOT like the idea but it's grown on me. I especially love deadlifts. Talk about beast mode! (Especially since now I am using official lifter equipment like a belt, chalk, wrist wraps, etc.)

Along with that, the way powerlifters perform the main lift is so different. Deadlifts are pretty much the same but with squats, I am used to toes pointed forward but with powerlifting squats I have a wider stance and my toes pointed out. With bench, I am used to controlling a strict rep and doing 8-10 reps. With powerlifting bench press, my back is super arched and my form on the bench is significantly different. It doesn't have to be super strict either, you get the weight down and push it back up. With powerlifting, it's more concerned about lifting heavy ass weight and being strong whereas in bodybuilding, the "burn" and the "pump" is what is sought after in order to produce the most muscle. If you look at some powerlifters, some of them aren't super "huge" but strong as hell! I loooove the burn but since I am doing a powerlifting technique, I'm getting used to trusting that although I don't feel a burn, I will still be sore as hell the next few days. My glutes are killing me right now!

Lastly, cardio during this cut sucks ASS. I am doing four cardio sessions per week, aiming to burn around 400 calories each time. My training partner is on the stairmaster kick, so I have done that three times so far with him, however yesterday I was super bored of it (because I have a short attention span) so I did a conditioning style cardio workout doing prowler pushes with 1 min. rest (killer), 10 minutes of Jacob's Ladder (had to stop 2 or 3 times because at this point my legs were annihilated), and some spin intervals on the spinning bike. That really got the blood pumping! I have done two sessions on the stairmaster fasted and the first time, I had a lot of energy and was super pumped about it but this morning, since my heavy squat session and conditioning workout took its toll on me, my legs were dead and the last thing I wanted to do was cardio on the stairmaster. But I managed to do it with the help of Chris Jones' videos on YouTube! My legs are absolutely fried right now but oooh it hurts so good.

Alright well that's enough of me babbling so I hope everyone had a fantastic Thursday! :)

How I Am Handling My "Cut Phase"

So I mentioned that I would be trying out a cut phase of sorts, to get myself acclimated to what a cut phase is, considering I want a life in fitness. At first, I was super nervous because considering my past, I didn't know how I was going to take it. Would I always be anxious? Would certain numbers freak me out?

The answer is, surprisingly: no. (If you are triggered easily by talk of cutting and macros and calories and all that, I would stop reading now.)

I first had to find my maintenance calories, which meant I had to eat a certain number of calories in a day (without doing cardio) and then weigh myself every day in the morning to see if I had gained, maintained, or lost weight. Weighing myself every morning was definitely something I never thought that I would be able to do. The first day was so nerve-wracking. However, every morning, I looked at the number on the scale and actually kept my composure. I wasn't even at all bothered by it.

I'm not going to lie here on my blog to make me seem completely "perfect" in my mindset--because it's far from perfect. However, when I say that these numbers on the scale didn't bother me, I mean it! Yes, I certainly had my reservations about it, however, in the past when I had weighed myself, I would dwell on it all day long. How could I be so overweight/underweight? What drastic measures should I take to get the number that I want? These are all dangerous and irrational thoughts, and I am pleasantly surprised that there thoughts are not affecting me. Instead, I am focused on seeing how this cut phase turns out, and I am excited!

One thing I was super concerned about? The amount of carbs I was supposed to be eating. I haven't tracked my calories/macros for a very long time. I always thought I was getting a lot of carbs, because I ate them at every meal! So obviously I assumed I was getting enough. However, as my training partner and I were discussing our diet regimen over IHOP, he broke down my macros and I looked at the number of grams of carbs, and I was like holy shit because when I tracked my macros the day before to see how I've been eating over the last year or so, I realized that I was severely under-utilizing carbs. And now I was being made to consume even more carbs and I was like uhhhh, what? How about nah man....

The first day on this number of carbs that will go unmentioned was rough. I didn't realize how full I was going to be. By dinner, I still had many grams of carbs and protein that I was supposed to hit so my dinner was HUGE. I had to actually FIGHT to eat it all. By the end of that meal, I had to eat AGAIN in a few hours and I honestly thought I was going to die. My stomach was all "Brittany, what is this fuckery, I'M NOT HUNGRY BITCH!" But I made myself hit the certain number of calories and I assumed the next morning I would gain 3957943754 pounds. But I didn't??? It just goes to show you that it's ALL about calories in vs. calories out. My weight hasn't really moved over the past few months because I was eating a high protein, high fat, moderate carb diet but when I switched over to high protein, high carb, moderate fat, it was essentially the same amount of calories so I wouldn't gain or lose weight--I would maintain.

So what's the moral of the anecdote? CARBS ARE NOT ENEMIES!!!!!! Do NOT tell me that eating too many carbs are going to make you gain weight. YES, they will, if it exceeds your maintenance level of calories. Sure, a certain balance of macros may get you the ripped body that you want, but in the question of gaining/losing weight, it's all about what amount of energy YOUR body needs!!!

Lastly, I can't wait to kick my ass with cardio. I decided not to go overboard with it and keep it short and intense for maximum efficiency. I will NOT be doing 45 minute cardio sessions at a steady state. Yes, I will probably throw in steady state every now and then when my energy levels drop too much, but for the most part, my cardio will be a lot of running (I need this for the National Guard), sprinting ON THE TRACK (fuck sprinting on a treadmill), stairmaster, and conditioning work i.e. prowlers pushes, battle rope swingin', jump roping, burpees, bleacher drills, tire flips across a football field, and many other plyometrics like jump squats and jump lunges. No ellipticals will be harmed in this cut phase.

I'm about to go HAM on this cut phase--again, not because my only goal is to be completely shredded, but because I want to see where I will be able to push my body! It's going to be so fun--and no, I'm not cutting out my peanut butter. ;)

Have a great day!