Today I am starting a plan to try to shed as much body fat as I can over the next 4wks. My last Bod Pod appt I was 26.6%, that was 3 wks ago. I am guesstimating over the last 3wks of cutting cycle I probably dropped another 1.5%, so I am estimating I am at 25% right now. I would ideally like to be at 20% or lower when I start my strength training for Strong Woman competition, then it won’t be such a bitter pill to swallow when my calorie intake jumps up to 2400-2600 calories on training days. Over the next 4 wks I am trying to diminish the loss of the lean muscle mass at the same time that I am dropping body fat, kind of a double edge sword. My days are going to start with a weight program and be heavy carb loaded to diminish muscle breakdown as much as possible and end my days with HIIT Cardio. I set my macros to be 40% Carb, 40% Protein, 20% over the course of a day. Heavier carb meals will be earlier in the day to help diminish muscle breakdown and fatigue along with maintaining energy levels for afternoon cardio. My daily goal for caloric intake is 1850, all clean! I am also going to try to eliminate as many of the natural sugars I have a hard time letting go of, my bananas and berries. A typical daily menu will be:
Breakfast: eggs and oatmeal for breakfast
Strength Workout
Snack 1: a post workout smoothie (Shakeology)
Lunch: Fish and quinoa or brown rice with veggies
Snack 2: Rice cake w/Almond Butter
Cardio Workout
Dinner: Chicken Breast, Spinach salad, Broccoli or sweet potato
Snack 3: Greek Yogurt
I will likely have very little variation over the course of the next 4 wks to this menu, once I find what works and is easy I stick with it. I will try to prep the chicken, quinoa, and brown rice so they are ready and I just have to heat up. This has been the key to clean eating in our household. If you spend a little time each week prepping the items that take the longest to prepare you are much more likely to avoid the over processed frozen or packaged meals.
Off to press play on Back and Bis this morning with some T25 Alpha Cardio later today.
Related articles
- The Meso Diet and Carb Cycling (joshsgarage.typepad.com)
Cassie Cain Coaching 