STATS:

Date                 Weight (lb)           BF%              Protein (g)          Carbs         Fat          Total Cal
7.30.14            109.5                    15.5                117                     141              30           1,302 (+58)
7.23.14            110.5                    15.7                117                     131              28           1, 244 (+18)
7.16.14            109                        15.0               117                     131              26           1,226 (+58)
7.9.14              109                        14.9               117                     121              24           1,168 (+49)
7.2.14              110                        15.6               117                     111              23           1,119 (+49)
6.25.14            110.5                     15.4               117                     101              22           1,070 (+40)
6.18.14            110                        16.1               117                      91               22           1,030 (+43)
6.11.14            112.5                     16.8               117                      81               20           987 (+40)*
START                                                                   117                      77               19            947

This weekend I went to Chicago, so I thought I'd write a little bit about how to stay on track during vacation! 

But first, can I just freak out for a second?? My original goal was to be at 1400 calories by November-ish… and I'm already at 1300 calories!!!!!! w0000000t!!!!! 
Ok, I'm good. Just had to nerd out for a sec. :P

Alright, where was I? Ah, yes. Flexible dieting by definition is the ability to be FLEXIBLE with your diet. It should NOT rule your life. Actually, it should make life easier and allow you to ENJOY spending time with family and friends without anxiety and fear associated with food. I was able to try it out vacation-style this weekend in Chicago and it freaking WORKED!

I did not gain a single pound this weekend. I enjoyed some legit Chicago pizza, a glass of wine, ice cream and other fun foods and adventures with my family. I was able to fit everything into my macros! No guilt, no fear, just straight up awesomeness. So here's a quick list of tips for using IIFYM on vacation!

1) Eating Out - Look up the macros/nutritional information for the restaurant beforehand and plug in what you want into your day FIRST. Then fit everything else you are eating in around that meal. If the restaurant doesn't have nutritional information available, look up a similar item. For example, I really wanted Lou Malnatti's Pizza (my absolute favorite) but the wait was 2 hours long! So we decided to go to a smaller, local pizza restaurant without any nutritional information. It worked out just fine and I'm sure the macros were close enough. :) It's about all flexibility, my friends.

2) Fiber, Fiber, Fiber - Sometimes traveling just messes with your system. Sorry to be gross but you know what I'm saying. Getting the right fiber intake while on vacation is crucial. I typically need anywhere from 20-30g. Some of my go-to high fiber items I packed include: fiber one cereal, cocoa powder, fiber one brownies, and quest bars. I also ordered veggies/salads frequently when eating out. Don't neglect fiber and your body will thank you.

3) Pack Food - This goes along with the last tip. Be prepared AKA pack some good carb/protein/fat sources so you can easily fill in your macros around what you are eating that day. Aside from the fiber items I just mentioned I packed: PB2, oatmeal, stevia, chiapop (low cal, high fiber popcorn), beef jerky, protein bars, fat-free pringles, and some home-made reeses protein brownies (definitely will post recipe soon, sooooo good)! I also went to trader joe's and bought some more popcorn and some nonfat greek yogurt. 

4) Bring a food scale - This kinda depends on your current goals. For me, I have this blog holding me accountable and I want to be as accurate with my reverse diet as humanly possible for the sake of the macro experiment. I want others to see my weekly stats and understand exactly HOW many macros I added per week and WHY so that they can accurately reverse diet on their own, just like I'm doing. That's my goal right now. SO… I weighed pretty much everything. Yep, I even discreetly popped that sucker out of my purse in restaurants. I did it for you guys! Aint no shame in my game! ;)

5) Request a fridge and microwave in your hotel room - Call in advance and see what the situation is. Try your best to get a fridge and microwave in your room. It just makes life easier.

6) How to count Alcohol Macros - I am specifically trying not to drink alcohol during this reverse diet because it does slightly mess with the metabolism. It's not very significant, but it does mess with it. Anyways, I did have a glass of wine with my pizza the other night because I wanted to. And I counted it into my macros. Here's how:  If you tend to run out of carbs quicker than fats, count the alcohol macros as FAT simply by dividing the # of calories in the drink(s) by 9 and counting them as fat macros. If you tend to run out of fats quicker than carbs, count the alcohol macros as CARBS by dividing the # of calories in the drink(s) by 4 and counting them as carb macros. It's actually pretty simple! Just don't get crazy with alcohol. Excess is no bueno.

7) Keep training - Call ahead and/or look online and see what the gym situation is like. Coordinate your work outs with what is available at the gym. If you have no gym access, have a plan to do bodyweight exercises like tricep push ups, bicycle crunches, squats, lunges, plyo stuff… just whatever will keep your heart rate up and your muscles trained. It's definitely possible without gym equipment. That's what the internet is for! ;)

8) Maintain Sanity - Don't freak out about perfection. You're on vacation for goodness sake! Like I said earlier, flexible dieting is about being FLEXIBLE. Just do your best, but do NOT freak out if you don't weigh everything down to the last gram or the restaurant doesn't have nutrition information. Another tip I have on that is to order something simple to guesstimate like grilled chicken on a salad. You can't really go wrong with that. But if you happen to eat a little extra ice cream or something, embrace that shiz and enjoy yourself. Just don't binge!!!

So there you go! 8 Tips for staying on track with macros during vacation! I'm actually going on another vacation in a few weeks so I'll need to keep these in mind. ;)

In other news, while in Chicago I was able to find Halo Top Creamery ice cream at the whole foods! They don't currently sell it in Nashville (where I live) so I was super stoked to taste what the hype is all about. I've been seeing this stuff on instagram for months and have been dying to try it.

Soooo yeah. IT IS WORTH THE HYPE. Seriously. Move out da way Arctic Zero!!!! This stuff is so legit. I actually called the whole foods here in Nashville and requested that they carry it. I am that much of an advocate. As you can see, the macros are insane... and the taste… it tasted exactly like straight-up ice cream! It's hard to believe the macros are true on this (but I believe it)! I can't wait to try all the other flavors!!

I feel like this post is getting pretty lengthy! :P I'll save more of my nonsense for next time! I'm thinking of doing another MACRO 101 Post (Part 2) this week with more of my fav tips, tricks, & products! So check back soon for that!

I hope you enjoyed this post and please comment if you have any questions/requests/comments/anything! I would be happy to answer and help you. That's what I'm here for! :) 
Much love!

- C

STATS:

Date                 Weight (lb)           BF%              Protein (g)          Carbs         Fat          Total Cal
7.23.14            110.5                    15.7                117                     131              28           1, 244 (+18)
7.16.14            109                        15.0               117                     131              26           1,226 (+58)
7.9.14              109                        14.9               117                     121              24           1,168 (+49)
7.2.14              110                        15.6               117                     111              23           1,119 (+49)
6.25.14            110.5                     15.4               117                     101              22           1,070 (+40)
6.18.14            110                        16.1               117                      91               22           1,030 (+43)
6.11.14            112.5                     16.8               117                      81               20           987 (+40)*
START                                                                   117                      77               19            947

One of the most important things about this blog is I want to be 100% myself and absolutely transparent with you. If I'm not, then what's the point of this? How will I ever help anyone else who struggles with the same issues as me if I hold back any deeply rooted feelings? So here we go. Brace yourself for some Cait heart/mind/soul-spillage.

I am feeling bummed that my body fat % is up by a few decimals this week. I know that weight fluctuates and everything, but I was definitely stoked on the direction it was moving before. I won't let that get me down though! I'm going to keep moving forward with this reverse diet no matter what. I do know that last night (before I measured) I drank a LOT of water right before bed and was only asleep for 3-4 hours, which is not typical for me. I'm hoping that had something to do with it. Or maybe my metabolism isn't keeping up with the speed that I'm adding calories in. Either way, I will keep my eye on the prize--FOOD & MUSCLES!

Due to this slight fluctuation/increase I'm going to give my body some extra time to adjust by lowering my macro increases this week. I have decided to not add any carbs and just increase 2g of fat. I'm playing it safe but not stopping! I will never give up.

So… If you've ever read the about section of the blog, you will come to find I'm a very sensitive person especially when it comes to body image. I have some deep hurt in that area that stems back to being very overweight for the majority of my childhood. I'm thankful that I was so overweight because it has shaped me into a compassionate/sympathetic person, but I still struggle with negative thoughts about my body. So, whoever is reading this, your prayers would be so much appreciated. And if you ever need prayer about anything please, please post a comment or message me and I WILL pray for you. Ultimately, loving God and loving people is all that matters in life. I need to be reminded of the bigger picture sometimes, especially during weeks like this when I'm feeling down on myself for such trivial matters.

"What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later." - Romans 8:18

- C

This is one of my FAVORITE recipes that I eat at least once a week. It sounds complicated but it's SO quick and easy to make! And it's absolutely DELICIOUS! And of course, you can sub zucchini noodles for Shirataki 0 calorie noodles or actual pasta if you are one of the lucky people who can eat tons of carbs. I am not one of those people (yet) so I am always making huge batches of zucchini noodles. All you need is a spiralizer, which is craaaazy easy to use even though it looks difficult. You get a HUGE bowl of zucchini noodles (180g) for only 29 calories. Whaaaat?!?! Check out the macros on this recipe! *_*

ZUCCHINI PASTA PAD THAI
224 kcal -- 3F / 12C / 39P

Ingredients:
- 180g spiralized zucchini
- garlic powder, salt, pepper
- 2 tbsp (12g) PB2
- 1-2 tbsp bragg's liquid aminos 
- lime juice
- 5 oz grilled chicken breast







Directions:
1. Heat up pan on stove to medium heat and spray it with nonstick spray. 
2. Put in 1-2 tbsp bragg's liquid aminos and zucchini noodles.
3. Cook zucchini noodles to desired consistency. I like mine between crunchy and soft, kind of in the middle. Add a dash of garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Shred up the chicken and throw that in the pan when the zucchini is almost done, to warm up the chicken and absorb the flavors.
5. Transfer to bowl. Add a couple squirts of lime juice and top with PB2. Enjoy!!

- C 

Alright guys. Are you ready for this? Brace yo self and grab a helmet because your mind is about to get blown. ;)

I've been counting macros for a year now and I wish I had known the best tips/tricks from the beginning. That's why I want to do this for YOU!! Because I love you, fellow IIFYM-er!! And I want to make your life easier and happier so you can eat delicious food and never ever feel deprived!! Enjoy!! <3 

STAPLE PRODUCTS:
1. Low Carb Ice Cream/Protein Ice Cream - This is my favorite, obviously. ;) Edy's Slow Churned 1/2 the fat ice cream is ridiculous and you would never know there are only like 3 grams of fat per serving. As I write this, I am currently only at 131 grams of carbs and 26 fats/day (increasing every week!) and I can *easily* fit 2 servings of this into my macros. I eat this lit-ch-rally every single night. If you are on SUPER low carbs, I recommend Arctic Zero ice cream in the Vanilla Maple, Cookies n' Cream, or Chocolate Mint flavor. All of the other flavors pretty much suck in my opinion. Also, you *MUST* heat Arctic Zero in the microwave for at least 10 seconds before eating it or its gross. And be very liberal with walden farms syrup and 0 fat whipped cream. You can also make your own protein ice cream or protein frozen yogurt ("ProFroYo"/"Proyo"). I'll post those recipes ASAP!

2. Walden Farms Products - I don't know if I could live without these babies in my IIFYM arsenal. Yes, they are made with artificial sweeteners so skip #2 if you aren't down with that. That's a whole other conversation/blog post for a different time. For now, I will tell you these 0 calorie, 0 carb, 0 sugar, 0 fat products are life-changing. THEY ARE HIT OR MISS THOUGH. The only products that I can personally recommend are their pancake syrup (IIFYM HOLY GRAIL!!! *MUST HAVE*), chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, strawberry jam spread, marshmallow spread, and thousand island dressing. The ranch dressing I had to throw out because it was disgusting.

3. 0 Calorie Spray Butter - Spray it on egg whites and add a little garlic powder, salt, pepper, and seasonings. Spray it on toast and add some WF strawberry jam. Spray it on protein waffles and protein pancakes. Spray it on 0 calorie miracle noodles and add seasonings. Just spray it. On everything. You're welcome.

4. Baking Products - 
A) Cocoa Powder: I know this sounds random and crazy, but WOAH. Holy fiber source! 2 tbsp of has just 20 calories and 4 grams of fiber. Add it to anything -- mugcakes, protein waffles/pancakes (makes them VERY voluminous), oatmeal, zoats/zeggs, protein shakes… chocolate is your new best friend! 
B) Stevia: I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth ever. I don't know what I'd do without stevia. I pretty much add it to everything - mugcakes, coffee, protein waffles/pancakes, oatmeal, protein shakes, greek yogurt… earrrrrthang.
C) Coconut Flour/Almond Flour: These are GREAT for any kind of baking -- especially for protein waffles, pancakes, brownies, cookies, and mugcakes. If you tend to run out of carbs quicker than fats, I'd suggest using almond flour. If you run out of fats quicker than carbs, use coconut flour! Check out my recipes section and try it out!
D) Sugar Free Pudding Mix: This makes everything taste so much betterrrrrrr. Add it to mugcakes, protein waffles/pancakes, greek yogurt, protein shakes. Trust me. *_*

5. Fat Free Pringles - YUM! 0 grams of fat and only 15 carbs (70 cals) for 15 chips… tastes just like regular pringles! These are always on my grocery list! They are one of my favorite carb sources for sure. When I'm on MyFitnessPal and all I just need to add some carbs to finish off my macros, this is my go-to.

6. Condiments - Reduced Sugar Ketchup, Fat Free Miracle Whip… and buffalo wing hot sauce, sirracha, and regular mustard of course because they are all 0 cal ;) Get em'!

7. International Delight Fat Free & Sugar Free Coffee Creamers - SO GOOD!!! 1 tbsp is only 15 calories. They have tons of flavors, my personal favorites are Caramel Marshmallow and Chocolate Almond Biscotti. They seriously taste like full fat/full sugar creamers. Any brand is great though, as long as it's a flavor you like and low carbs/fats. So go enjoy your guilt free coffee!

8. MIracle Noodles/Shirataki Noodles - THESE ARE A GAME CHANGER!!! Made from the Japanese Konnyaku vegetable, these guys are 0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 fat -- its just straight up fiber and water. AND THEY TASTE AMAZING!!! You MUST prepare it the right way though and it's super easy. They come in a bag filled with water so strain them and rinse them (they smell kinda fishy/weird before they are cooked). Spray a pan with some pam and throw them in and cook for about 2 minutes. I always spray some 0 calorie butter on it and add seasonings. Then you can add any type of sauce, vegetables, and/or meat. Most epic 0 carb pasta ever! They come in rice, angel hair pasta, and fettuccini pasta! Click here to buy on amazon.

9. Zucchini Pasta - Can you tell I'm italian? I LOVE pasta! So here's another low carb pasta option that is one of my favs. It's cheaper than Miracle Noodles and a SUPER high volume food. You do need a spiralizer, but they are cheap and super easy to use (even though they look kinda crazy). Similar to the miracle noodles, just cook them for a few minutes until they are about the consistency of pasta. I love adding pasta sauce, cheese, and grilled chicken to make chicken parmesan OR adding some bragg's liquid aminos (healthier version of soy sauce), PB2, grilled chicken, and lime juice to make a chicken pad thai dish (recipe coming soon!). So good y'all.

10. PB2 - Powdered peanut butter without the calories and fat (45 cals for 2 tbsp)! Add a little water (and stevia if you like it sweet) and you've got peanut butta for dayyyyyyz! I love adding it to pad thai dishes, into oatmeal, on top of protein pancakes/waffles, mugcakes, protein ice cream, and in my greek yogurt *__*!

11. Low Carb Bread/Wraps - For bread, I always buy the Healthy Life brand (35 cal - 1F/5C/2.5P). Flat Out wraps are great for using to make wraps and use as a pizza crust base! I've also heard AMAZING things about P28 Protein Bread. This is next on my list to try!

12. Wheat Puffs - VOLUME FOOD!!! When you are craving cereal but don't have a lot of carbs left, 1 cup of these are 60 cal (13C/0F/3P). Add some almond milk, stevia, and protein powder for a delicious protein cereal!

13. 30 Calorie Almond Milk - GREAT staple product for protein shakes, adding to cereal, protein glaze (almond milk + protein powder), etc. A must have!

14. Nonfat Greek Yogurt - I hate the way this tastes by itself. BUT, it's AMAZING when you add protein powder, cocoa powder, stevia, pb2, etc, and top it with cookies/s'mores goldfish/wheat puffs/sprinkles/whatever fits your macros… 1 cup is 10C/24P/0F… and it's sooooo good. I love making protein frozen yogurt ("PROYO"). I'll post a recipe for that ASAP!

15. Protein Powder - This is a no-brainer but I wanted to share my personal favorites! My absolute favorite protein powder flavors are by Cellucor -- Cinnamon Swirl, Cookies n' Cream, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, FunFetti Cake Batter, Red Velvet Cake Batter, and Molten Chocolate. Next on my list to try is the new S'mores flavor. These are all soooo great as protein shakes and for creating fun recipes!

16. Quest Bars - These ROCK. I mainly love these because of how much FIBER is in one bar. For instance, my favorite bar, the Cookies n' Cream flavor has 180 cal - 7F/22C/21P and get this… ***17g FIBER*** What?! That's almost my whole day worth of fiber! Heck YUS. I usually only eat about 1/4 of a bar at a time and break it into little pieces to use as a topping. I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend broiling, toasting, or microwaving these for a little bit before eating a whole bar because they can taste like cardboard if you don't. Adding a little heat makes a world of difference!

That concludes PART 1 of MACRO COUNTING 101! Stay tuned for tons more tricks, tips, and products that will make your life easy and delicious! Much love!

- C

This week marks a milestone in my life! I had my first hamburger in 10 years.  Sounds ridiculous because most people eat hamburgers every day, but it was a HUGE feat in the life of Cait! I have always been afraid of hamburgers. I thought they were evil and would magically make me turn into a big fat blob. I proved myself wrong! I ate a hamburger, chips, salsa, a salad, and ice cream for dessert! And it was GLORIOUS. And I didn't gain ONE pound. My metabolism is on FIYAHHH!!

I am now over 1200 calories! YESSS! I'm actually starting to reach the "normal" range! I can't believe it! At this rate, in one month I'll be at 1400! I am so happy. :)


I've decided to change up my macro ratio slightly by increasing fats to about 20-23% instead of 15-18%. I've noticed this being a more typical range for other macro chicks like myself, so I just want to try it out! I decided to add 2g fat this week to start increasing that percentage.

Into week 7 we go!!

- C

I think this is my new favorite recipe. EVER. FOREVER.

SWEET POTATO PROTEIN PANCAKES
309 kcal -- 8F / 24C / 35P 

Ingredients:
- 1 scoop (36g) vanilla protein powder
- 2 tbsp (14g) coconut flour
- 3 tbsp (46g) egg whites
- a dash of baking powder (about 1/2 tsp)
- a dash of cinnamon
- 42g baked sweet potato (I used Bruce's brand)
- water to desired consistency (I like mine fluffy so I don't use a lot)
- Edy's cinnamon bun 1/2 fat ice cream (optional but amazeballs)




Directions:
1. Heat up pan on stove to medium heat and spray it with nonstick spray. 
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except for the water and ice cream. Add water to desired consistency and stir in.
3. Pour on batter to desired pancake size. Flip when ready. Repeat until all batter is gone.
4. When the pancakes are done, top with a little bit of ice cream, 0 calorie butter spray, and of course walden farms pancake syrup. With this recipe, you don't necessarily need pancake syrup because its so ridiculously good even by itself! 

These can also be made as waffles! Just pour same batter recipe into a waffle maker instead. 
I swear I think this is what manna from heaven tastes like. SO ENJOY! <3

- C

STATS:

Date                 Weight (lb)           BF%              Protein (g)          Carbs         Fat          Total Cal
7.9.14              109                         14.9              117                   121              24           1,168 (+49)
7.2.14              110                         15.6              117                   111              23           1,119 (+49)
6.25.14            110.5                     15.4              117                    101              22           1,070 (+40)
6.18.14            110                        16.1              117                     91               22            1,030 (+43)
6.11.14            112.5                     16.8              117                     81               20            987 (+40)*
START                                                                  117                     77               19            947

I was PERFECT on my macros up until this week. I have to be completely honest on here for the sake of the validity and reliability of this experiment. So every time I am over or under on macros, I will absolutely be posting with that information on my weekly stats updates.

The weird thing, though, is that this week I was significantly over on carbs on the fourth of July. That was the only day I was off. I went to a party and was just like, "screw it, I need to live life." So I am guessing that I ate about 100-200 grams over my usual carb intake. The next day I was up on the scale +2 lbs. After that day, I went back to being on POINT with my macros and was -2 lbs the next day. So obviously, the carbs made me absorb water, which got flushed out immediately when my body went back to what it was used to. A little voice in the back of my mind was telling me to go under on macros to make up for the abundance, but I forced myself not to. I will NOT go back to my previous dangerous habits of feeling guilty for fueling my body and starving myself. Nope, that was the old Cait. Anyways, my speculation is that I had an inadvertent reefed day and my leptin levels increased, causing a drop in body fat. Totally a hypothesis, but… interesting stuff!

SO! As of this week, I have dropped 2% body fat and have increased my calories by over +200 already! IT'S WORKING!

K I'm going to go make sweet potato pancakes and top it with cinnamon bun ice cream. I'm all about those ice cream gainz.

- C

NEWSFLASH. The new Cellucor Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor is BOMB. NO, I am not sponsored by them. I just love their product. Skrait up magically delicious! So of course I had to make protein waffles out of it! When I first started IIFYM, I was really into making protein pancakes… until I got a waffle maker and my life was changed forever--so much quicker, so much easier… I mean they are pancakes, but with abs! ;)

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH PROTEIN WAFFLES
204 kcal -- 4F / 10C / 31P (<--dose macros doe!! *__*)

Ingredients:
- 1 scoop (35g) cellucor chocolate chip cookie dough protein powder
- 1 tbsp (7g) coconut flour
- 3 tbsp (46g) egg whites
- a dash of baking powder (about 1/2 tsp)
- dark chocolate chips (I used 4g and chopped them into smaller pieces)
- stevia to taste
- water to desired consistency (I like mine fluffy so I don't use a lot)

Directions:
1. Heat up waffle maker.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except for the water and the chocolate chips. Add water to desired consistency.
3. SPRAY waffle maker and pour in batter. I usually get two waffles out of this recipe (1 big and 1 small).
4. When the waffles are done, top with chocolate chips and enjoy! I also add 0 calorie butter spray, walden farms chocolate syrup, and walden farms pancake syrup. If you haven't tried these products… DO IT. NOW. You're welcome. :)

- C

STATS:

Date                 Weight (lb)           BF%              Protein (g)          Carbs         Fat          Total Cal
7.2.14              110                         15.6              117                   111              23           1,119 (+49)
6.25.14            110.5                     15.4              117                    101              22           1,070 (+40)
6.18.14            110                        16.1              117                     91               22            1,030 (+43)
6.11.14            112.5                     16.8              117                     81               20            987 (+40)*
START                                                                  117                     77               19            947

It has been one CRAZY week. For those who don't know me personally, I am in grad school for speech-language pathology and the summer school session is freaking intense. All of our classes are longer (5-10 PM some nights) and we spend the other part of the day with clients, doing paperwork, or working on projects/school work. Even though so much of my time is eaten away by grad school, I don't find it hard to get to the gym every day and continue with my reverse diet. It's all about priorities. If I have to get up and work out at 4AM, so be it. I WILL do this. No matta what. ;)