THE MACRO EXPERIMENT
  • Blog
  • About
  • IIFYM Guide
  • Resources
  • Recipes
  • Contact

Eating Disorders and The Truth

2/26/2015

7 Comments

 
Picture
Hey guys! This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, so I just wanted to share a little bit about my story and some recent thoughts on the subject. In the photo on the left, I had just moved to Nashville and had lost about 20 pounds in one months time by severely restricting calories (barely eating anything). Although I loved how I looked on the outside, I knew I was really messed up inside, but didn't want to fully admit it to myself because I LOVED being super skinny. It was a legitimate addiction. It felt so good to step on the scale and see it say "100," something similar to what I believe getting high might feel like. Dopamine rush. Of course I blame myself for letting it get that far, but I do feel like there is pressure as a woman to fit a certain "beautiful" mold created by our culture. Did you know that 81% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat? That is insane. What's more insane is the fact that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Let that sink in for a second.

At some point you have to ask yourself, who am I? What makes me... ME? Be honest and don't give yourself a sunday school answer. Go deep. Get a journal and writing these things down.

I don't care who is reading this, I have some truth for you.
You are more than a body and a face.
You are more than a shell.
You are more than a number.
You are a beautiful, unique person specifically formed by God, who also made the universe BY THE WAY. This is not a bunch of fluffy words I'm writing to cheer you up. This is the truth and you need to hear it.


It took a lot of time and prayer for me to finally transition out of the girl in the picture on the left. By no means am I perfect or completely "normal" (but what is normal anyways...?) in all my thoughts. But one day I decided to take some steps... and then started running toward the truth, and I will not look back.

If you or someone you know has an eating disorder, don't ignore it. Don't lie to yourself. And if you just need a friend to talk to, I am always here. I know I don't know who is reading this, but my purpose of the macro experiment is to help people. I am so passionate about sharing God's love in this way so do not hesitate to email me: themacroexperimentcait@gmail.com. Love you guys.

- C

GREAT RESOURCES:
Online ED Screening Test

National Eating Disorder Association Website
Information and Referral Helpline


"But those who trust in The Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint."
-- Isaiah 40:31
7 Comments

Conquering Fear Foods: My First Doughnut in 10 Years!

2/11/2015

4 Comments

 
Picture
Although I've been counting macros for a year and a half, in the back of my mind I still have "fear foods" -- those foods that I've believed all my life to immediately transform into adipose upon ingestion. Of course, I KNOW it does not work like that. Our bodies need carbs, protein, and fat to function and at the end of the day it is total calories in vs calories out that determine weather extra fat is stored. But after you've been taught something your whole life, it's always a little scary to let go of old fears... no matter how ridiculous.

All that to say, I haven't had a Krispy Kreme doughnut (or a LEGIT doughnut -- I've only had protein "doughnuts") in 10 years! It is definitely something that in
my crazy head would immediately turn me into the michelin man. This past weekend, I was in Winston Salem, NC where the first Kirspy Kreme doughnut store was built in 1937. So I did it! I had my first Krispy Kreme doughnut in 10 years. And to my surprise, the macros were not bad at all -- 190kcal: 11F/21C/2P.

I'd like to start intentionally incorporating more of these "fear foods" into my diet. I'm not going to go crazy with it, but maybe once a week or so I'm going to get a McDonald's hamburger. I'll eat that freaking twinkie (which is now one of my favs btw!). It's called SCIENCE and it works. I am living, breathing proof.

I challenge you to do the same! What are some foods you've been afraid of? Make sure you get all your micros and fiber in, but I challenge you to incorporate a "fear food" into your macros this week. Slowly but surely, you'll become a little less crazy. ;P

- C

[Click here to see Reverse Diet progress graph]
4 Comments

Mental PR and Thoughts on Scale Weight

1/30/2015

3 Comments

 
Picture
Hey guys! Sorry for being a couple days late on my weekly blog post! I’ve had a lot of thoughts going through my head.

Guess what? I have hit a mental personal record of NOT weighing myself for over a month! Yes, it has been 40 days since I’ve weighed myself. This is huge for me because for the majority of my life, I’ve weighed myself every single day. I took the advice of my coach and decided to ditch that unit of measurement completely for now. I’m in multiple fitness “communities” – on facebook and instagram primarily – and have noticed a HUGE difference of scale weights, body fat percentages, heights, etc. of tons of different women who share that
information about themselves as well as photos. I’ve noticed that the body type I ultimately want to have (for my height) is what I would have previously considered a high scale weight.

I know not to compare myself to others, but I do find it pretty awesome to discover photos of women with physiques I admire and also see their weight/height posted. It’s more tangible evidence of the fact that muscle weighs more and takes up less space than fat. Pretty cool. Every day I’m getting a little less crazy about this stuff. After all, we are more than a shell.

- C

[Click here to see Reverse Diet progress graph]
3 Comments

Week 25 & 26: Reverse Diet Graph & Updates

12/3/2014

4 Comments

 

The Macro Experiment: Reverse Diet Progress Graph

Picture
In 3 months (6/11/14-9/10/14), I was able to increase my calories from 947 to 1650 (700+) without gaining weight or body fat. Here is my final reverse diet data graphed out. As you can see, as my calories increase at a slow and steady rate, body fat and weight remain constant.

I realize there are different beliefs/opinions about the "optimal" speed of reverse dieting. It's actually quite the hot topic right now. My personal belief is this: Everyone is unique with individual goals and physical/psychological states. Therefore, "optimal" approaches to meet goals will vary. For instance, I had been in a severe caloric deficit for 6 years straight so my goal in reverse dieting was mainly to be able to eat more without gaining excess body fat. I had some major physical and psychological issues. Of course, a seasoned bodybuilder may have different goals or at least a different prioritization of goals than me. 

The fact of the matter is there is currently (as of 12/3/2014) no peer-reviewed research on reverse dieting. That was my entire premise of this experiment. Not that this compares AT ALL to peer-reviewed research, but I am so passionate about helping others with similar issues and fears as I once had. I believe this experiment will achieve that goal. :) I plan on discussing this speed of reverse dieting issue in a later post, but for right now I just wanted to update the graph.

OTHER UPDATES

I hope you guys had an amazing Thanksgiving by the way! I traveled to Wilmington, NC to visit my family and I had a blast! I experienced my first oyster (yuck), my first s'mores in about 10 years (YUM), and WINE ICE CREAM (legit best thing I have ever tasted). The macros kinda suck but it's totally worth it. You can actually get it shipped to you from this website. You're welcome. 11F/25C/3P for a half cup.

Picture
Picture
I did cave and weigh myself twice. I have stayed consistently between 115-116 for the past month, including pre and post thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, I tracked most of the day and left extra carb/fat room and tried to eat mindfully. I guess it worked out for me considering I did not gain weight. Doing IIFYM for a year and a half has taught me well. 

In other news, I am totally finished with the most stressful two months of my entire life. Long story short, I was working 10+ hours a day and going to school till late at night. It was intense but that is finally over so I have time to do things I actually WANT to do, aka the macro experiment videos and songs! :P I have a few things up my sleeve coming up in the next couple weeks I'm pretty stoked about! I'm calling it "The Swolemate Sessions." Ha.
I also did some major updates to the "about" and "metab rehab" sections of the blog. Feel free to check it out. My goals have changed somewhat and I am now focusing on gaining strength and building up muscle. Therefore, my stats updates on the blog are going to be a little different from now on because I don't necessarily consider this reverse dieting anymore. It's more just straight up lean gaining and adjusting macros based on that--a task I am entrusting to my amazing coach Jose at Alpha Training Protocols. I will continue to check in with these stats but I do want to rely less on the scale and more on progress photos, so I will be weighing myself less frequently. It has been amazing for me mentally so far. :)

Hope you have an awesome week my friends!

Much love,
- C

PS: Macro tip of the day -- some days it's fun to save room for an epic carb/fat treat like this creation I made last night. <3
Picture
4 Comments

Week 24: Break from the Scale

11/19/2014

3 Comments

 
Helloooooo from sunny Orlando, Florida! Random fact about me -- I'm finishing up grad school right now in speech pathology and presenting some research at the ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) convention… so I'm here with a group of girls from my grad school class for the rest of the week. I made sure to pack all the essentials so I can be on point with my macros -- quest and cliff builder bars, protein powder, PB2, cocoa powder, stevia, almonds, beef jerky, rice cakes, and fiber one brownies. I'm going to try to get some greek yogurt and mix in whey/cocoa powder/PB2/stevia. It's not really that hard to stay on track with your macros while on vacation or out of town. I made a post about it a while back,  so check it.

Also, I've decided to follow the advice of my coach and take a break from the scale. I need it. I'll be taking at least a week's break from it.

My life has been pretty insane the past two months, but that is about to change drastically. I will have a lot more time to devote to song writing, blogging, etc. Lots more to come soon! <3

- C
3 Comments
    Picture






    About Cait:
    I'm a singer/songwriter/fitness enthusiast and self-proclaimed nerd from Nashville, TN. Follow me along my journey to a healthy, balanced life! 


    IG @TheMacroExperiment:

    Archives

    July 2019
    July 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Cutting Macros
    Eating Disorders
    Flexible Dieting
    Iifym
    Interview
    Observations
    Recipe
    Reverse Diet
    Song
    Stats
    Tips And Tricks
    Vlog

    RSS Feed

    Subscribe via email
Proudly powered by Weebly