The non-diet diet...
About 4 years ago I had what in my estimation, was an ideal physique, flat tummy, round muscles, not overly defined, but sexy, tight derriere, and nice hip to waist ratio, in other words SHAPE. I was careful, but I enjoyed myself, indulged occasionally, definitely enjoyed New York's bottom-less mimosa brunches, and could put away my fair share of chips and guac along with ...maybe several margaritas... Then for some reason I started to notice it changing. Tummy kinda poochie, muscles ok but somewhat imbalanced, not that nice full athletic look, and hip to waist getting a little blurry. And then it got worse. I could not for the LIFE of me figure out what was happening.
Even when I began training as a competitor, although I began to see great definition and muscles, I still could not find that uber feminine -athletic look... was this because I was depressed after a bad breakup? Age related? Eating differently? Drinking too much? (and that was lousy too, not only could I not drink without getting fat, I couldn't process the alcohol well so I was always hung over)... I could get thin, or I could get thick but I could not get that DAMN shape again... And getting thin meant SEVERELY restricting my diet.
After lots of frustration, reading, trying things, asking around, listening to different coaches, I finally began to understand what had happened, turns out, I lost a little something called carb sensitivity... or my body's ability to store carbs as glycogen in my muscles instead of fat. And it turns out my diet, workouts, AND emotional state were all a part of it. When people talk about having a slow metabolism, generally, this is what they mean. Really it's not slow, it's just not strong, but like anything else the strength can be regained.
You see carbs are NOT the enemy, it is our body's ability to use them. Carbs are actually an essential component in weight loss and muscle gain ( even if you think you don't want muscle you do cause that is what keeps your body burning calories). It also dictates things like mood swings, ability to enjoy a little adult beverage time and not feel like you drank the whole bar the next day, and muscle recovery to go back and burn more calories not just in workouts, but in life.
When I set out to train for competition in 2017, my REAL goal was earn back my prized female form I lost somewhere between St. Louis and Washington Heights (New York City). I knew I had to find the path to regaining my body's ability to store glycogen and use it for energy instead of turning it to fat.
As I was training, I found literally dozens of different of methods for competitors, but it wasn't good enough, I wanted something I could use comfortably in my life and give to others who swore they couldn't look at bread without getting fat. I wanted something for people who didn't have the schedules of a pro athlete or trainer, people who may be scheduled around a desk job, or children, or anything...
After lots of reading, trying different things, occasionally upsetting my stomach, I got it. And it was pretty damn simple. If we just spend a little time, like 10 days, making our bodies really carb sensitive we reteach our body to store glycogen. And it isn't hard.
Not only that, but for those who don't want to restrict that much for 10 days, we can still do it through diet and workout. And when I say diet, I don't mean the kind of DIET you go on, I mean making a few really simple changes to your normal regime to teach your body to eat more food, store it properly, and use it in life and workouts instead of feeding fat. And YES, ANY carb is on this diet, and that, thankfully, includes margaritas.
The plans are somewhat individual, like I said, it's based on you, your sleep wake/ daily activity/ workout schedule. However, there is a way to participate in all the fun and enjoyment of life without watching that waist size expand every time you do.
I look forward to hearing your questions and comments.
Love and light,
Anna