It's Time to Grow

June 29, 2020

7 AM

What a world we live in! Fires in Australia, a world-wide pandemic, and now social unrest. 2020 has certainly been one of a kind.

I, myself, have been feeling pretty blessed especially with all of this going on. I still have my job, my friends and family, my health, and my relationship with food has been better than ever. .

But this year has really changed me and my perspective on the way I want my life to be. I no longer feel like a slave to counting macros nor do I feel deprived of what life has to offer. Heck, I went white water rafting the other day!

With these changes, came the realization that there are some things I need to continue to work on as far as my health goes starting with my metabolism.

Metabolism

Whenever I decide to compete again, I want to make sure that I step on stage with the best possible package. I want to step on stage knowing that I gave it everything I had and that no stone was un-turned. Frankly, I want to go on that stage and win.

But to do so, I need to really work on my metabolism. Because I had dieted for 8 months for my last show (and basically have been dieting for the last 8 years LOL), I really have shot my metabolism down. Currently, I am a very active, 130 lb female, holding maintenance at 1500 calories.

Currently, I am a very active, 130 lb female, holding maintenance at 1500 calories.

Folks, this is INSANE.

Running maintenance on 1,500 calories is a major red flag especially for how much I workout. I should easily be able to eat 2,000 calories or more and not worry about gaining weight but here we are.

If I don't increase my calories now, I will have a major struggle dieting in the future. Imagine my starting calories being at 1,500...they would have to be1,200 or lower for me to lose the necessary weight! My body would guarantee fight back, and I will have to spend hours doing cardio. No bueno.

So What To Do?

Add Muscle

The most important thing I need to do is to put on muscle. I need to lift and lift heavy. But to put on muscle, I need to be eating in a calorie surplus (eat more calories than I burn). Which is great! Because the goal is to raise my calories and boost my metabolism, right?

June, 2020. 130 lbs.

Here’s the catch.

Eating too many calories at once, will result in fat gain rather than muscle gain. It’s hard enough to see yourself gaining weight and even harder when it’s all fat. If I put on more fat and not muscle, I will look exactly the same when I diet down again for my next show. What a waste of time.

Therefore, I have to strategically, slowly, increase my calories and put on weight at a VERY slow pace. The goal is to put on 1% of my bodyweight in one month.

Increase Carbs

I have been on a low carb diet for almost two years and it’s something I need to change. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my fats, but continuing on low carbs just isn’t practical right now.

To put on muscle, I need to lift heavy and to lift heavy, I need energy. Energy comes from carbs. By keeping my protein at 1g per body weight, keeping my fats between the recommended 20-25% of total macros, I've currently increased my carbs by about 30 grams.

Slow and steady; I don’t want to “freak” my body out by adding too many carbs at once. The increase in carbs will already cause me to retain more water and have potential bloating, but the benefits far outweigh the cons.

Powerlifting Mindset

The last thing I’m going to do is switch my training to a more “powerlifting” split. Knowing that I’m going to gain weight, I cannot let myself be so focused on how I look when the goal is to fix how I feel. Therefore, the best thing for me is to change my goal at the gym. Now, I’m lifting for strength. Now, I’m lifting for power. And as a result, I know I will see major improvements to my physique regardless of that not being my focus.

Win-win!

New Goals

This new determination to increase my maintenance calories, increase my metabolism and add on muscle has me really excited! It’s a new challenge for me and not one I’ve done before.

I’m excited to see where this new journey takes me and to (hopefully) see the results when I get back on stage in 2021!

So raise your sweet potatoes, ladies and gents, because it’s time to eat some carbs.

...Here’s to Heath. Cheers.