Ok. Most requested post of ALL. TIME.
The full round up on my eating schedule, how it works, and alllll about Macros.
So, first of all. I am not a medical professional, a trainer, or a dietician. This is simply what works for ME (and I have seen it work for other people). I feel compelled to share because I know that it will help someone out there.
So, a little background. After having my third son I was really uncomfortable in my skin. Of course, I probably “bounced back” quicker than the average mom, but it still, to be honest, it affected my every day life, my confidence and how I felt. With my oldest son I wasn’t really able to get super lean until after I stopped breastfeeding. Which was an entire year. That felt like an eternity especially since pregnancy is already 9 months long, and prior to that I had been a professional athlete who, ultimately, got paid to be fit.
After my second son, the same thing happened. I worked out, eat right and still held onto that last 8-10lbs until I stopped nursing which was 16 months. I got lean pretty quick, but I got pregnant about 3 months after stopping nursing so my progress ended there!
After having my third, I had heard of a program called FASTer Way to Fat loss. I was seeing other bloggers who had just had babies, who also were nursing, and lose tons of weight WHILE nursing. I kind of brushed it off the first time, but after numerous times hearing about how great it was and how to allowed for flexible eating, I thought “what do you have to lose?”
SO…after much thought I decided to go for it. In May, when my son was about 5 months old, I joined. And I haven’t looked back since. My results were MIND BLOWING. I lost all my postpartum weight, and reached my postpartum form by the time my son was a year old WHILE nursing. I didn’t cut any food groups and didn’t spend hours working out (I kept with my normal strength training regiment). I eat pizza, ice cream and other snacks every week. My milk supply wasn’t affected AT ALL. If anything, I had more milk!
I stayed on the program for almost a year and slowly stopped tracking my macros because, well, life. But after about 18 months, I found myself a little dissatisfied with where I was and went on a strict, clean eating diet plan for 3 months over the summer. While I did get lean, I just wasn’t happy because I was so restricted with my diet. And to be honest the results weren’t better than FASTer Way. Not only was I miserable, I felt like I was plateauing and was at a standstill. I was missing out on moments with my kids (think: summer ice cream nights). I just felt that I coulden’t sustain that diet plan for a long period of time.
So, this past November I got back on the FASTer Way plan and saw again, amazing results within 6 weeks while still eating all the things I enjoy. I LOVE not making separate meals for my family and I and still having flexibility of what I can eat. I’ve lost over 8 inches and 7 pounds since this fall.
So, you’re probably wondering WHAT is this plan?
The FASTer Way combines intermittent fasting, carb cycling and macro counting for literally an unstoppable combination. I love It because the community is so supportive and it keeps me accountable. I love how flexible it is- I can pretty much eat whatever I want as long as its in my macros. I DO try to stick to an 80-20 percentage of clean food vs. not so good food, but the fact that I can fit treats/meals in multiple times times a week and still get results is amazing.
What exactly Is Carb Cycling, Intermittent Fasting and Macro Counting?
Macronutrients (or macros) are the molecules our bodies need to grow and be active. We use these molecules as energy to do work on a cellular, tissue, organ, and organismal level. This energy helps us break down nutrients, repair damaged cells, grow new cells, and more. Macronutrients are broken down into three basic categories: carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
I was familiar with doing macro counting prior to starting FASTer way the first time…however it was still a little bit of a learning curve! It was 100% COMPLETELY worth it though! I can say that it is an adjustment tracking all of your food and entering it, but after the first week it just becomes part of your day. Most of the time I enter everything the night before, or right when I wake up. Now because I’ve been doing it so long I pretty much know if I’m on target or not because I tend to rotate a lot of the same foods. I currently use My Fitness Pal to track all my macros.
What is my eating schedule?
Currently right now I am a part of the VIP Faster Way program and our week varies, but usually we have 2 days low macro (25 % less of each macro), 2 low carb days, and 3 regular macro days (read: carbs!!!!) The VIP program is for those that have completed one round of FASTer Way. Just a side note, I didn’t join the VIP program the first time after I finished my first round. I was able to continue to track my macros and stay accountable on my own for quite some time. This is an option for those of you who are self -motivated, but just need help initially getting setup with HOW to lose the weight and what macros you should be eating.
Right now, I’m at a point where I feel like having that group and accountability is important to my progress which is why I chose to join VIP after my initial round this fall.
If you are joining FASTer way for the first time, I believe that they have simplified things and you only have Regular macro days and low carb days! EASY PEASY.
Ok, so breaking down each day for what I’m currently doing right now:
Regular Macro days:
These days consist of lots of carbs and generally I match these up with my lifting days (especially lower body) to ensure I am fueling my body with awesome slow burning carbs (think oats, fruit, and sweet potatoes). These are the days I’m more likely to fit in treats like pizza, ice cream, etc.
Low Carb Days
These days consist of basically doubling my fat (yes…over 100g of fat!), but keeping my proteins the same and lower my carbs to below 50 for the day (ouch!). Think eggs, avocadoes, olive oil, chicken, salmon….I try to usually do intervals or running on these days.
Low Macro Days
These days consist of lowering my macros 20% across the board! I try to make this a low intensity workout or a rest day (long walk or run).
I know this sounds overwhelming and confusing but honestly it gets easier every day and within 2-3 weeks you will have it down to a science. Also, there are videos (I listened to these in the car on the way to work/doing laundry etc) explaining everything step by step and over a 7 day period in what is called “Prep week.” Allie, who was my coach, literally is available for any question you have and is super accessible and knowlegable.
So here’s the thing. I think a lot of people think that people put little effort into becoming fit. It simply doesn’t work that way! That’s the reality. Yes, this takes energy and planning. But I don’t meal prep hardly AT ALL and I’m still able to make this work pretty well. You HAVE to make your nutrition and fitness a huge priority in your life in order to see results, especially the older you get. Once you make it a routine/habit after 3 or 4 weeks, its literally just a part of your day! And the beauty of this is you can pick your own meals, your own foods and work them into your plan/diet as you see fit! I always recommend if you DO want to have a treat that day- put that in your macros first so you don’t go over!
What is great about FASTer Way to Fat Loss is that you have a coach that is dedicated to helping you every single day, and a community/facebook group that is there to keep you accountable. This was HUGE for me. Posting my daily macros forced me to stick with it and know that every day WILL NOT be perfect! Progress >> Perfection.
If you EVER have any questions about any of this feel free to email me peanutbutterblondie@gmail.com, or DM me on Instagram @alexsahlen2. I am more than happy to help!
FASTer Way is HANDS down the best investment I ever made Postpartum (and now as a busy mom of 3) and if I were to have another baby, I would not wait to start- I would be joining a round literally at 6 weeks Postpartum.
For those that are interested in joining the next round that starts March 28th…click here!
Xo
Alex
