Hi! Hope you all had a great day.. mine was pretty uneventful.. so on to it..
FITNESS
Today was check/weigh-in with the trainer… My waist measurement and body fat % are down (9% give or take 0.5%), but my weight is staying stubborn (only down slightly from last week). What’s the heck, where’s it going?! .. Well it probably/might/perhaps mean that I’m holding water. This whole process is so crazy, but interesting. It’s an every changing process. I weigh a whole lot more than I did last prep, but my body fat is right on track. So we’re making a few adjustments to my nutrition this coming week to see if my body responds. Basically I’ll be sticking with the same overall calories but playing with macronutrients to add in more low-glycemic index/load carbs and less protein.
I actually did legs again today (messed up my split) but focused more on Hamstrings & Glutes. I’m not lifting particularly heavy right now, since I’m doing so much more cardio and just trying to maintain, so even though having a recovery day in between would have been better, at this point.. no harm done 
Besides, legs are my weakness (i.e. where I hold weight till the last moment), and it doesn’t hurt that it’s my favorite to work
Cardio was 15 min. Sprints (jog at 5.8 for 1 min. Sprint at 9.0-10.0 for 30 sec), followed by a 60 min. Spin class. Spin was a bit rough tonight after 2 days of legs and Sprints, but it was made better by a great new playlist.. people where dancing on the bikes and singing, it was fun!
NUTRITION
Glycemic Values
I wrote this brief article recently, and it ended up coming in handy when needing to figure out this upcoming weeks meal plan
Eats
Today’s eats were a little mixed up, but this week I get to attempt to be creative with the new food options, so should be fun! But for today..
A plain & simple Protein Waffle with WF Maple Syrup..
A Perfect Match
Peanut Butter & Chocolate are just meant to be together (I always think of those Reese’s commercials, hehe). Post-work, after receiving the orders to add back in more carbs, I had this beauty..
1/4 c Coach’s Oats + 2 tbsp Oat Bran + 1/2 tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa (mixed in at the end), with a side of PB Protein Ice Cream (made with 1/2 scoop Protein Powder)..
Later in the day I snacked on Cinnamon Sweet Potato Bites (oh, I always call them ‘sweet potatoes’ out of habit, but these are really Garnet Yams)..
I also had a little Oatmeal mixed with a tbsp of Cake Batter Protein Powder & Cinnamon, and roasted Chicken Breast this afternoon.
Dinner was a great mix! 2 oz Tilapia, 1/3 cup no-salt-added Pinto Beans, 2 tbsp Salsa & 1 tbsp Fat-Free Feta..
I thinking dessert will be Yogurt Almond Milk Ice Cream of some sort of another. I’ll post the specific recipe tomorrow!
FUN
Shopping!
And check it out. Here are two great coupons for my Shop. Both are good through July 31st, but can’t be used at the same time:
Blogroll
I started making updates & changes to my blogroll (under ‘Fun & Faves’ tab). I made a bunch of additions and am adding in my favorite products/companies too. It’s a work in progress but a starts a start.
Fun Links
When I first start to lean up mine comes from my ribcage. Yes, ribs are sexy to see you know
Never from my hips where I want it to come from 
One of my first "diet" books was the GI diet. It really taught me alot.
I need to try those waffles! It looks so good.
Curious: Have you had the cinnamon bun flavor of the MG protein?
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
I have and I really wasn't a fan :/ I did just order a small container of the PB flavor, so I'll report back on that one!
Awesome. I can imagine the cinnamon is not cinnamony enough for me anyway! I love the stuff. OH and I tried the marshmallow dip/puffed cereal/PB2 in the freezer last night and it's to die for!! Thanks for the idea…it's now a staple
Yum that waffle looks fab I've been looking for a good recipe and I think I've found it x x
Question – I notice that you're eating few fresh veggies. Is that only because of the dieting down that you're doing now? Do you feel like you're missing out on the natural nutrients? Just curious b/c when I try to up my protein, I find that it's harder to get all my veggies in and I really don't think I'm getting enough proteins. Not that I'm competing or anything, just want to get the most bang for the buck….
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
Yeah.. I was definitely missing fruits & veggies
When I count carbs I count everything, including fiber, and they just add up quickly. Fortunately, with the new adjustments I get to have a lot more, and green veggies are the 1st thing back in, yay! I think it's just easy to get into an eating pattern.. i.e. today it was hard for me to drop protein, and I was craving that over more carbs. I think just making sure to have little portions at each meal helps (I believe it's 0.8g per lb body weight to maintain muscle.. or at least that's what some say).
Thanks girl. Some days it seems harder than others to get in the protein as a vegetarian. I don't want all soy of course. I keep the dairy in my diet just for the protein factor and I add powder to things like oatmeal or vegan softserve even.
Hey Alyson, I love your blog. I have a question — how does your trainer test your body fat? Mine uses a body composition scale, but I always wonder how accurate those things are.
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
He just does it by caliper measurements. From what I understand, the BodPod, Dexa Scan and water tank are the most accurate, followed by calipers, then the electronic handle, then the scale. I assume my actual value isn't what the calipers say, but instead look at it more relatively. As long as you're getting measured the same way you can know if there are changes and that's all that really matters.
i need to get this coaches steel cut oats!! where do you get them?? I feel like I am living vicariously through you!! haha the truth is that you just inspire me so much and everything you eat looks so delicious and is right up my alley!!
beans, fish and cheese…i love that combo!! i forgot about fat free feta! when I think of cheese I always just think satiurated fat, but FF feta is a great idea!
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
I ordered the Coach's online, but I've heard they have them at Costco too. And thank you so much.. I can't tell you how much your encouraging words mean to me
I pretty much want that post workout meal of ice cream and oats!! My two favorite things
And woohoo for the body fat and measurements! You are amazing!
SInce I was in treatment with people going up in down in weight weekly, this is the pattern I noticed….Theres a point where your body will just want to maintain and remain at the set point. Whether you want to gain or loose, it will either slow down your metabolic rate or speed it up in order to keep it there. Glad your upping the carbs. From my experience and what Ive read, it harder to build muscle on a low carb diet than on a diet with moderate to higher amounts of carbs. I'm so amazed at how dedicated you are! truly, your so inspirational!
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
As always.. you are too sweet with you kind words
Very true about metabolism.. I'm at a high weight for me right now, but the body's always changing & adapting (one of the things I find fascinating about the many facets of this sport) so we'll see how the adjustments go. And true again, you definitely need carbs to build muscle, which is why my diet was quite different earlier this spring. When dieting-down for a show, the goal is to lose as much body fat as you can while maintaining muscle, which is of course a big challenge, and you do end up loosing some. Hopefully making little tweaks along the way will help me.. only one way to find out.. oh Clean Foods is on its way!