by EM2WL | Nov 18, 2012 | Testimonials, The Journey
To follow Nicole’s journey from the beginning: part 1, 2, 3, 4
Just had to share this update with you all….
First, a little note: I am now into my 7th month of EM2WL and my refeed. It’s been a very bumpy process with multiple NSV’s along the way as you know and I have come to expect that it will be approximately next spring before I will have healed my metabolism completely and be able to start a successful cut process. Cut so far has only maintained and I’m bouncing around the same few pounds (still incredible considering that I’m eating at least a 1000 more cals a day than I used to) so I’ve decided to do a bulk this winter. I plan to start at the end of this month along with Cathe Friedrich’s STS program and continue to refeed my body, build muscle and work on my metabolism. I will do the pyramid (1,2,3,2,1) and will not cut again until Meso 1 at the end…at least that is the plan. That should put me in cut just before spring with nearly a year of metabolism repair. (You might be a little overwhelmed by the fact that I seem to need so long to heal – I had to come to terms with it myself after weeks of fighting it – but remember, I came from a severe diet/exercise history…it is going to take time to FULLY repair the damage)
Now, that being said…I wanted to share the most recent victory with you that proves my metabolism is healing because it was such an awesome thing to me.
I just got back from an 8 day vacation in Mexico. Previous vacations have always ended in my gaining at least 5 – 7lbs. No exception…and always while eating very little, exercising like crazy and basically not being able to fully enjoy my vacation the way it was intended. Needless to say, I was freaking out that I would put on more weight and I still hadn’t lost the reset weight and it took some time for me to come to terms with that so that I could enjoy my vacation. But, this year was different.
I weighed myself before I left. Then I went and completely relaxed and enjoyed my vacation. I did not go to the resort gym, or try to swim off cals or walk off cals. I just did what I wanted, rested when I wanted, enjoyed my excursions and relaxed. And I ATE. A LOT. I didn’t watch macros, or worry about how many cals were in those 3 desserts I just ate in one sitting followed by a margarita or two. I didn’t worry about fried foods or breads or sauces or the fact that I just had a hotdog and tortilla chips for a snack…
“I just ate what I wanted…didn’t gain an ounce!”
I just ate what I wanted. I was so incredibly full every day that by the time I got home I couldn’t hardly imagine eating another bite. Of course, I still woke up starving the next morning, but whatever…lol.
Here’s the greatest part. I weighed myself when I got back…and I didn’t gain an ounce. I weigh EXACTLY the same as I did when I left. My body dealt with all those extra cals, regulated my eating naturally enough and my energy that it all balanced out perfectly in the end! This is proof that my metabolism is truly, and wonderfully healing to a natural, healthy state. And that is beyond awesome to me. I may not be losing any weight yet, but I knew going into this process that it would likely take me months of refeeding and building up my metabolism before a cut would work for me (even if I hoped otherwise) and I am thrilled with every milestone I achieve in this journey. For me, this is a big one.
If you are like me, coming from a severe diet/exercise history, take your time and refeed your body. Watch for the milestones. You may need months of healing before you will see success at cut (which sucks-believe me, I know, but it may be necessary)…Just remember to celebrate the NSV milestones along the way because those are just as important and just as awesome.
Have an EM2WL transformation to share? Willing to let us tag along on your journey? We’d love to see it! Be featured on our Transformation/Journey page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com
by EM2WL | Nov 5, 2012 | Building Muscle, Increasing calories, Q & A
Q: Why do you want be able to eat so much? Why would a woman purposely go through “bulking phases” trying to gain weight for the sake of adding muscle? I mean, you are a woman, why do you want to eat like a man and look like one too? Just sounds like gluttony to me. I’m completely content eating less than my husband, and having less muscle.
A: I’m sorry that you see it that way, or that I come across as a muscle-bound “glutton” to you. It’s not just to be gluttonous …OK, maybe a little, lol…but more so because I know how much our metabolism slows with age. Weight goes up, muscle and bone mass decrease, and we have to eat LESS just to accomplish the same results. Everything that I do, is to DEFY that trend. So my aim is build as much muscle, and eat as much food as I can now. Then, when I get to the age where my peers are hardly eating, getting “softer,” and at higher risk for bone/muscle loss – I can still enjoy my life and have enough bone/muscle/brain strength to have as much independence as possible. This is very important to me, as I watch my own grandparents age and lose all independence. I am a very “future” focused person, in case that isn’t obvious.
I just grew up originally thinking (as did my grandparents) that the changes we deal with as we age are inevitable. While some of them may be – and we will never be immortal – studies are proving that much of what we’ve attributed to “the effects of aging” over the years, are simply the effects of being sedentary. I WISH my grandparents only had known that they needed only to eat a bit more, move a bit more, and lift a little weights. Heck, I wish they’d even try a little now. I watched them give up at the first sign of “aging” almost 20yrs ago! My grandpa plopped on the couch in his late 50s and basically said “that’s a wrap, I’m too old.”
Unfortunately, he has stayed there WELL into his 70s.
Grandma has followed his lead and she’s still in her 60s. It makes me so sad. I don’t expect them to be flipping cartwheels or anything, but they’ve incurred more muscle/bone loss since they STOPPED moving/eating, than they had up until that point. I didn’t think they had a choice, but now that I devour studies on aging, I hurt knowing what they don’t. It’s tough to know, yet not be able to say anything out of fear of being disrespectful. But all of the kids/grand-kids talk. They talk to one another about how much it hurts to see Papa just decide that he’s “done” and constantly reference his mortality when we are with him. Its very depressing. I mean, if you still have to be here, why not try to make your life the best it can be?
I’m not afraid to leave this earth, but I don’t want my grand-kids to watch me “give up” on life 20, 30, 50 years before my time.
But, that being said, I do know that a lot of people believe that if they are comfortable with their calorie intake/level of muscle now then why bother? On some level, I get that. Without the long term aspect in mind, it does kinda seem pointless to some people to raise their calories/build muscle if they feel “satisfied” now. My issue with that standpoint is that what satisfies me now, may be too much 10 years from now. So if I’m already eating a miniscule amount, it will need to be decreased even further. The muscle that I have now, if left as is, will be but a fraction of the current amount, when I need it most. So, for me, it all comes down to being safe rather than sorry, and getting those calories and muscle mass to a decent level…now.
MRI cross-section of a male thigh – notice how the muscle/fat ratio changes as the decades pass? Males carry MUCH more muscle than women.
How about you? Do you feel that EM2WL is just an excuse for gluttony? Is it greed to want to eat more, when your body has adapted to a smaller amount of food? Should women leave the “muscle building phases” to the men?
by EM2WL | Nov 2, 2012 | Giveaways
Sending out a huge “Thank You!” to everyone for commenting about the Starter Kit, and helping EM2WL to continue to meet the needs of the fam! We would also like to congratulate the winner of our giveaway, the Supreme 90-Day workout DVD set:
Andres Carrillo
Andres will receive his new workout program and be able to confidently move forward in the fitness leg of his journey! We hope you have those dumbbells on standby, Andres!
We will be contacting you with the details, Andres, and getting that set to you right away!
Congrats again, & be sure to take PICS!
First, a little note: I am now into my 7th month of EM2WL and my refeed. It’s been a very bumpy process with multiple NSV’s along the way as you know and I have come to expect that it will be approximately next spring before I will have healed my metabolism completely and be able to start a successful cut process. Cut so far has only maintained and I’m bouncing around the same few pounds (still incredible considering that I’m eating at least a 1000 more cals a day than I used to) so I’ve decided to do a bulk this winter. I plan to start at the end of this month along with Cathe Friedrich’s STS program and continue to refeed my body, build muscle and work on my metabolism. I will do the pyramid (1,2,3,2,1) and will not cut again until Meso 1 at the end…at least that is the plan. That should put me in cut just before spring with nearly a year of metabolism repair. (You might be a little overwhelmed by the fact that I seem to need so long to heal – I had to come to terms with it myself after weeks of fighting it – but remember, I came from a severe diet/exercise history…it is going to take time to FULLY repair the damage)
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