Overcoming Setbacks

Hello My Sweet Friends,

Today we are going to have some real talk. I am going to be completely honest with you with what I have been going through the week of my recent vacation and now.

If you read my post from Wednesday, you know that my family and I went to Destin, Florida, which was a wonderful get away. Prior to our trip, I began carb-cycling for weeks then cutting carbs drastically the two weeks prior. At the same time, I had gradually been increasing the volume during my training and increasing my cardio. I quickly learned the term "Diet Brain" is NO joke. I felt absolutely AWFUL during those weeks. I was on edge day in and day out. Once I finished cardio with each workout, I felt so incredibly weak, like I had been hit by a truck. But the results continued to show so I pushed forward. But why was I doing this to myself?

If there is one thing anyone knows about me its that I LOVE the beach. Saltwater runs through my veins as I live for the water and sunshine. Heck, I was even born in Long Beach, California. The beach is the only place in the world where all my worries seem to melt away, time stops, my mind stops, and I can breathe. I feel free, joyful and at peace. If you read my story, you know I battled an eating disorder and body dismorphia. I am in a much better place since those years ago but just like everyone else, there are things I don't like about my body. For me, my body likes to hold weight around my mid section and lower back. At the beach, I want to feel free, I want to feel proud of my body and I want to feel confident just like everyone else. So, I dieted down and for the first two days of my trip I felt incredibly confident. However, my mother and brother were not happy about my decision to continue to eat the way I had been eating prior to my trip. Their disapproval was so much to the point that I finally gave in.

I will admit that I felt absolutely miserable giving up control of my diet and workout routines. I struggled to be ok with it but I can't tell you how much better it felt to be eating real food again... with carbs. I ate pretty clean but allowed myself a few treats here and there. Yes, I did bloat as a result but I lived in my convictions and reminded myself that with plenty of water and exercise I could get back to where I was.

When the trip came to a close, I thought long and hard about what I was going to do in terms of my diet once I got back home. Was I going to continue my cut to see how lean I could get or was I going to go back to bulking? Well, I have decided neither.

With dieting down, I had cut out fruit and so many of the vegetables I loved as they contained a lot of carbs. It was the fruits and veggies that I missed and I was missing them during the best season to enjoy them- summer. With summer being almost over, I have decided to take a small diet break. I will listen to my body during this time and give it what it wants and needs. Yet I will eat intuitively and I will eat whole foods. Does that mean I will eat cookies and cupcakes everyday? Heck no! But I will allow myself a treat once a week.

Yes, I will most likely lose being so lean during this time but its not like 2 weeks of a diet break it going to make me put on 5 pounds of fat. In fact, after dieting for a long period of time, giving your body a diet break can actually benefit you. When you diet down your hormones are all out of whack. Taking a break can allow your body to adjust and help you make more progress in the long-run.

I want my experience to be a lesson to all of you. First of all, I would recommend anyone to enjoy their vacation and take a break from being so restrictive with your food and gym regimen. Please do not be like the girl I was unless you are prepping for a major event. Second, I want you all to understand that we all fall off track once in awhile as we are human and that is ok! Please understand that this is not a major setback. It is not a stop sign in your journey but only a speed bump. A week of being off track or two is not going to destroy your progress, especially if you have been doing this for years. Third, do not stress! You have to live in your convictions and accept that what happened did. Do NOT beat yourself up about it or lose hope. Take a breath and jump back on track. Stressing out about what happened is only going to hinder your progress as increased cortisol levels hinder your bodies ability to lose fat. Fourth, understand that all food is fuel. Use the food you were eating and the rest that you took and go have a killer leg workout. You will be amazed at your strength. Fifth, take advantage of cardio to sweat it out and drink tons of water. We need to rid ourselves of the excess sodium our body has been ingesting to help get rid of bloating and water retention. Which brings me to another point, please for all that is good in this world do NOT weigh yourself after vacation. Why do that to yourself? A lot of people will tend to freak out, "Oh my gosh! I gained 5 pounds in a week of vacation." No. No. No. Reality is, probably 3 of those 5 pounds if not all, is water weight. After a week of being back on track, your weight should go right back to normal.

Do NOT beat yourself up about falling of track. Just move forward. There are no stop signs only speed bumps. It will all be ok :) I promise. I love you all!

-xxoo Britt