Well today was my final check-in at maintenance. A stall on the scale with no shift in measurements for a second week in a row means that I am ready to make some adjustments. I have reconfigured my macros (using the formula provided in my macro guide) still adhering to “highly-active” totals. This means a slight decrease to my overall calorie intake will be made, and it also means being more strict throughout the weekends.

Alongside a slight calorie deficit, I have created a more structured lifting routine focusing on progressive overload.
I plan to lift 4x each week while incorporating 2 Orangetheory classes each week. Two days a week will be lower body focused, and 2 upper body days: one day incorporating isolation and accessory work for each, and one day focusing on staple lifts and compound movements.

I am also incorporating “morning movement” before coffee. This means for at least 30-minutes each morning before consuming coffee, I must strategically move my body. I can work on mobility, do an ab circuit, walk on the treadmill, pilates or yoga, anything to get the blood flowing quicker, naturally. This supports the body’s natural wakeup process, ultimately allowing cortisol and adenosine levels to regulate properly. Not only this, but by waiting to consume my coffee, I can experience the full benefits of caffeine later in the morning when natural alertness has lowered.

Here’s a weekly mock-up. Of course I’m flexible on what days I train upper versus lower body, and on which days I do Orangetheory. Ultimately, the overall goal is to allow for 2 lower body days and 2 upper body days, along with 2 OTF classes each week. OTF includes full body resistance with cardio, and since rest is minimum, I will keep the weights lighter on these days.

Monday:
Lower Body Staples / Compounds:
Squats, Lunges, Hip Thrusts, Deadlifts

Tuesday:
Upper Body Staples / Compounds:
Bench Press, Overhead Press, Rows, Pull Ups, Dips

Wednesday:
Orangetheory 60:00 Class

Thursday:
Lower Body Isolation / Accessories:
Leg Extensions, Hamstring Curls, Adductors, Abductors, Cables, Calves

Friday:
Orangetheory 60:00 Class

Saturday:
Upper Body Isolation / Accessories:
Bicep Curls, Tricep Extensions, Lateral Raises, Cables

Sunday:
Recovery

A slight caloric decrease can support progressive overload training when trying to lose body fat, but it’s important to pay attention to recovery. Overtraining can be more likely in a deficit, so training volume and intensity may need to be adjusted at times. Adhering to a caloric deficit anywhere from 4-8 weeks is about ideal before switching strategies, and since we’re currently 52 days away from the new year, I figure this approach will be a good one to carry me out the remainder of 2025.

Over the next 7-weeks I hope to share all of my favorite tips and tricks while in a calorie deficit, and lots of quick and easy recipes along the way.

I cannot believe we’re already in the last week of October! I’ve used this month for creating better consistency to help me accomplish five specific tasks each day, and in return, I showed a 1.4-LB loss at check-in.

Here’s a quick recap of my top five daily tasks:
1. Mindful Nutrition.
2. Daily dose of outside. Vitamin-D!!
3. Sweat. Even if it’s a rest day get out of your comfort zone.
4. Read. Get out of your own head.
5. More Movement. 12,000 steps each day.

Top of my list is more mindful nutrition. I’ve been creating a more consistent routine with my meal prepping each week to help me with this one. We grill out pretty regularly (thanks to my husband) and this helps tremendously with bulk cooking! My foods have been fairly consistent over the last few weeks, so this has allowed me to establish confidence with “eyeballing” my portions instead of having to weigh each item. I don’t really feel any sort of restriction at the moment, and I believe that’s due to allowing for some flexibility on the weekends.

Just as important as mindful nutrition each day, getting plenty of Vitamin D. This is a task that I’ve had no problem checking off each day. We put the boat in the water for the final time last weekend before the winter, and the temperature has been near perfect for laying out in the sun. I haven’t been hitting the beach regularly like I had planned, but I have been vegging out in the backyard almost daily.

Now getting to the gritty..sweating. I do find it requires working a bit harder in my warmups out in the garage with the early morning fall temperatures, so I’ve been adding in a 10-15 minute Peloton ride before my workouts to kickstart the heart rate. On rest days I like to hop in the sauna for a quick sweat, and the hot tub is great for an early morning sweat on the weekends!

One task that I really enjoy once I commit is reading. I usually try to multitask, reading and lounging in the sun.
I’m currently finishing up a book about a murder trial in my hometown that happened back in the 80’s, and it’s truly wild! I’m open to suggestions on what I should dive into next! Anything that provides an escape from reality to temporarily step away from my own thoughts. Although I do prefer something that offers excitement!

The final task I’ve been crossing off each day is step count. This is another task, along with nutrition, that I have been a bit more flexible with on the weekends. I set out with the goal of 12,000 steps each day, but I have been lenient as long as I’m averaging 12,000 throughout five days. On days that I coach it’s no problem to get over 15,000 steps, but other days, I’m averaging about 10,000. These are the days I try to go for an afternoon walk, or if it’s rainy out, get in an easy Peloton ride to make up the lack of movement.

Overall, I would say it’s been a great month that has provided significant insight for moving forward. I completed my first weigh in on the 6th and as of yesterday (3 weeks later), I weighed in 1.4-LBs less. Averaging a half pound loss per week while not feeling restricted, and enjoying some flexibility on the weekends is great, but I am curious to see if that will remain consistent for another couple of weeks. Moving forward I plan to continue following my current macro totals for maintenance and allowing for some flexibility on the weekends. I do however need to wrap up this last week of October by creating a “training plan” for the month ahead. I’m currently not following any specific template and my workouts have felt extremely scattered!

I look forward to heading into a new month with a clear direction, continued consistency, and greater improvement. Let’s go!

Here we are just around the corner from check-in day. I can determine if maintenance totals are supporting my current activity level and what changes will be made. This is the time to decide which direction I aim to take moving forward: continue with maintenance, fat-loss, muscle-building, etc.

Maintenance has been a nice place to be. I feel like my workouts are supported, my meals leave me satisfied without feeling restrictive, and mentally it’s a good place to be. I love that I can follow a structured menu throughout the week, and then allow for a bit more flexibility on the weekends when hanging out with friends. Maintenance is a good pause in between any sort of nutrition or training phase.

Athletes understand that it’s a good idea to add a maintenance or deload period to a fitness program to prevent overtraining, reduce injury risk, and allow for continued progress. This involves temporarily reducing training intensity and/or volume, while perfecting form and technique before easing back into heavier loads. The same goes for nutrition. A maintenance phase allows the body to recover from a previous calorie surplus or deficit, it provides time to create habits, and helps prevent metabolic slowdown. Ultimately, it sets us up for better success in reaching body composition goals in the next phase.

Another enjoyable phase, the bulking phase. Highly favored because it involves eating in a calorie surplus to gain muscle mass. It requires a resistance training program focused on heavy lifting and progressive overload. The goal is to provide the body with extra energy and nutrients to build new muscle tissue. Bulking involves a more controlled, strategic approach to a calorie surplus, focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods. While some fat gain is expected, the goal is to gain as much muscle as possible while keeping fat gain in check.

Then there’s the fat-loss phase. Not typically favored because it can sometimes feel restrictive, especially if giving up flexibility on the weekends. The key to a successful fat loss phase is replacing processed foods with minimally processed, nutrient-dense options, that provide a variety of essential vitamins and minerals while leaving you to feel fuller, longer. Training intensity may decrease in this phase, which is a normal result of a calorie deficit, so sufficient protein is required to maintain muscle mass.

And then there is a process known as body recomposition. Unlike traditional phases, body recomposition focuses on building muscle and losing body fat simultaneously. While it is a debated topic, it is proven to work, but it’s a much slower process. Muscle is more dense than fat, so overall weight will remain relatively the same, however, the body takes on a more “toned” look overall. The changes made are usually reflected in measurements, the way your clothes fit, or in progress photos. The key to recomposition is a strategic combination of diet and exercise. In order to lose fat you must consume fewer calories than you burn, which requires a moderate deficit overall; but in order to build muscle, you need a surplus. So then, how is this accomplished? The process is a combination of heavy lifting (breaking down the muscle tissue),meal timing (carbs reserved for workouts), and proper food choices (increased protein paired with nutrient dense, whole foods). The calorie surplus from the increased protein is used for muscle repair (muscle building), carbs are being used to fuel workouts, and that means fat is being burned to fuel the body the rest of the day. This approach seems like the “no-brainer” (losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time sounds like a dream), but achieving significant body composition changes takes much longer than traditional phases.

Ultimately, it comes down to what is best for you, your goals, current body fat percentage, and training experience. Cutting and bulking with maintenance cycles in between are going to provide greater results for the more experienced lifters, competitive athletes, or those with a primary goal of a more rapid approach to muscle gain or fat loss- while body recomposition is going to work best for the beginner, someone with a higher body fat, or those who simply want a steady, balanced approach with gradual changes.

Not everyone is on a journey to gain muscle or lose fat, but a commonality among us all is improving overall health. Regardless of fitness goals, consistently consuming high-quality, nutrient-dense foods is the universal approach to improving health markers.

On Monday I established my starting stats which is always a bit of a humbling situation, but my goal is to always keep things raw throughout my journeys. Some of you have been here since the beginning when I completed my very first series in 2013 while prepping for my first competition. Although all of those posts are somewhere deep in the archives along with the old Youtube Vlogs, I appreciate you guys following along for all the phases over the years. Some of you are new to my blog and this is the first follow along, and I am so happy that you’re here!!

But for now, here we are…and currently, thicker than a snicker! I’m sitting just shy of 150-pounds at 18.6% body-fat according to my at-home scale (although I believe I’m closer to 22-23%), but ready to see what changes I can make throughout these 12-weeks.

I shared that I will be adhering to maintenance macros for at least the first couple of weeks of this series to establish a “starting base.” Maintenance macros are the specific daily amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats (macronutrients) needed to keep you at your current body weight. By consuming your maintenance macros, you provide your body with the necessary energy and building blocks to sustain its weight and muscle mass without gaining or losing weight.

In my opinion when heading into a nutrition program and the goal is to drop body-fat, it’s a wise idea to start a bit higher with your intake. You can always make decreases as you go, but once you get to a certain point, you can’t continue to drop calories without risking a loss to overall muscle mass or hormonal shifts.

In the beginning, even following an intake that should yield no results, I expect that I will see a slight decrease on the scale and/or measurements at my next check-in. I don’t expect it to be a loss in body-fat, but rather inflammation. Simply being more mindful of my food choices should make a significant difference right off the bat to internal inflammation.

Another beautiful bonus while consuming maintenance totals, you can continue to lift all the heavy weights. A maintenance macro plan is supportive enough to allow you to lift heavy weights while preventing muscle loss. Although you can’t really expect to see much of an increase to muscle mass (if any) when adhering to maintenance totals, you can still push yourself to failure without the risk of muscle loss.

Ultimately, committing to a maintenance phase before going into a cut allows you time to establish better nutritional choices before you start restricting calories. This phase introduces a routine of eliminating the poor nutritional habits, while at the same time, establishing a more nutrient-dense approach to eating.

My plan is to complete a check-in every other week throughout this series that will include a weigh-in, measurements, and progress photos. This approach works best for me and I prefer not to jump on the scale every single day. Some may prefer to skip the scale and measurements all together. Perhaps gauging progress by trying on an old pair of jeans that are a bit snug every other week may be a better approach. We’re all different and there is no one approach that is suiting to everyone.

Current weight: 148.8 lbs
Body Fat Percent: 18.6%
Measurements in inches:
Chest: 36″
Waist: 31.5″
Glutes: 41″
Thigh: 23.5″

Mindful Nutrition. Currently task no. 1.

We live in a society nowadays where breakfast is often skipped or grabbed on the go, lunch is limited to thirty minutes, and dinner is often decided by what’s pleasing to the entire household, with healthier options not so highly favored. It can seem overwhelming and sometimes impossible to “stay on track.”

I mentioned that I prefer macro-tracking whenever it comes to dialing in my nutrition. I would imagine being a bit of a science nerd who loves data plays a big role in supporting this decision. I actually enjoy the tedious task; however, I would imagine that many people would prefer something a little less structured. So if macro tracking isn’t your preferred approach, I respect it. Perhaps keeping a food log on your phone, or a quick food photo for reference. Ultimately no matter your approach, it starts with being more mindful and bringing awareness to the foods we’re consuming.

Too many people want to jump the gun and go right into a calorie deficit when fat-loss is the goal. When really, most people would see a response almost immediately, by simply reducing portion sizes, or making simple food swaps.
For most of us, starting with small adjustments is a better approach than a full on nutritional overhaul. Start with a single task. For example, a big adjustment for me to make is my bread intake. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-carb at all, but I have recently (along with every 35+ female it seems), discovered a new obsession with sourdough loaves. I know many of you will understand! It seems that every time I decide to have a slice though, I end up cutting off a 1/4th of the loaf, and then, proceed to eat every single bite. So to help mitigate my leniency, I have just added a bread bow knife to my amazon cart, lol. This will allow me to adhere to a single serving each time instead of double or triple the amount.

Since the starting date of this series fell mid-week, I have used the first few days and this weekend as a bit of a buffer. I haven’t began logging my food just yet, or adhering to any sort of macro-totals, but rather establishing my “baseline.” If you’re like me and enjoy the macro-tracking approach then I would suggest starting with “maintenance” macro totals. For those of us that have been over-consuming consistently for more than a few weeks, we should be able to see an immediate response even with maintenance totals.

If you have read “Introduction to Macro-Tracking,” my most-recent ebook release, then you have the formula to configure your maintenance macros. If you prefer a more flexible approach, perhaps one of my previous ebooks, “My Colorful Food Journal” may be a more suitable fit. Food journaling promotes accountability and encourages mindful eating as well, but with a less-structured approach.

For those that are tracking macros and wish to begin with maintenance totals, follow along on page 8 of “Introduction to Macro-Tracking.” Once you have established your protein and fat totals, then it’s time to establish your “activity level.” For myself, I will begin with “highly active.” This level is for individuals that are getting 12,000+ steps each day with 6 or more workouts each week. This will be my starting base.

I will weigh in on Monday morning, take my measurements, and progress photos. (I literally started my period the first day of the challenge, so I will wait a couple more days to make sure my totals are accurate), and then I will be able to see what type of results “maintenance” is providing.

Once I weigh in and take my measurements, I will follow along with the macros I’ve established. After 1-2 weeks I will weigh in again and re-take measurements to see if these totals have allowed me to see a decrease. If so, I will continue with what’s working, and if not, I will then make adjustments.

Improving nutrition is an exciting goal that is achievable through strategic, small changes. The key is focusing on consistency over perfection. It is helpful to replace unhealthy habits with new, healthy ones and be kind to ourselves when we have a setback. WHEN a setback happens (because it will), don’t give up. Simply acknowledge it and get back on track with your next meal.

I hope throughout this series to continue making small, achievable adjustments that build momentum towards an overall healthier year ahead, and encourage you as well to do so along the way. Thank you for following along throughout this series.

I am so excited to get this challenge going!! I shared on Instagram that I had completed this challenge back in 2022 and I made great progress. The challenge wasn’t to see how much weight I could lose, but rather to create a better-balanced, more sustainable routine. In return I was rewarded both mentally and physically. I find I operate at best when I create some sort of a routine. I’m not really a schedule maker, more of a task checker. I really enjoy the feeling of crossing off a to-do list. Over the last several months my routine and task checking has become a bit more scattered. I did just recently change my coaching schedule though which allows me to turn more focus towards nutrition coaching once again, and this really excites me! So no better time than now to jump back on the fitness and wellness trend that yielded such great returns the first go-around.

If you have never heard of the “Winter Arc.” AI helped me here with a pretty good explanation.
The “Winter Arc” is a popular, no-rules fitness and wellness trend, encouraging individuals to set personal goals for self-improvement during the last three months of the year (October-December) rather than waiting for New Year’s resolutions. The idea is to leverage the colder, darker months to build consistent, healthy habits in areas like fitness, mental health, and nutrition to go into the new year feeling accomplished and prepared. It emphasizes flexible, sustainable changes and a focused mindset over strict rules or outcomes, allowing participants to choose their own path for personal transformation.

Since I love a good check-list, these are my top 5 tasks for each day:
1. Mindful Nutrition.
2. Daily dose of outside. Vitamin-D!!
3. Sweat. Even if it’s a rest day. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone, often!
4. Read. Get out of your own head.
5. More Movement. 12,000 steps each day.

Keep in mind along the way that I am sharing approaches that worked well for me last go-around, my schedule, my lifestyle, my goals, etc. along with what works best for me now. You have to find what suits you best, and create routines that are attainable to carry into the year ahead. That’s what this challenge is all about.

Now that I have established my goals, it’s time to create a plan that will set me up best to complete these 5-tasks as often as possible.

1. Mindful Nutrition: I do so much better making good nutritional choices when I log my food. For me this is in the form of macro-tracking. If I can occasionally squeeze in a cookie or some chips and it “fits it into my macros” it’s easier for me to adhere to the single serving compared to a full on binger. I know for some that may not even make sense, but I guess because I’m hitting my macro totals each day, it’s another “task completed.”
For some that may not be the preferred approach if needing to establish better eating habits. While macro-tracking is my go-to, you can test out what methods work best for you. Perhaps simply jotting down what you had for lunch in a notebook that stays in your bag, or with the convenience of a cell-phone constantly in our hand, snapping a photo and creating a “food folder.” As long as you’re establishing a greater awareness of your food choices, and portion sizes, you have a starting base.

2. Daily dose of outside: I think we often forget just how important it is to get sunshine! How it affects absolutely everything! My goal is to get 30:00 minimum each day outside. I am so blessed that my schedule allows for plenty of flexibility so this one should be easy to do. October is the perfect time of year to go to the beach! All of the tourists are gone, and the weather is absolutely perfect.

3. Sweat: I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes along with a good sweat! The physical exertion that causes sweating also stimulates the release of endorphins, the “feel-good” hormones that can improve mood and reduce stress. While I don’t believe that every workout has to create a puddle on the floor and leave you soaked, I prefer those that do. Even on rest days my goal will be to get in a solid sweat with the use of the sauna or hot tub.

4. Read: Reading is something that I began really enjoying a few years back. My preferred book of choice is the Bible and I try to make time to read it almost daily. I know for some reading scripture feels more like a chore, but I truly enjoy it (that’s why I don’t have it as one of my daily tasks, it remains in my routine regularly). I also do a “Bible Study/Book Club” with several of my girlfriends once a week and that forces me to read a bit more as well. Outside of Christian readings I enjoy reading any sort of thriller. I like to be on the edge of my seat. So along with the added beach days, reading a bit more shouldn’t be a problem!

5. More movement: On days that I coach I have no problem with this one. I usually hit 10,000 steps before I leave the gym and that’s before 10am. However on my days off from coaching, it’s far less. I will sit down at my computer to do some work, and before I know it, it’s been 2 hours without leaving my desk. I would like to set a goal of 12,000 steps each day. On non-coaching days this means getting outside for walks, regularly. This one will take some getting use to, but it’s just about creating the habit within my routine.

While many of my goals are similar to those of 2022, some will look a little different. Last time I participated in this challenge, for the month of October I eliminated alcohol, fast food, and sugar. Currently, in 2025, I don’t consume enough alcohol to even make this one a task to eliminate, but what I do need to eliminate is the fast food and sugar. I know most people hear “fast-food” and think of McDonalds and drive throughs, and yes let’s eliminate that all together, but I mean in the sense of ultra-processed foods. The foods that are pre-packaged, loaded with preservatives, grab-and-go, and take no-time to fix. I have found myself falling victim to these convenient foods more and more recently and it’s time to cut that out! This calls for weekly routined meal prep. Keeping prepped food on hand at all times is the only way to eliminate the quick, grab-and-go choices.
As for sugar, this one is rough to eliminate in the beginning, but gets easier over time. My plan is to replace my sweet tooth cravings with fruits, and then slowly replace some of the higher-sugar, tropical fruits with higher-fiber fruit options. “Added sugars” are the sneaky hidden sugars that we have to keep an eye out for in packaged products, but this is where food-logging really helps!

As for workouts, I don’t have a big problem forcing myself to workout once I create a consistent routine and plan. Throughout October I plan to continue lifting heavy on average 3x per week, along with 2 group fitness classes each week (Orangetheory, CrossFit, or Bootcamp).

Most importantly, remember that this challenge is about creating healthy habits in areas that we want to see improvement. I think it’s important to keep in mind that habit formation as a process requires patience and consistency to make the behavior feel automatic. We need to give ourselves grace when we do have a slip up here and there, or when every task isn’t checked off at the end of the day.