My Strategy for Easing Back Into a Summertime Lifestyle:
I gained fifteen pounds this winter (by choice). In the last six weeks I lost 10 pounds and 4.6% of body fat. To ease back into stricter eating habits without relapsing I set one small goal every week and keep adding on for four weeks until I’m back in the habit.
I like food. No, scratch that, I love food. I love food and I strongly dislike winter. So, from November to March, I eat more soul fulfilling foods and do less cardio. It’s simple. Food is my happy place and I don’t deprive myself of it when my mental health is challenged daily at 5pm when the sun goes down. I used to fight this habit and try to combat it. It doesn’t work. I want to eat more in the winter and I do not want to do cardio. When I force myself, instead of creating a plan that suits the needs of my mind and soul, it always backfires.
This winter was glorious, relatively speaking. Especially with No Cardio January and Superset February. When spring arrived, I was ready to change things up. It wasn’t an obligation, it was an autonomous choice.
Let me be clear. I am NOT doing this because I want to look good in a bikini. Public pools are gross, I don’t like sand and I’ll just wear my sports bra and shorts, mkay? I choose to lean out because the summertime heat is uncomfortable when I’m carrying more weight, and fried foods and pasta just don’t mix with the sunshine. I genuinely want to eat lighter foods and do more endurance training in spring and summer because it makes me feel better. That’s that. It just so happens that a byproduct of feeling better is looking better. Who knew?!
When I feel good, I look good - this is true even in the winter when I'm 15 pounds heavier.
It’s tough to change habits overnight, though. And we shouldn’t suddenly drop into a calorie deficit. It encourages injury and relapse.
So how do I safely change my eating habits without abusing the balance between mind, body and soul?
Step 1: Reflect on WHY I’m ready to change my habits.
Media scares us into making our negative reasons for change to our lifestyle habits into our main reasons for change. Everyone has positive and negative reasons for making a change in their life. It’s the reasons we choose to listen to, the ones we prioritize, that make the difference. Here’s the negative self-talk I tend to have towards the end of winter.
NEGATIVE REASONS I WANT TO LOSE BODY FAT:
- I’m an ugly waste of space at this weight
- I can’t stand to look at myself
- I’m a failure and everyone can see it when I’m this big
- I can’t do anything consistently.
Now hear are some of my positive reasons. (These often are harder for me to hear.)
POSITIVE REASONS I WANT TO LOSE BODY FAT:
- Eating clean makes me feel good in the heat
- I like who I am when I listen to my body and accept my fluctuations
- Heavy foods in the heat make me feel gross
- I love cardio and clean eating in the sunshine
- Fruit tastes better after a day in the sun
- When I eat well and exercise my light shines brighter and motivates others do the same
Did you relate to any of these? Take a minute to reflect on your own reasons for wanting to “be skinny” or “eat healthy” or “go on a diet”. How many reasons are on your negative list? How many are on your positive list? If you have more on the negative reasons list, that’s okay! It’s okay to recognize we have some negative thoughts fueling our goals. Breathe in, breathe out. Be nice to yourself. Forgive yourself for any negative talk.
Now make a priority list. Choose 2-4 of your strongest positive reasons and list them. Then choose the strongest “negative” reason and put it AT THE BOTTOM of the list (no, seriously put the negative one at the bottom). We list more positive reasons than negative to promote positive self talk. If you’re feeling really self destructive – fine – right another negative one down, but keep consider next time only writing one (or maybe none) down!
THE ROUGH DRAFT PRIORITY LIST:
- I love cardio and clean eating when it’s hot out
- Fruits and veggies taste better after a day in the sun
- I like who I am when I listen to my body and accept my fluctuations
- I’d rather eat heavier foods in the winter time anyway
- I can’t do anything consistently
That negative one sticks out like a sore thumb. Let’s spin that negative reason into a positive one. Like this:
I can’t do anything consistently- >>> I’m proud of myself for listening to my mind, body and soul this winter and excited to shift into a completely different lifestyle for the summer!
MY PRIORITY LIST FOR MY SUMMER FAT LOSS JOURNEY:
- I love cardio and clean eating when it’s hot out
- Fruits and veggies taste better after a day in the sun
- I like who I am when I listen to my body and accept my fluctuations
- I’d rather eat heavier foods in the winter time anyway
- I’m proud of myself for listening to my mind, body and soul this winter and excited to shift into a completely different lifestyle for the summer!
Step 2: Make a plan
Alright. Now that we’ve reflected on why we’re changing our habits, it’s time to make a plan on how to execute and achieve our goals.
To ease back into stricter eating habits without relapsing I set one small goal every week and keep adding on for four weeks until I’m back in the habit. By the time I hit week 3 I don’t even want sugar or carbs any more.
This is the personal plan I implemented in the last six weeks. I lost 10lbs and 4.6% body fat without torturing myself or bullying myself. I just let it flow, bruh. Sometimes you just have to float it!
My Progressive Load Clean Eating Strategy (6 weeks total)
I started my prep weeks during my luteal phase knowing that if I tried to start the more difficult parts of my strategy at this time it would be even harder. Not everyone needs to do this. I find it helps to be mindful of where I am in my cycle and how it affects my tenacity.
PREP WEEKS (2 weeks):
| Week | Goal | Phase of Hormone Cycle |
| -1 | Increase endurance portion of my workouts while eating freely | Luteal Phase |
| 0 | + Continue increased cardio while staying mindful of the foods that make me feel good | Luteal Phase |
LET THE GAMES BEGIN (4 weeks):
| Week | Goal | Phase of Hormone Cycle |
| 1 | + No Bread. Including cookies, crackers, chips, etc. | Mensies (beginning of cycle) |
| 2 | + No Candy. Goodbye Swedish Fish | Follicular/Ovulation |
| 3 | + Begin a 5/2 intermittent fasting schedule** | Luteal |
| 4 | + Portion control during eating windows | Luteal |
**ie. I have my first meal at 11am, eat until 1pm then wait to eat again until at least 6pm. You can modify this to fit you. I don’t like breakfast, so I eat twice a day. You do you, but only eat within those two hours! I modified this from Steve Zim’s book Superhero Nutrition
After six weeks, I’m at the beginning of a new menstrual cycle, feeling accomplished and ready to reevaluate my goals and make a new program!
Notes:
- ** EVERY week gets one reward meal! (See how I didn’t say cheat meal? It’s not cheating to reward hard work and discipline. It’s so smart and kind of you!)
- Week 4 is as strict as I can get without relapsing into a day of emotional eating. I cannot maintain Week 6 behavior for more than two weeks at most. I don’t beat myself up for that. I modify accordingly.
Step 3: Congratulate Yourself & Maintain with Rewards
Once I build up to a strict 5/2 diet with portion control, the next weeks I start adding things back in, rather than take them away. Maybe one week I make my eating window 3 hours instead of 2. Another week I might forget the 5/2 thing altogether, snack throughout the day but eat an apple whenever I’m craving a cookie. For example:
- Week 5: Weeks 1-4 plus a few celebratory cheat meals out with friends (portion control? Depends how stressed I am and where I am in my cycle)
- Week 6: I buy a carton of chocolate chip cookies and get to eat those throughout the week during my eating window.
- Week 7: It’s vacation time and I have one cheat meal a day!
- Week 8: I’m back home and feel a little guilty for losing my discipline last week. I forgive myself and return to week 1 – no bread!
It’s all about balance
I use a balanced, year long, 4 season approach to a balanced lifestyle. I’ve accepted that at certain times of year I need to prioritize my mental health (mind) over my physical health (body). The constants are my dreams, goals for the future, what fuels my fire (soul). If I lose sight of what feeds my soul, lose sight of the present moment, all areas tend to suffer. That’s okay! Just keep calm, forgive, adjust, keep going. What I’m saying is, it’s all a balance between the three. Sometimes the priority is mental, sometimes physical, sometimes spiritual.
| Time of Year | Mind | Body | Soul |
| Fall/Winter | Be kind to myself as the power of cookies compels me. Processed foods and dirty carbs sometimes make me happy. | Increase strength training, Decrease endurance training | Have the occasional Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Drink a Slurpee. Go on an adventure. Forgive myself for perceived imperfections. |
| Spring/Summer | I’d rather eat fruits and veggies. No seriously! | Increase HIIT and endurance training. | Adventures are always abundant this time of year. I rarely lose sight of my soul. |
Conclusion
It is natural for our weight to fluctuate throughout the year! Especially for women. It’s okay! I promise it’s okay. And it’s okay to have a hard time believing me right now. Consider opening up to the idea.
In the meantime, I hope this progressive strategy helps you ease back into the summertime lifestyle without abusing yourself physically, mentally or spiritually. Ease back into that heavy HIIT or cardio routine. Start with one minute meditation a day (or once a week or month) and increase by one minute when you are ready for the extra challenge. Add one small goal to your nutrition plan a week, and add one treat back in when you start missing them. Life ebbs and flows. I encourage us all to do the same!
“It is the rough side of the mountain that’s the easiest to climb. The smooth side doesn’t have anything for you to hang on to.”
~ Aretha Franklin
~ Love yourself,
Britt
