Lazy on the blog, hard in the gym

Whoops. I kinda stopped blogging for awhile.

I haven't been on here but I have been working very hard. 

About a month ago it occurred to me that while I have lost alot of fat since that fateful day in 2012 when I began my weight loss, it seems the fat loss has stalled and it's even been creeping back on in certain areas. I'll admit my focus in 2014 was not even on fat loss - it was on racing, running trails, and more recently lifting in the gym. But lately I've been feeling like I want to try and get rid of some of the last bastions of fat left on me. I want to LOOK like I do all the crazy shit I do. 

Medically I need this to happen too. I still struggle with PCOS, and as a result I am trying to manage my blood sugar and blood pressure. Having abdominal fat, an "apple" shape, whatever you wanna call it is not healthy. Therefore I need to minimize the pot belly that genetics has given me. 

The solution - I'm in a cutting phase. Started it 2 weeks ago, already seeing some results...

Start - 

173 lbs

26.8% body fat

Last monday (1 week in) - 

172 lbs

25.2% body fat

Goal? Maybe 165 lbs, but what I am really looking to hit is 23-22% body fat. Minimize my belly fat, also get rid of my arm/upper back fat that's hiding all my muscles. I have alot of muscle and I am looking to lose fat while trying to avoid muscle loss, or at least minimize it.

Here's what I am doing ...

Diet - around 1500 calories a day, back to using Lose It again for tracking purposes

• Aiming for 170g protein a day, however that is a HARD number to hit, so I'm just trying to get the most I can. 
• 40-50g of fat
• Carbs ... my nemesis... trying to keep them under 150g a day, it's freaking HARD!!! Y'all know I love my carbs, but I've been good about reducing my carb intake and resisting SWEETS! My main sources of carbs are oatmeal or fruit an hour before my workout, half of an english muffin with eggs and cheese, a Chobani yogurt (searching for something with less sugar), then the rest comes from veggies and fruits, with the occasional small serving of rice or pasta with my dinner
• Saturday I'll have a cheat lunch after my long run and a cheat dinner :)
• Supplements are simply BCAA and protein. If I'm about to have a crazy day at the gym I might pop some pre workout.

One of the benefits of this cut is that it will retrain me to eat healthier as a whole. I have really fallen far over the past year and was eating so much crap. 

Exercise

• 3 strength training sessions a week
• For the next 3 weeks I am focusing on HIIT/power strength sessions because I rarely train that way. They are 20 minutes, 5 heart pounding high intensity exercises back to back, then with a couple minutes of rest before repeating the circuit 2-3 more times. 
• After my strength training I am walking for 30 minutes - trail, treadmill, elliptical, or treadmill on an incline. Anything low intensity. This helps burn some extra fat
• Running 3 times a week. 2 runs are HIIT - all out sprint for 30 seconds, then walk/jog to recover for 2 minutes. Repeat this circuit for 20 minutes. HIIT is best for fat burning. Then my long run is Saturday which is currently 5 miles, looking to increase this to 8 or 10 over time to get ready for racing season

I have been so consistent for the past 2 weeks and it's been pretty easy to maintain. It's all about having a set routine that can easily become a habit, and of course having will power. 

I am going to start posting here consistently again. I missed having an outlet for all my fitness crap that my normal friends don't want to hear about. Right now it's time for me to go to my new doctor to get refills on my meds, and maybe talk some PCOS concerns with her.