Benefits of a Calories Up Lifestyle
I just returned from a trip to Savannah with my husband. He was there on business, which meant I got to play. I spent my days eating, strolling the streets and parks, making new friends, and shopping in all the eclectic spots of Savannah. Among other things, I enjoyed:
Fried green tomatoes
Shrimp and grits
Biscuits
Praline baskets
Leopold’s ice cream
16,000+ steps a day
Zero guilt
In a not-so-distant past, when I was in chronic dieting mode, this trip would have looked very different. I would have packed a cooler bag to accommodate whatever strange low-cal diet I was testing out, finding a gym would have been a MUST, and figuring out a jogging route where I could run 2-3 miles a day would also have been a priority. When we arrived in Savannah I would have had a complete meltdown because there was no fridge in my room (so where to put all the stuff in the cooler bag?) and our hotel gym had only a few, very light weight kettle bells. Walking didn’t count as “real” exercise, so I would have been far less inclined to get out and explore Savannah. I would have tried my best to stay within whatever restrictive diet rules I was following only to throw in the towel about half-way through the trip—on account of the fridge and gym situation and trying to willpower my way through the fancy business dinners, etc.—and indulge in screw it eating. Stepping on the scale when I returned home would have been bewildering, as the screw it eating would have probably resulted in gaining a few pounds that would have stuck around for a good while.
I’m happy to report no meltdown on this trip. About a year-and-a half-ago I finally relented and decided it was time to be done with the dead-end diets. I reverse dieted for six months and got my calories up from 1500 calories a day to a more appropriate level of ~2000 calories a day. While it was difficult to do at the time - I gained about six pounds in the process - the freedom I now experience from spending most of my year at 1800+ calories is hard to describe. I am still competing in fitness competitions, so there are a few months of the year when I’m cutting calories (and wouldn’t be able to indulge in the fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, etc.) but it’s no longer all the time. And because I’m not chronically dieting my body responds INSANELY well in the few months that I dip down below 1800 calories a day and increase my cardio. This means that at age 48 I am leaner/skinnier/fitter than I was even in high school (and about 15 pounds less/10% leaner than on the chronic 1500 calorie a day diets). This is what is so hard for most people to grasp: the key to a leaner physique is eating more most of the time!
No more chronic dieting.
More important, however, is that I have ended the restrict/overeat/restrict/overeat cycle, and I very rarely engage in screw it eating anymore. Within reason, I can eat whatever I want, I have a plan for working out that is efficient and effective, and I feel very good most days. I have to imagine I’m more pleasant to be around, too, not melting down about the hotel gym, trying to fit in extra runs to make up for the lack of a gym, and then having everything devolve into screw it eating. Vacations, holidays, and weekends do not ensue panic or weight gain because my body is used to higher caloric thresholds. I am no longer on a crazy calorie roller coaster. So I enjoy what I want within reason and go on with my life. All of this is thanks to a Calories Up lifestyle.
As we tell our clients, the Calories Up lifestyle is not a quick or easy fix. But not every body is ready to lose weight, even when the brain has decided to get the show on the road. In particular, bodies that have been chronically dieting or undereating and/or overdoing it on cardio are not in a good place for fat loss. Those bodies tend to be in an extreme fat storage mode and some healing and nourishing needs to occur before a diet will be effective. The whole process of going through a reverse dieting and cutting phase - going from fluffy to fit - can take upwards of six month to a year. And to watch the scale hold steady or creep up when you so desperately want to lose weight is not for the faint of heart. But I have lived to tell the story, and I’m telling you it is worth the hard work.
What happened when I got back from Savannah and hopped on the scale? Up two pounds. But one day later it was gone (I’m sure it was water or inflammation from flying)! I loosely tracked my calories while I was gone and even with the shrimp and grits, biscuits, and praline baskets, I was still within a 2000 to 2300 calorie range. No big deal. My body could handle it.
Let us help you boost your metabolism! Book a free strategy call —or email We’ll set up a 15 minute call to discuss your goals and dieting history and help develop a customized plan that allows you to eat more (really!). We’ll also talk about how you can exercise to build calorie-burning muscle. The Couture Coaching Team wants to help you create a body you love—for life!
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