When was the last time you focused on something OTHER than weight loss in your health journey?
With the holiday season in full swing, NOW is the time to do the CHA CHA & REVERSE out of the diet you’ve spent your entire adult life attempting to maintain.
What does this mean for you?
This means MORE flexibility during the holidays and LESS guilt around food. It means we can have the BEST holiday season we’ve ever had, while still feeling incredible! It means we can learn to navigate social settings & holiday parties without guilt. It is a means to maintain our progress & continue to see progress during the holiday mayhem when everyone else is gaining the average 7 lbs. AND it may be a great practice to give you confidence that you can actually eat MORE and still see body composition changes. With more fuel you can lift heavier, move more, sleep better, & have sustained energy throughout your day.
We can still be strict with our goals, but flexible in our methods throughout the holidays!
During the month of December I am going to challenge you to increase your macros ever so slightly week over week. We are going to experiment with what we call in the industry, a reverse diet!
We are stuck in diet mode. Constantly thinking of how we can shrink ourselves. Thinking about what we have to lose rather than what we stand to gain. Always focusing on weight loss. As a result of that, we end up in a fat loss plateau. Our metabolism is really smart and flexible. It adapts to less calories and more exercise, meaning our metabolism learns to do less with less calories.
Each week of this challenge, we will increase our macros by 5% increments. This is a VERY SMALL increase. It is literally like eating 1 extra apple a day. And don’t worry, I’ll show you exactly how to do this.
Below you will see the 5 focal points for this challenge.
XO, Loren
Your 5 focus points
- Increase macrosSmall bump every week. The calculator below lays it out for you.
- Track dailyWeekends too, for consistency and accountability.
- Move dailyAim for 10K steps. If that is far from where you are, add at least 1,000 steps each week.
- Work outDo the FASTer Way workout every day or some kind of movement.
- Sleep 7 to 8 hoursEvery night. This is where the reverse does its work.
Build my 4 weeks
Fill this in with your current numbers. You get your weekly macros, plus a rough estimate of where maintenance sits.
Changing your macros in the app
- Open your FASTer Way app, go to the Home tab and select Macro Goals.
- Scroll down to My Macro Plan, hit the pencil icon and then OK.
- Select custom plan, enter your new macros and hit done.
Update your macros at the start of each week. No need to update your weight in the app.
December push-up challenge
5 push-up days and 2 recovery days each week. Pick your tier and tap each day when it is done. You can move up a tier any time.
Your max test
Do as many good-form push-ups as you can on day 1 and again at the end of week 4. Knees count.
Weekly habit check
Tap a circle when you hit that habit most days that week. Progress, not perfection.
| Habit | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 |
|---|
Send me each week
Use the weekly check-in right below, make your card, and post it in the VIP group. It covers biofeedback (sleep, stress, energy, mood, hunger, digestion and strength) plus your habits and push-ups.
Weekly check-in
Slide to the number that fits your last week. For everything except stress, 10 means feeling great. Save each week, then make your weekly card to screenshot and post in the VIP group. All optional.
Week 1 check-in
Private. Your photo stays on this device and never goes on your card. Skipping this costs you nothing.
If nothing opens when you tap, your app may be blocking the photo picker. Open this page in Chrome or Safari and try again.
Saving keeps it on this phone. Your card is made for a screenshot and a post in the VIP group.
Screenshot your card and post it in the VIP group. Prefer words? Copy it as text and paste it into a post.
Your before and after
FAQs
I just started VIP. Should I do this?
It may not be time to increase your macros if you have only been at your current macros for 6 weeks. If you feel uncomfortably hungry, are not sleeping well, have low energy, or no longer want to lose weight, this challenge applies to you.
I am already working with Loren 1:1 on a reverse, or my macros were just updated.
Stick with the plan we already have in place and we will re-evaluate at the end of the challenge.
What if I get sick or injured?
If your daily movement changes a lot, let me know. You will generally still be in a deficit after small increases, so no need to worry about gaining. Eating enough also helps your body recover.
What if my progress stalls?
Most people gain weight over the holidays, so holding steady is a big win. If you see more belly fat, we may need to pull back or look at your food log together.
Can I fill the extra macros with treats?
No. We still fill our macros with whole foods.
What is the goal of a reverse?
To keep the fat loss you earned, support your metabolism, and bring back better mood, sleep and energy with less stress on the body. You eat more food while holding steady, and you get to find your maintenance.
How do I know I have hit maintenance?
Your biofeedback improves and your weight stops bouncing around. Your average weight stays consistent.
What happens to my macros after week 4?
It looks different for everyone. If you feel amazing and see progress, you may stay at your new macros or step back to your starting ones. Post your week 4 card in the VIP group and we will decide together.