How I Plan My Macros Over Coffee (and Stay On Track With Easy Snack Wraps)

Most mornings, before the house really wakes up, it’s just me, my coffee, and my various planners.

If I don’t take those five minutes to get my life together, including My Fitness Pal, my macros tend to wander. I end up grazing, grabbing random snacks between kid drop-offs and work blocks, and wondering why I’m either short on protein or way over on calories.

If I do sit down and pre-log my day, I’m suddenly the dialed-in version of myself: still flexible, still eating foods I love, but everything has a place.

And yes, there is always room for chocolate. 😉

Step 1: Start With Your Non-Negotiables

The first thing I log isn’t chicken breast or a salad. It’s the stuff I know I’m going to eat no matter what.

For me, that’s:

• A salted caramel PowerCrunch bar, and

• A piece of chocolate

Those are my non-negotiables. They bring me joy, they’re realistic for my life, and pretending I won’t eat them is how old all-or-nothing patterns creep back in.

So I log them first and build the day around them. No guilt, no drama — they’re simply part of the puzzle.

Ask yourself:
👉 What are my non-negotiable foods?
It might be a flavored creamer, a nightly dessert, or your favorite chips with lunch. Instead of fighting it, plan for it.

Step 2: Anchor Your Day With Protein

Once my fun foods are in, I move to the backbone of my day: protein.

I aim for three solid servings of 25–30g protein spread across my main meals:

• Breakfast

• Lunch

• Dinner

That might look like:

• Eggs or Greek yogurt at breakfast

• Chicken, turkey, or tofu at lunch

• Fish, beef, or another protein at dinner

Once those three anchors are in place, I know I’m in a great spot to hit my protein goal without having to chug a sad shake at 8pm.

Step 3: Add Produce to Every Meal for Fiber and Volume

After protein, I look at fiber and volume.

My rule of thumb:
👉 1–2 servings of produce at each meal.

That could be:

• Berries or a banana at breakfast

• Carrot sticks, peppers, or a side salad at lunch

• Roasted veggies, a big salad, or fruit with dinner

By the time I’ve added produce to each meal, I’ve covered a lot of my fiber, vitamins, and fullness needs without having to overthink it.

Step 4: Use Leftover Macros for Fun + Convenience Foods

Now we’ve got:

• Non-negotiables ✅

• Protein ✅

• Produce ✅

Whatever macros are left after that are fair game.

This is where I’ll plug in:

• Tortillas, rice, potatoes, or pasta

• Convenience foods that make mom life easier

• Extra snacks if I know I have a long day on my feet

I’m not chasing perfection; I’m simply giving my day a framework that makes success easier and decision fatigue lower.

How Snack Wraps Fit Into Macro Planning

This is where my beloved at-home snack wraps slide into the picture.

Snack wraps are one of my favorite ways to:

• Hit that 25–30g protein target

• Sneak in produce

• Still feel like I’m eating something fun and “drive-thru adjacent” — but made at home, with ingredients I chose

They make it really easy to take that macro plan you made over coffee and turn it into actual food.

Build-Your-Own Snack Wrap Formula

Think of your snack wrap like a simple formula you can repeat:

1. Choose Your Base (Wrap)

• Small or medium tortilla (I like the fajita or soft taco sized ones from Mission)

• High-fiber or whole wheat wrap (have you tried Lavash bread?)

• Lettuce wraps if you want something lighter

2. Add Your Protein (25–30g Total)

• Grilled chicken strips

• Shredded rotisserie chicken

• Turkey slices

• Air-fried chicken tenders

• Crispy tofu or tempeh

3. Add Crunch & Color (Veggies)

• Shredded lettuce or cabbage

• Sliced cucumbers

• Diced tomatoes

• Bell pepper strips

• Pickles or jalapeños if you’re spicy 😏

4. Sauce & Flavor

• Light ranch or Greek yogurt–based sauce

• Buffalo sauce, BBQ, or honey mustard

• Shredded cheddar, feta, or a sprinkle of Parmesan

• Sometimes you just gotta go in with the real deal Ranch or Chick Fil A sauce! I usually skip cheese if I do a higher fat sauce.

Mix and match based on what your family will actually eat — no need to overcomplicate it.

Snack Wrap Ideas to Try

Here are some easy combos you can plug right into your pre-logged day:

Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap

• Tortilla or high-fiber wrap

• Grilled or air-fried chicken tossed in buffalo sauce

• Shredded lettuce

• Carrot ribbons or matchsticks

• Light ranch or blue cheese–style dressing

BBQ Chicken Crunch Wrap

• Tortilla

• Shredded chicken mixed with a bit of BBQ sauce

• Shredded cabbage or slaw mix

• A sprinkle of shredded cheese

• Optional: pickle slices for tang

Turkey & Veggie Ranch Wrap

• Tortilla

• Turkey slices

• Shredded lettuce + sliced cucumbers + tomato

• Greek yogurt ranch dressing

Most of these will land you in that 25–30g protein range once you portion the meat or tofu appropriately, especially if you pair with a glass of Fairlife or a small Greek yogurt on the side.

A Sample “Coffee + Macros + Snack Wrap” Day

Here’s how a day might look using this system:

1. Over coffee, you log:

   • Salted caramel PowerCrunch bar

   • Piece of chocolate

2. You add:

   • Protein at breakfast (e.g., eggs + Fairlife)

   • A snack wrap with veggies + protein at lunch

   • A higher-protein dinner (like chicken, fish, or tofu with a side)

3. You layer in:

   • Fruit with breakfast

   • Veggies in and alongside your snack wrap

   • Roasted veggies or salad at dinner

4. You check what’s left and fill in with:

   • Rice, potatoes, bread, or other carbs you enjoy

   • Any extra snacks needed to support your energy

Suddenly, your day is:

• High in protein

• Supported with fiber and micronutrients

• Still full of foods you actually like

All from five minutes of planning and an anchor lunchtime “meal plan” based around a handful of at-home snack wraps.

Want 90 Days of Simple, Doable Actions?

If reading this has you thinking, “Okay, I can do small, consistent things like this,” that’s exactly the energy I built my 90 Day Guide around.

It’s designed to help you:

• Stack tiny daily actions that actually fit real life

• Build consistency with food, movement, and mindset

• Stop starting over every Monday and finally follow through

You’ll get simple prompts and habits that feel like this post: realistic, flexible, and focused on progress—not perfection.

👉 You can check it out here: christinakassel.com/90days

If you grab the guide, tag me or send me a message so I can cheer you on and get you right into the Facebook group where we can chat. I’ll be over here with my coffee, my PowerCrunch bar, and my pre-logged day, rooting for you every step of the way. 💛

How I Stay Locked In Without Losing Joy: Fitness Through Chaos, Travel, and Real Life

If you looked at my calendar over the past ten days, you would think fitness was the last thing on my mind.

Back-to-back holidays, four kids home from school, travel for a family funeral, jumping time zones, school presentations, cheer, karate, basketball practice — and trying to run a business in between it all.

These last ten days were emotional. Disruptive. Chaotic.
Not in a dramatic way — in a very normal life kind of way.

And yet, in the midst of it, I stayed connected to my goals without losing the joy or the humanity that life requires.
This week reminded me of something I want to say louder and more often:

👉 Consistency doesn’t mean doing everything.
Consistency means doing something with intention.

This is how I stayed locked in through an imperfect, beautiful, overwhelming week — without letting shame drive the process.

Preparing for Effort — Not Perfection

Travel always raises my anxiety — especially when it revolves around heavy emotions like a funeral. So instead of pretending I could control everything, I set myself up to require as few decisions as possible.

I packed a stash of 12 protein bars, granola bars, my water bottle, and a little packet of protein powder.
I brought noise-cancelling headphones, my comfort audiobook, a face mask, and — yes — a small stuffed Jean-Luc Picard that I bring on planes (highly recommend personal travel mascots, by the way).

The point wasn’t perfection.
It was preparation for effort.
It was removing friction so motivation didn't have to carry all the weight.

Strategy isn’t rigidity — it’s self-kindness in advance.

Movement That Supports — Not Punishes

Before we left Monday morning, I woke up early and got in a 45-minute run and a full-body lift.

Not because I was trying to “work off Thanksgiving.”
Not because I was terrified of missing a workout.
Not because I needed to earn anything later.

I did it because movement helps me regulate — physically, mentally, emotionally.

The next day I found myself in a small hotel gym in my pajamas with coffee in hand.
I had 45 minutes.
I didn’t have time to shower.
I didn’t need a perfect plan — I just needed a plan.

I did dumbbell step-ups, Cossack squats, deadlifts — and called it good.

That workout wasn’t about progress. It was about presence.

Better Choices, Not Perfect Ones

Let’s be honest — travel food is a mixed bag.
DoorDash, fast casual, hotel breakfast layouts, family catering.

This week included:

• Panera salad and soup

• Chicken strips (underrated protein source)

• Pizza and salad

• Cinnamon roll and an apple

• Protein bars on airplanes

• Autumn squash soup that felt like a hug

Was it all ideal? Nope.
Was it chaos? A little.
Was it intentional? Yes.

Because a chicken strip is still chicken.
A cinnamon roll doesn’t remove your progress.
A salad with pizza is still balance.
A protein bar is still protein.

Better is allowed to count.
Better is always better than perfect or nothing.

Joy Isn’t the Enemy — Shame Is

I ate two white chocolate macadamia cookies because they were delicious.
I skipped wine because I didn’t want to feel off.
I played with my nephews.
I listened to an audiobook on the plane and cried behind my sleep mask.
I laughed with my sister.

These moments are the point.
We train to live, not live to train.

Joy is fuel.
Joy is medicine.
Joy is why the plan matters in the first place.

When joy is allowed, obedience isn’t required,
autonomy is.

Sliding Back Into Rhythm — Not Starting From Zero

When I got home, I didn’t declare a “reset.”
I didn’t punish myself with restriction.
I didn’t overcorrect.

I just returned to the habits that feel like home — because I never completely abandoned them.

You don’t lose your journey when life gets intense.
You lose it when you assume intensity means you can’t show up at all.

Consistency isn’t “all.”
Consistency is always something.

If You Want Support Through the Messy Seasons

If this resonated — if your life feels like a series of curveballs and calendar alerts — I want to tell you something gently and directly:

You don’t need more willpower.
You need support and strategy that flexes with your real life.

I'm opening a few coaching spots for women who want structure and conversation — not shame-based rules.

Every month, my VIP clients and I get on a private coaching call to talk through what’s stressful, what’s shifting, and what solutions align with your goals and your reality. Not in need of monthly calls? There’s an option that keeps it all in house on my app, where we can chat, see videos for programming, log nutrition, set goals, etc!

If you’re ready to stay locked in without losing joy —
Send me an email with the subject line JOY at c.kassel@yahoo.com and I’ll send you the details.

Ready to dive in head first? Schedule our call here: https://christinakassel.as.me/

And you can see pricing here.

You don’t have to start over.
You just need to stay connected.

— Coach Christina

Christina’s Castle: Where Strength and Self Come First

Oh my goodness guys, HI! How are you? '

Getting back to blogging is something I’ve wanted to do for so long, and I was worried that no one would care. But you know what I’ve decided? I’m going to go ahead and use an outlet I enjoy and hope that it finds another woman out there who needs to feel heard and connected, even from afar.

I started a blog, Christina’s Castle, when I was pregnant with Ryker and I had so much fun updating it as we navigated pregnancy, being active duty and trying to keep up with my goals. Here we are 13 years later, I went ahead and included some of the posts that were hosted on this account, you can find them below!

These days, I’m proud to say I’m an accomplished nutrition and training coach who has helped hundreds of women and men reach their fat loss or strength building goals, along with helping many cross the finish lines of marathons, half marathons, ultra marathons and then there are those who held trophies high over their head as a new IFBB Pro in Fit Model, powerlifting, CrossFit and more.

I love my job more than anything, the connections I get to make mean the world to me. Here, I’ll be sharing detailed information about client questions I get, about problems I see happening, about exciting changes in research and programming and also a bit about my own journey. This year, I found out I have a spot in the 2026 Berlin Marathon and I am over the moon to get to run that race next September! I’ll share my training, my fueling, the hard parts and the fun parts both here and on YouTube and I’ll make sure you are well aware of updates!

Years ago, the bulk of my training was either focused on running non stop in prep for a race while eating as little as possible 90% of the time, only to then binge the other 10%. Then I transitioned into competitive bodybuilding, and I learned how to literally shape shift! It was fun and I came away from that experience with a lot, but it wasn’t sustainable year round for me. It just didn’t bring me the joy that it used to, and over time I stepped away but I still have my sparkly bikini and heels because never say never, am I right?

These days, I suppose I’m what you call a hybrid athlete. I pursue lifting heavy (squats 120+, bench 80+, deadlifts around 200, these are what are heavy for me right now, I’ve lifted less and I’ve lifted more over the years), and I run about 10-30 miles a week depending on the season I’m in. I’ve come to value fitness improvement and enjoyment above all else, even my physique. And the fun part is that with that decision to focus on performance improvements and the joy of movement, I’ve been able to maintain my most favorite lifestyle physique yet!

I’m passionate about doing this for my clients, because it is possible for everyone, but the timeline will look different for each of us. I recently branched out to start coaching on my own without the background of a bodybuilding team, and I’m excited about the flexibility this will offer with pricing models, time management and more, so that I can focus on YOU and more content to be more helpful.

So if I may ask this one request, please engage, share and comment as much as you can. I am here to serve, and I’d love to create the exact content you are looking for to help make your life easier. This might look like:

Mom Tips (juggling all the things and dropping them as little as possible)

Workouts (at home, travel, at the gym, postpartum, after recovery, for an event, etc)

Recipes and grocery lists

Keeping an eye on new research about fitness and specifically women’s health

Cute outfits and date night ideas around Denver

Travel tips to stay on track but not let fitness take over the fun

And literally whatever else you think might be helpful!

A shameless plug. I have a collection of free and low price downloads on this website under downloads, and I also have my coaching offerings available here on the site. I have options that are more involved and high touch with monthly phone calls and weekly check ins, everything is customized, and that’s $250 including training, cardio and nutrition.

If the budget doesn’t allow for $250, there is an option for nutrition and cardio only, without phone calls, but still with the weekly check ins and customized programming based on what you are your body are used to. I can promise that you will gain confidence, performance improvements and physique improvements (if that is the goal), with a commitment to either program and I’m here to support you 100%. Want to book a consult call first? You can do that here: https://christinakassel.as.me/

And now for the fun stuff, a Monday tip geared towards the upcoming holiday here in the States!

As you head into this week, try not to overstuff everything just because the calendar says “holiday mode.” From a fitness standpoint, this might look like prioritizing short, intentional workouts instead of cramming in extra sessions you don’t have the energy for. For quality time, choose a few moments that actually matter instead of saying yes to every invite out of guilt. And with food, remember this week is about connection, not perfection — nourish your body, enjoy the traditions, and let go of the need to control every bite. Whether you’re a busy mom or just a busy human with big goals, your job this week is simple: protect your energy, give yourself margin, and make space for both strength and joy.

Thank you for being here, and I can’t wait to spend more time getting to know each other :)

IG @Christina.Kassel, Youtube: Christina Kassel Fitness, email: c.kassel@yahoo.com

🎶 Sky high in Colorado 🎶

Hey friends! So, I keep telling myself I’m going to sit down at my computer and get back to regular blogging, because I do love it! However, I almost never feel motivated to pull out my computer unless it’s for work (coaching) or for homework (Masters in American History), so I just haven’t. But, VOILA! The app for squarespace makes life easy and hopefully you won’t mind when I post random paragraphs that just come to me throughout the day!  

​So, as many know we’ve moved to Colorado! We’ve been in the state for just about three weeks and in our home for about a week. We had a very obnoxious time with our movers, but that’s a story for another time. They wound up squeaking in under the deadline and man, the anxiety got to me! But, all is well. The move to Colorado was so frustrating and annoying to make happen that I had decided it was so it would be that much sweeter when we settled and let me tell ya, I’m so happy here! ​

​Why did we move? We wanted to! Vic was ready for something new after his time spent with a Fortune 250 company and was ready for a fresh start and something a bit different, but similar, so he’s moved from ADP to Vertafore, still doing crazy things with Excel and numbers that I don’t understand. He’s happy, so I’m happy! We’ve always been “rip the bandaid off” people. We take risks for the reward and ya know what? After nearly 8 years of marriage (our anniversary is next week!), it always winds up being great for us. I like that we jump in head first, what an adventure this life always turns out to be! 

The kids and I are settling in awesomely. We submitted our homeschool paperwork last week, and I’ve been using a new tracking system to log our days and activities via an app. Colorado laws are a bit different, but not in a way that makes our routine or our plans any more difficult to execute! In fact, kids don’t have to start school here until 7, and since Ryker isn’t even six and we’ve been using first grade materials, we’ve taken some time to focus on just the basics during the move. Lots of reading, lots of handwriting, lots of play. Now that we’ve settled in to the house we are back to our morning sit downs. We also have a new classmate, Cora! She has started asking for homework and while hers is obviously play based, we’ve started working on her learning more.  

Last night, I heard Ryker reading Cora “The Biggest Kiss” in her room and they’re just so dang sweet. Every time he’d sound out a word she’d go “wow, good job, Brother!”  

I see the bus pick up and drop off the neighborhood kids each morning and for whatever reason I get this pang of guilt. Should he be with them? Then I remember that if he was in school, I would drop him off because I’m home and it’s frickin’ freezing outside on that corner and so he would be missing out on that experience anyways, haha. I ask him a few times a week if this is what he wants and he always says yes. I know he doesn’t really know better, but as long as we are all checking in with each other and all happy, we’ll keep moving forward! 

We already have memberships to the Downtown Aquarium and the Children’s Museum and we love both! We are basically 20 minutes away from everything, and so we’ve been trying to investigate the area as much as possible. Oh! My new favorite thing? The Smaland Forest in IKEA! It’s a bit of a drive for us, but I get 1.5 hours of time to wander alone while the kids play and they love it. We may go later this week to return something and just sit and work in the cafe while they play, haha! 

Ok, this post kicks off my return. If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Vic will be up soon and I have a lunch to pack. Talk to you soon!  

Fit Tip Friday (on a Tuesday): How being a SAHM keeps me fit

Edit: Hey, guys! So, I wrote this last week, but with family in town I never got it up. I was having issues with adding pictures and I kept waiting to post until it was perfect, but something is better than nothing, right? ENJOY! And don’t forget to subscribe via email to know about posts as they pop up! I’d love to hear your tips and tricks in the comment section, and please feel free to share!

Oh hey, there party people! It’s finally Friday! It is so funny how, even with being a stay at home Mom, I can still get so excited about the weekends. Clearly, it all comes down to one thing, my husband. Because let’s take a look at the life the kids and I lead:

We live at my work. 

We live at Ryker’s school. 

We do the same grouping of activities in one way or another, every day of the week. 

So, the weekends don’t really change that much for me and my day, except Daddy is home and that means that we get to watch more Walking Dead at night, haha. We are slowly switching our workout schedules to drop weekend workouts, because we basically never want to do them, but this weekend I think that we should try and make it. Vic’s parents have been in town all week and we’ve been enjoying family time instead of gym time, and we’ve also enjoyed lots of wine and your girl is carrying about FIVE POUNDS of water weight. Yes, I know it is water weight because it happened overnight and I haven’t gone about my normal routines to shed stored glycogen and water. So, today, I got in a good cardio session (I’m at 30 minutes, six days a week right now) and I got in a fantastic workout that focused on squat and bench, with shoulder and chest accessory work for strength and aesthetics. 

Moving on though, I wanted to share a few ways that being a stay at home Mom keeps me fit and working towards my goals. So many women have become bogged down by the excuse (sorry ladies, it is) that being with their kids and having a home to manage leaves them without time to focus on themselves. Well, I’m here to tell you that all you need is a big ole priority shift. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and a family that is led by a Momma that values her health, fitness, and feels good in her skin is a family that also learns their own path towards feeling confident, healthy and strong. 

NEAT: Non-exercise activity thermogenesis is basically what your body burns when you aren’t exercising to create increased output, so walking to your refrigerator, vacuuming, chasing the kids. The more you move, the more you burn, the bigger deficit you create via activity which can then be used to lose weight, or you can make up the difference with more food and increase your intake capacity a bit. This doesn’t mean go do more cardio, this means just MOVE. Go to the park with your kids, and don’t sit on the bench and scroll Instagram, chase your three year old! Push her on the swing! Play hide and seek with the big guy! This can also be as simple as getting up to get a glass of water for yourself instead of asking your hubby to get it. Vacuum that extra day instead of vegging in front of HGTV, you’ll have a cleaner house and you’ll rack up those steps. 

A CLEANING ROUTINE: Now, this goes along with NEAT a bit, but there is also a bit more to the story. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that during my prep I started showing my clean kitchen each night before bed. This habit became extremely important to me, not only did it feel nice to go to bed and wake up to a clean kitchen, but it was a positive routine. You see, positive routines breed like rabbits, they go nuts. You find one thing in your day that is TOTALLY able to to be added to your life but that for whatever reason you’ve been slacking on, and start doing it EVERY SINGLE DAY. Once you start there, you’ll find it’s so easy to keep up and it becomes a habit, not a new task. That one habit leads to “ok, my kitchen is clean and I want to fold all the laundry that is in the dryer each night”, which later becomes putting that laundry away as soon as it comes out, and it builds and builds and now you’re all over your clean house, rockin’ that Mom life and rackin’ up steps. 

NATURE/DOG WALKS: This tags along with the first two. I’ve talked about it before on my YouTube channel…I hate walking my dogs. I absolutely hate leashing them up, getting the kids outside and trying to coordinate my circus on a 20-minute walk before we go to the gym, but we do it every day that the weather allows. Not only do the dogs need the exercise, but we all need the time outside. Listen, the kids have iPads and Netflix is my sisterwife and sometimes I just want to sit down and hide under a blanket too, but we all feel better once that shit show has made its’ rounds throughout the neighborhood. In fact, for the month of November I’ve committed to either 30 minutes of play at a state or city park, or walking for at least a mile, each day with the kids. This isn’t just about the dogs, it’s about teaching the kids how important it is that every body, animal and human alike, benefits from daily exercise and that it should be treated with the same amount of respect as brushing your teeth. It’s preventative, it makes you feel good, and you’ll feel better all day once it’s done.  The kids are watching and listening, show them positive habits and be consistent! Now, Cora knows to run for the leashes once my last cup of coffee is done and we are out the door!

KIDS’ CLUB: I guarantee that unless you live in the middle of nowhere, there is a gym nearby that has a kids’ club facility and it is the greatest thing in the world. For roughly $50/month I get two hours a day, every day of the week, where the kids can go play with other children, get in their own exercise and I can regain my sanity. Yes, I understand this can be a stretch on your budget because you’ll also need a membership, but for our entire family of four I think we pay about $110/month for our membership and it is worth every penny. Also, that ‘s like one really good dinner out where we order a bottle of wine and appetizers, and we’d totally cut that out to justify the gym. We’ve experienced a wide variety of financial setups when I was in the Navy and Vic was in school, or when we moved to CA for my job and then it was a bust after six weeks, but we also make sure that when we arrange our budget the gym is included for our sanity. 

While on prep, I found a way to get in my prescribed cardio and my lifts within my allotted two hours, so I also learned how to effective and efficient within a short period of time. What I really love about our kids’ club is that they have floor to ceiling windows and the kids can see us on the cardio equipment and at the weights. This has led to many discussions and what and why I was doing certain exercises. Again, monkey see, monkey do. 

Some days can be so hectic, and some days can have a lot more seat work or cuddles on the couch, but overall my day to day life with the kids and keeping up the house leads to anywhere between 15,000 and 20,000 steps, easy. I try my hardest to work hard in the gym, but to also hold myself accountable at home and get things done so that I feel productive and avoid being sedentary as much as possible. How do your kids and your lifestyle motivate you to get things done? Could you use some help identifying dead time in your day that could be used for more activity, either in or out of the home? These are the kinds of things that I love helping my clients with! 

I hope you guys had a fantastic week! Time to do my afternoon scramble before Vic gets home, it’s been a rainy day so I’ve got thirty minutes to knock out vacuuming and swiffering the downstairs! Ready….GO!

When to Reverse and When to Cut

Well, hello there, Party People! Yesterday, I asked my Instagram followers to help me come up with a topic to write about and the one I was most excited about involved reverse dieting and cutting for someone who isn’t a competitor, and when to implement the two. 

You don’t have to get on stage in a stinky, sticky tan and ask random strangers to tell you what’s wrong with your body to want to push yourself to the limit. I’ve helped men and women implement both cuts and reverse diets where we have either successfully lost 30+ pounds or added 30+ pounds to their deadlift, both of which resulted in improved confidence and improved body image! 

So what is a reverse diet? It’s what it sounds like actually, instead of incrementally lowering intake, you walk it up with the goal of increasing your metabolic capacity. Does this automatically mean that you’ll be able to lose weight on more food down the road? Not necessarily, and that can be a big let down so it is important to keep in mind. For instance, during my offseason last year, I got to the point where I was eating roughly 2500 calories a day and doing minimal cardio. I still cannot get stage lean without getting below 1400 calories a day, and I don’t really see significant weight loss unless I’m below 1700 calories. That’s just how my body is, and knowing this allows me to prepare, mentally and physically, for my cuts. 

When do you implement a reverse diet? When you can’t diet anymore. When do you implement a cut? When you’re sick of adding more food and ready to reveal hard work. Are those answers too simple and obvious? Probably. But, I have found with my clients that as long as they are educated in the possible outcomes and needs to push for results, we can make things happen if they are willing to get uncomfortable. The coaches over at 3DMJ (check out their podcast!) make a great basic suggestion, saying that for every 4 weeks of eating in maintenance or a surplus, you’ve earned about a week of cutting. Does that mean you should diet every four weeks? That would be kind of silly, but it could help with maintenance if you get super uncomfortable with pushing food and weight. You’d essentially be spinning your wheels a bit. 

The hard part with questions like this is that it is SO individual dependent. I usually tell clients that we shouldn’t cut until we can push caloric intake to about 12-15 times their bodyweight, in many cases they come to me eating about 8-10 times their weight in calories. Ideally, we get to a place where they are eating 15 times their bodyweight and maintain there for about a month, and then we can start playing with numbers. If they are serious about cutting, we discuss how aggressive they are willing to get and where they want to go, and we develop a plan from there. 

In summary…when is the best time to stop a diet? When the diet isn’t working anymore, either physically, mentally, or both. You have to want to cut for it to work, it takes a lot of effort! That’s why the reverse and maintenance are so important, mostly to build up the mental fortitude to reduce your caloric intake and up your expenditure. I’ll tell you now, at the end of prep I was doing two hours of cardio a day, two hours of lifting and eating below 1300 calories and after my first show, five weeks out from my second, I said FUCK THIS. We needed to pull about three pounds off for the second show and I knew I didn’t have it in me to do it while being someone my family wanted to be around. I could lose the weight, eat less and do more, but I was already a bitch to be around and they don’t deserve that. So, we called it. 

I’m sorry if this doesn’t make the answer clear, but like I said before, I take the time to find what my clients want, what they’re wiling to do,  and we balance what we think is best for long term with these things in mind. I’m actually making the scary leap into opening up my client roster to double what I have now, so if you’re interested please reach out! I offer all the email and text support needed, weekly check ins and updates, everything is designed for you,  down to help with restaurant menus and grocery lists. We design workouts that work with their schedule, their equipment and their interests in mind.

Keep the questions and topics coming, I love this! Please comment below if you’d be interesting in a series of posts where I pull information from my textbooks from my Masters in Sports and Health Sciences, I figured I could dust them off and go over the basics that lead to PT certification! 

Happy Hump Day, guys! 

Creatine, worth it or just a waste of money?

Hey, friends! My first graduate degree, which I completed earlier in the summer of 2018, is in Sports and Health Sciences. Once I fell hard for the fitness lifestyle, I wanted all the information I could find! Creatine is one of the most researched supplements out there, and the following is a write up that I did for one of my courses! 

I personally use creatine monohydrate from Core Nutritionals every day. I either add one scoop to my cardio water or my training water! Five grams a day has worked for me, and I've never felt the need to use a loading phase. You can use "Kassel" to save 10% over at corenutritionals.com!

Effect of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance-Exercise Training on Muscle Insulin-Like Growth Factor in Young Adults, published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition in 2008, aimed to look at whether or not creatine supplementation actually made any difference in the strength and size gains of young men and women participating in an eight week resistance-exercise training program. The study sample consisted of 24 young men and 18 young women that had previously been involved with at least 30 minutes of structured activity 3-4 times a week, but had less than one year of resistance training experience. Eighteen of the above mentioned participants were vegetarian for at least three years, adding to the scope of the study. The researchers also hoped to understand if creatine supplementation had a different effect on the gains made by vegetarians, as opposed to non-vegetarians. (Burke et al, 2008)

Previous research and anecdotal information have led to the idea that creatine supplementation can help improve strength and size gains in those participating in a resistance training program. “Theoretically, creatine supplementation might enhance the metabolic adaptations from regular resistance-exercise training sessions, leading to greater production of insulin-like growth factor-I (IFG-I) over time.” (Burke et al., 2008) Basically, the addition of a creatine supplement has the potential to allow your body to enhance its reactions to your workouts, letting you work harder and/or longer, producing more strength and more muscle growth. Prior to the above mentioned study, the research team hypothesized that “creatine supplementation during resistance training would increase IGF-I over placebo, and vegetarians on creatine would experience greater gains than non-vegetarians". (Burke et al, 2008)

Following medical approval, a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire, a three day dietary journal and blood tests, the study began. The loading phase consisted of four doses a day of creatine, .25 g/kg of lean tissue mass for 7 days. They were to take the doses in the morning, afternoon, post workout and before bed. The maintenance phase was to be taken post workout (when it has the opportunity to increase muscle maintenance the most) and was .006 g per kg of lean tissue mass for 49 days, to coincide with 8 weeks of resistance training. The exercise program consisted of four days a week of all over body exercises that were heavy load and heavy volume. The routines worked through seven cycles, with each cycle varying from 3-5 sets of 4-12 repetitions. Training logs were used to keep track of the workout volume completed by each participant. (Burke et al, 2008)

There were no actual differences in the volume of training over the course of the entire 8 weeks of the study between the placebo or dosed groups. The creatine did lead to greater training volume for the creatine group during the second and seventh week. The researchers also found that over the study vegetarians consumed 3-400 fewer calories less per day and consumed about 60g of protein fewer than the non-vegetarian group, whether they were getting the placebo or not. While the average gain in IGF-I was 55% for the placebo group, the creatine dosed group had a 78% gain in IGF-I. (Burke et al, 2008) The creatine group had a greater increase in both strength and size. To break down the creatine dosed group, the vegetarians gained an average of 2.4 kg of lean body mass, while the non-vegetarians gained 1.9kg of lean tissue. (Burke et al, 2008) It is possible that because the vegetarians were eating a fewer amount of the essential amino acids and they entered the study with lower creatine amounts, their bodies may have been set up to absorb the benefits at a higher rate than the non-vegetarians, however, they did not indicate higher levels of IGF-I than the non-vegetarian group. “A diet low in essential amino acids reduces IGF-I production…suggesting that essential amino acids are necessary to maximize IGF-I production.” (Burke et al, 2008)

The benefits of creatine supplementation come from an increase in “high energy phosphate metabolism and training intensity”. (Burke et al, 2008) The bump in the high energy phosphate metabolism allowed for the increased volume seen in weeks 2 and 7. In conclusion, the study showed that young men and women who participate in a high volume, heavy load resistance program do indeed benefit from creatine supplementation. However, it is important to understand the correct dosages and ensure adequate nutrition and water intake to avoid any of creatine’s possible side effects, such as low blood sugar, high blood pressure and kidney stones.

Creatine. (2014, July 15). . Retrieved July 15, 2014, fromhttp://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/creatine/safety/hrb-20059125

Burke, D. G., Candow, D. G., Chilibeck, P. D., MacNeil, L. G., Roy, B. D., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Ziegenfuss, T. (2008). Effect of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance-Exercise Training on Muscle Insulin-Like Growth Factor in Young Adults. International Journal Of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, 18(4), 389-398

Always in progress

The best way to describe my fitness routine lately is “keepin’ on”, haha, or in the words of Dory I’ve chosen to “just keep swimming”, when to be honest, I just want to take lots of naps. Our September was full of travels and lots of yummy food and really, a lot of activity and solid workouts! But, I’m just worn out lately. I think October will be a good time to just settle back into routine and focus on some strength goals. I’m cutting weight just the tiniest bit due to some symptoms of a very slight prolapse I have from Cora’s birth (TMI?), so I’ve also reduced my running and I’m back to incline walking.

I’ll have much more for this space soon, to include workouts, my favorite exercise of the week, recipes, and tips on how to get more movement and balance into each day! Thanks for following along, and as always, feel free to reach out via email at c.kassel@yahoo.com if you’d like some help building your best self!