I say “brutally honest” because my before shots are so abysmal! I wasn’t even trying to go for those magazine ad-style shots where the model is all slumped and pasty before trying a fat-loss product, but ti sure looks like it.
Here are a couple of comparisons:
Over this 3 month period, according to the calipers, I lost 10% body fat. Another comparison, just for fun:
I still have far to go in the 1 month remaining before our contest in Austin, Texas but regardless of how I look on stage I am very happy with how far I’ve come even now (you can view earlier posts on my progress here on our blog as well). Before taking a look at these comparisons I was feeling quite down about my progress due to the fact that pregnancy changed my body in certain insurmountable ways: exacerbating my scoliosis so that I now have a pronounced lean to the left in my stance and my left shoulder blade juts out, not to mention the strange islands of fat and cellulite that are taking their time in dissipating! That despondency lasted only a moment, though, because I am damn fortunate to have a healthy, intelligent son out of the deal and the grueling training and diet for this contest has gotten me back into the gym without back pain again!
I say “diet” only in the loosest sense, because our contest strategy is so radically different from the norm that compared to what most competitors eat we’ve been enjoying a regular feast. I refuse to eat processed fake meats and lots of protein powder in order to get excessive protein in my diet, so the changes you see above were effected with a diet comprised of mainly vegetables and beans, some fruit and whole grains and no more than 2 scoops of PlantFusion protein a day. We do cut back on whole grains and eliminate fruit in the very last stages of contest prep but still eat a much higher percentage of calories from carbohydrates than is common for contest preparation because we continue to eat beans every day.
Some highlights of our strategy over the last 3 months:
- A very gradual reduction in calories. We determined early on that I would need to maintain my (over)weight for longer than I would have liked in order to gain muscle and stimulate my metabolism for the fat loss phase ahead. This was because I lost a lot of muscle during and post pregnancy and couldn’t afford to lose more due to too-rapid fat loss. My maintenance calories, at 5’2 and 125-ish pounds were about 2500. We’ve systematically dropped them in increments of 200 and I am now at 1000 calories a day plus some calories from extra salads and vegetables. We don’t limit those!
- A hell of a lot of grueling cardio. I began at 20 minutes a day three days a week and ramped it up to one hour a day, 6 days a week plus 90 minutes of Bikram yoga plus extra cardio that I can fit in plus weekly belly dance rehearsals for summer shows. The majority of the cardio I do involves pushing 40 pounds of stroller and baby over hilly terrain in 90 degree temperatures because that’s the only way to fit it in, as well as trail running and stair climbing. When I start to run out of steam by the end of the week, I allow myself some time on the exercise bike.
- Calorie cycling. Once I got into the realm of 1400 calories a day, I started adding in a “refeed”day every Sunday that has significantly higher carbohydrates and calories than I eat throughout the week. This is a necessity as I know from past experience that my metabolism slows to nothing if I eat too few calories for too long. It’s also standard practice.
Our meal plans and strategy are shared in much greater detail in our book – available on Amazon and at other booksellers as well as a Kindle or paper book. Cross your fingers for me this final month – and look for sample meals and workouts from myself and all the other competitors in Vegan Health and Fitness Magazine this fall!
Thanks for sharing! You look beautiful! I am signing up for the online studio asap for some more information and tips.
Great, amazing cutting so far Marcella! When will Derek be posting his update though? Would be very keen to see that.
Also do you know when you’e next doing a vegan cruise? I’d love to join one next time!
1000 calories??!! are you ok??
Oh yeah, as I mentioned I’m not counting calories from things like salads, vegetables or condiments. My actual calories are probably closer to 1300. Surprisingly, I guess because the food I’m left with on this diet is so nutrient dense I actually have a lot of energy. Which is good or I’d never be able to do all the cardio.
Marcella thank you for posting this. Its so refreshing to see real before and after photos that have not been photoshopped. Your transformation has been amazing. I’m a mom to three boys, my first pregnancy was with twins and I gained 80 pounds. I am now 44 years old. Since going plant based and working out I have been able to get back to my age 20 size and I’m still a work in progress as well. Good Luck in Austin, you are going to rock it!!!
Great job and thank you!
Amazing progress!!! Looking forward to meeting you and Derek in 3 weeks and cheering you on!
I have a question. I’m curious about this refeed method. I have just a little bit of giggle around my upper thighs that I would like to get rid of if possible in the next 3 weeks. Do you think eliminating fruit and cutting calories/carbs would work? I worry about cutting too much out of fear that my body will go into starvation mode and just hold onto everything. If I did the refeed method once a week would that prevent lowering of my metabolism? Thanks for you help!
Thanks Christy – we will see you there in 3 short weeks!
I’m not sure if it would work to simply cut carbs and calories and add a cheat day – it might be that simple, but in the past that approach didn’t work for me. I’ve always been anti-calorie-counting, so that was how I first approached getting the cellulite off my thighs several years ago: I ate less, lower carb and had a cheat meal every weekend. And nothing happened.
A methodical approach is more likely to succeed. You could do the following:
-Record a typical day of meals in our free diet planner or an online program to see how many calories you’re eating and what your %’s from protein, carbs, and fat are. This only works if you’re eating enough quality calories now and aren’t already in starvation mode! For a lot of clients we have to increase calories or correct the diet first. But since you’re a plant-based chef you’re probably already eating well so:
-Start with a carb-heavy cheat meal to stimulate your metabolism
-The following week drop your calories by about 200, and make sure those calories come from high carb foods, for example eat two bananas less a day than you normally would or less oatmeal
-Assess yourself at the end of the week and see if you’ve made progress. Maybe with pictures or a pinch fold with some cheap calipers? If you have then you don’t need to reduce further yet; have your cheat meal and keep your calories the same the following week! You only need to reduce further if you’re stuck. If you are stuck, then have your cheat meal and drop another 200 calories the following week.
-Don’t drop your calories too low for your activity level! The calculator in my spreadsheet will give you a reasonable guideline.
Everyone loses fat differently…Derek, for example, has had to do virtually nothing but eat clean this entire contest prep to lose 5% body fat. Calorie cycling is a neat trick for those with stubborn spots, though! You’ll have to let me know what you think if you give it a try before we see you in Austin!
Thank you so much for the tips! I’ve starting cutting my calories this week, tracking everything in MyFitnessPal app. I was a little more than 300 calories deficient yesterday so I will keep a close watch to make sure I’m not going too low. I’m also training so much so it’s hard to keep a balance ya know! Yesterday mid-day I was so tired I had to take a nap and I never take naps. That was my body probably telling me I either needed more calories or needed a break? It’s such an interesting process finding what works! 🙂 And guys are so lucky. It’s not fair lol!!