Am I eating enough calories? | Day 14 of 90
Hey guys!
Time for my week 2 check in! 14 days down and I am LOVING this sense of focus and purpose I have right now. I needed this 90 Day Journey so much.
You see, my personality thrives off of challenges. My friends say I live my life in sets of challenges. When I don’t have a goal set and I am not working towards something (this is in business, fitness, or pretty much any area of my life) I don’t do well living in moderation. I feel like I am flailing. For some people, that may sound “imbalanced” or whatever you want to call it, but the truth is – this IS my balance. I am just an intense person. I am the opposite of a chill person. I am probably the most un-chill person you will ever meet! If I am happy, I will be bouncing off the walls, jumping, screaming and crying because I am so excited! If I am upset, I will be a depressed potato of sadness on the couch, also crying, because I cry about everything. Extreme is me – and yeah, Sam has to deal with A LOT because I do not stop 🙂
Anyway…check out my workout outfits of the week! I did not forget to take a pic of cardio day this time so I have all 6 pics this week. Yay!
All tops from POPFLEX Basics Collection
OMG, also check this out…
POPFLEX Cloud hoodie in Heather Grey
Can we apreesh the beginnings of a leg muscle pop!!?? This is the first sign of physical progress in my body and I AM STOKED!!! I did not expect any sort of visual progress this fast, but it’s so cool to see because it means that I am on the right path on my 90 Day Journey to Muscle!
Here is my week 2 recap in my 90 Day Journal.
Main things I noticed this past week:
Food wise: I noticed myself reaching for nuts and avocado, which tells me that my body wanted more fats. So, I added that into my diet on top of what I had already planned out. (Interestingly, this was not happening in week 1.) Currently writing out my week 3 meal plan and will be adding more fats.
Workout wise: I am so proud of myself for lifting HEAVIER this week and for running FASTER too! Overall, my strength AND endurance are improving and I am feeling really happy about that. I do notice that my muscles get physically exhausted by the end of the week, so I have to take my rest day early. This past week, I took Friday off. I still ran in the morning but I went for a super deep tissue massage in the evening. It was perfection and helped me rest up for a weekend of intense workouts.
Sleep wise: I am failing. A few days this past week I averaged about 4-5 hours a night (it’s tough with all of the POPFLEX launches and the growth of the company – it’s so exciting and I keep wanting to go go go and never stop). NEED TO WORK ON THISSSSS and prioritize sleep! The lack of sleep left me with a headache towards the end of the week which forced me to go to bed earlier. I got some 8-9 hour nights a couple sleeps in a row. That was all nice until…my weekend sleeps were riddled with bad dreams. Dealing with some personal stuff right now and seems like my brain won’t stop til the problem is solved. (See what I mean by how I can’t chill?)
So, week 2 results?
All in all, I have gained 0.6 lbs since the start! Last week I got my period, so that explains the sharp increase in weight and then the slight drop after.
Now, I want to address a concern that I keep seeing in the comments. I see that some of you are questioning my diet, saying that I am in a severe caloric deficit, starving, and that I am not eating enough.
Let’s get one thing straight – everyone’s body is different and everyone will react to caloric intake and caloric burn differently based on genetics, metabolism, and past exercise history. If you are not me, then you do not know what is too much or too little for my body. Seeing arbitrary numbers floating around the internet and deciding what’s healthy and what’s not for a person you have only met through YouTube videos, IG posts, and blog posts is not a fair or accurate way to prescribe caloric intake for someone.
For those of you who followed along on my first 90 Day Journey, you understand how this works. I start somewhere based on my best knowledge of my body, and then I listen to my body, tweak and keep tweaking until I get the results I want. Thus far, I have gained 0.6 lbs over 2 weeks. I am very full, have great energy and am physically lifting heavier and running faster. Until I get my next Dexa scan, I won’t know if that weight gain is muscle mass or something else, but the fact that I am lifting heavier pushes me to believe it’s muscle, which is the entire goal of this journey! So, to put those comments to rest, as much as some people may want to believe it, NO I am not starving and NO I am not in a severe caloric deficit.
For weeks 3 and 4, I am keeping my workouts the same but will be tweaking my meal plan to keep things exciting. Like I said at the top of this post, I noticed that last week my body wanted more avocado and nuts so I will be increasing my fat grams this coming week to see how I feel. I will keep my protein grams the same, around the 150-ish range, because it’s been wonderful for my muscle growth. It will be interesting to increase my overall caloric intake for week 3 because I am curious if this will increase the rate of which I am gaining muscle and if it will help me lift even heavier!
Ok it’s 10:29pm and I should be in bed now. BYE!
24 thoughts on “Am I eating enough calories? | Day 14 of 90”
There are 24 comments posted by our users.
I love this I don’t eat a lot I have put. My body through some intense training over the years so I feel I would be criticized for under fueling myself too But you do you!!!
Nice routine. I am thinking to make a diet plan for myself as well.
We love and trust you, Cassey, because you’re honest. Go for it! And look after yourself.
Don’t you find it boring to do the same workouts every week? Or does it give motivation because you can easily see the weights you increase?
Nope, not boring at all! I like revisiting and getting stronger.
Hi Cassey. First of all it’s super exciting that you’re embarking on this muscle journey. Know that you’ll totally nail it 😉. And of course you are inspirational as always. I’ve never commented before, just simply followed along for a long while. I would like to share that I too will be joining in on a 90 journey towards a better state of me fiscally, did a mentally journey first a long time ago ☺️ Very excited to go for this with a clear head and can relate to a lot of things you’ve gone through. On that note, I totally know how you feel with not being able to switch off at night and sleep. Been there too. Just as you think “okay, go to sleep now!” Your brain starts to ADHD again about things. And I know that most of the time it’s about things you still have to get done. The trick I found that worked for me 🙂 and if you’d like to try it, is to simply stop thinking about work. I know it sounds obvious, but don’t just stop thinking about work and think sleep. Replace your thoughts 😄 Think of stuff that relaxes you instead. Recap on good moments even. You might just fall asleep faster 😉. So that said. Wishing you awesome luck with the journey and also can’t wait to see the results. I simply love before and after pics of challenges
Cassie,
Thank you for being brave and sharing this challenge with us. It never ceases to amaze me how people think they know your body and what you need. I applaud you for pushing yourself to meet YOUR goals. I know you had that metabolic testing (maybe that’s not it but the blood work you had that gave you all that info about your genetics and metabolic make-up), so you happen to be fairly knowledge about your own body. Don’t stop doing you!
Have you considered that people here are just trying to help? It seems unlikely that people have made it as far as the blog because they don’t like you.
Saying that 1500 calories is very low for the amount of exercise and the goal of building muscle is just energetics. Even if your maintenance was 1000 calories (which would be very low) an extra 500 calories with this amount if exercise is unlikely to provide a surplus for muscle building. And sure the plan is for you, but young and impressionable people will find it and think that this is normal amount of calories for these goals which, for most people, will not be the case. You are so much more than a muscle percentage and if you did gain weight, no one would care, it’s totally fine but you know that.
Not a hate comment, just realism 🙂
Thank you at last someone mention this! But she would careless.. no hate but really 1.5k is like a maintenance for my high school cousin (F) about her height and weight… she is clearly under eating and Teens can easily fall for this as they don’t know any better
Have you considered that if she wanted help she would’ve asked for it?
Thanks for sharing your journey so openly. I started my own 90 day journey this week and your posts help me on my journey too.
You inspire me and so many others. You shine so bright! I feel so energized by your energy alone. Watching you grow over the years is amazing. I love watching you conquer your goals. I pray you begin to rest and embrace just how awesome you are. I love when you said it is just who you are and as an overachiever and similar personality I completely understand. But I am learning for my personal sanity and my family it’s so important to be still and embrace just how far we have come and all the goodness around. Always looking for the next win we often miss the beauty in the now. You, your husband and your team deserve it. Blogilates will continue to soar because it is destined. You will continue to soar because it is destined. Relax..
I am so excited about the muscle pop. Thanks for sharing and being inspirational.
I understand the calorie intake, the important thing is you are trying and willing to adjust if necessary and of course that you’re not starving, haha. Anyway, I am jeally and want some muscle pop of my own, so I better use that cute 90 day journal I bought! My muscles pop on my shoulders when I get a good routine going, love it! Can’t wait for your next update.
well i really hope you gain some fat too, your body needs it! you should really be a fashion designer (or better yet, a devoted mom soon) and give up fitness and diet obsession so you can live comfortably and your body and psyche can finally relax and enjoy your life without worrying about measurements and calories, etc <3
I usually don’t comment on anything, but I just felt a need to say something about this kind of comment. Cassey DOES seem happy and to be doing what she most enjoys in her life right now. She is doing what SHE wants to do and adjusting her body the way she feels like it. Having a chill lifestyle might be how some people prefer it, but that doesn’t give those people a right to make it seem superior to anyone else’s choice of how they live their life if their choice is not obviously harmful like smoking and doing drugs. Everyone has their own path in life. Probably the people commenting on her diet are also people who are jealous of how motivated she is and how great she can control what she eats. These people just want to feel better about themselves. Anyway, I am not trying to be offensive or anything. I just know how it feels when there are people who think they know better about how someone should live their life. It’s ridiculous. <3
Wow. Completely unsolicited and blythe disregard for the vulnerable and careful process Casey is sharing with us. Also, it’s 2022, drop the “better yet you should really be a devoted mom” comments. If you absolutely have to, apply the pressure to yourself, not strangers you happen to follow.
This is so awful, I hope your comment gets deleted. Who do you think you are to tell her what she should do? She doesn’t need to do any of those things. First of all, this is not obsession, like wth and not everyone wants kids and that’s okay!!! Can’t you see how happy she is already? Just let her be and mind your own business.
Telling people what they should or should not be is toxic. Everyone has their own goals and values in life that makes them happy and as long as it is done in a healthy manner (she’s exercising to feel stronger, she’s adding healthy fats to her meal plans to be balanced, etc.) then there’s nothing wrong with challenging yourself in a way that you see works best for you. It’s especially offensive to call it an obsession instead of a passion. She’s worked hard to be where she’s at and to minimize her progress that way is very discouraging. As for the being a fashion designer but better yet a mother, why can’t she do both? Or neither if she so chooses? Being a parent is a huge decision that isn’t for everyone. When she and Sam are ready, if they ever are, they will make that decision for themselves. Let people make their own choices which are best for them.
Cassey! You’re so awesome!! I’m really over the hate you get 🙁 I started doing your workouts in 2013/14 and I was so excited to see an Asian woman just rocking life (since I’m an Asian woman) and especially being a healthy fitness icon vs like a lot of problematic pop culture-y fitness trendy things. You’re such an inspiring star of a person and I hope you always keep your shine on, girl!
Your period may be why you were gravitating towards more fats– women preferentially burn different calorie sources based on hormone fluctuations (Sims et al 2021). That will be really cool to track throughout your inspiring journey!!
Hey Cassey. I’m glad to hear you’re including more fats into next week’s plan. In my experience, I crave high fat foods when I’m in too much of a calorie deficit. Since I’m a similar weight, age, and I work out ~6 days a week also, I’ll just let you know that I need 1800kcal to gain muscle. Everyone is different but it does sound like you need at least a bit more. I’m glad you’ve gained a bit of weight but it’s so little it could honestly be noise. I wouldn’t focus too much on it yet until you confirm if it’s a trend.
I’m glad you are also finding yourself able to lift more. I am a bit worried this plan isn’t exactly optimal or very efficient for muscle gain. Have you ever considered running a strength plan? If you’re worried about gym bros there are people like Meg Squats, Michelle McDaniel, Natacha Oceane and many more who are women that create strength programs. I personally liked Barbell Medicine plans and you could always hire a strength coach. The only reason I’m saying anything is that your plan just seems like it is less efficient than it could be and you could probably gain more muscle with a bit less complexity. If your exercise makes you happy that’s great.
Good luck and please sleep more!
My significant other is a Type 3 on the enneagram. He is the “Achiever”. He can’t slow down. He’s a workaholic and gets like 5 hours of sleep as well. The only reason I sort of understand where you’re coming from is because you might be a Type 3 personality. You just look up the “Enneagram” test online and answer the questions and see!
I hope you know that not everyone is trying to attack you or be rude. I think some people on here genuinely care about you. Not everything people are suggesting is just random numbers on the internet…to build muscle, you do need to be in a caloric surplus. It seems like you are wanting to do a lean bulk rather than actual bulk for a specific aesthetic, which is fine I guess. Good luck to you!
Certified Personal here! There is nothing wrong with the diet you are following! Many body builders eat more, but for someone just starting out with heavy lifting and seeing how your body does with it I think you are doing great. I’m a petite woman and 1500 calories would still be a slight surplus for me too.
Honestly my only concern was doing cardio before lifting instead of vice versa (to save the most strength for lifting) but if that’s your preferred time it’s fine too. You are doing great! Just get more sleep lol. I’m excited for more updates.
Omg I am even happier to see this!!!! I swear my Instagram has me convinced I’m undereating and now I’m lifting heavy just to make me be able to eat more!!