Choosing less. | Day 21 of 90
Hey guys!
Week 3 is complete! I need to schedule my next Dexa Scan because Day 30 is going to be here in just 9 days! I am so curious to see what my muscle building methods have amassed to.
Clothes from top left going clockwise: (1) Tone Bra and Ultimate Hourglass Biker shorts with pockets. (2) Captivate Bra and Nike shorts. (3) Glow Bra and Sprint Shorts. (4) Warm Up Hoodie and Nike shorts. (5) Alpine Bra and Ultimate Hourglass shorts with pockets in Mocha. (6) Belle Sweater and Mesh Gloves.
Here is my Week 3 recap in my 90 day Journal:
Workouts:
This week, I did something different. I actively chose to do less. I realized that I had been going so hard (in fact, too hard) that I was waking up feeling exhausted for my next workout instead of feeling ready to crush it. So, I chose to run slower, cover less distance, and I did not up my weights in every exercise.
This decision is something that takes effort for me to do, as naturally, I am an overachiever in my blood. But, I am so glad I made doing less a focus this week, because today, Sunday, I felt the benefits of proper recovery. My run felt more effortless and my weight lifting session felt more powerful.
Food:
I am sooo obsessed with the food I am eating, especially my rice cakes and avo meal. I seriously cannot get enough of it. I am thinking of maybe including it 2x a day on my menu next week!? We’ll see when I rewrite my meal plan tonight.
Oh, but what I CANNOT include…is greek yogurt. I mean, I KNOW I am lactose intolerant and my skin breaks out when I have dairy, but I wanted to create my own high protein homemade dressing. Halfway through the week, I developed a huge pimple on my chin. UGH. Sad times because it was awesome getting that extra protein in in a creative way.
Sleep:
In general, sleep hours increased this week. I averaged around 7 hours a night which was fantastic! HOWEVER – I keep waking up around 3 or 4am due to stressful dreams and then I have to get up to pee too. I actually think my overfull bladder is causing the stress dreams, so I will vow to NOT drink so much water right before bed. I will be better about spreading out my hydration throughout the day time.
Week 3 Weigh In:
From the beginning of my 90 Day Journey to muscle, I have gained 2.2 lbs! I am really excited to get my Dexa Scan in 9 days to see how much of that weight gain is muscle weight. I want to gather some numerical data to help guide my next step.
However, looks like I might be heading in the right direction:
Thank you for your positive comments on my latest IG post. You know, I had been thinking maybeeee I was seeing some gains, but I didn’t want to give myself too much credit this early in the journey. Your encouragement truly empowered me and made me smile deep, deep inside. Thank you.
I can’t wait to tackle week 4. See you tomorrow for my meal plan update!
10 thoughts on “Choosing less. | Day 21 of 90”
There are 10 comments posted by our users.
Building muscle takes time and strategy when you are going for size. Obvioiusly you are already strong and can do endurance workouts but to gain shape, and size don’t be discouraged if you get to 90 days and all you see is a leaner body but no actual change to your shape, like for example: i widened my hips two inches to create a rounder hip area then boney one. it took eating more for one year and going on and off training. i didn’t train my glutes more than once a week for the first three months, then upped to two days. you def. do not want to be tired at your next training day. weight lifting takes all the energy to focus on form.bc unlike pilates, the biomechanics involved are very unique to you–how long is your torso vs your thigh bone and shine. maybe you’re so flexible you don’t feel your lats as much doing the same move someone ele didd…etc etc. I’m glad you’re aiming for strength—with strength comes some increase in size at first. you can lose the small amt of fat later just how it is to build muscle. you can’t buiild out of ‘nothing’ and really eating just 200 over maintenance is enough to see some muscle gains…just make it protein XD. I made the mistake of eating “whatever” the first three months and was bloated more than usual. Good luck! you are looking fine as always :). I think your body is goals no matter how it’s been over the years. You’re gorgeous.
How has 3 weeks gone by already?! Keep up the great work
Have you tried using silken tofu as a dressing base? It’s high protein, and can handle basically any flavoring so it might help your dressing dilemma. I love a tofu ranch…I tofu, lots of dill, parsley, whatever other herbs I feel like and lemon juice in a blender and instant creamy dressing. Tofu green goddess would be sooo good too
You know what, that is a great idea. I don’t know why i didn’t think of that. Thank you!!
Tofu ranch?! Genius
It is awesome to see your progress after just 21 days! I can see a difference already which is insane!
Hi Cassey! I just wanted to understand how you define what a calorie deficit is and if you looked into any published research when creating your meal and workout plans. I have followed you for so long and want to continue supporting you but I also want to make sure you are not harming yourself unintentionally. I think many commenters have a genuine concern for you as well as other influencers who may have spoken out. Getting other opinions to make your muscle building journey more efficient isn’t a bad thing especially when it is their specialty.
Yes! These aren’t just arbitrary numbers I pulled out of nowhere. I used published research and guidance from my RD to choose a calorie level that felt good as a starting point. The “textbook” equations are important and helpful, but ultimately fitness plans need some level of personalization too. And like I said, that was just a starting point. I’ve already made several adjustments to my meal plan and workouts and this process is working for me so far!
Lea, did you read her blog post at all? She literally says: “I actively chose to do less. I realized that I had been going so hard (in fact, too hard) that I was waking up feeling exhausted for my next workout instead of feeling ready to crush it. So, I chose to run slower, cover less distance, and I did not up my weights in every exercise.”
Didn’t mean any shade to Cassey. I just wanted to ask some questions that I’ve had for a bit and was kind of scared to ask. I do love Cassey and shes such a determined woman and just want to better understand how she catered her program for herself because literature I have seen seems very contradicting so I just wanted to ask. Again nothing but respect for Cassey just wanted to ask as the fitness world is full of contradictory messages and she has a wonderful platform to provide clarifications.