Happy Monday!
I’m sooo glad y’all liked my pics from yesterday! The weekend was so much fun. I’m already looking forward to the three day weekend coming up– there’s lots more exploring I wanna do 
Okay. Prepare yourselves for LONG post…
Now that I’m all moved into my apartment, settling into life in a new town, and getting into a routine, it’s time to get back on the right track to seriously putting on mass.
Initially, I wanted to find a trainer and hire them to help me. But at the moment, I just don’t have the dolla dolla bills. (insert my coupon-clipping, resourceful, and cheapskate college kid ways)
So what did I do? I got crafty.
First, I re-read some of my favorite nutrition/weight lifting books and calculated my needed calories and such. WHY DIDN’T I DO THIS SOONER?! Sometimes your best resources are staring you in the face.
Second, I went to local supplement shops and asked the managers/employees for tips. A few reiterated what the books said: increase carbs, lift heavy, and be patient. Others just tried to sell me weight gainer proteins that cost serious $$$$. One guy even said I had hyperthyroidism and wanted me to call a doctor immediately to get my hormones checked because I looked like death 
…it scared the living daylights out of me to say the least…
Third, I sat down and physically wrote some stuff down: my goals and factors that made me lose weight (so I can recognize what to avoid).
My goals:
- Gain weight. While I would love it to be pure muscle, I know that’s just stupid and unrealistic.
- Make new PR’s
- Read the Bible every morning pre-workout to get in the zone
- Stop stressing over the frivolous things of the past or future and learn to appreciate and enjoy the present
- Random– find a cool internship for next summer or Christmas break (hey, gotta have one college-based goal
)
Factors that made me lose weight:
- the EXTREME stress from my organic chemistry 1 and 2 courses over summer
- not fueling the right way because I was trying too hard to be strict paleo
- being super busy with hectic-ness of moving and flat out not having time (which is a crappy excuse i know)
~~~~
So here’s the gameplan:
Training-wise, I’ll be doing the Body Scultping Bible Routine by Hugo Rivera. I did this one about a year ago and experienced some of the greatest gains of my life. This site has the basic split if you’re interested in learning more. The only thing I’m straying from in that plan is the cardio– I’m gonna try to keep that to a major minimum, with the exception of walking on campus and walking/exploring beaches. 
Fuelage: I don’t want to focus on macros and calories and all that nonsense, but I do want to try to make my diet at least 50% carbs to help the bulking process. It’ll probably end up being something like a 40c/40p/20f bulk, but I’m not seriously tracking it.
I’m going to try to keep it paleo-ish since being grain free has truly saved my intestines. The exceptions: Ezekiel bread, peanut butter, cottage cheese, and the occasional tofu for pudding. I think Ezekiel bread is really gonna help on the carb front. I LOVED it pre-paleo and a girl can only live on so many sweet potatoes before she turns an ungodly shade of orange haha
my baked oompa loompas
Basically, I’m thinking it’ll look like the plan below. I listed some random meals as examples:
Pre-WO: C4 pre-workout, fat+protein (nuts and chicken)
Intraworkout: Xtend BCAA’s
Post-WO: Protein+fruit+fat*** (shake with banana, whey, almond milk and pb)
Snack: Protein bar
Lunch: Carb+protein+veggies+fat (turkey sandwich on ezekiel bread with carrots and pb)
Snack: Protein bar
Dinner: Carb+protein+veggies (large sweet potato, chicken breast, okra and broccoli)
Snack: Protein+fat (frozen nutty egg white dessert)
***Lots of bodybuilders don’t recommend having fats post workout since it “slows the synthesis of protein,” but I find it works a lot better for my body energywise. It’s all personal preference though.
And regarding snacks–I’m in class or lab A LOT, so I need something convenient and not stinky like eggs. The protein bars I have will probably be quest bars or homemade.
~~~~
I plan on doing a weekly check-in over the next 12 weeks as I do this program with updates on progress, pictures, and any realizations. I’m so stoked to start this after being derailed thanks to pooptastic o-chem. :/
This is going to be a trial and error. Thanks to the struggles over the summer, I’ve realized that nothing is perfect, and for the first time, I’m okay with that. Living here and finally being genuinely happy has given me a newfound vigor for life.
This is a journey, not a destination.
This is a time for healing, both mentally and physically.
So, starting today, let’s DO THIS!!
sounds like a good plan. I think God will help with the less stress. xxoo
AMEN!!!
Good for you, girl! Sounds like a great plan to me! I looove my Ezekiel bread ;D
It seems like you have really thought everything out well and have a great gameplan set to go! If someone told me to go see a doctor because I looked like death I would be a little scared too (then I might give the person who said it a piece of my mind haha). That is good that you are acknowledging that the weight gain may not be pure muscle, that is a great way to start out this goal!
P.S I also love the bible reading goal! I love doing a bit of devotions in the morning it always helps me start the day with the right mind set and gives me a subdued peace to start off the day!
Thanks so much for the support Sarah
And yes! Peace sure does resonate from bible reading, it feels so calming!
wohoo!!!!! super excited for you. cant wait to see your progress!!
YAYAYAY GO ALEX!
Haha I have gone into GNC and asked the big guys for bulking advice. They just tried to sell me mass gainer too and I was like uhh no… O_o I am so happy for you! Carbs have SERIOUSLY helped me. I like the health benefits of Paleo but I don’t Paleo has enough carbs! I NEED MY CARBS!!! Haha I love Ezekiel bread too, but I’ve been all about P28! And no cardio has helped me tremendously. I do about one 15 minute stairmaster session per week and one workout that includes plyometrics, which if anything has helped me build muscle in the the legs. I am rooting for you. You inspire me with EVERYTHING you do!!! 
I’ve been looking forward to this post for a long time now! This all sounds great…and I love your amendments to the Paleo plan! Those are what I would add in too…and yogurt & oats
! I didn’t realise that tofu wasn’t Paleo-friendly though -interesting! I sort of had an epiphany too in terms of eating- I am going to stop worrying if I’m eating too much/too little and enough/too little of macros..I am just going to trust my body and go with the flow. Eventually it will all balance out. It’s only been a few days but I’m already feeling better!
Awesome Khushboo! Keep us posted on how that goes, I know you’re gonna benefit so much from just trusting your body and eating intuitively
It looks like you have an awesome plan in place! I LOVE that ezekiel bread! It’s amazing! And your nutrition plan is so solid! I’m loving it! I can’t wait to see the results you get from this!
Awesome job for doing all that research and coming up with a plan of action, Alexandra
It sounds like you’ve put a lot of time and thought into it, and I’m sure you’ll be rewarded for the hard work. Figuring out what to eat/how much to eat can be such a pain in the butt, so don’t get too discouraged if everything doesn’t work – just keep an eye on things and make modifications accordingly 
It’s awesome that you’ll be taking this journey with God, because He wants what’s best for you and if you trust Him, He’ll never lead you astray.
Happy Monday, girlie!
Thanks so much Amanda!! And totally agree with you– God sure is amazing to love us no matter what happens in life. I don’t know what I’d do without His guidance
I’m attempting whole30 next month to see how that goes; I would ideally like to gain weight, too, but also want to make sure my body is liking what’s going on in it. I’m skinny, and you’re even skinnier than me, so I’m interested to hear how it goes!
It’s so true, when you are exactly where God wants you to be, you will be happy, full of life, and ready to do what He calls you to do. I’m really happy you feel as if you’re where you’re supposed to be. This is going to be a great year for you <3
Girl this really is awesome, and to be honest, Im super excited for you!! It really looks like you are getting this all figured out. Whats most important is you have the DESIRE, which is the biggest part
And now I feel creepy for commenting on both of your posts in a row.. BUT I have to lol I LOVE doing bible studies first thing in the morning! It puts me in the right mindset for the whole day, SO important
And dude you are so inspiring. I’m trying to gain muscle as well and the fact that some of the weight I’m gaining ISNT muscle, it’s mentally frustrating. But we are ladies, we can have a little bit of curve right? Haha. Anyway, its so awesome to know I’m not alone in having to deal with not being pure muscle (if only that were possible, we could be superheros.) and all of that. Your plan sounds awesome though, get it girllll!
Ezekiel bread is the BEST!
Alex! I’m so happy that you are being your own best advocate and doing what’s best for YOU! I follow your instagram and saw where you got a lot of negative responses on the progress pic you posted. My first reaction was just that you looked like you didn’t feel well. I think that a lot of the responses were just worry for you and your health. Have you ever thought about taking some time off and just letting your body rest and repair itself? I’ve followed for a while and it seems that from the start of your recovery from ED you’ve been a religious weight lifter and always been really strict with your eating habits. Please don’t think I’m attacking you or saying you don’t take care of yourself, I just know how difficult it is for our bodies to repair themselves when recovering from an ED. From reading this post it seems like you are really informed about nutrition and the diet you are following, heck you could probably be a nutritionist without a degree! But I also know that sometimes it’s really hard for us to see things from an outsiders perspective. Way to be proactive with decisions regarding your health, I’m sure your new plan is going to do wonders for ya, and if not I’m sure you’ll change things up until you find what works! Sorry for the massive comment (paragraph) Hope you’re having a marvelous Monday
Wow thank you so much Hannah! It’s people like you that keep me motivated and on the right track, I appreciate your support more than you know!
It’s funny you should mention just taking a break– I took most of last week off from lifting because I just couldn’t muster up the energy and I wanted to sleep 24/7 after moving haha 
I think the lack of energy paired with the IG comments and stress made me realize I had to get back in the driver’s seat for my health. I let it stay on the backburner a bit too long haha Prayer, rest, God’s love, and an awesome support system including friends like you, will help me get back to the old me, I just know it! 
Thanks again girl, you rock 
Awh shucks girly I’m glad my support means so much to you! I’m also so glad you didn’t take my comment negatively, I was afraid of coming across as snarky :-\ Doing what’s best for ourselves isn’t always easy so it’s so encouraging and inspirational to see you doing just that! I wish you all the best and if you ever need anything feel free to email me
ps- happy to hear you took some time off because YOU wanted to
aw I am so happy you are in such a good place. I love hearing about this because I see your focus and your drive. you are such an inspiration to me so i want to let you know that. can’t wait to hear more!
I’m so glad you took the time to come up with those plans and realizations. I hope they’ll help you to achive your goals and become happy; you know,I think you’ve been stressing out too much about all that weight gain/ training/ “perfect” diet-thingie lately and it would be good for you if this time,it just WORKS.
Keeping you in my prayers and thoughts,lovely lady,you’re gonna rock this! <3
Your list of goals sound realistic and I’m sure you can accomplish them! The sweet potatoes look so adorable
!
same for me PWO! I started doing whole eggs instead of egg whites or at least coconut oil because i found that it gives me more energy – I doubt it really hinders anything anyways haha. I usually just have a shake with water immediately then about 30-40 mins later a bigger meal. cant wait to see your progress!
Oh wow so glad I came across your blog, this is awesome… I have actually been thinking about going on the Paleo diet as I need to lose weight as I have been injured I have gained a few unwanted kilos and was going to get that book in fact! Hmmm btw those potatoes look good haha Im an odd child who loves anything potatoe…
Anyway good luck with gaining pure muscle… I am sure you can do it! Hope you don’t mind that I am following your blog, it’s really interesting! 
Auds
Thanks so much for following!! And I wish you the best of luck on your fitness journey too, you can do it!
Knew I was looking forward to this post for a reason! You have such a positive/balanced attitude toward progress. I’m in a similar boat as you–I have GOT to add some weight, and I have to acknowledge that it can’t be straight muscle, gotta get the pounds there before you can convert them/have fuel to build muscle! I’ve completely cut out cardio other than walking, too, and it’s been a good month of that and it’s really treating me well, so I hope it works for you! Mmm, PB, that would definitely hold me back from a paleo diet, haha. Kudos to you for realizing strict won’t cut it–I’ve definitely been a little more relaxed about the vegan thing as I’ve been trying to gain weight too, you just end up with so many limiting rules that may not be exactly what your body needs right now. Good luck with your changes and goals, and I can’t wait to see your progress!
And the Body Sculpting Bible is in my Amazon cart right now ;D
Dude we are soul sisters for sure– thanks so much for the encouragement and support!!! You rock, my friend
And I can’t wait to hear what you think of the book!
This sounds like a fantastic plan – it’s great that you were really logical about it and that you have a really positive attitude towards it!! I can’t wait to hear all about the progress you make and about you experiences
I’m sure it’s all going to go really well for you!
I’m trying to lose the bit of weight that I put on during exam period due to stress and the fact that I was forced to be inactive, whilst still eating really nutritiously and without making myself feel negative about food or my body. It’s going quite well so far and you’re such a positive inspiration
OOH, there are so many wonderful things in this post… sorry, this comment may be gigantic… but you love me anyway, right? ha!
1. fats PWO? I’ve never tried them, but I am always down for more energy- even though my students think I drink endorphins for breakfast because I’m so “perky” in the mornings, ha.
2. When you say “gains” from the body scultping plan, do you mean in weight, strength, both, or something else? I’m on the lookout for a new plan & I’d love to become stronger. We emailed about this plan a while back, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the plan
3. I use the same ezekiel bread! It is amazing. I am a teacher, so I can’t be bringing smelly snacks around, too, so I understand the need to ditch the eggs & sweet potatoes sometimes for protein bars or turkey sandwiches. Got to think about our surroundings & their noses
4. You’re great. This semester is going to be awesome for you- I just know it!
Jess you always make me smile, can I go back to school just to hang out and be your student????
I promise I won’t be the class clown teehee Ya, when I said gains I meant in both weight AND strength. You should totally check out the program, it rocks! Hahaha and I totally know what you mean about sparing the noses around you– once I brought tuna to class….not very pretty haha Thanks so much for the support sista! Hope you have a rockin week!!! 
Great goals girl! I’m excited to see how it goes! May have to email you about strength training tips
on week 3 of live fit now just to start out on a program again
This is awesome Alex! You’ve got such a great approach to this – calculating your needs and setting goals is a really good place to start from. And I love that you’re eating in a way that works for you and adding in grains to your diet. Good for you for honouring your body’s needs instead of following a fad!
I’m so excited that you’re going to be doing weekly check ins – I can’t wait to hear about your progress!
Mmm sweet potatoes…. ahh sorry I was distracted by those perfectly cooked potatoes of glory
Your plan sounds great too, and making the adjustments that allow you to progress is essential, and you sure as heck are doing just that! Cannot wait to hear more of your awesome-sauce progress 
This is just awesome though hawttt stuff, I was smiling while reading this whole post! Your approach to improving yourself and finding a balance with it all, is just so inspirational for me! I really do mean that, because I know we share many similar thoughts about eating and working out, but you consistently persevere or make the changes necessary to get better. Just so fantastic, and I hope you always keep it up
I know you can do this, Alex! You are an inspiration to me. I wish you the best of luck on your adventure!
Baked oompa loompa..YESS THAT looks so good! I love the plan, way to take it into your own hands..you don’t need no stinkin trainer!! You got this bad assss!
you are stronger than your stress and tougher than any obstacle life can throw in your path! happy exploring!
I’m so proud that you are making the changes to increase your weight and add some muscle! Its unfortunate that you ended up losing weight over summer, but it happens and you can change that! Its scary when someone’s words really put into perspective of how we look to the outside world, so hopefully that guys’ words gave some fuel to the fire:)
I’m doing a lot of calorie increasing lately too! And trying to find what foods do and don’t work for me, its hard to figure it out and keep those ED thoughts out of the way, but we can do it:) xoxo
This is such an inspiring post, Alexandra! I’m so excited for you to embark on a new plan! The Body Sculpting Bible sounds like a great bulking approach (I’m going to go check it out after I submit this comment), so I’m really looking forward to reading your updates. I’ve actually had a very similar experience this summer (sans organic chemistry, thank goodness! Btw, congrats again on conquering that one!), and am now re-evaluating my own plan (a post about this will be coming soon). Turning to a Paleo(ish) diet resulted in a few lost pounds, which was really frustrating. So, in order to turn things around, I’ve been incorporating brown rice (and rice cakes) back into my diet over the past few weeks. The thought of shoveling in three dang sweet potatoes in one day was not sitting well! :-p (The same goes for bananas–love ‘em, but don’t love 3 of ‘em in 24 hrs). Like you, I’m *very* grain sensitive, so figuring this out has been pretty tricky.
I am SO proud of you for taking the reigns and figuring out a plan that’s right for your body!
You have some great goals, girl, and I know that through FAITH and will, you’ll achieve every one of them. I’m cheering for you!! <3 xoxo
yet again I’m shocked at how similar you and I are! Wishing you the best of luck on your journey as well my friend, we can be each others’ cheerleaders!!!
I love your long posts!
I am constantly wondering about getting a trainer or nutritionist, other EXPENSIVE outside help ect, but I keep reminding myself that I have the resources! Do what you know works
Yeah, I am doing a kind of “paleo influenced” diet, haha! I love my greek yogurt, but I am trying to cut it down. I also love supplementing with whey ^^
“This is a journey, not a destination.
This is a time for healing, both mentally and physically.”
Girl, you in my head?!?!
I’m with you! Let’s do this!!
Huzzah! Let’s tackle life headstrong, shall we??
I too will go on another weight gaining phase this fall- for summer I was basically just trying to maintain, but now that I don’t have to wear a bikini anymore I’m good to go!
I love Ezekiel Bread too, but I only like it toasted….do you find it hard to eat for sandwiches?
I LOVE it toasted too! Especially with pb slathered on it
And I totally can relate with the sandwich problems– Egg sandwiches usually work fine for me with ezekiel, but usually meat sandwiches are epic fails haha
BABY GIRL! Oh my sis, thank you for sharing this all! I read it THREE times just to make sure I’m on the same page as you and know what my sister is doing
I love you so much babe and I really applaud you for writing down goals and the things that prevent you from those goals.
I am just wondering, in your 40/40/20 does the carb macros include veggies? I know you do tons of reading about nutrition/gaining/lifting/etc. and would LOVE nothing more than to know what you’ve learnt about veg carbs because as I am sure you know – paleo eaters count them! I would just like to know what you’re doing now with this plan.
I’ve tried the 40/40/20, but that just is not enough fat for me, so Tara had me on 40/30/30 and that seemed to work a lot better! A lot.
Anyways, I am so happy to be catching up on your posts now
Sorry for not commenting regularly :’( I’m moving back soon and soaking up time with the parents 
Also, when I email you… you should share how you calculated your calories! Every time I calculate mine it is way lower than what I’ve been eating for the past how many years (5??) so, I know that’s not right
Would love to know what you used sis 
Love you
AHH don’t feel bad about not commenting! Family time is SO much more important than blogging in my opinion
I’m not really worrying about macros or splits, so I don’t really know about including veggies or not in the carbs, I’m just eating them haha
And about counting– I never really used any specific system to count in the past, I just always guesstimated. I know a lot of people use fitday or myfitnesspal.com to calculate all that, but I kinda steer away from that so I don’t get obsessive with numbers and that frivolous stuff
Hope you’re doing well! Love you too!!!
I would up the fat WAY up.
I don’t know about your university but mine offers free training sessions with personal trainers! Maybe yours has something similar! Good luck with all your goals. I’m sure you’ll rock them
This is AMAZING. Having a plan always helps me too. Your goals are realistic and I think you’re going to pleasantly surprise yourself. I have no doubt in my mind that you will reach your goals.
Yay I’m so happy for you girl! It’s funny how much we can learn from things that are just sitting in front of us, when we all go looking for the answers elsewhere. It’s really important to recognize and respect that you have to gain fat to gain significant weight – that’s why most bodybuilders go thru bulk/cut stages. It’s essential for you to keep yourself healthy.
Wow go you! You sound so positive!!! And like you have a real game plan.
Hurrah! Finally I got a blog from where I be capable of actually get helpful facts regarding my study and knowledge.
He said you look like death because you are unbelievably skinny Alexandra. Don’t be caught up in the blog world of la-la land where its all exercise and bones. Seriously. Because you are obviously underweight.
You need to eat. And stop obsessing and stop trying to get the perfect things at the perfect times. Just eat. Laugh. Love. Live. You have amazing spirit…don’t let the food crap get in your brain and fog you out .
I know and it sure scared the poop out of me. I’m definitely not taking what he said lightly and I realize I’m REALLY uenderweight. Like disgustingly under. It’s gonna be a process getting back to where I was, and I know it won’t be a walk in the park, but I know it’ll be worth it
And I don’t mean to sound like I’m trying to have this perfect macro/timing thing– I just really wanted to have some kind of framework for getting better to refer back to in case I slipped up or stopped progress. I’m SO done with worrying about perfection, it’s just so mentally draining.
Thanks so much about the comment on my spirit too girl, I really appreciate it! With God’s help, I know I can keep all that food nonsense and worrying out of my noggin.
Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
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