I used to be a very active person and was pretty fit for a long time. Then life happened, and then life really happened, and I fell off the fitness wagon hard. It's time I get back on it, but I also know that I've been out of the game so long that I'm more likely to do harm than good if I try to just go back to what I know. So, I'm working with a trainer to start with. I may continue seeing him after I get back into a routine, I may not. For now, though, I see it as a definite necessity.

My initial measurements:
Weight - 143.3 lbs
Body fat - 30.3% (WTF HOW DID THAT HAPPEN)
Waist - 33 inches

At my best I was:
Weight - 125 lbs (this wasn't my lowest, but it was where I had the tone I wanted)
Body fat - 18%
Waist - 26 inches

Do I think I'll get back to those numbers? No. Am I going to aim for them anyways (safely of course)? You betcha.

I don't mean "diet" as in start cutting food and all that, but I mean paying attention to what I actually am eating. I've been relatively conscious of it, but haven't really analyzed it. We talked about how to best set up my macros (proper amounts of protein, fat, and carbs) and calorie targets taking into account daily activity level and the scheduled workouts. This is where the surprises started, because the math says for weight loss I should be aiming for...1930 calories. What? That's almost the normal amount your average person is supposed to go for, how is that going to be weight loss?

Without making any changes to what I was eating, I tracked my diet for a couple of days to see where I was starting. Turns out that I routinely only take in 1400-1600 calories a day. Without meaning to, I've been starving myself, and it's likely that some of my weight gain is a result of my body going "hot damn I don't know when we're going to eat enough again better store as much as possible just in case". Counter to what conventional wisdom says, I need to increase how much I'm eating in order to see the changes I want to see. But it needs to be the right kind of increase, which is where the macros come in.

Macronutrients are the things your body needs in large amounts in order to function. In an overly simplified form protein is for muscle repair and maintenance, carbs are the primary fuel (many body processes require glucose, the base of carbs, and will break down important things like muscle tissue to get enough to do their thing if you aren't consuming enough), and fat is a secondary but also necessary fuel (fuels other body functions like hormone production). There are all kinds of ways to calculate how much your body theoretically needs of each, usually starting from however many calories you've decided on as your daily goal.

My breakdown ended up being:
Protein - 129 grams (515 calories)
Fat - 54 grams (483 calories)
Carbs - 233 grams (933 calories)

Going back to my original baseline tracking, without making any changes I'm taking in less than half of the carbs I need. No wonder I feel so tired all the time and my strength is lacking! Also not surprisingly I'm hitting my fat macro. Pretty much I'm just a mess. So, what do I do with all this info?

Jumping straight up to my theoretical calorie intake is likely to cause a bit of an issue, so I'm slowly ramping up and currently aiming for 1750, which is right between where I am and where I should be. Increasing my carb intake while maintaining or dropping my fat intake is going to be the biggest challenge, as often those two go hand-in-hand in many foods I would usually think of for snacking. Some foods I labeled "bad" previously are actually perfect for what I'm trying to accomplish (i.e. anything with carbs), and things commonly labeled "healthy" are actually not what I need at all. This is going to be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to seeing progress and working with my trainer to make adjustments that fit my body.

Dear goodness, I never posted the recipe for the cheesecake after the baking stream! How did you guys let me get away with that for so long?! In my head I had totally done it...but also in my head I thought it was the wrong day for at least 40% of the time so I guess there's that.

• Try to avoid over beating the cheesecake mix. The  more air that is incorporated into the mixture, the more the cheesecake will rise (possibly overflowing) and fall (causing cracking).
  
• A water bath is highly recommended for every cheesecake. It helps it cook evenly and prevents cracking. The best method is to wrap the springform pan in foil to prevent water from getting into it, then place it into a larger pan (like a roasting pan) and pour boiling water into it, placing the entire thing into the oven for the baking period. If you do not have a large enough second pan, the alternative is to place a pan with boiling water in it on a rack immediately below the rack that the cheesecake will bake on. You lose some of the effectiveness, but it's still better than nothing!
  
• Determining when a cheesecake is done baking is a bit subjective. Use an oven mitt to shake it a little. The majority of it should be set, with a slight jiggle in the middle. If the edges wiggle or the center moves a lot, it needs more time. If it's stiff, it's overdone. It will continue to cook slightly after it's been removed, so you want to take it out slightly early (hence still wanting some jiggle). If you're new to it, it'll take a little practice to learn what looks right.
  
• At a minimum cheesecake should be refrigerated for 4 hours before serving, but is best if allowed to chill overnight. Cheesecake is dense and the more time it has to fully set, the better.
  

Good luck, and happy baking!

This Saturday (July 29) is National Cheesecake Day! I love cheesecake, so this is pretty much a religious holiday for me. I, of course, must celebrate by making cheesecake. Duh. The fun extra part is thanks to YOU watching streams, following, subbing, and cheering, enough rupees (our in-stream currency) have been redeemed to make a baking stream happen, just in time for this! The people who cashed in their points to make this happen have voted, and this Saturday starting at 1pm Central I will be streaming the making of a fudge truffle cheesecake! The exact recipe will be posted following the stream, however for those who want to turn this into a bake-along, here are the ingredients you'll need:

• 3 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
  
• 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
  
• 12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 2 tsp vanilla
  
• Chocolate crumb crust (choose your favorite!)
  
• Springform pan
  

The stream will start with some basic notes about prep I've done and tips you should be aware of before we get started, and go all the way through getting it into the oven.  At that point we'll wait for it to do its thing by finishing the LEGO build from Wednesday night and having some serious puppy playtime. I'll answer questions as we go as best I can, but be prepared to ask them again after the cake is in the oven in case I missed it the first time!

Be sure to tune in on Twitch to learn the tips and tricks to making the perfect cheesecake <3

The original intent of Patreon was to be a replacement for Twitch subs because, well, I didn’t have a sub button. And now I do! So, in response to that, I'm tweaking perks here for the next renewal date. Here's what's coming! Assume if I don't mention a perk it stays exactly where it currently is.

 - Twitch subs will be getting access to the Discord server! Discord has updated their system to integrate with Twitch Affiliates, so if you sub and connect Twitch to Discord you'll automatically get access. Some channels will only be available to Patreon backers, however.
- Patreon Discord access will be moving to the Bronze ($5) level and will include access to all chat channels. Rupees (loyalty points) can still be cashed in for this level of access. Early YT access will be removed from this level. 
- The Silver ($10) level gets early YT access and gets play date priority.
- The Gold ($15) level will now have puppy cam. The Etsy discount will be removed as it has not ever been used. 
- The Platinum ($20) level will automatically get a pin, and gets double drink for 20 minutes instead of 15. 
- The Diamond ($35) level gets everything that is currently at the Adamantium ($50) level, which will be removed entirely.
As we get a feel for things the split of Discord channel access may get adjusted, but we're gonna start with this. The emote(s) for being a Twitch sub are currently in approval and will hopefully be usable soon!
Even though the page will update soon, actual perk changes won't go into effect until August. I'm sure the shift in perks and the addition of the Twitch sub button will mean some of you adjust your level, which is totally fine! I'm making these changes to try to make things better for you guys <3 Again, these changes will take effect at the August renewal, so you have some time to figure out what you want to do!
Thanks again for all of your support!

It happened! IT HAPPENED! I have a sub button on my Twitch channel!

*continues screaming in the background*

While I still have work to do to reach Twitch Partner, having a sub button on my channel is a huge milestone for me. It feels like part of a rite of passage, a major point in this journey. It is still a journey, though. This is not the final destination, and while I'm excited about it I don't see it actually changing anything about how I stream. It's just really effing cool to have this addition.

I haven't decided what to do for the two upper-tier emotes yet, but the base level one is being worked on RIGHT NOW and will hopefully be in for approval into Twitch's system soon. Raids are gonna get a whole like more sparkly.

With the addition of the sub button will come a much needed overhaul of my Patreon rewards. I'm drafting up a revamped version and getting feedback, and will launch the new perks next month. If I had known we were going to get the button I would have been prepared, but the last thing announced was "oh it'll be soon" and then it was "HEY LOOK IT'S HERE!" Don't worry about losing access to anything; nearly every change will mean you get more stuff at each pledge level!

Thank you all so much for watching my content. Whether you're a Patron, sub, or someone who just likes to watch and hangout with us, you're why I get to keep doing what I'm doing. <3