“Weight loss is simply calories in versus calories out.” – Fit gurus on IG
“Nah, it ain’t that easy.” – Me I’m on Instagram daily telling you to eat. Don’t show up to your workout on an empty belly. Don’t leave your workout and snack on ice cubes. Don’t go to bed hungry. Eat. Eat. Eat. And some of you are like, “But I’m trying to lose weight! So I need to cut back on the foods, duh.” Which makes sense in theory. To lose weight you need to burn more energy (calories) than you consume. But the truth isn’t that simple. It’s possible to eat less and not lose weight and equally possible to eat more and actually lose weight. Undereating is one way to set your body goals back and end up destroying your metabolism. And the worst part? You won’t always lose the weight. You’ll just be hungry. Here’s why. Starvation Mode Your body is smart, it knows exactly how much energy it needs to function optimally. When you don’t feed it enough, it starts freaking out and storing energy for later. This is known as starvation mode. When in starvation mode, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. And we all know that a healthy metabolism is key to both weight loss/fat loss and muscle gain. The solution? Eat enough of the right foods and slowly increase your calorie intake to meet the demands of your workouts. Often, eating more food will result in a better workout, which means more muscle fibers built and a faster metabolism. BOOM. Go eat. Binge Mode Starvation mode causes the hormone leptin to decrease—making you feel hungrier than ever and increasing your cravings. This is why after a few days of calorie-cutting you might find yourself in your kitchen shoveling handfuls of cereal down your throat. Instead of continuing the cycle of diet—binge—diet—repeat, find a nutrition plan that works for your individual metabolism and personal goals. My suggestion? Eat whole foods. Drink plenty of water. Focus on complex carbs and whole proteins. And listen to your hunger cues—if your body is screaming, “Hey, we need more food!” then feed it (within reason). And don’t sleep on cereal. Set Point Like I mentioned before, everyone’s body has a natural set point (the energy needed to sustain optimal functioning). When you continuously cut back on calories, you’re forcing your body to create a new set point. Think of it this way: Let’s say you start out with a natural set point of 2,500 calories. You want to lose weight so you reduce to 2,000. After a few months you plateau so you reduce again to 1,500. This time, you’re not losing any weight and your body won’t budge. Why? Because your body moved with you and created a new (higher) set point that ultimately would take true starvation to reach. It’s clinging to your weight and burning muscle mass for energy—setting you back on all fronts. The cool this is that set points work both ways. Meaning reverse dieting is a real thing! You can eat more and lose fat, it’s magic. How To Get Your Body Back On Track Science says eating less and exercising more will result in weight loss, which is true to a point. But instead of focusing on calories and dieting, focus on these:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “You need to eat.” It’s as simple as that. Whether your goal is fat loss or muscle gain, give your body what it wants (all the foods). If you're ready to see real results that let you eat good, hit me up. Let's make it happen.
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Listen up ladies, whatever boobs you got, be proud of them. There’s no good or bad boobs, just boobs. However, if you’re worried about what will happen to them when you lose weight, this blog is for you. What Are Boobs? Before diving into what happens to boobs when you lose weight, let’s first discuss what your boobs are made of. Boobs are a combination of glandular tissue (tissue producing milk), muscular tissue (your pecs), fatty tissue, and connective tissue. The fatty tissue is what determines the size of your boobs—more fat = larger cup size. Why Do Boobs Shrink When I Lose Weight? I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: You can’t target fat loss! There’s no way to lose fat specifically from one part of your body and not another. Therefore, when you lose any fat at all, you’ll most likely lose some from your boobs. Then Why Doesn’t My Bestie Lose Her Boobs? Everyone’s body composition is different. You know how some people store fat in their belly while others store it in their thighs? Your boobs are similar. Some ladies store lots of fat in their chest while others don’t. If your bestie is part of the #SmallBoobTribe, she has less fat to lose. It doesn’t mean her boobs aren’t shrinking too, it just means she (and you!) might not notice. Why Does It Seem Like I’m Losing ALL THE FAT From My Boobs And Nowhere Else? Let me assure you—if you’re seeing boob shrinkage, you’re losing it in other places too. Because boobs are front and center, and can drastically change the way clothes look and feel, it’s easier to notice them changing. How Do I Keep My Boobs AND Lose Fat? Ah, the golden question. If you’re worried about going from a D to a B, you’re best bet is staying away from excessive cardio and picking up some weights. (Though I suggest all of ya’ll eat and hit the weights anyway.) Exercises like chin-ups, push-ups, bench press, and rowing help build the muscles of the chest wall. This not only adds mass, but can keep boobs lifted and perky. Another tip is taking things slow. Instead of busting your ass to lose weight as rapidly as you can, slow down and stick to the plan. This gives your body more time to adjust and prepare, and you more time to get comfy in your body. Let’s review:
Enough about boobs--let's get back to business. Ready to build the body of your dreams? You know where to find me. What you eat matters. I don’t care if your goal is to lose weight, gain weight, get stronger, get faster, or simply live a healthier life—good nutrition is key.
But you’re busy, I get it. So let’s cut the excuses and make eating good easy. These 5 steps will simplify your weekly meal prep and kick your excuses out the door. 1. Plan and Make A List There are two places you should always enter with a plan: the gym and the grocery store. Without one, you’re sure to get off track and forget why you’re there. When it comes to meal prep, it helps to plan your week of meals, taking note of ingredients that work in multiple recipes and meals that will make great leftovers. Once your meals are planned, it’s time to make a list. Write down exactly what you need for each recipe and how much. Pro tip: Check your pantry and fridge before heading out—because you might have more ingredients than you thought. Once you arrive, only grab what’s on your list. Not only will this make prepping easy, it’ll save you money too. 2. Pack A Snack I’m a big fan of snacks. Whether you’re running between jobs, hitting that 3:00 slump, or starving at the gym, you should always have a snack on hand. But snack time isn’t an excuse to sabotage your nutrition, so don’t be silly. Make your own “snack packs” by tossing nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and dates into a mason jar or zip loc. Not a fan of trail mix? Take a Tupperware of carrots, peppers, and hummus or just keep protein powder in your bag. It’s really not that hard, keep good food around and you won’t be tempted to grab a Snickers. 3. Chop Chop Obviously I want you to eat plenty of veggies. But unless you’re chomping carrots all day, you’ll need to do some chopping. Keep things simple by cutting all your veggies for the week on the same day and storing them in separate containers. This way, when you need onion for your omelet and mushrooms for your salads, you’ll be ready. Plus, you’ll only have to wash the cutting board once #worthit. 4. Bulk Up Cooking one meal at a time isn’t your best option if you’re looking to save time and simplify. Neither is cooking one serving. Do your future-self a favor and bulk batch: AKA cook multiple servings and meals in the same sitting. Foods to always cook extra of: rice, quinoa, roasted/sautéed vegetables, chicken, beef, and soups. 5. Fill Up Your Freezer Since you’re smart and have a bunch of extra meals prepared, go ahead and store them in your freezer for later in the week. Not sure how to appropriately do that? Read this. Keep freezer meals on hand for something quick on the weekends or those nights you really don’t want to cook. I promise you’ll thank yourself later. I get it—meal prep isn’t exciting for most people. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Until then, use these 5 tips to cut back on time and stay on track. While you’re at it, toss a snack or two my way. |
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