Cori

00:00

Hey guys, this is Cori from Redefining Strength. Welcome to the Fitness Hacks podcast. This is a show where I share all my free work on the nutrition tips. I’m not going to ever fill this episode with sponsorships or ask you to buy anything. All I ask in return is, if you’re enjoying the podcast, to leave a review or leave a five-star rating or, even better, share it with someone you think it might help. This will only take a few minutes and would mean the world to me and possibly change the life of someone you know.

00:27
So let’s jump right in those micros for menopause. So menopause can bring with it a lot of different symptoms and we talk about the fundamentals of macros and even working out. But we want to dive a little deeper into the nuance of things because a lot of times, how we adjust, even the types of foods we include, the supplements we include, we can really impact the symptoms of menopause and even control them. No, we might not be able to leave it all of them, but I’m super excited to dive in with Michelle as to what we can control to see better results, to function better, to feel more energized during the space of life. So, michelle, super excited to have you. Let’s talk about the first micronutrient you really want people to pay attention to when they are in menopause.

Michelle

01:11
So the first one that I’m going to suggest is actually vitamin K. I think everyone knows at least I hope everyone knows at this point how important calcium and vitamin D is for bone health. And when we enter menopause, because of our decline in estrogen, we actually have an increased risk of osteoporosis. So your bones super important it’s your structure, your foundation. The healthier we can keep that, the better quality of life and the more independent you can be as you age.

01:39
Vitamin K is one that kind of gets forgotten about, but it’s really important for those three. You want that vitamin D, you want that calcium, you want that vitamin K because that’s really going to help you actually be able to lay down that bone mineral. And another benefit is one of the areas that we also struggle with when we enter menopause is actually our heart health. Estrogen, again, is very, very cardiac protective. So when we are entering menopause we actually have an increase of heart disease. Vitamin K also helps in that area too. So you’re really hitting two birds with one stone. And it’s just something that a lot of people don’t talk about because vitamin D and calcium gets so much attention.

Cori

02:24
And even Omega 3s get a lot of attention for the cardiovascular help which I know you bring up a lot, and so it’s interesting to hear about another nutrient that we really need.

02:35
That also helps with the usage of those things and I think that’s something we often forget or ignore is like even going back to the basics of eating more vegetables. There’s certain things that if we eat vegetables cooked in fats, that’s going to allow for better digestion absorption of those micronutrients in there. So there’s a lot of nuance to things and sometimes it’s not just like this is a healthy food or we need this vitamin. There’s a lot of things that have to work together. So, paying attention to what we’re doing and then the results we’re getting, to say, hey, maybe things aren’t paying off quite the way I’d like and I’m getting a lot of calcium and vitamin D, so what else could I do to improve my bone health, which is where this vitamin K is so important in terms of how people can include more of this in their diet. Naturally, what sources are really great to get vitamin K?

Michelle

03:17
So dark leafy greens are going to be a great option.

Something that I really would suggest is the vitamin K.

Two in particular is really where we get the most benefits, and that’s usually going to be found in fermented foods. So things like sauerkraut, kefir, natto if you have an experience natto, it’s kind of like a fermented soybean, but those are really going to help you increase your amount, and oftentimes we aren’t getting nearly as much in our Westernized diets. And then a very important thing to kind of consider too is and I’ll discuss this a few more times as we kind of go through each of these micronutrients, but oftentimes things are going to overlap. So one of the benefits, too, of kind of focusing on those fermented foods is oftentimes we have some gut health issues as we enter menopause, because hormone changes can actually slow down our digestion and we want to make sure we’re feeding that good, healthy gut microbiome, and fermented foods are also going to help with that. So again, it’s kind of this thing that you’re going to be able to hit multiple areas that menopause kind of has an effect on if you are focusing on that vitamin.

Cori

04:29
K, and it’s recognizing, too, that when we’re addressing these things, we’re looking for our nutritional gaps, so areas where we might be able to improve, because we aren’t getting as much of a vitamin or mineral, or maybe we even need more of it than the recommended daily allowance, because there are going to be unique needs that we have and they will change with phases of life. So, even if you’re like, well, I’m eating a ton of leafy greens, I think I’m getting enough, pay attention to the other foods that you might be missing, because there’s also, as you mentioned, other benefits of including things like fermented foods that will overlap and help you even get more back for your buck, where you’re not having to include 70 bazillion different things. Right, you can do one thing that addresses multiple different issues.

Michelle

05:10
Exactly. Yeah, it’s really. I think sometimes we get so caught up on all these lists like this nutrient has this, but oftentimes there’s so many that are overlapping that it really, if you’re looking to include like three to five foods, you can pretty much overlap several areas.

Cori

05:26
So, moving on to the next micronutrient, you recommend B vitamins. Talk to me a little bit about why they’re so important and also which ones we need. Because, even going back to vitamin K, you mentioned vitamin K2 specifically. I think a lot of times we don’t recognize that there are different forms and that there are different forms found in different foods. So that’s why not only a diversity of foods is key, but potentially we’re getting a lot of a vitamin but not a lot of the form we need. So B vitamins why are they so important? Which ones should be focused?

Michelle

05:53
on. So B vitamins, despite whether you’re in menopause or not, by the time we are 40, our body actually will decline in its ability to absorb B vitamins as a whole. So everyone can kind of benefit from either focusing on more food rich sources or even supplementing with a B complex. So there’s lots of B vitamins. They’re all water soluble, which is also something I wanted to make sure everyone’s aware of. Because of us it makes it a little bit harder to actually have too much, because your body is going to flush it out. You’re going to pee it out if you have excess because it is water soluble. Now, off of that, there are lots of B vitamins and they are all going to have different roles in your body. So, in particular for menopause, b6 is one that I would focus on, because a lot of times and something that I don’t think gets enough attention when we enter menopause, is our anxiety and depression due to our mood fluctuations from our hormones increase. Vitamin B6 can actually help increase the neurotransmitters, the synthesis of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which is going to help regulate that mood and alleviate some of that symptoms of both anxiety and depression. So that is one that we definitely want to make sure that your vitamin is either containing, or you are focusing on, food sources that are rich in it. Another one is going to be B12. This, I do think a lot of people have heard about B12, because it’s often toted as like the energy supplement. If you want more energy, take B12. And they’re not wrong, because B12 does help energy metabolism and combat fatigue and promote, you know, fillings of vitality.

07:40
So another one to really kind of focus on is going to be B9. So B6 and B9 also can help reduce symptoms like severity of hot flashes, and this is something that, of course, is a symptom that many people in menopause experience. But another one is B1 and B2. And I feel like I’m just throwing out lots of numbers. B1 and B2 also can help decrease the risk of insomnia and irritability. So a lot of things get affected with our mood when we enter menopause and it’s so important. I know a lot of people know that food does affect mood, but these are very particular supplements or micronutrients that can actually have a better effect for us and actually make us feel better, and we can, you know, have that good feelings after you are eating. So your food really does affect your mood.

Cori

08:42
And it goes back to controlling what you can control. When we’re really looking at all the different symptoms that we’re experiencing, we want to think about okay, what are things that can impact these symptoms that we can control? Right, you can’t necessarily well, actually, you for sure can’t stop the hormonal changes of menopause, but you can navigate them a little bit better. And I think so often our food does get ignored. I’ve heard like a lot of people even comment on posts like oh, with hot flashes, I’ve done like this external thing or this external thing, we’re not really noting what we’re putting into our body and then what’s going on internally because of those things.

09:14
So the more you can look at your nutrition, your diet, and say what impacts the hormonal responses, the different chemical things that are going on within my body, to then impact the symptoms that I’m seeing, and through that you can really break things down and get very granular with them, which can feel very overwhelming, I know, but we’re also going back to hey, maybe you just start paying attention to B vitamins and then even the foods that contain B vitamins would probably overlap with some of the other symptoms and have other good things in them too.

 

09:41
So overall, you’re going to be doing a lot of good things for your health, while even noting that there’s a lot of nuance to the specific things that you need. So if you are saying, well, I’m taking B vitamins, but I’m not seeing results in these areas, Okay, well, what B vitamins are you actually consuming? The more you dig into it, the more you can make sure that you’re making changes that truly address what you need. But I love that you mentioned all these different types and the different impact they can have. What food should we be including if we really want to focus on all these different B vitamins?

Michelle

10:10
Me is actually going to be a great source of a large amount of B vitamins, but other than that, we’re really looking at things like legumes, seeds and again those dark leafy greens.

Cori

10:22
Then, moving on from here, because that’s really you know, we always want to focus on whole, natural foods and obviously we’ll talk a little bit about supplementation as well to address those gaps, because sometimes we need more and we simply can’t get it through our fueling, especially if we are on a fat loss journey. We’re in that calorie deficit and looking to lose. It’s hard to get enough of anything. But talking about the next micronutrient that you brought up, magnesium, talk to me a little bit about why this is important. It’s one that we discuss a little bit more often because it addresses some big symptoms of menopause. But let’s discuss magnesium.

Michelle

10:55
So magnesium is super important for menopause because one the majority of us are just deficient in general. But as we enter menopause, we do have those hormonal changes that are going to affect certain areas that magnesium can help with. One is a big complaint is actually constipation, again due to the hormonal changes slowing down our digestive system, and magnesium can actually help alleviate that. So it can help you stay regular. But on top of that, it really does help with sleep disturbances, and one of the things is a very calming. So not only is it going to help with things like anxiety, but it can also allow some muscle relaxation. So if you were taking it prior to sleep, you can have improved sleep.

11:46
Sleep is so vital when it comes to everyone’s journey because it really is going to affect, you know, those hormones leptin and ghrelin so you can have increased or decreased cravings based off of how much sleep you’ve had, and it can help you even have be able to fill the levels of satiety that’s necessary for you to even be able to get the signal that you are full.

12:11
And the big thing is is when we have lack of sleep, we actually are going to increase our cortisol levels, and cortisol is a fat storing hormone. So we really want to make sure that we are getting the amount of sleep that we require, and magnesium is just going to help you be able to reach that level that you actually need, and it just becomes one of those things that’s a little bit more difficult when we enter menopause. I talk a lot with clients because they’re always like you know, it’s just my partners rolling around and sleep and it’s waking. They’re waking me up, or all of a sudden my dog or my cat is making noises in the middle of the night or moving around and that’s making me up. Your partner and your pet has probably always done that, but you have actually become a light sleeper. So we really want to make sure that we’re getting into that deep REM cycle and magnesium is one tool that can actually help you get there.

Cori

13:04
It really shows how everything is a system working together. And while we want to focus on specific components, to address our specific needs and goals and even assess where we might be deficient, we really are thinking about the impact and the far reaching impact that everything has. As you mentioned, not getting enough sleep can negatively impact cravings, which can hold you back from seeing the weight loss that you want, and then, in turn, because we’re not sleeping well, we turn to caffeine, which then makes us not sleep any better and it even makes us sleep worse, right? So everything is so interconnected. So when we just look for one best something, we’re not really addressing how everything is working together.

13:39
Versus, if we look at the system as a whole, we look at what we’re struggling with and what we’re seeing. With those struggles, we can start to assess. Ok, I’m doing everything from a sleep routine to I’m trying to train earlier and I’m not having caffeine. So now what else can I do to make sure that I’m getting the most quality sleep, knowing the impact that sleep then has? So it really is breaking down all the different levels to assess what you need. And, in terms of getting more magnesium, how can we include more in our diet?

Michelle

14:06
So we definitely want to be focusing on things again like nuts and seeds pumpkin seeds as a very as a great source, legumes, dark chocolate. Those are going to be the foods that we really do want to make sure we’re including, but we’re really hoping to get at least 320 milligrams a day. So this again, supplementation is an option, but really making sure that, if you can do it food first, that’s always going to be best.

Cori

14:34
I also always like mentioning the fact that you get to eat dark chocolate for this right, because a lot of times, you know, in menopause, when you’re trying to lose weight, I’ll hear women say I have to cut out my dark chocolate, which I love, which I’m craving even more now and you actually don’t have to cut it out. You probably shouldn’t cut it out. You need to strike that balance. But now there’s a reason to include that dark chocolate, not to mention to satisfy cravings and not have them build up more, because you’re restricting and then improve your quality of sleep, which might even help with the cravings, right. So it’s this nice little cycle right there where now you have an excuse to have your dark chocolate. But anyway, moving on from that, the next vitamin you recommended was vitamin E. Can you tell me a little bit about why vitamin E is so important?

Michelle

15:12
So, first and foremost, menopause is often referred to as the slow simmer state, because you’re often a little bit. You have a little bit more inflammation going on just because of everything that’s happening within you. So focusing on anything that’s going to be have higher antioxidants is going to help combat that inflammation that is occurring in your body. So vitamin E is a high antioxidant, so it is going to help with that. But the other important things is vitamin E also helps support hormonal balance and that can really help alleviate some symptoms that are even associated with estrogen deficiency. So there’s a lot of research actually involving vitamin E supplement supplementation and the reduction and frequency of things like hot flashes, night sweats, and even improving the vascular function. So overall, we’re also being able to decrease even the level of dryness that we experience, because as estrogen declines, it acts like a sponge and you’re even less likely to stay hydrated when we’re a menopausal. So there’s really just a lot that vitamin E is going to help with, and a big part of that is actually reducing the oxidative stress and inflammation.

Cori

16:32
Which can really even pay off in terms of our workouts, because the more we’re reducing that inflammation, the easier it is to recover from the less we even feel sore or joints feel achy, the better we’re going to be able to train. So if you’re training hard and you feel like you’re taking longer to recover and you’re doing all the mobility work which of course I know no one is skipping that prehab process and then you want to dig a little deeper, is there hydration there? Are you eating enough to recover? And then if you’re like, okay, I’m doing these things, this is where you can peel back those layers and be like, well, hey, am I getting the vitamin E I need? Am I addressing the inflammation my body is seeing with the changes in hormones?

17:06
And so, going down the different little levels, you can really dive into making sure that you are filling any gaps that are there. Because, again, we don’t want to get caught up in the details before we dial in the fundamentals, but we then want to be conscious of the fact that our hard work should be paying off and if we’re tracking the data, it’s not. There are details that we can dial in to really see better results faster Now, going even full circle back to when you talked about the fact that we can see a lot of our negative impact in our gut health and our microbiome with menopause, even see more GI disturbances. You mentioned that fiber is so important. Can you talk a little bit about fiber and also really quick, what foods for vitamin E? Because I think it’s again not a vitamin.

Michelle

17:49
we talk about a ton, but really quickly, foods for vitamin E, before we even to jump into fiber, so you’re going to hear me repeating this a lot, but nuts and seeds are going to be great sources of vitamin E.

17:59
Again, we’re looking at things like dark leafy vegetables and even items like fish are going to be actually a good source of vitamin E, which all those things also generally come with an omega three punch, which extra anti inflammation fighting things right, yeah, which is again why, if you can do and if you can focus on whole food sources, that’s really where we want you to go, because you are, you know, nothing’s packaged individually, so you’re really going to be able to hit multiple things with one source.

Cori

18:32
And you’re going to find that a lot of these foods are healthy for a diversity of reasons, as you mentioned, but also very filling. So it’s going to make any calorie deficit that you’re trying to hit, any macros that you’re trying to hit, even better. Now talk about making sure that you’re feeling full and fueled, and our gut is even more important to our foul loss results. So we really recognize. Let’s talk a little bit about fiber.

Michelle

18:55
So fiber, of course, is going to feed that gut microbiome. There has been so much research regarding gut health within the last 10, 15 years and it’s really shown the importance that that diversity and being of gut, your gut bacteria, is on your overall health. So we really want to make sure that we are encouraging proper and great gut health. Fiber is what feeds that bacteria, so we really want to make sure that we are including rich sources of fiber, but also enough fiber. Most of us are not getting the requirements. You are supposed to be getting about 25 grams as a female, and the majority of us are well below that.

19:36
Now, another benefit, like you mentioned, is if you are eating high fiber foods.

19:40
Oftentimes these are lower calorie foods, so fiber helps you with feelings of satiety, so you’re going to feel full on lower calories, which is another reason why we want to make sure that you are focusing on this, because as you enter menopause, oftentimes you know the biggest complaint is you’ve gained some menopause weight and you’re looking to go into a calorie deficit, and most people that I see that are struggling with a calorie deficit it’s because they’re not focusing on foods that are going to make them feel fuller, like fiber rich foods and again, fiber is going to help you stay regular, which is going to help with that constipation that can be a symptom of menopause as well.

20:22
So a big thing is is not only are we going to decrease weight if we’re focusing on fiber, but you’re going to also improve actually your insulin resistance, which is something that does get become affected when you enter menopause. So fibers also going to help you actually regulate some of that carb intake. So you’re not dealing with highs and lows, because as we enter menopause we can have a little bit more difficulty actually processing carbs.

Cori

20:52
And slightly tanging off of this, talking about gut health in general. You know again we want to alleviate any of those GI disturbances with menopause. Taking care of our gut can help with the weight loss and fat loss process, but also skin skin health is really connected to our gut and I think that’s an important thing to note because we can see more skin issues. We can have more dryness. You know, skin fragility in general is something that we deal with as we get older. So taking care of our gut and the impact that can have even on our skin is super important, because skin is something that we’re going to see change during menopause.

Michelle

21:30
Yeah, and I mean, it’s again something that’s overlooked, but your skin is your largest organ and it’s your first layer of defense for anything. So we do want to make sure that we are focusing on that skin health as well and, as you mentioned, focusing on fiber is going to help with that.

Cori

21:48
And I think I know what foods you might recommend to get more fiber, but some big ones that even address some of the other micronutrients we’ve talked about in this podcast. What are they?

Michelle

21:58
So lentils and legumes are super great sources of fiber, and what I love about them is you’re also getting some of that protein, and we do know that protein is a huge, important macronutrient when it comes to menopause. So anytime you can kind of hit your carb source, it’s also going to have your fiber and your protein intake. That’s going to be a huge win. Artichokes are something that is another item that’s just super high in fiber, and then raspberries, but really any fruit or vegetable is going to help you get there, and most of us just aren’t eating enough plant foods that are going to have that high fiber content. So those are just going to be some of the highest options that you can kind of get the most bang for your buck with lower calories.

Cori

22:43
Cold, natural food sources are always the best bet because they come with such a punch and they address so many different areas, helping us, you know, not only see the aesthetic changes we want, but address the symptoms of menopause, improve our health right, they are really the complete package. However, it is sometimes hard to address all the nutritional areas that we need to address, especially as some of our needs increase during menopause. So, talking about supplements, what can be the benefit of supplements? What do we need to be paying attention to if we are considering going the supplement route to address any nutritional gaps we might have?

23:18
Because you do hear people say I started this one supplement, I started taking X vitamin and mineral and all of a sudden, you know, my hair is magically growing and my nails are perfect and you know all these different things. And it’s not that it was a magic pill, right. It’s more that it started addressing a nutritional gap they had, and so, in that, when they fixed or filled that gap, all of a sudden they were seeing the results that they wanted from everything else. So, talking a little bit about supplements, michelle, and how they can benefit us.

Michelle

23:43
So we really want to make sure that we’re focusing obviously on the supplements that are going to fill our nutritional gaps. Oftentimes with supplements they’re just throwing like, oh, you can get a thousand percent of this, which is great, but you don’t need a thousand percent. So oftentimes you’re overdoing things and I know I mentioned like things like B vitamins. That’s often one that’s usually way over the top because it’s water soluble, so they’re like well, if you have excess you’ll eliminate it, but when it comes to supplementation, you really just want to focus that you are getting your bases covered. We still should be focusing on getting food sources but, as you mentioned earlier, if you are in a calorie deficit, sometimes people take that route of oh well, I can’t have these foods and start avoiding foods which can also cause micronutrient deficiencies. Now, on the flip side of that, one of the benefits that can be easier is if you are working on improving your diet or in a calorie deficit. It is easier if you mill, prep and kind of have the same item and that can take off some decision fatigue. It makes it a little bit easier and you know, just easier in general. But because of that you are also probably having a less diverse diet. So really making sure that you were having a supplement that is going to be not just one thing.

25:06
Oftentimes there’s a lot of people that are like, well, if you only need this supplement to fill this gap, just take that one supplement. And while that’s not necessarily bad, the problem with that is oftentimes if you’re taking that one supplement, pretty soon you’ll be suggested to take one other one and another one, and by the end of the day you could be taking 10 supplements versus having a multi that’s going to cover the majority of everything that you need. So I really encourage people to actually look for a multi versus a single item, and this is, in particular, if you’re really just covering bases. Now, if you have been prescribed by your doctor like a very specific amount, you can always look at your multi and see what it is and add you know that one nutrient that you need on it to make sure you’re getting that adequate amount.

25:59
But I think the biggest thing is so often we kind of over complicate it by being like oh well, so and so said this worked for her and so and so said this worked for her. It is not uncommon for me to see clients that are taking between 15 to 30 supplements, and sometimes they don’t even entirely know why. And pretty soon I’m looking at it, I’m like well, this has this supplement, has this vitamin and this vitamin and this vitamin, and you are really overdoing it with all this crossover. So it’s really comes down to not over complicating it and really just making sure that you are still focusing foods and you’re utilizing supplements as they’re meant to be, which is to supplement an already healthy diet.

Cori

26:41
But it’s also to fill your nutritional gaps. It’s making sure that you’re getting the right type of B vitamins that you need in the right amounts and not wasting money on things that you don’t need as well, which I think we can do when we just throw supplements at it or get a multivitamin, and honestly, it’s why I’ve loved having our custom supplement blends shameless plug for them. But it’s because we can dive into you need X B vitamin and you need in this amount. Because, again, each of us is unique. Each of us has different activity levels, genetics, dieting practices, which are going to make us have different nutritional gaps, no matter how hard we try, especially because our foods aren’t the same nutrient density that they once were.

27:20
So addressing your needs, even as you go through menopause and you might see demands of a specific micro or even macro change over time with the hormonal changes. So addressing those gaps as they come up, because just getting enough the recommended amount doesn’t mean you’re getting enough for you, right? Because we’re all different and we’re all consuming different foods and we have different activity levels, different genes. So being able to fill those specific gaps is so important and you’ve talked a lot about it a lot, and I think it’s always interesting when it comes up like magnesium. There are different types of it, right, and if you’re not getting the right type for what you need, you might be wasting your money on a supplement that isn’t addressing your nutritional gap.

Michelle

27:59
Yeah, and magnesium is a great one because you know we talked a little bit about how heart health becomes so huge when you enter menopause. So, like, any magnesium you’re going to take is going to have somewhat of that laxative laxative effect when it comes to dealing with things like constipation, but there are some that are a little bit better than others in regards to certain areas. So magnesium ore is actually one that’s, in particular, is very good for your heart. So if you happen to know that you have a family history with heart disease or you yourself have been prescribed some particular heart care situations regarding your you know your levels or whatever your labs are showing that one may be a better option for you to actually take. So there is those minute differences and, like you said, I’m going to even kind of go off a little bit on our personalized supplements, because one of the benefits of that is not only are we actually able to take that into consideration, where a lot of times, when it comes to just kind of general supplements, they’re going to give you yeah, they’ll give you magnesium, but they’re probably going to give you the cheapest magnesium that’s on the market, and I’m not saying that’s bad because it’s still going to be helpful. But if you are in need of something very specific, like your heart health, you do want to make sure you’re changing that source a little bit.

29:21
And I even just recently, was working with someone and just by looking over all their supplements and kind of comparing and seeing the crossover that was taking or was happening, we actually decreased her pill intake by about 12 pills. So she was able to go down 12 pills. And I’m a huge believer I’m a little bit biased in this that while supplements are important and you should be taking them, if you are taking so much, I mean pills are hard for your body to digest and to digest fully, which is partially why we do overdo it a little bit when, in regards to, like the RDA, you may have it a little bit over Because even though you’re taking that supplement, it can still be very difficult for you to digest. So if you are someone that’s taking 1530 pills a day, that you don’t really necessarily know why and I’m I’m going to say that because there are there are people that need to take certain amounts of pills because their doctors have prescribed them and that’s what their needs are, but oftentimes that can just be really hard on your GI and also signifying that your diet needs an overhaul more than anything.

30:29
But the what’s cool about the personalization as well is, as you are working on improving your diet, as you are working on improving just your health in general, your needs change, so you may start at one point where you’re like these are all the supplements I need to make sure I’m having because my diet is lacking and my health. This is what I’m struggling with and all of a sudden, you know, six months, a year later, we’re not in the same spot, so you don’t need to be taking the exact same thing, which means we can actually look at what you’re taking, what your needs are, and make those adjustments that are needed so that you are getting the most out of your supplement.

Cori

31:08
And maybe it comes from me being lazy, but I definitely have the do less, achieve more whenever possible mindset.

31:16
So, even looking at the list that we’ve talked about today of micronutrients and the benefits and the overlap in the foods, you might even find that you can sort of just include specific vitamins, micronutrients, like you know, different minerals, herbs, all those different things, and they can really work for a variety of different symptoms you’re seeing, whereas right now you might be trying to throw sort of spaghetti at the wall and address all the different symptoms with all these different things instead of just honing in on the one most important that has the overlap over different things.

31:44
So I am going to put a link to learn more about our custom supplement blends, because we really can design down to the milligram what you need based on the symptoms you’re seeing, a menopause, based on any different things that you’re struggling with or goals you’re working towards. And I know this is a big shameless plug for it, but I’ve really seen the benefit in not only making it easier for me to see the results that I want in a sustainable way, because it’s one thing I’m taking, but I really do find that this addresses exactly the gaps we need. So we’re not wasting time, we’re not wasting energy, we’re not wasting money on different things that aren’t really necessary. Michelle, any closing thoughts on the micronutrients, on supplements, on the whole natural foods, any of that jazz to help people really feel their best through menopause?

Michelle

32:25
So I’m just going to add, because I definitely think that you know, focusing on the right supplement for you is needed. But if I were to tell you the four top food sources to focus on, to add to your menopause diet, to kind of make sure that you’re hitting everything that we mentioned today, it’s going to be making sure that you’re in that you are including those dark leafy greens, legumes. We want to make sure that we are hitting that fiber need and also, obviously, it hit several other areas nuts and seeds, particular pumpkin seeds, and then fermented foods. Those are going to be the four things that I would suggest that you focus on adding to your diet when you enter menopause.

Cori

33:06
Great challenge to see how many times you can really hit those, even in the next week. Thanks for listening to the Fitness Hacks podcast Again. This is the place where I share all my free workout and nutrition tips. I’m never going to run sponsorships or ask you to buy anything. All I ask in return is, if you’re enjoying the podcast, to leave a rating review or share it with someone you think it might help. This will only take a few minutes and it would mean the world to me and possibly change life of someone you know.

00:00

Hey guys, this is Cori from Redefining Strength. Welcome to the Fitness Hacks podcast. This is a show where I share all my free work on the nutrition tips. I’m not going to ever fill this episode with sponsorships or ask you to buy anything. All I ask in return is, if you’re enjoying the podcast, to leave a review or leave a five-star rating or, even better, share it with someone you think it might help. This will only take a few minutes and would mean the world to me and possibly change the life of someone you know. So let’s jump right in.

00:29

It’s just not the right time. Many of us have felt that way. When we’re about to start a new program, we think it’s not the right time to get started. But what if the not right time is actually the right time to start? And hear me out with this, because I think often we keep ourselves stuck in this yoyo dining cycle because we only start things at the right time. We wait for that Monday, that January, the time where we’re really motivated, where we feel like we have a clean slate, and then we make all these different habit changes and we can sustain them for a certain amount of time. We might even see results during that time. But then life, which it loves to do, gets in the way. We come up with some challenge, our priority shift, it’s busy at work, family life has more demands, but something comes up where, all of a sudden, this perfect time, this right time to start, is no longer the right time. But we’ve been willpowering our way through as is, and then we wonder why we don’t have discipline. And it’s because we’ve been willpowering our way through during a perfect time to maintain these habits. And so the second it’s no longer perfect. The second there’s other priorities. The second, there’s other challenges. All of a sudden, the things we’re doing and willpowering our way through, we just can’t keep willpowering our way through. And we haven’t built discipline because we haven’t truly ingrained lasting habit changes, because we only created habit changes based on this perfect time. So ultimately, what happens? We fall off our plan, we can’t maintain those habits and we don’t know how to do the minimum because we never learned how to handle the not right times.

01:54

I see clients get the best results when they truly start a program, the coaching program specifically, when it’s not the right time, when they’re about to go on vacation, when they have a whole bunch of stress at work. Because if they learn to make one percent improvements during that time, if they have that outside support during that time, that proven plan in place during that time and this is not to say you need to do coaching, but it’s just to highlight that when you have that plan in place and you learn to do those changes during the imperfect times, you learn to meet yourself where you’re at and make those one percent improvements. And the more we can make our lows less low, the more we can keep moving forward during those unideal times, the more those results actually snowball and build. We don’t see results from what we do inconsistently. We all know consistency is key to results, yet so often we try and only be consistent during ideal times and then what we see over the course of the year is, instead of hitting that 80-20 balance, we’re more like 60-40 because we’re only striving to be extra super perfect during 60% of the time, versus if we could find ways just to make those lows less low, we’re going to be more consistent over the course of the year and we might realize that our overall balance is even closer to 90-10 just because we’re making those improvements during unideal times.

03:01

So if you’ve been thinking that now is not the right time. I want you to question that and I want you to step back and I actually want you to think about your plan or your habit changes, as like being on a treadmill and if you were given 24 hours to try and get as many miles as you can on that treadmill, you’re going to move at different paces, you’re going to try and run at points. And that’s where we have those ideal times where you can make more sacrifices, you can implement more habits, you can be more strategic with everything, you can do a little bit more potentially. But you know those times where you can sprint. But instead of sprinting and then getting off the treadmill right, if you just all of a sudden walk and you give yourself that little rest and recovery, you’re going to keep moving forward. You’re going to keep logging those miles over those 24 hours to try and get more.

03:40

And that’s what we have to think about the ideal times as the times where we’re just going to walk, to keep moving, and maybe because we tried to sprint a little bit, all of a sudden we’re a little bit more fatigued. Maybe it’s, you know, the mental drain of other things coming up in life along with trying to do the habits, or it’s the mental drain of pushing really hard in our workouts. So we have to back off and yeah, maybe we’re walking at 1.0 on the treadmill, but we’re still moving forward, we’re still getting those extra miles. So we’re going to be a lot further ahead. And we have to think about it this way because if we’re thinking about it as just even this 24 hour span on the treadmill that we’re trying to get as many miles, that 24 hour span is really the year. And the more you can keep moving forward every single day of the year, even if some days are slower and some days are faster, the more at the end of that year you’re going to have accumulated and snowball those results Because as you keep moving, you’re moving forward.

04:27

That’s the thing. Like if you’re not doing anything, you’re literally standing still. Not only are you keeping yourself stuck in that spot, but we have to remember our body doesn’t like change. So when we go into a 12 week period where we want to see results and we’re thinking well, you know, it’s only 10 pounds, I should see great progress. You can lose one pound per week. Well, if you have those 10 pounds on, even if you didn’t dig yourself a hole in the last year waiting for the ideal time, if you just kept those 10 pounds on for that entire year, your body now thinks that is normal. Your body now is very balanced at that weight.

04:57

It is going to fight you even more to lose that weight because it has thought that is natural and normal and all the routines and habits you do for that whole year are what you need to do. So it does not want to change from that spot because this has become more and more normal. And if you think about how often, how long we’ve done it, it’s not just one year, it’s two, three, four that we’ve really built up those habits, built up those routines, built up the weight potentially that we want to lose. So you’re not going to lose in 12 weeks because you’re going to fight more against it. So that’s like getting off the treadmill and just standing still. You’re not logging any miles whatsoever. Better to move on the treadmill at the slowest of slow paces and keep moving forward, even if it feels kind of ridiculous. So that’s how we have to see our habit changes and our perspective of not the right time. If it’s not the right time, it is the exact right time to start, because the more you can learn to do something during that time walk at the slowest of slow paces the more miles you’re going to accumulate over that span and the further along you’re going to be. So don’t hold yourself back by waiting for some ideal time. Realize that waiting for that ideal time, waiting for a perfect time to be able to get the most out of our plan, is holding you back from ultimately seeing lasting results. Lasting changes, better results, snowball.

06:03

Thanks for listening to the Fitness Hacks podcast Again. This is the place where I share all my free work out and nutrition tips. I’m never going to run sponsorships or ask you to buy anything. All I ask in return is, if you’re enjoying the podcast, to leave a rating review or share it with someone you think it might help. This will only take a few minutes and it would mean the world to me and possibly change the life of someone you know.

*Please Note: this transcript is auto-generated and there may be some errors in the transcript

Cori – 00:00

Hey guys, this is Cori from Redefining Strength. Welcome to the Finis-Tax podcast. This is a show where I share all my free work on the nutrition tips. I’m not going to ever fill this episode with sponsorships or ask you to buy anything. All I ask in return is, if you’re enjoying the podcast, to leave a review or leave a five-star rating or, even better, share it with someone you think it might help. This will only take a few minutes and would mean the world to me and possibly change the life of someone you know, so let’s jump right in. So we’re going to talk about underrated versus overrated for fat loss. Michelle and I have very similar perspectives, but I think the differences that we do have will be very interesting in eye-opening. So, michelle, I’m going to throw you under the bus and make you start with the first one Workouts for fat loss underrated or overrated.

Michelle – 00:50

So in my opinion, overrated and part of. There’s several factors to this. And obviously I’m not saying workouts are bad and there’s obviously lots of health benefits from them. But if you are solely focused on fat loss and you think that throwing in an extra workout is going to get you your results, you’re going to be disappointed. And this is often because a lot of people tend to work out and we tend to over consume after because we think we’ve earned it or we think we’re burning more calories than what we actually are. And sometimes working out in general can actually increase your appetite. So if you’re not adding your workouts with a macro approach, you probably are going to be hungrier and more susceptible to kind of falling, falling victim to those simple refined carbohydrate cravings.

Cori – 01:40

And I’m going to disagree with you and say underrated.
And while I think for weight loss all you need is diet you change your diet, you can create that calorie deficit, you can lose weight I think that we so often misuse our workouts now that we now say diet is 80% of the battle and workouts are only 20%, but when we’re really trying to achieve that fat loss and that body recomp, workouts are so much more important than we give them credit for, especially for a sustained lifestyle.

02:05

So I would argue, underrated because we treat our workouts like a chance to just burn more calories and create that deficit, which is misusing them and that can then make them overrated. But if you’re trying to build and retain the muscle, you’re going to help yourself keep your metabolic rate higher. You’re going to help yourself feel more like fit and fueled and want to do all the healthy habits you have to in terms of like the nutrition wise and outside of the gym. So I think it’s really the implementation of our workouts that can be so important and make them such a valuable tool. However, as you mentioned like we can’t just see them as a chance to burn more calories. We can’t just see them as a chance to try and create that deficit, because ultimately that does backfire and then make them overrated.

Michelle – 02:44

Yeah, and I do think that’s the biggest issue is when people view their workouts that kind of as a punishment, like, oh I ate this, I need to go burn it. Most likely you’re not going to oftentimes work out long enough to actually burn it off or you’re probably overdoing it in the gym and causing other potential injuries. Other issues, increased stress that can kind of backfire.

Cori – 03:06

And I think part of what has made workouts slightly be like not as valued for fat loss or not as valued in terms of the weight loss process, is the fact that we’ve turned to just seeing them as a chance to burn more calories and we’ve gotten very obsessed with the fitness trackers which is actually kind of funny because I have two on one I use the time rest, the other one I use more to track sleep.

But we see our workouts only as this chance to burn more calories, and this is what backfires, versus seeing it as a chance to building muscle, really creates that healthy metabolic rate, and even see it as a chance to get functionally fit. So I think it’s almost realizing that there is even nuance in the workouts. I would say cardio is overrated, making our workouts hard is overrated, but true strength, where building that lean muscle is so undervalued and underrated when we want to achieve that body recomp. And it’s even why we can think, hey, I can’t get as lean as I’d like or I don’t see the lasting results, or I lose weight but I only look skinnier and I can’t maintain those results right. So it’s the nuance in how we use those workouts to pair with our nutrition really.

Michelle – 04:08

Yeah, exactly, I think you kind of nailed it right. There is, I think the biggest issue I have when people are focused so much on their workouts is they think that they need to be sore every workout and they really need to hit it hard. When the research shows that doing kind of the strength training and more slow, steady, you know, cardio, like walking where you were not not even speed walking, just walking, is going to make the bigger difference overall.

Cori – 04:34

We cannot exercise or diet plain and simple, and so both have to work together. Now, moving on to the nutritional component food quality does it matter for fat loss? Why or why not?

Michelle – 04:48

So I do think food quality is underrated and I have to have a little bit of a caveat here because I think the biggest thing is if how fast you’re wanting fat loss to results to occur.

So while macros are always going to help you, having you know that calorie limit is going to help you towards your goal, If you’re really looking to try and have fast results, you need to take into consideration of your quality.

So oftentimes you know everyone has this idea that calorie is king and as long as you’re in that deficit you are going to achieve your goal. And while that’s kind of true, part of the issue is, if you are only focusing on calories and macros in general and not giving any attention to quality, you’re really missing out on a lot of those whole nutrient dense and diverse foods that are really going to help you stay more energized, be more active, be able to repair and rebuild, be able to have that muscle protein synthesis actually rolling, so you’re getting on more muscle and actually being able to burn your fat, versus burning your muscle mass when we are in a deficit.

Cori – 05:57

When I put this one on there to talk to you about, I debated myself underrated. Overrated, because the thermic effect of food and whole natural foods really does make the weight loss process easier. Getting those nutrient dense foods versus calorically dense food makes our body function better, which helps us see better results faster. It can help us feel fuller, which makes the calorie deficit easier. At the same time, when I was really thinking through all of this and I knew you were going to say underrated, I had to almost lean towards that overrated side of the continuum for under rated to overrated because, let’s face it, it’s not really either or there’s a continuum. I had to lean towards that overrated side. The reason I did, I think, is my own personal bias and experiences with the fat loss process, the body recount process. I think it’s very easy to start and I see it a lot online, which is probably why I’m saying this.

But the clean eating pressure, while whole natural foods are really key, we want to improve our health, we want to have our body function as optimally as possible. So often we do just demonize any foods that aren’t perfectly clean by someone else’s standards and we don’t see that lifestyle balance. So we ultimately sabotage our own consistency. So I would say, if you are just starting out, food quality is vastly overrated Start meeting yourself where you’re at.

If you’re eating out all the time, try and find slightly better variations to hit those macros, to hit those calories right. Include foods that make your lifestyle easy. If it is having a protein bar on the go, if it is having something that’s a little more processed on the go but will keep you consistent, so that you can see that long-term adherence, do it. You’re still going to see results. People see results eating McDonald’s, fast food diets and lose weight right, and the whole point is that we’ve got to meet ourselves where we’re at to make those changes. So I would say, if you’re just starting out and your food quality maybe isn’t what you think is ideal or clean, it’s going to be overrated to focus on that first over just trying to get those portions dialed in. Get the calories dialed in. Meet yourself where you’re at. But then, yes, if you want to reach that next level of leanness, food quality is vastly underrated and if you’re relying on protein shakes and some not quality foods, that’s probably going to make the process a lot harder on you.

Michelle – 07:55

Yeah and that’s something that I actually talked to a lot of clients about is when we are starting to see that caloric intake be filled with protein shakes and protein bars and lots of supplements and don’t get me wrong, I’m not against supplements, I think they have a place but if we’re starting to miss out on those micronutrients, that can be oftentimes where the plateaus happen, and that’s what I see with the quality, like he said, I think you’re starting out and things are rolling. Yeah, you’re doing well as long as you are focusing on the macros and the calories. But if you want to avoid those plateaus and see continual results happen, then that’s when we do want to make sure that we are having that quality.

Cori – 08:39

And going off of that too and I bring this up because I know you had this discussion with a client where she was increasing her fruit and vegetable intake but she wasn’t quite seeing the quick changes she wanted on the scale in terms of body recompense. She’s like what’s even the point? And you’re like, well, but you’re eating all these things that are good for your health, which, long term, will benefit you. It will also snowball in terms of the body recompense that you’re seeing. So I think it’s important that we don’t forget the importance that getting the proper fuel in will make the vehicle function better, which ultimately will create hormonal balance, better recovery, all the things that lead to the results, even if it doesn’t feel like it’s snowballing right away.

Michelle – 09:15

Yeah, and I know this isn’t on the list, but I am just going to add I think the biggest underrated thing is time and patience. So many of us want those fast results and, like you said, like I’m doing these things, why am I not seeing the results as fast as I want? It’s going to snowball. Your health is improving, Hormones are getting fixed and that takes time.

It’s not an overnight switch. It may not even be like a week or a month switch, but you are going to see those improvements and the best results I hear from is when people are talking to me about their labs. Like you know, I may not have seen it on the scale, but those non-scale victories of my blood pressure has improved, my cholesterol has improved, I you know, my knees, my joints are feeling better, I can actually bend without pain or move without pain. Those are things that are often getting the recognition that it deserves and it’s going to snowball and the scale sometimes may be the last place that you actually see that improvement. But the labs, the measurements, those are going to be the areas of that. You’re going to see the results first.

Cori – 10:18

And I mean that boom might drop. But like that hits on, even how you might value some of these things and decide they’re underrated or overrated. For you, specifically, is what helps you be able to stick with it for long enough. Be consistent with it for long enough, right, because you can’t out exercise out, work out, diet time and you have to be consistent with things. So, moving on to the next one, because I think this actually does really play into that fasting overrated or underrated for fat loss?

Michelle – 10:50

I’m going overrated with this one, mainly because I think it’s a tool that some people can respond well to and it can help lead to results.

But I also think it’s become this like, oh, to get results you should be fasting, when in reality oftentimes this fasting really is just helping you kind of limit your caloric intake.

But I often see the negatives of fasting with clients, and that is one if you are fasting and you are perimenopause or sorry, not perimenopause, but if you are premenopause and preperimenopause oftentimes fasting can actually interrupt or disrupt your hormone production.

So sometimes I’m seeing a lot of issues with women that are having that, where their hormones all of a sudden are kind of thrown off balance. But the other issue I see, particular with the clients, is that they have this smaller window and because of that they have a very difficult time getting their protein in that they need at the end of the day and that is important is like, even if you’re fasting, this doesn’t all of a sudden mean that, like, those calories and grams of protein that you need daily get subtracted from your day. No, it just means that you have a smaller window to get them in. And while for postmenopause women there can be more benefits because we’re not worried so much about hormone production and I have seen postmenopause women respond decently to a moderate you know, fasting period. It is really one of those that’s just kind of overrated for the general population. It’s something that you don’t have to do and as long as you are kind of focusing on those calories and those macros in general, the timing is a little bit less important, thank God.

Cori – 12:37

I 100% agree. I actually like intermittent fasting. I’ve done it on and off over the years. It helped me allow me to find my balance, really understand my hunger cues a little bit better, work with my schedule to not feel pressure or think that my muscles were just going to melt off. I didn’t eat at a specific time. But I will have to still 100% say that it is overrated for fat loss and often misuse.

I see clients a lot of times using it to try and create more severe restriction which ultimately backfires and makes them want to overeat.

They try and force it when it isn’t right for their scheduling right, where they can’t then break their fast after training.

Or they do these different things just to try and intermittent fast because they’ve heard it’s really good and ultimately they try and use it to excuse not hitting their macros or not hitting their calories, which, if you don’t hit those things, I don’t care what your meal timing is you’re not going to see as good a results right. You can’t just eat crap even though you might be in a deficit and see the body recomp you want. Yes, you might lose weight on the scale initially. I also see it as something they then rely on to end up under eating and therefore they’re not getting the fuel they need to build and retain that lean muscle mass to keep their metabolic rate healthier, which then sabotages future weight loss efforts, makes it harder and harder to maintain the results that they even worked hard for. So I, even as a person who still does it not as consistently but still does it believes that it can be a tool to fit your schedule, think it is vastly overrated for fat loss.

Michelle – 13:58
And I think too just to kind of add, because you know we talked about fitting your schedule it also needs to kind of fit your social schedule as well, because I think so often, like we, we try it, like you said, we try to force ourselves in this box. But if you are struggling and it’s causing more stress because you’re worried about not being able to enjoy social events, go out with family and friends because it doesn’t line up with your eating window, then that can also have negative effects on your overall goal. So it’s really just taking into account your lifestyle, your social calendar, all those things, to really finding if it’s right for you or not.

Cori – 14:36

I totally agree. And on the flip side, you know if you are having a meal out where you don’t have as much control and you know you’re going to have more calories and you do fast, or you want to use it to really learn your hunger cues because you don’t want to be stuck to a meal timing, or you can’t eat at specific times, like all these things are really important, which kind of leads into the next topic, which is meal timing in general, not just fasting underrated or overrated because you hear it talked about a whole heck of a lot when it comes to achieving body recomp.

Michelle – 15:02

So I’m going to go overrated with this one, and mainly because I think so often we compare the you know the general population likes to compare it to like the athletes or what we’re hearing, so and so is doing, and the celebrities and what they’re doing, but so often we are over complicated, as it needs to be complicated. So when it comes to meal timing, you know I grew up and I was taught, you know, even going through my own schooling with nutrition that it really mattered to make sure that you had the proper nutrients post workout and that it really mattered to make sure that you were eating at X amount of times throughout the day. But the new research shows that it doesn’t really matter as long as at the end of the day, you are still hitting your overall caloric needs and your overall protein needs. So we get caught up in like well, when do I need to eat this pre workout and when do I need to eat this post workout?

If you’re not engaging in, like major endurance competitions where you know timing is going to actually matter a little bit more for you to be able to perform that activity, you don’t need to be stressed so much day to day. You can really just kind of have, kind of eat a fairly normal. You know, when you’re hungry you eat and make sure that you’re hitting your calories and macros without stressing about. Oh, it’s an hour before my workout, I need to get this in. Or, you know, 30 minutes after my workout there’s a magical window that I need to make sure I’m consuming X in. So that’s it, that’s not going to matter as much.

Cori- 16:34
I agree. I think meal timing is highly overrated and overstressed and over like focused on. I can tell you that in all the times I’ve ever tried to get as late as possible, I never want stress of specific meal timing, nor even kept a specific meal timing day to day. It’s fluctuated dramatically and I’ve just focused on hitting my macros and calories for the day and I’ve seen great results. That being said, I do think that, as much as it’s overrated in general for fat loss, some of these details can often be underrated when we’re trying to really meet ourselves where we’re at. So I do want to put the slight emphasis on if you are getting older, you’re struggling to get in your protein, you’re struggling to see the muscle gains you want. So again, this is would be if, even with fat loss, you’re trying to gain a little bit more muscle, you might then consider the timing of your protein to make sure that you are getting it right around your workouts, because that will help you with that muscle protein synthesis to see better results as you get older. So, understanding that, while it’s overrated, and if you haven’t gotten those other big fundamentals down and first, you’re focusing on the wrong things by focusing on meal timing. If you are really struggling to see the results you want when you have dialed in your overall macros, you have dialed in your overall calories, this can be something that you can play with to then help make sure that you’re getting the feel you need when you’re you need it.

If you’re training for something specifically, or if you have hit that next level of leanness and you’re really struggling to get those last few percent off, this is where those details can become highly underrated. But it’s very specific circumstances. So if you’re just starting out, if you want generally really fabulous results, stress the fundamentals first, focus on those overall macros, calories for the day. Then you can get into some of these details just to make things work better for you specifically. So, jumping off of that, because I think this is one of the biggest things that we need to focus on, and I’m going to say a spoiler here we’re both saying this is underrated protein. Why is protein so important and will we die on the hill of it’s underrated, no matter what?

Michelle – 18:30
So there’s lots of reasons, but one you know protein has a higher thermic effective food. You do get a slight metabolic boost and a little bit improved calorie burn when you are consuming higher amounts of protein. A big thing for me is whenever you are specifically focusing on fat loss and this is where, in this case, it’s a huge portion is when you are trying to lose fat. You are most likely going to be in a deficit. When your body is in that deficit, it’s going to turn to whatever it can for energy, especially at that, those beginning stages. So what happens is your body will actually turn to that muscle and obviously we want to keep that muscle. We want to lose that fat. So protein is going to help protect that muscle mass from being used up as energy when you’re in a fat loss phase. And then, of course, protein is important for repairing and rebuilding muscle. We want you to put on more muscle. We want to decrease that fat. We want to improve muscle. It is going to have an increased or it’s going to help you feel fuller when you’re consuming meals. So if you are looking at staying within a deficit, we want to To be focusing on foods that are going to keep you full so you’re not just feeling hungry all the time.

And then a big thing that I feel like a lot of people don’t recognize or give it credit for is protein does not come in just a little package where it’s just delivered just as pure protein. It’s going to have those micronutrients as well, so protein really is going to be full of, like B vitamins, which B vitamins are known as the energy vitamin. So oftentimes you can kind of get a boost in energy if you are increasing your protein and if you have that extra boost, you’re more likely to engage in behavior that’s going to have you burning more calories throughout the day. We tend to fidget more, we tend to be more excited about things, and that’s going to actually contribute to your overall calorie burn just, and that’s outside, of course, of feeling good enough to actually hit your workout. And then, of course, it also is going to have other vitamins and minerals, but things like zinc and iron are also going to help you fill, alert and feel more energetic as well, it is truly filled with micronutrients and even informed, so we can’t get in other foods.

Cori – 20:47
But on top of that and I agree with everything you said, surprise, surprise, you know again, I think it’s vastly underrated and I think we’re usually under eating it, which is part of why we don’t see the body recomp we want. Right. We’re not just looking for weight loss on the scale, we are looking to truly see that definition look leaner, right. Build and retain that lean muscle mass. Well, in the deficit, set ourselves up for long term success.

But eating more protein when you’re trying to lose fat is simply safer. And what I mean by this is if your calories go a little bit higher, if you do include that cheat day on a weekend, if you do have variations, by consuming more protein you’re going to make the other energy that you need. You’re going to be able to produce all the different things that you need because you’re getting protein. Also because of the thermic effect. If you overeat calories one day, you’re not going to see unwanted fat be gained as easily as if you had carbs or fat and didn’t utilize that energy source and you are protecting that lean muscle mass to keep the metabolic rate higher, not to mention when we do deviate okay, and most of us will have that cheat day. Most of us will have that day where our macros are off because we ate out.

If we’re airing on the side of going higher protein on all those other days, when we do have that one day where carbs and fat rule because that’s generally what happens when we don’t eat according to our macros to try and lose fat, we’re still maintaining like a higher level of protein overall and so everything balances out.

So I do like to air on the side of using higher protein ratios with clients whenever I can, knowing that when there are those deviations, those times out, they’re probably still hitting the minimum, even if they can’t fully track. So it oddly provides a safety net when we’re trying to lose fat, on top of all the other benefits from the thermic effect, protecting our lean muscle while we’re in that deficit, getting us the micronutrients that we need and all that jazz. Off of that, let’s talk about something that’s not nutrition-based and our final underrated, overrated for today sleep, Because workouts we think of as very important often for our fat loss results are nutrition we think of as very important, but those two things aren’t the only things involved in really seeing the results we want. Michelle, is sleep overrated or underrated for fat loss?

Michelle – 22:47
So I am going to say sleep is very underrated. Often times I feel like we tend to push through things when we have a lack of sleep. But one of the biggest things is, when you are not sleeping adequately, you are going to have a change in your neurotransmitters. So actually I’m a very I’m blanking for the word, but on a very like extreme level you are going to have see the effects actually harm you, and one of the things that’s going to happen is you are going to actually have an increase in ghrelin, which is the hunger promoting hormone, and a decrease in leptin, which is the satiating hormone. So you are automatically going to be craving more. You’re going to be kind of having to fight yourself against this kind of pushing your body a little bit further to kind of stay on track.

But oftentimes when we are having lack of sleep, it’s not just that we have an increased appetite, but what we’re actually craving is you’re not craving more protein, you’re craving that simple refined carps sources because you’re looking for quick energy, you’re trying to stay awake and then on top of that, we tend to over correct. So all of a sudden we feel like we need that extra caffeine and we start hitting that caffeine later in the day. Caffeine stays in your system whether you are filling, the jitteriness or the alertness of it or not. It is going to stay in your system for about 10 hours after your last consumption of it. So if you’re taking that later in the day to get through the slump because you’re tired so three o’clock, four o’clock, whatever it is you’re probably going to actually be heralded by the time you’re getting there. So it’s really trying to make sure that we are getting off of this roller coaster and being able to get that adequate sleep.

Now, on top of this, another hormone that’s going to actually increase with lack of sleep is the lack of sleep. You know there’s a lack of sleep, so you’re probably going to be able to go out and get your sleep, really trying to make sure that we are getting off of this roller coaster and being able to get that adequate sleep. Now, on top of this, another hormone that’s going to actually increase with lack of sleep is cortisol. So you are actually going to increase your overall stress and cortisol is kind of the fat storing hormone. So, specifically for fat loss, you’re not doing yourself any favors if you’re not hitting your sleep and this doesn’t need to cause like tons of extra stress, but there are things that you can do to kind of make sure that you are having good sleep habits and even consuming foods that are going to actually help you get to sleep and get a full night’s rest so that you’re able to get into that deep REM, so you are waking up well rested and actually having lower cortisol levels.

Cori – 25:15

I love that you mentioned the cycle that we get caught in and also the quality of sleep. I would agree that sleep is really underrated and I think it’s because we often feel like we don’t have as much control over it. And it’s not just the quantity, because sometimes we can’t sleep more, but it is trying to do everything we can to improve the quality, and that does relate back to our diet. I also think that sleep and the things we see with our sleep patterns really indicate other imbalances or things being off, whether it’s over training, and that disrupts our sleep, or even, you know, under eating, so that disrupts our sleep as well. Right, so we can see different symptoms of things being off in our workouts or diet and how our sleep is being impacted. But we can also adjust those things to then improve the quality of our sleep. But if we’re not getting, you know, the proper amount of sleep, we’re not going to see results happen as fast as possible, and that might be the missing link. And I know it’s really hard to say well, I can’t go to bed earlier, right, but what can you do to try and improve the quality of your sleep, from the way you’re dialing in your macros, to how you’re training, to the caffeine you include all those different things, because the quality of our sleep does impact then how we can train.

If you’re not recovering and rebuilding, you’re going to see diminishing returns from your workouts. You’re not going to be able to push us hard. So even though it feels like you’re true 100% intensity, it’s just not going to be. And then you’re not going to see the strength gains, you’re not going to see the muscle gains, you’re not going to see all the benefits from those training sessions, despite working really hard, and you’re going to feel more and more beat down.

If you’re not sleeping correctly, you’re not going to be able to fuel in the way that you need. You’re going to find that those cravings really increase and then it’s going to feel like this constant battle where you run out of willpower. So we’ve got to pay a lot more attention to our sleep as both a symptom of something being off but also the impact it’s then having on these other systems were able to implement. Everything really is connected and off of this I have to ask, and I have to throw this one your way, which you didn’t know was coming your way. So forgive me maybe, but caffeine overrated or underrated for fall-offs.

Michelle – 27:08

Oh, that’s a good one. I’m going to say overrated, because the biggest problem with caffeine is caffeine does help, by all means. There’s lots of research that shows caffeine is going to help actually increase your metabolism a little bit. But the problem is is the research is showing that it helps at 400 milligrams? Now, how many people are actually only drinking 400 milligrams? Not very many. Most of us are hitting, you know, getting more and more in throughout the day.

And my biggest issue with caffeine is especially when people are starting to have the weight loss journey is they tend to focus on like pre-workouts that are going to have massive amounts of caffeine in it and caffeine. In my opinion, this is a very biased opinion. Caffeine, caffeinated pre-workout, is a crutch because the benefit of it is is you are able to push yourself harder because you’re not going to fill the effects and fill fatigue as as you normally would, and that’s really appealing to people. But in my opinion, oftentimes if you’re relying on caffeine, it’s because there’s probably an imbalance in your nutrient intake. You may not just be consuming enough food and so you’re relying on caffeine. You may be pushing yourself in those workouts past the point that you should and causing more damage because you aren’t filling that fatigue effect but your body signals you and you want to kind of stay and have that mind-body connection when you are working out.

So I think caffeine can sometimes mask this. And another thing that’s kind of important that I see, especially with menopausal women, is caffeine is an appetite suppressant and that’s real. Again, it’s something that’s really appealing to people that are trying to lose fat. But oftentimes I see women who and men who are actually under eating. So if they’re already under eating and not providing their body with enough fuels so that they’re even allowed to push themselves harder and see the results that they want, that caffeine isn’t actually helping them. It can actually be hindering them because their appetite’s thrown off, they’re not filling their natural hunger cues. So in my opinion, caffeine is very overrated.

Cori – 29:29

I would agree. I think it’s too often relied upon. And what we don’t realize too is that your body adapts, so that caffeine, that one caffeinated drink that you’re having, great if it’s prior routine. I like having mine as a pre-workout shake. Sometimes, if you’re relying on that. A, you have something else. Often you can’t just keep relying on it. B, at some point your body’s going to adjust. So unless you take in more and more, it’s really not doing anything extra except potentially disrupting your sleep.

If you are trying to increase it, however, I will say it’s underrated if you use it strategically because, as you mentioned, it does help boost that metabolic rate. It can be an appetite suppressant. So I might implement it strategically, saying, hey, I’m not going to use caffeine at most times, but I’m going to do this mini-cut and to see extra benefits from this mini-cut, I’m going to add in caffeine, as that boosts my workout so I don’t fatigue knowing that I’m in a stricter deficit. I have a more extreme macro breakdown. So I think it’s one of these elements we can utilize strategically, but too often we just throw it in there, say, oh, this is a detail. When we don’t have our macros dialed in, we don’t have our sleep dialed in. We don’t have all these big fundamental dialed in and we think it’s going to fix everything, and it’s not. And on top of that it’s going to reach a point of diminishing returns, where then we can’t use it strategically when it could actually benefit us. So overrated for fat loss, underrated when utilized strategically, with a mini-cut potentially.

Michelle – 30:51

Yeah and I’m just going to throw this out there because I feel like not enough people know this but if you are looking for caffeine or you are using caffeine for the benefits of getting through your workout, beetroot and like beets in general are going to have a very similar effect to caffeine without having some of those negatives. So it’s going to cause the blood vessels to increase so you’re able to get more blood flow and more oxygen to your muscles for those workouts specifically. So there are I guess I’m saying this just in the point like there are other options too. If you are someone that’s like, oh, I really do feel like I need something through my workouts, this is just another way to kind of go about it.

Cori – 31:32

And I’m also going to tangent off of that and say when I’m talking about caffeine, I’m talking about natural sources too, to be used during the mini-cut. I think those pre-workouts are really overrated and very dangerous because they’re not regulated and a lot of the things that mimic the caffeine or the other stimulants aren’t well tested. So be very, very careful and conscious of those things. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve known that have taken one of those things and had a very bad experience with them. So be very careful about the types of caffeine you do choose to include. Off of all this, michelle, any closing thoughts in terms of overrated, underrated on any of these different topics we’ve covered, or just any closing tips for really achieving amazing fat loss and not getting distracted by details that don’t matter.

Michelle – 32:16

Well, you mentioned it earlier. But I think the biggest thing is is you do have to consider where you’re at and kind of where you’re going to go, because a lot of these things. Are any of these bad? No, absolutely not. Can you employ all of these to kind of help your journey? Absolutely.

The problem I see is a lot of people get caught up in the weeds and they start putting too much pressure on meal timing or, like you know, we had varying responses to workouts or they try to do too long of workouts or try to really just overdo it, especially from where you’re at. If you’re trying to get too much caught, or if you’re trying to get caught too much in the details of things, you’re going to miss some of the bigger picture items. So it really is about assessing where you’re at and where you’re wanting to go. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, like just when we were going through over these things, and you’re like, oh, I didn’t even think about that, is that something that I should start focusing on. It really is going to depend on you.

We’re just slightly working towards that 1% improvement at all times. So if you’re at the very beginning of your journey, don’t be worried about meal timing. Don’t be too stressed about whether you should implement fasting or not, or even you know you’re caffeine intake at this time. Right now, we really just want to make sure that you’re getting your foundation down. What’s your calories at? Do you have your macro plan? And then from there, that’s when we want to step forward and start getting a little bit more detailed so that you aren’t hitting plateaus in the future.

Cori – 33:48

It’s really grabbing those lowest hanging fruits. And you know as much as I think fasting is a detail. If that seems like the easiest thing for you to start with, start with it. The foundation for us would be the workouts, probably the protein, although, as you mentioned, Michelle, also the calories. But the workouts, one nutritional change, the sleep right.

Even with those three, you might think, okay, well, that’s too much, even though those are the fundamentals. So maybe working out and starting back is something you’ve always enjoyed in the past, but you’re not doing it right now and you haven’t made dietary changes. But working out seems easiest. Start with that, even if it’s walking. If you’re, like I, really dislike working out, I need to start something.

Maybe you start with focusing on protein or tracking your food or adjusting your meal timing, but think about how you can take all these different things and meet yourself where you’re at, with making one change to start, and the one that seems like it’s the easiest to grab onto. Maybe it is focusing on sleep, because you’ve not had success making workout or nutrition changes in the past and you’re like, well, hey, I would love to get better sleep. So that sounds really attractive to try and make changes. But again, what you start with will be based on where you’re at currently, and the more you understand your lifestyle and even take time to outline what your current lifestyle looks like today, the better off you’re going to be. Thank you so much, Michelle, for joining me. Any last thoughts off of what I just said, even?

Michelle – 35:06

No, I mean, I would just want to repeat what you said. Honestly, it’s really just assessing where you’re at and trying to find that one thing to change and really building off of that habit stacking, making sure that you are doing what’s best for you and not. And I guess my final thought would just be don’t compare. No one’s journey should be the same and your journey is going to be different from your best friends, from your moms, from your sisters. It’s because it’s your journey, so really just focus on you and that 1% improvement.

*Please Note: this transcript is auto-generated and there may be some errors in the transcript

00:00
Hey guys, this is Cori from Redefining Strength. Welcome to the Fitness Hacks podcast. This is a show where I share all my free work on the nutrition tips. I’m not going to ever fill this episode with sponsorships or ask you to buy anything. All I ask in return is, if you’re enjoying the podcast, to leave a review or leave a five-star rating or, even better, share it with someone you think it might help. This will only take a few minutes and would mean the world to me and possibly change the life of someone you know. So let’s jump right in.

00:30
I got this box and on the outside it says perishable and the return address is an address that I know it’s going to be good inside, and opening it up, it was some of my favorite bars and cookies and my first thought was, oh no, ryan sent me really good stuff, or at least that would have been my thought in the past. Now the good thing is is that I see this and I go, yum, how can I work this in? I bring this up because I think a lot of times we’re, you know, given a present. We have a party come up, we have some life event come up and all of a sudden, when we’re trying to reach a specific goal, we think, oh, no. And then we feel like the person on the diet and either we feel very frustrated, making a big sacrifice that we don’t want to make to try and stick with our healthy eating habits and routine, or we say, well, it’s just ruined, I gave up, I’m going to, you know, enjoy the things, life happened right. And then we sabotage everything we’re looking to build. But it doesn’t really have to be an all or nothing thing or either or thing. We can find a balance, and it’s really key that we do find a balance so that we can be consistent with habits to see lasting results.

01:35
Too often we do think, oh, I’m that person on a diet, and then we say we can’t have any of these things, and that ultimately leads to us, you know, white knuckling our way through, feeling like we just don’t have the willpower at some point to keep maintaining those healthy habits, instead of saying, hey, you know, I’m going to have cookies at this date, maybe. Yeah, sure, you don’t go to the grocery store and get Oreos because you don’t care about those as much, but when someone sends you something good, you enjoy it. The key is really not labeling foods as good or bad, but realizing that we have to find a balance. If we can’t allow ourselves to enjoy the lifestyle things that we really want, ultimately we’re not going to keep doing all the healthy habits we’re trying to implement. The more we meet ourselves where we’re at, the more we think.

02:12
You know, what does my lifestyle look like? What do I enjoy? And I know I enjoy these cookies and bars. I know if I have this box sent to me, I’m not going to want to give them away or throw them out or anything like that. I’m going to want to enjoy them. But how can I then find that balance?

02:23
And I used to say I can’t have dessert. I realized that’s what I actually sabotaged my lasting habits for the longest time and hindered me from getting the body recomp that I wanted. Once I said no, I want to work in dessert. This is a non-negotiable for me. How can I plan it in? I struck that balance.

02:38
So if you’ve been starting new healthy habits and now you’re faced with a life event, whether or not it’s a party, a night out with the girls, you know goodies being sent your way. You know goodies even out at work, whatever it is, and you’re like okay, either I have to try and willpower my way through, but this is my favorite thing, or I’m going to end up sabotaging all the things I’ve worked so hard for. No, you’re not. You can have that balance. Say, hey, I’m going to have this this day, maybe I’m going to plan it into my macros. Or maybe, hey, I’m not going to hit my macros today and that’s A-OK. I’m still going to hit my protein, but I’m going to work this in.

03:06
The one thing we can’t do is either try and willpower our way through constantly, because at some point we’re going to give up, or say I’ve ruined everything. I think that’s a big thing is that we make ourselves feel guilty for enjoying the things we love instead of trying to find that balance. And it’s like getting a flat tire. If you get a flat tire, you pull over, you call AAA, you put on the spare, you try and get moving forward as fast as you can. You don’t go and slash the other three. Yet so often with our nutrition, if we have one cookie, we have one bar, we have one day that didn’t go perfectly, we say, well, I’ve screwed it up, and then we ruin the next week and the week after and the week after that, because we feel guilty and months later we’re starting over. But we’re not really just starting over. We can’t just move forward from where we had been. We’ve now dug ourselves a hole we have to climb out of.

03:47

So if you have something, come up a party. You get sent goodies. Find your lifestyle balance. Don’t just say you can’t have something. Don’t label foods as good or bad. Find your lifestyle balance. Meet yourself where you’re at and realize that your balance is going to look different than somebody else’s. Thanks for listening to the Fitness Hacks Podcast. Again, this is the place where I share all my free workout and nutrition tips. I’m never going to run sponsorships or ask you to buy anything. All I ask in return is, if you’re enjoying the podcast, to leave a rating review or share it with someone you think it might help. This will only take a few minutes and it would mean the world to me and possibly change life of someone you know.

*Please Note: this transcript is auto-generated and there may be some errors in the transcript