Diet Archives Page 2 of 21 | Redefining Strength

How to Lose That LAST 5-10 lbs of Stubborn Fat

by Cori Lefkowith | Apr 20, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Workouts

“I’ve only got 5lbs to lose. That shouldn’t take that long. Maybe a month! It’s so little.”

EH! WRONG.

The cold hard truth about getting lean? The closer you get to your goal, the harder the process often gets.

And the slower results happen.

So what do we do when it feels like things aren’t happening fast enough?

We slash our calories lower. We try to train harder and longer. We do more.

But this exact desire to do more is what sabotages us.

Instead, when you have those last few pounds to lose you think shouldn’t take too long to get off?

Double or triple at least the time you’re giving yourself to lose them.

Or even step off the scale altogether if you really want to look lean.

Because while sure, you could lose those 5lbs in a month, heck you could probably deplete water weight and glycogen stores and lose them in a couple of weeks in some cases easily…

True fat loss, especially fat loss to finally see that lean muscle definition you want, is SLOW.

You can’t rush the process.

When you have less to lose, the more you try to implement practices to speed things up often the more you end up sending yourself into burnout, both mental and physical…

…sabotaging your metabolic health…
…losing but not looking leaner…
…And ultimately rebounding right back up to where you started and sometimes even higher only to be frustrated that nothing ever works.

The reality is, these overnight transformations are myths.

Because what we logically know but emotionally forget when looking at them is that we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

We’re only seeing that last little bit of effort and results that was built off of potential years and decades of other training and dieting and lifestyle practices as well as genetics.

I bring this up because honestly…so often we don’t reach our goals not because we need a new tactic.

But because we just need to give results more TIME.

We need to do the hard thing of doubling down on what we’re doing. Doubling down on our commitment to consistency.

Over getting distracted by something new. Doing something more.

That’s what leads to us achieving a goal that is beyond what we’ve achieved before.

Or a goal we haven’t been at for a very very long time.

Years, decades aren’t reversed in weeks or months. We forget sometimes how long we’ve had the weight on.

We forget how many routines and habits we’ve built up.

And our body fights the weight loss process.

This exact fight is what will be used to our advantage when we finally reach the level we want and want to maintain it.

But in trying to lose that last little bit, this desire by our body to maintain balance makes everything slower.

It’s why every time we try to rush the process, we only sabotage ourselves.

That’s why I want to share these quick tips and reminders so that you go back to those basics. So that you stay focused on them and dial them back in when 1% deviations happen.

As unsexy as it is, as much as you want to find a magic pill or something that will make it happen faster…

You’re looking for some ah-ha moment…

The reality is often we need to be reminded more than we need to be taught.

We need to be reminded of those boring basic habits and mindsets we’re letting slide as we try to add on and do more to rush the process.

So reminder #1…manage your expectations.

If you tell yourself it will take triple the time to achieve your goal, you’ll more often be pleasantly surprised when results happen faster.

You’ll be motivated by the “quick” progress.

But if you tell yourself that results should happen tomorrow, when they don’t, you’ll be frustrated that things are happening too slowly and give up.

Our expectations can make or break our success.

And ultimately, you can’t control the rate at which results happen. All you can control is your daily habits!

So control those daily habits with reminder #2…Have a plan and roadmap laid out.

You want to reach your goal most efficiently?

You need a clear plan you follow.

You wouldn’t get in a car to drive to a destination you haven’t been without directions. You’d get lost and frustrated and waste a ton of time.

Heck, you may even turn back at some point and go home.

Yet so often this is how we approach our weight loss goals – with no directions.

We just jump in the car and drive.

Have a clear workout plan and nutritional strategy outlined. This also helps you have focused habits to be consistent with and track what is and isn’t working to adjust.

Reminder #3…Measure progress in multiple ways.

Have you ever thought, “How do I know if the program’s working?”

Success leaves clues.

They just aren’t always directly related to the exact goal outcome we want right away.

When we want to lose those last 5-10lbs, often if we’re focused on making true lifestyle and habit changes, the scale won’t be the first thing to change even.

But you may realize you’re sleeping better from eating better.

Your workouts feel stronger.

You’re improving your pull ups.

You don’t have an energy lull in the afternoon.

Your pants feel a little less snug.

We do get signs we’re doing things that are good for us and our goals. We just have to pause to notice them and not get so focused only on one outcome.

It’s why setting complementary targets or goals to help you track progress and repeat the habits you know you need can be key.

The more ways we measure success, the more ways we are successful.

And the more likely we are to realize that results ARE happening even when we feel like they aren’t!

Reminder #4 – Pride yourself on doing the boring stuff.

Yup. The daily boring habits we repeat are ultimately what add up. Tracking your macros consistently while even repeating some meals.

Waking up at the same time with the alarm that jolts us out of bed to hit the gym.

Because honestly, the two fundamentals to amazing results are doing your strength workouts and dialing in your macros consistently day in and day out.

Too often we don’t celebrate the DOING of these daily habits though.

Instead often we think “Do I really have to do this the rest of my life?”

It’s because we go ON a diet over ADJUSTING our diet.

We never really embrace the value in them.

Instead, we feel obligated to do them.

But you don’t have to do them – you’re choosing to do them.

So on those days you least want to do the habits you “should,” realize you GET to do them and celebrate your strength to keep going, perfecting those boring basics.

Which honestly hits on Reminder #5 – You won’t always want to do what you “should.”

I’ve said it myself…the popular line of “eat whatever you want and see results.”

And I really pushed that for awhile because for me it was a realization that getting results didn’t have to mean forcing myself into someone else’s clean eating mold.

But that sentiment has now gotten distorted and morphed into this belief that there won’t be discomfort in change.

That reaching a goal won’t have some sacrifices or make us do things we don’t want to do.

But the reality is your results are built off of doing the hard thing when you least want to do it.

That’s even what builds strength, confidence and you feeling truly your best when you do achieve your goal.

Because we value what we’ve fought for.

So if you’re resisting these reminders…

If you’re resisting going back to basics and just committing more time to doing what you’ve…well…been doing and following your laid out plan…

STOP.

Don’t do more. That’s your urge to avoid the hard. It seems easier to try to control things by adding. By chasing something new.

Just keep going.

Final reminder…often to lose those last few pounds, you don’t need more tactics…you need more time!

It can be hard to trust the process when it feels like nothing is working and we aren’t making progress. This is why having a coach can be key. It keeps us consistent past the point we want to quit.

To build your leanest, strongest body ever and learn to MAINTAIN your results long-term, check out my 1:1 Coaching…

–> Schedule Your Consultation

5 Tips For Muscle Growth (GAINS 101!)

by Cori Lefkowith | Apr 6, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

So you want to build muscle…

Put down your cardio crown and get ready to eat more.

In this video I’ll cover muscle building 101, or bulking, and it’s going to require you to go against many of the dieting and training practices you’re used to, especially if you’ve found yourself constantly on that yo-yo dieting cycle over the years.

Now if you’re wondering, “Should I do a bulk?” here are some things to consider…

Are you thin and wanting to see more muscle definition?

Have you dieted down but aren’t as defined as you’d like?

Are you going through menopause and seeing weight creep on around your middle?

Are you feeling like your metabolism is broken?

Have you plateaued in your weight loss journey after being in a deficit for 6 months or more?

If you said yes to any of these, it may be time to focus on a muscle building phase.

Building muscle can improve our body composition if we’re already pretty lean, making us look leaner and more defined…

It can also improve our insulin sensitivity and metabolic health to avoid gaining unwanted fat as we get older…

And a bulking phase can even help us ultimately bust a weight loss plateau through a period of time focused on performance, metabolic health and hormonal balance while gaining muscle so we look leaner as we lose.

But I’ll tell you the thing that most often holds us back from seeing the amazing muscle gains that are possible…

And it isn’t even a nutritional mistake or workout one….although there are a few common ones I’ll go over to help you avoid them…

It’s the fear of gaining weight on the scale!

Many of us have worked hard to achieve our weight loss or fat loss goals. Often a number on the scale is tied to that.

Especially if you’ve lost weight more recently, the idea of seeing that number go up can freak you out.

But honestly, it might and you may look even leaner as it does.

If you’re serious about putting on muscle, consider ditching the scale and instead focus on body measurements and progress pictures for a bit.

If you do use the scale, be ready to see even an initial jump as you move to eating more, focusing on more carbs and even see more muscle tissue damage and inflammation from pushing hard in your workouts.

This isn’t fat nor muscle being gained. Sorry doesn’t happen that fast.

We have to remember that simply by no longer being in a deficit we won’t be depleted and our body is going to store the extra we’re giving it.

This means full energy stores. And as you build more muscle, the more you can store. But these stores are needed to see those gains.

And then as you build muscle, the scale may go up. Because if you gain 1lbs of muscle and don’t gain any fat, the scale is going to go up 1lbs.

Not to mention, more muscle means more storage capacity.

With pushing your lifting hard as well to promote those muscle gains, you’re also going to see jumps on the scale due to bodily process to recovery.

So to summarize, the scale will go up and may show big swings daily.

On top of this, as you see the scale go up, especially over time as you build muscle, you may even then need to embrace eating more to retain the lean muscle and increase in metabolic processes!

This is why measurements and photos can be key. Too often the scale jumps and we instantly cut back when we need to do the opposite.

It’s why we never truly make progress.

Gaining muscle is hard, especially the longer we’ve been training for. And a big part of what can sabotage us is the scale mind games.

Measure areas you want to build muscle in and those that you want to avoid gaining fat in, like your waist.

Watching trends in each can help you see where those gains are happening and how your body composition is truly changing.

Now, the how-to of bulking.

And I don’t know about you, but I want to build muscle efficiently while also not having then to backtrack a ton to lose fat.

I want to do things in a sustainable way that leads to optimized long-term results.

So I say this with still wanting you to see those pure muscle gains without gaining a ton of fat….

Ditch the steady state cardio other than walking. Stop the long HIIT sessions. Focus on lifting.

While both may have helped you lean down, they both work against those pure muscle gains.

We have to remember that what got us to one goal often works against us getting to the next level.

Cardio, especially the long run and endurance rides, is catabolic to muscle mass and depletes our glycogen stores. It can hinder us from lifting heavier and optimally recovering and rebuilding from our strength work.

It can raise cortisol levels and put our body under chronic stress.

If you want to gain muscle faster and have even been frustrated by a lack of results, ditch the cardio for a time.

This also means not turning your strength workouts into cardio sessions.

Too often to feel more worked from our workouts, because we equate feeling tired with a workout being “good enough,” we cut back on rest.

This can make us get more out of breath or feel shakier.

But it also doesn’t allow our muscles to truly recover to lift as heavy the next round. And if we can’t truly push the weights and exercise variations we’re using to work closer to true muscular failure, we aren’t going to create the same stimulus for muscle growth.

Don’t avoid longer rest periods the heavier you lift. If you’re using a big compound lift like a deadlift or bench and really trying to work to fatigue at 5 reps, you may need 2-3 minutes of rest.

You actually want to feel like you earned that and don’t fully want to get back to the weight even with that much rest!

Too often we lift submaximal loads, just stop at the top of the rep range and cut our rest to make it feel harder. But this won’t lead to the same muscle growth.

And on top of dropping the cardio, and not just focusing on our workouts making us feel tired and out of breath, you probably need to eat more.

Now if you’re thinking, “I need to burn fewer calories AND eat more?! Won’t I just gain a ton of fat?!”

The answer is, NO, especially if you are strategic in how you increase your calories and dial in your macros.

You may see an initial jump on the scale as you eat more and even potentially bump carbs, but this increase is glycogen storage and water weight retention.

Both of these things are needed to help your muscles repair and rebuild, not to mention provide you the energy in the first place to train hard and actually create progression to drive growth.

But just creating a huge surplus isn’t the answer. You want to increase your calories over what you’re consuming to maintain your weight by 100-300. The bigger the deficit, the more you may see fat being gained.

And while you may not care about gaining some fat in the process to ultimately gain more muscle, there is a point of diminishing returns where gaining fat can ultimately hinder your performance and, especially if you aren’t focusing on quality fueling, lead to slower recovery.

You also then will have to do more of a cut after if you want to lean back down and risk losing some of the muscle you worked hard to gain.

The more we end up in this bulking, cutting cycle, the more we can find ourselves gaining and losing the same few pounds over truly just slowing down to focus on recomp happening.

So a small, sustainable surplus you can increase as you make progress can help you build while staying leaner to ultimately retain more of your muscle long term.

And then focus on QUALITY – both in your workouts and your diet.

While it may be tempting to not care how you’re hitting your calories and macros, and you SHOULD work in foods you love, you do want to focus on nutrient dense foods to help your body recover optimally, and help you feel your best in your training sessions.

Eating crap, well, it makes you feel crappy and often even sluggish in your training.

Proper fueling and hydration can also help you avoid being as sore and fatigued. And the better you recover, the harder you can train and the better your gains!

The quality of your workouts is also key. Too often we go through the motions with our training. Stopping when the weight feels kind of hard and we hit the number of reps we were supposed to do.

We aren’t super intentional and focused to maximize each and every rep and push as hard as possible.

We aren’t focused on what we feel working to maximize muscle engagement.

We even rush through over paying attention to tempos and ranges of motion.

A lack of attention and focus doesn’t allow us to optimize our training sessions. The more experienced a lifter you are, the more this lack of attention and focus will hold you back.

Don’t ignore the importance of really focusing on quality not just quantity in everything you do. It isn’t just about more moves.

It’s about having a purpose for everything you include.

It’s not just about more calories or carbs, it’s about quality and even playing around with timing.

Don’t overwhelm yourself with the details, especially to start, but be conscious of all that you’re including and track and record how you feel.

The more you understand all the habits you’re implementing, the more you can tweak as you go to truly see results build!

Want a custom plan and guidance to build your leanest, strongest body no matter your age?

–> Learn more about my 1:1 Coaching and schedule a consultation

How to Actually Get Abs (10 Annoying Tips That Work!)

by Cori Lefkowith | Mar 30, 2025 | Blog, Diet

So you want to see more ab definition…

You want to achieve that elusive “six pack”…

Well, here are 10 annoying nutrition tips to help you get there!

But a word of warning to get abs, you can’t be concerned with sustainability.

That comes later.

This isn’t the time to focus on how you can work in your cocktails or your favorite desserts as much as I’m all about balance long-term.

Because what we do to achieve a goal, is NOT what we do to maintain it.

But to reach a level of leanness you’ve never achieved, or haven’t seen in awhile, you’ve got to be willing to sacrifice and push hard, especially when you’d rather sit on the coach and binge watch chick flicks while eating ice cream…

Maybe that’s just me…

But achieving abs is about pushing your body’s set point, and that does mean being more precise with your diet and workouts.

Those 1% matter.

That’s why these 10 tips are key.

And note, simple doesn’t mean easy.

Actually often the simpler something is, the harder it is long term and the more tempted we are to try to do more or chase a new fad diet or shiny object…

Don’t.

The biggest thing is CONSISTENCY with all of this past the point you want to quit…PERIOD.

Which is why Tip #1 is – Be boring.

Yup. Boring.

I love trying new restaurants, and have more favorite restaurants on doordash than I should probably admit while always looking for what’s new…

But if you’re focused on getting abs, especially for the first time, diversity is your enemy.

It can trigger cravings.

Make hitting your macros harder.

And it can make it tougher to know if something is or isn’t working.

The more you keep things basic, the easier the process will be.

Tip #2: Cut back on protein bars.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like feeling hungry.

And you are going to be a bit hungry when first pushing to a new level of leanness.

That’s why cutting back on processed snacks like protein bars can be key. They are very calorically dense often for very few bites.

They often are not satisfying in the slightest and leave you feeling still hungry right after due to the lack of food volume.

So be conscious of how you use them and even try to include them with other high volume foods or only when on the go!

Tip #3: Stop the daily fluctuations.

If you want results to snowball faster, you’ve got to be willing to be more precise. That means hitting your macros within 2% and 50 calories plus or minus daily.

Not just in weekly averages where things fluctuate greatly day to day.

Not excusing a day “off plan”, which can often impact our macros more than we realize.

But every single day hitting those numbers consistently and precisely, even using the same meals and foods as I mentioned with tip 1.

That’s what adds up and allows us to know what is and isn’t working.

And if you’re thinking, “That isn’t sustainable.”

It’s not meant to be. What we do to reach a goal isn’t what we do to maintain it. And during maintenance a new balance has to evolve.

But to first get there, you’ve got to embrace the grind!

Tip #4: Focus on fiber.

Very rarely is gut health and fiber the first thing that comes to mind when you think about getting lean and losing fat.

But focusing on getting about 25-30 grams of fiber per day can really improve your fat loss results.

A healthy gut, and consuming enough fiber, reduces inflammation and cravings and improves insulin sensitivity and satiety.

It keeps your metabolic rate higher and even reduces the rate of protein breakdown to help you preserve your muscle mass as you lean down.

So take care of your gut with fiber to balance your appetite and make the fat loss process easier!

Tip #5: Get 30-40 grams of protein per meal.

Yup. The tip all too many of us know and resist…increasing our protein!

But not just increasing our overall daily totals, specifically focusing on that 30-40 gram range for a meal or more.

While many have heard the myth you won’t utilize more in one sitting, studies have shown you will utilize up to 100 grams efficiently.

And that 30-40 gram range is a great way to create an anabolic response even as we get older and we aren’t able to utilize protein as efficiently.

That amount helps make sure you’re fueling your lean muscle while also accounting for the fact that protein is used for so much else in our body.

Being in a deficit, you are deficient and depleted. Getting enough protein ensures you aren’t catabolizing your muscle mass to get the amino acids you need for repair or other bodily processes.

Not to mention, you burn more calories even at rest to digest protein making it something you can eat more of without as much risk of gaining unwanted fat.

Tips #6: Prioritize carbs around your workout.

Carbs are immediate fuel.

To push hard in our workouts to get the biggest benefit, we need that energy source especially while in a deficit.

Timing more carbs pre-workout can help you have that readily available fuel while creating that anabolic environment to build muscle.

So no matter exactly your carb ratio, focus on getting some carbs for full glycogen stores prior to your training and then even refueling with carbs post workout to help you repair and rebuild.

Carbs are also protein sparing so help you really protect that lean muscle mass and use that protein more efficiently!

And do not fear if you train at night eating more carbs later in the day!

Tip #7: Take breaks.

While you may think, “It’s only a couple of pounds.” Those last few pounds are often the slowest to lose and the ones you have to be most strategic in losing.

Push too great a deficit and you risk losing even more muscle in the process.

But our body adapts to what we do.

It’s why the process isn’t linear and at times you have to step back from your cut and push to get lean and take that diet break.

This ultimately allows you to be consistent for longer and not burn out, not only mentally but physically.

It allows you to even add a bit of muscle and avoid metabolic adaptations along the way.

So if you’ve been pushing hard toward your goals for a few months, consider a 1-2 week phase of eating at maintenance as you push your training to build muscle and get that mental break from more intensive dieting.

Tip #8: Be careful of pre-workout or fat burners.

I know it’s tempting to want a quick fix or a boost, but these supplements can be dangerous and also have a further reaching impact on our recovery than we realize.

And our sleep is so essential to balancing our appetite and hormone levels for fat loss not to mention recovery from our workouts to maintain muscle.

While they may feel good to boost our energy and provide a temporary metabolic boost, they can impact our sleep and recovery in a negative way.

And unless we keep consuming more and more, we won’t keep seeing the same boost from them.

So if you’re finding you want to jump to using these things, assess your meal timing and first consider just something simple like a cup of tea or coffee before you train if you need. But less is more and you can’t out supplement your workouts or macros!

Tip #9: Don’t set it and forget it!

Your body is adapting and changing through your journey to get abs. Your lifestyle and stress and priorities are also shifting.

That means you can’t just set your macros or diet habits and then go on autopilot.

While we don’t want to be changing things up every other second, we do need to watch progress and adjust as we go.

That may mean a diet break. It may mean a change in types of foods. It may even mean shifting macro breakdowns, cycling up and down in protein or even changing carbs and fat levels based on shifts in our activity.

But track and monitor your progress to adjust as you go and not feel like something should work forever in one form. Because it won’t!

Tip #10: Suck It Up Buttercup.

To reach any big, lofty goal, you’re going to have times you don’t want to do what you should.

Times things stink.

They don’t feel sustainable.

You don’t enjoy them.

At these times, you need to tell yourself to suck it up and keep going. That’s the only way for you to push through.

And when it feels like nothing is happening, that’s often where we usually quit and where we need to keep going instead. Because often that is right before we break through and really see results begin to pop.

So if you’ve even felt like you’ve looked worse recently while pushing hard, KEEP GOING! Realize the areas that have improved and celebrate your consistency and realize it is part of the process!

But focus on consistent changes that build past the point you want to quit.

And realize that precision is so important when we want to push boundaries. Embrace the hard and keep going!

Dial in your diet to match your workouts and build your leanest, strongest body ever with my Metabolic Shred…

–> LEARN MORE

I SHOULD be in better shape

by Cori Lefkowith | Mar 16, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Mindset

SHOULD.

That one word often sabotages the mindset changes we need to make and habit actions we need to take.

“I “should” be further along.”

Only makes us frustrated and feel broken and like a failure. It doesn’t help us learn or want to make more changes.

“I “should” workout 6 days a week.” “I “should” track my macros.”

Ideals are fabulous. But if you can’t do them?

We often do NOTHING.

We need to, as one of my fabulous coaches says “Stop SHOULDING all over ourselves.”

Because when we say all the things that SHOULD be happening, we don’t focus on what we actually CAN do.

SHOULD prevents us from making a change.

I’d encourage you right now to even ask, “Why SHOULD you do this? Why SHOULD you be further along?”

Because so often we never really ask this important question.

And when we do, we pause to assess what we are actually doing and what we need to move forward. The mindsets we CAN shift and the actions we CAN take.

That’s why in this video I want to share 3 steps you can take TODAY to honestly create an action plan to move forward toward your goals.

Starting with Step #1 asking yourself this important question…

“What does my CURRENT lifestyle and results actually look like?”

Where you are right now is a result of your past hustle and current habit practices.

The dieting practices you’ve done, starving yourself, cutting out whole food groups.

Overeating in self sabotage when you can’t stand the restriction any longer.

The skipped warm ups that lead to overuse and injury.

The rushed workouts where you didn’t fully push that progression or challenge yourself – you just got through them.

The haphazard programming and randomly strung together “best moves,” “best foods,” “best macros,” hoping something works….

This lack of planning and lack of focusing on owning our CURRENT lifestyle and priorities when we seek to make a change and instead just trying to work HARDER or do MORE based on a certain ideal…

This is what leads to the SHOULDING and stops us from making changes.

So step 1, before you go in search of a “perfect plan,” which doesn’t exist and I’ll get into more shortly, is to OWN YOUR LIFESTYLE AND PRIORITIES FIRST.

When you step back and truly assess what your lifestyle is and where your priorities lie, you can plan around them as you make changes and meet yourself where you are at.

What habits are truly beneficial that you’re doing?

What habits are holding you back?

What excuses do you always seem to make that lead to you falling off your plan?

When we ask these questions and assess, we can find little changes that meet us where we are at to move us forward.

We can start to build a plan that is actually sustainable.

Because if you don’t know where you’re starting from, you can’t outline a route forward.

And if we don’t own our priorities, they become our excuses every single time.

Family pressures and events? Long hours at work?

Not enough time always your excuse?

Stop then trying to force some ideal training schedule of 6 days a week and 1 hour in the gym.

Instead, especially if you’re barely making 3 sessions of 30 minutes now, why not start with that?

There is no perfect plan. But there is progress. And small changes to build lead to consistency which yields results!

Step #2, write out where you’re going.

And I don’t just mean write out your goals here. I want you to consider what the lifestyle at your goals will actually LOOK like.

Because it won’t look the same as what you’re doing now.

Change requires change.

If what you’re doing now worked to see results, you wouldn’t be looking for another program, another thing you SHOULD be doing.

You’d just keep doing the habits you’re already repeating.

But in order to make changes, we have to understand what changes are actually needed.

And while we may not have the full picture, we can often highlight a few things we know we will either need to do MORE of or LESS of to be at our goals.

As you list out the lifestyle your goals would require, don’t think right now about if it is doable. Don’t let the changes overwhelm you.

Just consider what you may need to do and even think about WHY.

The WHY part of that is key. Because often we don’t understand why we make certain changes or believe certain things are “best.”

This assessment of why we believe we need certain habits can help us already start to see things that may not fit or that may not be needed to then find other habits that are more in line.

Especially since you know where you are right NOW! You can start to see how many ideals you have that aren’t anywhere close to what you’re doing.

It may be eye opening to realize how far off you are from the habits you need, or believe you need. It can make us think…

“Well no wonder I’ve struggled to make some of these changes in the past! They’re a complete 180 from where I am!”

But don’t let this overwhelm you. Just write everything down. No judgement. No stress as to what you can or can’t do.

We will get there.

And I say write it down because writing it down makes it more real and tangible. It gives you a set destination to map out a route toward, breaking down those habit changes.

It reminds you of what you may need and even WHY you may need it when there are lows in the journey.

And it also then allows you to find one habit change to start with that may then impact other areas.

Often there is one thing that can really get the momentum going…

Which brings me to Step #3, set one small change you can make even right now!

Sometimes we make changes like we’re covering our eyes and simply pointing at a city on a map to drive to. Or like we’re just picking a place to go we’ve heard is “best.”

Then we expect ourselves to just know how to get there. And for everything to go smoothly and be amazing.

The thing is…

Without directions, we have no idea how to get there and half the time we won’t even make an attempt to travel.

How do we know that is even a place we WANT or need to go?!

We don’t always know what is required to shift in our lifestyle to replicate the habit or change we’ve selected.

We don’t know even if that change is something doable with our current routines and habits and how those will have to morph.

Instead, we want to base all changes off of where we are starting from.

We want to treat it like we’re mapping out that first turn out of our driveway to get to our destination. Not just pointing to some random turn somewhere along the route!

Because starting your journey by turning the wrong way right out of your driveway? That journey is not going to go well.

Instead, meet yourself where you are at and make sure you’re heading in the right direction with a doable step immediately.

This allows you to not only make a change that feels doable to build momentum and motivation through action, but it allows you to start the course toward a bigger habit change.

And it allows you to make changes in a way that can allow for easier course corrections.

We do have to start trying to find what may be “best” for a specific goal without fully knowing if it is best for us.

But by breaking down that habit based on where we are starting from and ultimately where we want to go, we can attempt to move forward to build up.

In the process, if we find that the habit doesn’t fully align, we can then always take another turn, knowing we’re still heading the right way.

That’s the key.

Changes that meet us where we are at to move forward but that build off each other so we can adjust as we go and find things that do or do not ultimately match our specific journey.

So based on your current lifestyle and routines you’ve just assessed, what is one small change you can make today that is a component of what you feel you need MORE of to reach your destination.

I say to focus on the MORE of instead of LESS of because often mentally these changes are easier to make. We mind adding more than we like subtracting, especially if what we think we need less of is something we enjoy.

But find that habit change that is, as weird as this expression is, the first bite to eat that elephant.

And write that change out to start today.

This isn’t sexy. Doesn’t lead to overnight results. But this momentum shift is what will carry you through and make you want to do more.

Because getting started with all the things we feel we SHOULD be doing is the hardest part.

This helps us take action and makes something we SHOULD do something we not only CAN do but even WANT and GET to do.

Write out that change and put it someplace you can see daily for the next week. Even give yourself a chance to check it off when it is done.

Then set a time a week from now to add on another change.

Stop SHOULDING all over yourself and ultimately never taking action. Start with action today and do these 3 steps and share in the comments the first small change you’re making!

If you want a completely CUSTOM PROGRAM with accountability and guidance to help you build your leanest, strongest body no matter your age (it is NEVER too late to make a change), check out my Coaching.

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7 Tips to Burn Fat (WHILE BUILDING MUSCLE!)

by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 23, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

You want to build muscle and lose fat? Great!

Here are 7 steps to adjust your diet and workouts to focus on body recomposition…

Step 1: Determine your primary goal.

Yes, you can achieve changes in both your muscle mass and fat mass at the same time. And this ideally should be where your focus is if you want to look and feel your best.

But this is a slow process.

So stop searching for a fad diet or quick fix.

However, as much as we can do both at the same time, we need a singular primary focus.

Do you want to lose fat while retaining and building muscle? Or do you want to build muscle while not putting on fat or even losing it?

Distinguishing between the two is key to help you see the best results and strategically outline your calorie intake and macros.

To determine which is right for you…

If you are basically at your desired weight and near the leanness level you want? Then you want to focus on building muscle while losing fat.

However, if you have more weight to lose and want to look lean and defined while adding muscle to stay functionally fit as you get older, you may start with focusing on fat loss while building muscle.

The difference seems small but determining your primary focus will impact your calorie intake, the macros you use, and even how you include cardio in your routine.

But before you can make changes, you need to understand where you’re starting from to adjust off of.

Step 2: Start tracking.

If you’re already tracking, YAY!

You can jump to step 4 and 5 to adjust your protein and calories off of your current intake, although circle back to step 3 for your workouts.

If you aren’t yet tracking, you need to spend 7-14 days logging your current intake.

Not only is this eye opening as to the other changes we can make that will pay off but it also helps us get used to the habit of tracking.

Logging our food is a new habit for many of us and one we may even mentally be resistant to. It’s not exactly the most fun task ever.

But what gets measured gets managed.

We can also start to see the act of tracking not as restriction or judgement but just DATA off of which we can adjust.

The more we know our current lifestyle, the more we can evolve it vs trying to fit ourselves into a diet and exercise mold.

Because if we want recomp, we need to create habits we can be truly consistent with. And macros are going to matter.

But we need changes based off of what we are doing currently.

So just track. Get your average calories for a week or two. Look at your average protein, carbs and fats.

Understand the make up of your food and even how you feel with your current meals schedule and diet!

Step 3: Don’t go through the motions with your strength training.

Diet is key for fat loss, but your workouts are essential for building muscle.

No matter your primary focus, strength work should be your priority.

Too often we prioritize cardio or even turn our strength workouts into cardio sessions when we want to lean down.

While these can make us feel worked or burn more calories on our fitness trackers so that we feel like we’re working hard toward our goals, they can actually hinder our progress.

Stop cutting out rest between sets and instead focus on really maximizing and pushing with each rep you do.

Too little rest doesn’t allow you to truly challenge yourself with progression in moves and you’ll find your 100% intensity dips over the rounds.

Instead you want to feel ready to push the discomfort each round to the point you would have liked to stop a couple of reps before you did or used the weight right below what you used.

You need the rest you planned in not necessarily because you’re out of breath but because you’ve pushed your muscles and want to go just as heavy the next round or even heavier.

And if you’re always hitting the top of the rep range you’ve outlined, go heavier.

The more advanced you are, the longer you’ve been training, the harder it is to build muscle.

You’ve simply adapted to more.

So you need to push progression in different ways. Don’t get into a rut doing the same moves over and over and over again or only progress exercises in one way.

Use different training techniques and workout designs, vary postures and positions. Combine tools and change up tempos.

Combine compound and isolation moves in your routine.

Use isolation moves specifically for those stubborn areas to work muscles closer to failure and create more volume leading to better gains!

Step 4: Center your meals on protein.

After tracking your baseline, you now want to start by adjusting your protein.

If you want to lose fat as you gain muscle, your goal will be 40%-45% of your calories coming from protein.

Not only can this start to create that deficit because of the energy expended to digest protein, but it will also help protect your lean muscle as you do potentially create more of a deficit to lose fat as you progress.

And the more of a deficit we are in, the greater our protein demands become to protect our lean muscle mass.

Especially as we get older and are less able to utilize protein as efficiently and struggle more to build and retain lean muscle mass because our hormone levels aren’t as optimal, high protein is key!

But more protein isn’t always the answer as much as I’m a huge protein advocate.

If you want to build muscle as you lose fat, your protein will be lower than when you’re in a deficit.

It may be in that 30-40% range.

You may start toward the top of that range and drop it as you increase your calories from your current maintenance.

In that surplus 30-35% of our calories coming from protein can be more than enough.

As much as protein is key so are carbs.

Carbs provide immediate fuel for our workouts to push harder and create that progression for growth and are also protein sparring.

Carbs help us utilize protein more efficiently and create that anabolic environment for growth.

Because we aren’t depleted and are getting more than enough calories to support all bodily functions and tissue repair, our protein requirements are lower than when we are in a deficit.

But no matter your primary focus, first adjust your protein intake. Then if muscle building is your primary focus, pay attention to those carbs, keeping them above 30% of your calories.

Step 5: Set your calories.

Take a couple of weeks to settle in with your new protein intake.

If you’re maintaining your weight at this calorie intake and seeing inches either increase in areas you want to build muscle or be lost in areas you want to lose fat, don’t change your calories just yet.

The macros alone have had an impact.

But then create that small deficit or surplus.

Too often we cut our calories super low which backfires in muscle being lost or we add a huge increase and ultimately just gain more fat.

If you want to lose fat while gaining muscle, drop your calories by 100 to start. While you can go as big as 500 calories into a deficit, that 500 calorie drop is EXTREME.

If you do that, do that strategically as a mini cut for a very short time or you are going to fight against your body recomp goals.

If you want to build muscle while losing fat, add 100 calories, although if you are super active, 300-400 can be more aggressive.

The more you make small changes and allow your body to adjust, the better your results will be.

Make the 100 calorie change then maintain that for a few weeks before adjusting further.

This checkpoint or end date every 2-3 weeks can help you trust the process but also adjust as your body’s needs will shift or even you adjust workouts.

As you build muscle, you may find you need to eat more to continue progressing and what once was a small deficit has even become “too big,” but more on this in Step 7.

Step 6: Adjust your cardio.

Plain and simple, strength workouts are the priority.

Focus on building strength and muscle in your training and you’ll see results.

But that doesn’t mean cardio isn’t valuable for your health and can’t be used strategically to help expedite results.

It also doesn’t mean you can’t include it if you love your long rides or runs BUT you need to know the cost of everything to even adjust your nutrition to match.

Too often we turn to cardio to burn more calories which fights against our body composition goals. So if you don’t enjoy the cardio but think you need to do it to lose fat, you don’t.

When it comes to optimizing your cardio for body recomp, walking should be your main form of cardio.

It isn’t catabolic, allows you to recover for future sessions to lift heavy and build muscle, helps you keep your metabolic rate higher and can actually be a stress reliever to maintain better hormonal balance.

If you do it post workout, it can even help you better utilize the mobilized fatty acids from the areas around what you worked.

So if you have a stubborn area, like belly fat you really fighting, you may include your walks on workouts where you worked your core more intensively. While we can’t spot reduce an area with a bazillion crunches, we do mobilize more fatty acids from areas around the muscles we worked.

Walking just helps you then utilize them!

But focus your cardio on walking for that aerobic base and body recomp.

Very short sprint sessions can also be included to help with recovery and even promote optimal conditioning. Be conscious though that you aren’t creating too great a calorie deficit while including these or use them strategically when building muscle as your main focus.

And if you’re focused on building muscle, consider sprints that are short with 3-5 times the rest especially over more 20 on, 10 off type interval training protocols you may use when fat loss is the main focus.

Step 7: Ditch the scale.

Body recomp means often not seeing the scale change quickly or even seeing the opposite of what we think should be happening happen.

If you’ve used the scale in the past as your only measure of progress, it has probably prevented you from implementing these habits in the way that you needed.

Because the scale may not change and recomp can be happening.

The scale may increase, and you may be seeing true fat loss and muscle gains. And then you may even need to be eating more.

But if you were only judging based on the scale, when seeing “no progress” or “backward progress,” you may cut calories lower, even doing the opposite of what you actually need.

So if you’re serious about recomp, while you can still track on the scale, focus on measurements and progress photos. Those will tell you far more. And for 5 signs you’re burning fat not muscle, I’ve linked to another video in the video description!

Because how we track progress is key to us maintaining the habits we need long enough to truly see results snowball.

Remember body recomp is a slow process. Focus on your consistency in those habit change and give results time to build!

Ready to build your leanest, strongest body ever with a custom program and clear mentorship in what you need?

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10 Years Of Fat Loss Advice In Under 10 Minutes

by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 9, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

I wanted to lose fat and get ab definition for the longest time and struggled hard. I blamed it on willpower. My love of food. My genetics.

But I realized it was that I didn’t fully understand these 10 hard truths I’m going to share with you now.

Because I want to help you jump ahead using what I learned over more than a decade!

Starting with the fact that faster results mean CHOOSING to make more sacrifices.

Think of it this way, we all have a budget.

The more motivated we are, the more comfortable being uncomfortable with the changes we are, the greater our budget. The more “in pain” we are, the greater the cost we’ll pay to see results happen faster.

We’ll embrace harder changes. We’ll choke down that chicken and broccoli if you need. The COST is worth the reward.

But if we aren’t as motivated, the goal isn’t as important, other priorities are in the way and we really aren’t comfortable with the changes needed, our budget will be smaller.

The cost of some of the changes, working out 5 days a week, may not be worth it for you.

We need to recognize our budget when we determine how we want to make changes. We need to OWN that we choose how to spend it!

And owning we have a smaller budget isn’t a bad thing, it just helps us manage expectations.

This can help us recognize if we do want faster results, we may have to increase our budget!

And with habit change, what we like to do and need to do often aren’t one in the same.

We may LIKE follow along workouts. We may LIKE not eating protein at every meal. But your goals don’t truly care what you like.

I’m not saying to force yourself to constantly repeat habits you hate. Those won’t last.

But we need to recognize when we’re saying, “That won’t work” to a new habit, or “I don’t like this” and we’re not truly considering, “Is this what is needed to reach my goal?”

You’ve got to ask yourself, “Would I really care if I had to do (insert thing you don’t like here) if I reached my goal?”

Because many of the daily habits we do to have the life we want aren’t things we love. We just do them.

Give new habits TIME to really feel what they are like. Set a firm testing length to allow yourself to fully embrace them and see how they work.

To lose fat and maintain a new physique you can’t just eat and train in the way you always have.

Because your results are the sum of your habits.

That being said, we are creatures of comfort and convenience. The harder a new habit is, the less likely we are to embrace it. The easier an old habit is, the harder it is to break.

That’s why hard truth #3 is Adjust don’t eliminate.

The more we can ADJUST what we are doing over eliminating things, the easier and more sustainable the changes feel.

Instead of just cutting out foods you love, first start by seeing how you can…

Adjust portions of these foods at meals, maybe two oreos and greek yogurt over 4 oreos.

Or B. Making healthier swaps to the recipes or dishes, like baking sweet potato french fries instead of frying them. Or even making a pizza at home loaded down with veggies and protein.

Yes, there are more and less nutrient dense foods, but we need to own our lifestyle if we want to change our lifestyle. Change is a process that doesn’t happen overnight.

So if you enjoy pizza and french fries and ice cream, instead of just telling yourself these things are bad and that you can’t have them, find a balance working them in.

Same thing goes for macros. We need to stop demonizing any specific macro.

Fats will not make you fat. Carbs are not going to cause you to store belly fat.

Both of these macros are key and the exact amounts you need will vary based on your activity level, health concerns and age.

Even cycling macro breakdowns that are low carb or low fat may improve your fat loss results.

While fat is key for hormonal balance, and going lower carb can help us deplete glycogen stores to tap into our fat stores, we also want to note the more active we are, the more carbs we may need.

Carbs are protein sparring, improve our thyroid health and create that anabolic environment for muscle growth. They can be key to us getting that definition especially when training hard.

And by cycling higher carb after higher fat/lower carb ratios, you may benefit from what is deemed the “Whoosh Effect.”

If you’ve ever felt like you looked SOFTER while going lower carb, your fat cells may be holding on to water.

When we increase carbs after a lower carb period, your body can often release this water, helping you see the definition you want as your body feels it is then getting the immediate fuel it needs to stop basically protecting your fat stores.

So stop demonizing any macro. They are all key and should be cycled!

And while all macros matter, hard truth #5 is protein matters most for fat loss.

When we create that calorie deficit, we even want to think about 40% of our calories coming from protein.

This extra emphasis on protein when in a deficit not only helps you lose fat but keep your metabolic rate higher through protecting the lean muscle mass you have.

We need more protein when we’re in a deficit to not only fuel muscle mass growth and retention but also to rebuild and maintain the health of our other body tissues and processes.

If we don’t focus on protein, especially while training hard, our body is going to seek out those amino acids for repair from wherever it can. And our biggest and easiest to use reserves are our current muscle tissue, which we don’t want to lose!

So focus on protein!

This can also help you feel fuller and create a greater calorie burn even at rest as protein requires more energy to be digested!

And going hand in hand with increasing protein is focusing on our hydration!

As we increase our protein, we also want to increase our water intake to help our body process the protein efficiently.

Water is also required for many metabolic and hydrolysis reactions meaning that water helps our bodies burn fat and keeps our metabolic rate higher.

Lipolysis, the process by which our bodies break down fat to make it absorbable and usable, is also dependent on water.

So staying hydrated means better fat loss results. And with getting enough water, make sure you aren’t ignoring the importance of electrolytes to maintain that balance, especially if you are lower carb!

And if we want the best results possible, our diet and our workouts need to work together.

But often when we want to lose fat, we turn to doing more cardio because we often not only feel like we’re working harder, but we see that higher calorie burn on our tracker.

However, this desire to burn more calories in our workouts and out exercise our diet or even create a bigger deficit through our training holds us back.

You need to STOP trying to out exercise your diet.

Have you ever thought…“I workout so hard consistently but I’m not losing fat. I don’t get it…”

It’s your diet. No ifs ands or buts about it.

And you can say you eat well or eat clean all you want, but you can still overeat or eat portions not in line with your goals while eating quality fuel.

You can’t just rely on doing more in your training to burn more calories and make up for any deviations in your nutrition. You can’t just have a cheat day then hit the treadmill to make up for it. While this may have once worked, it’s what’s going to sabotage your metabolic health long term so you start to blame age for your weight gain.

You also have to recognize when you are creating an even greater deficit from your training and then NOT eating enough to fuel and repair. This can also prevent your fat loss results and lead to muscle being lost.

Training should be about moving well, staying functionally fit and healthy and even improve our muscle mass to keep our metabolic rate higher, not just be a time we try to burn as many calories as possible!

When we try to burn as many calories in our sessions as possible, we also often turn our strength workouts into purely cardio sessions. Stop doing this!

While this may make your workouts feel hard and you feel destroyed, this is preventing you from truly lifting heavy enough to promote those optimal muscle gains.

So if you’re feeling super out of breath from your lifting sessions while cutting out rest then complaining you aren’t building muscle, this may be part of the problem!

The cold hard truth is strength workouts are honestly more beneficial for fat loss than cardio especially if we want to truly look more defined and maintain our results long term.

When we build muscle, we help ourselves maintain metabolic health and improve our insulin sensitivity and so much more that only makes losing fat that much easier!

So while cardio has benefit, and shouldn’t be demonized, emphasize strength work for fat loss!

Now some of these truths may not sound fun and I do like to emphasize the hard so we recognize that change isn’t easy.

But if we don’t find ways to make our lifestyle changes FUN, we won’t stick with them long term.

While you may not enjoy doing a specific habit directly, try to connect it with other things you enjoy or allow it to lead into those things so you can change your mindsets about it.

If you like cooking, get yourself some new macro friendly cookbooks.

If you like listening to podcasts and hate meal prepping, get to listen to extra podcasts because you’re meal prepping as you do it.

Even get yourself new exciting tools to make what may feel like a boring habit more fun. Things like new leggings can make you want to workout. Or a fun water bottle can help you remember to hydrate!

But find ways to help yourself make habits more fun, if not at least tolerable!

And then…Fight the urge to do more.

When we want results faster, it’s tempting to do more in an attempt to try to speed things up.

This almost always backfires. It can not only physically but mentally burn us out. It can lead to us doing completely unsustainable habits.

The more you feel the mental resistance against a change, even one I’ve listed here, the more you need to break it down to find the smallest step forward you will embrace.

When I say increase protein to 40%, if you’re hitting like 15% of your calories from it, first shoot for 16%, maybe 20.

But realize that an ideal may be the goal…eventually, but you have to meet yourself where you are at now over always trying to do the maximum possible!

For a custom plan and guidance to help you rock those results and create LASTING changes, check out my 1:1 Online Coaching.

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