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3 Cardio Mistakes For Fat Loss (And What To Do Instead)

3 Cardio Mistakes For Fat Loss (And What To Do Instead)

by | Jan 30, 2022 | Blog, Exercises, Workouts

Honestly for fat loss, cardio is overrated.

If you enjoy it, do it.

But…

A. You can’t out exercise your diet if you want optimal body recomposition results

…and…

B. Cardio can make it harder to build and retain lean muscle, which can already be a slight challenge when in a deficit to achieve fat loss.

However, if you are going to include cardio in your training routine for overall optimal health and because you enjoy it, I want to share some key mistakes most people make when it comes to cardio and fat loss and how to avoid them!

But before I dive into those common mistakes, I do just want to point out a common problem I see when it comes to our view of our training in general and fat loss…

Too often we view our workouts simply as a way to burn more calories!

It’s why we think doing more cardio is better.

We see those calories adding up faster during our training sessions.

And while yes, training can help us burn more calories to create that deficit to lose fat, focusing solely on our training as a way to create that deficit is short term thinking that often backfires.

It’s why we actually often STRUGGLE to get the results we want.

Because if you are constantly trying to only create the deficit through your training, you’re ultimately going to burn out because you’ll have to keep trying to do more.

Our body adjusts and adapts and becomes more efficient. So unless you’re constantly finding ways to train longer or do more in your cardio, you’ll end up burning fewer calories over time.

Not to mention, you’re most likely not going to see optimal body recomposition results between metabolic adaptations and a lack of attention to building muscle in your training.

You’ll especially struggle to see results if you’re focused on doing more in your training sessions while eating less.

While we may be burning a ton of calories in our training, if we’re undereating, our body will try to “protect” itself by actually finding ways to use less energy during the rest of our day.

So you’ll actually create metabolic adaptations that will backfire long term and be why you quickly regain any weight lost if you don’t keep up your insane training schedule or continually lower your calorie intake.

This is why our workouts need to have a focus beyond purely being a way to burn more calories!

Now what are 3 Cardio Mistakes And How Can You Avoid Them?

Mistake #1: Putting cardio BEFORE strength.

If we want to see the best body recomposition results, we need to stop valuing cardio over strength work.

The best way to not only achieve our desired lean aesthetic, but actually maintain it long term, is to do all we can to build and retain our lean muscle.

More lean muscle helps us burn more calories at rest and, well, look leaner and more toned as we lose the fat.

It helps keep our metabolism humming so we can more easily maintain our results long term as well.

That’s why we need to stop prioritizing cardio or doing it first in our day before our strength work.

While I’m not a huge fan of two-a-day sessions, we have to remember that what we do first, we are freshest for.

So the best way to truly lift weights and perform exercise variations that truly challenge us in our strength sessions is to do those FIRST.

If we instead do cardio first, our strength sessions will suffer. Sure we may “feel” like we’re giving them our all, but our 100% intensity won’t be a true 100%.

So if you are doing both strength and cardio sessions together in a day, put that strength work first.

And if you can, instead of even doing a harder cardio on strength days, try just going for a walk after.

Especially the closer you are to the lean look you want, the more this may actually IMPROVE your fat loss efforts, utilizing the mobilized fatty acids from the tissues surrounding the areas you worked!

If you do plan in harder cardio sessions, try to save your cardio for a separate day, even a day you have a rest day after before your next lift!

Mistake #2: Focusing on the LENGTH of our sessions over the purpose.

Interval training and “HIIT” sessions are all the rage.

And they can be a great way to get in a killer training session when you’re short on time.

But too often now we take what should be a quick INTENSE workout and drag it out for an hour.

More is better, right?

NOPE!

Generally the longer your training session, the more your intensity dips. Unless your training sessions is long due to proper rest periods.

But usually our interval workouts aren’t longer due to changes in our work to rest intervals. Usually they’re longer because we took what should be just 20 minutes of work and doubled it.

We take that 5 round 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off circuit, and instead do 2 of those in a session.

But all that does is take us past the point of diminishing returns. Our intensity drops dramatically and we don’t get the same benefit. If you were trying to work on speed even, you can ultimately end up training slowness.

By doing more, we may, sure, burn more calories, but it is often not quality volume or work. It is often where we ultimately end up compensating out of fatigue which can lead to injury and hold us back from consistently training to see those aesthetic changes we want.

Not to mention the wasted volume can be why we are so tired for subsequent training sessions and then don’t get the full benefit.

And often these sessions lead to increased levels of hunger that can derail our diet and leave us feeling depleted energy-wise.

So stop focusing on simply doing longer sessions. Design workouts based on your goals. Even if you have an hour, not every workout needs to fill it!

Mistake #3: Thinking more is better.

Our training should be fun, but our workouts need to have a clear focus and be designed with a specific goal in mind if we want the best results.

We need to stop focusing on just doing more to burn more calories.

We have to recognize that the QUALITY of our work really matters.

So while you may increase the length of your runs or rides to train for a race, simply doing more for the sake of doing more may make you “feel” more in control, but it won’t lead to better results faster.

And often it can backfire. That steady state cardio can be catabolic to muscle tissue and fight against your fat loss goals.

It can especially hold you back if you’re pushing that deficit while also trying to do more in your training.

Not only can this negatively impact energy levels but it can create metabolic adaptations that actually hinder us from continuing to lose fat.

This overtraining while under fueling can also lead to hormonal imbalances that ultimately lead to us regaining the fat and more.

SUMMARY:

Everything we include in our training needs to have a purpose and be focused on our ultimate goal.

More is not better, as much as doing more can make us “feel” more in control.

As hard as it can be, ultimately results come from trusting the process.

Dial in your workouts AND your nutrition to see the best results as fast as possible…

–> The RS Formula To Fabulous Results

4 Common Exercises You’re Doing Wrong

4 Common Exercises You’re Doing Wrong

by | Jan 23, 2022 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Pain Relief

Just because a move is “good,” or a key movement pattern to perform, or something really frequently included as a staple in many routines, doesn’t mean you deserve to do it.

Every movement variation has to be earned.

And doing a harder variation we can’t truly control or utilize to the fullest will actually hold us back. It won’t allow us to get as much out of the exercise and our workouts as doing an “easier” exercise actually could.

Often, if you do a move actually modified to your current needs and goals, you may feel the muscles being worked harder because everything is engaged correctly.

That’s why I wanted to talk about 4 exercises that are often in programming that people aren’t maximizing – 4 moves we don’t fully give them credit for being the challenging exercises they actually are.

And not only do I want to go over the reason to use these moves but the common mistakes I see people making and also the modifications we should be using instead to EARN these harder variations!

Exercise #1: Balance Lunges or Bulgarian Split Squats

The balance lunge or Bulgarian split squat is an amazing unilaterally-focused leg exercise.

Yet so often we aren’t really getting the true benefit of our back foot being raised up on a bench or in a suspension trainer.

While yes, the automatic instability of raising that back foot up does make it more challenging no matter what, the true point of putting your back foot up is to increase the range of motion you are working through.

Yet so often we place our foot up on something only to repeat the same range of motion we would when doing a split squat off the ground!

Sometimes the range of motion is even smaller actually because we aren’t stable and haven’t yet learned how to control the full split squat movement.

And on top of that, so often because we “can do” the move, we start to even add loads and completely miss out on the full benefit of this variation.

We have to remember that loads are not the only way to progress an exercise.

And that, if you’re going to include the Balance Lunge, you need to make sure you can utilize the increased range of motion. That is what creates the progression and benefit of this movement.

From there you can add loads, change tempos and even use different ways of creating that extended range of motion to adjust instability.

But you need to utilize the full range of motion first.

If you can’t work through the full extended range of motion, you may want to start with a lower bench or box to reduce the mobility and stability demands. Slowly increase the range of motion instead of just jumping to a bench.

You may even find right now you struggle to fully come to the ground during the basic split squat.

If that is the case, start with a basic split squat, even starting the movement from the ground to fully have to learn to control the complete range of motion!

Exercise #2: Double Leg Lowers

Double leg lowers have become an extremely popular ab exercise. But so often we end up feeling our lower backs or hip flexors over really targeting our abs.

In an attempt to correct this and do this harder variation we haven’t earned, we place our hands behind our lower backs and butts.

But this is a band aid. It doesn’t teach us to actually control the ab brace we need so we can build up.

It’s why we may need to regress to progress.

Because leg lower type movements, while they WILL work your hip flexors, are a great way to target that lower portion of the rectus abdominis more or what we often refer to as the “lower abs.”

And knowing how to brace correctly to protect your spine as you flex and extend your hips is also beneficial as you work to improve your heavier lifts!

So if you find your lower back engaging or only your hip flexors working, you can modify the double leg lowers in a few different ways.

But the key is learning to engage your abs using that posterior pelvic tilt.

This is a small movement that engages your abs and glutes.

Think about tilting your pelvis toward your ribs. Hold here as you do any movement in the progression whether it’s a single knee tuck, really taking things back to back to basics, double knee tuck or even single leg lower.

Only progress to the next level if you can maintain that ab brace and not feel your lower back taking over!

And if you do find you fatigue once you’ve built up to the double leg lowers, don’t push through. Instead modify with one of these variations so you can continue to target your abs.

Because we have to remember that the muscles we feel working are the ones getting the “benefit” of the movement. And if the correct muscles aren’t working we may be perpetuating recruitment patterns that lead to overload and injury…not to mention don’t actually work the muscles we want to target!

Exercise #3: Burpee

Love them or hate them, the burpee is often a staple in workout routines.

While many of us do recognize it is hard, it requires a lot more strength and mobility than we recognize.

And because the purpose of the burpee is almost always to be “cardio,” in an attempt to go as fast as possible, the quality of the movement often suffers.

We end up doing the worm during the push up portion. Or shrugging our shoulders in the plank. Or we land with our knees completely straight after performing a half-hearted jump at the top.

And sometimes, in an attempt to modify, we step back, but then to stand up, we end up having to do these stutter steps to bring our feet into our hands because we don’t have the mobility to truly step in far enough.

The burpee is a killer bodyweight move. And if you plan to include it, you need to earn it.

While yes, you can use the step back to reduce impact if you do have the range of motion to control the movement…and while yes, you can take out the push up to modify it as well so you don’t end up doing the worm, if you want to truly build up to that full burpee, try instead using an incline.

If you’ve been working to improve your push ups and build toward that full perfect push up from our toes, you may have been using an incline. And if you aren’t, start!

The incline can be a great way to reduce the load on our upper body and core so we can perform the push up correctly.

The incline also reduces the mobility demands during the burpee. It takes a lot more mobility than we realize to jump back in to efficiently stand up. Because your hands are raised, you need less hip and ankle mobility to jump back in and stand up.

As you feel comfortable with this move and can move quickly while performing quality reps, you can then lower the incline over time!

Exercise #4: Single Leg Glute Bridge

The bodyweight glute bridge may seem easy, but it’s a move that is so often done incorrectly. And then so often, before we’ve really earned it, we switch to the single leg glute bridge.

We may try to use the single leg glute bridge to get some unilateral benefits and work each side independently, but we have to recognize that it is a big jump in progression from the basic bodyweight glute bridge.

So before we even try the single leg variation, we need to make sure our glutes are actually powering the basic glute bridge. We don’t want our hamstrings or lower back compensating instead.

We don’t want to barely be able to lift up and trying the single leg variation or arching up super high because we’re hyperextended our lower backs.

A few key cues to help you better engage your glutes during even the basic bodyweight glute bridge are…

1. Before lifting perform the posterior pelvic tilt, tucking your hips toward your ribs. Maintain this throughout the bridge and don’t let your lower back arch to lift up higher.

2. Drive your knees toward your toes as you lift so you don’t push yourself backward and end up using more hamstring.

3. Engage your upper back, bending your elbows to drive your upper arms into the ground so you can focus on that pure hip extension.

Once you can control that basic glute bridge, you can then move into an 80/20 variation. This will allow you to focus more on one side or the other while still having a bit of assistance.

We have to remember that the full unilateral or single leg glute bridge isn’t just us having to lift all the weight on one side, but it is also us having to stabilize our pelvis and balance.

While still a simple move and bodyweight, it is more of an advancement than we give it credit for.

That’s why the 80/20 variation can be a good in-between so we can actually target each side while still working through a full range of motion targeting the glutes.

As you do feel ready to progress, just make sure your hamstrings and lower back aren’t engaging and taking over. This move is powered by your glutes!

SUMMARY:

Every move we include in our workouts should be done with a purpose. And we should only advance moves as we EARN those harder variations.

Sometimes, as much as it can hurt our ego, it is key we regress to progress and build up.

We are never above those basics and, at times, taking things back a step can help us improve any weak links!

Ready to take your training to the next level and dial in your workouts and your nutrition to match YOUR specific needs and goals?

Apply to my 1:1 Coaching. Book your strategy call below…

–> Apply Today

 

The Most Underrated Dumbbell Glute Exercise

The Most Underrated Dumbbell Glute Exercise

by | Jan 16, 2022 | Blog, Butt, Exercises, Functional Fitness

I’ve never been a fan of the whole squat for a better butt thing. I think squats are honestly overrated as a glute move, but that’s a video for another day.

And while I do think you need a diversity of movements to really get the best results for any muscle group, I wanted to share one of my favorite dumbbell glute exercises that I think is often forgotten about and overlooked.

It’s the Dumbbell Skier Swing.

The kettlebell swing is an amazing hip hinge exercise to work on that explosive glute power or even your strength endurance based on how you implement it.

It’s not only a great move to improve your conditioning but also your strength.

But if we don’t have a kettlebell, we often then don’t think about utilizing this amazing move.

That’s why I wanted to share a great way to use dumbbells to perform a swing and include this great move in your routine!

However I do just want to mention, before breaking down this movement, how key it is we learn to hip hinge correctly first.

Often swings are blamed for lower back pain. And while swings are NOT bad for your back, they do require core control and proper recruitment patterns during hip hinging to make sure they don’t result in overload or injury.

Because of the fact that they are a more explosive, faster paced movement, you do want to make sure you can properly load those glutes and hamstrings and brace your abs during hip hinging before you included this exercise.

Remember that when you are performing a hip hinge, you are NOT simply leaning forward.

The hinge should be initiated by sitting your butt back as if reaching your butt back toward a wall behind you.

And then, while your knees may soften, you aren’t focused on active knee flexion. You do not want to turn this into a squat.

Feel those glutes and hamstrings load and avoid arching your lower back in an attempt to keep your chest up. Brace your abs and think a nice neutral back.

Focus on this hip hinge as you introduce the swing and do not let your arms try to take over or the speed cause you to shift your weight forward so you aren’t properly loading your posterior chain.

How Do You Do The Dumbbell Skier Swing?

To do Dumbbell Skier Swings, stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand down by your sides.

Start by slightly swinging your arms back toward the wall behind you. As you do, hinge over in response to help balance and build up that spring to propel the weights forward as you stand up.

You will lean forward as you push your butt back to swing the weights up outside your hips. You are leaning forward only in response to help counterbalance your weight.

As you hinge over, your knees should be soft. Focus on pushing your butt back, but not on squatting down.

Then drive the ground away as you squeeze your glutes to explosively come back up to standing, propelling the weights forward and up.

Focus on that exhale as you propel the weights up to further help you brace your abs.

Straighten your legs as you stand tall at the top, squeezing your glutes to extend your hips. Watch your urge to lean back at the top as this can load your lower back.

Let the weights swing up propelled by your legs. Do not try to pull them up higher with your arms. They may come to shoulder height or slightly below but do not focus on the height.

To protect your back and control the move, be patient and wait for the weights to come back down and force you to hinge back over and sit your butt back.

You do not want to hinge over before the weights truly lower down as this can cause overload of your lower back.

As you hinge back over with the weights swinging back outside your hips, your torso will lean forward to counterbalance.

Think about being explosive with each drive back up to standing to propel those weights up as you are patient with the hinge back over to reload. You aren’t slowing the weights down with your arms, you just are only hinging over in response to the weights.

If you’re struggling with the explosive hip hinge and controlling both weights, you may start with a single dumbbell even held between your legs in both hands. This will more closely mimic the basic kettlebell swing.

Using two dumbbells in this skier style swing can be a great way to go heavier though if limited by the weights you have especially.

If you find you struggle with loading your glutes and the weights get too far away from your body causing your lower back to become overloaded as you hinge, you can also start with a Band Hip Hinge.

This move is a great way to learn how to explosively perform the hip hinge while really targeting those glutes.

The pull of the band backward will also help you control that hip hinge to load your glutes while teaching you to truly sit back!

SUMMARY:

If you’ve been looking for a great strength and conditioning move to target those glutes, and even your hamstrings, but don’t have a kettlebell, give this Dumbbell Skier Swing a try!

Just remember to focus on what you feel working so you get the full benefit of every exercise you include!

Learn to train according to YOUR needs and goals.

Book a call to learn how Redefining Strength can help you dial in your workouts and your nutrition for better results faster…

–> Book A Call

How To Lose Fat In ONE SECOND…

How To Lose Fat In ONE SECOND…

by | Jan 9, 2022 | Blog, Diet, Mindset

I want to show you how I went from THIS (black and white picture in video) to THIS (other picture in color in video) in ONE SECOND…

Just stop!

I’m sick of these bullshit promises that ultimately lead to frustration and that yo you dieting cycle.

I know we all want results faster, and even I fall victim to chasing shiny objects at times.

I mean we’re human, how can we not hope there is a faster, easier, better solution?

But there is no magic pill.

And so often we hold ourselves back from achieving the results we deserve because we fall victim to plans that promise to be the magic pill we are searching for.

That’s why I want to save you a ton of wasted time and effort and share with you 3 habit changes you can make to actually see the results you deserve.

3 Habits Changes To Get The Best And Fastest Results Possible:

#1: Stop Cherry Picking From Programs.

So often we pull one thing from a program to do that fits our comfort zone or meshes with what we’re currently doing.

Other changes may be scary or intimidating or feel overwhelming so often we cherry pick the one thing that is still near our comfort zone.

But results come from stepping outside our comfort zone.

And honestly, most programs work because of how the systems all work together,.

There isn’t one magic move. Magic macro ratio.

Magic single piece you can pull out that will work on its own.

And so when we ultimately get frustrated that a program isn’t working, we have to realize we didn’t do it as the whole process.

We pulled out of it what felt safe and didn’t challenge us to change.

But don’t waste your own time this year.

If you’re going to start a program, actually DO the program as the plan is outlined.

That’s the only way to truly understand if something works or not. It’s the only way to truly learn how all the systems add up and work together.

Change requires change!

And a different result requires you to do something different than you’ve always done…not force a program to conform to what is comfortable and instinctual for you currently.

#2: Stop Trying To Reinvent The Wheel. Tweak Your Current Lifestyle.

I see this all the time. People start Keto or some diet that cuts out a food they love.

They feel amazing to start and even believe this is the solution they’ve always dreamed of.

It’s that relationship infatuation stage where everything seems perfect.

But A. That phase doesn’t last for ever. And B. They don’t consider one key thing…That the changes they are creating simply aren’t really recognizing who they are and the lifestyle they will ultimately want to lead.

They love bread and, at some point, want to add it back in. Or they do enjoy happy hours out with friends.

One size doesn’t fit all, and what may be sustainable for one person, may not be sustainable for us.

It’s why we’ve got to focus on assessing our starting point, our lifestyle and make tweaks off of that.

Instead of trying to reinvent your lifestyle and cut out the things you love, find a way to create a balance. Learn how to work them in.

Learn how to tweak what you’re currently doing to see changes in a way you can actually sustain.

Because to truly see fat loss results, we don’t need to hit some arbitrary standard of “clean” and there are a variety of macro ratios that can work for us.

The key is finding something we can do consistently enough to allow results time to build.

So start with one small change that’s almost even easy to implement today.

#3: Don’t Ignore Weekly Averages.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day and not see the inconsistencies over the weeks and even months.

It’s easy to work super hard on one day and feel frustrated when the next day the results don’t show it.

Results snowball and consistency is what allows them to add up.

Too often we work really hard for a few days, but then don’t notice the inconsistency that is really there.

We feel like we’ve been “good all week” and ignore how much the weekend eating can really impact our calorie deficit or surplus and our macro ratio averages.

So if you’ve been struggling to feel like your hard work is paying off, take a step back and look at those weekly and monthly numbers.

Were you truly consistent with your workout progression each week and not just training extra hard inconsistently?

Were you actually hitting the macros when averaged over the week? Or were those cheat days adding up more than you realized?

We have to remember we don’t get good at what we do every once in awhile. We get good at what we do consistently.

So focus on creating sustainable changes that allow those weekly, monthly and yes, even yearly, averages to be balanced!

SUMMARY:

There is no quick fix. No one second transformation. And we need to remind ourselves to run away from any promises of one.

The real way to lasting results is to focus on little tweaks to our current lifestyle while focusing on that consistency over time!

Results take time to snowball. Give them the chance by truly implementing those systems and plan!

And no pressure, but if you need help creating and implementing the systems that lead to results, apply to my 1:1 Online Coaching. I’m a pushy trainer that loves to help!

–> 1:1 Coaching Application

 

Why You Should STOP Counting Calories (And What To Do Instead)

Why You Should STOP Counting Calories (And What To Do Instead)

by | Jan 2, 2022 | Blog, Diet

I know you’re hoping I’m going to tell you that you can stop tracking your food, but I’m sorry…if you want the best results?

You need to accurately know what you’re consume.

And most of us are really bad at estimating portion sizes and accurately remembering what we’ve eaten. Especially when we are first making a lifestyle change.

What is measured, can be managed.

If you don’t have data, you don’t know what to adjust.

It can make you feel like nothing is working without knowing exactly what to adjust.

When you track, you can make small changes based on what you’re ACTUALLY doing instead of guessing and feeling like you’re throwing spaghetti at a wall hoping something sticks.

However, I do think that a focus solely on calories in vs calories out when we track doesn’t yield the best results nor does it teach us to properly fuel our bodies for long term success.

Trust me…I’ve been down the calorie counting road.

It left me always feeling like I was starving and constantly trying to cut calories lower when my weight loss results stalled.

It led to me constantly yo-yo dieting because I didn’t truly understand the breakdown of my food and how to create a balance and a true change.

I’d create the deficit, lose weight, then increase my calories and regain what I’d lost.

And even when I lost weight, I never achieve the body recomposition results I wanted. I’d get skinny but never look leaner.

So if you want to feel fueled while also achieving amazing body recomposition results what should you be doing instead?

You should be tracking MACROS.

Now I know you’re probably thinking, “Hold up…Isn’t that the same thing as tracking calories?”

And while yes, by dialing in your macros, you will also impact your calorie intake, it honestly isn’t the same thing at all.

Purely counting calories puts the emphasis simply on calories in vs calories out over the QUALITY of those calories.

And the learning process to actually looking at the breakdown of your food is what yields LASTING results.

It’s amazing how much the amount of proteins, carbs and fats you consume can dramatically impact how fueled you feel and the results you get FROM THE SAME CALORIE INTAKE.

And it’s because we’ve also all fallen victim to the “calories are created equal” line.

While this line is a complete oversimplification of things and I know someone’s now going to say, “Calories actually are all created equal because they are a unit of measurement so one calorie equals one calorie…

The point of that statement is that purely counting calories isn’t taking into account the impact each macro, and even our food quality overall, can have on the results we get.

And that by changing the macros of those 100 calories, we can dramatically change how we feel and our long-term adherence.

The types of foods, and macros we consume impact how full we feel, but they can also impact our performance, recovery and overall hormonal balance.

Increasing your protein intake can increase satiety and help you feel fuller between meals.

And whether you’re plant based or an omnivore, increasing your protein is a key place to start.

Not only can it help keep you feeling fuller, but by increasing your protein you can help yourself build and retain lean muscle even while losing fat.

So if you’ve ever been told you can’t lose fat as you build muscle?

That’s just not the case. It’s just a process that requires us to be patient and track…something we don’t like to do.

And while I know carbs are often demonized in our current dieting world where Keto is all the rage, simply cutting carbs for some may not only hold them back from achieving the aesthetic results they want, as carbs can create an anabolic environment ideal for muscle growth, but also negatively impact their performance.

If you’re trying to train for an endurance sport while also trying to lose fat, you want to be conscious of the macros you’re consuming to make sure to get adequate protein to protect your lean muscle mass, as endurance training can be catabolic to muscle tissue, while also getting enough carbs for that instant fuel to perform.

Simply treating a calorie as a calorie could be why you always feel like you’re starving when training while also not losing any weight!

And simply treating all calories as if they are equal also ignores the differing thermic impact of not only each macro but also of processed vs unprocessed calories.

Each macro requires a different amount of energy to be digested and utilized, which isn’t taken into account when we just focus on calories in vs calories out.

Studies have shown protein actually has a thermogenic effect 5 times greater than carbs or fat!

Protein takes the most energy to digest with about 20-30% of the total calories in protein eaten going to digesting it. Then carbs take about 5-10% while fats take 0-3%.

That’s why you can feel so different on the same calorie intake based on the macros you’re consuming!

And then even how you dial in those macros can make a difference.

I know we all see those crazy food concoctions with hashtags about “if it fits your macros” and I’m a big believer in finding balance and working in those foods I love that I know aren’t as healthy for me because it helps me create a sustainable lifestyle balance right for me…

BUT when you track macros, while nothing is off limits, you’ll also find that often your food quality improves.

Not only are you able to include a diversity of foods to get vitamins and minerals from a variety of sources instead of following a restrictive list that can often come with a focus on “clean eating,” but you really aren’t able to just eat crap and hit your ratios.

While those posts may show crazy foods people work in, what you aren’t seeing is that lean protein and veggie meal they’re also eating to make it work.

And that balance not only allows for long-term adherence but can help you slowly focus more and more on whole natural foods even if your diet isn’t as focused on them currently.

By including more whole natural foods in your diet, you’ll consume more nutrient dense foods which will not only benefit you health wise, but also make you feel fuller.

Processed foods because of the caloric density easily lead to overeating. Not to mention because they are hyperpatable you tend to just want…well…more of them even when you ARE full.

Not to mention, processed foods have a lower thermic effect.

A study which actually just used two basic cheese sandwiches, showed that by simply even using a more natural cheese and whole grain bread made a difference in the thermic effect.

So even if these sandwiches both have the same technical calorie intake, because one has a higher thermic effect, your ultimate energy balance will be different.

SUMMARY:

This is why we can’t just focus on calories in vs calories out but instead need to track our macros!

You may be surprised by how changing up your macros, without even adjusting your calories to start, can get you moving forward to feeling fueled while achieving the lean, strong body you’ve always wanted.

And by taking the time to truly learn about the make up of your foods, you’ll be able to adjust over time as your needs and goals change.

Because maintaining your results can’t mean just going back to what you were doing before!

Learn More…

–> The Macro Counting Guide To Fat Loss

Why You’re Not Losing Fat (3 Step Plan)

Why You’re Not Losing Fat (3 Step Plan)

by | Dec 26, 2021 | Blog, Diet

Are you being honest with yourself?

It’s not that we intentionally “lie” to ourselves about things, but all too often we are looking back at our habits with rose colored glasses.

We miss the inconsistencies.

We let hard work be mistaken for training with purpose.

We’ve focused on doing MORE over following a strategically designed plan and systems.

As much as we want there to be a magic pill, there isn’t one.

And there is no one magical move, magic macro ratio, magic ANYTHING that is going to give us instant results.

That’s why I wanted to share with you the main reason I feel we so often don’t see the results we want and how to overcome it, but I do just first want to remind you how important it is we take that step back to honestly assess.

It’s easy to get caught up in how we “feel” we are doing.

But feelings aren’t data.

Especially because we CAN actually be working really hard and not seeing the results we want.

Working harder though doesn’t translate always into CONSISTENCY with that hard work though.

Too often we are “good all week” only to end up falling off on the weekends.

And that inconsistency can really add up.

One day can throw you out of a deficit if you’ve been trying to create a smaller deficit throughout the week.

Missed workouts, when you’ve DESIGNED for a specific schedule, can really add up.

We need to be honest with ourselves and our implementation of systems.

It’s why tracking to give us that outside perspective can be key.

This honest assessment can also help us stick with our plan for long enough for results to add up.

Because simply not sticking with something for long enough is truly why we most often don’t see the results we want!

We simply can’t out exercise or out diet time.

And so often we give up on a plan or program before we’ve truly given results time to build.

Sometimes we’ve even seen results but don’t feel like they are happening fast enough so go in search of another, faster, fix.

And this constant hopping from thing to thing is what prevents results from snowballing.

Because often when we don’t “feel” like things are happening, they are!

And over time those small changes build upon themselves to lead to big results.

So if the true problem is that we don’t get consistent with something and stick with it for long enough, how can we help ourselves actually commit to a plan long enough for time to work its magic?

Here are 3 tips to help you stay consistent and give results time to snowball:

#1: Give yourself end dates.

We don’t do well with “forever.”

Not only does it lead to us often not feeling motivated to get started, but it makes it easy to slack when there is nothing driving you to have a specific result by a specific time.

If you think about the times you truly were the most committed, it was when you had a big event you were working toward.

By setting those end dates we motivate ourselves to fully commit and commit until that day in time.

We can then, at that point, reassess how everything is going.

Even if you don’t have a big event you’re working toward and you know your ultimate goal will take awhile, set strategic end dates to give yourself a chance to assess how everything is going.

If you know you’re going to stick with something until that point, it will make it easier to even trust the process and not be looking to change things up before then.

#2: Set goals that aren’t just your ultimate goal and track progress toward them.

Many of us have been told we need to set habit goals. We need to celebrate completing the boring daily tasks that we know we need to do if we want to reach our ultimate goals.

But it’s hard to stay motivated by these simple tasks, especially after you do them for a week or two.

That’s why you want to set goals you know will complement your ultimate goal while being quicker to complete or see progress toward.

If you have 50lbs to lose, and you know you often struggle to stay motivated to go to the gym, set a gym performance goal.

What is one move you’d like to be able to do?

Would you like to be able to lift a certain amount? Run a certain distance? Cycle at a certain pace?

Set a performance goal that you know will motivate you to want to do the habits that will lead to faster progress toward your weight loss goals!

Then make sure to track your progress with a set plan in place!

You need to have that clear progression to know what is and isn’t working and then you want to track your progress toward your goals so you can see those changes over the week!

That progress forward will help keep you motivated to do what you know will lead to your other goals as well!

#3: Stop the all or nothing attitude.

Often in our desire to see results faster, we try to do a billion things at once.

We try to work harder and do more over finding something sustainable we can do long-term.

If you want to help yourself stick with something long enough to see results, you need to honestly assess your lifestyle, needs and goals and base your routines and habits off of them.

As unsexy as small changes are as they don’t often lead to the immediate earth-shattering results we want, they are what ultimately add up to the greatest results long-term.

Too often we overestimate how much we can accomplish short-term and underestimate what we can accomplish long-term with consistency.

So as much as you want something now, realize that attitude is what has ultimately lead to you never sticking with something long enough for results to truly snowball.

Yes you see those dramatic results, but then you also see that quick plateau or weight regain.

Find ways to make small changes based on what you’re currently doing and even at times embrace doing the minimum when you otherwise would do nothing!

Remember that it isn’t just about going full steam ahead when times are perfect, which, let’s face it, with life they often aren’t.

It’s about also finding ways to be BETTER than you would usually during the times you aren’t motivated and can’t do the perfect plan.

SUMMARY:

So often we hold ourselves back by simply not sticking with a program long enough. And then we also start to ignore the inconsistencies that happen.

Take an honest step back and reflect on what you’re doing.

Then set some end dates to constantly assess your programming and keep you motivated while allowing results to build. In each of these time frames, outline some performance goals you know will keep you consistent in those habits and working toward your ultimate weight loss goal. And then embrace doing the minimum. Be realistic instead of feeling like it has to be all or nothing.

Remember, you simply can’t out exercise or out diet time!

Eat the foods you love, train with a routine that fits YOUR busy lifestyle, and see the fabulous results you deserve…It’s that simple! (Note that doesn’t mean “easy.”)

LEARN MORE…

–> The RS Formula And 3 Pillar System