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How to ACTUALLY Lose Stubborn Belly Fat (7 Tips)

How to ACTUALLY Lose Stubborn Belly Fat (7 Tips)

by | Nov 12, 2023 | Blog, Diet

“You don’t even have any belly fat!”

I got that comment on a post I had with tips to help clients lose that oh so stubborn belly fat.

My reply back…

“You’re right. I don’t!

I have the ab definition I want BECAUSE I followed these tips.

I was surprised by that comment on the post about how to get rid of belly fat because I’m legitimately proof that those tips work!

They’re how I got the ab definition I wanted myself!

Because I know how frustrating it can be to see everywhere else lose fat but that stubborn belly fat not shift no matter what you seem to do, I wanted to share what I implemented to finally see results.

And the tips that have helped my clients see results no matter their age.

It’s essential you first recognize that you can’t just set and forget your habits. 

There is no one perfect plan that works forever.

And as you progress toward your goals, what you will need will CHANGE. 

That’s why you need to focus on 3 main things to constantly tweak and adjust.

#1: Cycle macros every 2-3 weeks.

By cycling macros every few weeks, you allow yourself to get consistent with a ratio but also allow yourself to adjust macros to build upon previous ratios.

You can use a lower carb cycle to deplete your glycogen stores and potentially better help mobilize fat to be burned as fuel. 

You can then use higher protein to help you focus on building and retaining lean muscle to improve your metabolic health even as you lose fat. 

Then you can even go a bit higher carb to push harder in your workouts and see the whoosh effect happen. 

Sometimes after a lower carb cycle, our fat cells with store water, making us look softer.

Adding back in carbs can help us release that stored water! 

But these cycles help us adjust our energy source while capitalizing on the different benefits each macro can provide without overcomplicating things with daily changes that can impact our energy levels!

#2: Include Diet Breaks AND Mini Cuts. 

Your body, and even your mind, will fight the fat loss process, especially the leaner you get. 

It’s why we want to include diet breaks.

Diet breaks are when you increase your calories to maintenance and even potentially include foods you may have cut out or are craving for about 10-14 days. 

It is both a mental break from being in a deficit and driving toward a goal, but also a physical one.

It’s often essential to help us avoid getting burned out while pushing to reach a new level of leanness. 

It can help you avoid metabolic adaptations and push harder in your training to build muscle. 

It can even help you maintain hormonal balance after an extended weight loss phase.

A diet break may seem like it isn’t moving you forward, but it ultimately does allow you to see better results once you go back to your fat loss focus. 

And after a dieting break, you may even consider a mini cut.

A mini cut is an extra intensive, about 2 week period, where you create a more extreme short term deficit and use a more intense macro breakdown to accelerate fat loss. 

You don’t do this long-term. It’s just a short term push.

It’s great when you’ve hit that plateau or dead zone to help you bust through and keep going. But it is best used after a higher calorie period.

These cycles within your fat loss journey are essential to long-term results and truly getting off that stubborn fat! 

#3: Assess lifestyle changes to address them in your diet and exercise planning. 

So often we only work toward goals when times are ideal, when we are super motivated.

But that’s why changes never add up.

We need to find ways to do the habits that build results even when times aren’t perfect…when we’re busy, stressed or tired. 

That’s why we need to constantly assess our lifestyle and plan for it.

If you’re busy at work and your usual 6 day a week training schedule is impossible to be consistent with?

Design for 3 days so you get in that great training frequency and volume. 

If you can’t meal prep like you had been?

Find frozen meal prep you can easily use or even restaurants that you can eat out at in a pinch. 

But assess what you need right now to stay consistent over pressuring yourself into some “ideal” that you can’t maintain so ultimately completely fall off of.

When we aren’t realistic about what we need now, we ultimately sabotage our own consistency and ability to move forward.

So if you want to lose that belly fat, you need to make sure you’re finding ways to move forward even as your lifestyle changes! 

Then you need to be consistent past the point you want to quit.

Often with these stubborn areas we will lose fat from everywhere else FIRST. 

And only once fat has been lost from those other areas will we begin to see the progress we want.

It can literally feel like nothing is happening at times. We’re in a dead zone. And it can feel like our love handles or belly even look WORSE as we lose.

This doesn’t mean do more to see results. 

It means giving our systems more TIME to work their magic.

Too often it isn’t more “tactics” we need but more TIME. 

And if we instead try to cut our calories lower or train harder to rush things, we end up actually seeing our results slow further or even completely stall.

So stop thinking you can out do time!

Instead focus on these 2 things…

#1: Create DAILY consistency in macros and calories. 

We get good at, and see results from, what we consistently do.

Too often we have our macros up and down, calories higher and lower…and while it may average out over the week, we aren’t really hitting any numbers truly consistently to know what works.

When we are all over the place each week, it makes it hard to truly make changes that snowball. 

Even if you hit your macros averaged out over the week, if there were huge swings day to day, you may find your energy isn’t consistent. 

Or you feel bloated.

Or your workouts suffer.

But you won’t know WHY.

It could have been the macro breakdown. 

Or it could have been too many calories one day and not enough on another. 

It could have been your meal timing. Or the types of carbs you included. 

That’s why you want to focus on daily consistency to see what works and to fuel yourself in a way that makes you feel GOOD.

Only once we’ve truly hit our macros and calories for about 10-14 days can we know if that works for us! 

Constant variation doesn’t allow for those systems to add up!

#2: Have a clear workout progression focused on a PERFORMANCE goal. 

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

If you want to have extra incentive to do the healthy habits that lead to those aesthetic changes, you need to see other ways that those habits pay off. 

That’s why setting a performance goal for your workouts is so key.

Direction drives us.

So having a clear goal for your training pushes you to train harder and with PURPOSE.

You don’t want to miss your workout because you want to be accomplishing a specific goal tied to your training. 

You also stop just seeing your workouts as a chance to burn more calories.

It keeps us from just doing wasted volume or simply training for longer.

It keeps us intentional.

When you have that clear focus for your workouts, you not only see your performance improve but you’ll also find that fat loss happens faster because you’re staying more consistent with the healthy habits you need. 

And then finally…You’ve got to be willing to embrace the suck.

There is never balance in life…it is a constant balancing act.

And sometimes if you want a goal, you have to be willing to make more sacrifices than you normally would. 

Once you reach that goal, you will often find you can create a new balance over time.

But we do have to embrace more challenges, make more sacrifices and own the HARD a bit more in pursuit of a goal we haven’t achieved before or haven’t had in awhile. 

It’s not EASY to push those limits

That’s why you need to do two things to embrace the suck…

#1: Assess past struggles.

When we fail, when something didn’t work, we want to move on from it and forget about it as fast as possible.

But if we don’t pause to assess what happened, often we keep repeating the same mistakes disguised as a new program.

We keep forcing unrealistic habits or expectations on ourselves.

So as you start to make changes, reflect on what has held you back in the past to see how you can plan for those challenges or even avoid them.

Assess how you will find ways to stay consistent through the hard and make it even feel more manageable just because you’ve recognized it is there. 

Instead of downplaying the challenges, OWN THEM.

It helps us think, “Well that wasn’t so bad” when we encounter them which can allow us to keep moving forward and seeing that fat loss occur!

#2: Focus on the habit build. 

Discipline is the secret to success. But discipline isn’t just something we are born with.

It is built.

And it is built by us creating habits that become so natural, we can repeat them even when we don’t seem to be motivated or have the willpower.

Yet so often we make diet and exercise changes in a way that overwhelms us and depletes our motivation quickly. 

We make ourselves do a million and one things we aren’t comfortable with while cutting out most of the things we love.

So while we do need to recognize there will be challenges and sacrifices we have to make, the easier we can make the changes to start, the more we create that discipline with those habits right away. 

And then the more we can build off of those fundamentals without sabotaging ourselves.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with trying to lose that stubborn fat, focus on one thing you can easily do to start that build. 

That will help you then stack more habits slowly on top without feeling like it is so all or nothing.

Then when life does get in the way it will be easier to keep doing the habits you need even during a stressful or hard time.

But focus on the habit build over having that all or nothing attitude toward change! 

If you’re struggling to lose belly fat, focus on these key tips. 

And just remember, as you move forward toward your goals, what you need WILL change.

There will be hard situations and challenges along the way.

But by embracing that you can’t out exercise or out diet time, you can help yourself create habits you can truly be consistent and disciplined with! 

Ready to create the sustainable balance you need in your diet and workouts to see the results you deserve?

–> Schedule A Coaching Consultation

The Best Way to Use Protein To Build Muscle or Lose Fat (7 Tips)

The Best Way to Use Protein To Build Muscle or Lose Fat (7 Tips)

by | Oct 15, 2023 | Blog, Diet

“I just can’t eat more protein!”

“It’s impossible to hit my recommended protein intake!”

If you’re starting to adjust your diet to lose fat and build muscle, often your first focus should be on increasing your protein intake. 

But it’s a hard thing to do.

It can feel impossible to get more protein and be a struggle because we are used to eating the portions we’ve ALWAYS eaten. 

We’ve created meals the same way probably for a long time. 

So we default into doing the same things.

And usually those meals are lower in protein than we now need!

That’s why I wanted to share 7 tips to help you boost your protein intake so you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time!

The first and most important piece of advice I always give to any client starting out is…

Tip #1: Don’t freak. Tweak. 

It can feel like we have to completely overhaul our diet when we’re starting out. 

Like it is impossible to add another 20 grams to the day.

But often little adjustments to what we’re currently doing really pays off. 

So before you start searching for supplements or some crazy meal plan or cut out all of the foods you love, go back to a previous day you’ve logged and see where you can make little adjustments. 

And if you haven’t yet logged, logged a day you may do or what you usually eat and then TWEAK IT!

Is there a meal without protein you could add protein to?

Your normal snack of crackers could you swap in jerky instead for that salty treat? 

Or is there a meal with protein where you could bump the serving by an ounce?

Adding ounces to our current protein sources can add up and not require us to really change what we’re doing! 

Even look for swaps to meals you love that could bump protein, like using lentils over rice in dishes. 

Or greek yogurt over sour cream in a dip. 

Consider even different cuts of the same type of protein to adjust your macros, swapping in chicken breast for chicken thigh.

But the more you can just make small adjustments, the easier those changes will be.

Don’t first jump to completely changing up the meals you love to eat. 

Think small swaps and adjustments.

Tip #2: Use those plant-based sources. 

I’m a meat eater personally but I also believe in getting the amino acids you need from a diversity of sources.

This diversity also improves our micronutrient intake. 

And not only do I love my plant-based clients, but I also know that some of us don’t just want to be chowing down on a bazillion ounces of chicken or whatever at every meal.

So consider ways you can bump your protein intake through non-animal sources.

Consider adding tofu or tempeh or seitan into any dish even alongside your animal product. 

Sprinkle hemp hearts on top of your salads. 

Add chia seeds to your smoothies. 

Try out buckwheat noodles in your pasta dish. 

Pack in more broccoli and peas to your stir fry. 

But realize the value of a diversity of vegetables and plant-based sources that can help you make meals tasty while boosting your protein intake!

Tip #3: Swap protein for creamer. 

Supplements should always be supplemental.

But they can also be a quick and easy way to help us stay consistent, create a sustainable lifestyle and build meals we enjoy, especially when on the go.

One way I like to use protein powders is even as a replacement for coffee creamer. 

Coffee creamers can pack a calorie punch. 

And by swapping in protein powder for your creamer, not only can you boost your protein intake easily, you can keep in that delicious morning drink you enjoy. 

Plus, you aren’t feeling like you’re just having to power through more protein at another meal.

I love adding in protein powder with coffee as a pre-workout snack. 

Get in those amino acids your body will need to repair and even a little caffeine boost to power your workout! 

Just be careful if you decide to mix hot coffee and protein powder as it can clump. It works better with ice or combining the protein powder first with a cool liquid you then mix in.

Tip #4: Add egg whites. 

Ok I’ll know you didn’t watch a second further if you comment, “EAT THE WHOLE EGG.”

I’m not demonizing yolks here. They are delicious and can be beneficial. 

Love whole eggs.

BUT if you are adjusting your macros and even trying to cut calories for body recomp while finding a balance, you may benefit from swapping in some egg whites at times for whole eggs.

In your morning omelet, you may use an egg plus egg whites instead of two full eggs to bump protein without adding as much fat or calories. 

You may also add in egg whites to other dishes to easily increase your protein intake.

You can bake egg whites into oatmeal or add them to a fried rice. 

Egg white muffins can be great on the go and you can easily make a microwave mug variation adding in any veggies or even other proteins you want! 

And if you want a fast snack salty snack, a roasted nut mix is a great option. 

Bake nuts that have been tossed in frothed egg whites and seasoning for a protein boost!

Tip #5: Hide It! 

If you’re thinking, “These are great BUT I don’t want to have to eat another ounce of chicken.

I don’t want to even have to add another ounce of plant-based protein to have to chew! 

I’m sick of protein!”

Then boost your protein intake to start by HIDING IT!

Making a soup?

Try using bone broth instead of your usual vegetable or chicken broth. 

Bone broth contains on average 10 grams of protein per serving.

This is about 5 times more than chicken broth and 10 times more than vegetable broth.

Those small changes add up!

Making your morning smoothie?

Half your usual milk or liquid and add in some greek yogurt. Or even consider blending in tofu. 

This can be a great way to bump protein and make your smoothie delicious and creamy but without making you feel like you’re having to eat more protein!

Even add in chia seeds or flax seeds or greek yogurt to your normal oatmeal to boost protein and add flavor. 

But find little things you can hide in meals you already love that don’t feel like you’re just having to force feed yourself bland chicken!

Tip #6: Don’t forget dairy! 

If you can’t consume dairy due to an intolerance or health concern, I’d hope it would be obvious this tip isn’t something you’ll personally want to include.

You may instead focus on the other 6 I’ve shared.

But if you don’t have any issues with dairy and even enjoy it, including things like greek yogurt, cottage cheese and even other cheeses can be a delicious way to bump protein, both in your savory meals and even your desserts! 

Greek yogurt can easily be frozen with fruit or chocolate into a bark for a great dessert. Or even made into a parfait. 

Cottage cheese can be made into a dip or even added to enchilada bakes or pasta dishes to make them cheesier. 

Milk can be added to shakes and smoothies even to bump your protein as well. 

So if you enjoy dairy, it can be a great way to diversify how you get in your protein daily!

Actually even parmesan cheese, or what I call protein salt can be a great flavor add and a few extra grams of protein to help you out!

Which brings me to my final protein boosting tip….

Tip #7: Count the grams.

Every gram counts and can slowly chip away at the increase we need.

So often we try to force big changes over looking for the little things that can add up but make the adjustments not feel as overwhelming.

But that’s why reviewing previous food logs and even taking time to learn about the foods we consume is so key.

Because adding something even as simple as parmesan cheese to a dish can not only make the meal more enjoyable and flavorful but also add a protein boost. 

While only 2 grams in 2 tsp, that serving of cheese adds a TON of flavor to a dish. And meals we enjoy, we’re going to eat again.

That could also help us slowly increase our protein in a sustainable way.

At 3 grams per tablespoon, nutritional yeast is another great way to add flavor and seasoning while increasing your protein. 

It can be sprinkled on your salad, mixed into cottage cheese as a dip or even added to a trail mix or popcorn for extra flavor! 

And if you’re plant-based it is a great bonus protein source you could even season your tofu with, adding 3 more grams of protein without having to increase your tofu portion even! 

But don’t ignore those little changes that add up!

It is easy to get overwhelmed when we feel like we have to make massive changes to reach our goals.

But don’t freak out! Focus first on those tweaks and then start implementing a few of these tips based on what feels most sustainable to you and your lifestyle. 

Small changes meeting ourselves where we are at add up!

And for a great Protein Power Guide, CLICK HERE for a packet with cheat sheets and even a few bonus recipes!

Are These 5 foods REALLY Unhealthy?

Are These 5 foods REALLY Unhealthy?

by | Sep 26, 2023 | Blog, Diet

STOP labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”

First off, foods do not have any moral value and assigning them one onlyends up making us feel guilty for eating specific things.

And that guilt is often what truly sabotages our results and prevents us from creating sustainable habits and lifestyle changes.

Because foods are NOT just healthy or unhealthy….as much as we want to put whole, natural foods on a pedestal and demonized processed foods.

And what foods are right for you may be different than what foods are right for someone else.

Every food has upsides and downsides to it – both benefits and risks.

That’s why I wanted to share the UPSIDES to 5 foods we often don’t see as healthy and that we should cut out from our diet if we want to lose fat!

(Want to learn more about the foods you need to reach your goals? The Dynamic DNA Nutrition Test)

 

The first food I often hear people say they need to cut out, yet crave sooooo much, is…

CHOCOLATE! 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something like…

“I struggle to lose weight because of those chocolate cravings, especially at night…they get me!” 

Well I’m here to tell you something amazing…

You don’t need to cut out chocolate to see amazing results and if you’re going through menopause or perimenopause, a little chocolate in your diet as your dessert may even have a beneficial impact! 

I know we often feel like we need to cut out things like chocolate because it is potentially sugar and fat, but chocolate does contain micronutrients that may improve our health.

And often us trying to restrict things we enjoy instead of striking a balance sabotages our long-term consistency and results.

So instead of cutting out chocolate, add your dessert in first if you’re tracking macros. 

Of course, the devil’s in the details and the TYPE of chocolate you consume does have an impact on the benefit. 

You do want to include chocolate that is 70% or darker to truly get the benefits. 

But by consuming 70-80% dark chocolate as part of your dessert, you are going to add a variety of micronutrients and antioxidants and even some additional fiber into your diet. 

For example, the flavanols in dark chocolate can help improve your heart heath and lower blood pressure.

Flavanols have even been shown to reduce insulin resistance, which can be helpful for women during menopause, especially where we can tend to become a bit more insulin resistant, leading to weight gain around our middle. 

Dark chocolate also has magnesium, which can help improve the quality of our sleep.

This can make it a great dessert during perimenopause and menopause when we may suffer from more sleep disturbances and struggle to get those quality z’s. 

Dark chocolate is also a good source of phosphorus, which can improve our bone and teeth health. 

As we get older, we want to do everything we can to keep our bones healthy to avoid falls and fractures!

So if you love chocolate, try including bars that are 70% or darker into your dessert. 

Even breaking it up into greek yogurt with some fruit for a filling protein dessert with great health benefits!

The second food that is so often villainized is Red Meat. 

But this is where we have to look at the nuance to each food as all red meat isn’t created equal!

There is a very big difference between processed and unprocessed red meat and even a huge variation in the exact nutritional breakdown of different cuts of meat from the same animal! 

So often though all red meat just gets lumped together.

But there are leaner and fattier cuts of red meat that we can include to not only hit our macros to lose weight but promote optimal health for us personally.

And red meat is a great source of creatine, heme iron, zinc and vitamin B12. 

If you’re working hard to build muscle, even as you lose fat, you may find that adding red meat into your diet is key because it can help you increase your creatine intake naturally. 

Especially as we get older, it becomes harder to build lean muscle.

So increasing our intake of creatine can help us promote more optimal muscle growth. 

Not to mention the micronutrients found in red meat are beneficial as well.

The form of iron, heme iron found in red meat, is a more bioavailable form, which means it can be better absorbed by the body. 

Iron contributes to proper brain function, energy metabolism and the formation of red blood cells. 

Getting enough iron is especially key as we get older to help us prevent osteoporosis.

And during menopause if you’re not getting enough iron, you may experience greater levels of fatigue.

Zinc and B12 are also essential for us as we get older improving our bone, eye and even heart health.

B12 may also play a role in slowing the aging process and keeping our tissues healthy.

And during perimenopause and menopause, when the hormonal changes can impact our mood and energy, getting enough Vitamin B12 and zinc are even more key! 

If you’re going to include red meat, consider grass-fed options and even look at different cuts to adjust your fat intake based on what you need! 

The third food that is often written off, but I think can actually be a weight loss super food is…

POPCORN. 

People often see popcorn only as something devoid of nutritional benefit loaded down with movie theater butter.

But not only does popcorn have nutritional benefits, containing fiber, antioxidants and a range of micronutrients, it also is a great way to help yourself maintain your calorie deficit and stay consistent.

If you’re hit with a craving for a salty snack, popcorn is a great high volume, low calorie option to keep you feeling full and satisfied.

The number of handfuls and bites you get with popcorn can be super satisfying and help you stay consistent.

It can also make for a fun treat on the weekends when watching TV or a movie with the family. It can help you not feel like that person on a diet while everyone else indulges! 

And popcorn contains a whole range of B vitamins as well as Vitamin A, E and K.

It also contains polyphenols, which are antioxidants that have been linked to better blood circulation and digestive health, as well as a potentially lower risk of certain cancers.

Keeping our digestive system and gut healthy can even lead to better weight loss results!

Just make sure if you include popcorn, you’re making it at home or aware of the additives that can come with buying it premade. 

And if you are really focusing on portion control, single serving packs to make are a great option!

The 4th food I wanted to discuss because it is so often demonized yet not consuming enough can have a negative impact is…

SALT. 

Salt has gotten a bad rap as being responsible for blood pressure issues.

But including enough salt is key to proper hydration and a balance of electrolytes to support a healthy nervous system. It’s not just about increasing our water intake.

Salt is also needed to form stomach acid, digest food, and absorb nutrients properly.

However, not all forms of salt are not created equal.

Often when we’re getting too much salt, we’re getting it from processed foods and not quality salt sources.

And this is part of the problem.

Instead we want to focus on things like sea salt or pink himalayan salt that can both have a beneficial impact, improving the quality of our sleep because they contain many helpful electrolytes and trace minerals for regulating hormone levels. 

We also need to stop demonizing something just because it is bad for a specific population and health concern.

Too often this leads to healthy individuals restricting something they should be including in their diet.

I mention this because recent research has even shown that low-salt diets have been linked to promoting insulin resistance in healthy individuals.

And that people who consume a moderate amount of salt were in the lowest risk category for heart problems and death, even lower than people who ate less salt.

The “moderate” sodium intake used in this study was about 4,000 – 6,000 milligrams per day.

So realize that the quality and source of the food you’re including can have an impact and just because it isn’t right for one person doesn’t make it not right for someone else!

The 5th and final food I wanted to discuss is…Bread. 

Often when people want to lose weight, they think they need to cut out all carbs, and bread is among the first they list to go. 

Bread has also gotten more hate as going gluten-free has become more and more popular even though many of us will have no issues consuming gluten and bread could be an enjoyable way to increase our carbs to create that anabolic environment for growth. 

And not only can bread be included in our diet, but there is so much variation in the health benefits different types of bread may provide.

Not only are there more whole-grain variations of bread that contain more fiber, but even sourdough bread can provide more health benefits than we realize. 

While it isn’t gluten-free, sourdough bread may even be tolerated better by those with IBS or a gluten intolerance or sensitivity.

And because of the unique fermentation process for sourdough bread, it can help improve our gut health and unlock more of the B vitamins in the bread.

Sourdough is also usually made with fortified flour, which can bump our iron and folate intake! 

So just because there are some very processed breads out there that may not provide as much nutritional benefit, we shouldn’t just demonize all breads but find the ones that help us enjoy our meals and create a sustainable and healthy lifestyle!

While not all of these foods may be right for you and your dietary preference, we want to recognize the benefits of including a diversity of foods in our diet to create a healthy, sustainable lifestyle balance.

There are always downsides and upsides to everything we include and the more we understand the nuance to everything, the more we can find what we need to reach our goals and feel, look and move our best!

Want to learn more about the foods you need to reach your goals?

–> The Dynamic DNA Nutrition Test

STUDIES:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30061161/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5539137/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22301923/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2017.00036/full
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22110105/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21036373/

7 Bad Habits That STOPPED Me From Losing Weight

7 Bad Habits That STOPPED Me From Losing Weight

by | Sep 17, 2023 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

I’ve made all the mistakes when it comes to trying to lose fat, gain muscle and create a sustainable lifestyle.

But I like to think all of my…interesting experiments…weren’t for nothing.

Because I’ve made so many I can help my clients avoid making those same mistakes and wasting time.

That’s why I wanted to share 7 bad habits that kept me from losing fat for the longest time!

And I’ll be honest…most sabotaged my success because they were simply unsustainable and created a mindset of restriction and deprivation.

Because while achieving our goals does mean making sacrifices at times,
we also have to learn to create a balance, meeting ourselves where we are at.

And that’s why I think this first bad habit is something many of us have had sabotage our results…

Focusing On Eating Too Clean. 

I literally ended up curled up on the bathroom floor of a hotel in San Diego. I was pasty white, in a cold sweat and looked like death. 

All because I’d been eating only chicken and broccoli and extremely clean, one ingredient foods for weeks before the vacation. 

One spicy sangria and a couple of appetizers later and I was sick. 

It’s because I’d created these extreme limitations on myself that not only had left me miserable for weeks, while not seeing better results faster, but they led to me being sick at the first deviation from my clean eating plan.

Too often we try to make ourselves feel guilty for not hitting some arbitrary standard of clean.

But this mindset of good and bad foods not only assigns moral value to foods that don’t have any, leading to GUILT when we eat one thing we aren’t supposed to, but it also can sabotage our results and long-term consistency. 

This extremely restrictive clean mindset can lead to an obsession with food.

It can also lead to us creating nutrient deficiencies.

And it can lead to us ultimately feeling so miserable and deprived we give up. 

And then we feel that reaching our goals is impossible and we just don’t have the willpower. We start to even DREAD the idea of making diet changes.

And all because we’re trying to force something unsustainable.

Instead of focusing on “eating clean,” focus on small swaps to foods and ingredients based on what you’re currently eating. 

Realize that whole natural foods are key BUT that you can and SHOULD include the foods you love.

However, this does bring me to bad habit number 2….

Including Too Much Food Diversity. 

After attempting to cut out all unclean foods, and the massive backfire I suffered…not to mention I literally couldn’t even look at chicken and broccoli for awhile… 

I went to include as much diversity as humanly possible.

I thought it was a great idea to include things to keep my meals interesting and get micronutrients from a diversity of sources. 

And while we do want to include a diversity of foods for optimal health to get vitamins and minerals in different forms…

Trying to include too much diversity can be overwhelming and lead to actually more cravings!

The more we give ourselves, the less of a routine and habit we get into and the more we WANT.

It becomes then a slippery slope of more and more foods creeping in. 

And the less nutrient dense they are and the more processed, the easier it becomes to overeat and feel hungry even when we’ve eaten enough calories.

Not to mention it can make grocery shopping, meal prepping and hitting those macros more overwhelming when there are so many more pieces to the puzzle. 

Simplifying and focusing on a set grocery list and meal plan with a few key ingredients each week can help us stay consistent and not be overwhelmed as we make changes! 

Studies have even shown that we are less likely to overeat when eating the same things repeatedly, making it easier to maintain our macros and calories to lose the fat!

It leads to fewer cravings and a better shut off mechanism when we’ve consumed what we need! 

The 3rd bad habit is a hard one to change when we want results as fast as possible…

It’s Always Going Hard And Never Cycling Intensity.

Sometimes less is more.

And sometimes if we back off when we aren’t motivated or proactively give ourselves a break, we actually stay more consistent overall. 

If you’ve been dieting and in a deficit for a while, you may both physically and mentally start to feel the impact of the lower calories.

Your body does want to fight the weight loss process as weight loss is seen as a threat to your survival.

So you will find that cravings go up even as you get leaner and your mind fights against what you know you “should” be doing. 

You may even feel demotivated to train in the way you need.

This is where potentially a deload week or a dieting break may come in handy.

The key is doing these things strategically and with a plan not just eating everything in sight while you lay on the couch for a couple of weeks doing nothing. 

But give your body a break from the calorie deficit, maybe including even a few foods you’ve wanted but haven’t had.

Just be strategic in giving yourself guidelines to eat at maintenance calories and even hit easier macro ratios.

Don’t let this become a free for all. 

And then you may find you’re more motivated to train with the increase in fuel or that a deload week allows your body a break to repair and rebuild while also giving you a mental break from the strain of constantly pushing that progression. 

But be proactive if you’ve been dieting for awhile and give yourself that strategic break. You may be surprised by how much it even helps you bust through a plateau!

The next bad habit is one I think many of us fall prey to that prevents us sticking with the habits we need to see the body recomp we want…

And it is – Only Using The Scale To Measure Progress. 

I think the scale can be a great tool. And I think it can even be a good thing to weigh daily.

But the scale also doesn’t show us the full picture.

It can make you feel like you’re actually even losing ground when results are truly building. 

And this is because the scale just tells you your weight in that moment on that day.

It doesn’t tell you if you’ve gained weight because you’ve gained muscle while losing fat or if you’ve lost weight by losing muscle and even gaining fat.

And seeking to see faster results on the scale, can actually sabotage your fat loss efforts, especially your long term maintenance.

Because the faster we seek to see results on the scale, the more we often end up losing muscle mass and NOT just fat.

So if you want to focus on truly losing fat to look leaner, you need to track your progress by taking body measurements and progress pictures. 

Especially progress pictures of areas you don’t even care about changing. 

Because often the places we want to lose from the most are the LAST to go.

So by taking multiple angles and areas, we can see fat loss occurring in other places to know to stay the course! 

The next bad habit is one that I’ve found personally the hardest to break…especially because I always enjoyed training…

It was – Trying To Out Exercise My Diet.

Many of us fall into this habit because it actually does work…to start! 

But relying on this is also what ultimately keeps us stuck in this yo-yo dieting cycle, struggling to lose more and more as we get older.

It works because most of us are more comfortable being uncomfortable in our training than we are with making nutritional changes. 

We also can create that calorie deficit to start by doing MORE in our workouts.

And it makes us feel really in control to push hard. 

We feel good about our hard work. 

But working hard doesn’t mean we’re working hard in a direction that moves us forward.

And over time, our body adapts to the training stimulus, which means we aren’t then creating the calorie deficit we once were. 

So at that point either our diet needs to change or we need to train harder and longer.

At some point, trying to only do more with our workouts will burn us out, lead to injury or even ultimately result in metabolic adaptations that make it harder and harder to lose as we get older.

The simple fact is, our nutrition has to match our goals. 

And by adjusting our diet we can see our performance in the gym even improve as we achieve fabulous body recomp.

We will truly see the hard work and sweat we are putting in during our workouts PAY OFF! 

And I think it’s really key we recognize that at times…it WON’T feel like our hard work is paying off.

We won’t see linear progress toward our fat loss goals. 

But this is why I think this next habit is so key to break…

Treating Your Workouts Only As A Means To Lose Weight.

While we do want to design our workouts and our nutrition to work together toward a singular goal, I also think it is key we set complementary goals that further motivate us to do the habits we need to see results. 

And that’s why I found that a secret to consistency and success in losing fat and keeping it off is actually Setting Performance Goals while also NOT seeing my workouts as just a chance to burn more calories and lose faster.

By focusing on a specific performance goal, like improving my push ups, conquering a skill, lifting more weight in a specific lift, addressing an imbalance…even training for a competition…

I help keep myself more motivated to train hard. I have more purpose for each workout. 

And then I have something to track in the gym to see my hard work building toward. 

This ultimately also helped me lose fat because it kept me doing the habits I needed.

I wanted to eat to fuel and feel my best, which resulted in better body comp. 

I wanted to do the recovery I needed to be able to train hard. 

By setting complementary goals, like performance goals for our workouts, we better help ourselves to stay motivated to do the habits we need even when fat loss results are slow or we hit a plateau. 

It allows us to celebrate other wins to keep moving forward!

And the final bad habit I think sabotaged for years and kept me stuck losing the fat to only regain it and feel like I was starting over every January with a new cut was…

Not Doing SOMETHING When It Was Better Than Nothing. 

Every holiday season I would make an excuse not to track. “Oh I know the portions I need to eat.”

“Oh I can find balance I’m not being that off plan.”

“Oh I can take today off.”

And every holidays I would pack on the pounds.

I realized that, while there are times of year I don’t track and stay consistent, the holidays was not one of those times. 

But I also knew the habits I enjoyed when motivated in January wouldn’t fit the holiday season. 

That’s when I realized the power of 1% improvements.

Just being a little more consistent, focusing on doing a minimum, could help me move forward even during a time I didn’t care as much or have the motivation and focus. 

Too often we try and rely on a perfect 21 days or 6 weeks. 

But doing the ideal only during those times doesn’t allow for true habit changes or results to snowball. 

So it’s key we stop the all or nothing habit changes and realize that sometimes something is better than nothing, embracing doing the minimum at times! 

If you’ve been struggling to make consistent and sustainable changes, and have fallen into these bad habits, focus on making one change today!

We need to keep constantly learning and remember that small swaps and changes add up!

Ready to create sustainable habits that help you achieve your leanest, strongest body EVER and maintain those results till your final day on this planet?!

Join my Dynamic Strength program!

Can’t Lose Fat? Here’s The #1 Reason Why

Can’t Lose Fat? Here’s The #1 Reason Why

by | Sep 10, 2023 | Blog, Diet

“But I was good all week!”

Have you thought this after stepping on the scale Sunday morning to weigh in only to be disappointed by the result?

Many of us have….we feel like we’ve worked hard all week to not see the results we feel we deserve!

That’s why I wanted to share the number one reason you aren’t seeing the weight loss results you want…

Which is honestly…you weren’t as “good” as you thought you were.

Now before you give an angry look and click off this video saying I’m wrong…

I want to go over the hidden inconsistencies I often see in clients’ diets that sabotage their weight loss results.

But I also do just want to first mention…

The scale doesn’t show us the full picture! 

Just because you didn’t lose that week doesn’t mean results aren’t building.

The scale just shows us our weight in that given moment. But our weight isn’t just fat and muscle.

It’s glycogen being stored, water weight, inflammation, poop…

So a hard workout the day before, a little more sodium with dinner or even eating slightly later than usual could all impact our weight the next day.

We may even have seen losses had we weighed the day before a hard workout that made us sore while seeing increases on our weigh in day.

That’s why we never just want to jump ship because of the scale not immediately showing us the results we want.

It’s why taking pictures and body measurements are so key.

Because the scale also doesn’t show us body recomp happening at times.

If you gain 2lbs of muscle and lose 1lbs of fat, you’re going to gain on the scale while looking leaner.

So it’s key we aren’t just only basing results off changes on the scale.

We also need to recognize that progress is never linear. 

While we often hear it is possible to lose 1-2lbs a week, this doesn’t mean it is realistic for us or that we will achieve this every single week.

It often means that when you look at averages over time, that it is a realistic, but challenging rate at which you COULD lose.

But week to week, may vary, including weeks where you actually gain a pound before losing 3.

We also have to remember that while something is “realistic” it doesn’t mean it will happen for us.

How long we’ve had the weight on, how much we have to lose, how aggressive we are being with our plan, even our age and training and dieting experience can all impact how fast is realistic for us to see results.

So as frustrating as it can be, you need to track progress in multiple different ways and also step back to assess trends over time.

And if you aren’t seeing results snowball, consider whether or not you’re actually being as “good” as you think or if these 5 underlying issues are popping up…

Issue #1: Weekend Eating Blowing Your Calorie Deficit

The “but I was good all week” feeling comes from us working really hard Monday through Friday afternoon.

We’re precise in our macros. Really cutting out foods and dialing in our calories.

We’re meal prepping.

We feel like we’re working really hard.

Then on Friday night we feel like we DESERVE that cocktail.

Those chips and guacamole.

On Saturday morning, we wake up feeling a bit lazy and wanting to relax.

And after indulging the night before, we find it easier to want to not eat according to our plan that day as well.

Which often spills into starting over Monday…

We think, “Well it’s still only a couple of day off plan while I was good all week. 5 days vs 2 IS consistency.”

But what we don’t realize is how much even those couple of days can throw us out of a deficit and really impact our weekly macros.

Especially because often we don’t log those days to see their impact.

But it’s easy for meals out, extra serving of dessert to create a calorie surplus over those weekend days that destroys our deficit from the week, especially if we are trying to create a smaller deficit to feel energized and protect our lean muscle mass.

Those weekend meals are also often carb and fat heavy and pretty low on protein.

This can dramatically change the macro ratio we are actually hitting over the week.

It’s why we can feel like we are working so hard, being so good, and overall consistent, yet not seeing those results snowball.

It’s why, starting out, it can be good to track EVERYTHING.

That way you truly know what your weeks and even months are averaging out to to be able to adjust accordingly.

Maybe it does mean adjusting your macro or calorie goals to slightly accommodate different habits on the weekends.

Or maybe it means finding ways to make more macro-friendly versions of the weekend meals you usually enjoy.

But so often we just aren’t aware of how much of an impact a couple of days can have on our results!

Consistency isn’t just the number of days but the impact of each day on the total!

Issue #2: Having “Free” Calories. 

I know many popular diets say you don’t have to log certain things…like you can only track net carbs or not log certain sauces, fruits or vegetables.

And over time you may not log certain things because you know the calorie impact for you is low.

But the more you don’t log, the more calories can be adding up that you aren’t aware of.

The more you don’t have fully accurate data to work off of and make changes from.

Plus, it goes back to MINDSET.

Excusing not logging certain things, makes it easier to not log other little extras!

So no matter how minimal the calories may be, or even the argument that we don’t actually absorb the calories say from fiber,we should log everything to start when we are wanting to reach a goal as fast as possible.

When it comes to veggies, often people argue against logging them because they are very low in calories.

But most of the time we aren’t eating them plain.

Too often the sauces or oils we put on them DO have calories that add up on top of the calories from the veggies themselves!

And when it comes to tracking only “net carbs,” we often only make this excuse to be able to consume MORE CARBS.

While tracking net carbs may be key for specific health concerns, for weight loss, don’t subtract fiber.

When you set your calorie intake and deficit, you are assuming that you ARE eating foods with fiber.

You aren’t creating that deficit planning to eat no fiber!

So counting only net carbs can throw off the numbers you are actually hitting.

As painful as it is to start, LOG EVERYTHING!

What gets measured, gets managed!

Issue #3: Not Logging Bites, Licks And Nibbles. 

This goes back to logging everything to start as these small little things add up over the day and weeks.

A couple of nuts or crackers here or there, the bite of leftover food off a kid’s plate…These things really add up.

And the less we are aware of them, the less we hold ourselves accountable for them, the more we tend to do them.

By pushing ourselves to log everything, we can often break patterns of mindless snacking. Snacking out of boredom even or stress.

And we can start focusing on fueling better. We can change even our relationship with food.

But focus on being conscious of your tendency to take little things throughout the day.

Make an effort to log them and be accountable.

You may find you then stop this pattern OR at least know the actual calories you’re consuming.

And you may be surprised by how much those little things have added up to an extra couple hundred of calories over the week on top of other habits throwing you out of the calorie deficit you thought you were consuming!

Issue #4: Not Truly Measuring

Our portion sizes easily get distorted.

How hungry we are, the size of the full portion served at a restaurant, how much we want it, how stressed or tired we are…

So many things impact what looks like a portion to us.

And it is so easy to let emotions lead to you scooping out a little bit extra of that peanut butter than you know is right!

Even the size of what you’re adding an ingredient to can impact how we see the portion.

A bigger piece of toast can make a serving of peanut butter look oh so pathetic!

That’s why, especially as we are really learning what portions we need to fuel and reach our goals, we need to get accurate measurements of everything we eat.

Tedious, boring, frustrating? YUP.

But this is the way you can really learn how distorted your portions may have been!

And this is the way you see results as efficiently as possible.

It’s just like baking a cookie…A little too much or too little of an ingredient can dramatically impact how ooey gooey or crispy that cookie is!

You don’t want to just wing it and hope when you’re craving those cookies! You weigh and measure everything so they come out exactly perfect.

This is exactly why you want to measure everything.

Results require a recipe. Help yourself know exactly what you need!

Whether you use measuring cups or a scale, weigh and measure everything, even saving recipes or meals to reuse quickly in the future.

Issue #5: Not Entering Ingredients. 

A common excuse people make for not tracking everything is that they cook from scratch at home. Which is actually a funny excuse as cooking from scratch makes it EASIER to log everything than eating out.

You know exactly what you included and can measure out everything to log each ingredient accurately!

Too often we make a lasagna and simply select “lasagna” in the food tracker.

But we don’t know if that recipe was the same as ours. Or even if another person entered it manually and the macros and calories are correct.

Whenever possible, create your own recipes and meals in your food tracker, entering ingredients and portions.

This gives you the most accurate numbers to make changes off of!

And when you eat out, do your best to find something close to what you got.

Even check restaurant websites for nutritional information as many now list the breakdowns so you can enter them into your food log!

But the more precise we can get with everything, as hard and annoying as it is to start, the more we can help ourselves know we are doing what is needed to move forward over feeling frustrated when we step on the scale and aren’t sure why results aren’t snowballing!

So if you’ve stepped on the scale and thought, “But I was good all week.” Step back and ask yourself…

“Have I actually been as precise in the habits I should be doing daily as I think I am?”

Reflect on whether or not there is room for growth and opportunity in realizing some of these issues may be popping up.

Because often there is always a little bit more we can do to better implement our current plan over jumping ship and starting over!

Ready to dial in your diet and your workouts to see amazing body recomp results at ANY and EVERY age?

Learn more about my 1:1 Coaching!