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Creatine Benefits and Side Effects (+7 High Creatine Foods)

Creatine Benefits and Side Effects (+7 High Creatine Foods)

by | Sep 14, 2025 | Blog, Diet

Creatine is trendy right now and not without good reason.

Research has shown some amazing benefits to help us feel our most fabulous both physically and mentally as we get older.

And while getting a creatine supplement may be an easy way to boost your creatine intake, you first want to prioritize natural sources of creatine as they contain other amazing micronutrient benefits not to mention often help us also boost our protein intake.

WIN WIN WIN!

That’s why in this video I want to touch on some of the benefits of creatine and help you determine if it may be right for you as well as touch on 7 amazing natural sources to boost your creatine intake!

But first a question I often get asked…Will creatine make me bulky?

The short answer is NO.

I know when many of us hear “creatine” we think about gaining muscle and body building.

But creatine’s benefits go far beyond gaining muscle.

And too often creatine isn’t prioritized by the populations that need it the most.

Women especially can fear it will make them bulky and they may be the ones that can reap the most benefit, especially as they get older.

So while I will touch on why we can see the scale go up with creatine, it will not turn you into the hulk.

And because of creatine’s popularity, it’s been studied extensively and is one of the more researched supplements out there.

So the good part is quality creatine is safe for use by just about everyone.

Now what is creatine?

Creatine is a mixture of 3 important amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine and does exist naturally within our bodies.

The supplement is often a flavorless powder that you mix with water.

Creatine can also be consumed in our diet through high protein animal-based foods such as red meat, chicken and fish.

So if you’re a plant-based eater, you may consider a supplement.

I’ll go over not only 7 high creatine foods shortly but also touch on how to properly supplement.

But before that, why would you consider focusing on increasing your creatine?

What are the benefits of focusing on creatine?

While it has been proven to help with gaining muscle and boosting performance, there are lots of health benefits that aren’t as frequently discussed by the “bros” in the gym.

Creatine can help:

  • Increase strength and power
  • Increase work capacity
  • Help improve body composition (lower body fat)
  • Reduce the amount of muscle mass lost as we get older
  • Reduce bone loss significantly
  • Improve signs of depression
  • Reduce fatigue
  • Improve metabolic health
  • Improved brain functioning

To dive into each of these benefits a bit more…

Creatine can improve strength and power because it serves as an energy reserve for the body during short, intense bouts of exercise.

It literally increases energy levels in your muscles by increasing phosphocreatine, which leads to an increase in ATP production.

And ATP is the energy supply you need to work harder and increase your strength and power output.

It can also increase your work capacity, which means you can get more work done in less time to get more out of your workouts (and maybe even not have them feel as hard)!

Because your power and strength and work capacity see improvements with creatine, you can train harder to see greater muscle gains and therefore better body composition changes.

One study found an extra 2-4 pounds of muscle gained during 4-12 weeks of training.

And interestingly too, men tend to see bigger increases in lean body weight gains while women don’t see a statistically significant weight gain.

Actually women may see more body fat LOST from creatine supplementation.

So that fear ladies that creatine may make you bulky!?…well it may actually do the opposite!

Because creatine can improve muscle growth and strength, it also helps us retain lean muscle as we get older AND stay stronger.

This muscle retention due to creatine supplementation may also be why it can help prevent bone loss as we get older.

BUT it is key that the creatine supplementation is combined with weight training if we want to see results.

Creatine can also help lower levels of depression by improving levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.

And for proper brain functioning, creatine supplementation can also be especially valuable for vegans and vegetarians who may not get enough in their diet alone.

Now, I want to hit on some of the potential downsides and why you may see that scale go up when starting creatine to help you determine if focusing on creatine is right for you…

You may see the scale increase when starting creatine because you’ll gain WATER WEIGHT.

This is actually part of the process that HELPS you gain muscle and fuels your workouts.

NOTE I didn’t say you’d gain fat…just weight on the scale…

So if you are going to be bothered by the weight on the scale and fluctuations due to water weight, this supplement may not be right for you.

Another common fear with creatine use is whether or not it will negatively impact the kidneys.

Studies have refuted this although if you do have kidney issues, it may be best to avoid supplementing with creatine.

Same goes for the fear that creatine may cause diarrhea or cramping.

While this is not common, you will just want to watch for stomach issues and watch your water intake. Consider increasing your water intake to 70% of your bodyweight (in pounds) in ounces.

You may also want to avoid a loading period if you do tend to have stomach issues and are sensitive and easily bloat.

This is also why first focusing on these 7 natural creatine sources I’ll go over can be key.

Not to mention if you are focusing on these 7 sources and eating a high protein diet, you may just simply not find it worth the money to supplement further!

It is also very important to note that NOT ALL CREATINE SUPPLEMENTS ARE CREATED EQUAL!

Creatine Monohydrate is the most studied so may be the one to go with.

And watch for any “energy” boosts added to your supplement that could cause issues.

So now the big question…should you focus on boosting your creatine or supplementing with it?

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, I would definitely consider a creatine supplement if gaining muscle is part of your goal and you struggle to increase dietary protein.

Also, if you are training hard but struggling to gain muscle or have found your workouts suffering, maybe even from being in a calorie deficit, creatine supplementation may help.

For older adults looking to prevent muscle loss and stay young and healthy, creatine may be the boost you need as well.

It can also be key for women in perimenopause and menopause looking to improve their mood, alleviate brain fog and even reduce fatigue.

Studies have shown some amazing benefits of creatine for our mental health and cognitive functioning.

If you are looking to lose weight though, I would not necessarily recommend spending money on creatine.

While it can help with fat loss, it won’t make as much of a difference and the “bloat” that can be associated with it may slow the results you see and be discouraging.

So now how can you increase your creatine intake naturally?

Here are 7 foods starting with…

#1: Herring

Herring is one of the richest sources of creatine and a great source of protein and healthy fats.

It also contains vitamin D, selenium and iron.

And it’s rich in vitamin B12 which only enhances the benefits of creatine as it is used in many functions throughout the body, including proper brain function and healthy nerve cell maintenance.

#2: Beef

Red meat is too often demonized and all cuts are not created equal.

While it has gotten a bad reputation because of its saturated fat content, you can get leaner cuts of beef that are a great source of creatine and will help you rock your protein intake.

Beef is also rich in iron, zinc, selenium, b vitamins and phosphorus.

These nutrients help with a range of functions from energy metabolism to protecting and improving mental and thyroid health.

Beef is also rich in taurine, an antioxidant and amino acid that is important for heart and muscle function.

So don’t just write off beef but be conscious of the quality and cut that you consume!

#3: Pork

Often overlooked as an amazing protein source, pork is higher in creatine than even beef.

And like beef, pork is a great way to boost your protein with a variety of cuts to choose from that vary in fat content.

It also contains a range of micronutrients to keep our body healthy.

Unlike red meat, pork is rich in thiamine, a b vitamin that plays an essential role in energy metabolism, nervous system health and even maintaining proper muscle contractions.

#4: Salmon

A health powerhouse, salmon is a great source of creatine and protein and packed with healthy fats.

Salmon is also rich in calcium, potassium and vitamins A and B12.

This micronutrient rich protein and creatine source helps improve our heart health, brain and thyroid function, reduces inflammation and supports healthy bones and joints.

So if you’re considering creatine, before supplementing, make sure to get at least a serving of salmon in your diet every week!

#5: Red Meat

I am listing red meat separately from beef to touch on other amazing red meat sources of creatine such as bison and lamb to name two.

Too often we forget about the options and opportunities in different types of red meat and even seafood.

Including diversity in our diet can help us make sure to get the micronutrients we need while keeping our meals fun and tasty.

If you’re looking for the benefits of beef but with leaner cuts, bison may be a great option.

And if you’re looking to boost your omega-3s while consuming red meat, lamb may be your go-to.

But see opportunity in the options.

#6: Cod

Cod is another great fish source of creatine and protein but a lower fat option than salmon or herring.

It’s also a great source of b vitamins, potassium, selenium, phosphorus and vitamins C, D and E.

So while not the omega-3 packed option of salmon, this fish is micronutrient packed to support healthy aging and make you feel your most fabulous.

#7: Chicken

An amazing protein source that’s so versatile for meal prep, chicken is also a great source of creatine.

While we so often think of chicken, especially chicken breast, just as a lower calorie and lower fat protein option, it is rich in b vitamins, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium.

It is also higher in tryptophan which contributes to serotonin and melatonin synthesis in the brain and can improve our mood and sleep!

By including these 7 natural sources, you get not only the benefits of creatine, but also boost your protein intake while getting micronutrients that optimize your health and support creatine’s benefits.

So while you may consider a creatine supplement, especially if you’re plant-based, don’t jump to one first if you aren’t optimizing the consumption of these foods first!

Now if you choose to supplement on top of the 7 natural sources…

You can start taking it with or without a loading phase.

If you choose to do a loading phase, you may choose to supplement with 20 grams of creatine for 5 days or even only 10 grams for 10-14 days, if you find you retain more water, or want to avoid a more sudden increase.

With the loading phase, you may want to break up the doses instead of taking all 20 grams together.

Once the loading phase is done, which is meant to fully saturate the muscles, you can drop to 2-3 grams per day.

Some people will prefer to keep their supplementation at 5 grams per day although that amount is probably not needed if you do consume red meat (actually if you eat red meat regularly, you may find creatine supplementation does little to nothing to benefit you).

Vegetarians who do not get potentially enough dietary creatine, may choose to keep their dose at 5 grams per day.

You can even choose to just supplement at 5 grams for a month and do no loading phase whatsoever.

Remember though if you do choose to use creatine, it isn’t a magic fix if your diet isn’t dialed in.

Track to see how the supplement affects you and adjust your supplementation accordingly!

Are you taking creatine? Do you focus on natural sources or do you supplement?

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

–> LEARN MORE

Why Consistency Is So Important For Fat Loss

Why Consistency Is So Important For Fat Loss

by | Sep 11, 2025 | podcast

Listen:

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast. Everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don’t want to hear. You know what the suckiest truth, the hardest fact you have to face. If you want to see lasting results and the best results as fast as possible, you have to be consistent. And it’s a forever process. You can never stop doing what made you better. Yet, when we really think about what we’ve often struggled with, it is consistency with something. We search for a perfect workout, a perfect diet plan, and we keep ourselves stuck in the same cycle of doing something, seeing some progress, maybe not as much as we hope to only have life or stress or something get in the way. And I actually did a poll in my broadcast channel on Instagram asking, what do you find is the biggest struggle to getting consistent?

(00:51):
And it wasn’t even enough time. It wasn’t knowing what to do. It was life getting in the way and stress. And I thought this was such an interesting thing because I think it’s a mindset that I struggled with for a long time, and I see it a lot with clients as well. But it’s this mindset that we have to be on this perfect plan or there is some routine or habit we have to be in order to see results instead of realizing that habits and routines are very individual and can be done in so many different forms, like tracking. We think when we think of tracking, we have a very specific image in our head, but tracking isn’t just only that one image. It isn’t just using a food tracking app, for example. It could be using visual portion guides, it could be taking pictures of your food.

(01:32):
There’s lots of ways to track what we’re doing to get data. And I bring this up because so often we let stress or life be our excuse for not being consistent, but we need to be consistent if we want to see results. So these things are warring. And the reality is, is that we have to own our lifestyle, own our stressors to create something we can actually be consistent with. So instead of seeing it as life or working towards our goals, we have to realize that the only way we can work towards our goals is if we own our life. If we find those minimums we can do, if we embrace this forever process, because what you do to reach a goal isn’t even what you do to maintain it. And in the process of working towards that goal, you will have evolutions. I go over the three phases of fat loss a lot of times where we will go on those lifestyle builds, so to speak, where we are trying to create habits that overall feel very sustainable, that feel like something we can be consistent with.

(02:25):
And when I say sustainable, it doesn’t mean easy, but they feel very much in alignment with our overall life. That isn’t actually how we approach dieting a lot of times. Usually when January hits, we get really motivated with the new year. We go all in and we actually go into more of a mini cut. We push all these sort of extremes. And I’m not using extremes in a bad way, but it is still perfection things, right? The six days a week ideal workout schedule, really clean macros, extra clean foods, maybe not even eating out as much, not traveling. We have these different time periods where we feel like our life is ideal for seeing results. And so we plan for those times only. And then when life is no longer like that, we don’t know what to do. Not to mention we’ve seen the progress.

(03:05):
We get a little complacency with that, but then we don’t evolve because we have this picture of this is the only thing I do. And in being so clean, trying to be so perfect, we don’t own actual habit changes to handle life. We only start at the right time. And then that’s what never builds lasting change. So instead of doing that, we have to sort of recognize that what is going on with life? What does that lifestyle build? So instead of just doing the mini cut, which is one of the phases of fat loss, where we’re going to more extremes and our deficit trying to push our workouts a little bit harder, we’re doing things that yes, yield potentially a little bit faster results, but really aren’t meant to be done. And we try and force them instead of saying, okay, what’s this lifestyle build?

(03:45):
What can I do to owe my life? What do I really want on weekends? How are weekend habits even different so I can really plan around them instead of trying to force some mold? And there is the balance of these two things. You can’t always just do what you want. If you’re like, okay, well on Friday nights I like to have my margarita, I like to let loose, I like to have my cheat day. That might be all well and good, and that might be part of your lifestyle build, but there might also have to be those weeks where you do that mini cut where you’re like, Hey, I’m not going to do this. And it’s not that I’m restricting, I’m making this choice not to do this, to understand the impact it really has. And because right now it is really important that I go a little bit faster towards my goal, but with that balance, we get so honed in on only that weekend, right?

(04:22):
Oh, I’m not having something this weekend over realizing like, Hey, I’m not having something this weekend. But part of this is also then having the vacation where I can go a little bit more crazy and not feel as bad. And so that’s where we’re seeing those two things, and that’s where even the third phase of fat loss can come into play. Diet breaks where we actually have to slow down to speed up because if we just keep constantly pushing, we don’t realize that mentally we’re getting burned out. We’re not pausing to assess changes in our lifestyle, and even our metabolism is adapting in a way that we’re going to see results slow despite working just as hard. And so sometimes easing off that gas pedal a little bit in advance can really help us. So we want to use those three different phases, and I bring those up because that is what building actual results is all about.

(05:06):
That is what is embracing the forever process that is reaching your goals. And with this forever process, you can never stop doing what made you better. While habits will shift, because what you do to reach your goal is not what you do to maintain it, right? You don’t just stay in a deficit when you’re trying to maintain your weight, when you’re trying to even build lean muscle and rev that metabolism back up potentially after being in an extended deficit. But there is some evolution in those habits. And so you can never stop doing what made you better in that. You can never forget those fundamentals. If you’ve done rehab work for an injury, that rehab becomes prehab. No, you might not be doing it as much. You might have to include all the moves all the time because you might have more consciousness of where you’re seeing overload creep in, but you’re going to keep in some of those fundamentals, the foam rolling, stretching and activation that you’ve done, you’re going to keep in some of those moves that you did to make you move better and make sure that you’re still strengthening.

(05:54):
You’re going to be intentional with exercises to still focus on what you feel working. You’re going to keep those fundamentals in. And as a human, you’re probably going to get a little lazy within my points and have to come back and do a little bit more because you did a little bit less, right? That’s the ebb and flow, but you’re still doing all the things that helped you get there because you have to maintain those habits. It isn’t a set and forget a thing, it isn’t do one thing and then you’re fixed, right? You don’t brush your teeth once and be like, okay, my teeth are clean, I’m good, right? No, you have to do that every single day, multiple times a day to really maintain those results. Same thing goes, it goes back to that saying success is never owned, it’s rented and rent is due daily.

(06:31):
You have to make sure that you’re doing the things daily that build the habits and the person you want to be. If you think about everything you have in your life, it is built off of everything you’re doing consistently. So when we do reach our weight loss goal, when we do see progress, we have to keep doing those things. The form we do them in just evolves. So tracking where you might be doing intensive macro ratios might become more minimalist. You might shift the macros you’re doing. You might shift your workout schedule, but you’re optimizing everything you’re doing based on your schedule and even owning the mindsets that come with it, because you can never stop doing what made you better. And this is a forever process, and that means embracing that life is going to try and get in the way, and it’s not trying to do something despite that. It’s trying to own your reality to constantly plan for it so that you can do those minimums, pay that daily rent, and see success truly lastingly snowball.

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.

Building Better Habits (Start TODAY!)

Building Better Habits (Start TODAY!)

by | Sep 4, 2025 | podcast

Listen:

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast. Everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don’t want to hear, do it now. There is never a right time to start, never a perfect time of life. And when we keep trying to wait for one, ultimately we keep ourselves stuck or we create habits that really aren’t lasting. That’s why I’m super excited to dive in today with Michelle about building habits now, especially before the holidays, after we’ve seen potentially a little summer slide. So Michelle, thank you so much for joining me today.

Michelle (00:35):
Thank you for having me. This honestly is one of my favorite topics, discuss because so often we let excuses pile up and the holidays is probably one of the biggest excuses that we use when it comes to our health and our nutrition and our fitness.

Cori (00:51):
And these months right in between what I sort of call the summer slide and the holiday downfall often aren’t used in the way they really can be used. And part of that is because we do see a change in schedule with work going back to school, those different things which sabotage us potentially in a different way, but it makes it hard to get in a groove when we even know that our lifestyle is going to shift. So I really want to talk about how we can use these couple of months where we’re not in summer mode, we’re not in holiday season, but life is still not necessarily easy and working for us. It often is in the new year. To kick things off,

Michelle (01:31):
What you just said is one of my favorite things because I think it just piles onto, there’s never the perfect time and if you keep trying to wait for that perfect time, it’s not going to come. So the best thing to really do is to try and find those small habits that you can slowly start to build and really make into your routine, especially when your routine is starting to be thrown up in the air. It’s kind of finding those non-negotiables that you are going to be consistent with day-to-day.

Cori (02:00):
And in finding those, it really comes back to owning our lifestyle. So it was really interesting. I brought this up a couple of times, but I was very fascinated by this response. I put a poll in my broadcast channel and I asked what was the real struggle to get consistent? What usually sabotaged you? And it wasn’t time, it wasn’t knowing what to do. It wasn’t results being too slow, it was stress and life getting in the way. And I think this response is our belief that we have to do habits in one specific form at a certain intensity, all or nothing attitude. And that’s ultimately what prevents us from getting consistent over owning our lifestyle because the reality is life is always going to happen, so we have to learn how to really navigate it.

Michelle (02:45):
Exactly. It’s finding those true foundations for you that again, you can build off of. And so if we’re trying to find those true foundations, where do we start? I think the most important thing is to truly find just the small tweaks that you’re going to be able to initiate daily. And when I’m saying small, I’m saying let’s just focus on setting one nutrition goal and one fitness goal and really having those be your anchors. So even if you need to drop down to a bare minimum approach, you have those two main things that you are going to be focused on that no matter what hits, that’s going to be something that you’re going to ensure that you’re going to hit on and make sure you’re getting to every single day.

Cori (03:31):
And I think that’s sometimes hard to assess what those are because we even look at the habits we might’ve had and it feels like we’re taking a step back. But if we don’t assess the evolution that needs to happen there, that’s where we feel like the effort doesn’t feel worth the outcome. If we think about it like a budget, the habits that we’ve been doing cost us a certain amount and all of a sudden with a seasonal shift, they might feel like they cost us a lot more than they were before. And so stepping back is the way that we can keep doing something. How do you navigate though what I almost call the guilt of doing less?

Michelle (04:05):
I think it’s honestly just requires a little bit of a reframe in that thought process in general is because so often we, I always use the word pedestal, but I really think we put pedestal habits on like, oh, if I’m going to be trying to hit this health goal or this is my end goal, I need to make sure my plan is this so that others know that I’m trying to do X, Y and Z. We kind in my opinion, sometimes we worry a little bit about what other people are seeing us portray versus just doing the boring basics. Sometimes we want other people to see what we’re doing and to see that we’re taking action, but truthfully, what’s going to actually lead you to results are going to be the things that honestly people aren’t going be seeing. There aren’t going be the glory and kind the boring basics that you do day to day.

(04:58):
So I think it’s really about kind of reframing that mindset a little bit so that you are doing it truly for yourself and making sure that you are setting up strong habits because otherwise you’re going to have that wagon to fall off of. And when it comes to your health and your nutrition, there is no wagon to fall off because this is your routine. This is something that you need to do daily and it doesn’t matter on the ups or the downs or what the season brings or what life throws at you. This is your journey.

Cori (05:31):
I love that description of pedestal habits because I do think we have these ideals that a lot of time it’s self-inflicted pressure to maintain, I have to work out six days a week. Well, if that’s not realistic for your schedule, designed for the time you have, you’ll still see results. And I get it, it’s because we’ve seen this is the best thing for x, and so we want to strive for that, but it’s where we ignore the benefit of the minimums that something is better than nothing. We do think, oh, what’s the point of doing X? It’s not the ideal, so what’s the point? Well, it’s still going to move you forward. And I like to ask myself at those times the question of what’s the alternative? If you are not doing something to move forward, you are doing nothing or potentially the opposite of something you should be doing, which only is going to make you end up losing progress.

(06:17):
Even if you maintain it, you’ve still maintained all the other progress you’ve made so that when you are at a time where you can do more, you can do those ideals, you can move forward faster. So I think even thinking of it as like what’s really the alternative if I’m not doing something can help us reframe those. And I love that you mentioned the minimums too because I think it goes back to momentum and that momentum is so important. Can you dive into how we even talk about momentum and why that matters more potentially than doing some pedestal ideal habit?

Michelle (06:49):
So one thing that I wish more people took into consideration and kind of lived by a little bit is momentum is always going to be motivation. Your motivation, you can come in on a journey. I mean we see it so often like the post January, like, oh, I have all this motivation, I’m going to be sticking to these health plans, but motivation fades. I’ve never met anyone, I’ve never had any client, I’ve never worked with any athlete that has told me that their motivation is always high, their motivation is always going to be there. So what’s going to be there is building that momentum. So if you’ve already built momentum going into the holidays, you’re going to keep rolling and actually see that momentum build because the one thing that we’re talking about doing the minimums, doing the basics. I also will say, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that does one habit that doesn’t roll into another habit.

(07:43):
So you end up getting that momentum building and pretty soon what was starting as that bare minimum you’re building and building, even if you’re only doing one thing to start your day. Oftentimes just having that mental focus on that one thing, you tend to make a little bit better choices throughout the day. You tend to have that anchor as to, oh yeah, this is my goal. And your goal could simply be, I want to feel good on this trip. I want to feel good during the holiday season so I’m not waking up kind of cranky and not feeling great and dealing with digestive issues when I’m also around family and friends and going on this trip or vacation. It can just be as simple as you want to feel good. So having something that you’re anchoring to is going to help build that momentum.

Cori (08:30):
And momentum builds motivation a lot of times to do more because you feel successful versus when you are striving for an ideal and you can’t do it versus setting those minimums that you can’t actually master, you feel like a failure and that makes you less motivated, less wanting to do more. And in really frank terms, and probably a term we’re more comfortable with discipline, momentum is discipline. When you build momentum with those little things, that’s what creates discipline. It’s not trying to do an ideal and forcing it and trying to willpower your way through. It’s that little bit of action that makes you feel more successful. So it makes you want to do it more. So that keeps the ball rolling because that’s where you see that discipline really hit. I want to keep doing these things because I really do see the payoff from them and that’s often what carries us through and makes us create those 1% improvements that ultimately pay off

Michelle (09:24):
A hundred percent. It’s that momentum, the discipline and the motivation. It’s just the nice, it’s talking on top of it.

Cori (09:35):
So in terms of carrying us through the holidays, how can we really use this time right now to make sure that during the holidays we are still making progress and again, not what we want to hear, but maintaining the results that we built before helps us go into the new year ahead of where we would be, have we fallen back into old patterns and routines or lost all the things we built? It sets that foundation a little bit higher in terms of the habits we’re already doing so we can build off of them more, but how can we use this time to build that momentum through the holidays to keep us going?

Michelle (10:08):
Right now is the time to find what those anchor habits are going to be. And I like what you’re saying as far as making sure we’re maintaining not backsliding, and I’m going to emphasize that just a little bit because I think so often we think, well, I’ll just maintain, I’m going to start later. But you don’t tend to maintain, you do tend to backslide, so usually you get further away from your goal versus if you would start these habits now you’re going to go in a little bit better and you’re not going to have more work to do later. So it’s really about looking at the future you too and be like, there’s no day better to start than today. So it’s anchoring yourself in those most important habits for you going into this holiday season and right now with the routines, with a lot of our routines kind of shifting and changing, a lot of times people are like, well, once things calm down and I have my routine, then I’ll do it.

(11:00):
Why not build your routine around the habits? So if you have your changing schedule and you’re trying to figure out that changing schedule, start by implementing some of those anchor habits into your schedule. So then when you get the more solidified schedule, you have these to even build it around. And this is really where I even encourage looking at what do you do already that you do without thinking it’s autopilot? Most of us that can be as simple as like, Hey, I brushed my teeth. How can you habit stack on that? Hey, I know I’m going to brush my teeth. Well, what can we do around that that is going to help be that trigger for a new anchor habit?

Cori (11:41):
And it’s creating these anchor habits off of what’s realistic for our lifestyle because what’s going to carry us through the holidays and even talk about building that routine. So often we try and build it when we feel like life is perfect and then the routine isn’t sustainable versus if we do take this time period right now where we’re like, oh, I’m not in a groove. I don’t know what’s coming next. Okay, well if you can find the little things you can even do now, think about when you have a more perfect time, how much more you can even build off of how much momentum will be there, how much a discipline will some of these other things will already be in place because going into the holidays we have to own the reality of the time. I think of it as what we want and what we actually want.

(12:19):
We say, oh, I want to lose weight. But when it comes push to shove, when we’re at that dinner, what we actually want is to enjoy the holiday with family. So let’s own what we want out of that season and then what our goals are, what we ultimately want, and see how we can navigate, how can I have some short-term enjoyment and also long-term payoff because the more we try and ignore the short-term desires that we do have, instead of own them, plan around them, account for them, find out what’s worth what to us, the more we can really create something sustainable over trying to push our way through ultimately cause ourselves to fall off, feel like a failure and then not even want to get started fully in the new year or feel more resistance to habits because they felt so unsustainable and so off from what we feel like our lifestyle really was. So it is finding that balance of wants and wants too.

Michelle (13:13):
I love that because that was actually a conversation I had recently with a client was talking about seasons and their seasons and owning your season. Now the goal, like you said, sometimes the goal is just owning that minimum, owning that maintenance, but it’s also looking at your season and where you value those shifts. And you may have seasons where, yeah, this is going to be my minimum. For example, the client I was talking to holidays, she’s like, yeah, holidays a day for me, but the summer, that’s when I’m traveling, I’m hiking, I’m canoeing, I’m doing all these things where oftentimes I’m in a group and I don’t have as much control with my food, so I have to focus on some of these minimum habits. And for some people that may be you where the summertime is actually where you need to focus on the minimums versus the holiday seasons.

(14:00):
But for a lot of us it is the holiday seasons is focusing on what are those anchor habits that we’re going to be leaning into. And then there may, we are going to own our season as to like, oh, this is going be the time that I do lean a little bit more in and maybe this is where I do a little bit more of a mini cut or try to be more aggressive in my muscle growth. So owning that is something that’s key. And like he said, I think it is even sometimes actually sitting down and writing down the things that you value out of the holidays. Is it the parties? Is it the family connection? Is there a way you can even kind of put some of these healthy habits into the family connection? We just had a holiday over this last weekend and I went on lots of walks because that was something that I could do like, hey, we’re going to sit here and talk. Why don’t we talk and walk? So something to kind of make sure that we are incorporating that with something that we also already are going to be enjoying.

Cori (14:59):
And then it’s understanding that you’re testing out sometimes during the holiday season, during a different season of life and when you’re making habit changes towards a specific goal, you’re testing out the habits. I often think about workout and nutrition changes that we make and the confidence we can build and the strength that we can see in ourselves as that microcosm for the rest of life where then we take that strength out into the world and can do a lot of other things because we built it there and the holidays are kind of this high pressure situation to test out habits and see what actually sticks and what feels sustainable for your lifestyle. And of course that will evolve over the year. But if you can find minimums that work at the worst of worst times, we’ll say the toughest of tough times, the least routine of times, the more you’ll be able to do those things at other times a year.

(15:44):
And if you get successful feeling with those, you’re going to want to do more. Because I do think so often we don’t recognize that a lot of what we dread with going on a diet making workout changes is things that have been associated during negative phases where we’ve tried to willpower our way through or pushed a habit that wasn’t really sustainable at that time. We haven’t built that true discipline with some of the components of it or matched it to what we really value. So seeing this as almost like practice for some of those habits could be a great way to reframe it for yourself.

Michelle (16:17):
Absolutely. And I’m going to go a little bit step further and kind of dive into this just a little bit because we’re talking about, we’re using the word habits, but it is sitting down and figuring out what that habit is. But you have to take it one step further. You can have that minimum habit, but unless you put an action plan in place of how you’re actually going to do it, then it’s just simple words. It’s like, yes, I want to eat more protein. That’s great. How are you going to do it? Are you going to focus on breakfast? Are you going to focus on one meal out of the day? Are you going to have a protein minimum for each meal? Are you going to up your protein with your snacks because you’re seeing that your snacks are just carb? How are you going to break it down?

(16:59):
And it is even doing sometimes the minimum within that habit. So your habit may be, yes, I want to have a protein goal. Okay, great. Let’s start. Where is the most important? And I’ll be honest, for most of us it is making sure we’re getting that protein at breakfast to set up your day. I really do encourage a lot of times to start the day with a habit, kind of going off of what we talked about earlier is because it helps build momentum for the rest of the day. So if you are able to do something first thing in the morning, you’re going to find that it’s going to affect your choices throughout the rest of the day.

Cori (17:34):
Success breeds more success when you do that one thing. And honestly, sometimes starting out make it so silly simple, you’re like, well, I can do this right this second as I’m talking about it. Great, do that one thing because if you set yourself up with breakfast, even if it’s just I’m adding one more ounce or I’m adding five more grams, that little thing that you do consistently makes you feel successful and you’re going to see progress from it. No, it might not be the sexy overnight changes that doing everything all at once can sort of lead to, but it’s still going to be that victory in terms of the habit. You’re going to feel disciplined with it and you’re going to want to do more. It’s the same thing with workouts. I’ve seen it happen where people will have six days a week they’ve outlined to workout and they’ll get in three of those days and be like, I only got three days.

(18:18):
This stinks. It’s horrible. Why am I even doing anything? And then all of a sudden they’re not doing anything. But they got in three workouts. Granted, the three workouts might not have been as optimized had they actually planned for three days, but they still got in three days. Now, had they said to themselves, I want to do two days this week because I feel like three is slightly a stretch, and they planned so that the workouts could be very full body, even two days would really maximize the time they had and then they did three. All of a sudden that shifts things, but it’s the same three days. Granted, one, you’re designing for the time you have, which is why it’s so key. We take ownership, but it’s about the mindset behind a lot of what we’re doing that we have to own if we want to see those changes actually build.

Michelle (19:03):
Yeah, I had someone similar that was like, I only have 10 minutes to get my workout in. What can I do in 10 minutes? I’m like, well, 10 minutes is better than nothing. And if you only have 10 minutes and you’re doing 10 minutes a day, it adds up. Like you said, we can always do more, right? But are we allowing ourselves to do the minimum when that’s all that’s allowed?

Cori (19:27):
I mean, depending on what you want out of those 10 minutes, not that I’m recommending you do this, but 10 minutes of burpees is going to make you feel pretty slaughtered. 10 minutes of mobility work is going to be a lot of great activation, foam rolling and stretching. So there’s a lot of benefits you can get out of 10 minutes if you own. I only have 10 minutes. And again, we so often think, is it even worth it? But what’s the alternative? Doing nothing. How is doing nothing at all going to move you forward versus the potential of at least that 10 minutes paying off? And then even just thinking about, okay, well what does this 10 minutes lead to? Because so often we get caught up in very much just the habit. Oh, well only eating five more grams of protein. What does that really do?

(20:06):
Well, the fact is, is you made a change and you made a change at a time where it felt like the wrong time to start. And then you’re also keeping in the routine, maybe 10 minutes, three days a week is still holding that spot for those three days and that’s all you have. But that makes it that much easier when you do have time for 20 or 30 because the ball is already rolling in the right direction. So we have to remember that it’s not just the habit, but the mindsets, the pattern. The other things that we’re building behind the scenes with some of these actions that really pay off,

Michelle (20:34):
And I think that’s important too, is so often we look at our habits are routines, and when it comes to nutrition and fitness, we always have a start and an end. We tend to be like, oh, well I’ll start and my goal is to go this long and we’ve already mentally put an end date on what those habits are going to be, and you can’t do that. It’s reframing that mindset and stop thinking about your nutrition and fitness goals to have a start and an end date. You can have checkpoints, but there’s no end to this. There’s no end to this journey that we’re on because guess what? You were given a body and we have the rest of our lives to take care of it, and it’s going to be very telling who’s taking care of it and who’s not as we age and we can’t stop the clock.

Cori (21:21):
So thinking about creating these lasting habits and knowing that they will evolve and going into the holidays, how can we make sure we’re sort of planning minimums that will truly survive? We’ll say the challenges that the holidays do present.

Michelle (21:37):
So you’re going to basically, you need to plan around having imperfections. You’re not going to have the perfect day. So what is that one thing you’re going to get done that day? And that’s going to be your anchor habit. I’m going to challenge everyone to find two, one nutrition and one fitness level where you are going to have some type of habit that you’re really going to anchor to, and it is owning your journey and owning where you’re at and your season and what you value. So it’s not always looking at what’s going to make the biggest impact, which oftentimes we live in that world. Well, what can I do that’s going to make the biggest impact? It is going to be, what’s the easiest thing I can do? What is that number one thing that I’m going to do that will, everything else will kind of build off of?

(22:27):
So I’m just throwing ideas out here at this point because again, this is going to be personal to you. It’s going to be what you can kind of find easier to add throughout your day. It can be the protein goal. It can be just adding that five extra grams. It can be having a protein minimum throughout the day. It can be making sure that you’re having protein with every snack. We don’t love eating. My favorite saying that, one of our coaches says is, you can eat your carbs naked, but don’t eat a naked carbs. So making sure that you’re having protein with every snack throughout the day. It can be that water goal, it can be a fiber goal. It can be that a fruits and vegetable goal, but finding something and then taking it one step further of how are you going to do it?

(23:12):
What actually are you going to do to hit that? And then the same thing with the fitness. Ideally, you may be that person that thinks that you need to be working out six days a week, but that’s probably not going to happen. The reality of it, especially during the traveling season and when we’re around family. So what is that minimum for you? How much time do you actually have? You may think that you want to be hitting an hour workout, but is the 20 or 30 minute workout going to be more realistic for you? Then we need to take it back to that, and oftentimes we underestimate that we need recovery. So going all full kilt, six days a week may not actually be the best thing for your body in the longterm to see results. So keeping those things in mind, and again, how are you going to do it? Is it going to be a step goal? Are we just going to make sure that you’re moving a little bit and getting in one walk? But whatever you choose, make it a non-negotiable. That is your anchor habit. Everything else is to build off of that one habit

Cori (24:15):
And then really assess not what you’ve been doing that might’ve been easier at this particular season, but assess what did you do this time last year and during the holidays? Because the more you assess those different things, the more you can be like, okay, during the holidays I tried to do X, y, and Z thing. I tried to hit full macro ratios, do six days a week. It didn’t work. I ended up feeling like it was starting over in the near. Okay. So instead of going that route, say, okay, what are the minimums within that? What did I actually do even when I felt like I was failing with everything else? Because you might notice that there were a few things that still stuck. So how can I start there and build off of them? But the more you assess time of year against time of year to find habits that really build from year to year, which again, is not the sexy overnight success we want, right? It’s not the overnight changes that we want. That’s really what’s going to end up lending itself to each and every year getting better and you making better and better progress towards your goals. So Michelle, any closing thoughts for people really looking to make changes right now? Set those anchor habits, the what and how? Any closing thoughts or great reminders?

Michelle (25:23):
I’m honestly just going to go with something that you’ve already touched on, but really just remembering if you build the habit when life feels chaotic, you’re going to be unstoppable when things calm down. So you’re really setting up your future self so that you don’t have another excuse that you’re allowing yourself to chase. So show up, stack those wins, and really go into the holidays ahead of the game,

Cori (25:49):
Build that momentum and share your anchor habits, the two that you are picking, so that you can really build those sustainable changes right now to carry you through to the new year.

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.

How To Lose Fat Faster

How To Lose Fat Faster

by | Aug 28, 2025 | podcast

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Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

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Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

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Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast, everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don’t want to hear. I had some fat loss questions pop up recently and I wanted to cover the if, ands or buts about them and really discuss what you need to see the best results as fast as possible because I know there can be a lot of different shiny objects to chase a lot of different opinions out there. And ultimately there is a right and wrong, but a lot of it is based on what we need. And so I wanted to discuss the nuance behind certain things and then some of the general principles and rules that can really help. So fat loss q and A, your questions answered. And note, when I’m giving these answers to these questions, they are directly in response to fat loss as a goal.

(00:47):
There might be a different reply if you were asking about gaining muscle or fueling performance. So also be aware of that as you’re listening to how you’re implementing potentially the macro advice or the workout advice that I’m giving. So first question I’ve gotten a lot is cardio strength. First, when you’re doing your workouts and as much as possible I like to put them in supper days, but I will always tell you that strength comes first when it comes to fat loss and especially if it also comes to building muscles. So if you want that recomp to happen, you put strength first in your day because what gets put first gets prioritized and your freshest force, you’re pushing at a true a hundred percent intensity. Now note, as I mentioned, this is about fat loss. So if you are training for a race, you might prioritize your cardio because that is the most important thing to you.

(01:30):
But if you are doing this to lose fat, to see that recomp happen, you want to put your strength workouts first and even put the cardio after on a separate day. The next question I get a lot is too fast or not too fast. So intermittent fasting is a super popular meal timing, and I call it a meal timing, not a diet because you can use it as a meal timing with macros and a variety of macro ratios. While some people do use it to lose fat just because it’s restricting the eating window, I also think that can really backfire. So in terms of to fast or not to fast, the answer is really it depends. You want to use this meal timing based on your schedule, based on how you like to meal prep based on what works for you. Because if you force fasting, when you train early in the morning and you’re waiting until the afternoon to eat, that is going to backfire massively and you’re going to end up overeating in that window and it’s going to be harder to hit your macro ratios.

(02:17):
However, if you’re training at night, if you like to skip breakfast, it can really work for you. So fasting is definitely one of those things that it depends and it depends on your schedule, how you like to design things, but play around with your meal timing, realize that one size doesn’t fit all and what even works for you with fat loss if you really like intermittent fasting may not work for another goal. And as we get older, we also want to be aware of the ramifications and how sometimes having that smaller eating window can make us undereat. And if we’re trying to see that fat loss happen and gain lean muscle, sometimes we need to expand that eating window. Even in the past that has worked. So in terms of that, there’s not one definitive answer. It’s about testing what works for us in terms of that meal timing.

(02:54):
And as long as we hit our macros overall for the day, we’re going to see the best results. Next question I get asked is high reps or low reps, and the answer is both. When you are trying to lose fat and gain muscle, you want to use a diversity of rep ranges because they all have different benefit. We don’t want to fear lower reps and heavier loads to build that maximal strength because that will pay off in terms of hypertrophy and gaining lean muscle. But we also want to be conscious that we’re using those higher rep ranges to improve our strength endurance because too often when we demonize that we’re not taking a muscle fully to failure, we’re not fatiguing as many muscle fibers as we can. We’re also not improving our recovery to be able to lift heavier. And I love those combinations whether it’s 6, 12, 25 or compound burners where you’re using some of those heavy lifts, but also with more isolated movements and the higher rep range.

(03:41):
I think that’s also where we have to understand the nuance to how we use things is that it’s not just higher low reps, it’s also what moves are you doing for those higher or low reps. Now off of that, I often get asked heavier lightweights and the simple answer is always heavy weights. What I mean by that is what you use for higher reps may be lighter than what you use for lower reps. However, too often we just go through the motions and turn those higher reps into cardio and just really go fast instead of thinking, no, it needs to challenge me. One of my favorite training techniques to do this is rust pause training technique, especially in those high rep ranges where if you have 15 to 20 reps, you are shooting for 10 to 15 having to pause and then eke out those last few because you are using a weight that really challenges you instead of thinking of it as even heavy or lightweights.

(04:29):
Think of it as challenging weight for the rep range you’re doing because the weight should always feel heavy. And if you’ve been fearing heavy loads, know that as you work down in reps, maybe right now for you a low rep range is six reps or eight reps and you’re not going down to one to five, you still want to challenge yourself for those reps. And if you’re lifting heavy for those reps, you are going to see great muscle gains. Next question I often get asked is, what macro ratio should I use for fat loss? And this one, there are endless opportunities to how you can adjust your macros and there is not one macro ratio that fits everybody. I’ve seen it happen where people will be like, macros don’t work for me. And I’m like, well, what ratios did you use? And they’re like, well, I try this one and one ratio may not be right for you.

(05:10):
And also part of how macro ratios work is the cycling that you do with them. Maybe you do one lower carb to deplete those glycogen stores, tap into those fat stores, but then you go higher carb after to get that whoosh effect and release the water rate being stored in your fat cells. So you actually look leaner. There’s nuance to how you implement those macros and there’s a benefit to each macro ratio and each macronutrient even. So protein, carbs, and fat all have different purposes in the body and we need them for different reasons. And if you’re more active at one time and less active at another, the ratios will really vary. So instead of seeing this as trying to find a perfect macro ratio or even perfect macros to cycle, think about how can I match what I need right now and even experiment.

(05:50):
And as you do that experimental in my programs when I do the beginner ratios, I usually have what I call more experimental cycles where it’s higher protein with more even carbs and fat and then higher fat and then higher carb. Just so that you can see how you respond to each and what fits your activity level and what your body is fueled best by because there’s the nuance to that. And then even as we get older, our needs might change. But off of that and learning how you respond to those things, what feels even good in terms of the foods you get to eat because part of it is our consistency with things. And as long as we focus on protein, which I’m going to get to in a little bit, we’re going to see fabulous fat loss results whether carbs or fat are really higher.

(06:25):
So there’s a lot of room for playing right there with what fits our lifestyle. But I will tell you if you’re asking the question, what macro ratio should I use? What’s best for me? You need to start experimenting and even start by tracking what you’re doing currently because the best changes are made from where we’re starting from and that helps us take that first turn out of the driveway on our road trip instead of looking at the end of our road trip and what’s the last term we have to make that has no relevance to where we are right now. So if you’re asking the question, just track what you’re currently doing and then I’ll tell you focus on protein first. And off of that I often get asked, well, how much protein do I need? I’ve heard about one gram per pound of body weight or goal body weight.

(06:59):
Is that correct? And so while that can be a starting point, that might be really far off of what you’re doing. Not to mention our protein needs really vary based on our goals. So talking about fat loss when you are in that calorie deficit and the more extreme the deficit you’re in, the more important it’s going to be to get more protein to protect that lean muscle because our amino acid stores are our muscle tissue. So if your body needs amino acids and protein to repair because it uses it for so much other than just building muscle, you are literally made up of proteins. It’s used in all your tissues, so you need it for so many purposes and it can even be used for energy if really push comes to shove. But because it has so many functions within the body and it’s so important, if we don’t have enough, we are going to end up going to our muscle mass.

(07:44):
And so all that hard work and training in the gym where you’re trying to repair and rebuild, you’re not going to be having enough to repair and rebuild and you’re actually going to be canalizing that muscle mass to then have the energy and other things you need because you’re in a deficit, especially the more extreme of one you create. So you want to be conscious that you’re getting enough protein, and especially as we get older, we can see a reduction in protein efficiency and usage by up to 40%. So we want to be conscious that while that one gram per pound of body weight might be a great goal to shoot for, it may be too low for you, especially based on the calories you’re consuming based on your activity level and your age. It may be too much right now because it’s really high above what you’re shooting for.

(08:19):
So I want you to really start by focusing on where you’re at and we really do see a great improvement in terms of the benefits you’re seeing from higher protein at about 30% of your calories coming from protein. So that can also be a great way to really break things down. And then even as you’re potentially eating at maintenance or if you’re maintaining your weight right now with the calories you’re consuming, just shooting ’em for that 30% might be a great starting goal. But if you’re really low on protein and you’re hitting maybe 5%, think about just that small increase of even five to 10 grams at one meal. Then off of this, going back to working out, a question I get asked is, what about cardio for fat loss? I need to do more cardio for fat loss is even a statement I’ve heard a lot.

(08:57):
And while there are types of cardio that can be very beneficial for fat loss, too often we turn to cardio instead of strength training and we even turn our strength workouts into cardio sessions. And if we’re not building that lean muscle, we’re not going to fuel our metabolic health. We’re not going to see the recomp we deserve. So I will tell you, prioritize strength work over everything else if you want to really get lean and strong and be functionally fit to your final day on this planet and see fabulous fat loss. But we often turn to cardio because we see that higher calorie burn on our different trackers and too often we really depend on this to create that deficit instead of adjusting your diet. We cannot exercise your diet ultimately, and the more we try to, the more we end up sabotaging our metabolic health.

(09:34):
It’s why we lose weight to regain it. It’s why we lose weight, but don’t feel like we look any more toned or leaner defined. So we want to make sure that we’re focusing on strength. Now, in terms of the cardio that is most beneficial, I will tell you it is generally not the steady state cardio. We turn to the long runs, the rides. If you love those things, do them. But we’re talking about fat loss here. Alright, so don’t get mad or get mad, but we want to think about HIIT sessions and not just HIIT that goes on for an hour, but HIIT that is maybe 10 to 15 minutes of that intense cardio session. And that brings our heart rate up and down because there’s a little variation to it. And with talking about HIIT versus sit, HIIT is generally longer intervals than we are doing now.

(10:12):
That’s sort of where the terminology has changed a little bit and sit is more of that sprint interval of work. So where we’re doing very short intervals of work with potentially very long rest to recover or because they’re very, very short bursts of even five to 10 minutes of work at most, it might be a little bit shorter rest where you do see the point of diminishing returns, but you are sprinting all out because those intervals work are so short. So there’s some nuance to how you use hit intervals versus sit intervals. And you can even use sit intervals in different ways. Whether you’re doing a little bit more power work or you’re trying to actually hit that point of fatigue where you’re seeing a little, you’re a hundred percent intensity. Your true a hundred percent intensity goes down because if you might notice over the rounds, you still feel like you’re working at a hundred percent, but you’re not actually able to go at the same speed.

(10:55):
But we want those sprints to truly be fast versus the hit work, we will see more of a decline and there is a little bit more of just pushing hard. But again, neither one of these are really long sessions, which I see people too often trying to extend these out to the hour long sessions and they shouldn’t be that 20, 25 minutes at longest. And a lot of that has to do with the rest, not just the intervals of work. You do not want to cut out rest and then walking. Walking is one of the most underutilized forms of cardio for fat loss. The last thing I wanted to cover was age. Does my age impact things or am I too old to see results? You’re never too old to see recomp happen. You can gain muscle at any and every age. And yes, the longer we’ve been training, the more training stimuluses we have adapted to.

(11:38):
So the more that we will have to push progression in new ways. Yes, as we get older, there are changes with our body we have to own. Our hormonal environment is not as optimal. We aren’t as efficient at using protein. We will see more muscle mass being lost if we are not conscious of it, but it is a case of use it or lose it. So we need to constantly be pushing ourself, challenging ourself, learning to fuel to meet our bodies where they’re at right now, if we want to make progress. But you are not doomed because of your age. You do not have to just accept metabolic decline, middle age spread, all the different things we blame on age, more aches and pains even. I know that’s a little off of fat loss, but we can see amazing body recomp at any and every age. We just have to own the reality of our lifestyle and the different changes that we’ve seen with getting older. So hopefully that answers some of your fat loss questions. If you do have more, don’t hesitate to comment them. I’d love to cover some more in a future episode.

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.

How I Transformed My Body (5 Changes)

How I Transformed My Body (5 Changes)

by | Aug 24, 2025 | Blog, Diet

Want to get leaner, stronger and feel your most fabulous with a lifestyle you love?

Uhm HECK YES!

Sounds too good to be true though…Right?

Well the good news is…it’s 100% possible.

But it does take embracing the learning process and focusing on 5 key nutritional shifts.

Note I said SHIFTS…

Because so often to see results as fast as possible we sabotage ourselves by simply going ON a diet.

We force ourselves into a mold.

Instead of ADJUSTING our diet.

We need to truly SHIFT our nutrition to see lasting changes.

And this, while amazing when we embrace it, is a hard mindset and routine change at the start.

It oddly becomes sustainable but doesn’t feel sustainable to start.

It feels honestly…well…HARDER To do because it isn’t just a jump in and act type plan.

It’s a learn, take action, reflection and adjust type plan.

And that’s not sexy or the fad diet fast fix we want.

I say this to warn you because there is struggle to create true change. But this change will actually have all of your hard work paying off.

While it may even feel like you’re slowing down, it’s a slow down to speed up.

So do the hard thing now so it gets easier later. Because if you avoid the hard now, it will only come back to bite you later!

Now to the good stuff…

SHIFT #1: Dial In Those Macros.

You know why macros are magical? Because they allow you to not make any foods off limits and they allow you to adjust your portions as your needs and goals change.

They help you understand how you’re fueling and how your diet is impacting how you feel and look to then have the power to adjust as you need.

Notice I didn’t say a specific macro ratio with dialing in your macros or demonize any specific macronutrient.

I will tell you that protein is ALWAYS important, especially as we get older to maintain our muscle and strength and look our leanest and strongest…but our ratios will shift.

Even as we work toward one specific goal, we will need to cycle for balance.

And as you shift your goals or even get older or your lifestyle evolves, you have to be open to shifting your portions.

One size doesn’t fit all.

But the key is we understand how much protein, carbs and fats we are consuming to have the power to adjust and address our lifestyle and life stage.

So as much as you may be avoiding tracking your macros, realize you’re avoiding the hard that will fully empower you for a lasting solution to opt for something easier that will keep you stuck in the yo-yo dieting cycle, struggling to know what truly works or what changes are needed next.

Now if you’re thinking, “But I can’t track” or “Tracking is restrictive or overwhelming or too much for my lifestyle”…

I’d urge you to consider…

What is “tracking to you?”

Because maybe it’s just that your tracking method isn’t the right method for you!

SHIFT #2: Choose A Tracking Method That Suits YOUR Lifestyle.

Just like there isn’t one macro ratio right for everyone or even right for us forever, there isn’t just one form of tracking we can use.

Visual portion guides, minimalist macros, full macro ratios…I’ve not only used all of them personally based on the season I’m in, but I’ve used them with clients at different stages as well.

So often we hold ourselves back by viewing habits as having to be done in one form.

But the key is actually adjusting habits to fit what we need understanding their benefit.

And the benefit of tracking is what gets measured gets managed. When we know our accurate portions, we can truly adjust them and then see the benefits of the changes to keep tweaking.

Tracking though can be logging in an app.

It can be taking pictures of our food.

It can be just tracking protein and calories or tracking protein, carbs and fats to hit specific numbers.

We can use our hand as a visual guide to understand that we had a single palm sized portion of protein or weigh food on a scale.

And we shouldn’t limit ourselves thinking we need to track in one form forever.

You may find that in January full macro ratios work well but when you’re traveling more during the summer you need visual portions or even to just track protein and calories.

Be open to adjusting the habit of tracking to give yourself a picture of what you’re doing and hold yourself accountable but with flexibility to match your lifestyle and motivation at the time.

Which actually brings me to SHIFT #3: Cycle Your Nutrition Over Time.

Nothing works forever.

Your body isn’t the same as it was a year ago.

Neither are your mindsets or your lifestyle or even your goals.

As things evolve, we need to be open to evolving our diet to meet ourselves where we are at right now.

This means addressing hormonal shifts, the changes we see with getting older and even changes in our training or goals.

But it also means being open to adjust with the seasons as our motivation may change as well as our priorities.

I think this last component is especially important to note…our motivation and priorities.

We often think about adjusting our diet and workouts for our goals but we never consider what is realistic for our current motivation and priorities.

Sometimes we do need to put our focus elsewhere. Sometimes our fitness goals aren’t as big a priorities as they may have been at another time.

Embracing this is key. It’s how we actually keep moving forward and ultimately make more progress.

Too often we try to force January habits on our summer or holiday seasons. And that’s why we feel like dietary changes aren’t sustainable.

We feel like we don’t have the willpower or self control needed.

When really we just haven’t owned that our diet needs to cycle.

Change up how you’re tracking. Change up the macros you’re using.

Even change up the types of foods you include.

Stop forcing some arbitrary perfect clean eating standard on yourself. That is ultimately what sabotages us more than anything.

Often I’ll embrace seasons where I’m going to work in more fun foods. But that ultimately helps me include more quality fuel over the entire year and want to make more sacrifices at other times.

Too often we don’t realize that by trying to be 100% on point for a 21 day challenge, we cause ourselves to end up at 0% for more time than we were actually “good.”

This leads to us feeling like we work really hard when really our consistency long term isn’t there in the slightest. We end up eating worse overall.

Instead if we owned what we needed, we would have been 80% consistently to be better off long-term and use those times we worked in foods we love to make us want to eat healthier at other points!

We also want to recognize that by cycling, we can match what our body needs now. Getting older doesn’t doom us to gain weight. The menopot or that weight gain around our middle during menopause isn’t just something that HAS to happen.

That’s why SHIFT #4 is Match Your Life Stage.

Too often we blame hormonal changes or even health concerns for our weight gain.

And guess what? They do have an impact.

But our diet also has an impact on the symptoms we experience.

And sometimes we’ve even caused hormonal imbalances by how we’re fueling.

So instead of just writing off your goals, control what you can control.

Adjust your diet to match your life stage.

This means shifting your macros to account for what your body needs now but also taking a look at the types of foods you’re including and your micros.

We can develop intolerances to foods as we get older or even have nutritional gaps despite eating “healthy” overall.

Sometimes we simply need more of something because of hormonal shifts, lifestyle changes or our genetics.

Sometimes we can develop intolerances to foods, like dairy during menopause, when we never had problems before.

Even healthy foods sometimes aren’t right for us if we have certain health concerns – like even broccoli may be eliminated if you’re struggling with thyroid health.

This is why SHIFT #1 and #2 are so key.

When we track macros and track in general, we can note how we feel with foods and notice the impact to make small changes that add up to help us feel our most fabulous at every age!

And finally…SHIFT #5: Prioritize Sustainability Over Restriction.

We get good at what we consistently do.

Restriction may make us see results quickly, which is why we are drawn to it as miserable as it can be.

Not to mention, we slightly equate something being “miserable” or “hard” as meaning we’re doing more so it will be better.

We equate effort and hard with more control.

But that isn’t the case. It often is what leads to us not actually making true changes to our habits and routines.

We basically just light the fuse of a bomb that will explode at some point.

This approach pushes us so far outside our comfort zone we end up getting yanked back.

Instead we need to see pushing into discomfort as slowly expanding our comfort zone.

Embrace your lifestyle and even own your mindsets and views of different habits to address them.

Recognize your priorities to work around them.

Because if we don’t own our priorities they become our excuses.

The more we build off our current lifestyle instead of trying to reinvent our lifestyle, the more we make changes that stick to see lasting results!

Slow shifts add up! Stop repeating the cycle just forcing another plan!

Dial in your diet to match your workouts and build your leanest, strongest body ever, implementing these 5 nutritional shifts, with my Metabolic Shred…

–> LEARN MORE