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Menopause Boosters vs. Disruptors

Menopause Boosters vs. Disruptors

by | Mar 17, 2024 | Blog, Diet

Getting older means often what used to work no longer does.

And especially with the hormonal changes of menopause, you can’t just keep training and eating the way you always have.

Frustrating?

Sure.

But we’ve got to face reality.

And the more we embrace this and the faster we adjust, the more we realize how many symptoms of menopause are actually within our power to control.

Now if you’re thinking…

But I train so hard…

I eat so clean…

That doesn’t mean you don’t have some boosters and disruptors in your diet that need to be addressed if you want to look, feel and move your best.

Yup.

Look, feel and move like your most fabulous fit self…

Because adjusting our diet isn’t just about fitting back into those slacks that have been hanging in our closet gathering dust because that top button just won’t close…

Nope!

Nutritional changes don’t just have an impact on weight loss or muscle gains…

Addressing those boosters and disruptors in our diet can help alleviate those hot flashes that make you want to stick your head in a bucket of ice…

…Or the aches and pains that make you feel like you’re a 1000 years old just getting up off the couch…

…Or the fatigue you feel that makes you feel like a zombie that could power through two family sized bags of candy in one sitting and still go back to sleep…

Our nutrition, and the adjustments we make can have a huge impact.

Which is why I remind clients, you can’t stop menopause…

But you CAN focus on controlling what you can control…and how you fuel is just one of those things you have so much power over!

So let me go over what boosters and disruptors are before I cover some common foods and lifestyle habits in each category.

I’ll then give you tips to help make adjustments to find your balance!

WHAT ARE BOOSTERS AND DISRUPTORS?

The foods we consume can have either a positive or negative impact on the results we get and how we feel.

This isn’t as simple as clean or dirty, healthy or unhealthy.

Because you may find that you develop intolerances to healthy foods you used to include.

Like this sparkling water you used to drink and enjoy now leads to excess gas and bloating during menopause because of the changes to our GI system that can occur. 

This doesn’t mean we just have to eliminate all of the things we love, BUT it is why we need to be aware of what may be a booster or disruptor to be able to balance everything out.

Boosters are foods and behaviors that can help improve the symptoms of menopause.

Disruptors on the other hand are foods and behaviors that can exacerbate menopausal symptoms and have a negative effect on overall health.

During menopause, you have to think of this scale as automatically skewed toward the disruptor side. Our hormones aren’t working for us like they did when we were younger.

When we’re younger, we can get away with a ton of improper practices. Of course these are part of why we tend to struggle to see results as we get older…

But the point is…they work at the time.

A weeklong Summer vacation filled with pina coladas, margaritas, chips and all the BBQ we can find could be counteracted with an extra gym session or two the next week. 

But now…

Well now you look at a cookie and your pants no longer close. 

It seems like we have to work three times as hard to see worse results.

And this is why paying attention to our booster-disruptor balance is so key.

So the more we can focus on boosters in our diet, the more we counteract the inflammation, brain fog and insulin resistance we may have found appear with menopause.

Now the more disruptors we have in our diet, the worse those symptoms become and the more we even knock the scale completely out of balance.

Of course your brain probably right now is automatically jumping to a ton of foods you know aren’t the best for you…

And you’re thinking, “BUT…I don’t want to cut out these things! I love them!” 

Just because something is a booster, doesn’t mean it needs to be included. Just like just because something is a disruptor doesn’t mean we have to avoid it.

We may find specific foods have more or less of an impact.

And the dose makes the “poison” so to speak. 

You may find that your cup of morning coffee doesn’t interrupt your sleep, but a sip more of caffeine after 10 am and you’re up up all night.

The key is finding our balance through small additions of boosters and elimination or reduction in those disruptors.

Ok so now I want to share some fundamental boosters and disruptors that I feel have the biggest, farthest reaching impact not only on how we feel but also how we look while being the overall easiest changes to make to our diet.

When it comes to the most powerful boosters these things are those unsexy, boring basics…

So stop avoiding them searching for a magic food that will cure all your problems.

If there was one, trust me I’d be happy to share it.

But these boosters are protein, water and omega-3s.

You may be groaning to yourself thinking, “Ugh. I know I should increase my protein and water but it’s sooooo freaking hard!”

Well let me let you in on the easiest way to create these habits…

Start by stacking small changes…

Like even just making sure you’re getting 20 grams of protein at breakfast or in your first meal of the day. Find one small change that is not only closer to what you’re doing currently but also something you can do EARLY ON in your day. 

Because when something isn’t a priority, we aren’t going to do it the more worn out we get. The more other priorities press on us.

So if you aren’t finding yourself prioritizing protein, start by adding just a little bit more to that very first meal of your day!

Because increasing protein is one of the BEST things we can do for ourselves to feel our most fabulous in menopause. 

During menopause, and as we get older, we are less able to utilize protein as efficiently. But protein keeps all of the tissues of our body, including our brain, health and strong!

So we need more if we want to function optimally and even look and feel younger!

By increasing our protein portion at each meal, we can create that optimal environment for muscle growth…mimicking what we naturally had when we were younger and didn’t even give protein a thought. 

This muscle mass retention and even growth helps us stay functionally more fit to conquer any challenges that come our way while also being metabolically magical.

It can help us lose that stubborn fat that our body seems to believe it needs to not sink during menopause…like a floaty around our middle in the deep end. 

Protein also improves our bone health, recovery and even our hormonal balance. Yup…it directly fights against those hormones going haywire!

It can be especially key to help regulate insulin. During menopause we can become more likely to develop insulin resistance and even type 2 diabetes.

A focus on protein helps us reduce our risk and even balance our blood sugar levels to manage mood swings and improve our energy levels.

So even if you don’t care about rocking that tank to say “suns out guns out,” you need to be increasing your protein to feel extra fabulous.

And as you increase your protein, you’ll want to stack on the habit of increasing your water.

Maybe you even set that water bottle out by the coffee machine to drink your water as you brew your coffee and prep your protein rich breakfast! 

Because not only does water help with the digestion of protein and assist in better fat loss (it plays a key role in the lipolysis process!) 

But as we go through menopause we may notice that we become drier…

Our joints become creekier and we may feel like the tinman…

And our skin and eyes may sometimes feel like all of the moisture was just sucked out of them the second after our last sip of water.

Improper hydration can hinder our recovery and well…make us look older and more wrinkled…which is actually the opposite of what most of us want…

Most of us feel like extra wrinkles are really only cute on those adorable little dogs! 

Now you may be thinking “But I don’t FEEL thirsty ever! So how can my hydration be the problem?”

This weird phenomenon is due to the fact that as we get older we lose our bodies’ natural thirst cues.

So you may not feel thirsty, you may be drinking a decent amount of water and still need MORE currently! 

And then as you increase your water and protein, don’t fear fats.

Fats do not make you fat, and increase your fat intake, specifically your Omega-3 intake may not only help you look leaner, look leaner but also keep your heart, brain and skin healthier as you go through menopause.

Getting more omega-3s can help reduce the increased inflammation that often occurs with menopause and negatively impacts our sleep, recovery and even muscle gains.

So increasing our omega-3 intake can improve our recovery and joint health, not to mention there have even been some recent interesting studies showing that omega-3s may lead to better strength and muscle building results from our training.

So consider including even an omega-3 source stacked in that breakfast, maybe in the form of smoked salmon on your eggs or even chia seeds in your antioxidant rich, berry packed smoothie (with some greek yogurt for that protein boost!)! 

You may find even just stacking in these 3 boosters starts to positively impact your symptoms.

But if you’re making these changes and feel like you can still see more improvements, you may want to address some disruptors in your lifestyle as well…

If you’re getting nervous that I’m about to shame you and tell you to cut out all of the things you love…you’d be wrong.

While two of these disruptors will come as no surprise, you don’t have to eliminate them.

And probably jumping right to eliminating them completely will only backfire.

Instead, decide to maybe reduce your intake by a serving. Or eliminate the easiest one first.

Or even just set an experiment for yourself to remove them for 14-21 days and see how you feel. If it helps and feels worth it, great! 

If not, slowly introduce them and see at what dose they go from ok to poison!

So first on the disruptor list…DUN DUN DUUUUUN

Is alcohol.

You know that nightly glass of wine that you feel makes you sleep better? 

It doesn’t.

Alcohol has a negative impact on our sleep, recovery, fat loss, muscle gains, inflammation…

Yes even your glass of wine you don’t really drink, but tell yourself you drink, for the antioxidants. 

Alcohol is a toxin…at every age.

And it can have a bigger impact on our symptoms of menopause, even making night sweats worse.

Alcohol is its own macro and has a high thermic effect, which means it can raise our body temperature. 

So if you’re really consistently drinking alcohol, even in moderation but seriously OVER the symptoms of menopause, this single disruptor can outweigh a ton of boosters.

Consider cutting out just one serving of alcohol from your week this next week!

Now this next disruptor may have even more loyal daily drinkers, and just as many connoisseurs….

Coffee or more specifically caffeine.

Caffeine is part of a viscous cycle…

Menopause leads to poopy sleep.

Poopy nights of sleep make us want coffee to function even more. Coffee and the caffeine we consume to function ends up making it harder for us to get that quality sleep. And around we go. 

To break that vicious cycle, we may have to tell ousrelves to “Suck it up buttercup” and embrace one very horrible no good very bad day.

We may also not want to go cold turkey, but start by reducing our caffeine intake a serving at a time.

Or we may even first start by adjusting when we drink it, making sure we drink it only at the start of our day.

But being aware of this cycle, even if we didn’t feel that caffeine used to impact our sleep, can be key.

Again, our body is changing and what used to slide may no longer work.

I also want to mention the impact of caffeine because it is tempting to turn to pre-workouts and even fat burners as we not only struggle to feel motivated to do our workouts but become increasingly frustrated when our hard work in the gym doesn’t pay off.

Here we don’t even want to workout yet we’re making ourselves at times only to not see those results snowball! 

But those fat burners and pre-workout drinks will not only make symptoms worse, they often backfire further.

So don’t dig yourself more of a hole you’re going to have to crawl out of. Stick with adjusting those macros and fueling well as you meet yourself where you’re at with your training.

Now this final disruptor isn’t anything unhealthy.

It’s actually something many of us not only enjoy but include for its metabolism boosting properties…

It’s spicy foods, like hot sauces!

Spicy foods, or foods with capsaicin, are something that can be added to our diets for extra flavor as we may be looking to lean down and boost our metabolism even that 1%. 

And there is nothing wrong with including hot sauces BUT we do want to note that even these “little” things can make certain symptoms worse.

While this disruptor may not be something you eliminate, especially as you add a booster….

If you’re having horrible hot flashes that make you feel like you’re sweating worse than that meme all over social media… 

You may want to recognize that those spicy dishes you love are only making things worse.

Track and see if symptoms flare up more after meals with spice.

If they do, you may cut back on the spice at least for a little bit, until the symptoms calm down.

The key is recognizing all of the boosters and disruptors you’re consuming to be able to adjust by adding where you can, and reducing where you need.

FINDING YOUR BALANCE:

Because it truly is all about finding YOUR balance.

Each of these boosters and disruptors will have a different weight for us.

So we may find that an addition of a big booster, or one that really addresses our deficiencies, has an impact to balance things out.

While we may find by adding a smaller booster as we reduce a disruptor creates the balance right for us.

So don’t just feel like you now can’t have things you love or have to overwhelm yourself with changes.

Start small and realize that you’re in control and can truly manage your menopausal experience to move and feel your best.

You are not doomed!

To learn more about your boosters and disruptors…

–> Take The Quiz

The Diets That Hurt Our Metabolism

The Diets That Hurt Our Metabolism

by | Mar 3, 2024 | Blog, Diet

Fad diet are keeping us stuck in this horrible yo-yo dieting cycle…

A cycle where we oddly become really good at losing the weight…

But also really good at regaining it.

And over time we only feel more and more frustrated not seeing the results we want while working harder and harder.

It’s all because these diets with labels overcomplicate things by oversimplifying things.

Let me say that again…

They suck you in making things seem easy and simple, but really they’re making things complicated and unsustainable.

And I don’t give a flying fart in space how you want to defend your diet with a label…

A diet you’re super excited by because you’re seeing initial results after just starting a month ago while being super motivated…

But, talk to me the second life gets in the way and you’re tempted by that basket of chips and salsa…

The first time you travel and it isn’t easy to hit the arbitrary standards of clean eating your diet recommends…

Because most fad diets…those diets with a label you almost attach yourself to as a badge of honor…

Keto, Carnivore, Paleo, Raw Food…

Promise fast results and make things seemingly simple to start.

BUT…they never truly help you create lasting change or shift your lifestyle.

They create restriction…not understanding.

They actually bank on the fact that you’re not truly learning what you need…

because it means you’ll buy into another label probably only months later when someone else posts on social media it’s magical and POOF the weight just disappeared…

But lasting results are not overnight results.

And we don’t often want to look and feel good just for a day.

That’s why I want to show you the Change Loop you’re keeping yourself stuck in jumping from label to label – repeating the same mistake over and over again just packed with a different bow on top…

And why you not only need to SIMPLIFY things but also embrace the HARD LEARNING PROCESS that seems far more complicated to start if you truly want a change.

I’ve done the label hopping…

Always thinking, “This next change will be it!”

I’d pick something that seemed like it would work fast.

That seemed simple to do…

I mean…I just need to cut out THIS ONE THING right and it will all work!?

Yes!

I’d go all in.

Restricting whatever I was told, even if I loved it.

And sometimes, I’d see fast results…to start.

I’d even try to convince myself, “This isn’t so bad! I didn’t like dessert that much anyway.”

But slowly it would feel like the restrictions tightened more and more.

I felt haunted by the foods I wanted and the cravings would increase.

And worse of all…The results would stop.

I’d hit a fast plateau. And began to DREAD the diet.

The overwhelm would hit and I’d start to whine and tell myself it wasn’t worth it.

So I’d quit. I’d go straight to my craving and BOOM a month later I’d be worse off than where I started…

Sluggish on the couch nursing a food hangover, I’d start to think…“I need to make a change! And I’d go search for the next label to fall for….

This right there is the change loop.

We find a program, get caught up in the promise of it.

We go all in, never really considering if the habits match what we need or are sustainable.

And in the process of making changes, we create habit overload.

We can embrace the restriction and sacrifice it for a bit if the results happen fast.

It feels worth it.

But then we always hit that point where results slow.

Where we start to feel like we just don’t have the willpower or self control.

We do that walk to the cabinet 17 times trying to talk ourselves out of having just ONE of those mini candy bars…

We do this until we hit that emotional sabotage point of this isn’t working anyway…

And we have the whole bag.

Once the seal is broken, it can take us days if not weeks or months of “I quit” before we again get motivated and jump right back into this loop…

Being swept up in the promise of another program…

What we don’t realize is that each and every time, we’re truly repeating the EXACT same mistakes.

Sure one time we’re cutting out carbs. Or nightshades or cooking…

But what we don’t realize is that by trying to keep things SIMPLE, we’re just constantly repeating the same mistake of restricting.

We’re drawing arbitrary lines of what foods we can and can’t have.

We’re not truly learning our balance or the fundamentals of nutrition.

The stuff that is hard and complicated and SLOWER changes to start.

Sorry.

But let’s be real…

No results worth having EVER came easy…

That’s why if you want to get out of this cycle and see lasting results to feel, look and move your best at ANY age…

You need to embrace the sucky fact that you’ve got to do the HARD process of creating a balance through a slow habit stack and learning!

This hard process starts with learning about your current lifestyle and finding one small change you can make today.

And…very unpopular opinion, but busting out of this loop to see the body recomp you want and feel your best, also comes with learning about macros.

Yup macros – the breakdown of the portions of proteins, carbs and fats you consume.

Now how you learn about macros, and how you track your food may vary.

But the more we truly learn what we need, the more we can control to adjust while including the foods we love.

Many of us have heard, heck I’ve even SAID, the line “Eat whatever you want and see results.”

“See results without cutting out the foods you love.”

And while this line sounds too good to be true…

While it sounds like just another diet with a label is coming your way…

It isn’t.

This statement is true.

It’s the power of macros.

Now note, I didn’t say whatever you want whenever you want in whatever quantity you want.

Sorry that’s not the case with anything in life.

But this is the power of learning the portions of each you need to see results while not having to label things as good or bad, off limits or ok!

And this is also what helps you create a lifestyle.

One size doesn’t fit all – yet we force ourselves to fit a diet label.

We force ourselves to not embrace that food is no longer just fuel.

That we have so many things in our diet we just include because we enjoy them.

And this isn’t a bad thing.

We shouldn’t feel guilty for just ENJOYING certain things and even the events that come with those foods.

We just need to learn our balance.

And the more we assess our current lifestyle, make one change to move forward while we learn about those macros and their impact, the more we can see those results snowball.

As we then stack more and more habit changes, we will see those results build. But not only build, actually LAST.

So as unsexy as this process is…

As hard and complicated and overwhelming as it is to start…

It’s ultimately easier.

It demystifies what works.

Because those diets that make it seem so simple, are really just not showing you HOW to do it on your own. They’re not teaching you so you stay stuck.

So today, if you haven’t before, just write down what you’re currently eating.

Then pick one really easy change to make.

Don’t cut out the food you love most.

Even consider adding in.

But make one small change and then even check the video description for a link to more on the basics of macros so you can start to truly understand what YOU need for long term results!

Get off the dieting rollercoaster and learn how to truly stack those habits and make those LASTING nutritional changes…

Learn more about my Metabolic Shred!

 

You’re Eating Protein WRONG! 5 Mistakes To Avoid

You’re Eating Protein WRONG! 5 Mistakes To Avoid

by | Feb 25, 2024 | Blog, Diet

Increasing your protein doesn’t have to be this disgusting or hard.

Little changes and shifts to how you plan out your meals can really pay off. It just takes you pausing to assess what you’re currently doing and being open to looking at your portions and meals in another way.

That’s why I want to share 5 strategies to help so you can avoid common protein “mistakes” like these.

Let’s start with what I’ve already mentioned…

Increasing your current servings of protein by just an ounce!

Too often we try to find new ways to add in protein instead of just tweaking what we’re already naturally doing.

Which honestly just makes things feel more overwhelming and confusing.

So instead of trying to search for something new or a bigger change, just take a current protein sources your consuming and add an ounce.

If you usually have 3 ounces of chicken at lunch, make it 4.

Small increases to the protein sources you’re already eating can help you keep your meals and prep basically the same while helping you slowly increase your protein intake.

No big dramatic changes.

No having to think of new options.

Now, if you start adjusting your portions and are finding that your fat intake is way too high or you can’t keep your calories in check, this is where you can start to divide and conquer.

Often when a protein source is higher in fat or carbs, we think we just have to cut out something we enjoy.

Instead, we need to divide and conquer, which means we can simply COMBINE two different protein sources with different macros to hit our goals.

Love steak but finding it’s killing your macros while leaving you low in protein?

Try a surf and turf dish so you can have your steak but lower your fat by including another protein source you love that’s lower in fat.

This can sometimes be a better option than just eliminating the cut of meat we love.

Sometimes swapping for a completely different cut or type of protein isn’t enjoyable but the combination of two sources we love is!

So to get that 6 ounces of protein you want at a meal, you do 3 of each.

This can also help you avoid feeling like you’re just having to power through a bazillion ounces of protein as well at a meal.

Because another common protein mistake we make is just forcing ourselves to power through protein portions that simply aren’t enjoyable.

While a new and better result does mean embracing change and often that includes making some sacrifices, if we feel like we’re force feeding ourselves something, chances are we won’t keep doing that for long.

We can avoid this protein overload not only by dividing and conquering with different protein sources but even further HIDING the protein in meals.

How can you hide protein?!

Using dishes that allow you to diversify!

By diversifying your protein sources in a dish and not making yourself feel like you just have to eat more, you can often pack in more protein.

Soups, smoothies or oatmeal parfaits, casseroles or even omelets make this an easy task because it is easy to combine a variety of protein sources so the dishes pack a punch.

Try bone broth as the base for your soup with chicken or tofu and veggies to add 10 more grams of protein per cup.

Combine greek yogurt with a protein powder in your smoothie or even in your oats to pack in 30+ grams while being easy to take on the go.

Heck, even blend in tofu to add more protein while making it extra creamy, especially if you don’t consume dairy!

For your casseroles, bump the protein and cheesiness by adding in cottage cheese on top of your usual proteins included and even swap traditional pastas for edamame or lentil variations.

And in your omelets not only use eggs and egg whites to hit your fat and protein macros, but add in ground protein sources like turkey or ground beef to bump your protein intake further without getting bored of the same flavor!

But by diversifying your ingredients it can make for tasty meals that don’t just make you feel like your force feeding yourself protein.

And then don’t make the mistake of ignoring the boost you can get from so many non-traditional sources of protein.

So often we only focus on the amino acids from complete protein sources.

But there are amino acids in so many of the foods we eat that, combined over the course of the day can really add up!

This can make increasing our protein intake seem so much less daunting!

And by embracing this diversity, we can also get a great micronutrient boost.

Sooo….Don’t ignore the grams.

Small swaps like buckwheat noodles for regular white pasta can bump our protein intake.

Or peas with broccoli in our stir fry help us bump those protein grams and improve our micros.

Nutritional yeast and parmesan cheese are great little ways to boost flavor while adding protein even.

I stole this term from my Dietitian Michelle, but she calls them protein sprinkles. And I love calling parmesan cheese protein salt!

Heck, nutritional yeast is not only a great seasoning for the protein source you may be cooking up that day, but it can even be sprinkled on your popcorn snack.

Yup!

It’s a great way to make your popcorn taste cheesy and add a protein boost to a snack that normally is devoid of protein (and not in the gross protein powder on peanut butter cups way…)

You can even do this by pairing something you want with something you “need.”

Instead of putting protein into something that it doesn’t work in, consider it on the side to your usual snack or treat.

Try jerky with your crackers.

Or some natural deli meat on a snack plate with your apple and peanut butter.

But consider small ways to make those grams add up!

This can help us include the foods we love and not feel like we’re only eating bland and boring foods!

And then…stop seeing increasing your protein as having to be…well…bland and boring and diet food!

We often make the mistake of being lazy with the changes and defaulting into not trying to make the meals taste good.

It’s almost like we get this attitude of “Well it’s a diet. It’s not supposed to be enjoyable.”

But that holds us back from building lasting habit changes or even developing a good relationship with our food!

Make an extra effort to make your protein delicious through sauces and spices and seasonings!

Seasonings and spices can really make a huge impact and they come at basically not calorie cost!

Then even look for sauces that are flavor filled but lower in calories to start.

Consider things like soy sauce or tamari for some extra flavor while being low in calories.

Or use salsas even in place of other salad dressings.

Even consider making some of your own salsas or dressings out of greek yogurt and seasonings.

It’s a great way to even make some ranch variations while boosting your protein a bit, hiding that protein in your sauce!

But don’t shy away from finding some recipes that use seasoning to their advantage!

While I know it is easy to get overwhelmed by the idea of making changes and default into what seems easy but actually makes the process harder, you don’t have to fall into doing things that just aren’t sustainable and make you miserable.

Increasing your protein doesn’t have to mean destroying dishes and snacks you love.

Avoid making these protein mistakes and start building meals you love that help you hit your macro goals!

Learn how to adjust your nutrition to see all of your hard work in the gym pay off and build your leanest, strongest body EVER…

–> Learn more about the Metabolic Shred

 

5 Signs You’re Actually Burning FAT (NOT MUSCLE!)

5 Signs You’re Actually Burning FAT (NOT MUSCLE!)

by | Feb 11, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

Have you been celebrating quick weight loss on the scale?

Maybe you shouldn’t be… 

Because those extremes you’re going to so that you can see the pounds fly off are actually sabotaging your results.

It’s also why you feel like you have to starve yourself to get back down to your goal weight and the process just gets harder and harder. 

The sucky truth is…your hard work, trying to do more, is actually hindering your progress.

And no one wants to work hard not to see the results they deserve!

Most of us want to to do less work and get leaner and look more defined.

We want to lose FAT not muscle.

But when we strive for faster results on the scale, we sacrifice more muscle in the process.

Muscle that gets harder to regain and retain as we get older.

So if you want to lose fat…

It may be time to ditch the scale.

That’s why I also want to go over ways to tell body recomp is truly happening – that you’re losing fat while retaining and even GAINING lean muscle…

But first it’s key we understand why the scale is a horrible measure of fat loss and why seeing fast changes to it probably shows our hard work is working against us.

Because so many of us have defined “being in shape,” defined what our ideal aesthetic is in relation to a number on a scale.

And letting that number go at times isn’t easy, but it’s necessary if we even want to look leaner than ever before…

WHY THE SCALE IS HOLDING YOU BACK:

Because being solely focused on the scale changing often leads to us doing extreme dieting and training practices.

Ones that not only set us up for failure because they aren’t sustainable…

But also ones that hurt our metabolism, create hormonal imbalances and lead to us losing more muscle than fat.

And while, yes, in the fat loss process, as we strive to get lean, some muscle mass may be lost…

We CAN gain more control over what we’re losing, muscle or fat, by how we adjust our diet and our workouts.

This means not creating an extreme calorie deficit or trying to add in extra workout sessions.

When we don’t have enough energy coming in, our body will find internal sources.

This is why we do need a calorie deficit for weight loss.

Less energy coming in, our body used what is stored.

And of course we’d love our body to use our fat as fuel first.

But when we don’t focus on macros and we slash our calories super low, the opposite is going to happen.

Instead of turning to our fat as fuel, our body will utilize muscle.

It does this because breaking down muscle not only provides us with the fuel we need, it also SAVES us on the energy we require to survive.

Because muscle requires more energy to be maintained than our fat stores do.

So from a survival standpoint, it makes sense to use a bit of muscle first as fuel and keep the fat stores for later.

This is why metabolic adaptations occur. We lose lean muscle because of our dieting practices and therefore burn fewer calories at rest!

That’s why if we only focus on losing fast on the scale, there’s a great chance the weight we’re dropping isn’t fat, but instead MUSCLE as our body seeks to provide energy for the most important functions.

So it’s time to step off the scale, stop the extreme calorie deficits and focus on tracking progress in these ways.

5 Signs You’re Actually Burning FAT (and not muscle)

1: You’re losing inches as the scale isn’t budging.

You measure and you’ve lost inches…

But then you step on the scale and your weight hasn’t changed.

You’re frustrated because you’ve been so good all week!

You think to yourself, “I’ll just lower my calories further or cut out more of (insert food you’ve decided is bad here)”?

Don’t!

Losing inches while the scale isn’t budging shows you’re actually achieving AMAZING body recomp.

So don’t sabotage it by trying to do more!

How is this possible though that you can be leaning down without the scale changing?

Some of us have heard muscle weighs more than fat, but that’s a slight misphrasing of what is going on.

Because 1lbs of muscle weighs the same as 1lbs of fat.

But 1 pound of muscle takes up a whole heck of a lot less space. So if you’re eating to fuel your training, you may GAIN muscle as you lose fat.

Gain 1lbs of muscle as you lose 1lbs of fat, and you’re going to look leaner yet weigh the same.

So while it may be frustrating to not see that scale change, this can actually be a sign that not only are you losing fat, you’re not doing so at the cost to your lean muscle mass.

And this will help you ultimately reach your goal, not create metabolic adaptations and therefore be stronger and able to sustain your results more easily!

2: Your clothes are fitting better.

If you aren’t measuring, but your clothes are fitting better while the scale isn’t changing, you body is telling you the same thing…

You’re losing fat and not sacrificing your muscle!

I even love having clients keep a specific pair of pants or a clothing item that is just a bit too tight around the areas they want to lose from as reference.

Each week or so they try this on to see how it fits, even taking pictures in it to help them judge.

But as you feel that waist get looser on those pair of jeans, you know you’re losing fat even if that scale isn’t changing.

And sometimes using clothing to judge is easier than measuring because it is easy to not get the measuring tape in the same exact spot!

3: You’re feeling fitter in your workouts.

But what if you aren’t feeling your clothes fit looser yet?

What if the areas you want to shrink, like your waist measurement, aren’t changing?

Often our most stubborn areas, the ones we want to lose from most, are the last ones to change.

It stinks.

We lose from areas we don’t care about, and therefore don’t even measure, first.

This is why even tracking progress in your workouts is important.

Not only does this keep you in the habit of staying focused and intentional with your training to allow results time to snowball, but it allows you to see you’re on the right track toward body recomp.

Think about how you often feel when you slash your calories super low and try to out exercise your diet to lose weight…

You feel burned out right? Tired with baby weights?

Like your workouts are sometimes a battle and like your lifts start to drop?

Your energy just isn’t there.

And you start to feel like your hard work isn’t paying off.

But if we are focused on a smaller calorie deficit, clear progression and macros to see body recomp, we often see our strength and fitness IMPROVE.

We feel better in our training.

Like we are able to tackle more and do it more easily.

This is a sign we’re building muscle in our training.

And if the scale isn’t changing, that means we’re also losing fat!

So track your progress in your workouts to see those muscle gains and help yourself even want to stay more consistent with other healthy habits.

The more ways we measure success, the more ways we have to be successful!

4: You’re seeing definition in the mirror…even if it is areas you don’t care about as much.

That’s also why I like having clients take progress pictures.

This is a great way to see that definition popping out and the muscle gains we’re seeing from our strength improvements in the gym.

We just have to remember that lighting plays a factor. So make sure to take pictures in the same place consistently to compare.

And then make sure to take a variety of angles and pictures of areas you don’t “care” about.

Because often we will lose from everywhere besides where we want first.

In this process of losing from everywhere else, it can even feel like our trouble spots look worse.

So be conscious of this if you are tracking your progress pictures.

If an area looks worse, this doesn’t mean you gained fat and lost muscle. You just have to recognize another area around it got SMALLER.

Progress pictures, while not as objective as measurements or a item of clothing, because you can FEEL like you don’t look as good, are a great indicator of fat loss as we not only retain but gain lean muscle.

You may see increases more easily in areas you’ve even wanted to build when you flex for the photos!

So especially if you even want to GAIN a bit of muscle as you lose fat, progress photos can be a great way to monitor body recomp.

5: You’re gaining on the scale but measurements, clothing and progress pictures show a leaner physique.

And while many of us have heard you can’t build muscle as you lose fat because you can’t build muscle in a deficit, this isn’t fully true.

It is why strength workouts and especially a focus on protein is so key.

But this is also why we can’t get just solely focused on a goal weight…

Because we may be losing fat as the scale even goes up.

Yup. You can lose inches and see the scale increase.

You may actually LOOK LEANER, and people may even ask if you’ve lost weight, while weighing more.

This can happen because you’re eating enough to fuel that muscle growth and build 2lbs of muscle as you even lose 1 pound of fat.

And the more muscle you build, the more you may see that metabolic rate increase. And what was once a small deficit may get bigger.

So you may even have to end up eating more to fuel that muscle growth to see the scale increase as you ultimately lose more and more fat.

This is why those measurements, pictures or use of clothing to track is so key outside of just using the scale.

Because had you not had those other methods to see that fat loss occurring, you may have given up seeing the jump up on the scale even though that jump showed you were actually achieving even better results than you thought possible.

As hard as it is to let go of the scale, to forget your goal weight even if you have more weight you want to lose…

It may be the secret to you getting better results and a leaner, stronger body than you’ve ever had before.

And it sets you up to be functional fit till your final day on this planet!

Ready to learn how to dial in your workouts and your diet to work together so you can build your leanest, strongest body no matter your age?

Check out my 3-Step Recipe For Results HERE.

 

If You’re Not Building Muscle, Try These 5 Training Techniques

If You’re Not Building Muscle, Try These 5 Training Techniques

by | Jan 28, 2024 | Blog, Exercises, Workouts

We can’t out exercise our diet.

HOWEVER, while many of us have heard that diet is more important, I’d actually argue they both matter equally especially in that both need to work together.

And so often we don’t place enough importance on proper training because we’ve only seen our workouts as a chance to burn more calories.

But our training shouldn’t be about the calorie burn.

It should be about building muscle.

When we focus on better movement and building strength and muscle in our training, we create true muscle growth.

Without proper stimulus, no matter how you eat, you won’t build muscle.

So while our diet is especially important to lose fat, and important to make sure we fuel our training sessions to gain…

Our workouts have to be designed strategically if we want to improve our body composition.

And this honestly means going against what most of us have always done to lose weight…

Instead of more cardio, we often need less.

And we need to stop turning our lifting sessions into simply cardio workouts – cutting out more rest and adding a ton of volume.

Now note…I’m not telling you that cardio isn’t important to your health and that you can’t do it if you enjoy it…

I do want to make it clear that to build muscle so we can lose fat faster, we can’t default back into this cardio, calories, do more training mindset.

That’s why I want to share 5 training techniques to help you build muscle, which in turn will boost your metabolic rate and help you look leaner faster…

Training Technique #1: Focus on double progression.

If it challenges you, it will change you.

But just because your workout feels hard doesn’t mean you’re creating a consistent progression so your muscles have to adapt and grow stronger week after week.

That’s why it’s key we not only progress the movement, adding weight, slowing down the tempo, doing a harder variation, but also adjust our exact reps to create that week over week progression.

Using these two forms of progression to complement we can ultimately move more loads over our training sessions, resulting in faster and better gains.

Often when we have a workout there will be 8-12 reps listed.

Let’s say right now you’re doing 12 reps of front lunges with 20lbs dumbbells and you manage that for all 4 sets you have assigned.

It feels hard.

Good.

But you’re at the top of the rep range so next week, GO UP in weight or progress the move in some way.

If you can still do 12 reps that first round, go up in weight for that next step until you can’t do 12 reps.

Let’s say on your 3rd round, you hit 8 reps with 35lbs dumbbells. Maybe you stick there for the final round.

The next week instead of going up in weight, you try to get out 9 or 10 reps. Once you can again do 12 reps, you again want to go up.

This double form of progression is the perfect way to max out the loads you can lift with volume and truly make sure you’re challenging yourself to create that muscle growth!

Training Technique #2: Train areas more frequently with the same but different.

Studies have shown that training an area 2-3 times a week can be optimal for muscle growth.

This doesn’t mean do 1000s of reps multiple times a week. It means definitely dropping volume a bit per session to increase the frequency and spread it out.

This allows for often more QUALITY volume as you may notice you are fresher for all the exercises and sets spread out over more days over doing that same volume in one.

This also allows you to use a diversity of movements and tools to work the same muscles.

And this can be key because changes in posture and position alone can impact even what aspects of a muscle are worked.

For instance a Romanian deadlift works the hamstrings through hinging at the hips. A seated leg curl works the hamstrings with knee flexion with flexed hips while a bridge and curl works the hamstrings with knee flexion with extended hips.

All three are different postures that address different aspects of that hamstring muscle group. And including three different moves over the 3 days can be key for optimal gains.

So don’t repeat just the same move 3 times a week. Consider different types of movements, ranges of motion and even different tools!

Training Technique #3: Combine rep ranges in a single workout.

If you want to gain muscle, you want to use a variety of rep ranges combined.

This can not only help you build strength and improve your strength and endurance and recovery, but even target stubborn muscles and push them past failure to see better results.

Some of you may have seen my 6-12-25 workout progressions in previous YouTube videos and podcasts, but this design is so fabulous because it does include maximal strength, hypertrophy and strength endurance rep ranges in a single series – moving from compound to more isolation exercises.

This helps you get in that quality of movement while isolating those more stubborn areas.

So don’t fear higher reps. Don’t fear lower reps.

Include a diversity in a single session even.

But be conscious of the types of moves you use with each.

Often in our workouts we want to go more compound to more isolated, with heavier lower rep work first and the higher rep, more isolated work later to work a muscle fully to fatigue.

However, like in the 6-12-25 and even compound burners, you can use 2 or even 3 rep ranges combined to lift heavy for lower reps then right after isolate that muscle that is already fatigued to recruit more muscle fibers with higher rep work.

And note, while you will go “lighter” with higher rep work, you aren’t going light.

Especially when you are working with higher reps, to push yourself, consider using a weight or variation you have to pause to get out 5 more and hit in the middle or top of the range.

That need to pause and do 5 more past failure is so key to those amazing gains!

Training Technique #4: Do more timed workouts.

Too often when we want to lose weight, our workouts get longer and longer as we add in more and more.

But this often just burns us out and leads to a lot of wasted volume.

By doing intervals or work or even timed sets, we can increase our training density without our workouts getting longer.

We can focus on that quality work and create that density by just trying to do MORE in the time set out.

I find that often when I use intervals over having do count a certain amount of reps, I eek out reps I wouldn’t have done had I been able to stop at 6. I end up doing 8 because I have the time and have to work through it…even if I have to pause for a second.

I also find I’m focused and more intentional over just rushing through because I can’t finish any faster.

And when it comes to timed sets or circuits, like Density Sets, you can lower the reps and increase the weight and keep moving the entire time to actually lift more quality loads without your workouts getting longer.

So consider timed intervals of work or timed sets to help yourself really push with each rep over simply doing MORE.

Especially since so many of us complain we don’t have enough time, why not plan for what you have and really be intentional and focus on quality with every rep!

Honestly the only reason our workouts should ever get longers is because we have the time and do more mobility work OR have increased rest periods to lift heavier with lower reps or to do more high intensity true sprint work.

Workouts become longer because of recovery not because we’re doing more work!

Training Technique #5: Vary intensity of workouts and type of drivers.

For the best results, some workouts should feel easy. Not every workout should slaughter you.

Because if you don’t recover, you can’t train at a true 100% intensity.

Not to mention, if you’re tearing down muscles constantly, they can’t regrow stronger.

It’s a cut. If you’re constantly working and picking off the scab, it’s not going to heal back!

You’ve got to give it time to heal…although unlike a cut we do want to reopen the wound to make our muscle feel pushed to adapt more and more!

So over the course of your week, vary what areas you are working. Give muscles time to recover.

And vary the intensity of your workouts. This helps areas recover while still driving growth. And it also helps you MENTALLY stay focused and push hard when you need.

We can’t mentally make ourselves extremely uncomfortable every session or we will burn out. So having a workout or two each week that isn’t taxing, especially programmed on busy days, can actually help you get more quality work done overall for the week.

And those recovery sessions can help you move better in future workouts.

So vary intensity!

And this doesn’t just mean easy or hard workouts. It also means varying the types of movements and what driver of muscle growth you use as some create more muscle tissue damage and take longer to recover from.

For example, maybe one day you do a deadlift, another a hip thruster and the 3rd day you include only mini band work for your glutes.

These all use different drivers of muscle growth and allow you to train your glutes 3 times that week and go hard in each session without just constantly beating your body down!

So consider the types of movements you’re using and even the tools!

WARNING: Stop seeking to be sore.

I mean this because if you vary intensity and use different drivers or muscle growth, you won’t be sore all of the time.

GOOD!

Soreness is not an indicator you worked hard enough.

And while it can feel good and satisfying at times to know you pushed, not being sore doesn’t mean you didn’t work hard.

Honestly, you shouldn’t constantly be sore if you’re truly creating progression to build.

Over the weeks of your workout progression, you should feel like you can even do more, more easily without getting sore.

Because soreness is often just an indicator we did something new or different.

That we didn’t give ourselves enough recovery.

That we focused only on the eccentric and mechanical tension as a driver of muscle growth.

That we aren’t eating enough.

Or hydrating well.

Constant soreness actually means we’re probably not doing something we need to see results.

So focus on that clearly mapped out progression you repeat and track those numbers to see progress instead of just pushing to be sore!

Looking for amazing workouts to take your training to the next level and help you see fabulous body recomp results?

Check out my Dynamic Strength Program!