Fat loss has only been one facet and not the entire story of my transformation.
Eating, building muscle, and getting stronger has been my primary focus and where I have devoted most of my time and focus.
Not on dieting.
Here are 3 tips for those of you nervous about getting out of a deficit for a reverse diet, maintenance phase, or build.
1. Focus on how you feel each day. Not on how much you weigh. Before you weigh yourself, write down on a scale of 1-10 how your energy is that day. 10 being fantastic. This alternate scale number is an amazing indicator of your progress.
2. Create a performance goal for yourself and create a plan to work towards it. Use your added calories to help you get better at something you find enjoyable.
3. Remember that when it comes down to it, in life, our goals are to feel good, and to feel good, longterm. We want to be able to live a life we love and be there for the people who need us. I also plan to be a jacked and badass grandma one day. That will only happen if I keep working to make it happen NOW.
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If you have thought about having me as your coach to support you along your own fitness journey check out the Online Fitness Coaching page on my website for more info and how to inquire about my online fitness coaching service. Receive customized activity and nutrition plans, monthly virtual calls, and weekly email check in’s.
1 man did this in 1 week. 3 full days + 4 evenings after a regular work day. I have an amazing husband and I am so grateful for his efforts to make this happen.
I did my part by getting out of the house with our kiddo for a week so he could do this without distraction.
Now, we have a beautiful space in our 107 year old home to train and I have a beautiful space to work with my online coaching clients (using my custom stand desk) and teach my virtual yoga classes.
🌟Client Spotlight🌟 We have been working together for over 2 years now and I am so proud of all he has accomplished.
He began his journey with me after losing a substantial amount of weight (over 100 lbs!) and though super successful on his own with weight loss, moving away from the dieters mentality was a hurdle he was having trouble navigating on his own.
This client had already lost 100lbs before we started working together.
Post weight loss there is an understandable fear of regaining the weight back. (Unfortunately, this is the common reality for most.) It’s nerve wracking to increase calories, to increase carbohydrates, and to decrease activity.
His goals with me included building more muscle, but he wanted to do so in a sustainable way that minimized fat regain.
Initailly I guided him through a reverse diet followed by a long lean muscle building phase that together lasted a full 18 months. In that time we increased his calories (including carbohydrates) and I tailored his weight training program to fit his physique goals while keeping in mind the various obstacles he faced along the way. I adjusting his program as needed as he dealt with life and work. I guiding him through the recovery process after an accident that crushed his toe just 9 months into the process, and even more recently, adjusted his programming to accommodate a healing finger that needed stitches after an accident in the kitchen. (Life keeps happening even when we have fitness goals, and if we stay positive and creative there is always progress to be gained.)
At the end of the 18 month build be was up 10kgs or 22 lbs. Even though he gained a little bit of fat along the way, what he actually gained was mostly muscle.
Over the last 6 months we embarked on a fat loss journey. Using a small deficit and continuing to resistance train he slowly revealed the muscle he worked to build. During his fat loss phase his strength continued to go up and he still ate a substantial amount of food including plenty of protein and carbohydrates. In this time he lost fat and retained his muscle (even built muscle) reducing his scale weight by about 3-4kgs or 7-8 lbs. Notice by his pictures he is leaner now than when we started 2 years ago, but he is still up in scale weight by about 6-7kgs or 15 lbs.
2 years later! Not only has this client maintained his fat loss results, he continues to build more muscle!
Not all scale weight increases are to be feared! He has learned that first hand. Over his 18 month build he averaged a gain of .54kgs or 1.2lbs per month and the vast majority of those gains were from increasing his lean muscle mass. This is incredible!
His full transformation to date. Weight loss is only the beginning! Building muscle after the diet ends is the next step for epic results that last!
I know first hand what it takes to lose weight. I also know how hard it is to let go of an attachment to certain scale numbers to keep those results coming. But it’s so worth it to keep going after the “diet” ends. I deeply appreciate his trust in me to stay the course and stay consistent with my recommendations day in and day out these last few years.
What’s next for him? We are currently on his second reverse diet. We are building back calories and carbohydrates and aiming for some more lean muscle gains. It’s time to take his current results to yet another level!
Weight loss is only the beginning. It feels amazing to keep setting goals and to continue to level up.
Also see his full transformation to date. It is possible to lose weight, keep it off, and build a strong, capable, and healthy body.
If we can do it. You can too.
If you have thought about having me as your coach to support you along your own fitness journey check out the Online Fitness Coaching page on my website for more info and how to inquire about my online fitness coaching service. Receive customized activity and nutrition plans, monthly virtual calls, and weekly email check in’s.
When it comes to breakfast, meet my morning staple. Loaded with all the good stuff to keep me feeling energetic and capable to tackle the day. I want to train hard during my workouts and still have energy to take care of my work and life to do list. This is for the those with high performance goals. Meet life’s demands and feel like a badass of mind and body all day long! And did I mention it’s delicious??
Serves 1
573 calories
36g protein
85g carbohydrate
10g fat
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
240ml 2% milk
40g rolled oats
30g whey protein powder (flavor of choice)
10g sugar free instant pudding mix (flavor of choice)
100g sliced ripe banana
100g frozen berries
pinch of salt
Optional: 10g zero calorie sweetener or choice sprinkles on top
Directions:
On the stove top or microwave, cook the oats in the milk until softened. In a glass storage bowl (bonus if it has a matching lid) measure out your protein powder, pudding mix, and add a pinch of salt. Add your cooked oats in milk to the bowl with your measured dry ingredients and whisk together for 1 minute. This will help it to thicken. Top with the fruit and optional sweetener. Enjoy right away, in a couple hours, or even make the night before. If, enjoying later, store in the refrigerator or cooler with ice packs. Mix and match flavors of protein powder, pudding mix, and fruits to keep things fun!
***You will find this recipe and over 60 more in my upcoming E Cookbook The Art Of Meal Prep For Sustainable Living- Volume 2.***
Follow me on Instagram to stay up to date for its release, but in the meantime enjoy this free recipe straight from it!
