Tag: get lean

Follow me on Instagram for more tips, free recipes, and full days of eating.

To learn more about the science of exercise snacks (and much more) check out this great Found My Fitness Podcast Episode by Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. interviewing Dr. Martin Gibala, Ph.D.

5 Practical Steps For Long Lasting And Sustainable Results

June 11, 2024June 20, 2024 melaniewalessustainableliving

Want to know a secret?

Being healthier, stronger, leaner, and fitter is so much FUN!

My journey has not been possible because I have felt deprived or miserable along the way.

It feels amazing to be capable, have energy, and be strong.

No, it is not easy. But easy it boring. Bring on the challenge!

The time will pass anyway.

What potential do we carry if this time we didn’t quit?

Over 8 years later and I’m just getting started.💪🏻

Below are 5 practical steps and mindset shifts to embrace daily to help you tackle your goals for sustainable and long lasting results.

Enter every day with a purpose and keep shattering self limiting beliefs.
Break big goals down. Then down even further.
Do hard things daily to build resilience and confidence.
Results are built through creating, planning, committing, taking action, consistency, and patience.
Let go of your version of self from the past that is seen through a glorified memory filter. Stop trying to get back. Embrace the new and continue to level up.

See my client testimonials.

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https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

Fit Recipes!, Fitness Tips

Great On The Go High Protein Meal Ideas

April 30, 2024April 30, 2024 melaniewalessustainableliving

We should get at least 30g of high quality protein in each of our meals even when we are on the go. Next are 3 high protein meal ideas that are great options even on the busiest of days to help you reach your protein goals and help you stick to your daily nutritional goals.

This post is inspired by my recent family medical emergency and are the exact meals I used to keep my highly stressed and sleep deprived brain and body functional as I cared for my daughter during her hospital stay. (Update: She is now fully recovered!!!)

Pack 2 scoops of protein powder and an apple or banana. Simply mix the protein powder in water, a coffee, or other preferred beverage while out and about. Add in a whole piece of fruit for convenience, fiber, and increased satiety. Very quick and easy to pack when you are rushing out the door.
Make a “yummy bowl.” This yogurt and fruit bowl is my favorite on the go option! (In my 2nd cookbook I call it the Overnight Dessert Recovery Bowl because I generally make it for my evening dessert) For ease at my house, I refer to it as my “yummy bowl”. It’s super easy to make and bring in a cooler. See below for a screen shot of the full recipe direct from my e cookbook.
Buy the best high protein options you can find. Sometimes we don’t have time to pack or an emergency occurs and there is no other choice. Read labels and opt for prepared foods that are high in protein and lower in fat such as greek yogurt, a turkey sandwich wrap, and Fair Life Core Power high protein milk. Add in a piece of whole fruit for more low calorie volume and satiety instead of opting for a side of chips or a cookie.

You have choices. Eating like crap never helps you feel better.

Whatever the day brings you can make the choice that aligns you with your long term goals and helps you feel your best.

Prioritize your health and well being and let the excuse of being “too busy” go.

Getting and staying fit is always worth the effort.

Screenshot from my E Cookbook “The Art Of Meal Prep For Sustainable Living Volume 2”

Need some more fun and delicious recipes to help you reach your goals? My e- cookbooks are available! Click below for details.

Find the Overnight Dessert Recovery Bowl in Volume 2 as well as many more delicious and macro friendly recipes for bulk prep, quick prep, sweets and snacks prep and so much more.

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Muscle: The Underrated Key To Successful Fat Loss

January 23, 2024January 23, 2024 melaniewalessustainableliving

When I was a teen and in my 20’s I lost and gained weight more times than I can count. Each time I repeated the cycle I regained even more weight. I felt hopeless and broken as I tried to do what I thought worked. Restrictive diets and lots of cardio. Always with the focus on weight loss.

What changed? I had to switch the paradigm in my mind and habits that had me focused on weight loss. Instead I had to focus my mind and habits on BUILDING MUSCLE.

Eating for muscle, training for muscle, sleeping for muscle, hydrating for muscle, reducing stress and recovering for muscle.

When I focused on muscle: I lost fat, built strength, increased my endurance and drastically improved my overall health markers: blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose management, and triglycerides.

To go on an empowering fitness journey I suggest this. Rather than focusing on losing weight, adjust your perspective and start focusing on building muscle.

The habits and behaviors needed to build healthy skeletal muscle will yield incredible results in overall health and physique development.

It does not mean that the process is easy and will happen without effort.

But those efforts, WORTH IT!

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Life After A Diet: 3 tips to make the transition easier.

August 31, 2023August 31, 2023 melaniewalessustainableliving

Progress does not end because a diet has ended.

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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Simple and practical weight loss advice. The things I did and still do to lose weight and keep it off.

March 2, 2022March 2, 2022 melaniewalessustainableliving

Over the course of losing and keeping off over 145lbs I have learned quite a bit about what it takes to make weight loss not only possible, but also sustainable.

Here are a few practical things I did to lose weight and what I still do to maintain my results.

1. Meet a daily step goal to ensure regular activity.

2. Resistance train with a focus on progressive overload to build muscle and strength.

3. Keep track of my total calories and prioritize protein and fruits or veggies with each meal to align my nutrition with my goals while still including some fun foods in moderation.

4. Do the above consistently.

5. Believe it is possible and that my efforts are worth it!

There is nothing quick or special about what I have done to lose weight or keep it off. At the end of the day, it comes down to diet and exercise, but our mindset is also so important. The process is slow. Some weeks we can feel like no progress is happening at all. Sometimes we need to make an adjustment to our plan while resisting the temptation to do something drastic. Knowing how and when to focus on fat loss, diet breaks, a reverse diet, or gaining muscle can seem overwhelming and confusing. Coaching ourselves while remaining objective to make the best choices for our unique circumstances and long term goals is easier said than done. Which is why I love helping others on their journeys!

If you have thought about having me as your coach to support you along your own fitness journey check out 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.

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February 17, 2022February 17, 2022 melaniewalessustainableliving

Quick Tip: How To Make Tacos Diet Friendly

A quick tip about making macro friendly and delicious tacos!

When making tacos, rather than using a starchy carb source both inside and as the wrap, pick 1 instead. This will help keep the overall calories in check.

In the top photos, I’m sticking to romaine lettuce as my wraps because I have rice, corn, and beans inside my filling.

In the bottom photos, I have fresh and cooked lower calorie, non starchy veggies as my filling so I am using regular flour wraps.

Little adjustments like these do not take away the yumminess of the tacos, but help ensure a lower calorie meal.

Bonus Tip: Use non fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.

Follow me on Instagram for plenty of fit tips, free macro friendly recipes, and full days of eating.

http://www.instagram.com/melaniewales.sustainableliving

Purchase my e cookbook and get 60+ macro friendly recipes perfect for meal prep.

The Art Of Meal Prep for Sustainable Living

https://melaniewales-sustainableliving.com/shop-cookbook/

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Keep Leveling Up. Weight Loss is only the beginning.

January 25, 2022January 25, 2022 melaniewalessustainableliving

If you follow me on IG you already know my latest news, but here sharing in my blog too. If you are new to me, over the course of my transformation I have lost 145lbs since having my daughter in 2016. I did this all naturally through diet and exercise and many rounds of cutting reversing, and maintaining. I went from the photo on the left to the one in the middle.

Then 10 weeks ago I took a big step and had a full tummy tuck to remove the extra skin I had on my lower abdomen as well as a breast lift and augmentation. (The weight loss plus 2 years and 9 months of breast feeding left me with nothing😂 and yes you can lose weight while breast feeding! I lost over 100lbs and my milk supply was fine!) The photo on the right was taken yesterday. I am ahead of the curve on my recovery and back at it with regular training and nutrition aligned with my fitness goals.

Something I am a big advocate about is reminding people that this process takes a long time and loads of patience, but it is worth the wait. It’s imperative that we create new and lasting habits along the way so we can not only keep our results, but improve them year after year. This is so much better than a quick fix that dissolves even faster due to unsustainable approaches and unrealistic expectations. (If I didn’t have good habits already in place that I maintained post op, things could look very differently right now.)

Over on IG I share loads about my journey via weekly updates in my stories and regularly post macro friendly recipes, full days of eating, and training videos.

I hope you enjoy and find my content helpful🤗.

Whatever your goals, you’ve got this! The little things we do each day add up big time if we don’t quit.👊

Find out more about my online coaching services and e cookbook on my website.

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www.melaniewales.sustainableliving.com

My fitness journey, nearly 5 years in. 145lbs down and stronger than ever! Sustainable, long term weight loss is possible.

February 13, 2021 melaniewalessustainableliving

Don’t underestimate what you can do with time. Most people give up too quickly. They expect results to be faster. This has taken nearly 5 years. This did not happen from doing endless hours of cardio and from eating as little as possible and only eating “clean” foods. I tried that approach many times before and any results I did get never lasted long. I often felt hopeless. That something was wrong with me. I thought I was meant to be a heavier person and that due to genetics, hormones, etc… this was just how life was going to be. But then something unexpected happened. I got pregnant and gained even more weight rapidly! My pregnancy ended up being high risk. I had to deliver my precious baby early since I developed preeclampsia. Just home from the hospital with my 4 lb baby to care for, I knew once and for all I was finished with all this yo-yo diet nonsense. I was going to lose the weight, I was going to get strong, I was going to do it sustainably, and I was going to love myself every step of the way. I chose to focus less on the big picture and instead focused on the small things I could do each day.

During nap time I dove deep into learning about science based approaches for sustainable fat loss. I applied what I was learning and upped my protein intake, started resistance training to build muscle, and used a small calorie deficit to elicit fat-loss. I have only ever lost around 3/4 a pound on average a week during while dieting. Yes, that’s right. I’ve utilized diet breaks, calorie cycling, reverse dieting, and other tactics to make it easier to adhere to rigors of being in a calorie deficit. I’ve taken long periods at maintenance to ensure that the fat-loss results I achieved were results I could maintain on an enjoyable amount of food and a realistic amount of activity.

Nearly 5 years in and you better believe that I am so glad I never gave up even when there were days and weeks that I felt so far away from my goals.

If you are curious to have me as your 1 on 1 coach so I can help you along your own sustainable fitness journey find more details about my affordable fitness coaching service through my website. Link below. I will never guarantee “rapid results”. But I can help you learn about sustainable techniques for your body and mindset so you can have lasting results. You will still have to do the work, but I will use my knowledge and experience to help remove the guesswork out of the process so you can achieve your goals with a custom program based on you, your starting point, goals and preferences.💚