Here’s my secret:
I don’t do a ton of cardio, I don’t limit my carbs and I don’t often hit 10,000 steps. I’m not saying those aren’t useful tools to some, but you don’t have to have a long list of rules in order to lose body fat, change your body composition and maintain a “healthy” lifestyle.
What if I told you that you can have your cake AND eat it too? Or cupcake 😉
For sustainability, start small.
Let me break down my opinion on why I believe these are of importance in this order for the general population of people:
🍕 calories appropriate to goals: whether you’re losing fat, trying to bulk muscle or maintain, overall calorie consumption is the most important factor. Nothing else will make a dent in your goals if you aren’t consuming the right amount of calories.
🍗🥩 Protein should never be cut unless you’re medically advised to. You want to aid in lean muscle recovery? Protein. You want to stay fuller longer? Protein.
🍓🍐🥗 FIBER! Don’t cut fruit & veggies unless a doctor tells you to. The sugars in fruit won’t make you fat. That’s Bologna Sandwich talk! Fiber also aids in keeping you fuller longer. Theres also the part where fiber helps keeps things moving in the restroom as well if you know what I mean. There’s so much evidence on other health benefits of high fiber diets as well, but more on that another time. Did you know you can eat a pound of fresh strawberries for under 200 calories?! Plus all the other health benefits that come from fresh berries!
🏋️♂️Strength training will give you that lean look. You will not become bulky by lifting. You’ll need to be in a calorie surplus to add bulk. The more you recompose body fat into muscle, the more you can eat long term to keep that muscle. Think about this when cutting calories & this is why it’s crucial to not cut calories too low when in a cut. 💪Sometimes you don’t actually need to lose those last 10-15 pounds and all you really need is to convert body fat to lean muscle mass.
🚶♀️LASTLY (in my opinion) is your cardio. Now, cardio is amazing for so many reasons, but not for weight loss. The higher the cardio, the hungrier you’ll become which makes restricting any calories hard. I think it’s a better idea to focus on overall increase in steps over time while in a calorie deficit and when you are maintaining where you feel your best.
More to come on the details of calculating calories & macros at a later date.
Also, more to come on if you REALLY need to lose weight or just build lean muscle.