Day 4 of The Twelve Days of Fitmas: Never Skip Meals!

I’m sure we’ve all been told many times that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I’m sure that we are all aware that we should never skip breakfast. However, I still encounter clients that never eat breakfast! This makes me really sad actually, because I LOVE breakfast! Breakfast food is the best food! Pretty sure this is why we have brunch… An excuse to eat breakfast foods later on in the day so we can have it when it’s more appropriate to drink alcohol LOL

Anyway, the point that I’m trying to make is, is that skipping meals, especially breakfast is very damaging to your overall health, your daily performance, and your metabolism. The other day I posted an article about the importance of nutrient timing, this post is very much related to that. Nutrient timing is an effective tool to help you perform better during your workouts, and to help you get the most out of the foods you eat. It is important to not only strategically eat your macro-nutrients through out the day, but it is important to keep your body properly fueled through out the day. I eat my meals about 2 1/2 to 3 hours apart. I eat 6 “meals” a day. Why? Well here are the main reasons as to why you want don’t want to let your body go on too long without food, and it’s more than just getting hangry, which can sometimes get the best of us 😛

Eating breakfast is super important, and I know you already know that. So then why aren’t you doing it?! BAAAAAH This drives me a bit crazy actually. I hope this article convinces you to at least eat something in the morning! Why do we need breakfast? Several reasons, first of all you need breakfast to help get the “engine started” so to speak. You need it to fuel your body for the day, but also to get your metabolism going. If you don’t eat breakfast, you will have less energy in the morning, and you will therefore not be able to perform at your fullest capacity. Secondly, you will most likely end up eating more through out the day or at lunch to make up for the lack of breakfast. Because you have been without food for such a long period of time, your blood sugar levels will be quite low. This will cause your body to crave carbohydrates.

Again, even if you do eat something in the morning but there are large gaps between your meals, this will cause your blood sugar levels to drop, and you will crave carbohydrates. So, at lunch, or whenever you get the chance, you will get yourself a high carb, maybe even high fat meal which will help spike your insulin (blood sugar levels) back up. However, whatever goes up, must come down, and you will crash. And the more simple sugars you end up eating for lunch, the higher your insulin will climb, and the harder you will eventually fall. Basically, when your insulin levels drop like this, your energy levels drop as well, and you will hit this wall around 3/4 pm, where all you want to do is sleep. So, instead you go and get a coffee and treat from your local coffee shop, or you hit up the office vending machine. Either way, you are causing a yo-yo effect with your insulin levels, as well as your energy levels.

Why do you think you’re so freaking tired after dinner? Why do you think you’re eating late night snacks while watching your fave television series on Netflix? It’s because you didn’t eat breakfast, or enough through out the day to keep your body properly fueled. Instead, your body experiences high calorie meals at random intervals through out the day, and long droughts of no food. This causes the temporary spikes in energy, and the 3 o’clock wall that we sometimes hit. This also causes your body to get used to long periods of time of no food. Because of this, when you do feed your body, your body will hold on to as much of that meal as possible and store it as fat. Why? Well, your body has now gone into starvation mode aka “survival mode,” and has no idea when and where the next meal will come, so it is storing fat to help keep you going. This also slows down your metabolism. You are not only storing more fat than normal because or your erratic eating habits, but because your body has gone into starvation, it is also using your precious muscle as a fuel source. Therefore, further weakening your body, and making you fattier. Maybe not bigger, but definitely softer…

Still think you don’t need to eat breakfast? 😛 Also, when most people skip breakfast, or if there are major gaps between their meals during the day, they end up feeling super hungry late at night. This causes you to binge eat on high calorie foods, when you should be getting ready for bed. I know this is true, because when I was dieting for my shows, after dinner, and I was trying to relax, that is when the hunger pains of dieting bothered me the most! When you eat late night snacks on the couch with Bae, especially foods high in carbs, it will not only make it more difficult for your to sleep properly, it will stop you from eating breakfast in the morning like you’re supposed to! The foods that you eat late at night will just sit there in your stomach, because you’re not doing much to help burn them off as a fuel source. This will keep the vicious cycle of no breakfast, late night snacking, 3 pm crashing going, and it will only slow your body down. You will get weaker, your performance will suffer, and your metabolism will slow down. This will make you fatter, and it will age you.

So please, eat breakfast, space your meals out evenly through out the day. Help keep your body properly fueled so that you have constant energy, you have the energy for your workouts, and your body will be at it’s highest efficiency! When your body is performing at it’s fullest capacity, that is when you will feel and look your best! That is not possible if you’re not properly fueling your body.

A photo I took one morning of my lovely breakfast 🙂 Egg whites, and chocolate oatmeal pancakes with crushed walnuts on top with a giant mug of coffee. Pretty sure I ate this and then crushed legs that day… it was a good day haha

 

Day 3 of the Twelve Days of Fitmas: Is Meal or Nutrient Timing Important?

Merry Fitmas Boys and Girls! So the question of the day is, is meal timing important? And the answer is yes! Nutrient timing is very important, however, it doesn’t mean anything if you’re not hitting your macro-nutrients properly. You need to make sure that you’re eating the right amount of calories, and the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats first before you start worrying about when you should be eating what. BUT for the sake of this post I will give you some general guidelines for meal timing/nutrient timing that I follow 🙂

Last week, I wrote a post on what you should be eating post workout, in this post, I will basically be covering general meal timing for the entire day. First of all, I generally spread my protein out evenly between all my meals. Right now, I’m eating about 140 grams of protein a day, so that’s about 24g of protein in each of my meals (I eat 6 “meals” a day, 3 snacks lol). As for my carbohydrates, I reserve 30-40% of my total carbs for the day for my pre-workout meal, and the same amount for my post workout meal. Then with whatever carbohydrates I have left, I spread them out through out the rest of my meals. As for my fats, I like to eat a good amount of my fat for breakfast or “meal 1.” A lot of breakfast foods tend to be high in fat, like eggs, nut butters, bacon, the list goes on. Plus it’s always good to eat fats after you haven’t eaten in a while (like in the morning), or when you know you won’t be eating in a while, so dinner is a good time to incorporate fats. I don’t eat a lot of fat pre-workout, or any fat at all really. Like I said, I eat fats for breakfast and in my meals post workout.

Now that we’re in the Holidays season, there are so many tempting treats around us all the time! Today in my spin class, someone asked me if I “indulge” at all… And to be honest that’s kind of a tricky question LOL I mean I just finished reverse dieting and now I can eat up to 220g of carbs! Which is pretty exciting stuff haha Especially when not too long ago I was eating no carbs at all before my show! So, the answer to that question is yes, and no. I fit treats into my diet if I want them, and I typically eat these treats around my workouts. So for example, Christmas Rice Krispie treats, I’ve made two batches of these so far, and sometimes I will fit a square or two into my macros pre-workout or post workout. These simple carbs go straight to my muscles. They give me a wicked pump if I eat them pre-workout, and I get super vascular which is always fun 😉 Or I eat them post-workout, and they are absorbed quickly by my very depleted muscles. Treats are best consumed around your workout. Like I mentioned earlier, the majority of your carbohydrates should be eaten around your workout. So, if you want to eat some simple carbohydrates like cookies, or rice krispies, it’s best to fit them in then.

As for “cheat meals” I have not had one yet. I just got this boost in carbs last Friday, and so far I’ve been able to fit everything in pretty nicely. However, if I do eat something like a burger or pizza and I’m not counting the macros of that meal. I would eat it post workout, or as my very last meal. This is because I would want that high calorie meal to re-feed my muscles so that they can grow, instead of my waistline! Cheat meals are one meal, and maybe desert. CHEAT MEALS ARE NOT CHEATING DAYS!! It is not an excuse to go insane, and eat everything in site. Cheat meals are a reward and they do have a purpose. They can help you lose more weight by raising your leptin levels during a diet, and they can help with muscle growth in the off-season. Cheat meals are earned. You don’t just have one cause you feel like it. There’s a science behind using it to increase your leptin levels, and for helping with muscle growth. Either way, you need to earn the meal in the gym with some hard work first before crushing some pizza.

However, cheat meals are not really necessary during the off-season. Like I mentioned above, so far I’ve been able to fit in all the foods I want to eat on a daily basis within my macros. Flexible dieting has been awesome this off-season! I don’t feel deprived at all! This is because, I can eat whatever I want within my macros for the day. As for Christmas day and MAYBE Christmas eve, those will probably be my “cheat meal” days… Every day leading up to that, I will be counting all my macros and fitting all the holiday parties into myfitnesspal.

MERRY FITMAS GUYS! HOPE THIS HELPS YOU WHEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHEN YOU SHOULD EAT MOM’S SHORTBREAD COOKIES LOL 😛 JK

A bad picture of my first ever “cheat meal” for my first bodybuilding show LOL As you can see from my face, it was literally like Christmas haha Deep Dish Pizza, an amazing, and well deserved meal! Oh and my friends got me this awesome shirt for the occasion! It says “slice of heaven” on it and trust me it really was!!

 

Merry Fitmas! Day 2:Holiday Eating

Merry Fitmas Everyone! So today I’m addressing the question of what do I do during the holidays? How do I keep myself from completely derailing from my goals? Well, here are some of my tips for staying on track with your diet and goals during the holidays, but before I start, I am completely aware that dieting at all during this time of year is extremely difficult, and I know that the majority of people will not be able to avoid all the Christmas fare for the entire month of December. So, that being said, these tips are tips on how to keep the damage as low as possible. It is not IMPOSSIBLE to diet during Christmas but for most people it’s close enough LOL

Tip Number 1: YOU DON’T HAVE TO EAT EVERYTHING!!!

Just because there are 50 dessert options doesn’t mean you need to try every single one! Same with appetizers!! If you know there’s going to be a large meal, then skip the apps, and just eat the main course. Choose your battles guys! You don’t need to eat, anything, and everything that is available at any of your Christmas functions. Pick your favorites, enjoy them, and that’s it. Pick one dessert, if you’re having apps, don’t go nuts! It’s so easy to get carried away with the appetizers, that by the time the meal happens, you’re full. Avoid the cheese platter, or any cheese apps. Why? Cheese is high in fat, and therefore, high in calories. You can rack up your calories pretty high with the cheese platter alone before you even start with Christmas dinner! So again, one dessert, be modest with the apps, and for dinner? Have the protein, have the veggies, and be careful with the starchy carbs and the gravy! Starchy carbs will put you to bed, and the gravy is high in fat, and high in calories!

Tip Number 2: PLAN AHEAD AND USE MY FITNESS PAL!

Most people have very strong traditions that they keep during the Christmas holidays, and because of this, most people know generally what they’re eating and when. If this is the case, and you know what Christmas parties, dinners, and other social gatherings that you have planned, then you can plan your meals around them. Just because it’s the holiday season, does not mean that everything goes out the window, and you lose complete track of how much you’re eating. If you know you’re going to a party, or a Christmas dinner, and you want to enjoy some alcohol, or have dessert, then save calories for it. Plan your whole day of meals around this function so that you can enjoy yourself, with less worry about how the pie you want to eat will make you fat! The Holidays are meant to be enjoyed, yes, 100%! But if you want to stay on track with your goals, you need to plan ahead to be successful. MyFitnessPal is a great tool! Use it! Record all your meals in it including your holiday dinners, keep track of your macro-nutrients. This will help you stay on track with your goals, and it will help you plan your meals ahead of time so that you can fit your Christmas meal into your diet, or at the very least it will hold you accountable. It should keep you from veering too far off track.

Tip Number 3: WORKOUT!!!!

Most of us have some extra free time during the holidays. We take some time off, shorter hours at the office, whatever. Yes, take some time to relax and unwind, but there is no better stress relief, energy booster, calorie burner, mood booster… I can go on LOL than EXERCISE!!! So do it! Take advantage of the time you have and workout! I always plan my workouts around major holiday meals haha. I’m so used to getting up early, that, this past Thanksgiving holiday I did fasted cardio while everyone was asleep, and when I came home I enjoyed the traditional family breakfast. I mean, what else was I going to do? Wait for everyone to get up so I could eat? Then, once the turkey for Thanksgiving was in the oven, I went and did my back workout. By the time I got home, dinner was ready, and Thanksgiving dinner turned into post-workout gains! Everybody wins! The holidays can be a great opportunity for off-season muscle growth if done properly…What I mean is, don’t think that because you want to grow, it’s an excuse to eat everything in site LOL Plan your workouts around your holiday meals, so that the meals you do eat, feed your depleted muscles, which will help them repair, and grow. Also, if you’re worried about your waistline growing this holiday season, then keep up your workouts!! It will lower the possible collateral damage so to speak!

And that’s it folks! These are my top 3 tips for Holiday eating: don’r eat everything you see, plan your meals ahead or time, and save calories for big parties and dinners, and workout! This will help keep you from completely falling off course . Merry Fitmas guys! And stay tuned for more posts!!

Me, my sister Maryanne and all our Giunta cousins that came to Sabrina’s Confirmation Brunch this past Sunday December 6th 2015

Will drinking Protein Powder help with weight loss?

I didn’t realize how many people were under the assumption that drinking protein powder would help them lose weight until one of my clients asked me about protein powder last week…

So here it is, protein powder is a protein supplement. Meaning, it will help you reach your protein macro-nutrient goals. It is an economical way to consume protein without eating a bunch of meat products all the time. The only way that protein powders will help you lose weight is by helping you hit your macros everyday. By hitting your macro-nutrient goals everyday, you will get closer and closer to the physique you’re looking for. That is honestly the only way that protein powder would help with weight loss. It is important to eat enough protein during the day to help grow and maintain muscle tissue.

Protein powder is a very economical food source, because of it’s volume and long shelf life. In addition, if you don’t like eating a lot of meat, or if you’re a vegetarian for example, there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan protein powder supplements to choose from to help make sure that you are getting enough protein in your diet. Just make sure that when you’re buying protein, that you’re buying a quality protein that has no additives or preservatives. Also, if you’re looking at your standard whey protein powders, make sure you are buying a whey protein isolate. These are generally lactose free, and have a higher protein content. Also, if weight loss is your goal, make sure that your protein has no added sugars, and is low carb. Again, a whey protein isolate that is of high quality will be low carb. I typically look for whey protein powders that are sweetened with Stevia. Stevia is a zero calorie plant extract that is used as a sweetning agent.

Less is not always more, especially when it comes to weightloss!

Most people assume that in order to lose weight, you need to eat less. However, perpetual under-eating is not the answer! Weight loss is not always that simple. Actually, keeping yourself on a caloric deficit for too long is not only unhealthy, you will eventually plateau and stop seeing results. In addition, starving yourself by under eating will also have you binge eating on the weekends or late at night. You’re probably already doing this! And binge drinking counts!  Alcohol is a bunch of empty calories that spike your insulin levels just like binge eating on ice cream would!

This constant cycle of “trying” to eat well and diet, then binge eating, followed by food guilt and regret, then back to calorie restriction will keep you at the same weight if not fatter. You will never see the results you want, and you will constantly feel like garbage because you think you’re “dieting” and “trying your best,”  but really you’re just keeping yourself in this vicious psychological drama of food punishment, then reward, followed by guilt/regret, and then more self-punishment. WHY?!?!?!? PLEASE STOP! RIGHT NOW! It is not positive, and it’s definitely not productive! This type of behavior is very detrimental not only to your physical health, but your mental health as well. You are cultivating a negative relationship with food, with this punishment/reward drama. Suddenly healthy food becomes a chore, something unpleasant that you don’t want to eat, and all the food that you reward yourself with like cake, or burgers, become the foods that you only want to eat. But, even though you want to eat these foods, you know you shouldn’t, or that you “can’t” because you’re fat…That is a whole pile of psychological warfare that you just unleashed on yourself, will only keep you fat, and miserable. Why do that to yourself?! When there’s literally so many people out there willing to do that for you? LOL You really need to be your biggest advocate, not your worst enemy! Especially when you’re trying to change your life in a positive way! You need to start believing that you deserve to be happy, and that you can have the body you want. Once you start believing that you can have better, you will start to change your behavior and the way you treat yourself. This will ultimately have a positive impact on your relationship with food.

If that wasn’t enough to convince you that you may be going about weight loss completely wrong, then let me drop some more knowledge on you! Severe calorie restriction, depletion diets, and Ketosis are very effective for quick, short-term weight loss. For example, these were some of the tactics that I used to prepare me for my last Bodybuilding show. I lost 40 lbs in 4 months. However, I would not recommend this to the average person. First of all, it is very difficult! It is both mentally and physically challenging, and most people do no have the will power, and the discipline to stick to the diet without cheating. Again, if you calorie restrict like I did for my show, but you cheat and binge eat, then this sort of diet will not work, and you will not see the results you’re looking for. Secondly, you will not be able to maintain this way of eating for a long time. This is why most bodybuilders who prep for shows only diet strictly for 3-4 months maximum to get stage ready. And when a bodybuilder has a cheat meal, or re-feed meal, it is planned, and controlled to a single meal. This meal will help the athlete continue to loose weight by shocking the body and raising leptin levels. Again, this is a planned meal to help further the athlete’s weight loss. In addition, these athletes are doing depletion workouts, and they are training the entire time they are prepping for a show. This is because a bodybuilder, while dieting, is trying to preserve as much muscle as possible.

This is also a short-term weight loss goal! I REPEAT SHORT TERM WEIGHT LOSS! And, if you do end up doing this sort of show prep or strict diet, then you need to reverse diet! It is so important to slowly incorporate all the carbs and fats that you severely restricted in the first place. There are several reasons why it is so important, first of all you don’t want to gain back all the weight you lost and then some! Second, your body will be so sensitive to carbs and fats that your digestion system will have a hard time processing all the excess carbs and fats that it wasn’t used to eating for a while. Basically, you can make yourself sick if you just revert back to your old habits so soon after dieting so hard. Plus yo-yo dieting like this will only weaken your metabolism, making it more difficult for you to lose weight in the future. I can go on and on about the damaging effects of yo-yo dieting, but basically every time you do a crazy diet, hit your goal, fall back into your old ways, then go back on a crazy diet, you are not only damaging your health, but making it more and more difficult for you to lose weight in the future.

One of the comparison photos my coach made showcasing my 40 lb weight loss for my show

Moreover, under-eating will only weaken your body slowly over time. Keeping yourself in a constant calorie deficit will force your body to rid itself of muscle and store more body fat. This is because your body is adapting to being starved on a regular basis, and because muscles burn more calories than fat, muscle tissue becomes a liability and therefore your body will literally eat itself, as gross as that sounds. LOL So, as you continue to starve yourself, your body loses muscle, becomes weaker, and therefore “fattier.” You may not grow in size right away, but your body’s metabolism, strength, and endurance, all get depleted. Now that you are weaker, slower, and fattier, when you eventually binge eat, or cheat on your diet, those excess calories stick to your body as fat more easily. Your body’s metabolism is slower, and weaker so it is not able to burn through all the cake and ice cream you decided to “reward” yourself with.

If you’re looking for long-term results, and long-term weight loss that will actually last, then your diet must be both moderate and consistent. Stop punishing yourself and your body with crash diets, and severe long-term calorie restriction and binge eating. Eat foods you actually like to eat! Don’t force yourself to eat foods that you hate just because you think they’re healthy! Making manageable, positive changes to your diet will be more effective in the long-term. Healthy eating, and eating within your macro-nutrients needs to become a part of your lifestyle. Meaning that the VAST majority of the time you are eating well, and within your caloric and macro-nutrient limits for the day.You need to understand that eating well should not be a chore, it should be something that you and your body deserve! Candy, cheesecake, whatever you like eating the most, only tastes good while you’re eating it… What I mean to say is, is that the feeling of happiness you get from eating these foods only lasts as long as you eat them! However, the endorphins you get from working out last way beyond the workout itself. The feeling of pride, and accomplishment from reaching your fitness goals, last forever! When you know you’re eating well, sticking to your macro-nutrients, working out, and basically taking care of yourself LOL You take pride in that. You’re not ashamed of what you’re eating, or embarrassed because you’re not doing the things you know you should do. If anything, when people are taking care of themselves, especially nowadays, they are literally broadcasting it everywhere! Taking photos of their healthy food, and gym selfies galore! LOL When you finally feel good in your own skin, no one can take that away from you! The happiness, confidence, and pride you feel never goes away (unless you find some way to take it away from yourself). Your peers will recognize and admire this pride, and self-respect. Positivity breeds positivity!

Gym selfie Saturday November 7th 2015. A month post show and still holding a pretty tight physique 🙂

In conclusion, if you really want to make a change in your life for the better. If you want to lose weight, for whatever reason, stop punishing yourself! Stop talking negatively about yourself, stop starving yourself, and start to treat yourself and your body with respect. As I have quoted in this blog before “Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live in,” Jim Rohn. If you need help figuring out how much you should be eating a day, or even what foods to eat in general, then talk to a nutritionist, dietician, or accomplished fitness professional who can help you get on the right track. There are so many resources that exist that there is no reason that you shouldn’t be able to do your own learning when it comes to nutrition and food. Take an interest in your health! It is the most valuable thing you can own! There are tools like MyFitnessPal that are extremely helpful, and Google LOL And well there is me haha you can always ask me. I always do my best to help spread the wealth! There’s plenty of knowledge out there, it is your job to seek it out!

Everybody wants washboard abs right?

I know that everybody wants to have abs. Everybody wants to have a tight waistline, but I feel like most people have given up on this hope for a better body, and accepted this idea that they just won’t ever have abs… But that’s not necessarily true! Most of us can really have the body that we want, the questions is however, how badly do you want it? Do you want it badly enough that you feel as though you need it? I’m not saying that you need abs to be beautiful or anything like that, but if you really want to improve your fitness, and your overall physique with a tighter waistline well here are some ways to go about it:

First of all, you’re not getting the waistline you want because of your diet. As the saying goes, “you are what you eat!” You need to be very mindful of not only how much you eat, but what you eat. When it comes to getting the flat stomach you’re looking for, abs are made in the kitchen. You need to track your food. When I’m not on show prep where my diet is very strict, repetitive, and simple, I use my fitness pal to make sure that I’m staying within the boundaries of my macro-nutrient count for the day without going over. My Fitness Pal is a great tool that is free to use! It keeps you focused, and in control of your diet. Plus, it’s so easy to use! My tip for My Fitness Pal is to use it only to track your food! DO NOT LOG IN YOUR WORKOUTS! It will count that and give you extra calories to eat… that is not a real thing! My Fitness Pal will also set your macro-nutrient and calorie goals based on the weight loss goals that you put in and so on. However, you can alter these goals to your specific needs. I would talk to a coach, nutritionist, or trainer who has a good understanding of how to calculate macros properly so that you can feel good and see the results that you want to see. It’s not just about staying within a certain amount of calories. You can’t eat 1,500 calories worth of just carbohydrates, and expect to have the body you want. You need to make sure that your diet is balanced, that you’re eating the right amount of protein, fats, and carbohydrates to maintain the muscle and shape that you want. Be mindful of what you eat, how much you eat, and how balanced your macro-nutrients are in your diet.

Secondly, doing sit-ups and crunches everyday will not shrink your waistline. I see it all the time in the gym, and clients always want to do core work. However, sit ups and all the other fancy ab workouts you see people doing on the gym mats will not do a thing for your physique if you’re not willing to change your diet. Really, you’re just wasting your time burning out your abs, and then eating cake after LOL Why even bother feverishly pumping out a billion leg lifts if you’re not going to preserve the fruits of your labor? Additionally, a lot of people are trying to do ab workouts that are way too advanced for them. Because of this, they end up doing the exercises improperly, therefore straining their back, and engaging their hip flexors more so than their abdominal muscles. If you are going to do core work (which believe me is very good in helping to chisel and shape your abdominal muscles… once your belly fat is gone/low enough to see your hard work) then please, please, please, start at a very basic level of ab work! Especially if you don’t workout on a consistent basis all year round, this basically applies to most of the population… You are not going to impress anyone with fancy workouts that aren’t really targeting your abdominal muscles because you’re not able to engage them properly while doing the exercise. However, you will impress people with your six-pack of abs 😉 So, that being said, if you are looking to target your lower abdominal muscles with leg lifts, (where you’re lying flat on the floor) here are some regression to the exercise that I would start off with:

• Lay flat on the floor with your hands flat on the floor by your sides. Lift your feet off the floor and bend your knees at 90 degrees. Keeping your knees bent, lower one leg at a time towards the floor where you simply tap your toe on the floor, and then switch.
• If that is too easy, then you can keep your legs bent at 90 degrees over your hips and lower both legs (keeping them bent) towards the floor, tap your toes and bring them back up
• Keeping your low back flat against the mat the entire time, you should only feel your abdominal muscles working, if you feel your back at any point during the exercise, re-adjust yourself, roll your hips in towards your rib cage, and squeeze your glutes while performing the exercise to keep your hips in place. If you still feel pain in your back then regress the exercise to the first option above
• Again, if both these versions of the exercise are not challenging enough then you can straighten out your legs. First try lowering one straight leg at a time. If that is challenging enough, then stay there. If not, then perform straight leg, leg lifts with both legs at the same time. Always make sure that you’re back is protected by squeezing your glutes and not arching your lower back!

It is important with any exercise that you are performing it properly, and therefore reaping the benefits! There is no point of doing any abdominal exercise a million times, if you’re going to do it a million times wrong! Suck up your pride, and work within your limits, that way as you get stronger, you can start to push your boundaries more.

Lastly, contrary to popular belief, you are working your abs all the time in every exercise, that is if you’re performing the exercises properly, and with good posture. In order to keep your core active, set your shoulders down and back, and stand tall with your chest lifted. Never round your shoulders forward, or round your spine. Don’t tilt your hips back, or push your pelvis too far forward. If you need help adjusting your posture don’t be afraid to ask someone if you’re in the proper position! Fitness Instructors, and/or trainers are more than willing to help you out! Your “core” is the center of your body. It is your back, abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and glutes, all working together to stabilize you as you move through life. Your core basically holds you up, and keeps you upright, and is always firing on and off throughout the day as you move, and exercise. YOU DON’T NECESSARILY HAVE TO DO AB SPECIFIC WORKOUTS TO TARGET YOUR ABS!!! And if you’re really looking to reduce your lower back pain, and strengthen your core, doing ab workouts is not the only solution. As I mentioned above, your glutes are a major component of your core and if they are weak, or if you are not engaging them properly, then they are affecting your low back pain, and the weakness of your core. So, if you want to improve your core, you must train your glutes, which will ultimately improve your strength, reduce your pain, and work your abs/core.

You can have the body you want, and you can have tight abs boys and girls! The key is to eat according to the body you want, and to exercise regularly! This does not mean you need to just work on your abdominal muscles, NO! You must workout your whole body, and your abdominals will always be involved. You can train your abdominal muscles specifically, but start off with the basics first and then work your way up. This will help to ensure that you are getting an effective core workout, where you are not engaging your hip flexors, and lower back.

About 4 weeks post show! Post breakfast side pose selfie! Happy with my growth so far and that I’m staying fairly tight 🙂 especially in the midsection!

Reverse Dieting, what does that mean? How do you come back from doing a Bodybuilding show?

So, what is reverse dieting exactly? Basically, when you’re prepping for a show you’re on a very regimented, strict diet to get you as lean and dry as possible for the stage. Normally, on the weekend of the show you are eating high fat, high carb foods to help fill you out and pump you up for the stage. Then, right after the show, most athletes treat themselves, and shock their bodies with a major carb load. Now, reverse dieting is when after all the fun and games of post show celebrations are over, you go back to restricting your calories (mostly calories from carbs and fats). For example, my reverse diet started with 120 g of protein, 50-60 g of carbs, and 30-40 g of fat. Every week I slowly increase the number of carbs and fats. This will allow my metabolism to stay strong, and my body to stay lean. Since I’m so sensitive to carbs and fats right now, the pump I get off so little carbs is unreal! I can really see the benefits of sticking to a reverse diet, and that’s what motivates me to stick to it, but try fitting all the deliciousness that exists into those macros?!? LOL you unfortunately can’t 😦

Coming back from a show is hard… super hard. After my first time doing a show, I was warned about the rebound effect, I was warned about how getting “fluffy” affects your self-esteem, but I didn’t realize how much it would impact me until I was so far into a dirty bulk. Last year after my show I was given a reverse diet plan, but I did not follow it like I should have. When you follow such a strict diet and workout regime to prep for a show, then you get to eat whatever you want post show, it’s really difficult to stop eating. It is more mentally challenging to stay close to your reverse diet after a show then prepping for a show in the first place!

There are many reasons for this. first of all, when you’re prepping for a show, there is a lot less thought and emotion placed on the food you’re eating. This is because, everything you’re eating is for the show. Being ready for the stage is your ultimate goal, so you eat whatever you need to, to be ready for the show. Secondly, your coach tells you what you’re allowed to eat, and what you’re not allowed to eat. All your meals are pre-planned with exact measurements. Literally all you have to do is make sure that you have all the meals that are on your plan, and nothing else. But when you’re done a show, you suddenly have choice when it comes to food! This is both exciting and overwhelming LOL Now you have to pre-plan, and measure all your food to make sure that it fits the macro-nutrients that you’re allowed to have for the day. Now you’re completely responsible for your reverse diet. You need to make sure that you stick to your macros without going over so that you can make “lean gains” and avoid the rebound effect, which basically means you want to avoid getting fat…

This is a lot harder than you think! I did not put much thought into how hard reverse dieting was going to be, or how much coming back from was going to effect my self-concept, and my overall self-esteem. I would honestly say that reverse dieting and coming back from a show is more mentally taxing than anything I’ve ever done… I also think you need to go through it once to really understand how challenging it is! At least, I had to go through it once before, to know that I would do it completely different the second time around. After my first show, I went crazy that weekend and had the time of my life eating and drinking whatever I wanted. Then my coach sent me my reverse diet plan, with a list of macro-nutrients that I was allowed to have, and a list of foods with their basic macro-nutrient breakdown. It was very detailed, and very useful. I glanced at it and thought, “Ok, no problem. I got this! Shouldn’t be too hard to pack this tomorrow…” I was wrong LOL Wow! It was so stressful and overwhelming my first day! I was like… what do I eat? Is this right? Did I measure that right? It took me forever to pack my meals for the day because I kept double checking to make sure I was hitting my numbers properly. I really wanted to be successful with my reverse diet, but even though I made sure that I measured my food properly, and always had my meals prepped, I would still find myself hungry. I didn’t realize that this was supposed to happen, or I guess I didn’t realize at the time that the hunger would be worse post show and that was a good thing LOL

After my first show (November 2014), I would literally find myself binge watching Orange is the New Black with a bag of rice cakes and almond butter, and before I knew it I watched like 3 or more episodes in a row, and the entire bag of rice cakes would be gone… Crumbs and almond butter dribbled all over my shirt LOL it was disgusting! I was a mess! But I literally couldn’t stop myself!! I felt so hungry all the time and I couldn’t shut my brain off from telling me to eat more. Before I knew it, it was New Years Eve, and I was trying to find a dress to wear, and some of my clothes didn’t fit anymore, and others just didn’t feel as good as they used to. I no longer felt like myself, I didn’t feel good in my clothes anymore, and I no longer felt cute. I turned into the whiny chick that everybody hates, asking “Does this dress make me look fat? Do you think I’m fat?” I hated this version of myself! This was not me, I hated feeling so insecure about my body. I swear I haven’t felt that way since First year university when I put on the dreaded “freshman 15” LOL

Eventually, I got over myself and stopped crying about how fat I got. I started to focus more on the fact that I wanted to do Figure in October more than ever. Plus it was the dead of winter, sweaters, and sweatpants were my best friends, and I had a boyfriend at the time so I guess you can say I got quite comfortable with being comfortable LOL Looking back, now that I am coming back from my second show, I’ve realized that I don’t want to be “comfortable” I want to be happy. I want so much more for myself! Reverse dieting is hard, I’m super hungry, and sometimes I really wanted to not count my macros and just EAT! But then I remind myself that I’m better than that. Food isn’t everything, but my happiness, and self-concept is. I don’t want to sit around feeling sorry for myself, and wondering how I got fat? And why do I feel so shitty? I want to wake up, look in the mirror and be proud of what I see. I worked so hard to get into Figure and to lose the 40 lbs I needed to do to be ready for the stage on October 10th 2015, and I refuse to let all my hard work go in vain. It is hard to stick to any diet but you need to remind yourself everyday the reasons why it is so important! I have several reasons for staying true to my reverse diet. Not only will it help me mentally and emotionally, but it is not good for your health to have your body weight fluctuate so drastically. This reverse diet is so important for my overall health, my confidence, and my business. I am a Fitness Professional, and I want to be a Pro Bodybuilder one day. I have so many aspirations for myself in this industry, and I know that by sticking to this reverse diet, and maintaining my physique as much as possible during the off-season, will only help to open more doors for me in the future. Plus, I will have much more quality gains in terms of muscle growth if I stay fairly lean this off-season. I have BIG plans for bodybuilding in 2016! Watch out guys! And stay tuned! Cause you’re in for one hell of a ride!

One week post show! October 17th 2015

I’ll keep you guys posted during my off-season journey. The goal is to gain no more than 15 lbs!

 

Bulking… some tips to adding on quality muscle and size

So, the other day I posted a blog on weight loss and I got some feedback about wanting some advice on making gains. Since summer is officially over, I can’t think of a better time to talk about bulking. Bulking is basically a building phase, where you put your body under construction, wear all the sweaters, lift heavy, and eat all the calories required to build and maintain strength and size. However, there are some key do’s and don’ts to a successful building phase.

1. Yes, in a building phase you get to eat more calories, and have a little more fun with your food. However, this does not mean you can go to McDonald’s on a regular basis and say “no worries guys, I’m bulking.” If you’re going to have “dirty” food, make sure that food is earned!! Push yourself in the gym, put on extra weight, go for a few more reps, really get yourself a pump and then go and enjoy something delicious like a burger and donut. You can’t just eat like shit, say you’re bulking and not put the work in at the gym. For example, the day of my birthday during my off-season I decided to do a back day because I knew I would get a bunch of treats that day and I really wanted my back to grow. So I pushed myself super hard, I added on weight to my exercises, pushed for more reps, and got a crazy huge pump! When I got home my mom had delicious treats waiting for me from San Remo Bakery. I had a cannoli, a zeppole, and a tiramisu cup with my protein shake post workout 😛 However, there was no guilt felt there!! It was my birthday and hell I earned it! So much so that when I taught Zumba the next night my lats were still so pumped that they chaffed against my tank top! So what I’m trying to say, is that bulking is not just about eating, and eating whatever you want, it’s about putting in the hard work at the gym so you can justify eating the calories required to grow. Plus the cleaner your bulk food is the better you’ll feel in the long-term.

2. You need to have a goal in mind and you need to have a plan. A building phase is the perfect time to improve on your weaknesses. Find out what areas you want to see the most improvement and then develop a plan of execution on how you’re going to improve those areas. A training plan as well as a plan for how you’re going to eat. Make sure you’re getting enough protein, carbs, and fats to help sustain consistent muscle growth. Figure this out based on how much you weigh and how much you want to grow. Then figure out what numbers your should be hitting for your macro-nutrients in order to make that happen. There are a tone of calorie counters, and resources to figure out the protein amounts in foods like chicken and so on. You need to at least be eating 1 g of protein per pound of body weight. When I first started my bulk phase I was eating just under 1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight everyday. Make sure you’re hitting your macros, and try not to go over too much either. At first it may be difficult to get all the food in. This is where protein powder and carb supplements can really come in handy! You may be feeling overwhelmed and don’t worry, I found it a bit overwhelming at first! So ask for help! From someone who has done a successful bulk before, a trainer, or coach. But it is very important that you have a plan for your eating, that you’re not just eating whatever. If you want consistent long-term gains, you need to eat consistently. Hit your numbers everyday and you will be successful in putting on muscle.

3. For me, in my bulk phase, my upper body needed a lot of work. I had a good amount of muscle and shape in the glutes and legs, but my arms, shoulders, and back were quite small. So my coach developed a plan where I would hit all of these areas twice a week. I had a back day, a shoulder day, an arm day, a back and bicep day, a shoulder and triceps day, and a leg day. That was my training split. Just because my legs were not a focus does not mean you should completely forget about them!! Boys I’m talking to you!!! TRAIN YOUR LEGS! No girl wants to date a Johnny Bravo first of all LOL and second, most guys need bigger legs anyway, so it should be a point of focus. Plus training your legs will help to improve your gains!! This is because your legs are your biggest muscle group and they help to stimulate an increase in the hormone testosterone. So have a plan, and don’t forget your legs!

4. REST!! Your body needs proper rest to recover and grow! Make sure you’re getting some good sleep and you’re allowing your body enough time between workouts to recover, So if you’re training back one day, train shoulders, then legs, then back and biceps, and so on. Give yourself at least one day in between training the same muscle group.

5. Alcohol… sorry friends but it really hurts you in the gym. I used to love to party, but once I started bodybuilding I’ve really stopped my drinking. Obviously, I don’t drink at all during prep, but even in the off-season I have really cut my drinking down. Not only does it make you feel like shit the next day if you drink too much, it leaves you tired, and dehydrated. Everything becomes so much harder after a night of drinking! Plus, I would rather save calories and eat them, than just drink them away with alcohol. Alcohol is empty calories, and can really add up quickly on a good night! These empty calories will only pack on the fat, and increase your cravings for McDonald’s! Which will only make you more fat LOL and to top it all off, alcohol makes it more difficult for your body to break down fat and it slows down your metabolism. If this doesn’t convince you to slow your roll, then let me tell you how alcohol will also slow down your gains. This is because alcohol decreases testosterone levels and increase estrogen levels in the body, making it harder for your muscles to grow. Plus your body needs to be fully hydrated for your muscles to contract properly and grow. I can go on, but I won’t. Alcohol is fun, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t enjoy a night out once in a while, but if you drink on a very consistent basis then you won’t see the results you would like to see in the gym.

Anyway, I have two weeks left of my prep and then soon enough I’ll be back to the drawing board for another building phase! Woo Hoo! I’m so excited for my upcoming show! It’s my first time doing Figure and I’m so proud of the growth I made over the past year from my last show in bikini! Soon, I’ll be enjoying some wicked post show pumps once some carbs are re-introduced into my life! Haha I can’t wait 😀

 

Serious about cutting weight? Here are some of my tips for successful weightloss

1. Educate yourself!! If you’re serious about cutting some weight and keeping it off then you first need to educate yourself about diet and nutrition or seek out professional help! If you have no idea what foods to eat, how food effects your body, or anything about calories and macro-nutrients, then how are you going to get the body you want?! You are what you eat and that cannot be more true! There are so many myths about food and diet, and a ton of marketing out there to have you believe that the boxed items you’re buying on the shelf are actually healthy. NEWS FLASH! MOST PROCESSED FOODS THAT COME IN BOXES OR BAGS ARE NOT GOOD FOR YOU!! Please for the sake of your health and waistline be more mindful of what you ingest on a regular basis. Don’t treat your body like a garbage can and put whatever looks good in it LOL Honestly, if you’re overwhelmed, because it can be quite overwhelming ask for help! Talk to a professional and learn how to eat properly! However, I will shed a little bit of light in this post on some solid tips to at least get you on the right track!
2. Eat real food… Vegetables, meat, eggs, fruits. Anything you find on the outside of the supermarket. The less it’s been touched by a human before it made it into the store the better (meaning it was less processed, less un-natural shit added to it etc). This also means that it will most likely have more nutrients in it. And honestly, I know a lot of you are so fucking lazy but let’s be real here, you can pay a little extra and get pre-washed pre-cut veggies and fruit that you literally can just throw in a bowl and make a salad. Come on people! It’s not that fucking hard! Plus the more meals you prepare yourself, the more control you have over your body and your pocket-book just saying…
3. Along with educating yourself and eating real food, read the nutritional labels on the boxed items you buy! Ingredients are listed from the biggest amount to the smallest amount found in the product. Nutella for example, SUGAR is the first ingredient LOL there is no way that shit is healthy so use it sparingly! Vector is marketed as a healthy cereal but again look at how much sugar there is per serving, you probably don’t measure your food before you put it in the bowl either so you’re most likely eating more sugar than what it says. Try to buy foods that are low in sugar, high in fiber and protein. The Fiber and the protein should be higher than the sugar/carb in the product. Especially if it’s a yogurt LOL check the label you will be surprised how many yogurt are out there with more sugar than protein per serving… Plain Greek yogurt is the way to go if you must have dairy. If you can’t handle not having sugar in your yogurt just yet, then add fruit or a little bit of honey. That way you are in control of the sugar level, and you can always wean yourself off the honey to a point where you’re just having plain yogurt and berries.
4. Be consistent! Consistency is key to being successful in anything you do! When it comes to your diet and losing weight you need to not only consistently eat through out the day, but you must eat well (nutritious and healthy) everyday. You can’t be on top of your game from Monday to Friday, fall off on the weekend and make up for it Monday. You will never lose the weight, and get the body you want. You need to consistently eat well all day, everyday, and have a cheat meal, ONE MEAL, or re-feed meal depending on your diet/goals. This cheat meal happens once in a while. It is earned, and it is needed to help shake up your body for more weight loss and to help with your mental toughness. It’s not a once a week deal, you maybe get a cheat meal once every 4-6 weeks depending. Doing this and making your cheat meal an earned treat, helps you to really enjoy the food you eat during this cheat and it helps to combat any feeling of guilt. You shouldn’t feel guilty about food, it should be enjoyed! Just understand the consequences of your treats and keep them to a minimum to reduce their effects, and if anything use them in a positive way.
5. Have a plan! None of this matters if you don’t have a plan, if you don’t have a plan then you plan to fail. It’s as simple as that! You need to know how you’re going to eat, and what you’re going to eat everyday according to your specific goals so that you can therefore reach your goal. Don’t know where to start? That’s when you need to educate yourself, or seek professional help. There are even food services that will cook clean meals for you that are portion controlled! All you have to do is know what your macro-nutrient limits are for the day and order your foods accordingly. There are so many resources out there at your disposal, that if you were really serious about losing weight there is no reason why you cannot succeed! Educate yourself, learn how to eat, and GET HELP! There is no shame in asking for help! It can change your life, and leave you feeling great! Just be mindful about where you seek your help. Do your research, look up reviews, get more than one opinion, and ultimately follow your intuition. If it doesn’t feel right, find someone else who coincides more with your values.

GOOD LUCK! YOU CAN DO IT! TAKE IT SERIOUSLY! NUTRITION IS A LIFE SKILL, IT WILL KEEP YOU HEALTHY AND FEELING GREAT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

Staying Social on a Diet, How do you do it?

When I’m prepping for a show, a lot of people ask me, how do you do it? How can you still go to music festivals, road trips, parties? Are you crazy?!?!?! Maybe I am? LOL Fuck me right?!?! Haha but seriously, no matter what time of the year, whether I was prepping for a show or bulking, I never wanted to stop being social. This is because I am such a social person, that I refuse to give up this part of myself when I’m prepping. I also know that even though I want to be out with my friends, I will never sacrifice myself or my goals. THIS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE! IT’S NOT EASY TO DO, AND DON’T FEEL BAD IF YOU AREN’T ABLE TO BE AS SOCIAL ON A DIET!! IT’S NOT WORTH PUTTING YOURSELF THROUGH STRESS AND SOCIAL PRESSURES IF YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T HANDLE IT! DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO STICK TO YOUR GOALS! NEVER SACRIFICE YOURSELF AND YOUR HAPPINESS OVER THINGS LIKE BEER AND WINGS… IF YOUR FRIENDS ARE YOUR FRIENDS, THEY WILL UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN’T COME OUT AS MUCH BECAUSE YOU’RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE A SPECIFIC GOAL!

However, that being said, it is possible to have a life and still try to lose weight or even just achieve better health. The key is balance, listening to your body, and saying NO to people when it counts. You need to want this goal of yours so much that nothing, absolutely NOTHING can get in your way! But be honest with yourself, do you really want this? Do you want to lose weight? Change your body? Do you want it enough to put in the work that you need to, to earn it? If you don’t want it bad enough it WILL NEVER FUCKING HAPPEN! You will never get the body you want, unless you are willing to put in the hard work and effort it takes to get there. Like I said in my last post, you need to commit to your goals as if you don’t have a choice.

I know it’s hard, it is so hard! And I don’t expect anyone to want to diet like I do for shows, not everyone will be able to do it. But if you want to change your overall lifestyle and health to achieve a healthier body weight/body composition then you can do it! You just need to be committed to it 110% Everyday you need to be committed to your goals, and you need to be consistent. You can’t diet for a couple of days, eat salad, workout, and then blow it all away on the weekend when you go drinking with your friends. You need to be so consistent with your diet by eating clean day in and day out, and working out consistently if you really want to see real results. Treats are only treats if they are treated as such! If you eat cookies with your coffee or tea every night, or if you buy your lunch everyday that’s not a treat! That is part of your regular diet! Even if you just get a donut once a week, it is still part of your regular routine! A treat is something that happens once in a while, something that you earned and won’t regret. Food should be enjoyed, not something that you enjoy for the moment and then punish yourself for afterwards! This is a vicious cycle of food punishment and guilt that will keep you in your fat body forever. This may sound harsh and mean but it’s true. Stop treating yourself like shit, and you won’t feel like shit! Don’t force yourself to eat clean, eat salads, and then go blow it on ice cream. It doesn’t make any sense. Don’t call yourself fat, hate your body, try to change it, and then ultimately go back to your old ways. Notice how I said “try” because trying isn’t doing, this is because you never committed to changing your body and your life. You either make the decision to lead a better life or you don’t. If you’re not willing to cut down your sweets for good, to a level where if you eat them it’s a real treat, then you will never have long-lasting positive change made to your body.

As the saying goes “you are what you eat,” can’t be more true. If you want to feel good in your own skin, and have a healthier body fat percentage, then you need to feed yourself better in order to look better. You need to change the way you talk to yourself, and therefore the way you treat yourself. You need to understand that you can have the body you want, that you deserve it, you deserve to feel sexy and good about yourself. Eating healthier food is not a punishment, it’s not gross, it’s a reward! And the rewards from eating healthy last way longer than how awesome that piece of cheesecake was! Cheesecake tastes and feels good only for the moment that you’re actually eating it, but usually after that you don’t always feel so good, and well if you eat enough of it lol you certainly won’t look good haha But if you eat your veggies, protein, complex carbohydrates etc you will not only feel good long-term, you will start looking better, which will have you feeling better. If you start to feel better and look better, you start treating yourself better, and you will therefore take better care of yourself. Maybe even take more selfies? lol But seriously if you feel hot you want to show it off, and people will notice and will give you positive reinforcement, which will only encourage you to do more of the healthy stuff… Isn’t that enough to make it worth it? Pictures of you looking hot, feeling amazing, last way longer than desert, and so do the memories and the feelings associated with that.

So, if you want to lose weight and still have a life here are my rules that you need to follow in order to do so. These will only work if you’ve committed to making this lifelong change of feeling and looking better.

1. Meal Prep! Always make sure that no matter where you’re going you have food packed and ready to go for the day. Whether you’re going to work, or running errands all day, you never want to be stuck without food. If you want to be successful at anything, you need to be prepared to be successful. This is why meal prep is so important! If you pack your meals and bring them with you wherever you go, you are never stuck getting random food from the drive-thru. You will always know what you’re eating. You can’t expect to lose weight if you’re not prepared with the tools to do so! No matter where I’m going I always have food packed, weighed and measured. Obviously my food prep is a lot more strict because I do shows, but eating a quest bar on the go is much better than eating a bagel. People will make fun of you for bringing your food everywhere, but who cares, your ass looks better than theirs 😛 haha remember that! I have eaten before going to the bar in my car, I brought my lunch box to the mall, 0 fucks given over here cause I know that eating my healthy packed food will have me saving $$ and my booty by staying consistent with my nutrition.
2. Eat every 2-3 hours! Eat consistently and don’t skip meals!! This ties in well with making sure you always have food with you so you’re not stuck somewhere starving! If you’re starving you will most likely over eat later to make up for it. Staying fueled throughout the day will help keep you from hitting the 3/4 o’clock wall, where you crash and feel exhausted. This will help keep your metabolism going, keep you energized, and full.
3. Eat protein! Make sure you have a protein source in every meal! So many people don’t eat enough! It is so important, especially if you’re working out! Protein is important in the growth and maintenance of muscle, it is also the slowest burning fuel source for your body, so it will keep you feeling fuller for longer. Most people eat way too many carbs and not enough protein, this is why a lot of us are soft and chubby.
4. Eat as clean and as unprocessed as possible. Dieting and eating healthy does not need to be complicated. You don’t need crazy bars or shakes etc Eat your veggies, protein (eggs, egg whites, chicken, fish), fruits, and complex carbs like oats and you’re golden! Stupid shit like thinsations are empty calories, that don’t even fill you up anyway! Why? Because they’re not whole foods. Eat real food and you will feel and look better, simple as that!
5. Treats are once in a blue moon. Treats are foods that are high in fat and sugar. Choose your treats wisely, and enjoy them! Just don’t eat a treat all the time. Follow the first 4 rules, and keep treats to a minimum and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t lose weight and feel good! Alcohol is a treat, cookies, boxed foods, chocolate. Stay away from it all!!

If you still feel lost, if you need more support and guidance, or if you really want to take your body to the next level of lean then ask a professional for help! Find a good trainer, coach, or dietician/nutritionist and learn about food and macro-nutrients. Do your own research! Take control of your body and your health! Stop crying about it and change it! Be committed, stay consistent and you will be successful! If you follow these 5 rules no matter what you’re doing, you will see lasting changes in your body. But it takes work, and time to meal prep, grocery shop etc. However, it is so worth it!