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10 Cooking Tips To Make Every Dish Calorie Friendly!

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1. Opt. for a Leaner Protein Option:

Choosing protein sources with a lower fat content is a quick way to save on a ton of calories! By doing this you are getting more high quality protein per serving as well! 

Example: Switch out chicken thighs for chicken breast.

4oz thigh: 10g fat and 19 protein

4oz breast: 3g fat 24g protein

This can be done with ground beef and turkey, opting for 93% fat free and above. Pork tenderloin is just about as lean as chicken breast versus the pork chop or roast and a sirloin tip steak is the leanest choice with the top round steak and eye of round steak in line next! White fish, lobster and shrimp are all great options for high protein and little to no fat! 

2. Switch out Egg Whites for Whole eggs:

Although the egg yolk can be nutritious, it also double the calories of the egg! If you love eggs for breakfast, try using one yolk plus just the whites of a few more eggs or buy organic egg whites in the carton. When baking or cooking, eggs are often used to bind cassaroles, baked goods, etc. It never hurts to omit the egg yolk from the recipe- the egg will still do it’s job and cut way down on calories! 

3. Cut Down on Oils and Butter!

Let’s be real, most recipes don’t need nearly as much as they call for! We almost always use half, or less the amount called for in the recipe and when making your own, only use it where it’s really needed! 

Example: Recipe calls to cook your chicken in 2T olive oil.. is this really needed? Try cutting down to 1 or less! We promise your chicken will still be cooked, and delicious! 

4. Use the Good Stuff, Just Use Less!

Leading off of number 3, controlling portions is key. While “non-fat,” “low-fat” and “sugar-free” are great options to have once in a while, when we are looking at what’s truly good for your health and serves your goals simultaneously, we recommend skipping the chemicals, but controlling your portions. The “free” of fat and sugar options are actually much less satiating and can lead to over-eating at times. Example, using an organic  heavy cream in your coffee BUT just 1T rather than 3+ T of low or non-fat, sugar free creamer is going to be the better option. In the end the calories end up being similar, but it’s better for your health! Same goes for using honey versus sugar-free syrup or full fat, or a little more fat yogurt versus 0%. Just remember, portion control is king! Your taste buds and health will thank you!

5. Veggie Noodles and Rice!

This is becoming pretty common to see in recipes and can be an easy switch to lower carbs and calories. If you don’t have something at home that can make veggies into noodle form- you must get one! A spiralizer like this ONE, or a kitchen aid attachment like this one. They can easily make carrots, beets, zuchinni, yellow squash or butternut squash into noodle form! Cook them up into your favorite noodle dish for a much lower calorie option and packed with more micronutrients! Riced cauliflower can easily replace regular rice for a lower carb option as well! Don’t want to completely give up your real pasta or rice? Try mixing half and half for the best of both worlds! 

6. Spice, Spice, Spice It Up! 

Adding various spices and herbs to your dishes can make all the difference in the world. Cooking with fresh garlic, basil, thyme and rosemary to name a few, is a great way to add flavor without adding the calories. We also love spice blends, like ones from Trader Joes: Everything but the Bagel, Chili Lime, 21 Salute Seasoning and onion salt to easily add excitiment to your meal! 

7. Get Saucy!

Sauces are a quick way to nearly double the calories of a meal! If you are a sauce person, keeping calories under control can be more challenging. A few ways we like to enjoy sauces without using up half our daily calories are: 

-Low sugar ketchup (20 cals per 2T)

-Mustard (0 cals!)

–Cocunut Aminos (lots of flavor less calorie and sodium than soy sauce)

-Hot Sauce (packed with flavor, 0 cals!)

-Salsa (20 cals per 2T)

-Subbing greek yogurt as a cream base for dips- just add seasonings! 

-Making your sauces at home! This way you have much more control of what goes in them and will often get even more flavor without all the added sugar, chemicals and uncecessary fats! 

8. Re-evaluate Your Buns!

For your burger that is… or sandwhich or wrap! Luckily, with all the options we have available out there, it’s easy to make a delicious, lower carb/ calorie sandwhich, burger or wrap. Use a lettuce wrap (or just turn it into a salad!), thin-sliced bread (we love Dave’s Killer thin slice!), low- carb tortilla’s for wraps or coconut wraps for a nice change up! Same goes for pizza, there are a lot of options out there for a calorie-friendly pizza crust like Flat Out. 

9. Lighten Up Your Sweet Tooth!

We will never tell you to give up your dessert… that would be well, just wrong! A common battle people face in nutrition is the dreaded sweet tooth… you can kill it in your nutrition all day and then that post-meal sweet demon comes creepin’ in! This is where having something on hand that will bring you satisfaction but not throw you off your tracks is key! 

Eating dessert that is laden with processed ingredients and sugar is bound to snowball. Sugary foods are addicting and will only leave you wanting more. Instead, using high quality ingredients like coconut sugar, monk fruit erythritol, 70+% dark chocolate, real fruit (dried or fresh), coconut and almond milk are just some ingredients you can use as a base to making some really awesome desserts. Again, eating a smaller portion of these with leave you more satisfied than processed, packaged, refined sugar treats!

A few sites we love with some great recipes: Love and Lemons, Skinny Taste, PaleOMG

10. Whole Foods Always Win!

When following a flexible eating style plan, it gives you the freedom to eat virtually whatever you please. Want a salad? Fit it in! Want a donut? Fit it in! Want a pizza? Fit it in! However, we always recommend filling your daily calories with majority whole foods. Whole foods will actually keep you from over eating. They will satisfy you much longer and in turn, naturally control calories. Even if we fit in more processed, packaged foods into our daily macros, we are still running a higher chance of being left unsatisfied, having poor digestion, more cravings and feeling the urge to eat more even if we aren’t truly in need of more caloires. So remember, majority whole foods with a sprinkle of indulgences here and there! 

There are always ways to make small adjustments in our days to make healthier choices! Even when cooking for a family, we can easily switch out ingredients here or there to tailor it to our needs! If you ever want specific help with your diet and how to make switches in your day, never hesitate to reach out and we are happy to dig deeper to help you! 

Happiest of New Years!

Love,

Katy

Liese: 3 Years of Hard Work= Results!

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Liese originally started working with us at the very beginning of Flex Fuel, over 3 years ago! She has been through multiple cuts and bulks, diet breaks, refeeds, intuitive eating and has worked to learn more about her mind and body every step of the way. She started in 2015 at 118 lbs, 18% body fat and 96 lbs of lean mass. A year later, after working hard in the gym and going through a cut and a reverse, she stayed the same weight but dropped down to 12.5% body fat and 103lb lean body mass! About another year later, continuing to phase through nutritional periodization she bumped up to 120 lbs but down to 10% bodyfat and 108 lbs lean mass. Now, after years of hard work she sits at 125 lbs 12% body fat and 110lbs of lean body mass and has found a place where she is comfortable and happy to maintain.

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We want to show you this progression because it’s taken time, it’s taken consistency, it’s taken hard work and it’s taken her constantly evaluating what she wants, what’s important to her what her goals are. Achieving performance and aesthetic goals in a healthy way takes TIME. We live in an instant gratification era and often times if we don’t get results fast enough it’s easy to become impatient and jump to extremes. Building lean muscle is ideal because the more muscle you have, the more fat you will naturally burn at rest! We originally started her at 1900 calories and throughout the process, she now currently sits at about 2100 calories for maintenance.

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NAME: Liese Nieman 

AGE: 37

What led you to Flexible Dieting/FF?:

oh man loaded question here.  Well I originally started with Katy before FF was even FF, an original OG. But I started because I wanted to learn how to properly fuel my crossfit workouts and at the time my running

What do you do you stay active?:

crossfit 4-5x a week,  a mom and also spend many weekends with my family either in the woods or on the water hunting and fishing

What has been your biggest challenge throughout this process?:

learning to let go of the scale. Since I spent most of my 3 years with Katy trying to actively gain muscle,  the scale should move.  That doesn’t always mean my brain understood that.  Once I let that go, it was amazing the progress that was made

What has been your biggest success?:

Too many to mention but I would have to say freedom. Freedom to know that I have the tools to either count macros myself, intuitively eat or just even just take some time off and know that I can come back and be right where I left off

What do you like most about flexible eating?:

That it’s flexible! I have the room to eat things I wanted and never feel deprived. One day I could eat completely clean and hit my macros,  the next day might have been a little different and had more treats and still hit my macros.  

What is your favorite treat to fit into your macros?:

chocolate,  I don’t think I’ve ever went a day without some sort of chocolate.  I always said I wouldn’t give up my treats and I never have.  

Macro hack?:

hmmmm that’s a hard one! I’m not sure. Eat all the veggies and save the carbs for treats 

What do you like most about having a nutrition coach?:

everything! Katy is amazing,  she is always there for me no matter what. She has talked me down a million times from mental breakdowns,  been there for me everytime I needed to vent about life , supported me at each and everything I have done..She isn’t just my nutrition coach, she is a life long friend

 

Would you recommend FF to someone? 

of course I would! I think anyone and everyone could benefit from the knowledge both Katy and Mal have. I know they have both helped change my life and the way I see myself and food. I hope that anyone who has been on fence reads this and takes that leap and trusts them . I promise you, it will be worth it 

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Performance Wins:

 

    • 18# Bench Press PR in last 6 months!

 

    • 20 RM Backsquat at 170# (220# 1 RM)

 

    • SUPER Close to a ring muscle up!

 

    • Consistently able to hit desired weights in the gym and feeling good in performance!

 

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We are so proud of you Liese, thank you for all of your hard work and trust! We can’t wait to see what you accomplish in the future!

 

 

Get To Know Us and Follow Our Journey! Part 1- Katy’s Story

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Mallory and I want to take you through our personal journey’s heading into Summer and answer all of these questions and more! We have both periodized our nutrition properly throughout the year, are ending a maintenance phase focusing on performance and are now ready to cut back a bit, get ready for the sunny months (we have to take full advantage of them here in WA!) and lean down a bit!  

Is this process always easy? Of coarse not! If it was, everyone would breeze right through it (but we know you CAN do it too!)!

Are we going to be perfect every day? We are human- heck no!

Will the process test our self control, will power and be a rewarding challlenge? YES! 

Make sure you follow us on social media because we will both be posting all about our day to day- how we eat, how we are feeling, what challenges we come across and how we handle it all! If you are in the same phase, this will be a great way to learn, ask questions, have added support and stay motivated… and even keep us accountable and motivated! If you aren’t in this phase, it’s likely you will be at some point, so soak it all in! 

Instagram:

@mallorylong_flexfuel

@katymurray_flexfuel

@flexfuel.nutrition

Facebook:

Katy Murray

Mallory Long

Flex Fuel

Let us know and we will add you to our private, members only Flex Fuel Facebook group! 

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This week, im going to tell you a little bit about me, Katy, and my journey to where I am today with my nutrition! Mallory and I want to get to know you guys, we want to build relationships and in order to do that, we believe we should be transparent and open about ourselves! It’s always a little scary opening up and telling the world about  yourself, but we hope in doing so, we can help others in some way. Always know we strive to be open, honest and want to communicate with you guys- never be afraid to shoot us a message, we are just like you:)

So, here I go! Im going to try and tell you my story without rambling TOO much! 

Just to touch on my life growing up, I was a lucky girl. I have an amazing family, I have one older sister (yes, we love each other but also had a good number of  knock down drag outs) and two parents that have been nothing but supportive my entire life. I tried different sports growing up, but never really excelled in any of them. I could hold my own but I was far from a star athlete. I was attracted to more indiviual sports like gymnastics and track. I was in gymnatics through the majority of my childhood and I still attribute my athleticism today to having that base. 

When it came to eating habits in our home, again, I was lucky that I grew up with a pretty good sense of balance. My mom cooked often, we had good meals, got in our veggies and usually had breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sure, we had pizza and TGIF marathons on Friday nights, we had dessert after dinner from time to time and mac n cheese for dinner on a busy night, but as a whole, I think I grew up with a good idea of what healthy eating looked like. We played outside often and stayed active and had to “eat 10 more bites (or however old we were)” of our veggies before we could leave the table. However, I do believe that even if you are or are not raised with a healthy mindset around food, you will slowly develop your own habits and relationship with food over time.

Looking back now, I definitely had a skewed relationship with food, to a point. It wasn’t anything severe, but I did develop some unhealthy habits. I remember sitting at lunch in high school, eating a LUNA bar and picking at it slowly, taking forever to eat it because that’s all I would allow myself because the day before I ate a Frito pie (yum)! All through high school, I could put down a lot of food and still stay small, but it would be a battle of eating a big, “bad” meal and then eating like a bird for several days because I felt guilty about it. I was super small in high school, yet I rarely saw myself that way. Later in high school and into college, I took to running. I was notorious for eating something I felt bad about, like a huge ass meal at Olive garden or a bunch of sweets, then I would go run miles and miles to “run it off.” I lived in Portland, OR where I went to cosmetology school and lived off of Special K cereal, non fat milk, yogurt and toast for breakfast. I did fall into the trap of “non-fat or low-fat” was the healthier option, when in reality it was giving me no real nutrient value. I would still try to “run it off” when I felt like I ate too much and I remember trying to do a couple cleanses as well, but could never stick to them because, well, they were miserable, haha! Regardless, I never quite felt like my body was good enough and I identified way too much with my physical appearance.

I was never over weight, but I constantly felt inflammed, unhealthy and I knew I could feel better than I did, I just didn’t know how. Once I lived back at home, of coarse I went through a phase where there was too much alcohol consumed in my early twenties and although I did slowly start to develop some better habits, eating more balaned meals, I often under ate in fear of gaining. I came across Crossfit in 2010 and that’s when everything started to take a shift. As most of you know, Paleo was deemed the main diet of Crossfit (this is now slowly changing thank goodness!), so naturally I hopped on that train! I got my CF Level 1 and began instructing. I have always had a love for helping others so, doing hair I got to help others feel good and through Crossfit I could do the same! My boyfriend started the Crossfit gym in our town and I helped alongside him. We started holding Paleo challenges, 30 days of coarse and yes, it was a great way to eat cleaner and healthier! I was probably 80% Paleo but of coarse ate almond butter like it was my job and had no sense of portion control! Eating this way, I still had had a level of imbalance in my diet, I would often be super strict during the week, then go buck wild and eat all the cake or whatever “bad” food I was craving on the weekend. Paleo evolved into Whole30, which was even more strict! I remember one time I was about to start the Whole30 so as one last hoorah, I bought a big pack of fresh baked Safeway M&M cookies and I don’t even want to say how many I ate!

Screwed up way of viewing food, ya think? I do love the Paleo and Whole30 diets because they are an amazing way to clean up your eating habits and make sure you are eating whole foods and I still use many principles from those diets to this day. However, when it comes to portion control and fueling any kind of higher intensity workout, they fall short. I started competing in Crossfit in 2012 and it was a blast, I was immediately addicted to the rush of it all and pushing myself to my limits. However, although I was eating clean I was by no means fueling to compete. At many, many of my competitions, I remember getting halfway through the day and just being tanked, not even wanting to finish it out because my energy was so shot. I’d go to dinner after and be so depleted, I wanted to eat all the food  and at the same time it would kind of make me sick because my body was just shot. I would be so delirious after a day of competing because I was working so hard all day, sometimes multiple days and not getting anywhere near the appropriate fuel. Talk about underfed and underfueled! 

The first time I ever reached out to a nutrition coach was when Crossfit Invictus released their nutrition program online. I jumped on it and it was basically structured around the Zone diet. Basically, I still ate paleo with a little more portion control. It taught me a little more balance and what proper portions looked like, but I still wasn’t getting what I needed. Honestly, at this point, I wanted abs. I worked HARD in the gym and it made me mad I couldn’t get a six pack. Yes, my goals were contradicting, I wanted to be shredded and I wanted to win all the Crossfit things, haha, but no one taught me any better at that point. Not long after, I stumbled across another nutrition program that was macro based. I immediately fell in love. I finally felt in control and freedom in my food. I got SHREDDED fast. I was performing well, and we went to Crossfit Regionals on a team that year. There was one problem, I was in a severe deficit, I was uneducated, underfueled and overworked. I felt awesome about my body but over time, it caught up to me. My body was resilient at first but eventually I just thought that feeling of low energy all the time was normal. Being sore 24/7 was normal. Not have a period for over a year was fine because I was “athletic” and I really didn’t know where to go from there. The funny thing is, even at my most shredded moment, I still wasn’t satisfied with my body. I always wanted more.

Once I started educating myself, I stepped away from that program and in the next year that was when Flex Fuel was formed. I didn’t want anyone have to go through that process without being educated and knowing what’s happening with their body. I coached myself for a little while and shortly hired on a Crossfit coach through OPEX. I had switched my goals solely to performance so my coach quickly gave me macros that were super high and, looking back now, a little too high, too fast, but I also believe it was my body’s saving grace. I would have had a hard time making myself do that on my own. I knew being a small athlete I needed to put on weight, but because I jumped from low to high so fast, I did put on a lot of body fat that I wasn’t used to. I did this for a year and had an internal battle the whole time, I felt uncomfortable in my skin, it was a hard year mentally and physically, but I absolutely needed to go through that. I learned SO much about myself in that year as an athlete, a coach and a person. I had trained by myself for hours a day for that entire year and it really taught me a lot. This period of time  allowed my hormones and metabolism to  start to repair themselves and I finally got my period back after almost 2 years. 

That year was a pivotal moment for me, I realized that competing in Crossfit at a higher level was not what I wanted, I wanted to be healthy, feel good in my skin, workout with my friends and just enjoy the sport again, so I closed that chapter. Meanwhile, I had been searching around for someone to be my next nutrition coach, I absolutely love having a coach, I learn more about myself, the process and it helps me makes sure im on the right path with someone guiding me. It can be so easy to make decisions based on temporary feeling or emotion in our personal nutriton journey, so I wanted to find the right fit for me and the next phase. Mallory and I tried to hire each other as coaches- ha!…. best friends and business partners coaching each other just didn’t work! Enter, Jessica. Game changer!

Working with Jessica, I have focused on my health, wellness and mindset around food more than ever. We continued to prioritize my hormones over everything and I finally got my cycle consistently back after almost a two year stretch of it disappearing. Most recently I have gone through the different phases of nutritional periodization and have come to develop the healthiest relationship with food i’ve ever had, learning to love my body at each phase. I’m still learning everyday about the process, about my body and my mind- no matter how experienced we are, we can always learn something new!  Most of all, it’s important to know we are more than just physical beings. Although part of the process is the physical, I truly believe if we focus on the mental and emotional side, the physcial will always follow! 

This time around, my goal is yes, to set a physical challenge for myself to lean down and feel good in that aspect and I always like going through the process just to change things up as well! I also think it’s great for me to experience it for my clients and remember what they are going through in the dieting process. Another major aspect I want to work on and document through this is the mindset piece. Making sure im keeping a healthy mindset and a healthy relationship with food throughout and you can all hold me to it!:)

Each time I go through a different dieting phase, I learn something new about my body, maybe it’s self love at a higher weight, maybe it’s not being so obsessive at a lower weight, maybe it’s not giving a #%$* about my weight at all! Maybe it’s using my experiences to help others but most of all, I just have a burning passion for nutrition, constantly learning about myself, my health and my body. I want to constanly learn and evolve so that I can help others through their journey. 

Love,

Katy

P.S.- Catch us on Facebook like tonight 4/9/18 @ 7pm pst. for an open Q&A!

 

 

 

Dyan- Cut to Maintenance

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We have posted about Dyan previously after she went through a cut phase and achieved some amazing results but what is even better? She has continued to see the process through and although it can be a little nerve wracking after you have worked so hard, to add calories in, she has proven nothing but amazing results! 

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This photo is Dyan’s first phase of cutting.

Going through a cut phase your metabolism can start to adapt to your low calorie intake. It is important to watch for signs of this happening, like slowed progress, changing hunger signals, low energy, low sex drive and mindset changes. It is most important to create a nutrition program for each individual that is going to create longevity and something that they can mentally and physically stick to for the long term. 

Dyan cut as low as 1580 calories (with a few high days in the week) and now we have her close to 2000 calories a day! As we have added calories back in she has continued to stay lean and see progress in her performance and energy. This step of the process is crucial and will set her up in an even better place for the next time we move into a cut. 

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This photo is after reversing to maintenance, eating almost 500 calories more a day!

Thank you again Dyan for trusting the process and continuously dedicating yourself, you’re amazing!!

Love, 

Katy

 

Christine C.- Age 46

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The top photo is Christines progress after going through a cut. 

“What a year it’s been. It’s been just about a year and flex fuel has changed my life.  My husband and I have been doing cross fit and we love it.  However my husband really needed a change in his diet so I suggested we start flex fuel.  We jumped right in and committed for six months.  Having the support of my husband, my girls who I workout with and the support of my coach has helped me succeed.  I’ve lost between 10-13 pounds but more importantly inches and toning areas that I never thought would be possible.  There are times when I splurge (Dads weekend, vacations, etc..) but I just get right back to it and never miss a workout, even when I’m on vacation.  You can always fit in a cross fit workout anywhere.  I’ve been a runner for 15+ years and ran between 30-40 miles a week and now I only do cross fit and maybe run 10 miles a week.  This was very hard for me at first but I believe weight training is the key to my success.  I really had to listen to my coach.  She told me I was working out way too hard.  Katy has totally changed the way my husband and I eat and we can still eat the foods we like.  She has been there every step of the way.  She asks me how I’m feeling, changes my numbers in my diet and most of all encourages and pushes me to see the results I want.  I love food and will power is not my strong suit.  But I love working out and seeing results.  This is a way of life for me now.  Here’s to another year!  Thank you so much Katy!”

Christine has made amazing progress, all while enjoying life and finding balance with her nutrition. She is a great example of properly going through a cut and then reversing, adding calories back in after, to make sure she stays healthy and her results are sustainable long term. We are periodizing her nutrition so that she can perform well, create a plan she can adhere to for life, see body composition changes and stay healthy doing it! She has learned that more isn’t always better when it comes to working out and is learning the balance in being active and getting ample rest and recovery. 

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The photo on the left is at the peak of her cut and the photo on the right is after reversing her up to maintenance calories, eating almost 500 calories more a day. 

Christine started in January 2017 and we have worked to find a plan that has allowed her to LIVE! Make sure your nutrition plan is tailored to you and allows you to be flexible! A good plan will not only produce results, but it will produce that will last for a life time!

We are so proud of you Christine! Thank you for being patient, putting in the work and proving that this truly is a lifestyle. The best is yet to come!

Love,

Katy

 

5 Hacks to Stay Satisfied During a Calorie Deficit

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5 Hacks to stay satisfied in a Calorie deficit

We won’t lie, eating at a caloric deficit is not sexy or fun but if your goal is to lose weight or lean down, spending a period of time taking in less calories than you are expending is a must. It will never be as pleasant as getting to eat whatever  you want, but if done correctly, it will yeild results that will last forever 

The feeling of loving yourself in your own skin and knowing you worked your a** off to reach your goal tastes far better than any food that gives temporary satisfaction.

Your diet should not leave a bad taste in your mouth. Sure, there will be challenging times where self control will be tested but it shouldn’t be torture or something you feel you could never do again.

We believe that if you go about losing weight the right way, you will no longer look at the process as impossible.

Clients come to us for many reasons but the most common is to lean down and lose weight. So how do you reach your goals without going mad and raiding the pantry?! We have a few tips that will think change the game, the smallest changes in your diet and lifestyle can put that hungry monster to bed. 

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are the easiest way to get more volume of food for your macros. If you are filling you calories with foods that are rich in micros then you are naturally eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. Veggies will allow you to eat more food per gram than any other food type. If you are eating things like donuts, bread, protein bars, high fat dairy, sweet treats, etc., you will get very little volume of food. Packing in clean, whole foods will not only get you all the vitamins and minerals you need but your body will burn more calories digesting them! Refer to our previous blog post for some comparison examples, https://flexfuellife.com/blog/eat-or-part-2-nutrition-labels-and-serving-sizes . If you implement this first tip, you will immediately feel more satisfied!

H2O

So simple, yet so effective and often overlooked. You have probably heard at some point that dehydration can be mistaken for hunger and it’s true! We give all of our clients a water intake goal and many are shocked at how much they should be drinking. Our bodies need water to hydrate, regulate body temperature, remove toxins and help to metabolize our food, so without water our bodies cannot function at their full potential! When hunger strikes, try drinking a tall glass of water before running to the fridge! Make sure you are spacing your water intake throughout the day, this will keep you more satisfied and make it easier to hit your water goal! 

Variety

Keeping variety in your food choices can be the ticket to staying satisfied and motivated while on a cut. Our bodies need a wide range of nutrients and by interchanging the types of foods we eat, we can be sure to get what our bodies need. It is easy to get in a rut of the same ‘ol foods that we know work and it can lead us down the path of boredom. Start by choosing a protein, carb or fat at each meal to switch up each day and it will be easy to incorporate new foods. Plan one new recipe a week or even hook up with a friend to make macro-friendly dishes you can swap! Macro-free seasongs are also a great way to put a spin on those foods you might be getting tired of! Keep it fresh and new and it’s garunteed to help!

Meal Timing

Making sure your meals are spaced throughout the day and balanced properly are important to keep you satisfied, recover well, keep energy levels up and make sure you are fueled for whatever the day brings. Pre-planning and food prepping for the week can help ensure that you have food through the day, keep meals balanced, aren’t forced to go too long without food or opt for less than ideal options. Talk to your coach about the best way to space your meals and what types of foods to eat to best fit your schedule and lifestyle! 

Volume of Training

This can be a tough one for all you workout junkies. It’s easy to think that more is better when it comes to hitting the gym, but this could actually be holding you back. If you are in a caloric deficit and are training just as hard as you were when you were at maintanence or even a surplus, chances are you are feeling tired, fatigued and/or recovering slower. Be aware of how you are feeling before, during and after workouts and if it is negative, think about pulling back a little bit on training. This does not mean that you have to do anything drastic! Start by lowering weights a little or if you are doing extra work on top of a normal class session, pull back on that. Listen to your body, play around with training volume and see if you notice improvements in mood, energy, performance and/or hunger. If you have a good response, take note of this! Cutting back on training can actually result in positive body comp changes!

If you are on a cut and struggling, go through this list and see if you are hitting all of the points. They may seem simple but they are often the things we so easily overlook and can make life easier if implemented! If you feel you  do all of the above and are continuing to feel negative affects from your diet, talk to your coach! Your diet shouldn’t be torture and if you feel you are going to be unsuccessful, there are always steps you can take to keep positive and find a route that works best for you. 

Remember dieting is not forever! It is a challenge and there will be moments that test you and how bad you want it, but know it’s temporary! Keep a positive mindset and a healthy balance. 

Love,

Katy