Happy New Year!
If you gained some weight over the holidays, please:
- do NOT enroll in a diet challenge
- do NOT start doing tons of cardio to burn tons of calories
- do NOT slash your calories and carbs
I don't blame you for enjoying the holidays. But that doesn't mean you need to punish yourself with a hellacious diet and exercise regime.
If you have started a diet challenge, then ask yourself this: "is what I'm currently doing something I can see myself doing 6 years from now?" If the answer is NO, then STOP what you are doing right meow!
Here's my advice:
Stop over-indulging "Holiday Style" and resume your normal patterns.
I speak from experience:
I'm a retired fitness model. I used to diet and exercise to lose fat, but this approach turned me into a yo-yo dieter. It was a numbers game of calories in and calories out. I was only eating 1200 calories a day, less than 30 grams of carbs a day, and I was doing 60 minutes of cardio a day. I lost muscle mass, my period and my self-confidence. My goal was to weigh 120 pounds (I'm 5'6"), and I had to starve myself to make that happen. But I couldn't maintain my results because I couldn't maintain the strictness of the regimen. Sadly, I let my bathroom scale dictate my daily mood and self-worth.
Hindsight is 20/20. At the time, I didn't realize I was trapped in a vicious cycle. Eventually, I hit rock bottom, and admitted to myself that I had completely "f😮cked myself up". I realized I needed to STOP what I was doing and start doing the complete opposite. And that is how I "unf😮cked myself".
Today, I do not diet. I eat 2000 calories a day and over 200 grams of carbs a day. I do not exercise to burn calories. Instead, I train to get stronger and fitter. My results are stable. Actually, I keep getting stronger and more chiselled. It's the first time in my life that I don't worry about food, my weight, or burning calories. I stopped approaching food and exercise as a way to achieve an ideal aesthetic. Instead, I use food to fuel my body so I can get stronger and fitter. Ironically, my physique has never looked better.
I'm not the same person I was back then. Today, I'm mentally and physically strong. I'm confident and capable. I'm proud of the person I have become, and I'm excited to be able to help others
"unf😮ck themselves".
Here's my transformation: 120 lbs (starving myself) and 140 lbs (becoming a badass). See! Gaining weight is cool! It's very obvious that I'm leaner, even though I gained 20 pounds. That's muscle! Muscle is the secret to shedding fat. But you can't grow muscle if you are starving your body. You also can't grow muscle if all you do is calorie-burning cardio. In fact, I wrote article on this called: "You Can't Out-Diet Your Training Regimen".
I'm really proud of my TeamSS members who have had the courage to do the polar opposite of what they have always done. I get choked up when I read these:
Restricting calories and carbs, and exercising to burn calories always comes back to bite you in the 🍑. So don't do it this January.
If you want a maintainable solution, or if you need to "unf😮ck yourself", then I'm your girl! I can teach you:
✅how to eat like a "normal person" (it's not a restrictive diet, you can eat in restaurants and enjoy holiday dinners).
✅how to add calories and carbs back into your diet (this is for people who aren't eating enough calories and carbs).
✅how to stop bingeing
✅how to break up with dieting and exercising
✅how to enjoy treats without feeling guilty (the 80/20 rule)
✅how to fuel your body so it can perform
✅how to eat to suit your eating personality and schedule
✅how to do flexible dieting and intermittent fasting
✅how to add calories and carbs back into your diet (this is for people who aren't eating enough calories and carbs).
✅how to stop bingeing
✅how to break up with dieting and exercising
✅how to enjoy treats without feeling guilty (the 80/20 rule)
✅how to fuel your body so it can perform
✅how to eat to suit your eating personality and schedule
✅how to do flexible dieting and intermittent fasting
