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I get A LOT of inquiries for Macro Calculations from women who are in a healthy weight range and BMI but looking to lose body fat. They are looking for guidance because they believe that to lose body fat they need to lose weight and adjust their nutrition. But after taking a look at their fitness history I typically end up recommending to them that they actually focus more on switching up their training to lose body fat vs going in a calorie deficit. And let me explain why by using the example of myself above:

There’s 10 months between these photos but my weight is the same at 125 lbs. Left/Purple swimsuit pics are from December 2016 and right/coral & striped bottom swimsuit pics are from September 2017. On the left I was doing excessive cardio and low calorie, now I do progressive strength training, minimal cardio, and eat to fuel my body. A change in my training and eating habits caused a total body recomposition for me. I worked hard both physically and mentally for this, and I’m feeling pretty proud.

The left photo is about month after I got my “goal weight” which was 123 lbs. For reference, I’m 5’5, and for me to get to 123 in a short amount of time (I had lost a total of 39 lbs) I was doing spin classes 10 times a week and eating under 1,000 kcal a day, I thought that this was the only way for me to get to my goal weight. I had started my weight loss journey at 162 lbs and was lifting weights, and loved  that I was gaining muscle and feeling confident and strong. I was eating about 1,500 calories a day of only clean foods because I thought that it was the only way for me to get to my goal weight.  After losing about 25 lbs I had believed that in order for me to continue to get to my goal weight I had to stop strength training, increase cardio, and drastically reduce my calories. I got to my goal weight, but at what cost? I had chased the scale to get to 123 and even lost a few lbs of muscle I had been proud to put on.

I was then at my goal weight but living an unsustainable lifestyle to stay at it. I tried to keep up with the cardio and eating “clean” and low calorie, but would find myself binging on the weekends and then feeling guilty about it and doing more cardio. It was a vicious cycle and during the process (for whatever reason) I took the picture on the left at 125. 10 months later I’m sitting at the same weight but looking very different with the reason being that I’m 3% less in body fat now, and that is due to dropping cardio, incorporating progressive strength training, and eating  enough to properly fuel my body.

Through this process I have not only become stronger physically by gaining muscle but mentally by having a better relationship with my body and food. While I use the scale as a measurement, I do not rely on the number for my happiness and self worth.

I’m sharing this to show that there can be a BIG difference between weight loss and fat loss, and how those strategies can actual also benefit your Mental and Social health as well as your physical health!

Weight loss can happen through just eating less than burning. But True FAT LOSS happens with progressive training and eating to fuel the body to run properly so that it can build muscle and burn fat!

My goal hadn’t necessarily been to get back to this weight, but to get stronger and leaner while eating more. I’m sharing this to show that there can be a big difference between weight loss and fat loss. Weight loss can actually happen pretty quickly and simply by depleted muscle stores and losing water weight through detoxs, cleanses, and fasts; but it will quickly come back once calories are reintroduced. And when this happens people can get extremely discouraged because they think they failed at being able to keep the weight they lost off. But the truth is that those methods used are not sustainable for life, so they can set someone up for failure and unrealistic diet expectations.

True fat loss happens with progressive training and eating to the body to run properly so that it can build muscle and burn fat. I should note that I did have to gain some weight (fat and muscle) I got up to 131 lbs, which happened through trying to find balance after my drastic dieting phase by doing a reverse diet and then lean bulk which allowed me to eat more in order to more easily do a mini-cut to lose more body fat and get to this leaner look.

It’s all a process and it can be complicated, but to me it’s worth it. I think it shows that true changes happen with hard work and patience, and that ultimately there are NO quick fixes that lead to LASTING RESULTS!

Here’s some progress photos from clients who have experienced the amazing process of losing body fat without losing a lot of weight! Your body can thrive when it’s balanced and well fed! These women felt discouraged with the scale but amazed with their fat loss and body composition results!

Looking for guidance in reaching your fitness goals?  Contact me below and tell me about your goals! Let’s work together to build a body you love!

Left is from April 11th, 2017 and right is May 13th, 2017 4 weeks apart with a 4 lb and 450 calorie difference…what’s the best part? That I increased my calories AND went down in weight 👏💪👍 Left 131 lbs eating 1350 calories and right 127 lbs eating 1800 calories

Building lean muscle with my reverse diet has been my main goal, but ummm also me wanting to be able to eat a lot more without gaining weight has been an amazing goal I’ve been tackling!! The pictures may not look too different but the way I feel and my strength in the gym has been amazing! Being able to eat more has been awwesomeeeee  because 1) I’m SUCH a foodie just give me all the foods!!!! 😛😛 and 2) more food with more carbs has given me so much more energy to put into my workouts to build more lean muscle! I’ve cut back on HIIT cardio to once every 1-2 weeks depending on my body’s reaction to more calories, but I know that putting in the work to build more muscle is what’s going to get me leaner than cardio ever will 💪👌🙌

The 3rd reason that adding in calories has been great is that I am feeling less stressed about going out to eat wth friends and family m. Having more calories to play with definitely allows for more flexibility and this keeps me soooo happy ❤️

Knowing that I can have fun foods 🍟🍔🍩🍰🍺🍷, incorporated with my healthy and nutrient dense foods 🍊🍌🍓🥝🥑🥒🥔🍳🍞, and I WILL NOT gain weight as long as I stay within my macronutrient goals has been mind blowing!! This balance with my nutrition has been such an amazing breath of fresh air compared with all of the other fad diets that just aren’t sustainable.

If you count macros and haven’t changed them in a while I encourage you to play with them! I was SO nervous about gaining weight so I started off slow by adding in an extra 5-10g of carbs every 2 weeks, at first I went up a pound because my body was holding on to more water from the extra carbs. But after a week or so the scale started to go down so then I got more aggressive with adding in more calories and carbs 🙌🙌🙌 Because like really who doesn’t want to eat more food?!