Ever feel the rush of motivation after you set a new goal? No matter how lofty, new goals often come with an overwhelming sense that you can take on the world. You’re refreshed and committed, ready to tackle anything that gets in your way!

And then… life happens. Your motivation comes screeching to a halt, and your willpower takes a nose dive!
Nooooo!!!

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to hop from point A to point B without hitting any motivation speed bumps? In reality, maintaining high motivation over the long term is hard.

You will likely experience some lows along the way. What can you do? How can you keep your motivation going as strong as the day you started?

First, you must understand how your habits impact your mindset. The habit loop consists of a cue or reminder, a routine, and a reward.

For any habit you have it starts with something that reminds you to perform a behavior. Once reminded, you carry out the habit in a routine way in order to reach some type of reward.

Example 1: Your alarm goes off at 6:00am for your morning workout (reminder). By 6:30am you’re at the gym for a tough workout (routine). After your workout, you move on with your day feeling energized and fantastic (reward)!

Example 2: You arrive home after a long day at work. You’re starving (reminder)! You immediately reach for any easy-access food in your pantry to nosh on, and easily over eat (routine). The immediate relief of having that snack acts as your reward, but afterward you feel awful. Where in this loop could you intervene to keep yourself on track?

When you understand this loop and each individual component (reminder, routine, reward), you can address each with strategies to keep you mind aligned with your goal.

STRATEGY = ACTION
We love doing and achieving. Developing strategies where we need them most helps keep us on track toward achieving what we set out to do. When you are mindful about your habits and behaviors, you can put effective strategies in place.

Being mindful means you are aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Take the time to “check in” with yourself so that you can better understand your needs, how you operate, and what you should do next. As you develop more self-awareness, your reminders, routines, and rewards become much clearer.

When trying to figure out why your motivation just isn’t there, the very first next step is to stop and assess the situation before making any changes or giving up completely. Ask yourself the following questions to gain more insight.

1. Are there habits that you need to change?

Reminder, routine, reward. Can you identify each of these related to one behavior you need to change? This will help you narrow down what, when, and why your habits are throwing you off course.

2. Are you feeling a lot of life stress?

Sometimes work, social, family, and relationships require a lot more of our physical and mental energy than we think. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider giving one of these areas of life more attention, especially if it needs it. Willpower is a finite resource, and if all your mental energy is going toward one behavior, other behaviors can suffer.

3. Are your work, life, nutrition and training schedules too much to try to balance?

Do you know what time of day you have the most mental energy, or the most physical energy to train? Can you split your workouts so you’re spending less time in the gym? Can you prepare your meals in a more efficient way? Work on your time management skills to maximize your time and minimize the effort!

4. Is your training aligned with your goals?

Are you training to maintain your physique in a sustainable way for long-term fitness and health? Are you actively committed to losing body fat? Training can vary based on how much mental energy, flexibility, and rigidity you need to address different goals.

5. Do you have enough time to recover, feel good, and have productive training sessions?

Is it possible that you could you be overtrained or under recovered? If so, it may be wise to take a de-load week,
and reduce your volume, intensity, or both. You should also consider prioritizing sleep and restorative movement over highly intense workouts for a period of time until you feel like getting after it again.

6. Are expecting too much from yourself?

Are you frequently shaming yourself, telling yourself that you’re a failure or not good enough? It could be possible that your goals and expectations are very ambitious and not quite appropriate for your current ability level, time availability, or any number of other reasons.

You might benefit from evaluating your current reality and revising those goals. Sounds crazy, but setting some attainable goals creates habits of success!

Set the bar appropriately low and meet it 90% (or more!) of the time. This ensures you’re on the right track, and positively reinforces what you do well. Magic is in the mundane, and doing the little things will have big impact over time!

7. Is your self-talk negative?
Thoughts are things. The way you think about, talk to, and see yourself absolutely affects the results you’re able to achieve.

Instead of focusing on the negative, cultivate a positive mindset by practicing gratitude and giving yourself praise for the things that you do well. Give yourself some wiggle room for imperfection.

8. What’s your “why” factor for achieving the goal you set?
Understanding on a very deep level why you want to change will help you tap into why you put in the effort. Why it’s worth it to you. At times, we all feel insecure about any number of things: our appearance, our jobs, our relationships, and other areas of our lives.

Digging into why you do the things you do, what outcomes you really want to achieve, and discovering what is getting in the way will help you prioritize what is truly the most important goal on your horizon.

CHECK AND RE-CHECK
Asking yourself some tough questions might provide insight that can help you stay motivated over the long term.

Motivation and willpower will wane, and that’s totally normal. You don’t just set a goal and go. Motivations change. Even goals can change. Checking in with yourself and consistently re-evaluating your next will help you stay on track toward your goals.

Love yourself and continue to push yourself to greatness.

Push through the pain. Greatness is within us all.

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie. NY

References:

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/maintaining-motivation-without-willpower

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/tips/motivation/think-yourself-slim/

http://danielplan.com/healthyhabits/maintainyourmotivation/

The post What To Do When Willpower Isn’t Enough appeared first on .

It’s the trend that just won’t die. Have a few conversations at a few parties, and you’ll get an earful about how consuming carbs will inevitably lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, double chins, double bellys and, ultimately, death. Carb phobia is even more pervasive among active women. Men say I cant eat carbs. I blow up. Women say I cant eat carbs I gain weight. I cant eat, I do cardio for hours and hours and still don’t loose weight!!!!

This is a shame, because in my experience, active women and men have the least to gain by going low-carb—and the most to lose. Carbs also provide many benefits, particularly to those who train with intensity. Like me

The key is to know the difference between different types of carbs and when to consume them. Here are six reasons you shouldn’t fear carbs, and my personal tips on what you should do to get the most from this maligned macronutrient. So sip on those BCAAs and enjoy the following tips.

1 CARBS CAN FUEL INTENSE TRAINING

Intense training leads to immense gains. But you can’t have a dance party without any dancers—and carbs are, without a doubt, the partiers of your body. They provide most of the energy you need to really dial it up, and without them, intensity quickly becomes misery. Cutting carbs too severely can leave you feeling lethargic, perhaps even miserable.

INTENSE TRAINING LEADS TO IMMENSE GAINS. BUT YOU CAN’T HAVE A DANCE PARTY WITHOUT ANY DANCERS—AND CARBS ARE, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE PARTIERS OF YOUR BODY.

To have enough fuel to light up your workouts, I recommend drinking a shake with protein and powdered carbohydrates before or during your workouts. Another tried-and-true approach is to eat a small meal of carbs such as potatoes or yams an hour or so before training.

However you get them, consuming carbs during this window will help power you to better workouts.

2 CARBS HELP SPARE PROTEIN FOR BUILDING MUSCLE

One thing you may not know about protein is that it can be converted into blood glucose. I said “can be,” not “should be.” In fact, the last thing you want is for valuable protein to undergo this conversion because there aren’t adequate carbs around. Sure, you might lose some weight, but much of it will be from a loss of muscle. You need to have a lot of muscle mass to make a long-term, low-carb diet worth the effort.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to consume an adequate amount of carbohydrates each day. I recommend about 2 grams per pound of body weight when the goal is to maintain body weight or add muscle, and closer to 1 gram per pound when dieting.

I usually eat the majority of my carbs at two times: around workouts and when I’m really hungry. When I’m hungry, I eat fibrous veggies in big servings.

So unless you have a very good reason to do it, think twice.

3 VEGGIES PROVIDE YOUR BODY WITH CRUCIAL MICRONUTRIENTS
I have a rule about diet plans: If it recommends you cut out all carbs, including vegetables, don’t follow it—ever!

While most versions of what people call the paleo diet includes fibrous vegetables, other diets recommend cutting even highly nutritious carbohydrates. Even if you’re not cutting them out entirely, you’re often limiting them or weighing them out using complicated ratios.

Limiting fibrous veggies is for the birds! Aside from being filling, these are among the best sources of many vitamins and minerals. Your body needs these micronutrients to fight free radicals, the damaging chemicals caused by stressors such as intense training.

I HAVE A RULE ABOUT DIET PLANS: IF IT RECOMMENDS YOU CUT OUT ALL CARBS, INCLUDING VEGETABLES, DON’T FOLLOW IT—EVER!
Your sweat carries away vital minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium when you work out, all of which are needed for growth, recovery, exercise performance, and overall health.

4 CARBS PROVIDE FIBER FOR ENHANCED HEALTH AND FITNESS
Regardless of whether your current goal is building muscle mass or losing fat, you need fiber—and plenty of it.

Fiber not only helps improve overall health, it also fills your stomach (and your toilet) and provides satiety between meals. It’s crucial for building and maintaining a healthy environment in your gut, as well—all of those healthy microbes eat fiber, too!

While you can take fiber supplements, they’re not a suitable replacement for the fiber you get from whole foods. In addition to fruits and vegetables, eat enough root vegetables, beans and legumes, and nuts and seeds. This is non-negotiable!

5 CARBS BOOST POST-WORKOUT RECOVERY
So you consumed enough carbs that you felt great going into your workout. Long story short, you crushed it—and now you feel crushed!

This is when more carbs can help you. Insulin gets a bad rap these days, but the truth is that at certain times, it definitely has its uses. For instance, post-workout, the insulin that gets released in response to the carbs you eat acts as an anabolic hormone, helping to drive protein to muscle tissue for better growth and faster recovery. This is why bodybuilders often consume sugar after they work out.

You don’t have to go that far, but you should definitely refill your carb tank with glycogen—the form of sugar your body stores up for energy—after depleting it through hard training. After all, you still have to make it through the rest of your day and to your next workout!

6 CARBS ARE DELICIOUS

This is news to nobody! Aside from what they do for us, carbs are popular because we all love to eat them. Women who train intensely often underestimate this aspect of carb consumption. We often cut carbs too drastically because we love being disciplined in our approach, but we end up feeling awful. Our bodies need to feel good to maximize growth and performance. This isn’t about being miserable!

Of course we’ve all experienced that tasty, regretful evening with Ben, Jerry, and all of their delicious mixed-in friends. Have they helped expand waistlines across the world? Of course! But newsflash: This isn’t the only way to get your carbs.

Consume enough carbs every day to feel good and fuel your body to smash your goals, and it’ll be easier to resist the lure of the freezer case! That’s a win any way you slice it.

But all of this is just advise. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do!

Keep Punching and growing strong,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie NY

The post CARBS FOR THE ATHLETE IN US ALL appeared first on .

You may have heard some variation of this statement before: Your commitment to improved nutrition has to be a total, sustainable lifestyle change. WRONG!!!!

When people say this, they’re often doing it with the best of intentions. They’re trying to make eating better seem easier and more approachable. But what comes across is often the opposite. After all, there are an infinite number of nutrition-related variables you could change, and they would all impact your enjoyment, progress, and willingness to continue.

So let’s break it down and focus on doing fewer things better. Here are four techniques you can use to make real progress without getting overwhelmed.

1 DON’T MICROMANAGE YOUR MACROS

Repeat after me: protein, vegetables, water. If you forget everything else after reading this article, at least remember these three words. They’re the nutritional foundation of fat loss.

Don’t get me wrong—fat has its place, and it’s an important one. But if your goal is to lose weight, eating more protein and vegetables and drinking more water are the priorities. Focus on getting more of all three, and you can solve a lot of problems.

IF YOUR GOAL IS TO LOSE WEIGHT, EATING MORE PROTEIN AND VEGETABLES AND DRINKING MORE WATER ARE THE PRIORITIES. FOCUS ON GETTING MORE OF ALL THREE, AND YOU CAN SOLVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS.

Why u might ask Dear Watson? Let me break it down to you one at a time.

Protein: Aside from its ability to help you add muscle—which, in turn, helps to burn more fat—protein has several other benefits. It is slow to digest, which can help keep you feeling full throughout the day. It also has a high thermic effect, which means your body actually has to burn energy to digest and absorb protein. Yes, you understood that correctly: Protein can help keep you feeling fuller while eating less. To keep calories in check and encourage muscle-building at its highest, I recommend using lean animal proteins a majority of the time.

Veggies: After you’re finished pummeling your protein, it’s time to feast on veggies! Aside from the nutrient density and abundant antioxidants most vegetables have to offer, they also help to promote fullness due to their high water content. Fresh, frozen, or canned, each offers few calories per serving, which leads to larger portions and more fullness without the caloric overload or guilt trip.

Water: With all of the hoopla around macronutrients, it’s easy to forget that water is an essential nutrient, too. After all, we’re at least 70 percent water, which means we’re more water than protein! Aside from the cognitive and performance benefits associated with proper hydration, it’s crucial to drink water consistently throughout the day to further promote fullness, prevent dehydration, and boost recovery from exercise. Of course, this calorie-free fluid also takes up ample space in your stomach, preventing you from trying to fill it with candy and cookies.

These priorities can even extend to the order in which you eat things on your plate. Try filling up on proteins and veggies first, with ample sips of water throughout the meal. If you still have room afterward, that’s when to eat your carbs and fats.

2 FIX ONE MEAL AT A TIME

Look at some fitness-related Instagram feeds, and you might get the impression that you have to prep every meal every day to get results. You don’t.

Identify the one meal that is the most troublesome for you each day. Maybe you often skip lunch because you’re overloaded with meetings and projects all day, or you frequent the fast-food drive-thru for dinner on the reg. Maybe you still eat the breakfast of an overactive 6-year-old, and your wavering energy level throughout the day shows it. Tackle whatever meal gives you the most difficulty in consistently making sound nutritional choices.

First, make a plan. Plot out what you will eat for that specific meal each day of the week. Not just today, or tomorrow—every day of the week. If it’s lunch or dinner, iron out your lean protein and vegetables (and carbohydrates, depending on the meal,) and decide which ones you will include in that meal. Maybe it’s salmon and broccoli tomorrow, and grilled chicken with green beans the next.

Once you’ve got your foods picked, make the meal happen! Carve out the time to cook, portion, and pack the ingredients for this meal for the next few days. I’m not asking you to pack a week’s worth of food, or even a day’s worth—just one single meal per day.

ONCE YOU’VE GOT YOUR FOODS PICKED, MAKE THE MEAL HAPPEN! CARVE OUT THE TIME TO COOK, PORTION, AND PACK THE INGREDIENTS FOR THIS MEAL FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
If you can replace a few fast-food or vending-machine meals each week with some quality protein, vegetables, and water, that’s a big step. You’ll eliminate plenty of excess calories, improve your overall nutrition, and start building the habits that will lead to long-term progress.

3 LOOK FOR SIMPLE SWAPS

Steps 1 and 2 can be game-changers on their own, so by all means start there. Then, turn to the other caloric black holes that might be hiding in your life.

These don’t always have to be attacked with the wholesale “replace a meal with a different meal” approach. Often, a simple ingredient swap can boost your intake of healthful nutrients while slashing fat and calories in half. You’d be surprised how effortlessly you can cut calories throughout your day. Here are a few places to start:

USUAL FOOD CHOICE SIMPLE SWAP POSITIVE CHANGE IN NUTRITION
1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt -160 calories, +10 grams protein
1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt -395 calories, +10 grams protein
Soda Diet soda -200-300 calories
Coffee creamer Low-fat milk -35 calories, +4 grams protein
Sugar Artificial sweetener -50 calories
Regular Potato Chips Baked Potato Chips -7 grams of fat

4 DON’T START TOO FAST

The biggest diet mistake is cutting calories too rapidly. This is because your metabolism is dynamic. It adapts to your current level of food intake and exercise, and it will respond to dramatic changes by trying to slow them down.

If you begin including regular exercise as well as reducing caloric intake by 1,000 or more calories per day, you will place your body in a rather large negative caloric balance. You’re undoubtedly going to lose weight, and lose it fast. Initially, you may lose 2-5 pounds per week. However, this won’t last.

YOU’RE UNDOUBTEDLY GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT, AND LOSE IT FAST. INITIALLY, YOU MAY LOSE 2-5 POUNDS PER WEEK. HOWEVER, THIS WON’T LAST.
Soon, your weight will plateau, and the next logical step is to further increase your treadmill time or to further reduce calories. But do this, and you’ll only end up losing muscle and messing with your hunger-related hormones, both of which will do more harm than good to your results in the long term. It can also set you up for rapid weight gain when—not if—the hunger wins and you engage in an epic caloric splurge.

Losing 50 pounds isn’t going to happen overnight, or in the next week, or even the next couple of months, and that’s a good thing. That rate of loss wouldn’t be sustainable, nor would it likely be healthy.

Here’s what is healthy and sustainable: 1-2 pounds a week. Some weeks it will be more, some less. It probably won’t be linear. But it’s the rate to aim for, and it’s how lasting change is achieved.

But all of this is just advise. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do.

Keep punching and growing stronger,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie. NY

REFERENCES
Casa, D.J., Armstrong, L.E., Hillman, S.K., Montain, S.J., Reiff, R.V., Rich, B.S.E., Roberts, W.O. & Stone, J.A. (2000). National Athletic Trainer’s Association Position Statement: Fluid Replacement for Athletes. Journal for Athletic Training, 35(2), 212-224.
Casa, D.J. & Clarkson, P.M. (2005). American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable on Hydration and Physical Activity: Consensus Statements. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 4, 115-127.

The post A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO FAT LOSS appeared first on .

The food you eat provide you the energy necessary to perform your workout properly. But good nutrition plays also a big role in muscle toning and recovery after a workout.

This nutrition plan will contain all the meals necessary to get your dream body or at least move you in the right direction!

Calories Are What Matters The Most In A Nutrition Plan

Whether you want to get toned, lose fat or maintain your weight, nutrition will play a big role during this process! Your nutrition is what fuels your body with food, which is measured in calories.

You caloric consumption will determine what kind of body you will obtain:

Get Toned: Toning your muscles means; building lean muscle mass progressively without getting too much fat. In order to do so, you will have to eat more calories than you burn, often called: caloric surplus. If you increase your calories too quickly, your body will store fat. This why it’s important to do it progressively, so you can track your progress and avoid looking bulky.

Maintain Weight: This is when you burn as many calories as you consume, often called: calorie maintenance. Knowing the caloric intake you need in order to maintain your weight is the starting point. From there, you can determine how you would have to eat in order to tone your body or lose fat. Use this calorie calculator!
Lose Fat: If you want to lose fat, you will have to burn more calories than you consume, often called: caloric deficit. It’s when your body uses fat stores for energy, which leads to weight loss. Be aware, the body can also use muscle tissue; which is bad. This is why you must lose fat progressively, if you’re doing it too quickly you will kill your health and most certainly give up.
Explanations Of Macronutrients Ratio

Macronutrients are nutrients that our body needs in large amount: Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat. It’s important to define the right macronutrient ratio according to your fitness goal; whether you want to tone your body or lose fat.

In short words, this ratio will depend on:

Your Fitness Goal: If you want to burn fat, you won’t have the same macronutrient ratio that someone who wants to tone up.

Your Body Type: Some people tend to gain more weight than other. They should consume less carbohydrates and fats than the ones having a hard time toning up.

Your Gender: Women are generally more efficient at burning fat and would often consume less carbohydrates than men.

Macronutrients Ratio According To Your Fitness Goals

During this women’s nutrition plan we will define a general macronutrient ratio for each fitness goal: toning, burning fat and maintaining weight. Like said earlier, we all have different body types, so it will be your job to slightly change this ratio if your body doesn’t respond to it.
The macronutrient ratios are:

Muscle Toning: Carbohydrate 40% – Protein 40% – Fat 20%
Maintain Weight: Carbohydrate 35% – Protein 35% – Fat 30%
Burn Fat: Carbohydrate 30% – Protein 40% – Fat 30%

There Is Good Fat In This Nutrition Plan

“I want to lose fat, shouldn’t I avoid eating fat?”. This is good question, in fact there is several type of fats. Some are bad and others are required by your body. I recommend you to read this article: good fat versus bad fat.

Eating Healthy Is Not The Key Factor To Good Nutrition

“Eat fruits, vegetables and drink water and everything will be all right”. This is what you read in magazines or on the internet. However, that sentence is not completely true. These days, eating healthy means consuming foods low in fat and high in micronutrients; vitamins and minerals.

Indeed foods with vitamins make you have a better health. However, you can eat all the healthy food of the world, but if you don’t hit your daily macronutrient; you won’t get the results you want. Does it make sense?
In short words; calories are calories. If you want to achieve your fitness goals you will have to first worry about your macronutrients, whether it’s with “healthy food” or not. It’s pure science!

The More Often You Eat, The Better You Will Feel

We all know that person that tried every diet that exists on earth and always give up because it’s too hard. Nowadays, diets are all about food restrictions so you feel guilty if you eat one more rice grain than indicated. But again, what is really important there is your ability to hit your daily macronutrient.
Whether you want to lose some weight or tone your body, we will aim for 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks. However, if you can attain your calories in less meals, feel free to do it.
Why? Because eating every 3-4 hours will allow you to never feel hungry, which will help you to stop craving junk food.

This women’s nutrition plan will be an example, so you can organize it according to your schedule. It’s very important to eat something between your main meals and once again hit your macronutrients!

Daily Calorie Intake For Women

You calorie intake depends on your age, height, gender and how often you exercise weekly. I recommend you to try a calorie calculator. Click on this link and try it for yourself! http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

For a healthy woman with a balanced diet, who is moderately active it’s recommended to eat between 1800 and 2200 calories. We will start with these numbers.

Converting Percentage To Grams
It’s very easy to calcule how many grams you should have for each macronutrient.
First you need to know how many calories contain each macronutrient :

Carbohydrate: 4 Calories per gram
Protein: 4 Calories per gram
Fats: 9 Calories per gram
Then, let’s take 2200 calories as an example and our macronutrient ratio for maintaining weight:

35% Carbohydrate -> 2200 x 0.35 / 4 = 192.5g
35% Protein -> 2200 x 0.35 / 4 = 192.5g
30% Fat -> 2200 x 0.3 / 9 = 73.3g

Cheat Meals And Women’s Nutrition Plan
You can reward yourself with one cheat meal per week, where you won’t count your calories at all; yes you deserve it!

Women’s Nutrition Plan To Maintain Weight
This women’s nutrition plan will be the basis for the other ones, so take notes. Just a few changes will be made in order to hit your macronutrients.
Download the women’s nutrition plan!

Nutrition Facts

Carbohydrate: 35%
Protein: 35%
Fat: 30%
Calories: 2200 calories
Meal 1 – Breakfast (470 calories)

250ml Skimmed Milk (1 glass)
1 Large Banana
20g Oats
32g Peanut Butter (2 Tablespoons)
Snack 1 – Morning (350 calories)

40g Almonds
1 Apple
Meal 2 – Lunch (500 calories)

60g White Basmati Rice
100g Carrots
200g Broccoli
1 Chicken Fillet
Snack 2 – Pre-workout (250 calories)

250ml Skimmed Milk (1 glass)
1 Apple
1 Scoop Whey Protein (25g)
Snack 3 – Post-Workout (250 calories)

0.5 Large Banana
2 Scoops Whey Protein (50g)
Meal 3 – Dinner (380 calories)

200g Green Beans
1 Salmon Fillet Frozen
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Women’s Nutrition Plan To Get Toned
The women’s nutrition plan to get toned will use the same organization as the maintenance one. However, we will make a caloric surplus with a few changes in the meals.
Download the women’s nutrition plan!

Nutrition Facts

Carbohydrate: 40%
Protein: 40%
Fat: 20%
Calories: 2500 calories
What food has been added or removed from the maintenance nutrition plan?

Meal 1 – Breakfast

16g Peanut Butter (1 Tablespoon) instead of 32g
1 Scoop Whey Protein (25g)
Snack 1 – Morning

20g Almonds instead of 40g
250g Greek Yoghurt 0%
Meal 2 – Lunch

200g Carrots instead of 100g
Snack 2 – Pre-workout

375ml Skimmed Milk (1,5 glass) instead of 250ml
Snack 3 – Post-workout

250ml Skimmed Milk (1 glass)
1 Large Banana instead of 0.5
Meal 3 – Dinner

100g Carrots
1,5 Salmon Fillet Frozen instead of 1
Women’s Nutrition Plan To Lose Fat
The women’s nutrition plan for losing fat will use the same structure as the maintenance one. However, we will make a caloric deficit with a few changes in the meals.
Download the women’s nutrition plan!

Nutrition Facts

Carbohydrate: 30%
Protein: 40%
Fat: 30%
Calories: 1950 calories
What food has been added or removed from the maintenance nutrition plan?

Meal 1 – Breakfast

Oats removed instead of 20g
48g Peanut Butter (3 Tablespoons) instead of 32g
1 Apple instead of 1 large banana
Snack 1 – Morning

20 Almonds instead of 40g
1 Apple Removed
1 Scoop Whey Protein (25g)
Meal 2 – Lunch

White Basmatic Rice removed instead of 60g
300g Broccoli instead of 200g
200g Carrots instead of 100g
Meal 3 – Dinner

100g Carrots
0.5 Tablespoon Olive Oil instead of 1
You Can Download Each Women’s Nutrition Plan
Get Toned
Maintain Weight
Lose Fat

In Conclusion

This women’s nutrition plan will help you get toned and lose fat, but remember this should be used as an example of how you structure your meals. We all have different bodies, it’s important to listen to it.

Let’s summarize what we’ve just learned:

Nutrition is key to obtain the body you want!
Change your daily calorie intake according to your fitness goals.
Watch your macro nutrient ratio and listen to your body.
Calories are calories. Care less about whether it is healthy or not and hit your macronutrients.
Indeed, eating healthy is good for your body, but if you’re on a cheap diet you can’t always go healthy.
This women’s nutrition plan is an example, change it to what you can afford.
Take time to prepare your meal plan according to your schedule.

Lift Heavy Stuff, eat balanced meals and have a attitude of gratitude! We are all truly blessed and are able to choose what goes in our body and mind. This is your year my friend! Hold Nothing Back! Never Stop and Never Settle, for Greatness is with us all!

Your friend and coach,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie. NY

References:

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/weight_loss_diet_plans/diet_meal_plans/7_day_diet_meal_plan_to_lose_weight_1200_calories
http://www.gymaholic.co/articles/nutrition/59/women-nutrition-plan-toning-and-lose-fat

The post Women’s Nutrition Plan To Get Toned And Lose Fat appeared first on .

1. Avoid junk food altogether.

No more McDonalds, Burger Kind, KFC and kebab. Junk food gives you “empty calories” and unneeded weight loss.

2. No more beer.

A tough one for many. Beer can be fattening if had on a regular basis.

3. Eat only until satisfied. Too many people eat and eat and eat even if they’ve had enough. Eat only till you’re satisfied.

4. Drink a glass of water before you start a meal. Water naturally needs some space so that you feel fuller without actually having to stuff yourself.

5. Boil your vegetables instead of cooking them, or even better, eat them fresh.

6. Go on a juice detox.

7. Get some good sleep. Sleep is vital to body rejuvenation and repair so make sure you get some good sleep and keep your timings consistent. Lack of sleep can contribute to lack of weight loss.

If you’ve got some “different” tips for creative weight loss, please share them…

As always this is just advice. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do

Have a blessed weekend and Great Valentines with your loved one!!

Your friend and coach,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie NY

The post Weight Loss for a Perfect Valentines Day :) appeared first on .

Try these seven suggestions below before relaxing for the night.

1.Move More

Even though you might want to flop onto the coach, cold drink in hand, first move a little more. Slowly and gently is fine. Get the blood flowing into those sore muscles by simply walking around the house or around your neighborhood, or raising your arms over your head while breathing deeply.

2. Stretch

Before relaxing in your recliner, stretch your muscles before they stiffen, helping them to become more pliable and flexible. As oxygen flows into your muscles, you’ll speed their recovery. Whether your choose yoga, Pilates or stretches of your own, you’re relieving muscle soreness. Bonus, Dr. Andrew Weil says muscles contain stretch receptors which can improve your mood.

3. Drink Water

Water is the ultimate rehydrator. Avoid caffeine and alcohol because they can dehydrate you.

4. Feel Kneaded

Gently massage overworked muscles, prompting nutrient-rich blood to flow through, replenishing them. Better yet, get a massage from someone you like.

5. Pack in Protein

Your muscles are hungry after exertion. They crave protein. Choose natural sources such as fish, poultry, lean meats, nuts, lentils and quinoa.

6. Soak in a Tub

Or A warm bath cures many ills, and always helps ease stiff muscles. You’ll also sleep better after a bath, helping you awake refreshed. If you’re brave, try a hot/cold treatment, alternating water temperatures every couple minutes, to open blood vessels more.

7. Ease Back In

When your muscles are feeling rested, ease back into your normal fitness program gradually so your body has time to catch up with all the plans you have in store.

Remember, the most effective way to relieve muscle soreness after an active weekend is to move a bit more, drink lots of water and nourish your muscles back to health.

But all of this is just advice. You can do whatever the fudge you wanna do.

Stand strong my friend,

Crystal aka Barbell Barbie. NY

References:

http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/7-ways-to-relieve-muscle-soreness
http://www.mensfitness.com/training/pro-tips/tips-for-relieving-muscle-soreness
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php

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