3 Tips to Get Strong AF - Part II

Remember the three main tips:

1. Lift heavy weights & stop doing endless hours of cardio

2. Eat enough food

3. Incorporate occasional fasting and a cyclical ketogenic diet

Yay, if you are reading this, you most likely read part I. If you didn’t that’s okay, you can either go back and read it or just skip to this next awesome little discussion. So here it goes:

EAT. ENOUGH. FOOD.

Eating enough (nutritious) food is not only crucial when you are trying to gain weight, but also when you are trying to lose weight.

By eating enough food, you make sure to provide your body with the necessary nutrients to build and rebuild tissues and cells of all kinds. Think about it this way, if you are building a house and you don’t use enough brick to build it, it’s either never going to be finished or it won’t be sustainable.

I personally am not a big fan of calorie counting; however, it can be helpful in the beginning to figure out how much your body needs. BUT we need to finally realize that calories-in=calories-out is not a sustainable, healthy approach long-term. Every calorie is made up differently and we all need to accept that. But that is a different story we’ll get into later.

Eating enough food when you are trying to lose weight is important for long-term success and health. Lots of people restrict their calories, thus dropping their resting metabolic rate, which ultimately causes them to regain more weight later and sometimes even during the diet. When you restrict your calories and your body tries to hold on to what it has, which is why a lot of people are never able to lose weight long-term. A drop in resting metabolic rate is not good for the body and it can even take years to recover from that.

How much food is enough food? If you need help, we can discuss this privately and I can help you find the answer that fits you as an individual. For me personally, I focus on eating enough healthy fats and proteins that are satiating - don't be afraid of fat(s)! I eat until I am full and until I know I have given my body enough food to recover from the workout. That is of course also based on trial and error. For example, if I am full and I thought I ate enough, but I feel more soreness the next day than usually, I rethink about my choices and quantity of food and will adjust accordingly.

In sum, please don’t restrict your calories (too much) and harm your body. Also, stay away from low-fat and highly processed foods! EAT REAL FOOD!

Bye for now,

Coach Hanna