Are YOU summer body ready yet?

It’s that time of the year people! The time where we realize that all our summer plans are closer than we think! Oops! where did the time go? With less than three months until August and two months until July, do we have time to turn it all around? I don’t care what some people have to say, you definitely have enough time to fix up or at least make a noticeable difference if you apply yourself properly. This is not a drill! There are EIGHT weeks until July and TWELVE until August. Does that shake things up a bit? Now I’m not saying you have to go on water fasts or go crazy on the “bulking”, but if you’ve been wanting to get that body and you haven’t been working, then my friend, now it’s time to start!

I don’t know who needs to hear this but you HAVE to sort out that eating! It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to gain or lose weight, eating the wrong foods (whether it shows or not) is just not what your body needs. Believe me, I’m guilty of the odd bad snacking too, particularly at work where a cake or chocolates appears every other week but right now I’m in tunnel vision mode and there is no room for error! This is going to be tough few months, but good results don’t come easy. I saw results in March after only three and a bit weeks of training but then I went abroad and didn’t reign it back in. * sigh * we have our moments. The good thing is that I know what worked for me, and although I did slip up in April (blame the Easter eggs), I still get compliments today as people have noticed a change in my body. The GREAT part about it is I didn’t even do a diet, nor did I track my food for that matter and with that knowledge, I know I can do this! Whether you know what you’re doing or want to know what you can do, I’m going to help you out and keep you going. The question is: are you going to join me?

I know what you’re thinking… is there REALLY enough time to fix up for summer? Well, that’s entirely up to you. Whether you plan to put on weight, lose weight or simply maintain and tone, now is the time to step up your sh*t! This is your gentle (ok fine… firm) reminder to LEVEL UP NOW! Before I start though, here are the basics:

For weight loss: Calories in < Calories out.

For weight gain: Calories in > Calories out.

Yes, it’s really that simple and until you find a way to master that you’ll always stumble at the first hurdle. You really can’t out-train a bad diet and diet contributes to over 70% of your results so it’s certainly something to keep in mind.

All this talk, what’s the action, Liz?

Don’t worry I’ve got you! Firstly, I’m going to address those of you that want to GAIN weight. It’s not everyday weight loss and I know the struggle to put on weight can be equally as hard, if not harder than weight loss (not for me though! One snack too many and isallova for me). Below I’m going to give you some food and training tips to help you build size and keep it on!

Diet for weight GAIN:

Dried mango pieces by Vtamu - perfect for snacking on

I’m going to keep it short and sweet. Find your calories to maintain your current weight (if you’re not sure you can check with a site such as a calorie counter) and add 700-1400 onto your daily amount. This might seem like a lot, but you need to try and reach this to achieve your goal. You also need to ensure that you’re eating at LEAST three meals a day but aim for five. This can be achieved through three main meals and snacks and shakes in- between. You’ll want to up your protein and up your fats and Carbs. Basically up everything (except you still need to eat well), particularly your carbs and proteins. This doesn’t mean you should eat bad though! What is going on inside your body is equally as important… so hold up on those pizzas for now!

Great sources of protein are foods such as chicken, beef, turkey and fish. Other foods such as lentils and beans are also great too. Examples of fats include avocado (half a day), cheese, olives and nuts. Carbs include rice, couscous, sweet potato, mash potato, and pasta. On top of this, you want to be aiming for a large portion of vegetables too. This is all about portion control so if you already eat well and balanced, increasing your portion size, even if it’s only by 25% will make a difference. When you’re in-between meals, you can snack on fruits, yoghurt and nuts (such as almonds, walnuts and Brazil nuts). Fruit smoothies and shakes will also help you gain weight and I have a BEAUTIFUL smoothie that is also good for this (and you can adjust the amount for your needs). It’s very basic, quick and tastes fantastic. Ingredients include banana, milk, peanut butter, chia seeds and cinnamon! To make it more calorific, add extra peanut butter and milk. See picture below.

A quick and tasty smoothie - blend it all and enjoy!

Training:

no-one said it was easy!

The best thing to do here is weight training if you can. If you’re someone who can’t lift a lot, you can start with your body weight and through consistency, you will see change and lift heavier. I say weight training as it helps you build muscle and mass whilst also toning you in the process. Cardio is good, but for the purposes of weight GAIN, you will want to keep it limited. Don’t worry, you can make a sweat pushing weights too! In order to build muscle though, you need to feed your body correctly which is why it is important to increase your protein and up your carbs. Try to lift heavy and for fewer reps, with no more than 12 reps in each set. If this is not making any sense to you, I’ll try and make it simple. A set is a “round” and the reps you do is how many times you do that movement. EG. If I do 3 sets of 12 for squats, this means I’ll be squatting 12 times for three rounds (each time increasing the weight) - this does not include your warm-up set (not counted).

Upping your intensity will also help, so by leaving less of a gap between sets, you also allow for a better “pump”. If you’re a member of a gym, signing up to a strength class once or twice a week will help you stay motivated and driven. Incorporating resistance bands into your training will also help with compound and isolated movements. If you want to read more about what those terms mean or what exercises fall under each category, you can read more here. If you’re stuck for ideas on what to do, there are a load of YouTube videos and Instagram pages you can follow. Don’t forget to ask the people around you or ask someone at the gym if you need to check your form. Pride will be your biggest setback so ask away if you get a little stuck (you can also ask me).

If you follow these tips and stay consistent, you will find that you will be gaining size and keeping it on. Don’t forget to give yourself a rest day when you need it and listen to your body! As long as you keep up the diet, you will see a change. If you’re finding it hard to track your food, download MyFitnessPal to log your daily intake and keep a track on where you’re at. You don’t have to do it all the time but it will help you out in the first few days or weeks.

Diet for weight LOSS

As I said previously, there is no magic formula that will make you lose weight and anyone who says there is, is lying. The real “formula” is simple though… as long as you stick to it. Eat clean and train hard. It’s not printed on training shirts for bants, it really is that simple! Remember, for weight LOSS, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. Find out what your daily calories are for weight maintenance and take off 500-800 per day to see results. Even if this seems too hard, by substituting what you’re eating with healthy alternatives, you will also see a difference.

In terms of eating well, it’s also pretty simple. Cut out all processed foods (anything that comes in a packet eg bread, cakes, pre-made meals, crisps etc) sugars, and fizzy drinks. You really don’t need that slice of cake and that chocolate bar will do nothing for your waistline. You don’t always have to be militant with it but if you can commit to removing these things, it will drastically speed up the process! If this sounds like something you REALLY can’t do, then just reduce your intake to as little as you can manage. If you usually have tea with two sugars, maybe try tea with one or none. If you usually have two toasts in the morning, consider having brown bread and one instead. Simple changes will seem insignificant but on a whole will make a bigger difference. Substitute any “bad foods” for healthier alternatives such as rice cakes (including chocolate and yoghurt coated), fruits and nuts (see above). Try to reduce the carbs or switch to better alternatives such as cauliflower rice, couscous, quinoa, lentils and boiled potatoes, bulger or buckwheat. Try to cut out the pasta and rice and reduce your portion of these foods. Increase your protein and up your vegetables too. It’s not always going to be fun, but with only 2-3 months left, I would suck it up (for your best shot) if I were you.

A good rule of thumb for protein is white meats, fish and eggs. Meats such as chicken breast and turkey are also lower in fats so will help towards your weight loss. It’s easier to go for the “juicer” cuts of meats such as the legs, however, these tend to have the higher fat ratio and will go against your goal. Don’t be scared of fats either! I know it’s easy to assume it’s all bad but cheeses (in moderation) such as goats cheese, feta and cottage cheese aren’t all that bad for you. I know people like to believe that eating carbs is a complete NO NO but if you plan to do serious weight training this will be needed to keep your energy levels up so consider this if you plan to train weights. Maybe instead, reduce your carbs and increase/lower your intake on specific days.

If you’ve gone plant based and don’t know what to eat, I gave you a breakdown of foods in my veganary post

I’m going to quickly address restrictive eating before I move onto training. Personally, I don’t believe in FAD diets. They are unrealistic and cause the individual to yo-yo with their weight more times than not. The keto diet is the only one I would consider for a short period of time, but otherwise, I don’t think you should put yourself through all that stress. This is just in my opinion though! For those of you that haven’t heard of the keto diet, this is where you cut out all carbs (yep) and increase your protein and fats instead. You are also restricted from eating certain grains and fruits too. A guide on what you can and cannot eat during a keto diet can be found here. Personally, I don’t diet but have instead found that intermittent fasting (IF) gives me better results. In March I was IF during lent and didn’t realllly think about logging any food. I decided to fast daily and my eating window was (and still is) between 1pm to 8pm. At 1pm I usually break fast with fruit or yoghurt. Something light so that your digestive system doesn’t have a crazy shock. About 45 mins later I’ll have a proper meal and I find that this way, the body is able to break down the food properly.

Training:

Training for weight loss doesn’t mean doing cardio all the time. I don’t even do a bunch of cardio, but more HIIT sessions and strength classes. Cardio is actually a good weight loss method but I know that a lot of people don’t like it and cardio alone often leaves people with very “straight” body shapes. Weight training is great for shedding off fat whilst also building muscle and toning….and NO it will not make you look “manly”! Even men have to put in a lot of strength training before they notice a difference so you have nothing to worry about. Going for a morning jog is also good (or a jog to the gym?) even if it’s once a week. In doing this, combined with regular HIIT training, you build up your stamina and resistance which means that you will able to train for longer and will overall improve your respiratory system.

You don’t always have to use weights though, bodyweight exercises are equally as effective as long as you challenge yourself properly. Bodyweight exercises such as body planks, walking planks, wall sits, squats and split lunges are also great and effective exercises to do, amongst many others. If you do decide to do weights, a heavy session is good to incorporate, however, low weight and high reps are what you want to be aiming for if you wish to tone. Don’t be fooled though, just because the weight is low, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t working. Overhead presses with a 5kg dumbbell may seem easy peasy until you have to do 50-100 and then it’s challenging… right? As I also mentioned above, using resistance bands will help with glute activation before leg sessions as well as stretching out the body or increasing intensity. If you don’t know how to use resistance bands, ask a trainer at the gym or look online for methods and inspiration (or ask me…lol).

So what have I been up to?

Crazy sessions at Onyx Ldn - 931 calories burnt in a great conditioning class!

Well, I’ve been back on my training and I’ve been training hardcore with the help of my friends at Onyx London. It was here that I trained in March and I can honestly say I haven’t a bad session yet. My average calories burned per session has improved from 500 calories per hour to 900+ (using polar flow sensors). I do all their classes and I can’t remember the last time I trained with headphones. You can read more about what they have to offer in my review here. Apart from training regularly and HARD, I’ve been trying to drink more water and sleep better (hard for the insomniac that I am… but I’m trying my best). As mentioned above, I’ve been IF again which means I’m not eating as much because I have a small eating window. Obviously, I’m not eating junk and I mind what I eat, but I’m not logging in my food either unless I feel like it since I already have a good idea on what each food is worth. If you want to be a bit stricter with it, logging your food really helps you stay on track.

Fruit sweets by Vtamu

When at work, it’s easy to be tempted to eat bad, especially if you come back to your desk to find treats left by your colleagues (the temptation is strong!) If I get hungry at my desk, I find that eating fruits does the job. I’ve recently been trying out some new fruit snacks and they’re easily becoming my favourites. I’ve been eating dried mango and superfruit baobab from Vtamu. It’s a great alternative to real sweets and their dried mango is the best I’ve had and is very good quality for money! I have to add a side-note here because I really have to big them up first. Not only do the fruit snacks taste AMAZING but I really support the ethos behind the brand. Vtamu is on a mission to support farmers in Africa (currently Tanzania) and give them training and equipment. The fruit is sourced and dried there and they are paid properly for their product. As a result, farmers have reliable business and are not getting extorted and we get good quality fruit. Honestly, it is a win-win situation and I think it’s nice to be supporting my fellow East Africans! You can order yours from their website and I believe they also sell on Amazon too! You should definitely check them out and you can use code VTAMU20 for 20% off (as stated on their Instagram) when ordering on their site.

I’m going to try and keep motivated and I’ll be uploading progress updates every two weeks. I encourage as many of you to do this with me and I challenge you all to at least ONE MONTH of focused training, whether it’s for weight loss or weight gain. I’d be lying if I said that there weren’t days that I just wanted to throw in the towel and binge out on food but I’m managed to stay driven and have been so glad after forcing myself to train. It’s only 8-12 weeks to stay focused but it means that you’ll really be able to live your best life in summer! Even if that isn't your goal, a little improvement never hurt anyone and you will feel so much better about yourself. 8-12 weeks may seem like a long or short time (depending on who you are), but think of the end goal and you will persevere.

If you missed my last fitness post, you can read it here and remember… the results you get all depends on how much work you’re willing to put in! Good luck and go smash it! I’ll tune back in with you in a few weeks time!

Liz x