🤷 Determining how many calories you should be consuming to lose weight is difficult. There are so many factors that determine what someone’s BMR (base metabolic rate - aka - the amount of calories you need just to live if you sat on the couch and did nothing but breath) is. There is age, gender, medical conditions, and activity level are a few examples. It can feel like you are getting the general cookie cutter answer with the calorie calculators online, but that isnt tailored to you. Without working with a coach, here are somel ways you can know that you are in a calorie deficit: The number one way to tell is: 📉 Your Weight is Decreasing This is the obvious answer. It is normal for weight to fluctuate, but as long as on a weekly average the number on the scale is decreasing, then you are in a deficit 🤔What if the scale is not moving a ton? Here are some non-scale ways to tell that you are in a calorie deficit: 🤤You Feel A Little Hungry You are not consuming as many calories as you are burning. This means you are going to be hungry…. A little hunger before your next meal or at night is absolutely normal and part of the process! (there are ways to help manage your hunger and get the most of the calories that you are consuming) However, if your hunger is constant or extreme, then you are probably too steep in your deficit. There are ways that you can make the most of out of your meals to stretch out your calorie budget and keep you feeling full (ask me how in the comments!) 😴 You Feel A Little Sluggish You are not going to be springing out of bed ready to take on the day. You are going to feel a little sluggish and tired because you are not getting as much energy from food. This is normal! If you are feeling extreme fatigue or brain fog, you might be too steep in that deficit 😮‍💨 Strength/Performance Plateaus This is not the time to be trying to break some PR’s. You can maintain your strength, but you will not feel like you are able to push yourself to new limits from a performance standpoint.

⚖️ Calories dictate the number on the scale 🪞 Protein dictates what you see in the mirror. ⚡️When you're in a calorie deficit, your body needs energy It's going to pull from somewhere. That could be muscle OR fat. How you ensure it pulls primarily from fat is by hitting your protein goal. One gram per pound of goal body weight is a great place to start. Here's why this works: 1️⃣ Protein preserves your lean muscle tissue during the deficit. 2️⃣ Protein is the most satiating macronutrient. This means when you eat protein, you stay fuller longer, and you don't crave as much. This will help you stick to your plan. 3️⃣ Your body burns 20 to 30 percent of the calories in protein just digesting it. So protein costs more energy to break down. To summarize: If you hit your calories but skip protein, you will lose weight. But some of that weight will be muscle. 😰You will feel weaker 😥 Have less definition, 🐌 Your metabolism will slow down over time. 🛑 That's not what you want 🛑 If you hit both calories AND protein consistently, while doing some resistance work, you will : 💪 Preserve muscle 💪 Be Leaner 💪 Stronger 💪 Have energy 💪 Look better at your goal weight 🍽️ You will also get to eat more long-term because more muscle burns more calories at rest. ⁉️And who doesnt want to eat more food?!?!

We are 8 weeks away from summer vacation ☀️ Before life gets crazy with the kids out of school, let’s put in a focused effort with habits that will give us energy and make us feel confident this summer 👙 That is why I am doing a Road To Summer 8-Week Challenge and am offering a prize 🏆 Over the next 8 weeks, this challenge will focus on two habits that I truly believe will make a difference in your lifestyle and get you results: 🥩Eating more protein and drinking enough water 💧 🎟️ Earn raffle tickets by completing certain tasks/habits and at the end of the 8 weeks, someone will chosen and win a Protein Coffee Kit 🤩 This includes: ☕️ Nespresso Virtuoso ☕️ 20 Starbucks Nespresso Pods ☕️ 1st Phorm Level-1 Whey Protein Powder flavor of your choice ☕️ 1st Phorm Collagen with Dermaval flavor of your choice ⬇️ Comment below letting me know that you are in! Then go to the classroom and complete the Road To Summer Challenge Course to view all the details on how to earn raffle tickets. ⭐️There is also a Coaching Special that I am providing this group exclusively that is only going on until the day the Challenge starts April 13th.⭐️ 👏 Join me in building healthy habits that will give you energy and make you feel confident this summer. ☀️