You need to give your body the OPTIMAL ENVIRONMENT to transform Here are 7 things you need to know
4 and #7 are the BIGGEST bottlenecks I see
[1] LIFT with intent and intensity! IT DOES NOT MAKE YOU BULKY i promise!!
[2] your nutrition & lifestyle play a HUGE role in this!
[3] YOU CAN SEE BODY RECOMPOSITION at maintenance calories! If you are patient enough to stay the course…
[4] HOWEVER, none of that can happen without the RIGHT TRAINING STRATEGY in place CHALLENGE your body to lift heavier! To get stronger! (form & technique first)
[5] HAVE A STRUCTURED PROGRAM that doesnt change every few weeks! Prioritizing compound lifts (big movements) hack squat & squats, lunges, pullups/pulldowns, rows etc..
[6] Respect your recovery & rest days!
[7] But most of all BE RELENTLESSLY PATIENT! STOP RUNNING BACK TO A DEFICIT the moment you feel uncomfortable or fluffy…
The more you repeat ^ that cycle, youll find yourself spinning your wheels in NO MANS LAND Because youre not consistently eating with the INTENT to support HIGH QUALITY TRAINING And youre more focused on shrinking than you are on optimizing performance…
Meaning… The worse you will look over time
Fast forward 6 months you’ve made no progress, feel like shit and you’re wondering why other women can thrive with more food flexibility, enjoy their carbs, not have things stick to them
how they have more power over their results
strong #jacked #lean
the game changing part?
➡️the biggest issue is when you go 100% into fatloss? you want the results & you see them fast… but you DON’T exit the fat loss mentality
➡️The struggle is that you don’t see big changes when you’re building\ AND YOU SHOULDN’T You cant force feed muscle growth.
You CAN train hard. You CAN focus on the right shit in the gym. You CAN eat enough, eat carbs, get strong.
But MUSCLE TAKES SO much longer to build!! Especially when the goal is to minimize the fat you do gain in the process too
Learning PERFORMANCE NUTRITION and not just fat loss dieting is HOW you create a physique you are proud of & feel confident in
LIFTING to make you STRONGER & MORE BADASS is the name of the game! Heres a mindset shift for you
Way too often, women want the results they see, without getting realistic about what it takes ➡️youre muddled & confused with what fitfluencers post ➡️youre scared to eat enough and stop perpetual dieting ➡️not realising FATLOSS isn’t the goal but a PART of the journey (the smallest part of “toning up)
When you attach yourself to outcomes and numbers, its easy to get emotionally attached to ewhat you know/is familiar & to the dopamine of getting leaner.
Social media can make it so hard for you to do what you need to do to get to your desired results But you CANNOT deficit your way to lean
LEAN = MUSCLE TONED = MUSCLE And NO muscle will not make you bulky But there is a PROCESS IN BETWEEN where you will have to get uncomfortable pushing a different path to get to the end of the rainbow on the other side – the pot of gold.
INSTEAD of adding more workouts, junk volume, WODS, finishers… Remember that LIFTING IS NOT TO BURN CALORIES or “lean us up” in the way we perceive.
It LEANS US UP by building MUSCLE. By getting STRONG. By getting comfy at maintenance for at least 12+ months And INTENTIONALLY is the key word
If you still have one food out the door, Youre eating is sporadic Your training ISNT focused…
Your body WONT CHANGE and youll continue to feel frustrated Because You’re STILL in the same MINDSET You were all the times you didn’t get the results you want
GET RID of the timeline. Get rid of the dates you set yourself. GET RID OF THE PRESSURE. DO IT ONCE, DO IT RIGHT
Get a coach for support… Comment COMMIT if youre ready to do this the right way this time and would like some help
Trying to find the best macro split? Your REAL maintenance calories or what you need to eat to lose fat & finally see results?
In this guide:
1. How can you accurately determine their baseline behaviors before starting a new diet or training program?
2. What are some key steps people often overlook when focusing too much on macro calculations? (which is why many stay stuck & spin their wheels)
3. Some BONUS strategies I use to create success in my clients – it’s a TEAM effort. Collaboration is key.
4.What are the signs that your current diet or exercise routine might not be working for you?
5. What is the best way to approach your macros & diet from here?
What is our world so good at doing?
Giving you conflicting information, TOO much information, that makes navigating your goals WAY harder than they should be.
Why do many of us find it harder than ever to see the leaner body composition we desire? To find the best diet our bodies and goals?
Here’s the thing – many people are good at losing weight (at least at first)… but then what? It almost NEVER lasts… or they simply never even get to their goal where they can say “damn I’m so proud of myself & I feel fkn strong, amazing, CONFIDENT and full of life & vitality.”
Especially as the new year rolls around, or its time to “shred for summer”, people become obsessed with “What’s the best macro calculator?” or “How do you accurately calculate your maintenance?”
Solely relying on macro calculators can be problematic, as they’re mostly INACCURATE & only provide rough estimates. They don’t consider individual factors such as diet history, current exercise, lifestyle, nutritional habits, or specific challenges.
akin to asking, “What weight should I squat?”
Based on general averages, a woman weighing X should be able to squat Y.
But if you’re new to squatting or lack the necessary shoulder mobility for a low bar position, can this advice truly be useful? And can you realistically squat 60kg just because the statistics suggest so? What if you had a bad history with back squats and the thought of doing them gives you mass anxiety?
Can someone realistically expect to squat 60kg simply because stats say so?
The disconnect between random recommendations/averages & individual baselines/considerations can not only lead to unrealistic expectations but terrible consequences
Focusing solely on the outcome makes you skip necessary steps – you can’t climb a ladder from the top.
If you are athletic & well trained OR have a lot of extra adiposity, they are even more useless for you
Most calculators undershoot on protein
If you are using it for a deficit, MOST give you way too low a target
Refer to #2
Many people use them wrong for activity factors
They also don’t talk about the COMPOSITION of those macros which matters a fk tonne (food choices)
What happens once those numbers stop working?
Or when you finish your diet?
How to calculate your calories
The issue most of the time is that people use calculators to figure out their DIET calories without even knowing their baseline or their TRUE maintenance.
People often jump into changing their behaviour before they’re even familiar with what it is they’re changing… Going into a NEW plan, setting up “the BEST DIET FOR YOU” without being FULLY aware of what your current diet is, where your pitfalls lie, and whats been holding you back or sabotaging you in the past…doesn’t make sense.
Ps. No just because youre trying to eat 1400 and not seeing results, does NOT make that your maintenance. For the average active woman who CARES about getting an athletically fit looking physique, that’s more about the 1850-2450 range for most
Most women just want to jump in and get results, you MOVE THE LADDER, ask all the questions… without just getting the ladder up the right wall. I get it, youre SO motivated because you are unhappy with where you are. You don’t think this is a BIG CHANGE in and of itself.
That’s like a random giving you a program with specific weight # to lift and training volume without even knowing HOW you move, what youre capable at and your training history.
1. How can you accurately determine their baseline behaviors before starting a new diet or training program?
Track Your Intake: Record everything you eat and drink for at least a week using a food diary or an app. Be honest and detailed.
– Does it vary day to day?
– Does it vary on weekends?
Monitor Activity Levels: your training, duration – intensity – type etc… your steps and activity OUTSIDE of the gym. Week days & weekends?
Note Sleep Patterns & Stress Levels: Reflect on your stress levels and how you manage them. Hows your sleep quality?
Evaluate Current Habits: Write down your daily routines, including meal times, snack habits, and hydration.
Get a Professional Assessment: Consider working with a nutritionist (hello) for a comprehensive evaluation.
Your baseline activity levels LARGELY dictate your metabolism – im not talking about in the gym
And then theres the genetic variation on what type of metabolism you have, thrifty or spendthrift where thrifty metabolisms adapt faster when moved out of their maintenance range (more resistant to weight loss)
we need to know not just quantitatively what your intake is
BUT why do I eat what I eat
how do I feel? Does this satisfy me? Leave me craving more?
how often do I eat?
Its not just about your carbs fats and protein
Tracking just for macros and/or calories wont get you very far.
Fuelling workouts with carbs, learning how to fuel and how foods make you feel IS IMPORTANT.
How many fruits and vegetables you’re eating? how much water?
how do you feel after these meals what which ones make you feel more bloated which ones provide sustained energy?
Rating the palatability of food… does anything make you want more and more, or skew your appetite and cravings? Make it easy to overindulge?
The 1-2 weeks of tracking your intake up front IS serious even without a calorie goal. Tracking your baseline behaviours is SO important
2. What key steps do people overlook when focusing too much on macro calculations? (which is why many stay stuck & spin their wheels)
If you havent monitored your intake at all before, trying to master that tracking + eat for fat loss or a goal is not going to work, its stressful, there will be alot of errors, you will have things tracked wrong or go untracked… and it makes you feel youre putting in way too much effort for little return, especially if the tracker has you on much lower of a # than what you really need
Stress + results arent a match. Its friction. Deficits are also a stress on the body. As is poor nutrition quality.
Tracking and monitoring your behaviour IS a goal
improving UPON THAT is progress
making subtle changes IS progress
improving habits –> results that LAST and that can be manipulated in different situations and circumstances.
TRACKING with a focus of improvements can make you aware of snacking, binging..
Even IF you had a tracking background, we have a different goal now. Improving upon what you are tracking… you may not track the dinner out because “its not accurate anyway” or you don’t log the small things cos “its only one/small” but they DO add up. The cookie you never log out of guilt?
FRICTION is a feature not a bug when learning this process and making improvements upon HOW you are currently eating to build a really strong base so that when you DO have a more specific goal, it is a more smoother process
The mindset in itself can feel like friction because it doesn’t feel like “youre busting ass and grinding hard”. Great. That’s the point. That’s how you stop falling off all the time or only making TEMPORARY change.
DO NOT RUSH THIS PROCESS
You get the desired outcome from the PROCESS. So make the PROCESS the goal and youll keep the outcomes and only keep improving it.
Can you see how NOW we can work together on why you overeat at night…
Why the weekends turn out to be a flop, why you have energy crashes early arvo, sugar cravings all day…
We can see where you get the extra snacks or ‘treats’ that arent serving you and develop a plan so you can still include the food you enjoy in a way that still gets you the desired outcomes
What drives overconsumption?
What leads to under consumption?
How can we find ways to move more?
How can we set up your environment to help you move more unintentionally?
How can we make it easier to get a higher step count?
Sometimes having to track a problem behaviour can help manage the behaviour and brings awareness and consciousness to it.
Just tracking for macros or calories or focusing on an end goal of less can have you neglecting foods that matter like fruit and veg which are satiating and are key players in a healthy metabolism, hormones and how you feel
Low activity levels skew appetite = more calories
Underhydrated? Low nutrient density? Eat more
Eat like a bird in the day? Not making balanced/complete meals? Underfuelling the first half of your day? Eat more, snack more, your calorie deficit wont be a deficit anymore… your training performance wont be the best it can be, you wont get the end outcome you want.
So focusing on these “base habits” really helps drive LONG term outcomes & empowers the client with confidence and competence
Ps .The goal is to maximize adherence. You cant do that by overhauling a whole diet or trying to master too many things at once, that’s how you spin your wheels, especially if you arent enjoying it.
Otherwise youre putting in ALL OF THIS WORK to do all of this stuff… sorta…
So you sorta mingle your way to a bad outcome
Now thats really discouraging and it damages your confidence & self-efficacy
Vs them being stepping stones to your progress & outcomes – HIGHER RETURN FOR YOUR INVESTMENT OF EFFORT
YOU WANT a foundation vs aiming up super high and have it crumble underneath you
3. Some BONUS strategies I use to create success in my clients – it’s a TEAM effort. Collaboration is key.
Clients experience the best outcomes if they do the following:
– Respond to reflective statements and questions, even when it feels uncomfortable. This is the best opportunity for a break-through!
– Be an active participant, not a curious bystander.
– Be open, honest, and willing to explore what isn’t clear or fully known about themselves, others, and the situation.
– Act on what comes out of each checkin/conversation & carve out time to think deeper about each conversation after each one AND before the next one.
The biggest mistake in the industry in that people engage in all this stuff because they want change ASAP but they dont get the fundamentals dialled in… which is why we have this epidemic of struggle & fitfluencers promoting garbage to play on your pain.
I use positive motivation vs negative:
How can we ____ (increase steps) VS dont do this dont do that
Working together to see how we can get to those outcomes, reverse engineering the environment, figuring out which variables -if monitored- could reduce friction.
Plan B’s or C’s where possible
RED, ORANGE, GREEN light strategies that can be manipulated different for different things.
Now you are more likely to succeed long term bc im empowering you to fit it into your own life and find meaning in your own goals this way!!
Once these components are addressed, the other stuff is MUCH easier to implement. Then we can dial in your training to take THAT to the next level. Dial in your nutrition more to FUEL performance.
Its important to work together on your obstacles and raise your floor bc as coaches it’s never going to be as specific as the knowledge of the person who’s living that life which they’re trying to change
4.What are the signs that your current diet or exercise routine might not be working for you?
Lack of Energy: Feeling constantly fatigued or lacking energy.
Mood Swings: Experiencing frequent irritability, depression, or anxiety.
Poor Recovery: Prolonged muscle soreness and slow recovery from workouts.
Plateaued Progress: Not seeing any improvements in strength, endurance, or body composition.
Sleep Issues: Difficulty falling or staying asleep, or not feeling rested.
Constant Hunger: Feeling hungry all the time, despite eating regularly.
Digestive Problems: Experiencing bloating, constipation, or other digestive issues.
Injury and Illness: Frequent injuries or getting sick often.
Loss of Motivation: Feeling unmotivated or dreading your workouts and meal plans.
Physical Symptoms: Noticing hair loss, skin issues, or other physical symptoms, menstrual irregularities
Emotional Eating: Increased cravings for comfort foods high in sugar and fat.
Poor Digestion: Stress can affect digestion, leading to issues like bloating or discomfort.
5. What is the best way to approach your macros & diet from here?
➡️Food QUALITY matters
➡️Aim for 2.2-3g/kg protein. go high protein 👉Satiety, helps blood sugar & cravings, helps maintain muscle with proper strength training 👉takes the most calories to break down & digest 👉30-50g protein 3-5x/day
➡️600-800g veggies & fruit; MICROS MATTER opting for more plants & whole food helps satiety & cravings
➡️PRIORITIZE training nutrition – aim for 50% of carbs pre & post
➡️Keep food choices BASIC
➡️DONT overcomplicate meals
➡️WALK!! 👉 You want to be able to lose on as much food as you can WITHOUT overdoing it (you need to be able to recover)
👉More fuel = more opportunity to get micros & macros in 👉FUELs performance & optimize your health, metabolic processes, cognition thus body comp
🎯Most of our lack of adherence is stress or overwhelm related
FINDING AN EASIER WAY to do things saves time, effort & decision fatigue ✅PLAN a day/week in advance ✅ LESS recipes MORE repetition & routine
Yes it can be tedious
I help my girls with this weekly! Shifting their identity, focus & injecting them with a whole new belief they CAN
I makes it more enjoyable & allow them to create many wins from get go!
REMEMBER; Your diet doesn’t end at the end of a diet. It ends once you get yourself successfully maintaining and, on a path, forward… Too many people are either dieting VS not dieting/freeballing Theres no REAL intent beyond that…
Which is why so many people end up in a worse position, lose motivation, give up, etcetc… and stay in a chronic “dieting mindset”
you CAN have it all… just need some structure & [plan
YOUR structure to build muscle & minimize fat gain is going to look much different than someone else’s.
Why? Because our bodies, our lifestyles, and our calorie needs are all VERY different. Our psychologies are different.
Its not the training or nutrition that’s actually the hardest, but what goes on between our ears. Stop being your own bottleneck
If this is something you need, apply for a free consult
Tired of spinning your wheels, working hard but not seeing the tighter, stronger more defined body you dream of? You’ve probably spent years chasing weight loss, trying every diet under the sun, but never quite getting the results you want. It’s time to change your approach. Here’s a detailed, evidence-based guide on building muscle with minimal fat gain, tailored for women aged 35-50 who are dedicated to their fitness journey but need a clearer direction.
1. your training matters 🏋️♀️🔥
– its not just about the weight you lift or the rep range you do
Get out of your own way. The set up of exercises is everything. Set up right, get the TARGET muscle and then load it. Switch your focus to performing each and every rep with INTENT until you FAIL to get another rep with proper form.
– there are times when pushing with some body language or intensifiers plays a place in a SMART STRUCTURED and SPECIFIC program made for YOU – but always SAFE form
– Many women hold themselves back, fearing they’ll get bulky or hurt themselves, but often our real biggest barrier is ourselves.
you want the TARGET muscle to fail and the reps to notably slow down over the reps & sets as you get closer to failure/fatigue
–
– if you are doing a tonne of volume for legs, the answer is more likely you need to train harder…
– random programming, winging your weights & exercises wont get you permanent results. You NEED structure. Increase your training capacity = improved muscle ‘tone’ & strength
– FILM your lifts & track your lifts + how things feel/notes
2. FUEL TRAINING adequately🍌🍞
Prioritizing CARBS before you train is crucial for helping amplify your performance, giving you the energy to fuel your performance and lift with higher intensity & effort FOR LONGER. (even if you don’t feel it)
Fuelling the main active part of your day is an easy shift that can make HUGE difference
Under-fueling leads to fatigue, poor performance, and increased risk of injury.
Proper fueling helps you maximize your training potential and performance which is key for physique change
3. PROTEIN!!! Eat enough CONSISTENTLY
30+g At every meal, on the higher end of the range.
(insert alan’s protein pyramid)
Yes you can argue that eating more & having carbs is anabolic in itself, but research shows only positive effects from eating even a higher range of protein (2.2-2.6g/kg)
NOW you DO NOT want to have it at the expense of carbs.
Carbs to fuel your training AND recovery plus your day to day energy is the greatest leverage
Protein + carbs + the right training = 🔥 🔥
4. BUILDING MUSCLE needs FUEL… building blocks!! (calories)
Many women fear eating more due to weight gain concerns, leading to a constant state of dieting and muscle loss.
Knowing the right balance ensures muscle gain without excessive fat.
You wont be building anything meaningful if you hold yourself to fatloss, dieting or wanting to go back to dieting after only building for a few months. Been there, done that…. Didn’t get anywhere far….
Be INTENTIONAL about building your body & fuelling for it VS going back and forth or just winging it. A surplus of 5% is plenty for many
You don’t HAVE to surplus… but if you aren’t eating AT LEAST maintenance… you wont be building anything remarkable so don’t complain if you find yourself still spinning your wheels in a year+
Ive been there knee jerking back to fat loss a few months into eating more. Just wasted effort.
And no, 1600 calories is NOT your maintenance. Start thinking 1800+
Understand that not eating enough can hinder muscle building efforts: Give your body the energy it needs! 🥗🍗
5. REST AND RECOVERY
More isnt more, it can lead to LESS and taking you backwards. If you aren’t recovering, you aren’t progressing or adapting (getting results). Take it too far and you impede progress moving forward.
The only training you benefit from are those you can RECOVER FROM. It’s what happens OUTSIDE of the gym that creates results. You STIMULATE growth by breaking down muscle in the gym. The other 22-23 hrs of the day are where magic happen.
The goal is LONGEVITY, burning yourself out is not it.
6. SLEEP, STRESS MANAGEMENT & HYDRATION😴🧘♀️💧
the overlooked small things that are BIG things.
– You need enough quality sleep to help repair muscle and help your hormones & metabolism flourish.
– stress management is KEY to help you stay consistent in giving your best efforts
– hydration is essential for building muscle & fat loss. It transports nutrients and is a critical part of metabolism & hormonal health. It helps prevent cramping & fatigue!
All of the 3 help with your energy & performance.
7. CONSISTENCY > PERFECTION and it takes TIME
Be patient! Muscle building is a LONG ASS process. Think 0.2kg a month being generous if you do the right things.
You wont always show up roaring, that’s ok. Motivation is a rarity,
Its easy to emotionally attach yourself to numbers and figures, youre human. But don’t forget to enjoy the experience and process, to live your life…
But also KNOW your tradeoffs, be 100% honest with your actions & be accountable to your actions.
Its about having FLEXIBLE restraint (within your known constraints/guidelines)
Your life should absolutely be the center stage. Aim for balance—enjoy your life while making smart choices most of the time.
My coaching focuses on helping you navigate these real-life situations while staying on track with your fitness goals
8. get professional support!
The best way to skip the years of llearning, mistakes, peddling backwards, sabotage…. And “time machine” you faster to where you want to be is to work with a coach
Having personalised advice, support & accountability can help you avoid a lot of the common wheel spinning and pitfalls many repeat for YEARS… and get you out of your own way
A tailored plan for YOUR goals? I mean it just has you feel SO much more confident in your process if you let yourself go ALL IN for your future self.
To my gym bada$$es who want to build muscle & look tighter and leaner…. if you feel dropping calories/want to fat loss everytime you feel fluffy
Your physique & metabolism will get WORSE over time
👀Does this sound like you? Especially when summer arrives?
You try on that tight fit?
You are SABOTAGING your results!!
If you keep limiting your food intake or chucking a tanty over a bad body image/dress day…
You HURT your physique progress long term
It may FEEL like it works… but EACH TIME YOU DO… youll dig a deeper hole.
Its not your coach nor program, its what you’ve been taught to believe
& now your stinky mindset to it all
The greatest cause for this is 1/ impatience 2/Unrealistic expectations of whats supposed to be happening
constantly wanting to do the two for 1 deal with always staying in a lower calorie range thinking youre going to lose fat and still build muscle at the same time…
so youre in this endless cycle of like
“I should be losing fat”
but then also like looking tone all the time”
& you have been taught the process WRONG so you keep spinning your wheels
Especially when ANYTHING works at first for a few weeks… until it doesn’t!!
Heres why:
1→ you don’t give your metabolism a chance to build, nor your hormones & body systems to flourish & peak!
Instead, youll feel restricted even on days you aren’t trying to diet
= more likely to snack, crave & lose control
2→youre in no mans land
you don’t give yourself enough time to build real muscle nor eat enough & fuel high quality training sessions over TIME… and your deficit wont be effective by any sorts
3→so you spin your wheels & feel like total trash!
So many women are in this place where they have been eating 1500 calories – low calories for years and they’re wondering why nothing changes and why they probably feel like crap all the time
4→ Its why so many women complain about the results they don’t see…
Or fall off the radar (bc “whats the point”) after their burst of going hard & motivation… to only burn
5→& why many spent years training 5-6x/wk, hiit, group classes, metabolic circuits, DOZENS of low carb diets… & don’t feel any closer to the physique they want.
6→Yes, fat loss dieting will be part of it. But if this is the only thing you focus on, especially up front, youre going to struggle.
7→Most people workout hard for 45-60 minutes and think they are done for the day. What you do outside of the gym matters a lot
8→Because the whole approach you’ve learnt is completely FLIPPED from what it SHOULD be.
CARBS + MUSCLE = KEY part of looking/feeling lean & strong OVER TIME!!!
you got to give your body some fuel to make those changes it doesn’t just happen from nothing
But you can’t add muscle without:
✅THE RIGHT signals to your body through TRAINING: the biggest key to physique change.
Most skip past just how important the right training regime, approach & mindset is.
✅FUELLING properly. You can do all the training, have a perfect program,
but you need ENOUGH of the RIGHT KIND of fuel to move the car along
don’t expect much for your muscle if you are in calorie defi
Fast forward a year & you’ve made no progress, feel frustrated and deflated
wondering why other women can eat so much more than you whilst being jacked and lean.
What’s a girl to do?
The answer is pretty simple.
GRITTY PATIENCE
Commit to the structure + strategy for the phase you’re in and stop changing your calories based on your feelings 😉
It’s not your coach nor program,
its what you’ve been taught to believe
& now your stinky mindset to it all
sick of feeling like you’re putting in all the effort but STILL not closer to your goals?
Comment COMMIT below or hit the link in my bio for a free consult @transformxruby
Follow for more!
____
HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING is the key for physique progress
And this is NOT HIIT!
Its ONE i not 2 ii’s
SMART specific HIT puts a great stress demand on the muscles to build & get stronger so you get that harder look. BUT…
Underfuelling can negatively impact hormones + much more which creates a spiral that can worsen results & leave you BURNT
✅Eat ENOUGH food overall on a daily basis. This may be a lot more than you think or even feel hungry for. With ENOUGH CARBS to support your whole lifestyle and training
✅Fuel your sessions!! (carb rich!)
✅Recover with protein & nutrients
✅DO NOT bank your calories for weekends or nights. You need to eat enough through the day!
Changes that can be hard. But damn rewarding and your body will thank you for them ❤️🔥❤️🔥
sick of feeling like you’re putting in all the effort but STILL not closer to your goals?
Comment COMMIT below or hit the link in my bio for a free consult @transformxruby
your 2 eggs on toast, smashed avo or hummus sadly doesn’t cut it here
protein supports lean body mass, fullness & satiety, lowering cravings, blood sugar control & given the right food selection it can definitely support health down the line
(aka limiting saturated fat, especially from animal products, including butter)
MANY women in particular can think they eat a lot of protein but end a day with 60-80g! most
While 1.8g/kg is the minimum id recommend with 2.2g/kg being the better target to aim for…
Studies show that body composition, fat loss & building muscle can only be enhanced with even up to 3.5g/kg (there are situations where this is less than optimal like if you sacrifice carbs for energy & performance JUST to top out protein)
First, some heart break
If your idea of protein includes an egg or 2 with breakfast, or an afternoon protein bar …carrots with hummus/nuts or a chia seed pudding, NONE of these are good protein sources
2 eggs (even with high protein toast)
Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat
BUUUT it only gives 12g protein with 11g fat and 150 calories
Cheese also goes here as its mostly calories from fat
“protein chocolate, cereals” or “high protein muesli bars”
I mean if you prefer that one great, otherwise you’re just paying extra money for overpriced hype that isn’t even *high* in protein. Being 5, 7 or 10g of protein VS 2-5g in the ordinary version, doesn’t make it high protein
Protein balls & bars
BALLS are probably the worst invention and lie in the high protein hEaLtH & fitness market
and Vegan ones are usually worse. They are typically very high in calories fat in carbs more than the actual protein grams.
Theyre really just candy
Bars tend to fare better but with the calories they have that could be better spent on more enjoyable nutrient dense food, they really aren’t better filling for their high calories.
For the above, if it has 20g+ protein for <205 calories, its an okay option.
Peanut butter is high in fat and energy dense
155cal per serve
5g protein
15g fat
Even legumes which on their own, these are NOT enough as a protein source.
they’re ~60% carbs… adding them alongside other protein sources like tofu etc… can improve the ratio
Even a single serve of tuna or Greek yoghurt!!
(#4 in my tips later will be a welcome surprise! Especially if you want to enjoy your chocolate or icecream every night)
^^ now these in themselves aren’t low protein food, but if it was the only protein in a meal.. it just wont cut it as most meals should be shooting for the 30g+ (especially if you are 40yo+)
Luckily there are simple solutions
here are 4 ways to approach optimizing for the body you want & MAXIMIZING your results
FAT LOSS or MUSCLE BUILDING
[1] LEARN THE BEST SOURCES
A+ tier
Eggwhites, chicken/turkey breast, ground/mince beef 95%+, protein powder, tuna & white fish, shrimp, Mycoprotein (found in vegan products)
B+ tier
Skim milk, nonfat cheeses/Greek yoghurts/cottage cheese, tofu, 93%+ meats, SOME pre made protein shakes, QUORN (plant based)
Eggs, Salmon & fatty fish are highly nutritious protein sources (like eggs) but per 100g have 122cals fat: 84 cals from protein (20-21g protein)
[2] PLAN AHEAD – & actually prep some COMPONENTS of this
You can plan in easy protein snacks and work around lower tier protein
A way I also do this for daily + extra for emergency plans, I bag up 150g of raw chicken breast in the freezer, stock up on extra tuna, tinned lower fat salmon & sardines
When cooking dinner, make for the next days lunch – or even cook for 3-5 extra meals
Prep a bunch of chicken & fridge it for 3-4 days
I do 7 days at a time personally, fridge 4, freeze 3
[3] UP the amount you use in each meal or protein stack!
Eggs + eggwhites (+CC) bonus the veg
[4] BULK UP YOUR MEALS and stop snacking OTHERWISE eat better snacks
I prefer 4-5 meals with an optional snack.
Some options – FF Greek yoghurt/cottage cheese + whatever, homemade smoothie/shake with something, beef jerky, hard boiled eggwhites & egg
Ps. Many protein bars are candy bars in disguise.
[5} meal ideas for PHYSIQUE & PERFORMANCE OPTIMISATION
Egg + eggwhites as a base; omelette, frittata, egg white muffins + toss in veg
Pancakes/waffles/mugcakes/brownies; protein powder + eggwhites + an egg as a base. Add in banana/apple puree (go babyfood for no added nasties), add in grated zucchini or mashed pumpkin for brownies or even oats!
“Bolognese” sauce (vegans can use lentils/quorn/tvp); pasta sauce + veggies + lean meat. Some stock or tomato paste for added flavour. Herbs, spices..
You can even eat as is, or add to potato, pumpkin, stuffed eggplants, mushrooms or bell peppers…
Or add to pasta or rice!
Burrito bowls! Easy to turn plant based. For lower cals, go cauli rice or a 50:50 blend
Smoothies (comment PROTEIN if you want my free PDF of multi protein flavours, make sure youre following @transformxruby to get it)
Yoghurt bowls!
FF Greek yoghurt (you can mix with FF cottage cheese for more volume and texture) + protein powder; add fruit for sweetness, diet jello optional, cocoa powder for extra chocolate, pb powder
You can add cereal/rice cakes/crackers/chocolate where they fit in your macros
BULK UP THOSE MEALS and then you can have your icecream + fruit & chocolate dessert without guilt over missing protein
Feel like maintenance or trying to build doesn’t work & you just regain weight too fast?
check on this:
—-
* Your fat loss method was damaging
* You don’t know what the “after diet” should look like
Having a clear sense of what the process looks like is important
And why starting off in a fatloss phase can be to your detriment
The PRE DIET is fundamental for long term success
BUT WHAT IF YOU JUST REGAIN MORE FAT?
How you go about fatloss plays a BIG ROLE in your experience with the “after”
Many people set themselves up for a TOUGH AF time
With clients I ensure I set up their fatloss phases to not only make them SMOOTH, more effortless & successful… but to set them up for a more successful after
How?
—
WHAT THE AFTER LOOKS LIKE:
(a lot of this is rewiring your mindset that’s been intoxicated by the fitness industry)
* Just because you ended a diet on 1200-1500 calories, does NOT make that your new maintenance to then keep the weight off
^ this belief is the greatest setback to most physique goals in general, even at the start. The belief of “its too hard” “do I have to be like this forever” and the fear of losing some current things you love in life. Which is far from fact.
LIVING the lean, healthy lifestyle includes social meals, dessert, the occasional glass of wine on date night, the icecream cone with the kids, and LOVING the life you live. You learn this in the process
—
* MAINTENANCE is a flawed word. I personally don’t understand it which is why I prefer to never use it. I call it IMPROVING, BUILDING or PROGRESSING. (who TF came up with that word. Its silly)
* MYTHS & FACTS;
It’s a range of calories, not a set amount.
It requires effort and diligence but you get much more flexibility. You get permission to stop obsessing the minutia you SHOULD in fatloss (so you get in and out ASAP)
Your weight will fluctuate, and if you are a small human, it will slowly trend up if you do it right (this is called body recomposition – more muscle, less fat, more toned-defined-sculped)
* Once you finish a diet, calories SHOULD increase, scale weight and your feels SHOULD increase.
You aren’t depleted, you have more food in your belly, more water weight from carbs & training which makes youre muscle more saturated like sponges.
(ps the bigger your muscles, the more carbs they can store, the more you can eat & use effectively as energy 😉 the better you feel in the day, energy, insulin sensitivity, cravings etc…)
—
WHAT IF YOU REGAIN JUST FAT & LOSE THE RESULTS?
➡️Your methods are all about getting weight off as quickly as possible or simply ill informed
➡️what you think the whole journey looks like is ill informed
Ps. If you need a cheat meal, or struggle to stay the course… what you think you need to do is wrong!
Social media has you fooled, its not your fault. I see you working hard but
Nailing the pre & post diet period is where you make future fatloss SO much easier
You actually see a remarkable change in your physique long term –
You start to show up for how it makes you feel and how its helped your life
it will stop becoming all about the physicals because you now TRUST yourself.
That you ARE in control and that you can change
The process is where you LEARN how to make this a lifestyle.
And when you fall in love with the process…everyday is a win.
__
Just because you aren’t in a deficit or “fatloss”, dpes not mean you are going to gain all the fat back & lose all your progress.
You are INTENTIONALLY periodizing your nutrition
INTENTIONALLY training with a solid plan
MOST (if not all) PROGRESS is made OUTSIDE of a deficit
The deficit just reveals that
Just because you arent training 5-7x/k,
DOES NOT MEAN all of a sudden your muscle will fall off or you “get fat”
Just because you learn to REST MORE
does not mean you are lazy or will slow down progress.
You give yourself a real shot at ENHANCING progress, getting stronger, more badass
And seeing way more results from what you are doing in the gym
__
The most important part of physique change is a smart TAILORED approach to your training regime.
Smart, hard, effective. BUILDING the physique there.
EATING ENOUGH to fuel your workouts & recovery… spending more time OUT of a deficit
BUT making your fat loss phase planned & strategic.
You could do all the workouts in the world or have the best nutrition plan, but if the things outside of the gym are off, youre going to struggle. Big,
If you lose body fat , therefore weight, there is less of you to maintain . But just remember muscle is three times more metabolic than fat and our goal is to maintain as much as possible… WELL lucky for you this is only about 50 cals/day….. average.
YES. THAT IS ALL!
BUUUUT… Consistently pushing less & less calories….signals SURVIVAL MODE to your body – aka resources are scarce – leading to a DOWN REGULATION (or slow down) of metabolic processes
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN…? how can you “boost” your metabolism?
the answer is pretty neat actually…
Your body hates being in a deficit and finds ways to fight you… to conserve energy just like when your laptop or phone are on 5% battery or when you have the gas light on to fill up your car and you’re being frugal AF
SO KNOWLEDGE & AWARENESS AROUND THIS TRUTH ABOUT METABOLIC ADAPATION IS SO IMPORTANT!! because you can CHEAT THE SYSTEM!!
“The warning of dieting causing a “slowed metabolism” are overblown unless weight loss programming is as extreme as the Biggest Loser competition.” for anyone else (AKA YOU) its only 50calories of the equation… HOWEVER…
the neat answer is NEAT… being aware of how much your body moves in a day, not slugging around… but even more importantly…. TRACKING YOUR STEPS!!! (boost them #s up!) THIS can keep your metabolism 200-400 calories higher!!!
aka if you just slug around being doomed to the fate of dieting… yes you can lose those 200-400+ calories BUT if you diet SMART with:
optimized protein intake (i like 2.4g/kg+ when dieting)
PROPER STRENGTH TRAINING (not “fat loss” workouts or changing them to huffy puffy burn-more-calories-stuff)
STEPS & MOVEMENT
SLEEP!!!!!
you CHEAT the system and make the diet a successful one
The reason this is SO important is because once you understand that no part of you is damaged, or starving or adapted to some extreme… you can understand that your metabolism can once again be BOOSTED post diet (that clickbait word) but even more… make the fatloss part less of a fight!
The more you diet, the harder you adapt, the more “resistant” you become to results and the more permissive you are to sabotage…
THIS is why understanding periodized nutrition is SO important & that DIETS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE SUSTAINABLE!!!!! YOU GET IN. YOU GET OUT.
THIS makes it easier to PUSH when push comes to shove
✅get yourself in the BEST place to diet first. It should be a smooth process where results just come.. you aren’t fighting for them and youre mentally in it to win it
✅know HOW to eat. Have a solid routine. Learn how to be consistent & confident in navigating different situations
✅have a routine of movement, gym, sleep & lifestyle factors in motion
🙌when we diet, we do it the right way.
You need to have phases and seasons mostly focused on BUILDING a healthy, strong body.. focusing on increasing your performance capacity, enhancing your health & mindset and knowing where fatloss fits into the pie. The smallest % of it
Trying to always be dieting is why your body backfires and why you become resistant to fat loss.
Your mind is fighting you. Your body isnt stubborn…. You kinda are… (sorry, but I was too. And I really wasn’t getting myself out of it.
I wish I had someone fishslap me into reality a bit harder… but I probably still would have fought it because I thought my body was different & broken. But I promise you, you aren’t broken… what youre doing just needs some fixing and you gotta ask for that help!)
If you are ready to learn how to work WITH your body instead of fight against it so you can see the results, comment RESULTS below and I will get to you 😊
Training focuses on improving performance and achieving specific goals. It’s about lifting heavier, running faster, or mastering a skill. The quality of your efforts and the progressive overload are key. In contrast, exercise is more about general movement and burning calories without a specific goal in mind. While both have benefits, training with intention and purpose leads to more significant body transformations and performance improvements.
Why It Matters: Understanding the difference helps you prioritize the type of effort that yields better results. Instead of just aiming to finish a workout, aim to improve and challenge yourself continuously.
2. Intensity Matters: The Secret to Real Results
Intensity is the game-changer. It’s about how hard you push yourself in each workout. High-intensity training means working close to your maximum capacity, whether it’s lifting weights, running, or performing HIIT. This type of training recruits more muscle fibers, increases cardiovascular demand, and stimulates greater hormonal responses.
Why It Matters: High intensity = results. but use the right tool for the job. If a lean physique is the goal. you want to make your TRAINING intense, effective & smart. Rest between sets. long enough that you are ready to go intense the next go
3. The Role of Recovery: Fuel and Rest for Growth
Recovery is where the magic happens. After intense training, your body needs time to repair and grow stronger. This includes sleep, proper nutrition, and active recovery practices like stretching or light activity. Skipping recovery leads to overtraining, injuries, and burnout.
Why It Matters: Recovery ensures your muscles heal and grow, reduces the risk of injury, and maintains your motivation and energy levels. Proper recovery practices optimize your performance in subsequent workouts, leading to consistent progress.
4. Beyond Calorie Counting: Focus on Stimulus and Adaptation
Simply tracking calories burned doesn’t account for the quality and effectiveness of your workouts. High-quality training stimulates muscle growth, hormonal changes, and metabolic adaptations. This means engaging in workouts that challenge your muscles and cardiovascular system to adapt and improve.
Why It Matters: Focusing on the stimulus and adaptation process leads to sustainable changes in your body composition and performance. This approach goes beyond short-term calorie burn to create lasting improvements in strength, endurance, and muscle tone.
5. Personalized Nutrition: Supporting Intense Training
Your nutrition should align with your training goals and intensity. This means consuming enough high-quality protein for muscle repair, carbs for energy, and fats for overall health. Hydration and micronutrients are also crucial for performance and recovery. Tailor your diet to your body’s needs, considering your training volume, intensity, and personal health factors.
Why It Matters: Proper nutrition supports your body’s demands during intense training, helps prevent injuries, and optimizes recovery and performance. Personalized nutrition ensures you’re fueling your body effectively for the best results.
How Do I Know If My Workouts Are Intense Enough to Drive Real Changes in My Body?
1. Monitor Your Progress: Track your performance in each workout. Are you lifting heavier weights, running faster, or completing more reps over time? Consistent progress indicates that your workouts are challenging enough to stimulate growth and improvement.
2. Measure Recovery Needs: After an intense workout, your muscles should feel fatigued, and you might need a day or two to fully recover. If you’re never sore or tired, you might not be pushing hard enough. However, excessive soreness and prolonged fatigue can indicate overtraining, so find a balance.
3. Check Your Heart Rate: During high-intensity workouts, your heart rate should be elevated to 70-90% of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age). Use a heart rate monitor to ensure you’re working within this range.
4. Perceived Exertion: Rate your effort on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being maximal effort. Effective high-intensity workouts should feel like a 7 or higher. You should feel challenged and pushed out of your comfort zone.
5. Observe Physical Changes: Notice changes in your body composition and performance. Increased muscle definition, strength gains, and improved endurance are signs that your workouts are intense enough to drive changes.
6. Variety and Progression: Incorporate variety in your workouts to keep your body adapting. Progressive overload, where you gradually increase the weight, intensity, or volume, ensures continuous improvement and prevents plateaus.
7. Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body responds. If you feel stronger, more energetic, and notice improvements in your physical abilities, your workouts are likely intense enough. Conversely, if you
Which is why you find you ‘just get fluffy’ or simple struggle
You can eat all the protein & take yourself out of a deficit… go to the gym..
But it doesn’t mean you are building muscle
The type and quality of training you are doing should be a top priority. You aren’t going to get mega jacked by doing F45, group classes, body pump, pilates or bootcamps🚫
This DOESN’T make it bad exercise, it’s just not fitting to your goals
QUALITY training is essential
– hypertrophy focused strength training (the body building stuff. You want to BUILD a body)
– progressing stimulus over time training beyond “that’s hard, ouch, it burns” and learning what FORM failure feels like
– TRAINING SMART; more is NOT better or more stimulative. SMART & STRATEGIC is better
– YOU NEED ADEQUATE RECOVERY!!!!
Is the target muscle you want to train the limiting factor in execution or is something else taking over?
Does your first rep look like your last? (they should be getting slower!)
PROTEIN & CALORIES!!!!!!
While TRAINING is the driving factor for muscle growth…
you need BUILDING BLOCKS & ENOUGH fuel to provide a conducive environment for growth.
No bricks, no house. Not enough workers…good luck
So yes, you gotta get OUT of a deficit, eat at your higher end of maintenance or a small surplus.
Many of you CAN build in maintenance – its just YOU NEED PATIENCE and goals away from your physique. Because THIS SHIT TAKES TIME
Building AND keeping muscle costs a lotta energy (calories) and its not a priority. So not fuelling enough = inefficient.
And without ENOUGH protein, you aint gonna build a thing. Its like trying to paint a house with crayons… not happening. (aim for at least 2.2g/kg)
CARBS & DIET QUALITY
Pre workout; they serve as FUEL and energy. More simple carbs help here
Post workout; help replenish & recover.
Eating enough carbs optimizes training stimulus BUT it also gives you more energy & satiety in the day. And the RIGHT carbs can nourish your hormones & metabolism
Remember we eat FOOD not macros. It has vitamins & minerals within it.
DIET QUALITY matters. Eat like crap, feel like crap, perform like crap, gain fat…
If you aren’t able to perform in life or the gym, how can you expect to optimize performance?
Plus the downstream impact of eating mostly high-processed food will expand your waist.
NUTRIENT TIMING IN GENERAL
Eating at similar times each day is important for hormone regulation (appetite/satiety)
Having 30g+ of protein around your workout also
But other things you can consider that aren’t as important:
– where you have carbs after training. The pre training bout id say is most important for this. As long as you eat enough in the day.
– total protein is most important, and having a high dose QUALITY serve around your training… after that, it doesn’t really matter….. BUT
I wouldn’t be doing bird feedings of 10-20g throughout the whole day, grazing etc…
4-6 meals is a sweet spot. (or even 2-3 meals and 2-3 liquid meals)
SUPPLEMENTS
A high quality multi, creatine monohydrate & magnesium glycinate are the top 3
Most women don’t have enough vitamin D so I would add that in too.
this is something that comes up somewhat regularly with many women
I like to go through a little bit of a check list to see if there is anything that could be an immediate and simple explanation for why things aren’t feeling great.
PHYSICAL:
Youre in the menstrual flop stage of the month – about to start your period
Did you go harder in any of your prior sessions that week?
You’re doing way too much exercise but under training because of this… Recovery matters
You’re focusing more on burning calories or being the smallest version of yourself versus chasing performance
LIFESTYLE:
Did you get enough sleep? Was it quality? Were you over stimulated the day prior?
Were you more active than usual the prior day or on your feet all day?
Is there anything going on in your life that is causing you a lot of stress
Is your mind elsewhere? Are you overthinking or hyperfixating on other things?
NUTRITION:
Your breakfast was just coffee… or better yet, nothing (except maybe a pre workout) aka you didn’t fuel enough
You don’t eat enough carbs EACH day (&consistently)
Are you eating enough in general?
You lack quality nutrition (if you’re low on any vitamins & minerals…)
OTHER:
…. Life, its normal…
You aren’t weak, doing anything wrong, broken or failing.
Not every workout is a home run
YOU WONT PR YOUR LOG BOOK EVERY WEEK!
80% is just showing up and doing the work
FEELING UNMOTIVATED is normal… even for fitness professionals and coaches
Stop relying on it
Having bad body image days is also normal, don’t let it impact how you show up to the gym.
YOU WILL FEEL WEAKER some days, sometimes NOT EVEN MEET your log book.
Strength fluctuates. Maybe you slept like crap or maybe you’re in your emotions. Some days your warm up weights will feel HEFTY, other days youll smash em
This is SO DANG NORMAL – you just don’t want it to keep happening over the long run and make sure you address the above checklist.
Too many women are doing TOO much work that’s low quality, and not doing the work that creates the results you want. End result = more fatigue, more frustration
Need someone who can work with you and work on your approach to training
WHAT TO DO:
Well, you have a couple of options:
1. Sack it off, walk it off for 30+ mins in the treadmill instead and reflect on the session and your week… any lessons to take away? Is it your mindset? Are you being a d*ck to yourself? Go home, eat some food, recover for the next day.
2. Drop the weight, ditch the pursuit of perfection or log book beating & really tune into how it feels. Just give your best for each set and marinate more tempol
3. Take extra time to warm up, more warm up sets, move around with some dynamic body flow in between sets, etc… and just get the session done while you moan about but CELEBRATE your efforts after so you end it feeling proud you got through
4. Throw a fit, cry to your coach, and tell yourself you’re going to quit, youre weak, you never improve blah blah all the BS you KNOW isnt true
WHAT NOT TO DO:
No.4 from above.
Don’t make up for missed volume or work by tossing in drop sets, extra sets, extra work…
Don’t do finishers and burn outs or some random circuit bc you don’t feel you worked hard enough, did enough… even if you “fuelled yourself” before your session and you “don’t want to waste it” I would assess your relationship with food, calories and this process… (+ your body)
Its so easy to feel frustrated… like youre reversing, losing progress (& for some of you, fearing “gaining fat” – irrational beliefs can rear their head if you haven’t yet worked through them)
REMEMBER:
Not every workout is a home run
YOU WONT PR YOUR LOG BOOK EVERY WEEK!
80% is just showing up and doing the work
10% will be stellar
10% will be pretty💩
Welcome to real life 😊
Bad training days & mediocre sessions happen
Maybe you don’t feel great physically today
Maybe your cramps are trying to rip your insides out.
Maybe you’re feeling all the emotions today, kids are acting up, work was hard
Maybe you just feel off, not focused…
Sore, tired, overwhelmed, frustrated or just low energy.
whatever.
Stop stressing or getting down about not hitting top reps schemes or not being able to add reps or weight – this is an overtime thing not an overnight thing
When you start training to proper intensity you most likely will not progress every week. it can fluctuate
the goal is to SEEK progress simply by giving your 100% FOR THAT DAY
now when they do happen – first accept they WILL & the stress you usually get over it will disappear.
Look at the MACRO not the micro.
Its not so much about dealing with our bad training days as it is dealing with our mindset and how we allow being HUMAN to hit us so hard.
Give yourself permission to have bad training days. You WILL have them. ESPECIALLY if you experience the symptoms of PMS week or your period hits hard.
your self talk here is VITAL
improvement isnt about your output but about your INPUTS. Your best effort. Which looks different each day. Don’t be blinded by a lower than expected end result with no credit given to the effort applied, or the training effect of that effort. Its effort not results that determine long term improvement. Remember that.
Leave the training session at the gym and go do what actually matters in all of this.
LIVE YOUR LIFE! Don’t forget WHY youre doing this. To live a higher quality life and improve over time. To build a better more resilient you!
When you zoom TF out and realise this… the game changes
You enjoy it more
you make MORE progress
AND IT STICKS!!!
give yourself permission to move even when it doesn’t feel awesome
TRANSFORM x RUBY 