Hey fitness nerds!

Diets are hard.

But easier than you think.

We tend to overcomplicate dieting and exercise. Especially beginners.

I’ve done 9 bulk and cut cycles in the past 7 years and these are my tips that make it easy.

🏋️‍♂️ 

IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES WE WILL COVER:

Weekly Insights:

• How do I stay motivated on a diet?

• Article of The Week: Why should the elderly exercise?

• Tips of the Week

• Healthy protein brownie recipe

How do I stay motivated on a diet?

Basics: Try and be in a 500 kcal/day deficit at all times. That results in a 0.5kg weight loss a week = 2kg weight loss a month. That is sustainable.

And if you lift weights and maximize protein intake you should not lose much muscle mass.

It is a sprint, not a marathon.

The key is not to start the diet strong. That burns you out.

The key is to start simple and gentle. Forget that you are even dieting.

Cut out soda, swap your frappuccino for an americano… Easy stuff that does not make much of a difference to your life.

Implement cardio 3 weeks after you start your diet.

Start eating cleaner - remove high fat foods. Focus on maximizing your protein intake.

This is where the diet starts to get hard.

But you should be seeing progress. Personally, that fuels me to push harder.

You are 6-8 weeks deep in your diet. That’s where I’d start pushing cardio every day for at least 30 minutes.

Week 9-10 is where it gets hard. To make it easier I take 1 day a week where I don’t care about macros. I skip breakfast and dinner and eat whatever I want for lunch. Usually, I don’t go over my daily calorie limit anyway.

A few more tips that help me push through the last few weeks:

• Dieting with someone makes it 10 times easier.

• Don’t have foods at home that you want to avoid on a diet.

• Meal prep.

• When/if you go out eat to maximize protein intake and skip dessert.

• Avoid drinking sugary alcoholic drinks.

• Incorporate foods you love. For me, that is steak. I have it every day. Even when on a diet.

• If you overeat, don’t stress and continue your week as planned. It won’t have a significant impact on your diet.

The main trick is to make a diet easy, variable, not strict and enjoyable. If you can do that, it won’t feel like you are dieting anyway.

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Mobile App with an AI Calorie estimator (from a single picture) is coming soon…

Article of the Week

3 Tips for getting a restorative sleep

Bad sleep means a shitty day.

It is a backbone for good performance, smart decisions, and in general successful life.

These tips make sure I get:

• 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep

• fall asleep very fast

• wake up refreshed

1. Stick to the same sleeping routine
   
   consistency is key. go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day (exceptions are fine).

2. Have a bed routine
   
   create a comfortable sleep environment. That means a dark, quiet, cold bedroom. Use earplugs, blacked-out curtains, and sound machines if needed.
   
   no screen time at least an hour before bed. Blue light is bad for you.
   
   no caffeine and nicotine after 2 pm. Avoid large meals and alcohol before bed.

3. Reduce stress and anxiety
   
   relaxation exercises like yoga or pilates help manage anxiety.
   
   read a book and listen to calming music to wean down before bed.

This Week’s Recipe

Vote below to choose the diet for next week’s recipe

High-Protein Healthy Brownie Recipe 

If you have a sweet tooth you can’t miss this one.

It is one of my favourite recipes.

It makes 9 servings worth of brownies.

You can leave it outside for up to 4 days.

It is low in calories, high in fibre, and perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth after lunch.

This recipe was created in 2 minutes with BusyBody App. Click the button for free access to the app.

Macros

• Total Calories: Approximately 200 calories per serving

• Protein: 10g

• Carbohydrates: 22g

• Fat: 9g

• Fibre: 7g

The Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed (hear me out - sounds gross but you won’t be able to taste it)

• 3 large eggs

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1 scoop (approximately 30g) chocolate protein powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup granulated sweetener of choice (e.g., erythritol for lower carbs) = low or no calorie

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional, for added richness)

The Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, blend the black beans until smooth. Add the eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, blending until well combined.

3. Add the cocoa powder, protein powder, sweetener, baking powder, and salt to the mixture. Blend until smooth. I still mix in small bits of chocolate chip to make it even more delicious.

4. If using, fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top with a spatula.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake to keep the brownies moist.

7. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan before cutting into 9 equal servings.

Vote for the next week’s Recipe by clicking the button below

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