Sculpt by Debbie

I’m a fitness trainer, and I’ll be the first to admit I thoroughly enjoy a glass (or two!) of wine with dinner or a craft cocktail when I’m out with my friends. However, even moderate or social drinkers need to keep their drinking habits in check and know when it might be time to cut back or abstain from drinking. For me this means when my alcohol consumption starts affecting my sleep and energy levels, I notice my skin is breaking out more than usual (yes, alcohol causes inflammation!) or when I’m overeating foods I otherwise wouldn’t be craving. What motivates you to keep your drinking habits in check?

Here are the top three qualities in my most successful clients. 1. Consistency over perfection. Just show up. The circumstances are never going to be just right. Additionally, remember eating like this: 🥗🥦🌭🥬🍅🍑🥭🥑🍍🍔🍟100 percent of the time is better than eating like this 🫛🥦🥬🥒🌽for a few days or weeks and then falling off the wagon and eating like this 🥞🥓🌮🍟🍕for weeks or months.
2. Clear on their why. Knowing your underlying purpose for achieving your goal will keep you motivated for the long-term.
3. Self compassion/reflection. Habit change takes time. Try starting with making one healthy change to your routine. Once you’ve mastered that, try adding on another habit!

What’s a sustainable rate of weight loss?

The ideal rate of weight loss should be between 0.4% to 0.8% of your total body weight with a 1% max per week. Weight loss any faster than this will come primarily from lean body mass making it more difficult to keep off. Additionally you risk slowing down your metabolism & disrupting your hunger hormones making further weight loss even more challenging. For a 200 lb person, this looks like between approximately 0.8 to 2 lbs per week of total weight loss.

American diet culture often idealizes rapid weight loss. Contestants on the “Biggest Loser” are applauded for losing large amounts of weight in a short amount of time. However, weight regain for the vast majority of contestants was inevitable due to hormonal changes and slowed metabolism. Although it may sound cliche, slow and steady wins when it comes to long-term weight loss!

Here are the top 4 things I wish I knew before starting my fitness journey. I hope you can learn from my mistakes and avoid these common pitfalls. What have you learned along your journey?

Are you struggling to eat enough protein? Here’s an easy & delicious way to get 34 grams (only 323 calories!)
1 scoop dymatize whey protein
1/2 frozen banana or 1/2 cup of mixed berries
3/4 cup nonfat milk
1 Tbsp nut butter (try nuts n’ more for added protein)
6-8 ice cubes
Blend & enjoy! 💪🏻

Check out my client's incredible transformation!