If I was dieting for a summer holiday in 10 weeks, here is what I would do…
It’s the time of year when as coaches we get all the last minute Lenny’s asking us how they can ‘get in shape’ for their holiday or a wedding coming up this summer. Now although we do not advocate extreme diets for lifestyle clients, you can definitely see some great visual changes in a physique in 70 days if you commit to it. No crazy fad diet, no running every day, simply consistent healthy lifestyle choices made every single day.
Of course we encourage you all to make healthy lifestyle changes for the longterm and not simply for summer, but if we were going to diet for a holiday in 10 weeks here is what we would do…
Track calories. If you’re wanting to drop a few kgs in this period, a consistent calorie deficit is needed and guesstimating won’t be very effective. Tracking your food is so easy on these apps now, you can literally scan a packet on the go. Everyone’s calorie needs are different so it’s impossible to tell you exactly how many to eat in this blog post, however you’re welcome to join our Femme Society where you can ask our coaches questions and find free resources. Tracking calories is great to teach you that you don’t need to cut out food groups or your favourite foods when dieting, you can have a little bit of everything and ‘fit it in your macros’. It is still important of course, that the majority of your food each day does come from whole foods, incorporating plenty of vegetables and keeping processed foods to a minimum.
Increase daily activity outside of the gym. Yes, outside! This is where you burn the most calories! The gym is important for building muscle and strength, but it does not burn as many calories as being on your feet all day does. Aim to increase your daily walking from your current starting point.
Hit the gym at least 3 times a week including heavy weight training. As we just said, it’s imperative you weight train whilst dieting and don’t simply rely on cardio. When people do this, they end up coming to us feeling ‘skinny fat’. Three workouts per week as a minimum is sufficient, starting with heavy weights and finishing the session with a burst of cardio such a the bike, stair master or some HIIT.
Aim to drink at least 2L of water a day. Most people who start coaching with us are dehydrated, and dehydration impacts your physique from low energy to constipation to increased hunger. When you stay properly hydrated, you will feel more energised throughout your day and in your workouts, you will reduce constipation and bloating, and you will feel fuller in between meals. Obviously, this can massively impact your results!
If you don’t believe us and still think you need to cut out your carbs, then check out our coaches instagrams for their results!
There really isn’t a secret hack, a magic training split, or a miracle food which will get you results. Even in 70 days, if you commit to these above lifestyle changes consistently then you will see changes.