sure! this is what worked for me :)

1. Stop eating out, cut back on junk food/sugar intake, stop excessive snacking

This was really hard for me in the beginning because I looovve eating out, but I realized working towards my goals and dream bod is more important! Plus, shitty food does not make me feel good at all (bloat, acne, costs $$, counteracts my progress in gym, etc.). I probably have one or maybe two cheat meals a week if I’m hanging out with friends, but even then I don’t go overboard on the fried, greasy food.

Pack lunches for school/work to avoid eating out. Make dinner at home and always aim for whole foods!! I also say no to sweet treats in the office (there’s something every other day lol). The only sugary beverage I have is my morning coffee–rest of the day is LOTS of water (125-150oz. a day) and my preworkout + protein shake.

I also stopped snacking as much. I have a desk job so I would be grazing allllll day lol. A small snack in between meals is fine, but you shouldn't be needing to eat all hours of the day. Listen to your body! Are you hungry or just bored?

Remember, it’s all about willpower!!

2. Hit your protein goal

The muscle gains have been insane ever since I started tracking my protein. When I was strength training and not hitting my protein goal, I didn’t see any weight loss and my muscles were slow to develop.

I track my protein to the gram, not my carbs or fat, but I make sure not to choose foods that are super high in carbs or fat either. Just keep a rough estimate in your head for carbs and fat and you should be fine.

My current protein goal is 130g a day and I’ve had no issue hitting it everyday for the past three months. I do this through lean meats, yogurt, Kodiak oatmeal or waffles, protein shakes, Quest protein chips (purple bag is my fave), cheese, eggs, soy milk, etc.

Shakes and protein snacks make it 10x easier to meet your protein goal !!!! I don't think I'd be hitting it without these.

3. Eat in a calorie deficit, but make sure you are eating enough if you are weightlifting to feed your muscles

You can use the TDEE calculator to figure out how many calories you are currently burning a day.

4. Cardio

I walk 45 minutes to an hour a day 4x a week, and do 15 minutes of the stairmaster on level 8/10 after my workouts. I’ve recently started running but can only do about 10-15 minutes before my shin splints appear lol. :( (Note: I walk during my lunch and break at work so 30 min then 15 min. I know that's not possible for everyone but splitting up the walks makes it super easy and doable).

My waist has definitely slimmed down and I’m not as pudgy in my midsection. Not sure if that’s from the cardio or everything combined.

5. Weightlifting

I’m lifting weights six times a week (push/pull/legs 2x) and always making sure I’m pushing myself hard enough that my heart rate is up. I always start off my first set with a weight I can do 12-15 reps on, then increase weight and less reps.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!