Leaner Stronger You

#TuesdayTransformation . You may have seen a previous post on Cathy @onesmartlion last October. Today, Cathy has lost almost 10kg of fat, and is fitter and stronger than ever. She has also improved her posture through supplementing her Crossfit workouts with two gym sessions p/w (check out her hand position) you can’t get that from Crossfit alone #SorryNotSorry #TruthHurts . Compared to a 12 week transformation, Cathy’s progress has been relatively slow. It was her choice to ...go at a slower pace but it was still a bit too slow. This was when we identified her limiting beliefs. . If you are someone who believes you will always be fat because “it’s your body type” then you will most certainly have limiting beliefs and self sabotaging habits that you need to identify and overcome. What rationale do you tell yourself when you do something that sabotages your progress? . Sometimes, it takes time to observe a client’s patterns, and gather enough evidence to address it. You can’t hide from evidence. Once we identified her limiting beliefs, something changed within Cathy. She hasn’t looked back since. . Cathy’s results are stable. She won’t regain that weight back because she has worked extremely hard to make the necessary lifestyle and habit changes, overcoming her limiting beliefs and applying principles to her training and nutrition which has deepened her understanding of both. . Cathy will continue going forwards without me. She has until the end of July to hit her goal of 65kg. We drew up an incentive to keep going by herself. The more she focuses on being consistent, the sooner she will hit her target, and the sooner she can take a break and move onto maintenance calories. An extra 500 calories! . Cathy never thought about the possibility of going further and going down to 55kg. 55kg is the right bodyweight for her height, and now she is close to achieving her goal of 65kg, 55kg has become something tangible. . Last Saturday was my last day of Nutrition Coaching. I leave everyone empowered with the knowledge and the tools to continue going forward without me. And that has always been the goal. Well done everyone. I am so proud of you all!
See More

Great training session with Raging Dragons yesterday. Well done Jo T, Jojo A, May, Alicia, Mandy, Frances, Vic Snr, Marfiak, Gaydon, Ken Chow, Johnny and Ed!!!
www.ragingdragons.co.uk

Being compliant is hard work.
It can surprise others when I tell them it can be just as tough for me.
Just because I’ve competed and proven that I can be consistent doesn’t mean I can do this 365 days of the year. I am human too!
... After the comp, I was 100% unwilling to be compliant 😬 I very quickly stopped beating myself up, accept it was part of the process, and allow myself to go through the (states of change) cycle until I reached the point where I was willing to be compliant again.
It didn’t mean that I completely fell off the wagon. I still hit my protein goals, and I focused on training harder than ever so I could use the extra calories in a positive way.
Things have slowly come together and my willingness to be compliant has slowly improved week by week.
Last weekend was a test. I fancied going out for brunch. But I had reached a crucial stage in the process. Eating out would mess up my macros for the day. This normally would be fine if I planned my other meals around this, EXCEPT I wasn’t ready to put in the effort.
The risk of me going over my calories, or not hitting my protein goals because “I wasn’t going to hit macros anyway” was extremely high.
Not hitting macros for another day would mean I could lose the momentum I had managed to build up. I had reached a crossroad where my decision could affect my progress for another week.
I decided I would stick to familiar meals that required less energy to think.
It really made a difference. Things have finally started to shift, which has increased my determination to dial things in even more.
Eating out doesn’t have to be a problem. Many of my clients are doing this and are getting results.
The biggest factor is their WILLINGNESS to put in the effort to hit their goals/target macros.
I know after a couple more weeks of compliancy, I will also be willing to put in the effort to hit my macros whilst eating out.
How willing are you to sacrifice the things you know sabotage your progress? If you aren’t 100% willing, don’t give up. It may take you longer than others, but you must ACTIVELY continue to put in the effort to give yourself the best chance of success.
Never give up!
See More

Pan Fried @athleatuk Chicken Breast (300g) Tilda Coconut & Lemongrass Basmati Rice (80g) M&S Lemongrass & Coconut Stir Fry Sauce (90g) Grilled Tomato, M&S Mini Thai Pork Spring Rolls x 2, Steamed Baby Brussels Sprouts (100g) Tenderstem Broccoli (50g) and Green Beans (50g).
Macros C45g | F18g | P80g
... Calories 675
I don’t normally have 300g chicken. It’s usually 150g, but I had to cap my macros and I didn’t fancy protein fluff. It was easier to add another chicken breast and extra sauce!
This has been my dinner for the past 2-3 months, and I’m still not sick of it yet! 😂 I go through phases of eating the same thing for a while, then I go completely off it, and switch it for another one of my “Core Meals”
If you follow me on IG Stories, you’ll notice how late I eat sometimes. I often get home from work at 10pm. Maybe it was how I grew up, working in Chinese restaurants or takeaways, and eating my supper at 1am, but I always like to eat something substantial in the evenings.
This meal takes me about 10 mins to throw together. I put the tomato and spring rolls under the grill first, then I prep the veg (just wash and stick in a small pot with about 3cm water to steam. No fancy steamer required.
I then weigh out the rice, cut up some pre cooked chicken and add sauce before sticking in the microwave. Everything comes together at the same time.
I know some people don’t use microwaves, and some will prefer cooking chicken from scratch every night. Yes it’s tastier when it’s fresh, but when it comes to fat loss (and life in general), you do have to make compromises. I never eat battery farmed chicken, but I would rather spend an hour per week batch cooking so I can save time in the evenings. I never used to use a microwave either - I was very suspicious of it. But I’m fine heating up rice and chicken, as long as my veg is freshly steamed each night. It’s about figuring out what boundaries you are comfortable with, and what you value most.
Doing all of this increases my consistency without extra effort. I hope this insight gives you an idea of how you can achieve more consistency with your own nutrition.
Consistency is key!
See More

Do you believe that those who achieved the results you want, flew through the process because it was easy?
If you wonder why you don’t seem to be getting the same results, no matter how hard you are trying, perhaps a simple adjustment in mindset will help you turn things around without extra perceived effort.
It’s easy to forget that EVERYONE experiences obstacles in their daily lives. This may not even be a huge life obstacle as you may be imagining either. The small mundane... stuff counts too. For example; not being able to pop out for lunch because your meeting overran; or not being able to meal prep on your planned evening because you have to go to a leaving drinks party; or being pressured/succumbing to a glass of wine at the leaving party.
Obstacles are anything that causes you to be non-compliant.
Some obstacles cannot be avoided. But experience will help you avoid making the same mistakes in the future, ensuring more consistency over the weeks/months/year. It all adds up!
However, you must take time out to reflect upon what you could have done instead, devise a back up plan, and decide to never allow yourself to be in the same situation again.
We ALL have the power to change. How you CHOOSE to deal with your unique set of life obstacles is what will set you apart from the rest.
See More

If you struggle to achieve or maintain fat loss, it could be that your bad habits are sabotaging your progress.
Most of us can identify our coping mechanisms during times of stress. This could be reaching for the alcohol, smoking, eating junk food, binge eating, or even going off food completely.
This is our way of rewarding ourselves, and soon develops into a habit.
... A bad habit as a repetitive act that is learned over time often caused by stress. These bad habits start to creep in when we’re not even stressed or anxious because they are now acceptable to us.
Changing your habits is key to breaking this vicious cycle.
Your coping mechanism is a reaction. The way you react CAN be changed. But it requires extra thought, consciousness and energy to begin with.
Change takes time to implement. You weren’t always like this. The mistake is accepting yourself the way you are now:
“I could never do that”
“I’m not the sort of person to stop”
“That’s just not me”
“I don’t have the will power”
“I could never do what he does”
EVERYONE has the power to change. Refuse to put yourself in a box. Accept that there WILL be setbacks. You WILL occasionally revert back to old ways. This bad habit developed over time and it will take time to develop new habits to replace them.
Be patient, and trust that the harder you work at replacing your old coping mechanisms with new positive ones, the less frequent your old reactions will be. Soon you will find that you have replaced your old default reaction with a new positive one.
Teach your body new, positive habits. Show it an alternative way.
Succeed in this and fat loss will come naturally and effortlessly.
See More

Back Squats . I LOST COUNT AGAIN! 7 x 87.5kg instead of 6. I felt like I had another rep in me, and I’d rather do an extra one than one less. . I went down in weight (5-10kg) over the last six weeks to focus on developing a better squat. Really happy with the way it’s looking now 😁 90kg next week. I’m ready!

2 Days Out vs 29 Weeks Post Comp. 10kg difference.
Wow! How tiny was I? That was how lean I had to be to compete on stage. I do prefer the right side. It’s healthier and sustainable.
Next time I compete (2019), I aim to look fuller at the same body fat percentage. This means focusing on getting stronger and gaining muscle. .... Having more muscle will help me retain more of it when I cut again.
You naturally lose muscle (not just fat) when you lose weight. This is why weight training and protein is so important - it’s for muscle retention. Otherwise you can end up looking skinny without any muscle definition once the fat has been shed. With more muscle, who knows? maybe I won’t even have to get as lean either.
Our bodies are constantly changing. Mine certainly isn’t the same post comp, and I am finding it fascinating. It took a while to accept my new body composition. It was confusing to me at one point. I weighed more, but still fit into my smaller clothes, and I would usually have a double chin, a muffin top and more folds in my back at this bodyweight (56kg). If you’ve seen my old photos you will know what I mean! I didn’t have any of these this time. I didn’t feel bad, but I didn’t really know how to feel about the bodyweight. Once I realised what was happening, it became easy to accept and become comfortable at this bodyweight.
I’m really happy to have maintained a decent level of body composition. This was thanks to sticking to maintenance calories overall, training consistently, lifting heavy, and a steady increase in bodyweight over the last six months. Last time, I rebounded badly and went up to 62kg in the space of 4-5 months. Hence the excess body fat. There is only so much muscle you can gain each week/month/year. Cramming in 500-1000 surplus calories straight away will only lead to excessive fat gain. That’s why weighing more after a huge meal at the weekend doesn’t mean all of it has gone to your muscles! . #BodyRecomposition
See More

Fear is what stops many from achieving their goals. In the context of fat loss:
NUTRITION
Fear of not being perfect with your nutrition - e.g. if you didn’t meal prep you just stop trying, rather than putting effort into adapting to what you have available.
... TRAINING
Examples include a fear of lifting heavy and not making the reps, or a fear of people looking and judging your technique when you train. Both ultimately stop you from training at the right intensities for fat burning.
The only way to prevent making mistakes is to make them in the first place. Once you do, you will never make that mistake again.
This can something as small as forgetting to ask to have the sauce on the side in a restaurant. Getting caught out on protein whilst travelling. Or overeating because you underate during the day, or missing a training session because you didn’t pack your gym stuff the night before and woke up late.
I myself spent over 10 years figuring things out. Because I made mistakes and reflected on them afterwards, each time I tried, it got easier. I could add another layer of learning and experience each time.
By the time I started prep for the WBFF Worlds London last August, everything was second nature to me. This enabled me to keep my stress levels to a minimum, which is crucial for effortless fat loss.
Fear of imperfection prevents you from making the mistakes you need to make. If you don’t actively try, you would never be aware of these small details that prevent you from being compliant and consistent.
Doing anything flawlessly takes practice. Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone was a beginner at one point. The successful ones were the ones who didn’t care about making mistakes.
#ProgressNotPerfection #ConsistencyIsKey #FatLoss
See More

2014 vs 2018
Both 6 months after competing. I rebounded badly after the first comp. I was eating mainly chicken and broccoli. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the food I would eat once the diet ended. It was unsustainable because I was so deprived. I’m not sure how much I weighed. I must have been around 60-63kg.
... Right Photo: 56kg. My improved body composition is clear to see in my legs.
To give you an idea of how I progressed, here are my Squat benchmarks between the years:
2014 Back Squat 1RM 75kg 2018 Back Squat 6RM 90kg
I know this may seem irrelevant to some of you, but lifting heavier is a huge part of improving your body composition. If I stayed content lifting just 75kg, and just doing more reps, or if I was squatting randomly with no clear intention to lift heavier, my body composition would not be as it is today. I say this because I know and see a lot of people (women and men) who are not lifting anywhere near their true potential. Don’t think you can’t because “she or he is stronger than me” You totally can. You just need to lift with the intention to get stronger. and also, let go of any fear of bulking up. I only started getting results as soon as I let go of this fear myself. Consistency in both training and nutrition is key.
Progress also comes in many different forms. You won’t often recognise it until further down the line. Eating the right food, and getting enough sleep to enable me to train at the right intensities and to recover well. This took time for me to master and become second nature. I won’t lie. It is hard work, especially if you are in in the early stages of your journey and have lots of small things to master first (such as eating clean, eating more protein, or meal prepping). But the pay off is priceless.
#Progress #BodyRecomposition #ConsistencyIsKey
See More

Yesterday’s dinner.
158g @athleatuk Free Range Chicken Breast (batch cooked earlier in the day) 1 Medium Egg, Fried 100g Tilda Lime & Coriander Rice ... 100g Tenderstem Broccoli 1 Grilled Tomato (90g) 1/4 Avocado (30g) 50g M&S Coconut & Lemongrass Stir Fry Sauce
I had a lot of calories leftover (naps really are like a time travel machine to your next meal!) so I “pimped” up this “core“ meal with some avocado and a fried egg.
Macros C36.4g | F17.2g | P50.7g
Calories 498
#FoodPorn #FlexibleDieting #Healthy #Dinner #IEatAthleat
See More

Dinner
215g Venison steak (that was two steaks) with stir fried red onions, chestnut mushrooms, courgette, tenderstem broccoli and two grilled tomatoes (one shown).
Vegetables seasoned with Bart’s garlic Salt and juice from the rested meat.
... It tasted as good as it looked!
Macros C24.1g | F5.2g | P55.1g
Calories 363
Low carb, high protein, because I ate too many mini eggs 😬 Red meat because I need to top up my iron levels.
I’m going off on a tangent here, but I think many of you will find this insightful and useful. I find increasing awareness with my clients gives them a personal, tangible reason to prioritise eating lean meat and good fats.
I rarely eat red meat - more out of laziness. It’s faster to batch cook a load of chicken than to cook one steak from scratch. When I do, I rarely eat sausages or mince. I tend to stick to venison or rump steak because it’s much leaner.
Why does LEAN protein matter so much? Many get caught up in the high protein mindset where you just eat any type of protein. Paleo followers often get this wrong and eat far too many burgers and sausages. Because it’s protein. Right?
But not all protein is made equal.
Fattier cuts mean less protein per 100g. If your goal is to lose fat, you will be on a calorie deficit. If you track your macros, I bet you often don’t have room at the end of the day to include essential good fats.
The benefits of fatty acids are important for improving body composition and commonly overlooked.
I can tell the quality of my client’s fat intake and overall food and drink choices when I take their skinfold measurements. The skin is much easier to pull off on someone who nourishes their body with the right types of food and essential fatty acids (please note that this isn’t the case with individuals who have lost weight too quickly and have lots of loose skin). A diet high in saturated fat or worse, trans fats (e.g. deep fried food) makes it much tougher to pull the skin off and can often be painful for the client.
You need to consume good DIETARY fats in order to lose BODY fat.
Eat smart 👍🏼
See More

#Transformation
This is NOT a 12 week transformation. This is a lifestyle change.
Mark has been through a fantastic journey over the last 8 months. He has not suffered from common diet misconceptions - hunger, weakness and fatigue. He has avoided the want to eat everything in sight after a typical 12 week diet, and has developed the habits that will enable him to maintain his condition for a lifetime.
... When I first met Mark, he had developed few negative associations with certain food groups over the years. This is actually very common. Food fears can develop after an individual has lost weight by cutting out a food group. Once the diet ends, they start seeing the food they avoided as “bad” because when they cut it out, they lost weight.
Mark thought dairy made him gain weight. He also limited his carb intake, believing this was what you had to do to get leaner. this resulted in Mark severely undereating during the day and then caving into his hunger and cravings and binge eating in the evenings.
Before Mark started working with me, he was eating under 2000 calories a day.
Mark started at 2900 and went down to 2750 calories, but whilst he lost more weight, he started looking gaunt. At 6ft, Mark needed more muscle to look healthy at a leaner bodyweight.
This was when I advised him to focus on building muscle whilst on maintenance calories. It meant changes on the scale wouldn’t be as obvious, but as long as he was lifting heavier and his skinfold measurements were going down, he was on the right track.
Like many, Mark sometimes focused too much on the number on the scales going down. Despite this, he trusted me and stuck to the process.
Mark’s digestion has improved too. He used to suffer from stomach cramps, bloating and poor bowel movements. This all cleared up once we improved his food quality and increased his fibre intake.
Today Mark is on a small deficit of 2830 calories a day. He has a good relationship with food, eats plenty of carbs, with room for a few daily treats.
“I feel like I have much more energy, more confident in my body and committed to make it a lifestyle!”
I hope Mark inspires many of you to do the same.
Well done Mark! Proud of you!
See More

Discipline means doing the things you don’t feel like doing, or saying no when you would rather say yes.
At the end of the day, you have to take responsibility for yourself.
No one else can (or will) do it for you.
... #Discipline #GrowthMindset #ConsistencyIsKey
See More

The more you squat, the easier it gets. My hips get really tight if I don’t squat!
90kg Back Squat Cluster Sets (3+3). I’ve started dreading Leg Day because I’m getting close to my (mental) limits now. Skipping a session wasn’t an option. I just got on with it as I knew it wouldn’t feel too bad once I was doing it.
I’ve hit 90kg a few times during this programme, but it never looked as good as today’s set. It felt so slow in the second half but looked better than it felt! Nex...t goal is to do all five sets at 90kg.
I also hit PB’s on the Hack Squat and Wide Leg Press today. I haven’t done any calliper testing since the comp. The goal was to stay at a max of 22% and adjust when I spill over.
Body composition wise, I look the same as I did at 54kg. My clothes still fit me well, which they wouldn’t have at this weight previously. There’s no point gaining weight if most of it is fat.
Eat smart and train smart!
Great training session, despite dreading it at the start. Develop good habits and a regular routine.. It really pays off when you really need some autonomy 😁
#ConsistencyIsKey
See More

Does lifting heavy make me look manly? P.S. I scrub up well don’t I? 😁
My client Kat turned and said to me after a training session: “Jenny, I used to think there was a difference between training males and females, but seeing everyone train at the gym, we all train the same. There really is no difference”
There really isn’t. Especially if you approach training from a movement point of view, which is one of my training philosophies.
... If you do think there is a difference, that’s probably one of the reasons why your body composition isn’t improving, if that’s the result you want.
Anyone or any company who claims there is a difference are simply using this to market their services towards women. I hate this because it hides the truth, compounds the fear of lifting heavy which prevents the individual from finding a long term fat loss solution.
One of the main reasons why I am so into nutrition, is because it is important for me to be able to stay lean whilst lifting heavy. This is so I can set an example to others and lead the way. If what I do makes it easier for other trainers to help their female clients feel comfortable with lifting heavy, and stop the “female training” nonsense, then I’m happy!
Nutrition is what will vary the most from person to person, but the sooner you realise that the training process is the same, no matter what gender or body type you are, the sooner you will start seeing the changes you desire.
The only difference may be that you are a few years behind me, or a few years ahead of me. But if the end goal is to become leaner, increase self esteem and body confidence and also to be healthy and independent, trust the process and focus on lifting progressively heavier and ensure you cover all fundamental movement patterns.
If you don’t fear lifting heavy, but are still not getting the results you want, then it’s time to start optimising your nutrition. With guidance and coaching, you will get there MUCH sooner.
For coaching enquiries email jenny@leanerstrongeryou.co.uk
#LadiesWhoLift #WeightTraining
See More

#MondayMotivation
You cannot control the rate of fat loss. There are so many other things that need to happen internally before this can happen.
During my first comp prep, I was on 1000 calories for 12 weeks - a long time. Having such little energy really highlighted how much energy I was wasting stressing over things that I couldn’t control. ... To manage it, I learned to channel my energy into being in the present. It has served me well ever since.
I was pretty chilled out for my 2017 prep. I trusted the process, and put all my energy into doing my tasks to the best of my ability.
My areas of focus were simple: Training and nutrition.
I focused on getting my 5 sessions in a week and hitting my macros. I organised my food so I could use it to get the most out of my training sessions. I also made sure I wouldn’t get caught out, or get too hungry at the wrong times.
I was able to stay relatively stress free because I was experienced enough to avoid mistakes I made the first time round. Having more calories helped too!
In 2013, I made a lot of mistakes. I remember one day leaving my food at home. I learned how I became inconsistent when this happened and having to do extra things to fix this mistake, which took time and energy.
I learned from the experience. I reflected back, and thought about what I should have done, and what I could do next time I made a mistake.
It may not feel like you are making progress, but each time you make an effort, and reflect/learn from any mistakes, you are laying down the foundations to make things easier in the long term.
Don’t waste time and energy worrying about the past (e.g thinking about something that happened at work) or future (e.g. when will I lose this fat?). Focusing on the past may stop you from pushing to your limits in the gym because your mind isn’t focused on the weights.
Focusing on the future may influence you to deviate from your training programme and do something else. E.g you want to “feel” good and cardio works up a sweat.
Focus on the present and putting your energy into excelling the behaviours that will help you hit your training and macros consistently.
Fat loss is easy when you focus on the RIGHT things!
See More

Brunch.
I didn’t get a lie in today, but I do have the rest of the day off! 🙏🏼 I started it off by making a leisurely breakfast.
Smoked salmon would have been better with the asparagus, but it would have bumped up the fats and I might bake some Paleo Banana Cake later 😋
... One plain lightly buttered Warburton’s Bagel Thin, scrambled eggs (2 medium whole, one medium white), grilled asparagus wrapped in Serrano Ham, one grilled tomato, and 100g sautéed chestnut mushrooms.
Macros C40.5g | F20.8g | P42.4g
Calories 528
#Brunch #Breakfast #Nutrition #NutrientDenseFood #HealthyBreakfast #FlexibleDieting #IIFYM
See More