I am not going to lie, I absolutely LOVE chocolate.
I eat A LOT of it every single day, BUT, at the same time, keeping my weight and body fat the lowest it has ever been!
I don’t have a fast or slow metabolism, I don’t take a magic fat loss pill or supplement, I don’t restrict any certain food groups or macros and I don’t avoid my favourite foods. However, I do track the amount I eat every day, and make allowances to still include my absolute favourite food – chocolate on a daily basis.
I have been tracking my body weight and food for years now, and making adjustments accordingly to achieve my goals.
4 years ago, before I started tracking my food intake, I was 7kg’s heavier than I am now. Current bodyweight is 49kg and previous was 56kg.
As well as this, my previous body fat percentage at 56kg was about 32% Body fat, where as now at 49kg bodyweight, I maintain roughly 16-18% Body fat.
When I first started tracking and dieting for fat loss, I dieted down to as low as 1100 calories per day to lose body fat.
This was challenging, but the plus side is that through smart periodized nutritional coaching, these days I am able to eat between ~2200 calories a day and maintain my weight.
Current macros:
Fats 100g
Carbs 180g
Protein 130g
So yes, with a fair amount of fat and carbs per day, I can eat normal Cadbury chocolate and fit it into my macros quiet easily.
Obviously my other meals consist of high quality lean protein sources and lots of veggies, some fruit and berries each day to look after my health, fibre and micronutrient needs.
My protein target has always been 130g, and doesn’t change and I have consistently hit that over the years
I am able to have so much flexibility because I have been so consistent over the years with both my training and nutrition.
I do train really hard every single day, and I also do cardio – outdoor walks and the stepper, but I enjoy every minute of my training and it never feels like its a chore.
I’ve just made it habit to keep myself moving each day, keeping NEAT or daily steps high which also helps control body fat whilst eating a little more.
Considering I have so many calories a day, a strategy I implement that suits my lifestyle is I don’t start eating till 2pm every day.
I do basically a form of intermittent fasting, because I have always enjoyed eating a big meal at night, then having room for chocolate after it.
Basically, I have learnt to utilize strategies such as controlling calorie intake, (which is THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR in body composition) keeping protein high, continuing high volume resistance training, and keeping daily activity or energy expenditure high to find a happy balance that suits me =)
I will do another blog about my personal story, when I was much heavier, with higher body fat, and was not training properly and not a flexible dieter like I am today.
But for now, the biggest take away from this is that consistency works!
It might seem hard at first, but if you want something really bad, you can achieve what you want.
As a coach myself, I have also been that person who has had body composition scans and skin folds done and felt upset about my weight and body fat. So, I educated myself further, dieted and trained hard, to get to where I wanted to be.
From there I have been able to increase calories for a period, then repeat the cycle again, until eventually, I was able to diet back up, with more muscle and less fat, without putting on any body fat.
Everyone is different in how quick or slow they will see results, but if you are consistent with your nutrition and training, no matter what goal you have I guarantee you will succeed.
I hope sharing some of my story can help someone.
If you need further guidance or have any questions about what to do to achieve your own personal goals, please email us at enquiries@definitionfitness.com.au
Thank you for reading
Natalie Knust
Owner Definition Fitness