Author Archives: Taylor Louderback

One of the biggest myths when it comes to lifting weights is “weightlifting will make you bulky”. For a lot of people they believe that the only way to lose weight would be to do loads of cardio and eat like a rabbit and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Depending on what your individual goal is when it comes to being fit there’s many of different ways to get there that include lifting weights. If you’re goal is to bulk up then yes lifting for that specific goal will get you there but not without a meal plan specific to that goal. If you’re goal is to become toned than there is a specific weight lifting and meal plan that will get you there. Let’s be honest what you feed your body makes up for 70% of your fitness journey anyway and the other 30% comes from exercise. Now I’m not saying cardio is bad and you should never do it I’m just saying there is a balance between weightlifting and cardio that will get you to your desired goal in a healthier way. The video above explains perfectly the difference.

As you have probably gathered I use Buff Dudes videos a lot because i think they have a good balance of information and comedy. For most of my fitness journey i started following these “fitness influencers” that seemed genuine and for the most part they sometimes posted useful things but majority of it was product promotion. Now nothing is wrong with promoting a product or specific brand of supplements but when you change supplement brands like some people change socks then i feel it becomes more about the money you are getting over actually promoting an all around good product. For me i use multiple brands and i am not brand specific, i like to try new products depending on what i am looking for in the product at the time.

Since i don’t follow traditional diet trends like Keto, Weight Watchers, whole30 or Paleo, i focus more on staying within goal of my macros. So what are macros? Easy answer being are macros, or macronutrients are made up of carbs, fats, and proteins. More in depth answer would be macros are the nutrients your body uses for fuel and the nutrients we consume the most of in grams. Macros are important because tracking them can help you make better food choices.

For myself and my goals I tested a few different food trackers and found that for me MyFitnessPal worked the best. It allowed me to adjust my macro goals and my overall goals to better align with what my training targets are. I don’t overcomplicate things and try to keep it as simple as can be when it comes to an app that tracks what i eat. Some of the meals listed below required very little effort and are easy to shop for ingredient wise. I also found that making a list of the meals you want to eat for the week makes meal prepping, grocery shopping, and macro tracking so much easier.

Honey Greek yogurt has become a staple in my house. It’s versatile so i can use it in a smoothie, as a meal by itself, as a part of my post workout protein shake or I always have some with me in my lunchbox for a 3 a.m. snack at work. You can throw some of your favorite toppings in or use it as a dip for fruits or one of my favorites , add sugar free caramel frizzle to the top and dip your apple slices in the yogurt.

Life is all about balance and eating within your macros also allows for you to eat the kind of foods you enjoy but aren’t typical of most diets. I can still go out and eat pizza and wings. I can still go out and enjoy Taco Tuesday with some margs. It’s all about portion control and sticking to the 80/20 rule. Most people do very well with healthy eating throughout the week but usually go off track during the weekend. The 80/20 rule allows for flexible eating throughout the day, meaning you stay on track for 80% of your meals and eat what’s outside of you plan the other 20%. This allows for better managing off cravings and allows you to have a better experience with tracking macros and enjoying your fit journey better.