Maintenance Phases for Fat loss + Sheet pan dinners + Leg day superset
Hello Hello! How was your weekend?
My mom came to visit me on Friday for what was supposed to be a two-day wedding dress shopping event. However, I quickly found the perfect dress on the very first try - it was stunning, comfortable, and even showed off my back muscles (which was a non-negotiable for me😏).
After the successful dress shopping, we spent Saturday exploring some of my favourite coffee shops, and I even found the perfect outfit (complete with shoes!) for our upcoming engagement photo shoot. We also went dress shopping for my Mom. We spent the evenings eating sheet pan dinners I cooked and catching up on Love is Blind and Emergency: NYC on Netflix.
Sunday was a bit more low-key - I worked in the morning, went to a spin class, and prepped some food for the week. A pretty standard Sunday, minus an ocean plunge because Ryan was in Whistler skiing, and I sure as shit wasn’t going to get an Uber to stand in the ocean for 11 minutes by myself lol.
Now, onto the main events:
Maintenance phases for fat loss (PART 1)
Sheet pan dinners are a game-changer
The ultimate Leg Day combo that I'm absolutely lovin'
1. Maintenance Phase Part 1:
WTF’s a “maintenance phase”?
WHY they’re important for fat loss
"Eating at maintenance" is a state in which you’re consuming just the right amount of calories that your body needs to maintain its current weight. This means that you’re neither consuming more calories than you burn nor consuming fewer calories than you burn, resulting in a stable weight.
Contrary to what some may believe, eating at maintenance is not a rigid or static number of calories that you must consume every day. Our bodies are complex and require different amounts of energy on different days, depending on factors such as physical activity and metabolism. There's a range of calories that can be consumed while still maintaining weight, allowing for a bit of flexibility and wiggle room.
WHY is eating at maintenance important for fat loss?
Based on my experience working with clients, I've found that if you've been dieting for an extended period (longer than 12-14 weeks) and are not seeing the results you desire, incorporating scheduled maintenance phases can be a highly effective strategy.
Rather than continuing to restrict calories and push through plateau periods, maintenance phases involve temporarily increasing calorie intake to give the body a break from the stress of dieting.
2. I’m hooked on sheet pan dinners (for now)
I say "for now" because I tend to fully immerse myself in things I love - whether it's a hobby, a dish, or a routine - until I've had my fill. So, for now, I'm really into this one thing... but who knows what my next obsession will be?
Reasons why I love sheet pan dinners whether you’re cooking for one or for your family:
Easy clean up–sheet pans, that’s it. Maybe a bowl to toss veggies and protein in herbs or a marinade.
Variety–the combos are endless, pick a protein and pick some veggies--boom, you’re good to go!
Time saving–you don’t have to have the air fryer, stove top, and oven going to make dinner.
Great for leftovers--Instead of making one sheet pan, make two so you have leftovers!
Sheet pan combos:
Lemon garlic chicken with asparagus and shallots
Spicy Shrimp with bell peppers, and onions
Sausage with Brussel sprouts, and carrots
Herb roasted salmon with broccoli, and potatoes
Balsamic glazed pork tenderloin with carrots and potatoes
Curry roasted cauliflower and chickpeas
.
POST LEG DAY SELFIE
3. Leg Day Superset I’m lovin’:
1A) Machine leg extensions x 8 reps with 2 sec pause at top of each rep, lower weight, complete 8 more reps with NO pause
1B) Dual dumbbell walking lunges x 20-26 reps
I usually complete some variation of this 3 or 4 times–ENJOY!
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Sending strength + encouragement,
Alicia