WELCOME!
Welcome to your BodyByBree Continuation Program! We are so proud of you for committing to your healthy habits. During your continuation program your workouts will change every two weeks and you will go through different phases every few weeks to keep you engaged and progressing.
MILESTONE PRIZES
Time to celebrate! When you reach 3, 6, and 12 months of continuous training (woohoo!!) you get to choose between a discounted continuation month or supplement.
CONTINUATION PHASES
•BUILDING STRENGTH Drop sets programmed to help you see your potential with lifting.
•LEANING OUT Designed to help you really push your endurance and get lean.
•CHALLENGE MONTHS Get 50% OFF one month of continuation training or any single supplement by completing your BodyByBree Continuation Challenge. You will have weekly strength and mental challenges to complete during this phase.
If you would like to change your plan communication or workout plan type
(for example, going from independent training to check-ins or home to gym)
please fill out THIS form and your program will be updated within 48 hours.
Your auto payment will be every four weeks. You can update your payment information by logging into your account HERE.
If you need to edit your payment information, choose the drop down arrow next to your name in the top right corner. Click on "My Account". Click on "Payment Information". Click "Delete Card" to clear your old card information and add your new card payment information.
If you need to cancel your subscription, choose the drop down arrow next to your name in the top right corner. Click on "My Account". Click on "My Purchases". Under Main Product click the three ... and then choose "Cancel Auto Renew." Once the week(s) you have already paid for are over your app will be turned off.
COMMUNICATION CLIENTS
You will be receiving messages in this app from me and my head trainer, Ashley, to help educate you and keep you motivated! We encourage you to take advantage of your time with BodybyBree and ask all your questions. We want to hear from you and hear how you are doing!!
We strongly urge you to engage with all the messages sent to you and keep us informed with how you are doing. If we do not hear from you for a while we will reach out to see what's up. Please allow up to 24 hours for a response to any messages you send and if you message on Friday-Sunday you will get a response the following Monday.
We have so much information and motivation built into this app, you will want to make sure you don’t miss anything! If you have a few bad days or start to fall behind please make sure to keep checking the app and read all the messages sent to you.
BBB BABES
This group chat is there to help you connect with other clients and build each other up! Did you find a trick/tip that has helped you? Share it with everyone! Did you hit a new personal record during your workout? Celebrate it with everyone! You can even find an accountability partner in this group! We are a strong group of women who are supporting and uplifting each other! Introduce yourself to the group during education week and let everyone know about your successes along the way!
You will automatically be put into the BodyByBree Babes group chat. Participation in this group is 100% optional. You will find this group chat on your home screen under the section titled “My Groups”.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU AND Want YOU TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH THIS PROGRAM!
BIWEEKLY CHECK-INS
& PROGRESS PHOTO REVIEWS
For our biweekly check ins and progress photo reviews, you will fill out our check-in form. You will complete THIS check-in form every two weeks to help us see how you are doing. On this form tell us all about how you are feeling and ask all your questions!
CHECK IN HEREThe more information you give us the better we know how to help support you!
It is easy to only judge your progress based on the scale and physical changes but progress is so much more than that! On this form we have you go through three sections that ask about your nutrition, workouts and mindfulness. This will help us see “big picture” how you are doing. Maybe the scale has not moved as much as you’d like but your strength has increased or you are FEELING better, etc. THAT IS PROGRESS!!
Your check in form will be reviewed within 48 hours. If you submit your form Friday-Sunday your form will not be reviewed until Monday. IMPORTANT: If you do not complete your check-in form we will assume you are choosing to skip your check-in and none of your information or photos will be reviewed.
PROGRESS PHOTOS
For your progress photos you will want to wear the same thing each time you upload photos and wear something that is form fitting; a swimsuit is a great option or sports bra and shorts. It is also best if you take your photos in a bright room with a blank wall behind you. You will want to take your photos in the same spot each time. These photos will remain private unless you give permission to have your photos shared. Upload your starting photos anytime during your first week.
You do not need to complete a check-in form for your starting progress photos.
TAKING MEASUREMENTS
For your body measurements, if you do not have an easy way to measure your body fat percentage and you do not want to buy calipers to do it yourself, you are fine to skip tracking your body fat percentage.
WEIGHING YOURSELF
CLICK HEREto hear how you are going to heal your relationship with the scale
As hard as it can be, please try to not weigh yourself often. The scale is just a number and does now show your full progress. Try to only weigh yourself at most once a month. Instead of using the number on the scale to measure your progress, focus on how you are feeling and the changes you are seeing.
Watch this video to hear more about Bree's thoughts on the scale.
It's normal for your weight to increase when you start lifting heavy. Check out THIS post where Bree talks about why the scale could go up.
WORKOUT BASICS
WORKOUT STRUCTURE
Your lifting workouts are structured as three supersets with a 4th superset as a bonus round. This optional bonus round is there if you would really like to challenge yourself and push your workouts to the next level. Try to keep your rests minimal between each move, under 30 seconds.
Your tabata will be two supersets and is meant to be more cardio based so make sure you are pushing yourself.
Your wild card workouts are to help mix things up and leave you feeling like a superstar athlete.
Each workout should take about 40-55 mins. There are cardio bursts built into your workouts to help burn extra calories. If you'd like to speed up your results, it is suggested that you add 20-40 minutes of cardio on top of your lifting each day. For your additional cardio, you can choose whatever cardio you'd like. You can split your additional cardio and lifting up if you need to.
CALENDAR
Your workouts will change every two weeks and are loaded on your calendar.
If you need to rearrange your days that's fine! Open the workout and click the … to move the workouts around.
You will be given 5 days of workouts options but if you are unable to do all 5 days that’s okay. If you are unable to complete all five workouts try to at least do the Leg/Glutes, Shoulder/Abs and Back/Bicep workouts each week. If you can do all 5 workouts and you want to add in even more to your calendar you will find a bonus core and bonus glute workout under your Program tab (the picture of the kettlebell/weight).
TRACKING YOUR WORKOUTS
TRACKING YOUR WORKOUTS
When you open your workout make sure to hit “Start”. This will make it so that you are walked through your workout move by move in the correct order. When you see “superset” this means you will be doing a series of moves back to back with minimal rests. Make sure to track the amount of weight you use and the reps you complete for each move so that the next time you complete that move you can see what you were able to do the last time and try to beat it!
When recording your reps, if it is a timed move, you will count how many reps you were able to complete during that time. When recording your weights, you will record the lbs for one weight instead of the combined. For example if you use 5 lb dumbbells you will record 5 not 10. For any body weight movements you can leave the weight blank.
Watch the video for each move so you know the proper form. This is also where you will see the list of modifications for each move. You will complete all the moves listed in your workout even if you are doing the gym plan and the move says “home” and vice versa.
BONUS WORKOUTS
Included with your plan there are 3 bodyweight workouts that you can use if you go on vacation or are somewhere that you won’t have access to any weights. You can also use this if you are wanting to do additional cardio at home but don't have any cardio equipment.
You will also see a stretching and cool down video you can use as a warm up and cool down.
If you would like to add a little more to your week, there is an additional booty and core workouts you can add to your calendar.
If you are doing gym workouts, you are given 4 home workouts for days you can't make it to the gym. All of these can be found in your Program tab (the picture of the kettlebell/weight) and scrolling towards the bottom.
MODIFICATIONS
If there is ever a move in your workout that does not work for you, you can either read the modification for that move by clicking on the video and the modification will be listed right under the move name.
If you don't want to modify the move and want to change the move for something different you can swap that move out for something else. Do this by clicking start on your workout and then clicking the three … to the right of the move’s name. Choose “Substitute”. You can then search the BBB workout database for a new move. Type BBB and then the name of the muscle group you want to work to find the list of replacements. Example: BBB Abs, BBB Chest, BBB Glutes, BBB Legs etc.
If you want to see the list of modified/beginner cardio moves search “BBB Cardio Modified”. There is a video under your program tab (the picture of the kettlebell/weight) that will walk you through how to do this.
BREAST IMPLANTS
WORKING OUT WITH BREAST IMPLANTS
If you have breast implants, please reach out to your doctor to know their recommendations when it comes to doing chest and back workouts with your implants. Most surgeons recommend that you do not do ANY chest moves and to avoid certain back moves (commonly lat pull downs and pull ups). Please reach out to your surgeon to see what they recommend for you.
If your doctor suggests that you skip chest, then on your chest/tri workout you can skip all of the chest movements and have this be a shorter workout or you can swap the chest moves for a core or booty move. Same with your back moves - you can swap any move listed that your doctor has asked you to avoid.
RESOURCES
Listen to my Ask A Surgeon Podcast Series to hear two surgeons answer the FAQs I get most, such as advice on lifting with implants, loose skin, stretch marks, diastasis recti and more!
ASK A PLASTIC SURGEON (DR. JERRY CHIDESTER)Implant discussion starts at 17:50.
ASK A PLASTIC SURGEON (DR. J)Implant discussion starts at 21:45.
You can also check out THIS post to see great swaps for the moves you should avoid.
EQUIPMENT
AT HOME EQUIPMENT
You will need free weights to complete your workouts and a yoga ball. It’s recommended that you have at least a set of 5lb, 10lb, or 15lb weights. A bench is also great to have but you could use something else like a piano bench, stair, sturdy chair etc. Some moves include a yoga ball, disc sliders and booty bands to add variety and enhance the moves. If you would like to get these booty bands, and disc sliders I promise you will love them! If you do not want to get the disc sliders or booty bands that is okay too, there are modifications listed.
IN THE GYM EQUIPMENT
For gym workouts, your workouts include machines that are commonly found at gyms. It's fine if your gym doesn’t have some of the machines , there are modifications listed you can do.
You will also have access to 4 home workouts that you can do in case you cannot make it to the gym, you will find these under your Program tab (the picture of the kettlebell/weight). The only thing you may want to look into purchasing and bringing with you to the gym are slider discs and booty bands. Once again, you do not have to get these, there are modifications listed that you can do if you do not have access to these. Having these will help enhance your workouts and bring in more variety but are not required.
Working out is important to your progress but most important is your nutrition. You need to be consistent with your macros every day to see results. The cleaner you eat the better your body will respond!
Make sure you are logging your foods in your MyFitnessPal app every day and are staying within 10g (over or under) on your protein and carbs and within 5g on your fats. If you do not track your macros then it makes it very hard for BodyByBree to know how to help if adjustments are needed to be made to enhance your progress. Also remember that it takes time to get your body to change so try to be patient and trust the process.
MEAL PREP
You may be initially overwhelmed by the idea of meal prepping. This can be scary but when you begin to do it, you will be amazed at how much time it saves you throughout the week! Don’t worry, during your education week you will learn all the tips and tricks to being successful with meal prepping. Try prepping your meats and carbs for three days at a time but don’t prep more than that, or your food doesn’t taste as good. You can find my favorite food scale and meal prep containers on my Amazon storefront.
CHEAT MEALS
You are allowed one cheat meal each week but keep it to a meal, not a cheat weekend! Try to keep your total meal under 900 calories (including appetizers, drinks, dessert etc). I personally don’t track my macros on the day I have my cheat meal. I eat my normal foods leading up to my cheat meal and then jump right back into it after. One tip to avoid a weekend binge is to have the next meal after your cheat meal planned and prepared so that it is easy to get right back into things.
BEVERAGES
I highly recommend drinking at least 60oz of water each day. You can flavor your water by adding in slices of fruit/cucumber/mint or use a clean water flavoring like Crystal Light Pure or Simple Truth water enhancer. Soda is not the healthiest option, but technically if it’s diet it won’t mess with your macros. With that being said, I would prefer clients don't drink it because it makes you retain water/bloat and is filled with not clean ingredients.
You can drink coffee but you will need to log any sweeteners or creamers in your MFP that you add to your coffee.
Logging alcohol is a little trickier. It's suggested that if you choose to have an alcoholic beverage that you do it as part of your cheat meal. If you want to try and fit it into your macros you can, read THIS article to learn how you would do that.
A new meal plan and macro count are NOT included in your continuation training.
If you would like to purchase a new macro count you can use the code CONTINUATIONMACROS for $5 off.
MACRO ADJUSTMENTS
If you feel like your progress is not where it should be, please watch this short video to do a self evaluation.
After watching the video, if you feel like you need a macro adjustment, please message through the app about this concern and BodyByBree will evaluate your workouts/macros and make any adjustments needed.
UNDER THE WEATHER
When you are sick, it's best to rest and let your body heal. Otherwise, if you push through a workout you'll just end up being sick longer. Use the time you would have been working out to do some meditation or reflect on your goals. If your body is hungry, then you should stick to your macros. But if your body has no appetite, listen to it and don't stress about your macros. When I'm sick I try to fuel my body with essential nutrients it needs to heal. Limit the processed carbs and sugars and try to eat nutrient dense foods. It's amazing what our bodies can do when we fuel them correctly!
Here's my go-to green smoothie recipe!!
8 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop BodyByBree Vanilla Protein
1/2 cup strawberries or 1/2 a banana
2 cups raw baby spinach
1 scoop BodyByBree Greens
4-6 ice cubes
PROUD TO PARTNER
G2G Protein Bars are my absolute favorite! They are made from scratch with clean, whole ingredients.
Use BREE for 15% your order.
1% Fitness prepared meals are clean, ready-to-heat, and delivered to my door. They are a life-saver when I'm too busy to meal prep. (Especially lunches for me!)
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When I need a chocolate fix, I grab Jojo's. Their chocolate is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, high protein, low sugar, and still delicious!
Use BODYBYBREE10 for 10% your order.
Beehive Meals provides frozen, ready-to-cook crockpot family meals that are macro friendly and easy to track. They offer gluten free options and currently deliver in northern Utah.
Use BODYBYBREE for $10 off your non-subscription order.
I use all natural, low sodium FeastMode seasonings in my kitchen. From sweet to savory they've got just the right blends to bring your meals to the next level.
Use BREE for 10% your order.
My go to late night snack is cereal. Since Magic Spoon cereal is grain free, gluten free, sugar free AND low carb high protein it's the perfect fit for my macros!
Use BODYBYBREE for $5 off your order.
MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION
Living a healthy lifestyle isn't just about working out and eating healthy. It's also about making sure that your mental state is balanced and that you are in tune with your thoughts and emotions.
Each week there will be a mindfulness theme and a BodyByBree Weekly Mindful Challenge. These are designed to help you with behavioral change and creating long term habits. They are SUPER important and are where the real magic of this program comes from!
It is very important that you log into the app each Monday and read your Monday Mindful Message. You will also be receiving texts with reminders about that week’s theme and challenge. Make the commitment now that even if you fall off the program or are on vacation or are sick that you still read your Monday Messages and participate in these weekly mindfulness challenges!
On your calendar you will see a Monday Motivation “workout” listed on your calendar that will contain all the videos and podcasts that you’ll need to watch for that week and your task for that week’s challenge. Some of these “workouts” don't have videos and are just links or text so if you try to click on a video and it doesn't pull anything up that is ok! We use this Monday Motivation “workout” to keep things organized, make sure you clearly receive all the tasks you need for that week and to give something to check off.
Bree is a certified Meditation and Mindfulness teacher and has designed this program to help align your thoughts and actions. The best way to do this is through meditation and acknowledging daily mental wins.
We have included a couple of meditations in your plan for you to use. Meditation can be intimidating when you first start so if you are new to meditating, start by following along to with the Meditation For Beginners video.
You do not have to do all the options that are listed each day. Just pick one and follow along with the video. You can add these Meditation Options to your calendar by clicking the blue +, choose workout and then scroll until you see Meditation Options.
We challenge you to do 10 mins of meditation 5 days a week.
MEDITATION RESOURCES
BEGINNING MEDITATIONS
BREE'S MEDITATION FOR BEGINNER'S VIDEODETACHING YOUR WORTH FROM YOUR BODY MEDITATIONBETTER ME WITH BODYBYBREEGRATITUDE MEDITATION
BETTER ME WITH BODYBYBREE5 SOUL QUESTIONS MEDITATION
BETTER ME WITH BODYBYBREESETTING YOUR INTENTION MEDITATION
BETTER ME WITH BODYBYBREETHE DAILY SHINE PODCAST (APPLE)
AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PLATFORMS
CHILDREN'S MEDITATIONS
For information on helping introduce children to meditation, you can listen to the following podcast episode where Bree discusses the principles of children's meditation and gives a meditation you can do with your children before bedtime.
CHILDREN'S MEDITATION (FULL EPISODE)BETTER ME WITH BODYBYBREECHILDREN'S MEDITATION (MEDITATION ONLY)
BETTER ME WITH BODYBYBREECHILDREN'S MEDITATIONS WITH THE MOSHI APP
ADVANCED MEDITATIONS
Oprah & Deepak Chopra's 21 Day Series - Manifesting Hope
FULL PLAYLIST HERE
Deepak Chopra's 21 Days of Abundance Series
FULL PLAYLIST HERE
You will need to download the MyFitnessPal app and adjust the macro goals in MyFitnessPal to match the macro goals listed in your BodyByBree app. YOU WILL NOT WANT TO USE THE MACRO GOAL MYFITNESSPAL SETS FOR YOU.
It is highly recommended (but not required) that you upgrade your MyFitnessPal app to the premium account. The premium account will give you features that will make macro counting a lot easier and will allow you to set your macro goals by the gram so they are exactly the same as your BodyByBree macro goal. It also will allow you to do a “quick macro add” that makes adding macros for recipes and foods so much faster! If you choose not to upgrade that is fine too, you will just have to set your macro goals in your MyFitnessPal based on percentages and try to get them as close as you can get to the macro goal BodyByBree has given you.
MyFitnessPal is making some changes to their platform that is making it so they will no longer reliably sync to third party apps. It's such a bummer! We are in the works of creating our own food tracker within the BodyByBree app but it's still a ways out. Until then, you will still track your macros in MyFitnessPal, it just may not sync properly to your BodyByBree app. At check-ins I will have you list your macro averages from MFP so we can still review your macros with you.
You will want to make sure you do not log your calories burned in MFP or MFP will add additional macros back in to your daily goal. Your macros have been set according to the amount of days you committed to working out in a week so you will not need to adjust your macros on the days you do or do not workout.
SYNCING YOUR BODYBYBREE & MYFITNESSPAL GOALS
IF YOU HAVE UPGRADED YOUR MFP TO PREMIUM FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:
- In the MFP app click "... More"
- Click "Goals"
- Under the "Nutrition Goals" sections click on "Calories, Carbs, Protein and Fats Goals"
- Change your carb, protein, and fat goals to match what BodyByBree has set for you.
IF YOU HAVE NOT UPGRADED YOUR MFP TO PREMIUM FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:
- In the MFP app click "... More"
- Click "Goals"
- Under the "Nutrition Goals" sections click on "Calories, Carbs, Protein and Fats Goals"
- Since you did not upgrade you will only be able to set your macro goals by percentage. Enter in your total calorie goal and then change the % until you can get your carbs, fats, and protein to match as close as you can to what BodyByBree has set for you.
RECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTS
Your gut health is so important!! When your gut health is off you can feel it all over your body!
Did you know that your gut
•is the center of your immune system?
•houses your serotonin response?
•is linked to your brain, skin and hormone levels?
Your gut could be the root cause of your chronic bloating, skin issues, brain fog, inability to lose weight, headaches, eczema, constipation and so much more. This is why I highly recommend that you take a daily probiotic and use digestive enzymes!
The BodyByBree Digestive Enzymes are like little Pac-men that help you with digestion. Probiotics coupled with digestive enzymes will decrease indigestion and heartburn caused by too much acid in the stomach and support gut biome, immune system and brain health.
The BodyByBree Probiotic is nano-encapsulated to ensure safe delivery and absorption in your gut. (If it can't survive room temperature, it can't survive your digestive tract.) It uses the three foundational strains of probiotics that facilitates growth of all probiotics strains.
One of my secrets to feeling energized everyday is my daily dose of greens. Greens aid the body by boosting the body's natural immune system, absorbing and cleansing residual toxins along the intestinal wall, lower the inflammation responders in the digestive system, and balancing pH.
Made from 100% pure organic ingredients, you are supporting your body with clean, plant-based energy with healthy antioxidant properties. Packed with vitamins and minerals to support essential functions of the body, start filling in nutritional gaps with BodyByBree Greens!
It's the one that every woman needs: The BodyByBree Daily! Instead of tossing in synthetic vitamins and minerals to make the nutrition panel look good, we use all natural herbal ingredients that not only deliver an effective combination of vitamins and minerals to help your body feel its best. Using only the best ingredients ensures that your body will recognize our daily multivitamin and multimineral as the fuel that it is. This way your body knows EXACTLY how to use it to help you be the healthiest you can be!
Get daily support:
• Cardiovascular health
• Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties
• Blood glucose regulation
• Thyroid function
• Regulate metabolic processes
Fish oil is so important for your joints, muscles and hormone levels! Fish oil also promotes strong hair, skin and nail growth. When researching fish oils I discovered that most fish oil supplements come from fish that are at fish farms. These can contain harmful bacteria and high levels of metals. I also hated that hours after taking a fish oil pill I would get that fishy taste.
This is why I came out with the BodyByBree pure wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon oil. With the BodyByBree Omega-3 Salmon Oil you can feel confident that you are getting the best quality fish oil and you will not get that fishy aftertaste.
As a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist, I have tried countless protein supplements, but the problem with so many mainstream products is they are loaded with fillers and have artificial ingredients that left me feeling bloated and uncomfortable. I could tell it didn’t sit well with my body. I wanted an organic option that didn’t include artificial sweeteners, flavors, or preservatives. I wanted something I could feel good about feeding my kids.
That's why I created The BodyByBree Organic Protein. You do not have to use the BodyByBree protein but with over 200 five star reviews, trust me when I say you will love it and will feel and taste the difference.
Use the code BBBCLIENT for 15% OFF your first order!
REFERRALS
The biggest compliment you could give BodyByBree is to refer someone to us. I hope that you love your experience with BodyByBree so much that you talk about it with your family and friends! If you inspire someone to sign up for one of my training programs or any other product, have them use your individual affiliate referral link and you will get a great kickback! You can sign up as an affiliate HERE if you don't already have an account.
When someone uses your referral link, you get paid a 20% commission on referred program purchases and 10% on everything else! You can share your link by directly sending your link to your friends or you can email them your link. You can also share your link on your social media if you want to share with everyone you know!
You can access your referral account and see how many referral rewards you have by logging into your account HERE.
For any questions email affiliates@bodybybree.com.
What if I become pregnant during my training? Can I change to the pregnancy plan?
Yes! Just email us and let us know and we will make that change for you. Pregnancy training is only available with the communication option.
Why isn't MyFitnessPal syncing with my BodyByBree app?
MyFitnessPal is making some changes to their platform that are making it so they will no longer reliably sync to third party apps. It's such a bummer! We are in the works of creating our own food tracker within this app but it's still a ways out. Until then you will still track your macros in MyFitnessPal, they just may not sync properly to your BodyByBree app. At check-ins I will have you list your macro averages from MyFitnessPal so I can still view those with you.
What happens at the end of my program?
If you choose to keep training with BodybyBree and do the monthly continuation plan then you keep your app access. If you choose not to then your app does get turned off. Our continuation plans are $50/4 weeks for 2 way communication and check-ins or $30/4 Weeks for independent. HERE is the link that tells you everything that is included in our continuation program.
I've hit a plateau. What do I do now?
Hitting a plateau is so hard and frustrating! Watch THIS video that talks about what to do when you do hit a plateau.
Is it normal to be gaining weight at first?
It is very normal to gain weight at first after starting a new lifting workout. HERE is a post that explains why this could happen.
Help! The number on my scale isn't changing!
I know it's so hard but don’t let the number on the scale get to you!! Remember, the scale is just a number and does not show all the changes that are happening and progress you have been making. Watch THIS short video so you can hear our thoughts on the scale and then listen to THIS podcast on how to heal your relationship with the scale.
How can I spot reduce fat in my trouble areas?
I so wish we could choose where our body toned. Unfortunately, usually your trouble areas are the last to tone. The best thing you can do is to be consistent with your macros, eat clean foods and be consistent with your workouts. With time as your body fat percentage lowers, your trouble areas will lean out too! Just make sure you are not focusing on the parts of your body you wish you could change. Instead focus on the parts you are proud of! Every body type is different so celebrate yours and send your body love. HERE is an IGTV from a bit ago about this topic.
What type of cardio is best?
The only thing that matters is that you enjoy your cardio and you can stay consistent with it. Cardio is cardio. It’s not better to do elliptical over running, or the bike over treadmill. You are keeping heart rate up and burning calories either way!
Should I do steady state or HIIT cardio?
Both have their time and place. HERE is a post that goes into detail about the two and when to use them.
How much time should I spend doing cardio?
That depends on your goals, your body type and how much time you have. The most important thing though is to not replace your lifting with cardio.
I'm having back pain while lifting.
There are quite a few reasons why you could be having back pain while lifting. HERE is a video that talks through so of those reasons and make sure to consult your doctor if the pain continues.
Is it normal to feel super sore?
If you are feeling super sore the best thing you can do is to keep hydrated, stretch and take BCAAs to help with muscle repair. There is a stretching video in your program you can following along with to help work out some of that lactic acid. The BodyByBree Protein has BCAAs in it so it is the perfect drink to have after your workout to help with muscle repair and aiding with soreness.
I'm feeling sluggish after working out. What can I do to help with that?
If you are feeling sluggish after a workout you may need to change what you are eating before/after your workout. Check out these two posts about nutrient timing and what to eat after your workouts HERE and HERE.
Should I workout when I'm sick?
It's best to rest and let your body heal. If you push through a workout you could just end up being sick longer. Use the time you would have been working out to do some meditation or reflect on your goals. If your body is hungry then you can still stick to your macros but if your body has no appetite listen to it and don’t stress about your macros.
What should my calorie burn goal be?
I don’t recommend setting a calorie burn goal during a workout because the goal is to build lean muscle to burn more fat at rest and sculpt your body. If you are so concerned with burning calories you won’t reap the benefits of lifting and building muscle. Just because you don’t burn a lot of calories lifting doesn’t mean it’s not working. Don’t judge a workout on how good it was according to how many calories you burned.
What does "macro friendly" mean?
When you hear "macro friendly" this means that the portion size and the macros make sense. For example: A piece of bread is about 20g carbs and 1 apple is about 20g carbs. Which one is more filling? A piece of pizza is about 11F 30C 13P but 4oz of cooked chicken, 3oz of cooked sweet potato with 1/2 tbs of butter and 8 spears of asparagus roasted with 1/2 tbs of olive oil is 15F 31C and 28P. What dinner is going to leave you feeling fuller? You want to try to find foods that the macros and portion sizes make sense.
I'm new to macros and it's feeling overwhelming to count!
If you are new to macros then my advice is to start small! Don’t go from never tracking your food to tracking everything you eat and trying to hit all your macro perfectly to the gram. We do not expect you to be hitting your macros perfectly within one day after learning about macros and you should not expect that from yourself either. It is a huge learning curve so avoid overwhelming yourself and ease into counting macros.
Start with where you are and slowly work your way up. Start with by just being mindful of your foods and making smarter choices or start by trying to have a protein at every meal. Once those small steps feel comfortable then try logging just one meal each day or logging just one food group. When you slowly work your way into a new habit you will have a higher chance at being successful with it.
Do I track net carbs or total carbs?
BodyByBree will have you count total carbs. Net carbs is when you subtract the fiber out from total carbs. Since BodyByBree focuses on taking smaller steps and creating a lifestyle we have found that by having you track net carbs and subtract out the fiber it is just adding in one more thing for you to do and most people find that annoying so we will have you track total carbs not net.
How do I track a marinade?
Marinades add very minimal macros because the meat doesn't absorb that much. When they are oil based, I usually just say it adds 5g fat to that meal. If it’s a sweet marinade like a BBQ or Teriyaki then I say it adds 10g carbs.
What is flexible macro counting?
If you find trying to hit all three macros is overwhelming or stressing you out, then try the flexible macro approach. Carbs and fats are both sources of energy so you can interchange them. Make sure to hit your protein goal and let your fats/carbs be whatever. Once you hit your total calorie goal stop. HERE is a video that will explain it!
How do I know when to change my macro count numbers?
We typically have you hold your numbers unless:
1 - You have been SUPER consistent for 4-6 weeks and your body is not responding. (At that point we would look into reverse dieting or what needs to be done.)
2 - Your goals have changed. For example, you have reached your goals and want to maintain, or you want to go from aggressive to lifestyle etc.
3 - You start to feel super hungry or have low energy. This indicates your metabolism has sped up and your body needs more fuel.
4 - You are unable to be consistent with your current macros. Most of the time if you are not able to be consistent it’s because your macro goals are not lining up with the efforts you able to give. Example, you are set up for an aggressive approach but realistically can only do a lifestyle approach at that moment.
5 - You enter in a new phase of life and need to change up your goals to match this. For example, a lot of clients go into maintenance during Nov and Dec so that they can enjoy the holidays and don’t have to stress about hitting their macros because it’s hard to be in a deficit during the holidays. Or maybe you have a vacation coming up in a few months and you are feeling ready to be very strict and aggressive with your macros so you can make a lot of progress before your trip.
6 -You become pregnant or stop nursing. You would need to change your macros for these big life changes.
These are few examples of when you would want to change your numbers. You can also watch THIS video that talks more about when to change your macros.
Can I have soda?
Soda obviously is not the healthiest option but technically if it’s diet it won’t mess with your macros. With that being said, we would prefer clients to limit soda because it makes you retain water, causes bloat, and it's filled with toxins. If you are used to drinking lots of soda than slowly lower your soda consumption, don’t try to go from having 44oz every day to 0.
How do I log alcohol?
Alcohol is a little tricky to track so its best to just have it as part of your cheat meal. If you want to try and add it into your macros then you would look up the amount of calories in your wine/liquor and divide that number by 4 and that is how many "carbs" are in it. Example 5oz of red wine usually has about 125 calories. 125/4=31.25 so that would be about 31 carbs. If you have a mixed drink you would then need to add in any mixers to your carbs too. Hope that helps!
Am I really supposed to be eating this much?
It might seem like a lot of food right now but as you go through the program you will notice you need more food to fuel your workouts. If you aren't eating enough, you cannot build lean muscle to burn fat and you just look "skinny fat". HERE is a video that talks more about why you want all these calories. With that said, don’t force feed yourself! Read THIS post about how to work up to your numbers.
Can I swap the foods in my meal plan?
Yes! We want you to enjoy the foods you are eating so if there is anything in your meal plan you do not like please swap it out. The foods planned for you are just suggestions to help give you ideas on ways to fill your macros. You are fine to swap anything suggested out for things you want. Just log the foods and brands you eat in your MyFitnessPal app and stay within 10g (over or under) on your proteins and carbs and within 5g of your fats.
Do I get a new meal plan every week?
The provided meal plan is a single 7 day meal plan. This meal plan is meant to give you ideas on how to fill your macros and show you several options of food combinations you can have that fit your numbers. We only provide these 7 days because we do not want you to be reliant on someone else telling you what to eat to be successful with your nutrition. With this program we want to teach you how to meal plan for yourself so that it is a skill you can have for the rest of your life and you can have long term results.
When you feel ready to make swaps start small and work your way up. For example, if one of your snacks is a greek yogurt, try swapping that for a similar item such as cottage cheese. After some practice you will then eventually be able to plan your own full days’ worth of food so that meal planning a skill you can have for the rest of your life. Use the MACRO REFERENCE SHEET and HEALTHY HACKS SHEET to help get ideas for some easy swaps.
Use the meal plan we have provided you to help you get started. As you start to log your foods you will become more aware of the macros in your common foods. You will then be able to use this knowledge to see how your foods fit together to hit your numbers. Once you are comfortable with logging your foods then you can start swapping out the foods we have suggested for your own foods.
I know it’s annoying at first but the biggest advice I have when starting to meal plan for yourself is to log your foods a day in advance. This will allow you to take some time to find the food combinations and portion sizes you need to fill your macros.
Tips for staying consistent with your macros:
My biggest advice on how to be consistent with your macros is to track your foods a day in advance. This will allow you to make changes to your food combinations and portion sizes until you reach your macro goals and then the next day you know exactly what to eat. Plan your most important meal first and then work around that. For example, if you want to have a dinner that your whole family will enjoy then log your dinner first then work around that. If you find that even with prelogging your foods you cannot be consistent then it may be time to evaluate your goals and “why” and possibly make some changes to your macros.
Tips for a successful macro weekend:
Weekends are SO hard!! HERE is a post on ways to help make your weekend successful. I personally have found that if I meal prep on Thursday for the weekends and preplan my foods and plan my cheat meal then I stay more in control. I will verbalize with my husband what I plan my one cheat meal/treat to be and ask him to help me stick to it.
Tips for when you are eating out:
1. Look up the menu ahead of time and know what you want to order. Prelog your food ahead of time and eat around that meal.
2. Base your meal around a lean protein and try to limit the processed carbs.
3. Ask for extra veggies and ask them not to saute them in olive oil. It can add up fast!
4. If it's a large portion, box half of it up at the beginning of the meal so you aren't tempted to overeat.
5. If you are with friends, let them know how important it is that you stay on track and that you would love their support.
6. Opt for water instead of empty calorie drinks.
Tips for macros on vacation:
When I am traveling I will allow myself one treat meal with dessert and then I can make smart food choices the rest of the time. Then I don't feel like I'm missing out but I also do not overdo it. It's important to still enjoy life and feel balanced while still keeping strong to your goals! I also try and do something active every day, try to get a workout done or a run etc. HERE is a short video I did about how to survive a vacation on macros.
Tips for macros on holidays:
My advice on how to handle your macros on a holiday is to NOT STRESS ABOUT YOUR MACROS!! I want you to enjoy your holiday and your time with your family and not spend the day stressing about your food. Remember macros over memories! Have the piece of pie and don’t feel guilty. Now don’t get me wrong, you can still be mindful of your foods. Have 1 piece of pie not 4, but don’t tell yourself you are going to have no pie and then spend the whole day feeling like you’re missing out. Check out THIS video for more info on macros and holidays.
Tips to stick to my macros working swing or night shifts:
Macros while working a swing shift can get tricky. HERE is a video that explains how you handle these situations.
Tips for combating the sweet tooth:
A tip to combat a sweet tooth is to eat a small treat! It's okay to fit a small treat into your macros if that will help you stay on track and not binge later. Just prelog your treat so you know you have the macros for it and then eat around it. If you feel good and don’t need a treat then you can skip it. You will notice you don’t need them as often as you continuing eating healthy and nutritious foods and your body is feeling so good.
Tips when you're on your period:
It is super common to crave sweets while on your period! Plan a little treat so you don’t feel deprived and prelog it so you know it can fit it in your macros. If you find you are super hungry for those few days, you can eat a little more but keep it to cleaner foods. Listen to your body!
Tips for coping with emotional eating and stress eating:
First of all, know that you are not alone! Emotional and stress eating are so hard! HERE is a podcast and HERE is a video that talks about emotional/stress eating and ways to overcome it.
Tips to recover after a binge or after overindulging:
If you find that you have had a weekend where you over did it with your foods or had a night where you binged and ate everything in sight, first of all, DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP. This happens to us all. The last thing I want you to do is now starve yourself for the next few days or “punish” yourself by doing two hour cardio sessions. This behavior will only lead you to a cycle of binging, over restricting and then binging again. Here are my tips on what you should do:
1. Drink tons of water. This will help flush out the toxins and extra sodium. Your body will hold onto extra water weight from the excess of carbs/sodium so you want to drink lots of water to help flush that all out.
2. Do not restrict your carbs or lower your macros. I want you to pick back up on your normal macros and keep your carbs where they are.
3. Fill your body with nutrient dense and whole foods. Think one ingredient foods. Eat lots of veggies and high fiber foods and choose lean proteins. This will help your body feel full and clean.
Check out THIS video for what do if you've overindulged.
Do I weigh my foods cooked or raw?
You will want to weigh and log your foods consistently each time. For example, if you weigh your meat cooked then in MyFitnessPal you will search for "chicken breast cooked" or if you do raw then you’ll search "chicken breast raw". Typically if in the description if it doesn’t specify cooked then it's raw. To make things easier I have added the macros for chicken breast cooked and raw into the MyFitnessPal database. Just search "BodyByBree Chicken Breast Cooked" or "BodyByBree Chicken Breast Raw".
Do I really have to measure all my food?
To be completely honest, tracking macros right to the gram isn’t for everyone. It has a lot to do with your personality. If you love structure and you are more of a type A personality you will thrive with counting macros. If you are more of an easy-going, flexible personality it might be more challenging. Here is the thing: We don’t expect you to weigh and measure all your food forever! We want you to learn to use it as a tool to reach your goals and teach you portion sizes. You just need to weigh and track long enough to gain the knowledge and confidence in your food combination and portion sizes and how to eat for your body. Once you have that knowledge and confidence then you can decide how strict you want to be. I don’t weigh and measure everything I eat unless I’m working on a strict goal or I want to cut. If I’m maintaining, I just eyeball. With that being said, you cannot expect amazing results if you aren’t putting in the work and tracking. Your results reflect your efforts! If you are relaxed with tracking, your results will be slower which is okay if that matches your expectations of your results. The worst thing you can do is to be relaxed with your tracking and then expect you results to be as if you were tracking and weighing all your foods.
How will eating more help me lose weight?
When your body has been in a deficit for too long your metabolism will slow down. It will stay low for as long as you are restricting. You will then get to the point where you cannot eat any lower without feeling hungry all the time and your body will get stuck. This is called metabolic adaptation. HERE is a podcast about this topic that will help explain this process in more detail and answer a lot of questions.
What are your thoughts on intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting works for some people but it’s extreme and most people cannot keep it up. IF is a tool to help lower your calorie intake to help you be in a calorie deficit but Intermittent fasting is not some magical way to lose weight. If you find that you already have a hard time counting macros or sticking to your food plan than just by adding in IF it will not help you. You have to be able to be consistent with whatever you are doing long enough to see results.
