IT’S IMPORTANT TO EAT ENOUGH CALORIES NO MATTER WHAT YOUR GOALS ARE.

Doesn’t matter whether you are trying to lose body fat mass, gain muscle, or improve overall health; ITS ESSENTIAL to eat just enough to stay healthy, while still achieving your goals. ⁣
⁣What is “enough” ? ⁣
⁣For example, body fat loss - the standard formula to lose fat, is creating a caloric deficit (burning more calories, then consuming). Sounds pretty simple, right ? However, let’s talk “how many calories you need” - for every single human being on this planet it will be a different number due to age, genetics, current body composition, lifestyle (how active it is), overall health, body fat %, medical history, goals, etc...and that’s where it becomes more tricky because most of the people starting to overthink this process and becoming obsessive with counting calories using ALL types of apps/formulas trying to determine that “perfect number” and in most cases it leads to either under-eating OR giving up. ⁣
How to fix it ? ⁣
⁣My advice is: STOP DEPENDING too much on calculators, formulas, apps, and all that, because not a single program will tell you exactly to a T how much energy your body actually requires 100% accurately on the daily basis to reach a specific goal. Some days you are more active, and some days you are less active, so instead of chasing a perfect number, focus on the “range” or “average” number. Also, do not judge your progression based on 1 day of whatever plan you are currently following. Human body will ALWAYS fluctuate throughout the whole week/month, so you must take it into consideration and look at a bigger picture. Trust me, it will help you to feel more confident and less stressed out when it comes to nutrition. Don’t get me wrong, feel free to still use apps/calculators as a “foundation” and as ONE of the tools that will help you to stay on track. In fact, I still USE IT sometimes; It helps me big time to stay accountable and consistent, especially, on busier days. Therefore, I’m not telling you to not use it at all, BUT do not obsess nor depend on it! ⁣

How to strengthen your IMMUNE SYSTEM ?

I’m sure you are all, ladies & gentlemen, already aware of what is going on today in the world. ⁣
⁣I’m not a doctor or any type of a health professional, so I am not qualified/educated enough to talk on a subject of CONVID - 19. ⁣
⁣However, what I do know, is, you gotta make sure that your immune system is strong enough to fight off ANY type of viruses/infections, so here are my tips on how you can do that: ⁣
⁣1. Eat healthy! Get all the essential macronutrients and micronutrients in your system. Lots of veggies, fruits, and high in protein foods! ⁣
2. Drink LOTS of water! ⁣
3. Exercise (doesn’t have to be in the public gym, but if you do, then, ensure to don’t go to the gym if you are sick, disinfect the equipment before and after use, WASH your hands, COVER your cough and sneezes, AVOID physical contact/handshakes, use a minimal number of equipment). ⁣
4. Don’t drink alcohol and smoke. ⁣
5. Get enough sleep/rest. ⁣
6. Maintain a healthy body weight (different for everybody). ⁣
7. Take care of your hygiene. ⁣
8. Supplement with Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, Zinc, Vitamin D. ⁣
9. Reduce your stress levels.

AGE & METABOLISM.

So, first, let’s talk about what effects your metabolism ?⁣⁣
1. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) - the number of calories you burn at resting state (sleep included). ⁣
2. Thermic effect of foods (TEF) - the number of calories you burn to digest and absorb food. ⁣
3. Exercise - calories burned during exercise (any type). ⁣
4. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) - the number of calories you burn during things like standing and doing daily basic tasks in your regular life. ⁣
5. Other factors: The amount of muscle mass, age, weight, height, health of your hormones. ⁣
⁣Why metabolism is slowing down with age and how you can “fix” it (can’t really fix it completely but you can definitely improve it) ? ⁣
⁣1. We tend to be less active the older we get, therefore, you burn less calories, because your body switching to a “survival mode”. How to fix it ? Move more, exercise, join some sort of a fitness class/gym, and simply increase your productivity during the day, so this way you will increase your RMR and NEAT.⁣
2. With age - digestion and absorption of nutrients is going to slow down naturally SO it’s very important to EAT healthy (you should be doing it at any age anyways)! Pretty common sense on this one, but here is even MORE specific the #jackedhamster tip for ya! Increase your daily protein intake ..because = FUN FACT = protein takes up most of the energy for digestion. So, by simply including more protein in your daily nutrition, it will Increase your TEF. ⁣
3. With age - you will naturally lose muscle (sarcopenia). The more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism is going to be. Therefore, the only way to minimize muscle loss is resistance training (any type). You don’t have to be a bodybuilder but you gotta get out of your comfort zone and get some sweat going, bottom line. ⁣
4. Take your rest and sleep VERY seriously! Quality recovery = quality performance = quality health = happy life. ⁣
⁣This post is not for a specific age group. You should ALWAYS take care of your health, no matter how old or fit you are already. Being healthy should not feel like task or job. Fall in love with this process.

TREAT MEALS.

How it can make you or break you. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣First, what is a treat meal ? ⁣⁣Essentially ANY food you are absolutely enjoying. Wether it’s pizza, donuts, cheesecake, #NUTELLA , etc. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣How can IT make you ? ⁣⁣
⁣⁣Instead of completely restricting yourself from some yummy foods that you enjoy the most, you would simply consume it in moderation once in a while. Also, if you are my client you know what we usually do, to make it “fit” in your nutrition plan, so you can still enjoy your life, while achieving your goals. What are benefits of doing that ? It will keep your mind sane and you will keep that essential #balance in your life, that I am always talking about. You will achieve permanent results, because you won’t feel like you are on a “diet”, and instead it will become your new lifestyle. You will know exactly what to do and how to approach each and every special occasion and event with 0 guilt and without any “damage” to your progress. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
How can it break you ? ⁣⁣
⁣⁣The answer is simple. You are approaching your treat meals with bad strategy and taking it too far: overeating, poor planning, not listening to your body, and just stuffing your body with unnecessary number of calories, without any proper guidance/calculations/sense of moderation/overcompensating process. Let me give you an example: let’s say you’ve followed whatever plan you are given 100% Monday to Saturday, and Sunday you thinking “hmm, I worked so hard, so now I can reward myself with a TREAT meal, one day can’t hurt me too much, right?” and you just end up eating everything and anything you see, without any precautions..and guess what..yes that one day can actually ruin your whole week progress. Obviously, it’s an extreme example but you get the point of what message I am trying to deliver here. It needs to be done PROPERLY. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣Yes, it’s a bit of a hassle to understand how to make a treat meal as a part of your progression (you will make mistakes, everybody does, especially, in the beginning) BUT it’s more then possible, it’s just requires a bit more patience, communication, and teamwork! ⁣⁣

CRAVINGS ⁣
VS.⁣⁣
HUNGER ⁣⁣
VS.⁣⁣
⁣⁣HABITUAL HUNGER

CRAVINGS ⁣⁣VS.⁣⁣ HUNGER VS.⁣⁣ HABITUAL HUNGER ⁣⁣
⁣⁣Huh ? Is there even a difference ? ⁣⁣
⁣⁣Well, there is and a significant one, that can help YOU to achieve your goals if you are trying to do the following:⁣⁣
⁣⁣- Lose a body fat mass. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣- Maintain your current progress. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣- Learn how to not overeat. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣- Develop healthier relationships with food in general. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣- Learn how listen to your body better and what it actually needs to function properly. ⁣⁣
Cravings - it’s a mental hunger. In different words, you don’t PHYSICALLY need more calories in you body. You just simply craving certain foods that you enjoy the most, which can lead to mental irritability and mood swings. How to fix it ? Include it IN moderation to your regimen without going over your recommended total daily caloric intake (based on your goals). Frequency per week of this inclusion is based on a personal preference.⁣⁣
⁣⁣Hunger - an actual physical hunger. Your stomach is talking to you, energy levels are low, you feel fatigued physically and mentally even after your last meal of the day. Slight hunger is expected during a fat loss phase (doesn’t go for maintenance), but starvation is when you know you gotta add some calories back for health and sustainability purposes. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣Habitual hunger - you are used to eating at specific: time of the day, number of meals, and breaking that routine can lead to “hunger” based on your past habits. So, even if you are let’s say trying to maintain your current progress, and one day you get called to work earlier then usually, so you end up skipping your breakfast and now you are “starving”..the worst thing you can do is to jump your conclusions and start adding unnecessary calories, because you were “hungry”. So, my advise is, stick to your meals, don’t worry about timing too much, and judge your hunger levels and overall progress based on a weekly average progression. One day should not dictate pace and quality of your results. 

THE SECRET TO BODY FAT LOSS ?

How to lose a body fat mass ? ⁣The answer is actually pretty simple. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣The secret formula IS:⁣⁣CALORIC DEFICIT. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣What is a caloric deficit ? ⁣⁣Using more energy then consuming/storing.⁣⁣
⁣⁣How it can be done ? ⁣⁣
⁣⁣1. Nutrition = consuming less calories then burning. ⁣⁣
2. Energy output = burning more calories then storing. (ANY type of energy output, not just working out or doing cardio. What I mean by saying this ? Simple things like: walking, staying on your feet longer, moving faster, remaining extra productive during the day physically and mentally). ⁣⁣
⁣⁣What else can help with a fat loss ? ⁣⁣
⁣⁣1. Improving quality of your sleep/rest. ⁣⁣
2. Drinking more water. ⁣⁣
3. Lowering down your stress levels. ⁣⁣
4. Consuming high volume, nutrient dense but low calorie foods aka “whole foods”, that are higher in thermogenic effect (foods that require more energy to be digested). Plus, it will keep you fuller. ⁣⁣
5. Avoiding overthinking and instead stick to basics of healthy nutrition and exercise. ⁣⁣
6. Remain patient and consistent. ⁣⁣
7. Don’t judge your progress by the each and everyday. Focus on a long term journey and results. ⁣⁣
8. The Body fat loss doesn’t equal to body weight loss. ⁣
9. Join Jacked Hamster Family.

CARBS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMIES!

In my coaching career, I’ve heard this so many times. “I need to cut out carbs, because I can’t get leaner!” and in MOST CASES it’s a false statement. ⁣I said “In most cases” = because we all have personal preferences and genetics, and hey, If you requesting low carbs approach, we can totally do that, and I will respect your decision and will show you how it’s done properly! ⁣
⁣However, back to the topic. Fear of Carbs = Don’t get me wrong, I can’t blame anybody who is NEW to fitness and health, for thinking that way, because carbs have been always portrayed as something “bad” by many global fitness companies/brands (not all of course but still), some popular movie stars/influencers, etc. So again, it’s not YOUR fault for getting that misinformation.⁣
⁣Let me explain “WHY” you should stop being afraid of carbs. ⁣First, if your goal to get leaner, you need to be on a caloric deficit (burning more calories then consuming). Therefore, it’s not CARBS’ fault, it’s total daily calories consumed per day, that play a role in body fat loss (there are more factors related to fat loss BUT I’ve made multiple posts talking about it more in depth). ⁣
⁣Second, carbs are a primary source of energy for human body. And I am not just talking about exercising. I’m talking about every single physical and mental movement that you perform on the daily basis. Wether it’s working a physically demanding JOB or sitting in the office brainstorming all day, YOU NEED CARBS, to feel healthy and energized. ⁣
⁣“But, Vitaliy, how about keto ? Ketones are also great sources of energy!”. Sure, it works for some people (Its the most effective approach for Type 2 diabetes due to blood sugar controls, for health purposes, but it’s a whole another topic and post) but the key component that people miss for the most part is - is it sustainable for you and your lifestyle ? For me I know it’s not.
⁣So again, don’t be afraid of carbs BUT if you want to go on low carbs just because you personally prefer, then, that’s fine too and I totally respect it.⁣