If you’re terrified to eat more….this one’s for youuu Yalllllll I’m trynna get a little thicker back derrrrr!!!! 👀 This the season to NOT be in a calorie deficit. For me at least. I’ve been sitting around maintenance + a slight surplus for the past like… 3 weeks (1,950–2,300 cals), and I’m just now starting to feel that strength come back. During this season it can be tricky to stay super on track, so giving myself that flexibility (small surplus) gives me more mental freedom. No crazy expectations. Just fueling my body. Getting stronger on my lower body lifts. Upper body too but nothing too crazy up top lol. I’m excited to go into the winter months with a shift in focus. Fueling more. Recovering better. Feeling GOOD. This also gives my body space to actually recover properly from the last 7 months of being pretty dialed with training and cals / overall goals that were FUN and enjoyable for me!!! (YAY!) I was very intentional during that whole phase — holding maintenance or slight deficit for 7 ish months, while adding in diet breaks and 3–4 week periods of maintenance calories to keep my metabolism in a responsive state. (Diet breaks help reduce metabolic adaptation and support hormones like leptin + thyroid, which keeps your metabolism from slowing down) And honestly, my body feels healthy and responsive because of it. Lifting will always be the foundation of my training. And the older I get, the more I appreciate what it does for my mental health, my confidence, my hormones, my stress as well as the aesthetics. Anyway, that’s my little training update for these next few months!!! 💪🏼🫶🏼❄️✨