Yoav Silverstein

PROGRAM
Lifestyle

TESTIMONIAL
I've always enjoyed hitting the gym and staying active, but for the longest time, I was unhappy with my physique. Comparing myself to the most ripped guys at the beach left me feeling ashamed and wondering how they did it. It wasn't the gym where they outworked me; it was the kitchen.

For years, I was trapped in a cycle of yoyo dieting. One month I'd be dieting, the next I'd be binging. I'd go carb-free for eight weeks, then back to normal, and the cycle continued. At 17, I lost over 20 kg, but it was far from healthy. I starved myself, ran countless kilometers daily, and had no proper plan—just a crash diet of three eggs, 250g of cottage cheese, and salad daily for four months. My weight eventually crept back up over the next two years.

In late 2021, I discovered CrossFit, which became a significant part of my life. It gave me the team environment I needed, the drive and competition that a man in his 20s thrives off.

Then, in late 2022, I hired a ‘trainer’ to hold me accountable, determined to do things right this time. I lost over 13 kg in 12 weeks, meticulously tracking macros, steps, and undergoing Dexa scans. But, I spent two hours in the gym daily, and felt utterly depleted, with zero motivation and a complete hormonal imbalance, despite looking good. My trainer had me drop from 2200 to 1800 calories over 12 weeks.  At 90kgs and this amount of exercise, it was ridiculous.

When I started working with Carly, she introduced me to reverse dieting, a concept I had never heard of. We gradually increased my calorie intake from 2200 to 3240 calories. Surprisingly, I dropped 7 kg and lost 10 cm from my waist while eating more. Some nights, I’d come home with 2000 calories left to eat between 9 pm and 11 pm, and it felt great! I plateaued at 3240 calories, my maintenance level, and now I'm on an 8-week cut, having lost an additional 1 kg in three weeks while eating 2700 calories.

Most importantly, for a guy in his 20s, my hormones are stable, my muscle mass is increasing, and my gym performance is improving. All my lifts are getting stronger and bigger.

Lessons Learned:

• Find a knowledgeable trainer.

• Track your macros. Calories will fall where they do.

• Monitor your gym progress. Use apps to track your lifts.

• Enjoy your food – experiment.

• Join a CrossFit community.

• Prioritize sleep.

• Embrace leg days — although it makes you super hungry!

I can't wait to see what the next 12 months hold—possibly a bulk in winter and a cut leading up to next summer.