One of the biggest problems in the fitness industry is people believing misinformation as truth. If you go up to any newbie in the gym, and ask him why he (or she) is doing whatever it is they are doing, it’s likely they will have absolutely no idea. Or they will give you some asinine answer like, “Ronnie Coleman uses 80lb dumbbells for bicep curls so to get big arms I gotta do it too!” For one, Ronnie Coleman is the exception, and two, YOU are NOT Ronnie Coleman.
That being said, this holds true to nutrition and dieting as well. Remember the milk campaign a few years back? It went something like “24/24,” meaning that you must consume 24 ounces of milk every 24 hours to lose weight. They suggest replacing 1-2 meals per day with a bowl of cereal and non-fat milk. Well of course you’re going to lose weight. You’re restricting your caloric intake. If your average dinner consists of spaghetti with meatballs and garlic toast on the side, you are pushing beyond 600 calories. Switch that for a measly 100 calorie bowl of cereal and 80 calories worth of skim milk and you’ve already cut out somewhere around 400 calories for that day. Do this twice a day and you can easily create a caloric deficit of anywhere from 600-1000 calories per day, depending upon your regular eating habits. To lose 1 lb of body fat you must create a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day for seven days (1 week). Whether you restrict your calories by 500 or perform some type of exercise where you will burn around 500 calories in a given session is up to you, but one thing remains certain: to build an athletic body you must incorporate clean eating and a sound training program in to your daily routine, and you MUST be consistent.
Most people find that staying consistent is easier said than done. In terms of sticking to your diet and training program long enough to see marked results, not many have the will power. Adopting healthy eating habits and a disciplined training mindset makes things much easier to avoid giving in to sorry excuses. Eventually though, you may hit a brick wall where weight loss and progress come to a halt. Before you consult with a physician on your first liposuction procedure, its best you weigh all your options before spending time and money on something that is not permanent and NOT the answer.
Tweak the Diet
Ask anyone actively working to lose weight if their diet is in check, and the majority of them truly believe it is. When someone tells me they can’t lose weight yet they are doing everything right, it immediately triggers a red flag. Obviously something is not right if you are not making progress.
You may think you are eating as healthy and clean as possible. In order to reach your ripped body goals you are going to have to eat that much better. Forget about the weekly cheat meal. Save them for when you have the body you want. Even then, if you want to keep your body you better limit your cheats. For you, limiting your cheat may be reducing from a full blown cheat day to one cheat meal per week; OR having a cheat day once every two weeks. Either is an improvement. As of right now, they are only hindering your progress.
Yes, you have to enjoy life, yada yada yada. But at this point, you can’t have both. Make the decision now before you go any further. Would you prefer to eat what you are eating now with your weekly splurge, feel like crap day in and day out only to look the same 1 year, or even 6 months from now? Or, can you commit to sticking to your diet for however long it takes to have the body you have been working for all this time? It could take 4 weeks, 6 weeks, even 3 months. Rest assured it’s NOT farfetched.
If you are not already accustomed to eating every 2-3 hours, it’s probably a good idea you start there. Going from consuming only 2-3 meals per day to anywhere from 5-7 meals per day (depending on your body type, gender, and schedule) may seem like it’s going to result in weight gain, but it’s not. Feeding your body a healthy meal every 2-3 hours will boost your metabolic rate. This is the best way to burn more calories immediately.
Because many of you work away from home every day of the week and eating every 2-3 hours may not be what your boss had in mind. It is best you plan ahead. Spend time over the weekend preparing your healthy meals in small, easily transportable containers that you can throw in your cooler and bring to work. Get in to the habit of thinking ahead in regards to your diet as this will be vital for your success.
Assuming you consider yourself an active person (i.e. you lift weights and perform cardiovascular exercises on a regular basis) and that because of this you should have a healthy amount of muscle mass. To steadily lose body fat while maintaining/building muscle mass it is safe to say you should be consuming anywhere from 1g to 1.5 g of lean protein per lb. of body weight. After all, proteins are the building blocks of muscle!!
This is all basic information at this point, and should be something you already have incorporated in to your daily routine. We will review for those of you hiding behind a rock somewhere.
Let’s look at a 210 lb. male with an average metabolic rate as an example. He should be consuming around 245g protein per day. Spread this number evenly throughout the day for 6 meals and that is 40g protein per meal. His caloric intake of protein alone is 980. This is enough protein to ensure lean muscle accrual and adequate recovery.
One particular macronutrient that many avid fitness enthusiasts seem to overlook is fat. If you think you are consuming the right amount of fat at this time, you may want to re-evaluate your program. An easy starting point would be to begin with about 30-40g “healthy fats” per day. This does not include what occurs naturally in foods. Healthy fats, believe it or not, aide in fat loss. Not to mention their cholesterol lowering powers, their ability to lower your risk of CVD, many cancers, and other chronic diseases. The best part is that because they are the macronutrient that takes the longest to absorb from the stomach, they provide you with a feeling of satiety long after you finish eating.
Walnuts, almonds, natural peanut butter, olive oil, and avocado are all great choices of healthy fats.
Here is where things get tricky and taking your training routine in to account is necessary. Rotating your carbohydrate intake depending on your weight training days is what will set this diet apart from your average weight loss program. Let’s go back to our friend from above, the 210 lb. guy. So far, he is consuming 980 calories per day from protein and 360 calories per day from fats (40g per day) to equal a total of 1340 calories. On the days he is training he is exerting more energy than his OFF days, so it only makes sense to include more carbohydrates in his diet on these days. To get even more specific, his carbohydrate intake on those days will be spread evenly between his first 5 meals with exception to meal #1 and post-workout (PWO). Those two meals will include a greater amount of carbohydrate than the rest due to the fact that first thing in the AM and PWO are the only two times during the day where your body can take in more calories and NOT store them as fat.
On the days you are NOT training (i.e. OFF training days) you could consume anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 the amount of carbohydrate you are consuming on training days, split evenly between the first 5 meals.
Again, back to our friend the weekend warrior. Considering he is trying to lose body fat, we will provide him with a medium carbohydrate day (training days) and a low carbohydrate (OFF training days) day, respectively. On his medium day he should be consuming around 160g carbohydrate. His low carb days will contain only 100g of carbohydrates spread evenly throughout his first 5 meals. It will look something like the following:
Medium Carb Day
Meal #1 – 40g protein
35g Carb
20g fat
Meal #2 – 40g protein (post-workout) Zero Carb® Whey Protein Isolate
35g carbs
0g fat
Meal #3 – 40g protein
30g carbs
0g fat
Meal #4 - 40g protein
30g carbs
0g fat
Meal #5 – 40g protein
30g carbs
0g fat
Meal #6 – 40g protein
0g carbs
20g healthy fats
Low Carb Day
Meal #1 – 40g protein
20g Carb
20g fat
Meal #2 – 40g protein
20g carbs
0g fat
Meal #3 – 40g protein
20g carbs
0g fat
Meal #4 - 40g protein
20g carbs
0g fat
Meal #5 – 40g protein
20g carbs
0g fat
Meal #6 – 40g protein
0g carbs
20g healthy fats
Grocery List
*This list can be added to if need be.
Lean Proteins
Chicken Breast
Turkey Breast
Tilapia
Lean cuts of Steak (including Round)
Fat-Free Cottage Cheese
Zero Carb® Whey Protein Isolate
Tuna
White Fish
Egg Whites
Carbohydrates
Brown Rice
Oatmeal
Grits
Whole Wheat Bread
Whole Wheat Pasta
Rice Cakes
Ezekiel Brand Foods
Fruits – all
Healthy Fats
Walnuts
Almonds
Olive Oil
Natural Peanut Butter
Avocado
Egg Yolk
Fibrous Carbs – Can be added to any meal.
Broccoli
Asparagus
Green Beans
Cucumbers
Romaine Lettuce
Cauliflower
Spinach
Eggplant
*Anything green is best
The above list will provide you with various options to spread throughout your week. Get creative. Spend some time during the weekend to prepare some healthy meals to carry with you to work and school, etc. Healthy food DOES NOT have to taste bland. Use an array of herbs and spices. These techniques have no calories and can easily turn a boring meal in to an exciting one.
Remember, drinking plenty of fluids is essential to your weight loss plan, just as essential as sticking to it. Don’t make the mistake of drinking excess calories either. Make sure you are only consuming minimal calorie beverages such as: VPX Coco Fit, Crystal Light, coffee, unsweetened tea, water, etc.
The addition of a fat loss supplement can be your winning ticket to breaking through your plateau. Try the latest innovation from VPX – Meltdown®. Just like you must be consistent with diet and exercise, you must be consistent with your supplement regime as well. Begin with 1 capsule twice daily to assess tolerance. Once you find your tolerance level you may want to bump your dosage up to two (2) capsules twice per day taken 30 minutes prior to a meal. Your plan would look something like this:
Meltdown – Take two (2) capsules 30 minutes prior to meal #1 and meal #4
Tweak the Cardiovascular System
If you are not already doing cardio, start with 30 minutes low intensity cardio on something like a treadmill or stair climber 3-4 days per week. Be sure you do your cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach or post-workout before your PWO meal. If you are already incorporating a plan as such, you may want to add another day or two to your weekly routine. For optimal results, do cardio on your OFF training days, that way you are doing some form of exercise on all days of the week.
Once you are comfortable with your new healthy eating habits and have resisted the urge to cheat (note: your cravings should be diminishing by the day) your adopted habits will become natural to you. No longer will you NEED that slice of pizza or plate of French fries. You will break through your plateau and realize that your new body is significantly more rewarding than a slice of cake any day of the week. Not to mention you will become a magnet to the opposite sex.
