Well into our third week of the program now, you should already be seeing notable results in tone and fat loss (if you aren’t, contact me). If you’ve implemented the principles from the first two videos, you’re already implementing our new topic, calorie shifting. Most simple carbohydrate sources are calorically dense, and the cutback of them will generally result in an overal calorie reduction. Independently of carb reduction however, one can reduce body weight through an overal cut in calories, as everyone knows. This is necessary for fat loss, but if the wrong calories are cut (protein and healthy fats), lean muscle mass will also diminish, which is not our objective.
And as most of you know, if you eat too much, muscle will indeed be built, along with a whole bunch of fat. If we shift our caloric intake however, eating more (nutritional) food on days that we train, when our body can actually make use of the surplus calories, and reduce our caloric intake on non training days, when our bodies have lower energy demands, we’ll be able to feed muscle, and burn fat consistently without losing muscle or getting fatter. This is the key to losing weight while maintaining a high metabolism. It is also the key to building muscle without getting fat.
A note on your body: Your body has natural intelligence. Trust it. Most of us are insensitive to natural needs and cravings because we’re domesticated in the same way pigs and cows are. We feed constantly, and generally on calorically dense, processed foods. But most animals in the wild have an acute sensitivity of the nutrition their bodies require, at the times they require it. In order to reactivate your body’s natural intelligence, it’s important that you sometimes…. go hungry. Don’t be afraid of hunger. And don’t be afraid of eating excessively (on occasion).
I know this is counter to current Hollywood nutrition, but there is an important biological function of hunger. When you are hungry, your body is able to detox more fully, allowing you to take full advantage of your next meal through more efficient nutrient absorbtion and utilization. Your body also releases powerful anabolic hormones in order to prevent tissue breakdown and maintain homeostasis. On the other hand, occasional overeating (built on a foundation of well balanced nutrition) will satisfy your body’s nutrient needs, raise your metabolic rate, build lean muscle, and allow for faster body fat utilization on days where your calorie intake is below your caloric burn.
This is the yin yang of nutrition. A balanced body must find balance amidst extremes, not in consistency. If you seek to balance all meals and caloric intake with some standard calculation of caloric expenditure, your adaptive capability will dimish, and the rate of transformation will decline. You are an animal. You adapt. Your body is hardwired for muscle growth and fat loss. Adaptation (lean muscle growth or fat loss) is a natural biological survival mechanism which allows you to deal with more extreme environmental forces. Embrace inconsistency and you will find consistent progress.
Ok, that’s enough philosophy. So what does this mean practically? More or less does not need to be quantified or calculated. It’s also relative from individual to individual. Here is a simple equation. If you’ve maintained your current weight for more than a few weeks, then your caloric intake is relatively equivalent to your caloric needs. On training days, eat more than you are used to…particularly in the hours on either side of your training. Refer to the first nutrition video if you’re looking to build more muscle. If you’re looking to lose more weight, still eat more, but focus on veggies and lean meats (nutrionally dense, but calorically light foods). On lower calorie days reduce simple carbohydrate intake, and eat relatively smaller portions than you are used to. It’s that simple.
Watch more videos from the Rapid Body Transformation Program archives.
