Incremental Changes Will Help You Succeed
While it is possible for some people to be able to make drastic changes in a small amount of time, I realize that most people do better by doing small incremental changes that eventually take them to their desired goals. That is the way that I am going to teach you to change your "diet" small incremental steps that will lead us to a perfect one.
Having said that, we will make incremental changes to your diet every two weeks. Typically, this is how long it takes to create a new habit, as well as this is how long it takes the body to get used to something. Every 14 days we are going to set a new goal. Each goal will build upon the success of the previous one. It is imperative that you use your determination in order to ensure the success of the program. By achieving each goal every two weeks you will end up with the diet that will yield the consistent fat loss/muscle gaining results that you are looking for.
(Weeks 1-2) Cut the fat.
For the first two weeks I just want you to start looking at the labels of the things that you eat and try to start cutting out as many fats as possible. This is the way that you go about doing this:
a) If you fry things, start steaming and boiling.
b) If you use salad dressing with a high fat content, start substituting them for low fat or non-fat choices.
c) Substitute high fat meats for lower fat choices. For instance if you consume corned beef, substitute it for skinless chicken or turkey. If you consume chicken with the skin, start taking its skin off. Also, buy lean red meats as opposed to the high fat kind. As far as taste, your taste buds will get used to your new low fat eating habits in the two-week period.
(Weeks 3-4) Eliminate refined sugars.
These weeks eliminate the refined sugars from your diet. Where are the refined sugars?, you may ask. They are everywhere. Therefore, in order to accomplish this goal I need you to do the following:
a) Eliminate regular sodas as they contain a large amount of sugar in them. Instead, drink diet sodas. However, be warned that these contain Aspartame and some research indicates that high consumption of Aspartame may cause cancer in the long run.
b) Eliminate the use of table sugars.
c) Eliminate the consumption of any type of sweets.
(Weeks 5-6) Make water the main beverage in your diet.
For these weeks, we just want you to start drinking much more water than you have previously consumed before. In order to accomplish this goal we need to do the following:
a) Substitute all types of drinks (including diet sodas and fruit juices, even if they claim to be natural) for water. Therefore, every time you get thirsty, drink water. b) Drink at least an 8-ounce glass with every meal. c) Drink at least 16 ounces of water during the workout.
(Weeks 7-8) Caloric intake control and multiple feedings.
The following weeks will be the most challenging, but if the determination is there and you have gotten this far, then you will be able to do it. It is now when you will start to see the most unbelievable results. In order to accomplish these goals, you'll need to do the following:
a) Determine your lean body mass by either using a caliper or using the formulas in the following link:
http://www.davedraper.com/bodyfat-calculation.html.
b) Lean Body Mass x 12=Base Caloric Intake Per Day
c) Divide the amount of calories that you need by five or six (if you are a male) or by four or five (if you are a female). This will give you how many calories you can consume per meal.
d) Start writing down everything that you eat and the caloric content of each food item in order to ensure that you don’t go over the allotted caloric intake that you need to consume per meal.
(Weeks 9-10) Macronutrient Management.
These weeks you will get closer than you've ever had before to the ideal bodybuilding diet. The good news is that after these two weeks, dieting will not get more complicated and you will also continue to see unbelievable results. In order to accomplish these goals, you'll need to do the following:
Step #1. Determine Your Carb Intake
a) Determine the grams of Carbs that you need in one meal: Since we want 40% of the calories from Carbs, then we need to multiply the base caloric intake by .40 and divide the results by 4 (Since there are 4 calories per each gram of carbs). Then divide by either 6, 5 or 4 meals to get the amount per meals.
Grams of carbs=(Base caloric intake x .40)/4
Then Grams of carbs/5 or 6 = grams of carbs per meal for men Grams of carbs/4 or 5 = grams of carbs per meal for women
Step #2. Determine Your Protein Intake
Since we want 40% of the calories from Protein, then we need to multiply the base caloric intake by .40 and divide the results by 4 (Since there are 4 calories per each gram of protein). Then divide by either 6, 5 or 4 meals to get the amount per meals.
Grams of protein=(Base caloric intake x .45)/4
Then Grams of Protein/5 or 6 = grams of protein per meal for men
Grams of Protein/4 or 5 = grams of protein per meal for women
Step #3. Determine Your Fat Intake
Since we want to have 20% or less of the calories coming from Fats, then we need to multiply the base caloric intake by .20 and divide the results by 9 (Since there are 9 calories per each gram of fat).
Then divide by either 6, 5 or 4 meals to get the amount per meals.
Grams of fat=(Base caloric intake x .45)/4
Then Grams of Fat/5 or 6 = grams of Fat per meal for men
Grams of Fat/4 or 5 = grams of Fat per meal for girls
Step #4. Keep a Food Log
Start writing down everything that you eat, the caloric content of each food item, and the macronutrient values in order to ensure that you don't go over the allotted caloric intake and macronutrient intake that you need to consume per meal.
Step #5. Make Appropriate Food Choices
After week 10, your diet will look very similar to the one presented in my Sample Bodybuilding Diet below and thus, you'll have a perfect diet that will take you to the goals that you want.
Sample Bodybuilding Diet For Men
Meal 1 (7 AM)
1 cup of dry oats mixed with water
1 cup of egg beaters
Meal 2 (9 AM)
Meal replacement packet like Prolab's Lean Mass Complex (which has a 40/40/20 nutrient ratio) mixed with water or a protein powder (with around 40 grams of protein) mixed with 40 grams of carbs from cream of rice, grits, or oatmeal.
1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed Oil (Spectrum brand is best)
Meal 3 (12 Noon)
1 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or 1 cup of oatmeal
2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
6-8 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish
Meal 4 (3 PM)
Same as Meal 2
Meal 5 (6 PM)
1 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or 1 cup of oatmeal
2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
6-8 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish
Meal 6 (8 PM)
Same as Meal 2