Here’s how you stay lean all year.
First, you must be lean. To get lean you need to build muscle and lose fat. Luckily, I can help with that.
Once you have a nice foundation of muscle it’s very easy to stay lean.
I’ve been six-pack lean for years and don’t have a diet. I don’t count calories, macros or any of that. I eat what I want when I want and get results.
I’m not some freak of nature or anything like that. I’m just a guy that knows a few key principle of fitness and practices them. And today I will share them with you.
Let’s begin.
Build ‘Critical Mass’
The first thing you must do is build what I call ‘critical mass’. Critical mass is muscle mass that turns you into a fat burning machine.
How long does it take to build critical mass?
It takes as long as it takes.
But if you start now and work hard you’ll get there sooner, that I know for sure.
Train More than You Rest
Workout four days a week and rest three.
Train hard, train smart, and it’s impossible not to get in shape.
Eat More Good Foods than Bad Foods
I feel like I need to address something: There’s a new-age feel good movement claiming there are no ‘bad’ foods. This is bullshit meant to pander to weak people. People that spew this nonsense are clueless and try to make up for their lack of knowledge and skill by being liked. Listen to these clowns at your own peril.
Here’s what I think: There are both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ outcomes. Eat too many Whoppers and you might have your chest split open so the doctor can pull the candle stick of wax out of your heart artery. That’s a bad outcome from eating bad food. I hope you catch my drift.
The Food Formula to Stay Fit all Year
A formula I follow is simple. I eat at least 2/3rds ‘good’ food everyday. I’ll eat eggs for breakfast, a salad with chicken for lunch and a steak with a pasta side, glass of wine and slice of pie for dinner. That’s at least 2/3rds good for the day. Stick to that simple plan and you’ll be looking lean in no time.
What are ‘Good’ Foods?
Good foods are what your great-grandparents ate when they were kids. Fresh meat and veggies grown in fertile soil.
Eat free-range, wild-caught, all-natural and non-GMO foods. The less intervention mankind had with the food the better it is for you.
Learn how to cook or you lose. You and your family will get fat if you can’t cook. Learn how to prepare a decent meal. Cooking is a fundamental life skill everyone should learn.
Avoid ‘Bad’ Foods
I could go on and on here, but I’ll keep it short. The food industry wants you addicted. They want to sick and tired. Literally. If you’re sick, their buddies in big pharma can harvest your poor health. If you’re tired you won’t have energy to fight back. When you’re sick and tired your weak and likely to give in.
Anyway… Stay away from sugar, soy, processed foods and refined carbohydrates. All these foods are stripped of all it’s goodness and you take the hit. Don’t give the producers your hard earned dollars. Know that you know they are peddling poison, giving them your money makes you an accomplice.
Eat a Low Carb Diet
Keep carbs as low as possible. I keep bread, starch, and sugar to a minimum. All they do is make me bloat like a damn balloon.
Green vegetables can be consumed in unlimited quantities.
When I do eat carbs, it’s at the end of the day and only if I worked out that day and earned it.
No Carbs Before 5 P.M.
I function so much better without carbs it’s not even funny. People get nervous when you tell them to go low carb. Like they don’t know how they’ll get by without them. Whatever, if you need carbs then eat them. I’m just telling you what works for me.
I do not eat carbs before or during work hours because I crash as soon as I eat them. I just can’t seem to focus after a big plate of pasta or bowl of chips and salsa.
Only eating carbs after 5 will naturally limit carb intake.
“Earn Your Carbs”
Like Charles Poliquin used to say, you gotta earn your carbs.
Everything is better when you earn it – If I eat a donut after sitting on my ass all day I feel like a pig. But if I eat it after a good productive day it tastes like heaven.
The point here is, only eat carbs to replenish your reserves after training.
Tips to Stay Lean
Hey, I’m only human and sometimes I binge on bad foods. When that happens and I start to get chubby I have a few tools in my belt to fix it.
Fasting
Fasting is one of the best things you can do to get lean.
Intermittent fasting is a great way to get and stay lean. You can also do extended fasts for fat loss. I’ve done 24-hour fasts and a 48-hour fast with great results. Fasting is a good way to course correct if you fall off the wagon.
Now, Put it All Together
Nothing stands alone. Everything effects everything else. Life is systemic. you need to eat more good than bad, and move more than you sit still.
When you’re already lean and have
Don’t forget to live a little. I eat pizza, tacos, donuts and cake without shame or remorse. Once you build up some healthy muscle you’ll be able to eat intuitively without fear of getting fat.
You won’t figure it all out overnight, but if you stick to it you’ll accumulate knowledge and it will pay you back handsomely as long as you live.
My eating habits follow a series of guidelines that allow me to build lean muscle, keep my body fat percentage low, stay energized, and most importantly, eat well.
I know that I need protein to build muscle, and good fats for healthy hormones.
I know that if I want to see my abs, then I need to keep carbohydrate intake to a minimum.
This means I don’t eat many foods that are considered staples of a diet. No bread, pasta or sugar unless it’s a special occasion.
After I discovered that the food industry wants to get you addicted to their product, it was easier for me to stopping eating most things that are considered food staples.
I only diet when I have an upcoming bodybuilding competition, or if it’s beach season.
Other occasions when I watch what I eat are when I perform an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new diet.
Staying lean all year requires two things:
- Eating mostly ‘clean’ food.
- Having a foundation of muscle.
You can gobble down plates of food and not gain an ounce. Your muscles will burn it as fuel.
80% of my calories come from whole food sources.
20% of my calories from from processed foods or junk (restaurant food is in this category).
I do this to validate the claims made by the diet and to share my findings with you. Examples of this are when I’ve eaten strictly steak and eggs, or the all meat Carnivore Diet, and my two and a half week stint eating a Keto Diet.
I learned a great deal about how my body responds to certain diets. And I use that knowledge to my advantage to build lean muscle without getting (too) fat.
I’m now at the point where I eat pretty much anything I want. I don’t say that to brag, I say that to show you the power that comes with knowing what to eat.
Imagine being able to eat whatever you want and know exactly what it will take to return to your ideal weight.
That’s what you can do if you know your body well enough.
No one is immune to getting fat if they eat like shit for too long. But I’m at the point where I know how to correct course when I start to stray to far from the righteous path.
I’ll explain the methods I use to keep myself in check.
Let’s Face it, Dieting Sucks
Losing fat is simple: You eat less and exercise more.
In theory this is simple, but in reality many people face two main challenges – Finding the time to workout and knowing what to eat.
Even if you know what to eat, the problem is that it’s very hard to stick to a restrictive diet for an extended period of time.
Technically, you don’t have to workout to lose weight. You could just eat less and body fat will begin to disappear. The problem with this route is that it’s much easier to regain the weight if you get lax with your diet.
With exercise you lose weight faster than with just dieting alone. And with weight trying, you actually protect yourself from regaining body fat after you lose it.
That’s because weight training builds muscle and muscle burns calories around the clock.
My goal is lean muscle gains. I want to build muscle without adding excess body fat. Because what’s the point of having muscle unless you can see it? I go for the look and health benefits. I don’t have to be the strongest guy, but I do want to look my best. With that goal in mind, I eat and train accordingly.
How to Make Lean Gains without Sacrificing Foods You Love
Like I mentioned before, I don’t just want to lose fat, I want to build muscle too. Trying to achieve both at once is were things get tricky, because a diet that’s too restrictive will hurt your muscle gains.
I also love to eat, and have a raging sweet tooth. I like to try new cuisines and indulge in desserts occasionally.
You’ve heard the expression, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Well, I want to eat cake and have six-pack abs.
And I do. I ate two donuts last night and woke up a pound lighter today than I was yesterday.
How the hell does that happen?
Anyone can get to this point but you have to earn it. You have to build muscle. Muscle turns you into a fat burning machine.
I want to have a rock hard six-pack all year round and build muscle at the same time, while eating Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake drizzled with melted fudge and caramel syrup.
Is that too much to ask?
It’s not out of the question. Because that’s exactly what I do.
How?
I have a system in place that allows me to stay ripped AND eat dessert.
I want to enjoy my life just like anyone else. And eating well is part of that enjoyment. Life is about experience. And a little gastronomical pleasure is in order from time to time to feel satisfied.
Over the years, I’ve struck a good balance between eating well and indulging.
As a result, I have visible abs and I enjoy pizza, tacos, and the occasional donut or frosted cinnamon roll.
Here’s the lean muscle diet I stick to and still build muscle year around.
How to Stay Lean Year Round
Here are a few of the guidelines I use to stay lean, have energy for work, training, and life, and enjoy dessert from time to time.
Protein and Greens make up the bulk of my diet
Meat, eggs, fish and salads make up the majority of my meals during the workweek.
Eat protein and something green with every meal. (except for breakfast sometimes. I’ll usually just eat eggs and bacon. Then greens with lunch and dinner.)
On the weekends I’ll eat sushi, pizza, burgers, burritos, tacos, or try something new.
When I go out to eat, it’s a special occasion, I treat myself to whatever I want and dessert is always an option.
Practice ‘Corrective’ Fasting
Intermittent fasting is the best way to burn fat. It’s also an effective and natural way to return to a balanced hormone state.
Remember – It’s OK to be a little hungry. You don’t have to eat at the slightest twinge from your tummy. Hold out. Who’s in charge here? Show some resolve.
I hate the feeling of being hungry just as much you do.
BUT I know it’s good for me. So, I hold out when my stomach growls, to show my body who’s boss.
Who’s in control here? You or your body? Building a little mental fortitude and resilience while getting in shape never turn nobody. And that’s exactly what you’re doing when you restrain yourself from eating.
My body eats when I say it can eat. Self control is the ultimate form of control. Resisting your instinctive urge to eat helps you conquer yourself. And this is a critically important practice to develop GRIT.
Don’t worry, you won’t starve. When you’ve suffered enough you walk to the kitchen and eat something. No big deal.
I make myself fast after I eat like crap.
For example, I ate a box of Eggo Waffles with syrup and butter the other night. (Yep, all 10 of them.)
I didn’t eat until later that next day. I’ll push my first meal back 3 or 4 hours. That way my body has time to burn those extra calories.
Just don’t do that shit every night and you’ll be fine. But when you do indulge (and you will), it’s easy to correct. Just fast for half the next day to compensate for the overindulgence. On days like this I eat enough to be satisfied but just enough to keep my stomach from growling for most of the day. Then I had a huge dinner and go to bed with a full stomach.
Those two days canceled each other out. When I stepped on the scale I weight the same both days. No harm, no foul.
Cheat Meals are OK
Enjoy a cheat meal from time to time.
Eating a well-earned cheat meal actually leaves me feeling gratified rather than guilty.
It’s OK to binge once in a while.
Just the other day I ate a whole bag of Reese’s cups. I enjoyed every single one of them. It was awesome. I’m just sure to do it after work is done for the day. Then I can crash right to sleep instead of crashing at my work desk.
Just remember every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Too many binges can hurt your physique. And more corrective action will be required to cancel out the harm done.
Eat As Naturally as Possible
Eat as natural as Possible. Not only will you be getting all the vitamins and minerals needed to build lean muscle, you’re food will taste better.
It’s amazing how good food tastes when your tastebuds aren’t dulled by fake chemical flavor enhancers in food.
Unnatural foods make you fat and wear down your body.
Don’t Drink Calories
It’s too easy to over consume when drinking calories. No pop or alcohol. (unless it’s a special occasion).
I only drink distilled water and black coffee.
Workout Routine
You gotta workout if you want to eat that donut without getting a spare tire.
I workout five days a week, every singe week, without exception. Intensity is always 8/10 or higher.
Working out makes food taste better. So much better that even bland food tastes sweet. The appetite following a hard workout makes the blandest food taste delicious.
Lean Muscle Diet Plan for Weekdays
This is the diet I eat to stay relatively lean and satisfied. This diet will by no means get you ready for a bodybuilding competition but it will help the average guy or girl loss some fat, with little effort.
It’s hard to sum up exactly what I eat everyday. I really do get a wide range of foods.
However there are some food Items I eat every day without fail on weekdays.
A normal day of eating during a weekday looks like this:
Breakfast: 5 scrambled eggs cooked in real butter and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Lunch: a big plate of roast beef or steak, with a side of broccoli or asparagus.
Dinner: same as lunch but with a salad.
Snacks: I eat mixed nuts throughout the day. Almonds and pistachios are my favorite.
I’ll drink a 16 ounce carton of egg whites every night.
Dessert: I’ll have something sweet. Like a piece of pie or cake or ice cream.
I eat other items as well. I’ve listed common meals and foods that I eat, and how often I eat them below:
What I Eat to Stay Lean
I eat meat two or three times a day. Steak, Beef Roast, Chicken, or Fish with broccoli and greens. I eat beef or steak 8/10 times.
I also want to eat a variety of foods.
Sushi – once every week or two
Tacos – once every week or two
Meat and greens – twice a day
Steak and eggs – once every week or two on average
Eggs – once or twice a day. My breakfast is always 4-6 scrambled eggs cooked in butter.
Egg whites – Once a day. I drink a pint of egg whites every night before bed. 50 grams of pure protein.
Pancakes – once every two weeks.
Turkey bacon – once or twice a week
Experimental meals – a few times a month. An example of this would be the time I made Goat Meatballs with Edamame noodles, or when I made Lamb Tenderloin for Valentines day.
Protein shake – a few every week on average. I go in spurts. I’ll drink one every night for a month straight, then i won’t have one for a while.
Pizza – Once or twice a month
Pasta or bread – once every month or two
Sandwiches – Once every month or two
Burgers without the bun – two-three times a week.
Bomb-ass salads – Once or twice a month
Cereal and milk – once a month
Beer – rarely. I might binge once in a while if it’s a special occasion.
Ice Cream and Dessert – special occasions; maybe two or three times a month.
Peanut butter, nuts, almonds -Almost every day at least once
Oatmeal – a few times a month
Caveats – Anytime I have an opportunity to try something new, I take advantage of it. New experiences are a good thing. traveling to new areas or a new or famous restaurant i’ll eat whatever i want.
One or two days a month I throw the rules out of the window and eat whatever I want.
Another thing I tend to do is go on food kicks. I’ll eat pancakes every night for a week straight, then I won’t eat them again for months.
Or I’ll eat 2-3 mangos a day for a week starring, then won’t eat them again for a year. Stuff like that.
[This Article is under construction – check back tomorrow!]
Supplementation
I’m not on a strict supplement regimen. I do take and recommend the following supplements:
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