How Many Calories?

This was always a confusing question for me.  I thought that if I didn't eat enough, I would lose muscle.  Bulk and cut, or something like that.  Anyway, John Barban and Brad Pilon did a study about caloric intake, and it has been a tremendous help in setting me straight (How Many Calories? is the name of the study, and it's floating around out there for free in cyberspace).

Essentially, it is our height and Lean Body Mass that determines our overall caloric intake.  Start by using averages....according to the study....assume a male is 5'10 and 5'6 for females.  The median LBM is 148 (for most men who workout) and female is around 104 pounds.  For men, add or subtract 7 pounds per inch to the LBM depending on height.  For example, if you are 5'9....subtract 7 pounds from 148.  For females, use the rule of 3's instead of 7's.  Now, the Katch-Mcardle formula looks like this:

370 + (21.6 * LBM (kg) = BMR (or RMR, I see them used interchangeably).  Convert the LBM in lbs. to kilograms using any website (this is important, DO NOT USE LBS).   Then, solve to get your recommended caloric intake.  Now, I used an LBM of 148 as a starting point and my daily caloric requirement came out to around 1800 calories, about 1,000 less than I had been consuming on some days.  This explains why my weight loss started to plateau....I was so fat in the beginning, that consuming 2,800 calories  was doing me good for the first few months (Jesus, I was eating a lot).  To get to a healthier weight, I had to cut back even more.  Now, before, I had recommended that you go to a website to do this calculation.  I now recommend that you stick to this method instead of going to a website to do the Katch-Mcardle because most will ask for your body fat %.  Also, forget the activity factor.  A couple of things....you need to do a boat load of exercising and gain a boatload of muscle just to put yourself in a nice caloric defecit.  Forget what your heart rate monitor is telling you or your treadmill at the gym.  Also, think about this.  Why would you factor back in the exercise and add more calories?  Aren't you trying to burn those with exercise?  I know, ground breaking, but I have really ramped up my progress again by shooting for the BMR.  Don't try and shrug this off and tell me that you are burning enough calories with your exercise program.  You are not.  Seriously, ask yourself, are you really making progress with your countless hours at the gym?  You spend a lot of time moving on the stair stepper, why are you not happy?  I am still losing weight, and I have actually averaged more than 1800 calories, probably 1,900 -2,100....which is fine....my initial calculation was only an estimate.   Find that range in which you are losing weight, and stick to it.  Exercise is an added bonus to improve your health, but not to be used as a means to control calories.  Also, trust the formula.  In the beginning, I would have said you are crazy to suggest that I only need around 1800-2000 calories a day.  I was wrong, about many things, but I'm learning....slowly.  I am not miserable, hungry or tired, I am feeling great at the gym and am not killing myself with cardio.

On a side note, I had a "consultation" with a trainer at LA Fitness the other day.  Essentially, they want you to pay a lot of money to spin your wheels.  The trainer asked what my goals were.  I replied " to get a waist of 31 inches, and shoulder width of 50 inches.  I am shooting to and 5-7 lbs. in LBM over the next 90-120 days.  I plan on consuming 1,900 - 2100 calories of whatever the hell I want to eat.  I will mix in my fruits, veggies and lean meats.  I will not take supplements, will not do pre and post workout drinks.  I will do heavy resistance training 3 days a week ( I also outlined my training program).  I have lost 52 pounds and am shooting to burn through another 10-15lbs of fat.  I only eat one to two meals a day. What can you do for me?"  His eyes became big and he shook my hand, thanking me for the info and he looks forward to my progress.  End of story.

Day 180

Well, this is my last Day of the P90x program.  My goal weight after 2 rounds was 185, and I tipped the scale at 187 this morning.  Not bad.  In the beginning, I thought 185 would put me at around 8% body fat.  I was not even close.  The calipers were really no help in trying to gain an accurate assessment, so I decided to start basing my progress on proportions, rather than weight and caliper measurements.  Right now, I'm probably around 19% body fat.  In good lighting, you can see my second row of abs....I still have fat to lose.      My goals for the next 90 days will be more proportion based.  Right now, measuring from the belly button, my waist is 37 inches, I'm targeting 31.  My shoulder width is 47 inches, I'm targeting a little over 50 inches.  I think this is the optimal proportion given my height (thank you John Barban and the Adonis Index).  I believe reaching these proportions will allow everything else to fall into place, and I will be about as healthy has I've ever been.  If I am forced to use a target weight, I would say 168 lbs., but the scale really isn't going to be determining my success.  As I mentioned in previous posts, my exercise will be three days in the gym, period.  Heavy, compound lifting to build muscle.....shooting for 45 minutes max per workout.  Also, target caloric range will be 1800-2000 with a 24 hour fast 2 days a week.  I don't know where the thought started (and I was one of the believers) that you have to eat a crap load of calories to build muscle.  The caloric range I am in right now is probably the lowest I have ever been in my entire life, and I am not miserable.  I eat what I want, knowing that it just boils down to burning more calories than you put in. I also understand that it is possible to build muscle and burn fat, don't let anyone ever talk you in to the bulk and cut approach ( I aim to prove this in my next 90 days).  Once I pushed myself past the mindset that I didn't have to restrict my diet, I was able to cut the calories even more.  Case in point:  Today is my son Cade's First Communion...I will be eating fajitas and tamales.  I will not feel guilty.  I will even have a piece of cake.  No problem.  I will also realize the high fat foods and extra sugar will not leave me feeling full and craving more.  Well, I'm prepared for this, and will control my portions, knowing I can still have the foods I love, just less of them.  I have been using this approach the last three weeks, and truly believe I am on the path to long term success.  I still eat my fruits, veggies, lean meats etc., but I don't deprive myself of tasty foods.  My insulin is fine.....that outlook helped me in the beginning in starting this weight loss journey.  In fact, I don't think I would be in this position now if I really didn't get the hell scared out of me at the doctor and start monitoring my food.  I don't believe in good and bad carbs anymore.  There are foods that are nutrient dense and dense in calories.  Some will help fuel your workouts, and some foods will be high in calories and make you crave more, well beyond your caloric requirements.  One more thing....I cannot stress enough this point....P90X WAS NOT THE REASON I LOST WEIGHT.......DO NOT FALL VICTIM TO A WORKOUT STRATEGY BECAUSE IT SAYS IT WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRED WEIGHT LOSS RESULTS....IT IS THE DIET.........PERIOD.....DON'T SWEAT THE TYPE OF FOOD EITHER.....LESS CALORIES CONSUMED THAN BURNED IS THE BEST FAT BURNING TOOL!!!!  I do take cash and checks if you feel like blindly sending your money to the next fitness fad.

It Wasn't the Workout........

I am on my last week of round 2 of the P90x program, I am very pleased with where I am physically.  But, there is still more to go, and I wanted to share somethings that may or may not change the way your are approaching your fitness goals:

• I can honestly say that the P90x workout was not the result of my weight loss, it was my diet.  P90x helped me gain some lean muscle and improve my overall cardiovascular health.  I will never again let anyone sell me on the fact that one workout plan is more effective for weight loss than the other

• Once I broke away from the P90x nutrition guide and started putting together my own plan, my weight goals were easier to maintain.  I was not obsessed with getting every portion of veggies, fruits, meat, etc. absolutely correct.  It was liberating to formulate my own plan

• I started this journey caring about macros, I don't care about macros anymore

• I have better relationship with food because I am not following a strict diet.  I eat what I want, knowing that certain foods will make me more hungry as opposed to making me full (think refined carbohydrates full of fat, salt and/or sugar)

•  It is all about your caloric intake - there is no magical health food

• Health shakes made me hungry and were a disaster as a meal replacement

•  I stopped my pre and post workout supplementation

• I started incorporating intermittent fasting into my nutrition plan

• I workout at 5 am in a fasted state and don't have my post workout meal until 12 pm -no supplementation at all

• I stayed away from alcohol

• My wife and kids were fully on board with what I was doing, and that's all I needed.  I never let my fitness goals interfere with my social and family life

• Brad Pilon, Martin Berkhan and John Barban changed the way I viewed fitness, using logic as opposed to promoting bogus fitness claims followed by recommendations for supplements

• Over the next 90-120 days, I will focus on resistance training to build lean muscle mass, and diet to shed more fat.  At no point will I use exercise as a tool to lose the additional weight

• Over the next 90 -120 days, it will come down to lifting hard and eating less.  I will not care about macros, meal timing, supplements, etc.

I hope this blog, up until this point, has provided some useful information.  I am no expert, I was just a fat guy who shed some serious weight.  Now, I am looking to take my body to the next level by keeping it as simple as possible.  I am still learning, so my perspective on things may continue to change. Right now, I can comfortably say, weight loss for me was more about the calories and less about the P90x workout program.

Mythbusters

Starting May 14th, I will be starting a new chapter in my fitness journey.  I will be shooting for a fitness level that I probably haven't experienced since I was wrestling in high school.  At the same time, I will have more muscle than I have had in my entire life.  On top of this, I will be turning 37 years old, and will hopefully be able to say, at that point, that I am in the best shape of my life.

I have read the blogs, watched the youtube videos and read the magazines where I am cautioned about the last 20 lbs. or so in achieving my fitness goal.  My goal right now is getting into single digit body fat while adding to my lean body mass (at minimum, 4-5 lbs over 3 months).  My target weight is going to be 168 lbs.  Much of the information I have read told me that this is going to be a miserable experience.  I will need to do cardio while depriving myself of carbs.  I will need to eat large amounts of protein and be so anal about everything I put in my body that I will not be able to have a sociable meal with anyone.  A few months ago, I would have believed this.  Now, I have stumbled upon some theories that may debunk many of the myths we believe are required to meet our fitness goals (thank you Brad Pilon and Martin Berkhan).  At this point, I am taking another person's word and research at face value, and applying it to my fitness routine.  The research has been so straightforward and honest (and makes complete sense), that I feel I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't give this approach an honest evaluation.  Will I be successful?  Time will tell, but my body is at a point where I can really document my progress with some concrete goals over the next 3 months.  The last 20 lbs. to your fitness goal is usually the most difficult, so why not implement this new school of thought at the most critical point in my fitness journey?  Here is my new approach:

• Two to three meals a day, with a 16 hour fast in between my meals.  Typically, I will shoot for meals at 12 pm, 4pm, and 7 pm.  Also, I could choose another schedule where I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and choose 2 days a week to do a 24 hour fast.  That would mean if I ate at 7pm on Friday, I would not eat again until 7 pm on Saturday.  When I eat after the fast, I would just eat a normal meal (not loading up on calories with a gorge meal) and continue regular eating until the next break.  This is called intermittent fasting, and I have been fascinated by the actual benefits that may be achieved by giving your body an extended break from eating.  I have been doing this the past few weeks and have felt less stress in my choices of food, knowing I have a nice caloric buffer in my next few meals, but not having the desire to go into an absolute binge because I am starving.  I eat like I normally would, being conscious about my food choices (shooting for 4-5 servings fruits and vegetables, lean meats, etc.), but have automatically built in a caloric buffer through the fasting process.  I don't have to be anal about eating 5-6 meals a day because I honestly believe my metabolism won't slow down and I will go into starvation mode by taking a break from eating.  Also, I was getting absolutely sick and tired of having to obsess over when I was eating my next meal, and making sure it was within the 2-3 hour window.  Fasting allows me flexibility and freedom throughout the day.

• I am going to ignore my macros.  That's right, you read it, I was Mr. IIFYM (if it fits your macros).  Honestly, much of my readings lately have been centered around common sense.  If you burn more calories than you put in, you will lose weight.  I'm starting to believe that protein is not the super nutrient it is promoted to be, so I am not going to worry about getting 1.5 X my body weight in grams of protein to build my muscle.  I will be eliminating my pre and post workout drinks as well.  Again, only time will tell how this works, but my goal is to prove that you can shed fat and build muscle without making it difficult, and cutting through much of the BS that the food and supplement industry want you to believe about staying fit and remaining healthy.  Hell, I may go 75% carbs on my my meal plan while I'm cutting, so I will still be keeping track of my meals in www.fatsecret.com just to prove my point.  In fact, I'm kicking all supplements to the curb....I will be sticking to foods you can get at the grocery store.  No more shakes, recovery drinks (I still have some to finish, but I am not re-ordering), anything that these companies promote as essential for fitness and weight loss.  Grocery store foods will be my supplementation. 

• Here is another shocker, I will be exercising on an empty stomach.  Holy God!  AM I CRAZY???  My muscles need protein, recovery foods, drinks, etc...right?  Really, companies promoting that philosophy right now, including Beachbody, can shove it.  I'm on a mission to find out for myself what really works, and no marketing noise is going to interfere with my process.  Also, I will be working out during my fast, so really the only thing I can have post workout is black coffee and water.  But wait, doesn't coffee stunt muscle growth?  I don't know, and I don't care....we'll see my results in a few months, so stunt this bro.

• I will be doing resistance training 3X a week...that's it....no cardio.....WTF????  You see, I am learning more about my body, and it seems more sensible to me to eat less calories as opposed to eating more and trying to run or jump around to burn off the fat.  In fact, I am learning that my body may be more efficient at burning fat through an extended break from eating than an extra hour moving and jumping around.  I don't know, but it may be as simple as less calories = efficient fat burning as opposed to more calories and  intense cardio workouts.  I mean, let's be honest, how many times have we tried to run miles upon miles only to see little to no progress in successfully losing fat?  I am not saying cardio is bad, I am just trying to find the best, most efficient way to burn fat in the least amount of time.  Resistance training 3X a week seems to be enough time to get the job done in building muscle.  Also, I will not be doing several exercises for each muscle group.  It will be short and sweet.  Maybe 3-4 exercises for a max of 45 mins in the gym.  I will be going early, 5:30 am, so I can get in and get my work done.  I will be focused and intense, with little interruption from the resident, skull cap wearing, bro-science promoting, in your face "gym guy".  They like to show up (and off) at peak times in the gym.

The bottom line, there is a lot of misinformation out there about health and fitness.  I started this blog to show others just how far I had let myself go, and what I was doing to remedy the situation.  This blog is now evolving into my journey against many of the myths out there that can make health and fitness so miserable.  I am trying to accomplish my fitness goals by keeping it simple. Please do not mistake my approach as trying to find a shortcut.  My meals will continue to be sensible and and I will  put everything I have into my workouts.  I am just trying to cut through much of the noise to get to a solution that can work for me and be sustainable into the future.  I also believe the easier I can make this for myself, the more others will want to follow in my footsteps.    

Making An Honest Self Assessment

As I near the completion of my second full round of P90X, I am impressed with my weight loss and the fat that is being burned from my body.  With that being said, I started becoming concerned with my estimates in terms of body fat % and what my target weight should be for a lean, 8% ripped look.  I am using calipers and measuring 3 spots on my body - chest, abdomen, and thigh.  My current calculations have me at around 12% body fat with a lean body mass (no fat at all) at around 167 lbs.  I am only 5 pounds away from my goal of 185 (and supposed 8% body fat based on my initial calculations), yet I really have not been fully satisfied with my abdominal area.  I have a weak 4 pack, meaning in proper lighting, I have a defined 4 pack (if you notice my last photo shoot....I took the updates in the kitchen because the lighting was better for muscle definition).  I was hoping at this point, a six pack would be coming through, regardless of my lighting.

The more research I did, the more I found out how inaccurate the calipers can be....as much as 5% off!  Therefore, to be honest with myself, I added 4-5% bf to my estimates, putting me back at around 16-17% body fat.  This seems more logical for my definition at this point....and my revised target weight is now around 168 lbs....meaning I still have 22 lbs. to shed.   Now, this can explain the fact that I am really not feeling the effects yet of the lower body fat %, and my meal plan to this point has been easy to follow.  So, with my second round of P90X coming to and end and me having to shed another 20lbs or so....what is my strategy going to be?  More cardio?  Increasing the amount of time I workout?  As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been looking outside of the box for ways in which I can successfully add muscle and shed fat while ignoring many of the diet and exercise myths that are floating out there today.  In fact, my approach may go against some of my earlier posts and philosophy on a successful nutrition plan.  In all honesty, the more people I talk to, the more I realize this has to be kept simple for long term success.  Additionally, there is a lot BS floated out there by supplement and food companies telling you exactly why certain foods are good, and which supplements will help you be successful in your fitness journey.  I am going to try and put many of those theories to rest on my last push to lose 20 lbs and get into single bf%.  I will also be looking to gain 4-5 lbs. of muscle during the next 3-4 months.  Stay tuned for my plan.......