So…. Can I get a show of hands on how many people packed on a few unwanted pounds over the holiday season? Looking to start the New Year right, get to the gym more regularly, and start eating healthier? It is no secret that this is the #1 resolution made every year for New Year’s, however very few are privileged to knowing what All Pro Nutrition has to offer. We intentionally spend hardly any money on marketing to keep the final price tag on our store shelves as low as possible. So most of you have heard of us by word of mouth, which is no surprise to us, as we spend as much time as possible to answer each and every questions that our customers may bring us make ti et them know how much they are appreciated and are in very good hands.
How many of you have ever heard someone say: “oh man, you got to go check those guys out down at ___________ (fill in the blank chain store), they really know their stuff, those guys truly are dietary experts!!” I am guessing you have never heard such a thing and likely never will. In these stores price tags are high and behind the counter knowledge is quite low. Many of our customers have told us “man I know more than that guy down at _______, why would I take his advice?” It is tough to take direction from someone you don’t feel confident knows what they are talking about. How would you feel taking a test drive in a car with a salesman that knew hardly anything about the car? Or pick out a mattress at a store from someone that couldn’t tell you how one differed from the other?
When buying dietary supplements you want to deal with someone that you have just as much confidence in what they have to say as you would when visiting a doctor’s office. That is why you will never find a simple cashier behind the counters of All Pro Nutrition or a pushy salesman that just wants to get you out the door with whatever he/she can make the most commission off of. There are no “house brand” products in our store with ridiculous profit margins and cheap ingredients like you will find at just about every chain store out there. Here you will find top-notch proven products and unbiased sales advice.
However, as many of you know, that is certainly not the biggest difference you will find in our store. The hours of free diet/cardio/training advice so many customers have experienced right at the counter of our store is unparalleled. Where else can you find the knowledge, let alone the selflessness of our employees to take the time to do such a thing, anywhere else? FOR FREE!!
Last year at this time we put together an article on diet followed up by one on cardio. Since then we have put together a simple worksheet to make the diet set-up process much simpler. Well, they haven’t invented a once daily magic body transformation pill quite yet (Although I hear they are getting close to discovering it….. check late night infomercials to stay updated). That being said, what worked for everyone then is what works now!!
What follows is a slight alteration to the previously released plan that has brought such huge success for our customers. One recommendation we always gave and discussed in these articles is the importance of making adjustments to the diet as your body changes. Not everyone took the time to make these adjustments or consulted us for help in doing so. The ones that did, and there were many, saw consistent progress in reaching their goals. Others saw results for 4-6 weeks then a plateau. Well without the necessary adjustments, a plateau is to be expected. To avoid this we have changed the plan to include every change that needs to be made throughout the entire 16 weeks of dieting and at what times to do such.
For those that are familiar with the diet plan and the science behind how and why it works, feel free to skip to the bottom of the newsletter and print a copy of the new diet plan. Everyone that wants a refresher course on dieting and new customers that have yet to get their hands on this very popular article, READ ON!!
The Complete Physique Alteration Series
Here at All Pro Nutrition there is not a customer that walks through the door who is not exposed to the importance of diet when it comes to reaching your goals. Many have been given an in depth “diet consultation” that can last many hours on multiple visits to the store. Though we most certainly don’t have the time to do this for everyone that shops with us when the store is busy, we do like customers leaving the store with the idea that they have most certainly been guided in the right direction. Always feel free to stop by and hang around if there are other customers shopping. We will certainly take all the time in the world to chat about your goals. That is what we are here for and it is an enjoyable pleasure to do so.
With the New Year here and many New Year’s resolutions made, we thought there would not be a better time to include an in-depth look at some of the most tried and true methods for fat loss in our first installment of The Complete Physique Alteration Series. For those with little to no background knowledge on diet and certain aspects of the human body please do not feel discouraged!! It is very important that the motivation developed for a major change to ones physique is not squandered and that the efforts put forth for such a change are in the right direction. So many people fall short and give up on their goals simply because they are making mistakes in their diet and training on a daily basis that they otherwise would avoid if they simply had the knowledge or proper guidance. Well good news for all our customers, all of us here at All Pro Nutrition are going to provide that guidance and in time you will have the knowledge as well to pass on to others. So once again, do not let the language of this article deter you in any way. Simply stop by All Pro Nutrition today and we can get you started on your way to complete physique alteration!! We will take the extra time to guide and educate you at a rate that does not seem the least bit overwhelming. Don’t forget to check your inbox for next month’s newsletter and part 2 of The Complete Physique Alteration Series!!!
The Complete Physique Alteration Series:
Getting Lean
Part 1: Crash Course on Diet
The most important ingredient in the getting lean “cocktail” is diet. This is no news flash to anyone I am sure. In fact, diet is such an important factor that I assure you that you could train with world class athletes and trainers until you are blue in the face, but if your diet is not on point you will see little of the potential results. On the other hand, you can have absolutely zero knowledge on how to train and make tremendous progress if your diet is spot on. It is easy to get in the gym for an hour or so 5 days a week, but what are you shoveling down your mouth the other 23 hours of the day? What does your diet look like on your off days? This is what separates the men from the boys when it comes to physique change. If you want results and you want them bad, simply pour every ounce of that motivation into your diet and watch the transformation take place.
Meal Frequency
I suppose we should get this out of the way first. Now, for those of you who are not consuming 6 meals a day… START. Very simply, you WILL get leaner by doing this alone. Fact: if you were to consume the same total calories from 6 meals as opposed to 3, by the end of the day, you will have burned more total calories. Meal frequency and RMR (resting metabolic rate) are in direct correlation. By increasing the number of meals you consume, you will directly increase your body’s metabolism.
Another important aspect of increased meal frequency is the very unlikely scenario of overeating. Eating frequently will keep your appetite in check so that each meal consumed does not exceed your body’s demand for calories at any one sitting. However, eating less frequent and larger meals leaves plenty of room for overeating, Also, when you go 6 hours without eating, as so many of us do, you have entered “starvation mode” long before this point. Your body began to catabolize its own tissues at about the 3 hour mark and now when you finally do eat again your body will store more fat in preparation for the next time you starve yourself. Not to mention the tendency to overeat at this point, directly causing your body to store fat. So go right ahead and get started with eating every 2.5 – 3 hours. The best way to begin this process is with a meal replacement or protein powder in between meals and late in the evening.
Insulin and the glycemic index
So we agree diet is important. Taking a deeper look, it is more of what impact your diet has on your blood glucose levels and keeping insulin at bay. It is no secret that to lose fat you have to eat less. Well while you have restricted your calories to below a maintenance level, you must ensure that the calories you do consume do not cause rapid raises in your blood glucose levels. When blood glucose levels rise, the pancreas secretes a set amount of insulin to transport this blood glucose. If there is no use for this blood glucose at this time, it is then shuttled to adipose tissue and stored as fat. This is why your choice of carbohydrate in your diet is SO important. We want low glycemic (slow digesting) carbs in the diet that cause very slow raises in blood glucose and in turn a very small amount of insulin to be secreted. That way there is never an abundance of blood glucose that can potentially be stored as fat. These types of carbohydrates include oatmeal, brown rice, and sweet potatoes among others. However these three should make up the bulk of your diet. The one suitable bread is Ezekiel bread. Here is a glycemic index to look at for your other carb choices that I suggest you use sparingly outside the use of the four I have just mentioned.
Insulin also shuttles amino acids to the amino acid pool and free fatty acids (FFA) back to adipose tissue. (1st scenario good… 2nd scenario very bad). This means that if your body has released fat from fat stores into the blood from a good diet or cardio session and you consume a meal that spikes insulin, these fats that are currently in the bloodstream ready to be used as fuel will now simply get re-deposited as adipose tissue.
Mobilizing fat stores to be used as fuel
So our goal with The Complete Physique Alteration Getting Lean Diet is to mobilize free fatty acids from fat stores and insure that these ffa get burned as fuel. We can feel confident about the 2nd part of this process if we can keep insulin at bay by the methods previously discussed. What about mobilizing the FFA from the fat stores in the first place? This is where the amount of carbohydrates consumed plays a major role. In fact it is almost the sole factor outside of low intensity steady state cardio. We will discuss the cardio later (hint: you’re going to be waking up earlier). As long as there is glycogen stores available for fuel and more carbs being consumed to refill these stores, FFA will never be released from fat stores to be used. So we must deprive the body of its main energy source. Now we are not talking about a ketogenic diet (zero carbs) though that may work well for some. Carbohydrates are still consumed but in a very timely and moderate manner which we will discuss here very soon.
Carbohydrates are digested and released into the blood as glucose (sugar). Whether the carb source is a bowl of hot plain oatmeal or a Mountain Dew the final destination/form is blood glucose. It is only a matter of how fast it gets there. The Mountain Dew will be completely digested an in the bloodstream in a matter of minutes (along with a lot of insulin and potential fat storage to take place), the oatmeal can take hours and will likely never supply the blood with more glucose than can be utilized at one given time. Now that we have blood glucose present, insulin shuttles this glucose to be stored as glycogen in skeletal muscle tissue, the liver, and brain. This is the readily available fuel source in these 3 high energy demanding locations. However the body does have the ability to utilize fat for fuel as well as amino acids (1st scenario good… 2nd scenario very bad).
Avoiding muscle loss and fat gain from poor meal planning
What must be understood at this point is that once carbs are restricted, the body will seek an alternate fuel source and this fuel source will not always be body fat. It can easily be muscle tissue. To ensure that the body does not break down muscle tissue for amino acids as fuel, we must make sure there is a steady supply of amino acids in the blood stream from dietary protein. If the blood stream already contains amino acids from dietary protein, then the body is less likely to break down muscle tissue to get it. So each meal must contain protein. Now, we still are instructing the body to release fats and use them as fuel by restricting carbohydrates during certain times of the day. So the meals that contain zero carbs (where fatless can take place) need to have some source of healthy fats. The best choices are omega 3 and omega 6 based fats, monounsaturated fats, and cholesterol based fats (for healthy hormonal production). It is a big mistake to avoid all fats in any diet plan. Fats are used to perform an array of functions in the body and the most important thing to know is that if you do not consume enough dietary fats your body is less likely to release its own stored body fat.
Putting it all together
Now let us discuss the timing of these meals and the amounts of each macronutrient you will need to consume (protein, carbs, fats). You will consume no carbohydrates in your breakfast (1st meal) on low and moderate days. Instead your 2nd meal of the day will be your first carb meal. This is to ensure the FFA that are still in the blood after your morning cardio session do not get re-deposited because of a high carb breakfast.
- Drink at least 1 gallon of water a day and consume no other beverage. A well hydrated body mobilizes fat stores more efficiently.
- 6 meals/day 2.5-3 hrs apart
I have designed a semi-easy to follow system for determining the proper amounts of each macronutrient you will need to consume. No matter your age or gender these formulas will work perfect for you. All you need to know is your lean body mass (LBM*) and a little math to figure out the numbers that will work specific to you. Please note that the use of / means “divided by” and the use of x means “multiplied by” The system is as follows:
The Complete Physique Alteration Series
Getting Lean Diet (16 weeks)
WEEKS 1 & 2
- chest- moderate
- back- high
- shoulders/traps- moderate
- arms- moderate
- legs- very high
- off- low
OR
- chest/tri- moderate
- back/bi- high
- off- low
- shoulders/traps- moderate
- legs- very high
- off- low
- off- low
| Day | *Total Carbs / Day | #Carb Based Meals | **Protein / Meal (g) |
| Low | lbm / 3 | 1 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| Moderate | lbm | 3 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| High | lbm x 1.5 | 4 | (lbm x 1.7) / 6 |
| Very High | lbm x 2 | 5 | (lbm x 1.4) / 6 |
**if your lbm is higher than 150lbs you will consume protein based on the following. Low = 50g/meal, Moderate = 50g/meal, High = 42.5g/meal, Very High = 35g/meal
WEEKS 3 & 4
- chest- moderate
- back- moderate
- shoulders/traps- moderate
- arms- moderate
- legs- very high
- off- low
OR
- chest/tri- moderate
- back/bi- moderate
- off- low
- shoulders/traps- moderate
- legs- very high
- off- low
- off- low
| Day | *Total Carbs / Day | #Carb Based Meals | **Protein / Meal (g) |
| Low | lbm / 3 | 1 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| Moderate | lbm | 3 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| Very High | lbm x 2 | 5 | (lbm x 1.4) / 6 |
**if your lbm is higher than 150lbs you will consume protein based on the following. Low = 50g/meal, Moderate = 50g/meal, High = 42.5g/meal, Very High = 35g/meal
WEEKS 5 & 6
*Diet same as weeks 3 and 4. Add 30 min of fasted low intensity steady state morning cardio to all low and moderate days (see CPAS pt 2). If you are already doing morning cardio increase from 30 min to 45 min. Start non stimulant fat burning supplements (consult All Pro staff). Also consume a non-calorie BCAA/glutamine drink during cardio (same as the one you use during weight training).
WEEKS 7 & 8
- chest- moderate
- back- moderate
- shoulders/traps- moderate
- arms- low
- legs- very high
- off- low
OR
- chest/tri- moderate
- back/bi- moderate
- off- low
- shoulders/traps- low
- legs- very high
- off- low
- off- low
| Day | *Total Carbs / Day | #Carb Based Meals | **Protein / Meal (g) |
| Low | lbm / 3 | 1 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| Moderate | lbm | 3 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| Very High | lbm x 2 | 5 | (lbm x 1.4) / 6 |
**if your lbm is higher than 150lbs you will consume protein based on the following. Low = 50g/meal, Moderate = 50g/meal, High = 42.5g/meal, Very High = 35g/meal
WEEKS 9 & 10
*Diet the same as weeks 7 and 8. Start stimulant based fat burner in addition to current fat burning supplements. Add post workout cardio for 30 min on all training days besides legs. Do not consume post workout shakes until after cardio. Consume an additional non-calorie intra-workout BCAA/glutamine shake during post workout cardio (you should be using one during weight training).
WEEKS 11 & 12
- chest- low
- back- moderate
- off- low
- shoulders/traps- moderate
- arms- low
- legs- very high (lbm x 2)
- off- low
OR
- chest/tri- low
- back/bi- moderate
- off- low
- shoulders/traps- low
- legs- very high (lbm x 3)
- off- low
- off- low
| Day | *Total Carbs / Day | #Carb Based Meals | **Protein / Meal (g) |
| Low | lbm / 3 | 1 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| Moderate | lbm | 3 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| Very High | See Above | 5 | (lbm x 1.4) / 6 |
**if your lbm is higher than 150lbs you will consume protein based on the following. Low = 50g/meal, Moderate = 50g/meal, High = 42.5g/meal, Very High = 35g/meal
WEEKS 13 & 14
*Diet the same as weeks 11 and 12. Increase stimulant based fat burner dosage and add additional final fat burning supplements to regimen (consult All Pro staff). Increase morning cardio from 45 min to 1 hour, increase post workout cardio for from 30 min to 45 min on all training days besides legs. Do not consume post workout shakes until after cardio. Consume an additional non-calorie intra-workout BCAA/glutamine shake during post workout cardio (you should be using one during weight training).
WEEKS 15 & 16
- chest- low
- back- moderate
- off- low
- shoulders/traps- low
- arms- low
- legs- very high(lbm x 2)
- off- low
OR
- chest/tri- low
- back/bi- low
- off- low
- shoulders/traps- low
- legs- very high(lbm x 3)
- off- low
- off- low
| Day | *Total Carbs / Day | #Carb Based Meals | **Protein / Meal (g) |
| Low | lbm / 3 | 1 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| Moderate | lbm | 3 | (lbm x 2) / 6 |
| Very High | See Above | 5 | (lbm x 1.4) / 6 |
**if your lbm is higher than 150lbs you will consume protein based on the following. Low = 50g/meal, Moderate = 50g/meal, High = 42.5g/meal, Very High = 35g/meal
Protein Timing For All 16 Weeks
Protein is consumed with all 6 meals in the amounts found in the above table.
Carbohydrate Timing For All 16 Weeks
- Low Days- 2nd meal of the day
- Moderate Days- 2nd meal of the day, pre-workout, post-workout (shake)
- High Days- 1st and 2nd meal of the day, pre-workout, post-workout (shake)
- Very High Days- every meal but your last meal (first 5 meals)
Healthy Fat Timing For All 16 Weeks
Every meal that is absent of carbohydrates will contain fats. These meals will have 10% of your lbm in (g) fat. Lbm x .10 = fat (g) / meal. No fats will be consumed with carbohydrate based meals. Adding fats to some of your carbohydrate based meals is a method we may use in the future to surpass a sticking point.
If you are very eager to give the diet a try yet were confused by the math or exactly how to determine the amounts of carbs, protein, and fats to consume with each meal, simply bring your copy of The Complete Physique Alteration Getting Lean Diet to All Pro Nutrition today and we will be glad to assist you in getting started!
*Don’t know your LBM? Sign up for bi-monthly body fat analysis at All Pro Nutrition the 1st ad 3rd Thursday of every month from 5:30-8 pm. Sign up for a 10 min slot during the mentioned times through email humanperformancelaboratory@gmail.com analysis is $10 per visit or 5 for $40.
It is very important to test your bf% regularly during this diet plan. If you are losing a significant amount of lbm the diet MUST be changed. DO NOT follow this diet blindly without paying attention to what your body is doing; you may lose more than just fat if you do so. This is the reason we never gave anything other than the 1st few weeks plan this past year and told customers to test their bf before making adjustments. Well not everyone did this and often no adjustments were made and results stalled.
Those that just want to lose weight of any kind or are well over 20% bf this may not be necessary. A good rule of thumb is if you can see your abs your bf is low enough to worry about losing lbm. Many may simply diet until this happens and then set up bf% appointments.
Well that’s it for this month folks! There is a wealth of information at your fingertips. All it takes is application and consistency. The change you want to see in the mirror is now within reach and we are here to help you every step of the way!
From all of us here at All Pro Nutrition, we would like to wish you a very Happy New Year and hope to see you very soon! Once again don’t forget to check your inbox for next month’s newsletter and a re-iteration more involved part 2 of The Complete Physique Alteration series!!!