 |
QUESTION:
Hello Tom, I've been doing
BFL for the past year, and did well at first, losing 3 dress
sizes and 5% body fat, but then I totally hit a plateau and
have had no more results since December. I'm wondering if
I've been strict enough with my eating
I bought your ebook, Burn The
Fat, and I'm very excited about the information I've read so
far, but I need some clarification about the eating part.
I've been eating according to the BFL philosophy with one
"cheat" day per week. What I'm reading in your
Burn The Fat program is instead, to allow myself a couple of
"cheat" meals any time during the week or on the
weekend, but not to take an entire day off the program.
However, in your list of
foods that turn to fat, you mention that certain foods
should only be eaten very rarely. Does that mean that they
shouldn't even be eaten at a weekly cheat meal? I can live
with that, but then, what constitutes a "cheat"
meal, (for example, if my favorite hash browns aren't
allowed? :) I know you get a billion emails, but I would
really appreciate it if you have time to answer. Kind regards, Kathleen
|
ANSWER:
It's not productive in the long
term to totally deprive yourself of foods you enjoy. What you have
to do is find a sensible way to work even your most
"sinful" favorite foods into your diet, but do it in an
amount and frequency that doesn't set you back or sabotage your
progress. This can be done by allowing yourself some "cheat
meals" (some people call them "free meals" or
"reward meals.")
One really good way to look at the
"cheat meals" concept is in terms of
"compliance," which means, what percentage of your meals
are following the guidelines of the program and what percentage are
off the program.
Too many meals or days off the
program and your results are compromised. Too many days in a row
eating nothing but "rabbit food" and you go crazy with
cravings, right?
How much you need to comply (stick
with) your program varies from person to person. It depends a lot on
how ambitious your goals are and on how responsive your body is to
nutrition and exercise.
When making your decision, keep in
mind we all have different genetics and body types, which is
something I discuss in great detail in chapter 5 of Burn The Fat,
Feed The Muscle.
Are you a carb-tolerant mesomorph who
gains muscle easily and loses fat easily or are you a carb-sensitive
endomorph who gains fat easily? Depending on the answer, your diet
program may need to be more or less strict than others.
Don't compare yourself to others -
you have to get to know your own body type. Some people can
"Get away with" more cheat meals and still make progress
(Yeah, I hate them too!)
Unless you're a competitor in
physique sports like bodybuilding, fitness or figure, or you're
getting ready for some type of transformation challenge or photo
shoot, I suggest at least 90% compliance.
Whether you adjust your level of
compliance above 90% (get more "strict") or below 90% (get
more lenient), depends how far away or close you are from achieving
your goals, and most importantly, on what kind of results you're
getting each week.
If you're complying 90% of the time,
and you are getting awesome results, you don't have to change a
thing, and you may be able to loosen up your diet a little. I know
some people who are definitely only "on the program" 80%
or 85% of the time and they look great.
90% compliance means you are
following healthy nutritious, fat burning eating guidelines 9 meals
out of 10. If you're eating small frequent meals like the burn the
fat program suggests, that's 5 small meals a day X 7 days a week =
35 meals. 90% compliance means about 31-32 of those meals are
spot-on! The other 3 or 4 are for you to enjoy special occasions,
reward yourself, and live a little.
If you're like most people, and you
simply want to drop a few pounds, trim a few inches off your
waistline and look better in shorts or in a swimsuit for summer,
then 100% compliance is unrealistic AND unnecessary. 90% compliance
is more realistic as a lifestyle, while being strict enough for most
people to get results.
On the other hand, if you had a very
ambitious goal like preparing for a figure or fitness competition
and you thought you had to reach at least 12 or 13% body fat (which
is very low for women), and you knew you would be onstage with
judges looking at every inch of your body in a teeny bikini (paying
very close attention to whether anything on your butt and thighs was
"jiggling"), then you would want to be as strict as
possible during the pre contest diet period (100% compliance or very
close to it).
Keep in mind also, that this is a
competitive situation and every time you "cheat" and your
competitors don't cheat, you decrease your probability of placing
high in the contests.
Unless you have a competitive
physique goal like this, however, then total deprivation of pleasure
foods or cheat meals (100% compliance), is not necessary because you
always tend to crave what you cannot have. That's a binge waiting to
happen.
I prefer this 90 or 95% compliance
approach over the "entire day of cheating" approach,
because I have seen people use the term "cheat day" pretty
darn loosely (basically making it the equivalent of BINGE DAY), and
they do a lot of damage in terms of setting their progress back.
They end up frantically playing
"catch up" for the better half of the following week with
punishing extra exercise and dietary deprivation. Slow and steady is
better than binge and punish don't you agree?
Allow yourself some leeway. Enjoy
food. Enjoy life. Have your pizza, or chocolate or your hash browns
or whatever makes your stomach happy. It will help, not hurt in the
long run. Just be sure to be mindful of your calorie limits, and
when you say you are going to comply 90% of the time, then keep your
promise to yourself and comply!
For more information about dieting
for fat loss, visit: www.BurnTheFat.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom
Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning
specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the
author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you
how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the
world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid
of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com
|
