Udemy - Ultimate body transformation

Training & Measurements Tracking Software

12 weeks program

Step 1:

 Take progress photos of your body (i.e., front, rear, and side)

 Download the Training & Measurements Tracking Software

 Download the Work-out PDF Guides
 Download the Frequently Asked Questions PDF guide
Step 2:

 Obtain your current body weight and Week 1 tape measurements then enter them
into the Training & Measurements Tracking Software.
Step 3:

 Refer to the Cutting, Bulking, Transitioning, and Reverse Dieting chapter.

 Goal 1: Cutting (Fat Loss)

 Goal 2: Bulking (Build Muscle)

 Goal 3: Body Recomposition (Build Muscle & Lose Fat Simultaneously)

 Download MyNetDiary app and enter these calculations.

Step 4

 Pick a Work-out guide PDF

Step 5

 further education around what to eat, how to train correctly, etc.

 You'll also need to weigh yourself daily, take body measurements every week, and
record them into the Training & Measurements Tracking Software.
Step 6

 At the end of 12 weeks, take a progress photo and compare it to the photo you had
taken at the beginning of the program.

Body recomposition
if you have very little to no lifting experience and maintain a 20% calorie
deficit while getting 0.7 grams of protein per LB of body weight per day.
Your body will transform in 12 weeks!
watch my skinny fat transformation story here.

Take Progress Photos (Don't Skip!)

Progress photos are a powerful way to visually see how your body is changing. Ultimately,
what you see in the mirror is what matters most. If you are gaining muscle and shedding fat,
your physique is going to look better and better, week after week

photos, either flexed or relaxed, every 3 weeks. Store these photos in a folder somewhere so
you can look back on them.
 Front
 Side
 Back
Don't keep looking at your belly fat when you are taking these pictures. It
will be the very last place you lose fat. Pay attention to your face, shoulders,
arms and chest. These areas will "thin out" first.
https://bit.ly/Submit-Transformation-Story

Training & Measurements Tracking

Software
Tracking your measurements and your training, and whether you are making
progress or not, is essential. Failing to make an effort to record your progress
consistently will guarantee failure. Why? Because without tracking, it's
impossible to know whether your training and nutrition needs to be modified
to ensure continued progress.
Step 1: Enter Current Stats (CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE TRAINING &
MEASUREMENTS TRACKING SOFTWARE)
 Estimated body fat percentage (click here to estimate it by looking at charts)
 The software will use your daily weigh-ins to calculate your average
weekly weight change. We are not concerned with daily fluctuations
in your weight. We care how your AVERAGE weight changes from
week to week.
 You'll need to do waist and hip measurements every week and enter them into the
software. To determine these measurements, visit the measurements section of the
program.

  Optional: you can measure your neck, chest, thigh, bicep, and calves if you
wish.
 At the end of each week, you can write "self check-in notes"
that summarises your training week.
Step 3: Tracking Your Training
The software also includes a 3-day per week training log that you can use to track your
lifting performance in the gym. Either use FitNotes to track your weightlifting progress, or
the training log found inside the software.
 CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE TRAINING &
MEASUREMENTS TRACKING SOFTWARE

Food Journal: Start Tracking Your Nutrition

5-Day Food Journal

I want you to spend the next 5 days recording everything you eat and drink using the 5-day
food journal (download link below).

DOWNLOAD FOOD JOURNAL HERE

Flexible dieting will allow you to learn how you can get into the best
shape of your life while eating your favourite food.
How to get 6 pack abs?

book covers the four principles that I believe are necessary to achieve six pack abs.

They are;

1. Reducing your overall body fat percentage;

2. Doing the correct exercises;
3. Correctly setting up your calories and macronutrient targets; and
4. Patience

The MOST Important Nutrition Focus

Points
1. if your primary goal is to shred fat and build muscle, the two most important numbers to
track is your daily calorie intake and your protein intake.

2. You can be on the best training program and eat the “cleanest” calories but if you fail to
remain in a calorie deficit, you will not lose fat.
3. If you are not getting enough protein, you will not gain muscle and in some cases, you’ll
lose muscle (and become “skinny fat”
4. Your calorie intake will determine whether you gain weight or lose weight.
A “calorie surplus” (or bulk) will guarantee that you’ll gain weight. A
“calorie deficit” (or cut) will guarantee that you’ll lose weight.
5. To avoid becoming “skinny”, your goal should be to lose fat while
preserving (or even building) muscle. Not “weight loss”.
It doesn't matter what diet you choose to follow—paleo, Atkins, keto, Mediterranean, etc.
The science is very simple.

If you want to lose fat and build muscle, you must do the following:
1. Maintain a calorie deficit (i.e., for me, this was around 2,000 kcal per day)
2. Increase your protein intake (i.e., for me, this was around 180 grams per day)
Quite frankly, if you are training in the gym and you are not doing these two
things, you are absolutely wasting your time. End of story!
there are specific food types, vitamins, micronutrients, supplements, etc that
are also important. But when it comes to the specific goal of shredding fat
and building muscle, the abovementioned points are the most important.

it's the number of calories you consume, rather than the specific types of
foods you eat, that dictates whether you gain or lose weight. It doesn’t matter
how “clean” your diet is, if you’re not in a calorie deficit you won’t lose
weight.

Effects of High Versus Low Protein Intake on Body Composition and Maximal Strength in Aspiring
Female Physique Athletes Engaging in an 8-Week Resistance Training Program - PubMed (nih.gov)

if you do nothing else but add more protein into your diet, you will end up
losing significantly more fat and building more muscle
slowly get their calorie intake under control and slowly increase their protein
intake!

Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition

IMPORTANT POINTS

1. If you've gone without protein for the 3 to 4 hours leading up to a strength training
session, it's advisable to consume 30 to 40 grams of protein before you begin.
However, if you've already had protein in the previous 3 to 4 hours, additional intake
is unnecessary.
2. If your diet includes at least a moderate amount of carbohydrates (20 to 30 percent or
more of your total calories), having carbs before your training session might not
significantly impact your performance. An exception arises when working out after an
extended fast (or first thing in the morning) – in such cases, consuming 30 to 40
grams of carbs 30 to 60 minutes before training can enhance your energy and
strength.
 3. While pre-workout fat consumption doesn't enhance exercise performance, it's
optional if you choose to include it.

4. If you haven't had protein for 3 or more hours before your workout, it becomes crucial
to consume protein soon after finishing. Aim for 30 to 40 grams within an hour of
finishing your lifting session. However, if you've had protein within a couple of hours
before starting your workout, the timing of your post-workout meal becomes less
critical.

5. Incorporating carbs into your post-workout meal can help maintain elevated insulin
levels for a longer duration, which is beneficial for muscle-building due to insulin's
effects on processes related to muscle loss.

The purpose of a pre-workout meal is two-fold. It's to:

 Fuel the work-out (via carbohydrate)

 Create an anabolic environment (via protein)
Pre-workout Protein

If you haven’t eaten protein 3 to 4 hours before your lifting session then your body’s muscle
protein synthesis rates are going to be low. This means that your body’s muscle-building
machinery will be idle, waiting for the next feeding of protein to kickstart it into action.

You should consume 30 to 40 grams of protein before you train. Research shows that pre-
workout protein will most likely help you build more muscle because it will spike protein
synthesis rates before training.

Personally, I'll have 1.5 to 2 scoops of Optimum Nutrition whey protein, mixed with water
due to its rapid absorption into the blood stream, causing plasma amino levels to spike higher
and sooner, compared to other forms of protein. If your stomach cannot handle whey then I
suggest a good plant-based protein alternative such as Garden of Life.
Pre-workout Carbohydrate
Should you eat carbs before a work-out?

If you are eating a moderate carb diet where 20 to 30% of your total calories are derived from
carb then pre-workout carb won't make any difference in your training performance.

An exception is early morning training sessions or any time you plan to work-out at the end
of an extended fast (8+ hours).

In this case, you'll have more energy to fuel your work-outs if you eat 30 to 40 grams of
carb within 30 to 60 minutes of your lifting session.
What type of carbohydrate should you be eating before training?
Choose whatever you enjoy the most and that is easiest on your stomach. Personally, I prefer
any of the following from the list below.

 2 x pitted dates (40g carb)

 1 x large banana (30g carb)

  60g of oatmeal (35g of carb)

 250ml rice milk (25g of carb)

 Raisins (a small box contains 35g carb)

 Sweet potato, white potato, brown rice, pasta, quinoa

Pre-workout Fat

Here is a conclusion by the researchers at Deakin University:

Thus, it would appear that while such a strategy can have a marked effect on exercise
metabolism (i.e., reduced carbohydrate utilisation), there is no beneficial effect on exercise
performance.

In other words, you don't need to have pre-workout fat. Just stick with a pre-workout protein
and carbohydrate source.

Post-workout Protein
You should eat 30 to 40 grams of protein within an hour or so of finishing a lifting session.

once your training session concludes, the rates of muscle protein breakdown increase, quickly
surpassing synthesis rates. Muscle growth becomes possible only when this trend reverses,
with synthesis rates exceeding breakdown rates.

Consuming protein facilitates this reversal by:

1. Supplying the amino acid leucine, directly promoting muscle protein synthesis.
2. Inducing the production of insulin, which curbs muscle protein breakdown rates.
If you haven't consumed protein within the three hours leading up to your
workout, it becomes crucial to do so soon after finishing, as muscle building
cannot commence until you provide the necessary nutrients.

Conversely, if you've had protein within a couple of hours before your workout, the timing of
your post-workout meal becomes less critical. Your body will still be digesting the earlier
food intake, allowing for flexibility in choosing whether to eat immediately after your lifting
session or waiting a couple of hours.

Post-workout Carbohydrate

Consuming carbohydrates after your lifting session doesn't seem to contribute to muscle gain
because protein alone is sufficient to stimulate insulin, which effectively reduces muscle
breakdown rates – a key way in which insulin directly influences muscle growth.
Nevertheless, incorporating carbs into your post-workout meal can maintain elevated insulin
levels for a longer duration. This is advantageous for muscle building, given insulin's impact
on processes related to muscle loss. It contributes to the argument supporting high-carb diets
for muscle gain, as research demonstrates that such diets generally result in higher insulin
levels, leading to lower muscle protein breakdown rates and, consequently, more muscle
growth.

Personally, I'll eat 1 cup of oatmeal (28g carb) with 1 banana (27g), and a teaspoon of sugar
as part of my post-workout carbohydrate. I'll usually accompany this with my protein shake.
Post-workout Fat

adding fat might hinder the digestion and absorption of essential proteins and carbohydrates
that your body requires urgently. While it is accurate that incorporating fat into a meal rich in
protein or carbs can slow down the clearance of food from the stomach, it does not
necessarily diminish the effectiveness of post-workout nutrition. For instance, various studies
have demonstrated that the fat content of a meal does not impact glycogen replenishment
rates, and there is evidence suggesting that whole milk might be more anabolic than non-fat
milk.

Personally, I don't have any forms of fat as part of my own post-workout meal.

Building Consistency for LASTING

Change!
a book titled Mini Habits where I "gradually" worked toward getting more
and more protein each week, while simultaneously getting closer and closer
to my daily calorie target.

after every week, I would "layer" another habit from the previous week.

Week 1:
 Habit 1: Aim to be within 200 calories of your daily calorie target and hitting
your protein target for 1-2 days of the week.

 Experiment with tracking using MyNetDiary or MyFitnessPal (don't be too concerned

if you are not perfect with tracking).

Week 2:
 Habit 1: Aim to be within 200 calories of your daily calorie target and hitting
your protein target for 2-3 days of the week.
 Habit 2: Aim to get two protein shakes per day at 30 to 40 grams of protein per
shake, morning and evening.

 Continue using MyNetDiary or MyFitnessPal, learning how to use a digital food scale
and logging food items.
Week 3:
 Habit 1: Aim to be within 100 calories of your daily calorie target and hitting
your protein target for 3-4 days of the week.
 Habit 2: Aim to get two protein shakes per day at 30 to 40 grams of protein per
shake, morning and evening.
 Habit 3: Aim to split total protein target into 4 to 5 intakes per day and have 30 to 40
grams of protein at each meal or snack.
 Habit 4: Learn of different protein sources (see "protein hacks" article to learn more).
 Habit 5: Add handful of mixed vegetables in one main meal per day.
Week 4:
 Habit 1: Aim to be within 50 calories of your daily calorie target and hitting
your protein target for 4-5 days of the week.
 Habit 2: Aim to get two protein shakes per day at 30 to 40 grams of protein per
shake, morning and evening.
 Habit 3: Aim to split total protein target into 4 to 5 intakes per day and have 30 to 40
grams of protein at each meal or snack.
 Habit 4: Add handful of mixed vegetables in one main meal per day.
 Aim to more accurately track food inside MyNetDiary or MyFitnessPal, including
nuts, oils, condiments, etc to be within 50 calories of your target calories.
Week 5:
 Habit 1: Aim to be within 50 calories of your daily calorie target and hitting
your protein target for 5-6 days of the week.
 Habit 2: Aim to get two protein shakes per day at 30 to 40 grams of protein per
shake, morning and evening.
 Habit 3: Aim to split total protein target into 4 to 5 intakes per day and have 30 to 40
grams of protein at each meal or snack.
 Habit 4: Add two handfuls of mixed vegetables in one main meal per day.
 Habit 5: Aim to get 30 to 40 grams of protein before bed.
Week 6:
 Habit 1: Aim to be within 50 calories of your daily calorie target and hitting
your protein target for 6-7 days of the week.
 Habit 2: Aim to get two protein shakes per day at 30 to 40 grams of protein per
shake, morning and evening.
 Habit 3: Aim to split total protein target into 4 to 5 intakes per day and have 30 to 40
grams of protein at each meal or snack.
 Habit 4: Add two handfuls of mixed vegetables in one main meal per day.
 Habit 5: Aim to get 30 to 40 grams of protein before bed.
It's extremely important that if you have a "bad day" and fall off the wagon
that you immediately pick yourself up again the next day and revert back to
basics of tracking those two numbers daily calorie target and my daily
protein target! Never giving up... the journey is not a linear one but with
persistence and trusting the process, you will succeed! I believe in you...

Section 3: Cutting, Bulking, Transitioning

If your main goal is to gain more size, more strength, and set personal bests in the gym, then
provided your body fat percentage is hovering around 10 to 13% (for guys,) I would suggest
start with a bulking phase. If your body fat percentage is over 20% (for guys) then start with
a cutting phase until you reach 10 to 13% then re-assess.
If your main goal is to get shredded, see a six pack and muscle definition—maybe due to an
upcoming wedding or special event—then I’d suggest start with the cutting phase.
Keep in mind that most people will usually need 2 to 3 proper bulk/cut cycles to completely
realise their physique dreams. No matter whether you choose to bulk, cut, or do a “body
recomposition” (discussed later in this chapter,) you’ll eventually reach the end goal of a
strong, lean, and muscular physique.
focus on hitting your daily target and macronutrient needs, learning how to
lift in the gym, being patient, and trusting the process.

Transitioning: Bulking to Cutting

Bulking refers to maintaining a slight calorie surplus, or positive energy balance, to increase
body weight to maximise muscle.

Cutting refers to maintaining a slight calorie deficit, or negative energy balance, to cause
weight loss (or fat loss.)

bulking phase then you need to set your daily target calories and macronutrient intake
(protein, carbohydrate, and fat) to ensure that most of the weight gained is from muscle rather
than fat.
Conversely, committing to a cutting phase means setting your daily target calories and
macronutrient intake to ensure the weight that is lost is fat rather than muscle.
summarises when it is time to switch between a bulk and a cut, and vice
versa, using your approximate body fat percentage:

You should only bulk if your main goal is to gain more size, more strength,
set personal bests in the gym, and don’t mind gaining some fat.

you should only commit to bulking if your approximate body fat percentage is:

 10 to 13% (for guys)

 Below 20% (for women)
If your main goal is to get shredded, reveal a six pack, prepare for a fitness photoshoot or
other special event, then I suggest start cutting when your approximate body fat percentage
is:
 Over 20% (for guys)
 Over 25% (for women)
You can bulk or cut for as long as you need to achieve the desired result.
start with 4 to 6 weeks with either cutting or bulking before re-assessing.
However, be mindful that it often takes a considerable amount of time of
bulking to grow a significant amount of muscle, which will only be
visible once you start cutting.
The more experienced a lifter you are, the longer it takes to build muscle and
therefore, the longer you need to remain in a calorie surplus to gain muscle.
Some lifters use a bulking-to-cutting ratio of 3:1 where for every 12
weeks spent bulking, is followed by 4 weeks in a cutting phase.
If you are not happy with your physique after your first or second cut, I
recommend repeating the cycle and commence a bulk. You are going to look
better and better after each bulk/cut cycle
Transitioning: Cutting to Bulking
When concluding an extended period of cutting, your metabolism often
slows down compared to its earlier state, your hormones and appetite
undergo slight adjustments, and your mental state may also be primed for a
change.
I recommend transitioning to a maintenance phase for approximately 2-3
weeks to stabilise your hunger and hormone levels, before switching to a
bulk.
How to Calculate Your Maintenance Calorie Target

I use a simple calculation: 12 to 16 calories per pound of body weight per day is a good
ballpark for most people when maintaining.

Let's break this down.

 If you’re sedentary, eat 12 calories per pound of body weight per day.
 If you’re lightly active, eat 13 to 14 calories per pound of body weight per day.
 If you’re moderately active, eat 15 to 16 calories per pound of body weight per day.
Calculate Your Maintenance Macros

Here’s how to calculate your macros while maintaining:

 Consume 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
  Consume 30 to 50% of your daily calories from carbohydrate, which comes out to
about 0.75 to 2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight per day for most people.

 Consume 20 to 30% of daily calories from fat, which is 0.2 to 0.4 grams of fat per
pound of body weight per day for most people.

do this for 2-3 weeks before jumping into a calorie surplus and you'll gain
minimal amounts of fat when transitioning from a cut to a bulk.

Section 15: Additional nutritional resources

Nutrition Terminology 101

 Macronutrient
Macronutrients are nutrients required by the body in macro (large) amounts and these
are; protein, carbohydrate, and fat, and provide us with the bulk of our energy demands.

The term “calculating macros” is the process of determining how much of each you should
eat to reach your health and fitness goals (i.e., bulking, cutting, or maintaining).

Learning how to calculate your macros is important because, along with counting calories,
tracking how much of each macronutrient you eat is the best way to control and improve your
body composition.
If you want to gain muscle, lose fat, and get strong, you generally want to
follow a high-protein, moderate- to high-carb, moderate- to low-fat diet.
 Protein

Protein is made up of chains of building blocks, known as amino acids. Protein is essential
for repairing any damage our body experiences through injuries or from intentional
microtrauma, such as weight lifting. You can find it in large amounts in foods such as
chicken, beef, fish, Greek or Icelandic yogurt, cheese, and eggs.

Protein is the most important macronutrient for building muscle

 Amino acids
Amino acids are classified as either essential or non-essential. As the name suggests,
essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body and therefore must come from our diet.
Whereas, non-essential amino acids can be produced by the body and therefore do not need to
come from the diet.
 Carbohydrate
There are three main types of carbohydrates: Sugar, starch, and fibre. The body breaks down
sugar and starch into glucose, the main energy source for the brain, central nervous system,
and red blood cells, while fibre helps you stay satiated and maintain good digestive health.
You can find them in large amounts in foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, and cereals.
 Fat
Dietary fat has several crucial functions in the body, including optimising your immune
system, building cells (especially nerve cells), and providing energy. Fat contains the most
calories of any macronutrient, providing 9 calories per gram.
High-fat foods include oils, nuts and nut butters, seeds, and fatty meat, fish, and dairy
products.

To summarise: The calories in food come from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats: 1 gram of
carbohydrate has 4 calories. 1 gram of protein has 4 calories. 1 gram of fat has 9 calories —
more than twice as much as the other two macronutrients.

 Calorie

A calorie is a unit of measurement for energy.

One calorie is the amount of energy it takes to heat one kilogram of water one degree Celsius
(also called a kilocalorie or Calorie with a capital “C”).

We can measure the amount of energy contained in food and the amount of energy our bodies
burn, in calories.

 Cutting

Cutting refers to a period of eating at a calorie deficit as a means to lose body fat while
maintaining as much muscle mass as possible.

Typically, people who are cutting optimise their macronutrient intake and training to ensure
that most of the weight they lose is fat, not muscle (though some muscle loss while cutting is
inevitable).

 Bulking

Bulking refers to temporarily maintaining a moderate calorie surplus to increase body weight,
and maximise building muscle while minimising fat gain.

Typically, people who are bulking optimise their macronutrient intake (the proportion of their
calories that come from protein, carbs, and fat) and training to ensure that most of the weight
they gain is muscle rather than fat (though some fat gain while bulking is inevitable).

 Maintenance

Maintenance calories are precisely the number of calories your body needs to not cause
weight loss or weight gain (i.e., 'maintain' current weight).

 Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the average number of calories your body requires every day
to fuel essential functions like breathing, pumping blood, producing hormones, and so forth.

Once you know your BMR, you can use it to create a meal plan that will help you lose, gain,
or maintain your weight.
 Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the average number of calories you burn per day.
You can accurately estimate your TDEE with your weight, height, age, and activity level
Cheat Meals: Eat Your Indulgences

The Flexible Dieting or IIFYM If It Fits Your Macros Approach

A macronutrient is any of the nutritional components of the diet that are

required in relatively large amounts: protein, carbohydrate, fat, and minerals
such as calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, and phosphorous.
80% or so of my daily calories were from unprocessed, nutrient-dense food and the
remaining 20% or so were allocated to my favourite cheat meals.

My favourite nutrient-dense foods that I would prepare for night shift were:

 Chicken/turkey with brown rice and veggies

 Beef with sweet potato and veggies

 Chicken with sweet potato, veggies and avocado

 Cans of tuna (when I really struggled during night shift with no energy to prepare
food)

 Bananas and apples

My favourite cheat foods that I'd also prepare for night shift were:

 Halo Top (Google it! It will change your life)

 Quest protein bars

 Brownie and cookies

For the best results in your transformation journey, allocate 80% of your
calorie and macronutrient targets to nutrient-dense food. Allow yourself to
have a cheat meal each day of around 20% of your targets.

From Monday to Friday, I want you to track all food, including cheat meals

On weekends, if you are going to a restaurant then try and estimate the
calorie content of food items at popular restaurant chains using the food
database in MyNetDiary or MyFitnessPal. Most popular chains include their
nutrition information in those two apps.

Come the weekend, they will overindulge in mindless eating as a "reward"

for all of the hard work they've done throughout the week. In my
experience, this mindset is the main reason why people spin their wheels
and make no progress with any kind of fat loss transformation. Weekend
overindulges will destroy your progress!

I'm not saying you cannot enjoy yourself on weekends but... you must be
smart about it otherwise you'll just be undoing all of the hard work you've put
in during the week. This is not just my experience, the science confirms it.

Mindful Eating: Creating Better Eating

Habits
According to research here and here, compared to eating without distractions,
distracted eating can lead to increased food intake at that meal, less feelings
of fullness, and difficulties remembering how much you ate when eating with
distractions. The key is to keep you in a calorie deficit for as long as
necessary to achieve the ambitions we are seeking to achieve.
I'd like to challenge you to become more aware of what you're eating and cut
as many distractions (while eating) as possible!
Mindful Eating Strategies
1. Turn off all devices for 30 minutes or so while you finish your meal. This includes
TVs, phones, etc. No distractions!
2. Don't snack on anything while preparing or cooking your meal.

3. Slowly chew your food. Don't rush it.

My Challenge to You
For the next 7 days, I want you to plan one meal each day where you are eating without
any distractions! No phones, TV, conversations with other people. I want you to be 100%
present in-the-moment while eating this one meal...

No work emails... the phone is on flight mode... you get the idea.

In my experience, this meal needs to be planned and realistically, once per day for the next 7
days is a reasonable goal.
it’s best to choose recipes that provide macros or that are simple enough for
you to calculate the macros yourself.
Calories and Macros: their importance for
body recompositing (being how can we maximize
muscle and how can we lose fat to get you looking in the best shape)

Nutritional parameter of priorities

1. Calorie intake
2. Macros
3. Micros
4. Meal timings
5. Supplement - There's no supplement that can undo a terrible diet.
 Alcohol – 1ml = 7calories
 If our primary goal is to lose weight or lose fat, we have to be very vigilant of the
macro for fat
 because it's very calorie dense.

TDEE – total daily energy expenditure

Calorie deficit / cutting for fat loss . is how many
calories you need to maintain your current weight.
Alternatively, if your primary goal after you cut and you lose a whole lot of body fat, you
want to build some muscle. Then we need to flip the script and we need to put you in a
calorie surplus by eating more calories

TDEE – 500 calories = calorie deficit

TDEE + 10% of recommended calorie intake or maintenance calorie = bulking for muscle
building

You can spend all the time in the gym that you want, but if you if you only focus on
supplements, if you only focus on getting enough magnesium in your diet, but you
completely forget about these calorie intake and macros your body is going to stay the same.

Tracking Calories and Macros: is it

important?
Start by tracking the calories and then after a week or two you will start to eat intuitively
Track all hidden calories, things such as sauces, oils, snacks, salad dressings, all of these
things are calories.
Calories and Macros for Body Composition
Goals
Training Supplements and Body Composition Goals

Almost all training supplements are a waste of money!

There are only a very small handful of training supplements that will help
you "move the needle" in your transformation journey.
if you correctly set up your daily calorie target and macros for bulking or
cutting then you will never have to take another training supplement ever
again.

The 80:20 Rule—Eat Healthy and Have

Your Cake Too!
The ideal scenario involves deriving 80% of your daily target calories from whole, nourishing
foods, preferably those you've prepared yourself. The remaining 20% of your intake can be
designated for indulgent "treats" that might not fit the "healthy" label but help you stay
aligned with your goals.

In practical terms, if my daily calorie target to get shredded is 2,000 calories per day. I would
derive 80% of those calories (1,600 calories) from mixed vegetables, lean cuts of chicken,
avocado, sweet potato (see image below for ideas), and the remaining 20% of those calories
(400 calories) to Halo Top ice cream or something else!
A major chunk of your day should thrive on nutrient-dense whole foods, with
room for occasional indulgences. Daily treats aren't a necessity, but I want
you to recognise your freedom to include them and break free from rigid
dietary rules. Remember, nutrition success lies in discovering foods and
meals that resonate with your preferences and lifestyle, enabling consistent
achievement of your calorie and protein targets—while occasionally relishing
in a treat.
The "Twinkie Diet" Professor: GET SHREDDED Eating Twinkies, Doritos, & Oreos

When it comes to body composition, how much you eat is more important than what you eat.
Provided you do not exceed your "daily target calories"

you will lose weight even if those calories come from junk food!

Craving Sweets? Sweet Tooth Hacks

Protein Smoothies

 100g frozen mixed berries

 8 oz. unsweetened almond milk + cold water

 10g raw kale

 32g (1 scoop) vanilla or chocolate flavoured Optimum Nutrition protein powder (or
protein powder of your choice!)

Personally, I found that adding frozen berries with my protein powder and blending it with
almond milk with my NutriBullet, would kill most of my sweet tooth cravings.

Halo Top Ice Cream

 it will "cost" you around 240-360 calories (depending on the flavour), and
you'll get around 24 grams of protein.
Lenny & Larry's or Quest Protein Cookies
They only "cost" around 240 calories per serve for around 15 grams of protein.

Remember, the point of choosing a high protein cookie over a regular cookie is to meet a
sweet tooth craving, keep your calories low, and hit your protein macro!

Regular cookies can have over 500 calories and almost no protein, and are
more likely to leave you craving more!
PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
For 90 calories, I can add some water and get 6 grams of protein and the
amazing taste of peanut butter, without all of the calories.
Fruit
Research has proven that choosing apples over cookies as a snack will help you lose weight,
mostly because of the difference in calorie content and satiety.

Here are the official figures: One medium apple, with skin, contains 95 calories, 17% of your
fibre requirement and 14% of your vitamin C needs.

Other fruit I'd bring into night shift.

 2-3 bananas

 1-2 oranges

Hydration: How Much Do I Need?

Hydration plays a significant role in your workout performance, recovery, and energy levels.
According to research here and here, the more dehydrated you are, the greater the negative
impacts on training performance.
Hydration Self-Assessment

The easiest way to assess your hydration levels is to compare the colour of your urine to the
urine colour scale (see chart below).

Source: Health Direct

Urine colour chart - Beat the heat (nsw.gov.au)

You are good to go if you are in the 1 to 2 range. Anything beyond this and you need to
address it with hydration. Personally, if I wish to maximise my training performance in the
gym, I'll have a 600 ml protein shake within 60 minutes of training. This counts as hydration.
And yes, all beverages count toward your total daily water intake, including coffee and others
that contain caffeine (which isn’t a potent diuretic as some people claim).
How Much Hydration Do I Need?
At a baseline level (before training), the Institute of Medicine recommends drinking between
3/4 and 1 gallon of water per day for adult men and women.
According to science, if you are training, then you must replace all water lost through
sweating.
The amount of water lost through training can range anywhere from 3/4 to 2 litres per hour,
depending on the intensity, climate, and the tendency for your body to sweat.
(due to the humidity here), and find myself drinking 3-4 litres of electrolyte water per day.
This does not include hydration from protein shakes and other beverages.
Hydration and Building Muscle

But few people consider one of the most significant contributors to muscle and strength
gain... water! Our muscles are 70-80% water! According to research, cell hydration status
relates to protein synthesis and breakdown rates.

Dehydrated cells shrink, which in turn promotes protein breakdown. Hydrated cells swell,
which in turn counteracts it.

As muscle growth is simply the result of more protein synthesis than breakdown over time,
the implications of this are clear.

Muscle cells that are kept well hydrated are going to grow faster than ones that aren’t.

If your urine is too dark, you need to drink water! If you want to build muscle, you need
to drink water! If you want to improve your performance in the gym... well, you get the
idea!

Make sure you have a baseline water intake of around 3/4 to 1 gallon per day, add 1 to
1.5 litres per hour of exercise, plus a bit more for additional sweating. Adjust your intake
based on the colour of your urine vs the chart above.

Alcohol Guidelines: Keep Your Social Life!

According to the science, a drink or two each day has potential health
benefits like improved insulin sensitivity, cardiac function, and reduce blood
lipids (fatty substances in your blood).
The science is clear on the muscle-wasting effects of drinking excessive
amounts of alcohol.
It’s also commonly claimed that alcohol consumption impairs strength and
interferes with the body’s ability to repair muscle damage.
If you feel that you need to drink, then cap it off at a maximum of 200 to 300
calories worth of alcohol per week.
3 Methods to Reduce Loose Skin After
Weight Loss
Aim to build muscle (tone, for the ladies!), keep your protein consistently
high and consider taking gelatin and fish oil supplements.
Is it loose skin or simply excess "stubborn fat" that will take longer to
shrink? For men, this stubborn fat attaches mainly to the stomach area and,
for women, it's the hips, thighs, and butt.

A simple litmus test for whether it's stubborn fat or loose skin is to pinch the part of your
body that is bothering you. If you can grab more than a few millimetres of skin then you've
got a stubborn fat issue.
It doesn't mean you don't have excess skin but you must burn away the stubborn
fat first before we can tighten the skin over it.

The skin is shaped by what's underneath so once you've lost the last bit of stubborn fat, it will
tighten a little bit.

Skin Surgery for Loose Skin?

Essentially, men should consider surgery only when they are around 8-10% body fat, and for
women, 18-20% body fat. (Not sure on your body fat percentage, check out this article I
wrote here). At this level of leanness, you'll have a better indication of loose skin.

Of course, surgery should only be considered as a last resort and only when you've exhausted
all other options.

Method 1: Increase Your Protein Intake

Studies have found that keeping your protein levels elevated is associated with a youthful
appearance and improved skin health. A low protein diet is associated with skin dryness,
wrinkles, and poor elasticity.

If you have loose skin after weight loss, then keeping your protein intake high is one of the
first action items to implement.

Here are a list of benefits, backed in research (clickable links).

 Research here and here suggests you'll lose more fat and less muscle when in a calorie
deficit.
 You'll feel more satiated.
 You'll preserve more muscle as you age (i.e., preventing sarcopenia)

 You'll build more muscle and get stronger

 A high protein diet is easier to stick to when in a calorie deficit due to less mood
disturbance, stress, fatigue, and diet dissatisfaction.
 Reduce your risk of osteoporosis, a serious health risk associated with ageing.
How Much Protein Constitutes "High Protein"?
Studies conducted by scientists at McMaster University concluded that a protein intake of 1.3
- 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, or 0.6 - 0.8 grams per pound of body weight, is
adequate for stimulating maximal protein synthesis.
They also concluded that more protein may be needed when training frequently and intensely
when calorie restricted for fat loss.
Studies conducted by researchers at the University of Western Ontario concluded that a
protein intake of 1.6 - 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight might be enough for athletes.
In summary, if you’re relatively lean and in a calorie deficit, 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per
pound of body weight per day is best.

Method 2: Quit Smoking!

A study conducted by the International Association of Ecologic Dermatology found that 64
female Italian smokers had an average biological age 9 years older than their chronological
age.
In other words, when their skin brightness, elasticity, vascular and pigmentation, lines, and
texture were analysed, their skin looked 9 years older than it actually was!
After 9 months of quitting, the average reduction in biological age of the skin was 13 years!

Quitting smoking is something to seriously consider if you want to improve skin health,
among many other reasons.

Method 3: Take the Right Supplements

Based on all my research on supplements to take for reducing loose skin after fat loss, you
may want to consider the following:

 Gelatin

 Gelatin is a type of protein derived from collagen extracted from the skin, bones, and
connective tissues of animals.
 Collagen is the main structural protein found in the human body's connective tissues,
with over 90% of the collagen found in the human body being type 1 collagen.
 Research shows that when 250 mg of gelatin is eaten per day, it's enough to stimulate
the production of collagen and thus improve skin elasticity.

 I suggest taking it as a supplement from a company like NOW Foods.

 Fish oil

you can reap the many benefits from a high quality fish oil supplement,
including improving skin elasticity.

including:

 Accelerating muscle growth

 Helping to prevent weight gain

 Improve mood, cognitive performance, and brain health

 Decreasing inflammation
 Reducing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
 Research shows that a combined intake of 500 milligrams to 1.8 grams of EPA and
DHA per day is adequate, but additional health benefits can be seen up to a combined
intake of 6 grams per day.
 A quick note: EPA and DHA are also known as “omega-3 fatty acids,” which refers
to their physical structure, and our bodies can’t produce them, which is why they’re
also known as “essential fatty acids.”
 Unfortunately, studies show the average person’s diet provides just one tenth of the
EPA and DHA needed to preserve health and prevent disease.
  I suggest looking at Nordic Naturals "Ultimate Omega" soft gels to supplement your
fish oil needs.

Section 9

The Best Cardio for Fat Loss (without

Losing Muscle!)
If you do HIIT workouts for weight loss properly, they can significantly
boost calorie burning and fat loss. HIIT training can also be very taxing on
your body, though, which is why it’s important to follow a proper HIIT
workout routine.
different kinds of HIIT workouts by fiddling with the following parameters:
intensity, hard interval duration, rest interval duration, and number of
intervals.
Intensity: About 90% of your maximum effort—just shy of an all-out sprint. As your
intervals get longer, you’ll need to drop the intensity to about 80% of your maximum effort.
Hard Interval Duration: Anywhere from 5 seconds to 60 seconds, though most HIIT
workouts tend to involve shorter intervals of around 30 to 45 seconds.
Rest Interval Duration: 30 seconds to 4 minutes. These are also called “active recovery”
intervals because you should keep exercising but at a lower intensity (a jog vs. a sprint, for
example).
Number of Intervals: If you’re using HIIT for weight loss, 4 to 6 hard intervals tends to
work best. It’s enough to burn a fair number of calories without burning you out.
Thus, a typical HIIT workout might involve a brief 2 to 3 minute warm-up, and then 4
to 6 hard intervals of 30 to 45 seconds each, with 2 to 3 minutes rest between each
interval.
HIIT Programming
 When cutting to shred fat, I'll do 2 to 3 HIIT sessions per week on my non-lifting
days.
 When bulking to build muscle, I do only 1 HIIT session per week. If I'm struggling to
gain weight during the bulk, I'll remove HIIT altogether.

 When I'm maintaining my physique (at present), I'll do 2 HIIT sessions per week.

 Pick your equipment of choice (i.e., assault bike, treadmill, skip rope, rowing
machine, battle rope).

 Start with a low-intensity warm-up for 2 to 3 minutes (i.e., lowest resistance on the
bike, walk/brisk walk on the treadmill).
 All-out high intensity exertion for 30 to 45 seconds! (If you're a beginner, start your
all-out intensity intervals at 5 to 10 seconds then build up from there).
The main point here is to get your heart rate up to 90% of its maximum. The easiest way to
calculate max heart rate is 205.8 - (0.685 x Age). For me, that would be 205.8 - (0.685 x 38),
or 180 BPM.
Whenever I do HIIT to get very lean, I'm aiming to get my heart rate up to around 160 BPM
for 30-45 seconds or so (intervals). I prefer to do my intervals on the treadmill (sprinting) or
rowing machine for 30-45 seconds...all-out intensity... leave nothing in the tank!

 After the all-out exertion interval, you'll drop back to an active recovery interval for 2
to 4 minutes. This will be a brisk walk or lowest resistance on the bike or rowing
machine. Over time, you'll try and shorten the recovery intervals (closer to 2 minutes)
and lengthen your all-out exertion intervals (30-45 seconds), pushing further and
further into Zone 5 (if using an Apple Watch).

 Then all-out intensity for another 30 to 45 seconds.

 I repeat this cycle for 6 intervals.

 Then I do a low-intensity cool-down (like the warm-up, just a bit longer) for 5
minutes
 Total session length: 20 to 25 minutes (max) – pushing it closer to 25 minutes.

The idea of HIIT, is to create relatively short bursts of maximum effort that spike your heart
rate followed by low-intensity recovery periods that bring your heart rate down.

You'll do HIIT on your non-lifting days.

You must track all HIIT sessions! This is extremely important. You’ll be able to see your
progression. One thing I wish I did more of many years ago was track all my training!
Don’t eat back any calories! Stick to the macro and calorie targets you've set.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
If you want to take this style of training one step further, you can do your HIIT sessions in
a fasted state (where insulin levels are baselined forcing your body to rely on its own energy
stores).
The science around insulin and lipolysis is interesting. The best time to do this is first thing in
the morning, as fasting for longer than around 6 hours increases your body’s ability to burn
fat. So, we're not dropping calories! You'll "break" your fast after the HIIT session after about
20-30 minutes of finishing the session.
As mentioned, undertaking HIIT fasted is optional and something I've done myself. The
biggest downfall to HIIT sessions in a fasted state is accelerated muscle breakdown. This is
easy to prevent, I usually take 5 to 8 grams of BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) or 5
grams of leucine (the amino acid that directly stimulates protein synthesis.) around 30 to 45
minutes before the HIIT session. This will suppress muscle breakdown during your
workout without breaking your fast. If you have protein powder, it will break your fast! It
must be BCAAs or leucine.

Leucine is just an amino acid and it won’t break your fast (it doesn’t taste very good on its

own!). Personally, I prefer BCAAs because they are flavoured 😊. In fact, BCAAs are a
combination of leucine, iso-leucine, and valine (chained together). The amino acid we care
about the most (for building muscle or “tone”) is leucine. Leucine can be purchased
separately.

A good BCAA product I recommend (which contains added Glutamine, a discussion for
another day!): https://www.transparentlabs.com/products/coreseries-bcaa-glutamine
Conclusion
Fasted HIIT is optional, but I'd encourage you to try it at least once. It will most definitely
accelerate fat loss. Again, you're not lowering your calories! You are merely just delaying
them until 20 minutes or so after your HIIT sessionMost people sleep 6-8 hours so waking up
and doing the HIIT session will "guarantee" your insulin levels will be baselined to maximise
the benefits of fasted HIIT. The higher your insulin levels are, the less fat your body will burn
during HIIT. Whenever you eat, as you might already be aware, your insulin levels spike
(i.e., 45 grams of whey protein will spike insulin levels for around 2 hours). BCAAs contain
around 10 calories per serve which is not enough to throw you out of a fast.

Cardio Routine: Bulking & Cutting

Cutting Phase Cardio

Cardio is not necessary for cutting

Provided you are hitting your daily calorie and macronutrient targets—without cardio—you
will still lose fat.

However, implementing 2 to 3 hours of low intensity cardio per week can help speed up fat
loss.
Here are several methods that I like to deploy when I’m implementing cardio during my
cutting phases—and typically after my weightlifting sessions, or on separate days.
 High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This allows you to keep your cardio sessions
short and intense. Personally, I incorporate no more than 15 to 20 minutes of HIIT
per session, 2 to 3 times per week, during my cutting phase. Alternatively, I may opt
for low intensity cardio (next method.)
 Low-Intensity Steady-state Cardio (LISS). This may consist of 40 to 60 minutes per
session of rowing, assault bike, jogging, skip rope, rucking, or walking. I would aim
to get 2 to 3 hours per week of LISS (absolute maximum). I usually program low
intensity cardio on my “rest days” from weightlifting to minimise fatigue and allow
most of my energy to be invested into weightlifting. Sometimes I incorporate LISS
(over HIIT) if I need to catch up on podcasts
If you are just beginning your cutting phase and relatively new to cardio, I
suggest incorporating two easy cardio workouts per week of 30 to 40
minutes per session. It’s a good place to start which will help boost your
calorie expenditure and maintain good health.
Try to implement your cardio and weightlifting sessions on separate days. If you can only do
them on the same day, separate them by at least 8 hours (if you are doing a split gym
session.) If you can only do them in the same gym session then do your cardio
workout after your weightlifting session.
If you are an absolute beginner, then I only suggest trying to add small amounts of HIIT into
your routine during a cutting phase. Personally, I would start with low intensity cardio and
slowly build-up to HIIT due to the physiological stress HIIT can cause on your body. If you
don’t incorporate HIIT then it’s not a problem, the research shows that it’s no more effective
for weight loss than low intensity cardio.

Bulking Phase Cardio

There are reasons for implementing cardio that go beyond the vanity goals of “building
muscle.” Such as:

 Maintaining a healthy heart

 Reduced risk of many types of diseases

 Improved insulin sensitivity

 too much cardio during a bulk can seriously impact your ability to gain muscle and
strength.

 I suggest no more than 1 to 2 hours per week of low intensity cardio—at

a maximum of 30 to 40 minutes per session.