Lighter isn’t the same as leaner
Both my brothers are very good athletes.
We’re talking regular sub 3 hour marathons, finishers of 50 mile ultra-marathons, triathlons, alpine bike races, high level football players in their youth, hard trainers in the gym, and 2 lads who regularly put themselves in the arena to test their mettle.
That context is important for what I’m about to share.
My Younger Brother
2 weeks back, I spoke with my younger brother, now 35 with 2 young sons, a wife, and a demanding career.
He’s developed an ankle ligament injury that is preventing him from running (his preferred mode of fitness) for at least a few months.
With limited opportunities to train, he’s had to tighten his focus on his nutrition to keep his health, fitness, and physique in check.
A great idea.
He asked me about how to best do this in his current circumstance, and shared that he was trying to limit the likelihood of gaining weight.
Again, great idea.
But, in attempting to do this, he was eating 1000-1200 calories per day.
He was conflating lightness with leanness.
His goal is to maintain his health, fitness, and physique.
He can still ride a bike, use the elliptical, lift weights, and walk without pain.
But when running was taken out of the equation, he wholesale switched focus to just eating less calories.
I know why he did that, but that strategy will only last days before cracks start to appear.
Because, here’s the thing - eating less calories is ONLY ONE PART of the equation.
But, if he ONLY eats less calories, here is what will happen…
Hunger: His hunger will be uncontrollable after a week or 2. Hunger turns to HANGER and HANGXIETY pretty quickly.
Energy: He’ll be more irritable and have less energy and patience with his work, family, and kids.
Performance: He’ll be exhausted leading to his mental, physical, and emotional acuity and performance suffering.
Physique: His body WON’T exclusively burn body fat, it’ll use some fat, and some protein from precious muscle.
Fitness: This loss of tissue will make him lighter, but it won't necessarily make him leaner. He’ll likely look the same, but he’ll be weaker, just lighter. Bad fucking deal.
Hopefully you can appreciate what I’m getting at here.
If we try to force fat loss by simply slashing calories, we’ll get sub par results.
Losing muscle tissue, especially as we age, becomes more of a concern because we need it to function, and it’s harder to build as we get older.
Muscle growth is a metabolically demanding process that our body doesn’t really want to use resources to engage in. So if you’ve got it, prioritize keeping it.
Here’s what I suggested to my brother instead…
Calories: Eat more calories in total.
Protein + Fiber: Eat an appropriate amount of protein from whole food sources (meat, eggs, dairy) and prioritize fiber (fruit, veg, beans etc.) to aid fullness and digestion.
Resistance Training: Start lifting weights 2-4 hours per week.
Goal setting: Set a meaningful and manageable calorie deficit per day (15-25% below maintenance is a good starting spot in my opinion) and have realistic expectations as to what can be optimally achieved in 2-4 months.
Mindset: Remember that lighter doesn’t necessarily mean leaner.
I share this example with you for a handful of reasons that apply to you too.
It’s not enough to just train. To be effective, we need a training, nutrition, and recovery plan that is tailored to your demands and circumstances.
You CAN, in fact, out-train a “bad diet”. The more you move, the more total calories you’re going to burn and the more nutrition flexibility you are going to afford yourself. This is known as “high flux” and is essentially the notion that we would all benefit from moving more and eating more.
Your body weight is your relationship with gravity. Scale weight, though important data is a single brush stroke of color in an enormous picture. Hyperfocusing on this metric alone can lead quickly to worse health, fitness, and aesthetics. It certainly isn’t a moral judgment.
You can’t force fat loss. You can’t force fat loss. There is a sweet spot where you're able to lose the maximal amount of body fat while maintaining the maximum amount of muscle (breaking down muscle for energy is called catabolism and it’s a bad deal). That sweet spot is roughly 15-25% below maintenance and is a good starting spot in my experience providing training is adequate and intense enough.
Everything comes at a cost. Fast results aren’t necessarily best results. There is no substitute for frequent, accurate, and consistent work. If you want best results, do it often, do it well, do it forever. That’s what most men don’t do and it’s how you’ll win. Stay in the game.
Get Back In The Game
There is a good chance you’re like my brother.
You’ve done lot’s of different workouts and exercise classes in the past, but you know something is missing for you to finally see the results you want.
When you work with me, you’re guaranteed to lose up to 40lbs of body fat and gain up to 5lbs of muscle in the first 16 weeks just as these men did, and if for any reason you follow your custom system and don’t get those results, then I'll work with you for free until you do.
If you’re ready to stop spinning your wheels in the hopes that you can just train your way to a body you’re confident in and proud of, and are instead finally ready to invest in a custom training, nutrition, and recovery approach that is designed for your goals, need, and lifestyle demands, then apply for a spot in my 1-on-1 concierge coaching program HERE today.
Jay @ builtXyou
How Busy Guys Transform Their Health, Fitness, and Physique
