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Goal #1: Get to a BMI of at least 25.
Goal #2: General Health BF% = 18% Male, 25% Female... Fit Physique BF% = 6% Male, 14% Female.
To do this you need to…
When it comes to getting in shape, there are some very simple formulas to follow that will take the guesswork out of the entire process.
What I have found in my own experience and through reading countless studies conducted by fellow scientists in the field, is there are two numbers that one should aim for if they are looking to optimize their health, look fantastic, and live a longer, more vibrant life.
Well, the first number we need to understand is our BMI, or Body Mass Index. This is a way to check if you're a healthy weight for your height.
Studies show that a high BMI can lead to a shorter life and increase your risk of getting chronic diseases.
When you have a high BMI, some of the complications that can arise include increased risk of chronic disease, joint problems, metabolic syndrome, and reduced life expectancy.
A healthy BMI will come out to be between 18.5 and 25.
Understanding our BMI is just the first piece of the equation. This gives us the general direction of where we are headed. But there is still one more set of numbers we need to help lay the path for reaching our dream physique.
I said earlier, that there are two numbers we need to know. The first was BMI, the second was our Body Fat Percentage. Having too much fat isn't good for us either. Don’t get me wrong, having fat is healthy and necessary for the body to function. But the healthy range varies for men and women:
Men: 18-24%
Women: 25-31%
For those who want to have a very fit physique, the numbers are slightly different…
Men: 6-17%
Women: 14-24%
We can measure Body Fat Percentage quite accurately using a scale that allows for Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis.
If you don't have access to such machines, you can use the reference photos below to estimate your body fat percentage.
Simply click one of the photos below. Then decide which one best matches your physique. If you are stuck between a lower number and a higher number, it’s best to assume the higher number. For example, if you are not sure if you are 25% Body Fat or 30% Body Fat, it’s best to assume the 30%.
The calculator should have shown the amount of lbs of fat you need to lose in order to reach a generally healthy range, as well as the amount of fat to lose to get a visibly fit physique.
Now begs the question…
There are three methods…
To get the best results possible, we are going to implement all three. Let’s look closer at the first method...
All successful diets work because they fundamentally do one thing… make it easier for people to reduce the amount of calories they are eating. Nutrition aside, at the end of the day, the most popular diets are ones that make it easier for participants to eat less calories.
Well, the simple answer is less than your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, TDEE, also known as the amount of calories you naturally burn every single day.
Many factors influence your TDEE, which include your activity level, age, gender, weight, and height. Also keep in mind, that the amount of calories you burn naturally is not “one size fits all.”
But the most simple method for finding out how many calories you should be eating is to take your current weight and multiply it by 10. This will give you a good starting point.
If you lose weight too quickly, simply add 300 more calories. If you aren't losing weight fast enough, then lower your calories by 300.
Well, where most go wrong in their weight loss diet is they eat too few calories. They are practically starving themselves and that isn’t a good thing.
When the body is in a state of starvation, it begins to release hormones that tell the body, “LISTEN UP! We are low on energy. So the next time we get any food in the body, make sure to store that energy as FAT.”
Obviously, we want to avoid that.
By multiplying your body weight by 10, we are cutting the calories down by just enough to stimulate fat loss.
Imagine if we are burning simply 500 calories more than we are eating. It’s just enough to put the body in a state where it will begin to use the stored fat as fuel, without triggering “starvation mode.”
So if multiply your body weight by 10, you are in a calorie deficit.
Imagine if you are burning just 500 calories more than you are eating...
In just one week that equals 3,500 calories burned, which is about 1 pound of fat.
After 10 days, that’s 5,000 burned without you needing to starve yourself or spend hours in the gym.
Stick with it for one month, and that’s 15,500 calories… or about 4.5 lbs of fat.
Do this for 6 months and you’re looking at around 25 lbs of fat burned by simply cutting out 500 calories.
Keep in mind, that we aren’t even factoring in calories that are burned while exercising yet!
Now we can explore the 2nd method for burning fat... Increase Activity.
This one is pretty straightforward…
If you move more, you burn more calories. If you burn more calories and don’t replace those calories by eating more, you burn more fat.
How many calories do you need to burn during each workout? I like to recommend 300 calories minimum. That equates to about 30 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical at a moderate intensity.
300 might not sound like a lot, but let’s break down the math.
If you combine the 500 calorie deficit from earlier, with the 300 calories burned in the gym, then that means every day you are burning 800 calories!
That’s 8,000 calories, about 2 lbs of fat, after 10 days of working out consistently…
16,000 calories after 20 days…
And 24,000 calories, which is almost 7lbs of fat, in just one month! No 2 hour gym sessions or insane workouts. Just burn 300 calories by adding in physical activity.
Keep in mind, that these numbers assume you are both staying below your daily caloric intake and are burning at least 300 calories during each workout.
Note: The 300 calories of exercise are in ADDITION to the activities we are already doing throughout the day. It doesn’t matter if you are already active. We are adding in extra activities that allow you to burn an additional 300 calories each day through physical activity, we aren’t looking for how we are already burning 300 calories.
If you would like to learn how to burn the most fat during your cardio exercises, I have programs available that go in-depth on how to do this.
The third part of the equation is building lean muscle. This is achieved through resistance exercise and eating enough protein.
Well for each pound of muscle you gain, that’s 10 extra calories that your body is burning naturally. So by building muscle, you are also building your metabolism, which means you are burning more calories on autopilot.
If you’re looking for weight-lifting exercises that are specifically designed to help you build muscle, I have programs that are available that you can use.
So, assuming you are doing the proper exercises to build more lean muscle, you can expect to build about 1 pound of lean muscle every month. However, the most important piece of the equation that many overlook is that they are not eating enough protein.
Protein not only helps you preserve the muscle you have, but it allows you to recover faster after workouts, helping you build lean muscle faster. Protein also makes you feel fuller on less food, and can even help prevent sugar cravings!
As a bonus, all of my clients who have implemented the protein suggestion that I’m about to provide to you, all saw an increase in the amount of energy they felt throughout the day and even had an increase in mental clarity and focus.
Now begs the question…
Some claim that you need to eat 1 gram per centimeter of your height or 1 gram per pound of body weight. But in my personal experience, I found that 1.2 grams multiplied by your height in centimeters works best.
At this point, you are probably thinking the same thing that every client has told me…
“That’s a lot of protein. Isn’t that too much?”
In short, no, it isn’t too much.
By eating 1.2 grams, instead of the 1 gram that is typically recommended, you are guaranteeing that your body is absorbing enough protein. Studies have recently shown that the accuracy of protein on nutrition labels are inaccurate by up to 20%... and that’s 20% BELOW the labeled amount!
Not only that, but numerous factors can influence the level and speed at which your body can utilize the amount of protein it takes in. Therefore, by eating slightly more than the recommended amount, we are ensuring that the body has the resources it needs when it needs it.
And that’s pretty much it! If you are looking to get the physique of your dreams, you need to reach these two milestones…
To do this you need to…
This is only the start of your fitness journey. I know it can feel overwhelming. This is why I do my best to break down these complicated concepts into understandable and easy-to-implement chunks.
If you would like a more custom approach that removes all the guesswork, reach out for coaching, invest in some of my programs, and let's work together to get you in the best shape of your life this year.
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