I want to tell you a story.

It’s about a man named Big Bob.

Now Big Bob isn’t a real person.

But he’s a prime example of the type of person who messages me every week asking weight loss advice.

Big Bob is in his 30s.

He’s 20-40 lbs overweight.

And has been struggling to lose weight for the past decade.

An average day of eating for him looks something like this:

Breakfast (About 650 cals):

• 2 eggs
• 2 slices bacon
• 2 slices toast with some butter
• Coffee w/ sugar and cream

Snack (About 150 cals):

• Handful of nuts

Lunch (About 700 cals):

• Turkey sandwich w/ mayo and cheese
• Bag of chips
• A pickle
• Diet coke

Snack (About 200 cals):

• Granola bar

Dinner (About 900 cals):

• 3-4 slices of pepperoni pizza
• 1-2 beers

Snack (About 400 cals):

• 2 scoops of ice cream
• Half a peanut butter/jelly sandwich

Total calories per day: About 3000

Big Bob can’t stand being overweight.

He hates the way he looks in the mirror.

In fact, when he looks down…

He can’t even see his “you know what.”

Things are getting bad.

And he knows he must change his diet to start losing weight.

So what does he do?

He starts researching online.

He watches a few videos on how to eat healthy.

He reads some blog posts on the best foods to eat to lose fat.

Big Bob comes across one article…

“36 year old man loses 27 lbs in 8 weeks drinking green smoothies”

It tells the inspiring story of a man that sounds like a carbon copy of Big Bob.

“Amazing,” Big Bob thought.

“I’ve always hated veggies but I could drink them in a smoothie. Is that all I have to do to lose weight?”

Big Bob got to work.

He went to the market the following day and stocked up on every fruit and veggie imaginable.

And the next morning, Big Bob started his new green smoothie journey.

He decided to add a green smoothie to his daily breakfast.

Remember before, his breakfast consisted of:

• 2 eggs
• 2 slices bacon
• 2 slices toast with some butter
• Coffee w/ sugar and cream

This totaled about 650 calories.

But now he’s adding in this “super healthy” green smoothie…

Which has an extra 200 calories.

It’s got spinach, celery, carrots, apples, beets, bananas, ginger and even some fancy collagen protein powder he found in the supplement section of the market.

It tastes like ass.

But Big Bob suffers through it.

Because he believes this green smoothie is the key to holy 6-pack abs greatness.

Here’s what no one understands…

If you’re eating 3000 calories per day…

Adding a green smoothie (no matter how healthy it is), doesn’t do shit.

I’m not denying it has nutrients and benefits to drinking it.

However, if you don’t cut calories from some other area of your diet…

And all you’re doing is adding 200 “healthy” calories per day…

You’re in for a rude awakening.

In fact…

If the rest of your diet is the same, adding the green smoothie will make you gain weight.

Let’s take one more look at Big Bob’s breakfast.

• 2 eggs
• 2 slices bacon
• 2 slices toast with some butter
• Coffee w/ sugar and cream

Instead of adding the green smoothie on top of that…

The smart move would have been to:

• Cut the bacon
• Cut the toast with butter
• Swap the sugar and cream in his coffee with a zero calorie sweetener and a bit of low fat milk
• Add the green smoothie

This would result in a breakfast that’s only about 350 calories instead of 650.

That means every day he saves 300 calories.

While that may not seem like a lot..

Done over the course of a month, that’s an extra 9000 calories saved.

Which will result in more than 2.5 pounds of fat loss (prob more due to water weight).

And this is a rather effortless change.

He can keep the rest of his diet the same.

He can still eat 3-4 slices of pizza per night.

He can still drink the booze.

My whole point is…

Adding healthy foods to your diet without swapping out or eliminating bad foods won’t get you good results.

Adding in a green smoothie in the morning…

Taking a multivitamin or fish oil…

Adding a side of salad to your dinner…

None of that moves the needle if you don’t attack the source of your weight problems.

Which is the excess calories.

If you’re not eating fewer calories than you burn, nothing you add to your diet is going to help you.

Still struggling with building your dream body?

I’m taking a different approach with my 1-on-1 coaching program, Fitness Freedom Academy.

Right now, I’m absolutely swamped with clients.

It’s getting too intense juggling so many 1-on-1 clients at once.

Especially since each client needs their own bespoke touch.

And I refuse to tell every person I work with to eat brown rice and chicken 6x per day lol.

So I’m shutting down my coaching for a bit.

And reopening Dec. 1st.

Just in time for you to atone for your Thanksgiving food coma sins.

But when I do reopen, I’ll be taking on just 8 new clients.

So I can give each client the individual attention they deserve.

It’ll be on a “first come, first serve basis.”

And I’m giving top priority to anyone who joins my waitlist below.

This way I know who’s actually serious about transforming their body.

So if you’re interested…

Just click the link below to join my waitlist

Yes I want to join your coaching waitlist plz.

The post Is THIS Secretly Sabotaging Your Diet? appeared first on FitMole.

I try to never make assumptions about people.

I get it, life is tough and shit happens.

Maybe a stripper you met 5 years ago knocks on your door and tells you that you’re the father of her child.

That’s never happened to me, but if it did, I wouldn’t let my health and body go to shit.

And after talking with thousands of people over the years, I’ve found that all their “excuses” for not being able to lose weight and get in shape are more or less the same.

I know I know, someone’s gonna say “But Keith everyone is unique and has special life circumstances you could never understand.”

Ya maybe…

But at some point you have to stop and wonder: If so many people are overweight and using the same excuses, maybe they’re not as special as they think they are.

Here are some of the excuses I hear the most and why they’re full of crap:

“I don’t have money”

I get it.

But it doesn’t cost you anything to eat less.

In fact, eating less is 100% free.

OMG Keith you’re so insensitive about people’s money situations. 

Grow up. You guys are adults. No one is putting a gun to your head and telling you to eat fucking Taco Bell every day.

If you’re spending as little as $5 on Taco Bell (which doesn’t even get you much food) 3x per week, that’s more than enough to buy a week’s supply of “cheap” healthy foods like potatoes, beans, eggs, plus some veggies. 

In fact, it’ll cost you significantly less than eating fast food.

But shh…the people who’ve failed don’t want to hear that.

“I’m not motivated”

If I had the magic formula for staying motivated 24/7, I’d be the richest man in the world.

But motivation is temporary.

Motivation is watching an Youtube video and feeling a spark to do something for the next hour.

But it goes away, it always does.

What you need is discipline, the ability to do shit even when you don’t feel like it.

Funny thing about discipline is that once you start doing, you have no problem to keep going.

The secret is just getting started.

“I don’t have access to a gym”

Yeah, because bodyweight exercises aren’t a thing .

If you can’t squeeze in a 10 min bodyweight circuit a few times per week, then you have bigger problems, my friend.

Don’t have 10 minutes to spare? I really want to believe you, but I really sorta don’t.

“I eat healthy but I’m still gaining weight”

Funny thing is, when I ask these people to show me how many calories they’re eating per day, they always have no idea.

Or they give me some fluffy answer like “not that much.”

“Healthy” is subjective and just because you think you’re eating healthy doesn’t mean you’re not eating a lot.

“I don’t have energy”

I love this excuse.

Not because I get off on people’s misery, but this excuse is a perfect example that illustrates the destructive power of being overweight and out of shape.

Here’s my expertly drawn image to describe what I mean:

Having no energy causes you to eat crap and not exercise. Eating crap and not exercising causes you to gain weight, which in turn, causes low energy.

It’s a vicious cycle, and until you can accept that the very reason you can’t lose weight is the exact reason you need to, then you’ll be stuck forever. 

“I don’t have time”

Show me how much time you spend on your phone per day and watch me magically pull a whole bunch of time out of my ass.

FYI the average person spends 4 hours per day on their phone.

Even if we dive into more extreme cases, where someone is working 12+ hours per day, commuting 1 hour back and forth work, and taking care of a family…

It all comes down to a discipline and behavior issue.

Also, if you’re struggling to lose weight, not having time (in theory) should help you lose weight.

In theory, this is how things should go if you really have no time:

No time = no time to eat = lose weight

But here’s what really happens:

No time = lack of structure and plan = overeat = gain weight

What’s your excuse? Lemme know in the comments

The post Excuses (And Why You’re A Liar) appeared first on FitMole.

In the startup/business world, there’s a term called MVP which stands for minimum viable product.

Basically, it’s when you launch product with the minimum amount of features to satisfy a customer.

For the past year, I’ve been toying around more with my own version of MVP.

Except I call my MVP, Minimum Viable Protein.

Clever, I know.

Hear me out.

I’ve been on a quest to see just how little protein I could get without impacting my physical/mental health.

I’m not anti-protein

I just don’t like focusing so much of my time and energy stressing over whether or not I’m going to hit this crazy high daily protein intake that every fitness guru is peddling.

I’ve spent years obsessed with protein.

Getting enough protein, timing my protein, making sure I get the right type of protein.

In traditional bodybuilding circles, it’s recommended that you need to get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

So if you weigh 200 lbs, you’re encouraged to eat 200g of protein.

The hardcore guys go even higher, 1.5g protein per pound of bodyweight, which is just fucking insane.

A light at the end of the tunnel?

These days there’s a segment of the fitness industry that’s breaking away from the protein obsessed bodybuilder juice train.

There are more fit pros who see that even following the 1g protein rule is a bit much and recommend something along the lines of 0.8g of protein per lb of bodyweight.

So if you’re 200 lbs, you would eat 160 grams of protein per day.

Definitely not as much as before, but still, eating 160 grams of protein per day isn’t easy to accomplish if you don’t focus on getting protein every meal.

And yes, 0.8 was something I’ve recommended in the past, and if you can do it, then awesome, but here’s something I wanted to share with you…

My experiments with 0.6g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

In 2017, I published an article about my experiments dropping from 1g to 0.6g of protein per lb of bodyweight.

You can read it here.

Summary: Noticed slight muscle loss, slight increase in body fat (but probably from being more flexible with my calories than anything else). Strength, energy, and recovery not impacted. 

Forbidden fitness territory: Eating just 0.5g of protein per lb of bodyweight per day

0.6g protein was fine, but I wanted to see if I could go even lower.

Somewhere in early 2018, I decided to experiment with 0.5g.

I went from getting around 115-120g protein per day to now just 100g of protein per day.

I’ve been at this level ever since.

And the results of dropping my protein intake to a level that would have most bodybuilder’s balls shrivel up?

One word, shocking.

And by shocking, I mean nothing has fucking changed.

My energy, recovery levels, and strength are the same.

Note: I’m maintaining my weight right now, so that’s important to know.

My goal is to get 100g of protein per day.

That’s it.

If I get more protein , cool.

But following the 0.5g rule has worked amazingly well so far.

Oh yeah, ​I’m training 6x per week.

• 3 weight lifting sessions (alternating between upper and lower workouts with varying rep schemes).
• 3 Brazilian jiu jitsu sessions (basically super intense cardio where I try to prevent other dudes from tearing my limbs off).

Calorie intake is higher on some days and lower on others, but it probably balances to around my maintenance intake by the end of the week.

Don’t you need a high protein diet to lose weight and/or build muscle?​​​

​​This depends on the person and their goals.

• Someone who is 100 lbs overweight and has never weight trained before doesn’t need to focus on protein. They just need to be in a deficit and can probably go as low as 0.4g of protein.
• Someone who is 190 lbs, has been lifting for 10+ years, has tapped out 99% of their natural muscular potential, and wants to get down to 5% body fat while maintaining every ounce of muscle they have? I wouldn’t recommend them ​​​​foll​​owing the 0.5g rule.
• Someone who is a beginner, underweight, and trying to build muscle? I’d recommend 0.8g. But this would be easier to get since they’ll be eating in a surplus anyways.
• Someone who’s an intermediate, has some muscle, and wants to lose 20 lbs but doesn’t really care about getting shredded? 0.7g is a realistic number to hit.

There are too many scenarios to list, but in the end, your protein intake depends on your end goal.

Does your diet support your end goal?

My end goal is to structure my nutrition and training so I never have to stress about it and can eat whatever I want whenever I want.

I’m not telling or forcing anyone to follow the 0.5g protein rule.

But if you’ve been stressed about hitting your protein numbers, don’t care about being the most muscular person in the room, and want 10x more freedom with your diet, then give this shot.

It won’t kill ya.

If you do try it out, let me know how it goes in the comments.

The post Breaking The Golden Rule of Nutrition: Why I’m Eating Just 0.5g of Protein Per lb Bodyweight appeared first on FitMole.

Throughout my 10+ years of lifting, I’ve been fortunate enough to only injure myself a handful of times.

I remember every single injury:

• Tweaked my lower back deadlifting off the floor twice.
• Tweaked my lower back doing Romanian deadlifts twice.
• Tweaked my left shoulder flat dumbbell bench pressing once.
• Got stuck under the bar bench pressing 135 lbs once (don’t ask).
• Tweaked my lower back doing the leg press once (my butt lifted off the seat).

Luckily all these injuries healed on their own within a few days and I never had to get surgery or go rehab.

Majority of these injuries were to due lifting more than I could handle and poor form.

I am still a HUGE promoter of lifting heavy and think that if you can lift moderately heavy, you should.

Just not too heavy like Ronnie Coleman:

Now when I say you should lift “moderately heavy,” I consider that to be anything that’s 4 reps and up.

Anything lower than 4 reps, and injury risk just shoots up like crazy.

But let’s say you just can’t lift heavy at all.

Let’s say you can’t lift anything lower than 10 reps (whether that’s due to injury or lack of equipment).

Are you doomed?

Not quite….

5 ways to spice up your basic “3 sets of 10 reps”

Most people who don’t lift heavy do something along the lines of “3 sets of 10 reps.”

This isn’t the worst thing in the world but there’s a lot of unfulfilled potential here.

10 reps is relatively easy to recover from since the weight isn’t too heavy, so we have to find a way to make it harder.

Here are the simplest ways to make that happen:

1. Decrease rest periods
2. Superset
3. Dropset
4. Rest-pause training
5. Increase time under tension

Decrease rest periods

Arguably the simplest thing you could do in your next workout.

I see people resting for too damn long in their workouts.

If you’re lifting in the 10+ rep range, you really don’t need to rest that long. In most cases, you need no more than 1 minute of rest.

But no…

I see people do a set of 10-12 reps then take a 2 minute micro porn break on Instagram.

Do me a favor and time your rest periods.

Just rest 1 minute. In some cases, you might need even less.

If you’re doing something like reverse barbell curls or calf raises., you might only need 30 seconds rest because the muscles being worked are so small.

Superset

Chances are you’ve heard of supersets.

It basically involves doing 2 exercises back to back without any rest in between. You only rest once you complete the second exercise.

For example, you could do:

• Dumbbell shoulder presses superset with dumbbell lunges.
• Barbell back rows superset with Romanian deadlifts.
• Incline dumbbell bench press superset with incline dumbbell flyes.

Supersets can be done with the same muscle group or opposing ones (depends on how the rest of the workout is structured).

Dropset

The classic “run the rack” model where you do one set then decrease the weight and immediately do another set. Repeat for however many sets.

For example, take cable rows.

Let’s say you are doing 5 drop sets with the cable row.

• Set 1: Use 150 lbs and you would aim to do 15 reps.
• Set 2: Use 130 lbs and aim to do as many as you can.
• Set 3: Use 110 lbs and aim to do as many as you can.
• Set 4: Use 90 lbs and aim to do as many as you can.
• Set 5: Use 80-70 lbs and aim to do as many as you can.

There is zero rest in between these 5 sets.

Rest-pause training

A more underutilized training method but still effective.

Basically you do the following:

• Pick a weight you can lift for 15 reps (doesn’t have to be 15, but we’ll use it for this example.)
• Rest 10 seconds.
• Lift as many reps as you can with the same weight.
• Rest 10 seconds.
• Lift as many reps as you can with the same weight.
• Rest 10 seconds.
• Repeat a few more times.

Do this for 4-6 rounds and your muscles will be on fire.

Go slower

I think most people would benefit from going slower on their reps, but this is ESPECIALLY true for those lifting lighter weights for higher reps.

So you basically find opportunities to increase the amount of tension placed on the muscle.

For example, if you’re doing curls, that could mean:

• Holding at the top of the curl for 2-3 seconds
• Holding at the mid way point of the curl for 2-3 seconds
• Deliberately going 50% slower on the negative portion of the curl.

If you’re benching, that could mean:

• Holding the rep when the bar is down to your chest.
• Holding the rep when the bar is mid way to your chest.

This can be applied to virtually any exercise and I guarantee you’ll see 10x better muscle growth and definition.

If you want to maximize strength, this probably ain’t for you

Using the methods above work well if your goal is to build muscle and lose fat, but not great for building raw strength and power.

Of course, if you don’t have much lifting experience, you’ll still gain a ton of strength regardless.

But if your goal is to maximize strength, then yeah, you gotta lift heavy at least once in a while.

But if you just want to look good naked…

Then not everything needs to be a hardcore 5 sets of 5 reps workout.

Not everything needs to be focused on increasing your 1 rep max.

There are plenty of ways (as I wrote above) to look good without following conventional heavy lifting programs.

In the end, 90% of people simply want to look good and you can do that without lifting crazy heavy.

Want a 100% customized workout program?

Next Tuesday (Sept 25, 2018) I’m launching a service called Project Sculpt.

In it, I’ll be creating 100% customized 12-week workout programs for both men and women.

When it comes to training, context is key and telling everyone to follow the same 5×5 workout just doesn’t work.

Some people can safely lift heavy, and some can’t.

Some need something more customized to their goals, experience, and body type.

That’s what you’ll get with Project Sculpt, 100% customized training programs tailored to YOU.

Stay tuned.

What is your experience with not lifting heavy? Lemme know in the comments below.

The post Can’t Lift Heavy? 5 Simple Tricks To Get Results Without Snapping Yo’ Sh!t Up appeared first on FitMole.

Hey you!

Yes you, reading this article.

I know what you’re thinking…

1000 calories per day.

“Man if I just went on a 1000 calorie diet, I would lose weight so fucking fast.”

“I could lose like 50 pounds in 6 weeks if I just ate 1000 calories per day.”

Oh but my friend, I hate to burst your bubble.

A lot of people like the idea of 1000 calories a day.

It’s a nice round number and it’s associated with rapid fat loss.

Problem is, it doesn’t always work in the way most people intend it to.

The#1 problem with a 1000 calorie diet

Does eating 1000 calories per day work?

Yes, if you’ve spent your whole life eating 3000+ calories per day, then dropping to 1000 calories per day is going to result in weight loss.

Nothing mind blowing there.

And let’s put aside issues like muscle loss and not getting enough nutrients.

The #1 problem with doing a 1000 calorie per day diet, above all else, is adherence.

In other words, people can’t stick with this shit long term.

90% of people who do 1000 calorie diets are in the “I want to lose weight as fast as possible” mindset.

This means they don’t give a fuck about anything else but bringing the scale down.

But deep down these people know that they’re just looking for a magic bullet solution to fix their shitty habits.

Eating 1000 calories a day will likely help you lose weight, but it’s damn near impossible to maintain.

Focus on fixing your habits. Focus on finding a sustainable way to create a calorie deficit.

But no wants to hear that.

That advice is just way too logical

Who should eat 1000 calories a day?

While I’m not a huge fan of telling people to eat 1000 calories a day, there are a few groups of people who would benefit from doing it.

Group 1: Short people weight loss

Group 2: People with 30+ pounds to lose

Group 3: People who want to eat a lot on the weekend and still lose weight

And this isn’t just mindlessly following a 1000 calorie diet. It’s eating 1000 calories per day in context of your goals and lifestyle.

Group 1: Shorter people who don’t weigh a lot

Who should use this: People on the shorter side and weigh 120 pounds and below.

I ain’t hating on short people.

But truth is, shorter people just can’t eat as much, especially if they aren’t active.

Reality is, if you’re 5’1” and weigh 110 pounds, then yes, you’ll likely need to eat as little as 1000 calories if you want to lose weight.

That’s just the truth.

But if you’re on the shorter side, you need to first ask yourself: Do I even need to lose weight?

Using the same example, if you are 5’1” and weigh 105 pounds, is losing weight really the right move?

Everyone I encounter who wants to lose weight at this height and weight range just wants to “look better” (vague as fuck, I know).

But looking better doesn’t always equal losing weight.

In a lot of these cases, these people would do better focusing on getting stronger and building muscle.

Building more muscle will also let you eat more food.

The big issue here is that these people have spent all of their lives obsessed with the scale.

So when I tell them to pay less attention to the scale, start lifting heavy weights, and eat more, they tell me to fuck off.

(Okay, they don’t tell me to fuck off, but they don’t listen to me).

If your goal is to “look better,” then explore the possibility that maybe losing weight isn’t the answer and maybe you just need to build muscle and strength. 2

Group 2: People with 30+ pounds to lose

Who should use this: People with 30+ pounds to lose

With Group 2, we have people with a lot for weight to lose (30+ pounds).

The more you weigh, the longer you can stay on a 1000 calorie per day diet without any crazy negative effects.

Your body can survive longer because you have more body fat to fuel it.

So someone with 30+ pounds to lose can likely stay on a 1000 calorie diet for a few weeks without negative effects.

But I’m not going to recommend that since a few weeks is just too unrealistic.

Here’s my protocol for people with a lot of weight to lose and want to try a 1000 calorie diet:

If you have 30+ pounds to lose, you can eat 1000 calories per day for a week.

After the week, transition to a more sustainable diet – one where your daily calorie intake is about 10-12x your bodyweight in pounds.

Very simple.

Don’t fuck this up.

Knowing people, they will fuck it up.

But man, just follow the tip I just gave.

It’s 2 steps:

Step 1: Eat 1000 calories for a week.
Step 2: After the one week, set your daily calorie intake to daily calorie intake to 10-12x your bodyweight in pounds.

I swear to fucking shit, if someone leaves a comment asking me if they can do this for more than a week, I will punch a goldfish.

Think of the 1000 calorie week as a “jumpstart” to your weight loss.

You could probably do it longer, but most people just can’t maintain such a large deficit.

This is not a crash diet.

This is not a quick fix or hack.

It’s a jumpstart.

Some people lose up to 15 pounds in a single week.

But remember that the majority will be water weight which is is good to lose as well.

Once you transition to a more sustainable and realistic diet like I said in Step 2, your weight loss will taper off eventually into the realm of 1-2 pounds per week.

Group 3: People who want to eat a lot on the weekend and still lose weight

Who should use this: People who want to eat a crap ton of food on the weekend and still lose weight.

This is is exactly what I recommend you to do if you know you’re going to go out on the weekend and drown in an orgy of beer, burgers, and fries.

Here’s the 3-step process to pulling this off:

Step 1: 1-2 days out of the week, eat just 1000 calories. I recommend eating just one meal during this day to make the meal more filling. You can do 2-3 meals but then each meal becomes tiny as balls. Also make this day a high protein, low carb, low fat day. That means 90% of your calories should be pure protein. I recommend a lot of lean meat and veggies.

Step 2: On the day you know you’re going to be eating a lot, enjoy yourself. Don’t be stupid and binge but there’s no need to count calories. Still make sure to get plenty of protein.

Step 3: On all other days of the week, follow a more conventional diet where your daily calorie intake is around 10-12x your bodyweight in pounds.

By inserting one or two 1000 calorie days during the week, you’ve effectively created a “buffer” for you to enjoy yourself on the weekend and still lose weight.

When it comes to weight loss, your overall weekly calories matter more than your exact daily calorie intake.

You can eat in a surplus on one day, but as long as you course correct that somewhere else during the week, you’ll usually be fine.

Note: If you’re going to try any of the 3 approaches and need a solid workout routine, I recommend Superhero X12.

The post The 1000 Calorie Diet: The Secret To Rapid Weight Loss Or Complete BS? appeared first on FitMole.

• Author lists 5-10 different teas
• Author states benefits of drinking said teas.
• Author quotes a few scientific studies
• Author concludes article saying, tea can help you lose weight.

Yeah…this isn’t going to be one of those articles.

What you’re about to read is not what you want to hear.

But it’s what you need to hear.

Here’s the deal.

I see close to zero value listing out the benefits of tea for weight loss.

Why?

Because tea isn’t what drives fat loss.

The type of people who look for the best tea to lose weight are the same type of people who look for shortcuts and hacks to losing weight.

Wanna know the big million dollar secret?

Tea is just tea.

Sure there’s caffeine.

Sure there’s antioxidants.

Maybe it’ll help improve your mood, reduce stress, fall asleep, whatever…

This isn’t me hating on tea.

As an Asian, I’m pretty much required to drink tea.

But I’m just saying…if weight loss were as simple as drinking tea,  everyone would be lean. 

3 reasons to drink tea

Here are 3 real reasons to you should be drinking tea.

Reason #1 – You like tea

Crazy concept, I know.

Like tea? Drink it.

Don’t like tea? Don’t drink it.

Reason #2 – It helps you destress and sleep

Maybe you have trouble sleeping.

Then try one of those teas that promote sleep.

Yay for sleep.

Reason #3 – You use it to replace high calorie drinks

Let’s say you’re the kind of person to drink 6 cans of Coke per day.

That’s like 700+ calories per day.

Now replace all that with plain ol’ green tea.

Well, that’s going to make a massive change in your physique.

Not because tea is magic.

Not because tea has special fat burning properties.

Instead, the reason you lose weight will be because you’re not consuming 700+ calories in pure sugar every day.

I know I know, I’m just dropping game-changing knowledge bombs here.

But what about the “fat burning” properties of some teas (like green tea)?

Green tea is one the most popular teas people like to think burns fat.

Especially green tea supplements that are marketed as fat burners.

Look at all the research Examine.com has done on green tea.

The science behind the green tea and burning fat is shaky at best.

All the crazy benefits most gurus state are blown way out of proportion.

And from my own personal experience, I’ve gone through 6 week periods where I drank 3 cups of green tea per day and didn’t look or feel any different.

I get it. I get it.

We’re all looking for an edge that will make fat loss slightly faster and easier.

But I wouldn’t bet my balls on tea.

If it sounds too good to be true, it (probably) is

Let’s look at this from a practical standpoint.

Have you ever…

And be 100% honest with yourself.

Have you ever heard of someone completely transform their body and credit their success to tea?

No man.

Never.

On the list of things that radically helps someone lose weight, it looks like this (1 most important, 6 least important):

1. Consistent calorie deficit
2. Changing your daily habits
3. Decreasing your junk food consumption
4. Increasing your healthy food consumption
5. Consistently exercising
6. Drinking tea.

In fact, I would tie #6 with masturbating to burn calories.

Other examples:

• If building muscle was as simple taking whey protein or creatine, why isn’t every guy jacked? Because while these supplements can help the process of muscle building, they don’t replace the main levers that cause muscle growth (progressive overload, eating slightly more).
• If you can really burn fat like crazy with HIIT, why isn’t everyone lean? Because being lean is largely a factor of dieting (and while most people can exercise consistently, their diet sucks balls). And no amount of HIIT can fix that.

As they say, if something is too good to be true, it probably is.

Want to learn the brutally effective, tea-free method to losing weight?

It involves one thing and one thing only:

Eating in a calorie deficit. 

Yes, it’s absolutely mind blowing how we always come back to this topic.*

*sarcasm

Nothing will beat eating fewer calories.

NOTHING.

EVER.

Like I said earlier, drinking tea helps with weight loss only if you use it to replace other unhealthy shit that you drink regularly like soda.

Conclusion: You should drink tea with zero expectations that it’s going to directly help you lose weight. 

[thrive_link color=’dark’ link=’https://sx12.fitmole.org/’ target=’_self’ size=’medium’ align=’aligncenter’]Learn how to lose weight while eating your favorite foods every day[/thrive_link]

The post Best Tea For Weight Loss: The Earth Shattering Guide appeared first on FitMole.

If you’ve seen Black Panther or Creed you know how jacked Michael B. Jordan was in both of them.

I’d say he was a bit heavier in Black Panther and leaner in Creed but he looked great in both.

If you want to learn how to learn how to pack on size and strength like him, then this is the article for you.

Michael B. Jordan stats

Michael B. Jordan height: 5’11 – 6′

Michael B. Jordan weight: 175-185 pounds

I honestly can’t confirm his exact height and weight. Various sites say different things but he’s in the ball park of 175-185 pounds.

I’m not even going to bother covering any boxing or martial arts training he did, because I know if you’re reading this you don’t care about that.

You guys just want to know how you can build a body like Michael B. Jordan.

Which is cool. I get it.

So without further ado, here is a workout inspired by Michael B. Jordan to help you pack on muscle, increase strength, and boost athleticism.

This is not the official workout he used but the principles remain the same: lift weights, get stronger, progress and move forward.

I wouldn’t say this is a routine meant for absolute beginners.

If you’re a beginner, then you’ll probably need to cut back on the volume a tiny bit.

But otherwise this a great routine that can work for guys who have at least a few months of experience in the gym.

Michael B. Jordan workout: 4-day mass building split

Syntax: “[Exercise]: [Total sets], [Reps], [Rest time between each set]”

Day 1: Upper

• Weighted Chin-ups: 3, 4-6, 1.5 min
• 1-arm cable row: 2, 6-8 per arm, 1 min
• Incline bench press: 3, 4-6, 1.5 min
• Dumbbell squeeze press: 2, 6-8, 1 min
• Standing dumbbell shoulder press: 2, 6-8, 1 min
• Dumbbell lateral raises: 2, 8-10, 45 sec
• Rope face pulls: 2, 8-10, 45 sec
• Bicep curls: 2, 8-10, 45 sec
• Tricep extensions: 2, 8-10, 45 sec

Day 2: Lower

• Barbell back squat: 3, 4-6, 2 min
• Reverse dumbbell lunges: 3, 6-8 per leg, 2 min
• Leg extensions: 3, 10-12, 1 min
• Rope pull throughs: 2, 8-10, 1 min
• Calf raises: 3, 10-15, 30 sec
• Cable crunches: 3, 10-15, 30 sec
• Lying leg raises: 3, 10-15, 30 sec

Day 3: Upper

• Arnold presses: 3, 8-10, 1 min
• Lateral raises: 2, 10-12, 45 sec
• Lat-pulldown: 3, 8-10, 1 min
• Pendley row: 2, 8-10, 1 min
• Flat dumbbell bench press: 2, 10-12, 1 min
• Rope face pulls: 2, 8-10, 45 sec
• Bicep curls: 2, 8-10, 45 sec
• Tricep extensions: 2, 8-10, 45 sec

Day 4: Lower

• Deadlift variation (conventional, sumo, trap bar): 3, 4-6, 2 min
• Bulgarian split squats: 3, 10-12 per leg, 1.5 min
• Lying leg curl: 3, 10-12, 1 min
• Dumbbell swings: 2, 8-10, 1 min
• Calf raises: 3, 10-15, 30 sec
• Cable crunches: 3, 10-15, 30 sec
• Lying leg raises: 3, 10-15, 30 sec

Rest one day after Day 2 then do Days 3 and 4. 

Is 4 days per week enough to get a body like Jordan?

Yes definitely.

Once you get super advanced, you can add in a 5th day but unless you’re planning to compete in as fitness model, you don’t need to to.

Not to mention the fact that most guys have a hard time staying consistent as it is.

Working out 5 days per week consistently isn’t exactly easy. It’s the exact reason why so many burn out and give up after 2 weeks.

Plus, working out more does not equal more results. In the end, consistency trumps everything.

When you workout just 4 days per week, you still have a decent amount of time to rest and recover without the workouts taking over your social life.

How much muscle can you gain?

Every single guy has a genetic limit to how much muscle he can gain.

That limit can be extended if you take steroids but that’s a whole other subject.

You’ll gain the most muscle when you’re just starting out and that number gradually tapers off until you’re only gaining 1 pound per year.

What? You expect to gain 5 pounds of muscle per year, every year until you die.

Dream on, buddy.

Here’s the timeline most guys go through when they first start lifting:

This is all assuming they lift weights consistently (at least 3x per week).

• Year 1: Gain up to 25 pounds of muscle
• Year 2: Gain up to 12.5 pounds of muscle
• Year 3: Gain up to 6 pounds of muscle
• Year 4: Gain up to 3 pounds of muscle
• Year 5: Gain up to 1.5 pounds of muscle
• Year 6+: Gain up to 1 pound of muscle (aka. not really worth calculating)

Look, these numbers are not set in stone.

The taller you are, the more muscle you can potentially gain.

But you can expect to gain 50% less muscle each year you consistently train.

There are still a lot of factors in play, mainly genetics, age, and height that will influence how much muscle you could potentially gain but the time line above is a pretty decent benchmark for what you can expect.

If you really want a physique similar to Michael B. Jordan’s, then that will realistically take at least 3 years.

The dude has a substantial amount of muscle and he’s been training for years. You just can’t replicate that (naturally) in 6 months.

Michael B. Jordan Diet: He ate 6 meals per day, do you?

Eating 6 meals per day has become synonymous with bodybuilding and packing on muscle fast.

And to pack on muscle as Killmonger, Michael B. Jordan ate 6 meals per day.

But just because Jordan did it, does that mean you have to?

The good news is the answer is no.

But that doesn’t mean you can eat like you’re eating now and expect to get all ripped n’ shit.

When it comes to building the perfect muscle building diet, here is what you absolutely must do:

Eat in a calorie surplus

If you want to maximize the amount of muscle you gain, then you need to eat slightly above your maintenance levels.

This means that however many calories it takes to maintain your current bodyweight, you need to eat a couple hundred more calories.

These calories will be used to help build new muscle tissue.

As for how many calories you need to eat, I recommend eating 16-18x your bodyweight in pounds.

If you’re paranoid about gaining too much fat, then you can just follow the 16-18x rule on the days you workout while eating at maintenance the other days of the week.

Get enough protein

I’m sure this comes as no surprise.

But to really pack on size you need to make sure you’re getting an adequate amount of protein every day.

Most conventional bodybuilding advice will recommend 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, however you can actually get away with as little as 0.7 grams per pound of bodyweight.

Eat the right foods to recover

Technically you eat nothing but white bread, gummy bears, and whey protein to hit your calories and protein.

And you’ll probably see decent results.

But man…your health is going to go to shit and your recovery/performance is going to crash like a motherfucker.

I don’t like repeating this all the time, but focus on eating healthy shit.

It’s not complicated.

It’s not always easy, but it’s simple.

If you have to choose between the deep fried chicken with fries vs. the grilled chicken with sautéed veggies, the smarter option would be the latter.

I’m not here to be a party killer either.

Fried chicken is awesome, but you just can’t eat that in huge quantities every day and expect to be in optimal health.

If you truly care about maximizing your health and performance (physical, and mental), then choose the most nutritious foods whenever possible.

Do you need supplements build a Michael B. Jordan physique

No you don’t NEED them.

But you might want to consider them if you find yourself lacking in a specific area.

For example, if you find it hard to get enough protein and you don’t want to eat another serving of fucking grilled chicken because you already ate 5 servings of fucking grilled chicken….

Then yeah, you’d probably benefit (from pure convenience) to take something like a whey protein powder.

If you don’t eat any fruits or veggies, then you’d benefit from taking a greens powder. But you really should eat your fruits and veggies.

Whereas if someone is already eating 3-4 servings of fruits and veggies per day, they would likely benefit less from a greens powder.

If you already eat a lot of salmon and fatty fish, then you probably don’t need a fish oil supplement. But if you don’t, then you’ll be a the type of guy who benefits the most from fish oil.

Make sense?

Think of supplements as a way to fill the gaps in your diet.

That’s all.

Stop thinking of them as magical ‘end all be all’ pills that will change your life.

Get Michael B. Jordan’s physique in 3 simple steps

No this ain’t clickbait.

Seriously, building a body like Michael B. Jordan (or any other guy) comes down to 3 simple steps:

• Step 1: Workout consistently with weights 3-4 times per week (and actually get stronger)
• Step 2: Eat in a calorie surplus (if your goal is to build muscle) consistently, get enough protein, don’t eat too much crap
• Step 3: Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for 1-5 years.

That’s it.

Okay that’s a gross oversimplification of the process, but you know it’s true.

So yeah…

If you look in the mirror and hate what you see, then follow the plan I laid out in this article.

If you want something that goes into more detail and gives you the complete workout & dieting system to build a lean and muscular superhero body, checkout my Superhero X12 course.

The post Michael B. Jordan Workout Routine & Diet: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on FitMole.

Calorie counting is simple, right?

It’s as simple as:

• Step 1: Look at nutrition info
• Step 2: Add everything up

As someone who failed the math in high school, even I can do that.

But there’s one big mistake people make.

With more and more people relying on Google and food tracking apps like MyFitnessPal, our biggest assets is actually causing the biggest problem.

Here’s what I mean.

Let’s say you go out to a Japanese restaurant and order some teriyaki chicken bowl with white rice.

You want to track calories but you’re not sure how many calories are in the bowl.

So you go to google and literally search “teriyaki chicken bowl calories.”

The following information shows up:

Oh man, this is my nightmare. 

Because I know a huge chunk of people are going to literally take 220 calories and log that as their meal.

The biggest mistake people make with calorie counting is blindly using calorie data they find online.

I get it.

You’re at a restaurant where the nutrition info isn’t available. 

So you Google it, trusting Google will be somewhat accurate. 

But this is soooo wrong.

“Generic chicken teriyaki white rice bowl” means absolutely nothing.

You have no idea how Myfitnesspal came up with 220 calories. 

The ingredient breakdown isn’t listed.

The amount of chicken or rice used isn’t listed. 

Not to mention that 220 calories is not a lot, in general.

That’s the equivalent of 2-3 slices of bread or 1 scoop of ice cream. 

Chances are that chicken teriyaki bowl was a lot closer to 600-800 calories. 

The sauce some places use are absolute calorie orgies. 

And when you do this multiple times per day/week, it’s no wonder that so many people don’t lose weight despite “counting calories.” 

Yes, technically you are tracking calories…

…But the way you’re doing it is highly inaccurate.

Blindly taking nutrition info off any website can heavily skew your calorie intake so you end up eating much more than you think.

“That’s what Myfitnesspal said.”

You can go to a coffee shop and order a chocolate doughnut. 

But you can’t just log whatever calorie value you want.

Take a look at the search results for “chocolate doughnut” in Myfitnesspal.

I once had a client tell me that he was tracking calories like a mad man but wasn’t losing weight.

He sent me his Myfitnesspal food logs.

I looked through his logs and he was eating a doughnut every day.

Which is cool if it’s being tracked correctly.

But then I saw that he was logging each doughnut as 200 calories.

He said “That’s what Myfitnesspal said.”

But turns out, the doughnut he was eating was much closer to 500 calories per doughnut.

That calorie 300 difference, done on a daily basis, will destroy your results.

So what can you do to actually track calories accurately?

Well above all else, stop blindly following nutrition content for anything you Google or find on Myfitnesspal.

But I’ve also found these 2 tips help the most:

Learn to estimate the calorie count for “base” foods

“Base” foods are foods like:

• 3 oz chicken breast
• 3 oz salmon
• 3 oz lean beef
• 1 bowl of rice
• 1 large egg
• 10 almonds
• 1 slice of plain white bread

These foods, no matter where you eat them, will have approximately the same calorie counts across the board.

No matter where you eat plain steamed white rice, it’s the same calorie count.

Why should you learn to estimate the calorie count for base foods?

Because they form the foundation for more complex foods and dishes.

Looking at the chicken teriyaki example again…

If you know the base food calories, you can break down the entire dish pretty accurately.

In other words, if you know there’s about 300 calories worth of rice in the bowl already, then you wouldn’t use the 220 calorie count that Myfitnesspal listed for the entire bowl.

Let’s break the entire bowl down.

Random Chicken teriyaki bowl breakdown:

• 1.5 cups of steamed white rice – 300 calories
• 4 oz grilled chicken – 200 calories
• Steamed veggies – not worth tracking
• Teriyaki sauce – About an extra 100-300 calories.

So on the high end, the entire bowl might be 800 calories, which sounds a helluva lot more accurate than 220.

Of course nothing is ever 100% accurate, but the important thing is that you’re in the right ball park now.

Ask yourself – Does this make sense? 

Let’s say you’re eating the slice of carrot cake in the picture below.

How many calories would you say that is?

If you Google it, and it says it’s only 120 calories for one slice, ask yourself – does this make sense?

Does it really make sense for a slice of carrot cake to have the same amount of calories as a 1.5 eggs?

No it doesn’t.

Most carrot cake uses a crap ton of butter, sugar, and nuts, so the calorie count is going to be naturally high.

If I had to take a guess, I’d say the slice of carrot cake above is 300-400 calories.

So the next time you look up the calorie count of a dish online and it sounds too good to be true…it probably is.

It’s okay to not give a shit (every now and then)

I really don’t like or enjoy strict calorie counting.

It restricts your ability to eat the foods you want and enjoy life.

But at the same time, I really don’t like it when people are royally fucking up their diet because they think the hot dog they ate that’s the size of Ron Jeremy’s dick is only 200 calories.

Balance is key.

You should be able to go out to eat whatever you want.

But you can’t do that every day, be misinformed of the calorie counts, and wonder why you’re not losing weight.

That’s not how this works.

How do you track calories? Are you just using whatever information you find online, or are you making strategic and educated guesses?

The post Counting Calories But Not Losing Weight? Here’s The Biggest Mistake I See People Make appeared first on FitMole.

I started working out back when I was about 16 and have kept at it the past 10 years.

I’ve made a ton of mistakes.

But I’ve also been fortunate enough to learn from them and developed my own ways for staying in shape without driving myself insane.

Here are 40 random thoughts I’ve had about fitness after 10 years of actually doing it.

1) Learning how to count calories and macros is an invaluable skill.

Being able to estimate the calories/macros in what you eat is one of the most useful skills you can learn.

Which is why I recommend everyone to spend at least a few weeks hardcore tracking everything they eat.

You don’t need to do it your whole life, but tracking everything you eat for a while gives you a sense of awareness that you can’t get anywhere else.

2) But getting to the point where you can comfortably not obsess about macros takes months (probably years)

Every fit person I know that doesn’t obsess about macros anymore has obsessed about it in the past.

And it’s that “trial by fire” that a lot of people go through before they can truly be relaxed about their eating.

Same goes for everything else:

• “Oh I used to be a workaholic, but now I only work 30 hours per week max.” 
• “Oh when I was in my 20s I used to care so much about the way I looked, but now that I’m 30, I don’t care as much.”
• “Oh I used sleep with Asian hookers every week and had a nasty coke habit, but now I’m happily married, have twin boys, and am head of the PTA.” 

My point – old habits die hard.

3) You will get injured

No matter how careful you’re being, no matter how good you think your form is, time will inevitably catch up with you.

It might be a minor injury, but there will be injuries.

4) Weight loss is never linear

I literally just scribbled a blue line, but hopefully you get what I mean.

It zigs and it zags.

It’s a roller coaster that shows no mercy. But if you stay the course, you’ll make it your bitch.

5) You will never have enough

If your goal is to be the most muscular guy in the room, you will never reach that goal.

Saying you’ll be happy when you’re 180 pounds/10% body fat is self-defeating in so many ways.

Once you reach that goal, then it becomes 185 pounds/10% body fat.

And it never ends.

Be proud of where you are now, but don’t your tie self-worth to how lean or muscular you are.

6) You can get away with eating A LOT less protein than you think

Getting the standard 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is not the easiest thing in the world.

It’s definitely doable, but isn’t the most practical thing to do.

Try cutting it down to 0.6-0.7 grams. You’ll be surprised with how little things change.

7) Strength does not equal size and vice versa

There are plenty of “small” guys who can out lift bigger guys.

If you train mainly for strength, you likely won’t get huge like a bodybuilder.

If you train to get big like a bodybuilder, then you’ll get bigger. You’ll definitely gain strength too but it won’t be as much as someone who trains purely for strength.

8) You do not need to squat and deadlift to build strong muscular legs

It’s not the end of the world if you can’t or don’t want to do traditional squats and deadlifts (i.e. barbell back squat, barbell deadlift off the floor).

There are plenty of alternatives.

9) Fast for 24 hours once a month

Don’t do it for fat loss, but do it because it’s one of the simplest ways to build your mental toughness.

10) Motivation is mostly useless

A Youtube video of hacked together Elon Musk clips just gets your fired up. But unless you do something with that fire, it’s useless.

Action fuels motivation. It’s never the other way around.

11) Nothing is ever as bad as it seems

Binging on a dozen doughnuts might feel like the end of the world, but I assure you it’s not.

There is rarely a single event that can destroy progress.

The problems come when you turn single events into a spiraling dark hole of self-destruction.

12) If you can’t lose weight, 99% of the time it’s because you’re eating too much

Stop with the excuses and track what you eat.

You’re eating more than you think.

I promise.

13) “One but never two.”

You can recover from one diet slip up or one missed workout.

But it becomes harder to recover once you miss two.

Negative momentum is a real thing.

Don’t let two happen.

14) Abs are not made in the kitchen

They are made in the gym and revealed in the kitchen.

15) People don’t eat because they are hungry. They eat out of habit and emotion.

People in 3rd world countries eat because they are hungry and to stay alive.

And if you’re reading this, you’re probably not starving in a 3rd world country.

Instead most people eat when they’re bored, emotional, or out of habit.

But true hunger is always last on the list.

16) Anyone who mentions “metabolism” probably has no idea what they’re talking about

Saying something increases your metabolism by 30% sounds sexy.

Problem is, it doesn’t translate to anything in the real world.

Therefore it’s a term heavily manipulated by marketers.

17) Not a single motherfucker on this planet has ever gotten fat from eating too much fruit.

Just stop with the anti-fruit talk.

It’s embarrassing and sounds like something Rob Schneider’s dad would say.

I don’t even know what that means.

18) Never blindly follow advice. Take from multiple sources and think for yourself.

Don’t just listen to me.

Don’t just listen to that one ripped guy on Instagram.

Don’t just listen to someone just because they’re a doctor.

Question everything and everyone.

If you don’t learn to think for yourself and form your own opinions, you’re just a slave.

19) Most people don’t want to get lean and muscular. They just want to be happy

In the end, everyone is just trying to fill a gap in their lives. Any many guys use the gym to fill that gap.

20) If you want to get better at anything, track and document your diet and training

Unlike that stripper who said you’re the cutest guy she’s seen all night, numbers never lie.

Want to increase your bench?

Then you need to track every workout you do – reps, sets, rest time, and even your mood.

Documenting what you do let’s you look back and analyze what went right and wrong.

21) 99% of guys have absolutely no reason to train in the 1-3 rep range

I don’t see the point, even to test your 1 rep max.

Injury risk skyrockets in this rep range.

Train in the 4-6 or 6-8 rep range. You’ll still get strong and minimize injury.

22) Intermittent fasting isn’t magic

When I first started intermittent fasting 9 years ago, I thought it was magic.

Like it had some magic fat burning advantage over every other diet.

But then I realized that was stupid.

The only “magic” was that it made it easier to stay in a calorie deficit.

To some it may seem like magic, but I assure you, it’s not.

23) The keto diet is the most impractical diet in the world

You’re pretty much saying you’re gonna go the rest of your life without carbs.

Sit down and ask yourself – can you do that?

24) All detox diets are a scam

Just don’t.

25) Free weights aren’t better or worse than machines

Use both.

26) To build more muscle, slow down your reps

Increases in strength don’t always equal more muscle.

You need to really squeeze and contract the muscles you’re targeting.

27) Ignore statements like “Your body stores carbs as body fat.”

This statement never made sense to me.

Your body stores extra calories as body fat.

But just because you ate some carbs (or fat or protein or alcohol), doesn’t mean it’s getting stored as body fat.

Only way that happens is unless you eat too much it.

28) Have micro goals but a macro game plan

People love to bash on 4 week workout plans because they’re “short term,” but that’s only if you stop doing shit after 4 weeks.

A better approach would be define your goals in 4 week blocks of time and to put all your focus into those 4 weeks.

Then you can focus on the next 4 weeks, and so on.

This way, you’re not overwhelmed with trying to do everything at once. You just need to focus on the getting through the next 4 weeks.

29) Unless it’s your job, arguing about fitness is the most pointless, soul sucking shit ever

Get a hobby, guys.

Learn to paint, take up archery, or shoot amateur porn.

Nothing will crush a person’s soul faster than arguing about why their workout or die is superior.

It’s your life, but c’mon dawg.

30) Consistency > intensity

It doesn’t matter if you workout 2 hours per day if it just leads to your burning out in a week.

You’ll see much better results if you workout 30 min per day if you can stay consistent.

31) If you had to choose between weights and cardio, choose weights

Structure your weight lifting program correctly, and it can double as a cardio routine but not the other way around.

32) Average choices = average life

Next time, you’re about to make a questionable decision, ask yourself “would an average person do this.”

Average people eat junk food all day.

Average people don’t go to the gym consistently.

Average people don’t track their workouts and diets.

Look at what average people do. Don’t do that.

33) Your “lack of time” excuse is embarrassing

It’s cool if you admit you’re lazy. I respect that.

But someone who complains about not having time and spends 4 hours per day on their phone? How can anyone respect that?

You have the time, you just don’t want to make it (or you suck at time management).

34) Don’t put yourself in a box

Don’t just train with barbells

Don’t just run on the treadmill.

Don’t just eat the same foods every day.

If you do, you’re putting yourself in a “box” and limiting yourself from growing and having new experiences.

The last 10 years, lifting weights has been my main workout. But recently I started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I love it.

To me, going to one BJJ class was 10x more rewarding than my last 5 years of lifting. But this would have never happened if I didn’t take the leap and try it out.

35) Once you blast through your newbie phase, muscle growth is painfully slow

If you’ve been training 3 years and wondering why you’re not building muscle, it’s because it’s just a slow ass process.

And the sucky part is that you can’t train more or eat more to speed up the process. It just takes time.

Here’s the timeline most guys who train consistently follow:

• Year 1: Gain 20 pounds muscle
• Year 2: Gain 10 pounds muscle
• Year 3: Gain 5 pounds muscle
• Year 4,5,6, till you die: Whatever you can get (not worth calculating)

I’m not saying you won’t gain muscle after year 3, I’m just saying the actual pounds of muscle you gain become much harder to track compared to Year 1.

36) The solution to your problem is usually the simplest

In fact, it’s probably so simple and obvious that you’re going to ignore it completely and go search for something that sounds more complicated.

Even if it costs you more time and more money, you’ll follow it (the more complex solution) because it’s a fancy sounding plan that tells you nothing is your fault.

Plot twist (bet you didn’t see this coming): It’s almost always your fault.

37) Eat 80% of your carbs at night

Nothing slows me down faster than a carb heavy meal for breakfast or lunch.

If you ever feel tired or fatigued after eating a ton of carbs during the day, try offloading them till dinner time.

You’ll feel a massive difference in the way you feel.

38) You can lose weight with zero exercise…but you probably shouldn’t

Technically, all you need is a calorie deficit to lose weight, but the people who lose the most weight and keep it off are those who have a healthy exercise regime as well.

If you exercise consistently, you’ll be more inclined to eat healthy and vice versa.

39) Feel free to experiment with supplements but don’t be stupid about it

There’s a fine line between testing out a supplement to see if it works for you and just buying every pill pimped by a big titty IG model.

If you need a good resource on what supplements have potential, I’d recommend checking out Examine.com.

40) Mindset is everything

Time and time again, I’ve found that the way you think impacts everything else.

What you think leads to how you act.

How you act leads to what you get.

The post 40 Random Thoughts After 10 Years Of Fitness appeared first on FitMole.

In my early days of trying to get a ripped 6-pack, I would always get ton of anxiety around the holidays.

There was just so much food everywhere, and every “holiday event” involved eating.

When I went online in search of info on how to handle party situations or social eating, they all said the same shit:

• Bring your own healthy versions of popular dishes
• Don’t drink booze
• Avoid sugar
• Eat a handful of nuts before you go out to eat

Now none of this is inherently horrible advice.

(Except nuts. Fuck nuts. They do nothing but tease your stomach.)

But all these basic tips do nothing but take away from what you really want to do – eat tasty food.

No one goes to a holiday party so they can do nothing but nibble on carrot sticks and hummus while drinking sparkling water.

No one gets excited about the ass who made “Paleo sugar cookies made with zero sugar.”

You should be enjoying yourself – eating carbs until your balls fall off.

Here’s how you can realistically eat whatever you want during the holidays (or any social situation) without gaining weight and even continue to lose weight if that’s your goal.

Step #1: Only eat 1-2 meals during the day

This is the big “secret” to be able to eat out without gaining weight.

Some form of intermittent fasting should be followed.

If you only eat 1-2 meals per day and put the majority of your daily calories into those 1-2 meals, then your chances of gaining weight are small.

You get the luxury of eating all your calories in a single setting.

However, people who eat 4-6 meals per day plus snacks will go to a party with 80% of their daily calorie intake already filled up. So they’re much more likely to overeat by the end of the day.

Of course this isn’t an excuse to eat however much you want.

The probability of you overeating in 1-2 big meals are much smaller than if you ate 4-6 meals, but you still need to be mindful of how much you’re eating.

Which brings us to step #2…

Step #2: Load up on lean protein and veggies

If you eat 2000 calories per day, you could technically go to a holiday party and eat 2000 calories worth of pumpkin pie.

Problem is, 2000 calories worth of pumpkin pie is a lot of pie. It’s also not a very healthy choice.

Plus, pumpkin pie doesn’t have any protein. It’s almost exclusively carbs and fats which won’t fill you up.

I love pumpkin pie as much as the next guy but it would be smarter to eat variety of foods, particularly lean protein and veggies, if possible.

This will help fill you up on fewer calories while giving you room to eat pie later.

Step 3: The 30% Rule

70% of your meals should be lean protein, veggies, fruit, and other healthy options if possible.

And no more than 30% of your calories should consist of “unhealthy” foods.

Yes, I know it’s hard to estimate what “30%” looks like, especially if you don’t know the calorie content of the foods you’re eating.

There’s no foolproof formula here.

If anything, use the 30% Rule as more of a mental guiding image.

Which pretty much means, eat mostly healthy foods but feel free to indulge in anything else you want. Just don’t be stupid about it.

So if you ate a bunch of lean protein and veggies, then feel free to have 1-2 slices of pie plus a few cookies or whatever.

But don’t use dumbfuck logic and eat an entire pie and drink 6 beers.

In the end of the day, maybe you’ll overeat by a couple hundred calories but maybe you’ll undereat by a couple hundred.

People who use simple, common sense tend to do just fine the long run.

[thrive_text_block color=”note” headline=”Nothing is perfect”]

I’m not saying every time you go out to eat, you need to make sure 70% of the food you eat is “whole” and “nutritious.”

There are going to be days where you completely throw the idea of calories and macros out the window (like Christmas day).

The goal is to minimize those days and if those days happen, it’s because they just happened naturally.

[/thrive_text_block]

Damage Control: How to minimize damage from a day of overeating

If you do somehow binge on 5000 calories (unlikely but possible) you have 2 choices:

Choice #1 – Resume things as normal the next day

Probably not what you want to hear.

But it’ so hard to do massive damage to your physique in just one meal or even one day.

Overeating might feel like the equivalent of rolling around naked on the floors of a Walmart restroom, but I promise it’s not the end of the world.

So my recommendation is to simply resume things as normal the next day.

Don’t go crazy and do 3 hours of cardio. Don’t sit in the sauna for the whole day.

Just resume things as normal.

Chances are you will have gained a few pounds, but the majority is water weight and will disappear in a few days, assuming your diet goes back to normal.

Here’s brutal truth – If you’re fat, it’s because you have the daily habits of a fat person. It’s never due to a single event or because you just screwed up one day.

Choice #2 – Cut back calories the for the next 1-2 days even more so

I know people want the quickest possible fix to everything, so here’s choice #2 where I meet you in the middle.

No it’s not a 7-day lemon water detox.

All I want you to do is slightly reduce calories for the next 1-2 days.

This can be done by reducing your calories by an additional 25%.

So if you normally eat 2000 calories per day, you’ll eat 1500 calories the next 1-2 days to compensate for the extra calories you ate.

Summing things up

In short, if you want to go out and eat what you want, it boils down to this:

• Use some form of intermittent fasting so you get the majority of your calories in when you go out. Works best with 1 meal per day if you want to eat a lot with less restriction.
• 70% of your meal should be “healthy shit” (e.g. lean protein and veggies).
• 30% of your meal can be whatever you want.
• If you do overeat, just relax. Resume you diet as normal the following day. To minimize damage, reduce calories by an extra 25%.
• In the end, being able to got out and eat the foods you want just comes down to sensible portion control. Doesn’t sound sexy, but it’s what every motherfucker does. So stop being lazy!

What approach do you use when eating out? Let me know in the comments. 

[thrive_highlight highlight=’#ffff00′ text=’dark’]For a complete step-by-step workout and diet system to build a lean and muscular body, check out my Superhero X12 course.[/thrive_highlight]

The post The Simple 3-Step Method To Eating Out Without Screwing Up Your Diet appeared first on FitMole.