MACRO
THE EVERYTHING GUIDE TO
TRACKING
by amanda bucci
A comprehensive guide on the
ins and outs of macronutrient tracking.
#IIFYM
Social media makes it seem as
though #IIFYM, meaning (if it fits
your macros) is only the fun stuff,
like doughnuts, ice cream, & pizza,
while on a diet. After all you’ve
learned about healthy eating, you
are truly just confused. In this book,
you will learn the TRUTH about what
to expect while tracking your macronutrients, how many treats you can
ACTUALLY fit in (and the appropriate
times to do so), and how to choose,
measure, weigh and track your food.
Here, you will find control over your
body like you wouldn’t believe!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT ME
CHAPTER 1: Goal setting
CHAPTER 2: What’s a macro?
CHAPTER 3: How to set up MyFitnessPal
CHAPTER 4: What should I really eat?
CHAPTER 5: How to track certain foods
CHAPTER 6: Foundation Meals
CHAPTER 7: How lenient can I really be?
CHAPTER 8: Food and a social life
CHAPTER 9: What to expect in a fat loss phase
CHAPTER 10: What to expect in a muscle building phase
ABOUT
During the last few years of my life, I have been on the most amazing journey of finding myself. Many
of you who follow my social media accounts see the happy, fit, and food-loving girl who competes,
“does YouTube”, and shares her life experiences. I hope that by understanding how I went from being a beginner who did not know anything, to a knowledgeable fitness and nutrition enthusiast that I
am today, you, too, recognize that you can become who you want to be with the right motivation and
drive. I’ve discovered my truest passion is being able to help and motivate others to succeed with not
only their fitness goals, but also their life goals.
I have always known that I wanted to work with those who cannot help themselves. Throughout my
life, my empathetic nature has served as a guide that allows me to understand and assist friends, loved
ones or anyone in need. It is such an incredible feeling to know I made a career out of exactly what
I love to do - help others; and it is so amazing to use social media platforms to inspire, motivate, and
educate thousands of people every day by sharing my journey and encouraging you to begin yours.
Social media has had such a positive impact on not only my life, but the lives of others who I am able
to reach. In order to help others on this level, it took quite a while to become knowledgeable enough
to do so - this meant looking beyond quick fixes.
Entering high school, I was cut from the soccer team before the first day of school even started.I tried
my luck at lacrosse, but my main position was typically left bench (lol, for real, every single game.)
Senior year it was bookkeeper. I was desperately trying to find my niche. Eventually, I ended up at
my local gym, which had an athlete-training program that I had gotten involved in. I learned how to
bench press, squat, and deadlift, and LIFT like a badass. I fell in love with it. Although I was an avid
gym go-er, I basically stuck to the “try- to-eat-as-healthy-as possible-except-when-craving-junk-food”
diet (and those cravings were pretty often, to say the least). When I was 19-years-old, I had a friend
who had competed in a bikini competition. I thought that would be the perfect way to finally get the
body I’ve always wanted, but I had to figure out how to perfect my diet.
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As a college student working a minimum-wage, part-time job, I couldn’t afford a coach to prep me
for a show. My friend told me what her coach told her to do, and I basically just went with hat and
winged it. I followed this restrictive “bro” type meal plan for about five weeks before my very first
OCB Bikini Competition, and I actually ended up winning 2nd place!
Post show - I was clueless on where to go with my diet. I had lost motivation for the gym, and didn’t
know how to eat “normally” anymore. I tried to eat as much “unhealthy” food as I could fit in my
mouth since it had been restricted from my prep diet, but it was only so long before I started packing
on the pounds and feeling shameful from my lack of will power that used to come so easily to me
pre-show. My type-A personality took over and I decided to take matters into my own hands. I did my
research (A.K.A. anything I didn’t know about or have never heard about, I’d spend researching and
looking up as much information as I could on it), and eventually started tracking my macronutrients
(more commonly known as IIFYM) in January of 2014. I coached myself through two regional NPC
shows in July 2015 and November 2015, both of which I qualified nationally for (3rd place, 1st place).
I competed at nationals (NPC Team U and NPC USAs) in July 2015 under the guidance of my new
coach, William Grazione with Metabolic Evolution. I also competed at NPC Los Angeles Championships and won the Bikini Overall title! In January of 2016, I went through my fourth competition prep
and competed for the title of the 2016 Bodybuilding.com Spokesmodel! I ended up with 3rd place
and a spot on Team Bodybuilding.com.
Competing helped me really mark my place
in the fitness industry so far, and it has been
a true blessing. I have been completely overwhelmed by the positive responses I get
through social media from the thousands
who have so kindly chosen to follow my fitness journey. With that, I believe, comes a responsibility to help and guide those followers
in the right direction. The power we have to
change someone’s mindset with what we post
on our social media accounts is great, so we
must recognize the influence it has on our following and be a role model. Being someone
who teaches, motivates, and inspires in a positive way is something that is very important to
me. I hope I can do that for you!
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1
GOAL
SETTING
Before we begin with the whole who, what when, where, and why about nutrition – let’s talk a little
about goal setting. It is important to take a minute to think about why you bought this ebook. You
may already know how to track your macros, or you may be just beginning your fitness journey and
are wondering what the whole flexible dieting thing is really all about. Either way – I encourage you
to take a step back and set realistic goals for yourself.
If you are reading this book, you are probably pretty “into fitness,” you want to lose body fat, and gain
muscle, right? Of course! Building your dream body is probably on your long-term goals list. Don’t
forget about those non-aesthetic based goals, like forming a healthy relationship with food, being able
to feel confident inside of a gym, getting stronger each week and being able to perform simple life
tasks with more ease, feeling healthier, happier, more energetic, and so on.
Whatever your goal is, preparing a plan to achieve it is imperative because there is not only one thing
to think about. There are a lot of different moving parts, and if one of those parts isn’t keeping up,
the whole system can suffer. In other words – you are only as strong as your weakest link. You will
only make it as far as your weakest part will drag down the smaller points. If you really want to see
changes, taking a step in the direction of making this a LIFESTYLE change is something you need
to seriously consider.
STEP ONE: Know what your long term goals are. Perhaps you want to lose 50 lbs this year. Maybe
you want to feel confident in your wedding dress. Maybe you want to be a fitness model. Regardless –
figure this out. Write it down. Put it on sticky notes all over your house. Find a white board and hang
it in your room. Write it in your journal every single day. Tell your friends, even if it’s scary. Writing
and saying it makes it more concrete and keeps you accountable.
STEP TWO: Set those short term goals you need to accomplish in order to complete your long term
goals. You can’t reach a goal you have set out for a year from now, if you don’t know what your goal
is for six months from now. You can’t reach your six month goal, if you are unaware of your one
month goal. You can’t reach your one month goal if you don’t know what you have to do this week .
See the pattern here? Things don’t happen overnight – they happen when you day in and day out, put
action towards reaching them. Taking action and staying persistent is the number one piece of
advice I can give. Short term goals – and actually meeting them – will project you to reach your long
term goals.
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Make your goals realistic and attainable. This might be the most difficult part for people – to assess
themselves and realize that it may take you longer than you think to reach your ultimate long term
goal. If goals aren’t realistic, you will give up hope quickly and become more frustrated with every
attempt you make in order to get there.
Something I continuously remind my clients (and myself) of is the word PATIENCE. Fat loss and
muscle gain are both processes that take a long time. Look at some of your favorite fitness icons –
how long have they been CONSISTENTLY training and adhering to a specific nutrition plan? If
your answer is “probably more than five years” then you have your answer. It takes time for changes
to happen.
If you’re wondering – but how can I diet for years and years? When can I go back to being normal?
HERE is where the reality sets in – THIS HAS TO BECOME A LIFESTYLE. Sometimes, you
simply have to make changes. Going out and partying less, making an effort to go to the gym more,
saying no to the cupcakes at work everyday (if they don’t fit your macros). This is where flexible dieting really plays a big role in your success. Flexible dieting is not a diet. It is not something you do for
12 weeks and then stop when you hit your short term goal. Flexible dieting and tracking your macros
allows you to truly understand nutrition, what you are putting in your body, and allows for a more
sustainable and realistic approach to reaching your goals. There are no good or bad foods. There are
no “fat loss” and “muscle building” foods. There is no guilt associated with eating. You don’t get
brownie points for suffering – the only thing that you probably get, is a rebound. Welcome to flexible
dieting – where you get results for LIFE.
“You will face your greatest
opposition when you are closest
to your biggest miracle.”
- Shannon L. Alder -
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2
WHAT’S A
MACRO?
If you are reading this, it is very likely that one of your main goals is to become HEALTHIER. You
want to feel better, look better, and live a healthier lifestyle. You KNOW that “food has a lot to do
with it,” but may not be positive on where to begin. So, lets begin here:
Your weight is made up of two main components: fat mass (body fat) and fat- free mass (everything
else on your body that is not a fat cell, including your bones, organs, connective tissue, and muscle
mass).
MUSCLE MASS should weigh more than your fat mass, so asking, “How do I lose weight?” may not
be the optimal question. Since your muscle mass is a huge variable contributing to your metabolic
rate (the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest) the question you should really be
asking is “How do I decrease my body fat percentage, and increase my muscle mass?”
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As you can see from the chart, depending on your gender, age, and physical activity level, your body
requires a certain amount of body fat to carry out all of it’s daily body processes and stay healthy. Of
course, higher levels of fat can lead to weight-related health issues including Type 2 diabetes, cancer,
and cardiovascular disease. With that being said, you still need to eat certain amounts of food in order
to maintain a healthy weight – not too much, but not too little. So how do you know if you’re eating
too much or too little? You need to track your calories to be positive about that. “What you do not
track, you cannot control,” and if you want to be in complete control of your body, tracking your
intake is going to be a big part in your success.
Technically speaking, you can lose weight by eating one less bag of chips each day. This will mean
that you can ensure you are eating less calories than your body is used to eating, and you will lose
weight However, if you would like to enhance your body composition (who doesn’t?) by losing fat
and gaining muscle, you will need to follow a nutrition plan that follows tracking your macronutrient
intake as well.
So...what exactly is a macronutrient?
Macronutrient: A category of nutrients that provide calories or energy. These nutrients are required
in large amounts (AKA, macro) to maintain growth, metabolism, and other body functions. These
nutrients are going to be carbohydrates, dietary fat, protein, and alcohol. No one recommends getting calories from alcohol as it does not provide any nutritional value, and large amounts will decrease
muscle protein synthesis so we will focus on the first three (however I WILL discuss how to calculate
alcohol into your macronutrients if you chose to do so in a later chapter, don’t worry!).
Fiber: The Fourth Macronutrient: Certain types of carbohydrates that our body cannot digest.
These carbohydrates pass through the intestinal tract intact and help to move waste out of the body.
Diets low in fiber have been shown to cause hemorrhoids, constipation, and increased risk for cancer.
Diets high in fiber have been shown to decrease risks for heart disease, obesity, and help to lower cholesterol. Foods high in fiber: quest bars, beans, whole grains, oatmeal, bran cereal, brown rice, berries,
some fruits, crunchy veggies, and avocados.
Protein: This is one of the most important macronutrients, especially if you are training to build or
retain muscle. Protein contains 4 calories per gram, so 25 grams of protein will equal (25grams x 4
calories = 100 calories). Now – WHERE should you set your protein intake at? There is research to
show that, in “trained” athletes (meaning, you have already been training in the gym for two to three
plus years) there is a slightly higher requirement for protein intake. If you are just beginning, a solid
recommendation is 1 gram per lb of body weight. If you are a trained athlete, shoot closer to 1.1-1.3g
per lb of body weight. Protein can become more important during periods of higher expenditure and
less recovery (i.e. during a contest prep) BUT as an overall recommendation, keeping protein steady
and within the above ranges is generally what the majority of the population should be consuming.
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Protein is used for growth and repair of muscles, tissues, and cells, immune function, making essential
hormones and enzymes, energy, and preserving lean muscle mass You can find protein in lean meats
and fish (chicken, turkey, beef, ham, lean pork, tuna, salmon), deli meats, eggs, egg whites, dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese), and supplements (whey, protein bars, quest bars).
Calculations:
How many GRAMS of protein does my body need? Calculate 150 lbs. (your weight) x (multiplied
by) 1-1.3.
EXAMPLE: 150 lbs x 1.1 grams = 165 grams of protein per day
And then figure out how many CALORIES your body gets from your protein by multiplying the
grams per day by FOUR.
EXAMPLE: 165 grams x 4 = 660 calories
Dietary fat: Dietary fat contains 9 calories per gram, so 25 grams of fat will equal (25 x 9= 225 calories). Aim for 0.35-0.45 calories per gram. I generally recommend putting your STARTING macro
amount toward the higher end, or around 0.4 grams. That way, you can lower your fat intake (assuming you might be entering a “cutting phase”) and still keep within a healthy range. If you prefer to eat
more fats than carbohydrates, shoot for the upper, and if you love your carbs, you can shoot for the
lower end of the range and go off of preference as well. Choosing this number is not magic, it simply
comes from PICKING ONE – STICKING TO IT – SEEING HOW YOUR BODY REACTS TO
IT – AND ADJUST IF NECESSARY (hint: capitalized words mean THIS IS KEY). Each individual
reacts to certain macronutrient intakes, particular foods, etc. very differently. If you are making this a
lifestyle, you will find out what works best for you by experimenting over time. Not days – not weeks
– not months –but years. In years, you will find your perfect formula. For now, you need to simply pick
something and give it a shot. Dietary fat is used for: growth and development, energy, absorbing certain vitamins, providing cushioning for organs, maintaining cell members, providing taste, consistency,
and stability to foods. Foods that contain dietary fat include nut butters, nuts, avocado, fattier meats,
oils, full fat milk cheese, and more. Dietary fat and protein are the two “essential” macronutrients.
Figure out how many GRAMS of fat your body needs by multiplying your weight by 0.35-0.45.
EXAMPLE: 150 lbs x 0.4 = 60 grams of fat per day
And then figure out how many CALORIES your body gets from your dietary fat intake by multiplying
grams per day by 9 calories.
EXAMPLE: 60 grams x 9 calories = 540 calories from fat
In this example, the subject gets 660 calories from protein + 540 calories from fat = 1,200 calories
from protien and fat.
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Carbohydrates: Carbs are the one macronutrient that is not technically an “essential,” which is why
they are the most manipulated macronutrient (and tend to be the most neglected by fad dieting protocols), but they are also the main source of energy used by your body (glucose). Like protein, carbohydrates are 4 calories per gram.
Carbohydrates Uses: main source of fuel/energy, all body tissues use glucose for energy, necessary
for the central nervous system, kidneys, brain, and muscles to function properly, important in intestinal health and waste elimination. Carbohydrates include rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oatmeal,
chips, low fat popcorn, whole wheat bread/other bread, cereal, wraps, fruits, beans, sauces, veggies,
ice cream, etc. In order to figure out your carbohydrate intake, you need to figure out how many
CALOIRES your body needs. This is the MOST CONFUSING PART FOR MANY PEOPLE. Pay
close attention to the next section.
How do I figure out what my calories are or what they should be?
This is the tricky part. When figuring out where your calories should be, my number one recommendation is to start off by tracking what you NORMALLY EAT for a week or two. If you have never
tracked macros before, this may seem daunting. Tracking what you normally eat – even if that includes
oreos and cheesecake, can seem a little scary and quite the reality check. However, this will help you to
find out how many calories your body is used to running on to maintain how you look RIGHT NOW.
Do your absolute best to not make any manipulations or underestimate what you’re eating.
Do this for 1-2 weeks. After you have done this (or, if you are already tracking macros you may already
be aware of this estimated number). To figure out your calories is typically an ESTIMATED GUESS
– EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN USE A CALCULATOR OR AN EQUATION TO “FIGURE IT
OUT.” The tools are only that – tools – and are never perfect. Many of us also over or underestimate
about how much we weigh or exercise. Even if you were 100 percent honest, it may never be 100
percent accurate. The number you get is a starting point, not an end all be all.
Got your calorie estimated amount? Cool. Let’s go back to our math example:
Let’s say your estimated current calorie intake is averaged out to be 1,650 calories, and you have
already calculated 1,200 calories from PROTEIN and FAT:
1,650
- 1,200
450 calories
450 calories/4 calories per 1g carbs = 112g of carbs a day.
Total Macro Breakdown: 112C / 60F / 165P / 1,650 calories / 20-30g fiber
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Make sure you get 15 grams of fiber per every 1,000 calories you consume. This is where your whole
grains, fruits and veggies become important – good luck trying to eat 112 grams of carbs worth of
non-fibrous cereal, ice cream, and white bread while trying to eat over 20g of fiber a day. Not gonna
happen. And your body will respond accordingly.
If you want to see consistent results, meeting your requirements daily within 5g is essential. By tracking, it is the most efficient way to meet your goals with minimal unwanted side effects caused by yo-yo
dieting, the most prevalent being binging. When you are not restricted by the KINDS of food you can
eat (assuming you’ve met your daily nutritional guidelines before indulging in something outside of
the dieting “norm” to finish off your macros for the day) you are far less likely to binge and develop
a potential eating disorder or bad relationship with food, as most people who “diet” do. This changes
your mindset from a quick fix diet to a long-term, sustainable lifestyle change. Yippee!
Since your body only recognizes protein, carbs, and fat as they are consumed, I don’t have to worry
about wasting my calories on vegetables, right? WRONG.
From personal experience and seeing other clients transform, the general consensus is that you get
better results from eating a majority of typical “health” foods as well. Micronutrients come from
these whole, nutritious foods, and are nutrients that our bodies need in smaller amounts, such as
vitamins and minerals. Provided you’re eating 2-4 servings of vegetables, 1-2 servings of fruit, consuming enough fiber (15 grams per 1,000 calories) and incorporating nutrient dense foods, you don’t
have to worry about tracking micronutrients UNLESS instructed to by a physician or other healthcare
provider as part of a regimen for variable health issues. Choosing more nutrient dense foods, such as
vegetables and fruits, will also keep you more full throughout the day.
“I have not failed.
I’ve just found 10,000 ways
that won’t work”
- Thomas A. Edison-
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3
MYFITNESSPAL
SETUP
MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular and easy-to-use apps on the market. You can get it on your
computer or on your phone. When setting up your goals, I recommend adding in your pre-calculated
macronutrients from a desktop or laptop. Doing this on the app is more difficult, however I do find
that using the app for daily use and adding in foods is more simple. First things first are that you want
to sign up and register, and then edit your GOALS. You will click the “goals” button under the list of
headings, and then hit the “edit” button under “your fitness goals”:
This will then bring you to a page where you can plug in your calories, and in turn, it will prompt you
to adjust your “percentages”. NOTE: MY FITNESS PAL MAY NOT YIELD YOUR PERFECTLY
CALCULATED STARTING MACROS. GET AS CLOSE AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN TO THE
NUMBERS YOU NEED, AND REMEMBER THEM WHEN YOU ARE REACHING YOUR
DAILY “GOALS.” I set my calories to ZERO and just hit my macros that I have calculated for myself, or my coach has adjusted for me. This just makes it easier, especially since they change very often
and it takes the annoyance out of having your app set to the wrong numbers!
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This is just an example; not everyone is
going to have a perfectly calculated ratio of
percentages that come out to be divisible
by 5%. You may be starting off with 43%
protein, because that is what your body
needs.
Here is a little “experienced”
trackers tip: remember your
daily goals, and focus on them
when you check your “Totals”
each day. Be smarter than your
app.
As for tracking your workouts through
MyFitnessPal – don’t. The app will add in
calories and macros to your day that will
be different than the macros and calories
you already calculated WITH YOUR
EXERCISE IN MIND.
You can adjust your macros by paying attention to your body, your progress, and other
variables (which will be discussed further). Again, you will become smarter than your app,
so avoid using this section.
***DO NOT USE SECTION BELOW**
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Now that you are all set up, you’re ready to start tracking your day! Your “Diary” will be where you
add in all of your meals. This will become your best friend. You can add in as many foods as you like
into your separate meals throughout the day, and your app will show you the total calories per day.
Pro Tip: If you turn your phone to the side, it will also show you the macros for each meal along
with the calories. You can also see the macros per meal on a desktop!! Here is an example of one part
of one of my meals. You will notice that foods are tracked in different measurements – tbsp., cups,
grams, and slices. How do you know what to track in in?
For the most part, tracking will be made simple by CHECKING THE SERVING SIZE ON THE
BOX! Once you scan in your food, it will already have the tracking method on there. It will usually say
tbsp., cups, grams, ounces, milliliters, slices, pieces, etc.
My Pro Tip for tracking measurements is to use GRAMS or OUNCES as much as possible. Your
food scale should have a mode for grams (along with probably ounces and lbs). However, you will
notice that almost all packaged foods provide the grams per serving on the nutrition label. So if my
peanut butter is 2 tbsp. per serving, it will also say 32 grams. What’s easier – taking a tbsp. and scooping the peanut butter out, or zero-ing out your food scale and scooping it all out at once until you get
to “-32” (negative) grams? (YES, THIS IS HOW YOU TRACK!).
I will discuss this further in the chapter – “HOW TO TRACK CERTAIN FOODS.”
Once you track a food item one time, it will automatically
save into your “recent” foods. For some, that is why it may
seem difficult to start tracking all of your food in the beginning; but once you have all of your recent foods saved into
your app, the next time you eat them you can just click on
it and adjust the serving size you are using for that day. You
do not need to use the suggested serving size for all of your
foods. If the serving size is 225g (for a cup of Greek yogurt)
and you eat 100g, divide 100 by 225 and put in 0.44 servings. A lot of the time, you will use the same serving size.
I eat very similar meals every day depending on where my
macros are, but tracking my whole day will take about two
minutes because everything is already saved.
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You can also save “meals” that you tend to repeat
and eat often to save time with the “MEALS” option. I almost always eat my “bro meal” of chicken, veggies and sweet potatoes daily. I also have
my favorite meal at chipotle tracked as a meal (It’s
a salad bowl with steak, cheese, salsa, brown rice,
and extra lettuce in case you were wondering!).
Many websites offer a macronutrient calculator
that estimates what is in the food you order from
their restaurant, so places like Chipotle, Panera,
and Subway are good options if you need a meal
on the fly. You can figure it out online, and plug
it in as a meal (where it will prompt you to plug
in the calories, protein, carbs, fat, fiber, etc.). Of
course, these meals will not be as accurate as if
you were to measure and weigh them yourself.
Another one of my favorite features on MFP is the
“RECIPE” option. This is an awesome time saving
feature that allows you to plug in your ingredients and select how many pieces you want to split
it into (serving size). This is especially helpful if
you are only eating 1 piece of something that is
part of a recipe of a lot of different ingredients,
because it splits the serving size into the correct
macros for you. If you ever look into #IIFYMRecipes on Instagram, you will find #KimHoeltjeCookies #Pizzerts and #Procheesecake recipes
EVERYWHERE! This is where this option comes
in handy.
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4
WHAT SHOULD
I REALLY EAT?
Hearing that you do not have food restrictions (unless you have diet restrictions from a medical condition, are sensitive to particular foods that you are already aware of, etc.) can be quite overwhelming,
especially if you have to begin playing the game of macronutrient Tetris to figure out the best foods
to fill your day with. When you take a step back, remember that you probably know what kinds of
foods to eat based off of prior, basic knowledge of nutrition! You know what food choices are better
for you than others, but now you will be learning the AMOUNTS of them that are correct for you.
This is where you need to take a step back from calculations, numbers, and what is “right” and simply
use your common sense here.
Flexible dieting is not an excuse to eat whatever you want all day. Having the freedom to “eat whatever
you want, as long as it fits your macros” is not the best way to begin flexible dieting. My recommendation is to focus on having FOUNDATION MEALS – which meals do you LOVE, taste good, and
actually include foods with nutritional value. For me – I have a salad almost every single day. I throw
things in there like tomatoes, onions, peppers, black beans, salsa, bacon, an egg (not all at once but you
get the picture) that I KNOW helps me reach my health and fitness goals. I am not saying you need to
eat a salad the rest of the day, but planning your meals around a foundation meal is helpful for when
you get started creating your meals.
“Be fearless
in the pursuit of what
sets your soul on fire”
- Unknown -
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WHAT ARE MY FAVORITE FOODS?
These foods are great recommendations, but are by NO MEANS requirements.
I’ve highlighted some of my favorite food choices in blue!
PROTEIN
Boneless skinless chicken
breast or tenderloins (love
me some grilled chicken)
Turkey breast/tenderloins
Low-fat lunch meat, low fat
cottage cheese and cheese
(cheese is awesome when
you need higher fat, higher
protein meals).
Greek yogurt (Nonfat, plain
Greek yogurt is perfect to mix
with whey protein)
Fat free milk
Whey protein (PEScience
Discount Code: Amanda for
30%)
Egg whites (liquid egg whites
are great for cooking. I always
put them in my oatmeal and
protein pancakes/waffles)
Protein bars (Oh Yeah bars
@ohyeahnutr and Power
Crunch Bars have the best
macro ration, in my opinion)
Egg beaters/egg substitutes
(I like using these to make
French toast!
Sirloin filets
PRO TIP: 90/10 ground beef
or leaner (99% lean ground
turkey when your fats are
lower, 93% when you have
more room for dietary fats)
Large variety of fish
Steak
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WHAT ARE MY FAVORITE FOODS?
These foods are great recommendations, but are by NO MEANS requirements.
I’ve highlighted some of my favorite food choices in blue!
CARBS
Complex carbohydrates:
Rice (store brand instant brown rice)
Simple sugar Carbs:
Fruit: Bananas, apples,
pineapple, berries
Potatoes (sweet potatoes baked and
then tossed on the skillet for EXTRA
crunch and add seasonings)
Ice Cream (Ben N Jerry’s if you’re on
a macronator status, Breyer’s Blast or
Edy’s Slow Churned if you’re cutting,
and Arctic Zero if you really want to
save calories!)
Oatmeal (love instant oats mixed
with whey)
Oat bran cereal
Sugary Cereals (think - childhood deliciousness)
Rice Cakes (great for when you have
only 7-10g of carbs left)
White Bread
Whole grain bread
(Pepperidge Farm Carb Style is the
most low cal bread)
Fibrous Carbs (great if your carbs are
low):
All kinds of low sugar
vegetables: broccoli, grean beans,
asparagus, cucumbers, spring mix and
spinach
Low fat popcorn
Candy
Whole grain bagels, and English
muffins
I recommend a minimum of 2 servings
of green vegetables per day to ensure
all micro nutrient requirements are met
Pumpkin puree
(great for baking and in
protein pancakes)
Taco/burrito wraps
(Joseph’s Brand Flax/Whole Wheat
Pita Bread is also low carb - perfect
for sandwiches and pizzas)
Beans
Pasta noodles/whole wheat pasta
Baked chips
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WHAT ARE MY FAVORITE FOODS?
These foods are great recommendations, but are by NO MEANS requirements.
I’ve highlighted some of my favorite food choices in blue!
FATS
Almonds, cashews and various nuts
Avocado
Full-fat cheese
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Fish Oil
Flax oil
Whole Eggs
Butter
Peanut Butter (check out @BuffBake
- my favorites are White Chocolate,
Pumpkin Spice and Snickerdoodle
- code “AmandaBuffBake” for 10%
off).
Almond Butter
Steaks or any non-lean meat
Salmon
Bacon/Turkey bacon
Turkey sausages
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SIDE NOTES:
Carbohydrates:
There are three types of carbohydrates: starch, sugar, and fiber. Starches and sugars provide your
body with its main source of energy. They are all comprised of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, which
are organized into single units. Sugars contain just one or two of these units and are “simple,” while
starches and fibers have many units of sugar, making them “complex.” While your body cannot distinguish the difference between the sources of sugar once it is broken down and absorbed, the food
from which the sugar originated has a huge impact on your overall health. This is why it is important
to eat plenty of complex carbs, but it will not affect your progress if you eat some simple carbohydrate sources as well.
Fiber:
Low fat popcorn, potatoes, Quest bars, Victory bars, veggies, Natural fiber supplements, Nuts, oatmeal, Ole extreme wellness wraps or other varieties of wraps/breads/cereals containing over 5 g of
fiber, Thomas high fiber English Muffins, sandwich thins, high fiber breads, fiber cereal, Flat outs,
flax seed, pumpkin, almond milk (2.5g of fat per cup – always use this) Make sure to consume roughly
15 grams per every 1,000 calories of fiber daily.
Seasonings:
Vermont Maid Sugar free Syrup, Walden Farms Products (the chocolate, caramel, and pancake syrup
are great), sea salt / pepper / basil, Flavor God seasonings (buy online, a bit expensive), Mrs. Dash
seasonings, Butter/ Bacon Cheddar / Garlic Parmesan seasonings (can find near the popcorn), sweetener, Powdered PB2
Ok; so I can chose any combination of foods I want, but what about my health? How much “bad
food” am I allowed to eat?
First things first: Just because you are eating for your “health” does NOT IN ANY WAY mean you
are eating to lose body fat or gain muscle. Even so, the definition of “clean foods” or “healthy foods”
has proven to be incredibly arbitrary. If you would like to read up on “Why Clean Eating is a Myth,”
my favorite article is below:
http://evidencemag.com/clean-eating/?hc_location=ufi
This concept is where the most controversy about flexible dieting has arisen, especially since social
media is flooded with food porn pictures of candy, bagels, pancakes, ice cream, and other delicious
treats that flexible dieters fit into their macro from time to time.
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Before I answer this question, I just want to touch upon the words “good” and “bad,” to describe
foods. I put them in quotes for a reason. When you describe foods as good and bad, you connect
emotions to your food. So if you connect the word “bad” to, let’s say, ice cream, and you decide to eat
some ice cream, how do you feel afterward? BAD. GUILTY. YOU MESSED UP.
How about if you connect the word “healthy” to vegetables, and you ate a salad that day? How do
you feel? GOOD. YOU HAVE WILL POWER. YOU DIDN’T EAT THE BAD FOODS TODAY.
You describe your day of eating as being “good” if you didn’t have any “bad” foods, and you deem
your day as “bad” if you messed up by eating a “bad” food, even in a small amount. See how crazy
this sounds when you say it out loud (or read it in this E-Book…)?
Of course, there are certain foods that are packed with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, antioxidants
[micronutrients] that your body requires to stay as healthy as possible, and to maintain all of its vital
organs and body processes.
Now, my question to you is this – what is your definition of healthy? Health can be defined in many
ways, but the dictionary defines healthy as “Enjoying health and vigor of body, mind, or spirit.”
Health is defined as “the overall condition of someone’s body or mind.” There is no one specific definition to health that encompasses everything we may believe about it, but I will point out that both
definitions contain an aspect of the mind, as well as the physical body.
Ensuring that you have all of the vital macronutrients and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that
your body needs to be your healthiest physical self is important, but ensuring that your relationship
with food allows you to have a healthy mindset, free from any negative emotions that you may connect
to your food is also incredibly important.
With that being said, the amount of “nutritious foods” vs. “non - nutritious foods” that you “should”
be having comes down to you. I always use a rule of thumb of 85% to 15%. Some days, you might
have more of a 75%/25% ratio (maybe you were really craving something yummy, had a dinner date,
or a family event to go to). Some days, you may eat ALL nutritious foods, and not have any cravings
at all (props to you people). As a health care professional and a social media leader or “role model”
some may cal it, it is important for me to promote eating enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean
meats, and “healthy” fats for a well rounded diet. As a normal human being who enjoys a delicious
burger every once in a while, I also find it important to promote balance and mental well-being. So if
that involves eating a bowl of ice cream, eat the damn ice cream and fit it into your macros. But also
eat your veggies. Eat both. Whatever will decrease the risk of potentially binging on large amounts
of food uncontrollably chose that option (I will discuss this further in the chapter “What To Expect
While Cutting).
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On a side note: everyone has a different definition of what “healthy” food is. Those who follow a
vegan diet believe that healthy food is made up of everything that contains no animal products whatsoever. Those who follow a paleo diet believe that the best foods to eat are those that our ancestors
ate: whatever came from the ground, and is not man-made. Others believe that anything that is not
processed (whatever that means in this day and age) is okay to eat. However, whatever eating style
you decide to follow, you are still consuming MACROS. You cannot just “not do macros” because
you “do paleo.” All foods contain a combination of protein, carbs, and/or fats, and as long as you
track them within your limits, you can follow whatever dieting style is of your preference. So eat like a
bro all you want, but if you do not track your food you can still get fat by eating ONLY chicken and
broccoli.
Example: If you eat 4,000 calories of chicken and broccoli everyday, but only burn 3,000
calories each day, your body still has an entire 1,000 calorie excess that was not used for
energy and will most likely be stored as fat. Chicken does not magically get stored as muscle
mass just because it is “clean.” If you’re eating over your calories, you’ll gain weight regardless
of what you’re consuming.
When it really comes down to it, always ask yourself the question “will this help me be my healthiest
self ?” when making food choices. Say you are at a family party, and there is a ton of food that you
want to eat. Ask yourself – is it healthy for me to not eat any of the food here and only eat the food
I brought? If you can still enjoy the party without being angry at family members for eating cake in
front of you, or constantly stare at the hot dogs being grilled, then YES. You probably have a healthy
relationship with food and can stay on track while still enjoying time with your family.
On the other hand – if you cannot stop thinking about the food around you, it may be healthier for
you to enjoy the food that is there. Have some pasta salad. Have a cheeseburger. Will you mess up
your progress? You probably will not ruin all of your hard work with one meal (refer to the “How
Lenient Can I Be?” section). If this helps you feel more relaxed and be able to enjoy your time and
actually make memories that do not involve drooling over food you “can’t” eat, PLEASE do that.
Finally, ask yourself “will this help me be my healthiest self ?” when you choose to pile on a large plate
of everything possible, and go back for seconds, and thirds, and then eat all of the chocolate chip
cookies in the kitchen before they even get set out for dessert.
“Your body hears
everything your mind says.”
- Naomi Judd -
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5
HOW TO TRACK
CERTAIN FOOD
Now that you have your macros set up, have My Fitness Pal set up, and know which foods to eat, you
must learn to track them. This may be quite tricky for beginners. It actually boggles my mind when
people claim that flexible dieters track their macros because they are too lazy to “eat clean,” when
macro tracking is actually a skill that you have to master. You have to like, math. Sometimes.
To track MEAT:
It is far more accurate to track it raw (since it is typically labeled as such on the nutrition label). However, it may not always be realistic to pre- measure all of your packaged chicken directly after you go to
the grocery store and place it in pre-packed plastic bags. It may be easier to defrost the meat and cook
it all at once. IF YOU DO THIS, JUST TRACK YOUR MEAT AS “COOKED” IN MY FITNESS
PAL. The app will usually always have options of cooked vs. uncooked. Choose the closest option
to your brand of food and track that. If you ALWAYS track your food as cooked, it means you are
consistent. Being consistent is more important than being accurate, in this case.
For FRUIT and VEGGIES:
Zero out my scale and take out the amount I need, cut it up as you please, place a bowl on the scale
and zero it out, and then weigh it! (in grams).
EXAMPLE:
1. For an apple – weigh the apple before you eat it, and weigh it after you eat it
(the core) and subtract the difference. MFP almost always has options to track food
in grams if you check the drop down arrow to change the serving.
2. Potatoes: You can either track it raw and track it as raw, or cook them and track
them as cooked. I like cooking my potatoes in the microwave for 5 minutes, and
then transferring them to the skillet and adding seasonings. I do this EVERY
single time, the same exact way.
See where I’m going with this? You have some experimenting to do when you are tracking something
you’ve never tracked before, but figuring out what works best will come with time (be patient, you
never become an expert at something the first time you try it out. Pretend you’re learning how to play
a sport. At first, you may suck. But once you practice everyday you’ll make it up to varsity in no time).
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Should I be tracking my sugar intake? I see that MyFitnessPal automatically sets a goal for me to reach
and not go over. Isn’t too much sugar bad for you? If you are incredibly interested the effects on
sugar on the body, read this article:
http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319
Otherwise, the answer is no. Unless you have a previously diagnosed medical condition in which you
need to track your sugar intake (I.E. Diabetes), and you are a healthy individual, you have no need to
regulate your sugar intake. If you are following your protein, carbs, fat, and FIBER intake, and are
consuming plenty of nutritious foods, you are fine. The problem with “high sugar” diets is that they
are also usually incredibly low in fiber, protein, and other vitamins and minerals. If the only foods
you eat all day are doughnuts, ice cream, and McDonalds, there is a pretty slim chance that you will be
getting all of the nutrients your body requires. Essentially, as long as you are making healthy choices
(AND YOU DO NOT HAVE A PREVIOUSLY DIAGNOSED MEDICAL CONDITION OR
ARE POTENTIALLY AT RISK FOR HAVING ONE), it is almost a guarantee that fruit or a bowl
of ice cream is not going to have a negative effect on your progress.
“A different result
requires doing something different.”
- Gary Keller -
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6
STAPLE MEALS
AND RECIPES
So you finally have your macronutrient numbers, but know NOTHING about which foods contain
which macronutrients (or maybe you do, but aren’t sure how to go about putting them together to
make meals). Shopping can be stressful, especially when you recognize that you cannot easily “fit”
in the foods you are used to eating on a daily basis, and do not know how to properly adjust serving
sizes. Bring on the overwhelming feeling of not knowing what to do, and commence the “I can’t do
this” thoughts followed by eventual frustration and quitting.
NO. This can be combated – not everyone is a PRO macro tracker and can track a whole days worth
of foods in their head. This takes time, practice, and experience.
It is incredibly helpful to:
1. Have a basic understanding of nutrition and health eating
2. Have a “guide” of macro friendly meals that can become staples in your day-to-day routine,
making it less overwhelming to track an entire days worth of food EVERY DAY.
3. Have a few “foundation meals” – meals that you KNOW will always fit your macros, while
helping you reach your nutrition “quota” for the day.
The biggest struggle or change for most people that I recognize is keeping their carbs in check, while
also meeting their daily protein requirements. Most people (females in particular) do not eat enough
protein, plain and simple. Having to try to add in protein to your diet may seem difficult or scary – do
I really have to find more protein filled foods to eat? Do I really have to cook that much meat for each
day to meet my protein requirements? The answer is no. Meat is a fantastic way to meet your protein
level, but it is not necessary (especially if you are vegetarian or vegan).
Over my time tracking food, I have found many protein-filled recipes and “go-to” meals I can use to
meet my protein requirements, and have also found ways to fill my other meals with protein as well.
Although I typically keep it quite simple, these recipes (which can be varied based on your mac
One of the biggest issues and concerns I see when people begin to track their macronutrient intake is
that they have difficulty getting in enough protein without compromising their carbohydrate and fat
intake as well (especially females). Many people do not know how much protein their body actually
requires to function, and often underestimate their need for protein in their diet.
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NOTE: All of these meals can be adjusted in order to best meet your macros. I’ve listed below the
ingredients and what I typically use, but know that the “amount” of any ingredient can be adjusted
to fit your macros.
Here are some of my favorite and “go-to” meals:
Protein Shakes/Protein Ice Cream
- Very simple – a protein shake! Sometimes you don’t need to get fancy, and a blended mix of ice,
almond milk, and a scoop of protein powder will do the trick.
- Blend up 3-6 ice cubes, 1 cup of Almond Milk or Cashew Milk, and 1-2 scoops of protein powder,
add in 1-2 packets of stevia/truvia/sweetener.
- If you want to make it more “ice creamy” – add 10-15 ice creams and an OPTIONAL tsp of
Xanthan Gum for thickness.
Protein Pancakes/Waffles
What do you do when you have little to no carbs left, but what something sweet and filling?
- Mix 1-2 servings of egg whites (or a whole egg for fluffier pancakes), 1 scoop of Protein Powder,
1 tbsp of baking powder.
- Whisk ingredients together and cook like a pancake or in a waffle maker!
Omelets
- There are several ways you can make egg white (or even adding in whole eggs) delicious and
incredibly filling.
- I tend to use extra vegetables, finely chop them and throw them in the skillet (I almost always will
cook with cooking spray or butter spray so I don’t have to use fat from oil)
- Tomato, Broccoli, Peppers, Onions
- Use 100-200g of egg whites, and/or 1-2 whole eggs
- Top with 28g of full fat or fat-free cheese and Reduced Sugar Ketchup
Salads
- Simple and easy. A salad with a ton of veggies can easily keep you full with pretty low calories
- You can use romaine, spring mix, arugula, kale, baby spinach, etc.
- Add in tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onions, or any other vegetables you like
Note: Make sure you weigh and track your vegetables if you are keeping a close eye on your
macro count. They still contain carbs, even if in small amounts.
- Add any kind of cheese
- Add dressing: I love using store brand Honey Mustard (the kind with 2g of carbs per serving),
Balsamic Vinaigrette, Fat Free Italian Dressing, any dressing you can fit in your macros!,
- A zero cal dressing: regular mustard, a few drops of lemon juice, a bit of apple cider vinegar, and 1-2
packets of sweetener. Mix together and you get a thick, sweet tasting dressing!
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“Bro Meals”
Sometimes, keeping it simple can be super convenient when you have a hectic life. A simple
chicken/lean ground meat with brown rice or sweet potato and a vegetable can be very easily cooked
and prepped for the next few days. Meal prep is incredibly helpful when you’re constantly on the go,
and having meals precooked and weighed makes it easy to stay on track and save time. If anything, I
will always have my meat pre-cooked.
Why do we call this a bro meal? Look up #BroScience and you’ll get why. Many fitness gurus
out there think that there are magical properties in eating this meal multiple times a day and many
restrictive diets subject you to eating this meal and this meal only. Obviously, this is not based off of
any legitimate research or science, so we call it a “bro” meal. After eating it 3-5 times a day everyday,
most bro’s get sick of it. Too bad.
Protein Cookie Dough
This recipe is courtesy of @baking_and_bikinis (check her out on Instagram)! I have eaten it almost
every day of my prep so far because 1. It is very filling and perfect for pre or post workout 2. You can
easily adjust the macros for less carbs 3. WHO DOESN’T LIKE TO EAT COOKIE DOUGH?!?
Step1: Mix dry ingredients:
- 1 scoop of PEScience Snickerdoodle or PB Cup Whey
- AMANDA – for 15% off!
- 2 tbsp (14 grams) coconut flour
- 2 tbsp (12 grams) Powdered PB2
- 1-2 packets of sweetener
- 14 grams of mini chocolate chips
Step 2: Mix wet ingredients:
- 20grams (or 2 tbsp) of pumpkin puree or unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp of unsweetened almond milk (start with 1, and add another if you need to)
- Blend wet into dry very slowly (you may have to add a tiny tiny bit of water or almond milk
for it to mix all the way
- Place mixture in saran wrap or a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator overnight. Eat and
enjoy in the morning!
If you want to see more food/meal ideas, be sure to follow my SnapChat and MyFitnessPal accounts
- amandabucci! I post almost all of my meals when I eat them on there (when I remember/am not
too ravenous to remember to take a picture before eating!)
You can also head to www.youtube.com/amandabuccifit to see IIFYM FULL DAY OF EATING
vlogs and meal ideas that I post with the recipe and macros listed!
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7
HOW LENIENT CAN
I REALLY BE?
In my experience and in working with my clients, everyone has different goals. Wait, not everyone
wants to be a shredded freak like the people on the magazines? Crazy right? Many people just want
to live a healthier lifestyle than they do currently. Some people want to look slender, but don’t feel
the need to have a lot of muscle definition. Depending on what your goals are for your fitness and
nutrition journey depends on how lenient you can be.
Level 1 – Strict and Rigid
You meet your macros all day, everyday, and your highest priority is preventing any potential set backs
to your progress. I would consider this stage contest-prep, or someone who has multiple appearances
and photoshoots. If you have goals in mind, and feel as though you have the determination and a
healthy enough mindset to be incredibly strict with your macros, you would be what I consider “Level 1.” This would be the ideal macro tracker – meets all goals within +/- 5 grams (even 0-4, to be
precise) everyday because being accurate and consistent is a top priority in order to meet their goals.
This person will not be lenient with what they eat OUTSIDE of their tracked macros, but they will
allow themselves to eat foods that they enjoy within the macronutrient range. This person may also be
focused on eating a majority of “healthier” whole, nutritious foods in order to ensure that their body
is in absolute perfect condition, to the best of their ability. This person wants no variables getting in
their way of success.
Level 2 – Strict With Some Leg Room
You have a set macro ratio that you plan to follow everyday, but you may follow your macros loosely.
You may follow your macros 5-7 days of the week, but don’t stress about a couple of extra bites of
French fries that your friend offered you when you went out to lunch and ordered your pre- tracked
salad. This won’t affect you mentally because you know that it will not affect your progress THAT
much. You may not be strict about getting in your fiber daily or you micronutrients daily, but even
tracking your macros is something that is considered healthy for you. From level 2 and up, just recognize that your progress may or may not be affected by the rate at which you do not stick to your
macros.
Level 3 – Close But No Cigar
You may know what your macros are, or you may not. However, you do know that calories in vs.
calories out determine weight loss. You may be more focused on just making sure that you do not go
over your daily calorie totals than meeting your macros daily. You may actually even be struggling to
meet your macros daily, because you do not have that set very high on your priority list. You may be
comfortable with your body the way it is and just focus more on eating as healthy as you can, when
it is convenient.
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Level 4 - Screw It
What’s a macro? You just like to eat. You don’t track. You don’t worry bout it.
Regardless of which level you are at, you have to make sure that it works for YOU, YOUR GOALS,
YOUR SCHEDULE, AND YOUR LIFE. That is why cookie cutter diets do not work the majority
of the time. If you aren’t given a plan that fits into your life, you will be set up for failure.
“Make sure every day you
do what matters most. When you know
what matters most, everything makes sense.
When you don’t know what matters
most, anything makes sense.
- Gary Keller -
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8
FOOD AND A
SOCIAL LIFE
Social events, going out to dinner, and unexpected inconveniences HAPPEN, especially when you
are trying to diet (okay, they happen regardless, but when you have fitness goals they become more
important, no?) When you have a meal plan that you have to stick to, it works great when you are in
the safety and security of your own routine. Your kitchen is safe, and everything you are allowed to
eat is in there. But what if you are rushing one day and forget your Tupperware at home? Or what if
you have an event that you really would like to go to, but don’t want to put yourself in the position
to be around a lot of food you are “not allowed to eat?” This is where the “flexible” part of flexible
dieting comes in handy.
Of course, the more often that you chose eat out, the more you may have to account for the possible
variability in portion sizes, or the way the food is prepared (is it cooked with oil? Butter? Seasonings?
How much?)
Here’s what you can do to make your dining out experience enjoyable and still on track:
My first and most important recommendation is to log your whole day ahead of time. Pick high
protein, lower calorie options to give yourself some room to order something you actually enjoy, or
leave room for variability. Keep an eye on your fiber, vitamin a, vitamin c and calcium after entering
breakfast, lunch and snacks. (My goal is always to get 100% of these in before I even pick my dinner,
and I only leave about 20g of protein for dinner. After you’ve done this see what you have left). You
may prefer to order a salad at dinner in order to not be starving the rest of the day, or you may want
to order a plate of pasta and leave yourself the extra calories so you can do so.
First: Always check what the menu has before you go. Many restaurants and food establishments
have their menus online, so you can scope out the options beforehand. You can more than likely find
an option that will fit your macros and is still satisfying! Many chain restaurants even have nutrition
facts on their website or already logged into myfitnesspal.
Second: Call and ask how large their meat portions are before you go (if you plan to order a protein).
You can always bring your food scale to weigh your food once you have it, but sometimes it’s easier to
call ahead so you don’t have to feel embarrassed asking or doing that when you get there. Personally,
I have no problem bringing my food scale to restaurants so I can ensure I am staying on track. Put it
on a side plate, zero it out, and just eat that portion you had planned for yourself.
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Third: Ask your server for no added oil, butter, or sauces while cooking and always get dressing on
the side. Again; anything that you cannot measure you cannot control. The less control you have over
your meal out, the more you will have to estimate (and in turn potentially deter your progress).
Fourth: Don’t starve yourself before your meal so you can “save your hunger” for the potential large
portions. Eat something small before you go to prevent you from eating the entire breadbasket before
you even have a chance to look at the menu! No ones will power is that strong when they’re hangry
(hungry-angry, in case you didn’t know.)
Alcohol: As a disclaimer, it’s important to note that alcohol is it’s own separate “macro” essentially,
meaning it does not fall under the category of protein, carbs, or fats. However, it has zero nutritional
value, and can actually be harmful to your progress in the gym if done on a regular basis / more than
frequently.
If you’re going to have drinks, choose a lower calorie option like a salad or “lighter fare” for dinner.
After you’ve entered dinner, see how many calories you have left for drinks. This is where it gets kind
of tricky. Pick your drinks and add up the calories (typically you can find the calories for particular
liquors, beers, and wines online as well).
From there, you will need to “create food” on MFP and enter the calories. (This is because alcohol
is it’s own macro entirely and it’s not generally part of our equation as macro counters or on MFP).
Let’s do an example:
You chose a drink that is 150 calories each. Let’s say it’s a vodka soda. For tracking purposes,
take these calories from either carbs or fat (as you cannot track alcohol in myfitnesspal, but
please recognize that Alcohol is it’s own macronutrient [without any actual nutrients] in it of
itself).
You can make them 100 calories of carbs, and 50 calories of fat (100 calories/4calories per
gram and 50 calories/9 calories per gram= 25g carbs and 5.5g fat each=150 cals), and multiply
that times 3 drinks. So use 75g of carbs and 16.5g fat for drinks.
Of course, you can add in your drink in whichever which way you like, but taking the alcohol calories
away from your carbs is the most efficient. Also note that anything past two drinks may affect Muscle
Protein Synthesis (AKA you could lose some gains in the process).
If you do not want potential added calories from your drink, chose a drink with a 0 or low calorie
mixer (vodka soda, captain and diet, gin and tonic, etc). If you have a really tough time straying away
from your Grateful Dead or Long Island Iced Tea, just go ahead and be in the “screw it” phase of
tracking because you’ll more than likely end up going far, far over your calorie allotment.
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Lastly – you are allowed to say NO to drinking, and NOT just because you are on a “diet” or you have
an excuse. Those who support you, understand your goals, and cheer you on will not be bothered by
whether or not you chose to drink along side them when you are focusing on bettering yourself. You
also do not have to hide in your room when people whip out the bottle of tequila. Find a way to create
balance and peace in your life by focusing on your goals, but still living a normal life. Don’t coop yourself up in your room, and enjoy the time you spend with loved ones (look at it as an opportunity to
practice self-control and strengthening the mind). Being on two competition seasons all while living in
a college house setting, I have had my fair share of time spent with alcohol and I almost always chose
not to drink (especially during prep). But I also almost always chose to hang out with my friends until
they head out for the bar, or even go ahead and go myself and be the DD.
“The minute that
you’re not learning, you’re dead.”
- Jack Nicholson -
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9
WHAT TO EXPECT IN
A FAT LOSS PHASE
You made it through 31 pages of this e-book and you are FINALLY ready to learn about how to
adjust your macros! Most people decide that they want to lose body fat right away, and cannot imagine
“bulking” first. When I first consult with a client, I make sure that the starting macros that we have
estimated are at a healthy enough point to begin a cut. If someone already has a low macronutrient
breakdown for their body based on what they are currently doing with their nutrition in combination
with their physical state, I am VERY hesitant to begin cutting their calories.
Many people want quick results (and I am guilty of this myself; we are only human). That is what
social media tells us possible, right? Six-week transformation, 12-week transformation, 15 week contest prep. But how often do you see three-year transformations, or five years, or 10? HOW OFTEN
TO PEOPLE BEGIN A DIET, LOSE BODYFAT, AND ACTUALLY KEEP IT OFF WITHOUT
REBOUNDING?
I’ll tell you this; not very often. The reason most “diets” fail is because they are NOT SUSTAINABLE. If you do not plan on making fitness and nutrition a lifestyle change, instead of a short diet,
stop now. If it does not help you in the long run, it will more than likely cause you more problems
than you can even imagine.
“Cutting” means that you are purposely trying to lose weight (preferably body fat), and therefore are
eating in a caloric deficit (and probably doing more cardio to assist in the process). The rate at which
you cut is going to determine how quickly this progress ensues. So the quicker I cut calories, the faster
I’ll see results, right? Not so much guys slow down.
Cutting calories too rapidly for your body can severely alter your hormonal system and important
body processes. It can decrease testosterone, increase cortisol, and tamper with your metabolism. Of
course, body builders are the masters of perfecting their physiques, and almost all of them bulk and
cut (mostly for competition purposes, and spend the time in between their competition gaining more
muscle so they can look better next time they step on stage.) If you are not competing, I recommend
cutting fat or building muscle at a moderately slow pace. By doing this, you will AVOID the psychological effects of cutting and bulking phases (yes, there is more to it than just looking shredded.)
Another important fact to mention is that if you are completely new to resistance training or have
never experienced any type of dieting, it is possible to build muscle and lose fat at the same time (newbie gains). As I said previously, those who have spent a lot of time manipulating their macros and are
incredibly experienced are also able to slowly manipulate their macros in a slow, controlled manner
and do the same (this is what many call body recomposition).
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So here are some things to ask yourself before you decide to put yourself into a caloric deficit are:
1. Will decreasing my calories lower than they are at my starting point help me be my
healthiest self ?
2. Am I cutting because I have to look my best for an event? Or am I planning on cutting
because I want to look my best for myself ?
3. Would cutting my calories cause my body harm?
4. Would cutting my calories affect me negatively mentally?
If you have answered these questions and decided that starting a cutting phase would be a solid option
for you, let’s get right into it.
When you begin to cut calories, it becomes a bit more important to be on point with your macros
in order to make sure you’re progressing correctly. If you are not meeting your macros, how do you
know whether or not the macros you had planned for the week are helping you progress?
If you are first tracking your macros, I recommend CLOSELY tracking your progress for a solid two
weeks. Since your starting macros are typically an estimate based off of a variety of factors, keeping
tabs on your:
1. Weight
2. Body composition (progress pictures)
3. Measurements (take starting measurements for awesome comparisons to look back on!)
4. Any other body changes (energy levels, moodiness, hormones for you ladies).
By doing this, you will be able to notice whether or not your macros are working in the direction
you want them to. Side note: I always like to remind people that the number on the scale is NOT the
end all be all to your progress. If any of my clients ever start to express anxiety or negative emotions
about the scale, it is the first thing I will tell them to stop tracking as closely. Typically, if you are losing
body fat, you are also losing weight. But DAY-TO-DAY weights CONSTANTLY fluctuate for many
reasons. Your FOOD SOURCES could be differentfrom day to day, with different volumes, making
you weigh more or less on different days. If you drink more or less water in a day, can have an affect
on your weight. If you are a female and are on your menstrual cycle, this could have a huge effect on
your weight (for this, either skip the scale for a few days or compare your weights to your weights from
your last cycle). You can either do an average weekly weight (add up your weights for the week, divide
by 7, and compare to your average from the week before) or just try to weigh yourself once a week
(which isn’t the best gauge due to daily fluctuations). Do what works for YOU.
This is truly, a general guideline, so you can either go by the lower or the higher depending on how
quickly you would like to progress. Below, I discuss the pros and cons of rates of cutting your calories.
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How Quickly Should I Cut my Calories?
There are a few different options when cutting calories, and depending on your goals, one may be
better for you than another. Let’s say that you can be in a small (15% below maintenance), medium
(20%), or large caloric deficit (25%). Variables that can change according to the size of your caloric
deficit include: rate of fat loss, adherence to your plan, performance in the gym, muscle loss, and
metabolic adaptation.
Of course, a large deficit will produce the highest rate of fat loss. (WOOHOO I WANT THAT
ONE). Now, not so fast. Larger caloric deficits make it far more difficult to train, recover from workouts, improve your performance, not get hungry, retain your hard earned, fat burning muscle, and
continue burning fat for a long period of time. With large deficits, your body eventually will decrease
in levels of leptin, thyroid, and other hormones that help you to burn fat efficiently. Although you lose
fat the fastest initially and provides you with huge immediate gratification, the “cons” list is longer
than the “pros” list. Large deficits will destroy your ability to train at an intense level, and therefore
you will be burning less calories overall (essentially, making it harder to continuously lose fat after the
initial drop in weight). It requires self-deprivation and food restriction, which can encourage eating
disorder symptoms including BINGE EATING and YO-YO dieting. This is a huge, huge problem in
today’s world. I cannot explain to you the amount of emails I get from individuals who are recovering
from restrictive eating diets and who now suffer from these types of mental problems. Large deficits
increase the risk of nutrition deficiencies if maintained for too long. And lastly, it diminishes longterm habits to stay lean and keep the initial weight you lost off. I do not recommend this level of a
caloric deficit, because if you cannot sustain your diet for longer than a few weeks or months, chances
are it will fail. You will be disappointed. And you will create more problems for yourself in the long
run than you think.
Small calorie deficits (or the other end of the spectrum) will absolutely not provide you with immediate gratification. You will have to be far more adherent to your program, even if you are not seeing the
results right away (yes, this can be incredibly frustrating. Like, where are my abs already?). This level
requires more patience, consistency, and diligence on your margin of error while tracking. However,
this diet will be far easier. You will not have to make such drastic changes, and it may not even feel like
you are dieting for weeks and even months, allowing you to continue on with your lifestyle without
having to be so drastic to change. You will probably not feel hungry for quite some time as well (which
is of course, variable to each individual). You will have higher energy levels, decrease mood problems,
and less risk for muscle loss or decrease gym performance. You will drastically reduce your risk for
muscle loss, especially if you are already lean. Holding onto as much muscle as possible is incredibly
important since 1. You worked damn hard to build the muscle you already have and 2. The more muscle you have, the higher your BMR is, and the more fat you will burn continuously, throughout the day.
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Medium deficits are typically somewhere in between the two extremes. When cutting calories, a safe
recommendation is to adjust carbohydrates by 5-15g as needed, and fats by 2-8g as needed. Everyone is unique and will respond differently to macronutrient manipulation. That is why it is incredibly
important to track your progress with weights, progress pictures, measurements, strength gains and
losses, and energy levels during your cutting phase. By doing this, you’ll be able to understand how
YOU PERSONALLY respond best to your macro manipulations, which will allow you to learn, gain
experience, and maximize your results
Here are some of my tips for how to get through your cutting phase:
1. Volume Eating: When your calories are lower, being hungry is something that may or may not
happen. If it does, VOLUME EATING is one of the main things you can do to combat it.
The simple image above shows that volume eating means EAT MORE VEGETABLES! Vegetables
are super low in calorie, so eating a whole entire plate of them (let’s say, 20g of carbs worth) will leave
you feeling far more full than eating 2 Oreos will (also around 20g of carbs) because Oreo’s are incredibly low volume. Oreo’s are delicious, so eat them if you want – but once your stomach stars growling,
you’re going to want to satisfy it. You will also have to spend the rest of the day getting in your fiber
with the rest of your carbs. One of my favorite VOLUME EATING YouTube videos HERE.
2. Soda Water/Diet Soda: This is one of my “Pro Tips,” sparkling water with lemon and flavored soda water can be incredibly helpful when you are in a bind with calories and want to stay full.
Of course, drinking plenty of flat water is important and will help you stay full as well, but there is
something about bubbles filling your stomach that not only quenches your thirst, but also makes you
pretty “full” even if it is temporarily.
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Now, I am not going to get into artificial flavors and sweeteners (too much controversy, not enough
patience) but anything with zer0 calories, or less than 3g of carbs (I will stick track a sugar free energy
drink if I am in prep, won’t if I’m not) is NOT GOING TO AFFECT YOUR BODY COMPOSITION OR PROGRESS. There is debate about the acidity in artificially flavored beverages having an
affect on your body’s acidity level, but that is not what this e-book is for. I will not get into artificial
sweeteners, GMOs, processed foods, or any of that. There are research articles for those topics, look
them up. Educate yourselves. Pay attention to the source; and whether or not it is an evidence based,
peer reviewed article, or an article from a fitness website. I will say, that artificial sweeteners have personally caused me to have more cravings and trigger hunger while I am on lower calories, so although
they may be helpful they have potential to be harmful on an individual basis.
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/food-fears/
P.S. If you are really interested in reading my stance on food chemicals, the article above is in line with
that.
3. Relaxing the mind: Amanda, what does that even MEAN? Relax my mind? There are a couple
of points I would like to make here:
1. While cutting, you will more than likely experience many, many instances where your psyche
will be challenged. Someone may have literally offered you a delicious looking, home made chocolate
chip cookie and put it in your hand. You are on a cut (how rude of them, right?). You have a few
options here, and being on low calories has the potential to influence your decision. Do you give in?
Do you adjust your macros so you can eat it? Do you say screw it? What is this person going to think
about my reaction? This will happen, and it will happen often. No one is going to remember that you
are on a diet, and even your closest friends and family will forget sometimes. THAT IS NOT THEIR
FAULT. In order to not let this affect you mentally, you need to “relax your mind.”
2. With flexible dieting, it is important to note that you are making progress eating the foods
you enjoy. You may chose to enjoy two Hershey Kisses that day, but not the cookie offered to you.
It is important to recognize that what you chose to put into your body is your choice, and you have
control over it. Allowing the temptation get to you can impact you negatively. If you focus on remembering your worth, your power and strength, and your goals, no external factor can affect you. Relax,
remember that you are awesome, and politely decline the cookie and move along your way (or eat the
cookie and enjoy it, all up to you).
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4. Constant Motivation: For many, when the effects of a cut start to kick in, some hunger,
fatigue, maybe moodiness, maybe some I-just-want-a-damn-cheeseburger feels, keeping up the motivation you had in the beginning is not an easy task. Getting to the gym seems more like a chore, and
you just want to give up. This is really the time to take a step back and examine where you are.
Remind yourself why you started and what your goals are – you freaking LOVE
training, and you want to feel confident in your own skin. Just because things are getting difficult, doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Really, truly believe you can continue and persevere is important. “If it was easy, everyone would do it” (yes, it also helps to look up inspirational quotes
on Instagram or videos on YouTube when you’re feeling a lack of motivation. As corny as you
may think it is, it helps).
Even looking back at your old progress pictures and comparing them to see your progress can
bring back that bad-assery you had when you first started! If you aren’t already, you should be
making weekly check in’s with your coach or yourself to compare your progress as well!
Don’t be too hard on yourself. You ate seven grams over your carbs last night? Honestly, don’t
sweat it. Slip-ups are not going to ruin your progress (or kill you, contrary to what you may think)
especially if they are rare. Just move on, and start the next day as if it never happened and it is a completely new day. You are a human, not a robot my friend. RELAX!
Change your training split. One of my favorite ways to motivate myself is to change up my
weekly workouts, or even just switch up my training split. If you have someone (who is knowledgeable, of course) doing your workouts for you, ask them if they think it is a good idea to change your
training split. Of course, there are some splits that are more optimal than others, and may also vary
depending on your goals (strength, aesthetics, etc.) but there are many different ways you can go about
your week and having something NEW can re-ignite your EXCITEMENT about the gym!
Give yourself a break. If you’ve been at it for a while, have stayed on point, and are not prepping for a show – give yourself a diet break. No, this does not mean go on an eating rampage and
eat everything possible (that is another topic entirely, which I’ll get to…don’t worry). But it is ok to
give yourself time off from tracking, even if it is a day. Depending on what your goals are, including
reefed days into your cutting diet may actually allow you to continue burning fat during a plateau (will
also get to this!).
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5. Staying energized: When you’re in the middle of the hustle and bustle of life, sleep may or
may not be very low on your priority list. However, you may not recognize how important sleep is to
your progress and recovery. I’m putting sleep and water at the absolute top of my list of “tricks” to
keep your energy levels up on a cut, because they’re the most obvious yet underrated factors. Here’s
why:
1. Sleep affects your metabolism – not getting enough may even cause it to slow down, and
increase the “ghrelin” hormone, which makes you hungry. That combined with wanting to eat
to get your energy that you lost from not getting enough sleep is just setting yourself up for
failure.
2. Stress – not enough sleep leads to crankiness, lack of ability to concentrate, and release of
cortisol, which can also cause problems when you are trying to drop body fat. Never mind
that it is going to hinder your progress, your health is at risk as well. Sleep can cause inflam
mation, impaired immune response, and increase cardiac problems.
3. You’re significantly less optimistic. Your normal, motivated, social, and optimistic character
qualities go out the window. When you’re already worried about how your cut is going, your
social life, your job, school, etc. lack of motivation can be deadly. Your mental health is just as
important as your physical health, so making sure you stay positive relies heavily on getting
plenty of rest.
4. Water makes up more than 2/3 of your body. All humans REQUIRE water to survive (yes,
this should be common knowledge, but I do know that some people who do not drink water).
Water helps remove waste from the body, transport nutrients to all of your vital organs, and
allow you to thrive throughout the day. When you are dehydrated, it is incredibly easy to be
come fatigued and lose strength and endurance (since muscles are made up of 75% water). In
order to perform at 100% in the gym, being hydrated and getting enough is far, far more
important than you think. When you exercise, you lose water through sweat and energy ex
ertion, and you lose oxygen to your muscles making it incredibly difficult to 1. Keep going 2.
Get a pump. What I’m saying is….drink your damn water. And sleep enough. End of story.
5. Branched-Chain Amino Acids are nutrients that your body is able to get from protein-based
foods (they include leucine, isoleucine, and valine). You can also get Amino Acid supplements
in powder or pill form (my favorite is Cellucor Watermelon Alpha Aminos!). They help to
stimulate the building of protein in the muscle and reduce muscle breakdown from occur
ring, especially during your workouts when you are essentially ripping your muscles to shreds.
Your muscle grows when they tiny micro-rips repair themselves, and amino acids help to aid
in that rebuilding process and allow for a smoother recovery.
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). Carbs are your body’s main source of energy. Your pre and post- workout nutrition should consist of
25% of your daily carbohydrate intake in EACH in order to have enough energy to train (eat 1-2 hours
pre-workout so your meal can be digested and used as energy) and to recover/replenish your muscles
with glycogen (the stored form of carbohydrates). Post-workout, your body will move in the direction
of muscle catabolism (as it has used all of it’s carbs during your workout) so making sure you eat carbohydrates post workout is essential (and yes, protein is essential post workout as well to boost muscle
protein synthesis but the “anabolic window” is NOT 30 minutes post workout like many people may tell
you!). If you plan to have any fast-digesting carbohydrates (AKA something sugary) throughout your
day, it is optimal to choose to eat these post workouts. So have a nice heavy training session and enjoy
your post workout doughnut (if it fits your macros).
1. Caffeine is easily the most widely used drug in America. Coffee, energy drinks, pre-workout, more coffee…sound familiar? Caffeine IS addicting, and many people use it to get them through
the day. Depending on how you react to caffeine, you could be fine with this – however, too much caffeine could affect your energy levels. When you consume large amounts of caffeine, you go through a
sort of high and low cycle of feeling stimulated and then crashing. It may be subtle and less noticeable,
but limiting your caffeine intake (or doing your best to) may actually make you feel less tired than you
were 4 coffees deep.
Carb Cycling
Carb cycling is an option that you can incorporate into your fat loss stage of dieting for a number of
reasons. Cycling essentially means that you are taking in a range of carbohydrates throughout the week
(low, medium [optional] and high) that is of course, dependent on each individual. You may have heard
of using “reefed” days, where you lower your fat intake and increase your carbohydrate intake to replenish the loss of Leptin (the KING of all fat burning hormones) that drops during dieting phases or
periods of a caloric deficit in order to spare body fat. The body recognizes a caloric deficit as a sort of
“emergency” situation, and compensates by lowering the levels of fat burning hormones in order to
hold on to as much fat as possible.
There is data to show that lowering your fat levels on higher carb days is not necessarily as beneficial
as people believed to be years ago, so having normal, scheduled high carb days already set in your cycle
will serve the same purpose. As a disclaimer, there are situations where your lower carb days are there
to reduce body fat and put you in a caloric deficit, and the higher carb days are there to get you back
to your current metabolic maintenance. Low carb days also deplete your muscles of glycogen (making
them look flat and less full), so replenishing your glycogen stores on high carb days will help to fill your
muscles back up (as to why you hear of competitors “carbing up” before a show).
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The leaner you are, the more often you will need to
have high carb days or reefed. High carb days not
only help you to continue burning fat, but they help
your sanity during dieting phases knowing that you’ll
be able to enjoy extra carbs every few days or so,
making low carb days more bearable.
There are different ways to organize a carb cycle, but
the most efficient that I have found is having a cycle
between a few low carb days in a row, followed by a
high carb day (again, depending on how lean you are
or how deep into your cut you are). You may need
to experiment for 2-3 weeks to see how your body
reacts to your carb cycle, similarly to how you would
closely pay attention to how it reacts to your starting
macros (OR you could hire a coach who is more
experienced to do this part for you! Also something
that I offer on my website).
Check out my YouTube Video on carb cycling for more information: Carb-Cycling Video Link
Binging/Post-Show
This is a subject I really wanted to discuss in this E-book. With the amount of emails, snap chats, Facebook messages, and Instagram direct messages I get about how to overcome binging or how to reduce
binging episodes, I feel that a lot of people can benefit from even reading a bit about the topic form
someone who has gone through it and overcome it. For those of you who don’t know, I have had issues
with binging in the past. It was not serious, and it did not last long, but those thoughts and habits truly
never go away once they happen once. Binging can be a constant, daily struggle that you may have to
deal with more often than you like to.
Binging is basically a period of excessive, uncontrolled indulgence. You can be a “binge drinker” who
uncontrollably drinks, or you can be a Netflix binger who spends hours on hours watching your favorite TV series on Netflix. The most common form of binging (in the fitness world, anyway) is with
food. This does not mean you ate way too much on Thanksgiving. This means that you eat more food
than others in the same situation, you cannot control how much you eat, you eat quickly, you may continue eating even after the point of fullness, you may eat alone, and you more than likely feel incredibly
guilty or disgusted with yourself by the time you magically stop eating after potentially thousands of
unplanned calories over the span of 5-10 minutes.
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As a professional, I always recommend going to your doctor, specialist, psychiatrist, or psychologist for
treatment if this becomes a serious problem. You may find help from therapy, and you may find your
doctor can also treat underlying problems that trigger the binging that.
However, that is not what this section is meant for. This is meant for ME to explain to YOU how I personally overcame binging, and how I have seen it work for other people in the past. I read a book called
“Brain Over Binge” by Kathryn Hansen, and reading that truly stopped me from ever binging again (I
highly recommend reading it all the way through). My main takeaway from this book was this: You may
have underlying problems that are triggering your binging (stress, home life, school, being hungry) but
you also may NOT. You may binge regardless of whether or not you have stress in your life – so why
try to focus on treating anything else BUT the “urge to binge?” The “urge” is the main reason why you
start thinking about binging, and there are only so many times that you can resist that urge. That urge
taunts the hell out of you until you finally give into it – leading you to feel guilty, ashamed, disgusting,
etc. and wondering why you ever gave into it. So yes, therapy can be helpful when you have other problems going on – but the urge to binge can not be treated with therapy unless that therapy focuses on
dissolving that urge.
How do you control this urge, you ask? Kathryn talked about recognizing the urge as part of your
subconscious mind – a separate entity from your conscious mind. The urge itself is the devil on your
shoulder telling you to do things. When you recognize the urge as a separate part of your brain, you also
recognize that your conscious self does not have to listen to your subconscious self. Your subconscious
does not control the voluntary actions that your conscious self does, so when you sit and say “I do not
have to act on my urge to binge because it is telling me to,” it becomes infinitely easier to not binge.
You can control your own brain; you just need to take the time to think about it. When you step back
and recognize it – take a solid five minutes to listen to the urge. Let it talk to you – hear it out, let its take
its course - and then DON’T ACT ON IT. You may even have a calendar saying “X amounts of days
without binging,” and the longer you can extend those days, the easier it is to quit. Again, I would never
recommend not seeking out professional help, but maybe you could try this first and see how it works.
I also found that journaling about my binges and writing down exactly what I ate and how much helped
immensely. When you binge, you honestly may feel like you are a zombie and don’t even know what
you’re eating. You don’t track it; you just stuff as much food into your face as possible. When you go
back and write down what it was, you may feel that “disgust” but it may also help you to prevent a second one, especially by re-reading your journals. I actually got a journaling app on my phone when I was
feeling down, and being my own person to vent to helped me to feel less pity for myself.
Having someone who is there for you who knows about your binges can help keep you accountable.
You can tell this person when you are going to binge, or if you already did – and the act of telling someone else makes it less of a secret.
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Binging issues can really happen at any time during a period of dieting where you are restricting yourself
of calories, or particular food groups. It is inevitable that you may get tired or hungry during a cut and
feel the urge to binge, but if you are on a cut AND restricting foods and food groups, that risk increases significantly. What happens when you tell yourself (or someone you’re a female, you probably are
terrified of the word bulking. “Bulk? But I want to be small and feminine. I don’t want to get too big!”
Hopefully after reading this next section, we can dismiss your fear of having a bulk season.
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you.
If you run into a wall, don’t turn around
and give up. Figure out how to climb it,
go through it, or work around it.
- Michael Jordan -
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10
WHAT TO EXPECT IN A
MUSCLE-BUILDING PHASE
Similar to “the rate at which you decrease calories,” the rate at which you add calories follows all of the
same concepts.
With cutting calories, you want to:
1. Cut slow enough in order to drop body fat
2. Cut slow enough in order to retain hard, earned muscle
3. Cut slow enough in order to retain optimal amounts of energy to last you through the day and
your workouts.
4. The slower you do this, the easier these goals become.
With increasing calories, you want to:
1. Increase slow enough to gain as little body fat as possible (if aesthetics are one of your main
goals)
2. Increase slow enough where you are still building muscle (which won’t really happen until you
get up past your maintenance calories.
There are arguments out there that say in order to build the most muscle in your off season, you should
take no more than 3 weeks to get back to maintenance calories. However, if you want to lessen the
chances of gaining excess body fat, increase calories at the same rate that you cut calories.)
Many people actually believe reverse dieting is more difficult than cutting! Funny enough, it’s actually
excruciating to only add 5-15 grams of carbs and 2-8 grams of fat each week post show when all you
(and your body) crave is more food. Continuing to follow a plan and exhibit continued determination
ain’t easy. Like I said earlier, your guard is down and you have less of a reason to “stick to your plan”
without a show or deadline in front of you.
Some people are what we call “hyper-responders” increasing caloric intake. Some people (who are not
reverse dieting out of a competition of some sort) actually lose body fat at first. You may have seen
transformation pictures of people who look significantly better and are eating 1,000 more calories than
they were a few months ago. Although this is possible, it is probably unrealistic for most. You will gain
weight, you will see the scale go up, and you won’t be contest shredded anymore. Realistically, getting
down to a contest-lean look is not something that is maintainable all year – especially if you had to diet
down on low calories to get there. HOWEVER – if you spend enough time reverse dieting, and do it
slowly, there is a chance you will be able to maintain a lean look that you feel comfortable with for more
than 1 month out of the year, while also gaining muscle and making GAINS!!!
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Which leads me to my next subject – gains. Gains mean muscle gains and body fat gains (to a certain
extent). Most people believe that bulking season is where they gain 20 lbs of muscle and 10 lbs of fat, so
when they step on stage next they have 20 extra lbs of muscle. Nope, that’s not how it works. IF YOU
ARE NATURAL – gaining muscle is a long, and extensive process (especially if you are a female). Depending on how new you are to lifting, you will still need to spend a significant amount of time in caloric
excess in order to gain muscle. If you are new to lifting like I had mentioned previously, you will likely
see muscle gain along with fat loss (that’s for you teenagers and new lifters – TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
THIS TIME TO BUILD MUSCLE!).
One of the things many people struggle with is gaining weight, growing, and getting bigger. Being small
and tiny seems to be the only way society will accept females lately – “too big,” “too bulky,” and “too
manly” are all problematic phrases because it prevents females from embracing muscle building. Muscle
building is your BEST FRIEND when you eventually want to burn fat, but you have to actually spend
time BUILDING it first! You need to eat in a caloric excess to build muscle and to grow the curves that
you really want to achieve that fit- look. You want a booty? You have to eat to grow it, end of story. So
embrace the extra calories and MAKE THOSE GAINS.
This time may be a bit of a mind game. You DON’T see yourself “improving” everyday in the mirror
like you would during a cut. You WON’T (usually) see the scale move down like you would during a cut.
You WON’T (usually) see yourself getting smaller and being able to see your muscles more clearly. But
you WILL gain energy to kill every single one of your lifts like a bad-ass. You WILL see weight gain,
but you’ll also see muscles grow and see your gains in the mirror. As your body changes and your season
changes, so should your mindset and your goals. Having goals that coordinate with what you are trying
to do is important in staying grounded. When you are building muscle, it’s important to pay attention
to your progress in the gym and focus on your strength! That is where you will be able to see the most
day-to-day, concrete progress.
“You are the books you read, the movies
you watch, the music you listen to, the people you
spend time with, the conversations you engage in.
Choose wisely what you feed your mind.”
- Unknown -
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If you enjoyed reading this E-Book:
1. Please share the link to purchase with your family and friends
who you think would benefit from it as well!
2. Email me to tell me what you liked about it, what you connected with the most, or
what you felt was the most educational to you!
I could not have been happier to have the avenue to share this information with you in order for you
to make informed decisions about your diet, and to reach your goals in the healthiest way possible.
Don’t ever forget that your health is your number 1 priority.
As always – you can Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/amandabuccifit for more
free information about macro tracking, nutrition, and training.
E-book design by Leah M. Deming
For graphic design inquiries email: LMDdesignstudio@gmail.com
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References
http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting- diet.htmlen
http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v55/n4/pdf/1601154a.pdf
http://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5fTI4lSsp0
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1005- BRANCHEDCHAIN%20AMINO%20ACIDS.aspx?activeIngredientId=1005&activeIngredi entName=BRANCHED-CHAIN%20AMINO%20ACIDS
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