It is said to be impossible to lose fat while gaining muscle at the same time. This is of course because you need a calorie efficient diet to gain muscle and a calorie deficient one to lose fat. I, however, seem to be proving this to be wrong.
In the last month or so I have lost a lot of body fat. My waist has gone down from 37 1/2 inches to 35 1/2. My arm measurement has remained at 15 inches in diameter during the whole process. However, I have really started to pack the muscle on my chest and back and my lifts continue to increase. I am cutting up and my abs are starting to show. It’s really motivating waking up every morning to a visible improvement.
How can this be possible?
Well, there are I believe four main factors that are helping me to make this amazing transformation.
- Diet
- Pre-workout Nutrition
- Creatine Monohydrate
- Exercise
1. Diet
- I make sure that I have a small calorie deficiency every day. I don’t want to cut weight too fast so it’s the fat that comes off. I also don’t want to shock my body into starvation mode.
- I have a standardised diet but vary what the meals are every week.
Here is my Daily Diet Plan –
Early Morning Snack
- A piece of fruit, pint of water, teaspoon of Cod Liver Oil Kcal 223
- 2 scoops of Protein Powder in water Kcal 120
Breakfast Kcal 500
Lunch
- Chicken Breast Kcal 350
Lunch Kcal 621
Evening Meal
- Mid afternoon Snack: 306
- Pint of skimmed milk
Evening Meal Kcal 621
- A piece of fruit, pint of water Kcal 100
- Pre bed Drink: 2 scoops of Protein Powder in water Kcal 120
Total Daily Calories 2961
On workout days –
The same as above but with pre-workout
- 2 scoops of Protein Powder in water and Creatine Kcal 120
Total Calories 3081
- Pounds of Body Weight 202
- Required Calories 3030
2. Pre-Workout Nutrition
An Australian study by Cribb and Hayes published in 2006 proved without a doubt that pre and post workout nutrition was the most important dietary factor in bodybuilding success. It demonstrated that those who consumed a mixture of glucose, protein and creatine before and after workout experienced an 87% higher increase in muscle mass, burned 3% more fat increased their strength by 36% more than those who took the same supplement in the morning and evening. I believe this demonstrates conclusively that a lot of muscle building is about having the nutrition available while you are working out. My theory is that as long as you are really disciplined about your pre and post workout nutrition you will continue to put on muscle even if you have a slightly calorie deficient diet.
3. Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine is a buffer in the Krebs Cycle. If you take this lovely natural supplement you will gain strength and energy and it has been proven to lead to increased water retention in the muscle that in turn somehow produces protein synthesis. I think this is helping me gain muscle too.
4. Exercise
I work out for an hour a day, one body part a day, 6 days a week. I do 4 exercises for four sets of 10.
My routine is –
- Legs
- Abs
- Pecs
- Back
- Biceps
- Triceps
I find this way I can exercise a lot more than if I overlapped on body parts like in Crossfit. It is proven that your body goes into fat metabolism after the first 20 – 30 minutes of exercise so this way I am burning fat every day.