Calories In vs. Calories Out
Weight loss isn’t simply calories in vs. calories out.
If you want to lose weight not only on the scale but also improve your body composition, the type of calories you consume not only matter but matter MORE than how many calories you eat.
I never count calories anymore. NEVER.
I used to count calories when I ate junk – I needed to. I needed to count calories so that I didn’t eat more than like 1,200 a day and gain weight on the scale. I needed to count calories because I wasn’t eating the right foods.
AND on top of the torture of counting every calorie each and every day, my body composition wasn’t very good. I was doing all this work to just be skinny fat. YUCK!-
Not anymore!!!
I don’t need to count calories anymore because I know that the foods I’m putting into my body are healthy foods that my body needs. I honestly eat closer to 2,000 calories a day now and have a better body composition than I did when I was counting calories.
I’m sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but it just isn’t as simple as calories in vs. calories.
When you are eating the right foods, it is sooo much easier to achieve great body composition. You also feel soooo much better eating the right foods and eating A LOT of them!
Exhausted
I don’t know what I’m more exhausted from today..2 1/2 hours of spin or baking.
Yes that’s right…baking…baking desserts that not only can I not eat tonight but that I can’t eat tomorrow tonight (other than the dark chocolate macadamia nut bark!).
I’m exhausted by how much willpower I had to use to resist even tasting anything that I was making. It takes a lot of willpower to resist foods that you know are delicious, but it is worth it!
I’m proud of myself and every time you turn down a tempting food you should be proud of yourself too! Remember just how strong you are to be able to resist foods that AREN’T on your diet!
Anyway, hopefully I’ll have something good for you Man Bicepers tomorrow!
The 10 Most Delicious Foods that I can still eat on Primal
YUM!
Here are 10 of my FAVORITE foods that I can still eat on Primal…not necessarily in any particular order…but I do love bacon!
1. BACON – Do I even need to explain why bacon would be on this list? It is the BEST food in the entire world!
2. Macadamia nuts – DELICIOUS! A perfect snack and they are super low (like the lowest of all nuts) in omega-6s! A salt treat that takes away any cravings.
3. Cheese – Cheese honestly makes everything better. I mean blue cheese and bacon is a match made in heaven! And not only can I have cheese in moderation, but I can have the most delicious kind of cheese – full-fat! No crappy, limp, flavorless fat-free cheese for me!
4. Avocados- – I know these are sort of a weird thing to have on this list, but I LOVE guacamole! Guacamole on bunless burgers or on a steak salad is AMAZING!
5. Dark Chocolate – Now I’m talking serious dark chocolate like over 70% at least! It is delicious especially with some red wine and macadamia nuts. I’m a dessert person and this little bit of sweet always curbs my cravings. 🙂
6. Red wine – One of the hardest parts about being on a diet is the fact like you feel like you can’t go out and eat or drink with friends. On Primal, you can easily enjoy a glass or two of red wine and still be on your diet! No one will even have to know you are being good! 😉
7. Steak – If you don’t like steak….well I just don’t know what to do with you! A fatty, juicy steak is like one of the most delicious things in the world! AND when you order a steak with blue cheese and bacon along with your red wine, no one will know you are on a diet.
8. Butter – Butter makes everything better. Sorry but it does. Enough said. (Oh and get grass-fed butter to get even more omega-3s in your diet!)
9. Cream – This helps you make the most delicious sauces, guacamole AND it is delicious in your coffee…WAY better than stupid, watered-down skim milk!
10. Salami – I think I just LOVE fatty meat. Nothing is better on a Saturday night than drinking wine and eating cheese and salami while watching a great movie!
Hopefully, I’ve made some of you on low-fat diets jealous! 😉
Eat Meat
I run into vegetarians all the time who tell me that my meat-eating ways are bad for the environment and that I’m promoting cruelty to animals. And I’d like them to reconsider that statement.
For one, I eat animals that have been naturally raised – I eat pigs that grub and cows that eat grass. So actually by eating naturally raised animals, I’m doing more to fight against the farms/companies that raise animals in an inhumane environment than you vegetarians are!
And two, herbicides and pesticides are NOT good for the environment. And what do you think we use to grow the crap load of vegetables, grains and such that you vegetarians eat?
Could it be that eating meat that is raised in a natural way is actually way better for the environment? YEP!
Check out this article “Ordering the vegetarian meal? There’s more animal blood on your hands.” Maybe you vegetarians will stop trying to convince me that eating meat is so unethical!
A true environmentalist! haha
Building the Biceps
I want to build my bicep...just maybe not that much...
I’m not a big fan of single muscle group movements (Brian on the other hand is…especially bicep curls). I don’t like doing bicep curls or tricep extensions or even overhead presses.
And many trainers will tell you there really isn’t ever a need to do these movements. For one, most compound movements work your arms enough to gain general strength. And two, it is more important for most clients to move their entire bodies and burn more calories, which means that compound movements are much more efficient.
And I do in general agree with those two statements. I rarely have my clients do single muscle group movements.
BUT I do think single muscle group movements are super important if the client trains numerous times a week and if they are really focused on upping their lifts numbers.
That is why I’ve started personally doing more single muscle group movements especially with my upper body.
And not surprisingly, my bench numbers, have gone up.
Just yesterday I repped out 5 at 105 after already completing 4 sets. Considering that just about a month ago that was my max at the competition, I’d say my numbers have definitely gone up!
So sometimes you do just need to work on building those biceps…or triceps or shoulders. It can really make a difference!
Accountability
Of course New Years resolutions are a hot topic right now. And everyone is giving advice about how best to achieve them.
In my opinion, the most important thing to develop when trying to achieve any goal is accountability.
Not only holding yourself accountable but also having other people to hold you to your goal.
When I first started on my fitness journey, I started a blog (not Man Bicep, but another blog…which now no longer exists). It had only one follower (Ryan), but the fact that it was public and that anyone could read it helped me remain dedicated to my goals. Having to keep a public log of my progress was enough to hold me accountable.
Also, sharing my goals with my family and friends helps. If other people know what you are doing, you are less likely to cheat on your diet or exercise plan because they are holding you accountable. You don’t want to disappoint them do you? No one ever wants to have people know they failed at something!
I’ve also run into the situation where friends and family try to be bad influences on you when they know you are on a diet. I take it as a challenge. I just think, “HA! Just watch me stick to my goals!” 🙂
And now I’ve also found that hanging a calendar on the refrigerator mapping out my goals helps me stick to them. It is a way for me to hold myself accountable. I don’t want to deviate from what that calendar says. So anytime I go to the fridge and think, “What’s just one little piece of cheese!?” I see that calendar telling me that it isn’t on my diet for today. That stops me.
That one little piece of cheese isn’t worth the shame and guilt I would feel for cheating on my diet.
If you find you have trouble holding yourself accountable, try making your goals more public. And hang reminders of your goals in places where you need the most encouragement!
Low Carb Flu
I understand why people have a hard time committing to a Paleo/Primal diet and sticking with it. Especially since it can be lower carb.
You feel crappy at the beginning. It takes your body awhile to re-regulate.
There is even a name for that transition period when you start eating lower carb – the low carb flu.
I’m actually suffering from it as we speak…I went from eating crappy food during the holidays to a SUPER clean diet of only meats and vegetables during the week with nuts, cheese and fruit added in on the weekends.
And right now…all I want is a huge handful of potatoes, dried fruit…ANYTHING WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF CARBS!
BUT I know this feeling will pass if I’m patient and stick with my current program. And once it does, I will feel SOOOOO GOOD! Better than I could feel eating a ton of carbs!
However, many people don’t like that initial discomfort so switch their diet before they’ve really given themselves a chance to adjust. They go back to their old high carb, crappy food diet and never find out just how much BETTER they could feel if they ate a diet like Primal or Paleo.
It’s like what I was saying with committing to your fitness goals – you’ve got to give yourself a chance to get into a routine. You’ve got to give your body a chance to adjust!
And then once you start to get over the low carb flu, you’ve got to stick with it for a while before it even becomes natural and the cravings start to subside.
Trust me the cravings do get better. You start to want bad food less and appreciate the foods you CAN EAT more.
I’ve also found that planning out cheat days for the future (holidays or vacations or any event when you know you will want to cheat) can help make you feel more committed now. It always helps me because I know that at some point I will eat pizza or ice cream again and that I don’t NEED IT today!
Anyway, my point is that if you are going to do self-experimentation with a diet, you’ve got to give it at least 6 weeks before you can even say you’ve really tried it. You’ve got to give yourself a chance to adjust! Please!?!
I think you’ll be surprised at the results if you do really stick with something through the initial discomfort!
Anyone else push through the low carb flu only to realize how much better they feel afterwards?
The Feminization of Gym Equipment
I honestly believe that gym equipment is being designed more and more toward women. Here is why:
Our old pieces were black and grey.
The new pieces are white and purple. And while I’m a fan of color, white and purple are definitely softer and more “feminine.” Of course I did just find out that our club “chose” those colors. But the fact that they are even available means something to me. Now they aren’t only make light-weight barbie dumbbells with colors targeted at women but also big powerlifting equipment!
Two other things that made me feel the equipment was more feminine was the size and height of it and the shape.
Like the bench. Before it was all straight lines like the one above. Now our new one is “softer” and curvier.
While this isn't the correct colors it shows you the shape.
I found it interesting that they curved the back part where you rack the weights. They claim it is for “easy spotter access,” but I didn’t find it to be any easier than before. It honestly just looks softer and potentially more inviting to women in my opinion.
And in terms of the height and size of the weight machines, they are all smaller.
To reach the bar on our old Lat Pulldown machine, I had to stand on the bench. This new one I can reach standing with my feet pretty much flat on the ground. The same thing goes for our new functional trainers. I can actually reach the pull up bar while standing flat on the ground!
So do you agree? Do you think the colors, shape and size of the machines hint that companies are gearing gym machines more toward women? Is it good or sort of sad that companies feel they need to feminize weight machines?
Resistance to Change
I have never seen so many people so unhappy about having a renovated club with all brand-spanking new equipment!
They are just so set in their routines that they don’t like having to adjust to the new versions of machines or find the new placement of equipment. They don’t like change!
It actually made me sad that people were so unwilling to try something new. It’s like they haven’t varied up their routine in the six bazillion years they’ve been members here!
You should vary up your routine like every 4-6 weeks. Not every 4-6 decades!!!!
Variety is key! If you aren’t varying up your routine, you probably aren’t getting the results you want…Did you just have an AH HA! moment?
Did you just realize why you’ve probably been stuck on the same plateau for the last 5 months?
AH! Come on people! Spice it up! Add some variety!
Ok that is my rant for today. But seriously, if you need help adding some variety to your program, email me at manbiceps@gmail.com. I mean…do you really like being stuck on that plateau?
Is BMI accurate?
Is BMI really an accurate calculation of body fat? NOPE!
BMI or Body Mass Index is actually kind of bogus in my opinion.
Why is it bogus?
Because it tells you if you are a healthy weight based on your height and weight AND doesn’t take into account body composition at all!
The formula to calculate BMI is BMI = ( Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches x Height in inches ) ) x 703
If you are a 5 foot 4 inch female and weight 150 lbs, you are overweight based on the BMI scale. BUT there is a huge difference between a 5’4″ female that is 150 pounds with 15% body fat and one that is 5’4″ and 150lbs with 25% body fat.
I mean shoot! I weigh more now than I did a year and a half ago (10 pounds more to be exact), but I look leaner and more muscular than before. I didn’t look underweight before even though my BMI said I was. I was more toward skinny-fat in my opinion. I literally lacked muscle (ok I had muscle…just not enough!!!). However, now that I’ve increased my muscle mass, my BMI states that I’m almost overweight. HA! I’m not even close to overweight!
And I’m not the only one for which BMI isn’t an accurate indication of what is a healthy weight. It isn’t for most of us weight lifting fiends! If you calculate the BMI of many athletes, you will find that their BMI categorizes them as overweight. Some of them even fall into the obesity range!
But they aren’t! Most of them probably even have less body fat than the person whose BMI states that their weight is within the normal weight range.
So if this calculation can overestimate the body fat in muscular people, don’t you think it probably isn’t an accurate reading for other people as well?
What about the skinny fat? Their weight may be within the “normal range” but if they lack muscle…like I did…than their body composition probably isn’t very good!
How can we still be using something that doesn’t seem to accurately predict body fat for anyone!?! I mean even NPR thinks BMI is bogus!
Man Bicep 