You've just got the lean body you always wanted. Congratulations!
You feel amazing. You look even better.
A couple days go by, and *poof* those feelings are all gone. What the hell happened?!
I'll tell you what happened. It's the food, dude. Well, actually it's the workouts, mindset, and food, but we're just going to focus on that last one. We'll save the rest for later.
When you were bulking to build some muscle, then cutting a little bit to get that lean physique, what did you do? You started to eat more food to get those calories up. Then you drastically slashed those calories, so now you're eating a lot less, and let's be honest, you were practically starving.
But now that nightmare is over. You can start living your life again. Yay!
Here's the thing though, a lot of people fall in the same slump because their nutrition is not tweaked to maintain their bodies.
You're either still going this path of cutting calories, where you're constantly hungry. It's not your fault though! You've been eating this way for so long now that this is all you know how to do.
Same thing goes for the other side too. Let's say you were pretty scrawny before so you started to eat more to build some muscle. Once you get your ideal body, you're still stuck to eating more because you fear if you don't, you might lose all that muscle, you worked so hard to get.
But what's the cost of eating more? You always feel bloated and chances are you might actually end up getting really, freakin' fat. And we don't want that.
"Then what the hell do I eat, Sean?"
I'm getting there! The guidelines to eating to maintain are actually fairly simple. But first, let's count your calories
So for a 27 year old dude who's 180 lbs and is about 5''10, and is also moderately active, exercising about 3-5 times a week, he'll need about 2500-2700 calories/day. Again this varies for everyone, so if you feel like you're gaining/losing weight at any point, adjust your calorie intake accordingly.
Next up is more math! Yay...?
We're actually going to be calculating our macros, which are proteins, fats an carbs, but you guys probably already knew that.
So here's how you do it, and you'll need to know your weight for this one, so hop on a scale.
(Bodyweight) X 1= How much protein you should be taking
(Bodyweight) X 0.4= How much fats you should be eating
(Calories)/10= How much carbs you should be eating
We're not bodybuilding over here so we can actually reduce the amount of carbs we take in. We're also not trying to lose weight over here so we can increase the amount of fats we take in. This type of nutrition is also much more flexible than a weight loss diet.
Let's look at some of the foods we can choose from.
Protein
Chicken Breast (of course)
Chicken Thighs
Extra Lean Ground Beef
Top Sirloin Steak
Tip Side Sirloin Steak
Eye of Round Steak
Turkey Breast Fillet
Turkey Diced Thighs
Bison Rib Eye
Ham
Eggs
Salmon
Tilapia
Tuna
Scallops
Cod
Carbs
Quinoa
Buckwheat
Oats
Whole Wheat Pasta
Whole Wheat Bread/Naan (I'm Indian so I had to include this)
Brown Rice
A wide selection of fruits and vegetables
(except Brussel Sprouts. Because f*ck Brussel Sprouts)
Fats
Avocados
Cheese
Dark Chocolate
Eggs
Almonds
Chia Seeds
Flax Seeds
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
As you guys can see, a maintenance lifestyle allows you to eat things that you probably never got to eat before. And the best part is guys, you can have the stuff you want!
Fries? Yup! Eclairs? You betcha! Double waffles fried in chicken fat, topped with chocolate sauce, sprinkles, & red gummy bears? Ummm...ok, how about we save that for a proper cheat meal?
Although, I'm not saying to gorge on a box of cupcakes. Rather, if you feel the need to eat a cookie, go ahead & eat it. But make sure it's just one. The trick is moderation. Everything done when monitored works better for you in the long run. It makes you feel a lot happier with yourself, and you're less likely to crash & burn.
Now how about we put it all together?
Sample Meal Plan To Maintain Your Body
Breakfast
1/2 cup Oatmeal
1 scoop Protein Shake (mixed w/water)
1/2 cup Blueberries
Coffee
400 Cals
Snack 1
3 Rice Cakes
1 tbsp All-Natural Peanut Butter
1 tsp Raisins
215 cals
Snack 2
Janet from the office brought Timbits! (for all you non-Canadians, those are mini-doughnuts) Go ahead, have one-or 2! But that's all for today. Or Janet will be passive-aggressive with you all day!
2 Timbits
140 cals
Lunch
6 oz Chicken Breast
2 tbsp Almonds
1 cup Broccoli
Dessert- 2 Protein Balls w/dark chocolate & cranberries
560 cals
Snack 3
1 cup Cottage Cheese
2 tbsp Blueberries
210 calories
Snack 4-Pre-Gym
(blended)
1 scoop Protein Powder (mixed w/ Almond Milk)
1/2 Apple
1/2 tbsp All-natural Peanut Butter
218 cals
Snack 5-Post-Gym
(blended)
1 scoop Protein Shake (mixed w/ Almond Milk)
1 Whole Banana
1/2 tbsp All-natural Peanut Butter
320 cals
Dinner
(blended)
5 oz Top Sirloin Beef Steak
3/4 cup Brown Rice
1 cup Green Beans
562 cals
Total Calories: 2625 calories
Total Macros
248 g Protein
264 g Carbs
65 g Fats
And there you go, your entire meal plan for the day. Now, all these values are interchangeable, especially the macros. Let's say you don't want to eat that much carbs, you can always remove one or two out. Or you want to add more fats, you can replace one of the carbs with some almonds or avocados. Follow whatever was listed on here, and you'll be on your way to be fit forever.
If you liked what we had her, lucky for you, we're coming out with an entire MONTH'S worth of nutrition guides and meal plans, so you can live the life you've always wanted.
Keep checking your emails & turn your notifications on so you can be first in line to get it when it drops.
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