CRASH DIETING – HOW TO DO IT RIGHT!
CRASHING YOUR WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAU 3 of 3
HOW TO CRASH YOUR CRASHED DIET RIGHT!
So, now that we’ve learned:
It is finally time to learn how to re-lose the weight and, more importantly, CRASH THROUGH your weight loss woes!
Now, as previously noted, the daily recommended minimum calorie we should intake, as “They” say, is 1,200 calories per day. Now, not worrying about how dated or from where that recommendation comes, lets use that 1,200 calories minimum as our minimum.
So, assuming that we need to hit a daily caloric intake of at least 1,200 calories, how can we lose weight eating only 1,200 calories per day if we weren’t losing weight eating 1,000 calories a day?
Well, the truth is, a 1,200 calorie daily minimum does not a 1,200 daily calorie minimum make…simple right?
But before we get into the math, let’s talk approach.
THE DO’S OF CRASH DIETING RIGHT
Though we can all lose weight via diet alone, the truth is fitness and health is, at a very minimum, a two part equation – diet and….exercise! And, being that I am a firm believer in the overall benefits, especially in aiding with weight loss and weight-loss maintenance, before we talk calorie intake, let’s talk two important aspects of crash dieting properly.
ONE – LIFT WEIGHTS AND LIFT HEAVY
We all know to build muscle requires burning calories via the act of training (i.e., working out, exercise, etc.) and that muscles burn more calories than fat BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY (and something we’ll get into a bit more at a later date), muscle is our body’s primary sugar storage…
…AND IF YOU DON’T HAVE MUSCLES IN WHICH TO STORE THE SUGAR GUESS WHERE WE STORE IT? YUP, RIGHT WHERE WE DON’T WANT IT…OUR FAT CELLS.
So, it is of utmost importance we lift weights (i.e. strength train) during a “crash” or any lower calorie diet. AND YES LADIES, “WE” MEANS YOU TOO!
“Why?”
Well, when it comes to muscle retention it is simple – we either use it or lose it…so if you don’t want to lose the muscle you’ve worked so hard getting, it is of utmost importance you continue to use it.
Now, muscle retention requires a two prong attack:
Part One – Use the muscle.
Part Two – Make sure you feed the muscle…”and what does muscle eat?”….PROTEIN!
TWO – UP THE PROTEIN INTAKE
Anytime we are running a calorie deficiency it is important to up the protein intake a bit. The reason for the increase is that if we run too high of calorie deficiency for too long our body could start breaking down our muscle for energy…and that is something most all of us would rather avoid.
SO, IF WE KEEP USING OUR MUSCLE (I.E., STRENGTH/RESISTANCE TRAINING) AND KEEP OUR PROTEIN INTAKE HIGH OUR BODY SHOULDN’T TAP INTO OUR MUSCLES FOR ENERGY.
The amount of protein intake will vary but a good rule of thumb is to intake about 1 gram of protein per your body weight.
FYI – this 1 gram per body weight is a good rule of thumb for both maintaining muscle mass during a cut AND also building muscle during a bulk.
So if you weigh 100 pounds you should be trying to eat about 75 – 100 grams of protein every day.
AND NOW, BACK TO CALORIE CYCLE…
1,200 CALORIES DAILY MINIMUM IS NOT 1,200 CALORIES A DAY
Assuming we crashed our metabolism (as I did), reverse-dieted out of the crash, and are now back at a steady weight (i.e., not losing or gaining weight), the time has come to re-lose the weight and bust through that last weight-loss plateau….and to do that we will certainly have to eat less than 1,200…on some days that is.
Since starting LeanGains nearly 4 years ago I have calorie cycled daily….everyday.
CALORIE CYCLING – TO CRASH PROPERLY
Though I have written a few other times about calorie cycling, it is important to revisit the topic now for it is THE crucial tool in properly crashing your diet and finally losing that stubborn fat we all have hanging around…somewhere.
The truth is crash dieting, if done properly, can and will work…and you don’t have to crash your metabolism in the process!
The trick is all in your calorie cycling.
“Okay, but what exactly do you mean when you say calorie cycling?”
CALORIE CYCLING – THE HOW TO
STEP 1: Daily Caloric Intake Goal
1st we need to find out what your target daily caloric intake is.
Be it 2,200 calories or 1,200 calories a day, calorie cycling will work for any daily caloric goal. So, determine your TDEE and then either add or subtract your weight gain/loss needs, and move onto Step 2.
For example lets say your daily caloric intake goal is 1,500 calories during a cut.
STEP 2: Daily Caloric Intake = Weekly Average Intake
2ndly, take your daily caloric intake goal and make it your weekly average target and move on to Step 3.
The 1,500 calorie is now your weekly average goal instead of your daily goal.
STEP 3: Calorie Cycle Daily
3rdly, the fun part!
Plan out your week so that your total weekly daily average averages out to your daily caloric goal.
“Say what?”
For example:
Assuming your daily caloric intake is set at 1,500 calories per day:
1,500 calories X 7 days = 10,500 calories for the week
Monday – eat 2,000 calories
Tuesday – eat 1,000 calories
Wednesday – eat 1,500 calories
Thursday – eat 3,000 calories
Friday – eat 500 calories
Saturday – eat 1,500 calories
Sunday – eat 1,000 calories
So – Mon + Tues + Wed + Thurs + Fri + Sat + Sun = 10,500 calories / 7 days = 1,500 calorie weekly average
HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO!
You see, the beauty of calorie cycling is that your body never thinks it is starving so it is not going to slow down fat loss and, more importantly, because you are constantly adjusting the amount of calories you are giving your body your metabolism will have a harder time adjusting to your restricted calorie intake (i.e., your metabolism will have a harder time adjusting to your diet…i.e., your body will have a harder time reaching a plateau!).
Now, that is awesome right?
Yeah! BUT NOT AS AWESOME AS HAVING YOUR CAKE AND EATING IT TOO!
Yeah, the science shows that calorie cycling truly does work BUT The True Beauty in calorie cycling is in giving you a bit more freedom with your diet.
YES, IT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE YOU DO NOT GO OVERBOARD ON YOUR HIGH CALORIE DAYS, but, assuming you’ll have self-control on your low calorie days, this approach to cutting calories WILL WORK and allows for one to lose weight while also having some sort of relief from the shackles of traditional diets via the higher calorie days.
And there you have it – CRASH DIETING DONE RIGHT!
Enjoy and GODSPEED!
