I think I'm going to make a decision on Moday after I get back from my mini-expo shakedown run.
Top 5 Transformation Tips
By
Dave Tate
Published: June 17, 2010Posted in: Nutrition, Training ArticlesTags: dave tate, diet, transformation
Top 5 Transformation Tips
Fat Dave
Skinny Dave
Skinny Dave
I’m going to keep this diet article simple because I don’t think this becomes a very complex issue until you’re trying to get super lean or dealing with medical issues. With this said – as always consult you medical doctor before beginning any exercise or nutritional program.
Top 5 transformation tips
1. Decide to do it - Yes, it’s that simple. This is a decision and when you really decided to do something – that means you cut off all options except success. Deciding isn’t the same as trying, thinking about it, starting next week, or any other half-*** excuse we’re all tired of hearing. The first step to anything is “deciding” to do it. Now talking about how you’re going to do it, making bets with your buddies, setting up trainers, diet coaches, etc. It’s about “deciding” to get it done because you’ve gotten to the point where you’re sick of living any other way, or you have to do it for some reason that’s really important to you. Seriously with this it’s almost pointless to even start. You can tell other people and that may be motivation to get you to stick with it, but more times than not you’ll find a way to bail because you weren’t all-in from the beginning. So, the first tip is to be all-in and decide you’re going to see this through no matter how hard, hungry or tired you get. Nothing is easy and for anyone to tell you going through a transformation process is easy…they’re either lying, trying to sell you a product, or have done it so many times themselves they forgot how bad it sucks. I’ll say the first 21 days aren’t easy, but you have to find a way to stick it out. New habits take approximately 21 days to begin to stick, so these first few weeks are critical. Once you get past that hump it does get a lot easier. Trust me – it really does. After this, you begin to become “locked in” to your goal and it will take a lot to get you off track.
2. Know where you are - You need to know where you are right now, or as soon as you can find out. I would suggest as many indicators as possible such as resting heart rate, blood pressure, basic blood work, weight, body fat percentage, a few different strength markers and some cardio markers. The strength and the cardio markers can just be jotting down all your training sets, reps and weight the week before the diet and if you do cardio the settings you’re using. If you aren’t doing cardio, use whatever you do for your first session as your marker. Pictures also help and will show your progress as you move forward. All this is one area where a diet coach can help a great deal. People like Shelby Starnes specialize in things like this and will also make you accountable with weekly updates.
3. Know where you want to be - Most people know where they want to be, but aren’t specific on the actual markers – or should I say not specific enough. They also don’t allow enough time. If you’re kicking ***, you can expect .5 percent body fat loss every two to three weeks…maybe more if you’re willing to sacrifice muscle. For my own experience, I’d also suggest no more than 12 (16 weeks max) of hard dieting before pulling out for a break. If you’re making progress week after week, your body and mind will need a break. With this four-week break, one of these weeks should be no training at all and all four should be looser on the diet BUT not crazy. Stay without 10 (15 if you’re over 230), and then get back on the diet again. This is assuming you ‘re starting the diet in the mid 20 percent range. For those who start a diet at 14-16% percent these guidelines will be different.
4. Be ready – All that means is always expect the unexpected. Be ready for anything. Know there will be weeks that will seem like no progress was made. There will be weeks you’ll drop weight and body fat and look worse. Make sure you have back up food with you in case you get stuck on the road. Be ready to adjust anything that needs to be adjusted, but at the same time don’t get crazy. If you’re loosing two to three pounds per week very little changes need to be made. If you drop five to six pounds, then you might need to add a cheat meal, a high carb day, a high fat day, or just drop the cardio back some. If you’re loosing more than five pounds per week (however, this is normal the first couple weeks as you’ll be blowing water out) then you’re more than likely dropping too fast and loosing muscle. Muscle lost is a bad thing when dieting because your muscles are the engine that runs the machine. The more muscle the more fuel it can burn.
5. Consistency – This goes hand in hand with some of the other tips. You have to be consistent and this is where most of the problems fall. You can’t expect to start and then stop every few days and then keep jumping back. Just as with your training, you can’t expect to train some of the time and get the same results as if you stuck with the program. Starting really isn’t hard, eating the food isn’t hard, training is hard to do, actually it’s all not that bad – BUT doing it all consistently – that’s the test and that’s why you need to “decide” because if you really do, it will get done. I guarantee it.
