King Calorie

Relentlessly working out abs everyday and still, the coveted six-pack is still elusive as ever?  “Abs start in the kitchen.”  You may have heard it before.  I have heard it for a long time but it was only when I applied it that I witnessed real significant change in my physique and attained a deep understanding in the implication.  It’s not only abs, but your entire physique is dependent on what you eat.

Training is dependent on your nutrition.  You can work out hard 24/7, but without proper nutrition, at best; you will only notice minimal change.  If you are solely dependent on a diet alone and NOT work out at all then you will notice a more significant change than working out alone.  Your body is like clay.  The more calories you eat in excess of what your body needs the more clay or mass you add to your body.  The fewer calories you eat versus what your body needs the more mass you trim off. Working out is what molds the clay, or sculpt your body.

Whether you want to cut or bulk, your training can stay consistent and it is your nutrition that governs which direction you want to take.  When I did my contest prep, I trained the same as I always did.  I continued to lift heavy to remind my muscles that they need to stay as big and strong as possible as to not lose precious, hard-earned, lean muscle mass.  To trim the fat and get to single digit body fat percentage, all I did was eat fewer calories than my body needed. 

When I began my cut diet, I started at almost 3000 calories daily, weighed about 170 lbs., and was at about 10-12% bodyfat.  I didn’t count everything or weigh anything that I ate at the time because I did not know how to at the time.  I would weigh myself on a weekly basis on the same day each week and at the same time. It was usually first thing Wednesday mornings after my morning number one and two. 

I knew that with my current activity level and diet, I stayed at 170 lbs.  At about 3000 calories a day, I did not lose weight nor gain weight.  It was my maintenance caloric level.  I cleaned up my food sources, not allowing myself anymore cheat meals at All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQs, and monitored the amounts of food I was eating and tracked my progress.  I dropped my calories to 2750 calories a day and within a week, I lost a pound or two. When the weight loss stalled for a week, I dropped my calories again to 2500 and lost another few pounds.  I like gradual change because it felt unnoticeable. I absolutely hate feeling hungry and so by cutting calories gradually, hunger wasn’t an issue.  I kept repeating this process, only cutting back calories when weight loss has stalled for a week until I was happy with the final product. 

I didn't explain all the details, but that was it in a nutshell.  What I did was like a science experiment.  It was all trial and error tinkering with calories.  It was an incredibly rewarding experience and it was absolutely interesting to experience the physical changes occur as a result to making every slight modification to my diet.

The most important thing that I learned is the importance of calories.  At the end, it’s really all that matters.  You eat less than your body needs and you will lose weight.  You eat more, then you will gain weight.  As for digging deeper into the realms of macro nutrients like, “How many grams of protein were you taking? Carbohydrates? Fats?”  Well, that’s another post.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.