What’s the main reason people reach out for help with nutrition? Most of our clients need guidance finding foods to support their goals of losing weight, gaining muscle and becoming lean and healthy.
Whether you’ve got a significant amount of weight to lose – or you’re an athlete looking to gain muscle mass and look ripped – we’ve got the knowledge and experience to get you where you want to be. We tell our clients to trust the process, even if what we’re advising seems a little backwards at times. There’s a method to our madness – and it comes in a few phases.
Step 1: Cut
If you’ve got some pounds to shed, we will likely put you in a caloric deficit to help with fat loss. We’ll do this at a slow rate to preserve your muscle mass and start you on a sustainable weight loss journey.
Severe and chronic weight cuts can lead to loss of muscle mass, inability to recover from training, sleep disturbances, and will even slow down your metabolism, which is the last thing you want!
If you drop too much weight in a drastic fashion, you’ll gain it all back the second you stray away from your diet. Rather than crash dieting and going to the extreme, we work with our clients to find nutritious foods they can eat for the rest of their lives.
This is a marathon, not a sprint!
Step 2: Maintenance
As the weight continues to come off at a caloric deficit, we will eventually need to bring those calories up.
“Wait, you’re going to make me eat MORE food to lose weight?!”
…YES! It’s also known as reverse dieting. Just ask any of our current clients – we can guarantee anyone who’s had success with Food For Fuel is eating more than ever while they inch closer and closer to their goals.
If you go too long on a low-calorie plan, your body will eventually enter into “starvation mode”. Your body is smart, but it doesn’t know you’re restricting its fuel on purpose. That’s when it will start to store fat to survive – the opposite of what you’re trying to do! Your body may also start using your precious-earned muscle as fuel, slowing your metabolism and possibly causing long-term damage.
When we first assess most of our clients, it becomes apparent that they’re not eating ENOUGH food to reach their goals. If that’s the case, we start them off in a maintenance phase – which might feel like a bulk – but our bodies need those extra calories to function properly!
Remember – food is FUEL for every function that takes place in the human body – including the ability to burn fat and gain muscle! If we don’t feed our cells the nutrients they need, they can’t do what they’re designed to do!
Step 3: Bulk
As calories increase, you will continue to feel and look great, especially since you’re eating more! Once your body has regulated at those maintenance calories, this is when the fun begins – BULK TIME! Okay, don’t freak out ladies – we won’t turn you into The Hulk! We just mean adding on some muscle – which is what you need to look lean and toned. If this is something you fear, remember that the more muscle you have… the more fat you burn at rest! (Who doesn’t want that?!)
During the bulking phase, we strive for a SLOW weight gain to go along with consistent exercise. Fast bulks = fat. We want muscle! If you’re an athlete, then you will absolutely benefit from a bulking phase. If you’re looking for a shredded physique, you’ll have to bulk up before cutting to get there. It will NOT happen in a calorie deficit – period.
Everyone can benefit from the bulking phase, because this is the time when we can pack on some muscle! Being strong is the key to a long, healthy life – no matter if you’re a casual exerciser or a professional bodybuilder. Even though your calories will be up, this isn’t the time for a food “free-for-all” – we want to pack our diet with lots of earth-grown nutrients!
A little bit of fat gain is inevitable with a bulk. This isn’t a bad thing! We need a bit more fat for optimal training and recovery! We can shred that excess fat when we start the next cut! It’s all a part of the cycle.
Where do I start?
If you have no clue what phase you’re currently in, reach out to us! We will determine how many calories you need to consume based on your current body composition and food habits. We’ll also guide you on how many grams of protein, carbs and fat you should take in everyday! Check out our Macro Template program.
If you’re just beginning your diet journey and counting calories sounds too intense, we can STILL help! Our new Foundations program will get you on the right track through easy-to-understand exercises and lessons. We’ll analyze what you’re doing now and how you can improve your habits to bring you closer to your goals!
For more information on our programs, email us at info@foodforfuelnutrition.com. We’re proud to help people of all walks of life!
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