Nutrition Principles to Lose the Beer Gut.
Great, repeatable results come from efficient, effective systems. And those systems are built on a handful of principles – rules that cannot be broken if one is to succeed. Would Phil Jackson have won eleven NBA championships without the triangle offense? Would Nick Saban have 3 BCS championships without the “process”? Where there is consistent success, there is a system with principles.
Although we’re not winning any championships here at DBT, we are in the business of producing results. And because of that, we do have a system with a few principles.
So, if we’re going to be friends, you’re going to have to agree with the principles below. If not, DBT probably isn’t for you.
Nutrition:
- Calorie Deficit – Don’t waste your time arguing about which diet is better – low carb, low fat, intermittent fasting, keto, Paleo, etc. They all work provided they get and keep you in a calorie deficit. In fact, the only superiority one diet has over the other is that one fits your lifestyle better and thus allows you to stay in a calorie deficit longer. You could literally eat bacon for the rest of your life, and as long as you eat less calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. You probably won’t feel healthy, but you’ll look it. So, eating less calories than you burn is the key to weight loss.
- Compliance – If creating a calorie deficit is the key to weight loss, then compliance is the keyhole. Anyone can diet for a few days or even a week or two, but we all know what happens after those two weeks. The weight comes right back and then some. You have to find a way to create a calorie deficit that is sustainable. So if you have to have carbs, don’t try a low carb diet. If you have to have a few beers every night while you watch the MLB playoffs, plan for those beers and reduce those calories elsewhere. Don’t attempt a diet you know you can’t do. Instead, make a small change that moves you toward your goal.
- Protein – Other than peeing standing up, not having a menstrual cycle, and not being able to give birth, as men the only other significant advantage we have over women is our muscle mass. That’s one of the major reasons why it’s easier for men to lose weight than women. Unlike fat, muscle is metabolically active, aka it burns calories. That results in two very important outcomes: 1) When we exercise, we burn more calories than our female counterparts, and thus have an easier time creating a calorie deficit. 2) When we get to the body weight we want, we’re able to eat more calories without gaining fat because we have to feed that muscle to maintain it. Protein and resistance training are critical to building and maintaining muscle mass during a caloric deficit. If you don’t consume enough protein while in a caloric deficit, the body will begin to break down your muscle mass for fuel. As you can imagine, that’s not good. So always try to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
Pretty simple right? As my wife often says, when it comes to men, the KISS method is almost always the best method.
Side note: Remember that these principles are for the busy dad. They’re not ideal for a professional bodybuilder or for a guy trying to go from 9% bodyfat to 6% bodyfat. They’re for guys like us who work 9-5, have kids to chase around, and a wife to make happy. We have to have balance, and because of that, we’re after better, not best.
So ask yourself these questions weekly…
- Am I eating/drinking less calories than I’m burning?
- Can I do this 9 out of 10 days?
- Where the F is my protein?
Now go out there, start that grill up, and start eating your protein.
Hold up.. If you want to keep updated with the latest DadBod posts as well as my online training and nutrition journal, please visit my new site by clicking here.
