The Nutrition Hierarchy 2.0 PDF

THE
NUTRITION
HIERARCHY
THE ALL INCLUSIVE GUIDE TO
MASTERING YOUR DIET
Cody McBroom
CONTENTS 2
Part 1: Adherence and Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Part 2: It’s All Just Calories (Kind Of) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Part 3: The "Individualization Tool" (Macros) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Part 4: Everything Else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Micronutrients (Vitamins, Minerals/Sodium, Water) . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Fiber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Meal Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Feeding Frequency & Nutrient Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Supplements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Part 5: Periodization (Diet Breaks, Refeeds, Timelines) . . . . . . . . . . 64
Part 6: Things To Note Before You Start Your Journey . . . . . . . . . . . .74

This Will Take Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Build Muscle or Lose Fat? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Body Recomposition… Is It Possible?
(Burn Fat/Build Muscle, Simultaneously) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
It’s Not Forever (Learn To Be Intuitive) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
You Need A Coach If _________ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Part 1: Adherence
and Metrics
THE NUTRITION HIERARCHY
THE ALL INCLUSIVE GUIDE TO MASTERING YOUR DIET
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Part 1: Adherence, Metrics, and Flexibility

Before we get into the details and specifics of what energy balance really means and
why it’s so important, let's first touch on what you’ll need in order to even head down
this path of tracking calories, planning your macros, and determining exactly what
your nutrition plan should look like.
The first thing you’ll need is the mental preparation to make this work for you. When
considering calories, macros, micronutrients, and everything else within the pyramid
of importance (made famous by Eric Helms of 3DMJ) – you’ll need to consider and
realize the fact that things are becoming a bit more “real”.
You’re on a diet now.
You have started your journey.
You will be motivated at times and completely unmotivated at other times.
You’ll need some self discipline and likely some form of accountability for consistency
purposes (very difficult to do it 100% alone).
But most importantly…
You’ll need to double down on what allows you full adherence.
By that I mean you need to work on fitting the diet to your lifestyle, not the other way
around (cramming your lifestyle into a diet).
This is the tagline of my brand and it’s something I built the foundation of our clients’
success on. Making this whole dieting thing easier and less stressful, so that they
could finally follow a plan for longer than just 30 days.
Adherence, and/or Consistency, is really what comes well before the theoretical
pyramid (once again, credit to Dr. Eric Helms – the man created something that
coaches around the world will forever reference).
WWW.BOOMBOOMPERFORMANCE.COM
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In fact, I’d have you consider that the pyramid is irrelevant if you can’t adhere to a
plan, trust the process, believe in the results you’ll achieve, actually want to work
towards them, and are ready to take on the challenge of transforming your body
composition.
And I do not say that to scare you! This isn’t a fear monger, telling you “Dieting is
hard! Get ready to sacrifice, bro. #HardcoreOrNothingAtAll”…
That’s not me, nor is it how I educate others.
But I’d be lying if I said you’ll always want to track your macros, check in with your
coach, take progress pictures, or choose the healthier option even when everyone
else is eating burgers and drinking beer.
Can you do those things at some points? Yes, we’ll touch on that inside this book.
But can you always do those things and expect to get shredded? Nope, it’s just not
the case (despite what the instagram guru’s tell you).
And to cap off the adherence pep talk, I want you to know that my goal with this
book is to provide you with the plan that allows the most adherence I’ve ever seen
inside the dieting world/space and even inside research.
Will it work for every single human on planet earth? No, but no “one thing” will.
However, based on my experience over the last 8 years, what the research shows on
flexible dieting, and the anecdotal experience of so many top coaches, I do believe
this is the closest thing to the best diet.
Part of what allows true dietary flexibility and improving adherence, are metrics.
This is the data that tells us if things are working, if they’re not working, what needs
to be adjusted, what needs to stay put, how long we have left to go, what your total
intake actually is, what the composition of your calories (food quality) is, and more…
It’s all the geeky science stuff we need in order to make the needle budge on the
scale.
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Now, the argument for most is that this is neurotic and obsessive – which can be true.
But I want to teach you what flexible dieting actually is so you can fully see the
benefits and as to why using metrics daily is NOT neurotic or obsessive, it’s an
intelligent and sustainable way to improve your physique.
If you become so rigid that you worry about being off by 1 single gram or that you
end up prepping 6 meals a day of broccoli and ground turkey… you will go insane.
I’ve seen it, in fact – I’ve lived it!
But if you told an accountant or banker that you had a goal of saving $30,000 this
year, what would they tell you?
Probably, “Awesome, let’s look at your current bank statements, expenses, savings, and
the trends of cash flow month to month from the previous months/years.”
That doesn’t seem neurotic, does it?
Not really… it just makes sense. Want to save money? Well, look at the money we you
have, you made, and you expect to make. That’s data to get your result.
But if you want to lose weight, you’re not supposed to do that… right? I’ll stop here.
You get my point.
What most people do not understand is that these metrics allow us to dial things in
to a much more specific level, to give us an outstanding results, WHILE also allowing
us to create more flexibility within this structure. In fact, it’s tracking macros that
allowed me to get out of a rigid bodybuilding show meal prep lifestyle that was
literally ruining the social aspect of eating and pushing me into a yo-yo cycle of
dieting and weight loss/gain.
This actually allows you to fit in that beer or burger on the weekend, so you don’t
become so rigid that you never attend social events or enjoy yourself. It’s simply a
matter of tracking and making it fit and although I’m going to recommend eating
whole foods for the majority of your diet within this book, the reality of changing
body composition is that you can fit anything in your caloric intake and still drop
body fat (I’ll site the McDonalds and Twinkie Diet weight loss experiments, now).
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The percentage of people I’ve worked with that see better results because we have
this system of numbers for them to eat healthy WHILE fitting in the foods they enjoy,
is beyond the majority. Which is why I’m a huge proponent of it, also exactly why I’m
writing this for you right now.
So again, it’s a balanced approach of self discipline, whole foods, training in the
gym, and food flexibility all wrapped in one system – as impossible as that may
sound.
The main reason it was created or discovered was to allow bodybuilders to still get
stage lean without having to only eat a list of 6 foods and drive themselves crazy
mentally while creating nutritional deficiencies during prep.
But it was not what most people believe, thanks to the internet movement of #IIFYM
(If It Fits Your Macros).
It’s not a matter of drinking a protein shake, eating some fiber gummies, and taking
a multivitamin, thinking your bases are covered and now you can eat as many Pop
Tarts as you’d like…
It was a matter of:
Athlete: “Hey coach, can I have an apple instead of a banana?”

Coach: “Yeah, definitely – as long as it fits your daily macros.”
And at that moment, if it fits your macros was born. Later on to be taken out of
context and the smart individuals who truly started it then created the term Flexible
Dieting, in a way to control what had begun.
But back to the point here... whether you’re getting ready for stage or you’re just part
of the general population looking to strip that unwanted belly fat, this way of eating
simply works and allows us to steal the exact system the leanest guys in the world
use to become the leanest guys in the world.
Now that I’ve given you a proper history lesson on Flexible Dieting, let’s get back to
one of the most important keys to all of this, Metrics.
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HERE’S WHAT I’M SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT WHEN I SAY METRICS
• Scale – If you don’t weigh in and track your progress, you won’t know if things
are working.
• Measuring Tape – Not everyone needs to use this, but I’d highly suggest it.
Sometimes your weight won’t drop but your body fat levels do, this is one way to
know. HERE is a great and easy self-measuring tool for the job.
• Camera – I’d highly suggest taking progress pictures, at minimum once a
month but more ideally every 1-2 weeks. My suggestion is to set your phone on a
windowsill and use natural lighting first thing in the AM, in a fasted state, on the
same day/time every week.
• A Gym – If you’re looking to change your body, you need to train. But especially
in the case of building muscle, the weights you’re lifting are a key indicator of the
progress you’re making. You’ll also want a plan to follow, so you’re not aimlessly
going in and exercising – here’s a database of workouts you can have access to,
from us.
• Food Measuring Tools – Things like cups, tablespoons, etc…. But the most
important, is a digital food scale. Nothing is more accurate and in the case of
dialing in your specific nutrition plan, accuracy is key.
• Tracking Software – My suggestion is MyFitnessPal, but any app or software
that allows you to track your calories and macros will work just fine.
• Metric/Data Sheets – This is something we use in our personalized coaching
practice that makes a massive difference. Having metrics is great, but having
them in one place with formulas, average trends, and the ability to see progress
over weeks and months, is extremely beneficial.
Ok, now that you fully understand how to prepare and what comes even before the
science based principles, we can move onto the actual Nutritional Hierarchy.
Part 2: It’s All Just
Calories (Kind Of)
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Part 2: It’s All Just A Calorie Equation (Kind of…)

So first let’s define what a calorie is.
Calorie – “The energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water through 1 °C,
equal to one thousand small calories and often used to measure the energy value of food.”
Now that you know what a calorie means according to your high school science
teacher, let's move on to the meat and potatoes – the things that really matter.
A calorie is a way to measure your food and totally daily intake. It’s also a metric we
can use to see how many calories we’re expending through daily activities, whether
that’s exercise or non-exercise oriented activities (things like breathing, eating, walking,
talking, etc…).
In more technical terminology, it’s energy balance we’re talking about here. What
are you taking in vs. what are you taking out? When you can understand that and
properly adjust that balance in your favor (i.e. a deficit for weight loss or surplus for
mass gain), you achieve the aesthetic result you’re searching for (it’s not that simple,
but that’s the foundation).
So what does this really mean for you?
It means you now have a way of tracking, determining, and controlling the
outcomes you see with your body composition, according to this specific number.
It’s a powerful tool that can help you dial in your nutrition enough to visibly see
differences in your body almost immediately.
In other words, Calories in vs. Calories out will determine 75% or more of the results
you see.
This is the exact reason that this is the first tactic or strategy we’re really touching on
in this book. It’s the biggest influence on what we see with our body composition. If
we ignore this, it’s going to be very tough to see results.
And this is debated, yet it’s not really up for debate.
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What I mean by that is that people will argue til the cows come home because so
many believe that it’s not “all about calories”.... and I will agree with that, there is
much more to it. Physiological processes, nutrient deficiencies, genetics, training,
and other non-calorie related aspects DO come into play and impact the aesthetic
progress we achieve.
However, those things do not directly dictate body composition transformation.

Almost always, they indirectly impact our energy expenditure – which CAN influence
body composition, but the reason this is not up for debate is that it always comes
back to the energy balance equation and solving that in order to see changes.
Now you may be thinking, “But I know plenty of people who do not track their calories
and they’re lean as hell! What gives there?”
WELL, IT COULD BE MULTIPLE THINGS. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES:

1. They tracked once upon a time and can be successful with intuitive eating now.
I’m a great example; I tracked for 2-3 years almost every single day. It taught
me everything about what I was eating and what my body needs, allowing
me to maintain my weight without using a tracking system. But if I want to see
changes, this system is the first thing I’ll go to.
2. They’re genetic freaks. Have to get this out there because the industry, and
social media in general, are full of genetic freaks who are born with abs yet
preach about their systems and programs. Some have great info and others
don’t, sometimes it’s hard to tell. But one thing we can do for ourselves, is realize
that genetics play a huge roll and instead of complaining about ours not being
superhuman – we can use systems like this to take control.
3. They’re habitually in control of their eating. Many people can monitor eating and
practice moderation very easily. My guess is that you’re not one of them, since you’re
reading this. My guess is you have an extreme goal to get lean (this is for you) or you
do struggle with your eating habits and want to change (this is for you).
THE NEXT STEP: FINDING YOUR MAINTENANCE.

The first and most important step in order to figure out where your calories should
be at and successfully using this system, is finding where your maintenance level is.
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See, calories are like a GPS for changing your body composition. It’s going to guide
you down the exact path needed to find the result you’re looking for. But here’s the
deal, if you don’t put in the place you’re starting from – there’s no way in hell you’ll
find the destination waiting for you.
So that’s where finding your maintenance calories comes in and play’s such a big
role in starting this process.
There are 3 ways to go about this; the first is the most simple – but likely the least
accurate.
Maintenance Calculator #1 – Generic/Common Multiplier
Activity Level Multiplier

Sedentary
Bodyweight x 12
(Don’t Train)
Light Activity
Bodyweight x 13
(New To or Little Training)
Active
Bodyweight x 14
(Intermediate or Train Often)
Vigorous Trainee
Bodyweight x 15-16
(CrossFit, Athlete, Physique Sport)
Again, as you can probably tell, this is NOT the most accurate way of determining
your maintenance calculator. But often times, assuming there is no previous dieting
damage or metabolic adaptation, it’s pretty accurate or close to.
So for some individuals, this works just fine for a baseline to start with. The more
active you are the higher this number goes up and in general, this is more of an
“ideal” as is the next method – which I’ll explain later in the 3rd and most accurate
method of determining your maintenance.
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Maintenance Calculator #2 – TDEE + Activity Multiplier
This is much more accurate and individualized then the method above, but in my
experience it’s still a “ideal world scenario” type of maintenance calculator.
What I mean by that is that this is assuming all is fantastic with you. You’re healthy,
your metabolism is active, you haven’t under-aten chronically, you aren’t heavily
overweight, you have a decent amount of muscle mass, and you understand
tracking calories, fully.
See how that can be misleading? 99% of people jumping into calories are NOT doing
or experiencing at least one of those things. Which is fine, because we can solve that
too.
But in people who are just getting into things, haven’t been dieting a bunch, and are
ready to patiently see progress – this method works well and absolutely is accurate
enough to trust.
Here’s the steps:
1. Baseline Multiplier (Before Activity) – Bodyweight x10 = Theoretical Caloric Intake
So for example: I weigh about 170lbs, meaning my theoretical baseline caloric intake
would be 1,700.
This is my baseline, meaning myself with no other caloric demands. If I sat and didn’t
move much at all, barely thought and probably didn’t chew food either, this would
be what it takes for me to literally sit there and survive.
After this, we multiple that given amount by an activity multiplier. This means
everything we do on a daily basis, not just training or your active labor job. This also
includes NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis); which means everything we do
outside of purposeful training, from walking to standing to everything else causing
some kind of caloric burn.
This is important because many people will burn more calories than most, from
having a high NEAT. These are the people you see talking a lot, pacing the room, or
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just constantly fidgeting (i.e. I have a high NEAT, because I can’t shut up or sit down. Gift
and a curse I guess…).
But this also comes into play when we diet because as energy (calories) get lower
during a diet, we naturally have less energy to move and burn. This usually results in
significant drops in NEAT along the way.
2. Using The Activity Multiplier
Lifestyle/Training Frequency Activity Multiplier/Number

Sedentary + 3-6 Days Training/Week 1.3 – 1.6
Light Activity + 3-6 Days Training/Week 1.5 – 1.8
Active + 3-6 Days Training/Week 1.7 – 2.0
Very Active + 3-6 Days Training/Week 1.9 – 2.2
Something to note with the table above is that these activity multipliers are often
exaggerated in my experience; or maybe it’s the case that people overestimate their
activity level.
Let me give you an example…
Someone who is actually very active is a construction worker, bricklayer, or roofer,

who also trains on a push/pull/legs bodybuilding split 6x per week. They’d be in the
1.9-2.2 multiplier range.
An active individual may be a nurse, hospital worker, or condominium maintenance

worker on their feet all day, who also trains an upper/lower split 4-5x a week.
Someone who sits at their desk for work, 90% of their day, and then goes and hits the
gym – is actually more than likely sedentary or in the light-activity category.
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Let’s use myself as an example here:
Baseline Multiplier x Activity Multiplier = Estimated Maintenance Calories
170lbs x 10 = 1,700 calories
I’m lightly active + 3-6 days a week of training. Majority of my day is creating content,
communicating with clients, and programming on my computer – but I get up
for coaching calls and take walks 2-3 times per day, which is why I say I’m not fully
sedentary.
Because of that, I’m going on the low end of light activity and using 1.5.
1,700 x 1.5 = 2,550
This is actually extremely accurate to where I need to be in order to maintain weight,

but I believe I’m an outlier or anomaly in this scenario and here is why:
1. 1. I do not have any hormonal or metabolic adaptations

2. I’ve tracked for a long period of time
3. I have not stayed in a deficit too long since my physique show 4-5 years ago
4. I’m not overly stressed
The reality for most, is that they may do this calculation and notice that 2,550 is well
over their current intake. If that’s the case, you may possibly be a.) under-eating or
b.) you overestimated your activity level (which is why having a coach helps).
In the case that you have been under-consuming calories, the first thing to do is
check your protein. If your protein intake is NOT at or even close to your bodyweight
in grams, raise that up to 0.8-1g per lb of bodyweight and see where your calories
end up.
I’ve seen countless individuals who are 400 calories short on their ideal maintenance,
but they’re also 100 grams short in protein (which is 400 calories). This means if we add
100g of protein over the next 1-3 weeks, you’ll be at your ideal maintenance and I can
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almost guarantee you will not see any fat accumulation from that rise in calories (Dr.
Jose Antonio’s Protein Overfeeding Study helped us prove this).
Now if you calculated that and you’re 400 calories short, yet your protein is at or
above where it needs to be… this is where we run into an issue of chronic dieting,
under-eating, and/or being in a recovery debt. At times, this implies we’ll need to
properly reverse diet you before you can really chase fat loss – something that this
particular book is not about.
But all of the above, is exactly why I prefer following the method I will explain next
above all else – it’s the most accurate.
Maintenance Calculator #3 – Daily Tracking/Weighing, To Find Averages
With this method, you would track your daily intake of food as well as your daily
weight on the scale, for 1-2 weeks. This will allow us to look at how much food you’re
truly eating on a day to day basis, along with how your bodyweight is responding in
correlation to that.
Let’s look at an example of this:
Days Calories Bodyweight

1 1,790 165.8
2 1,900 166
3 1,995 165.8
4 1,650 165.6
5 2,010 166.2
6 1,895 166
7 1,950 165.5
Week 1 Average ~1,885 Week 1 Average ~ 165.8
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Days Calories Bodyweight

1 2,010 165.6
2 2,150 165.2
3 1,800 165
4 1,910 166.5
5 1,795 166
6 2,050 165.8
7 1,850 165.8
Week 2 Average ~1,935 Week 2 Average ~ 165.7
So after 2 full weeks of tracking, we know that on average you’re consuming 1,900
calories daily and that amount of food is maintaining your weight (there was a 0.1
increase which is not significant enough to call it weight gain).
So what does this tell us? It tells us that your maintenance level calories are truly
1,900. Nothing will give you as accurate of an equation as real life metrics, which is
why this is the protocol I recommend when starting this system.
But let’s say that this individual did the calculations from above, first:
165 x 14 = 2,310
Or
165 x10 = 1,650 x 1.8 = 2,970
Both of those are based on an average activity level, too.
This is why “macro dieting” can have a bad rep, because people will go the cheap
and easy route (not investing time or money in their results) and use a free online
calculator that doesn’t factor in any lifestyle factors, stress, hormones, past dieting,
or past intakes… and spit out a number for you.
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You jump from your true maintenance of 1,900 to 2,500 (middle ground) in hopes to
lose weight and you actually go into a 600 calorie surplus.
What happens? You gain weight, that’s thermodynamics.
This also gives you awareness as to whether or not you’re READY for a calorie deficit,
because if you do all these calculations for yourself and realize that you are under
your “ideal maintenance” – well, you now know you need to reestablish a solid
metabolic capacity before going into a serious dieting phase.
CREATING YOUR DEFICIT OR SURPLUS

As we now know, this is your maintenance calorie intake and if we want to change
our body composition we’re going to need to change this intake. Simply put, we’re
not trying to maintain – we’re trying to either lose or gain.
Studies and science will tell you that 3,500 calories is a pound of fat, so if we wanted
to lose 1lb of fat per week we would cut 3,500 calories which ends up being about
500 calories per day.
In the example above, taking the average caloric intake, that would only allow
1,400 calories per day. This could be an issue for hunger, cravings, flexibility, energy/
performance, and muscle retention.
In the example of the calculations, this wouldn’t be an issue at all because we’d still
have about 2,400 calories to consume daily… often times people will calculate, take
500 calories out, and barely lose at all, wondering why “science isn't’ working?”
Science works, it’s that you subtracted 500 from a false maintenance.
So what do you do?
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My experience has shown me 2 things:
1. Keeping a client at their maintenance caloric intake for a couple weeks, while
implementing a smart training program and optimizing macros (we’ll get there)
can be a great start. It gets them in routine, they can focus on the educational
side of things to build adherence, and oftentimes they cut fat from simply being
more on point.
2. Use the minimal effective dose. So instead of pulling 500 calories out of the
gates, try pulling 150-250 and see what happens. Worse case, their weight
doesn’t budge after 1-2 weeks and you pull a bit more – but it’s better to air on
the side of caution.
[If you’re tired of going to the gym aimlessly without a solid training program or
plan that will actually show you results, click here now.]
RATE OF WEIGHT LOSS

The next question that comes up is, “How much should I be aiming to lose, anyway?”
For pure fat loss, my recommendation to you is to strive for 0.5 – 1.0% of bodyweight
per week.
This can be pretty simple and relative for just about any individual, as it changes
depending on where you’re at in your fat loss journey – while rarely ever harming
muscle gain or hormones, assuming you’re doing things properly and following a
realistic timeline.
With this 0.5-1% rate of loss; the heavier you are (and the more you have to lose), the
more weight lost per week is acceptable. The leaner you are, the less you lose per
week and that’s much healthier for your metabolism while maintaining muscle mass
and performance.
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Let’s see what this looks like:
Individual’s Bodyweight Rate of Loss Per Week

250 1.25 – 2.5 lbs.
225 1.1 – 2.25 lbs.
200 1 – 2 lbs.
175 0.8 – 1.75 lbs.
150 0.75 – 1.5 lbs.
135 0.6 – 1.3 lbs.
As you can see, and as I stated above, the leaner you get the smaller the rate of loss
becomes. This is because you very likely do not have nearly as much fat to lose as
someone at a higher weight.
Or you have less fat and more muscle, which again is not a place where we want to
be pushing our results too quick as we will sacrifice hormonal health, metabolic rate,
and muscle tissue – all together, that’s sacrificing sustainability.
My suggestion is always to lose your weight or body fat via nutrition as it’s much
more controllable/predictable and way less taxing on your body’s hormonal and
nervous system.
Even though cardio is good option and you will likely need to include it at some point
in your fat loss journey, do not be quick to add it in. Start with nutrition and at most,
Low Intensity Cardio on 1-2 days that you’re not in the gym training hard – which
would add up to 5-6 days per week of total activity. This is a great method because
you do get the advantage of caloric expenditure, but also better recovery between
sessions and aerobic capacity.
But adding two-a-days, HIIT finishers, and anything else on top of an already
highly active training regime, will lead to neurological fatigue, mental burnout, and
overproduction of cortisol (stress hormone). In other words, it can be counterintuitive
if you’re not smart with it.
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And always remember that at some point, you will need to stop doing it because
it’s unrealistic to continue doing cardio forever (unless we’re in that 1-2 days per
week routine). But because the body is a very adaptive species, our metabolic rate
will grow accustomed to the amount of cardio you’re doing and it’ll become less
effective.
My point with this is that it’s a variable that is hard to truly predict (caloric
expenditure, wise), it isn’t sustainable from a lifestyle perspective (when doing a lot),
and the body adapts to it far easier than anything else (making it less effective).
So once again, add it in sparingly and only when you’ve come far enough that you
have no other choice – i.e. you don’t want to or cannot take any more calories out.
RATE OF WEIGHT GAIN

When it comes to gaining weight, good weight, things are pretty easy simple and
straight-forward.
Unfortunately for the natural lifter, it is much more difficult and takes much longer to
put on quality muscle mass than it does to burn off body fat.
That being said, I’m going to be very black and white about this section.
• You need to be in a surplus, period. Body “recomps” are practically impossible

for anyone who is not a beginner in the gym or has had a long layoff of training.
• You need to train hard, eat right, recover enough, and be patient. You will not
grow overnight. So commit to a 6-8 month period and solely focus on gaining
size, nothing else. Lose fat later.
• Don’t get fat. This isn’t an excuse to “bulk, bro”. So the goal should be to
maintain your body fat level, maybe add a little bit of fluff. But in no way should
you get super-fat (technical term), because that will only negatively impact your
health and your ability to actually put on more muscle tissue. As you put on fat,
you’re more prone to adding even more as you eat.
Unlike a pound of fat, which has 3,500 calories, muscle has far less; only about 800 calories.
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“So should we be in an 800 calorie surplus per week in order to gain 1lb per week?”
Maybe, it depends (I know you hate that answer).
The more advanced and/or longer into your training career you are, the less calories
you add into your surplus because the less muscle you can actually build.
We all have a genetic potential, without drugs, and the closer we get the more
our bodies resist adding muscle. So the further along you get, the slower you build
muscle. I know, pretty messed up… We get smarter and better at this stuff, but we
don’t get rewarded for it.
This is exactly why I encourage so many newbies in the gym to get a coach right from
the get go, because it will save them so much time and frustration down the road.
So let’s make this easy, with another table:
Training Career & Calories Above Calories Above

Experience Level Maintenance at 180lbs Maintenance at 130lbs
Beginner 1-2% BW/Month 1-2% BW/Month
(First 1-2 Years) About 200-400 kcals/Day About 150-300 kcals/Day
Intermediate 0.5-1.5% BW/Month 0.5-1.5% BW/Month
(3-4 Years In) About 150-300 kcals/Day About 100-200 kcals/Day
Advanced 0.5% or Less Up to 0.5% or Less. Up to
(5+ Years In) 150 kcals/day 100 kcals/day
So as you can see, unless you’re just getting into the gym – and if you are, kudos to
you for reading this and researching REAL info on how to improve right from the
start – you need to be patient when it comes to building serious muscle.
And to finish off this section on weight gain, I’ll just add…
This is HIGHLY individual.
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I’ve worked with newbies who have gained on a 200 calorie surplus and ones who
have only been able to gain from a 500+ calorie surplus.
I’ve worked with advanced individuals who can only go into a 100 calorie surplus
without getting fatter and I’ve worked with ones who NEEDED 500 calories or more in
order to see any gains at all because they have such a highly adaptive metabolism.
The best method for seeking gains is starting on the low end and to just keep
climbing slowly until you find your personal sweet spot.
Part 3: The
"Individualization
Tool" (Macros)
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Part 3: The "Individualization Tool" (Macros)

So what are macronutrients?
Mac • ro • nu • tri • ent – A substance required in relatively large amounts by living

organisms, in particular.
• A type of food (e.g., fat, protein, carbohydrate) required in large amounts in the
human diet.
In other words, it’s the nutrients that build up our caloric intake, so you could also call
this section “Calorie Composition”. Yes, Vitamin-B and D are important, but they’re
“Micronutrients” because the size of them is literally smaller than macronutrients. Add
to that, they do not have any caloric value to them.
Macronutrients contain calories and when we add them up, they equal our total
daily intake.
Protein has 4 calories per gram.

Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram as well.
And Fats have 9 calories per gram.
(Alcohol has 7 calories per gram)
Now, alcohol is NOT a macronutrient… but most of us will argue and claim that it is
our 4th macro. Because of that, I’m going to break this down briefly first and if you
want more info and details on how to fit alcohol into your diet – click here and check
out my article all about alcohol and staying lean.
Alcohol is a chemical nutrient called ethanol, which is metabolized and processed

in the body similar to fat. It has calories in it and those calories can add up quick,
because it’s liquid form and it’s fun to drink. Because of this, it’s not recommended in
frequent dosages when trying to drastically change your body composition nor is
it recommended if you’re attempting to achieve maximal health – but some in low
quantities is fine.
Alcohol essentially stops the body’s processes in an attempt to remove it, as if it’s a
toxin in the body that must be removed. This is why it’s pretty much impossible to
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burn fat while drinking alcohol. You can avoid fat accumulation (gain) if you fit the
alcohol in your calories, but assuming results will progress while being under the
influence is simply not going to happen.
When tracking alcohol, you should include it within your caloric intake, or as closely
as possible. The best way to go is to remove some fats from the diet that day to
make room for the alcohol itself – because fats have more calories per gram, the
way alcohol gets metabolized, and because fats are more likely to be stored as fat
than carbs.
Now that we’ve covered alcohol, we can move onto the important stuff (not that
alcohol isn’t an important consideration to make here).
"Why Are Macronutrients Important? Can’t I Just Track Calories?"
Well technically yes, you can. As we know from part 1, energy balance is the biggest
mover in fat loss or body composition changes in general which means if you’re in a
deficit you will lose body fat and if you’re in a surplus you will gain weight.
But when we consider performance, optimizing recovery, creating hormonal

balance, and building muscle – Macronutrients become very important.
Even more important than those reasons, is individualization. Macros are a tool that
allows us to divide your personal caloric intake into a ratio that is not only better for
your specific goal, but easier for you to personally meet on a daily basis. This is key
because if you create a macro prescription that is great in theory but not in practice,
you’re shit out of luck when it comes to long term consistency.
For most people reading this, you’re interested in more than just losing weight…
You probably have some kind of interest in building more muscle, lifting more
weight, performing at a higher intensity or level (whether that’s crossfit or
bodybuilding), or maybe you just want to get as lean as you possibly can.
Well in that case, you need to consider tracking and periodizing your macros.
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Case Study Example:
Meet John, he wants to lose weight and just “get rid of his belly”. He commits to
tracking calories but not macros, because he doesn’t want to over complicate things
and he really doesn’t care about how much weight he lifts or how big his guns are.
He’s 5’ 10”, weighs 198lbs, 32 years old, and trains 4 days a week.
Now, meet Matt. He wants to lose weight too, but he also wants to build more
muscle mass in the process so he can perform better in his pickup games and in the
gym (he wants to build his bench up, like most guys).
By coincidence (not really) he is the same height, weight, and age as John! And he’ll
also be training 4 days a week.
The difference here is, he tracks his calories and macronutrients. So we have full
control over his entire intake, versus just his daily calories.
6 months later, they both reach their goals.
John has lost 33lbs! He’s down to 165lbs now, got rid of his belly and is much healthier
than he once was. He consistently trained, but didn’t see any remarkable strength
gains. He’s happy and healthy, that’s all that matters.
Matt has lost 27lbs! He’s down to 171lbs now, got rid of his belly and is also much
healthier. The difference here is that he added #’s to all his lifts across the board! He’s
now playing better than ever in his pickup games, added ½ inch to his arms, and
build up his chest, back and shoulders significantly.
So what was the difference here?
Matt lost about just as much body fat as John, but he added 6lbs of muscle (or
simply maintained more muscle, because at times doing both simultaneously is
impossible) in the process, which may not seem like much but is actually a significant
amount of meat to slap on your body (think of steaks).
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Matt was a little more disciplined with his tracking, because he did pay attention to
every single macro vs. just his calories. John only looked at one number, which fit his
lifestyle, personality, and goals better.
So the question to ask yourself is which do you fall under? Both are fine, they just
build different physiques by the end of things.
See when we dial in the ratio of proteins, fats and carbs – we can have more control
over how much muscle we build and/or maintain over time, which will allow us to
not only burn more body fat and increase our metabolism, but it will also increase
longevity and improve hormonal balance.
In my personal opinion and experience, tracking all the macros makes more sense.
“What if I don’t care about how much I lift, but I do want to live longer and fix my
hormones in the process of dropping body fat?”
This is common and there is a simple answer for it, one that meets both ways in the middle.
For these folks, you’re going to want to dial in your calories and your protein intake.
Then just let your carbs and fats fluctuate, based on how you feel and what you
crave more often. That way you get the benefits of protein being higher and still
have your calories dialed in.
Will having all macros tracked and managed help you more? Absolutely. My point is
that it’s not always required. This is a debate of Optimal vs. Practical. It’s no question
that having your entire macronutrient spectrum dialed in is more helpful, but for
some it’s just not feasible long-term.
So how do you figure out where to set your personal macros? Before we can do that,
you need to know about each macronutrient so you can have a full understanding
of why we set things the way we set them.
PROTEIN
Protein is debatably the most important macronutrient there is. The reason is simple;
it’s an essential nutrient, which means you literally cannot survive without consuming it.
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Protein is what helps us rebuild tissues and keep systems running, from the muscular
and skeletal system to the nervous system and the immune system. Almost every
function of the body needs at least some protein to function, manage and continue
working.
We need protein for enzymes in our body, skin and hair growth, and many hormones
like metabolism, adrenaline, testosterone, and growth hormone.
The point is, you need protein and when it comes to changing your body
composition the biggest reasons are:
• Protein rebuilds muscle tissue which allows us to recover, train hard again, and
build more muscle. The more muscle we build, the more fat our body will burn.
• Protein has a very high TEF (Thermic Effect of Food), which means it takes more
calories to digest it. Yep, you actually burn calories just digesting protein. This is
because it’s harder to break down and utilize than other nutrients and because
of this, it’s smart to have a high percentage of calories coming from protein.
• Protein is extremely hard to store as body fat. It’s smart to burn fat while
consuming as many calories as possible, which makes having protein higher
even more valuable because it is damn near impossible to store as body fat.
Now there is clearly an upper limit, you can’t just keep consuming more and
more as you will have issues in your gut and possibly other organs of the body.
But we do know that it’s necessary to have a larger percentage of calories
coming from protein (30-40%).
• Protein is the most satiating nutrient you can consume. In other words, you stay
full for longer when consuming it and as anyone who has ever been on a “diet”
before knows, this is a very good thing. If we can keep you full and satisfied
during a diet, adherence and consistency becomes much easier.
So as you can see, you’re going to need to prioritize protein if you plan to drastically
change your body composition – whether that’s for less fat, more muscle, better
performance, or all the above.
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FATS
Fats are another essential nutrient, which is why we’re discussing this right after
protein – you can’t live without it.
So technically you could just eat protein and fats for the rest of your life and you’d
be fine. That’s why the ketogenic diet has become so popular as of late. But in my
honest opinion, living “fine” isn’t good enough and I know with a balance of all
macronutrients I can thrive.
That’s not a knock on keto diets, some people do function much better on them
but from my experience and knowledge, the majority of people work better on a
balance of all three macros.
So why are fats so important?
• Fat is crucial for hormonal health, which is one of the biggest and most
recognized reasons to consume an adequate amount of fat. This is one of the
reasons why this is an essential nutrient, one you cannot live without.
• Fat is primer for the nervous system and the axon, which is a major part of
the nerve that transmits electrical signals from the brain throughout the body
to initiate all functions, is made up of 80% lipids (fats). This means for full
neurological capabilities and optimization, we need adequate fats in our diets.
This, in my opinion, is the most underrated benefit of fats because when we look
at building strength in any movement, it’s 80-90% neurological and without a
primed nervous system strength is just not an option.
• Fat is a secondary energy source. When we look at low intensity activities, things
like walking or any other slow physical movement, and even daily activities,
things like deskwork and moving around the house, fat is our fuel source. It’s not
great for explosive energy, but it’s great for daily energy needs when glycogen
doesn’t need to be utilized.
Hopefully by now, you’re starting to see the benefits of considering more than
just calories. There is so much to this macro game and when you can create an
individualized approach to your nutrition, you win in the game of reaching results.
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CARBOHYDRATES
We’ve discussed how important protein is and we’ve broken down how crucial fats
are… So why do we need carbs?
“Because they’re tasty and I crave them, all the time ...?”
No, not quite. Although that statement holds a lot of truth to many of the people
reading this right now, it’s not why we should be consuming carbohydrates in our diet.
It’s because it creates balance and allows us to thrive. Each macronutrient has
benefits and “duties” in our bodies, which allow us to live life at a much higher level.
Which is why I don’t think we should neglect any of the macros. But here are some
specific examples as to what carbs help with:
• Performance, first and foremost. Carbohydrates aren’t technically needed to

survive and go about daily tasks and activities, but if you want to perform…
then carbs are your fuel. Carbs are the body’s primary fuel source when it comes
to higher intensity activities and muscles being able to actually work for us.
• Carbs are a part of the process to activate and produce ATP. In fact, as much
as 80% of ATP production is derived from glycolysis (glucose production). ATP
is a major component in anaerobic training – which is a major component
in getting stronger and building muscle! This means that if we’re looking to
maximally stimulate results through strength training, carbohydrates are a
necessity.
• Research is limited, but there is also some evidence that leans towards the
combination of protein and carbohydrates positively impacting muscle protein
synthesis. MPS is the anabolic signal our body creates when we ingest protein
as a nutrient or when we partake in resistance training. This is a major player in
the game of building muscle and although the research is limited, many believe
carbs DO play a role in boosting that affect rather than just carbs alone or just
protein alone.
• Recovery is another huge reason and although protein is the number one
source for this, carbs help replenish muscle glycogen for future performance
and actually can help rebuild muscle tissue when protein isn’t available or is
scarce, because it’s a protein sparing nutrient.
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• Hormonal health. Even though fats are known as the big mover for hormonal
balance, if we do not consume enough carbs we risk negatively impacting
hormones like leptin, ghrelin, the thyroid, and even the adrenals. Mainly
hormones revolving around metabolism and energy/fatigue (adrenal glands).
Now you can keep those regulated and balanced on a low carb diet, it just
becomes a bit harder and if you're in a situation where your adrenals are
already in pretty bad shape... you want to make sure you include a decent
amount of carbohydrates into your diet. The biggest regulatory factor with
keeping hormonal health high, is making sure you're not in a serious caloric
deficit for too long – so all the macros matter!
• It is the easiest way to get enough fiber in your diet, because 75% of fibrous
foods are also carb dense foods. Whether that’s from veggies or fruit or whole-
wheat grains, typically more carbs will lead to more fiber. Fiber is essential for
health… But we’ll get to that later.
• Carbs are practically everywhere… And as much as that’s kind of a joke, it’s also
somewhat true. Often when we look at social settings or eating with friends/
family, carbs are included. So if we remove them completely, normal life just gets
harder. Having a balanced diet with carbohydrates included in, allows us more
freedom and flexibility that more importantly leads to more adherence and
consistency.
That about covers it for carbs, but if you want even more detail – read this article on
7 Things You Didn’t Know (But Need To) About Carbs.
But before we move on, I do want to go back and reflect on something a bit more….
Performance.
Performance is the number one thing that will lead to body composition changes,
from a strength and muscular standpoint. See nutrition is by far the biggest mover
for fat loss – if you don’t focus on it, you’re not going to get far. But if you’re not
training, hard, then you’re not going to create long-term results or a body that you
truly can be proud of.
Why? Simple, food doesn’t stimulate muscle growth to a meaningful enough degree.
However, intense training does. Which means not only do we need this to grow
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muscle but also to create more definition during a cut, by maintaining as much
muscle as possible while in a defitic.
So if we can utilize carbohydrates in our diet in order to train much harder, then we
will build/maintain more muscle, increase hormonal production, burn more fat, and
even just burn more calories per session – because we have more energy!
That is why the term, “Eat less move more” makes sense from a scientific and
theoretical standpoint. Because yes, less calories in and more calories out means
you will burn fat – but after a certain period in time, your body will adapt and
become more efficient, which leads to less caloric expenditure. This is the metabolic
and/or thermogenic adaptation theory.
My best advice to you, the person reading and wanted to shred as much body fat as
possible, is to really pay attention to the periodization section of this book because
that’s how you’re going to be able to treat fat loss like a thermostat – turn it up when
needed and turn it down when needed, implementing cuts and maintenance blocks
to avoid this adaptive thermogenesis.
And instead of constantly focusing on “Eat Less, Move More”, the idea I like to instill
into my clients at the beginning is “Eat more, train more” because it prepares them
for the long-run.
This way, everything is thriving and although it may take a little longer for fat and
weight to start falling off your body… the results will last MUCH longer and they will
be MUCH more prominent, because you prime your body before dropping into a big
deficit.
(When it comes to building muscle, eat more train more is the ONLY way to go…)
CALCULATING YOUR MACROS

So now you know everything you really need to know when it comes to what macros
are and why they’re important, together and individually. So what’s next?
Next is breaking down where you should be at with each macronutrient.
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So for easy math, we’re going to go back up to our client example Matt and base
our calculations off his stats.
He was 198lbs and as you remember in Part 1 Energy Balance, we should multiply
his body weight by 10 to get his estimated maintenance (remember that this isn’t the
way I do it nor recommend to most, but since we don’t have his food logs from the past 2
weeks it’s what we’re going to use).
So his maintenance is 1,980 and we’re going to round up to make things easy (you
can do this too, round up or down to the closest 50) and give him 2,000 calories.
Besides Matt’s pick up games a few days a week, he’s pretty inactive so we’re going
to use 1.3 (low end) as his activity multiplier.
2,000 x 1.3 = 2,600 calories
We’re going to cut 500 calories per day, in hopes of getting a 3,500 weekly caloric
deficit to lose 1lb of fat per week, which leaves us with 2,100 calories.
The reason I broke this down first is because we cannot determine macros without
calories being determined first, which is a big reason why part 1 was all about
calories and energy balance.
First thing to calculate is protein.
We’re always going to set this first because it’s most important in terms of having
a set number. It also changes a bit depending on where you’re at with your goals,
cutting or gaining (fat loss or muscle gain).
Studies have shown time and time again, that having a higher percentage of your
diet coming from protein will help aid muscle preservation while dieting – which is
massively important if you want to retain muscle while losing body fat.
Studies also show that there isn’t much difference in the results of body composition
change occurring between 0.7g/lb. to 1.5g/lb. (both which are higher percentages
than most diets).
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But what they did find is that the athletes on higher protein noted less fatigue from
training and did not store extra body fat despite the extra calories coming from protein.
The big takeaway here is simple… If you like to eat some extra protein, do it. It really
can’t harm you and there is a possibility it actually may benefit you, especially if
you’re in a serious deficit for a period of dieting (there’s an upper-limit, don’t take in
2-3g per lb and expect to not be bloated, gassy and uncomfortable).
My recommendation is to set it at your 0.7-1.3g per lb. of your body weight

depending on where you’re at in the weight loss spectrum (see table below). 0.7
is the low end of the spectrum that I rarely ever go to, unless weight to be lost is
greater than 40-50lbs. 1.3 is the high end that I also don’t go to as often, but will
take it there when someone is already lean (looking to get shredded), needs more
satiation during a cut, is already a very light bodyweight (100-125lbs), or is getting
ready for something like a physique competition/photo-shoot because muscle
maintenance is key and a an ultra-high protein intake is associated with helping
muscle preservation.
Protein Requirements for Cutting/Fat Loss

50+ lb.’s or More 0.7g x BW
30-50 lb.’s 0.8g x BW
15-30lb.’s 0.9 – 1.1g x BW
0-10lb.’s 1 – 1.3g x BW
As for muscle gain, some will argue that it can be much lower because you’re in a
surplus and that implies that you’ll have more protein sparing nutrients (carbs and
fats) and are in a catabolic state far less often (if ever) compared to when in a deficit.
I would agree with this, theoretically. But in my experience, as you raise carbs up
higher to promote muscle growth – we’re also limiting our highly bioavailable protein
sources because we’re naturally getting more from carbs like oats or potatoes. So in
these situations, I prefer to add slightly more protein as I raise carbs.
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Protein Requirements for Gaining/Muscle Gain

Beginner 0.8-1g x BW
Intermediate/Advanced 1-1.25g x BW
Ok let’s get back to Matt…
He’s consuming 2,100 calories, his goal was to lose body fat, and as we saw in the
example earlier on – his weight loss goal was about 20lbs.
So that puts him in the 0.9-1.1g per lb. category. So how do we determine the exact
number? Ease, adherence, and preference. I just ask the client, base it off what I feel
would suit them best, and then look at their dieting history to make a final decision.
In his case, because he wants more muscle mass at the end and he can eat a good
steak, we’re going to base it off 1g per lb. (and because simple math is always best)
to start and then build it up a bit as we go deeper into the deficit.
198 x 1g = 198g ➞ Rounded Up For Easier Math – 200g of Protein.
This means ➞ 200g x 4 (calories per gram of protein) = 800 Calories.
This leaves us with 1,300 calories to spare for fats and carbs.
We’re going to tackle fat first because even though it doesn’t directly impact
his performance in the gym or on the basketball court as much as carbs do, it’s
crucial for health.
We’re going to set his fat at 25% of his calorie intake. 20% is the bare minimum for
healthy fat loss and any higher than 35% takes away from carbs and/or protein a
bit too much. So 25% is plenty for hormonal health, nervous system function, and
dietary flexibility, but allows wiggle room in case we need to adjust down the road.
(15% is the absolute lowest I suggest allowing fat intake to reach and that is when you’re
on an extreme fat loss protocol, such as contest prep, or have 50+ lbs. to lose)
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2,100 calories x 0.25 = 525 calories
525 calories ÷ 9 (calories per gram of fat) = 58.333333… Lets call it 60g, which is
actually 540 calories and not 525.
540 calories + 800 calories = 1,340 calories
2,100 – 1,340 = 760 calories left
Carbs are always the most simple to figure out; because whatever we have
left… we give to them!
760 calories ÷ 4 (calories per gram of carbs) = 190g of carbs.
So Matt’s macros are:
Daily Calories Protein Carbs Fats

2,100 200g 190g 60g
Now let’s be difficult for a minute, since I know many of you reading this out there are
just that… Difficult.
What happens if Matt keeps going over his carb intake and/or feels like his
performance is suffering a bit?
We can adjust his carbs and fats, to help him optimize adherence and performance.
We know that 20% of calories from fat is the bare minimum, which would be 46g of
fat in his case. So we can strip some fat and add some carbs.

2,100 200g 210g 50g
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What happens if he is performing just fine, but actually struggles to hit his carbs? He
keeps going over his fat and is fine being well under 210g of carbs.

2,100 200g 155g 75g
And if we have the scenario where adherence is fine, however he is just not losing
fat and I do not want to strip more calories or add cardio just yet… I may alter the
calorie composition (macros) just to see if his body responds better to a different
ratio of carbs | fats. The ability to know when this is a smart move, greatly comes
down to experience as a coach – there’s really no method or sign I can give you to
know when this is best.
As you can see, there are a million ways to skin a cat. There is really no “best ratio”
or macro number to follow, it comes down to how you personally feel on the given
macros and exactly what you can adhere to easiest in the long run.
Low carb works, high carb works, an even balance works… They all work!
Remember that calories in vs. calories out is king, macros just allow us to fine tune
things to get you performing better, recovering better, and adhering to the diet more
consistently.
This is where having a coach who has experience and expertise in which macro
ratios seem to work best for a given individual and the specific goal seems to always
work out best.
It can be confusing, it can be overwhelming, and it can be hard to determine what

you individually need – but if you can manage the math and be patient, your results
will speak for themselves.
If you want a chance to have your macros created specifically for you, without you
having to worry about which ratio to choose and how to adjust along the way,
Click Here Now and Apply for a Strategy Call. We’ll discuss what would be best and
how we can create a straight path to results, without the confusion and stress.
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Here’s a table to summarize the above calculations:
General Macro
Protein Carbs Fats
Recommendations
Cutting 0.7 – 1.3g Per lb. of 15-35% of Total
Whatever is left!
(Fat Loss) Bodyweight Daily Calories
Gaining 0.8 – 1.1g Per lb. of 20-30% of Total
Whatever is left!
(Muscle Gain) Bodyweight Daily Calories
Part 4: Everything Else
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Part 4: Everything Else

This is the section where we “fill the rest in” ...
But I don’t want you to take that as a sign that it’s unimportant, because everything
inside this section is pivotal to your success by it allowing you to better adhere to
the two foundational things inside of nutrition that allow body composition change
(Calories and Macros).
I’ve referenced The Muscle and Strength Pyramids a million times inside my content,
because the creator of that method literally changed my ideology of nutrition 4
years ago when the YouTube videos first came out. It crushes all fads, tricks, and
gimmicks, while lying down the groundwork of how nutrition will actually create
success.
And that’s been my goal with this, as well as the rest of the content I produce.
But inside The Pyramid, the order of operations goes: Energy Balance (Calories),
Macronutrients, Micronutrients, Nutrient Timing/Frequency, and then Supplements.
I’ve added Metrics into my own personal hierarchy, based on my experience working
with people over the years. But I’m also chopping the pyramid in half, categorizing it
all together, and adding a few more things in.
Why?
Because everyone is individual and completely different in their lifestyle, psychology,

and physiology.
And because of this, the adherence level of each person is completely different
and will be affected completely differently as well. For some, meal timing has no
importance at all. For others, it IS what allows them to have routine and create
successful consistency inside their macros.
For some, focusing too much on micronutrients creates rigidity and lack of diversity
inside their nutrients. For others, avoiding the thoughts of micronutrients allows them
to be less stressed and actually have a more flexible approach (which studies have
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shown to allow more diversity inside the foods they consume and helping with the
micronutrient intake).
My main point here is that there is no one thing that’s more important or valuable
than the other. Calories and Macros, yeah – they take the reign because without
them in place your body composition will not change. But the rest? It can all be
lumps together in a single, simple, and brief section to help you keep stress low and
individualize your approach better.
MICRONUTRIENTS
Let’s break down what micronutrients truly are.
Mi • cro • nu • tri • ent – A chemical element or substance in trace amounts for the
normal growth and development of living organisms.
This essentially means “the small formed nutrients that living things actually need in
order to survive, grow, and develop from day 1”.
These are your vitamins and minerals, which are needed in order to survive as a
human organism. Things that allow us to have healthy organs, skin, hair, nails, eye
sight, development of our CNS, provide tendon/ligament support, etc… Micros are
pretty damn important, I will say that. However, it’s much more simple than you and
many other people make it out to believe.
In fact, in my experience, if you fill 80-90% of your dietary plan with whole foods you
will sufficiently support your body with enough micronutrients and will actually rarely
ever need any supplemental variations of them.
But there’s a few things we need to make sure you understand in order to achieve that:
MINERALS
There are two types of minerals that we consume on a regular basis; these include
macrominerals, which our body needs in bigger doses, and trace minerals, which
our body needs in smaller doses.
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The macrominerals include potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, sodium,

chlorine, and magnesium. Most of these are electrolytes, which directly link to our
fluid intake, and if we don’t have a balance with these, then hydration, recovery, and
performance can become problematic.
The trace minerals include iron, copper, iodine, selenium, zinc, molybdenum, and
cobalt (there are more, but these are the key ones to remember). Even though these are
needed in much smaller quantities, these are just as important to get in your diet as
the macrominerals are.
VITAMINS
Vitamins come in two different types, just like the minerals do, but it’s related to how
they’re absorbed and utilized in the body. We have fat-soluble and water-soluble
vitamins.
Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed and utilized with the assistance of fat through
the small intestine and tend to stay in the body much longer than water-soluble
vitamins. These include Vitamins A, D, E, and K. It’s important to remember the
fat soluble part of them, because if you take a Vit-D capsule, for example, with a meal
containing zero fat in it – it’s far less likely that you’ll absorb that Vit-D capsule. In
addition to food (fat) consumption, they’re also depleted the leaner we get because
the less fat we have on our body – the less likely our body will store adequate levels of
these vitamins, meaning they become much more important to pay attention to in
the diet (or supplement with) as you achieve aesthetic levels of leanness.
Water-soluble vitamins, as you probably imagined, are absorbed with the

assistance of water. Water-soluble vitamins include Vitamin-B (all 8 forms) and
Vitamin-C. Just like fat-soluble vitamins, athletic individuals can easily become
deficient in these vitamins because they’re constantly sweating during training and
many of them drink more than the average amount of water, helping to flush these
vitamins right out of the system. With the increased stress on the immune system,
from training, it’s important to supplement with these or target foods high in these
micronutrients (ideal) so that you do not become deficient.
There are also some micronutrients that are commonly low in athletes, bodybuilders,
and highly physically active individuals. This is likely due to the physical activity
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causing depletion, as well as the restrictive nature of many physique conscious

individual’s diets.
Here are the Micronutrients and the negative implications of being deficient:
➞➞ ZINC: Deficiency can lead to negative metabolism impacts.

➞➞ IRON: Deficiency can lead to a negative strength impact.
➞➞ CALCIUM: Deficiency can lead to a negative bone health impact.
➞➞ OMEGA-3’s: (Technically a fat, not a micro) Deficiency can lead to a negative
hormonal, neurological, and joint impact.
➞➞ VIT-D: Deficiency can lead to a negative hormonal impact.
➞➞ MAGNESIUM: Deficiency can lead to negative impacts on the nervous system
and muscle recovery, hydration, and more.
To close out this section on Micronutrients, here’s a table breaking down the simplest
way to ensure you have all your bases covered:
HEALTH & MICRONUTRIENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Water Intake 2/3 of Bodyweight in Fluid Ounces
Servings of Fruit Per Day 1-3 Serving Per Day
Servings of Greens or Fibrous
2-4 Servings Per Day
Veggies Per Day
Percentage/Ratio of Whole
Foods to Other 80-90% or “The 90/10 Rule”
(General Recommendation)
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FIBER
Fiber is pretty important for proper digestion, healthy cholesterol levels, and appetite
regulation during a diet (helps adherence by satiety).
A healthy intake for daily fiber is generally 20g for an average sized female and 25g
for an average sized male. Another easy way to calculate it would be to give yourself
10-15g per 1,000 calories; so 20-30g for 2,000 calories or 15-20g for 1,500 calories.
This is general and you’ll have to play with things. For example, some individuals can
consume over this without any issues, going upwards of 40-50g without any added
bloat, digestive stress, or gas. Others reach 40g and experience more bloat, gas,
and digestive stress. It’s highly individual but in general, I do not see any reason to go
over 45-50g per day for just about anyone and often see people experience issues
when reaching levels of 60+ grams of fiber daily.
Fiber can be found in many lower glycemic carbohydrates (part of the reason they
are lower glycemic by nature), fruits, vegetables, some fat sources, and of course
through supplementation.
While consuming a higher fiber diet, which is recommended during a diet, it’s
important to consume enough water because without enough water, fiber will
have the opposite effect we’re striving for and will actually cause blockage and
constipation. Fiber works with water by absorbing it in the gut, creating more bulk
with the food, and helping you pass things through your system.
MEAL COMPOSITION
Meal composition is just what it sounds like, it’s the composition of each meal you
consume – but specifically talking about macronutrients, here. In other words, how
are we balancing our meals.
I’ve spoken about this many times inside my content and during nutrition seminars I
give… I’m not a fan of snacking.
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I believe it’s a bad habit for anyone looking to achieve impressive fat loss results.
Does it mean you can never have a snack? No. But in your day-to-day diet, the
nutrition plan you’re following 99% of the time, you should strive for balanced
feedings – even if they’re “small enough” to consider more of a snack.
Usually snacks imply that we’re eating one macronutrient by itself, it’s usually some
nuts (just fats) or a piece of fruit (just carbs) or maybe even a piece of toast in the
morning (just carbs, maybe some fat with butter on it).
This will likely lead to it being more difficult to meet your daily macro totals, it is not
as beneficial for muscle protein synthesis (need protein for this), and will likely lead to
hunger or cravings kicking in shortly after the snack is consumed.
But if we treat each feeding like a balanced meal, we can strive for protein, fats and
carbs to be consumed in each meal.
Sometimes there will be less carbs and sometimes there will be less fats, but almost
always there should be adequate protein. This is going to help satiety throughout
the day, blunt hunger and cravings post feeding, increase MPS for better recovery/
growth, and will make it much easier to hit your macros by the end of the day.
In starting a nutrition plan, I’d usually advise splitting up your macros evenly across
4-5 meals per day. 3 is fine, so is 6. Don’t major in the minor.
When we do this, it just makes planning much less stressful and easier to do. This is
going to be the best route to take when starting your initial plan.
As you become more advanced in your dieting, you can begin to distribute the ratios
a bit differently by taking fats away from your workout window and adding carbs
or prioritizing more carbs in one part of the day and fats in the other. You can also
increase protein amount or change the type (to casein, for example) at your pre-bed
meal to improve protein synthesis overnight, by slowing it down.
The big takeaway here is that you should be striving for balance first, then specificity
later
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FEEDING FREQUENCY & NUTRIENT TIMING

This is where many people get confused or as mentioned just before, “Major in the
minor”. The truth about feeding frequency (how many meals you eat per day) is that
it matters about half as much as you once believed, maybe even less than half.
For a long time it was believed that the meals you eat in a given day determines your
metabolic rate and as we all know, a fast metabolism allows for faster fat loss and a
longer life span. They believed this because there is a metabolic response to a meal;
meaning your metabolism does rise from food and you do burn calories through
TEF when consuming calories.
But this belief has been disproved many times now. Our metabolic rate has far less to
do with how many meals per day we eat and far more to do with:
1. Our Total Caloric Intake.

2. Our Activity Level and Types Of Activity Being Done (i.e. training, cardio, etc.)
3. Our Gender and Age (Partially Uncontrollable, Partially Lifestyle/Habitual)
4. Our Current Muscle Mass (Muscle Tissue Is Energy Taxing)
5. Our Sleep Schedule (Rest and Recovery)
6. Our N.E.A.T. – Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (Partially Why Age Matters,
This Often Drops With Age)
7. Our Specific Hormonal Profile (Things Like Thyroid, For Example, Need To Be
Healthy For Our Metabolism To Be Good)
But nowhere in there did we see meals per day.
You may have heard the saying, “You need to stroke the metabolic fire” ...
This basically meant that the more often you eat, the more you’re “Stroking The Fire”
and in turn you were constantly boosting your metabolism. Theoretically this does
make sense and when we look at the leanest individuals in the world when this term
was created, we can see why they believed this.
The guys in the 80-90’s bodybuilding world were eating massive amounts of
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calories and because of it were able to build muscle and burn calories (fat). When
eating these high amounts of calories, they needed to consume 6-7 meals per day
– because if they only ate 3, they couldn’t eat enough in order to reach their caloric
intake for the day without likely causing extreme digestive stress and discomfort.
Then the issue became that people were taking this advice, yet were in different
shoes… A 300lb bodybuilder is in a different place than a 150lb women; therefore as
he may have needed to eat 6 meals per day, where as she could’ve gotten away
with only 3.
The big takeaway from this is feeding frequency is highly individual and needs to
be altered to fit your personal lifestyle, schedule and training. That’s what’s going to
lead to better adherence, which leads to consistency, which leads to real results.
We also just need to be sure we’re training properly, not over doing cardio, eating
enough food, keeping sleep adequate, and generally moving enough throughout
the day. All of that will lead to a faster metabolism and less body fat.
“So it really doesn’t matter, at all?”
I would never say never.
But what matters most is having an individualized system around your feeding
frequency and letting your body adapt to it so it gets used to the amount of meals
you consume each day.
And if we want to bring science into things; studies have actually shown that
inconsistency with meal timing and frequencies (changing up when and how often
you eat, regularly) can actually decrease energy expenditure and insulin sensitivity.
Now obviously at times it’ll need to change, but as often as you can I suggest you
make a plan and stick to it. Your body and results will thank you for it.
In conclusion, I would say that for 75% of people out there just looking to cut some
belly fat or lose weight, the exact frequency just doesn’t matter. However it can pay
off to split up your meals for better adherence and consistency, for anyone.
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That being said, I know there’s a lot of the “25%’s” reading this right now. So let’s get
into the weeds:
PRE-WORKOUT NUTRITION
Studies have shown us over time, that there is a lot of mixed evidence in the literature
in regards to nutrient timing for training. At the end of the day, it’s all individually
based. Some people thrive on having carbs pre workout and others seem to crash.
Is it a neurotransmitter response that causes the crash or the high (dopamine/serotonin)?
Is it insulin spiking, blunting the cortisol response and calming someone down pre
training?
Is it the elevation of blood glucose that leads to better training?
Could be yes or no to all of the above, it’s hard to say and again – it’s highly
individual, so test things out and see what works best for YOU.
That being said, there are some key points we need to touch on because we do have
proof that certain things are important and we also have decades of experience
from many top level athletes and strength coaches to show that certain things do
work better than others.
PROTEIN
This is one thing we do know; we should be taking in some form of protein within
1-3 hours prior to training and the closer you are to your training, the more easily
digestible the protein source should be. This is essentially what made whey protein
shakes and powders so popular, because it was a quick and simple fix to help
people get the protein in that they needed without disturbing digestion too much if
at all.
But regardless of the source of protein, you just need to get it in. One of the most
important things to consider are that your protein is coming from a leucine rich
source (a very important amino acid) and that it agrees with your gut because you
cannot focus on training if you’re focused on digesting (your body will send blood to
the gut to work, instead of the muscles to work – plus lets be real, you can’t squat heavy
with bubble guts).
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Big Key Point: Protein prior to training allows your body to have the right amino
acids in store to avoid excessive breakdown and aid proper recovery. We want your
body to work hard and use the right fuel source for training, while being ahead of
the game with recovering. So whether your goal is performance, strength, muscle
mass, fat loss, or general health and longevity – this applies to you.
CARBS
This is completely independent on the individual’s personal fuel source preference,
which many people actually do not know. So in most cases, we’ll test this out to see
where they’re at. Try training with a protein + fat based meal and then try training
with a protein + carb based meal, then take notes and determine which felt best.
As simple as that sounds, it’s really the best way to go about it. You can also look at
your typical dieting history – where do you tend to naturally go too? Fats or carbs?
That may tell you a lot about what your body craves and thrives on. But it may not
be enough, to be honest. Because in many cases, you can alter what your body uses
by choosing one and letting your body adapt – this is called metabolic flexibility.
So what do we know?
We do know that carbs are the primary fuel source for the body when it comes to
intense training and fats are the primary fuel source for very low intensity activity.
Therefore in my experience, usually carbs win here.
That being said, we need to understand that the breakdown, digestion and
absorption of carbs does not happen immediately. If you consume some fast acting
carbohydrates pre training, you will spike blood glucose levels and that will allow
some immediate fuel and for a better pump during your session because your body
will bring hydration to the muscle.
But from a “entire training session” point of view, it’s much more important to
prioritize daily carb intake for better performance. This is mainly because our body
has to go through the process of taking a carb, breaking down the glucose, and
transitioning/storing it as muscle glycogen (some for liver glycogen).
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This process can take time, so what you eat tonight is likely what will fuel your entire
session tomorrow.
Big Key Point: Anything will work; the key is you need some kind of fuel. Food is fuel
and fuel is what allows your body to not only survive, but truly thrive and function
at an optimal level. But in most cases, carbs tend to be the best choice and just like
protein – you should consume some 1-3 hours prior to training for better pumps
and immediate energy, while focusing on your daily intake the 14-24 hours prior for
majority of your energy stores. Carbs have slow digesting sources and fast digesting
sources, so it’s important to match the timing to the digestion rate. If it’s a carb
source with more fiber, protein and fat in it, push it out a bit. If it’s something that is
pure starch, like white rice, it can be much closer to training and actually may help
your energy levels for that session.
FATS
Fat’s don’t play a massive role inside training nutrient timing, but they do play a role
and are worth mentioning.
Many will tell you not to eat carbs and fats together, I disagree with this completely
– unless you’re eating excessive amounts together and they’re coming from majorly
processed sources, you’re fine to do so. This advice started because many highly
palatable foods and highly refined or unhealthy foods ARE a combination of carbs
and fats. But that doesn’t mean adding some fats to your carb sources is a bad
idea, it just means we need to be logical with our dieting strategy.
In most cases, a little bit of fat is actually really beneficial. For a couple reasons;
first because we need fats in our diet... so why wouldn’t add a bit in each meal? If
we save them all for a later meal we will likely have acid reflux, gallbladder stress,
digestive issues, or cause poor nutrient partitioning. If it fits your macros are you ok?
In theory, yes. But it’s not always the case.
Second because fats slow digestion down, keeping insulin levels steady and actually
allowing the carbs and protein consumed to be spread out for a much more even
and long lasting energy. This can also help those who experience hypoglycemia
when consuming all carbs and no fats, pre training – this tends to be how I feel and I
absolutely hate the feeling of hypoglycemia in the middle of a serious training session.
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Big Key Point: Fat is more important on a daily intake spectrum, but you don’t need
to completely leave it out when considering your pre and post workout meals
PRE-WORKOUT NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS

Protein Carb Fat
Goal
Requirements Requirements Requirements
Gaining 25-45g Doesn’t Matter Much. 5-15g With
(Muscle Growth) 1-3 Hours Prior You’ll be consuming Your Meal
enough daily that timing Too much can
has little effect; only slow down
benefit is blood glucose digestion too
levels for a better pump. much.
Cutting 25-45g 20-60g Carbs 5-10g With
(Fat Loss) 1-3 Hours Prior 1-3 Hours Prior Your Meal
This is highly individual,
so it’s hard to give exacts.
POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION
There’s really only 3 debates or reasons to consider post workout nutrition. The first
being glycogen replenishment (restoring carbs post training), the second being insulin
sensitivity being higher (allows for better storage of carbohydrates), and the third
being the hormonal response of consuming food post workout.
Let’s tackle the first one, first, because Glycogen Replenishment is the only one that
really isn’t worth worrying much about. In 90% of cases, the person training will not
need to worry about replenishing glycogen storage immediately post workout.
The reason being is simple, you’re just not doing that much.
And that’s not me calling you a wimp or saying you don’t train hard, it’s just the facts
behind what actually causes true glycogen depletion. The truth is, even some of
the highest-level bodybuilders really don’t deplete their glycogen stores in a single
training session.
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Extremely glycolytic training is rare to come by. It’s usually really high-level crossfit
athletes, ultra-marathon or extreme endurance athletes, and people who are
performing multiple high intensity training sessions per day. Rarely bodybuilders, but
I’ll throw in the physique athlete who is 4-6 weeks out, extremely lean, doing cardio +
training, and is in a caloric deficit.
But when it comes to just generally building muscle or burning body fat, you won’t
really be in this realm – at least not to the degree where you need to sprint to a sushi
roll post workout.
Add to that, you will get full glycogen replenishment within a 24-hour period after
your training session, even on a regular or moderate carbohydrate intake.
Insulin Sensitivity is something I would consider and in my own coaching, I do

implement strategies around it.
Insulin sensitivity is a term used to represent our body’s ability to intake calories and
carbohydrates. When we’re insulin sensitive, we tend to absorb nutrients more easily
into the muscle, rather than store as body fat. Which is why many enhanced athletes
(steroids) use a synthetic version of insulin.
What studies have proven is that our insulin sensitivity becomes higher and more
responsive around training – specifically resistance training and full body strength
training. This means training our muscles, the more the better, allows our body to
store nutrients easier.
For that exact reason, it makes sense to take advantage of this and consume a
good amount of your carbohydrates around your training sessions. Both pre, during
and post – but for the majority of people, pre and post is all we need to worry about.
Intra workout nutrition (during sessions) is saved for extreme athletes or the
individuals who are trying to maximize muscle growth. There is some convincing
evidence that consuming liquid carbs intra-workout will help blunt the cortisol
response during training and prevent catabolic processes.
In the studies they had individuals sip on Essential Amino Acids and Highly Branched
Cyclic Dextrin (powdered carb) intra-workout. Essential amino acids are very easily
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digested and, when combined with HBCD, they showed to improve the absorption
of amino acids to skeletal muscle. This can trigger muscle protein synthesis and
help mitigate the negative effects of cortisol. In fact, this study I’m referring to literally
showed cross sectional muscle tissue growth in trainee’s supplementing with this
combination.
But again, this is saved for the people who have ALL the fundamental bases covered
and are ready to invest more time, effort, and money on anything to help them see
more gains (fractional, but more).
[For More on Intra-Workout Nutrition, Read This Free Article]
Hormonal Responses are another reason to consider keeping a post workout meal
routine on point.
When we train, there is a hormonal cascade going on in our bodies. Because

training is breaking homeostasis and forcing our body to adapt to serious and
possibly threatening events – sounds scary but this is good, if we adapt we build and
if we build our physique changes.
During and after training, our body is experiencing higher levels of testosterone,
growth hormone, insulin, metabolism, and many more positively affected hormones.
But it also creates a pretty significant cortisol response because when our body is in
threat, that’s the hormone that allows us to spike adrenaline and “fight to survive” so-
to-speak.
Although this is a positive during training, because it may help intensity, it’s also
a potential negative because cortisol is a catabolic hormone (catabolism is the
breaking down of muscle tissue).
So how can we take advantage of this? Simple. Feed our body nutrients that will
compliment the positive hormones and negate the negative.
Consuming a protein-based meal will allow you to do both of those things, as long
as it’s within about 1-3 hours. So it’s pretty easy to accomplish this.
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As for the cortisol response, it’s best to consume some carbohydrates because these
more significantly spike insulin and insulin has an inverse relationship with cortisol
where it will actually blunt the cortisol-stress response. So by consuming carbs, we
can control the cortisol to be an advantage and not a determint.
[To Learn More About Cortisol's Effects on Body Comp, Read This Free Article]
But you only need to worry about it, seriously at least, if you’re training in a very
intense fashion. This is why when I have a crossfit athlete who is training at a very
high level, I will have them supplement with fast absorbing carbohydrates pretty
rapidly after their workout – then save the rest for 1-3 hours later.
POST-WORKOUT NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS

Protein Carb Fat
Goal
Requirements Requirements Requirements
Gaining 25-45g 10-30% of Total Carb 5-15g With
(Muscle Growth) 1-3 Hours Prior Intake 1-3 Hours Your Meal
Post Workout Too much can
slow down
digestion too
much.
Cutting 25-45g 40g+ Carbs 5-10g With
(Fat Loss) 1-3 Hours Prior 1-3 Hours Prior Your Meal
This is highly individual,
so it’s hard to give exacts.
High Intensity 25g 30-60g Immediately None
Athlete Immediately After Session Immediately
After Session After Session
Big Key Point: Post workout nutrition is similar to pre workout nutrition, it’s not as
crucial if you’re not a seriously high level athlete. But it may be something to look
into in order to better absorb the nutrients and calories you’re taking in, especially if
you’re at a plateau with your training or aesthetic results.
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MUSCLE PROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND SATIETY

Don’t let the fancy words confuse you, it’s not that complicated I promise.
MPS (Muscle Protein Synthesis) in the simplest form is the anabolic response our
body has from both training and consuming protein. When we do either of these
things, our body responds by spiking MPS. When we get this spike of MPS, our body
will replenish and build tissue (muscle).
So for this exact reason, it’s important to spike MPS often enough. This is going to
allow you to recover faster and more efficiently, which will help your performance
and general ability to build new muscle tissue.
The best way to make sure you’re doing this is to eat protein every 3-5 hours, which
goes hand in hand with my recommendation of how many meals you will be eating
– because technically you could consume 3 or 6 meals and still accomplish a solid
level of MPS. My recommendation, from what I’ve seen to work best I continue to
recommend 4-5 meals per day.
“What if my goal is fat loss? I don’t care about muscle mass!”
Keeping muscle protein synthesis elevated AND training for hypertrophy, are the two
best known strategies for maintaining muscle mass while being in a deficit. So for
that reason alone, we NEED to ensure that we’re eating protein at the right intervals
during a diet.
Satiety is another really important thing to consider when we look at meal timing
and nutrients per meal, because if we can tweak things to increase our satiety rate
we can more easily follow a diet plan (nothing is easy when you’re hungry all the time).
So how can we tweak to make this more beneficial for us? Simple – eat protein more often!
This is the other reason it’s important to eat protein in every meal and shoot for 3-5
meals per day. Protein is the most satiating nutrient of all three macronutrients. It has
a higher thermic effect, meaning it burns more calories to digest, and will leave you
much fuller for the low amount of calories it contains.
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Big Key Point: 3-5 meals per day, containing protein in each meal (25-45g
depending on bodyweight, to be exact) is going to be ideal for just about anyone
who wants to be healthy, lose fat, build muscle, or perform better. This one is an
important key!
SUPPLEMENTS
Let’s actually define this, because it only clarifies my statements above.
Sup • ple • ment – Something that completes or enhances something else when
added to it.
The big key to look at there is where it says, “Enhances something else”. This is the
big key because by definition, supplements are only here to help us improve the
fundamentals – which are all things we already covered thus far.
QUALITY AND PURITY

Before we can get into what supplements actually work and which are worth
investing in, depending on your specific goals, we need to touch on the fact that it
can be unfortunately easy to make and get supplements approved. Because of this,
doing your research before buying is very important.
There are 4 things to check for first or avoid completely:

• USP Label – most general vitamins and supplements may be verified from lab
studies and if they have, they should have a USP label on the bottle. This is a
simple and easy way to be sure the supplement is not only a legit source but
also truly contains what it claims to contain.
• Labdoor.com – this is a free website (check it out here) you can visit and search
products, because not all will have the USP label (it’s expensive and tedious).
This gives you a way to research what you’re about to purchase and see what’s
actually inside the bottle, so you can make the right decision on brand.
• Brand New and Unknown Products – when the new Kreatine Alkaline hit the
shelves, we stayed clear of it. Why? First of all, they spelt creatine with a K and
I don’t trust any brand with misspelled labels. And secondly because it’s just
too new to trust. It’s unfortunately easy to get into the supplement game and
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because of that, we should all be very cautious. My suggestion is to trust the

brands and products that have stood the test of time.
• Make sure you understand what the supplement is – There’s so many
people giving advice out there who just do not know enough of the science
to truly be providing that advice, so my suggestion is to do your own research
before popping another pill from the local muscle shop. Even if you trust the
supplement, it helps to know the what, why, and how’s before consistently
taking it. Check out Examine.com and do your research, they have everything
you’ll need to know.
EFFECTIVENESS
Something to touch on briefly is the actual effectiveness and results seen when
taking supplements. The reason I bring this up is because marketing hypes things up
way more than what reality actually shows.
So unless you’re taking a PED (Performance Enhancing Drug) or something of that

caliber, do not expect to see results that will wow you overnight.
Most supplements, ones that truly have benefits and are worth the investment,
take patience and consistency. After weeks and weeks of taking them, you begin to
perform better, recover faster, get bigger, lose more fat, or become healthier.
It’s crazy that anyone would expect otherwise… If it worked that well and that quick,
we’d all be jacked beyond belief by now.
RECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTS
The list below is a list of supplements that I either personally take, suggest my
clients to take, or I have done extensive research on in order to be able to and feel
completely ok recommending to you all.
The list isn’t very large, but that’s with good reason – we don’t need supplements.
That being said, they can enhance or improve the results we see by adding to our
already sound nutrition plan.
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MULTIVITAMINS AND/OR GREENS POWDER

I typically do not promote or suggest multivitamins, because most people will rely on
that and think that their bases are covered, but the reality is that most multivitamins
provide a VERY small amount of extra micronutrients. Therefore it’s safest to get the
majority of what you need from whole foods and while in a deficit/fat loss phase,
add the multivitamin as an insurance policy because you’re more likely to become
deficient when training hard and in a deficit.
Recommended: Garden of Life Multivitamin or Amazing Grass Greens Powder
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS – (EPA & DHA)

Of the essential fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid
(DHA) have been shown in many studies to have the most benefits to not only health
but also fat loss and performance.
The easiest way to find an abundance of EPA and DHA is in fatty fish or a fish oil
supplement. If you are a vegan, you can also get this from an algae supplement.
Whether you’re looking for health and longevity, to build more muscle, to run faster,
or to cut as much body fat as possible – I would recommend you supplement with
some form of EPA/DHA.
Ideally you’d be consuming 1.5-3g of combined EPA/DHA per day, usually this means
you’re getting about 3-6 servings (capsules) per day.
By taking this supplement, it may help with the following:

• Reduce total body inflammation (joints, brain, gut, etc.)
• Enhance mood
• Improve insulin sensitivity
• Improve the muscle protein synthesis response
• Reduction of disease risks
• Possible metabolic improvements
Recommended: Viva Fish Oil
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VITAMIN D3
As many know, the more sunlight we get the more Vitamin D we get. Seems easy
enough right? Yeah sure, but unfortunately as time goes on we get less and less time
under the sun.
If we think back to ancestral times, we lived in caves and huts. Meaning we were
not working on our laptops indoors or “Netflix and Chillin” very often. Because of
that, today’s society, no matter where you live, doesn’t get enough direct sunlight to
produce the amount of vitamin d we need in our bodies.
This can impact our hormonal levels, muscular performance, immune function, and
more. So it’s pretty important to pay attention too. The best recommendation out as
of now is between 3,000-6,000 IU’s daily.
Recommended: Carlson Vitamin-D
PROBIOTIC AND DIGESTIVE ENZYMES

Unfortunately there isn’t a ton of solid evidence or research studies that have been
done on probiotics or digestive enzymes. But from my experience and what the little
literature we do have will tell you, it can help with the digestion and absorption of
nutrients coming from our diets.
The reason I’m an advocate, is because our gut is the second brain and if we don’t
strive to optimize it we’re failing to invest in a big player in this game of physical well-
being. With a healthy gut comes better performance, less disease, more fat loss,
improved hormones, and better brain cognition and production.
Digestive enzymes can be taken with your daily meals and are for anyone who
struggles to fully digest their food or feels generally bloated and gassy after eating
any given meal.
Probiotics are for anyone who just wants to optimize their guts, struggles with any
digestive/gut issues, or has any specific immune intolerance. Probiotics can also
be found in natural foods like kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, some yogurts, and other
fermented foods.
Recommended: Garden of Life Probiotics and Doctor’s Best Digestive Enzymes
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CAFFEINE
Caffeine is a very well studied supplement when it comes to enhancing performance
and helping burn more fat and/or build more muscle and strength (through
enhanced performance and thermogenics).
Caffeine is a CNS Stimulant (Central Nervous System) and when we stimulate the CNS,
we allow our body to tap into sympathetic drive – aka fight or flight. This is good
when we’re training, because it allows us to go a bit harder than we’d be able to
normally.
What also happens when we stimulate the CNS is we allow our bodies to tap into
more muscle fibers, on demand so-to-speak. Think of it like an activator for our
muscles… Or like a key to start the ignition, which gets the engine to fire up and
therefore get the wheels turning a bit more.
This is the main action of caffeine that allows us to burn more fat, simply enhanced
performance. However there is data to also show a thermogenic effect, which is
likely through increased HR and NEAT.
Anywhere from 200mg up to 500mg will work for a pre training stimulator, it really
depends on your tolerance. Tolerance is adjusted by bodyweight, history with
caffeine, and some other individual factors.
Recommended: Coffee, Pills, and Pre-Workout
CREATINE MONOHYRDATE
Creatine is not a steroid. It is not a magic drug. It will not make you “bulky”;
overeating will make you bulky. It does not make you bloated; however it does store
water (intra-cellular, which is good – that’s in the muscle).
Creatine is produced in our bodies; therefore we all actually already have it within
us. As do animals, which is why foods like red meats are a great source of natural
creatine. But in order to benefit, above average, from creatine – we need to consume
more than we produce naturally and most likely get from our diet.
Creatine will help hydrate and replenish the muscle, making recovery a bit more
optimal and faster. This, in turn, allows us to perform better. How much better?
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Not much… but enough to care. We’re talking about cranking out 1 extra rep on
a given set, which over a week may actually be 50-100 extra reps and that will
contribute to more strength and muscle.
Getting creatine stores in your body up can help benefit your strength, force and
power production, muscle fullness, ability to recover, and essentially your ability to
build more muscle tissue – which benefits us all.
The best part about it all… It’s cheap! Creatine is known to be a cheaper supplement
that is great. You’ll only need 5g daily (about 1 teaspoon – training and non-training
days). Aim for a product that uses Creapure©.
Recommended: Muscle Feast Creatine
PROTEIN POWDER
Protein powder isn’t “needed” for building muscle, but it can help hit your daily total intake.
Protein powder is easily absorbable, quick and convenient, is relatively low in calories
because it’s pure protein in most cases, and it can save you when you struggle to
reach your protein intake day to day.
For immediate absorption, at a time like pre or post workout, we recommend whey
protein. But at times where we want a sustained absorption, at a time like pre-bed or
early in the morning as a non-pre training meal replacement, we recommend casein
protein.
Recommended: Muscle Feast Whey and Casein Protein Powder
HBCD (HIGHLY BRANCHED CYCLIC DEXTRIN)

HBCD is a fast digesting carbohydrate source (thanks to its unique molecular/
branched structure) that allows for quick absorption of nutrients and, therefore,
faster recovery.
Since HBCD is quick digesting it won’t cause stomach upset and can get to your
muscles faster to promote sustained energy and better recovery. HBCD has an
extraordinarily fast gastric emptying rate which makes it easier on the gut and faster
in terms of absorption.
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What this means is that when taken intra-workout or post-workout, it can help us
replenish muscle glycogen faster and also blunt the cortisol (stress) response from
training, both which have been shown to improve performance during training and
build more muscle by helping to drop the catabolism from cortisol AND speed up
MPS/Protein Balance – shown in research to build more cross-sectional muscle tissue
compared to placebo or control.
This is an amazing supplement from the sounds of it, but what’s to note is that it
takes longer and much more intense training for it to be effective. So it’s best saved
for endurance athletes training for 60+ minutes, bodybuilders using high volumes,
or vigorous CrossFitters. It’s also recommended to combine this with EAA’s as it has
been shown to be more advantageous, this way.
Recommended: Muscle Feast HBCD and Muscle Feast EAA’s
Part 5: Periodization
(Diet Breaks, Refeeds,
Timelines)
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Periodization (Diet Breaks, Refeeds, Timelines)

Now that we’ve covered a lot of the “What’s and how’s” inside creating a successful
diet, it’s time to learn how to periodize this.
But first, let me define what this strategy is and then we can go into setting it up for
you personally.
Nutritional Periodization – The process of planning out your diet, on a macro

level, ensuring you have phases dedicated to each outcome needed to facilitate
long-term success. These phases include fat loss, recovery, maintenance, and the
optional muscle tissue-building phase.
In other words…
You need to plan out when the diet begins, how long the diet lasts, how hard you will
be dieting (Aggressive deficit? Minimal effective deficit?), when you will implement
a recovery phase (Diet-Break), when you should probably sit at maintenance (Let
your body recover), and when, if at all, you plan to shift gears to put on more muscle
tissue once getting to your leanest body.
“Alright alright alright… slow down, Cody. That’s a lot to think about. I just want to shed
some weight man!”
I know the feeling, trust me. But here’s the reality. If we do not at least THINK of this,
we are setting you up to lose weight and gain it all back, and possible more than
when you started.
The statistics on weight gain are scary, but these realities are something we have to face:
• 85% of people who are obese WILL lose weight in their lifetime.
• 95% of those people, who lose the weight, will gain it back within 3 years.
• About 33% of those individuals who gain the weight back, will also gain more
and end up heavier than when they originally started.
If you don’t have a plan for after the diet, then you’re setting yourself up for rebound
and nutritional periodization IS the path to sustainable results. Whether we take
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a shorter aggressive approach out of the gates or a slower more sustainable

approach, you will still need something mapped out for when it stops – because it
will stop.
Let’s dive into the steps needed to map out 1 full year of fat loss (this can be
shortened to a 6-month period – if 1 year is too overwhelming. If you’re ready to have
this done for you, click here now and apply for The Individualized Nutrition Coaching.).
PRE-DIET PHASE (BODY PREP)

This is something not enough people think about and not enough coaches
implement. This is part of the reason why BBP Nutrition Coaching stands out in the
crowd of coaching; we DO focus on the preparation of an individual prior to starting.
The reality is that not all individuals who want to start a fat loss journey are actually
ready to start a fat loss journey – their bodies are not in the place physically,
neurologically, or hormonally to take on the stress of dieting.
Training hard (using more fuel) and creating a calorie deficit (taking in less fuel) are
both stressors that are literally working in opposite directions, in order to create the
result we want. This is good, but it’s still stressful and we cannot ignore that. So if
you’re starting from a place where your body literally cannot handle the stress we’re
about to place on it, not only will this just not work but your body will not adapt the
way you wish it to – in fact it’ll adapt negatively.
So before we start a diet or a fat loss phase, we need to make sure of a few things:
• You’re already at maintenance level calories or above. We NEED something to

pull from because you can’t take water from a bucket that’s already empty.
• You’re fully recovering from the training you’re already doing, meaning that
you’re not overly fatigued and stressed going into this. We NEED to manage
prior stress before creating new stress.
• You’re currently doing less than the most you can do. What I mean by this, is
that if you’re already lifting 5 days a week and doing 4 extra cardio sessions on
top of… that’s a lot, so where do we add, implement or tweak?! In other words,
you can handle more.
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• You haven’t aggressively dieted in the last 3-6 months, ideally. At times we can
still take on a client who has recently dieted but in many cases, if you just went
at this and created the stress on your body – we’re going to need to work on
recovery before we start the diet plan again because your body will simply not
respond otherwise.
Once we can either a.) check off the list, as these things are good to go, or b.) start
helping you to recover on whatever was not sound here; we can begin the next
phase – The Fat Loss Diet.
DIET PHASE (FAT LOSS)

Now you’re ready to actually diet and see some progress, “Hell Yes!”
The most important thing we need to determine here is the timeline of the diet,
because that determines our speed of fat loss per week and also whether or not we
need to hit the next phase (which is optional).
There’s 3 ways to approach this:
1. The Mini Cut

This is where we spend 3-6 weeks cutting, aggressively. I only recommend this when
you’re someone who is working to build more muscle mass or you’re an athlete who
needs to shed some weight in order to make weight, perform better, or be lighter for
the gymnastics aspect of your spot (CrossFit). In this case, we cut hard and get the
job done as fast as possible so we can bring you back up to maintenance calories
as soon as possible.
2. The Fast Track
This is where we spend a minimum of 8-10 weeks, but more likely 14-16 weeks, dieting
for fat loss. We do create a physically noticeable deficit, we do push your body a bit
harder, and we really do get after it, but it is not as harsh or aggressive as the mini cut
because you have more weight to lose overall than that individual and because we
have more time to work with. This is the most common and in my opinion the best
route to take. It’s more motivating than the later because it doesn’t take as long and
you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, plus you should be seeing visual progress
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every week which is super motivating in itself. Our goal for fat loss is about 1-2lbs per
week for most individuals and this comes when you have 20lbs or less to lose.
3. Slow and Sustainable
This is for our clients who have more than 20lbs to lose and/or need an approach
that is more flexible, easier to follow, and doesn’t create a negative relationship with
food. See here we will be anywhere between 0.5-2lbs per week on average and some
weeks not even any, but as long as we’re consistent that’s all that matters because
any weight that falls off during this time is much more likely to never return. This is a
process that we’re spending 16-24 weeks, sometimes more depending on how much
weight there is to lose, in a fat loss phase. Slow, steady, and sustainable. This one will
need the next, optional, phase in many cases.
DIET BREAK PHASE (INTUITIVE RECOVERY)

If you’re doing a mini cut, this isn’t necessary. You just need to stay consistent for your
short sprint and get to the finish line.
If you’re doing a longer, but still moderately intense diet in the 8-16 week timeframe,
then this becomes intuitive. Meaning as you experience more diet fatigue, you need
to play around with diet breaks and multi-day refeeds.
If you’re pushing 12+ weeks of dieting and you’re feeling rundown, you should likely
implement a diet break to help with recovery, hormonal adaptations, and the
psychological stress that comes with dieting.
If you’re in the 16-24+ weeks camp, you should absolutely implement this because
too long in a deficit will create more and more physiological adaptations.
The diet break phase is simply a time where you refeed, or bring your calories up to
maintenance via carbohydrates, for an extended period of time, usually within the
2-14 day timeframe. We need a minimum of 48 hours at maintenance to have any
significant hormonal response during a diet, but 72+ hours seems to be preferred.
For some people we can spend a weekend here and get the benefits. Others need
to spend a week or more to recover and rehabilitate. It’s very individual, but the
best way to look at it is the longer or harder you’ve been dieting, the longer this time
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period should be because we’re repairing from a larger amount of stress.
When we bring calories up to maintenance, we are allowing some hormonal

processes to recover that will allow the metabolism to get going again and avoid
any negative hormonal implications that arise from dieting (testosterone declining,
chronic cortisol elevation, thyroid dysfunction, etc.). But rather than thinking of
this as a “hormonal boost”, it’s more of a hormonal insurance policy. You have
LESS adaptation when implementing these during your fat loss journey, because
completely removing metabolic slow down is almost impossible during a diet.
You can plug these in every 2 to 12 weeks and they can be 3 to 14 days long. Big
ranges but that’s because it all depends on how long and how aggressive the deficit.
For example, I have clients that take 2 day diet breaks every week and every 3 weeks.
I have others that take 3 day diet breaks every 3 and every 5 weeks. Every one and
every macro prescription is highly individual.
The best way to determine how long you need them for is to track your biofeedback
(or have a coach program them for you). If you’re watching your stress, sex drive,
performance, recovery, fatigue, cravings, sleep, etc… prior to the diet break and during
the diet break, you’ll typically know when it’s the right time to go back to the diet.
You can also determine how long by how long you’ve been dieting. Every 3-4 weeks,
just have a 2-3 day refeed. Every 8 weeks, have a 5-7 day refeed. Every 12-16 weeks,
have a 7-14 day refeed.
This is also why “The Matador Study” made biweekly calorie cycling week to week very
popular inside the nutrition coaching space and why we’ve used it on countless clients.
MAINTENANCE PHASE (PLANNED RECOVERY)

This is where a lot of people drop the ball, because they assume once they hit the
end of their timeline or reach their target weight loss goal… it’s over, time to celebrate
and go back to whatever it was you were doing prior to starting the diet.
Problem here is that what you were doing before the diet, made you overweight or
gave you some extra fluff that you really didn’t enjoy staring in the mirror. That’s why
we started all this in the first place, remember?
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This is why the maintenance phase is so important – we could also call this the reset
phase, because it’s where we attempt to reset your new body fat level, possibly your
metabolic capacity, and your body weight settling point.
It can be frustrating, but after we get to your goal weight we want to actually stay
there – maintaining your new weight and body fat level – for a minimum of 2-3 weeks
but often times 4-6 weeks.
During this time we may be able to bring up calories a little bit to your new
maintenance (new maintenance will be lower than it was when you started), but
sometimes we actually will leave them in the deficit that got you to your goal, while
adding in 1-2 refeed days per week (for sanity, glycogen, and simply less days in a
deficit per week). This is going to allow us to actually give your body time to adapt to
its new norm and make this new body size more of a “set point” than your previous
set-point, which wasn’t where you wanted to be.
It’s very 50/50 here but in most cases, we DO want to immediately work calories
up at a snail's pace just so we can get you to your maintenance level and THEN
maintain that level for another few weeks before going into the reverse diet phase.
The main goal here being that you establish a new body weight for your body
before you start cranking calories up during a reverse protocol.
Lastly, the time we would not do this is when a competitive physique athlete
finishes a contest prep. The reason we do not is because they’ve taken their body
to extremely low levels of body fat and their body is in a more dangerous place
physiologically. Because of that, we use a recovery diet approach (made popular
by 3DMJ) where we aggressively bring calories up right away to add body fat,
purposefully, and get them healthy – then continue the reverse at a slower pace after
hormonal health is achieved.
POST DIET PHASE (REVERSE DIET)

I know I’m biased, but this is where I would say you should really look into having a
coach. I mean, all these phases make more sense, will be easier to understand, and
will likely follow through better with the guidance of a coach… but the reverse diet is
just not easy!
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It’s so simple, in theory… add a small amount of calories each week, letting weight
creep up slowly or maintain during the process – add when it stays or drops back
down and wait when it doesn’t.
But the psychological and emotional process of reverse dieting can be tough and in
order to be SLOW with this process, you have to be one disciplined mofo – because
you want to eat, period.
But this post diet phase is where we slowly bring calories up to or just above
maintenance levels. In a perfect world we’d like to get it up to your old maintenance,
where it was prior to starting the diet, but in many cases the dieting process slows
the metabolism down and that can cause your true maintenance to be a bit lower.
But we want to bring it as close to that old maintenance as we can.
Really, we want to bring calories up as high as we can without adding at. Some
people have more highly adaptive metabolisms than others, which means they
adapt as you go and during a reverse diet this is great – you keep adding and they
keep maintaining. However this is a double edge sword and can cause the same
response on the way down; which we don’t want, because that implies that you
adapt as you drop calories and your body won’t lose as effectively. In these cases,
you have to play with more aggressive drops and more frequent diet breaks.
But at the end of the day, all’s we’re trying to accomplish during this reverse diet
is physiological restoration. We want to bring calories up enough to where your
biofeedback (stress, mood, cravings, fatigue management, sleep, etc.) improves
and gets back to 100%. We’re not doing this as a competition or a way to see how
many calories we can consume, because that will backfire. We just want to find
health again, while avoiding excessive fat accumulation.
MUSCLE BUILDING PHASE (OPTIONAL)

This is the phase where we change our goals, a bit.
You lose weight, hit your goal, and take a look at your body and realize… “I’m kind of
skinny-fat now…?”
I’ve had a lot of clients who get to this point and to be honest, I was there too when I
first lost fat. I expected to drop lbs. and be chiseled like a Greek God, yet there wasn’t
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really much muscle underneath all that fat I lost. So I had to attack a new journey,
building muscle mass.
And I’ve had other clients that don’t feel that way when they reach their weight loss
goal, but still appreciate the value in building muscle post diet. It’s a much more
sustainable approach to building your physique, really, because it allows you to
continue making progress, have your mind goal oriented still, get healthier, helps
you stay lean-longer, and the next time you diet down to get shredded… it’s going to
be a hell of a lot easier and better when you get there.
During this phase, again highly individual, you’ll want to finish the reverse diet and
actually stay put at your maintenance level calories for a bit to ensure your body fat
doesn’t overshoot. Once you’re maintaining well there and adding in other muscle
building techniques, instead of just adding calories (things like training optimization,
supplements, sleep, etc.), you can add 5-10% to your calories and approach a slow
rate of gain (which we covered in the calories section).
This is a slow and patient grind, if I’m being honest. Because muscle doesn’t grow
very quickly, at all. It takes TIME to build muscle, so your patience needs to be great
here.
But I don’t want to deter you, because the reality of long term positive effects on
body composition is that when implementing this phase – they’re much, much,
greater.
Building muscle is going to improve hormones, metabolic capacity, performance,

strength, health, and the actual aesthetic look of your physical body. So if we ignore
this phase, we’re actually ignoring something that contributes to your long term
fat loss results, too. It’s this phase that actually allows us to continue doing this –
because diet after diet, deficit after deficit, just does not work. This is maintenance
at it’s best, because it does more for us than a maintenance phase does – and we’ve
already touched on how important that is.
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So in closing, of this section (periodization), let’s summarize things:
➞➞ Have a long term plan. We want short term goals to give us immediate
motive, satisfaction, and direction, but without long-term goals we have no
plan for after the plan or continual progression built in.
➞➞ Prepare your body FOR the diet, because it’s a stressful physical task.
➞➞ FOCUS during the diet, because you don’t want to waste time or spin your
wheels.
➞➞ Create maintenance blocks where you come out of the diet, to optimize
recovery along the way; which will help you steer off negative physiological
effects.
➞➞ The plan for after the plan, aka reverse or recovery diet, is just as crucial as the
diet itself. Because if you can’t sustain it, what’s the point?
➞➞ After you’ve lost the weight, give your body a longer period of time to rest and
focus on building muscle. This will not only help your current progress, but
build up your future success as well.
Part 6: Things To Note
Before You Start
Your Journey
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This Will Take Time.

Patience you must have, young padawon.
That’s my inner Yoda speaking to you, but also my current self speaking to my past
self – because I too was impatient as hell when trying to achieve my goal physique.
My problem, though, was actually a major blessing. Within my first year of serious
training, I got thrown into a group of guys who had been lifting for 1-2 decades. They
were more experienced than me, bigger than me, faster than me, way stronger than
me, and had way more grit than I did.
It was some of the most difficult training years of my life, but was also some of the
most memorable – without a doubt.
With that, came a need to be more patient.
I wanted THEIR results, right now. Yet I was a 19 year old skinny fat kid who thought
he deserved the results of a veteran bodybuilder. Not going to happen.
So why am I telling you this? Because, you need to hear it. Whether you’re on year 1 or
year 4 of your training.
The people you likely look at on Instagram or in the magazines, who have the exact
physique you want, have likely been training and dieting for YEARS (not months).
If they haven’t, they’re genetic freaks. Both things which you’re likely not. And that’s
OK!!!
Shit, I’ve been training for 8 years now and I STILL look at others and can’t wait to
reach their level (can’t wait ➞ not “want”, because I know it comes in time).
Now, this does not mean you can’t get leaner than you’ve ever been this year.
Because you can. I just want you to understand that sustainable, impressive, results
do take time.
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I want you to know that and for me to be actually transparent with you, because
after reading this you can already see that I care about educating you… but with me
saying this, too, you now know I’m not like the hyped up fitness marketers out there
who try to sell you fast results for their own sakes instead of yours.
Lose Fat First or Build Muscle First?

This is a question I see pretty often and again, it depends.
It depends on where you want to be in 1-2 years and where you’re at now.
So for example, if you’re 250lbs at 6 foot and want to be lean, muscular and athletic
looking. I would focus on losing as much body fat, while lifting heavy weights, over
the course of the next year. That would allow a lot of fat loss, but at a slow enough
pace to maintain all your muscle mass (while possibly building some if you’re either
new to lifting or obese).
Then on year 2, focus purely on building muscle and maintaining your body fat
levels. Throw in a couple mini-cuts to make sure you’re staying lean and you’re at
your specific goal, set from day 1.
[*Side Note* – The clients who get the best results with me, commit to a year or more
of the work. It’s a process, but their end result is unbelievable and never goes away.
I’m telling you this because this is the level of commitment I suggest for you, too.]
Now on the other end if you’re about 165-175lbs, 6 foot, and 12% body fat, as a
male, but cannot see your abs… I would highly recommend you do not try to get
shredded, because if you built some serious muscle and ate properly – you’d look
leaner.
And to add to that, it can be even more confusing and hard to tell. Because I know
male individuals who at 12% can see ab definition and I know individuals who cannot
see any ab definition until they reach sub 10% body fat. This is primarily because we
all have a different level of muscle tissue distribution (mainly genetics and training
focus) and we all have a different distribution of fat storage (again, mainly genetics).
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So as you can see, it really depends on who you are as an individual and exactly
where you’re at in your journey.
My advice is to really assess where you’re at (transparently with yourself) and

determine exactly where you want to be. If you really want to be leaner, but you
know that you do not have a solid foundation of muscle built yet – consider that first.
If that is also your goal but you have too much weight to lose to consider a surplus,
then go with fat loss first.
Lastly, I’d suggest hiring a coach. This right here can be the game changing action
that helps you truly understand what you should do and also become well educated
on the process that will take you there. If you agree and feel that would benefit you,
click here now.
Body Recomposition… Is it possible?

Possible? Absolutely.
Rare? Definitely.
Highly circumstantial? For sure.
So first of all, what is body recomposition? Well, it’s the holy grail of aesthetics – it’s the
process of burning fat and building muscle, simultaneously.
This is very rare though and there’s only a few circumstances this actually occurs.
Which is why we’re so big on periodizing training and nutrition, it’s how we actually
can burn fat and build muscle – over the span of a year.
Now, when it comes to simultaneously burning fat and building muscle – that is,
doing it at the exact same time… it’s technically impossible, if we look at the acute
setting. This is because your body is either in an anabolic state or a catabolic one,
you truly cannot be in both states at once. An anabolic state is a growth state and a
catabolic state is a breaking down state, both are required for human life and both
have periods of times where they’re in action.
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What most people are talking about with body recomps is the idea that your body
can shift in and out of these two states, during the same day to day period of time.
Meaning throughout the day, I’m able to go into an anabolic (muscle building) state
while being in a deficit and losing fat.
Which is partially true, because there are anabolic periods of the day even when
you’re in a deficit for fat loss – but this anabolic state typically nets in muscle
maintenance, not more or any new growth.
And the same can be said in the reverse, there are times where you can be in a fat
loss state while in a surplus or at maintenance level calories. So technically you lose
fat, but the net usually doesn’t lead to weight loss because you’re in a surplus for
more time than not.
So at the end of the day… it’s just not something to bet on, focus on, or set goals for.
But here’s when you may be able to expect it:
➞➞ Post-Surgery or Layoff
If you’ve had any reason to lay off training for 1+ months, continuously, you may
experience some recomp. This is common when anyone is bedridden from being
sick or if they had surgery, which caused them to not train in a long time.
Example; I had knee surgery in February 19’ which caused me to step away from
training my legs for 3 months. I lost 2+ inches and 3lbs in my left thigh alone (DEXA
scan results showed). When I came back, I trained for a month and then went into
a deficit for a photo shoot cut – shortly after starting my leg training. As I lost fat/
weight, I added muscle to my leg and even to the other parts of my body because
volume was so low during my layoff. This was a recomp, without a doubt. And as
an advanced lifter this can be RARE… but it’s not new muscle, it’s old muscle being
re-stimulated and filled with water/glycogen. This is the process of muscle memory,
NOT new muscle being built.
➞➞ Newbie Gains
When someone is brand new to the gym and to dieting, I’d say within their first 1-2
years, they can easily experience recomps. Put them at maintenance calories, give
79
them enough protein, and supply a solid training program – they will build a lot of
muscle and shred fat while doing it, because it’s all such new stimuli to the body that
it has no other choice to adapt in a favorable way.
After a couple years, it no longer works because that body has done the initial
adaptation and will need more specific stimuli in order to achieve great results. Enter
periodization.
➞➞ Obese Individuals
When someone has 100lbs to lose, for example, this can be easy as well. The reason
is simple, there is a lot of readily available energy stored across their body (excess
body fat/weight) and that allows them to be fueled more easily than someone who
is already lean. They can successfully lose fat and build muscle, in this state.
The net result will still be great weight loss because fat will still be lost quicker than
muscle will be built and fat weighs greater than muscle does, but nonetheless they’re
still recomping!
➞➞ Reverse Diets
There are also times during
a reverse diet, when bringing
someone out of a deficit, where
they can recomp. This is most
commonly seen, in my experience,
with women and/or individuals who
were chronically in a deficit and
finally brought out of this state in the
proper fashion.
My client Meredith was a great

example – read her case study, here.
This is a 9 month transformation, but

the craziest part is not how amazing
she looks in the after photo on the
80
right… it’s that her weight did not change, at all. Literally exact same weight in both of these
pictures and that’s the definition of a recomp.
It’s Not Forever (Learn To Be Intuitive)

I think many people assume they need to track macros forever, once they start… but
that’s just not the case, because macros are a tool and NOT a diet.
Macros are a tool that allow you to understand energy balance, performance,
recovery, and your own individual nutritional needs. But once you track for long
enough and LEARN the process, you are able to intuitively do it without an app
or excel sheet. Which is where we want to get you eventually, whether that’s
permanently or cyclical (tracking at times).
I look at it like climbing a mountain…
The peak of the mountain, is your ultimate result. But the ultimate result takes the
most work, therefore the peak of the mountain is also where you’re tracking macros
diligently.
But you can soon descend the mountain and get back to flat ground, which is where
lifestyle sustainability resides.
My point, with this horrid analogy, is that to climb the mountain you NEED education.
So you learn and implement calories, macros, meal timing, biofeedback, etc….
As you climb, you lock in each of the fundamental habits and metrics in order to
achieve your greatest results, the peak of the mount.
Once you reach the peak, hang out there for a bit and enjoy the view. This means
LOCKING down these fundamental methods and tools, so that the results sinks in
and is readily sustainable.
81
On your way down, slowly take it easier because going down is easier than going
up. This means you’re slowly shifting from tracking everything, all the time – to just
tracking calories and protein, then just calories, then just once a week, etc… until
you’re finally intuitively eating, while maintaining your result.
Now, for some people, like me, tracking rarely ever stops. Unless on vacation or date
night, I do track year round. I’ve had 3+ month periods where I became intuitive to
prove I can or because business and family kept me busier and that took priority. But
for me, I’m an educator and need to walk the walk, firstly. Secondly, my goals shift and
periodize over time. So I move from one thing to the next and sometimes that takes
continued tracking, but shifting the focus of how I use the methods inside this book.
This infographic I’ve created has been shared over 1,000 times and I think it does a
great job of describing how this concept works:
82
You Need A Coach If ________

To finish off this book, I wanted to write a section on having a coach.
I’m bias, but it’s what I do.
And for as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a coach. Usually for more than
one area of my life, but especially in the realm of fitness and nutrition.
I think having an outside eye and opinion for adjustments along the way, is the
fundamental key in seeing sustainable success. Self biases do not favor body
composition results.
And in order to make logical decisions with your nutrition, when you’re having
emotional thoughts based on your current progress, you have to step away and let
someone else take control.
So, I’m going to tell you if you need a coach or not and even if these sound harsh or
obvious, they’re not. They’re truly reasons to get a coach and level up your knowledge
so that you can see better results WHILE understanding how to sustain them.
If you’re completely lost after reading this, you need a coach.
If you “get it”, but can’t stick to it because you lack consistency… you need a coach.
If you have zero support outside yourself, you need a coach.
If you’ve tried this all before, yet it just didn’t work for you… you need a coach.
If you read this and realized you’re in an underfed state, you need a coach.
If you read this and you absolutely loved what you read, like got real hyped up about
it and you want to go deeper and learn more, you need a coach.
If you understand it all but fail to ever periodize your approach, you need a coach.
If you’re stuck in the quick fix, fast progress, diet mentality, you need a coach.
83
If you want to maximize what you’re capable of, you need a coach.
If you realize that you’re an individual and just need a completely individualized
approach, you need a coach.
I could probably go on… because to be honest, I think just about everyone could
benefit from having a coach.
Coaching is imperative for successful body composition transformation and if your

gut tells you that you’re someone who needs coaching – Click Here Now, we’re ready
to coach you.
84
RESOURCES AND SUGGESTED READING (for you):
• 8-Part Nutrition For Fat Loss Series (Video)

• The Muscle and Strength Pyramids (Book)
• The Muscle and Strength Pyramids (Video)
• The RP Diet (Book)
• Performance Nutrition Manual (Book)
• The Matador Study (Research)
• MASS Research Review (Research)
• Nutritional Periodization (Podcast)
• Nutrition FAQ (Podcast)
• Nutrition FAQ (Blog)
• JISSN (Research)
• Pre | Intra | Post – Mastering Workout Nutrition (Blog)
• Downhill Metabolisms – What Happens After The Diet (Blog)
• Body Fat Overshooting (Blog)
• Client Case Study – Meredith’s Reverse Diet (Blog)
• Client Case Study – Jeremiah’s Photoshoot Prep (Blog)
• The Definitive Guide To Alcohol and Fat Loss (Blog)
• Truth About Body Fat Testing (Blog)
• Calorie Shifting Diet vs. Calorie Restriction Diets (Research)
• Meal Frequency (Research)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Founder of Boom Boom Performance and
Co-Editor of The Nutrition Performance
Manual Cody “Boom Boom” McBroom is a
Strength Coach, Nutritionist, and Founder
as well as Head Coach of Boom Boom
Performance and Nutrition.
He built his company, Boom Boom

Performance, because he saw the need for
an individualized coaching system within
the fitness and nutrition space. Too many
templates, generic meal plans, and training
programs that were not evidence based or
backed by science were being spread to the
masses and leading to inadequate results,
injury, and frustration.
During his own physical transformation, he

dealt with the same frustrations that many of
his clients today go through – which lead him
to schooling, mentoring, years of studying,
and eventually building his career within the
industry so he could help people achieve
results, without that same frustration he
dealt with years ago.
Now, Boom Boom Performance works with

clients and athletes around the world to
create individualized nutrition prescriptions
and provide science based training systems,
ensuring everyone not only see’s optimal
results but also has a plan that suits their
own individual lifestyle.
You can find more content from Cody and

his team on The B.B.P. Podcast on iTunes,
Videos on YouTube, Hundreds of Free
Articles on The Blog, or Daily Guidance on
Instagram.
To Apply For Individualized Coaching Directly

with Cody and His Team,
CLICK HERE NOW.
86
Copyright © 2019 Cody McBroom
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic
or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission
of the publisher. The information in any of our handouts,
e-books, written material, whether provided in hardcopy
or digitally (together ‘Material’) is for general information
purposes and nothing contained in it is, or is intended to
be construed as advice. It does not take into account your
individual health, medical, physical or emotional situation or
needs. It is not a substitute for medical attention, treatment,
examination, advice, treatment of existing conditions or
diagnosis and is not intended to provide a clinical diagnosis
nor take the place of proper medical advice from a fully
qualified medical practitioner. You should, before you act or
use any of this information, consider the appropriateness of
this information having regard to your own personal situation
and needs. You are responsible for consulting a suitable
medical professional before using any of the information or
materials contained in our material or accessed through our
website, before trying any treatment or taking any course of
action that may directly or indirectly affect your health or well
being. We’re providing external links to videos that we’re not
claiming to be our own, we’re not selling these videos, and
we’re simply suggesting readers watch for extra guidance
outside the scope of this program.

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THE

Part 1: Adherence and Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Part 2: It’s All Just Calories (Kind Of) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Part 3: The "Individualization Tool" (Macros) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Part 4: Everything Else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Part 5: Periodization (Diet Breaks, Refeeds, Timelines) . . . . . . . . . . 64

Part 6: Things To Note Before You Start Your Journey . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Part 1: Adherence, Metrics, and Flexibility

You’re on a diet now.

You have started your journey.

You will be motivated at times and completely unmotivated at other times.

But most importantly…

You’ll need to double down on what allows you full adherence.

That’s not me, nor is it how I educate others.

That doesn’t seem neurotic, does it?

It was a matter of:

Athlete: “Hey coach, can I have an apple instead of a banana?”

HERE’S WHAT I’M SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT WHEN I SAY METRICS

Part 2: It’s All Just A Calorie Equation (Kind of…)

So what does this really mean for you?

And this is debated, yet it’s not really up for debate.

However, those things do not directly dictate body composition transformation.

WELL, IT COULD BE MULTIPLE THINGS. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES:

THE NEXT STEP: FINDING YOUR MAINTENANCE.

Maintenance Calculator #1 – Generic/Common Multiplier

Activity Level Multiplier

Maintenance Calculator #2 – TDEE + Activity Multiplier

Here’s the steps:

1. Baseline Multiplier (Before Activity) – Bodyweight x10 = Theoretical Caloric Intake

2. Using The Activity Multiplier

Lifestyle/Training Frequency Activity Multiplier/Number

Let me give you an example…

Someone who is actually very active is a construction worker, bricklayer, or roofer,

An active individual may be a nurse, hospital worker, or condominium maintenance

Let’s use myself as an example here:

Baseline Multiplier x Activity Multiplier = Estimated Maintenance Calories

170lbs x 10 = 1,700 calories

1,700 x 1.5 = 2,550

This is actually extremely accurate to where I need to be in order to maintain weight,

1. 1. I do not have any hormonal or metabolic adaptations

Maintenance Calculator #3 – Daily Tracking/Weighing, To Find Averages

Let’s look at an example of this:

Days Calories Bodyweight

Days Calories Bodyweight

165 x10 = 1,650 x 1.8 = 2,970

Both of those are based on an average activity level, too.

What happens? You gain weight, that’s thermodynamics.

CREATING YOUR DEFICIT OR SURPLUS

So what do you do?

My experience has shown me 2 things:

RATE OF WEIGHT LOSS

Let’s see what this looks like:

Individual’s Bodyweight Rate of Loss Per Week

RATE OF WEIGHT GAIN

• You need to be in a surplus, period. Body “recomps” are practically impossible

Maybe, it depends (I know you hate that answer).

So let’s make this easy, with another table:

Training Career & Calories Above Calories Above

This is HIGHLY individual.

Part 3: The "Individualization Tool" (Macros)

Mac • ro • nu • tri • ent – A substance required in relatively large amounts by living

Protein has 4 calories per gram.

Alcohol is a chemical nutrient called ethanol, which is metabolized and processed