12 Week Primal Shred Lean Muscle Building Program Nutrition
Intermittent Fasting
Do you know that fasting was a normal practice during human evolution? Indeed, humans have been fasting for thousands of years. Sometimes out of necessity, when no food was available. Other times, it was out of rituals. Certain religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism have a certain form of fasting rituals purely for religious reasons.
In prehistoric times, before humans learned to farm, people sometimes did not eat for days. Eating three times a day was a luxury at that time. It has also been seen that the human body is fully equipped to manage long periods of fasting.
Intermittent fasting IS the ‘special sauce’ that makes this 12 Week Primal Shred Program so effective.
The first few days of fasting could be a challenge both physically and mentally. For sure, you’re not going to like it. Your body isn’t used to it. It may take a couple of days and weeks for you and your body to get used to fasting. If you’re doing this for the first time, this is something alien to your body. AND your body would be like -- “What the hell is going on here? Yes, at times, you will be lured to GIVING IN! This is the point when you need strong WILL POWER. Interestingly, this is not about food, hunger or a sugar rush. It’s just your BRAIN messing with you. Stay strong, press on, your body will adjust to this new eating timing. I find sparkling water and coffee to be a great option during a fast because they fill you up without the added calories and helps you stay in the fasted state.
On this program you will skip breakfast. When you by past breakfast you induce your metabolism to burn fat reserves as fuel. To get through your fasted window, drink black coffee (which helps curve your appetite) and a lot of water. Make sure you don’t take in any additional calories doing your fasted state. You will break your fast with a big meal and probably a small meal later before your eating window closes. Another thing is its hard to overeat when you are intermittent fasting due to getting full faster after a long fast. After your second meal only drink water and don’t consume anymore calories.
You will eventually notice that your craving subside, you have more energy and clarity, and come to enjoy this lifestyle.
Also, according to many studies, intermittent fasting:
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Improves your health
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Helps you in losing your weight and belly fat
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Improve digestion and metabolism
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Helps in fighting with diseases such as Cancer, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, etc.
*On a side note I used intermittent fasting and this training style to reverse my Type II. Diabetes. I’m completely off medication and blood sugar levels have reversed back to normal. Hell Yeah!! I chose not to live any other way.
For best results, I recommend fasting and using the 18:6 protocol for intermittent fasting.
Example:
18:6 intermittent fasting is when you abstain from eating for 18 hours and eat all your meals in a 6-hour window. You should choose your window based on your lifestyle and what works best for you. You could start your first meal at 12:30 pm and end your eating window at 6:30 pm
How Many Calories Should I Eat Per Day Per Pound?
There are specific amounts of calories needed to support metabolic activity in a day. There are also suggested amounts of calories needed per pound for the body to function at optimum level.
Finding the Minimum Amount of Calories
There is a formula to find the necessary amount of calories needed for your body weight to support metabolic activity for the day, according to the University of Arizona. Take your body weight in pounds and multiply by 10. The result is the minimum calories needed to sustain your weight. For example, a 190-pound person needs approximately 1,900 calories to maintain metabolic activity and weight. You consume 10 calories per pound a day.
Learn How Many Calories You Burn Every Day
Use the TDEE calculator to learn your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, a measure of how many calories you burn per day. This calorie calculator will also display your BMI, BMR, Macros & many other useful statistics!
Primal Shred Calorie Deficit Protocol:
Once you have calculated your daily maintenance calorie intake we recommend a 300 calorie deficit to reach your goal. WHY?
In the first few weeks of a 500 calorie deficit you will be successful. But, this calorie deficit soon becomes hard to maintain as the body will fight you hard in an effort to retain it’s fat stores. Your metabolism will slow, and a overeating rebound is much more likely. The 300 calorie deficit, although taking longer, will be more sustainable and will achieve a result that you are more likely to maintain.
Working Out In A Fasted State
Yes, it is OK to work out while fasting because the key to weight loss and muscle gain is not just calories and exercise, but hormone optimization. Studies demonstrate amazing benefits to intermittent fasting alone, but combining fasting with strength training and cardio HIIT training takes the benefits of each to a whole new level.
Think accelerated results.
Re-feed Day
A re-feed meal is a calculated increase of foods, typically healthy foods, that is meant to combat mental fatigue, help you continue to train, and keep you on your diet. Once per week, you should have a re-feed day. These additional 500-600 calories should come from fats and carbs. Why? Your protein should be optimal, already. During a re-feed, you’re going to eat more of what you typically eat to feel better. That said, a re-feed isn’t a cheat meal. Cheat meals are often unplanned indulgences, such as a night out with the girlfriend or a few unplanned beers at an office happy hour.
I suggest you stick to your regular routine: Keep your fasting protocol, drinking coffee or sparkling water, and than have your first meal. After your first big meal, you can skip your small meal and have another big meal with the added calories. I recommend you plan your re-feed days on your strength training days.
Please do me a favor, enjoy every bit of your re-feed meal.
The main difference between a cheat meal and a re-feed meal is intention. With cheat meals, most of the time there is none. On the other hand, a re-feed meal is pre-planned or added to your plan for good reason. It takes your body out of a deficit temporarily, communicating to your body that it can release weight and reenergizing it.
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