I ran a very popular article from my blog a few months ago on goal setting.
There is no doubt that having a goal is crucial to success.
But as the quote goes “a goal without a plan is just a wish”
This where my title comes in “goal focussed nutrition” for something to be goal focussed it first needs to know what your goal is but it also has to be the correct tool to getting you there.
The simple version
Healthy eating on a calorie surplus won’t deliver fat loss
Healthy eating on a calorie deficit won’t result in gains in size.
So let’s recap on goals and look at the nutrition tool box that can deliver these results
Where are you now and where do you want to be?
In order to understand the most efficient path for you to achieve your ideal body you need to be honest at what your starting point is. When people sign up to my online coaching plans they submit images. These images are an incredibly valuable tool for me to determine what they need to do to achieve the results they want.
Let’s look at some of the scenarios
High levels of body fat with high levels of muscle
High levels of body fat low levels of muscle
Moderate levels of body fat with high levels of muscle
Moderate levels of body fat low levels of muscle
Low levels of body fat with high levels of muscle
Low levels of body fat low levels of muscle
Over the years I have been training people I see that the most desired body fat level for men is in the region of 10-15%. It can maintained and you can still have an element of flexibility with you diet ONCE YOU GET THERE.
We can now look at how the various people scenarios can achieve this. (If your goals are different to the above then it may not apply to you)
Nutrition phases
I cover nutrition as the primary variable as calories are ultimately responsible for what happens here. Training will change slightly with the addition of more HIIT, LIIS and circuits for fat loss but the divide between the phases is less clear cut than that of nutrition.
Let’s look at some of the scenarios
High levels of body fat with high levels of muscle – Long term calorie deficit phase until desired result s are achieved.
High levels of body fat low levels of muscle – Long term calorie deficit phase until desired body fat levels are achieve followed by a phase of lean muscle building.
Moderate levels of body fat with high levels of muscle – Medium term calorie deficit phase until desired result is achieved.
Moderate levels of body fat low levels of muscle – Medium term calorie deficit phase until desired body fat levels are achieve followed by a phase of lean muscle building.
Low levels of body fat with high levels of muscle – High five bro. You only gone and done it!
Low levels of body fat low levels of muscle – Phase of lean muscle building until desired results are achieved.
Calories
I have covered this a few times on various articles. You can figure these out using calorie calculators or the formula I previously shared.
Or you can save yourself the hassle and get me to do it. When we have trouble with the plumbing at the gym I don’t go back to college or spend sleepless nights researching to learn plumbing. I hire someone with serious expertise to take care of it.
Macros
Macros are almost mainstream. I never thought I would say that.
They used to be just for us fitness geeks and serious bodybuilders. But they are now becoming a much more popular topic. But the understanding is still generally lost in translation.
Are macros goal dependent?
Do your genetics effect what macros you require?
Do your bodyfat levels effect the macros needed?
Are carbs the enemy?
Is high fat dangerous?
Is high protein damaging?
The list goes on…. And on……
I do vary my macros for different people with different goals and different levels of body fat. But those kind of complexities are not the normal, a lot of online coaches don’t even know how many calories are in their meals, let alone macros (which kills me a bit inside that people are wasted their hard earned cash, but that’s a story for another day)
I also recommend the cycling of carbs (and therefor fats) this approach delivers the best of both worlds. The anti-catabolic, metabolism boosting and energy providing benefit of carbs, with the blood sugar control, and insulin sensitivity boosting low carb.
So how can you know what macros you need? The simple version.
What is you goal?
Fat loss – larger number of days per week on lower carb, with some days of higher carb (all hitting your daily calories)
Muscle gain – Larger number of days per week on high carb with some days of lower carb (all hitting your daily calories)
How much body fat do you have and where do you store that fat?
High levels of BF – more days of lower carbs
Low levels of BF – the option for more days of higher carbs
Where do you store your fat?
If you store the majority of fat around your midsection (abdominal and lower back) and have a large amount of fat in this area I suggest primarily using a low carb plan with infrequent higher carb days until insulin sensitivity is improved and body levels are reduced.
If your fat is evenly distributed – Mainly low carb – with some higher carb days.
The journey of fitness sees people through many phases of training.
I wanted to use one of my teamkingsbury members as an example to this journey and process.
Dave has been with me for a year and is a huge inspiration, his journey hasn’t been easy but it has undoubtedly been worth it!
If like so many others you see yourself in Dave’s before pictures then the time is here to make a change
“Up until last fall, I was an average Joe. I was overweight, out of shape, rarely exercised and ate whenever and whatever I wanted. That all changed last October when I reached out to David and asked him to help me get in the best shape of my life. David answered the call by developing an epic plan with a variety of meals I could choose from. David provided me with a variety of meals with recipes I could choose from. The food was easy to prepare and delicious. I also enjoyed the blogs David posted on his website highlighting important points on nutrition. Most importantly, I knew David and the rest of teamkingsbury was always there to help answer any questions I had along the way. I loved the program so much I continued my journey with David as my guide. I’ve completed 4 different phases to date. The food has varied over the different phases which benefited me personally, as variety is the spice of life. Currently David is helping me work towards building lean muscle. With proper nutrition, exercise, David and teamkingsbury on my side, I will continue chasing my goals one step at a time.”
