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Hey guys. I used the word “Unbreakable” in the post title as I believe these rules are the non-negotiable aspects of rapid fat loss and successful body recomposition. Miss 1 or more of these and you may very well fail…miserably.

I think points 3 and 5 especially might be new to many of you. Make sure you get them all!

Oh, and notice I didn’t say weight loss. Weight loss is often a combination of fat and muscle loss. Disaster! We don’t want to lose even 1g of muscle in the fat-torching process. And you don’t have to.

 

(1) CALORIES ARE KING

 

This is the most fundamental principle there is. The amount of energy going in your mouth must be less than what your body needs. In this situation your body is literally forced to turn to its stored body fat for energy.

This is fundamental and there’s no escaping it. Nothing else really matters if you’re not in a caloric deficit.

 

(2) HIGH PROTEIN INTAKE FOR FAT LOSS

 

Protein is crucial for gains. But believe me when I tell you that it’s even more important when cutting.

The studies are very clear – high protein intake (often around double what the ordinary man or woman on the street is eating) preserves muscle tissue when cutting.

You WILL lose muscle when cutting if your protein intake is too low. 1g protein per pound of body weight is sufficient, but when advising people on a cut, I prefer to be a little more precise and use a formula based on their LEAN body mass, not total body weight. It goes like this…

Lean Mass Weight (kg) x 2.75 = Daily Protein Requirement

(By the way, you simply divide pounds by 2.2 to get the equivalent in kilograms. So 170 pounds is 77.27 kg)

Formula for protein when cutting: Lean Mass Weight(kg) x 2.75 = Daily Protein Grams Share on X

 

To get your lean mass weight, you first need to know your total body weight and your body fat percentage. If you don’t know your body fat percentage, I have a free body fat calculator on this page. Alternatively buy a cheap pair of body fat calipers like Accumeasure here.

 

NOTE: I made a list of the top 20 foods to get ripped. You’ll find it extremely helpful in your quest to get shredded. If you would like access to the full list for free, just type in your email below. You don’t have to go to your email to click a confirm link; the info you need will appear immediately after you enter your email. Enjoy…

 

(3) EVEN “SPLURGES” MUST BE FAIRLY CLEAN

 

Once a week you can take in more calories (and more carbs if you go the lower-carb route).

However, AND I HEREBY WARN YOU, you can’t cheat like you do when gaining. You can go ahead and disbelieve me, but think about it…

Pizza and ice cream (or more?) can easily come to over 3000 Calories. Add the other calories you ate during the day and you may be over 4000 Calories. You may have dieted the other 6 days of the week to create a 3000-4000 Calorie deficit for the week (4000/6 = 666 Calories under maintenance/day on those 6 days).

So now you’ve just wiped out your whole week’s cutting work in a single meal. So week on week…you get nowhere. If doing a carb-cycling cut, those carb-ups need to be fairly low in fat.

If you want sweet treats, I recommend you learn how to “cheat clean” with my Buff Baking cookbook. There are recipes for all phases of diet in there, bulking, cutting, high-carb, low-carb. Recent feedback I got regarding my incredibly simple Buff Bar protein bar recipe came from Tony Lefebvre in Canada…

“I just tried those bars from the new Buff Baking. Holy cow they’re brilliant! Basically tastes like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup. Just had to say…moment of brilliance.”

 

(4) WEIGHT TRAINING IS KING. NOT CARDIO

 

Cardio only burns calories when you’re doing it. Weight training keeps burning calories and keeps your metabolism raises for 36-48hrs after the training has ended.

Weight training keeps burning calories for 36-48hrs after the training has ended Share on X

 

Also, scientific studies and meta-analyses clearly show that of all combinations of types of diet (low-carb, low-fat) and all types of exercises (weight training, cardio) it is the following combo that brings about the very best difference in body composition i.e. the greatest reduction in body fat and increases in muscle mass. It is this…

WEIGHT TRAINING + REDUCED CARBS = BEST FAT LOSS AND MUSCLE GAINS

For more on this, I present an in-depth explanation in my article: ‘Cardio Sucks’ here.

 

P.S. If you want to use the same workout as I do to build muscle (Targeted Hypertrophy Training), just pop in your email and click the button. Enjoy them gains! 🙂

 

(5) AN UNSHAKEABLE MINDSET

 

Pardon me a second, but I need to say this – Stop feeling sorry for yourself when you’re cutting. Stop complaining about the food you can’t eat and so on.

All guys/girls who look lean and muscular on a consistent basis eat like this. It’s our LIFE. And we LOVE it. You are in the same boat as us.

STOP focusing on what you AREN’T GETTING, and start thinking about what you ARE GETTING. Everything worth having in life involves paying a price.

You want something in a store? You ask the price and you pay for it. Same deal with getting abs. Figure out the price that needs to be paid – the training and diet – and you resolve to pay the price. End of story.

Again...this is our life. And we love it. Join us 🙂

 

You can use my “Body Fat Furnace” approach to get those abs…and keep them. Or, if you prefer, I can take your stats and create a nutrition plan just for you (the right cals/macros and a meal plan) on my coaching site here. I’d be happy to help.

 

Got questions? Need help? Ask me below, or on my facebook or forum. I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.

Mark McManus