Two Meal Muscle
The system was set with a nutrient intake that fosters muscle growth and an energy intake that maintains the status quo. Modifying toward either fat loss or muscle growth is easy.
Let's modify.
1, Fat loss.
Fat loss requires eating an amount of energetic material less than what the body needs on a consistent basis. This is known as an energy (calorie) deficit. Standard starting point for this is 500 calories below maintenance on a daily basis. In other words, subtract 5 ⚡ from the Status Quo Standard; everything else stays the same. This creates the Speed Limit Loss Standard.
SPEED LIMIT LOSS STANDARD:
205 POUNDS = 16⚡+8🥩
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Losing fat is a slow dance with suicide. Your body is eating itself to death. Your body doesn't want to die, which is why, sometimes, and to a somewhat unknown degree, your body can trigger undesirable metabolic adaptations (in the name of survival) during a prolonged energy deficit. Using a slow-and-steady approach is of the best ways to minimize these metabolic adaptations.
1.1, Speed-Limit Loss.
The real-world manifestation of Speed Limit Loss and subtracting five ⚡ from the Status Quo Standard looks like this: I don't eat as much energetic material at dinner, specifically during the second course.
First, I use exclusively lean proteins to punch out my protein intake.
Original: 3 pucks grass-fed beef 🥩🥩🥩⚡⚡⚡
Adjusted: 3 pucks chicken breast 🥩🥩🥩
Net savings: ⚡⚡⚡
Second, I skimp on “extra” energy.
Original: More than enough cheese ⚡⚡⚡
Adjusted: 1 oz cheese ⚡
Net savings: ⚡⚡
Original: Fries (+ oil) ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Adjusted: Large baked potato ⚡⚡
Net savings: ⚡⚡
Third, I add plant carbs as desired, to compensate for the loss of food volume.
With these changes, I'm seven ⚡ down from the Status Quo Standard. I win. Keep in mind, I can achieve a 500-calorie deficit any way I want. This is just one example. I can eat chubbier proteins with no extra energy. I can change my dessert and only eat one tablespoon of peanut butter (instead of two) and ditch the milk.
The specific are slave to the Standard. And with the above changes to the Status Quo Standard on a daily basis, fat would fizzle from my body. Without adhering to the Speed Limit Loss Standard on a daily basis, I'd have to Go Plaid to have any chance of losing fat.
1.2, Going Plaid.
Going Plaid is a ludicrous-speed fat-loss strategy (named in honor of Lord Helmet pushing his ship to ludicrous speed in Spaceballs). Going Plaid involves digging an abnormally large calorie crater (more than 500 calories) by eliminating almost all energetic material from my diet a few days per week.
Playbook for this is quite simple and I'm doing your intelligence a disservice by regurgitating it here: I eat lean proteins and plant carbs, and I eliminate most 2S carbs, fats, and chubby proteins. There are levels to this.
The first (easiest) level: I eat nothing but plant carbs, lean proteins, and some cottage cheese for dinner. Lunch is unchanged.
Lunch
0.5-1 oz beef liver
0.25-0.5 tsp raw honey
3.5 oz sardines 🥩
3/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt 🥩⚡
1 banana ⚡
Dinner Course 1
Big bowl boiled cabbage
8oz cottage cheese 🥩⚡
3 pucks chicken breast 🥩🥩🥩
Dinner Course 2
2 tbsp peanut butter ⚡⚡
1 banana ⚡
8 oz whole milk ⚡⚡
This is a significant reduction compared to the Speed Limit Loss Standard. This is also just the beginning.
The second (more intense) level: I ditch or alter Course 3 (dessert) and/or I skip lunch and move my lunchtime proteins to dinner in the form of lean proteins. (This makes my dinner bigger and more satisfying, which is kind of crazy: being able to eat a large meal and going to bed not hungry despite consuming minimal calories. Probably not the best play for muscle growth, but it works for fat loss.)
Dinner Course 1
0.5-1 oz beef liver
0.25-0.5 tsp raw honey
Big bowl boiled cabbage
8oz cottage cheese 🥩⚡
3.5 oz sardines 🥩
4 pucks chicken breast 🥩🥩🥩
Dinner Course 2
1 tbsp peanut butter ⚡
1 banana ⚡
4 oz whole milk ⚡
Told you this was a more intense level.
Going Plaid is a relic of my binge-eating days and only makes sense within the context of creating large calorie deficits to counteract calorie surges throughout the week. I don't Go Plaid much anymore. At least, not intentionally. Some days I come closer than others. After all, for Speed Limit Loss, I eliminated seven ⚡ without hassle. Not difficult for me to scrape a few more off the windshield. In my younger days, Going Plaid created at least a 1000-calorie deficit. Probably more.
1.2-1, Positioning for Plaid.
One pound of fat “contains” 3500 calories worth of energetic material. A daily 500-calorie deficit (Speed Limit Loss) creates a weekly 3500-calorie deficit, which (theoretically) leads to a one-pound loss every week.
Su: -500, -500
Mo: -500, -1000
Tu: -500, -1500
We: -500, -2000
Th: -500, -2500
Fr: -500, -3000
Sa: -500, -3500
This expectation assumes a flawless system, where body fat compensates for every missing calorie. This won't happen in real life. Nevertheless, this isn't a bad expectation to have: losing around one pound per week or two when following the Speed Limit Loss Standard.
A similar weekly deficit can be created using larger deficits less often; not every day has to be a deficit day in order to lose fat. For instance, here's how Going Plaid a few times per week and sticking to the Status Quo Standard the other days works out mathematically (assuming Going Plaid creates a 1000-calorie deficit).
Su: STATUS QUO
Mo: PLAID, -1000, -1000
Tu: STATUS QUO
We: PLAID, -1000, -2000
Th: STATUS QUO
Fr: PLAID, -1000, -3000
Sa: STATUS QUO
The weekly deficit isn't far away from the one Speed Limit Loss achieves. This will result in fat loss. Eventually. The math is deceptive. For reasons I care not to explain, larger deficits aren't as fruitful as the numbers suggest. A one-day 1000-calorie deficit won't necessarily be twice as effective as a one-day 500-calorie deficit. There are diminishing returns with the depth of the deficit. Still, harsher calorie deficits can be used less frequently to lose fat.
Going Plaid means flirting with the undesirable metabolic adaptations I mentioned earlier, but I have good news: There's a big difference between the macro deficit and the micro deficit.
Going Plaid creates a large micro deficit, which would be worrisome as a daily occurrence because it would lead to a large macro deficit. Imagine Going Plaid every day and creating a 7000-calorie weekly deficit. This is double the Speed Limit Loss Standard. This is not good.
When large micro deficits are sporadic and lead to a weekly deficit on par with the Speed Limit Loss Standard, they're slightly less worrisome. As a general rule of thumb, undesirable metabolic adaptations are tied to the rate of loss. Rapid weight loss has a cost.
1.3, Fat loss farewell.
Losing fat requires an energy deficit and creating an energy deficit is as easy as eating more energy-stingy foods and eating fewer energy-plentiful foods.
- Eat more lean proteins
- Eat fewer chubby proteins
- Eat more plant carbs
- Eat fewer 2S carbs and/or fats
Eating 500 calories below the Status Quo Standard on a daily basis creates the Speed Limit Loss Standard, which should lead to losing one pound every week or two. This is a good starting point for long-term safe fat loss.
Troubleshooting Speed Limit Loss is easy because I trust the philosophy on which this system is built. If I'm not losing fat, I know I'm eating too many energy nutrients (and probably at dinner). The answer is always less energy.
Less fats.
Less 2S carbs.
Less chubby proteins.
2, Muscle growth.
Muscle growth requires energetic prosperity. For the most part, this translates to eating an amount of energy beyond what the body needs on a consistent basis. This creates an energy (calorie) surplus.
Standard starting point for a body-composition-based surplus in the name of muscle growth is 100-200 calories above maintenance, repeated on a daily basis. In other words, I add 1-2 ⚡ to the Status Quo Standard. Everything else stays the same. This creates the Goldilocks Gains Standard.
GOLDILOCKS GAINS STANDARD
205 POUNDS = 23⚡+8🥩
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When your body builds muscle it becomes a bigger creature. Bigger creatures require more energy. Your body needs to know it will be able to support the higher cost of living associated with bigger muscles. If you’re starving to death and can't even afford basic survival functions, it doesn't make sense to build giant muscles and increase your expenses further. Because of the energetic demand, your body is more comfortable building muscle when there's some sense of energetic stability.
2.1, Goldilocks Gains.
The real-world manifestation of the Goldilocks Gains Standard: I eat slightly more energetic material at dinner, specifically during the second course. You (should) know what this would look like (by now). I won't insult your intelligence with a specific example.
Even though I have more energetic freedom when I'm trying to build muscle, I don't have infinite freedom because energetic prosperity is also a recipe for fat accumulation. An energy surplus has diminishing returns. At some point, more calories won’t expedite muscle growth, they'll just get stored as body fat.
Goldilocks Gains is built around the idea of eating just enough to give the body a sense of energetic stability, yet not enough to accumulate excess body fat.
There's a catch.
2.1-2, Goldilocks gridlock.
The biggest problem with Goldilocks Gains is ambiguity. Noticing significant progress in a sane timeframe is challenging because the average rate of muscle growth is only around one pound per month. (Noobs can gain quicker. Vets will gain slower.) One pound of muscle spread across the entire body isn't visible to the naked eye, and scale weight can fluctuate by pounds on a daily basis.
How do you know Goldilocks Gains is working?
You don't.
Let's say I've been using Goldilocks Gains. After one month, my average scale weight is the same. I don't look much different in the mirror. This is expected. And yet, I can't help but wonder: IS THIS WORKING? I'm at the end of month two now. Scale weight has increased by one pound. I don't look much different in the mirror. This is expected. And yet, I can't help but wonder, IS THIS WORKING? I'm at the end of month three now. Scale weight has decreased by one pound. I don't look much different in the mirror. This is not expected. And so, I can't help but think: I GUESS THIS WASN'T WORKING AFTER ALL.
What do I do now (besides stress eat to make myself forget the pain)? Do I increase calories by a minuscule amount and try again? Do I risk wasting another three months? Do I abandon all of my body-composition ambitions and finally start caring about my children as much as I (used to care) care about my muscles?
Goldilocks Gains requires trust.
Or apathy.
Or six-pack abs.
(And a willingness to lose them.)
2.1-3. Six-pack solid.
Noticing minor changes in body composition is easier with a low body-fat percentage. Going from 10% body fat to 12% body fat results in obvious visual changes: A more defined “hard” set of six-pack abs turns into a less defined “soft” set of six-pack abs. (If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't been there, you'll know what I'm talking about when you get there.)
In the opposite direction, noticing minor changes in body composition is almost impossible with a high body-fat percentage. Going from 22% body fat to 24% body fat doesn't result in obvious visual changes: A Pillsbury Doughboy stomach remains a Pillsbury Doughboy stomach.
Abdominal grooves and other anatomic landmarks brought on by being lean are useful allies when evaluating the effectiveness of a Goldilocks Gains campaign. Although absent feedback and questioning the effectiveness of your efforts is real and something I have first-hand experience with, the previous example I walked you through was a tad hyperbolic. Navigating Goldilocks Gains is possible.
I'm using Goldilocks Gains and two weeks later I'm leaner; pubic veins are visible where they once weren't. I know I'm not eating enough.
I'm using Goldilocks Gains and two weeks later my “hard” six-pack is a soft four-pack. I know I'm eating too much.
I'm using Goldilocks Gains and four weeks later my “hard” six-pack is still a “hard” six-pack. I'm in purgatory and I will use my training as a secondary form of feedback; if my training is going well, I'm probably doing okay, but I should still increase my energy intake a tad, maybe 100 calories.
I'm using Goldilocks Gains and six weeks later my “hard” six-pack is a “soft” six-pack. I'm right where I need to be.
Changes to abdominal visibility should manifest 1-2 months into a Goldilocks Gains campaign. Nothing drastic. Just hard six-pack abs becoming soft six-pack abs. Continued 1-2 months further, soft six-pack abs will become soft four-pack abs. (This is where I'd stop.)
Navigating this world isn't an exact science, but, like most skills, it gets easier with repetition and time. (I don't run Goldilocks Gains campaigns unless I have some semblance of abdominal definition.) Unfortunately, the only way to make the process easier is to eat more and flirt with further (more rapid) fat gain.
2.2, Gamorrean Gains.
There has to be a difference between giving your body plenty of energy versus giving your body just enough energy, right? You’d feel much safer buying a Hummer if you had plenty of money to cover as opposed to having just enough money to cover the cost, wouldn't you?
Tiptoeing into the “fattening” areas of an energy surplus is the only way to ensure the body is getting what it needs to build muscle in a time-friendly fashion. This brings me to Gamorrean Gains (named after the ever-large Star Wars creature) and giving the body enough energy to feel comfortable building muscle, no questions asked.
Standard starting point for Gamorrean Gains is 500 calories above maintenance on a daily basis. In other words, I add 5 ⚡ to the Status Quo Standard. Everything else stays the same. This creates the Gamorrean Gains Standard.
GOAMORREAN GAINS STANDARD
205 POUNDS = 26⚡+8🥩
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With a daily dose of the Gamorrean Gains Standard, I'd expect to gain around one pound per week. Considering the average rate of muscle growth (one pound per month), this results in gaining three pounds of fat for every pound of muscle tissue.
Not a great ratio.
Anything beyond a 50:50 fat-to-muscle ratio is inefficient. This is why I'd never daily dose the Gamorrean Gains Standard.
2.3, Muscle growth goodbye.
To build muscle, the body needs an abundance of proteins and energy. Proteins are already accounted for thanks to the Status Quo Standard. Energy needs are met by creating an energy surplus. Unfortunately, an energy surplus can also lead to fat accumulation. Mild energy surpluses, like the one created by the Goldilocks Gains Standard, strive to limit fat accumulation at the price of certainty. Larger energy surpluses, like the one created by the Gamorrean Gains Standard, strive to limit uncertainty at the price of body fat accumulation.
3, Seeing the strategy.
There are three destinations and a few different strategies that influence the direction of travel.
DESTINATION: MAINTAIN
STRATEGY: STATUS QUO STANDARD
DESTINATION: FAT LOSS
STRATEGY: SPEED LIMIT LOSS STANDARD
STRATEGY: GOING PLAID
DESTINATION: MUSCLE GROWTH
STRATEGY: GOLDILOCKS GAINS STANDARD
STRATEGY: GAMORREAN GAINS STANDARD
None of these strategies are off-limits.