AtLarge Nutrition`s Fat Loss Made Simple!

AtLarge Nutrition’s Fat Loss Made Simple!
By Chris Mason
You’ve seen a million titles like this one. Is this just another program? In short,
NO! This program will provide you a realistic, doable way to lose significant body
fat and NOT dramatically depress your metabolism in the process. No yo-yo
dieting here. This program will outline a combination of intelligent food
consumption, supplementation, and training to yield truly superior AND
sustainable results. It’s time for a new YOU!
Bridget’s Amazing Transformation! She Knows How to Do it Right!
Nearly all diets work, at least for a time. Almost invariably they work because
they have you eating significantly less calories than your body burns on a daily
basis. The short term effectiveness of such programs is also what makes them so
detrimental to long term success. When you are on a very low calorie diet you
will lose weight, but eventually the weight loss will stop, or dramatically slow
even with further restriction of caloric intake. The human body is an amazingly
adaptive organism which strives to remain in stasis (to stay the same), or at the
very least to protect itself when stasis is not possible (in the case of chronic
inadequate daily caloric intake). The main adaptation which occurs to combat
chronically low caloric intake is a reduction in metabolic rate. This is what
happens to the vast majority of dieters. When the inevitable break from the
overly restrictive diet occurs, the dark side of this phenomenon rears its ugly
head. The body now works to help prevent the future possibility of starvation. It
does not increase its metabolism to compensate for the additional calories; rather
it aggressively accrues body fat. This ends up leaving the individual fatter than
ever; the yo-yo diet effect (which is compounded by the loss of lean muscle mass
the vast majority of dieters experience).
Our program will help you to break from yo-yo dieting forever. You will lose
body fat at a good clip and once you have reached your target body composition
you will be able to stay there indefinitely. You will become the master of your
body and how you appear!
Allen Cress Knows How to Get Lean and Look Great!
You Have To LIVE!
We all have foods we enjoy, those “guilty” pleasures that are part of our lives.
The simple truth is that 99% of us will not give them up forever. We might forego
them for a time, but sooner or later life’s stresses or plain desire will have us
consuming them again. For those that have totally eliminated such foods their
reintroduction is often a catalyst to a dietary meltdown. The key is therefore to
intelligently include them in your diet. What no one tells you, none of those fad
diet pushers and fitness nuts, is that you CAN eat those foods in moderation and
still look fantastic!
Let’s consider competitive bodybuilders and fitness competitors. We have all
seen the pictures of them looking incredibly lean onstage. What many people
don’t realize is they don’t look like that year round. The diet extremes they
endure are short term and focused on getting them into the extraordinary
condition their contests require. In their off-season the vast majority of them
relax their diets and within the confines of moderation and control enjoy the
pleasures which rich foods can provide and they still look amazing (in fact their
lean and healthy off-season look is one most people would aspire to when
compared to the unbelievable definition they exhibit at contest time)!
Figure and Physique Competitor Anne-Marie Swisher Off-Season and Looking Great!
Insulin and Carbohydrates – Are They the Devil?
Prior to describing the program in detail I want to briefly discuss a hot topic of the
day when it comes to dieting; carbohydrates (carbs) and insulin and their role in
the current obesity epidemic in the developed world. Carbs are really getting
demonized by a lot of dieting camps these days. What I want you to know is that
there is a basis in fact for said demonization, but the overall picture usually
presented is an inaccurate oversimplification of the issue.
Carbs are powerful promoters of insulin release. Insulin is a hormone produced in
the pancreas which has many potent effects to include the vitally important one
of promoting the storage of blood borne glucose (in the muscles, liver, and fat
cells). The “problem” with insulin arises in otherwise healthy individuals when
overconsumption of carbs, especially high GI carbs, along with general excess
caloric intake (often grossly excessive) leads to a state of hyperinsulinemia
(chronic elevation of insulin levels). This chronic state becomes self-perpetuating
and obesity and metabolic syndrome are an almost inevitable result.
So, in the presence of overeating a high carb intake can quite literally be deadly.
In that sense the low carb camps have it right. Where most of them miss the boat
is that these same issues do not arise when caloric intake is at or below
maintenance level. In other words, it isn’t simply excess carb intake as a
percentage of one’s total caloric intake, it is excess carb intake combined with
excess caloric intake that is toxic.
The Fat Loss Made Simple Diet Outline
The diet consists of two solid food meals and two meals using AtLarge Nutrition
shakes. The food meals will be breakfast and dinner. The inclusion of the shakes
is for the convenience and ease of tracking from a caloric intake perspective. In
terms of restrictions there will only be a few, the limitation of sugar intake being
principle among them. Avoid foods which are high in sugars, especially refined
sugars (fruits are ok). If you need sweeteners in your coffee or tea be sure to use
zero calorie alternatives. If you must consume soda (and please only do so very
moderately), make sure it is of the diet variety. Alcohol intake should also be
eliminated or severely curtailed.
Refined Sugar Intake Should be Limited
To perhaps the disappointment of some, the diet presented here will merely be
an outline with specific starting caloric intake recommendations and instructions
on how to alter your diet as you go. You will have to fill-in the foods. This is
because I want to leave you room to consume the foods of your choice; those
foods which suit your unique lifestyle. Even fast food intake is acceptable, but
certainly not preferred. Did I lose a few of you? I know that fast food is
considered by many to be the ultimate evil, and generally speaking it is FAR from
the healthiest food you can consume (there are some reasonably healthy
selections at most places). With that said I am a realist and know that the daily
lives of many have become so hectic that cooking and preparing more than one
meal per day simply is not in the cards (working moms with children anyone?).
This program is for the vast majority of individuals who live in the real world and
want a chance to look their best and stay that way (i.e. it is not a competitive
bodybuilder’s pre-contest diet). If I tell you that you cannot do this, must eat
that, and so on you simply will not remain compliant for long. For the doubting
Thomases out there I can promise you I have used this template many times with
a wide spectrum of individuals and if they follow the tenets as presented it works
remarkably well even if fast food is consumed in the beginning.
From the time you start this program you should try to improve the quality of the
food you are consuming. Strive to reduce your processed food intake. Go natural
when possible (minimally processed meats and fruits and vegetables). Even if this
is totally foreign to you in the beginning what you will find is that over time it will
get easier and easier. Your taste buds are literally overwhelmed by the processed
foods you consume daily and become desensitized as a result. As you eat less
processed foods your taste buds will become acclimated to them and they will
become tastier while the processed foods will conversely become less palatable.
This process takes time, but if you are patient and introduce it gradually the
transition will be relatively easy.
Caloric Intake Starting Points
Men (calories per pound of body weight):
18-25 years old: 17
26-33 years old: 16
34-45 years old: 15
46-55 years old: 14
56+: email me at chris@atlargenutrition.com
Women (calories per pound of body weight):
18-25 years old: 16
26-33 years old: 15
34-45 years old: 14
46-55 years old: 13
56+: email me at chris@atlargenutrition.com
Ex. A 33 year old man weighing 230 lbs will begin his diet at 3,680 cals per day
(230 lbs x 16 = 3,680).
Powerlifter Trace Ryan Knows Strength Training = Great Body
 I strongly urge you to start your diet using the recommendations above
regardless of how many calories you have been consuming prior to
commencing it. Many of you are coming to this program with years of
having done it all wrong and thus likely have a depressed metabolism as
discussed earlier in this article. This time you are going to do it right and
that involves keeping yourself well above a starvation level of caloric
intake.
 If you weigh over 250 lbs when starting this program please contact me at
chris@atlargenutrition.com for a custom starting caloric intake.
 If your calculated starting intake exceeds 4,000 calories feel free to take
some of the calories allocated to meals #1 and #4 and add them to your
shake meals in the form of some food intake along with the shakes.
The Template
Meal 1 (breakfast): 60% of the balance of your total daily caloric intake after the
700 calories for shakes (that is the total caloric value of the shakes used in this
program) has been removed. So, for example, if you are consuming 3,000 calories
per day you have 2,300 remaining after you deduct the 700 for shakes. 60% of
that figure is (2,300 x .60 = 1,380) 1,380 calories.
As you can see, meal 1, or breakfast will be a very substantial one which will
provide great satiety and allow you to comfortably cruise for the 4-5 hours until
your next meal.
Meal 2: (4-5 hours after breakfast):
Nitrean or Nitrean+ Shake – 3 scoops of Nitrean or Nitrean+ mixed in water
330 cals
69g prot
~8g carbs ~3g fats
Meal 3: (3-4 hours after meal 2):
Opticen Shake – 3 scoops of Opticen mixed in water
372 cals
40g prot
35g carbs 8g fats
Meal 4 (dinner): The remaining number of calories after accounting for breakfast
and the two shakes. So, using the 3,000 calories per day example above, that
would leave (3,000 – 1,380 for meal 1 – 700 for both shakes = 920 calories) 920
calories for meal 4, or dinner.
 Ideally, training would occur sometime after meal 2 and before meal 3 with
meal 3 consumed immediately following training and then dinner 1-2 hours
afterwards.
When creating your daily meal plan I suggest one of two options:
A) Once weekly create a template of meals for the following week (same
meals each day). Each week vary the meals in terms of foods consumed.
B) For the more impulsive among you, simply download a smart phone app
which counts calories and create your meals as you go daily.
Assuming you have a smart phone, and most of you will, I highly recommend you
download a calorie counting app regardless of the option you choose above.
They are especially useful in crunch situations such as going out to dinner etc. If
you don’t have a smart phone, you can always access calorie counting programs
or guides online. Yet another alternative is to purchase a calorie counting book at
your local bookstore (old school ).
Monitoring Your Progress and Altering Your Daily Intake
They key to this program is the continuous tweaking of your daily intake such that
fat loss is maximized while muscle loss is simultaneously minimized (more on the
importance of lean muscle mass below). This is achieved via a weekly monitoring
of two key variables; your waist size and body weight, and the subsequent proper
alteration (if needed) to your daily intake for the following week.
For all intents and purposes a variance in the size of your waist (as measured at
navel level – see below) is driven by an increase or decrease in body fat. This is
what makes a weekly waist measurement such an effective tool to gauge changes
in body composition. Adding the additional metric of body weight provides for an
excellent overall picture of body composition and any changes thereof.
Pick one day per week (Sunday is best for most individuals) and take both your
waist and body weight measurements immediately upon arising. You take them
immediately upon arising because at that time you are in a fasted state and thus
your waist and body weight measurements are not influenced by the
consumption of meals. Be sure to fully relax your abdomen when you take the
waist measurement in order to ensure consistency. Any variance in abdomen
tension will make valid comparisons from week to week impossible.
This method is only truly effective with a correct interpretation and response to
the changes in the observed metrics. Below are some key examples:
- Body weight stayed the same, but your waist decreased by 1/4 “: This
indicates the likely addition of lean muscle mass and a decrease in body fat.
No changes are needed for the following week.
- Waist stayed the same, but body weight decreased by 2 lbs: A possible
reduction in body fat is indicated thus no need for caloric alteration is
required.
- Waist stayed the same, but body weight increased 2 lbs: This likely
indicates an increase in lean muscle mass. No change is indicated.
- Waist increased: A caloric reduction is in order.
- Waist and body weight did not change: This one is a bit tricky. Sometimes
the body works in spurts followed by a lag in change. If everything is
stagnant for one week continue with no change for the next. If things then
stay the same, or go the wrong way, a change (caloric reduction) is then
indicated for the third week.
Note the small changes in body weight and or waist size listed above. In order to
preserve lean muscle mass care must be taken not to lose weight too quickly. If
after the first couple of weeks of the diet (you can lose more early in a diet simply
because cleaning up one’s diet often results in a loss of water weight) your waist
decreases more than ½” in a week, or you lose more than 3 lbs an increase in
caloric intake is indicated as you are losing weight too quickly which almost
invariably leads to a loss of muscle mass and over time will lead to the
aforementioned depression of your metabolism.
The Importance of Muscle
You have thus far read several statements about how important lean muscle mass
is to your fat loss goals. The importance of the maintenance or building of lean
muscle tissue cannot be overstated. Skeletal muscle burns fat preferentially
when at rest. More muscle equates to more fat being burned both at rest and
during exercise. Lean muscle tissue also contributes to your basal metabolic rate
(the number of calories you burn to perform basic bodily functions – independent
of exercise). Losing body fat slowly and keeping your caloric intake as high as
possible while doing so allows you to minimize or eliminate lean tissue loss.
Back to Daily Caloric Intake and How to Make Changes
When it is time to make a change to your daily intake the key is to make said
alterations small. Any increase or decrease in your daily caloric intake should be
in 200 calorie increments. Remember, this is not a race; long term body
recomposition should be a gradual process. Within reason, the longer it takes to
lose body fat the less likely you are to put it back on over time.
Trace Ryan Knows That Small Changes Lead to Long Term Success
Training for Fat Loss
If you want to lose body fat and keep it off strength training is an absolute must.
It is the most effective means of stimulating the growth or maintenance of lean
muscle tissue.
Actor and NPC Competitor Brett Azar Knows How to Stay Lean
The Scourge of Aerobic Exercise
I personally blame a significant part of the obesity epidemic we are currently
experiencing on the people responsible for promoting aerobic exercise as a
means of obtaining health and fitness. Starting in the 70s distance running and
various forms of aerobic exercise became the “go to” means of exercising for
health and weight loss. Doctors and other respected individuals promoted the
idea that aerobic exercise is the key to fitness. It is not, in my opinion, a
coincidence that the rise in aerobic exercise for fitness has coincided with the rise
in obesity in the United States (and other developed nations). Why? One of the
primary adaptations by the body to aerobic exercise is the atrophy of lean muscle
tissue.
Lean muscle mass consumes a lot of oxygen when exercised. A smaller muscle
requires less oxygen and is therefore more efficient for prolonged exercise thus
the body adapts by shrinking the skeletal muscles.
One needs look no further than the physical difference between a distance runner
and a sprinter for a graphic representation of how the body adapts on a muscular
level to each training stimulus (primarily aerobic for the distance runner and
anaerobic for the sprinter).
ON THE LEFT A MARATHONER AND ON THE RIGHT A SPRINTER - AEROBIC MUSCULAR
ADAPTATION ON THE LEFT AND ANAEROBIC ON THE RIGHT.
Don’t be confused by the fact the marathoner above is by no means fat. The
point of the pictures is to show the muscular adaptation to the form of exercise.
If you run 30+ miles per week and control your caloric intake the likelihood you
will be fat is quite low, but you will have greatly reduced your lean body mass and
placed yourself into the position of being in a compromised state once the nearly
inevitable occurs and you no longer have the time or inclination to keep up the
high mileage exercise program. Your greatly reduced lean body mass will
contribute to a gain in body fat and in most cases an eventual return to previous
body fat highs and beyond.
Bottom line, aerobic exercise as the primary form of physical activity is NOT the
key to the body you want. It can, however, be a solid adjunct activity to include in
your training regimen. I normally recommend three sessions per week performed
AFTER your strength training, or on your off days. Each session should be 20
minutes and of a relatively low intensity keeping your heart rate in the 120-130
beats per minute range. I do not recommend running. I recommend a stationary
bike, brisk walking on a treadmill or outside, or elliptical type machine. This style
of aerobic exercise will help you to burn some additional fat without
compromising your lean muscle mass or strength training.
Back to the Weights
There are so many myths about fat loss… Training is certainly not immune to this
phenomenon. A lot of trainers will have their clients use very high repetitions and
thus light loads in the belief that the greater number of reps will cause a greater
amount of fat loss. This simply isn’t true, at least on a scale that makes any
difference. The variance in calories burned with a high rep scheme (vs. a lower
rep one) is essentially negligible and the very high rep routines do not as
effectively stimulate the growth or maintenance of lean muscle tissue.
If you know anything about me and have read other articles I have written you
will know I am a huge proponent of the Westside training method. I personally
practice it. With that said, for optimal fat loss I believe a pure hypertrophy
focused plan should be utilized until you near your body composition goal (at
which time the focus can and should be altered more towards absolute strength
and GPP – i.e. Westside). Women please take note; this does NOT mean you will
become muscle bound. Nothing could be further from the truth. The women at
Girls Gone Strong know exactly what I am talking about. Their Facebook page,
articles, videos, and publications are wonderful information for any woman
seeking to get her best body ever. Check it out.
A Sample Training Template
Below is a sample training template. It is important to vary some, or all of the
exercises used every 3 weeks or so. Doing so helps to preclude the risk of
overtraining and provides a fresh stimulus to the body and helps to reduce
relative weaknesses.
Janeil Knows That Strength Training and Proper Diet = Great Body!
Key:
The format for sets and reps listed below will exclude warm-up sets. For each
new body part trained 2-4 warm-up sets should precede the listed “working sets”
(defined as post warm-up sets). If two or more exercises are done for the same
body part(s) then warm-ups are at the discretion of the trainee.
The format listed will be as such: 3 x 8/10/10
This indicates 3 sets of 8, 10, and 10 reps should be done respectively. Each of
these sets are working sets and should be taken to, or very close to concentric
failure (where you cannot complete the final repetition). For the major
compound movements such as the bench press and squat 1-2 reps should be left
in the tank to allow for the use of the same load for each set prescribed. Single
joint and other secondary exercises can and should be taken to concentric failure
with the loads for multiple sets adjusted as needed to hit the target rep count.
ALWAYS train with a spotter, if this is not possible perform any exercises which
could be dangerous if you were to fail (squats, bench presses etc.) within the
confines of a power rack which has adjustable safety catches you can use to
allow you to abort the exercise safely if necessary. For example, with squats you
would set the safety catches just below your goal squat depth so that you could
set the bar on them if necessary.
Training to Failure?
As mentioned above each working set should be taken to, or very close to
concentric failure (failure). Years and years of bodybuilders tinkering with the
best ways to put on muscle have empirically shown that training in such a fashion
is optimal. The theory being that multiple repetitions taken to failure elicit an
optimal stimulus for growth (the exact mechanism of which is equivocal).
There is a catch to training in such a fashion. It is very taxing on the body. Total
training volume (weight lifted times number of repetitions) must be limited in
order to avoid overtraining. On the positive side, it is thus a more time efficient
means of training; something that can be appreciated by nearly everyone in
today’s day and age.
Form
A few words on form are in order. As already stated numerous times, training for
fat loss is all about stimulating lean muscle tissue growth/maintenance. Good
form is integral to the process. Good form being defined here as proper form and
technique* for the movement with a controlled, moderate cadence for both the
concentric and eccentric portions of the range of motion (ROM). The moderate
cadence mitigates momentum thus forcing the muscles to work under more
tension for a greater portion of the ROM.
 See our AtLarge Nutrition YouTube page here for live action videos with
lifters demonstrating proper technique for many exercises.
Bill and Eric Know How to Train and Eat for Lean Muscle Mass
The Template – Exercises Included
The days listed are for reference only. Please adhere to the time between
sessions if you train on different days of the week.
Exercises listed are those that can be done at almost any commercial gym. If they
are unavailable to you try to use similar alternatives.
Monday
Hamstring curl 3 x 15/15/15
Back squat 3 x 10/10/10
Walking lunge 2 x 12/12 (reps per leg)
Ab crunch 2 x failure
Ab plank 1 x as long as possible
Wednesday
Bench press 3 x 8/8/8
Dumbbell incline press 2 x 20/20
Dumbbell triceps roll backs 2 x 10/10
Triceps pressdowns 2 x 12/12
Standing ab crunch with overhead cable 2 x 25/25
Abs on sit-up bench 2 x 15/15
Friday
Stiff-legged deadlift 2 x 12/12
Wide grip chins 2 x failure (each set is as many reps as possible)
One arm dumbbell rows 2 x 10/10
Pulldown with v-shaped grip 2 x 10/10
Barbell curl 2 x 10/10
Seated hammer curl 2 x 10/10
Ab machine of choice 2 x 15/15
Sunday
Seated military press 3 x 10/10/10
Seated dumbbell lateral raises 2 x 10/10
Bent over dumbbell laterals 2 x 10/10
Superset triceps rollbacks and pressdowns 2 cycles of at least 10 reps per exercise
Incline alternating dumbbell curl 2 x 10/10
Supplementation
Proper supplementation (above and beyond the shakes which are part of the diet
itself) should be a part of your regimen in order to optimize fat loss results. There
are a few safe and legal supplements which can truly make a difference.
Creatine 500 or RESULTS: are truly must-have supplements in your fat loss
arsenal. The uninformed will steer you away from the use of creatine with the
mistaken belief that it will bloat you and thus thwart your weight loss goals. This
myth is based in some fact. Many creatine supplements will cause unwanted
bloating, but it is not creatine proper that causes the issue, it is impurities in most
of the commercially available creatine supplements that does so. Our Creatine
500 and RESULTS products contain Creapure® creatine monohydrate which is the
purest form of creatine we know of. You will not experience unwanted edema
(bloating) with their use.
Creatine is a wonderful supplement for fat loss because even
in a caloric deficit it can help you to maintain and even build
lean muscle mass.
To clarify, Creatine 500 is solely Creapure® micronized creatine monohydrate.
RESULTS contains a full dose of Creapure® creatine (5g), Beta-Alanine (3.5g), and
HMB (3g) as well as dextrose and flavoring. RESULTS is a significantly more
potent product (more potent in terms of building lean muscle mass, strength, and
strength endurance) due to its inclusion of Beta-Alanine and HMB and should be
used unless one is on a very low carbohydrate diet in which case Creatine 500 is
the supplement of choice.
BCAA+: is our branched chain amino acids product with added glutamine. It is an
excellent choice for those seeking to lose body fat as it provides a near zero
calorie means of stimulating enhanced protein synthesis (for recovery) and
blunting protein catabolism. In addition, it helps to support proper immune
function which is something that can be compromised on a low calorie diet.
AXCEL: is our fat loss, energy, and focus supplement. If you are in overall good
health (see product warning on its page at www.atlargenutrition.com) AXCEL can
benefit your fat loss efforts. It will provide you increased energy and mental
focus. It can also reduce appetite and cravings helping you to adhere to your
weight loss diet. Finally, it may have a direct effect on weight loss and reduced
waist circumference.
Multi-Plus: is our potent micronutrient supplement. Unlike most products of its
kind Multi-Plus does not contain virtually everything under the sun, rather we
formulated it to provide what intense trainees need in what we feel are the
optimal doses. If you are on a hypo-caloric diet Multi-Plus is a sound supplement
to help ensure you are getting what you need.
ETS: is our very unique recovery promoting supplement that also reduces delayed
onset muscular soreness (DOMS) and minor joint pain. Another must-have for
those on a fat loss diet as recovery ability is greatly stressed with below
maintenance caloric intake.
Conclusion
You now know how to eat, track your progress, train, and supplement for fat loss.
What remains is totally up to YOU. Only YOU can make it happen! Stop waiting
for tomorrow. Your future is now!
Anne-Marie Swisher Getting Closer to Contest Time