why so extreme?
what are you willing to sacrifice to achieve your fitness goals? Ive been given lots of answers ranging from alcohol, drugs, late nights, etc. In reality there is no wrong or right answer. however, the best answer is whatever is currently holding you back. for some it could be the late night party life or bad food. some it may become more personal, like their current partner. what if i told you that you do not have to throw yourself into those extremes if your overall goal is to just be healthier and more fit. what if all you needed to do was better manage your current situations and learn how to make healthier choices more often than not as opposed to 100% of the time.
living in these types of extremes will cause more harm than good to those who have not developed these habits over a long period of time. higher stress will lead to higher cortisol levels which will cause your body to hang on to and create more body fat. stop beating yourself up over a bad decision or setback. this road will have many setbacks, trust me. the only people who should be living in these extremes are those who have spent years developing those habits. people such as pro athletes, strongman competitors, powerlifters, and anybody else whose life revolves around competition. since most people will not ever sign up to compete in a sport, there is no reason to go that extreme.
instead find that middle ground. balance yourself with your good choices against your other choices. if you find yourself drinking a dr pepper, then my advice to you is to enjoy the shit out of it and realize you are not allowed another one for 10 days. by making yourself accountable and recognizing that bad decisions have consequences, and those consequences are met with water and healthier food balance is found. it is almost impossible to stick to chicken and rice for weeks on end if you have never spent just half of your meals on chicken and rice. if you never ate chicken and rice 3x a day for a week straight, then how do you expect yourself to eat it 4 to 5 times a day for 12 weeks without slipping up. you will drive yourself crazy for no reason. if you ate chicken and rice 3x a day for 6 weeks straight and had 1 other meal of whatever you want at a sensible portion you will be able to carry on this diet for a longer period of time.
follow this example:
meal 1: 4 eggs 3oz sausage spinach with half cup of potatoes
meal 2: 1 cup of rice with 8oz chicken breast and veggies
meal 3: granola bar with protein drink
meal 4: 1 cup of rice with 8oz chicken breast with veggies
postworkout: go crazy, this is the time to eat whatever you want but keep that portion size sensible
meal 6: 1 cup of rice with 8oz chicken breast with veggies
keep in mind the meal plan up front is just a basic blueprint. as always what we eat and how much will depend on what our goals are. the plan above can be used as a template and modified how anybody sees fit. portion sizes, macros, and micros will depend on if you are looking to cut off body fat, put on size, and the goal should always be to add more muscle. the more muscle we have on our bodies the higher our metabolism in relation to current body fat %.
i do not expect anybody to push to the extreme as i do. i am currently preparing for a strongman competition and looking to be earning my pro card in strongman in the next couple years. so my goals will be very different. and with the sport of strongman everything is pushed to the extreme. but if youre looking just for a healthy lifestyle and be more fit i suggest keeping things in moderation, enjoy your life and the people in it.