How to Eat to Achieve Your Goals

The Perfect Diet

The reason why I went from the picture you see below to the picture under that one is simple. I weigh the same in both pictures. But the distribution of my fat and muscle is different for one reason.

Only my diet changed.

If you're anything like me you love fitness.

You look forward to your workouts. You can't help but to talk about it with your friends and family. You love the feeling of pain and seeing the results come in as you make progress.

And if you're anything like me you went through a ton of trial and error as well.

And not with the fitness, because that's the easy part. But with your diet. You know what they say, the gains are 20% training & 80% diet.

So before you can get juicy-looking muscles you must master your diet.

Why should I change my diet?

And let me tell you, it makes a big difference. For another reference the picture on the left (is me when I had a bad diet and was eating college dining hall food), and the picture on the right (is me 4 days after coming home, eating my moms nutritious home cooking, and losing 15 pounds in that span).

Your diet matters... a lot. And it goes beyond the way you look in the mirror, although that's what we care about. It also determines how well you can focus and get work done.

Your diet affects your physical and mental health so neglecting it is not an option.

If you have a shit diet, your mind and body will be shit. You will be unable to focus. You will want to take a nap by 2 PM. You won't have the energy to have sex. Your partner will find you less attractive since you look unattractive.

Now if you do eat healthy you can expect:

• More focus

• Clearer skin

• More energy

• More muscle

• Higher testosterone

• Respect from others

• Attraction from people

And this is obvious. Eating high-quality, nutritious foods fuels your body with the nutrients it needs. Now you can work till the sun goes down & still go home and pipe your wife down. You can go to the gym and actually see the results from your hardwork.

You know the phrase "you are what you eat"?

It's one of the truest statements out there. You literally are what you eat.

If you eat low-quality food like McDonald's and Burger King you will have low-quality thoughts and a low-quality body. Do you eat high-quality, nutritious, & non-processed foods? You will have a sharp mind and a lean and toned body that shows this.

The same goes for what you consume mentally. Do you watch TikToks and Netflix all day? Then you are a robot that spews out cringe jokes and quotes from those platforms. Do you read books and subscribe to high-quality newsletters like this? You will have an intelligent mind and have intellectual conversations.

So what should I consume?

You are probably confused and have no idea where to even start. You've heard to bulk if you are skinny and cut if you are fat. These are true, but before we dive into all that let's understand what we should be eating.

If I had this information available to me when I first started it would have saved me years worth of little to no progress.

But before we get into what you should consume I'm gonna tell you what to avoid:

• Processed meats (Bacon, Hotdogs, Deli meats)

• The 3 C's (Candy, Chips, Cookies)

• Burnt foods (carcinogenic)

• Soda & juices (sugar)

• Deli meats

• Fast food

• Seed oils

• Ramen

And this list should include any other processed food out there.

Now the reason for avoiding these are simple. They contain little to no nutritional value, hurt your body, and are carcinogenic. Don't believe me? Check the facts on links of seed oils to heart disease.

Better yet check how you feel after eating unhealthy foods. The fatigue you experience & the brain fog that immediately follows. The way your body looks in the mirror. Its effects are clear.

We all want to achieve great things, look good, and feel good don't we?

If you eat these foods not only will they make you feel tired and sluggish, but they will limit your work output. If you can't focus how do you expect to get anything done that is worthwhile. And adding on to that you also ruin your physique.

Make the right choice and stay away from these foods. Future you will be grateful.

Now what should I really consume?

Here's the one concept you need to understand. Non-processed foods.

You want to eat foods that aren't processed or have minimal processing. Foods that have one ingredient. For example, just buy chicken breast, or just buy rice, or just buy apples.

These foods aren't processed and are in their base form (like Goku before he goes Super Saiyan).

Foods you should add are below:

Proteins:

• Fish

• Beef

• Bison

• Chicken

• Whey protein

Carbs:

• Rice

• Potatoes

• Yams / Sweet potatoes

• Oatmeal

• Beans

Fats:

• Nuts

• Butter

• Olive oil

• Avocado

• Coconut oil

Fruits:

• Apples

• Bananas

• Blueberries

• Strawberries

Veggies:

• Kale

• Carrots

• Spinach

• Broccoli

• Zucchini

What is my goal?

As always you have to ask where you are.

Before you choose the perfect diet for you, you have to understand some key principles:

1. Where am I right now?

2. Where do I want to be in 6 months?

3. What's is the best and quickest way to get there?

Determining where you are is easy. There's only a couple of options.

You are either skinny with little to no muscle, overweight and covered in a lot of fat, or you are between in the dreaded skinny-fat stage.

Now you have to determine where you want to be in 6 months. And let's be real if you are a normal human being, you want to be lean and muscular pretty much. Looking like a modern day Michael B. Jordan, or a Fight Club Brad Pitt.

And the best and quickest way to get there is something you have heard before. Skinny? Eat a lot of food and bulk. Fat? Eat less food and cut? Skinny-fat? Prioritize eating protein and lift heavy-ass weights.

Now of course this is a general overview of what to do. There is much more detail to cover that we'll get into soon.

How much protein do I need?

One of the core tenets of putting on muscle is protein and there is a lot of misinformation out there. A lot of people say to eat 1g of protein/lb of bodyweight, others say you can get protein from plants, and some go as far to say 2g of protein/lb of bodyweight.

What's the truth?

The statement 1g of protein/lb of bodyweight is almost correct. You need 1g of protein/lb of LEAN bodyweight. Fat doesn't count.

So if you are a 200lb person that is 30% bodyfat, you don't need 200g of protein per day, you only need 140g of protein per day.

To do this calculation:

Bodyweight x (1 - % of bodyfat)

For the example above:

(200lbs x (1 - 30%))

(200lbs x 70%) = 140g of protein

So as an example I weigh 200lbs and have about 12% bodyfat.

So I use the formula above and multiply my weight by 88% which means I need 176g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Do this calculation for yourself. If you are a bit overweight you won't need as much protein as what appears on the scale. But if you are skinny then you will need about 1g of protein/lb of bodyweight.

And if you want to add more protein into your diet that's ok. Be aware, that the formula above is all the protein you need. More protein is just an added bonus that will aid in building muscle.

How do I bulk?

So you are a skinny and need to bulk up to put on any noticeable muscle.

Here are some methods you can use to actually do this successfully without getting fat:

• Eat 3-4 big meals/day

• Focus on building muscle

• Go on 15-30 minute walks 3x/week

You want to be eating enough to actually put on some size. You want to be sure that you are eating meals full of protein, carbs, and fats.

Some good bulking meals and snacks are:

• Bananas

• Fish & rice & broccoli

• Oatmeal with peanut butter

• Post-workout protein shakes

• Rice cakes with almond butter

• Steak & potatoes & green beans

These meals are calorie-dense which is exactly what you want. And if you want to bulk be sure you eat a lot of red meat with every meal.

Red meat along with carbs such as yams, potatoes, and oatmeal are what you need to bulk up and put on serious size.

When it comes to your training you should do 3-4 sets for the exercises you do, and 6-10 reps for each of those working sets. And throw in some walks as well at least 3x/week. You could walk everyday because walking is a low-intensity movement that will burn calories.

After all you want to get big, not fat, and walks can help keep your body-fat down. Pro Tip: (It is best to go on walks after you eat).

How do I actually do a cut?

When it comes to cutting you want to do the opposite of what you were doing when bulking.

If you are cutting then you are fat or overweight and need to shred that in order for your muscles to shine through.

The goal with cutting is to maintain and build as much muscle as possible while shredding as much fat as possible. For best results, to build muscle you want to be in a slight caloric surplus.

So in a caloric deficit you will limit your calories by about 200-400 calories. You don't want to do anything too drastic or else you may lose muscle.

To do this you there are several factors you should consider. But the main one is PROTEIN.

In a caloric deficit you NEED to be eating enough protein. At least 1g/lb of bodyweight. You should increase your protein intake because protein is what builds, repairs, and preserves your muscle.

You don't want to lose weight to look skinny. Take the time and effort to eat enough protein. It will keep you full and stop you from overeating on your cut since protein is filling and takes longer to digest than carbs.

When it comes to training you want to preserve as much muscle as possible. So you want to aim for 3-4 sets on your exercises with a rep range of 8-15.

And on a cut you shouldn't limit cardio. We are trying to lose as much fat as possible. Cardio will lean you out and allow you to eat some more calories throughout the day (as long as you staying in a deficit).

So there you have it:

• Train to build muscle while cutting (8-12 reps)

• Enter a slight caloric deficit (200-400 calories)

• Consume enough protein (1g/ lb of bodyweight)

• Keep the cardio up (frequent walks, hikes, runs, sports)

Conclusion

Now you know the way to diet for your goals. You understand that protein is king and you always need to be getting enough to repair and build muscle.

You know to stay away from processed foods and choose nutritious calorie-dense alternatives. You also know how to go about a bulk or a cut, how to train while on it, how much to eat, and how much cardio you should be doing. There is no excuse. You have the information you need. It is now all on you to execute. This information means nothing if you don't put it towards a use.

Every time you slip up remember what you are sacrificing when you eat unhealthy. Remember the high-quality, energized, and attractive life you could have lived. Let that serve as a motivation to stay on the path and be healthy.

Discover what it is you want and take the actions to get there. That is all you can do.

- Souley