CHAPTER
9 MINDFUL SHORTCUTS AND CONTINGENCY PLANS

SOMETIMES LIFE THROWS YOU CURVEBALLS OR FINDS OTHER WAYS to interfere with your schedule and best intentions. Common hiccups can include deadline crunches, vacations, business trips, out-of-town visitors, celebrations, and other circumstances that challenge your habits to stay, well, habitual. In those instances, you might stray from your diet and exercise program and end up putting yourself on a major guilt trip or taking your lapse as license to give up on your goal entirely. Both of these moves are completely unnecessary, not to mention counterproductive. The truth is, a lapse doesn’t need to throw a wrench in your plans, nor does it need to lead to a complete collapse.

The key is to arm yourself with smart strategies for staying on course and pinch-hitting tactics to help you continue to reset your body chemistry and strive toward the physiological changes you want to achieve. These are not a substitute for the main approach. What I’m talking about here is more of a Plan B or contingency arrangement—a modified version of the real deal—that allows you to keep making progress when you’re in a time crunch or dealing with stress overload, rather than kicking your entire program to the curb.

The reality is, you don’t have to follow your personal body type plan perfectly every single day or every single week; you can take mindful detours and still grab ahold of the prize you’re seeking. You can ease up by venturing into a 90/10 ratio, where you stick with the program 90 percent of the time and relax your discipline 10 percent; or, you can make it an 80/20 rule. Before they started working with me, many of my clients were working out too hard, restricting their food intake too severely, or not getting enough rest and sleep. As a result, their body chemistry was thrown off-balance—and so were their mood and energy level.

Learning how and when to let go is a critical part of my approach because you need a program that you can follow on a continuous basis. It’s fine to go through strict phases for four to six weeks, but to stick with the body-type plan that’s best for you or maintain your hard-won results, you need to ease up now and then so you won’t burn out. With the backup plans and short-term shortcuts that follow, you’ll be able to make smart choices that will, at the very least, keep your body from entering panic or rebellion mode. You will be able to maintain your latest weight and strength level while staying healthy. Even if you’re not necessarily making progress in a continuous fashion, this Plan B approach will help you avoid falling off your program or taking steps backward. But the key is not to lose sight of your long-term goals in order to get back to your basic approach ASAP.

One of my clients, a mesomorph, was working on a TV show in South America and we had to adapt his diet to the food that’s available in Brazil. He took photos of the markets he had access to, and we customized a meal plan based on what was there—lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and good-quality rice, beans, and meat. As for a workout venue, there was an outdoor community gym that had only free weights (no machines), so he did squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and shoulder presses with some adapted accessory moves that allowed him to do three to five exercises per muscle group; he would go on hikes to get his cardio workouts. After being away for three months, he actually came back leaner and stronger. He is proof positive that it’s possible to stray from the prescribed path and still thrive!

Whenever you need some flexibility in your life, you can default to the Plan B approach that follows, up to two days a week (on a regular basis) or if you’re really in a pinch for up to two weeks at a time without backsliding dramatically. Think of this as the least you can do to maintain or continue the progress you’ve been making. The tricks and hacks included here are specifically designed to maintain stable hormone and energy levels, which ultimately are what control your mood, hunger, metabolism, and other bodily sensations and functions.

On the dietary front, your best bet is to stick with 1,500 to 2,500 calories per day, depending on your age, gender, activity level, and other factors (a quick review of the “Metabolism Math” section in Chapter Three can guide you). It’s also wise to have a medium carb, medium fat, and high protein intake—your diet should consist of roughly 30 to 35 percent of each macronutrient—to balance your hormones and optimize lean muscle growth and maintenance and fat loss. To make it simple, you can adopt the eating style that’s been dubbed IIFYM (short for If It Fits Your Macros), where the idea is that as long as you eat a set amount of fat, carbs, and protein every day, your meals can consist of whatever you’d like (you can read more about it in Chapter Five).

Unless you’re an ectomorph, however, try to limit your carbs to the first half of the day and/or pre- and post-workout when you’ll be in peak carb-burning mode. Most people naturally consume 50 percent (or more) of their daily calories as carbs, so bringing more protein and fat into your meals will increase satiety and stabilize your insulin and blood sugar levels. Another advantage to this approach is that it’s fairly easy to “eyeball” creating a plate that’s made up of one-third of each macronutrient—but remember that fat contains 9 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram for protein and carbs, so the proportion of fat in a meal will look significantly smaller. Because cooking oils and nut butters are so dense in calories, I strongly urge you to measure your servings of these items; otherwise, they could easily hijack your calorie intake.

Aim to include three meals and two snacks per day, to keep your calorie intake fairly consistent throughout the day. Here’s what this might look like for someone who’s consuming 1,500 calories per day:

MEALS: ½ cup cooked oatmeal with 1 cup berries; 2 cooked eggs on the side

CARBS: 40 g

PROTEIN: 18 g

FAT: 12 g

CALORIES: 340

MEALS: Protein shake (made with 1 scoop high-quality protein powder and water)

CARBS: 3 g

PROTEIN: 25 g

FAT: 1 g

CALORIES: 130

MEALS: 4 ounces cooked chicken breast, ½ sweet potato, tossed salad with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil vinaigrette

CARBS: 30 g

PROTEIN: 30 g

FAT: 15 g

CALORIES: 370

MEALS: 4 ounces broiled fish, spinach/kale salad, ½ cup cooked brown rice

CARBS: 30 g

PROTEIN: 35 g

FAT: 15 g

CALORIES: 450

MEALS: High-protein, low-sugar energy bar (like Quest or thinkThin)

CARBS: 4 g net carbs

PROTEIN: 20 g

FAT: 8 g

CALORIES: 200

Note: You also can have as many veggies as you want (except bell peppers, carrots, corn, and root vegetables because they rapidly raise blood sugar) and one to two small apples and 1 to 2 cups of blueberries and/or raspberries per day.

If you don’t like the look of this menu, don’t sweat it. You can switch out any of those foods with the replacements in the chart that follows, as long as you swap carb for carb, protein for protein, and fat for fat and keep the serving size consistent. If the chart looks familiar, well, that’s because it is—it’s the same one you saw on the specific body-type plans (hey, I’m very big on consistency for the simple reason that it brings results). The difference with the Plan B approach is that you’ll stick with this approach 80 to 90 percent of the time and can give yourself a free pass for 10 to 20 percent of your eating occasions.

CARBS: ½ sweet potato

PROTEINS: 4 ounces chicken or turkey

FATS: 1 ounce nuts (small handful)

CARBS: 1 slice Ezekiel bread

PROTEINS: 2 eggs

FATS: 1 ounce seeds (pumpkin, chia, sprouted)

CARBS: ½ cup cooked oats

PROTEINS: 4 ounces fish

FATS: 2 eggs

CARBS: ½ cup cooked brown rice

PROTEINS: 1 cup broccoli, lentils, organic tofu/tempeh, or black beans

FATS: 1 tablespoon coconut oil

CARBS: ½ cup cooked quinoa

PROTEINS: 1 scoop protein powder

FATS: 1 tablespoon olive oil

People often ask me whether they can have a cocktail or two while they’re working to transform their body—and the answer is, yes. You can work alcoholic beverages into your diet in moderation, but first consider how important it is to you to have them because the extra calories do add up and alcohol can affect your hormones temporarily. I’m not the lifestyle police, nor am I a teetotaler; I drink a glass of red wine about twice a week, and at events I’ll have a cocktail or two maybe once a month. But I make it a policy to never have more than two drinks, and I strongly suggest you adopt this guideline, too. (Also, drink extra water for the sake of hydration.) Taking this approach allows you to lead a healthy, happy life—without throwing your body out of balance or disturbing your sleep.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POPULAR SHORTCUTS

When life gets especially hectic or you feel out of control of your eating habits, in particular, you might be tempted to glom onto a fad diet. Don’t do it! Many of them are based on shaky science at best or cut out so many food groups and nutrients that they’re downright unhealthy. But a couple of diets du jour are worth considering—for some body types.

Intermittent fasting (IMF) is a dietary approach that’s all the rage these days, and for good reason: it can work well. Giving your body “fasting periods” where it doesn’t have to digest and process foods lets it dedicate internal energy and other resources to repairing your body, strengthening your immune system, and burning body fat for fuel. Another perk: people tend to eat fewer calories overall when they’re doing intermittent fasting since they have fewer hours in a day in which they are permitted to eat. There are many different intermittent fasting methods. Some people eat their usual meals 5 or 6 days a week and completely fast or consume only 500 calories on the other 1 or 2 days. The more common method is to have fasting windows or periods, such as 12, 14, or 16 hours without food, accompanied by “eating-window” counterparts of 12, 10, or 8 hours, respectively. Some people narrow it down to only a 6-hour period in which they can eat.

With IMF, the basic tenets are that you consume the calories that your body needs—and I would urge you to divide them up according to the relative macronutrient proportions that are optimal for your body type—and avoid consuming any calories during the fasting periods. That means only water, seltzer, unsweetened tea, and black coffee while fasting. Doing this for 6 to 8 weeks can yield great results—and jibes with a TYPE-friendly scenario. But I use it almost exclusively with endomorphs, mesomorphs, and their hybrids. Ectomorphs and IMF can be a problematic pair because it can lead to very low energy, and, worse, it can cause them to burn too much muscle. It’s not worth the risk, IMO.

Alternatively, endomorphs can follow a ketogenic diet, which is a very low-carb, high-fat regimen, for bursts of four to six weeks at a time. After a few days or a week of following this approach, your body goes into a state called ketosis because it doesn’t have enough glucose (from carbs) for your cells to use for energy; instead, it burns dietary and body fat for energy and produces chemicals called ketones as a by-product. A typical keto diet is 5 to 10 percent carbs, 15 to 30 percent protein, and 60 to 75 percent fat.

The hardest part is actually getting into a state of ketosis, which requires subsisting on essentially no carbs except what comes from greens and selected vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Besides taking a toll on your enjoyment of food, this approach is not necessarily healthy for extended periods because many carbs really are good for you! But the keto diet can lead to weight loss if it’s done correctly. On the other hand, if your meals are really low in carbs but not quite low enough to shift you into a state of ketosis, you may feel lethargic, irritable, or hangry, have a hard time sleeping, and struggle to perform well in the gym (as well as the rest of your life)—and you may not even lose weight. That said, with endomorphs who are on a time-crunched weight-loss schedule, sometimes I’ll have them jump-start their progress with a six-week ketogenic phase, followed by a more sustainable approach (as described in Chapter Six).

TAKING IT ON THE ROAD

With the world becoming increasingly globalized, it’s essential for many people to learn travel hacks that will help them eat well and exercise smartly, wherever they are. For example, TV commentator/host and best-selling author Van Jones splits his time between New York, DC, LA, and traveling farther afield. Typically, he is gone for one to two weeks at a time, back for three to five weeks, and so on. When he’s in town, we train together three or four times per week; for the times when he’s away, we have developed a road map for eating on the road and workouts that he can customize for whatever gym or hotel gym he has access to. Even after he has been traveling for a month, Van comes back looking as if he never left and is able to train as intensely as he could before he left—and that’s because he’s very meticulous about his health habits. Sometimes he can only work in two or three 20-minute workouts per week when he’s on the road, but between that and eating well enough to keep his energy high and fat off his body, it’s enough to maintain his muscle strength and definition.

Here’s the advice I always give clients about making smart choices when dining out: ideally, go for a meal with a lean source of protein, lots of veggies, and healthy carbs (such as brown rice) or healthy fats (such as nuts)—but not both. Fish, meats, or chicken should be grilled, baked, or broiled; try to avoid marinades that are high in fat and sugar (a dry rub or light balsamic glaze is fine). Remember, the words breaded, pan-fried, sautéed, and fried = more fat. If you’re not sure how an item is prepared or whether fat is added to the dish, ask your server. Choose dishes with blanched, grilled, baked, or steamed veggies, either lightly salted or seasoned with delicious spices.

While salads typically carry a health halo, when you’re dining out, they can have more calories than a burger and fries. This is especially true if the salad is drowning in dressing (that’s loaded with oil and sugar) or contains fried croutons, bacon, or lots of cheese. It’s smart to ask for a light vinaigrette, lemon juice and olive oil, or dressing on the side.

If it’s late at night and you’re really hungry, opt for extra protein and veggies and fewer carbs, or include a healthy fat if one is available. If you want a “treat meal,” have one, enjoy it, and plan to be back on track the next day. Desserts and fried foods are like kryptonite for healthy bodies: once in a while, it’s fine to splurge, but not regularly. The unhealthy combo of bad fats and sugar (think: ice cream sundaes, cakes, onion rings, funnel cakes—you get the idea!) will spike your insulin and lead to blood sugar, cortisol, and hunger-hormone pandemonium, leaving you in a sluggish, brain-fogged, inflammation-promoting state. No bueno! You’d be much better off going with a healthy protein-fat combo (such as a high-quality turkey or beef jerky and pumpkin seeds, for snacks; or a dark meat poultry or fatty steak with veggies, for meals) or a protein-carb choice (a turkey and mustard tortilla wrap for a snack; grilled chicken and a baked sweet potato, for a meal).

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK me whether taking supplements will help them reach their body-transformation goals faster or more healthfully. After doing extensive research on the subject, my opinion is that the vast majority of dietary supplements are next to useless—basically, they produce expensive pee (since many of them are excreted in your urine—sorry, if that’s TMI). Plus, low-quality vitamins and minerals have low bioavailability and compete to be absorbed, which means that after they duke it out in your liver, little is left to enter your bloodstream. Meanwhile, many weight-loss-promoting and appetite-stimulating supplements are unsafe, and many bodybuilding supplements are loaded with too much caffeine.

That said, there are a few supplements that can be helpful for some people or when you need a temporary boost when you’re too harried or hurried to make a solid effort to eat well. At best, these can be little helpers, but they can’t make up for a lousy diet. Here are the ones I like:

Omega-3 fatty acids: Personally, I prefer the cold-pressed fish oil that should be kept in the fridge. If you don’t like the taste, get the capsules. Omega 3’s help with cognitive function and they’re great for reducing inflammation in people of all body types (but especially ectomorphs who may struggle with ultra-sensitive adrenal glands).

Zinc and magnesium: You can take supplements of these mighty minerals separately or with a product called ZMA, which contains zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B₆. For people who are doing heavy-duty strength training, this helps replenish depleted mineral stores, which can in turn help improve your sleep, optimize your hormone balance, and enhance your mood and cognitive function; in particular, mesomorphs who have a higher muscle content can benefit from taking these.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV): Some research suggests that drinking a small amount (as in 1 tablespoon) of apple cider vinegar diluted in a cup of water can lower blood sugar levels after meals and improve insulin sensitivity. While this is beneficial for any body type, it’s especially useful for endomorphs who often struggle with insulin and blood sugar regulation.

Specific vitamins and minerals: Many people, especially vegans, aren’t getting enough vitamin B₆, B₉, and B₁₂; vitamin D; or choline from their diets. Depending on which nutrient(s) you may be short on, it would be better to take these supplements selectively and separately than to go with a low-grade multivitamin-mineral supplement; you could, however, invest in a good-quality B-complex supplement.

Spirulina and chlorella: These are different forms of algae and they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, protein, and other nutrients. Personally, I add these to my protein shakes as a health-boosting superfood.

Branched chain amino acids: A staple in the bodybuilding world, I use and recommend BCAA supplements to people who want to build and maintain swole (a.k.a. jacked) muscles while cutting calories. You can take these supplements during workouts and/or when you’re feeling a little hungry but you have already met your food intake for the day. BCAA can help take off the hunger edge while also preserving muscle, thus encouraging your body to burn fat as fuel instead of muscle.

YOUR BASIC TRAINING

When your schedule is cramped or you can’t get to the gym on the regular, remember that doing something physical is always better than doing nothing. Ideally, when time is short, we’re looking for the biggest “bang for your buck,” a workout that promotes fat burning and muscle stimulation in an efficient manner. One of the best approaches you can take involves a combination of cardio (such as jogging or walking briskly for 30 minutes three times per week or 15 minutes of an HIIT circuit or Tabata workout, three times per week), along with body-weight-based strength-training moves two or three days per week. This blended workout approach will optimize fat loss and boost muscle strength. Best of all, it can be done anywhere (no gym required!) because all you need is your body.

For the HIIT circuit, you’ll want to perform each of the following moves consecutively, rest for 30 seconds, then repeat the circuit as many times as you can in 15 minutes:

10 Burpees (without Push-Ups)

10 Squats

30 seconds of Jumping Jacks

10 Push-Ups

10 Supermans

10 V-Ups