Neil Hill
Neil Hill
record of
dietary history for as long a period as possible, alongside estimations of fluctuations in bodyweight
and body
composition. This will give an idea of the types of foods a person typically eats, their eating
patterns and
behaviours and how their body has responded to different dietary intakes. This detailed
information can be
gathered to give an idea of approximately what a person’s maintenance calorie intake would be
and where
will be a good starting point for them in relation to their current goals. Whenever I take a new
client on the
questionnaire they complete for me goes into great depth on their dietary history. Ultimately, the
more
I certainly feel as though the common approach and viewpoint on “maintenance calories” in the
fitness
industry is a little misleading on times. Just because a calculator says that you should be eating X
doesn’t
necessarily mean this is correct, it could be out either way. The reality is that your metabolism will
adapt to
your lifestyle and as I’ve just mentioned one of these key points is what the individual has
previously eaten
It is the body’s ability to adapt to fluctuations in calorie intake which means that to lose body fat
or gain
muscle, the relative decreases/increases in calorie intake may be higher than expected for some
people. With
individuals who are building muscle this will adjust calorific intake, as the development of new
muscle tissue,
being metabolically active, effectively increases your metabolic output and shifts the body to a
new level of
‘maintenance’ calorie intake. When aiming to lower body fat levels towards single digits your
metabolic rate
is likely to slow down which means your “maintenance” intake will also reduce. As a result this can
mean over
time there needs to be a constant reduction in calories or energy expenditure BUT it has to be
done in a
strategic manner. One of these strategies which is essential from my experience to protecting the
longevity of
your metabolism is utilising refeeds/cheat meals at the right times (see section 5.3 for details on
the impact of
Dr. Rimmer: For those who cannot provide a long term history of dietary intake or those who have
sporadic eating patterns the next best solution for determining a starting point is to use scientific
formula,
although not an ideal solution when working in this situation these are the best ‘guesstimate’ of
calorie
intake. There have been many methods proposed for calculating nutrient intake. Many start with
the
inclusion of calculations of Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR is defined as ‘the amount of energy
is an insufficient amount of calories for building muscle and likely to be dangerously low for dieting
especially if combined with exercise and would depend on other factors such as body fat
percentages/
body composition.
Therefore, we are looking for an estimate of calories that allows for a client’s lean body mass and
activity
level to estimate daily calorific requirements. There are multiple methods for estimating body fat,
the use
of body measuring callipers and bioelectrical impedance measurement for example.
Anthropometry (measurement of the body) using callipers to measure skin folds are typically
inaccurate,
unless used by those who have been trained and experienced in using this technique. Bioelectrical
impedance measurement is a relatively easy and straightforward way to measure body fat
percentages;
however it can be affected by hydration levels in the body. There are also many visual guides
available
Once we have an estimate of body fat percentage the most thorough current measure of BMR is a
method
Where LBM (lean body mass = [body mass in kg x (100- bodyfat %)]/100
For example a 100kg athlete with 10% body fat would require:
Remember BMR is an estimate of minimum energy expenditure. In order to estimate total calorific
requirements for the day, a simple multiplication of BMR and an estimate of activity demand are
applied.
1.3-1.4 Lightly Active (Light daily activity AND light exercise 1-3 days a week)
1.5-1.6 Moderately Active (Moderately daily Activity & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
1.7-1.8 Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise 6-7 days a week)
1.9-2.2 Extremely Active (Athlete in ENDURANCE training or VERY HARD physical job)
In the above example our athlete with a BMR of 2314Kcal has desk job but trains intensely 5-6
days a week.
This does not fall directly into any of the identified categories, but we can assume that they are at
a level of
around 1.6, as despite their job being sedentary, their activity is at a more intense level. This
would give a
Remember this is just an estimate. If weight is maintained for a number of weeks it is safe to
assume that
this calculation would be a fair representation of ‘maintenance calories’. This highlights the need
for
allowance of an appropriate period, before an actual fat loss or muscle gain nutritional plan is
started in
Once we have an estimate of calorie intake, the next step is to calculate approximately how much
of each
macronutrient we should include in the diet. Again this will be goal dependant, but a ‘safe’ place
to start for
beginners is to keep a protein intake at the upper level of intake of around 2g per kg and fats at
around 1g
per kg. Whatever you have left in terms of calorie intake, then that can be used to determine
carbohydrate
requirements. For our imaginary athlete above, this would mean that protein would be 200g
(800Kcal),
fats would be 100g (900Kcal) leaving 2000kcal (3700-900-800=2000kcal), which is the equivalent
of 500g
of carbohydrates. These macronutrients would then be split evenly over 5/6 meals, which we
initially
suggest, as it is an achievable eating pattern for most people, whilst allowing to adhere to the key
nutrition principles for muscle building (optimising muscle protein synthesis) and hormonal
function.
There are specific manipulations that can obviously take place within each meal, for example
keeping
protein and carbohydrates separate from fats in the post workout meal, and a multitude of meal
patterns
that can be employed that suit an individual. As a starting point, it is important to keep things as
simple as
possible, being consistent with eating patterns and monitoring progress will then create a platform
with
which to adjust macronutrient ratios, cycle energy intake depending on body parts (keeping it
higher on
days where you train more muscle mass, such as legs and back, compared to lower calorie intake
when
training arms or taking rest days) and employing different eating strategies tailored to your
individual
Neil Hill: Ultimately as a starting point your diet must fit a certain criteria which is as follows-
1. Allow for good general energy levels during the day, including cognitive function. It’s no good
feeling sluggish and exhausted all of the time because this is a lifestyle, and within that you have
2. Support and optimise performance in the gym, along with recovery afterwards. You should be
3. Ensuring satiety is taken care of so you are not experiencing acute hunger as this will inevitably
lead
like. If you do this you will at some point go off track as nobody will sustain this long term. There’s
enough good tasting, nutritious foods out there to find something you can enjoy daily!
5. Support and optimise health because as you know without doing this your results simply will
never
be what they could be. Within this I mean digestive health, hormonal health, immune function and
5.2 Fat Loss and Reducing Calories: How Many, How to and How Often?
Dr. Rimmer: Most of the time we will be looking to adjust calories in relation to the clients goals
and the
time frame in which they have to achieve them. In order to lose body fat a calorie deficit can be
created in one of two ways. Firstly by reducing calories from food and secondly by increasing
calorific
output through increased training volume or added cardiovascular training. The amount of deficit
required to cause weight loss will vary from individual to individual and the amount of weight loss
required
on a week to week basis will help to determine the approximate deficit we are trying to create
each week.
As a general rule we are big believers in keeping calories as high as possible and using extra
training to
create an energy deficit. This way food and nutrient levels can remain high allowing for healthier,
less
restricted fat loss. There will however be a point where calories from either carbohydrate or fat
will have
to be reduced in order to create more of a deficit at ‘sticking points’ or plateaus during the fat loss
process.
As calories decrease overall, there should be an increase in protein for the reasons we have
outlined in the
various sections of this book, to meet basic calorie needs and protect muscle tissue. As a starting
point for
fat loss, a simple way to do this is to manipulate macronutrient ratios. For example, if protein
intake is
taken up to around 2.5g per kg of bodyweight and then calories from fats and carbohydrates are
calculated (as we did in the previous section), then this should be sufficient to maintain lean mass
and
reduce energy calories sufficiently to initiate fat loss. As dieting progresses protein can then be
kept
relatively constant until a point when (or if) energy intake becomes low, where higher amounts of
protein
are required.
Depending on the time frame for fat loss will determine the deficit we need to achieve each week,
however
again this may impact on people in different ways. Ideally the more time you have for a fat loss
program,
the more chance you have of reaching a goal and figuring out how much of an increase exercise or
decrease in calories is required to maintain fat loss. The Y3T training system is very demanding on
the
body’s energy systems; we believe that by training harder in the gym this means that there has to
be less
cardio and less calories removed from food to get the same results.
One of the key issues with keeping food high and increasing calorie deficit using cardio is that it is
difficult
to gauge how many calories you are actually using in each session. It is therefore important that if
you
choose to keep food calories higher, then any progression in the amount of cardio is monitored
not just in
terms of time but in terms of output. For example, there is no point increasing the amount of time
for which
you do cardio if the intensity at which it is performed drops at the same time. This is one of the
advantages
of removing calories from food, as it is a more measurable way to create a deficit for most people,
but
obviously this comes with the drawbacks outlined previously. In reality there will be a combination
of
removal of food calories and increased energy output to create a fat loss environment.
We would love to give you a ‘golden number’ on to how much deficit will create a certain amount
of fat
loss, but as we have learnt, our metabolism is a fluid and adaptable, what creates fat loss one
week may
not the next. This is why monitoring progress is essential to identify when more of a calorie deficit
needs
to be created to take fat loss to the next level. To do this we need to document physical changes
including
taking regular pictures and measurements around the body. Bodyweight is an important factor,
but its
importance will depend on a person’s starting point and if people are managing to build muscle
whilst
losing body fat (which can happen especially with people new to training and proper eating habits)
then
the significance of measuring weight loss becomes less important, than the actual changes that
are taking
place to a physique.
This is particularly important to consider for women, as they are subjected to marketing of
products/diets
geared towards weight loss, therefore awareness of the draw backs of just using weight as a tool
for
measuring progress needs to be placed in its proper context in order to stop unhealthy obsessions
with
weight.
Whatever the fat loss goal, an appropriate amount of time should be given to allow for a healthy
amount
of fat loss as well as to overcome the inevitable plateaus that will be reached. Sports nutritionists
and
dieticians recommend an average rate of fat loss of 0.5-1kg per week. As a very general guideline
an
initial deficit of 300-500kcal per day will typically be enough to create fat loss. We suggest that
food
intake should be maintained as high as possible in order to insure the body is getting plenty of
nutrients
to support healthy fat loss. It is likely that the quicker we remove food from the diet, the quicker
we will
cause a disruption of normal hormonal processes and metabolic output will be lowered.
Obviously, this
will be a negative as it means calorie output is effectively reduced, leading to more difficult fat
loss. Over
time calories may in some people have to be dropped low on a number of days within a week in
order
to push a person to reach very low levels of body fat; however a drop in calorie intake of
approximately
1200kcals in women and 1800kcals in men should be avoided. This is particularly important for
extended
periods of more than a few days in order to prevent the chances of serious health problems. Both
of these
intakes would still be considered very low and in reality this should not be required assuming
appropriate
amounts of time and appropriate training has been structured to meet a persons goals.
This also raises an interesting point in some people who may want to undertake fat loss programs,
which
may not be in a position to do so. This is evident in people who have had overly restricted calorie
intakes
for extended periods, who have suffered severe damage to their thyroid function and therefore
metabolic
output. It is possible that people in this position may put on body fat on what would be considered
low
calories for most people; therefore it may be of benefit to seek proper medical diagnosis. In this
situation
the focus should not be about decreasing calories further, but increasing calories slowly and a
reduction in
steady state cardiovascular exercise (HIIT and weight training is fine) which may be the only option
to help
In periods of calorie restriction it is particularly important that meals are not skipped to insure that
amino
acids are supplied to support recovery and that energy levels can be maintained as far as possible
to help
maintain muscle tissue and performance. There is also something to be said for creating as stable
a
physiological environment as possible to support hormonal function and to limit the overall impact
of
dieting. Meal frequency therefore becomes important especially when dieting; the reasons for this
are
Once the initial diet has been structured, reduction of calories from food sources can obviously be
undertaken from either carbohydrates or fats. This will be dependent on the ratios of them in the
diet at
the beginning, and at certain points in dieting both will be reduced. There are a few ways to
achieve this,
firstly when we adjust calories we can then work out the amount of protein carbohydrates and
fats that
would be present if we had a set micronutrient ratio. For example 30% protein, 50% carbohydrate
and
20% fat would remain consistent throughout dieting even as calories decreased. However, this
method is
problematic as it reduces protein which as we diet is important to maintain and even increase in
the diet as
body fat levels become lower in order to support optimal muscle protein synthesis and protect
lean tissue.
As discussed previously recommended intakes of protein for those who lift weights for
hypertrophy is
around 2g per kg and this would be the bare minimum for those considering a fat loss program, in
reality
this will be closer to 2.5g per kg at the start of a contest diet and increases as calories from
carbohydrates
and fat are reduced, with amounts of up to 5g per kg or more not unheard of. However, there is
no
‘scientifically’ defined amount by which this increase in protein should take place and is typically
based
around maintaining a basic level of calorie intake, which will be determined by the factors that are
taken
into consideration when structuring the initial diet. This unfortunately has to be intentionally
vague as
the science in this area is largely non-existent and reliant on experience from coaches to be able to
adjust
One of the most important things for maintaining adherence to a fat loss program is to allow for a
variety
of nutrient dense foods, this will simultaneously allow for intake of important micronutrients and
also
stop food boredom.
Neil Hill: As I touched upon at the beginning of section 5 every individual will have slightly different
needs
in relation to their diet. In this context their maintenance calorie levels will be unique to them,
which means
that creating an energy deficit isn’t just as simple as using a calculator and then taking a
percentage away and
leaving it at that. Of course, I wish it was as would all coaches because it would make our lives so
much easier
The first point of call is comprehensively analysing your previous eating habits and then factoring
in how your
From here you have a baseline intake to work from, where you can work either side of it with
“low” and “high”
Timescales are an important point to consider as well as your own starting point. In my experience
people do
not give themselves enough time to drop body fat, so they end up rushing the process and eating
too little,
doing too much and ultimately creating an environment where their metabolic rate diminishes
along with
In an ideal world you want to keep calorie intake as high as possible and in theory as little cardio as
possible
whilst still dropping fat at the start of the process. The reason being by doing this you are going to
leave
yourself with more room for manoeuvre as the process goes on. This will also help protect your
metabolism
in the long run and keep you feeling fuller, for longer.
In relation to deciding when to pull calories and/or increase cardio there’s no reason to until you
reach a
sticking point. If you are consistently progressing in the early stages you don’t need to make
changes. When
you reach a sticking point it then comes down to deciding whether you need to reduce calories,
increase
cardio or even introduce a refeed if you feel your metabolism is beginning to slow down.
There is no single answer to these question because it is a completely individualised thing and
more than that
Neil Hill:
1. Give yourself plenty of time: This allows for more gradual adjustments to training and diet and
can help
avoid some of the negative effects of rapid/excessive calorie restriction. This also allows for any
slip ups or
fat loss plateaus to be accounted for and still arrive at your goal. For those who have a set
competition date,
remember it is better to ‘come in’ a few weeks early than a few weeks late!
2. Use a variety of foods: This will stop food boredom and reduce cravings.
3. Choose Filling Foods: Choosing foods that rate highly on the satiety index (see section 5.5) are a
great way
to feel fuller yet maintain calorie intake at required levels for fat loss.
4. Choose nutrient dense foods: As calorie intake is lowered, this may mean that you can miss out
on
important micronutrients. Choosing nutrient dense foods are a great way to maintain health when
dieting.
Alternatively use a good multivitamin and mineral to provide essential nutrients when this is not
possible.
5. Work your frigging ass off in weight training session: This may seem obvious, but the more effort
you put in
the gym, the more calories you will burn and the more muscle you will keep. This will mean that
food intake
Dr. Rimmer: As we have outlined throughout this book, during periods of energy deficit the body
may have
to create an adjustment between energy intake and energy expenditure in order to maintain
physiological
functions. The processes that cause these metabolic adaptations will be enhanced by either a too
severe
restriction in calories or as a result of body fat levels lowering. This occurs when the adipose
storage pool
becomes diminished and the body recognises this is reaching, what can be considered, critically
low levels.
There are a few pathways under which the body detects and adjusts for reduced calorific input
and these
have implications on the myriad of adaptations the body undertakes in response to calorie
restriction.
Firstly, as the body’s capacity to produce ATP is decreased alongside a reduction in oxygen usage,
energy
output must also be reduced. It achieves this through a sensitive oxygen sensing system and relies
on the
cellular recognition of presence or lack of oxygen and the production of reactive oxygen species,
which
directly influences gene expression. This influence on gene expression decreases the rate of
energy used
in the body by influencing the enzymes that take part in metabolically demanding processes.
Regulation of metabolic rate is associated with changes in both the nervous system (especially the
sympathetic nervous system) and endocrine system. Studies have shown a reduction in
sympathetic
nervous system (SNS) activity in periods of calorie restriction has a profound effect on lowering
metabolic
rate. This reduction in SNS activity has implications on muscle function, cognitive function and
autonomic
function in general. In short this is a key causal mechanism why absolute strength is often lost
during
periods of dieting, even if muscle tissue is preserved, especially in complex compound movements
as
motor pattern efficiency is interrupted. Strength will also potentially be affected by a lack of
appropriate
One of the body’s priorities when under periods of long term calorie restriction is the preservation
of
muscle protein. An effective way to do this is by reducing levels of thyroid hormones or the
conversion of
T3 into rT3. This will then impact on the overall rate at which the body can use fuel. This
preservation of
protein within the body is a key driver in the reduction of metabolic rate alongside preservation of
remaining fuel stores. It appears that large reductions in metabolic rate can take place within 2-3
weeks of
calorie restriction; it may then look to other ways to reduce metabolic output such as a reduction
in
metabolically active tissue. In terms of survival this can mean a reduction in muscle tissue, which is
obviously an unwanted effect of prolonged calorie restriction. It is for this reason that we advocate
the use
of resistance training to preserve muscle tissue and in order to increase energy expenditure
cardiovascular exercise whilst maintaining as far as possible calorie intake, as it appears that this
has a
less direct effect on the body’s metabolic rate. This is dependent on the type and amount of
cardiovascular
exercise that is performed. This allows more nutrients and calories to be kept in the diet, yet still
creating
Either HIIT or very LISS cardiovascular exercise can be used effectively and each have their
advantages,
however the classical ‘steady state’ exercise at around 65-80% of maximum heart rate for long
periods can
have a negative effect on thyroid levels, especially in women, so it should be used sparingly.
It is likely that that other hormones involved in metabolic regulation will be effected through
periods of
dieting/calorie restriction, however direct evidence in this area is scarce. Many of the theories and
evidence are gathered from small studies, and from those who have been observed in the fitness
industry
after following a diet, have shown alterations in many of the hormones involved in the
hypothalamus,
pituitary and adrenal (HPA) axis. This axis is a complex system of hormonal interaction, which
supports the
notion that adjustments in levels of one hormone can have influence on the production of others
through
This would typically include alterations in the steroid hormones, especially cortisol, which would
be
elevated as a response to stress to liberate fatty acids from adipose tissue for energy alongside the
release
of adrenalin. It is theorised that these stress hormones, if left unchecked, can cause a state of
adrenal
fatigue, meaning that in effect they become burnt out and stop producing hormones that are
essential for
fat loss, as well as other hormones such as aldosterone which may lead to poor regulation of fluid
balance.
This has been known to cause water retention and has been known to happen to athletes even
with very
low body fat levels appearing to have a soft, watery look that to the untrained eye may look like
not being
lean enough.
High cortisol also has a negative impact on testosterone levels, which is obviously an important
hormone
to maintain muscle tissue. It is for the above reasons that controlling cortisol is a key factor in
maintaining
sustained and healthy fat loss. As with most hormones, cortisol has its positive and negative
effects, these
negative effects come about if it is elevated too high for too long. As we have discussed in section
2.1,
cortisol has a strong relationship with insulin. Therefore carbohydrates can be used to generate an
insulin response and reduce cortisol levels. For those who are cortisol sensitive, it is suggested that
carbohydrates are maintained in the diet as long as possible or that high carbohydrate meals or
days are
included periodically throughout the dieting process. The use of cheat meals and refeed days can
help
to reduce cortisol, support thyroid function and help restore leptin levels to provide short term
boosts to
metabolic rate.
Neil Hill: Remember, single figure body fat percentages do not (for most people at least) come
easy. In order
to maintain this level outside of physique competitions, or for whatever reason you have decided
to reduce
body fat, this can definitely place the body in a vulnerable position and cause long term
adaptations in
metabolism that can take months to recover to normal levels. Increasing calories too quickly after
long
periods of dieting can lead to massive rebounds in weight and rapid increases in body fat stores if
not
I’m definitely an advocator of staying relatively lean all year round because of the heightened
insulin
sensitivity and improved management on aromatisation, as well as all the other benefits of being
lean.
However this doesn’t often mean staying in single digits for most, usually 10-12% for men and 16-
20% for
women. I feel unless someone is genetically designed to be very lean, being any lower all year
would
potentially carry certain negative affects including limiting your ability to build new muscle tissue.
I’d like to reiterate again that genetics will play a huge part in what you can ‘get away with’ food,
calories and
exercise wise to reduce and maintain body fat levels and indeed build muscle. A diet strategy may
seem good
on paper, or work for some people and in specific situations. But ultimately your genetics and your
starting
point in terms of muscle mass and body fat percentage will have a huge impact on how effective
these
strategies are, or how far these strategies can take you, towards reaching your goals. We will
discuss these
Dr. Rimmer: Studies performed on both starvation and calorie restriction has shown a few obvious
and
not so obvious psychological effects. When depriving the body of energy it will obviously manifest
itself in
a feeling of lethargy, lack of concentration and can in some cases, lead to being short or lack of
patience
with people. This makes sense as the brain has a high rate of fuel utilisation, so reducing its
demand for
energy by interrupting its function to lower (but maintainable) levels, causes a reduction in overall
energy
demand in the absence of enough dietary fuel. If you are ever going to undertake a body
recomposition
based diet to attempt to achieve competition levels of body fat, this change in ‘personality’ may
become
very evident to those around you. It is therefore important to expect this, be mindful of your
actions and
surround yourself with people who will understand the situation and learn ways to control your
For those trying to reach a percentage body fat of around 10% then ‘suffering’ to this extent
should not
be necessary if dieting is done sensibly and over a long enough time period. Obviously this will
vary from
person to person, depending on their relationships with food, their own metabolic rate, their
lifestyle and
One of the biggest threats to health when under periods of calorie restriction is a reduction in
immune
function. This is particularly evident when protein needs are not sufficiently met; this again
highlights the
need, from an immunological perspective, for a higher protein diet than would be necessary when
perspective, as during periods of dieting a variety of food sources that contain micronutrients may
become restricted. Micronutrients are required for an effective immune response and a lack of
one or more
of these nutrients can impair the immune systems function. It is for this reason, that even in off
season
diets, there should be appropriate amounts of vitamin and mineral rich food sources.
Neil Hill: I’ve always been a big believer in utilising cheat meals, even on a fat loss programme if it
is done
correctly. One of the biggest issues I see with people’s diets are them justifying foods they
shouldn’t be eating
too often - there needs to be a justification! In my eyes a “cheat meal” generally relates to a single
meal
usually accompanied by a desert or treat, which would consist of foods not typically included on
either a
muscle building or fat loss nutritional program. These usually consist of a large proportion of
carbohydrates,
fats or both depending on the reason for the cheat meal. Cheat meals can serve two main
purposes; firstly
they can act to keep a person motivated by allowing a psychological ‘break’ from a structured diet,
allowing
them time to have a meal that would be considered more social to spend time with friends and
family. These
would typically occur once a week on a fat loss program, assuming that fat loss targets are being
met.
However I must reiterate that on a fat loss plan it does come down to progress first and how well a
person has
responded to the nutrition program. In offseason/muscle building phases these are typically had
one or two
days a week, in order to allow some form of normality, as long as the rest of the diet is geared
towards
providing the correct foods, with the correct nutrients, to support fat loss. Cheat meals would
typically be
consumed on a day on which a larger body part was being trained, such as legs or back, making
sure the extra
calories are being put to good use. Having said that, I do feel sometimes having them on rest days
can also
be smart as the extra calories can aid recovery. This will come down to the client in front of me
and obviously
The second reason I may include a cheat meal is if someone is losing weight too rapidly, or
‘flattening’ out.
These type of cheat meals are not used as a reward/to give some normality, but to help restore
glycogen and
may be accompanied by rest days to help aid recovery if my client needs it. In this situation it
comes more
down to what I feel the individual needs, rather than what they “want.”
Dr. Rimmer: Refeeds are typically full days of higher calories, usually consisting mainly of
carbohydrates,
and can also include a cheat meal. These full days often take over from cheat meals, once a
person’s fat
loss progresses and as calories from carbohydrates and fats in the diet become consistently low.
These are
designed to restore glycogen levels, help boost leptin levels (to support metabolism) and reduce
cortisol
levels. Some coaches prefer a method of driving athletes to be very flat (meaning depleted in
glycogen),
before having one large refeed per week, whereas others like to maintain more frequent higher
calorie
meals as a response to an athlete starting to flatten out. Whatever strategy is employed, it is not
uncommon that the leaner someone becomes, that the frequency of refeed days or cheat meals is
actually
increased to support metabolism. If we think back to section 2.1 Leptin, we know as body fat levels
become
lower this causes a reduction in many hormones that influence metabolic rate, so by trying to
restore
leptin levels by having a high energy meal or day, day we can ‘sacrifice’ a day of fat loss, in order to
maintain long term metabolic rate and more consistent fat loss. Unfortunately, there is no clear
guidelines
levels, but it does give a mechanism by which cheat meals and refeed days are often found to be
The amount of calories that should be contained within each cheat meal or refeed day, will vary
from
person to person and be dependent on their body fat levels and the amounts of calories they are
typically
eating throughout the rest of the week. As calorie intake and body fat levels decrease on a week
by week
basis, it makes sense that calories included in cheat meals or refeeds would also increase to allow
some
recovery of metabolic function. Our advice is to have higher days starting at a few hundred grams
of
carbohydrate over your maintenance amounts and see how you respond.
As dieting progresses you will get a gauge of how many carbohydrates it takes to ‘fill out’ during
each
phase of the diet. Gauging the amount of calories and types of food that should be included in
cheat meals/
refeeds is a skill that takes time to develop, it is therefore always beneficial to have input from
someone
This inclusion of higher carb days is also important for those that are on low carb diets. This will
allow the
body to restore glycogen, to help fuel training and also keep the body accustomed to taking up
and storing
glucose effectively. This can be a concern when carbohydrates are absent from the diet for long
periods, and is something we would wish to avoid so that carbohydrates can easily ‘fill up’ the
muscle when
it comes to the day of a competition. Something to consider for those on low fat diets, are having
days of
higher fat intake in order to support the functions that fats play in the body.
Neil Hill: Like you’ve just learned it is not as simple as saying have X amount extra and it will
achieve Y.
However, when you are using a cheat meal/refeed on a fat loss programme there are certain
things you can
look out for and analyse to gain an understanding of how well it’s working for you.
1. The day after your cheat meal/refeed when you return to your normal calorie intake you should
notice an
increase in hunger. This is a sign that your metabolism and hormonal balance has shifted
momentarily, which
should support increased calorie burning for a short period of time. The real sign here is to see
what your
weight does during the week. I’d expect it to go up slightly for 1-3 days after the cheat
meal/refeed and then if
you’ve got it right you’ll find you will reach a new “low” towards the end of the week in many
cases. This almost
creates a cycle in itself then where you are making your diet do a lot of the work.
2. For as long as 2-3 days after your cheat meal/refeed you may notice that your pumps in the
gym,
As a side note, make sure when you have a cheat meal/refeed you increase your water intake or at
least
maintain a good intake as you will certainly become more thirsty as water is drawn into the
muscle.
5.4 Muscle Gain
Neil Hill: In order to increase muscle mass there needs to be 3 key components in place to make
this happen.
2. Enough energy to fuel training, recovery and allow muscle building processes to take place.
Rates of muscle growth will vary from person to person. Inexperienced trainers rates of growth
can be rapid
with several kilograms of muscle being developed within a period of just a few months, assuming
proper
nutritional programs are utilised. After the initial period of muscle growth the body’s rate of
muscle growth
will slow, this is partly due to the increased demand for protein and energy reaching a point where
consuming enough calories for sustained growth can become challenging, and also that the rate of
muscle
building has reached its defined genetic limits. The more muscle tissue we have the harder it is
going to be for
most people to grow more muscle, simply because so many of the metabolic processes involved in
building
new muscle tissue are now taken up simply repairing and maintaining what has already been
developed.
Remember there is a limit to how fast metabolic activity can take place and this can restricted by
many
After initial rapid weight gain in the first 6-12 months of resistance training, rates of growth
(assuming
appropriate nutrition) will be lowered to anywhere typically between 2-4kg per year until we
reach our
genetic limitations. The above is what we might expect in natural athletes, in those using
performance
enhancing drugs rates of growth can be much higher, as these directly influence the rate at which
proteins
can be created to sustain higher rates of growth beyond that which can be achieved typically in
natural
athletes. As years of training becomes decades even 2kg per year of lean muscle gain will become
challenging
for most people as they reach their limits for muscle growth. Obviously there are those, who we
might
consider ‘genetic freaks’, such as those athletes who step onto the Olympia stage each year, who
appear to
have accelerated and almost limitless ability to grow muscle compared to what can be considered
“normal.”
Having said that even these guys have their limits and I don’t want you to get too focused on
them, or
anybody else for that matter. The reality is with the right diet, training plan, supplement protocol
and desire
to remain consistent you can develop a very impressive physique and become the best version of
you.
For those who have just started training seriously for muscle growth; to put this in perspective a
growth rate
of 2kg per year may not seem much, but if you train for 5 years that’s 10kg of lean muscle. That’s a
completely
different physique to where you are now, I’m sure. No matter what coach or what method you
read, the truth
is they would all agree that consistency and perseverance are the two essential traits for
developing your best
possible physique.
Dr. Rimmer: The amount of calorie surplus required above maintenance calories to support muscle
growth
will vary massively and be dependent on factors such as your previous calorie intake, how often
and hard
you train and your current body composition. In those who are over-weight especially with an
unstructured diet, it is possible to reduce body fat (remember this can be used as a source to
provide some
of the calories for muscle growth) and build muscle at the same time assuming protein
requirements have
been met. This was recently shown in a study, where those with higher protein diets (4g per kg of
bodyweight) made the same amount of muscle gain as those on lower protein diets (2g per kg of
bodyweight, which is important to note is still enough protein to support muscle growth), but also
reduced
body fat levels when compared to the lower protein diet. There was also a significant reduction in
body
weight in the higher protein group. This highlights that weighing scales are not always telling the
full story
when it comes to muscle gain or fat loss, and should be used in conjunction with the other
measures
described previously in order to get a more complete view of changes occurring to a physique.
From this perspective we a suggest that in those who are overweight, who are starting out at an
approximate body fat percentage of over 25% in men and 35% in women, that a reduction in body
fat of
around 10% should be a first priority. A gradual lowering of body fat should still allow for muscle
growth
but will also place the body in a better position in terms of health markers (insulin sensitivity,
plasma fatty
acid levels etc.) to create a solid foundation in order to build muscle without the necessity of
getting too
out of shape. Excess adipose tissue also converts testosterone to oestrogen, through a process
called
aromatisation. Obviously for males looking to build muscle this is not a process we want to
encourage and
is yet another reason why getting too out of shape, by increasing calories too high when looking to
build
This is particularly important for those who may have issues losing weight; we all know stories of
athletes
who can get incredibly overweight in offseason yet 16 weeks later step on stage at very low levels
of body
fat, these are the exception, not the rule. We do feel this is a dangerous game to play for most
people, in
regard to their long term health and is an unnecessary extreme to go to in order to build muscle.
For those who are starting from a point of having body fat levels of under 15% for men and 25%
for
women, increasing calories in order to support anabolic processes obviously has the potential to
increase
body fat levels. It is for this reason that calories should be increased slowly and monitoring of
progress
through pictures and other body measurements is important to see progress and establish if and
when
As with most things discussed in the book, there is no golden number that should be adhered to in
order to
increase calories in order to break plateaus in muscle gain. This will dependant on many factors
including
amount of lean tissue, amount of fat tissue, previous diet history and of course genetics.
Those with less muscle may need a relatively small increase in calories in order to stimulate more
muscle
growth, obviously whilst adhering to points 1-3 outlined at the start of this section, whereas those
with
more metabolically active tissue and higher training volumes will need substantially more calories
to get
the same effects. Over time, logging of calorie and nutrient intake, alongside an accurate training
log,
will give you greater insight about what works in terms of increases in both muscle size and
strength. For
those starting out with lower levels of body fat, we suggest an increase in calories of around 300-
500kcals,
with a relative increase in proportions of protein, fats and carbohydrate. This increase, from a
scientific
perspective, should be enough to overcome the body’s ability to maintain calories within a specific
range.
This again highlights the reason why the idea of maintenance calories should be treated
cautiously, as
we have discovered the body has ways to adapt to small daily fluctuations in calorie intake to
maintain
weight. For those with higher levels of body fat we suggest taking the advice in section 5.2, and
trying to
develop lean muscle whilst losing body fat before any increase in calorie intake is then attempted.
Neil Hill: As I’ve already touched upon in this book I want to reiterate that where building muscle is
concerned you do NOT want to allow your body fat levels to get out of hand. “Weight” gain does
not
impress me if the individual is just gaining fat because you are effectively making yourself less
anabolic
(insulin resistance and heightened aromatisation). To further compound this all of that fat will
have to come
Neil Hill:
1. Increase meal frequency: this allows for quicker and more efficient digestion of nutrients,
leading to
less gastrointestinal discomfort associated with larger meals. This, in effect, allows you to eat more
food, easier.
2. Around training is a great time to increase intake of high GI carbohydrates in liquid form: This
helps
to fuel recovery/growth and increase calorie intake whilst allowing for an improved insulin profile.
3. Increase calorie intake through liquids: Eating large amounts of food can be difficult for those
with
small appetites, therefor using fruit smoothies/milkshakes is an effective and more palatable way
to
4. Choose Foods that have low satiety: Unlike dieting, a feeling of fullness can be crippling when
trying
to eat enough food to grow. This is especially problematic due to the satiating effects of protein in
the diet; therefore choosing food sources that have low satiety, but meet nutritional
requirements, is
5. Fats are your friend: Fats, as we have discovered are calorie dense, therefore you can increase
calorie
intake without needing to increase food volume massively. Once you have enough carbohydrates
to fuel recovery and growth, then fats can make increasing calories a simple, tasty and cost
effective
way to boost energy intake. Remember to try and use unsaturated forms of fats in the diet if
eating
large amounts, to reduce the risks associated with a diet rich in saturated fats.
bility and satiety of the foods that are included. These factors are essential to not only maintaining
enjoyment
of food, but also as to how effective nutrition strategies can be. There is no point structuring a diet
if the foods
being consumed are disliked by the person who has to stick to the nutrition plan. This will lead to a
lack of ad-
herence and ultimately failure of the diet, regardless of it being for weight gain or fat loss. For
many foods that
are disliked for their taste, or cannot be included for moral or religious reasons, there are usually
nutritionally
equivalent alternative foods or combination of foods, which with enough thought can meet the
same macro
and micronutrient requirements. As I’ve already mentioned I am NOT a fan of making people eat
foods they
don’t enjoy because you are making an already tough process even harder.
Dr. Rimmer: This is particularly challenging with protein sources in vegetarians and vegans, as
trying to
meet protein (and importantly amino acid requirements), maintain fullness and satiety without
the
inclusion of animal products can be a challenge, especially when trying to restrict calories. Non-
animal
sources of protein are typically associated with a high proportion of carbohydrates and fat
content. There
are meat alternatives including vegetarian/vegan protein shakes, soy products and other meat
substitutes. These can help resolve issues with satiety, amino acid and micronutrient requirements
of the
diet, especially when used in combination with other food sources and vitamin and mineral
supplements.
The palatability of foods is also important and in scientific terms relates to the joy that one gets
from
eating certain foods. The palatability of food is determined by all the senses. The more palatable a
food is,
the more of it we are likely to consume. This has obviously implications for both fat loss and
weight gain.
For those who are trying to lose body fat the avoidance of certain ‘trigger’ foods may be essential
to stop
episodes of binge eating, however some would suggest that a little bit of food that causes pleasure
(known
as the hedonic response) each day will stop a build-up of cravings, that may lead to non-adherence
of the
diet and periods of binging. The decision of what foods should be included in a nutrition program
should
be made on an individual basis and relates to people’s relationship with certain foods, their
backgrounds
Highly palatable foods are important to consider when gaining muscle. Many people can miss out
on
muscle growth because they stick to certain foods. A lack of variety and pleasure from different
foods may
leads to skipping meal, under nutrition and a general unhealthy attitude towards food. This is
obviously
not an excuse to eat whatever you feel whenever you feel; nutritional content must still be at the
forefront
of a nutrition plan, but a varied diet with foods we enjoy, whether dieting or muscle building, are
essential
dieting strategies (see section 6) have tried to employ eating strategies that optimise hormonal
use; this
is often geared to periods around training and/or related to making use our body’s natural
hormonal
rhythms. Health research has shown that foods we eat earlier in the day tend to have a greater
satiating
effect, meaning eating breakfast or meals earlier in the day makes us feel fuller for longer. Eating
of an
evening has less of an effect on satiety, so food choices at this time are important as this is when
we are
There is conflicting research into the effects of meal frequency (‘little and often versus large and
spaced
apart’) in terms of both impact on hunger and physiological and metabolic effects. The importance
of
meal frequency is often talked about in terms of metabolic output and influence on hormonal
levels.
Unfortunately for us, most of this research has taken place in inactive populations. It is evident
that the
bodies of those who train regularly, may respond differently in both the short and long term to
those who
do not. The following section will focus on the importance of meal frequency and in what ways
meal
frequency affects the body, how this is important to those who train regularly and how this fits
into the