THE MACRO BOOK

The flexible dieting protocol

By: Giulianni Giraldo

T
his book is not intended as a substitute
for the medical advice of physicians.
The reader should regularly consult a
physician in matters relating to his/her
health and particularly with respect to any symp-
toms that may require diagnosis or medical at-
tention.

The information in this book is meant to supple-

ment, not replace proper training. Like any sport
involving speed, equipment, balance and environ-
mental factors, bodybuilding/fitness poses some
inherent risk. The authors and publishers advise
readers to take full responsibility for their safety
and know their limits. Before practicing the skills
described in this book, be sure that your equip-
ment is well maintained, and do not take risks be-
yond your level of experience, aptitude, training
and comfort level.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication

may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, including photocopy-
ing, recording or other electronic or mechanical
methods, without the prior written permission
of the publisher, except in the case of brief quo-
tations embodied in critical reviews and certain
other noncommercial uses permitted by copy-
right law.

3
CONTENTS:

1. Introduction
2. What is proper nutrition and flexible dieting?
3. Where science defies “broscience”.
4. Learning how to read food labels
5. How to calculate your caloric requirements
6. How to adjust macronutrient ratios
7. Structured refeeds
8. Breaking plateaus
9. Reaching single digit body fat
10. The Reverse Dieting Protocol
11. Nutrient Periodization
12. Alcohol and bodybuilding
13. Counting macros when eating out
14. Counting macronutrients
(a step-by-step guide)
15. Supplement Guide
16. Grocery list
17. Macro Friendly Recipes
18. Conclusion
19. About the author
20. Scientific references

4
INTRODUCTION

¡Welcome to the flexible dieting protocol!

T
his book is the perfect guide to under-
standing nutrition, how your body works
and how to achieve the best results of
your life! The intention of this book is
to make the dieting process as simple as possi-
ble, but first I will take you through the basics
because I want you to understand what food is
and how it impacts your life. Because believe it or
not, sadly the grand majority of people have no
idea what it is they put in their mouth nor do they
know how important it is to have a well balanced
diet to promote longevity and quality of life.

¡We need to learn how to walk before we run, so

I am going to teach you what nutrition is before
you diet!

The guidelines given in this book will help you

understand how to accommodate your diet to
your lifestyle and how to become a flexible dieter!

5
I am going to teach you how to count calories and
macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and protein)
and for this you will need a few things.

1. A food scale

2. A macro/calorie counting app

3. Measuring utensils

The reason why you will need a food scale is to

weigh some of the foods that will be a part of your
meal; this way we control portion sizes. The app is
to log and track the foods you eat based on your
servings. And the measuring utensils (cups and
spoons) are for you to make things a bit easier.
Although this last one is completely optional, the
food scale is more than enough for portion con-
trol.

¡SO LET’S NOT RAMBLE ON, LET’S GET TO

THE POINT!

6
THE FLEXIBLE DIETING PROTOCOL

¿What is flexible dieting?

F
lexible dieting, or like most call it “IIFYM”
(If it fits your macros) is not a diet per
say, it’s more of a mind opener for those
who have been following restrictive di-
ets in the past, and to show new dieters that they
don’t have to cringe every time they hear the word
DIET.

How many times have you dieted in the past?

How many times have you succeeded? Can I as-
sume that by reading this book it means you are
looking for a different alternative to your previ-
ous approaches?

The process of dieting is more of a psychological

struggle than anything else, and every time we
hear the word “diet”, I think a little part of us dies.
Its because over the years we’ve always had this
misconception that dieting is basically a punish-
ment; it implies suffering, restrictions cravings,
hunger, willpower, etc. simply because this is what
they have made us believe. And every time our
doctors advise us to start taking care of our nu-
trition, we immediately think about all the things

7
we are going to miss out on, and all the things we
have to stop enjoying because they are deemed
“unhealthy”. This is the reason why so many di-
eters fail to accomplish their goals, its like we are
immediately predisposed to fail. But it’s this same
mentality of restrictions and deprivation that has
been imprinted in our minds by the media and
diet “gurus” that sets us up for failure. Because at
that moment when we start to deprive ourselves
and cut out all the things we like, we are imme-
diately reducing our chances of achieving long-
term success.

So in this book I’m going to teach you how to get

rid of that mentality and learn how to apply BAL-
ANCE and MODERATION into your life, so that
you never feel deprived again! Because dieting
shouldn’t feel like a punishment, dieting is about
improving your life!

When it comes to living a fit and healthy lifestyle

there are three major factors to take into account:

1. Calories

2. Nutrients

3. Physical activity

8
It seems simple right? It actually is; the problem
is that a very large number of people are not fol-
lowing these simple guidelines, which in turn is
making the obesity rates grow each year. And this
is a very concerning topic. Obesity has grown to
such extent that it has become as deadly as cancer
itself. But what is more concerning is that obesity
is an “illness” that has a relatively simple cure,
unlike cancer. Yet people still neglect this “cure”
and continue to live unhealthy lifestyles.

The number one factor to take into account when

it comes to body composition will always be CAL-
ORIES!

All foods have calories; calories are chemical en-

ergy we ingest that through a series of metabolic
processes is then turned into mechanical energy
(i.e. walking, running, breathing, etc.), thermic en-
ergy (heat) and electrical energy (transmission of
nerve impulses). Just the mere fact of living ex-
pends calories; its what we call BMR (basal met-
abolic rate). This is the amount of energy your
body requires in order to sustain life. On top of
our BMR we add our daily activities like walking,
running, eating, taking a shower, cleaning the
house, etc. all these physical activities add up to
our daily caloric expenditure. The more physical-
ly active you are, the more calories you burn.

9
A secondary factor that contributes to caloric ex-
penditure is our body composition. A 200lb mus-
cular male will have a higher BMR than a 200lb
obese male, simply because muscle tissue is more
metabolically active than fat; so more muscle in-
creases energy demands, meaning you expend
more calories at rest.

Now why are calories so important?

Let me explain… the amount of weight we gain,

maintain or lose will always be determined by
the amount of calories we expend vs. the amount
of calories we ingest. This simple conclusion is
based on the laws of physics.

The 1st Law of Thermodynamics simply states

that energy can be neither created nor destroyed
(conservation of energy). Thus power generation
processes and energy sources actually involve
conversion of energy from one form to another,
rather than creation of energy from nothing.

Let me put it this way… Our body has the capacity

to store energy in the form of muscle mass, body
fat and muscle and liver glycogen (short term).

This energy comes from excess calories that are

stored for later use. The reason why the first law

10
applies to the human body is because we cannot
store energy if that energy never existed in the
first place, and we cannot burn off energy if we
don’t have any energy stored. In simple terms,
weight gain does not occur without a caloric sur-
plus (overfeeding), and weight loss does not oc-
cur without a caloric deficit (underfeeding); hence
calories in vs. calories out. This energy balance
is what will determine whether we gain, lose or
maintain our weight.

The human body is much like a car, the mileage

you get from your car is based on the amount of
gasoline you put in; in our body it runs in pretty
much the same way. You function according to
the calories you ingest. The difference between
food and gasoline is that gasoline is already re-
fined and ready to be used, while our body has
to convert food (protein, carbohydrates, fat and
alcohol) into energy the body can use. Making it
basically like crude oil, crude oil has to be refined
to be used as gasoline in a motor vehicle. Our
body “refines” food through our digestive system
and converts those calories into usable energy.
Our body burns that fuel based on energy de-
mands, and when energy intake exceeds energy
demands we store that extra energy as body fat
and/or muscle.

11
Some may argue that our body is much more com-
plex, and to some extent it is. But at the end of the
day, our body is a machine that works on energy
and is governed by the laws of physics.

So now you know what calories are, but let’s dig a

little deeper and start talking about macronutri-
ents, micronutrients, water and fiber.

Macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein, fats

and alcohol. These nutrients are what provide the
calories to food.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein

and protein has 4 calories per gram. Proteins cru-
cial role is building, maintaining and repairing
tissue. Due to the wide variety of existing proteins
and as a consequence of their structure, proteins
have several functions in our body and partici-
pate in every biological process and constitute
fundamental structures in living things.

Carbohydrates are chains of small simple sugars

that are broken down and enter the body as glu-
cose and provide 4 calories per gram. Glucose is
essential for the body, as it is the primary source
of energy that fuels our brain, heart and central
nervous system. Carbohydrates are divided into
two groups. Simple and complex carbs; Simple

12
carbs are those that digest rapidly in our organ-
ism and can in most cases be distinguished by
their sweet taste. Among these simple carbs are
fructose, galactose, lactose, maltose and sucrose.
These simple carbs are found in fruits, dairy, can-
dy, sodas, vegetables, table sugar, etc.

Complex carbohydrates have chemical com-

pounds that contain 3 or more chains of sugar
molecules. These carbs can be distinguished by
their fiber content, this fiber slows down the diges-
tion and absorption. These complex carbs can be
found in beans, lentils, potatoes, corn, legumes,
nuts, whole grains, etc.

Fats provide 9 calories per gram and help in the

transportation of the essential vitamins A, D, E
and K. fats also play a role in brain development,
blood clotting, and managing inflammation and
hormone production. Fats are divided into two
groups, saturated and unsaturated (monounsat-
urated and polyunsaturated).

And alcohol on the other hand, while considered

a macronutrient, is not essential for life (I’m sor-
ry to tell you). And it is why it should be eliminat-
ed or limited within the diet. I’ll talk a little about
that later on in this book because I know you’re
interested.

13
It’s important to understand that each macronu-
trient has different impacts and functions in the
human body, and while the phrase “all calories
are created equal” may hold some truth to it, it
can also be quite misleading. When we compare
100 calories from carbohydrates with 100 calories
from protein, you will find several differences. Be-
yond their energy contribution, both macronutri-
ents have different tasks in our body, and they
both have a different thermic effect. The thermic
effect of food (TEF) is the calorie cost of digesting
and processing each macronutrient in our diet.

Protein has a TEF of 20-35%

Carbohydrates: 5-15%
And fats: 0-5%

Now keep in mind that these are averages, there

are no hard values to the thermic effect of food.

To put this in tangible terms, if you eat 100 calo-

ries worth of protein, your body will burn between
20 to 35 calories in digestion. And if you eat 100
calories from carbohydrates your body will burn
between 5 and 15 calories in digestions. So as you
can see, there is a significant difference between
calories coming from different macronutrients.
BUT, when we compare 100 calories of carbohy-
drates coming from sweet potato vs. 100 calories

14
of carbohydrates coming from table sugar, we
have the same exact thing. They will both end up
as glucose; and they will both provide the same
amount of calories to our diet. And when it comes
to body composition, your body will not know the
difference between the two. It’s important to note
that I said BODY COMPOSITION, because when
it comes to nutrient density there are several dif-
ferences.

Now this is what opens the never-ending debate

between clean eaters and flexible dieters about
what’s considered “clean” and what is “dirty”. The
reason why I use quotations is because these are
not scientific terms, and it’s meaning is subject to
interpretation.

What is a “clean” food? And what are “dirty”

foods?

Clean foods, are what some may consider as

healthy, nutritious, unprocessed, organic, etc. And
dirty would be the contrary. Things like junk, pro-
cessed, refined, etc. But this definition can be all
over the place, and it’s a problem because what
may seem “clean” to you may not be the same for
me.

Paleo dieters consider bacon clean, while clean

15
eaters would put that in the category of dirty. Vege-
tarians would consider chicken as dirty while oth-
ers would consider it to be clean. Vegans would
say that dairy is dirty while others would say that
dairy is clean because it is nutritious. And I can
go on and on giving you different examples.

So ¿where do we draw the line between what’s

clean and what’s dirty, and does it really mat-
ter?

Our body does not know the difference between

a “clean” food and a “dirty” one. Our body sees
calories and macronutrients and digests them
according to its needs. It’s not like our body has
some type of inner sensor that converts “dirty”
foods into fat and “clean” foods into muscle. It
simply doesn’t work that way. What will contrib-
ute to fat gain is the amount of food you eat and
not the type you choose. No food is more fatten-
ing beyond its caloric contribution in the over-
all diet. It’s nonsensical to say that some foods
promote fat storage beyond their energy content,
just like its nonsensical to say that some foods
have some type of magical fat burning effect.

Calories are calories whether they are “clean” or

“dirty”, and it’s the energy balance in the overall
diet that will determine if we lose or gain weight.

16
Now let’s move on and talk about micronutrients
and fiber.

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. Mi-

cros are needed in much smaller amounts, hence
the word ‘micro’. Unlike macronutrients, micros
do not provide calories, but they do provide es-
sential nutrients to enable the body to produce
enzymes, hormones and other substances essen-
tial for proper growth, development and well-be-
ing. And their absence in the diet can come with
severe consequences.

There are several types of micronutrients: Sodi-

um, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A,
iron, calcium, zinc, manganese, iodine, etc. just
to name a few. Each have different rolls in our
body and it’s important that we prioritize their
consumption in our diet if we want to promote
longevity and quality of life.

In the regular diet very few people actually lack

macronutrients/calories, while micronutrient de-
ficiencies however are more common than you
would think. Micronutrients are often lacking
due to a poor diet and the low consumption of
nutrient dense foods.

17
They are important because they consist of a
wide array of necessary substances that our body
requires to function optimally, and without them
our systems will not operate as efficiently. And it’s
these deficiencies that cause a negative impact
on cellular metabolism. This in turn will contrib-
ute to a series of health related issues resulting
in diseases and early aging.

Fiber, while not considered a micronutrient be-

cause it is needed in larger amounts is also an
essential nutrient. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate
that our body cannot break down for use as ener-
gy. It is crucial for gastrointestinal health and op-
timal nutrient absorption, and its lacking in the
diet can promote nutrient deficiencies, constipa-
tion and a series of other gastrointestinal related
issues.

So ¿how do you avoid these deficiencies? Easy,

we increase our consumption of nutrient dense
foods (foods that contain more nutrients per cal-
orie).

This is where the 80/20 rule comes into play.

The 80/20 rule means: 80% of your calories should

come from nutrient dense foods like fruits, beans,

18
nuts, vegetables, meats, dairy, whole grains; ba-
sically foods that can be considered as nutri-
tious, less refined, natural, unprocessed, organic,
“clean” or whatever you want to call it. And the
other 20% of your calories can come from what-
ever you want.

This is the meaning of being FLEXIBLE with

your diet. 80% of your calories will provide your
body with all the necessary nutrients needed to
promote longevity and sustain a healthy lifestyle,
while the other 20% will be the “fun” part of your
diet that will contribute to maintaining a healthy
relationship with food and promoting a more sus-
tainable and sane dietary practice. The reason
why this 20% can be whatever you want is because
these calories will pose no risk nor will they be of
any detriment to your health and wellbeing, and
they will not interfere with your fat loss or mus-
cle building goals. But will allow flexibility with
your diet by allowing you to enjoy the things you
love without having to restrict your food choices.

“Honoring personal preference is one of the most

powerful yet underrated tactics for achieving op-
timal health and body composition” – Alan Ara-
gon.

19
Another fundamental part of our diet is water.
Water is what is called a solvent. Essentially, a
solvent is a liquid that dissolves other solids, liq-
uids or gases and can carry these chemicals dis-
solved in a variety of ways. In the body, the wa-
ter acts to dissolve proteins (including enzymes,
DNA, etc.) and transfers them through the body.
Water is also responsible for transporting nutri-
ents to cells and waste products out of cells.

Our water intake is achieved through the food

we eat and beverages we drink. On average, we
get about 1 liter (4 cups) of water through food.
Of course, this number varies based on our food
selections. For example, fruits and vegetables in
their raw form have a higher percentage of wa-
ter. “Wet” carbs like whole grains and lentils have
a good amount too. Foods high in fat, however,
usually have very low water content (nuts, seeds,
oils, butter and pork fat).

In addition to the water we drink through our

meals, a large percentage of the daily fluid intake
comes from what we drink. A lot of factors can in-
fluence what we drink, including the climate, the
demands of physical activity, the sweating, the
overall size of the body, etc.

20
¿How much water should you drink a day?

For every kilogram (2.2lb) of body weight, you

should drink 30-40 milliliters of water. For exam-
ple, if you weigh 50 kg (110lb), you need 1.5-2 liters
of water per day. And if you weigh 100kg (220lb),
you need 3-4 liters of water per day.

According to most of the literature, a general rec-

ommendation for daily fluid intake is about 3 li-
ters of liquid (or 12 cups) every day.

Up to this point we’ve covered the basics of nu-

trition and what you need to maintain a healthy
lifestyle and the things you need to take into ac-
count if you want to nourish your body appropri-
ately.

In the next chapter of this book we are going to

talk about the myths in the fitness industry and
how you should approach your diet.

21
WHERE SCIENCE DEFIES “BROSCIENCE”

Broscience, by definition is:

“The predominant brand of reasoning in body-

building circles where the anecdotal reports of
jacked dudes are considered more credible than
scientific research”.

T
here’s a certain problem with this rea-
soning, because as most scientist will
tell you, anecdotal evidence is the worst
kind of evidence.

And you would think that it’d be logical for people

to follow the science and what is actually backed
by research rather than the advice of the com-
mon gym rat. But sadly, this advice from “jacked
dudes” goes way beyond simple gym talk. This
advice ends up on the cover of fitness magazines
and on social media. And despite the lack of evi-
dence behind those claims, some people swear by
them like the word of god. And it’s this propaga-
tion of misinformation that has filled the fitness
industry with myths and misleading and some-
times ridiculous protocols, which for the general
population seem incredibly complicated. To the
point where people rather not diet at all simply

22
because they find these protocols too difficult to
endure.

So here’s where I ask…¿does the dieter fail to

diet? ¿or has the diet failed the dieter?

You’ve probably heard it before… “95% of all di-

ets fail”, and while this is from a very out of date
study done in 1949, the recent research doesn’t
seem to show much of a difference. A series of re-
searchers from UCLA recently came to the same
conclusion; most dieters gained back almost all
their weight.

¿So what are we doing wrong?

The fitness industry is booming, the Internet is

filled with hundreds of thousands of dietary pro-
tocols, more than 40 million Americans go on a
diet every year, yet obesity is still a mayor health
issue.

But what do all these diets have in common?

¡Restrictions, restrictions and more restrictions!

Dieting should be about restricting calories, but

not about restricting food choices. Diets need to
be lifestyle friendly and should allow the dieter to

23
have room for enjoyment. If you take out personal
preference from the diet, you are setting yourself
up for failure.

We all have cravings; this is part of our human na-

ture. And this is why it’s so important to teach the
dieter how to include these cravings in a healthy
way. If you restrict food choices, at some point
the dieter will fall into a binge cycle that will be
detrimental to their progress and mental sanity.

“Don’t let your diet define your lifestyle, let your

lifestyle define your diet” – Giulianni Giraldo

24
Now let’s talk about these myths that are perpet-
uated by “broscience”.

Myth #1: Defining foods as “clean” or “dirty”.

A
s we spoke about this in the last chap-
ter, defining foods as clean or dirty is
for all intended purposes a myth. You
cannot define a food as “good” or “bad”
without looking at the entire context of the diet.
Any food can be fattening if eaten in excess and
no food promotes faster weight loss when con-
sumed. Too much of anything can be detrimen-
tal, it’s the amount that we eat that will determine
whether a certain food will be “good” or “bad” in
our diet. Even things like vitamins can be horri-
bly toxic when consumed in excess and can even
cause death (hypervitaminosis), same as water
(Over-hydration) that can cause brain swelling,
coma and death. Too much alcohol can cause cir-
rhosis. Too many fruits can cause weight gain,
and I can go on and on about how “good” things
in the right amounts can be detrimental. So that’s
why its important to understand that anything in
the right dosages can be harmful, and we need
to look at the overall context of the diet to de-
termine whether something is actually good or
bad for you. And we need to learn how to practice

25
BALANCE and MODERATION. Because a bal-
anced diet is a healthy diet!

Myth #2: Eating frequently boosts your metab-

olism

T
his myth is probably the most perpet-
uated myth among fitness enthusiasts.
The premise behind this myth is that by
dividing your meals into smaller meals
and eating on average between 6 to 8 times per
day you can increase your metabolic capacity
and turn your body into a fat burning machine.
Sounds good in theory ¿right? But ¿what happens
when we take it to the experiment?

The grand majority of people that claim, “it works”

can only provide anecdotal evidence to why they
lose weight. But they don’t realize that what they
think “works” doesn’t work for what they think
it does. Weight loss occurs under caloric restric-
tion, not increased meal frequency.

This myth can easily be explained with the ther-

mic effect of food (TEF). When we eat, our body
burns a certain amount of calories to digest that
meal (we spoke about this earlier). The amount
of calories burnt through digestion is on average

26
about 10%, because when we eat we always eat
mixed meals; we don’t eat a single macro in iso-
lation. So the average calorie burn is about 10%,
meaning that if you eat a 300-calorie meal, your
body will burn about 30 calories to digest said
meal.

Some individuals came to the conclusion that by

eating frequently you can manipulate this TEF
and keep your body burning through calories all
day. But what they don’t realize is that TEF is di-
rectly proportional to the amount of calories in-
gested, not the frequency of the meals.

Let me put it this way:

If you eat 10 meals in one day, each meal com-

prised of 200 calories. That will give us a total of
2,000 calories. The TEF of each meal will be 10%
(20 calories), so if we add that up it will give us a
total TEF of 200 calories burned through diges-
tion.

Now let’s do this with 2 meals. Each meal of 1,000

calories; the TEF per meal is 10% (100 calories), and
we add the total TEF of those 2 meals which will
give us again, 200 calories. So as you can see, the
TEF is exactly the same, because it is directly pro-
portionate to the total amount of calories and not

27
the amount of meals those calories were spread
out in.

If you like to eat 3, 6 or 10 meals a day, base it on

your personal preference and not by the hour on
the clock. Eat when you can, eat when you want
to, but be accountable for your total calorie/mac-
ro intake. But one thing I do not recommend and
its eating less than 3 meals a day, simply because
it may not be optimal when it comes to protein
synthesis. But again, at the end of the day what
matters most is your total macros/calories and
your adherence to the plan.

Myth #3: Carbs at night make you fat.

T
he myth that carbs at night promote
more fat gain than they would during
the day seems like a myth that somehow
doesn’t die out, despite the fact that the
evidence against it is overwhelming.

¿How is it that carbs at 6:00 p.m. are more fatten-

ing than they are at 5:00 p.m.?. The logic behind
this doesn’t seem right, ¿does it?

28
The studies conducted that came to this conclu-
sion were very poorly developed studies. The
reason being is that they mainly studied our eat-
ing habits and not our total daily caloric expen-
diture or intake. They only looked at the way we
eat throughout the day. This is a huge problem
because they did not take into account the most
important factor: calories in vs. calories out!

When you look at the eating habits of the general

population you will find certain similarities. Most
people work a 9 to 5 job, and if you’re at work it is
very likely that you don’t have time to be eating all
day or even thinking about food, because you’re
working and you’re busy doing other things that
are more important at the time.

Well that’s the issue, while you’re at work or busy

during the day, you don’t tend to eat that much be-
cause you have things to do and food isn’t always
a priority at the time. But when you come home
after a long day all you want to do is sit down,
relax and get some food in. And in most cases
you’re too tired to cook so you eat out or order
food that most of the time ends up having much
more calories than food that would be cooked at
home.

29
Now if you study our eating habits from this ex-
ample you will notice that caloric expenditure
throughout the day was higher because you were
busy walking around and working, and food in-
take was lower because you don’t have much time
to be overindulging. While at night your caloric
expenditure would be less because you’re finally
resting and at the same time your food intake in-
creases.

So researchers concluded that food at night pro-

motes weight gain beyond its caloric contribu-
tion. But is this really a reasonable conclusion?
The conclusion should have been: People at night
eat more and move less, not that food somehow
becomes more fattening because its nighttime.
In a more recent study, researchers concluded the
complete opposite of this carbs at night myth.
They found greater weight loss and hormonal
changes after 6 months diet with carbohydrates
eaten mostly at dinner compared to a regular diet.

A second theory to the “carbs at night make your

fat” myth is that metabolic rate decreases after
sunset. But this is far from being accurate. Our
body is like a car that you can never turn off (un-
less you die of course); we are constantly burning
calories throughout the day, the simple fact of
living burns calories. And even if you consume a

30
certain amount of calories that your body doesn’t
need immediately, it will store them for later use.
Your last meal from Monday night can fuel your
workout for Tuesday morning.

To say that a food in isolation is more fattening

at 6:01pm than it is at 5:59pm is just nonsense.

Myth #4: Calories don’t matter

T
hey always will and I cannot stress this
enough. To say that calories don’t mat-
ter is like saying you don’t believe in
gravity, the laws of physics are what rule
our entire existence; and don’t think that you’re
somehow the exception of this rule.

If you eat 5,000 calories a day you will gain weight,

whether it’s chicken and brown rice or pop tarts
and whey protein. It’s this excess that induces
weight gain. That’s why we always have to take
into account the caloric value of the food we eat,
because no matter how healthy our food choices
are, they can still add up to your total intake.

The following graph is a perfect way of showing

why calories matter.

31
This graph shows us how our caloric intake is
strongly correlated with the increase in obesity
over the past 50 years. As you can see, the blue
line shows the obesity rates and the green one
shows how our caloric intake has increased over
this time. You’ll notice that both have increased
together. And this graph is only taking into ac-
count the average caloric intake of the gener-
al population. It is not taking into account our
physical activity. Through the years and with new
advancements in technology life has become so
much easier; nowadays you can basically run
your entire life from your smartphone sitting on
your couch at home. Kids these days don’t ask for
bike on Christmas, now they want an iPad. They

32
no longer want a skateboard; they want a smart
phone.

So if you look at our physical activity and how

it’s changed over time, you will notice it has de-
creased significantly. Just think about how much
time you spend on the Internet and not outside
performing physical activities. It’s easy to see this
change in our lifestyles. We eat more and we move
less; ¿is the increase in obesity really a mystery?

Myth #5: High GI foods are bad for you

T
he glycemic index (GI) is the foods abili-
ty to raise blood sugar. GI values are de-
termined after an overnight fasted state
using isolated foods. The problem with
this is that this is not a reflection of a real life situa-
tion. When was the last time you woke up and ate
a bowl of white rice by itself? Probably never I can
imagine. A secondary factor that these values do
not take into account is that when you eat a mixed
meal – which is basically always – the GI is signifi-
cantly altered. The presence of protein and/or fat
in the meal can drastically change these values.
Fiber, the digestion of previous meals, ripeness
and even cooking methods can alter these num-
bers. So making food choices based on GI values

33
doesn’t make much sense, to the point where it
can sometimes become a problem. Because most
fruits and vegetables are on the higher end of the
GI values, so does that make them bad for you?
Absolutely not, and it would be irresponsible to
cut them out of the diet just because they rank
high on the glycemic response.

The major concern with people when it comes to

GI values is that they are afraid of the insulin re-
sponse from carbohydrates. What they fail to re-
alize is that protein itself has the same effect on
raising insulin. Insulin is a storage hormone, but
its not only in charge of storing fat, it is also in
charge of transporting amino acids into our mus-
cles to feed them and make them grow. And it’s
also important to note that the insulin response
of a meal will never supersede the weight loss ef-
fects of a caloric deficit.

And there comes certain disparities when com-

paring GI values to insulin response. For exam-
ple: yogurt and milk are on the lower end of the
glycemic index, yet their insulin index is compa-
rable to that of white bread which is a high GI
food. Baked beans are also a low GI food, yet they
have an insulin index of 120.

And it becomes even more problematic when you

34
see that things like snickers bars, pizza and ice
cream all have a low GI. And things like water-
melon; cantaloupe and bananas rank high. So if
you were to base your food choices on GI values
that means you should choose pizza over water-
melon, or snickers over bananas. ¿Does that seem
logical to you? I sincerely hope not.

Making food choices should be valued upon their

nutritional value, caloric content and personal
preference. Not by how they rank on the GI scale.

Myth #6: Sugar is bad for you and should be

avoided.

*
Please be advised that if you suffer from di-
abetes or any other health related issue, you
should consult your physician before seek-
ing fitness consultation or following the ad-
vice stated next because carbs (sugar) have a dif-
ferent impact on you.

Somehow sugar has been imprinted into our

minds as one of the worst enemies to weight loss
and overall health.

¿But is this fear unfounded?

35
The main concern with sugar is its lack of mi-
cronutrients and fiber (vitamins & minerals), but
this does not apply for all sources of sugar. Dairy
and fruits are high in sugar, but they are also very
high in micronutrients, and fiber in the case of
fruits. One source of sugar that might cause con-
cern, health wise, is refined sugars; Things like
candy, lollipops, sodas, table sugar etc. the rea-
son is that these foods tend to have little to no
nutritional value, what some may call as “empty
calories”, foods that provide calories but no nu-
trients.

“Despite the epidemiological parallel between the

marked increase of obesity and fructose consump-
tion, there is no direct evidence linking obesity to
the consumption of physiological amounts of fruc-
tose in humans (≤ 100g/day). A moderate dose
(≤ 50g/day) of added fructose has no deleterious
effect on fasting and postprandial triglycerides,
glucose control and insulin resistance.” – Salwa
Riskalla

“In considering the volume of contemporary liter-

ature on fructose, 1 conclusion stands clear: fruc-
tose is safe at typical intake levels but can pro-
duce adverse metabolic effects when abused—as is
true of most nutrients. It turns out that the largest
abusers of fructose are not American consumers,

36
but research scientists. It is only when researchers
hyperdose human and animal subjects with fruc-
tose in amounts that exceed the 95th percentile by
1.5- to 3- and 4- to 5-fold, respectively, that adverse
effects are provoked.”- John White

“The practical take-away for the general popula-

tion would be to keep added sugar (as opposed
to intrinsic sugar in milk or whole fruit) limited
to roughly 10% of total calories. This will allow for
moderation & sane dietary practices while also
hedging your bets away from the adverse poten-
tial of excess intake. Certain athletes involved in
high-volume endurance competition (and other
highly physically active folks) can safely exceed
this in order to meet the demands of their sport.”
-Alan Aragon

¿What is the take home message here?

Sugar itself isn’t a problem and does not cause

adverse health effects nor does it hinder fat loss,
but its lack of nutrients (refined sugars specifical-
ly) makes it important to limit its intake. Because
as I said before: nutrient dense foods should al-
ways be your priority, but also leave some room
for enjoyment within the diet and practice flexi-
bility with balance and moderation.

37
And if you are a macro counter, just count sugar
with your carbohydrates and remember to priori-
tize your consumption of fiber.

Myth #7: Saturated fats are bad for you.

U
sually dietary fats are divided into two
groups: The “bad” fats (saturated and
Trans) and the good fats (monounsat-
urated and polyunsaturated). What’s
important to note is that not all “bad” fats can
be considered bad, and it’s the overall balance of
that total fat intake that determines whether the
diet is healthy or not.

Trans fats are one of the few food components

that are generally considered unhealthy, due to
the strong correlation they have with heart dis-
eases, but as I said before: not all “bad” fats are
bad. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a trans fat,
yet it is a very common supplement used by the
general population.

The difference between CLA (a “good” trans fat)

and the industrial trans fats is that CLA is natu-
rally occurring in ruminant animals (cows, pigs,
etc.) While industrial trans fats (the bad kind) are
man made by a process called hydrogenation, in

38
which vegetable oils are converted to solid fats by
adding hydrogen atoms. The process of hydroge-
nation was first introduced to increase the shelf
life and flavor stability of foods. But this way of
“improving” certain foods came with a problem.
The grand majority of the research suggests that
these man made trans fats can be extremely det-
rimental to our well-being, so as a general recom-
mendation its important to avoid them or keep
them to an absolute minimum.

Now lets talk about the rest of the fats within

the diet (saturated, monounsaturated and poly-
unsaturated). These 3 groups are what make up
our daily fat intake. Saturated fats can be found
in butter, cheese, coconut, animal fats, processed
meat, etc. Monounsaturated fats come in foods
like avocados, peanut butter, nuts, seeds, olive
oil, canola oil, etc. and polyunsaturated fats are
predominantly in walnuts, sesame seeds, salmon,
chia seeds, olive oil, etc. Generally all foods con-
taining fat have a mixture of the different fats.
For example: you will find saturated and mono-
unsaturated fats in animal meats. You will also
find that olive oil has both mono and polyunsat-
urated fats.

The most important thing about your daily fat

intake is knowing how to balance your saturat-

39
ed, mono and poly fats in a 1:1:1 ratio. It’s not the
avoidance of one or the other but the overall bal-
ance that will promote health.

The problem is that western diets tend to be high

in omega-6 and low in omega-3 with an approxi-
mate ratio of 15/1-16.7/1.

* Omega 3, 6 and 9 are the essential fatty acids

(EFA)

This omega-3 deficiency found in todays western

diets promote the pathogenesis of many diseas-
es, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and
inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, where-
as increased levels of omega-3 exert suppressive
effects. So its important to balance out your fat
intake and avoid this disparity of high levels of
omega-6 with low levels of omega-3, because not
only will this improve your health but also your
body’s inflammatory profile and will aid in the re-
covery of injuries.

40
Myth #8: Sodium (salt) is bad for you

S
odium and potassium work together, they
both impact blood pressure and a diet
rich in potassium helps to counterbalance
some of sodium’s harmful effects.

The usual dietary recommendations often focus

on one or the other, without taking into account
that both minerals work hand in hand. And it’s
the imbalance between sodium and potassium in
the average American diet that causes concern.
We need to see these two as a duo and focus on
the balance of these essential minerals, and not
the avoidance of one or the other.

Sodium and potassium are essential minerals for

life. These two minerals are important for ener-
gy production, fluid balance and they assist the
kidneys for proper function. Potassium enters
the cells and pushes sodium out, and this pro-
cess creates a chemical battery that drives the
transmission of signals along nerves to power
the contraction of muscles. In healthy individ-
uals, the kidneys are in charge of excreting the
excess sodium through the urine. In this process
some potassium will be lost. And if potassium
levels are low the body will attempt to hold on to
it as much as possible, which means that it will

41
also try to hold on to sodium. This causes an in-
crease in water retention in the body since water
follows sodium, which also increases the volume
of blood in circulation. Due to these effects of so-
dium-potassium imbalances blood pressure rises
and demands the heart to work harder. Excess so-
dium blunts the ability of blood vessels to relax
and contract. All these negative responses of a
high sodium intake can be counterbalanced with
a high potassium intake.

The average American diet is always higher in

sodium than it is in potassium, and as research
suggests, it’s the changing of this balance of these
minerals that will help the heart and arteries and
prevent a negative impact on our health.

Increasing the amount of potassium in the diet

is essential for overall health, and by increasing
your potassium intake you counterbalance the
negative effects of a high sodium intake.

Now, this does not mean that sodium is bad; it’s

still an essential mineral for life and should never
be cut out completely. An extremely low sodium
intake can be as damaging as a low potassium
intake. So focus on increasing your potassium in-
stead of avoiding sodium.

42
The recommended amount of sodium per day is
2,500mg and for potassium its 4,700mg or a 2:1
Potassium/sodium ratio. Although in most cases
athletes can safely exceed these sodium guide-
lines due to intense training, since sweat excretes
sodium

And on a side note: Sodium (salt) does not pro-

mote fat gain, it is physically impossible to gain
fat on salt because it has no calories. In some cas-
es it may cause some weight gain due to water
retention, but this does not mean an increase in
body fat. It just means your body is momentarily
holding on to water because of an imbalance be-
tween sodium and potassium. But it will eventu-
ally find balance (homeostasis).

Up until this point we have talked about the ba-

sics of nutrition and gone through the common
myths that swarm the fitness industry.

The reason why I talked about these myths is be-

cause it seems important to me to help you under-
stand what dieting really is, and that the majority
of protocols given out by diet gurus are mostly
myths with no substantial evidence. And its all
these myths that make people believe that diet-
ing is actually a complicated task, when in reality

43
it isn’t. All these myths do is complicate our lives.
At the end of this book you will find all the scien-
tific evidence to back up every single claim in this
book, because I think its important that whatever
protocols people follow, they should always con-
tain sound scientific evidence to back it up. And
the more I can teach you about nutrition, the bet-
ter off you will be on your journey of finding that
perfect physique and living a long and healthy
lifestyle.

¡Now you know what Flexible Dieting is! Flexi-

ble dieting is about getting rid of all these myths
and unnecessary restrictions. It’s about eating
according to your body type, your individual re-
quirements, your goals and your personal prefer-
ence.

44
LEARNING HOW TO READ FOOD LABELS
  SERVING  SIZE:  A  serving  size   CALORIES:  A  calorie  is  a  
is  usually  less  than  most   measure  of  energy  use.  Also  
people  eat.  If  you  eat  2   listed  is  the  number  of  
servings,  make  sure  you   calories  from  fat.  The  
double  the  calories  and  all  of   general  rule  is  that  20-­‐30%  
the  daily  values.  When   of  your  calories  should  come  
comparing  foods,  make  sure,   from  fat.
the  servings  sizes  are  the  
same. %DAILY  VALUE:  This  shows  
how  much  of  the  
FAT:  This  lists  the  total   recommended  amounts  of  
amount  of  fat  in  one  serving.   these  nutrients  are  in  one  
Try  to  limit  the  amount  of   serving  (based  on  a  2,000  
Trans  fats  you  eat. calorie  diet).  These  
percentages  make  it  easy  to  
CHOLESTEROL:    Limit  to   compare  one  brand  with  
300mg  a  day. another,  just  make  sure  the  
serving  sizes  are  the  same.
SODIUM:  Should  be  less  
than  2400mg  of  sodium   VITAMINS  &  MINERALS:  
(salt)  each  day,  or  counter-­‐ This  shows  you  how  much  of  
balance  a  high  sodium  intake   the  recommended  amount  
with  a  high  potassium   of  certain  vitamins  and  
intake. minerals  are  in  food.  Your  
goal  is  to  reach  100%  for  
CARBOHYDRATES:  These   each  vitamin  and  mineral  
help  give  you  energy.  They   every  day.
are  found  in  bread,  pasta,  
potatoes,  fruits  and   RECOMMENDED  
vegetables.  Good  sources  of   AMOUNTS:  Here  you  can  
fiber  include  fruits,   see  the  recommended  daily  
vegetables,  whole  grains,   amount  for  each  nutrient  for  
and  beans.  Try  to  eat  20-­‐35g   2  calorie  levels:  a  2,000  
of  fiber  per  day. calorie  and  a  2,500  calorie  
daily  diet.  Your  
PROTEIN:  Protein  helps   recommended  daily  calories  
build  muscle.  It  is  found  in   may  be  higher  or  lower  
meat,  nuts,  fish,  poultry  and   depending  on  your  age,  
dry  beans.  Preferably  choose   gender,  and  how  active  you  
lean  sources  of  protein. are.

Source: Adapted from: http:/nutrition.about.

com/od/recipesmenus/ss/learnlabels.htm

45
HOW TO CALCULATE CALORIC REQUIRE-
MENTS

The following chart will help you set up your ca-

loric requirements adequate to your goal.

If your goal is to burn fat (weight loss) then you

will have to create a negative energy balance
(caloric deficit). If your goal is to build muscle
(weight gain) you will create a positive energy
balance (caloric surplus). Or if your goal is simply
to maintain your current weight, you will need an
isocaloric balance (maintenance calories).

46
Generally when we want to calculate our caloric
requirements, we do it based on our weight, age,
height, sex, physical activity, body fat percent-
age, muscle mass, metabolic capacity and our
goal. But in the following formulas I will teach
you how to calculate your daily requirements in a
much easier way, and its based on our daily phys-
ical activity and our weight.

For those of you on the metric system, if you want

to know your weight in pounds you will simply
multiply your weight in kilograms by 2.2. Know-
ing your weight in pounds will now allow you to
use the following chart to calculate your calories

Goal:
Activity Level Goal: Weight Goal:
Weight Loss Maintenance Weight gain

Sedentary Body weight Body weight Body weight

(Minimal exercise) (lbs.) x 10-12 (lbs.) x 12-14 (lbs.) x 14-16

Moderately Body weight

Body weight Body weight
Active: (lbs.) x 14-16
(3 4 Times a week) (lbs.) x 12-14 (lbs.) x 16-18

Very Active: Body weight Body weight Body weight

7 Times a week) (lbs.) x 14-16 (lbs.) x 16-18 (lbs.) x 18

* Kilograms x 2.2 = Lbs.

Now you know your caloric requirements, now its

time to set this up in macronutrients.

47
ADJUSTING MACRONUTRIENT RATIOS

Step 2: Calculating protein intake

* If you are over weight, use your target weight as

a guideline

P
rotein requirements may vary according
to your current goal. A general guide-
line for adequate protein intake is (1g x
bodyweight (lbs.)) for active individuals
that train on a regular basis. If a persona does not
workout, protein requirements will be about half
that.

During a caloric deficit protein requirements

will slightly increase above the (1g x bodyweight
(lbs.)). This is because when you restrict calories
your body is going to be in a catabolic state (break-
down of tissue), meaning that the chances of los-
ing muscle mass increases. So to avoid this loss
of lean mass in the process of a fat loss approach,
we increase protein to have a higher intake and
make sure that your muscles are adequately fed
to maintain the muscle mass you already have.
The adequate intake for protein during a fat loss
phase can be anywhere between 1g and 1.3g x
bodyweight (lbs.).

48
If you have just started a fat loss approach you can
start with (1g x bodyweight (lbs.)) and the further
you go into the diet, the more you will increase
your protein intake.

For example:

• Weeks 1-4: (1g x bodyweight (lbs.))

• Weeks 5-8: (1.1g x bodyweight (lbs.))
• Weeks 9-12: (1.2g x bodyweight (lbs.))
• Weeks 12 and beyond: (1.3g x bodyweight (lbs.))

These are the general guidelines for protein

during caloric restriction.

For maintenance or weight gain (lean mass phase)

protein intake can remain at 1g x bodyweight
(lbs.) the entire time. There’s really no need for
more than that while caloric intake is at mainte-
nance or above. This is because our body does not
have the capacity to utilize exceeding amounts of
protein for protein synthesis; you will get more
benefit by increasing your carbohydrates during
this time.

49
Step 3: Calculating fat intake

Fat requirements will be set up between 0.25g -

0.5g x bodyweight (lbs.). The amount of fat you
choose between these guidelines can be based
on personal preference for both weight loss or
weight gain.

For those of you who are going through a gaining

phase and have a hard time fitting in so many cal-
ories, I would recommend shooting for the high-
er end of these guidelines, or maybe even above
that. The reason why a higher fat intake can be
beneficial during a gaining phase is because at
times people tend to have difficulty eating so
much, and since fat provides more calories per
gram than any other macro, it can help you reach
those extra calories you need without necessarily
feeling the fullness that protein or carbs give you.

Step 4: Carbohydrates

Your carb intake depends on your caloric require-

ments. Carbs should fill in the rest of the calories
you have left to hit your daily needs according to
your goals.

50
Now gather round boys and girls. Math class is
now in session:

Calories per gram:

• 1g Protein = 4 calories
• 1g Carbohydrates = 4 calories
• 1g Fat = 9 calories

Example:

A 160 lb. moderately active male is in a caloric

deficit at 2,240 calories
160lb x 14 = 2,240 calories

His macros will be the following:

Protein: 1g x 160lb. = 160g

Fat: 0.45g x 160lb. = 72g

This would be the equivalent of 1,288 calories.

(160 x 4 = 640), (72 x 9 = 648)
(640 + 648 = 1,288)

51
So the 952 calories he has left to hit 2,240 calories
should come from carbohydrates, which would be
238g.

(2,240 – 1,288 = 952)

(952/4 = 238).

End result:
Calories: 2,240
Macros: Carbs: 238g / Protein: 160g / Fat: 72g

One thing that I want to point out here is that the

bigger the deficit the greater the weight loss. BUT,
fast weight loss is not a good thing. You want to
aim for losing around 1 to 2 pounds per week, any
more than that is going to increase catabolism
and compromise your hard earned gains.

Now lets do this same example but with a lean

mass phase approach

Its important to note that during a lean mass

phase (caloric surplus) some fat gains are expect-
ed. This is due to the fact that a caloric surplus
(overfeeding) causes our body to go into an an-
abolic state, meaning a state of growth. During
this time our muscles will be sufficiently fed with
adequate macro/calories to promote growth. The
only issue is that this surplus of calories comes

52
with an unwanted side effect, fat gains. But don’t
worry; the fat you gain isn’t going to be much,
that’s why we count macros!

To avoid getting “too fat” in the process of a calor-

ic surplus, we control the surplus. What I mean is
that we cant allow that the surplus of calories be
too big. Because the bigger the surplus of calories
the more weight you will gain. BUT, fast weight
gain just like fast weight loss is not a good thing,
because your body does not have the capacity to
build enormous amounts of muscle in a short pe-
riod of time – at least naturally it doesn’t – but for
people using AAS (androgenic anabolic steroids)
it’s a whole different story, but that’s a sensible
topic that will not be included in this book.

During a gaining phase you want to aim for about

1 to 2 pound increases per month. The process of
growing muscle mass naturally is a very slow and
tedious process; so it’s important for you to be pa-
tient and focus on the long-term goal and not try
to rush into things. Because if you try and gain
too much weight too fast you’ll only be working
against yourself by putting on unnecessary fat.

53
Example:

A 160 lb. moderately active male is in a caloric

surplus at 2,880 calories. (160lb x 18 = 2,880 calo-
ries)

His macros will be the following:

Protein: 1g x 160lb. = 160g

Fat: 0.5g x 160lb. = 80g

This would be the equivalent of 1,360 calories.

(160 x 4 = 640), (80 x 9 = 720)
(640 + 720 = 1,360)

So the 1,520 calories he has left to hit 2,880 cal-

ories should come from carbohydrates, which
would be 380g.
(2,880 – 1,360 = 1,520)
(1,520/4 = 380).

End result:
Calories: 2,880
Macros: Carbs: 380g / Protein: 160g / Fats: 80g

Something that is important to take into account

with these macro calculations is that these are
not perfect numbers; they are basic estimations
to help you get started on the right track. And a

54
secondary factor – which is a very important one
– is the metabolic adaptations that occur when
dieting.

Metabolic adaptations are a way of your body try-

ing to adapt to a certain amount of calories you
give it. This is your body looking for homeostasis.
Homeostasis by definition is: a series of highly
complex interactions in which the body tries to
find balance. This balance is a built in survival
mechanism in our body that adapts to its envi-
ronment.

Losing weight (caloric deficit) is basically a “con-

trolled starvation”. We underfeed our body in
order for it to cannibalize itself by eating away
our fat stores. Our body perceives this as a threat
to your life and tries to adapt in a way that your
life will no longer be threatened. In this search of
homeostasis our body responds by reducing our
metabolic rate during this time under an energy
deficit. This way the body adapts to the amount
of calories it is receiving and finds homeostasis
again. This adaptation is what makes the dieting
process such a difficult task to endure. Because
the further into the diet you go, the greater the
metabolic and hormonal adaptations; and these

55
adaptations start working against you. So with time
these macro calculations will have to be readjusted
to break through those adaptations.

I generally never recommend restricting calories

for more than 20 weeks at a time, because at a cer-
tain point this attempt to lose weight starts doing
more harm than good, so its important to come out
of that deficit every once in a while and apply nutri-
ent periodization. Nutrient periodization is simply
changing your goals every few months by changing
the amount of calories you take in. This is import-
ant because of the hormonal and metabolic adapta-
tions that I was just talking about.

In the following chart you will see the series of ad-

aptations that occur inside our body while we are in
a diet to gain (overfeeding) or lose (underfeeding)
weight.

Overfeeding Underfeeding

Calories Increases Decreases

Insulin Increases Decreases
Testosterone Increases Decreases
Growth hormone Increases Increases
Thyroid Increases Decreases
Cortisol Decreases Increases
Leptin Increases Decreases
Ghrelin Decreases Increases
Protein synthesis Increases Decreases
Body fat Increases Decreases
Muscle mass Increases Decreases
Net effect Anabolism Catabolism

56
An example of what happens when we are losing
weight (caloric restriction) is an increase in cortisol
(stress hormone), reduction in testosterone produc-
tion and reduced leptin (satiety hormone). Leptin is
the hormone in charge of telling our brain that we are
full, and without that hormone our brain doesn’t re-
ceive that message. This is a common issue that you
can see very often, this happens to people that have
been dieting for a while and start suffering binge
episodes. They feel an immense amount of hunger
and when they given in, it feels like they can eat the
world and never be full. Another hormone that af-
fects appetite is ghrelin, this hormone is in charge of
telling our brain that we are hungry and need food,
and when we are in a deficit our body increases the
production of this hormone to make us eat, this in
turn makes the dieting process difficult, because this
hormone is constantly telling us to eat, which would
not allow us to be in that deficit that we need.

Now you know why dieting is never an easy task, it’s

the reason why discipline and patience are every-
thing when it comes to reaching your goals. But the
more I get you to understand how your body works,
the more you will know to fight these adaptations and
learn how to diet in the most optimal way for you. In
one of the following chapters I will teach you how to
break these adaptations, its what we call ‘reverse di-
eting’.

57
*Notes:

• The average weight loss expected with the cal-

culations stated in this section of the book is 1 to
2 pounds (0.5-1kg) per week.

• The average weight gain expected with the cal-

culations stated above is 1 to 3 pounds (0.45 - 1.3
kg) per month, depending on the metabolic ca-
pacity of the individual.

• For faster weight loss you will have to create a

larger caloric deficit, which I would not advise.

• For faster weight gain you will have to create a

larger surplus of calories, which I would not ad-
vise.

• Weight gain or loss is not a linear process, so

weight changes may not always be as expected.

• When it comes to burning fat and building mus-

cle, slow and steady wins the race. ¡Be patient!

Now that you know how to calculate your mac-

ros/calories according to your individual goals
we can move on to the next topic.

58
STRUCTURED REFEEDS

“
Refeed” is just a fancy word for a ‘high carb
day’. High carb days have a series of bene-
fits that can assist you while in the process
of losing weight. Keep in mind that refeeds
are only necessary while restricting calories.

When and how to structure refeeds depends on

several different factors:

1. The amount of body fat you have.

2. The amount of time spent under caloric.
restriction.
3. Your sense of hunger.
4. Your energy levels.

Taking into account these 4 factors will depend

how and when you add refeeds.

Refeeds are one day of the week when you will

increase your carbohydrate intake significantly.
This increase of carbohydrates can be anywhere
between (1.5 – 3 x daily carb intake). As a gen-
eral recommendation an increase of (2 x daily
carb intake) is good enough to get the best out
of these high carb days. The only reason why I
would suggest an increase of (3 x daily carb in-
take) is if you’ve been dieting for more than 16

59
weeks and your daily carbohydrate intake is be-
low 70-90 grams.

So for example: If you’re daily carbs are at is

150 grams, on a reefed day you will double this
amount (2 x daily carb intake (150) = 300g). This
increase of 150 grams of carbohydrate means a
total increase of 600 calories over your regular
daily amount. (150 x 4 = 600). Remember that as
we said before: each gram of carbohydrates is
equivalent to 4 calories.

Refeeds are more of a ‘how you feel’ kind of thing,

since the longer you diet for, the harder things
become. This is when refeeds come into play, to
help you go through the dieting process.

For those of you that have just started a fat loss

phase, refeeds won’t be necessary. Only after
about a couple of months into your diet should
you consider adding these high carb days once
every 2 weeks. This is when your energy levels
will start feeling compromised and hunger will
start becoming a problem.

For those of you below 15% (Men) 20% (Women)

body fat or those that have been dieting for about
3 months or more can consider adding refeeds
once a week. And for those below 10% (Men) 15%

60
(Women) body fat or that have been dieting for a
while now and probably have a low carb-high pro-
tein intake can consider adding them even twice
a week, because at this point the dieting process
becomes more difficult to endure. And your en-
ergy levels are probably low and your strength
is suffering, so adding these high carb days can
help you improve in that aspect.

Refeed benefits: a common misconception about

refeeds is their ability to raise leptin (satiety hor-
mone), this hormone is made by fat cells to regu-
late the amount of fat stored in the body.

In other words:

• High leptin = less appetite

• Less appetite = less calories ingested
• Less calories ingested = less fat stored

The drop in leptin is a survival mechanism that

tells us to eat and not starve to death. And since
dieting is basically a controlled starvation, our
leptin drops in an attempt to avoid this “starva-
tion”. So the whole idea behind refeeds was to
have a high carb day or a “cheat meal” – like some
gurus suggest – to raise leptin and turn your body
into a fat burning machine. But this simply isn’t
true, although carbohydrates do have the ability

61
to raise leptin, a 24-hour reefed is not sufficient to
‘tell’ the brain that you’re fed, and leptin levels will
drop again very quickly. But this does not mean
that refeeds are useless, they still have a variety
of benefits that can help you while dieting.

Benefits:

1. Lower cortisol (stress hormone)

2. Increase serotonin (happy hormone)
3. Boost in energy
4. Restore glycogen stores
5. Increased thyroid function
6. Decrease catabolism
7. Mental break from dieting

Keep in mind that a refeed day is NOT a cheat day,

and it is not an excuse to overindulge or binge. You
will have a lot more room to fit in ‘treats’ that you don’t
usually eat much, but a refeed must be structured and
controlled to bring out the benefits of it. And the day
you include a refeed during the week is completely up
to you, I generally recommend including it on your
hardest training day of the week or the day before it to
give you that extra push to go through that workout.

62
BREAKING PLATEAUS:

E
ventually you will hit a plateau when it
comes to losing fat or building muscle;
this occurs because of the metabolic ad-
aptations caused by underfeeding (calo-
rie deficit) or overfeeding (calorie surplus).

Under a caloric deficit you lose weight, less weight

to carry means less calories to burn, which means
your metabolism will start to slow down due to
fewer energy demands.

What this means is that your body will eventu-

ally demand less energy (calories) to function.
This metabolic adaptation is one of the reasons
why people hit weight loss plateaus, because it
turns out that your body doesn’t need the energy
it needed when you were weighing 20+ pounds
over your current weight, and in its search for ho-
meostasis it has adapted to fewer calories.

So what do you do to break this fat loss plateau?

You have 2 options:

• Increase physical activity

• Decrease caloric intake

By increasing your physical activity you will burn

63
more calories and create a greater caloric deficit.
Or you can keep physical activity the same and
just decrease calories. This will break the meta-
bolic adaptation and put you in a caloric deficit
and weight loss will occur again.

Now let’s talk about how much you should in-

crease your physical activity or reduce your ca-
loric intake.

For physical activity you can increase the amount

of cardio you do a week.

For example: If you’re currently doing 3 20-min-

ute cardio sessions a week, you can increase this
to 4 cardio sessions. Or increase the 3 20-minute
cardio sessions to 3 40-minute cardio sessions. In
most cases this should be enough to see weight
loss occur again. In the case that this increase in
physical activity isn’t enough to break through
this plateau, you will have to decrease your calor-
ic intake.

How many calories should you reduce?

This reduction can be from 70 to 100 calories from
your current intake.

64
These calories will be reduced mainly from your
carbohydrates. Remember, 1g of carbs = 4 calo-
ries. So a 100-calorie reduction means reducing
25g of carbohydrates from your current macros.

For example: Your current macros and calories

are the following:

Calories: 2, 200

Macros: Carbs 248g / Fat 61g / Protein 165g

To break this fat loss plateau you will reduce 20g

of carbs, which is an 80-calorie reduction from
your current intake. This would leave you at the
following macros:

Calories: 2,120

Macros: Carbs 228g / Fat 61g / Protein 165g

This should be enough to break through your fat

loss plateau while in the process taking care of your
metabolism and your hard earned gains.

It’s important that the adjustments you make to

your diet or training are subtle and as less drastic
as possible. Drastic changes like absurd amounts of

65
cardio or extremely low calories may give you fast
results but they are terrible for long-term success.

You also have the option of slightly reducing your

fat intake if you want to save up a few grams of
carbs. This means you will trade fat macros for
carb macros and adjust according to the caloric
reduction.

Breaking muscle gain plateaus:

During a gaining phase (caloric surplus) you

have the same metabolic adaptations that occur
during fat loss, only this time things are the other
way around. Your metabolic rate increases, leptin
increases and ghrelin decreases, etc. all these ad-
aptations will make you hit plateaus and will de-
mand more food to break them.

How many calories should you increase?

During s surplus the increase of calories can be a

bit more than what you would generally decrease
during fat loss to break through plateaus. This
increase can be anywhere between 150 and 300
calories mainly coming from carbohydrates. You
can also add more fat during this time if you pre-
fer. But protein will remain the same the whole
time, there’s really no need for changes in your

66
protein intake while in a surplus.

For example: Your current macros and calories

are the following:

Calories: 2,965

Macros: Carbs 430/ Protein 165g / Fat 65g

To break this plateau lets say you increased 200

calories coming from carbohydrates, meaning
50 grams (200/4 = 50). Or you can also add some
fat by increasing slightly less carbs to exchange
them for a few grams of fat. For example: 40g of
carbs + 5g of fat = 205 calories

So after the increase of 205 calories (carbs + fat)

you will end up with the following macros:

Calories: 3,170

Macros: Carbs 470g / Protein 165g / Fat 70g

During a gaining phase breaking through pla-

teaus is done by increasing macros, during this
time adding more physical activity (cardio) will
actually be counterproductive because it means
you will burn more calories overall. But as a gen-
eral recommendation always keep in cardio year

67
round, whether your goal is weight gain or weight
loss, always keep in some form of weekly cardio.
During a gaining phase do a minimum of 1 or 2
sessions per week to keep your physical endur-
ance high. And remember that your heart is also
a muscle, so work on it!

*Notes:

• Weight gain or weight loss is not a linear pro-

cess. And while you should expect some weekly
changes, these will not always occur as predict-
ed, so do not change your macros very frequent-
ly. Wait at least 2 to 3 weeks before readjusting
your numbers.

• Be patient! Changing your macros too frequent-

ly searching for fast result can do you more harm
than good in the long run.

• Macro adjustments are better if they are subtle.

This way you are less likely to lose muscle during
a deficit and you will also be less likely to gain fat
during a surplus.

68
REACHING SINGLE DIGIT BODY FAT:

W
hen it comes to reaching extreme
levels of body fat it’s important to
understand that men and women
carry different amounts of adipose
tissue. The minimum fat percentage in men is
3-4%, while in women it’s more around 9-11%. Now
when I say minimum I mean the absolute mini-
mum body fat required to sustain life. Anything
below this can cause your body to completely
shut down. So I need you to understand what a
realistic goal is when it comes to optimal body
fat percentage. And this may vary from person to
person.

For competitive athletes prepping for a body-

building show, hitting that 4% body fat (men) and
9% (women) is a must. It’s what’s going to make
the difference between 1st place and last. But for
the regular gym goer I do not recommend trying
to hit such low levels of body fat.

Why? Because it’s dangerous and unnecessary,

and not to mention the fact that being that low
on body fat can only be achieved for a few days at
a time, you cannot sustain that conditioning and
be healthy.

69
Reaching very low levels of body fat will make
the dieting process a lot more difficult. This is
because our body has several survival mecha-
nisms and being shredded is going against most
of them.

Adipose tissue is one of them; it’s how our body

stores calories in the case it might need them for
later use. The less body fat, the fewer chances we
have to survive in a famine state. And even though
in this modern age there’s really no reason for us
to be in a famine, our body is still built to sur-
vive such conditions. This is due to millions of
years of evolution. Because if you think about it;
we’ve only really been overfeeding ourselves for
the past 50 to 100 years, how do you think living
organisms fed themselves 10 million years ago?
Or even just a few centuries ago? People didn’t
have the food availability that we have nowadays.
So reaching extreme levels of body fat is basical-
ly fighting against your body’s natural instincts
of survival, that’s why it’s not a simple endeavor.
But nonetheless, everyone wants to get “shred-
ded”, so I’ll teach you how!

When it comes to extreme levels of body fat, we

sometimes need drastic measures, and this is

70
where an old method called “carb cycling” comes
into play. Not everyone will need to do carb cy-
cling, because genetics play an important role
when it comes to how we store fat. Some people
are just naturally lean, while others are naturally
thick. So you can guess who has a harder time
achieving single digits.

How do we apply carb cycling?

You will have some low carb days to promote fat

loss, some normal carb days and some high carb
days (refeeds) to replenish glycogen stores and
promote muscle growth or prevent muscle loss
(catabolism).

You can do the following protocol:

Day 1: Low carb

Day 2: Low carb
Day 3: Moderate carb
Day 4: Low carb
Day 5: High carb
Day 6: High carb
Day 7: Moderately high carb

During this process fat and protein macros will

remain pretty much the same as you’ve had them
before starting to cycle your carbs. Only on high

71
carb days you will reduce your protein intake by
20%, this will avoid going to high on calories that
given day.

Low carb days are going to be the most difficult to

endure, for these days you will set your carb mac-
ros to 25% only. This means that if on your normal
days you have 200g of carbs, you will drop this to
50g of carbs. And as I stated above: protein and
fat will remain the same.

On moderate days carbs will be established at 75%

of total carbs, meaning that on these days if you
had 200g of carbs you will drop them to 150g. On
high carb days you will double your total amount
of carbohydrates. This means that on these reefed
days you will increase carbs from your current
200g to a total of 400g. And on moderately high
carb days you will maintain the 200g of carbs you
started with.

Now let me set this in an example:

* Carbohydrate set point is currently at 200 grams.

Day 1: Low Carb (25%) = 50g

Day 2: Low Carb (25%) = 50g

72
Day 3: Moderate Carb (75%) = 150g

Day 4: Low Carb (25%) = 50g

Day 5: High Carb (200%) = 400g

Day 6: High Carb (200%) = 400g

Day 7: Moderately High Carb (100%) = 200g

Keep in mind that as you manipulate your carbs,

your calories will also change. Meaning that when
you have low carb days this also means it’s a low
calorie day.

Now I want to point out that carb cycling is not

absolutely necessary for achieving low levels of
body fat. A linear deficit can also help you achieve
your desired leanness.

If you notice in the example the total of weekly

carbohydrates adds up to 1,300 grams. In a linear
deficit you can also just set your carbs to 185g per
day and you will achieve the same 1,300 grams of
the week.

73
So as I stated earlier in this chapter, carb cycling
is not necessary for everyone, but for some, this
way of cycling carbohydrates can help them burn
off those last few pounds of stubborn fat. Or like
some might say “it’s just another way to slice the
cake”.

And remember, you can only lose so much fat,

at some point you will need to stop and begin a
reverse diet (I’ll explain that in the next chapter).

* Notes:

• Calories will change depending on the amount

of carbs of the day; low carb days are also low cal-
orie days.

• Remember that on high carb days you will re-

duce protein by 20%

• Carb cycling is only meant for those that already

have low levels of body fat. Sub 10% men, sub 15%
women; and are trying to achieve a stage ready
physique.

• If you do not fall within these guidelines, a lin-

ear fat loss approach is sufficient.

74
THE REVERSE DIETING PROTOCOL

R
everse dieting is one of the most import-
ant steps to make fat loss successful. Yet
few people actually know what it is and
why it’s such a big deal for long-term
weight management. A general estimate says that
about 95% of all dieters fail to achieve their long-
term goals. This is mainly because most people
learn how to lose fat, but never learn how to keep
it off once the fat loss goal is achieved.

Keeping the weight off once you’ve lost it is not

an easy task, and you’ve probably seen this prob-
lem occur to many people, the-oh so dreaded “re-
bound” effect. You see individuals lose 30, 40 and
even 50 pounds in a matter of months; and out
of nowhere they somehow gain it all back again
with a few extra pounds on top of it in the same
time it took them to lose it or in some cases even
faster.

¿Why does this happen?

In the process of dieting (caloric restriction) to

lose weight everyone focuses on how to lose fat as
fast as possible, but they don’t think about what
happens after they lose that unwanted fat.

75
¿What do you do after you’ve lost all that weight?

¿What happens to your diet?

¿Do you just stop and go back to your normal life?

¿Do you just go back to your old eating habits?

¡No, no and no!

You don’t want to throw months or even years

of dieting down the drain by gaining it all back
again, especially after you’ve gone through so
much and know how hard dieting really is. ¡You
need to make this goal a long-term change!

Reverse dieting is a process you have to go

through after you have completed your fat loss
phase, because you cant expect to lose weight
forever right? There has to be an end to caloric
restriction. So here’s where we make sure your fat
loss goal is a long-term success.

The process of reverse dieting has two major

goals:

1. Restoring your metabolic capacity in order to

increase your calories and have a high intake of
food in the diet to maintain good energy levels,

76
strength and health.

2. Slowly transition into a “bulk” to start a lean

mass-gaining phase.

After prolonged periods of dieting (caloric re-

striction) your body goes through a series of ad-
aptations in order to “survive” this “starvation”.
One of the major adaptations that occur under ca-
loric restriction is “metabolic slow down”. What
this means is that your metabolism adapts to the
amount of calories you are giving it and slows
down in an effort to sustain life. Since your body
is not receiving the calories it needs to maintain
its normal physiological functions, it needs to find
a way to survive on fewer amounts of calories. To
do so not only does your metabolism slow down,
but it also reduces the production of most hor-
mones.

This is a common problem that fitness/body-

building competitors have when trying to achieve
extreme levels of leanness. With low calories and
low body fat their body basically goes into “sur-
vival mode” by shutting down important physio-
logical functions like hormone production. Wom-
en tend to lose their period (amenorrhea) and
in men testosterone production can sometimes
come to a complete halt. This is the body saying:

77
“we are not at a healthy state where reproduction
is an option”. So it’s important that we understand
what we need to do to come out of this “survival
mode”.

If you’ve been through a fat loss phase before you

know how much worse dieting gets the further
along the road you’re into it. Hunger increases,
energy and strength decrease and mood swings
become a frequent issue. These are all common
side effects of dieting and low body fat. This is be-
cause hormonally you’re in a downfall; testoster-
one, growth hormone, leptin (satiety hormone),
thyroid (T3) all decrease. While Ghrelin (hunger
hormone), Cortisol (stress hormone) increase, etc.
Everything in your body starts working against
you.

This may seem like a lot of info to take in, but it’s
important to understand how your body works
and why you can’t stay in a perpetual fat loss mind-
set. If you want that homeostasis, that healthy
balance in your body, ¡you need to eat more food!
¡You can’t restrict calories forever!

You’re probably thinking… Well, yeah, I want to

be healthy but I also want to maintain this body
that was so hard to achieve.

78
¡Well, then you reverse diet and get yourself the
hell out of that deficit!

This is where Reverse Dieting comes into play;

this is the step we take after we achieve our fat
loss goals. With reverse dieting you will slowly
increase your caloric intake over time to increase
your metabolic capacity. A healthier metabolism
means more chances for long-term success.

First of all, I’m going to explain reverse dieting

for the general population; I’ll talk about compet-
itive bodybuilding in a minute.

For those of you who have come to the end of

your fat loss phase, and have achieved a certain
degree of leanness and just want to maintain that
desired physique or maybe even transition into a
lean bulk, you will start to increase your calories
over time. This increase in calories will come pri-
marily from carbohydrates and fat. Protein can
stay the same, there’s no need to be changing pro-
tein or increasing it beyond the normal 1g – 1.3g
/ lb (2.2g -2.8 / kg). Unless of course you prefer a
higher protein intake which is completely fine.

These increases in calories will be done on a

weekly basis. The length of the reverse diet can
vary from person to person and on the severity

79
of their past diet. I generally recommend a min-
imum of 4 weeks of reverse dieting. Some may
even go up to 12 weeks, but in my opinion this
is just way too long, unless during this time you
intend to transition into a gaining phase; which
by 12 weeks should probably have you a long way
into your surplus of calories.

Now let’s talk about how big these increases

should be:

There’s been a lot of debate about how much you

should increase your calories every week. Some
say that you should increase as slow as 3 grams
of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fat, which means
an increase of 21 calories per week. For me, this is
ABSURD! 21 calories won’t make a difference at
all; these numbers are so low that they will just be
lost in general daily macro counting. And on top
of that, the macros/calories on the nutrition la-
bel of a certain food are just estimations, they are
never perfect numbers. So no, don’t make such
small increases, this will not help you at all and
will only drive you crazy.

80
Let me put this in an example:

Let’s say someone is in a deficit on 1,400 calories a

day (I’m going to use easy numbers for this), and
let’s assume that their maintenance calories are
somewhere around 2,000 calories per day. It will
take that person around 28 weeks just to come
out of that deficit and bring up their calories to
maintenance, that’s illogical! So no, don’t reverse
diet so slow.

My recommendation is making increases be-

tween 80 and 150 calories per week, depending
on the person and how long and hard they dieted
before. In most cases I recommend a big jump in
calories in the first 2 weeks, something around
200 calories for week 1 and 2. For week 3 and fur-
ther it can vary. Sometimes you can push some-
one’s metabolism and make big increases, and
sometimes you’ll have people that their metabo-
lism just doesn’t work as well and you’ll have to
make smaller increases.

Now let me give you an example of what a reverse

diet SHOULD be: And keep in mind that these
are just numbers I find have worked best for my
clients, no macros are written in stone so it’s just
a matter of experimenting with yourself and see-
ing how your body reacts over time.

81
*Reminder

Calories per gram:

Carbs: 4 calories
Protein: 4 calories
Fat: 9 calories

Again, I’m going to use easy numbers just to help

you guys understand without getting into too
much unnecessary math. Let’s say someone just
ended their diet with the following calories/mac-
ros.

Calories: 1,400

Macros: Protein 150g / Carbs 87g / Fat 50g

So for week 1 we are going to make a big increase

right away and see how things go by adding 30
grams of carbs and 9g of fat; this is a total of 201
calories. (30x4=120) + (9x9=81) = 201 Calories.

So macros for week 1 are the following:

Calories: 1,601
Macros: Protein 150g / Carbs 117g / Fat 59g

If after week one your weight has remained the

82
same, then you can make another big increase.
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter if you choose to
add just carbs or carbs plus fat; it all really comes
down to personal preference. The important thing
is to increase your calories/macros gradually over
time, don’t just end your diet with a binge and
start eating anything and everything in sight.

For weeks 3 and further I generally recommend

slowing down your increases, anything between
80 to 150 calories is a good number. The reason
why the first couple of weeks have bigger increas-
es is because it’s important to get you out of that
deficit as fast as possible, but at the same time
making sure you don’t rebound.

The goal with reverse dieting is to slowly restore

your metabolic capacity. While minimizing fat
gains. BUT, some weight gain is expected, so
don’t get scared if the number on the scale slight-
ly increases, guide yourself by what you see in
the mirror.

If and when your weight starts increasing too rap-

idly, then you can stop increasing calories and
stick to those numbers until you see your weight
level again, or you may have to take a step back
with your macros to avoid gaining too much
weight.

83
If your goal is to just maintain and you weight
is increasing rapidly, that means you have sur-
passed your maintenance calories and you will
have to make one decrease in calories and go back
to the macros you had before you started gaining
weight. At that point you can just keep your mac-
ros/calories the same during the time you wish to
maintain your weight. At this point weight main-
tenance will be a lot easier because you will have
a lot more calories to play with, and your caloric
intake will be high enough to maintain a healthy
lifestyle and enough for you to enjoy good food.

For dieters that want to transition into a lean bulk,

I recommend reverse dieting until the point that
you start gaining weight at a slow pace.

For example: if on week 6 you haven’t gained

weight, but then on week 7 you made a new in-
crease and you did, that means you have reached
your caloric surplus. This means enough calo-
ries to help you start building lean mass. So stick
to those macros/calories that began to increase
the number on the scale. This way you know you
are in an energy surplus and your body will start
building muscle mass. The surplus will be small,
but this is a good thing, because this way you will

84
avoid gaining too much unwanted fat in the pro-
cess of bulking. Because too many calories over
your maintenance, and you will gain too much
unnecessary fat; so keep the surplus small and be
consistent. I recommend a gain rate of about 2-3
lb. (1-1.5 kg) per month.

Now for those of you that compete in bodybuild-

ing, bikini, etc. it’s important to understand that
you cannot walk around with the conditioning
you had on stage. You have to let yourself gain
some fat post show to restore hormonal imbal-
ances. Your body will always seek survival, and
being shredded is not healthy nor is it optimal for
survival, so it perceives it as a threat to your life
and will do everything possible to restore your
wellbeing.

So allow yourself to gain some amount of weight,

and fat post show; The same protocols stated
above apply for you also, at first make a big in-
crease then followed by smaller increases.

The amount of time needed to restore your meta-

bolic capacity depends on a few different factors.

1. The amount of time spent under caloric restric-

tion. The longer you have dieted for, the more

85
time you will have to spend reverse dieting.

2. The amount of calories and carbs you were di-

eting on. If your diet consisted of very low calo-
ries and low carbs for a prolonged period of time
you will have to take things a little slower than
usual, so I recommend shooting for the lower end
of the given guidelines. This applies specially for
those who have been on ketogenic diets.

3. Your future goal. After a fat loss phase some

will just want to maintain the body they have by
keeping the fat off. In this case you will reverse
diet until you are on as many calories needed to
maintain a healthy life style while not gaining
weight.

For those of you who want to build muscle af-

ter losing the unwanted fat I recommend going
through the reverse dieting process and slowly
transition into a lean bulk (caloric surplus).

Training and reverse dieting:

Your training will also change during the process.

A general recommendation when reverse dieting
is to slowly decrease the amount of cardio you

86
are doing over time. This way we will not just in-
crease caloric intake, but we will also slightly de-
crease caloric expenditure.

So if a person is doing five cardio sessions per week

consisting of 1 to 2 hours each, you will start to de-
crease this amount every week or two. It can be by
eliminating an entire cardio session, or you can also
decrease the time of the cardio sessions. I recom-
mend that you keep at least 2 cardio sessions per
week year round. Cardio is a good tool to always
keep in your training routine, just don’t abuse of it.

*Notes:

1. Keep in mind that reverse dieting is mainly a met-

abolic recovery process, and fat loss is not the goal
here.

2. Being consistent with your reverse diet plan can

be as important as your fat loss diet if you want to
make sure that the weight you lost stays off.

3. Try to be as accurate as possible with your ma-

cros.

4. If you use My Fitness Pal to track your macros

87
you will not be able to set up your reverse dieting
macros, since MFP only allows changes of 5% per
macro. So you will have to keep your macro targets
separate from the app.

5. Reverse dieting is crucial for long-term success;

so do NOT neglect the process.

88
NUTRIENT PERIODIZATION

W
hat I mean by nutrient periodiza-
tion is simple. It means that you
will divide your nutrient intake
(caloric deficit, maintenance and
caloric surplus) over different periods of time.
The reason why this is important is because in
our quest to change our physique we need to con-
stantly change the focus of our goals.

Many people think that you can build muscle and

lose fat at the same time, but this is far from be-
ing likely. Our body grows if it has a sufficient
amount of calories to grow off of. And it loses
weight when there is a deficit of energy in which
our body will have to turn to our fat stores in or-
der to fill in this energy gap.

Building an amazing physique takes years, it’s not

done in a few weeks and it’s not achieved by just
shedding off a few pounds of fat. The complexity
of this endeavor is far beyond this simplicity. If
you want a great physique you will have to work
for it.

Nutrient periodization is important for a few

things.

89
As stated above in the past chapter on reverse
dieting you probably have a good understanding
about what happens when you restrict calories
and why its important to come out of that energy
deficit. But it is also important to help you build
that physique that you’ve always dreamed of. Be-
cause simply losing fat is not enough, you need
to build muscle to shape your body. Without the
muscle you’ll only look “skinny-fat”. So going
through a gaining phase should be a part of your
goals if you want to build that muscle mass.

If you’re beginning this program being over

weight then you should focus primarily on los-
ing fat, after you’ve lost a good amount of weight
then you can start a gaining phase to focus on
building muscle to make some significant gains.
If on the other hand, you are one of those people
that are already skinny but cant seem to achieve
the body you’re looking for, its because you need
to build muscle to create that aesthetic shape.

There’s a very common problem that I see way

too often, and its young boys and girls trying to
achieve that cover model body by losing weight.
But what they don’t seem to understand is that
those models on the cover of fitness magazines
didn’t achieve that physique by just losing fat.
That person has probably been training for years

90
non stop, and thanks to those years of training
and consistent dieting they have managed to
build a significant foundation of muscle that has
given them that shape. With years of experience
you will come to understand this.

So ¿how will we periodize our nutrient intake?

When it comes to weight loss I do not recommend

restricting calories for more than 20 weeks at a
time. So anywhere between 4 to 20 weeks can be
your fat loss period.

For a lean mass phase it can be for a very long

period of time, BUT I would recommend doing
mini-cuts in between if you decide to bulk for a
long time. Because bulking means a caloric sur-
plus, and a caloric surplus brings some fat gains.
So if you stay in a perpetual bulk – like many do
– you will gain too much fat during this time. But
this is also based on preference, not everyone has
to be lean and shredded. If you like being big and
strong, by all means keep at it.

For those that choose to follow a long lean bulk, a

good rule to follow can be 12 to 16 weeks in a lean
mass phase followed by a 4-week mini-cut. And
just repeat this periodization over and over until
you achieve your desired physique.

91
If your main goal is fat loss and being lean than
a good periodization guideline can be 12 to 20
weeks for fat loss, followed by a 6 to 8 week re-
verse diet. And repeat this cycle until you have
achieved your desired body.

Train hard, be consistent and be patient.

92
ALCOHOL AND BODYBUILDING

* This section of the book is by no means an at-

tempt to persuade individuals to use or abuse al-
cohol under no circumstances. It is merely a guide
to help you understand the “do’s” and “don’ts” of
alcohol consumption.

A
lcohol, one of the oldest, most widely
used drugs on the planet. Its consid-
ered one of the macronutrients yet is
not taken into account as an essential
part of the diet. This is because alcohol has sev-
eral effects on the body, some good but for the
most part bad and it is not essential for life.

Without knowing it, alcohol plays a big part in

our lives. It serves as enjoyment for us and is
widely used in social events like gathering with
friends or family, a dinner with your significant
other, parties, etc.

Between the benefits of alcohol are its salutary ef-

fects, such as thinning of the blood, which is bene-
ficial to the heart. And maybe even your doctor at
some point has recommended some type of alcohol
consumption for you. But this “beneficial” amount
of alcohol is very low, about a glass or two of wine,
or maybe a couple of beers every now and then.

93
Anything beyond that does more harm than good.

Alcohol as a macronutrient contains calories just

like carbs, protein and fats. Each gram of alcohol
contains 7 calories, making it more calorically
dense per gram than protein and carbohydrates.
Its thermic effect is around 20%; meaning only
80% of energy from alcohol is used as metaboliz-
able energy for biochemical processes. The con-
sumption of alcohol can be considered as “empty
calories”, since it provides calories but no nutri-
ents, and worse than that, it has detrimental ef-
fects in our body.

Many people tend to be concerned about the

combination of alcohol and sports in general, be-
cause they are afraid that by getting into sports
like bodybuilding they will have to quit alcohol
entirely. And for a lot of people this sounds like
the worst news ever.

There are several problems with alcohol consump-

tion and bodybuilding (and all sports in general)
because it can be seriously detrimental for your
progress; since it can interfere with recovery, pro-
tein synthesis, hydration and nutrient intake. Pro-
cesses that are essential for bodybuilding.

94
Without proper recovery, hydration and pro-
tein synthesis ¿what physique do you expect to
build?. And not only that, alcohol is considered a
central nervous system depressant, which causes
the brain to relax and decrease inhibitions. Alco-
hol impacts the cardiovascular system, disrupts
sleep, causes vitamin and mineral depletion, de-
pletes aerobic capacity, negatively impacts per-
formance and inebriates the brain. And this is just
to mention a few of the issues caused by alcohol
consumption. Any look at the research and you
will find that alcohol has a wide variety of detri-
mental effects on our entire body. Another prob-
lem that arises is what I call the “oh fuck it” ef-
fect that it has, you’ve probably been there before
and you know what I mean. That moment when
you’re dieting and maybe take a few too many
shots of tequila, and just completely forget about
your diet by eating and doing whatever you want
without taking into account the consequences or
its detriments on your bodybuilding or sport re-
lated goals.

It seems to be that alcohol and sports just don’t

mix. Taking a few too many shots can not only
cause an immediate negative impact but it also
has a long lasting effect; with a hangover that can
last even a few days. And to make it clear… Nev-
er workout if you have a hang over! It can be ex-

95
tremely dangerous because you are dehydrated.
One thing is important to note. Most of the det-
rimental effects of alcohol consumption come
from the constant abuse of it. As we’ve spoke be-
fore, everything in MODERATION can be includ-
ed into your diet and progress. If it’s a couple of
beers with friends, or a glass of wine on a date its
completely fine and can be included in your diet
and even counted with your macros. What is det-
rimental is getting drunk, consuming alcohol too
frequently, partying nonstop, etc.

If you are serious about making a change and

building an amazing physique, I would advise you
to stay away from that kind of alcohol consump-
tion, because it can slow down or even complete-
ly hinder your progress, because alcohol literally
suppresses fat oxidation and protein synthesis.

If the consumption of alcohol is in moderation and

done only once in a while you can even count it
within your macros. The only issue you will have is
that calorie apps don’t count alcohol as a macronu-
trient. So if you were to add for example a glass of
wine or a beer, you will notice that the app adds up
the calories but few or none of the macros. This is
because alcohol has 7 calories per gram but is not

96
accounted for on the app and it will only add up
calories, so it will create a disparity between the
macrocalorie goals.

One way to include alcohol within your macros

is by counting the calories as if they came from
carbohydrates. This means that you will still
prioritize your protein and fat intake, and the
alcohol you consume can be accounted for as
carbs. And remember to stay within your daily
caloric requirements.

97
COUNTING MACROS WHEN EATING OUT

A
question that I get often, “¿how do I
count macros when eating out?

A simple answer to this would be: esti-

mate the amount of calories the food has. But this
isn’t always so simple, especially if you’re new or
relatively new to counting macros. Maybe over
time you will master the art of counting and es-
timating macros just by looking at a meal. But
if you want to be more accurate there are a few
things you can do about it.

When eating out and counting macros I would

advise you to go to restaurants or food chains that
have their nutritional facts. Most food chains do,
just search for it in your app or go the website of
their restaurant and they might have it.

If you eat places that don’t have their nutritional

facts, I’d recommend eating simple things, meals
that are not too complex and may be counted
easily. Things like chicken breast and veggies, or
steak with a side of mash potatoes, this sort of
stuff. Don’t order something too complex like a
chef type meal like a Terrine of foie gras coated
with sumac with roasted pineapple in rosewood

98
honey mango condiment…because honestly, what
the hell is that? And how can I even count it? Well,
you cant, it would be basically impossible to do
so. So just keep it simple and try to estimate it.
Or, you can always ask the waiter to tell you how
much your serving of steak or fish weighs, be-
cause most restaurants always have their foods
previously portioned out to reduce cost and in-
crease efficiency. So just ask the waiter because
they almost always know. That way you can at
least know the size of your serving to count in
your macros.

Other than that’s there’s not much you can really

do. My best advice would be to cook your meals
at home if you want to be more accurate with your
diet. And understand that if you are on a diet,
some sacrifices will have to be made.

99
COUNTING MACRONUTRIENTS

A
step-by-step guide

STEP 1: Download a calorie counter

app for your smart phone and purchase
a food scale because there are many foods that
you will need to weigh in order to count appro-
priately. There are many different apps to choose
from and most of them are completely free to
download.

In this example we are going to use My Fitness

Pal, because it is the most commonly used app
and with a very extensive food database.

STEP 2: Open the My Fitness Pal app and intro-

duce the information required to create a user.

100
STEP 3: At this point you should be at the home
page of MFP

101
STEP 4: At the top left corner you will find a menu
where the My Fitness Pal logo is located.

Click the MFP logo to enter the menu.

STEP 5: Click on the menu that says “Goals”.

102
STEP 6: In this menu you will adjust your caloric
and macronutrient targets that you have calculated
from the guide earlier in the book. After setting up
your numbers click on “goals” in the top left corner
to go back to the main menu.

103
STEP 7: You should be back to the main menu with
your macros and calories set up. Now click on the
home button to go to the home screen of the app.

STEP 8: Now you’re going to start adding the

foods you eat to the app.

104
Every time you want to add a food you will click
on the big blue button on the top right side of the
screen where it says “add to diary”.

By entering the “add to diary” button you will find

a new section of the app where you will start to
add your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
*Note: If you have calculated your macros based on
the guidelines from this book, you do not have to
add your caloric expenditure (exercise) to the app,
since these calories have already been accounted
for in the calculation of your caloric requirements.

STEP 9: In this step you’re going to start adding

your foods one by one.
Enter the “Breakfast” option to start adding your
first meal of the day.
You should see that a new menu opens up.

105
STEP 10: Notice that at the top of the screen there
is an option that says, “Search for food” and beside
it you will see a bar code.

You have these 2 options to search for the food

you’re going to add to your daily intake.

In the search field you can look for any type of food
you like, or you can use the bar code scanner op-
tion that the app has to find the food you’re going
to add. By choosing the bar code the app will open
a scanner that will ask you to scan the bar code
from the package of the meal.

You won’t always be able to use this option, but in

some cases it is quite handy. The rest of the time
you will use the search field to search for the food
you’re going to add.

106
STEP 11: Search for food.

In this example we are going to search for skinless

chicken breast and choose the raw, boneless and
skinless option.

STEP 12: You will find many different results to

choose from, make sure you choose the right one.
It’s important to analyze what that option says; if
it has skin, bone, etc.

Also take into account that when weighing your

food it will weigh a lot different if it’s raw or
cooked, so this is another variable to take into
account when choosing the right option. With-
in the different options that the app gives you,
you will usually find different cooking methods

107
like fried, baked, broiled, grilled, etc. If the app
doesn’t specify, it usually means that that option
is for the weight of the food in its raw form.

STEP 13: Adjusting the portion size of the food.

This is one of the most important steps of the

whole process, adjusting the size of the meal
you’re going to add.

The size of the serving will determine the amount

of calories and the macro nutrient breakdown of
the meal; this is why the food scale is so import-
ant, for portion control.

Notice that the following image shows the amount

of servings “Serving(s) of” and below you will find
the weight of the serving. In this example we are
going to use a 6oz skinless chicken breast with-
out skin or bone (raw). As you can see the size
of the serving says “1.0 ounces” and since I am
going to add 6 ounces I will need to change the
amount of servings to 6 total servings.

The servings can be changed to grams, cups, tbsp.

tsp., etc. with the little arrow on the right side of
the serving size. This is important to take into

108
account when measuring the portion size of your
foods. So make sure you choose the appropriate
serving size for your meals.

STEP 14: After clicking “save” when adjusting the

serving of your food a new menu should pop up.

In this menu you will find the complete nutritional

facts that include caloric content and macronutri-
ent breakdown of the type of food and the size of
the serving that you chose.

109
STEP 15: Select the check mark on the top right
corner of the screen to save this meal and add it to
your daily intake.

STEP 16: Now you have successfully added your

first meal to your daily macros/calories.

110
STEP 17: Now that you have added your first meal,
it’s time to start adding more.

Select the (+) sign at the top right corner of your

screen to add more food.
 

STEP 18: Add more food.

111
STEP 19: Now that you have successfully added
your meals to your daily intake you can follow the
next steps to check your current progress and the
macros/calories that you have left to achieve your
objective intake.

112
  

Note: When tracking your objectives it is better

to track them by looking at the “Nutrient Details”
rather than looking at the “Calorie Breakdown”
option that shows your macros in percentages.
The “Nutrient Details” option can be found by se-
lecting the button on the top right of the screen
shown in the third image.

113
COUNTING MACROS:

N
ow that you know the basic steps to
counting your macronutrients and cal-
ories you will start adding up the foods
you eat on a daily basis and adjust them
to help you reach your daily macro/calorie require-
ments. The first few days of counting macros might
be overwhelming and you probably won’t be very
accurate at mastering the art of counting macros.
But with time you will learn to use the app proper-
ly and learn how to accommodate your foods to fit
into your daily requirements. As I tell most people
when they ask me for nutritional advice; all diets
demand some sort of effort, no way of dieting will
ever be a walk in the park, if it were, everybody
would have cover model physiques. The effort de-
manded in this sort of dieting is weighing a few
foods and counting macros.

Being 100% accurate is extremely difficult, but

don’t worry, you don’t have to be 100% accurate.
You can give yourself some wiggle room, about a
5% error or 10 to 15 grams per macro. Or at least try
to stay within your caloric requirements while you
learn to properly fit your macros.

Hitting your macros every day is essential; not

only for your goals, but for also measuring your

114
progress and taking care of your metabolism. If
you have a set amount of macros, these numbers
are to be met every day, try your best to not stay
below or over these macros too often.

115
SUPPLEMENTATION

S
upplements are probably the most con-
troversial topic in the fitness industry.
Many believe that supplements are a must
and that they are absolutely necessary to
achieve you goals, and that somehow these sup-
plements have some “magical” effect when it
comes to building muscle and losing fat.

On the other hand you have the anti-supplement

proponents who believe that supplements are ac-
tually detrimental not only to your goals but also
to your overall health.

I believe that both sides of the story may have

some truth to them, but they also fail to under-
stand that there’s a gray area in between. You
don’t need a huge stack of supplements to reach
your goals, but you also shouldn’t dismiss them
entirely.
Knowing how to incorporate the right supple-
mentation to your diet and training program can
be beneficial for your long-term goals. And as the
word says it itself “supplement”, they supplement
a good diet and training routine, they do not re-
place a bad diet or poor training program.

116
Many people tend to get the wrong idea about
what supplements do and the benefits that some
may have on your body, and this is due to the fact
that supplements are extremely overhyped by the
bodybuilding and fitness industry. Wherever you
look all you can see are jacked dudes with amaz-
ing physiques promoting all kinds of “magical”
supplements. The problem is that people actual-
ly believe that these amazing physiques on the
cover of fitness magazines were achieved by a
certain kind of supplement. What they don’t un-
derstand is that the person on the cover of those
fitness magazines didn’t achieve that cover mod-
el physique in a short period of time, that body
that you see on that cover is a results of years,
if not decades, of proper nutrition and training.
And in some cases something else.

So before I get into the whole supplement recom-

mendations I want to make a few things clear:

1. Supplements are not completely necessary and

they do not have any magical fat burning or mus-
cle building effect.

2. Most supplements are extremely overhyped

and are a waist of your money.

117
3. Always choose food over supplements.

4. If money is a concern, don’t worry about spend-

ing on supplements, save your money for food.

5. Supplements are meant to SUPPLEMENT, not

replace a bad diet or training regimen.

6. If the claims of the supplement seem too good

to be true, THEY ALWAYS ARE.

7. And last but not least. Speak to your physi-

cian before you intend to add any supplement to
your stack.

There are 2 major categories for nutritional sup-

plements:

1. Essential nutrients

2. Non-essential nutrients

The essential nutrients are nutrients present in

food that are necessary for normal physiological
functioning.

The reason why these nutrients are essential is

because our body does not produce them and

118
they must be ingested through food. In some cas-
es these essential nutrients are not met with our
daily diet. This is when supplements come into
play.

In the case that a diet may be lacking in some

of the essential nutrients like proteins/amino ac-
ids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals,
some supplement guidelines can help aid in nu-
trient deficiencies.

Phytochemicals/phytonutrients also fall into the

category of essential nutrients, as many of these
nutrients help aid the body in proper functioning
and warding of diseases.

Since these nutrients are all present in food, sup-

plementation is not necessary, unless the indi-
vidual is lacking in the area of proper nutrient
intake.

Non-essential nutrients:

Nonessential nutrients are nutrients that the

body can either make itself or that they are not
needed for normal physiological functioning.

119
Supplements like creatine, glutamine, beta ala-
nine and caffeine fall under this category of non-
essential nutrients. These non-essential nutri-
ents are meant to help aid in the enhancement of
certain specific goals.

Now keep in mind that these supplements may

help improve in some areas but they are not the
magical fix for your specific goals.
In the next page we will start talking about the
supplements I recommend and dosages that may
help you achieve your goals.

** Special note for athletes: Not all supplements

are free of banned substances. If you are concerned
that a supplement may contain a banned ingredi-
ent, you can check at http://www.wada-ama.org.

120
121
*Notes:

• Preferably choose supplements that are manu-

factured in a GMP certified facility. GMP means
“Good manufacturing practice”. Companies that
manufacture their products in these certified facil-
ities guarantee that the products are of high qual-
ity and do not pose any risk to the consumer or
public. This way you know you’re spending your
money on quality products.

• Avoid supplements that have “proprietary blends”,

this is just a fancy term to hide the dosages in the
product. Look for supplements that specify the
dosages of the ingredients.

• No supplement is absolutely necessary nor do

they bring any kind of special or “magical” effects
that will give you amazing immediate results.

122
• Your eating habits and training program will al-
ways determine your results.

• Supplements do not provide a quick fix, they are

only meant to slightly assist in strength, perfor-
mance and aid in nutritional intake.

• Although the supplements stated above may

bring some benefit, none are necessary to achieve
your goals; this is simply a guide for those of you
that do choose to buy supplements and are unaware
of the dosages, effects and benefits that these may
bring. And in the case that you do want to supple-
ment your diet, these are a part of the few supple-
ments out there that may actually have some kind
of benefit, since most supplements are overly mar-
keted and are a waste of your money.

•Consult with your physician before taking any

supplements.

123
GROCERY LIST

PROTEIN:

L
ean sources are best; you don’t want to buy
your meats with too much fat, because they
add too many unnecessary calories.

Lean ground beef, beef top sirloin, salmon, tilapia,

tuna, shrimp, skinless chicken breast, lean turkey
breast, lean ground turkey, egg white, bison, whey
protein, casein, etc.

CARBOHYDRATES:

C
arbs can be divided into 2 groups, carb
with fiber and carbs without fiber. Carbs
with fiber should be your priority, while
carbs without fiber will be the “flexible”
part of your diet.

Whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat tor-

tillas, fiber one cereal, quest bars, artic zero ice
cream, oats, all kinds of fruits and vegetables, high
fiber pancake mix, plantains, lentils, beans, whole
wheat pasta, etc.

124
FAT:

T
here are 3 different fat sources (saturat-
ed, unsaturated and Trans fats) remem-
ber to find balance between saturated,
polyunsaturated and monounsaturated
fats. Trans fats should be avoided.

Avocados, nuts, peanut butter, almond butter, ol-

ive oil, light mayonnaise, fatty fish, whole eggs,
flaxseed, walnuts, fatty fish.

HIGH FIBER SOURCES:

A
vocados, oatmeal, fiber one cereal, quest
bars, red kidney beans, white beans, gar-
banzo beans, black beans, lentils, whole
wheat pasta, edamame, artichoke, whole
wheat bread, peas, brown rice, nuts, whole wheat
grains, broccoli, barley and most fruits.

This grocery list is what I recommend to add to

your diet mainly for the nutritional value that these
foods have, they are high in micronutrients (vita-
mins and minerals) and fiber. 80-90% of your cal-
ories should come from these whole unprocessed
foods so that we can ensure that you’re receiving
an adequate amount of nutrients to fuel your body

125
and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The other 10-20% of your calories can be whatever

you want as long as they fit your macronutrient tar-
gets. I call these “discretionary calories” this gives
you flexibility with your diet and room to enjoy the
process. So you can include the occasional treats
like pizza, burgers, ice cream, pop tarts, candy, cake
or any kind of food that you enjoy and crave, just
make sure to fit them into your daily macros and
enjoy your diet.

126
MACRO CHEAT SHEET

127
THE BURGER MASTERPIECE

INGREDIENTS:
1 Sausage // 150g lean ground beef // 100g refried
beans // 1 slice mozzarella cheese // 1 slice cheddar
cheese // 1 tsp brown sugar // Burger buns //
Lettuce // Tomatoes // Onions

128
DIRECTIONS:
Spread lean ground beef and add 1 slice of cheddar
cheese before making the Burger Patty, make sure
that the cheese fills the patty before cooking, cook
the patty at medium heat.

• Sauté onions with 1 tsp. brown sugar.

• Slice 1 sausage into 4 flat pieces and pan cook
• Heat 100g of refried beans
• Now put it all together and enjoy

129
RAINBOW BACON WAFFLES

INGREDIENTS:
High fiber pancake mix // 100ml 1% Milk // 1 egg
white // 6 bacon slices // 2 tsp. brown sugar //
20g almonds // Food coloring

DIRECTIONS:
Mix 100g of pancake mix with 1 egg white and
100ml of 1% milk for waffle mix.

130
Glaze bacon with 2 tsp. of brown sugar and pan
fry.

Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook

the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immedi-
ately.

Wrap bacon with the waffles, or you can cut up

the bacon and add it to the batter and cook it all
together. Almonds are optional.

131
TUNA SANDWICH

INGREDIENTS:
1 Can tuna in water // 2 slices whole wheat bread
½ lemons // 15g light mayonnaise // 1 slice moz-
zarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Drain one can of tuna fish into a bowl.

Add 15 grams of light mayonnaise.

Squeeze ½ lemons.

132
Put the toaster sideways and slide In 2 slices of
whole wheat bread and on one of those slices of
bread add 1 slice of mozzarella cheese, but be
careful, don’t let the toaster pop out your bread
because it’ll fly out. Toast until the cheese melts.

133
HIGH FIBER BANANA PROTEIN PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:
100g high fiber pancake mix // 1 egg white //
150ml 1% Milk // 1 Banana // 1 scoop Vanilla whey
protein // 1 tbsp. Nutella // Vanilla essence // 20g
raisins // Almonds

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix 100g of high fiber pancake mix with 1 egg
white, 100ml of 1% milk, a few drops of vanilla es-
sence, 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein, 1 banana
and 20g of raisins. Stir all together until proper
consistency is achieved, and make pancakes.

134
2. For topping: mix 1 tbsp. of Nutella with 10g of
crushed almonds and 50ml of 1% milk, mix to-
gether and put in the microwave for 20-30 sec-
onds, add topping to pancakes and enjoy.

135
EASY LUNCH

INGREDIENTS:
200g skinless chicken breast // 150g White rice
// Herb seasoning // Lettuce // Tomatoes

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a saucepan with a good fitting lid bring wa-
ter, salt and butter if desired to a boil.

2. Add rice and stir.

3. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. You will

know that your temperature is correct if a little
steam is visible leaking from the lid. A lot of steam
means your heat is too high.

136
4. Cook for 20 minutes.

5. DO NOT LIFT LID!

6. The steam that is trapped inside the pan is what

allows the rice to cook properly.

7. Remove from heat and fluff with fork.

8. Serve!

9. Add herb seasoning to skinless chicken breast

10. Cook at medium heat

11. Add lettuce and tomatoes.

137
CEVICHE

INGREDIENTS:
100g small raw shrimp // 2 large tomatoes // 2 limes,
juiced // 2 lemons, juiced // 40g cilantro leaves,
chopped // 1/2 red onion // Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Lay out the shrimp in the bottom of a glass-bak-
ing dish.

138
2. Pour lemon and lime juice over them and refrig-
erate for 3 hours. The juice will “cook” the shrimp.

3. Chop the onions, cilantro and tomatoes and mix

all the ingredients together and refrigerate again
for one more hour, and enjoy!

139
OVEN BAKED SALMON

INGREDIENTS:
200g raw salmon // Broccoli // Carrots // Mush-
rooms // Salt // Pepper //Lime

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 °F.

2. Season salmon with salt and pepper; Place salm-

on, skin side down, on a non-stick baking sheet or
pan. Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 12
to 15 minutes.

140
3. Broccoli and carrots: Bring about 1/4 inch of wa-
ter to a boil in a large frying pan. Add about 1/2 tsp.
fine sea salt.

4.. Cover and steam until as tender as you like (about

3 minutes for crisp-tender and up to 8 minutes for
completely cooked).

141
DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER WITH OVEN BAKED
FRENCH FRIES

INGREDIENTS:
150g Lean ground beef // 2 slices mozzarella cheese
Burger bread // Lettuce // Tomatoes // Ketchup //
Mustard //150g Frozen French fries

DIRECTIONS:
1. Make 2 patties with the lean ground beef, each
of 75g and grill them. When they are almost done,
place 1 slice of mozzarella over each patty so the
cheese melts on top of the meat.

142
2. Build your burger by adding the patties with
cheese and add some lettuce, tomatoes, 1 tsp. mus-
tard and 1 tbsp. ketchup for extra taste.

3. For the French fries, use 150 grams of frozen

packed French fries and place over some tinfoil and
spray with a little bit of Pam and then place them
in the oven for about 30 minutes at 400 °F and add
some paprika and salt for taste. They will come out
just as if you would have fried them, except this way
you don’t need to add any oils.

143
HIGH PROTEIN HOME MADE PIZZA

INGREDIENTS:
Whole wheat pita // 4 egg whites // 150g skinless
chicken breast // 3 tbsp. Tomato sauce // Pepper
Salt // Garlic // 2 slices mozzarella cheese // 50g
Mushrooms

144
DIRECTIONS:
Instead of using pizza dough for this pizza, we used
a whole-wheat pita. This way its easier to prepare
and without all the mess of making the pizza dough.
1. Cook 150 grams of chicken and breast with some
mushrooms, and after its done chop it up into small
pieces.

2. Boil 4 eggs in water for 5 to 7minutes. Peel the

shell and remove the yolk (or keep it if you prefer
adding the yolk). Chop the cooked egg into small
pieces.

3. Place the pita on a pan and heat on both sides

until its crispy.

4. Place all the ingredients on top of the pita and

add 2 slices of mozzarella cheese.

5. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder.

6. Place in oven for 3 minutes until the cheese has

melted.

145
LOW CARB BANANA PROTEIN PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:
3 egg whites // 1 scoop vanilla gold standard whey
protein // Baking powder // ½ banana // No sugar
strawberry jam

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix the 3 egg whites, 1 scoop of whey protein and
a pinch of baking powder together until achieving
good consistency.

146
2.Add half a banana in pieces and smash together
with the other ingredients.

3. Cook on a pan at the lowest heat for about 4-5

minutes per side.

4. Add Jam based on preference

147
QUEST BAR DONUT

INGREDIENTS:
Quest bar // Rainbow sprinkles // Caramel

DIRECTIONS:
1. Shape your quest bar into a donut

2. Place in oven at 400 °F for 2 minutes

3. Add 1 tbsp. of caramel

4. Add 1 tsp. of rainbow sprinkles

148
CHICKEN BURRITO

INGREDIENTS:
Whole wheat large tortilla // 200g skinless chicken
breast // 2 tbsp. guacamole // 2 tsp. parmesan // To-
matoes // Onions // Lettuce // Salt // Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Grill 200g of skinless chicken breast; add salt and
pepper to taste. After cooking, chop into small piec-
es.

2. Sautee onions and tomatoes on a small pan at

low heat.

149
3. Heat tortilla on a pan at low heat for 3 minutes
per side.
4. Place chicken and sautéed vegetables over the
tortilla.

5. Add 2 tbsp. of parmesan cheese.

6. Add 2 tbsp. of guacamole.

7. And 2 leafs of lettuce.

150
PEANUT BUTTER PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp. Peanut butter // 100ml skim milk // 1 egg
white // 100g high fiber pancake mix

151
DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix in a bowl 100g of pancake mix, 100ml of skim
milk, 1 egg white and 1 tbsp. of peanut butter until
proper consistency is achieved.
2. Place on a pan by dividing the mix into 4 pan-
cakes.

3. Place a lid on top of the pan and cook at the low-

est heat for about 3-4 minutes per side.

4. Spread a second tbsp. of peanut butter over the

pancakes.

*The green color was achieved by using food color-

ing.

152
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

INGREDIENTS:
2 Whole eggs // 3 Egg whites // 2 slices extra lean
ham // 2 slices low fat mozzarella cheese // 50g waf-
fle mix // 50ml skim milk // 1 cup orange juice //
30ml light syrup

DIRECTIONS:
For waffles:

1. Mix 50g of high fiber waffle mix with 50ml of skim

milk and 1 egg white.

2. Cook in a waffle maker for 5 minutes

153
For omelet:

1. Add 2 whole eggs with 2 eggs whites to a bowl

and scramble until bubbly consistency is achieved.

2. Cook on a pan at low heat (don’t scramble it while

cooking), add salt to taste.

3. Wait until the eggs have achieved a dense consis-

tency and flip carefully.

4. After flipped add 2 slices of mozzarella cheese

and 2 slices of extra lean ham in pieces on top and
wait 3 more minutes.

5. Flip the sides inwards to create the omelet with

the ingredients inside.

* Macros for entire breakfast, including syrup and

orange juice

154
BANANA-QUEST DESSERT

INGREDIENTS:
Cookies and cream quest bar // 1 Banana // Small
chocolate bar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Slice a banana through the middle, but don’t slice
it all the way. Leave space to fit the quest protein
bar.

2. Mold the quest bar into the banana like a sand-

wich.

155
3. Don’t peel the banana.

4. Put in oven for 8 minutes at 400 °F.

5. Remove from oven and add chunks of chocolate.

156
SUMMARY:

W
hen it comes to losing or gaining
weight, calories are what matter
most, because it’s this energy bal-
ance (calories in vs. calories out)
over time that will determine whether we gain, lose
or maintain our weight. But, and this is a big BUT,
our goal isn’t to lose or gain weight, our goal is to
burn fat and build muscle. So for this reason I will
always recommend that you look at your calories
into more detail, meaning you need to worry about
your macronutrients and make sure you have an
adequate intake of protein, fats and carbohydrates.
We can’t just look at the calories.

• Calculate your calories and adjust macronutrient

ratios adequate to your goals. And be consistent
with your daily food intake.

• Prioritize the consumption of nutrient dense foods,

foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, anti-
oxidants and phytonutrients.

• Allow flexibility with your diet and don’t be restric-

tive with your food choices. Allowing this flexibility
can do amazing things to your progress and long-

157
term adherence.
•Base your meal frequency on personal preference.
Because at the end of the day what matters most is
your adherence to the plan.

• Workout on a regular basis. Physical activity is a

crucial component of any weight control regimen.
• Focus on one goal at a time; remember that to
build muscle or to burn fat it requires a different ap-
proach to your diet.

• Don’t forget to have fun!

158
CONCLUSION:

T
here tends to be a misconception about
what Flexible dieting or IIFYM (if it fits
your macros) really is. Somehow people
have come to misunderstand that it’s just
a junk food based diet. But let me stop you right
there. This book is NOT intended to teach you how
to eat junk food; it’s meant to teach you how to in-
corporate BALANCE and MODERATION into
your life. It’s meant to end the binge-hate relation-
ship with food; it’s meant to teach you how to follow
a more lifestyle friendly diet, its meant to end the
myths that make bodybuilding seem so complicat-
ed when it isn’t. It’s about finding a way of dieting
that you can do for the rest of your life and not just
a few weeks. Because if you can’t see yourself doing
what you’re doing for more than a few months, its
time you think about the road taken and find a dif-
ferent alternative; because fitness and health aren’t
a onetime thing. This is for life!

This is the reason why I preach flexible dieting and

the reason why I promote this movement so much.
Flexible dieting has taught me how to make my diet
fit my lifestyle and not the other way around.

I want you to understand that the process of los-

ing weight or building muscle isn’t as complicated

159
as the media has set it out to be. And I know this
is probably something you don’t want to hear but…
There are no “magic” supplements or super foods
that’ll make you lose fat faster, there are no short-
cuts, there’s just hard work, discipline and consis-
tency!

What’s the take away message of this book?

Flexible dieting is about finding balance and being

FLEXIBLE with your food choices. It’s about under-
standing that food is your best friend and not your
worst enemy. Many of today’s health issues come
from bad eating habits, and most of them can be
treated with good eating habits. That’s why it’s so
important to understand that food can be both the
poison and the cure in your life.

Probably the most important thing that I want you

to take home is that life is to live it! Don’t forget to
enjoy the things you love with the people you love
just because you’re on a “diet”. End this deprivation
with food, don’t feel guilty when you eat something
that isn’t a part of the plan, it’s a part of life!

I also don’t want you to think that this book is meant

to tell you that you MUST count calories and mac-
ros the rest of your life or that you should be con-

160
stantly weighing yourself and defining your exis-
tence based on numbers on a scale. The protocols
given in this book are a tool for you to make dieting
as optimal as it can be, so that you achieve your re-
sults as fast as possible and in a healthy way. But
don’t let “results” consume your life, you don’t have
to count macros forever, with time you’ll come to
understand this and you’ll see that eating intuitive-
ly can do huge things for your life. Eat to fuel your
body, eat to promote health, eat to live! Don’t live to
eat!

Thank you! Thank you for being a part of this move-

ment, little by little we can change this industry to-
gether and end the pseudoscience that poisons it.
Thank you for supporting MacroFitness and for
supporting this book!

Eat meticulous, train ridiculous!

161
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S
ometimes I look back at my life and think
about how I came to be involved in fitness
and bodybuilding. And I realize that I was
born and raised in this world. I grew up in
a house with two bodybuilders, my dad and my un-
cle; in that time they were the ultimate “bros”. Their
lives revolved around dumbbells, barbells, chick-
en breast, egg whites, brown rice and Tupperware.
They were passionate about what they did and for
many years I couldn’t understand how they could
live their lives eating the same bland foods 8 or 10
times a day, or how they could wake up every morn-
ing at 5am to hit the gym. But now I know what it
feels to be that person, that person that loves being
in the gym and challenging himself every day and
doing something that can better his life, I now real-
ize why my dad was so invested in getting me to be
involved in sports. He was concerned about my fu-
ture and wellbeing. And I can’t thank him enough,
thanks to him I’ve been an athlete my entire life. I
still have about 30 trophies in my closet that I save
to this day to remember that distant past, from the
days when I even played in the little league for the
Miami Marlins, from when I was named best soccer
player in my county, from when I earned my black
belt in karate… and other memories that in that time

162
didn’t seem to be important for me, but I now know
how important they were. They made me who I am
today, a man passionate about sports and fitness in
general.

I’ve dedicated my life to this, and I built a compa-

ny based on this passion, a company that I started
from scratch and that today is a major influence in
the fitness community.

MacroFitness is my never ending project, a fitness

consultant company that has been dedicated to
changing the lives of thousands around the world,
a project that I’ve created with the intention to pro-
vide the world a non “BS” approach to training and
nutrition, a way that’s based on scientific principles
and gets rid of the gimmicks, myths, pseudoscience
and “broscience”. I want the world to understand
that dieting doesn’t have to be as complicated as it
has been portrayed to be.

So as part of this movement I have created this book,

to provide you a more “flexible” approach to living
a fit and healthy lifestyle. A book that will hopeful-

163
ly help you understand that food is your friend and
not your enemy. A book that compiles over a de-
cade of my own knowledge and experience put out
in the simplest way I possibly could, to give you a
practical dietary guideline to follow.

Flexible dieting is the best thing I could ever rec-

ommend to anyone, out of the tens and maybe even
hundreds of guidelines I’ve seen and in some cases
followed, flexible dieting is by far the best way of
dieting I can imagine and I hope I get to you with
this book and help you find a way of dieting that
you can adjust to your lifestyle.

My name is Giulianni Giraldo, I am certified in nutri-

tional science, specialized in fitness nutrition, a cer-
tified strength and conditioning coach and non-fit-
ness related I have a bachelor’s degree in business
administration. And for the past decade I have ded-
icated my life to fitness and reviewing scientific lit-
erature on nutrition, training and the human body,
to find the best way possible for improving the lives
of my clients. And based on this knowledge and ex-
perience I have created this book for you!

164
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TANK YOU PAGE

I
would like to give a special thanks to my beau-
tiful fiancée Kiara Castillo for always being
by my side and supporting me throughout
my carreer and this entire journey. None of
this would have ever been possible without her
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I will also like to thank Alan Aragon and Lyle Mc-

Donald, two of the people I admire most in the
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ness to end the “broscience” methods that have
been perpetuated by so many years by falsifying
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research. They may not know this, but its thanks
to them that I have also taken the road of the an-
ti-bros, and have dedicated my life to provide
thousands of people around the world with the
truth about nutrition and training, and end the
myths that make people think that this way of life
is extremely complicated and difficult to follow.

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If you aren’t already, I highly recommend you fol-
low their websites; they continuously post great
articles regarding training and nutrition with
sound scientific research.

Alana Aragon: www.alanaragon.com

Lyle McDonald: www.bodyrecomposition.com

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