We aim for a fat percentage of 25% or less with our food choices. To figure out the percentage of an item, 1 gm of fat = 9 calories. Fat grams are listed on the back of each product in the ingredient breakdown. Multiply fat grams by 9. This will give you total calories of fat. To figure out the percentage, divide the fat calories into the total calories and multiply by 100. The result should not exceed 25%. A common point of confusion with some of our clients is with the term “zero trans fat” displayed on food packaging. Companies prominently display this phrase in the hope of misleading the consumer. Trans fats are chemically modified fats that solidify at room temperature such as margarine and shortening. Just because a product is trans fat free does not mean it it fat free.

Any artificial sweetener may be used. There are many drinks and food items that are sweetened with other forms of sweeteners. Each artificial sweetener is different. If you find that you do not like one, try a different brand. If Equal (aspartame based) is not an option you may want to try Sugar Twin, Splenda or Stevia.

I’m certain you’ve heard the phrase “there is more than one way to skin a cat”. Dieting a client for a show is no different. There is more than one way to dial in a client to peak conditioning. The diet strategies we employ do not normally include higher fat food sources such as nuts, avocados, salmon, etc. Nuts are too high in fat for our typical style of dieting. You will not lose weight consuming food choices that have calories high in fat when employing this approach. The confusion with nuts is that they contain “healthy fats”. These types of fats are good for your skin, hair, brain and central nervous system but if consumed in excess will prevent you from dropping weight with our standard dieting philosophies. Healthy fats are only required in small amounts but the media has the general public convinced that healthy fats must consumed in abundance. This is incorrect and will not help a physique athlete achieve extreme levels of conditioning. We have opted to use high fat diets (where some nuts may be permitted) such as a ketogenic-style diet but this is determined on an individual basis. Nut options are also added to a client’s diet in their Progress Season and we’ve include nut butter in our Mutant Mass Bar Recipe. Some clients actually do better with fats in their diet when cutting up – everyone is different and we pride ourselves in creating individual programs for each client and adjusting the plan based on their feedback and look. The majority of clients dieting for show can normally start with a small amount of nut butter but tend to do better without this food choice as the show gets closer. Furthermore, some clients who are genetically blessed with fast metabolisms and certain lean bikini athletes who are in good condition when they start a cutting phase would be considered examples of an exception to this rule.
We do tend to include nut butters in our clients progress season programs but opt for actual nuts for dieting clients if we choose to use this option.

Salmon, peanut butter, olive oil, avocado and nuts are very high in fat. They do contain “healthy fats” but they also prevent you from dropping weight. Peanut butter is not a healthy source of protein, there is very minimal protein in a nut. 1 tablespoon of peanut butter contains over 100 calories of which 74 calories come from fat, 12 calories of protein and 14 calories of carbohydrates. That is not an optimal food choice for a low fat diet. Higher fat/low carbohydrate diets do work but this is not how we work with the majority of our clients. However, some clients are permitted to have these fat options but it really depends on their conditioning. The leaner a client is the more leeway they have on their diet. If a client’s body responds better to a higher fat/lower carb approach then these food options would be more suited for their goal.

We weigh all our food choices for accuracy of calories. Calories need to be equivalent not oz measurements of the specific item. 4 oz of tuna is lower in calories than 4 oz of chicken. To figure out the equivalent calories use the formula:

Calories of the item you want to exchange off your program divided by calorie of the item you want instead, multiplied by the oz of the item on the food list. Proteins must be substituted for protein and carbohydrates for carbohydrates.

Example: you have 294 calories of chicken for lunch but you want to have shrimp instead. Shrimp contains 112 calories in 4 oz. 294 divided by 112 calories multiplied by 4 oz equals 10.5 oz of shrimp instead of 6 oz chicken.

“Eye-balling” food quantities is a good option when “living the lifestyle” but is not recommended when focused on achieving competition conditioning. We need you to measure and weigh all food options as the changes made to the diet are based on precise measurements.

The alternate would be to eat lower calories and we feel that this is not optimal when dieting and trying to preserve muscle tissue. Eating proper food choices 5 – 6 times per day will allow for smaller meals which will be easily digested. Starting out at a higher calorie total will give us “room to move”. We prefer to start our diets with the calories high and slowly whittle them down. Contrast that a lower calorie diet. This is a typical diet given by lazy trainers. They prescribe one diet and send you on your way. We like to work one-on-one with our clients and be in constant contact with them. Starting high and going low ensures constant contact. Also, lower calories lead to food cravings and could increase the chance of cheating on a diet.