Frequently Asked Questions

Q Should I eat differently on the days that I don’t exercise?

A If you’re cutting, no. Just stick to your plan every day.

If you’re bulking, not necessarily. If you want a little “break” from eating all the food, you can
reduce your intake on your rest days by about 10%.

Q How should I measure the food?

A Measure all food with a scale and/or measuring cups. Measure everything raw unless stated
otherwise in the meal plan.

Q What brands of food should I buy?

A Buy the brands you like.

That said, some brands’ foods contain more or less calories than others’, so take a look when
choosing and go with what fits most closely.

So long as your actual caloric intake is within about 50 calories of the meal plan’s target, you’ll
be fine.

Q Can I eat different foods than what’s on the plan?

A Absolutely.

The key, however, is you want your numbers (calories, protein, carbs, and fat) to stay more or
less the same.

Remember: when we’re talking body composition, how much you eat is more important than
what.

So, if you want to make food swaps, here’s a great website for determining the calories and
macros of all foods:

http://caloriecount.about.com/
Q How much should I be losing/gaining per week?

A When you’re cutting, you should lose about one pound per week. If you’re very overweight,
around 2 pounds lost per week is a good target.

You may lose a bit more for the first several weeks. That’s normal. It will slow down.

If at any point you stop losing weight and don’t know why, read this article:

http://www.muscleforlife.com/not-losing-weight/

If the strategies outlined there don’t solve the problem, send an email to
contact@muscleforlife.com and we'd be happy to help.

When you’re bulking, you want to gain about 0.5 to 1 pound per week.

Again, you may gain a bit more than this for your first several weeks, but it should then settle
into this range.

If you’re gaining very little or much more than than this (2+ pounds per week), read this article:

http://www.muscleforlife.com/bulking-up/

And again, if that doesn’t get you back on track, just shoot me an email.

Q Does how I cook the food matter?

A No—do whatever you prefer.

That said, don’t add oil or butter as this will add calories that we aren’t accounting for.

Q How many cheat meals do I get?

A I recommend that you do one cheat meal per week and that you keep it moderate.

Here’s a good overview of how to “cheat” properly:

http://www.muscleforlife.com/cheat-meal/
Q Can I drink alcohol?

A Yes, but generally speaking, the less you drink, the better your results are going to be.

Here’s why:

http://www.muscleforlife.com/does-alcohol-consumption-affect-weight-loss-and-muscle-growth/

Q Should I do cardio if I’m cutting? What’s the best type?

A I do recommend cardio in most cases to further speed up fat loss.

Read this article to learn more:

http://www.muscleforlife.com/how-much-cardio/