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GUILT-FREE
GASTRONOMY
HOW TO EAT AND DRINK OUT
DURING A BODY TRANSFORMATION
WHY
I believe everyone can achieve an impressive body transformation.
If this is your goal I have a lot of respect for that.
The tricky part which gets overlooked is doing so without sacrificing important
areas of your life.
Holidays, events and travel can often derail your progress or worse, have you join the
millions of people who are perpetually dieting.
Here I will present you with a quick synthesis of the best tips from some of the
industries leading science-based bodybuilders, my experience coaching people
through this, with practical adjustments for when your life does not revolve around
fitness.
So if you are an adult who wants to lose fat and gain muscle, this guide is for you.
ABOUT ME
My name is Josh Brett, I make
documentary style videos on for a
more honest and effective fitness
industry.
As someone who struggled with
disordered eating behaviors and
extremely rigid dieting methods,
glorified by the industry, these topics
are extremely important to me.
I want to help you become more
resilient.
1. Calorie Balance
Caloric deficit for a cutting phase.
2. Macro-nutrient quantities
0.8 - 1.2g of protein per lb of bodyweight (or 1g per cm of height).
0.3 g + fat per lb of bodyweight.
We dive into this on more depth inside the workshop but this is the vast
majority of what matters.
The tricky part is sticking to this.
Aiming for a diet consisting mostly of whole foods with less minimally
processed foods is usually best for ensuring you can stick to this long term.
A variety of textures and colors within your meals is a good sign you are
getting ample micro-nutrients (important vitamins and minerals).
THE PROBLEM
EATING OUT But eating out can often
lead to anxiety and concerns
IS INCREDIBLY
about straying from our
IMPORTANT. nutritional goals.
For most people food is As a result, many people
far more than just fuel, it’s try to compensate with
often deeply integrated guilt cardio, yo-yoing their
with celebration, tradition calories up and down or
and culture; offering an perhaps worse still; trading
opportunity to relax and all flexibility for accuracy.
bond with others.
This is something I used to do...
turning down events and social
gatherings out of fear of gaining fat
or losing muscle.
FLEXIBILITY ACCURACY
CONSISTENCY
This balance will look different for everyone and will change
over the course of your life.
Chris Bumstead can afford to sacrifice his flexibility for
accuracy; the incentives to do so for him are just so high.
A single father with 3 kids and an office job simply will NOT
have the same balance.
The first ever diet I tried to follow was
a bodybuilding prep diet similar the
example on the right.
This ultimately lead me down a path of
constant guilt and inconsistency.
I was tracking foods to the gram, eating
an exclusive small group of foods and
would just fall off over and over.
In fact, binge eating became a big
problem.
BULKING
You can have a lot more flexibility, as you have more calories
to play with.
Even some of the most regimental natural professional
bodybuilders will be having pizzas and ice cream in
moderation on their off seasons.
MAINTENANCE/RECOMPOSITION
Slightly less flexibility than a bulking phase but still plenty of
room to enjoy a few treats.
CUTTING
You have less flexibility since you have less calories. Ensuring you are
satiated, which is best achieved through a nutritious mostly whole
food/ less processed diet becomes more important. Chefs love to
add cream, oils and fats to things because it makes them taste
incredible at the downside of making them very easy to over eat
while providing less protein and micro-nutrients.
While these suggestions are most useful in a cutting phase where more
‘nutritional finesse’ comes in handy, this information will be useful in all
phases.
WORRIED ABOUT GAINING FAT?
!
If your maintenance calories
are 2,500, to gain 1lb (454g)
of fat in a day you would
have to consume roughly
over 6,000 calories
!
For other instances where you would Note of caution:
like to have more accuracy while Please do not be the
SACRIFICING FLEXIBILITY you may wish person ruining your family’s
to continue tracking calories. Christmas dinner by getting
out weighing scales to
Today many restaurants provide
individually weight your
calories on the menu, if this is not carrots...
the case however, consider tracking
the meal as something similar on
your calorie tracker (e.g. all steaks
tend to have similar calories).
CALORIE
TRACKING
3 MONTHS
INTUITIVE
EATING
The reason I
recommend most Once you have an estimate for your meal I
would recommend the following adjustments:
to track calories
for the first few BULKING = Loose tracking is usually great, no
months before either major changes needed.
continuing to do so or CUTTING = Add 25% to the fat content of the
eating more intuitively meal; chefs love to add butter, oils and cream,
is because this is often this may be a good thing to do if you would like
to be more conservative.
a long enough time
period to allow you to MAINTENANCE = Add 10% to total calories;
estimate things more again, being conservative, especially if your
weight tends to creep up over time.
accurately.
THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR STICKING
TO GOALS
So you now have a better idea of whether to track or
not, how to track here are some more tips to help you
stick to your goals:
1. SEARCH THE MENU BEFOREHAND: 7. SAUCES/ DRESSING ON THE SIDE:
This can make choosing a sensible Some restaurants like to drown their
meal much easier. meals in an unnecessary amount of
dressing and sauces, asking for these
2. LEAN PROTEIN IS GREAT!: on the side may be a wise option.
Steaks, fish, grilled chicken and meals
with a large portion of lean protein are 8. APPETIZERS:
excellent choices. Opt for those with a higher protein
content, dishes including a large
3. DROPPING CALORIES: percentage of vegetables are also
If you plan on having a more
indulgent meal, consider dropping great.
your calories slightly a few days or 9. SIMPLE FOODS:
meals before or after the meal out. Dishes such as steak and potatoes/
This can be as simple as swapping chips/ salad tend to make great
out your regular breakfast for a lower options, the fewer the ingredients the
calorie protein shake before a meal greater accuracy you will be able to
out. have when tracking, so having simpler
Note: This technique should be used in dishes may be a sensible option in a
moderation to avoid disordered eating habits.
cutting phase.
4. VEGETABLES/ SALADS:
A very obvious point - adding a salad
10. EAT FOR THE OCCASION:
A lot of this stuff may sound extremely
or large portion of vegetables to your
restrictive, so it’s about picking and
meal can help make it much more
choosing the options which suit the
satiating for few extra calories. occasion the most. If it’s a major event
5. LIQUID CALORIES: with friends and family it will probably
Opting for sugar free drinks is almost be worth not tracking at all and eating
always going to be a better choice more intuitively, whereas if it’s just a
unless you struggle to get enough routine work meal, accuracy may be
calories in. more favorable over flexibility.
6. ALCOHOL:
Unfortunately, as we will see
later alcohol is not great for body
composition, moderation is important.
10 BIGGEST MISTAKES
1. EXTREME RIGIDITY:
A phase everyone should skip. If you are missing meals out, bringing scales to the
restaurant or being extremely rigid this is not going to be sustainable.
2. YOLO APPROACH:
Trying to eat as much as possible is very rarely a good idea, eating 5,000+ calories
may help you gain muscle but for many dirty bulking just results in excess fat gain.
870 CALS
The meal to the left can be deceiving...
7. GUILT CARDIO:
Compared to eating less, cardio is extremely inefficient for
creating a caloric deficit, remember this should be used as a
tool with some degree of moderation unless you really enjoy it.
8. RESTRICTION:
The amount of people on extreme fasting diets, cutting out
certain food groups for the sole purpose of weight-loss is
tragic. Please refer back to the nutrition fundamentals for
what ACTUALLY matters when it comes to improving body
composition.
ACTION
Since alcohol is its own macro-nutrient, it causes confusion when tracking.
1. SLEEP:
Try to ensure you get as much sleep as you can. Consider adding a nap
to your day if possible.
2. LIGHTER DRINKS:
A lot of the calories from alcoholic beverages often comes in the form
of sugar (carbs), especially with cocktails, beer and sugary liquors.
Consider spirits (vodka, whiskey etc) with a lower calorie mixer.
■ Consume caffeine the next day: Can help with symptoms while
boosting performance in the gym.
CONCLUSION
This is the accumulated advice which has helped me
the most with eating out while gaining muscle, losing
fat and more importantly; without stressing out.
Something I wish I had when I first Now this may feel like a lot to take
started. in so please remember the longer
A mix of evidence-based suggestions you have been doing this the
and practical applications from easier it gets.
someone who has struggled with this It’s like driving a car, at first,
for years. everything is incredibly
Bodybuilding or dieting is not my overwhelming but a year down
main focus, it’s something I like to the road and you can rely on your
keep in the background. I’m often own intuition, it just gets easier
extremely busy so being extremely and easier.
flexible with things and being able The last thing I would like you to
to eat out is really important for me, remember is that all of this is your
I would imagine it’s also important choice.
for you, hence why I have put this This is an important distinction to
together. make when framing these things.
Action Plan
1. Understand the fundamentals.
2. Determine your level of flexibility vs accuracy.
3. Implement the suggestions which you like the most.
SUCCESS
The above graphic is overused by cringe motivational gurus, but in the context
of achieving a body transformation where emotional eating and habit formation
can be such a hurdle, I just want to remind you that nobody is B-lining to their
‘dream body’.
With over 8 billion people on the planet, many will make more progress than you
with significantly less effort.
Credits To:
This guide would not be possible without the following people, if you ever have the opportunity
to buy from these people to pay it forward I am confident it will most likely be worth it!
- Revive stronger
- Team 3DMJ - Dr Harrison Pope - James Smith