Frequently asked questions

All our meals are healthy, portion-controlled and high in protein and promote fat loss and muscle gains.

Remember, to lose weight, you need to be in a caloric deficit! You can be in a caloric deficit with either of our 3 weekly plans. If you need assistance selecting the right plan, please book a FREE CONSULTATION.

If you are used to eating flavor-rich foods and need to lose some weight (body fat), start with the WEIGHT LOSS LEVEL 1 plan for the first 1-2 weeks. You will see results!

The WEIGHT LOSS LEVEL 2 plan is the best of both worlds! Very sustainable, and very effective for weight loss!

The WEIGHT LOSS LEVEL 3 plan will help you lose weight the quickest but it is also the hardest plan to stick to.

That being said, all our plans are great! Getting started is most important! Pick any plan and we can change it any time!

Our bodies require both micronutrients and macronutrients to stay healthy and function correctly.

Micronutrients (Micros) are nutrients our body needs in smaller amounts. These are Vitamins and Minerals.

Macronutrients (Macros) are nutrients our body needs in larger amounts. These nutrients provide us with energy (calories). These are Proteins, Carbs and Fat.

1 gram of Protein = 4 calories
1 gram of  Carbs = 4 calories
1 gram of Fat = 9 calories

If a meal has 40 grams of Protein, 40 grams of Carbs and 10 grams of Fat:

(40 grams x 4 calories) + (40 grams x 4 calories) + (10 grams x 9 calories) = 160 + 160 + 90 = 410 calories

To lose body fat, a Caloric Deficit is necessary.
We need to consume less energy than our Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

1 lb of fat = 3500 calories
To lose 10 lbs of fat, we need to burn 35000 calories of stored energy (fat tissue).

To dial in a proper caloric deficit (around 500 – 1000 calories / day) you need to first calculate your TDEE.
How to calculate your TDEE?
Example: Eat 1300 calories / day for 2 weeks = 14 days.
If you drop 4 lbs of fat in 14 days, that is equal to (4 lbs x 3500 cal / lb) = 14000 calories of fat usage = 1000 calorie deficit / day.

Your TDEE in this example = (1300 calories of food + 1000 calories of fat usage) = 2300 calories / day.

1000 calorie deficit / day = 7000 calorie deficit / week = 2 lbs of fat loss / week

5 weeks to lose 10 lbs

After a caloric deficit, our TDEE will drop as a survival response to food scarcity.
To ensure we don’t put the weight back on, we need to do a Reverse Diet, to increase our metabolism & TDEE.
A Reverse Diet is a 4 week – 10 week period where we slowly increase our food intake by 100 calories / day every week.
In 10 weeks, we can increase our caloric intake by 1000 calories / day, and not go up in weight or if we do, very little.

A higher metabolism & TDEE at our desired weight = we can eat more and not put on fat weight = a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

Muscle hypertrophy = an increase in the size of muscle tissue.
Muscle is more metabolically active than fat = you will burn more calories at rest, with more muscle and less fat = you can eat more and stay lean.
SAID = Specific adaptation to imposed demands = When we exercise, we stress our muscles. The right exercise stress will stimulate an adaptation in the form of increased muscle size and strength.
Muscle atrophy = loss of muscle mass. Can be caused by poor eating, lack of activity, aging.
Sarcopenia = increased muscle loss as we grow older. Muscle hypertrophy is mandatory if we want to age well.

For more hypertrophy – focus on challenging the muscle, more stress on a specific muscle
For more strength – focus on moving the weight, more muscles will be recruited
MPS = Muscle Protein Synthesis = Muscle growth in response to exercise & nutrition.
The Right Meals = Building blocks for muscle growth

TRAINING TIPS

Rep range = 5 to 30 reps
Rest period for muscles trained = 48 to 72 hrs
Train close to failure, failure not necessary all the time
Make sure you contract the muscle you are trying to train and grow
Mind muscle connection, muscle activation, think of the adaptation to the exercise stress, muscle growth, strength gains

CLARIFICATIONS

I DON’T WANT TO GET TOO BIG OR TOO BULKY
You will not. It is very difficult to put on a lot of muscle tissue, even for those who want it.

I WANT TO LOSE FAT AND BUILD MUSCLE MASS
You have to pick one at a time. To lose fat, you need to be in a caloric deficit. To build muscle you need to be in a caloric surplus.

I DON’T WANT MUSCLE, I WANT TO TONE
The process of toning involves losing body fat, and then building muscle mass. Body recomposition
Remember, muscle is more dense than fat. 1 lb of muscle = 1 lb of fat, but 1lb of muscle takes less volume.

CAN I SPOT REDUCE FAT FROM A SPECIFIC AREA?
No.
Fat loss = central approach = you cannot choose where fat comes off from
Muscle building = local approach = you can focus on muscle development in specific areas

DEFINITIONS

Concentric action = Muscle is shortening
Eccentric action = Muscle is lengthening
Isometric action = Muscle is producing force at an immobile point
ROM = Range of motion
RIR = Reps in reserve
RPE = Rate of perceived exertion. (i.e. RPE 9 = 1 RIR)
1RM = 1 Rep Max = Max load for 1 repetition
DOMS = Delayed onset muscle soreness
Progressive Overload = More over time
Deload = Period of reduced intensity

3 MECHANISMS OF HYPERTROPHY

1. Metabolic stress = High reps, short rest periods, train for temporary fatigue
Confirmation = The burn, the pump
2. Mechanical tension = Heavy load, progressive overload, time under tension
Confirmation = strength gains
3. Muscular damage = Novelty, full ROM, eccentric action
Confirmation = Soreness later (DOMS)

We don’t need all 3 for hypertrophy. 10/10 not necessary – 5/10, 5/10, 5/10 is great

Periodization = a way to program different stages of the muscle growth and fat loss process, in order to optimize and sustain results and minimize the risk of overtraining and burnout.
A good training program will strategically adjust the training variables while incorporating progressive overload (more over time) and deloads (periods of reduced intensity)

Training variables
LOAD
INTENSITY OF EFFORT
VOLUME
TEMPO
REST PERIODS
EXERCISE ORDER
EXERCISE SELECTION
FREQUENCY

We all love food, as we should. But what food do we love, and why? Can we learn to love food that is actually good for us? Yes, it’s possible, with a little effort and education. 

When we say we ‘love’ food, we describe the sensation we experience internally when we think of, anticipate and go through the process of eating. Excitement, instant gratification, comfort. 

The sensations we feel are regulated by our Nervous System (brain & nerves) and Endocrine System (glands & hormones). These systems coordinate our body’s functions in order to maintain homeostasis (internal body balance) and keep us surviving and thriving. 

Neurotransmitters & Hormones – Our body’s chemical messengers, created by our Nervous and Endocrine systems, they control how we function and how we feel. These are the ‘behind the scenes’ to what we love and don’t love. 

Dopamine, often called the ‘pleasure chemical’ is the brain’s primary reward chemical, and it plays a role in identifying and reinforcing (rewarding) experiences and behavior our brain thinks are good for us and our survival, such as eating high sugar/fat/calories meals. Dopamine makes us feel good, excited, instant gratification. We ‘love’ the feeling of Dopamine. 

Ghrelin, often called the ‘hunger hormone’ plays a key role in appetite regulation, caloric intake and fat loss/gains. When empty, our stomach sends a signal to the brain to feel hungry and eat more. Ghrelin makes us feel hungry, uncomfortable until we eat. We ‘hate’ the feeling of Ghrelin. 

Evolutionary Mismatch – Our brain always wants what’s best for us, to survive and thrive. For our ancestors, that lived in hard times, where food was scarce and many died of starvation (not enough calories), it was best for them to eat a lot when food was available and expend less energy (energy preservation). Our bodies evolved to reinforce (reward) eating more and moving less. 

The world, our environment changed faster than our bodies. Today, we live in opposite times, food is no longer scarce, but too abundant. We also move much less. We are more sedentary. Unfortunately, our brain still rewards eating more and moving less. We need to adapt to our new environment, and turn that around. Eat less and move more.

Food addiction = Hedonic eating behavior = consumption of highly palatable foods (high in salt, sugar, fat) in quantities beyond homeostatic energy requirements. Continued consumption driven by our desire for instant gratification (pleasure), despite negative consequences to your health and well being.

Your current ‘love’ for food could be an addiction. It is possible to change that into a healthy relationship, a healthy eating habit.

Imagine getting excited about eating a meal that is good for you, experiencing pleasure while eating it, feeling good after, and getting healthier with each meal.

It is possible!

Use your conscious mind to reprogram your subconscious mind. To do that you need a strong conscious mind. To build a strong conscious mind, you need to study and understand your brain and your systems within. 

Habits – According to Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, habits need three elements to form: a cue, a routine, and a reward. Once these three elements are in place, a habit is reinforced by craving—the anticipation of the reward when you perceive the cue. 

Habit Replacement – Keep the cue and the reward, replace the routine once we get a cue. i.e., cue = we’re going for a workout, previous routine = conventional coffee or pre-workout, new routine = mushroom coffee, reward = good energy, awesome workout, endorphins

Environmental Design – Design your environment so it’s easy to do the right things and harder to do the wrong things. Keep cues to bad habits out of reach. No junk at home, stay away from food marketing media. Keep your 1L meals close, keep a water bottle with you at all times, keep your gym clothes handy. 

Adaptation & Neuroplasticity – Our brain can always change for the better – Keep eating healthy meals, move your body and stick to good habits. Once the brain registers that these are good for your survival in the new environment we live in, it will want you to continue them. It does that by reinforcing (rewarding) you with pleasure chemicals. Yes, you can learn to ‘love’ the good stuff!!  Be patient. 

Conditioning – The process of modifying our body’s response to a stimulus through association. 

Classic Conditioning – we create a new stimulus to condition a desired behavior (eating a proper meal). 

i.e. – Think of how you will feel and look on vacation in a few months, before you have a meal today. 

Associate your meal with feeling and looking better in the near future.

Operant conditioning – we reinforce a desired behavior (eating a proper meal) with a reward after the behavior is complete. 

i.e. – You don’t need to do the dishes or clean up after you have a 1L meal.

Associate your meal with convenience, efficiency, less stress.

Reward Prediction Error – Expect less from an experience, you will get more Dopamine if the reward is more than what you expected.

CLARIFICATIONS 

I DON’T HAVE THE ENERGY TO WORK OUT, TO GO FOR A WALK 

As long as you have body fat, you have energy. Body fat = stored energy. 10lbs of body fat = 35,000 calories, that’s a lot of energy. 

I AM STARVING 

As long as you have body fat, and most of us do, you will not starve any time soon, especially here in Canada in the 21st century.