Ep 5: How to Diet Without Being "On" a Diet

Today is the DIET and NUTRITION episode, one of my favorite topics. Although this IS a podcast focused on lifting and getting strong, what you eat—and more importantly, HOW MUCH you eat—plays a huge role in your ability to lose fat (while preserving muscle) or gain muscle (while limiting fat gain).

You can’t have one without the other—and I’m going to assume you’re here because you want to get stronger AND leaner, and you want to do it productively without spinning your wheels.

I’m very passionate about taking a SUSTAINABLE approach to diet because, like many of you, I’ve personally experienced yo-yo dieting, fad diets, and all sorts of crazy food restrictions and questionable supplements over the years. Only in the last two years or so did I finally make peace with the nutrition gods and realize that proper nutrition is not nearly as complicated or restrictive as I once thought.

Today we’re going on a journey together that will equip you with the tools you need to eat a balanced, enjoyable diet for the rest of your life.

In today’s episode, we cover:

• The spectrum of dieting and why traditional diets don’t work over the long-term
• A balanced, flexible, and sustainable approach that won’t drive you crazy
• Focusing on what’s important and not sweating the rest
• An overview of calories and macronutrients, and the phases of weight change
• Determining your individual energy needs for your goal and then adjusting for success
• The phases of weight change and how they align with your goals as a lifter
• And finally, a brief foray regarding some specific foods and supplements

Timestamps:

00:31 - The importance of sustainability in diet and nutrition
02:37 - So many diets...which one to "choose"?
06:49 - A more balanced and flexible approach
09:29 - Focus on the "big things" to achieve results
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10:02 - #1: Calories (energy balance)
23:08 - #2: Macronutrients ("macros")
38:20 - #3: Macro targets to meet YOUR goal
47:45 - #4: How to ADJUST and keep making progress
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51:01 - Some helpful tips!
53:39 - Food ideas
58:16 - Supplements (whey protein and creatine)
1:01:29 - Recap and next episode

RELATED LINKS

• MacroFactor app for food logging and calculating expenditure (use code "WITSANDWEIGHTS" to extend free trial to 14 days)

💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.

📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.

👥 Join our Facebook community -  For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.

👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram