Restricted Under Lock & Key...

One of the most vital and detrimental tools in weight-loss / weight gain / athletic development is your mind. It plays the single largest role in the process. For if it weren't for your mind you wouldn't be able to set goals, keep yourself accountable, determine your 'why', and/or succeed. With it however, you also face self inflicted road blocks, 'why-nots', discontent, disbelief, and failure. The mind is equal parts the motivator and the discourager. How you manage your emotions and self talk greatly impact the outcome of any and all goals. This leads to todays main topic; restriction.

I wish to look at restrictions from a few different angles.

Firstly, how restricting can play a detriment in your success.

Secondly, how restricting can be a tool for success, when monitored and applied appropriately.

Thirdly, how restricting your restrictions is about balance.

1. How does restricting become a detriment to your success?

The incessant production of thoughts as a result of misinformation about how to approach weight loss (in particular) has crippled many people's goals and aspirations. There is an alarming amount of individuals globally, thanks in due to social media, that believe that weight loss or obtaining their wished upon physiology comes from restricting calorie intake. Currently, there is a host of online trainers that push a calorie deficit to lose weight. Don't get me wrong, math is math, and in order to lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit. But there are two things to address here. Firstly, the issue becomes clear when people buy into eating in a calorie deficit, but at an unsustainable scale. Logically, if eating 300 less calories a day means you will lose 0.5lb in a week, then eating 1000 less must mean you lose 1.5lb per week. Why not eat less to lose more? The issue becomes one of sustainability. Depending on your current weight and fat mass, losing that much weight on a weekly bases could be either clinically advised (BF%30+) or have you laying in a clinic. Cutting calories at an extreme can cause serious harm. In woman who cut weight rapidly and cut to below 12% body fat, face issues with reproduction; loss of their menstruation and decrease in hormonal activity. Men also experience loss of testosterone and estrogen as BF% begins to dip below 10%. This is but a small impact when calorie cutting is done right. The implications mount as you look at the physiological detriments that occur to those (most) whom cut improperly. Skeletal and muscular mass decrease, skeletal frailty, and reduction in cardiac output. When you cut for the sake of reducing calories without attention to macro intake, you run the risk of hurting your internal environment, which can have long term repercussions. The second point I wish to make here is that most people mistake weight-loss for being leaner. I would go out on a limb to say that most people want to be leaner, not necessarily lose weight, but think that you have to lose weight to be leaner.

Take this picture as an example. Same guy, same weight. Different fat %. I would once more go on a limb to bet that anyone who was offered this image without any details would say A) he lost weight between the two and / or B) they'd prefer to look like the right side image.

With that being the case, and without knowing the difference between losing weight and getting leaner, one could quickly find themselves looking nothing of what they intended.

So what is the difference? How can you weight the same but be leaner? The key here is muscle mass. Depending on your current BF% you don't need to lose weight, you need to reconfigure it. By building muscle mass you effectively stretch out the fat mass across a greater surface area thus reducing the total fat mass to muscle mass ratio. Building muscle requires a higher metabolic output which in turn uses predominately fat as fuel source when resting and recovering. With more muscle comes a greater prioritization of protein which in turn has a higher thermic effect, meaning it requires more energy to burn, absorb, and process than Carbs and Fats. Effectively eating more protein will induce a higher burning of calories, build more muscle, and form a positive feedback loop.

So when you approach body transformation, isolate what your intended outcome is. If it's to look more like the right picture, then weight-loss is likely not the right move. Body recomposition is. That means ladies and gentlemen, eating more, training more, and sleeping more. MORE..MORE...MORE. (Always adhering to the principles of nutrition of course).

2. How can restricting be a tool for success?

This is where, in part, the hypocrisy sets in. There are of course instances that require restriction when it comes to calories. And I wish to restrict these instances to sport and performance. As I believe, with the exception of clinically advised weight loss, that people can transform their bodies with the application of calorie maintenance or surplus coupled with proper training more so, then restricting calories and tons of cardio. But there does come time where cutting weight is important for success. These instances include sports like boxing, Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, and bodybuilding. With weight cutting part of the sport having a strong understanding of how to restrict calories is important. Understanding the role of macro nutrients, nutrient timing, and sustainable calorie cutting must be your first intention.

To give you an idea. Current three time Mr. Olympia in the classic division, Chris Bumstead, will go on a vigorous 12 week cut to peak for a show. That's 3-months of micro decreases in calories. For someone who has a lot of muscle mass and needs to get to a very low body fat percentage, every calorie must be meticulously calculated. The timing and type of food is equally important, so not to interfere with the final product. Even how much salt he consumes can be the difference between a 3rd and 1st place finish on the day. In this circumstance, even with an Olympia title on the line, you won't see drastic calorie cuts. He will still only apply enough of a calorie deficit to lose 0.5lb per week. Stretched across 12 weeks, it is a slow and meticulous process. Even so, the sustainability of this drastic of a weight cut, however incremental it is, is extremely low. But mostly on the factor of such a low body fat %. So this lends hand to what I mentioned above about coupling your intended outcome with the right procedure. Is weight loss actually the key to your success? Whether in season or off-season, Chris Bumstead is very muscular and lean, why? Muscle mass. And each subsequent off-season that he puts on more weight, he increases he ability to reach a lower body fat %. Why? Muscle mass.

Another example is Mr. Notorious himself, Connor McGregor. On fight night McGregor may be walking around at 155lbs depending on the division, but come weigh in he has to be at 140lbs (Featherweight). That's a 15lb weight cut. And due to the impact a long term deficit has on sport performance, these cuts usually take place within the week of the fight at the earliest, some even the night before. Failure to reach this weight results in a forfeit. Often fights still take place, but the one who couldn't reach the weight forfeits their right to the prize purse.

You can see how the science behind cutting weight is important to understand. In the world of competitive sport it can be the difference between winning and losing or getting paid. Outside of this however, the utility of cutting weight to this extreme is zero. There is no place for it.

3. How restricting your restrictions is about balance and provides a sense of self assurance.

Restriction is a double edged sword. Why i've spent most of this article speaking to calorie restriction is because that's where a majority of people will find themselves lost or questioning. If I can help solve that issue, then maybe we can move towards using a restrictive mindset as a tool. Restricting something whether it's a substance or yourself can aid in setting parameters. For example, whether as an athlete or someone trying to get into shape, restricting the intake of processed goods can greatly impact your success. Restricting is not elimination. Restricting leaves room. So restricting processed goods for example to 10% of your total daily caloric intake allows you to still enjoy some savoury pastries while hitting 90% of your goal. By restricting from a holistic standpoint you can have a better control over how much you consume if it be calories or how many extra sets of bicep curls you do. Another way to look at restriction is from self restriction. Restricting yourself from certain physical or mental vices, restricting yourself from doing more than your coach prescribes, or restricting yourself from staying up an extra hour to swipe through instagram. Now all this talk of restriction may seem daunting, or maybe you wish to call it something else. For sure restriction can be seen as discipline or consistency, all words I love to use as well, but in essence it is restriction. And that's fine! As much as progress is give, it is also a lot of take. It takes a restriction of external inhibiting factors to move forward sometimes. So as much as the idea of restriction can lead you to improperly approach weight loss, it can also be a vital tool in controlling certain aspects of your character that may impede progress.

Conclusively, restriction is about balance. In order to reach a goal, it will most often be more give then take, and you must be prepared to restrict yourself from habits and vices that may derail your success. Weight loss and leaning out require two different processes, the latter being the one most people shy away from leading them to improperly apply the first. Eating more doesn't always mean you'll get heavier if you follow the principles of macronutrients. Weight doesn't directly dictate fat%, some of the heaviest athletes have the lowest body fat percentages. When you restrict calories, you restrict yourself from reaching your goal, 9 times out of 10.

Be mindful and open minded.

"Progression is built through consistency and tested by passion"

JB