I’m going to explain exactly how I got to 3% body fat without dieting or ever feeling hungry.
I recently had the opportunity to have a Body Composition Analysis done using the InBody Analyzer. To determine the accuracy of this machine, I completed the test twice, on two different machines, two weeks apart. The numbers of both tests very were similar, therefore I believe the results to be accurate.
First of all, I want to let everyone know that I am not naturally lean. In fact, prior to this test, my last body fat percentage test 10 years ago was over 18%.
So, how exactly did I get to a body fat percentage of 3% without dieting, or even consciously trying to achieve this goal? It came down to 3 simple, easy to follow lifestyle changes. My Workouts, my Nutrition, and my Routine. I was not dieting, there were no magic pills or supplements involved, and I did not feel like I was depriving myself of anything. As I mentioned, I wasn’t trying to achieve this level of body fat percentage, it just happened naturally when I implemented these 3 simple lifestyle changes..
The Workouts:
For my workouts, I did High Intensity Interval Training, the exact HI-JRT workouts I program each day on the website. I focused on non-stop intervals of jump rope and high rep strength training exercises. Most workouts were between 15 and 30 minutes, and I would typically do one of these workouts every day. By combining the high intensity conditioning of the jump rope with strength training movements, either weighted or bodyweight, I was able to cut my workout time considerably. I was getting ripped while building lean, fat burning muscle.
The Nutrition:
I mentioned that I was able to get to 3% body fat without “dieting”. I never felt hungry, or felt as though I was denying myself the foods I craved. The truth is, I was actually eating MORE food, MORE often. The difference was the type of food I was eating. I was eating lean chicken breast, broccoli, and brown rice for 2-3 of my main meals for the day. Sometimes I would substitute steak if I felt like something different. For breakfast I would typically have about 6-7 scrambled egg whites, turkey bacon, and fresh fruit.
The big difference was what I did between these meals, and that was continually to eat small snacks thought the day. About every 60-90 minutes I was eating something, usually it was fruit, nuts, protein shakes, protein bars, jerky, etc. This kept me from feeling hungry, and because the snacks were small and healthy, my body was simply using them as fuel and never storing them as fat.
The key is to find a meal and nutrition plan that is healthy and you enjoy, otherwise you will never maintain it. This is a permanent lifestyle change, you should never feel as though you are on a “diet”. I was enjoying the food I was eating, my sweet tooth cravings were being satisfied by either the protein shakes or the bars I was eating throughout the day. Also, I allowed myself “treat” meals on Saturday nights. Now, these “treat” meals weren’t an all out binge of large pizzas and buckets of fried chicken fingers. They were quality meals like steak, chicken piccata, and sometimes pasta. I even had one cupcake every Saturday night from this amazing bake shop near my house.
The truth is, I knew these small treats were not going to make any difference. They simply allowed me a change from my normal routine, and I never felt like I was going back on a “diet” the next day.
So, now I have to mention one of the most important changes I made, and also the one I believe made the biggest difference in not only how I looked, but how I felt. This is often the one change that people do not like to hear, and have the hardest time with.
I completely stopped drinking alcohol.
This was kinda a big deal for me because I was a big beer drinker. But once I saw the effect it had on my body, not to mention how I felt, it got easier and easier to say no.
The Routine:
I love having a schedule, it keeps me in check. I’m also very efficient and try not waste time. So I decided to implement a strict sleeping schedule that did not vary at all during the week. It didn’t matter if it was a Wednesday night or a Saturday night, I was in bed by 9pm, and usually fast asleep within 5 minutes.
I began to naturally wake up at 4:30 every morning, without an alarm. This told me that my I was fully rested, and that my optimal sleep duration was 7 1/2 hours per night. So I stuck with it and have not changed it. By keeping this strict schedule, it has allowed my body and brain to be in tune with each other. If you change it up on the weekends, and deprive yourself of your optimal length of sleep, you are going to confuse your body and make it do things that you don’t want it to, like start storing fat.
Summary
So as you can see, I didn’t have to do anything crazy or drastic to get in the best shape of my life. It will just happen naturally by making a few healthy changes. I have built a lifestyle that I can easily maintain for years. I’m stronger than I have ever been, I enjoy eating the foods I get to eat, I like the way I look, and a just feel great!
If you would like to follow my routine and get the same results, please join JRT GYM and start building your best body ever!
Have a great day!
Chris McCarthy
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