Why Both Macros and Mindset Matter
I’ve said it a thousand times. You can’t outwork a shitty diet. Nutrition is the number one building block to a healthy body and mind. Let’s say you hit the gym 5 hours a day, but you ‘Run on Dunkin’ Donuts. You’ll end up not only overweight, but with every health ailment under the sun. ‘Everything runs on Dunkin’ except for you.
Just look at the movie Super Size Me. A short documentary where a man ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days. The film came under scrutiny later as the main character also consumed copious amounts of alcohol through filming. Still though, the fact that he gained 13% body fat/nearly 25 pounds in 1 month is insane.
The weight wasn’t the worst part. His cholesterol spiked, he experienced mood swings, lack of sex drive, fat accumulation in his liver, and heart palpitations. I hope none of us eat McDonald’s every meal every day for 30 days, but we all have our guilty pleasure.
With everything he had going on in his body, what do you think was happening in his head? Can you fathom the change in confidence? Imagine teleporting into a body 20 years older than you are today. How would you feel about yourself when one day you’re jogging up the stairs and the next day you’re out of breath at the first few steps
Understanding Macros: The Building Blocks of Performance
What are Macros? Simply put, they are the ‘macronutrients’ your body needs in large amounts. This specifically covers Carbs, Fat, & Protein. Most people subscribe to the 40/30/30 guide. 40% carbs, 30% fat, & 30% protein. Everyone’s body is different, and you need to find out what portions work best for you. I ask that you challenge your thoughts. Just because you like something doesn’t make it right. Find opposite opinions and try them out to see what works.
Example: Some ‘influencers’ in the wild hype up the high protein diet. I’m all for it! My two favorite food groups are protein and fiber (Yes I know that’s not a food group). If I could eat steak and broccoli the rest of my life, I’d never complain. But there’s a flaw here and it has to do with portion control. If you weigh 250 lbs and need 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight… that’s 2 and a half WHOLE chickens a day. Not going to help you lose weight.
I stumbled across Hermes the Cynic on TikTok, which revolutionized how I view nutrition. Sure, the guy might be an idiot, but if you’re looking for weight loss, he’s got some good stuff. He mostly covers fasting, which I would suggest you research on your own. In my humble opinion, if it’s good enough for the bible, it’s good enough for me. On these TikTok videos he discusses the book “The Obesity Code” by Jason Fung. I read the book and can tell you it challenges everything you’ve ever heard. Hell, they even have a podcast if you don’t want to go through the whole book. Check them out at The Obesity Code Podcast.
The Mindset Shift: Winning the Mental Battle of Fitness
You’ve heard the saying, ‘you are what you eat?’ The real hell is ‘you are what you think’. What you focus on in life is what you get. If you let yourself focus on all the negative, you can’t see the forest through the trees
This is why I recommend focus on discipline over motivation. Honestly even discipline is bullshit, but rather habits towards success. Too tired to go to the gym? Make yourself hit the treadmill for 20 minutes. The action of going to the gym gives you the feeling of accomplishment that sitting on the couch eating Cheetos can’t. Train your body to enjoy the gym, run, or a good hike.
Building mental toughness is rough. What mental toughness boils down to is your self-image. You tell yourself, “I’m Fat, I’m slow, I’m shy, etc.” Your brain believes what you tell it to believe. The good news? Your brain is a supercomputer, and you can change its programming. It’s always simple but never easy.
Your primary goal each day is to stack wins. Overcome the excuses. I love Mel Robins 3-2-1 rule. Let’s say you’re waking up in the morning. You start by feeding the family, getting the kids ready for school, going to work, etc. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, count down. Take a deep breath and count down from 3 out loud, then get up. If you ever come up against an action that you know you need to make, but don’t want to, try the count down theory and see if that helps.
Goal setting is the easy part. Everyone can tell you a goal. ‘lose weight, run a marathon, play with my kids, look good for my wife, etc.’ What matters is visualization. Think of that person that weighs what you want to weigh. What kind of person weighs that amount? What kind of person IS a marathon runner? What type of person IS active enough to play with their kids. You need to become the type of person that does those things. Through the process of becoming, you reach the goal.
Fueling Your Fitness: How to Align Macros with Mindset
Meal Prepping! This doesn’t mean making chicken and rice every Sunday and eating it for every meal. Life is short and food is too good to eat ground beef from a Ziplock bag. Plan out your meals and come up with rewards. You enjoy steak? Make it a family or spouse night at the grill. Try steak with corn on the cob. Make homemade pasta with your wife. Sure, it isn’t the healthiest option, but you can control your portions, avoid all the processed chemicals, and spend quality time with your family.
Don’t focus on the scale. You’d be surprised how little the scale matters. You start lifting weights while wanting to lose weight… you’ll gain muscle mass faster than you lose fat and have the reverse effect. You’re playing a mental game so learn the rules. How do your jeans feel? Does that shirt fit better around your midsection? Did you wrestle with your kids longer than normal? Those are the metrics that matter. The weight will work itself out.
No one is perfect. Set up guardrails to keep you accountable. Try to get your significant other to go to the gym with you. But don’t skip out on social events, travel, and life experiences. It’s okay to eat the wedding cake, enjoy the craft beer, and order the appetizer. But keep it in moderation. Destroying a pumpkin pie for dinner, getting blackout drunk at a bachelor party, or gorging yourself at a buffet isn’t moderation and you know you can do better.
To keep your mind sharp, make sure you recover. Sleep, Hydration, and rest days make a difference. You spend 1/3rd of your life asleep. Have a great bed, fix your sleep apnea, and find someone good to sleep next to. 60% of your body is water so keep that Nalgene handy. You can’t replace it with coffee & beer (I’ve tried). Rest days are good for you. Reward yourself. When we’re all old and can’t be active, you won’t regret missing one day at the gym, but you will remember that time you floated the river with your buddies instead.
Conclusion: The StudlyStuff Challenge
I encourage you to take control of your macros. Do your research. Find your plan. And set up guardrails to keep you on track. You might fall off the track but get back on and keep going.
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