How to sustainably lose fat while maintaining muscle | Peter Attia and Derek MPMD

Summary

The script discusses sustainable weight loss strategies, contrasting them with the extreme, short-term methods of bodybuilders. It emphasizes the importance of a gradual, calculated approach, suggesting not to exceed a 1% body weight loss per week. The speaker advises maintaining at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to preserve muscle mass, and adjusting caloric intake to create a manageable deficit. The conversation also touches on the role of creatine in enhancing performance and body composition, advocating for a balanced diet with an appropriate macronutrient distribution.

Takeaways

• 🏋️‍♂️ Bodybuilders are careful with their diet, not creating huge deficits at any one point, but rather staggering their approach to reach their goals.
• 🥩 Bodybuilders aim for at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to sustain muscle mass, even as they approach competition.
• 📉 The general recommendation for sustainable weight loss is not more than 1% of body weight per week, aiming for around a pound of weight loss.
• 🔍 To find your maintenance calories, track your diet for a week and adjust based on whether your weight goes up or down.
• 📊 A common macronutrient ratio for a bodybuilding diet is 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat to support performance and hormone production.
• 🚫 Creatine is a supplement that bodybuilders often use up to the stage for its benefits in muscle performance and volume, contrary to old beliefs about bloating.
• 🍽️ Bodybuilders become very adept at estimating their food's nutritional content, reducing the need for tracking apps over time.
• 🔄 The importance of adjusting carbs and protein intake based on gym performance needs, while keeping fat intake stable for hormone support.
• 🚶‍♂️ Incorporating light activity, like walking after meals, can improve nutrient partitioning and overall body composition.
• ⚖️ A calorie deficit of around 300 calories from maintenance is a good starting point for weight loss, allowing for gradual and sustainable progress.
• 🚫 Aggressive cutting can lead to a state of adaptation where the body conserves energy, leading to a plateau in weight loss and potential health issues.

Q & A

What is the main concern regarding bodybuilders' approach to dieting for a competition?

The main concern is that bodybuilders can be overly aggressive with their diets, leading to a state of nutrient deprivation and potentially damaging their endocrine system, which is not sustainable in the long term.

How do bodybuilders typically approach their diet leading up to a competition?

Bodybuilders take a staggered and calculated approach, gradually reducing their body fat percentage and adjusting their macronutrient intake to sustain training volume and muscle mass, rather than creating huge deficits at any one point in time.

What is the recommended general guideline for a sustainable weight loss per week?

A general guideline for sustainable weight loss is not to lose more than 1% of body weight per week, which can be adjusted based on individual needs and circumstances.

What is the significance of protein intake in a bodybuilder's diet, especially as they approach a competition?

Protein intake is crucial for preserving muscle tissue and supporting muscle protein synthesis. Bodybuilders typically aim for at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to prevent muscle loss during their weight loss phase.

How do bodybuilders determine their maintenance calorie intake?

They can use online calculators for a rough estimate or track their exact diet for a week to see the average calorie intake that maintains their current weight. Adjustments are made based on whether their weight goes up or down.

What is the role of creatine in a bodybuilder's diet, and should it be discontinued before a competition?

Creatine is important for muscle performance, volume, and anti-catabolic effects. Contrary to past beliefs, most bodybuilders continue to take creatine up to the stage as it helps with cosmetic appearance and sustaining training performance.

What is the recommended macronutrient ratio for a sustainable weight loss diet?

A common macronutrient ratio is 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 20% fat, which helps to sustain hormone production and support gym performance.

How can a person ensure they are consuming an adequate amount of fiber during their weight loss journey?

Fiber can be obtained through vegetables and sometimes supplements like celium husk. While fiber intake is important for overall health, the primary focus for bodybuilders is on macronutrient balance rather than optimizing for fiber.

What is the impact of a very low-fat diet on body composition and performance?

A very low-fat diet can lead to a reduction in calories and potentially better body composition, but it may also affect performance. It's important to find a balance that supports both performance and fat loss goals.

How does physical activity, such as walking after meals, affect nutrient partitioning and body composition?

Physical activity, even simple walking, can improve nutrient partitioning, leading to better body composition by helping to shuttle nutrients more effectively and stabilize blood glucose levels.

What are the potential pitfalls of aggressive and rapid weight loss methods?

Aggressive weight loss can lead to a faster state of adaptation where the body starts to conserve energy and reduce non-exercise activity thermogenesis. It can also lead to nutrient deprivation and hormonal suppression, making it unsustainable and difficult to maintain.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Sustainable Weight Loss and Bodybuilding Practices

The paragraph discusses sustainable weight loss strategies, contrasting them with the extreme measures taken by bodybuilders before competitions. It emphasizes the importance of not starving oneself and maintaining a healthy endocrine system. Bodybuilders are portrayed as being very mindful of preserving tissue and not creating huge deficits at once, but rather taking a staggered and calculated approach. The speaker suggests a general rule of thumb for weight loss is not more than 1% of body weight per week, and recommends consuming at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to sustain muscle mass. The paragraph also touches on the use of creatine by bodybuilders for its various benefits, including muscle performance and volume.

05:01

🥗 Macronutrient Balance and Creatine Supplementation

This paragraph delves into the macronutrient balance for optimal performance and body composition. It highlights the significance of protein intake, suggesting a ratio of 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat as a starting point. The discussion includes the importance of tracking daily nutritional intake and the potential use of apps or mental calculation for bodybuilders. Creatine is again mentioned as a top supplement for performance, with its benefits extending beyond muscle gains to neurological and mental health. The paragraph also touches on the downsides of extra lean mass for certain sports and the role of fiber in bodybuilders' diets, suggesting that while fiber is important, it's not the primary focus for those optimizing for muscle gain.

10:03

🚶‍♂️ The Role of Movement and Cardio in Nutrient Partitioning

The speaker discusses the impact of movement on nutrient partitioning and the benefits of incorporating light activity, such as walking, even when on a strict diet. It suggests that moving after eating can be more potent than medication in controlling blood glucose levels and contributes to better body composition. The paragraph also addresses the potential pitfalls of aggressive calorie cutting, which can lead to a faster state of adaptation and a decrease in non-exercise activity thermogenesis. The advice is to start with a moderate calorie deficit and adjust as necessary based on weight loss progress, avoiding drastic measures that could lead to unsustainable practices and hormonal suppression.

15:05

🔍 Fine-Tuning Caloric Deficit and Avoiding Plateaus

The final paragraph focuses on the fine-tuning of caloric intake to achieve a sustainable weight loss without hitting plateaus. It advises against drastic reductions in calorie intake, which can lead to nutrient deprivation and hormonal issues. The speaker recommends starting with a 300-calorie deficit and adjusting based on weight loss progress, suggesting that a slower and more measured approach is more effective in the long term. The paragraph concludes with a warning against aggressive cutting and the importance of maintaining a balance between diet and exercise to avoid digging oneself into a metabolic hole.

Keywords

💡Sustainable weight loss

Sustainable weight loss refers to a long-term approach to reducing body weight through healthy dietary and lifestyle changes, rather than quick fixes or extreme measures. In the video, the importance of sustainable weight loss is emphasized as a contrast to the rapid, unhealthy methods sometimes used by bodybuilders. The script mentions that a gradual and mindful approach is key to maintaining weight loss without damaging one's health, suggesting a rate of about 1% of body weight per week as a reasonable target.

💡Bodybuilders' diet

The term 'bodybuilders' diet' is used in the script to describe the restrictive and intense dietary practices some bodybuilders follow to achieve extremely low body fat percentages for competitions. The script contrasts this unsustainable approach with a healthier, more gradual method of weight loss, highlighting that bodybuilders are actually very careful about preserving muscle tissue and do not create huge deficits at any one point in time.

💡Deficit

A 'deficit' in the context of the video refers to the caloric deficit, which is the difference between the calories consumed and the calories burned by the body. The script discusses the importance of maintaining a moderate caloric deficit to promote sustainable weight loss, suggesting a starting point of a 300-calorie deficit and adjusting as needed based on weight loss progress.

💡Macronutrient

Macronutrients are the three main nutrients our bodies need in large amounts: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The script emphasizes the importance of balancing macronutrients for a sustainable weight loss plan, mentioning a common macronutrient ratio of 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat as a framework for maintaining hormone production and fueling performance.

💡Micronutrient

Micronutrients, though not explicitly mentioned in the script, are essential vitamins and minerals needed by the body in smaller amounts. They are important for overall health and can play a role in weight loss by ensuring the body functions optimally. The script implies the importance of a balanced diet that includes micronutrients, even if it does not directly discuss them.

💡Protein

Protein is a macronutrient that is crucial for muscle growth and repair. The script mentions that bodybuilders and those looking to lose weight sustainably should consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to preserve muscle mass while in a caloric deficit.

💡Creatine

Creatine is a supplement that helps increase muscle volume and strength, and it is discussed in the script as beneficial for performance and muscle maintenance. It is noted that contrary to old beliefs, bodybuilders take creatine up to the stage as it helps with cosmetic appearance and sustaining training performance, and it may have additional health benefits.

💡Calorie maintenance

Calorie maintenance refers to the number of calories a person needs to consume to maintain their current body weight without gaining or losing. The script advises finding one's maintenance calories and then creating a moderate deficit from that baseline to achieve sustainable weight loss.

💡Nutrient partitioning

Nutrient partitioning is the concept of how the body distributes nutrients to different areas, such as muscle or fat storage. The script suggests that combining diet with physical activity can improve nutrient partitioning, leading to better body composition and preventing fat gain during weight loss.

💡Adaption

Adaption in the context of the script refers to the body's response to a caloric deficit, such as slowing down metabolism and hormone production to compensate for the lack of nutrients. The discussion warns against aggressive cutting because it can lead to rapid adaptation, making weight loss less effective and more difficult to sustain.

💡Cardio

Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, is mentioned in the script as a component of a weight loss regimen. It is suggested that some bodybuilders may avoid cardio, but the script argues that combining diet with cardio can be beneficial for nutrient partitioning and overall body composition.

Highlights

The importance of a sustainable weight loss approach as opposed to drastic methods like those used by bodybuilders pre-competition.

Bodybuilders are more mindful of preserving tissue and do not create huge deficits at any one point in time.

The process of bodybuilders getting to stage involves a staggered and calculated approach to avoid tissue loss.

Bodybuilders typically consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to sustain muscle mass.

The recommendation for a general approach to weight loss is a calorie deficit of around 300 calories from maintenance levels.

Finding one's maintenance calories involves tracking diet and adjusting based on weekly weight changes.

Creatine is highlighted as a supplement that is beneficial for performance and muscle volumizing.

The role of fiber in a bodybuilding diet and how it's typically obtained through vegetables.

The general macronutrient split for bodybuilders, often around 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat.

The potential downside of a low-fat diet and the importance of maintaining a minimum amount of fat intake.

How bodybuilders modulate their carb intake based on gym performance needs.

The recommendation to not aggressively cut calories too fast to avoid entering a state of adaptation and nutrient deprivation.

The benefits of incorporating light activity or cardio even when on a calorie deficit for better nutrient partitioning.

The idea that moving after eating can help control blood glucose levels and improve energy stabilization.

The suggestion to adjust caloric intake and activity levels gradually to avoid a weight loss plateau.

The potential issues with dropping calories too drastically and the need for a more sustainable approach to avoid malnourishment.

The strategy of milking a calorie deficit for gradual weight loss and adjusting as necessary based on progress.

The emphasis on tracking nutritional intake and becoming familiar with the caloric content of foods for precise diet management.

Transcripts

what's your advice to somebody who's

trying to lose weight um but in a

sustainable way so not like in some ways

when bodybuilders are doing it it's not

really sustainable because they're

really starving themselves down to a

competition and the way that they're

eating during that period of time is you

know it's it's so catabolic um that that

they're destroying their endocrine

system along the way but it's shortlived

and they're going to refeed when they're

done and and so while we can talk about

all of the different things that they

they might stack and do all

simultaneously

um you know what's your view on the

sustainable way to lose 10 pounds and

keep it off in terms of deficit I think

your perception of what bodybuilders do

as far as aggression towards their diet

is on hinged on their final outcome and

how steep it is to get there

cumulatively but the way they arrive

there no one is is more mindful of

preserving tissue than bodybuilders so

in other words they're not they're not

creating huge deficits at any one point

in time eventually they are at the point

that they absolutely need to but they're

more careful than any human I know oh

yeah I would believe that so if you were

to try and take away from a bodybuilder

how would I apply this when they're

stepping on stage at literally dice to

the socks 5% body fat it's not that

you're getting there it's that you're

stopping at like the eight we out from

competition Mark of a bodybuilder maybe

not eight maybe like 10 or 12 but the

process they took to get even there was

very staggered calculated they would not

red and by the way 10 to 12 weeks out

what's their body fat relative to that

five they're going to step on stage like

it depends at what level and how on

track they are but some of them are

starting at like you know 12% body fat

so perhaps that's not you know everyone

has different goals of what they

consider good so maybe this is like my

skewed Fitness perception saying 10 we

out bodybuilder is what you should shoot

for but just in general the process they

take to get from their Peak body fat

percentage to Stage Lan no one is more

mindful of titrating accordingly the

macronutrient and micronutrient input to

sustain training volume too because they

need to actually make sure their

training doesn't deteriorate because if

it does they're going to lose tissue so

yeah taking from that you see them at

least hitting 1 G per pound body weight

in protein like without fail and they

will hold that until the stage unless

there is some like maybe on the week of

they're already at their target body fat

and then at that point they're trying to

do tactics to make their stomach as you

know not full of anything as possible so

what they do on the last week doesn't

really count up up until a week out up

until a week out they would still be

taking one gram of protein per pound of

body weight typically and to your point

at this point you can't be doing that

with steaks cuz there's way too caloric

so you are on the chicken breast protein

powders depending on the person though

and I guess it depends on again the

quality of your meat because it's like

I've seen the macros on your Venison and

it's basically protein yeah so um

basically the staggered approach you

want to take is that you don't really

want to lose more than I think typically

it's like 1% of your body weight per

week is a general rule of thumb which is

I guess could be depending how obese you

are could be a little bit aggressive but

even let's just say a pound a week maybe

is like maybe a more reasonable Target

but in general if you are and this is

kind of a perhaps a more applicable

cookie cutter recommendation one gram

per pound of body weight which I think

everyone would essentially agree with in

a deficit to sustain um tissue lean

tissue muscle mass then from there you

want to be whatever your maintenance

calories is which is you know it might

take a little bit of finagling to figure

out what this is when you've never done

it before but there are calculators

online that roughly ballpark give you

what will be plus minus 300 calories or

something of what it takes to stably

hold your body weight for um like if you

ate that diet it wouldn't go up or down

what I do typically is I take that

number and I say use your exact diet for

a week with this calorie amount like

this is your diet model and this is your

totally calorie goal for the day eat

exactly this every day and then see what

the average is at the end of the week

cuz just going by daily

fluctuations could be wildly different

you might jump up or down based on water

based on food volume based on if you

took a dump or Not by the way when did

bodybuilders come off creatine they

don't they'll take creatine to the stage

yeah they used to think you should come

off because it's bloating but and I'm

sure Lane would tell you the same but

most of the water weight is in the

muscle yeah like it it is helpful for

cosmetic appearance and for sustaining

training uh performance got it so it's

anti-catabolic

interestingly enough it's one of the

only natural compounds that may inhibit

myostat in to so it has that upside um

and it's like all the things it does

from a neurological standpoint perhaps

fertility it's even used for depression

now in women at like 10 plus grams or

something which is crazy so a lot of use

cases are coming out but overall we all

know it works for muscle um for

performance in the gym as well as

volumizing the muscle would would you

say creatine is hands down the best over

the supplement for performance for sure

yeah can't think of anything off the top

of my head that would be superior

depending on your sport though CU if

you're yes if if weight is everything if

you're a cyclist or a runner you Pro you

the negative the downside of the extra

five lounds of lean masses perhaps yeah

prob not but um so yeah um making sure

you're getting your you know you have

some sort of number you're going to

adhere to and you know how to measure

every day which basically is just

reading every nutritional label you have

and becoming intimately aware of what

you're ingesting if you put something in

your mouth you count it regardless if

it's a sauce regardless if it's a drink

regardless of it's a lick like you you

count that and do do most

bodybuilders use like an app to do this

or can they just keep track in their

head after a while after a while they

are so in tune with it you can look at a

piece of meat know how much it's going

to shrink after cooking know how much

how many ounces it is how much that

equates to in protein uh calories like

everyone at a high level eventually you

become it becomes so ingrained that you

don't even need to track it because you

can literally look at it maybe you'll

keep the calorie count and the protein

count but you know what you're looking

at and can just write it down quick you

don't have to go look up and cross

reference you know on my fitness pal

what is a chicken breast 1 o cooked

equal so you're can at least look

forward to even though it's cumbersome

and arduous at the start eventually it

becomes so habitual you'll just know it

so you have a Target calorie amount

and you eat that every day for a week

and you see if your weight goes up or

down and if it goes up you know you're

eating a bit too much if it goes down

you know you're in a deficit and you

decide from there is the weight loss too

fast if you lost three pounds in a week

perhaps it's too fast and you want to

kind of like tight trate it back up a

little bit but ultimately you can kind

of shoot for once you know your

maintenance some amount of calories

where you're dropping you know 300 I

feel like is a good deficit to start at

because ideally and this is kind of the

whole General approach without getting

way too boring for everyone is you want

to keep your protein where it needs to

be which is a gram per pound you want to

have enough carbs to fuel performance

which depending on what sport you're

doing can vary but without getting too

complicated a good split a lot of people

follow is 40% protein 40% carbs 20% fat

and this is kind of like a ratio that

allows you to sustain uh hormone

production and have some amount of fat

that supports it um carbs for some level

of gym performance and then protein for

hopefully hitting your goals and it'll

depend on the person and modulate

accordingly but that's just a general

framework people can start with and you

can so that's a pretty lowfat diet is

yeah you would the fat and the protein

would typically stay around neutral and

you would typically lower the carbs

accordingly depending on how intensive

your exercise regimen and sport is but

in general I feel like like a minimum

amount of fat that would be like no

lower than that is kind of what I'm

saying so yeah and and what are some of

the concessions a person has to make to

get that low in fat like I don't I think

I'm probably literally the last time I

tracked my macros I

was almost exactly one3 1/3 one3 between

the three h um in general when I didn't

and I didn't feel like I was like eating

a ton of fat right it was just typically

when you are eating meat you will

achieve the majority of that through the

fat content of your meats and it will

depend how lean of the cuts you are

getting how many eggs you were eating at

the time but I'm just thinking like you

know the the olive oil on the salad and

stuff like that yeah but I guess that's

like you know they're they're just

cutting that out yeah like olive oil and

a salad is uh one of the first things I

would be looking at as you probably just

added what 200 to 300 calories to a big

salad for sure if not more so unless

you're Brian Johnson or willing to get

like 25% of your calories from oil um

probably not a bodybuilding conducive uh

macro allotment cuz it's like it's not

even though fat is satiating it's nine

calories per gram so where where do

bodybuilders get the majority of their

fiber typically it will be

through veggies if they're having them

and those are going to be

proportionately lower calories I suppose

but often times fiber is not um I know

some of them use like supplements too

like celium husk but I'm not to say that

I don't want to get into like a fiber

debate necessarily cuz I don't even know

like what the actual answer is there but

in general bodybuilders aren't really

paying right they're not optimizing for

health if we believe fiber is healthy

they're and I'm not saying neglect it

like I think that it is important but I

don't think that I I'm certainly not

saying remove your fiber in order to

achieve your deficit I'm I'm just saying

that you can proportionately get to your

goals almost certainly by modulating

carb intake essentially exclusively

typically and that's going to be in the

form of starchy carbs then yeah and like

you can modulate the type of foods

you're eating too to accommodate the

satiety is ultimately the takeaway like

from me cuz when it comes to actually

describing the nutritional literature I

hate it as much as you dude it's not

like something I like to talk about oh

how much fiber should you keep in like I

I don't know man like a decent amount

like some but enough that you can go to

the washroom property and it's you know

some healthy amount but ultimately what

I've seen in the bodybuilding space is

modulating carbs up and down accordingly

based on needs in the gym and protein

stays at an amount that is

anti-catabolic or conducive to muscle

protein synthesis in a surplus fat is

some amount that at least support

steroid hormone production as much as

you can tolerate and then carbs is like

the most performance-enhancing macro in

terms of actually driving your

performance outcomes in the gym

volumizing the muscle having glycogen

topped out it's Etc and from there I I

would typically recommend a 300 deficit

and literally milk that as many and up

in that week prior to show how many

calories is a bodybuilder typically down

to if they're stage ready and

they're natural and like sub 200 lb like

they might be down to you know below

2,000 calories potentially if they're a

top ifbb professional Mr Olympia a

competitor who weighs 260 you know they

could be at 2500 2600 it kind of depends

on the person which is interesting for

many people listening that sounds like a

lot of calories still but you're saying

given how big they are and that they're

still training pretty hard that's but

it's a pretty big deficit it also

depends how much they're willing to lean

into cardio cuz some guys will actually

prefer to just diet themsel into the

body fat and not do any cardio because

they just don't like it wouldn't Rec

recomend that though because one thing I

have learned over the years is from a

nutrient partitioning standpoint

actually moving when you're eating is

going to produce a better body

composition typically than trying to

just diet the whole deficit so what we

see even in like the ifbb with these TP

bodybuilders who are trying to not get

fat as they eat exorbitant amounts of

food and they're on insulin and HGH and

huge amounts of anabolics they are doing

things like going for walks after they

eat their meal which is more potent than

metformin at controlling blood glucose

like they're actually making sure they

are moving around and actually shuttling

nutrients as much as they can even

outside of the gym some are lazy and

don't do that but the ones that are

trying to make the most use of

maximizing the calories I see so the the

mobilization doesn't require that you

you know you're clearly not going to

oxidize everything you ate like if they

just ate 800 calories they're not going

to burn 800 calories on a walk of any

duration but just getting out there and

walking you're saying leads to better

fuel partitioning seemingly yeah

interesting and I think that is and you

can correct me if I'm wrong I mean I've

certainly anecdotally noticed the

Improvement in blood sugar yeah yeah

like it's uh even for stabilization of

like energy levels too like making sure

you're not hanging out on a couch with

your Spike blood glucose seems to be

pretty impactful not just for mental

performance but also for uh you know

partitioning and actually optimizing

body composition too so and that's an

enhanced ranks I guys eating exorbitant

amounts but anyways back to the layman

in general you're in a 300 deficit you

kind of milk that for all you can and by

that I mean the biggest problem and I

guess one of the biggest takeaways from

this whole discussion could be that the

people who aggressively cut way too fast

will end up losing more weight off the

bat but they will end up in a state of

adaption faster whereby you are

basically going to not only EXP spend

less calories at rest via the depression

of like non-exercise activity

thermogenesis which is like fidgets and

moving with just like your everyday

activities you will actually start to

subconsciously do that Less in addition

you are pushing yourself to a state of

nutrient deprivation much sooner than

was necessary to achieve a fat loss

outcome so rather than trying to

lose you know 6 lb and two 2 weeks why

don't I go with you know like 1 to two

lbs at most and actually milk what I can

out of that little tiny calorie

increment before I decide okay do I need

to then add some more cardio to my

regimen or do I want to decrease food by

another 100 calories or do I want to add

you know metabolic enhancing

pharmacology you can actually make the

call at that point because you've

exhausted the actual increment and you

know you're not unnecessarily depressing

hormone production

and also putting yourself into a hole of

what is essentially a malnourished State

cuz if you push too hard and you go from

let's just say you're eating 2,800

calories a day and you instantly drop to

1,800 you will lose a ton of weight off

the rip and it you'll think oh this is

great and then very soon you will get to

a point where it's like holy hell I am

starving this is not sustainable what am

I doing what do I do next I plateaued

now where do I go from here

it becomes easy to dig yourself into a

hole if you're not careful about this

like titration down essentially so I

typically recommend trying to milk what

you can until weight loss has averaged

out at neutral for at minimum a few days

but typically a week and then from there

because as a natural you are very

susceptible to Major aberration and

hormone suppression if you are going to

deprive the hell out of nutrients and

especially if you're doing huge amounts

of cardio concurrently because you think

that's what you need to be doing also

don't put yourself in a hole on the

energy expenditure

[Music]

side