I Can’t Stick to my Fricking Diet! What Should I Do?

[nicksaiz65]

I’ve been having a really hard time sticking to my diet lately. I could use you guys help!

I‘ve lost a good amount of weight up to this point. My diet is extremely enjoyable. I do Intermittent Fasting, count my calories, and IIFYM. I eat 1-2 big satisfying meals a day, and can even have dessert if I please. My diet is basically a slightly modified version of Kinobody’s plan with a lot of OMAD inspiration.

But recently, I can’t get even a pound lower. I’ve tracked everything I’ve put in my mouth for the last month, including the cheats. It comes down to one thing: the social eating. I plan to eat 2200 calories one day but then my friend comes over wanting to day drink and get fvcked up: over my calories. My friend takes me out to a Mexican dinner as thanks for helping them move: over my calories because I didn’t plan for that. I’m visiting with my family and they order takeout: over my calories. I get bought shots/beer at my album release party and it would be rude to turn that person down: over my calories. I get a “you up” text from one of the girls I’m banging, and we have some shots and drink some wine while hanging out to make the seduction smoother. Over my calories.

This is a huge problem towards me achieving my physique goals. Something comes up 3/4 days of the week, putting me in a surplus. That cancels out the other days that I am in a deficit, and I end up right at maintenance. The food log I kept for the last month agrees with that when I average out the numbers.

So what is the sustainable, long term solution here? I suppose I could just be like “NO NO NO” all the time and turn people down. Whenever I’ve tried that though, it burns up a sh*t ton of willpower and stresses me tf out. I can totally understand if you’re prepping for a bodybuilding show, that you need to use that much willpower because you need to be extremely strict. So life coming up is a non issue in that scenario. Does it have to be this way for a regular diet though? Is using my willpower and constantly having to be like “NO” just part of having a nice physique?

At one point though, I implemented a plan that seemed to work pretty damn well to get around this issue. I’m already down with Intermittent Fasting hardcore. Fasting has been so key in changing my physique, it’s literally the only thing that worked for me. So I would use a really “extreme” fasting window compared to what most people eat like. Something like 20:4, or 22:2. (I don’t care about meal timing or spreading out protein at all, I think it’s mostly irrelevant. IMO all that matters are the calories and macros once your head hits the pillow.)

This worked really well for 2 reasons. One, it created a “buffer” or “insurance” against life. Fasting for that long creates a massive calorie buffer to work with. Whenever anything would come up life wise, it would simply be absorbed by said buffer. I would basically always have some calories “in the tank” so that if anything came up, I could enjoy it without being thrown off the diet. I could then just shift around my one big meal, and make sure I was still hitting my macros NO MATTER WHAT happened with life. If I didn’t use the calories in the tank, I would just eat them back before bed! I felt mentally clear and reassured, because no matter what happened, I was able to stick to the diet. Keeping my calories under control was effortless. Plus, once you get used to it, you feel great and “sharp” during the fast. Any sluggishness goes away. My logic was something like “You wouldn’t drive a car without insurance. So you shouldn’t try to diet in the real world without insurance!”

With these strategies, I could eat 1000-1500 calorie meals in restaurants with friends and still be on the plan. I could even go out and drink in somewhat moderation while still being on the diet. And it took no willpower! I didn’t have to be stressed, paranoid, or anal retentive about my diet all the time because I always had my “insurance.” Even if something came up I was still able to stick to my diet. I didn’t feel like I needed to be disciplined 24/7, or constantly exercise my willpower to stay on the plan. I could just relax and stick to it. Constantly having to use willpower like that is very draining.

I feel that this method just worked great for the lifestyle. Additionally, if I screwed up and went over one day, I could just eat a bit less the next day. If I completely blew it and went over by thousands of calories, a 24 hour fast would put me right back on track. It was basically impossible to screw up or fail on this diet. When I was doing this, I’d say I had a 90-95% adherence rate to the diet.

Additionally, the diet was just plain enjoyable(unlike the suffering on most diets.) Once you got used to the fast, eating those big satisfying meals was absolutely incredible. Eating 5-6 300 calorie meals a day is like torture. Instead, you fast during the day, and you feast like a king at night. The diet was way more flexible, and therefore way easier to stick to. And I’ve found just in general with dieting, the more that I push that first meal back into the day, the easier and easier it is to hit my macros. If you can fast for long enough, hitting those macros every single day becomes an absolute joke. Doing the fast gives you so much dietary freedom. And besides, late night eating is the sh*t! Love dieting like that, it is so easy to stick to. I know some YouTubers eat like this as well.

I wanted to ask, am I crazy for trying to implement a routine like this? I guess some people could see it as extreme. I really thought that this method worked great with fixing dietary adherence, even if my methods go against the bodybuilding grain. I want to go back to this old plan I devised, but idk if it is crazy or not. Or is just saying “NO” to those social temptations/using willpower truly the only way?

 

[Modern Man Advice]

I’ve been having a really hard time sticking to my diet lately. I could use you guys help!

I‘ve lost a good amount of weight up to this point. My diet is extremely enjoyable. I do Intermittent Fasting, count my calories, and IIFYM. I eat 1-2 big satisfying meals a day, and can even have dessert if I please. My diet is basically a slightly modified version of Kinobody’s plan with a lot of OMAD inspiration.

But recently, I can’t get even a pound lower. I’ve tracked everything I’ve put in my mouth for the last month, including the cheats. It comes down to one thing: the social eating. I plan to eat 2200 calories one day but then my friend comes over wanting to day drink and get fvcked up: over my calories. My friend takes me out to a Mexican dinner as thanks for helping them move: over my calories because I didn’t plan for that. I’m visiting with my family and they order takeout: over my calories. I get bought shots/beer at my album release party and it would be rude to turn that person down: over my calories. I get a “you up” text from one of the girls I’m banging, and we have some shots and drink some wine while hanging out to make the seduction smoother. Over my calories.

This is a huge problem towards me achieving my physique goals. Something comes up 3/4 days of the week, putting me in a surplus. That cancels out the other days that I am in a deficit, and I end up right at maintenance. The food log I kept for the last month agrees with that when I average out the numbers.

So what is the sustainable, long term solution here? I suppose I could just be like “NO NO NO” all the time and turn people down. Whenever I’ve tried that though, it burns up a sh*t ton of willpower and stresses me tf out. I can totally understand if you’re prepping for a bodybuilding show, that you need to use that much willpower because you need to be extremely strict. So life coming up is a non issue in that scenario. Does it have to be this way for a regular diet though? Is using my willpower and constantly having to be like “NO” just part of having a nice physique?

At one point though, I implemented a plan that seemed to work pretty damn well to get around this issue. I’m already down with Intermittent Fasting hardcore. Fasting has been so key in changing my physique, it’s literally the only thing that worked for me. So I would use a really “extreme” fasting window compared to what most people eat like. Something like 20:4, or 22:2. (I don’t care about meal timing or spreading out protein at all, I think it’s mostly irrelevant. IMO all that matters are the calories and macros once your head hits the pillow.)

This worked really well for 2 reasons. One, it created a “buffer” or “insurance” against life. Fasting for that long creates a massive calorie buffer to work with. Whenever anything would come up life wise, it would simply be absorbed by said buffer. I would basically always have some calories “in the tank” so that if anything came up, I could enjoy it without being thrown off the diet. I could then just shift around my one big meal, and make sure I was still hitting my macros NO MATTER WHAT happened with life. If I didn’t use the calories in the tank, I would just eat them back before bed! I felt mentally clear and reassured, because no matter what happened, I was able to stick to the diet. Keeping my calories under control was effortless. Plus, once you get used to it, you feel great and “sharp” during the fast. Any sluggishness goes away. My logic was something like “You wouldn’t drive a car without insurance. So you shouldn’t try to diet in the real world without insurance!”

With these strategies, I could eat 1000-1500 calorie meals in restaurants with friends and still be on the plan. I could even go out and drink in somewhat moderation while still being on the diet. And it took no willpower! I didn’t have to be stressed, paranoid, or anal retentive about my diet all the time because I always had my “insurance.” Even if something came up I was still able to stick to my diet. I didn’t feel like I needed to be disciplined 24/7, or constantly exercise my willpower to stay on the plan. I could just relax and stick to it. Constantly having to use willpower like that is very draining.

I feel that this method just worked great for the lifestyle. Additionally, if I screwed up and went over one day, I could just eat a bit less the next day. If I completely blew it and went over by thousands of calories, a 24 hour fast would put me right back on track. When I was doing this, I’d say I had a 90-95% adherence rate to the diet.

Additionally, the diet was just plain enjoyable(unlike the suffering on most diets.) Once you got used to the fast, eating those big satisfying meals was absolutely incredible. Eating 5-6 300 calorie meals a day is like torture. Instead, you fast during the day, and you feast like a king at night. The diet was way more flexible, and therefore way easier to stick to. And I’ve found just in general with dieting, the more that I push that first meal back into the day, the easier and easier it is to hit my macros. If you can fast for long enough, hitting those macros every single day becomes an absolute joke. Doing the fast gives you so much dietary freedom. And besides, late night eating is the sh*t! Love dieting like that, it is so easy to stick to. I know some YouTubers eat like this as well.

I wanted to ask, am I crazy for trying to implement a routine like this? I guess some people could see it as extreme. I really thought that this method worked great with fixing dietary adherence, even if my methods go against the bodybuilding grain. I want to go back to this old plan I devised, but idk if it is crazy or not. Or is just saying “NO” to those social temptations/using willpower truly the only way?

You are not crazy for looking out for your health. But it does sound like you have issues with boundaries. Being able to say no and be firm about it is power to you. Your friends will not bash you for it, but rather respect you for it. If they know you and appreciate you, they will understand and empower you. But it starts with you establishing your own boundaries. Saying yes and going along with the flow is a sign of weakness, work on that.

PS: You can still say no and hang out socially. Social doesn't always mean drink and eat up. And if that is the plan, you can still be present without engaging in that. But you do need boundaries and disciple.


Modern Man Advice

 

[firstbornunicorn]

Burn more calories.

 

[nicksaiz65]

You are crazy for looking out for your health. But it does sound like you have issues with boundaries. Being able to say no and be firm about it is power to you. Your friends will not bash you for it, but rather respect you for it. If they know you and appreciate you, they will understand and empower you. But it starts with you establishing your own boundaries. Saying yes and going along with the flow is a sign of weakness, work on that.

PS: You can still say no and hang out socially. Social doesn't always mean drink and eat up. And if that is the plan, you can still be present without engaging in that. But you do need boundaries and disciple.


Modern Man Advice

Definitely. When I started drinking in moderation as opposed to binge drinking at social outings, and said no more I got faster results. Because I was taking in less calories.

I really do enjoy doing OMAD style dieting and pushing your calories back super late into the day though. It lets you partake in the eating and social events if you choose because it gives you so much dietary freedom with the long fast.

Also that is definitely true about not always having to eat or drink when you meet up socially. Sometimes I’ll just drink a Diet Coke if I don’t feel like breaking the fast yet.

 

[nicksaiz65]

Burn more calories.

Definitely helps a ton, because it gives you even more dietary freedom. Also makes it easier to stick to the diet. I try to burn 800 calories each morning from jogging or cycling.

 

[wifehunter]

Put the fork down.

 

[rjc149]

Ditch the fad diets. They're for women, bottom gays, and fitness "influencers" who have long since run out of sh!t to create content about.

Eat a well-rounded, balanced, whole food diet. Three solids a day. Eat until you're full. Not gorged, but also not thinking about more food. That's it. It's pretty simple. Meat, eggs, carbs, fats, and lots of cooked vegetables. "Junk" food is perfectly healthy in moderation.

It looks to me like your willpower problem is rooted in excessive partying and alcohol intake. I also see no mention of you doing cardio.

My advice: cut partying down two 2 nights per week MAX. Stop the Thirsty Thursday and Sunday Funday. Friday and Saturday night only. Thursday evening should be spent getting ready for work on Friday. Sunday evening should be spent getting ready for the week. They should not be drinking days. Is career and finances something you value?

Not just the booze, but all the crap bar food that goes along with it. Fries. Wings. Pizza. Mozzarella sticks. That extra "drunk munchies" meal at 2AM after bar time. Think about all that excess food intake.

Are you doing cardio 5-6 days per week? 10-15 minutes of moderate intensity, consistently?

 

[Modern Man Advice]

Definitely. When I started drinking in moderation as opposed to binge drinking at social outings, and said no more I got faster results. Because I was taking in less calories.

I really do enjoy doing OMAD style dieting and pushing your calories back super late into the day though. It lets you partake in the eating and social events if you choose because it gives you so much dietary freedom with the long fast.

Also that is definitely true about not always having to eat or drink when you meet up socially. Sometimes I’ll just drink a Diet Coke if I don’t feel like breaking the fast yet.

Right on. By the way, I meant to type "not crazy". I just edited my post.

Keep it up, mate.

Modern Man Advice

 

[nicksaiz65]

Ditch the fad diets. They're for women, bottom gays, and fitness "influencers" who have long since run out of sh!t to create content about.

Eat a well-rounded, balanced, whole food diet. Three solids a day. Eat until you're full. Not gorged, but also not thinking about more food. That's it. It's pretty simple. Meat, eggs, carbs, fats, and lots of cooked vegetables. "Junk" food is perfectly healthy in moderation.

It looks to me like your willpower problem is rooted in excessive partying and alcohol intake. I also see no mention of you doing cardio.

My advice: cut partying down two 2 nights per week MAX. Stop the Thirsty Thursday and Sunday Funday. Friday and Saturday night only. Thursday evening should be spent getting ready for work on Friday. Sunday evening should be spent getting ready for the week. They should not be drinking days. Is career and finances something you value?

Not just the booze, but all the crap bar food that goes along with it. Fries. Wings. Pizza. Mozzarella sticks. That extra "drunk munchies" meal at 2AM after bar time. Think about all that excess food intake.

Are you doing cardio 5-6 days per week? 10-15 minutes of moderate intensity, consistently?

Wait, you’re saying Intermittent Fasting and OMAD are fad diets? They’ve helped me out a ton in putting down the fork and losing that initial weight.

Do you count calories at all?

I agree that partying and alcohol could be reduced. I’m working on that. Drinking in moderation especially, I try to give myself a calorie limit so I can still have fun while achieving my goals.

Career and finances, definitely. I’m working on finishing up my degree. I graduate this December.

Yeah those high calorie dense bar foods can be a nightmare for people working on their body. I’ve actually been tracking them the last month. The calories add up soooooooo fast.

I didn’t really bring up cardio because I wanted to gear this post more towards diet over training. But, yes I do cardio 5-6 days a week. I’ve fallen in love with it tbh. It clears my mind. I aim to burn 800 calories every single morning. I take days off here and there. I enjoy jogging and cycling.

 

[rjc149]

Wait, you’re saying Intermittent Fasting and OMAD are fad diets? They’ve helped me out a ton in putting down the fork and losing that initial weight.

Do you count calories at all?

I agree that partying and alcohol could be reduced. I’m working on that. Drinking in moderation especially, I try to give myself a calorie limit so I can still have fun while achieving my goals.

Career and finances, definitely. I’m working on finishing up my degree. I graduate this December.

Yeah those high calorie dense bar foods can be a nightmare for people working on their body. I’ve actually been tracking them the last month. The calories add up soooooooo fast.

I didn’t really bring up cardio because I wanted to gear this post more towards diet over training. But, yes I do cardio 5-6 days a week. I’ve fallen in love with it tbh. It clears my mind. I aim to burn 800 calories every single morning. I take days off here and there. I enjoy jogging and cycling.

If fasting has helped you (I've never heard of OMAD) then keep doing what works.

I've never been very scientific about my diet or macro intake. I eat 3 squares a day, some light snacking in between (fruit or nuts) and lots of water. I've eliminated milk, yogurt, and whey protein because I'm not 100% lactose-tolerant. I don't gorge myself, but I also make sure I'm full and not looking for another meal in two hours.

Maybe my fitness goals are different. I have no intention of looking like an Abercrombie model or having 6-pack abs. I'm just maintaining lean muscle mass and functional strength.

I give up booze for Lent and get pretty chiseled by day 40, but I like drinking too much to abstain completely and my social life takes too big of a hit, so I just try to moderate. If I'm going out for a night on the town, I stick to vodka seltzer and try to turn in around midnight. Saturday and Sundays are hard days in the gym with a little extra cardio. So far it works for me.

 

[nicksaiz65]

If fasting has helped you (I've never heard of OMAD) then keep doing what works.

I've never been very scientific about my diet or macro intake. I eat 3 squares a day, some light snacking in between (fruit or nuts) and lots of water. I've eliminated milk, yogurt, and whey protein because I'm not 100% lactose-tolerant. I don't gorge myself, but I also make sure I'm full and not looking for another meal in two hours.

Maybe my fitness goals are different. I have no intention of looking like an Abercrombie model or having 6-pack abs. I'm just maintaining lean muscle mass and functional strength.

I give up booze for Lent and get pretty chiseled by day 40, but I like drinking too much to abstain completely and my social life takes too big of a hit, so I just try to moderate. If I'm going out for a night on the town, I stick to vodka seltzer and try to turn in around midnight. Saturday and Sundays are hard days in the gym with a little extra cardio. So far it works for me.

OMAD as in One Meal A Day. Consuming all your calories and protein in one fell swoop. It’s really just a more extreme form of Intermittent Fasting.

Yeah that’s exactly my fitness goals lol. To look like an Abercrombie Model with the full six pack, and have some lean muscle/strength. Additionally, to be in good cardio shape.

 

[speed dawg]

I‘ve lost a good amount of weight up to this point. My diet is extremely enjoyable. I do Intermittent Fasting, count my calories, and IIFYM. I eat 1-2 big satisfying meals a day, and can even have dessert if I please. My diet is basically a slightly modified version of Kinobody’s plan with a lot of OMAD inspiration.

But recently, I can’t get even a pound lower. I’ve tracked everything I’ve put in my mouth for the last month, including the cheats. It comes down to one thing: the social eating.

You answered your own question in your first couple of sentences. You first made general changes, and you've lost general weight. Now, if you want to lose serious and specific weight, it's time to make some sacrifices. And that will not be "enjoyable". Such is life.

 

[TB24]

What you do (diets) is something on the tactical level. However successful that may have been under ideal circumstances, it isn't really compatible with your identity (social guy). In the end, you either have to a) bring those things together or b) sacrifice one for the other (at least to some point).

A result of b) would be that you either lose some friends or not lose as many pounds as you may want to. If you want to pursue a) it would mean that your kind of diet isn't really compatible with that lifestyle. You could then, e.g. avoid alcohol. You could see your friends, but don't drink with them. I understand that this is much less fun, but in the end, it's either eat the cake or have it...

 

[rjc149]

OMAD as in One Meal A Day. Consuming all your calories and protein in one fell swoop. It’s really just a more extreme form of Intermittent Fasting.

Yeah that’s exactly my fitness goals lol. To look like an Abercrombie Model with the full six pack, and have some lean muscle/strength. Additionally, to be in good cardio shape.

Having a 6-pack abdomen is difficult to maintain and requires much stricter dieting than 99% of men want to realistically do. The 1% of men who do, do so because their livelihoods require them to maintain a 6-pack. Having that little body fat is not healthy. In a survival situations, the Abercrombie models die first.

If you really want it, you need to want it badly, and answering your post is pretty easy. No more boozing. No more junk food. Carb intake must be the bare minimum. You'll have to snack on ice cubes and Metamucil. You'll have to be in ongoing caloric deficit and embrace the low-testosterone lifestyle.

Worth it?

 

[DonJuanjr]

People need to remember that if you've been overweight at some point in your life, it may not be possible to obtain a six pack. Some people are very lean, but still have excess skin around their abdomen that requires surgery.

If this is not op, you may have to reset your maintenance calorie point. The body becomes adjusted to the amount of calories one consumes over time. You may need to drop another 150-300 calories from your diet to start seeing progress again.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

Basically what your trying to do is lower your body fat, but everytime you eat you trigger insulin which stops the body from consuming its own fat, the key is to keep your eating window to 2 hours a day or OMAD diet, I've seriously lost close to 40 lbs. Since March by cycling between OMAD, big fasts and keto... Yeah, I've lost a bit of muscle along the way but that's a good thing, my shoulders are insanely over developed and I look like an alien although the ladies don't seem to mind, luckily my traps aren't very developed or I'd have no neck.

Aldo your body won't consume its excess skin unless you fast, if you see the people with huge chunks of excess skin it's because they didn't fast, I'd have a huge amount of loose skin but I regularly fast for a minimum of 3 days

 

[mjb3617]

I've lost close to 50 pounds since April and have been in a caloric deficit diet-wise since then. I regularly calculate my TDEE (maintenance calories for height/weight/age/exercise level) and adjust my intake to promote weight loss. However, I also ensure I'm getting enough protein everyday to minimize muscle loss and I follow a HLM total body workout program (heavy/light/moderate). I do cardio 2-3x a week as well. I fast 12 hours a day and spread my meals throughout the day.

I barely drink any alcohol during the week. I do have one weekend a month where I get together with my buddies and we drink hard.

I still have a flabby stomach but that's usually the last of the fat to go. I've been heavy all my life so it's a toss up whether I'll be able to achieve my desired result of a six pack. I've been losing weight at an appropriate pace so my skin shouldnt be too loose.

I've hit a bit of a weight plateau at my current weight of 191. Could be from adding some muscle as I'm noticing my stomach and other areas are looking slimmer at the same time.

Bottom line is, alcohol is the enemy of working out and losing weight. Hope this helps in some way. I'm no expert but just sharing what has worked for me.

 

[nicksaiz65]

Basically what your trying to do is lower your body fat, but everytime you eat you trigger insulin which stops the body from consuming its own fat, the key is to keep your eating window to 2 hours a day or OMAD diet, I've seriously lost close to 40 lbs. Since March by cycling between OMAD, big fasts and keto... Yeah, I've lost a bit of muscle along the way but that's a good thing, my shoulders are insanely over developed and I look like an alien although the ladies don't seem to mind, luckily my traps aren't very developed or I'd have no neck.

Aldo your body won't consume its excess skin unless you fast, if you see the people with huge chunks of excess skin it's because they didn't fast, I'd have a huge amount of loose skin but I regularly fast for a minimum of 3 days

So fasting/OMAD worked really well for you, huh? I’ve had a similar experience. OMAD works great for me as well. I frigging love IF/OMAD because you can eat like a king even on a fat loss phase. The hunger becomes a non issue. And even any random social eating can’t screw you over from adhering to the diet. I was seriously able to hit it like 90-95% of the time.

One time, my feast was a steak cooked in Olive Oil, some air fryer French fries dipped in low fat ranch, and some cottage cheese with Stevia for dessert. It was freaking glorious.

I don’t give a sh*t about those old school bodybuilding myths that say it’s not optimal unless you eat 6 small meals with protein a day. All that matters is the calories/macros at the end of the day IMO. OMAD/20:4 is also effective because it completely eliminates that random snacking that can screw you up.

I’ll definitely be Intermittent Fasting the rest of my life because I’m never going back to chicken breast and broccoli 6x a day ever again. I’ll eat one meal a day, MAYBE two tops. But I was wondering, do you think this is sustainable? Breaking my fast at 11 PM and doing OMAD right before bed? I can definitely cut/bulk and reach my fitness goals this way. I just hope it’s sustainable.

 

[CAPSLOCK BANDIT]

So fasting/OMAD worked really well for you, huh? I’ve had a similar experience. OMAD works great for me as well. I frigging love IF/OMAD because you can eat like a king even on a fat loss phase. The hunger becomes a non issue. And even any random social eating can’t screw you over from adhering to the diet. I was seriously able to hit it like 90-95% of the time.

One time, my feast was a steak cooked in Olive Oil, some air fryer French fries dipped in low fat ranch, and some cottage cheese with Stevia for dessert. It was freaking glorious.

I don’t give a sh*t about those old school bodybuilding myths that say it’s not optimal unless you eat 6 small meals with protein a day. All that matters is the calories/macros at the end of the day IMO. OMAD/20:4 is also effective because it completely eliminates that random snacking that can screw you up.

I’ll definitely be Intermittent Fasting the rest of my life because I’m never going back to chicken breast and broccoli 6x a day ever again. I’ll eat one meal a day, MAYBE two tops. But I was wondering, do you think this is sustainable? Breaking my fast at 11 PM and doing OMAD right before bed? I can definitely cut/bulk and reach my fitness goals this way. I just hope it’s sustainable.

Ive literally done it all, every fad diet, Keito is by far my greatest experience, the runner up doesn't come close, although it costed me my gall bladder because I was doing it wrong, was at like 8 coffees a day, putting coconut oil into each one, it was just a matter of time... Maybe this isn't what did it but that's what I attribute.

 

[GrowingPains]

I’ve been having a really hard time sticking to my diet lately. I could use you guys help!

I‘ve lost a good amount of weight up to this point. My diet is extremely enjoyable. I do Intermittent Fasting, count my calories, and IIFYM. I eat 1-2 big satisfying meals a day, and can even have dessert if I please. My diet is basically a slightly modified version of Kinobody’s plan with a lot of OMAD inspiration.

But recently, I can’t get even a pound lower. I’ve tracked everything I’ve put in my mouth for the last month, including the cheats. It comes down to one thing: the social eating. I plan to eat 2200 calories one day but then my friend comes over wanting to day drink and get fvcked up: over my calories. My friend takes me out to a Mexican dinner as thanks for helping them move: over my calories because I didn’t plan for that. I’m visiting with my family and they order takeout: over my calories. I get bought shots/beer at my album release party and it would be rude to turn that person down: over my calories. I get a “you up” text from one of the girls I’m banging, and we have some shots and drink some wine while hanging out to make the seduction smoother. Over my calories.

This is a huge problem towards me achieving my physique goals. Something comes up 3/4 days of the week, putting me in a surplus. That cancels out the other days that I am in a deficit, and I end up right at maintenance. The food log I kept for the last month agrees with that when I average out the numbers.

So what is the sustainable, long term solution here? I suppose I could just be like “NO NO NO” all the time and turn people down. Whenever I’ve tried that though, it burns up a sh*t ton of willpower and stresses me tf out. I can totally understand if you’re prepping for a bodybuilding show, that you need to use that much willpower because you need to be extremely strict. So life coming up is a non issue in that scenario. Does it have to be this way for a regular diet though? Is using my willpower and constantly having to be like “NO” just part of having a nice physique?

At one point though, I implemented a plan that seemed to work pretty damn well to get around this issue. I’m already down with Intermittent Fasting hardcore. Fasting has been so key in changing my physique, it’s literally the only thing that worked for me. So I would use a really “extreme” fasting window compared to what most people eat like. Something like 20:4, or 22:2. (I don’t care about meal timing or spreading out protein at all, I think it’s mostly irrelevant. IMO all that matters are the calories and macros once your head hits the pillow.)

This worked really well for 2 reasons. One, it created a “buffer” or “insurance” against life. Fasting for that long creates a massive calorie buffer to work with. Whenever anything would come up life wise, it would simply be absorbed by said buffer. I would basically always have some calories “in the tank” so that if anything came up, I could enjoy it without being thrown off the diet. I could then just shift around my one big meal, and make sure I was still hitting my macros NO MATTER WHAT happened with life. If I didn’t use the calories in the tank, I would just eat them back before bed! I felt mentally clear and reassured, because no matter what happened, I was able to stick to the diet. Keeping my calories under control was effortless. Plus, once you get used to it, you feel great and “sharp” during the fast. Any sluggishness goes away. My logic was something like “You wouldn’t drive a car without insurance. So you shouldn’t try to diet in the real world without insurance!”

With these strategies, I could eat 1000-1500 calorie meals in restaurants with friends and still be on the plan. I could even go out and drink in somewhat moderation while still being on the diet. And it took no willpower! I didn’t have to be stressed, paranoid, or anal retentive about my diet all the time because I always had my “insurance.” Even if something came up I was still able to stick to my diet. I didn’t feel like I needed to be disciplined 24/7, or constantly exercise my willpower to stay on the plan. I could just relax and stick to it. Constantly having to use willpower like that is very draining.

I feel that this method just worked great for the lifestyle. Additionally, if I screwed up and went over one day, I could just eat a bit less the next day. If I completely blew it and went over by thousands of calories, a 24 hour fast would put me right back on track. It was basically impossible to screw up or fail on this diet. When I was doing this, I’d say I had a 90-95% adherence rate to the diet.

Additionally, the diet was just plain enjoyable(unlike the suffering on most diets.) Once you got used to the fast, eating those big satisfying meals was absolutely incredible. Eating 5-6 300 calorie meals a day is like torture. Instead, you fast during the day, and you feast like a king at night. The diet was way more flexible, and therefore way easier to stick to. And I’ve found just in general with dieting, the more that I push that first meal back into the day, the easier and easier it is to hit my macros. If you can fast for long enough, hitting those macros every single day becomes an absolute joke. Doing the fast gives you so much dietary freedom. And besides, late night eating is the sh*t! Love dieting like that, it is so easy to stick to. I know some YouTubers eat like this as well.

I wanted to ask, am I crazy for trying to implement a routine like this? I guess some people could see it as extreme. I really thought that this method worked great with fixing dietary adherence, even if my methods go against the bodybuilding grain. I want to go back to this old plan I devised, but idk if it is crazy or not. Or is just saying “NO” to those social temptations/using willpower truly the only way?

Yo brodie.

Just came to this site to tap in and see how you were.

Didn't read the full post but I wanna say congrats on your progress!

My man said "My friend takes me out to a Mexican dinner as thanks for helping them move: over my calories because I didn’t plan for that. I’m visiting with my family and they order takeout: over my calories. I get bought shots/beer at my album release party and it would be rude to turn that person down: over my calories. I get a “you up” text from one of the girls I’m banging, and we have some shots and drink some wine while hanging out to make the seduction smoother."

I see you bruv. Just want to acknowledge the progress you've made on multiple fronts in your life! Keep going!

Quick thoughts on diet:
-adherence is half the battle
-check out barbell medicine diet advice, search 'barbell medicine diet layering'
-tracking calories probably isn't necessary
-avoiding cake/shots/Mexican food or whatever tf else probably isn't necessary
-moderation is everything
-if it's in your means, consider purchasing a meal plan (peep beastmodejones website for meal plans, ~$30?), or a nutrition coach to make your meal plan. Having a coach for my weight programming helped take my mind off thinking about if what I was doing was good enough or going to work and I could just do it. Helps adherence

godspeed