The Harsh Realities Of Getting Lean…

You’ll see eye grabbing titles in the likes of magazines such as Mens Health – Get 6 Pack Abs in Less Than 2 Weeks!

Supplement companies will promise you that if you buy their supplement you will shred body fat faster than you can say… “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!”

Dont worry, I’ve fallen for every trick in the book! In fact i’ve spent a small fortune on diet supplements – all in the hope of them turning me into a lean mean fat burning machine!

The truth is that getting lean can be extremely difficult. In this article i’ll be sharing The Harsh Realities Of Getting Lean and what you need to be prepared for…

WARNING: This blog isn’t aimed at those of you just looking for general weight loss. This post is aimed at those of you wanting to get a very lean 6 pack (below 10% bodyfat)

The Harsh Realities Of Getting Lean…

#1 Restrictive 

In order to lose body fat you have to create a calorie deficit. This means you need to burn more fuel through exercise and reduce the total number of calories you consume through your diet. Your body can then burn its stored energy and weight loss occurs.

In order to be precise and know exactly what’s going in and out of your body you have to count calories. Counting calories is boring, and it takes up time but it’s an absolute must for those looking to really lean down.

As you are looking for ways to cut back calories you are also going to be largely limited for choices when it comes to food. Yes, you could eat a pizza, or a chocolate bar, however these high calorie foods will quickly use up your daily calorie allowance.

Those who diet will tend to opt for single ingredient foods: chicken, fish, steak, vegetables, rice, etc – basically boring, bland foods!

There’s always going to be an element of restriction when it comes to dieting. Whether that’s the amount of calories you can have or the foods you eat.

#2 Affects Social Occasions 

It’s a Friday night and your mate calls you up “Were going to the pub for a few pints are you game?”

What do you do?

1. Say YES, not drink and take a tupperware box of prepared food so you can stick to your diet!
2. Turn down the occasion all together.
3. Go out and blow your diet!

Now i’m not saying you can’t go out and fit social occasions into your life, you can, however there’s always going to be that niggling thought in the back of your head… “how can I stay on my diet?” or if you do treat yourself… “ damnn! I’ve blown my diet!” and then you end up feeling guilty.

Either way you have to be really strict and think about everything you are putting into your body.

#3 Non-Sustainable 

In the past i’ve done restrictive diets and gotten extremely lean, but i’ve always ended up rebounding because the diets I followed were so restrictive and miserable.

I would work hard for 12 weeks to get a 6 pack before my holiday, but then i’d go away eat everything in site and my abs would disappear by the time I landed back in the UK! lol!

I think it’s pretty easy to maintain 12-15% body fat throughout the year, whilst leading a balanced lifestyle. If however you want to stay super lean (below 10%) you are going to have to make plenty of sacrifices and therefore for most people it’s a non-sustainable way of living.

#4 Peer Pressure 

Maybe all of your friends are into the gym and are all on a mission to get lean? This makes life a little easier. Instead of going to the pub on a Friday night you can all sit in, eat your chicken and rice and watch bodybuilding videos on Youtube! haha (my friendship group used to do this!).

That said not everybody in your family or at work chooses to lead the same lifestyle as you.

I’ve been there myself and witnessed it with lots of people. It’s very easy to cut yourself of from people who don’t follow the same lifestyle. Either that or you give into peer pressure.

#5 Look Good But Feel Crap

On the outside you may have bulging biceps and a cheese grater pair of abs but the reality is that being lean is tiring! Your body fat levels are low and you don’t have much energy. The leaner you are the worse you feel.

What’s the point in looking good if you feel crap?

To me there’s no point! People often put aesthetics and visual appearance over their health. What this is saying is that you care more about how your body looks and what other people think than you do about the way your body feels and your overall health.

When you start getting into single digits i.e. 6% body fat life is not fun. You are constantly tired, your body takes longer to recover and you feel miserable.

Conclusion…

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t attempt to get lean, if you want a 6 pack then go for it!

Just be aware of the level of sacrifice that it requires. If you are prepared to work hard and monitor your life religiously in order to achieve a certain visual appearance then thats the choice you make.

When you do a achieve a lean body, ask yourself this…

Was it worth it?

Nick 🙂