What I Eat Ep 358

In a mastermind gathering of high-earning entrepreneurs, Alex dispels common health myths and shares his unconventional approach to diet and fitness that has kept him in shape for nearly two decades. Alex emphasizes the simplicity of weight management, focusing on caloric intake and protein consumption while debunking popular diets like keto and intermittent fasting as mere variations of calorie reduction. He introduces a straightforward formula for determining daily calorie needs based on body weight and goals, and a protein target tied to body weight, advocating for a flexible eating plan that allows for indulgences like ice cream and alcohol. Alex's key message is that understanding and controlling calorie and protein intake is the foundation for sustainable fitness, allowing for a balanced lifestyle without the need for restrictive diets or biohacking trends.

• Speaker A introduces the concept of 'the game,' which focuses on customer acquisition, increasing customer value, and retention.
• The lessons shared are based on the speaker's own experiences and failures in the entrepreneurial journey.
• The podcast aims to provide valuable insights and encourage subscriptions from listeners.

"Welcome to the game, where we talk about how to get more customers, how to make more per customer, and to keep them longer, and the many failures and lessons we have learned along the way. I hope you enjoy and subscribe."

This quote sets the stage for the podcast, outlining its purpose as a resource for entrepreneurs to learn about growing their businesses effectively.

• Speaker A attended a mastermind with seven other high-level entrepreneurs.
• The cumulative annual revenue of the entrepreneurs in the room was over $500 million.
• The meetup was an opportunity for sharing successful strategies and networking.

"So I was at a mastermind with seven other entrepreneurs, and the total room cumulatively, was doing over $500 million a year in revenue."

The quote emphasizes the high caliber of the entrepreneurs present at the mastermind and the significant financial success they represent.

• Speaker A observes that many entrepreneurs have peculiar habits regarding diet, exercise, and biohacking.
• These habits are seen as a means to sell products rather than being genuinely effective.
• Speaker A's background in fitness provides a contrasting perspective to these habits.

"And what was interesting to me is that in the entrepreneurial world, so many entrepreneurs have all these weird shticks about their food and their exercise and their hydration and what orange glasses they wear and their fingertoe shoes and their biohacking and just all this weirdness."

This quote illustrates the speaker's observation of the health and wellness fads prevalent among entrepreneurs, which they view critically based on their fitness industry experience.

• Speaker A contrasts their own eating habits, which include indulgences like ice cream, with those of other entrepreneurs.
• Despite their unconventional diet, Speaker A maintains better physical shape than the others.
• Speaker A's approach to eating sparked interest and led to positive changes in others' fitness.

"And so what I'm going to take you through is a very special little thing that I put together, which is actually an adaptation of what I presented to these guys at this little meetup."

The quote indicates that the speaker is about to share their personal dietary strategy that has been effective for them and intriguing to others.

• Speaker A introduces the concept of body types using a matrix of high/low fat and muscle.
• Identifying one's current body type and desired body type is the first step in the process.
• A directional approach is suggested for achieving the desired body type through calorie and volume adjustments.

"So the first thing that everybody has to understand is what body type you are and what body type you'd like to become, right."

This quote underlines the importance of self-awareness in body composition as a precursor to targeted fitness and dietary changes.

• Speaker A explains the three main macronutrients: protein, carbs, and fat.
• A balanced meal is described as having an even distribution of these macronutrients.
• Diets, such as keto, alter the distribution of macronutrients, which Speaker A suggests is a commonality among all diets.

"Now, if you're eating a normal, balanced meal, that's what something like this would look like, right? You have kind of an even distribution of protein, carbs, and fat in your meal, right?"

The quote provides a basic explanation of macronutrient balance in a typical diet, setting the stage for a discussion on how diets modify this balance.

• All diets, regardless of type, result in a reduction of calorie intake.
• Keto diet eliminates carbohydrates, leading to one-third fewer calories consumed.
• Low-fat diet removes fats, similarly reducing calorie consumption by one-third.
• Portion control diet involves eating less of all macronutrients, resulting in fewer calories.
• Intermittent fasting reduces meal frequency, typically from three meals to two, decreasing overall calorie intake.

"You basically eliminate your carbs, right? And so you eat one third fewer calories... If you have a low fat diet, you're eliminating your fat... And again, you're eating one third fewer calories."

This quote explains that both keto and low-fat diets function by removing a significant portion of calories from one's diet, which is a third in the case of these examples.

"And if you did intermittent fasting, you would go from eating three meals a day to eating two meals a day. And guess what? You would be eating fewer calories."

The speaker is illustrating that intermittent fasting leads to a caloric deficit by reducing the number of meals, hence the total caloric intake.

• Misunderstanding of diet mechanics can lead to failure, as seen with incorrect implementations of the keto diet.
• Adding high-calorie foods like butter and ribeyes can result in a caloric surplus, negating the effects of carb elimination.
• The fundamental reason diets fail is due to an imbalance between calories eliminated and calories consumed.

"If you did keto the right way, it would look like this, right? You would cut out your carbs... the amount that you cut out did not compensate for the amount of excess protein and fat that you added into your diet that ended up actually netting you more calories than you would need, right? And that's why it didn't work for you."

This quote clarifies that the proper execution of the keto diet requires not only cutting out carbs but also being mindful of the total caloric intake from other macronutrients to ensure a caloric deficit is maintained.

• Understanding calorie needs and protein intake is crucial for effective dieting.
• Caloric needs can be estimated using simple formulas based on body weight and goals.
• Adjusting caloric intake is straightforward and can be tailored to individual weight loss or gain goals.

"You just got to know, one, how many calories you need to eat. Two, how many grams of protein you need to eat..."

The quote emphasizes the importance of knowing one's caloric and protein requirements as the foundation for dietary success.

"The simplest way to figure out number one, all right? Now there's a million little formulas that you can use here, all right? But the basic one is your body weight times your goal."

This quote presents a basic formula for determining caloric needs based on body weight and desired outcome, which is central to planning a diet.

• Caloric intake can be adjusted based on the rate of weight loss or gain experienced.
• The range of multipliers (from 7 to 21) can be applied to body weight to determine caloric goals for various levels of weight change.
• Dietary adjustments are simple and can be made by altering the multiplier used in the basic formula.

"So the thing is, step one is you determine how many calories supposed to eat based on your goal... if you're not losing weight at a rate that you would find fast enough, you can always just decrease it."

This quote advises on the initial step of determining caloric intake and suggests that adjustments can be made if weight loss is not proceeding at the desired pace.

• Understanding the correct amount of protein to consume is crucial for maintaining fitness.
• The formula provided is body weight in pounds times one to calculate daily protein needs in grams.
• For a 200-pound individual, the required protein intake would be 200 grams per day.
• Protein intake can be simplified by equating 100 grams of protein to one pound of lean meat.
• A variety of lean meats can be consumed to meet the daily protein requirement.
• Lean meats include shrimp, tilapia, tenderloin, flank steak, top round, top sirloin, and chicken breast.

"Your body weight times one in grams is about what you need to have for protein per day."

This quote explains the formula used to calculate daily protein requirements based on body weight.

"100 grams of protein is equivalent to one pound of lean meat."

The quote provides a practical way to visualize and measure the daily protein intake using lean meat as a reference.

"You could have tenderloin, you could have a skirt steak. You'd have flank steak. Like, those are very lean steaks, actually."

This quote lists examples of lean meats that can be included in the diet to meet protein needs.

• The process involves calculating daily caloric intake based on weight loss goals.
• Protein calories are estimated by multiplying the grams of protein by five to account for the fat content in lean meats.
• The remainder of the daily caloric intake can be filled with foods of choice, including treats like cookies and ice cream.

"So if we said we wanted to lose weight and we were 200 pounds and we did eleven. Sure. Because we want to do moderate weight loss, we would eat 2200 calories a day."

This quote explains how to calculate the daily caloric intake for moderate weight loss based on body weight.

"So if I'm going to have my 200 grams of protein times five, it means I'm going to eat about 1000 calories."

The quote describes how to calculate the number of calories that will come from protein sources, taking into account the fat content.

"I've got 1200 calories of whatever the hell I want."

After accounting for protein calories, the remaining caloric intake can include a variety of foods, as indicated in this quote.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of a sustainable approach to fitness that can be maintained for life.
• The goal is to be in shape permanently rather than just for a short period.
• The dietary approach allows for the inclusion of indulgent foods while still achieving fitness goals.

"If I can't do something for the rest of my life, then I don't see a point in doing it."

This quote stresses the importance of a sustainable and long-term approach to diet and fitness.

"Wouldn't it be nice to just solve it for good?"

The speaker suggests finding a permanent solution to fitness and weight management, as reflected in this quote.

• The cornerstone of the diet is ensuring adequate protein intake.
• After protein, you can consume up to 1200 calories of any food you desire.
• The diet allows for flexibility in food choices and meal frequency.
• Consistent protein intake is key to protecting muscle mass.
• Caloric intake can be adjusted to meet weight gain or weight loss goals.

So you get your protein in first, and then you fill up to the lid in whatever else you want.

This quote emphasizes the importance of prioritizing protein in the diet before consuming other foods within the caloric limit.

You can split up those meals whatever way you want, all right? You can eat them. You can be like, I can have five meals a day. You can have three meals a day. You could have one meal a day. It doesn't matter, all right?

The quote highlights the flexibility of the diet in terms of meal frequency, allowing individuals to choose how many meals they want to consume in a day.

• The diet is designed to be sustainable, preventing the feeling of "falling off" a diet.
• There are no forbidden foods, which reduces the likelihood of feeling deprived or needing a "cheat day."
• Regular indulgence in treats like ice cream or cookies diminishes their novelty and reduces obsession with food.

You can't cheat because nothing is forbidden. Right? And no one is immune to a calorie deficit. Right?

This quote explains that the diet's lack of restrictions makes the concept of cheating irrelevant, and emphasizes the universal principle that a calorie deficit leads to weight loss.

The best way to get people to become obsessed with food is to get them to restrict themselves from doing stuff, because then they splurge and do a ton of it.

The quote suggests that strict food restrictions can lead to unhealthy food obsessions and binge eating behaviors.

• The speaker has followed this diet approach for nearly 20 years.
• They express frustration with misleading fitness trends in the entrepreneurial world.
• The speaker believes in the effectiveness of their diet approach over biohacking and supplements.

This is what I've eaten every day for almost 20 years. And all I do is I adjust the goal up and down.

This quote shares the speaker's personal long-term experience with the diet, highlighting its adaptability to changing goals.

I get very tired of seeing the entrepreneurial world get fooled with shenanigans of stuff that does not matter.

The speaker expresses their dissatisfaction with the prevalence of ineffective fitness fads within the entrepreneurial community.

• The speaker encourages the audience to be intelligent and physically fit.
• They endorse the concept of enjoying desserts while maintaining a healthy physique.
• The speaker does not intend for their channel to be fitness-focused but felt compelled to share this information.

And I want you to be able to hashtag never skip dessert while also having a six pack.

This quote summarizes the speaker's message that it is possible to maintain a healthy and fit body while still enjoying treats and desserts.

I just get really, really tired of the shenanigans and the tomfoolery that I see in the entrepreneurial space around this.

The speaker reiterates their frustration with the misleading information in the fitness industry, particularly within the entrepreneurial space.