You're probably already aware of the huge role NUTRITION plays in your ability to transform your body into the lean, muscular, athletic machine it is meant to become.  And while BasketballFIT isn’t built to be a nutrition-centered program, we want to give you the three basic principles of nutrition and body transformation that can help you achieve whatever you’re looking for.  This goes for someone who is severely overweight trying to slim down safely while still increasing muscle mass, or someone who feels like they’re underweight and wants to add healthy pounds,  or even for someone like I was several years ago, just slightly overweight with a little bit of a dad gut and just an overall weak frame.  No matter where you’re at, this will give you the framework you need.

Here are the 3 things you’ll need to do in order to get started on making a change for yourself.

1. Figure out your optimal daily calorie intake.

Use this free online calculator and find your daily calorie target according to your weight loss goals: https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html .  

My “maintenance calories” came back as 2,808 per day. I’m currently eating as close to 2,800 calories each day as I possibly can.  Sometimes it’s a little more, sometimes it’s a little less.  During times when I’m trying to slim down, keeping it at 2,308 per day is actually not that difficult for me.  That’s 500 calories less than what would be considered my maintenance calories … or the calories I would have to consume if I were trying to maintain my current weight.  

If you are trying to lose weight, make sure you add in one “cheat day” per week.  Choose which day in advance and don’t just decide on a whim or pretty soon you’ll find out that every day is a cheat day.  On that day you’ll eat 300 calories more than your maintenance, so I would try to eat 3,108 on that day, and if I wanted to lose 1lb per week I’d aim for 2,308 on each of the other 6 days of the week.  Doing this will make sure that your body doesn’t adapt to your new lower calorie intake so that you can keep changing your body composition.

2. Make sure that within that number of calories you consume at least .8g of protein per pound of your body weight.

You’ll likely find out that your current diet is not likely anywhere near this amount.  For my body weight 196 pounds times .8 comes to 157g of protein per day.  To get this in I have to make sure to include a large portion of chicken or beef with each of my two meals (more on that later) and then on most days I have to also include a protein shake which I usually eat around lunchtime.  

Not only does the protein make sure your body has the fuel it needs to build the muscles you’ll be growing through the BasketballFIT programming, but it is also generally a higher quality calorie than a lot of the other stuff you eat, and it makes you feel more full.  If you get the right amount of protein each day and you’re cutting by 250 or 500 calories, you’re going to find that it’s not all that difficult because the protein fills you up better than what you were eating previously.

3. Track everything you put into your body.

Use an app like MyFitnessPal.  When you set it up, you can adjust what your total daily calories goal is, and you can also adjust your goals for daily protein.  

The principle here is true and it’s one that I actually learned in the realm of money and finance.  What you do not track, you cannot manage.  If you don’t track it, you won’t be able to control it.  If you commit to tracking every piece of food or drink you put in your body, when you’re faced with that donut you’ll have to make a conscious choice because you know you’re going to have to put it into your calorie tracker.  It’s accountability.  What you track, you will manage!

Bonus Tip: Intermittent Fasting

This works amazingly well for a lot of people because you are forced to endure a very mild amount of discomfort early in your day until around lunchtime, which yes, has some health benefits, but mostly it is a psychological trick because you’re not going to overeat the rest of the day if you’ve put in some effort to not eat until lunch.

If you’re having trouble staying under calories eating your normal number of meals, try intermittent fasting for a week and see if that doesn’t give you what you need to comply with your program.  

So there you go.  

Check your weight at the same time of day on the same day each week, do those three things along with at least the 3 sessions of BasketballFIT every single week and watch as your body transforms itself.  Remember that it’s a process.  You want to form good habits.  Starving yourself might get you short term results but it’s not sustainable and not healthy.  If you want to lose weight, make a goal to lose 1 lb per week using these three keys and then be sure to share your experience in the Member's-Only Facebook group!  Have an awesome day!

Questions: Email support@BasketballFIT.us