When people see me, they make assumptions. Several, probably. I mean, I’m a decently fit-looking guy. Based on the averages, that’s a rarity—in most places, I stand out. A lot of people probably think I live in the gym, eat nothing but boiled chicken and broccoli, hurry off to the supplement store on pay day, and never indulge.
Finding out that I work in the fitness industry only adds fuel to the presumptuous fire. A lot of people probably think that I’m some fanatic whose Instagram feed is full of #fitfam posts, shirtless selfies, and meal prep.
Well, a lot of people are wrong.
Truth be told, I’m more of a food lover than a fitness professional. Don’t get me wrong, fitness is great and I absolutely love being able to help people shed fat, uncover lean muscle, get stupid strong, and completely transform.
But I also really love eating.
Like, I’ve been on entire trips in the name of food. (Which was exactly why I went to Chicago for the first time. Deep dish pizza, hot dogs, Portillo’s chocolate cake shakes—it was all amazing.)
When people see how I eat, their assumptions shift.
A lot of people think, “Oh, well that’s because he exercises so much.” Or they’ll even assume I’m one of those genetic freaks that can eat whatever they want and always look ready for beach season.
Wrong again.
As far as fitness is concerned, I’m nowhere near genetically gifted. If anything, I drew the short straw.
I grew up with terrible asthma that became exercise-induced as I got older. I have serious orthopedic issues that stem from my flat feet. (Back in the day, doctors actually told me that I’d never be able to lift weights.)
Both sides of the family have a history of cardiovascular disease. One grandfather had a stroke that landed him in assisted living for the rest of his life. The other suffered a fatal heart attack—at 49 years young.
My family also has a history of insulin resistance, which makes it harder for the body to process carbohydrates. Translation: I always used to feel like I’d gain weight just looking at a piece of chocolate cake.
Put simply, I didn’t win the genetic lottery. I’m a natural chubster.
But I wouldn’t want it any other way. It allowed me to develop the habits that I now use every day to eat what I want and keep fit. I’m about to show you exactly how you can do it too. How you can enjoy good food and better fitness.
I’ve got good news: They’re not mutually exclusive.
Stop the Pity Party: You Shouldn’t Be Jealous of Anyone with “Good” Genetics
Listen, I get it. Everybody hates “that guy.” He (or she) has a body worthy of envy—effortlessly. They don’t work out, they eat whatever they want, and somehow look amazing all the time.
I was talking to one the other day who lamented that he can’t gain weight in spite of making multiple fast food trips per week.
Must be nice, right? Well, not forever. Here’s why:
Eventually, time catches up to everybody. It’s undefeated. No matter what you do, you’re always getting older. And with that age, comes a slower metabolism. You’ve probably seen this in action already. Eat the same way you did just a few years ago and you’re likely to gain weight.
In your 30s, you simply can’t eat like you did in your 20s—well, not without consequence.
The culprit? Your slowing metabolism. Don’t worry, though, you can minimize—even reverse—this metabolic slowdown. More on that in a bit.
For now, rest assured that everybody has to deal with age and an increasingly sluggish metabolism—even (and especially) those with “good” genetics.
People blessed with a zero-effort six pack never need to develop healthy habits. When an aging metabolism inevitably catches up, it punches them right in the gut. (Yes, a gut. By then, six pack’s gone.) What used to be easy, even effortless, is no more. And because they never had to work for it in the first place, they don’t know how to get it back.
This is the common curse of so-called good genetics.
Why the Genetically Gifted Should Really Be Jealous of Us Normal People
Theory and practical application are drastically different. Just because something works on paper or in theory doesn’t always mean it’ll always work in reality. We don’t live in a vacuum and sometimes—all of the times—life affects results.
Here’s the thing with fitness: Everything can work. But the trick is finding what’s going to work best for you. That’s where the magic happens. And that’s where us normal people have a serious advantage.
When you’re not blessed with effortless abs, you generally start developing healthy habits much earlier.
A lot of us that didn’t win the genetic lottery started working on fitness long before our metabolism began slowing down. In other words, we gave ourselves a head start with fitness success in the long run.
The more experience you have with training and nutrition, the more you’ll know what works (and doesn’t work) for you. Experience breeds expertise.
In this case, that expertise is uniquely personal—it’s all about what fitness strategies are going to get you results. That knowledge sets you up for long-term success every single time.
Without first-hand experience, you simply can’t know what’s going to work best for you as an individual. Lucky for a lot of us normal people, we’ve been gaining that experience for years.
Health and fitness didn’t come naturally, so we learned good habits along the way and early on.
The genetically gifted aren’t so fortunate. They probably didn’t learn good habits because they never needed them—until their metabolism suddenly slowed down.
In the long run, good habits and consistency are the things you need to deal with a slowing metabolism. The right habits can even reverse the slowdown, that way you can enjoy both good food and better fitness—no matter what your genetics are.
Three Simple Things That Let You Eat What You Want and Be Fit
Odds are, you’re not one of those genetic freaks that can get away with eating anything and everything. The following habits are the exact strategies I used to beat my “bad” genetics, eat my favorite foods (basically all the food), and stay fit.
They’re simple. They’re effective. And the best part? They work for everyone.
It doesn’t matter if you’re genetically gifted or a normie doing your best to keep fit, time is working against you. Your metabolism will slow down as you get older—it’s scientific fact.
If you’re not prepared, you will gain fat. If you are prepared, you can work against that. And with the right preparation, you can even reverse the slowdown and revive your metabolism.
These three simple things will set you up for long-term success against that slowing metabolism. They’ll let you eat the foods you want. And they’ll leave you looking fit while you do it.
Develop the following and reap the benefits:
1. Foundational Habits
Most people get carried away worrying about high-level strategies when they haven’t even mastered the basics.
Should you cut carbs and go ketogenic? Is HIIT better than traditional cardio? Will eating 100% organic help? Should you lift more? Is that detox really worth it? What about avoiding gluten? Carb cycling? Intermittent fasting?
All of those can potentially help you reach your goals. But they don’t matter until you’ve mastered the basics. All the things I listed are next-level strategies and they’re most effective when built upon a proper foundation.
Foundational habits are the strategies that must be mastered before worrying about anything more advanced. They’ll get you the most bang for your buck in the long-term. Here are my top three:
– Drink your water.
– Eat your veggies.
– Get your sleep.
Sound simple? Good. They’re supposed to.
Shoot to drink at least half your body weight (pounds) in ounces of water each day. Ideally, you should have 5–7 servings of veggies on the daily. And consistently getting 7–8 hours of sleep is huge. In the very least, six hours should be non-negotiable.
2. Consistency
The biggest indicator of success with any training or nutrition plan might surprise you. It’s adherence. You’ll get better results from a decent plan you can follow perfectly than you will from a perfect plan you can only decently follow. Every. Single. Time.
Consistency is king.
A plan that’s too strict is impossible to follow. If you can’t follow it, it’ll never get you results. That’s why I love the 80/20 rule.
If you’re doing the things you know you should 80% of the time, you can indulge with that last 20%. Maybe that’s during a workout or when you sit down to eat. That 20% could be adding in some extra curls or donkey kicks. It could be enjoying dessert on Friday night. Honestly, it could be whatever you want.
Swing the pendulum too far to an extreme and it’ll inevitably swing back. Shoot for moderate consistency, not inconsistent rigidity. You’ll get better results.
3. Lean Mass
I’ve literally written entire articles about lean mass. So I’ll be brief—it’s awesome. Want to lose fat? Pack on muscle? Get stronger? Build lean mass. Want to bring your metabolism back to life? Eat more without gaining fat? Enjoy your favorite foods? Build lean mass.
The how of lean mass development is simple. All you need is the right training and nutrition.
From a training perspective, lifting heavy things is one of my favorite ways to build lean mass. (Looking for a specific program? Here’s one. And here’s another.)
My favorite nutrition strategy to build lean mass is called a reverse diet. Just like it sounds, you reverse a conventional diet and eat more food instead of less. The best part? You build lean mass without gaining fat. #winning
Want to reverse your diet? I got you…
Everything You Need to Know About Reverse Dieting
By following those three simple steps, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success.
It’s time to work against your increasingly sluggish metabolism and bring it back to life by developing foundational habits, consistency, and lean mass.