Ripped at 50 – Whatever it takes

Hi. It’s Sam Ridgeway with Live Like a Viking. And today is day three. If you’re just tuning in, you’re probably wondering, “Day 3 of What?” Well, I’ve paid a professional bodybuilder to teach me what to eat and how to train. And since I share that with you, it’s going to benefit us both. My ultimate objective is to get in amazing shape and to be able to compete in a bodybuilding competition in about 8 months. So let’s see how I was feeling this morning and then let’s break down the reason my coach has me eating 3,600 calories a day.

I know a lot of people are thinking, “You can’t lose weight on 3,600 calories a day.” And you’d probably be right. But sometimes you have to take a step back in order to move 3 steps forward. When I started this docuseries I was consuming around 2,500 calories a day. I was also doing the Ketogenic diet. Keep in mind, I weigh 300 pounds and I train every day, whether it’s weight training or cardio and abs. Many days it’s a mixture of the two. 2,500 calories a day left no wiggle room for caloric manipulation. My metabolism would have stalled quickly and I would have plateaued in a very short period of time. By initially increasing my calories for a while, I create a New Normal with which I can use as a baseline for the restriction of calories in the future. In layman’s terms, I’m creating the perfect environment for weight loss.

I find it to be odd that when I started this diet, 3 days ago, I found it difficult to eat all of the required food. Now I’m actually hungry when it’s time to eat one of my six meals. And when my body tells me it’s time to eat, that’s usually for a reason… it needs food. So it’s quite possible that the quality of the food you eat may be just as important as the quantity. I make the comparison between throwing a dry log onto a fire and a wet one. Both are made of wood, but one definitely burns more efficiently than the other. I think by eating the right foods you create a Dry Log scenario for your metabolism. So while we’re talking about eating, let’s take a look at the macro’s in this diet…

So there you have it. That’s why we’re eating like this and that’s what the macro’s break down to be. I’m just going to trust the system. Here’s what I do know… I spent years doing it My Way. I would do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. I’m pretty sure that’s the textbook definition of insanity. I don’t work on my own car, I don’t mow my own lawn, hell… we don’t even clean our own house. So why would I think I can achieve my weight loss goals on my own? I’m going to leave it to the professional and just do what I’m told.

Until next time… Peace Out.