The 4-Hour Body_ An Uncommon Guide to Ra - Timothy Ferriss [66]
THE LAST MILE
Losing the Final
5–10 Pounds
I saw an angel in the block of marble and I just chiseled until I set him free.
—Michelangelo
I looked down at my pad of paper and read the first question: “What’s the biggest mistake that drug-free ‘natural’ bodybuilders make?”
“Natural bodybuilders?” John Romano laughed. “The biggest mistake ‘natural’ bodybuilders make is thinking they’re natural. Eating 20 chicken breasts a day isn’t natural. The best I’ll give them is ‘over-the-counter.’ ”
And so our conversation began. It was going to be a fun interview.
Romano had his finger on the pulse of physique augmentation for more than two decades as the editor in chief of Muscular Development (MD) magazine. MD is the one mainstream magazine that serves as an intersection between published research and experimentation in the wild world of bodybuilding. MD wasn’t enough for John, so he left to push the boundaries even further on a site called RX Muscle.
I reached out to him about specifics of drug- assisted and drug-free approaches for achieving sub-10% bodyfat, as he’s observed thousands of guinea pigs and their results. John is a testament to his findings: he looks like he’s in his thirties though he just turned 50, which he credits to infrequent HIT-style resistance training (see “From Geek to Freak”), a simple decision-free diet, and a “modicum of the right drugs.”
The diet he follows for fat-loss, and the one he prescribes to competitors, is also that of his business partner, whom we’ll meet later: Dave “Jumbo” Palumbo. It is an elegant and effective means for losing the last 5–10 pounds that seem resistant to everything else.
The following menu is for a 200-pound male at 10–12% bodyfat, and the ounces of protein (8 ounces for a 200-pound male) should be adjusted up or down 1 ounce per 10 pounds of lean bodyweight (e.g., 7 ounces for 190 pounds, 9 ounces for 210 pounds) with a minimum per-meal intake of 4 ounces. In other words, even if you weigh 100 pounds, you will not decrease the ounces of protein below four ounces.
For sizing: half a cup of almonds is about 60 almonds, and eight ounces of lean protein is approximately the size of your fist.
Here’s the kicker: One of these meals has to be eaten every three hours while you’re awake, and you must eat within one hour of waking and one hour of bed. Hunger is no longer the driver for food intake. Tupperware is your friend, and the clock is your drill sergeant. Skipping meals is not permitted, so purchase in bulk and prep food in advance if needed.
If you weigh less than 150 pounds, use the lower end of protein intake at four ounces protein (or 30 grams for protein shakes) and have smaller portions for the add-ons: a quarter-cup of nuts or one tablespoon of peanut butter or one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) or macadamia oil.
Eat one of these meals every three waking hours:
Option 1: 50 grams of whey protein isolate + half a cup of nuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter
Option 2: eight ounces of cooked, white, nonfatty fish (no salmon, mackerel, etc.) + half a cup of nuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter. Acceptable fish include, but are not limited to, lean tuna, white fish, bass, catfish, pike, whiting, and flounder.
Option 3: eight ounces of cooked turkey or chicken + half a cup of nuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter
Option 4: eight ounces of cooked fattier protein: red meat (à la flank), ground beef, fatty fish, or dark poultry + one tablespoon of olive oil or macadamia oil
Option 5: five whole eggs (easiest if hard-boiled)
Unlimited quantities of the following are allowed at each meal:
Spinach
Asparagus
Brussels sprouts
Kale
Collard greens
Broccoli rabe
Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables
One tablespoon of olive oil or macadamia nut oil can be included as dressing, as long as you have not included the half-cup of nuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter in that meal. In the lower-fat meal options, you may make a salad dressing using slightly more oil: two tablespoons olive oil or