Today is the second re-evaluation day of Phase Two on Operation Aesthetic. At this point, you should really be pleased with the results you’re seeing if you’re adhering to all of my advice. Regardless, you will need to make some adjustments. That’s the nature of a fat-loss program.
Remember that you won’t perform cardio or weight-training today, but you can add a recovery activity such as yoga, a massage, or even a foam-rolling session.
DAY 42 TO-DO LIST:
Here’s what you also need to do today:
Weigh yourself upon rising. Your bodyweight isn’t important in and of itself, but it’s a metric that you should record as you approach the end of this program, and for future reference. Once you reach the end of Operation Aesthetic you’ll be able to more effectively evaluate if you were losing too much or too little weight. At this point, though, you should make adjustments based more on your appearance than on your bodyweight.
Take photos of yourself. Put on the same clothes you used for your beginning photos and at the end of every week to date. Take photos in the same setup at the same time of day as you did for your “before” photos. Take shots from the same angles as you did during your “before” shots. You want to remove all the variables other than your progress from your weekly photos.
Read through your journal and make sure it’s up-to-date. At this point, your journal should be a tool you’re using on a daily basis, and you should already be referring back to previous entries. Your journal will only grow more valuable over time.
Get in your cheat meal at the end of the day. Because you’re 2 weeks from the end of Operation Aesthetic, you can still include a cheat meal today even if you’re not happy with your fat-loss results. Just cut that meal to 3 calories per pound of bodyweight. If you’re losing more weight than you want, then you can get in just a bit more for this meal—about 100 or so calories more. If everything is going well, then just go with your standard cheat meal of about 4 calories per pound of bodyweight. As I mentioned, my favorite is a quality burger and sweet potato fries for about 800 calories in total.
PHASE TWO: DIET CHANGES
After this cheat period, you’re going to go make your last calorie cut on Operation Aesthetic. You’re going to cut calories to 12 per pound of bodyweight. Here’s the deal, though. Now you probably weigh less, so it’s a double drop. And you’re already depleted. This is where your diet really separates the men from the boys.
Let’s say you weighed 200 pounds at the beginning of Operation Aesthetic, and now you’re down to 185. Here’s how your daily calorie intake will shift:
PHASE ONE
200 pounds x 15 = 3,000 calories per day (Weeks 1 and 2)
195 pounds x 14 = 2,730 calories per day (Weeks 3 and 4)
PHASE TWO:
190 pounds x 13 = 2,470 calories per day (Weeks 5 and 6)
185 pounds x 12 = 2,220 calories per day (Weeks 7 and 8)
Remember to keep all of your calories in balance, especially making certain you get in plenty of protein to spare muscle mass.
FAT-FRYING SUPPS: PRE-KAGED®
This pre-workout helps prime me before workouts when I’m cutting calories on programs like Operation Aesthetic. PRE-KAGED® features ingredients that include CarnoSyn® beta-alanine, BetaPowerÒ betaine, fermented amino acids such as BCAAs and pure L-Citrulline, patented Creatine HCl, PurCaf® Organic Caffeine, SPECTRA antioxidant blend, coconut water powder, and more. I like to get in this pre-workout product about 30 minutes before each weight-training session. PRE-KAGED supports heightened mental focus, better performance, and, most importantly, energy to blast through tough workouts.
FOR BEST RESULTS: Get in a serving about 30–45 minutes before every weight-training workout.
