An Advanced Fat-Loss-Boosting Technique You’ve Possibly Never Seen Before
How Michael Phelps stayed six-pack lean despite eating 8000+ calories a day
P.S. This article is part of The Ultimate No-BS Fat-Loss Bundle’s latest upgrade.
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Michael Phelps’ controversial 12,000-calorie diet first went viral on Saturday Night Live:
Even those who call it an exaggeration estimate his “realistic” intake at 8000 calories.
But 8000 calories is still 4 times the daily intake of the average man!
You’d expect such a huge food intake to lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. But Michael Phelps is/was in peak health and shape.
The man is only a few kilos shy of posing on a bodybuilding stage.
While the heat-stealing nature of swimming burns a ton of energy, there’s deeper magic at play.
The same magic lets elite rowers and fighters eat 4000+ calories.
The same magic made me lose fat while eating more since I began doing Muay Thai.
This magic is G-Flux — the powerful cousin of “Calories In vs Calories Out (CICO)” no one talks about.
As Precision Nutrition defines it, G-Flux is — “the complex and interdependent relationship between the energy that flows into and out of a physiological system.”
Essentially, energy need/usage isn’t linear — an elephant is 220,000 times heavier than a mouse — but needs only 10000 times more energy.
It’s this “non-linear” part that CICO misses — and what we can leverage through G-Flux.
Let me illustrate with 2 cases:
- Eating 2500 calories + burning 3000 calories a day.
- Eating 1500 calories + burning 2000 calories a day.
Ideally, with CICO, you’d expect fat loss would be the same — since it’s the same 500-calorie deficit, right?
But you’d be wrong.
The 2500–3000 1st case would lose more fat, maintain more muscle, and feel more energetic than the 1500–2000 2nd case!
This is thanks to G-Flux — the more calories you consume and burn, the better your body composition will get.
There are 3 ways to leverage this:
- Go back in time and choose your parents so you get high-metabolism genes.
- Increase your size, height, and skeletal frame to raise your base metabolism.
- Increase the number of calories you burn daily.
Only #3 is possible for those of us who lack time machines and shape-shifting skills.
7 Realistic Ways to Boost G-Flux For Fat-Loss
P.S. These recommendations work best if/when you’re in a “cutting” or a fat-loss phase. With minor tweaks, they’ll help with maintenance or gaining phases, too.
#1 — Boost your Non-Exercise-Activity-Thermogenesis (NEAT)
NEAT is the energy you burn through non-exercise daily physical activity. Studies have found it to contribute from 15 to 50% of your TDEE! Here are 5 ideas to boost your NEAT:
- Walk while talking on the phone or taking meetings. You can also get a standing or even a treadmill desk.
- Use a shopping basket instead of a trolly when grocery shopping.
- If you work at a desk, stretch now and then.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Too many levels to use the stairs? Get off a level or two earlier.
- Ditch the car for short trips — cycle or walk. Even when you drive, park further away and walk.
#2— Prefer Quick yet Intense HIIT Cardio Over Slower LISS Cardio
HIIT burns way more calories than LISS — and also boosts your metabolism for hours after you’re done (Through EPOC).
- Indoor/outdoor biking and treadmill/outdoor running HIIT are the best. You can mix things up with full-body circuits and ab circuits.
- Ensure to eat a carb-rich meal before HIIT.
- Don’t overdo HIIT — you don’t want it to affect your strength-workout recovery. Limit it to 2–3 weekly sessions of 10–15 minutes each.
#3 — Prioritize and Focus on Compound Movements
Along with building more muscle and strength in less time, they also burn a ton of calories. They boost your metabolism, too.
- For home workouts, focus on the “Big 3” — pushups, pullups, and squats. (And their infinite variations).
- For gym workouts, focus on the “Big 6” — weighted pullups, barbell rows, deadlifts, back squats, overhead presses, and bench presses.
- Don’t want to worry about exercise selection and routine design? Use The 15-Min-Bod (For home workouts) and The Aesthetic Vault (For gym workouts) — they’re both free and compounds-heavy.
#4 — Add in 2–3 Weekly Sessions of Low-Impact Physical Sport You Love
- Be it table tennis, soccer, or swimming — go with a sport you love — or loved in the past.
- The “Love” part is crucial — the mental enjoyment you get will offset any physical exhaustion.
- Don’t overdo it, though — ensure your core workout routine isn’t affected.
#5 — Tweak Your Workouts to Be More “Endurance-Focused”
Gradually ramp up the endurance factor — ENSURE it isn’t at the cost of strength or form.
- Reduce rest periods between sets.
- Use the higher end of any exercise’s recommended rep ranges.
- Move on from one exercise to the next faster.
- Reduce the pause/rest periods within each set — between the reps.
- Use techniques like rest-pause reps, supersets, and giant sets.
#6— Drink at Least 2–4L of Water
Along with making you feel fuller, water boosts your metabolism and, hence, G-Flux.
- Get a gallon water bottle and carry it along everywhere you go. Also, consider water-reminder apps.
- Drink 2–3 glasses right after you wake up and a glass before every meal.
- When in doubt, drink water — it’s hard to “over-drink” water.
#7— Eat Lean Protein and Omega-3 Fats with Every Meal
While protein boosts your metabolism, Omega-3 fats optimize your hormones — both boost G-Flux.
- Here are 15 excellent lean-protein sources, and here are 12 amazing Omega-3 ones.
- Vegetarian or vegan? Here are vegetarian protein sources, and here are vegan Omega-3 sources.
- [Optional] You can also consider supplementing with Whey/plant protein powder and Fish oil tablets.