In this day and age of refined foods and more so called nutrition experts than you can shake a stick at, we could be forgiven for needing a little help to cut through the myriad of information and get right to the core of what our bodies really need to function as the optimised machine it was meant to be.
The aim of this programme is to:
…resulting in a leaner, stronger more efficient version of you.
Bonus: Contact us for a free PDF version for a shorter, useful resource you can refer to whenever you want.
Over the first two weeks we will be using intermittent fasting to introduce your body and mind to ketosis (this is when your body converts its fats stores into blood ketones which can then be used instead of stored glycogen for energy). This is a game changer because the average athletic male only has roughly 2000-2500 kcal stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver as opposed to having over 40,000 kcal stored as fat that are available to use for energy at any one time.
The benefits of tapping into this huge energy source are endless but a few key ones are:
Fat provides a much more steady and reliable source of energy than carbohydrates or stored glycogen which helps your body optimise hormone production.
Whilst following this plan everything you eat should be as close to its natural state as possible, this is when the food you consume will have the most nutrients and life giving energy. A core principle of this programme will be to cut out as much refined food as physically possible, to reintroduce healthy fats and feed your body on organic whole foods that are full of vibrant life giving energy.
Think on this! Roughly every six months all of the cells in your body are replaced, and what do think these cells are made of? That’s right it’s the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink that we ultimately end up being made of. So ask yourself this; would you rather be made of a piece of organic steak and some fresh vegetables, or a Big Mac and fries?
To begin this process we will stopping eating at 8pm the night before the eating plan starts and simply push breakfast out until 10am the next morning.
This is when we introduce fatty coffee or tea containing coconut oil or MCT oil into your diet. Coconut oil is mostly comprised of medium chain fatty acids (MCTs) which unlike other fats, can be used instantly by the liver for energy. They also help your body become accustomed to using fats for energy.
As the first week progresses and you eventually push out your first meal until 12 noon, these fatty coffees or teas and some carefully selected supplements will give you the much needed energy you need to get through the morning. Consuming fatty coffees and teas containing coconut oil or MCT oil will help along the process of allowing your body to move into ketosis and use your fat stores for energy.
The introduction of these good fats in the absence of carbohydrates is also hugely effective at stimulating leptin production. Leptin is your satiety hormone and will drive away those growling hunger pains until it’s time to eat.
Do not fear if you’re trying to maintain muscle mass throughout this initial period because by adding BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) to the fasting phase of this plan will ensure you keep your hard earned lean muscle.
A quick note on fats: as we know, a lot of people are still very sceptical when it comes to the consumption of fats because they have been demonised by the media and medical community for decades. The fact of the matter is, we need a good amount of healthy fats in our diet, because without them we would never get the fat soluble vitamins we need and our endocrine system would have a very hard time producing the hormones that keep our bodies working effectively, they also provide our cells with integrity and strength, the list goes on.
Pick a day to start and then commit 100% to the plan. It is, in its design, very flexible when it comes to food choices but the timings and structure need to be adhered to in order to get the best results. Maybe take a few before pictures, weigh yourself and if you can get your body fat measured at your local gym, this will allow you to track your progress more effectively.
Fail to prepare, Prepare to fail! This is a bit cliché but also very true. When you’re eating a well structured, planned out diet, it is so hard to grab the food you need on the go and to be honest, trying to follow this plan without preparing your food in advance would be extremely challenging and add unneeded stress to your day.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
6-8am:
10am:
1pm:
4pm:
5.30pm: Train
Post Training:
7.30pm:
Note: it’s fine to drink herbal teas and water after 8pm.
Before Bed:
Thursday,Friday,Saturday,Sunday
6-8am:
10am:
11am:
2pm:
1 x large Salad (as with Mon, Tues and Wed).
4pm:
5.30pm: Train
Post Training:
7.30pm:
300g of the meat or fish of your choice, 50g of white basmati rice, 200g of sweet potato and 50g of green veg. Feel free to add a big side salad.
Before Bed:
Drink at least 2 litres of water a day in addition to any other drinks.
6-8am:
10-10.30am:
12pm:
2-3pm:
1 x large Salad (as with Mon, Tues and Wed).
4-5pm:
5.30-6pm: Train
Post Training:
7.30pm:
300g of the meat or fish of your choice, 50g of white basmati rice, 200g of sweet potato and 50g of green veg. Feel free to add a big side salad.
Before Bed:
This is the stage where you need to assess what your long term goals are?
Ultimately the aim of this plan is to help you make a lifestyle change that is sustainable and that you can stick to long term. This is not a crash diet!!!
Many of the leading names in the nutrition world use intermittent fasting as part of their daily routine so there is no reason why, if having a lean healthy body is your goal, you couldn’t take the principles you have followed in the first two weeks and use them long term moving forward.
However, if you are an aspiring athlete and need to, or would like to, pack on a few more pounds of muscle whilst staying lean and sharp, then you might want to look at the progression this plan makes in week 3!
The first two weeks are there for a reason and it was to give your body a reset, allowing you to tap into those bountiful fat stores you have for energy. 90% of people these days are solely reliant on carbohydrate for energy and as I mentioned earlier, this is a very up and down limited form of fuel for the body to run on.
If you look into the research by Jacob Wilson PHD of Tampa Bay University and many other leading researchers, you will see that how you eat in the morning can significantly dictate how your body processes and utilises its food intake for the rest of that day. They have shown that eating a ketogenic diet throughout the morning, or simply just at breakfast, will help your body use the carbohydrates you eat later in the day far more effectively, allowing you to be far more metabolically flexible and your hormone production to be far more consistent.
Listen to episode 6 of this podcast with Guru Performance, Jacob Wilson and Ryan Lowery MS and it will make things clear.
From week 3 onwards we will add back in breakfast with a vengeance and get your body fuelling a ketogenic fire throughout the morning. Getting in quality proteins and fats in the morning will give your body the anabolic boost it needs to add that elusive extra muscle you have been seeking.
6-8am:
Alternatively, you could have a tin of sardines with some leafy greens, or Salmon and Eggs, the aim of this first meal is to get a good amount of quality fats and protein in your system whilst keeping carbohydrates to an absolute minimum.
10am:
1pm:
4pm:
5.30-6pm: Train
Post Training:
7.30-8pm:
300g of the meat or fish of your choice, 50g of white basmati rice, 200g of sweet potato and 50g of green veg, optional side salad.
Before Bed:
Drink at least 2 litres of water a day in addition to any other drinks.
As I have mentioned before, the individual meals themselves are very flexible. Simply look at the structure of that meal and use common sense or just use resources such as Abel James’ fatty coffee recipes and meal recipes, or Jamie Oliver’s meal ideas.
However, please try to keep your fat, protein and carbohydrate intake roughly the same at each meal. Also, keep as close as you can to the meal timings and frequency in order to get the most from this plan.
I put my cousin Martin on this… what an example of how well it can work. Martin, a father of two, had put on weight over the last year and had gone from being fairly fit to suddenly having 24% body fat. Then I put him on the 105 Plan. Despite admitting to cheating a number of times, Martin had to put a new hole in his belt after 4 weeks (he lost almost a stone), retained muscle and felt great!
I hope the basic principles and lessons you have learned here will allow you to structure and maintain a balanced healthy diet moving forward. Add in as much fresh vegetables as you want and please use the Focus Performance Blog for ongoing motivation and diet tips.
If you have any questions, please email me or leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help everyone get the most from this.
Please also share with your friends and let’s get as many people doing this together as possible. Keep us updated with your progress on Facebook and Instagram.
Bonus: Contact us for a free PDF version for a shorter, useful resource you can refer to whenever you want.
Good luck!
Despite the benefits we’ve learned about protein powders, not all of them are keto-friendly. Just like any product for people on a low-carb diet, you need to read the label closely to make sure you’re not consuming added carbs and sugars.
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Scott Reid
Author
Scott Reid is a 2 x Britain’s Strongest Man U105kg winner (2007 & 2008) and IFSA World's Strongest Man U105kg Competitor. He is an expert in strength and conditioning and also coaches functional nutrition. Scott’s passion for understanding the human body and how to optimise every aspect of it has driven him to study under legends such as Paul Chek. Scott now coaches MMA Athletes, Strongmen and Bodybuilders to name but a few, helping them to implement a well structured diet and become more powerful, explosive versions of themselves.