Sometimes it’s truly about looking better naked.
And that’s ok.
Aesthetic goals or vanity goals are perfectly fine and valid. Don’t let anyone make you feel like achieving the physical appearance that you desire for your body is wrong.
The problem is … no one wants to be honest about what it takes to make it happen.
Conventional wisdom tells us that if we want to look leaner, more toned, fit, or athletic … we have to eat less.
It requires losing a bunch of body fat. So, drop your calories, eat a bunch of salads, and work out like a maniac.
I tried that. I lost 80 lbs that way and guess what …
I hated how I looked.
I was skinny fat, I looked unhealthy, and I couldn’t stand what I saw in the mirror.
This is part of the problem that I have with social media …
It paints an unrealistic picture of how fit bodies are created.
You likely see a bunch of HIIT workouts, banded booty work, and “what I eat in.a day” videos that contain about 1200 calories.
They look good so they must be doing something right.
Yes, they are. The thing they’re doing right is not following their own advice.
What does looking better naked actually entail?
The reality of what it takes to look better naked is the opposite of conventional wisdom.
You’re not going to starve yourself and cardio yourself to your ideal body.
You want to get leaner, more toned, more fit, or more athletic? You need to fuel appropriately and adequately enough to support your training, recovery, and the process of building muscle.
You also need to push yourself in the gym with enough intensity to get stronger.
That means heavier weights. Slower reps. Enough volume to actually stimulate growth.
It’s misleading to see a fat loss phase from someone who spent years building muscle and living in maintenance. Because most of the progress and the rewards that they’re reaping were generated during that period of time that most people avoid.
Are you willing to spend a full year building muscle? Are you willing to NOT diet for a full year? Possibly longer?
Eat less, move more will get you very short term results.
It’s not sustainable and it’ll only reveal what you’ve spent time building.
Eat more, build more is where the majority of the work should be. Eat more to support your metabolism. Eat more to support your hormone health. Eat more to support the muscle building process. Eat more to support recovery.
I’m not talking about a free-for-all. I’m talking about intentionally eating well (quality) and enough to fuel your training and recovery so you can actually build the body that you desire.
It takes time and patience and intentional work.
The eat less part of the equation should be a very short intervention.
Now, if you have a significant amount of fat to lose, you may need to tackle that first. However, many people get stuck tackling that part for years and years. And they end up spinning their wheels because they never pivot.
When you understand how to prime your metabolism effectively, it becomes much easier to achieve the aesthetic look that you desire. It’s not a starvation race to the finish line.
It’s about understanding how to give your body what it needs to look the way you want. And most of that work is done through eating enough and getting out of the dieter’s mindset.
The gift of eating to build muscle and support metabolic health is one that keeps on giving. The challenge is the mental shift that it requires and the patience to see it through. These are the real keys to looking better naked.
Once you get over that hump, your body will thank you.
