It is possible to change your life by changing how you eat. While the focus of this blog has changed to be more about the bodybuilding lifestyle, I want everyone to be able to get something out of what I write about, so today I want to focus on general fitness and how you can improve that by changing how you eat.

Why Diets Fail

Most diets are doomed to failure before they begin. This is because people make a huge and drastic change to how they eat. It puts them in a position where they cannot possibly maintain the program they put themselves on. Most of us do not have strong enough will power when it comes to food to go cold turkey. Attempting to do so puts us at risk mentally. Instead of making things better it will actually make things worse.

Positive Change That Sticks

Let's assume that since you are reading this  you feel you need to change your eating to change your life. That probably means that more often than not you eat garbage. You eat too much junk food, too much fatty foods and too much at one time. You want to lose the fat and you don't know where to start. You just read above that making a drastic change will set you up for failure. What should you do? Make one small positive change that sticks with you for the long term. Start by eating 5 meals a day, but make them small meals. Allow yourself to eat “bad” one of those meals each day. If you do just that one small thing you will be 80% compliant to a clean meal plan.

Is 80% Enough to Make Changes?

I get asked this question all the time by clients who I make this suggestion to. The answer is simple: yes! By being 80% compliant, you are 80% better off than you were before. That's the part most people miss. There is no need to go crazy and aim for 100% compliance (unless you are looking to compete and that's an entirely different story). Make the small improvements that are going to allow you to see positive changes almost immediately.

Don't Beat Yourself Up for Slipping Up

We all make mistakes, especially when it comes to eating and training. Don't beat yourself up for it. Accept the fact that you are human. Make a vow to do better going forward. It isn't going to kill you if you have one extra cheat meal every so often. Just don't make it a major habit and you will be fine.

If you have any tips for people on how to stay compliant with a change in eating, leave them in the comments below.

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Leptin sensitivity is a topic that has become near and dear to my heart. In this article I will teach you what leptin is, what it does and why leptin sensitivity matters. My request is that you take this information to heart and use it in your own nutrition plan.

What is Leptin?

Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells. It works through the brain to manage your appetite and your metabolism. Leptin causes the central nervous system to kick into gear and take action to control appetite and metabolism by working closely with the insulin response in your brain. This hormone has been shown to even make people more likely to exercise.

What Leptin Does

Leptin works to signal your brain to stop eating. It is present in the blood stream as a messenger that our appetite should be shut down. As people go on a diet and start to lose fat, their leptin levels drop. That will eventually slow the fat loss. Your body will sense that the leptin levels have dropped and it will assume that your metabolism needs to slow down. This messenger is quite effective.

Why Leptin Sensitivity Matters

If your leptin receptors are overstimulated they will eventually become desensitized and will no longer respond to leptin. This means that your body will no longer be able to regulate your hunger levels and your response will be to eat–continuously. This is why leptin sensitivity is so important. If you find yourself hungry all the time, it is likely that your leptin sensitivity level has dropped. You need that sensitivity to be high so that your body can and will control your appetite. Without it you will gain weight (and correspondingly, fat gain as well).

How to Restore Leptin Sensitivity

The only way to restore leptin sensitivity is to remove the stimulus in the first place. This is done through changes in your diet. One protocol that has been recommended is as follows:

• 50 g. of protein within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning.
• No snacking or eating after 7:30 p.m.
• Begin by keeping carbs below 50 g.

This standard protocol will help bring back leptin sensitivity.

What has your experience been with leptin levels? Let us know in the comments below.

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Eating for mass sounds like such an easy thing, but honestly, it is one of the most difficult things to do correctly. You have to eat a lot of food to gain mass the right way. So what is “the right way”? The right way involves gaining mass while minimizing fat gain. That's where the difficulty arises.

There are bodybuilders who still believe that “off-season” means they can eat whatever they want whenever they want. The reality is quite different. In order to gain mass without gaining massive amounts of fat. Even the proponents of bulk and cut have changed their approach to something more like what I describe below. It is all in an effort to put on muscle but stay lean.

The following are some tips for gaining mass while keep the fat at a minimum:

• Focus primarily on lean protein with carbohydrates your second area of focus. Gaining mass means keeping both of these items at a reasonable level (40% of your total calories each one).
• Don't avoid fat. Healthy fat is essential for building muscle. It works with your body to raise your testosterone and that is essential for mass building.
• Eat higher calories than your maintenance level. If you do this, be sure to keep track of your body fat percentages.
• Time your meals properly. In order to get in a large amount of calories you might need to eat every 2 hours. Try to hit the 3 hour mark at the very least.

By following the tips above you are going to be well on your way to gaining mass. At the same time, your metabolism will be revved up and you won't be putting on a lot of fat. That is the balance you want.

Even proponents of bulking and cutting would advocate a clean bulk. A clean bulk means you have to eat lean meats and vegetables. That's why I say this is a very difficult thing to do. Think about how hard it would be to get in 4500 calories when it has to involve chicken breast. That's an awful lot of chicken breast!

When you want to build mass, focus on what you are eating. Make sure there is enough food in your body for it to grow. You won't be disappointed by this approach.

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