This was the key to my physical transformation.

There is absolutely a difference in diet and supplements once I switch over to prep mode training.

If you recall, I started prep mode (the cutting period) on April 2^nd and rode it out until the end of June (maintaining the diet through 4^th of July weekend).

This article will cover my strategy for diet and supplementation for this time period.

Dieting is a simple as you want to make it.

I don’t count calories. I don’t measure food. I don’t time my meals. I eat the food on my diet plan. I eat enough to fuel my body. I eat when I am hungry. It’s as simple as that.

When I diet I have a game plan. That game plan is HIGH PROTEIN, HIGH FAT, LOW CARBS.

That is what helps me get shredded. That is the general game plan that has helped me get shredded for the past 3 years. I will stick with it until it doesn’t work. I make adjustments when necessary.

This year, I needed to make several adjustments to the diet. I will go over those in due time but for now here is the breakdown of what exactly I put into my body.

Complete Breakdown of Prep Mode Diet and Supplements

Meal 1: steak, eggs

Supplements: Fish Oil Pills, Fat Burner

In Part II, I talked about the benefits of using fish oil. In case you forgot, this is the brand of fish oil pills I take.

Spectrum Essentials Fish Oil Omega-3 — 1000 mg – 250 Softgels

Fat Burners often cause a lot of confusion. Many are a scam and do nothing for you. Some actually work and can help with your weight loss goals. The fat burner I used this year absolutely worked. It worked so well that it helped me get in the best shape of my life.

It helped me get even more shredded than I was in 2012 and 2013. I had used clenbuterol for those two preps so this particular fat burner is the real deal. To top it off, I did not experience any noticeable side effects from using this product. Here it is:

German American Technology Jet Fuel Pyro, 120-Count

Meal 2: Protein shake, 2 scoops peanut butter

Supplements: Potassium, Turmeric

The protein I use for dieting down is called Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey. In my experience, it is the best tasting and most easily mixable protein on the market. It is also the purest protein and is pack with 30g of protein per scoop. Since the whey isolates are hydrolyzed, the larger proteins are broken down into smaller pieces. This enables faster absorption by your system and an easier mix. I take 2 scoops and mix it with water. Click the link to purchase.

Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey, Turbo Chocolate, 3.5 Pound

I use potassium because it helps prevent cramping. Cramping up becomes more probable when you are dieting. This is when you are weakest and most depleted (mentally and physically). In previous years, I made the mistake of not taking potassium during prep mode. As a result, my quads would often be tight (especially the days after a leg workout).

During the offseason, I usually get plenty of potassium from bananas. I cut them out during prep mode because of the carbs. This year I used potassium to prevent cramps.

I strongly encourage anyone who goes on this type of diet to take potassium. This is the potassium I use:

Solaray Potassium Supplement, 99 mg, 200 Count

I take turmeric to help with inflammation. This becomes more probable if you combine dieting with increased training volume. It also helps with aching joints. This is another supplement you should take if you are hardcore dieting. Click the link to purchase.

Solaray – Turmeric Root Extract, 120 capsules

Meal 3: Chicken Breast (or fish) with green vegetables

Meal 4 (pre-workout): 1 small bowl of oatmeal

Supplements: Amino Acid powder (mixed with water), liver pills, Beta Alanine

When you are dieting, you need to hammer those amino acids. This is when your body is most depleted and in its most catabolic state. You need to do everything you can to make sure you burn fat and don’t start burning through muscle. I made this mistake in 2012 and looked very depleted towards the end of that prep. Since 2013, I have used this BCAA amino acid powder to prevent that.

Here is the link:

Scivation Xtend – Grape Escape, 30 Servings

Again, here are the liver pills I use to get more protein (and boost in energy).

UNI-LIVER 250TABS

Uni-Liver, Argentine Liver Formula, 500 Tablets, Uni Liver, From Universal

Beta Alanine stimulates the fast twitch muscle fibers in your body and increases anaerobic exercise performance.

More specifically, its role is to promote high intramuscular concentrations of carnosine, a small molecule composed of the amino acids histidine and alanine. Carnosine acts as a buffering agent that helps maintain an optimal muscle pH range which delays the onset of muscular failure.

In other words, it enables you to have more effective workouts and work out harder.

For a more scientific explanation, click here.

This is the beta alanine supplement that I use:

ProLab Beta Alanine Extreme Capsules, 240 Count

Meal 5: Protein Shake, 2 scoops peanut butter

Meal 6: Steak, green vegetables

Before Bed: Zinc, Bone-Up

By now you know that I take Zinc in the form of ZMA. I also recently started taking Bone-Up this past spring.

Bone-Up contains calcium- hydroxyapatite found, which improves bone mineral density. This is especially important during dieting periods. I first learned about this from Jay’s article over at Fab Fit Over 40.

If you want to purchase Bone-Up, click the link below:

Jarrow Formulas Bone-Up, 240 Count

Final Thoughts and why this was my “messiest prep”…

That’s the diet. I pretty much did it for 14 days straight. On Day 15, I would have a cheat day and pig out all day. The next day I would hop back on the diet.

However, this prep differed from previous years’ preps because I messed up a few times.

In particular, I messed up Memorial Day weekend. That Friday night I was out with friends celebrating a birthday. I ate cake and partied with them all weekend.

I got back on the diet that following week. But I felt so depleted that for the whole week, for my last meal, I drove to In-N-Out Burger to eat some burgers (usually around 12:00 AM).

This obviously threw me off.

As a result, I had to make an adjustment in how my “cheating” was scheduled. Instead of having an all-out cheat day every 14 days, I decided to have one scheduled cheat meal every 6 days.

This prevented me from becoming too depleted and helped me maintain my fullness (and sanity).

I did this for my final 4 weeks and by the end of June I was in the best shape of my life.

Sonny