How To Eat To Look Better Naked
In THIS article, I broke down the Training Hierarchy for improving your body composition. AKA - What you need to do in the gym to look better nekkid.
But training alone isn’t enough.
Your results hinge just as much—if not more—on what you’re doing outside the gym. Specifically: your nutrition.
Not fair, right?
If your goal is to look leaner, build muscle, feel stronger, and improve the way your clothes fit (read: body composition), you need to understand the Body Composition Nutrition Hierarchy.
Let’s break down the 4 elements from most important to least.
1 - Consistency and Patience
Look, I get it. I wish I could eat and drink whatever I want on the weekends without it affecting my results.
I also wish fat loss and body composition changes happened from day to day instead of month to month.
Sadly, it’s just not reality.
Eating well Monday through Friday night only accounts for 65% of the week, and the progress you made can easily be undone by unbridled weekend shenanigans.
And, our clients who have completely transformed their body composition did it over the course of months, not days or weeks.
If you’re looking for a quick fix or hack… We aren’t the coaches for you.
2 - Total Quantity (Calories)
This one’s at the top of the list for a reason.
Organic, gluten-free, natural, grain-free, seed-oil-free… None of these health-halo buzz words affect the most important variable in your compositon.
Calorie content.
Calories are king when it comes to changing your body.
Eat fewer calories than you do now, and your body will make up the difference with your existing body fat.
Eat more calories than your body needs, and you’ll store those extra calories as fat.
Most people understand this to some degree, which leads them into super-low-calorie crash diets.
I’m looking at you, Optavia and juice cleanses, and other “detoxes”.
Sure, the number on the scale goes down 5 pounds per week, but much of that weight is muscle, which means your body composition gets worse, not better.
If you have body fat to lose: You need a moderate calorie deficit, not a crash diet that tanks your energy, mood, and muscle. Think 200-300 calories per day less, not 500-1000.
If you're "skinny fat": You need to keep eating about the same number of calories while prioritizing your training and your daily protein.
If you're underweight: You need to eat 200-300 calories more per day, to give your body the fuel to build new muscle.
Eating too little is one of the biggest reasons people spin their wheels and never look the way they want, even when the scale is moving. #sad
Next on the list…
3 - Total Protein
Once your calories are in check, protein is where it’s at.
Think of protein as the raw materials to look better in less clothes.
Without enough of it, your body simply won’t change, no matter how perfect your workouts are.
How much do you need? Let’s keep it super simple y’all.
👉 Men: 150–200 grams per day
👉 Women: 100–150 grams per day
Yes, every day. Yes, even when you’re busy. Yes, even when you don’t feel like it.
Here are some foods our clients use to hit their protein goals:
Eggs
Chicken
Lean ground beef or turkey
Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese
Shrimp
Tofu
Fish
Quality protein powder (whey or plant-based)
Stuff like protein bars, protein chips, and other gimmicky foods shouldn’t be the foundation of your high-protein diet.
Muscle is built from real food, not snacks pretending to be dessert.
Ok, on to the most controversial element of the hierarchy…
4 - Carbohydrates
Carbs have gotten a bad reputation over the years. But you know what fuels the strength training we talked about on Monday?
Carbs.
You need glycogen (stored carbs) in your muscles if you want to lift heavy, train hard, recover, and build muscle.
👉 Men: Most do well with 150–250 grams per day
👉 Women: Most need 100–200 grams per day
These numbers change depending on your goals and your training, but they’re a good starting place for someone serious about their results.
The “low carb = lean body” idea sounds good. But the truth is, most people just end up tired, cranky, flat-looking, and unable to train effectively. Not exactly the dream.
Truth be told, if you cut carbs and lose weight, it’s because you stopped eating chips, pastries, pizza, and Chinese food, all of which are crazy-high in calories, not just carbs. (See point #1 above)
Quick Reality Check
Notice what’s not in the Body Composition Nutrition Hierarchy?
❌ Supplements
❌ Superfoods
❌ Fat-burners
❌ Detoxes
❌ Timing your meals down to the minute
❌ “Macros to the decimal” precision
Those can all go straight to the bottom of the pyramid, or off the map completely.
You get 80–90% of your results by nailing the basics:
Eating the right amount of food
Hitting your protein
Fueling your training with carbs
Staying consistent
If you need help figuring out how to apply this to your life and goals, we do this for a living. Literally.
Click the button below, check out our program options and pricing, and let’s get started.