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The Lost Art of

Discipline

The Diet

Dare Mighty Things Inc. © 2017

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Table of Contents

INTRO TO THE DISCIPLINE DIET .................................................... 3

MEAL TIMING ............................................................................................ 4

THE TESTOSTERONE SHAKE ....................................................................... 5

MEAL FREQUENCY ............................................................................... 7

THE LIST OF CRAP .............................................................................. 10

YOUR CHEAT DAY ................................................................................ 11

SUBSTITUTIONS ................................................................................... 12

SUPPLEMENTS ..................................................................................... 13

THE MUST-HAVES ....................................................................................... 13

STARTING YOUR DIET ........................................................................ 15

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INTRO TO THE DISCIPLINE DIET

While the focus of the diet will be to fill your body with the right macros at the right time and in the proper amount, habits will take precedents above all else. Diets fail not because they’re not good, they fail because you don’t stick to them. Rather than focusing on making the right eating habits habitual, you go into a completely new way of eating as if you’re going to change your old habits with the snap of a your fingers. Think about diet like this… … Each meal is a habit unto itself. Each snack is its own habit. You’re not trying to change a single eating habit, you’re trying to change multiple habits at varying times of the day and differing days of the week.

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MEAL TIMING

I’m a fan of focusing lean proteins and carbs around a workout because this is when our insulin sensitivity is at its height. That is, this is when the carbs and the proteins will be best used to fuel your muscle. Remember, muscle is the goal whether you want to get jacked or ripped. Muscle is incredibly metabolic in that it will help you burn fat when you’re sleeping. There’s another reason why we focus lean proteins and carbs around your workout – namely after your workout: when you train you send your cortisol levels skyrocketing. Cortisol is necessary for the fight or flight response we used to need when we’d cross paths with a predator that was higher up on the food chain. Today it can work as a detriment. Cortisol is a stress hormone. It’s one of the primary reasons why stress is so destructive to your health. Spikes in cortisol result in muscle loss and fat storage – muscle loss, in turn, makes it more difficult to burn fat and to maintain a healthy metabolism. If you’re a guy it’s also one of the ways we measure testosterone. Cortisol opposes testosterone. Thus, high cortisol levels automatically mean low testosterone levels. Carbohydrates and amino acids found in proteins spike our insulin levels. Insulin combats cortisol. By having our carbs in a post workout shake (I’m fine with you taking it before the workout as well, the science is fuzzy as to the best time to take it, either within 15-minutes after a workout, but before could work too as it takes time for your body to process the nutrients consumed in the shake) and another meal about 1-2 hours after, we’re crushing the cortisol spike and we’re feeding out bodies much needed calories. Here’s the thing, keep the timing. It doesn’t matter if you train at night or in the morning, fuel your muscles with carbs and proteins after you’ve finished. The carbs will be used, they’re not going to turn to fat simply because it’s at night. The workout you just put yourself through will ensure of that.

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If, however, you haven’t worked out at night, don’t have a high carb meal before you go to bed. Those carbs won’t be used because you’ve done nothing to use them. For the fellas… Testosterone is your most important hormone, and there’s a period in the early morning when you experience a ‘testosterone surge’. This surge can be fed by a fatty breakfast or a fatty dinner or a snack that’s high in dietary fats. Cholesterol is where testosterone comes from. So natural fats like saturated, unsaturated, and polyunsaturated are fuelling your hormones. Trans fats (fried stuff) have the opposite effect. They’re horrible. Avoid them always. Snack 1 2 hardboiled eggs 2-4 fish oils pills Snack 2 1 hardboiled egg 1 handful of Brazil nuts

THE TESTOSTERONE SHAKE Try this shake a maximum of 3 times a week. It’s FILLED with cholesterol, and will give your testosterone levels a big jolt. 1 cup raw milk (if you can’t find raw milk, whole is fine) 1 tablespoon chia seeds 1 raw egg I usually take this in the afternoon. It’s not a post-workout shake as the protein and carbohydrate amounts aren’t big enough, plus fats blunt your protein absorption, so taking it as a post workout shake won’t do you much good.

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Start with your post workout shake and meal and build the rest of your meals around that. For non-workout days, simply forgo the shake, or if you want to take the shake, cut out one more meal.

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MEAL FREQUENCY

The research suggests that meal frequency doesn’t matter except when it comes to your body’s ability to absorb protein. What I’m more concerned about, however, is your ability to stick to the diet, so it’s more about figuring out a good schedule, getting your calories in, than it is about frequency. To start, figure out the best time for whatever meal you want to make habitual. Let me rephrase that last part… … whatever meal you can best make habitual. That is, whatever meal during the day you know you can eat every day except for your cheat day. Your First Meal I don’t know where you are with your discipline, but be honest with yourself. If you could easily eat one meal from the meal plan every day, then choose to eat two meals. If you can easily eat three, then jump right into the entire thing. However, if you’re not eating that healthily right now, if you lack discipline and you’re essentially starting from scratch, choose one meal a day to master. It makes sense to start with breakfast, but choose whichever meal you can best stick to. In Your Journal As a part of The Lost Art of Discipline you should have a journal. In that journal keep track of the habit you’re creating, which is the meal or meals you’re starting to eat.

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The best ‘habit tracker’ I’ve come across is the ‘Way of Life’ app. You can determine the habit you want to track and simply check it off every day. The Duration We’re not going to completely get this habit into ‘habit mode’ before moving on to the next meal, but we are going to take two weeks to settle into the first meal. Now, this is two weeks of having your one meal or two meals or whatever amount of meals EVERY DAY. You can do this. Don’t break. You have a cheat day. Do whatever you need to do before you start the Discipline Diet as far as groceries and removing all of the crap from your house that will or can pull you off of the diet. Set yourself up for success. We’re not trying to change your life in a day, we’re going to successfully change your habits over the course of a couple months. Make it so this first meal is your only option. If you like, don’t have variety in your meal choice. Choosing breakfast, for example, doesn’t mean you have to have each breakfast on each day. That can complicate things. We give options because people like variety and variety – especially in proteins – is good for nutrient absorption. If you have a meal you like, one that you can make quickly, then choose that meal and have that exact meal every day. My breakfast is eggs, fruit, Athletic Greens, and either boar bacon or elk bacon. I have it daily because it’s quick to make, it hits the spot from a hunger standpoint, and it takes almost no effort. Choose one or two or three different meals, whatever you’re comfortable with, but also whatever you can do with little effort. The purpose of the ‘one meal strategy’ is to do something you can very easily do.

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You can do one workout a week. Just like you can eat the same breakfast every day or the same dinner or the same lunch. It’s not difficult at all. It’s an easy habit to create and thus an easy one to build upon.

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THE LIST OF CRAP

Make a list of stuff you shouldn’t be eating. Basically all snacks other than the ones listed below. If you really want to create a transformation, to get in great shape, have no booze in your home. I don’t have sugar in my house, nor any snack of any kind because I know I’ll eat them. I have no cereal either, because I love cereal, but I haven’t eaten it in a decade. Booze, however, are in my house and they’re consumed. There’s a certain line of enjoyment and performance, where you can get too strict in my mind. I don’t want to exist in a world where the simple pleasures are non-existent. So I’ll drink here and there and I’ll smoke cigars a couple times a month. It’s not daily, but I enjoy both. Food, however, I just don’t see the benefit – not even the joy benefit – of having crappy foods lying around. They’re consumed so quickly and they do nothing for you. Scotch and cigars calm me, help me relax. This is your list, though. If you’re dependent on booze, if you can’t avoid having a drink if they’re lying around, if you can’t go a week without a drink, I wouldn’t keep anything in your house. Snacks that are okay…

- Fruits - Veggies - Beef Jerky (any kind of jerky) - Nuts

Everything needs to be removed from your house today. No chips, ice cream, cookies, candies, or anything else you might munch on. No soy either, it’s estrogenic.

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YOUR CHEAT DAY

Choose one day a week. It has to be the same day every week. We’re building patterns, and consistency has to be a part of it. Your cheat day is a free-for-all. But again, the foods you’re cheating with aren’t going to be in your house! You have to get out of the house, go to an ice cream shop or order pizza or fulfill whatever craving you have, just don’t have left overs that you put in the fridge. There are no rules as far as what to eat, though; I would still stay away from friend foods. Opt more for the pastas and sweets. Choose your day. Have this day as your cheat day every day of the week. Now, most people choose a weekend. I like to choose a week day because I can have sweets after my workout and weekdays are a bit busier than weekends. Choose whatever day you like though. Weekends can be good because you can go out with the fellas and have pizzas and beers, but do your thing, this is on you.

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SUBSTITUTIONS

The meal plans are made for everyone, but not everyone likes the same things and some people have allergies. Substitutions are easy. Proteins Any animal protein can be replaced by any other animal protein of the same weight. Any green veggie for any other green veggie. Slow carbs for other slow carbs. Try and keep the portions the same, but more protein isn’t a bad thing, nor are more veggies. Where you can run into some problems are over-doing it on the fats or carbs. The portions of the meal plans are important, and they’re even more important for those of you trying to get ripped or lose fat. Protein will be a huge ally in that battle. For those trying to gain muscle, protein will be a massive ally, but so will carbs. You have far more leeway if you’re trying to get jacked as calories become your friend not your enemy. Again, the goal is to stick to the plan. If you need to make a substitution or two, do it, just don’t substitute whole wheat rice for white rice or whole wheat pasta for white pasta or sweet potatoes or yams for potatoes. Stick within a similar family and you’ll be fine.

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SUPPLEMENTS

Supplements aren’t the path to a better body. They’re merely designed to do what their title says, to supplement an already healthy diet. The following supplements are specifically for the Discipline Diet as many of them help us get more energy and improve our ability to focus. Humans make bad decisions when we’re tired. Think about the last time you went grocery shopping when you were hungry. Did you buy anything you shouldn’t have? I do. My thought-process is also off when I’m lethargic, which is why each of these supplements (all are all-natural ingredients) have a specific place in my routine.

THE MUST-HAVES

Athletic Greens (morning) Instead of a multivitamin, take AG. It has all of the nutrients you need and more and if you’re like me, getting all of the veggies you should ideally have in your diet in your meals is a chore. While I still consume veggies, AG is a staple of my day, helping me avoid getting sick while giving me a good boost of energy when taken after a draining workout. Whey Protein (post workout) Protein is your greatest ally in either quest, be it fat loss or muscle gains. Getting the allotted 1 gram per pound or close to it, isn’t easy. Protein, especially when taken right after a workout, is a must have supplement. Creatine (post workout) It’s the best, most tested supplement for muscle building and gaining strength. No link. Just get a monohydrate from your local supplement store, Costco, or grocery store. They’ll all have them. No need to get anything fancy.

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The Optionals Krill Oil (morning) MCT Oil (morning) Both oils help in brain function – which may be the most important benefit – and in helping you boost your testosterone levels. I take both early, first thing, with MCT oil being poured into my coffee to give it an added energy boost. Alpha Brain (afternoon) I love this stuff. It’s the antidote to the late afternoon crash. It has both work and training benefits, but also discipline benefits. When your brain is drained and you have no energy you make bad decisions. Alpha Brain helps reduce mental fatigue, giving you the energy to make the right decision as the day goes on. D3 Spray (throughout the day) D3 helps us produce ‘free testosterone’, which is the only form of testosterone that really matters as its allowed to travel throughout the body, repair tissue, and do what testosterone does. A lack of D3 – just like low T levels – has been shown to increase depression. Most people have low D3 levels, especially in the darker, winter months. The simplest way to get more D3 is through liquid, and ONNIT’s D3 spray is as high quality as I’ve come across.

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STARTING YOUR DIET

Simplicity is key here. Determine the goal weight you want to get to. Then start by choosing the meal plan that’s closest to your current weight (on the side of your goal).

Weight (in lbs.) Meal Plans 115-125 1500kcal 130-140 1800kcal 145-155 2000kcal 160-170 2250kcal 175-185 2750kcal

190+ 3000kcal So, if you want to get to 170 pounds, but you’re 180 pounds, choose your weight, stay there for 1 month, then drop down to the 170 pounds diet plan. Here’s a weird tip: don’t pay attention to your weight for the first month. Weigh yourself at the beginning and end of the month, but because of the nature of the macros, and if you’re doing the discipline workout, you’re likely going to burn fat and build muscle, which may have a net gain in overall weight, but a loss in fat. The goal is to lose fat. After you’ve finished that first month of dieting and you get on the second meal plan (the level below or above depending on your goal), start keeping track of your weight on a weekly (NOT DAILY) basis. Daily we fluctuate. Weekly you’ll have a better idea of how the plan is workout without freaking out on a daily basis.

ONE FINAL NOTE 1. Water intake. Water isn’t mentioned in the actual meal plans, but it’s just as important as the food you eat for your fat loss or muscle building or energy goals.

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But how much should you consume? The starting point is 3/4 to 1 gallon of water per day. But you’re training, so you have to calculate that loss and add it to your overall intake. Climate also matters. If you’re in a hot climate – or, heck, even if you’re active in a cold one and you’re sweating a lot – add even more. 1 gallon is about 3.8 litres. For every hour of exercise add 1 to 1.5 litres of water consumed, plus a wee bit more for additional sweating (work, walking the dog, running, yard work etc.).

NOW GET STARTED!