Hi Tony,
At the beginning of the year I weighed 371 pounds at which point I decided to do something about my fat ass. During my research on the internet I came across your two scoop method and have enjoyed reading your updates ever since. I am now down to 284 and can start to see the ripples of my work in my arms. The problem is that I have plateaued, losing only 15 or so pounds over the last eight weeks.
What can I do to get past the plateau? I ride my bicycle to and from work every day, I take two scoops of C4 in the morning, I hit the weights when I get to the gym before work and I wash it down with a protein shake when I get to the office.
People have suggested I take classes, but I know how you feel about those. Any suggestions on a new regimen so I can get huge?
Thanks,
Big Skeezy
Follow the Two Scoops plan to look like this. You are on your own for the mustache.
Alright Big Skeezy, there is a lot I am missing here, but I will give you the main principles I follow, and you can adapt as you see fit. First of all you are doing really well, and 15 pounds in 8 weeks isn’t that bad, but may be we can help you out. Remember. everybody reacts differently to different diets and training regimes, but the Two Scoops Method works because it is based on real science?
Diet & Nutrition
1. More out than in.
You are trying to lose weight, if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Plain and simple.
2. Protein. Lots of it.
You are trying to lose weight, I am trying to gain muscle, but the principle is the same: eat protein. Not carbs. Nothing groundbreaking here. Atkins got rich of this idea, bodybuilders have been doing it for years.
Two Scoops Tricks:
Protein shake, first thing every morning. Just 8oz water/milk with a scoop (I use two) of protein. Even if I am going to make an egg breakfast right after, I find that if I forget to have that shake, I am way hungrier throughout the day.
Late night snacks should be HIGH ALL protein. If you are trying to lose weight, you probably shouldn’t eat ANYTHING after 8pm, but sometimes you like to watch Pumping Iron and get stoned with Arnold and you get the munchies. Put that tub of ice cream down, throw away the cookies, and vomit into that bowl of leftover pasta so you aren’t tempted. Eat protein. Snack ideas include: grilled chicken with hot sauce, cold cuts and low-fat cheese, cottage cheese, and if you are really craving sweets make a chocolate casein protein shake.
3. No Empty Calories
Basically, if it provides little-to-no nutritional value, don’t even touch it. Chips, candy, pretzels, iceberg lettuce. Nope. I don’t even buy the shit. I can’t have it in my apartment, can’t have that temptation lying around. Roadtrip gas station stops are the hardest. You start thinking, “I could have this ONE bag of Doritos, right? And this Kit-Kat. And this Mountain Dew, and some Combos? It’s just this one time!” Sorry, no. Get beef jerky: low fat, high protein. If you are on a budget get a bag of nuts: healthy fats with some protein.
If you need more help on what to eat, try The 6 Foods That Work.
Training
1. Cardio
Ew. Gross. Fuck. No. Ouch. It burns. But fuck, you are trying to lose weight. So you should do cardio. At least 20 minutes 3x a week. Long ago, before I was a meathead, I did a shitton of cardio. 40 minutes a day, hard, 7 days a week - minimum. Shit will get you skinny, but not huge. Once you lose the weight, and are ready to get ripped, you can lighten up on the cardio. I don’t do ANY cardio anymore and I still got a set of abs that you could grate cheese on. How, you ask? Lifting.
2. Lifting.
Muscle burns more calories than fat. So you want to burn more calories? Get more muscle. How do you do that? Lift. Hard. Lift REALLY FUCKING HARD. Supplements help, obviously, but you can’t just do your 3 sets of 10 and call it a day. You have to hurt yourself. Physically tear your muscle fibers into ground beef. Have you ever broken a sweat doing bicep curls? I have. I do every time. And I’m not talking like, oh I need to wipe my brow sweating. I am talking, sweat-dripping-from-the-barbell sweating. Sweat-dripping-from-my-dick sweating. This not only means you are really pushing yourself, but it also makes your muscles all shiny so they look better.
I focus on 3-4 exercises per muscle group. 5x5 is my fucking jam for big compound lifts (bench, bent-over row, squats, military pres) and I am usually in the 6-8 rep range for isolation exercises (flyes, pulldowns, leg extensions, DB lateral raises, bicep curls, etc.). Here is my split:
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back & Biceps
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Shoulders
Day 5: Arms
Day 6: rest
Day 7: rest
I rarely miss a day. If you know you are going to have something after work, suck it up and go in the morning. You miss a day during the week cause some fine honey been hollerin’ at you? I’ll see you in the gym Sunday morning before kickoff. Be consistent, lift your face off, and hit me back in a few weeks to tell me how much more pussy you are getting.
-Tony “Two Scoops” Muscoli
