Operation Be Less Fat has been a lengthy journey for me. I have taken off close to ninety pounds over the past six years. The long and short of that is, I have been in a calorie deficit for a very long time. Training in a calorie deficit is not easy.

A training session the other week is what inspired me to write this. I was whooped and it wasn’t from lack of sleep or recovery. Plain and simple, it was a lack of calories. That left me with two choices. Of course one choice is not to train. The other, adjust the plan.

Anyone who has followed my training knows I truly do not like taking days off. Even through injuries and surgeries I find a way to train. So not training because of low energy was not going to be the choice. Instead I chose to adjust my plan. Understand, this is hard for me because I have been for the most part a slave to a pre-written program for most of my lifting career.

My numbers were supposed to be triples on the deadlift for that particular session. Instead I halved the weight and did five sets of ten instead. Then I went through a couple of assistance exercises just to keep the body moving. I didn’t even write down the weights I used in my journal. It was actually quite liberating.

The point is, something had to give. You can’t be a superhero all the time when you are dieting. Being that I have been dieting forever I have become far from a superhero. I’m learning to serve my one master at this point, the weight loss. I still lift for strength, but I’m coming to grips with the fact that I won’t hit my stride in that area again until I stop with the weight loss.

In the interim I can stem the tide the best I can. The way I do this is by being very careful with my calories throughout the day. By saving up calories in the earlier part of the day I can use them around training. I make sure to eat a good size low fat meal with protein and starchy carbohydrates two hours prior to training. Then about half an hour before training I will take in a protein shake and banana. If I feel particularly sluggish I might have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich also. Yep, that’s my guilty pleasure now. A good old pbj rocks! During training I have a greek yogurt, fruit, and vegetable smoothie. This usually gets me through my sessions, but evidently not always.

This practice is called nutrient timing. It will give me the energy to train and also spare muscle loss. You’ll notice I am not talking about building muscle. This is a very important point. It is very difficult to lose weight and build muscle at the same time. From what I have read, this can happen in instances where people have very little experience with training in the past. Remember, that’s the exception and not the rule. So don’t expect to build muscle while losing weight. You are more or less refining what you have. Save the muscle building for a phase when you are in a calorie surplus.

I know a lot of you are thinking, “But I already know this.” For you, this is just a reminder. However, I have found a lot of people who follow Operation Be Less Fat are very new to training and nutrition. I love these people. That’s exactly why I take the time to document my journey, to help others. I get more pride from people coming up and telling me how I have helped their journey than any lift I have ever accomplished.

So watch your calories people. Make sure to use them around training. Even then be prepared to not be at your best. Limit your training volume and the amount of time you train if necessary. A fancy term for this is “auto-regulation.” That basically means listen to your body. However, that’s not a pass to wimp out. There have been more than a few times since I have started this where I’d have to take a seat due to getting a little light headed while training. I just tell myself the diet must be working. It isn’t easy folks. If it was everyone would be in great shape. Stay after it.