I stay on track in the offseason by continuing to eat clean, train 5 days a week, and maintain a balanced lifestyle. In my opinion, the off season is not the time to start binging or over eating fast food, sugary sweets or anything that is not in your routine diet beyond its means.
Moderation to these treats is the key to enjoying a healthy, maintainable and functioning metabolism and physique. Enjoy the foods you love, and celebrate life’s beautiful moments and occasions. However, do not do this by over eating your caloric intake in one sitting, going too “hard” on the weekends with alcohol consumption or just eating plain garbage.
Remember, food is fuel. You need to fill your body with the proper nourishment in order to make dense muscle gains, as opposed to fat storage gains in your off season! Every season should be health season – NOT “bulk” vs “shred”. Maintain your body’s temple by maintaining a reasonable lifestyle and weight.
Here are few pointers to help you stay on track during your off season:
- Eat regularly, every 3-4 hours as you normally would.
- Choose whole food sources (poultry, seafood, fruits, vegetables, nuts etc).
- Enjoy cheat meals, NOT days.
- Don’t restrict yourself too much.
- Only “cheat” 1-2 times per week.
- Fast food and sugar are NOT food groups and should not out-weigh your whole food meals.
- PLAN! You planned and packed your meals before, the off season is NOT an excuse eat out for every single meal.
