The Four-Pack Revolution: How You Can Aim Lower, Cheat on Your Diet, and Still Lose Weight and Keep It Off - Softcover

Chael Sonnen is a mixed martial arts superstar, volunteer coach, entrepreneur, television commentator, and author. He rose to the elite ranks of the UFC, appearing in their famed Octagon 17 times, and now competes for Bellator MMA. Sonnen is an analyst on ESPN and a commentator for the World Series of Fighting on NBC, where his incisive and unique viewpoints have made him a favorite of fans, fellow athletes, and journalists.

Dr. Ryan Parsons is a veteran MMA coach, manager and consultant in the entertainment industry. He worked with Kevin James to help him lose eighty pounds in preparation for his role in Here Comes the Boom, was an assistant coach on Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter, has appeared in Here Comes the Boom and Mall Cop 2, and is the author of the Ultimate Weight Cut Guide for Combat Sports Athletes. Ryan received his doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine from the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic and has cut weight with elite athletes on five different continents.

IntroductIon
 
Lower your expectations.
Plan for failure.
Prepare for success.
 
You wait behind the curtain like King Kong—the main attraction. Your pulse thumps like a drum, drowning out the cheers and muffled music. The months of sacrifice have left your body looking like it’s been carved from granite. Your stomach churns with nervous energy and excitement—a thirst.
 
Not for victory or glory . . . but for water.
 
You’ve been dehydrating your body and restricting your caloric intake to make weight for this fight, and it worked. Now, on weigh-in day, you’re in the best shape of your life. As you step out from behind the curtain you are greeted with an assault of flashbulbs, cheers, and raucous boos. Out of the corner of your eye, your opponent emerges. He is your date in the cage tomorrow night, an event that will be broadcast to millions around the world.
 
Stripping to your underwear, you feel yourself flex as thousands of Brazilian fans begin chanting, “Uh vai morrer!” This roughly translates to “YOU WILL DIE!” At least they don’t mince words.
 
Months of training twice a day. A strict, finely tuned diet. It’s taken a tremendous amount of mental and physical discipline to bring your body to this point. It’s so difficult to maintain this body-fat percentage that it can only be achieved a few times a year—and it doesn’t last long.
 
As the commission announces that you’ve made weight, relief floods your body, like it’s been submerged in a warm bath. But quickly you’re back at attention as your eyes find your opponent. You turn to face him and focus on your target. He’s the reason you are here. You stand inches from each other’s faces, your stares already grappling, locked in a hold. The crowd roars. You came for a fight—and tomorrow night, you’re going to get one. Fists up. Pose for the cameras.
 
That image will be shared across hundreds of websites and thousands of Twitter feeds. The casual fan may think this is what fighters look like all year round—solidly defined, yoked-up machines—but that’s not the case, and this scenario is not exclusive to fighters. The fitness model flexing on the cover of a magazine doesn’t roll out of bed on any given day looking flawless, either. During the photo shoot, they are severely dehydrated and have starved themselves to achieve that desired “shredded” look. Not to mention, they are at the peak of their physical conditioning, as well as the beneficiaries of some pretty exceptional genes. And truth be told, many of them are also on steroids. Steroids are not just prevalent in professional and amateur athletics anymore. Many in Hollywood and the fitness industry also rely on artificial means to achieve their incredible physiques. If the image still doesn’t look quite right after the photo shoot, not to worry: The problem area will be fixed with the magic of Photoshop.
 
Looking like these fighters or cover models is the goal many of us strive for. But we have been defrauded by diet books and workout programs designed to trick us into believing we too can achieve a perfect physique. Perhaps, like the professionals, some of us could come close to this ideal state, but attempting to maintain this look for any reasonable amount of time while living a normal life is a recipe for disappointment and despair. Still, the allure of a six-pack is tempting. We want to believe anyone who promises to help us get one, and we will do some pretty silly things in the process.
 
Remember the electric pads that attached to your abs? The electric current making your muscles twitch was guaranteed to burn the fat off your belly, revealing a six-pack. Can you believe that product actually made it to market? It wasn’t that long ago either. We’re not sure how many people spent their hard-earned money on this modern-day snake oil, but it did sell. It’s not hard to imagine someone sitting on the couch in front of their TV, abs twitching away, desperately hoping that this would be the solution to their problem. How many ab-zapping sessions did it take before the device ended up in the junk drawer with the old power cords and cables that no one knows what to do with? This is just one example of many fitness scams that have come and gone over the years that have promised to deliver a six-pack. None of them ever worked. And unfortunately, a few people got rich from someone else’s misery. To anyone with a basic understanding of human physiology, these gimmicks have always seemed like foolish approaches to weight loss. (At least the Snuggie keeps you warm at night.)
 
The truth is, we would be the first in line to spend money on a pill or magic machine that delivered weight loss without effort. The concept of something for nothing is universally appealing—but that’s not how life works. You have to do the work. You must give yourself time and, most importantly, remain consistent. There is no other way.
 
We have helped many athletes make weight for wrestling and mixed martial arts competitions, and by the time they step on the scale they are often sporting a good oldfashioned six-pack. But this is a side effect of intense physical preparation and sacrifice, not the goal. A highly refined, calorie reduced diet combined with dehydration and suffering led to that six-pack. Unfortunately, the level of discipline required to maintain that look is almost impossible to sustain for anyone living a normal life. Getting to this level of fitness is all these athletes do—it’s their full-time job. Could you realistically live such a restricted life? Better question: do you want to? We’d like to have our cake and eat it too, but consider what happens to professional athletes when their careers are over—their peak physique disappears quickly. Even when fighters lose 30 pounds or more in the weeks leading up to a fight, it’s a temporary state. The majority of them regain the weight within days after competition.
 
Here’s what the fantasy weight-loss experience looks like for most of us.
· Day 1: Your morning starts with a green shake and 27 minutes on the elliptical. When you pop on the scale at midday you are delighted to discover you’ve already lost 4 pounds! Momentum and euphoria carry you through the day.
· Day 3: Your cravings are gone. With more energy, you move with a bounce in your step and you haven’t slept better in years. Total weight loss to date: 8 pounds.
· Day 7: You hit your target weight. Shopping for new clothes is fun, your abs are back, all 8 of them, and people notice the changes. Time to celebrate.
· Day 14: You go to the beach with friends in your new Jeep. Everyone gasps as you take your shirt off. You flex your abs and smile. Good things happen to good people.
 
But you probably identify more with the following:
· Day 1: After months of procrastination, you finally decide to join a gym. Throughout the first workout, your body and mind rebel with every repetition.
· Day 3: Unbelievably, despite 7 hours of exercise and four weight-loss shakes over the past 3 days, you’ve managed to gain a pound. You are sore. Waves of pain hit your muscles with every breath. At 10:30 p.m. you stare into your fridge, hoping a plate of orange chicken will magically appear. You reluctantly scarf down some organic blueberries and go to sleep.
· Day 7: You’ve lost 2 pounds, your mood fluctuates with the wind, and although no one has told you, you’re not that fun to be around. The soreness is beginning to fade, but your cravings seem to escalate.
· Day 10: You go out for drinks with friends, eat tacos at 3:00 a.m., and sleep off the booze the following day. Nothing quells a hangover quite like greasy food. Taking the weekend off from the gym, you say to yourself, “I’ll start again on Monday.”
· Day 28: You have repeated this cycle twice. Weight loss to date: half a pound.
 
The sad and unfortunate part of this scenario is that you were doomed to fail. Unrealistic expectations and a misguided approach have left millions of people feeling helpless, frustrated, and defeated. We’re offering a different approach. Lower your standards. Plan for failure. Prepare for success. By doing so, a strong, healthy mind and body are within reach.
 
So stop pursuing an unattainable six-pack. Instead, aim for a four-pack, where the top two-thirds of your abs are showing. A four-pack is achievable while still enjoying life. It’s the wave of the future.
 
Here’s why. Genetics play a major role in what can be achieved, especially when it concerns your physique. Unfortunately, most of us naturally have a hard time losing the fat that covers the lower portion of our abs. Because of this, a six-pack is extremely difficult for most people to obtain, especially for anyone over the age of 17. Even those of us who can achieve a six-pack often find it virtually impossible to sustain.
 
For the record, there are people who are naturally lean and tend to be blessed with small appetites and fast metabolisms. For them, gaining weight is the challenge. Don’t compare yourself. They were dealt a different set of cards, and we can only play the hand we hold. A four-pack is realistic for most of us. Not only will you look good, you’ll feel good, which is something we can’t say for those hungry six-pack people. This frees you to enjoy other activities besides obsessing about your diet and body-fat percentage. Your friends and family will be ever so grateful.
 
We are all unique, and each of our bodies responds differently to diet and exercise. Some of us seem to gain 6 pounds after eating a plate of pasta, while others are less sensitive to carbohydrates. Your body today may have a different response to foods than it did 20 years ago. You are constantly evolving and changing, even if at first glance life feels stagnant. Healthy living is not a static state. Balancing proper eating habits and workout regimens with the stress of daily life requires consistent but doable maintenance.
 
Setting your sights on a four-pack is an achievable, realistic, and sustainable goal. Our mission is to assist you in breaking the cycle of failure and bad habits that have kept you from making lasting progress. Since there are multiple ways to create a four-pack, our emphasis is on giving you the tools to discover what works best for you. That said, there is a basic set of principles that apply to everyone. After learning the fundamentals, your challenge will be to integrate these principles into your daily life.
 
A significant aspect of your four-pack strategy is learning how to deal with the bad days that will inevitably occur. If you are the type of person who believes you should not have any problems or if you avoid discomfort at all costs, you need to rethink your approach. In the wise words of Tony Robbins, “Your real problem may be that you think you shouldn’t have any.” There is no way to achieve your goals by staying in your comfort zone. Your best self is forged from sacrifice. The mindset to rely on when times get tough is perfectly defined by the Finnish word sisu, which means “continuing to act in the face of repeated failures and extreme odds.” Throughout your four-pack journey, you can rely on a sisu mindset to overcome any obstacle.
 
The most damaging mistake many people make when attempting to lose weight is allowing one misstep to throw them off course. Before they know it, 6 months pass and the scale reads 15 pounds heavier. If you slip and drink a few beers and eat a burger, that’s fine—make up for it with your next meal. No matter where you are or what mistakes you’ve made, there’s always a route back. And often the distance is much shorter than you have anticipated. A few simple tweaks can change the direction of your life. Don’t burn the house down when things don’t go your way. Stay the course. Adapt. Sisu.
 
It’s helpful to learn from others because we often make the same few mistakes: starting too fast, setting unrealistic expectations, and not having a plan B for when plan A stops yielding results. So before that happens, here are some tips that will help you establish the right mindset for this journey.
 
· Don’t seek comfort: Aim for fulfillment, which will support you on days when you’re feeling frustrated. Comfort is easy to come by but rarely produces significant results. It’s often paired with excuses and blame in order to lessen the pain of not living up to your expectations. Leave those thoughts behind and remember that fulfillment leads to an extraordinary life. Embrace the challenge, take a deep breath, and step up. Learn to manage your discomfort and discover joy in the work. The biggest battle is the one fought between your ears, so win the mental game and the rest will be easy.
· Adjust your point of view: You know exactly why you are out of shape. Knowing how to change is where everyone gets stuck because there is more involved than just diet and exercise. You need to invest time in altering how you view your situation. If you don’t believe change is possible, you’ll never mobilize the resources necessary to create lasting results. If you have attempted to make changes in the past and failed, remember that your own life is filled with examples where you have solved problems and found your way through tough situations. You’ve done it before and will do it again.
· Expect to fail: In most areas of life, it’s not a good idea to expect failure. But when it comes to your diet, consider this: you are going to be eating several times a day, every day, for the rest of your life. So factor in a margin for error. Do you know what they call a baseball player who fails almost 70 percent of the time? An allstar. Don’t waste time wallowing in failure—refocus and get ready to go.
· Lower your expectations: “But wait,” you say. “I would never lower my expectations. I want the best of everything.” Most people set unrealistic goals about what’s possible in the near term, which leads to frustration and an increased risk of failure. This is not the ideal foundation for any weight-loss plan. You can always raise the bar as you go. Set obtainable goals and celebrate small victories. It’s a long road, so don’t be afraid to stop and admire the progress you’ve made. Imagine what you can accomplish with 12 months of focused effort. Your life can and will be significantly different.
 
Ready to get started? In the coming chapters, we’ll lay out all the tools needed to create a new and enhanced version of yourself that will cut a great shape in a suit and look good poolside in Vegas.