Super Simple Weight Loss Or Mass Gain For People Who Track

Loss:

- Take a week off; focus on sleep; reduce or eliminate stress (including caffeine)
- Start kcal at bodyweight X 15 to distribute macros
- First week of activity, start low
- Focus on short workouts, lifting and short sprints - DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FALL INTO THE LONG STEADY STATE CARDIO TRAP 
- Each week that weight loss slows or stalls, multiply weight by one factor lower (i.e. - 14, then 13, and so on - rapid loss tends to happen around 11 and under) to distribute new macros
- Keep workouts relatively short for as long as possible - keep progressing your lifting and sprinting as long as is possible 
- In the reduction of food, never take protein below 1.2g/kg bodyweight (and keep in mind that research indicates better sparing of lean tissue at around 2.4g/kg bodyweight per day), never take fiber lower than 20g, never remove essential omega 3s, minerals, essential vitamins 
- If tolerated, conservatively but progressively add caffeine each week


Strength/Mass Gain:

- Take a week off; focus on sleep; reduce or eliminate stress (including caffeine)
- Start kcal at bodyweight X 10
- First week of activity, start low
- Focus on short workouts, lifting and short sprints
- Each week, outdo the prior in sprint intensity, lifting force production on some lift(s) and/or volume of work performed
- Any week that there is a slow or stall in performance increases, multiply weight by one more factor (i.e. - 11, then 12, and so on). If the goal is outright size, not simply strength (they are related but different), you may raise the factor when average weight for a given 2 week period is not at least a half pound greater. 
- At the beginning you will need to be somewhere between 1.2 - 2.4g of protein per kilo per day. When your factor is beyond 15, you may be able to tolerate sub 1.2g intake.
- If tolerated, progressively dose caffeine accordingly for performance improvements.
This is not my absolute favorite system; but it is a simplified version for people who do track. There are versions where we account for activity in the calculation in the beginning, or do metabolic testing, hormone profiles, etc. But this is one that is relatively self-regulatory for hunger, activity, comp, water weight fluctuations, monthly cycles, metabolic conditions, variances, etc.
I didn’t outline the three “M”s: maximums and minimums and maintenance. I prefer 2-4 week periods before shifting variables. In competitors, 2-3 DAYS is more appropriate. There is a place for different kinds of fasting. If ever you hit overwhelm or burnout, return to week 1.

Beware the three “I”s:

Inconsistency 
Impatience
Insufficiency


With inconsistency in execution there is inconsistency in outcome. To prevent or address this we get impatient. Impatient programming reinforces inconsistency. During both, there WILL be insufficiency of necessary nutrients, recovery, and positive feedback. Insufficiency, therefore, likewise reinforces both impatience and inconsistency.
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When I did my most aggressive mass gain effort in 2006, I exploded with strength and size, but impatience led me to gain too much body fat, as I far exceeded the 10 factor at the beginning and the 20 factor at the end. As the mind wanders, recall the thee “I”s.