Due to the immense popularity of this blog post in RP+ (where it was originally posted), we wanted to put this out for everybody else to read how you can go about getting the very BEST results on the RP diet. If you've ever wondered how those AMAZING transformations happen on the RP social media, this blog post will cover that.
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Yes, you've seen RP's science-y folks talk about the benefits of. I'm not one of the science-y folks. I handle a large part of the customer service inquiries for RP and I want need to write about a different kind of sugar – People, it’s time to stop sugar coating what it takes to reach your physique goals! There is going to be some RP tough love in this post, but some of you out there really need to hear this.
I’ll start by sharing with you some of the emails I receive daily so that you get a sense of where I’m coming from….
- Nearly every single day, I get emails from people asking me for “the other list of approved foods” – because what’s on the template cannot be all of the options, can it? “I’m going to need more variety” is what some clients tell me.
- A couple of days ago, a customer emailed and said “I know myself. I’m going to need a cheat meal each week, so can one of your consultants tell me where during the week I should place that cheat meal into my diet template in order to do the least amount of damage to my progress?”
- This was taken directly from a client email I received 2 days ago:
Suppose you have your macros all set up. However, there is a day when you would rather eat more fats and not as many carbs. Is it acceptable to switch some carbs for fat?
Or if you preferred more carbohydrate for the day, could you substitute with more than the allotted fat macros for the day?
- I recently received an email from a client asking about our mass plans. “Nothing has worked for me. I really just don’t have time or the desire to eat that much food.”
Last time I checked, the RP Diet was not called “The Eat What You Feel Like Eating Every Day AND Lose Weight!” diet.
And it wasn’t called the “You Can Have a Cheat Meal per Week while Cutting and STILL Get your Best Results!” diet.
And it wasn’t called the “You Can Eat Everything You Eat Today and Still Lose Weight!” diet.
And it sure as sugar was not called the “Mass Without Eating Much Food” diet.
Think of it like this – a “basic” diet with half assed effort is going to give you “basic” and half assed results!
Seriously, folks. Let me break this down for you the way I see it.
- How badly do you want to lose weight (or gain muscle)?
- Do you see others in great shape, and want to look like that?
- Are you sick of your muffin top?
- Are you tired of feeling tired and out of shape?
- Do you want to look amazing at the pool or beach next summer?
- Do you spend your time admiring the amazing Instagram before and after’s, and would you do anything to be able to post yours there proudly?
- Have you always been bigger/smaller than you want to be?
Then SUCK IT UP. We’re talking about 12 weeks of your life. 3 months. A quarter of a year. For that amount of time, if you really and truly want to either reach your goals, or get a good solid head start towards reaching them, you should be able to accept a bit of sacrifice in your life. If you really and truly want to see a change in your body, (and believe me: you can – check out some of the 90-day Transformation pics - they are AWESOME – these rockstars are living proof that you can see some amazing results in 12 weeks!), then what is that worth to you?
Is it worth less variety than you’re used to?
Is it worth not going out drinking with your friends?
Is it worth not ordering that dessert at a restaurant?
Is it worth waiting 3 months to eat your favorite pizza/candy/cake?
Is it worth doing your best to prep and pack your own food whenever possible – so that you can be sure of the macros?
Is it worth eating more (for those massing) than you really feel like eating sometimes?
This might be a good point to throw out some clichés and sayings that apply here.
- No pain, no gain.
- If it were easy, everyone would be walking around with 6-pack abs.
- Hunger pangs means your fat is dying!
- Instead of focusing on the weight of your body going down, focus on the weight of your lifts going up!
Take whichever one resonates with you, and write it on your bathroom mirror if you need to. I once saw an awesome idea from someone in the RPClients group – the person covered an entranceway mirror with 84 (12 weeks x 7 days) yellow sticky notes. Each day of their cut, they pulled one of the yellow sticky notes off and put it in a huge glass jar on the table next to the mirror. That way, they could see how far they’d come, and how close they were to revealing their new physique in that mirror at the end of the cut. I love that!
We have clients who have changed their bodies and their lives on our plans – do you think they were sneaking in cheat meals every week? Hell no! They trusted the process, they followed the plan, they sucked it up, they buckled down, and dammit – they got results! Do you think it was always easy for them? I can assure you it wasn’t! Do you think they had moments where they could have cheated? Yes, I’m sure there were opportunities! But, did they make the harder choice because they want physique improvement MORE than they want that donut? Yes, they did!
I remember – and there are plenty of people who can attest to this because they stared at me while I did it! – eating cold chicken out of a Ziploc bag in a business meeting once in NYC. I can remember sitting at a Yankees game with Nick, and both of us taking out our Ziploc bags of boiled chicken while everyone around us was stuffing their faces with popcorn, hot dogs and cold beer. I remember flying back to my alma mater for a football game one weekend with my friends during the later stages of a cut; and having a protein shake at a restaurant while they ate a later dinner, and wearing a fanny pack (yes, it was never cool) the next day with my chicken, nuts and a green pepper in it so that I could have a meal at the prescribed time while we were out! I remember eating cold fish out of a Ziploc (thank goodness for Ziploc!) sitting in the audience during one of Nick’s shows.
We don’t work with minors, so I know you’re all adults. Isn’t it time for you to take ownership for where you are, where you want to be, and what it’s going to take to get there? I often tell people, we can’t be with you in your kitchen, at a restaurant with you and your friends, in your car on the way to work, at your job, etc.. – so far, RP hasn’t come out with coaching clones that will follow you around and slap a donut out of your hand if you start to eat it – so if you’re going to cheat, we can’t stop you. But, please remember – you are only cheating yourself! And please, please, please don’t come complaining to RP when you don’t lose weight!
People who cheat on the diet really do a great disservice to themselves.
- They’ve wasted money.
- They’ve suffered (some) for no real reason because they didn’t stick to the diet long enough to see results.
- They probably have ridden an emotional roller coaster – great hope and commitment at the start -> guilt and shame when they cheat -> depression that they’ve failed at “yet another diet” -> anger at us(!?!) because they don’t see results.
What a vicious cycle! Wouldn’t it have been far easier to just commit and suffer as needed for 12 weeks – only to come out leaner on the other side?! True results for your effort and sacrifice?! Yes, I’m freely using words like suffer and sacrifice. No more sugar coating!
When people come to me and say “I don’t know why RP has worked for everyone I see on your Instagram and in the RPClients Group, but it’s not working for me”, my first question is to ask if at their last physical, they received a clean bill of health. If they did, then I know the answer. They are not following the diet correctly – either unknowingly (because they didn’t read the directions), or they are just plain cheating. (See above on all that’s wrong with cheating on the diet).
If you’re considering starting a new diet with us, here is my advice:
- Get a physical.
- Get yourself mentally ready for sacrifice.
- Get serious.
- Get your templates.
- Get off your butt and out of your own way!
- Get the results you want!
- Get a killer new outfit to show off your amazing new physique when you reach your goals!
I’ll say it again:
Basic effort = Basic results.
Impressive effort = Impressive results.
Plain and simple.
If you want this to be easy, don’t waste your money. Keep looking for a magic pill that doesn’t exist. Keep setting yourself up for failure.
But if you’re ready to sacrifice and suffer a bit – then prepare yourself for some *amazing* Before and After’s…..of YOU!