TLDR: What you need to know

• To get a 6 pack, you have to have low body fat.
  
• To lose fat, you have to lose weight.
• To lose weight, you have to maintain a calorie deficit, sustainably.
• And no, a calorie isn't a calorie, but that doesn't mean you don't need a calorie deficit to lose weight.
• You can maintain the right calorie balance by following 3 simple rules discussed in this article.

Ray's Take

One of my favorite phrases is "Abs are made in the kitchen."

Nothing could be more true - you can only get abs by eating right.

Why?
- Everyone already has a six pack, we just need to have a low enough % of abdominal fat to actually see them.
- For people that aren't on steroids and not professional athletes, the only way to lose abdominal fat is by losing weight.
- To lose weight, you have to eat less calories than you burn (aka calorie restriction or CR)*.
*Is a calorie a calorie (link)? No, but that doesn't mean the above isn't also true.

Simple enough, but most people never do it.

Why?
Most people never find a system for eating less calories than they burn, over a long enough period of time.

Why?
They try weird gimmick diets that start working, but then become too hard or not satisfying and they give up and revert back to their original diet (does this sound familiar?). After reverting, they start justifying their choice with fake excuses (I just like eating out too much, I felt social pressure, too stressed at work) or real excuses (I was too hungry, family issues, illnesses, some injuries).

So how do we do we solve this?

My personal strategy is pretty simple but before telling it to you, let me explain what I optimize for:
1) I want a 6 pack (see this article on why having a 6 pack usually isn't worth it)
2) I want to eat really delicious food
3) I want to eat a very high volume of food
4) I like ice cream
5) I enjoy drinking alcohol

Sound impossible to optimize for? It's not. I've accomplished 1,2,3,4, and 5 for the last 15 years.

Photo evidence

Thanksgiving in 2015 (31 years old):

Thanksgiving in 2017 (33 years old):

Thanksgiving in 2023 (39years old):

I probably drank too many beers before the photo :)

Ray's eating philosophy

Goal: Eat delicious food to fullness while never missing anything and having a 6 pack.

Rule 1: If you aren't hungry. Don't eat.
This sounds simple, but so many people fail on this. Remember we have to eat less calories than we burn. So if you aren't hungry, don't eat. Seriously. Also, if you are eating, stop when you are full. Save the rest.

Rule 2: Eat as much as you want for foods that are are high volume, low calories.
I have to be top 99.99th% on vegetable intake, specifically lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, napa cabbage, mushrooms.

Doing this takes more skill than you might think. First, you have to know what foods are high volume, low calorie (this article teaches you in depth) but for now, lets just say its every vegetable. You have to be able to cook vegetables so they taste so delicious that you prefer them over fries, chips, and bread (learn how here). A good trick is to eat them with delicious sauces. My favorite is guacamole.

With these foods, I just eat as much as I want. I can literally eat a whole pound of spaghetti squash or a whole cauliflower every night. When i make salad I can eat 3 heads of lettuce.

Rule 3: Eat delicious higher calorie foods, but don't overeat
Foods in this category would be meat and healthy high fat items such as guacamole, olive oil and nuts (I personally do not eat nuts other than in salads because I cannot follow this rule. I will overeat 100% of the time).

What does not overeating mean? Read rule 1. Just eat until you are satisfied and then stop.

I have never counted calories or macros. It's way too tedious to do correctly as you need to weigh out your food for it to be accurate. We've created many articles on what portion sizes and calories look like for every food type.

Master Rule: Eat and drink whatever you want, but only if its worth it.

This is actually my secret power, and if you keep following, will be yours too.

In my head, I know the rough amount of calories per volume, and can instantly categorize into
- Can eat a lot (low calorie density)
- Eat until I am satisfied (higher calorie density)
- Do not eat (bad, avoid)
See this article on categories of each food.
See this on secrets for being able to eat more, while staying low in calories.

Based on what category the food fits into, I will eat (or not) accordingly.

This system has never failed me. I have never not had a 6 pack in 15 years. And no, I don't just have good genetics. I did not have a 6 pack growing up or in college.

Rather, I learned this philosophy while a business school student in 2011 to get "ripped" for the first time. Today, I stay looking about the same 365 days of the year and never bulk or cut or get into swimsuit shape. I just stay the way I am, looking I'd say pretty good all the time. You can too.

Note on alcohol - I do not recommend that you drink, at all. There are really no health benefits and they are empty calories. However, I enjoy drinking 1-2 glasses of wine or beer per night, and choose to do so because I deem it is worth it for me. There is a real cost to this. If it's not worth it to you, don't drink.

What else?

When you are losing weight, you want to lose fat. Not muscle.

The only way to do this is with resistance training AKA lifting weights and eating enough protein.

Let's be clear though. To get "ripped," your nutrition needs to be on point.

Ray's Rambling

One of the things I sometimes hear from friends is that they can't eat like me because they feel social pressure or judgement to eat the things they know are bad.

This makes ZERO sense to me.

A superpower of mine, might be that I don't care what other people say if I know they are wrong. However, if you are on the opposite end of the spectrum, it is critical you shift your mindset.

I know the science / data of nutrition. I will teach you.

I know what works for me. You will experience for yourself.

If someone tries to tell me something different, I may consider what they think by putting it into my brain, but then i'll make my own decision on what I choose to do based on what I know is best. You should do the same.

FAQ

Do you intermittent fast?
Yes, but that doesn't mean you should

Do you eat sweets?
Yes, I have protein ice cream AKA protein fluff every night

Do you eat fruit?
Mostly frozen berries in protein ice cream

Do you do keto?
Not anymore

Do you do low carb?
Yes

Do I have to do low carb?
No, but I don't really know any good program that doesn't at least eliminate refined carbs and sugar.

Do you eat bread, rice, pasta?
No (unless I'm at a top 1% restaurant)

Do you miss carbs?
No

Do you ever have cheat meals?
I don't understand the concept of cheat meals. I eat if i think its worth it. All the time.

Do you drink?
Yes. I really like red wine and beer