In today’s behind the scenes footage I share my progress updates with some video comparisons from the past two weeks, plus share some tips from our chest workout… and some insights into why flexible dieting is working for me now… and why it would have never worked for me in the past…
@0:05 Progress updates
@3:22 Breakfast
@3:37 Chest workout
@4:49 Progress updates (with a pump)
@6:17 Second meal plus discussion about flexible dieting
@9:52 Dinner
@10:27 Treat
As I mentioned in the video, I looked much tighter on Friday before the cheat day… but I promised to show the good, the bad, and the ugly, so I refused to hold off until I looked better.
Cheat days are interesting. Sometimes you look better the day after, while other times you can look ‘washed out’.
Confidence and Happiness
I made a comment to Rick during our workout on Friday night about reaching the point where I feel very confident and proud with my shirt off.
When I started recording these daily behind the scenes videos 4 weeks ago, I mentioned that I was happy with my physique… and I would feel comfortable and confident with my shirt off at the beach… even with a bit of excess stubborn fat.
But Friday… my confidence jumped up several notches when I was seeing the full outline of my lower abs. I know my confidence will go through the roof when I burn off just a bit more fat from my lower belly and love handles… and it feels great to know that I’m not far off at this point… and that I’m not ‘killing myself’ to achieve this goal.
It’s important to note that I’m a confident guy. I don’t need to be ripped to be confident. But when I feel I look my best, it certainly boosts my confidence to an all time high… and that impacts all areas of my life.
Even more important to note is that getting ripped will not impact my happiness all that much. I won’t look in the mirror… see six pack abs… and think, “Wow… I’m finally happy.”
Sculpting my body is an art form… it’s a lifestyle… it’s a continuous journey. The process… the journey… the self-discovery… the self-growth… now that’s the kind of stuff that makes me happy.
…But there is so much more to my life than body sculpting. Seeing my daughter jump off the bus and sprint to the house so she could bake her mom a cake… now that brings me incredible happiness.
Taking a nature walk and truly becoming present in the moment… soaking up every ounce of my surroundings… feeling awe struck with the miracles all around me… and sharing those experiences with friends and family… now that is what makes me happier than anything.
Seeing others strive for their true potential… and sharing their zest for life with the people they care most about… now that brings me a great deal of happiness.
Sculpting your body and getting six pack abs can boost your confidence and can add some degree of happiness to your life… but don’t wait until you have achieved your physique goal to seek happiness. Happiness is achieved through every action of every day.
Find happiness in all you do… and when you are in the gym, find happiness in every rep of every set… when you are preparing your meals… find happiness in all the aroma’s, textures, and colors.
The Physique Artist Lifestyle is all about opening your eyes to the beauty around you… and within you. It’s about creating a heightened sense of awareness with all you do… how it makes you feel… and the impact it has on everyone around you.
Embrace the journey and you’ll gain so much more out of this experience than just a great looking physique.
Thoughts on Flexible Dieting
I am ecstatic to be at a point where I can eye ball my meals and have a very good idea of it’s caloric content. It definitely helps that I enjoy many of the same meals daily and weekly. Please don’t mistake this with being bland and boring. These are meals that I crave on a daily and weekly basis. I go bonkers if I don’t have eggs every day.
Tom Venuto has referred to this ‘state’ as Unconscious competence – you’ve made the conscious effort to eat the right foods in the right amounts and you’ve counted calories and kept a nutrition journal for long enough and with enough repetition that these behaviors become habits and a part of your lifestyle. (You know what you’re doing and you do it easily and automatically without having to think about it).
I highly recommend you read his entire article on this topic, Calorie Counting vs Intuitive Eating (How To Go From Calorie Clueless To Calorie Competent)
One of the biggest ways I’ve grown throughout my three year body sculpting journey, is in my ability to control my junk food intake.
In the past, if I ate one cookie… I would eat the entire box. If I ate one chip… I’d eat the entire bag. If I had one scoop of ice cream… I’d eat the entire tub.
Now, I savor each bite… appreciate it… and enjoy just enough to satisfy me.
I no longer experience an overwhelming feeling that this may be the last treat I ever eat.
Ironically, this is how my wife has enjoyed food throughout her entire life. She enjoys daily treats and only requires a small taste to satisfy her. I always thought she was nuts… crazy… and a freak. But now I see she’s a genius 😉
I just want you to understand that it took time for me to get where I’m at today. It took effort, focus, and discipline to plan and track my meals. Now, I reap the rewards of living a flexible nutrition lifestyle.
Here’s my meal breakdown for the day…
Breakfast: approximately 450 calories
Full Strength post-workout shake: 300 calories
Second Meal: approximately 450 calories
Dinner: approximately 600 calories
Evening Snack: approximately 200 calories
Total calories: approximately 2000 calories.
Here’s my activities for the day…
Chest Workout from Phase 5 of AMP – Aesthetic Muscle Plan.
15 minute calves workout
10 minute Abs Workout on the TRX
My Current Stats:
5′ 7″
156 lbs
38 years old
I hope you find great value in today’s message and behind the scenes footage. We’re in this together… striving for our full potential and making the most out of the gifts we’ve been granted.
Sculpt a Masterpiece,
Scott Tousignant
About The Author
Scott Tousignant, BHK is a Physique Coach and Elite Natural Bodybuilder with the UFE.
Scott specializes in helping regular men and women sculpt their body into a chiseled work of art. Viewing training as an art form and your body as a sculpture is a simple shift in mindset that brings out the beauty in your ongoing body transformation.
The art of molding and chiseling an aesthetically pleasing physique with ideal proportions, spectacular symmetry, and magnificent detail is one of life’s most rewarding and fulfilling experiences. It’s an opportunity for self growth and self discovery that will impact every area of your life.
Learn more about Scott’s physique-focused training programs:
Build ROCK solid muscle with chiseled details by following Scott’s 6 month periodized muscle building system called AMP – Aesthetic Muscle Plan
Get a taste of Scott’s hardcore physique training programs with Physique Phreak
When Scott needs to urgently strip away stubborn sacks of fat for a photo shoot or bodybuilding contest, he turns to his time-tested proven system… Elite Physique system.
Check out Scott’s original physique training ‘work of art’… the Metabolic Masterpiece Body Sculpting Collection