Cutting With Renaissance Periodization: 7 Weeks In

I’ve considered myself a healthy person for about 15 months. I did my first cut with Renaissance Periodization last year and went from 200lbs to 185lbs. Seven weeks ago I started at 189lbs and 15% body fat and am currently sitting at about 179lbs. I’ll update this post in a week or so once I get a second body scan, but the goal is to get to 10%.

‍Weight Loss Isn’t Linear


Left: 2/14/21 Right: 4/1/21

In addition to following RP’s plan, I’ve been doing CrossFit 5 days a week.  

Why Renaissance Periodization?

Nutrition is simple, but not easy.

RP is flexible and sustainable. They give you a list of foods to choose from for each macro nutrient – carbs, fat and protein and a specific amount to eat for each meal.

They plan the work, you work the plan. I originally chose to work with RP because they get results, you can see them on their transformations page.

RP sets you up for long-term success. You will learn to eat well in a sustainable way. Meaning this will teach you to be a healthy person. Not how to lose 15 pounds in a few weeks and put it back on a month later.

How It Works

You can purchase one of their templates for about $100 or go all out and work 1:1 with a nutritionist for $600 for three months. I’ve done both. The nutritionist the first time and following a template this time. They also have an app that I haven’t tried but have heard positive reviews about.

Below is an example of how their templates look (borrowed from their website):

Why I Like It

  • Simplicity. They do the hard work, you pick what you want to eat and weigh it.
  • The templates come with thorough explainer documents that answer any questions you can think of.
  • They do the cross calculations for you – which is a huge simplifier if you’ve ever tried tracking macros. You’re not trying to figure out how the 2 grams of fat in your rice is built into your meal, etc.

A Day Of Eating

Breakfast
Sweet potatoes, avocado, eggs, egg whites, onions, peppers and ground beef.
Lunch 1
Steak, sweet potatoes, onions, zuchinni, and green beans.
Lunch 2
Left: Green beans and broccolini. Center: Salmon, shredded sweet potatoes, onions, peppers, and shredded beets. Right: Pineapple and raspberries.
Dinner
Burger 90/10, fried egg, sweet potatoes, onions, peppers and green beans.
Evening Snack
Oatmeal, casein protein, blueberries, raspberries, dark chocolate, peanut butter.

Food Strategy

Make it tasty.

Figure out the healthiest foods you enjoy and combine them in different ways.

French fries become seasoned sweet potatoes cooked in an air fryer.

Cheeseburgers become a lean beef patty on a wheat English muffin.

Pad Thai becomes chicken, peanut butter mixed up with onions and peppers in shredded sweet potatoes.

Ben Bergeron of Comptrain sums it up well,” Eat real food, mostly plants, not too much”

Mindset

It’s going to be uncomfortable. You’re going to feel hungry.

You’re not a dog, you don’t need treats to reward yourself. If food is where you’re getting pleasure from, you probably need something bigger to aim at.

Understand: There is no losing weight and going back to the way you were living before you lost it. If you want to eat healthy for 3 months, lose twenty pounds and then go back to eating cereal and hot dogs, you’re also going to get the 20lbs back.

There is no finish line. To lose weight and maintain, you’ve got to make more than temporary changes. You have to become a healthy person, so that’s the goal. That’s the one that leads to any kind of long-term success.