Rich Gaspari Talks ’40, 40, 20′ Diet For Metabolism Control: “Do Not Believe In Starving Yourselves”

For anyone out there starting their weight loss goal for the new year, Rich Gaspari has got you covered. In a recent Instagram video, Gaspari explains why starving the body doesn’t result in weight loss and emphasizes the importance of eating frequently. 

“I am going to talk about and issue that I see very frequently with now the people that I have been helping out with dieting and training, that people under eat.”

Richard Gaspari defied the conventional aesthetics of bodybuilding and carved out a niche for himself through a blend of relentless determination and mind-blowing muscle definition, specifically earning a reputation for his striated glutes. 

In the fiercely competitive Men’s Open arena of the 1980s and 1990s, Gaspari faced off against behemoth competitors such as Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman, showcasing a dry, impeccably sculpted physique that held its own. 

While Gaspari is now retired, he is still dedicated to maintaining his health and fitness. Having reached the pinnacle of bodybuilding, Rich Gaspari has picked up on invaluable fitness and nutrition knowledge that he shares with fans. Consistently posting on social media, his tried and true workouts include his three most effective exercises for glutes and hamstrings, his specialty. Now, Gaspari is giving fans his dieting secrets as well. 

Rich Gaspari Shares His Dieting Tips When Looking to Lose Fat 

In a recent Instagram post, Rich Gaspari shared that after working with clients on their weight loss journeys, he has picked up on one misconception that he believes is holding people back, undereating. 

“People under eat causing them to slow down their metabolism and this is one of the reasons why a lot of people are overweight because they slow down their metabolism because they starve themselves.”

Gaspari breaks down exactly what happens when the body is deprived of meals.

“Our bodies are an efficient fat-storing machine. Our bodies during prehistoric times, through feast and famine, what we would do if we couldn’t eat for long periods of time, our body would store fat and rid itself of muscle” Gaspari said.

“Muscle increases the metabolism to burn more fat. By eating more frequently during the day, but the right macros, your body is going to use that fat as energy and it is going to release that fat that is stored as energy.”

Instead, Richard Gaspari shares what he implements with his clients when they are hoping to shed unwanted body fat. Then, he dove into his 40, 40, 20 diet, which he explains below: 

“So the big thing that I see and what’s been very successful for any one that I have out on a diet regiment is making sure they eat five meals a day, small meals through the day, keeping their macros at a 40% protein, 40% complex carbs, 20% fat.”

Gaspari also favors this nutrition plan for providing adequate energy levels to its users. 

“I find this type of diet regimen has been super successful and getting people to actually get people to increase their eating throughout the day, which is basically if someone is grazing through the day small amount of food, that your body then knows that it is getting the energy from the food and therefore will release the energy that is the fat that your body carries.”

Gaspari expresses the importance of including weight training to assist in building muscle and increasing metabolic rates.

“Again also implementing weight training, lifting weights to increase lean muscle mass with a 40, 40, 20 diet you are taking a good amount of protein so it is going to help with building muscle.

So by building muscle, lifting progressively heavier weights, your body is going to build. It is going to increase the metabolism because you are eating more frequently. Your body then feels it is getting its energy from the food so it is going to release the fat stores that you carry,” Richard Gaspari shared. 

While Gaspari emphasizes the importance of eating multiple times throughout the day, what you eat matters just as much as the quantity.

“Do not believe in starving yourselves. Fasting, I’ve seen so much more success with eating frequently through the day, the right combination of foods. Of course, if you are eating five times a day, to not take in refined carbohydrates, white breads, white flour, any type of white refined carbohydrate should be taken off of your diet.”

Instead of eating highly processed foods with white flour and grains or sugar, a diet of protein, fruits, and vegetables should be the focus.

“White sugar is poison, just take it out of your diet and if you eat more frequently through out the day with a combination of complex carbohydrates, small amounts of fruits, and increase vegetables that you are taking in as your carbohydrate intake and fiber and taking in low fat proteins from lean meats, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs.”

“I do believe in using the whole egg itself, eating at least two to three eggs a day beside the egg whites to keep the protein intake high and slowly increasing your caloric intake and you’ll watch your metabolism speed up.”

In summary, Gaspari explains that the reason a person may not find success is because they aren’t eating enough food which signals the brain’s primal urge to store fat rather than release it as energy.

“So for everyone out there that cannot lose body fat and they hardly eat it is a big mistake. You need to eat more frequently with the right combination of macro nutrients. Implement weight training and then also putting cardiovascular training as well but weight training number one for getting you to gain muscle to increase your metabolism to burn fat.”

Rich Gaspari is a firm believer in diet. He has shared in the past that to find success in bodybuilding it is 80% diet. Gaspari allowed himself to increase his caloric intake by using vegetables as his fiber while focusing on eating a substantial amount of protein. 

Gaspari has a wealth of knowledge spanning from fitness to diet and even anti-aging. As we head into a new year, his insight into bettering all aspects of life continues to serve the bodybuilding community even while he enjoys retirement. 

RELATED: Rich Gaspari Says Carb Cycling is The ‘Most Effective’ Fat-Burning Method for Weight Loss 

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