Operation Aesthetic Header

Day 49:Rest & Re-evaluate

Congratulations on completing your second to last week on Operation Aesthetic—that’s a big deal! Now you’ve spent several weeks training when you’re in a depleted state, so you understand the drill.

Today, I want you to consider whether or not you need to drop calories for the last week of your fat-loss program. If your physique still looks a little thick, you can often make fairly dramatic improvements by dropping calories another ten percent while keeping protein consumption steady. If this is the case, then you should reduce carbs and dietary fats a bit during the last week of my fat-loss Trainer. But you should only do this if you aren’t happy with the results you’re seeing to date. If you like the way you’re looking, then adding another drop may make you look depleted and stringy. It’s a tough call. You can send me photos and post them to social media if you want feedback.

DAY 49 TO-DO LIST:

While this is a full rest day, you still have plenty of tasks on today’s to-do list. These include:

Weigh yourself upon rising. It’s important to keep track of this metric even though we’re not using it as a primary one on Operation Aesthetic. Next week we’ll drop sodium, and you’ll lose a lot of water weight, and so it’s important to have a record of your bodyweight as you potentially drop calories and before you cut salt from your diet.

Take photos of yourself. Put on the same clothes you used for your beginning photos and at the end of all of the Day 7s since the beginning of Operation Aesthetic. At this point, those shorts may not fit all that well. You can see some of my Instagram posts to see how this works. Make sure you take photos from the same angles you did during your “before” photos. The benefits of this should become increasingly clearer to you on your first fat-loss program. They’ll be equally valuable the next time you go through a serious diet phase.

Read through your journal and make sure it’s up-to-date. Continue to record all of your exercises during workouts, and foods and supps. Also add notes about your energy levels and what seems to improve or reduce results. This should change from week to week, and this record is almost as valuable as the results themselves, especially as you progress as a bodybuilder.

Get in your cheat meal at the end of the day. Adjust your cheat meal at the end of the day to your needs. If you’re not happy with your results, then just add about 100 calories of a favorite cheat food—this can still provide benefits in terms of satiety and a bit of a bump that reduces cortisol from stress. If you’re happy with how you look, and everything is copacetic, then go with a cheat meal of about 4 calories for every pound of your current bodyweight, making sure to get in protein with this meal. Finally, if you’re looking a little stringy, go with some starchy carbs such as pasta plus protein and dietary fats. You can bump this meal up to about 5 calories for every pound of your current bodyweight if you look over-depleted.

FAT-FRYING SUPPS: PRE-KAGED®

This pre-workout helps prime me before workouts when I’m cutting calories on programs like Operation Aesthetic. PRE-KAGED® features ingredients that include CarnoSyn® beta-alanine, BetaPowerÒ betaine, fermented amino acids such as BCAAs and pure L-Citrulline, patented Creatine HCl, PurCaf® Organic Caffeine, SPECTRA antioxidant blend, coconut water powder, and more. I like to get in this pre-workout product about 30 minutes before each weight-training session. PRE-KAGED supports heightened mental focus, better performance, and, most importantly, energy to blast through tough workouts.

FOR BEST RESULTS: Get in a serving about 30–45 minutes before every weight-training workout.

Join our Inner Circle

Unlock Exclusive Content and Connect with a Community Committed to Health and Wellness

Third-Party Tested

Banned Substance Free

Clean Ingredients

Non-GMO, Gluten-Free

Designed For Athletes

Trusted by 14,000+ Worldwide