If you are not sure about who mike dolce is, it is most likely because you are not a UFC Fan. Mike Dolce got famous as a nutritionist and coach to many UFC fighters many years ago. Though what appears to be because of politics and personality difference he no longer works directly with UFC camps though he still works with some fighters. He was also on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast Episode #546.
A little while ago I was re-introduced to him on the Below the belt podcast with Brendan Schaub Episode 84 and I decided to start listening to Mike’s podcast The Mike Dolce Show.
One thing I can say if you are looking for a good quick dose of daily motivation I find his podcast to be quite uplifting and he also gives out a lot of free general nutrition and fitness advice.
Ok, so why did I decide to try the diet or as I should say lifestyle change. For one, ever since I got my purple belt in BJJ I have been, luckily, mostly injury free and have gotten back into the competitive circuit. In the past, I usually just trained casually and show up to competitions and do however I do. However, This is not very good leadership on my part as I do run a martial arts and Krav Maga gym. I decided that now is the time to start taking things seriously and one of the things I always had trouble with was being consistent on a healthy diet or lifestyle.
Don’t get me wrong I have always known about general health and fitness but I always have difficulty staying on one thing on my own for long. I think the last time I stayed on a serious diet lifestyle was pre-army many years ago, and then life just kept getting in the way and I was full of excuses. Anyways back on track now for sure.
One of my excuses was that I liked to go out socially, the other was meal preparing for the day or week is a pain in the ass. I have to say, that having a partner in crime to live a healthy lifestyle with has certainly helped this time around as we can both support each other and move forward together. So thank you.
In reality, both these excuses were just that.
Ok, enough about me, time for my thoughts on the diet. If I had to sum it up quickly I would say.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Sorry for the grainy before photos, not sure why it is doing it. As you can see I am more toned and slimmer with more muscle mass. And yes, I would be what many might call fit before, but I was and still am no where what I could be. I am not flexing in these photos.
It is an excellent diet (LIFESTYLE), for any beginner to start who isn’t sure what to do.
It is an excellent diet (LIFESTYLE), for any beginner to start who isn’t sure what to do. the three weeks to the shredded program is actually 4 weeks as they throw in an extra week. My understanding is it was originally designed for fighters to do healthy weight cuts prior to fights and they say you can lose 21 pounds in 21 days. Which is definitely achievable through my goals were only to lose a few pounds and cut and tone, which I most certainly achieved.
You can easily sign up on their website www.thedolcediet.com for either 3 weeks to shredded or living lean (which I am going to try next). The website (once signed up) allows you to track and record notes and progress you make with your exercise program.
Another thing I really like is that the idea of weight cutting can be done healthily. To many people, think weight cutting needs to involve starvation and water cutting, and this simply isn’t true.
On 3 weeks too shredded I was eating 5-6 meals a day including snacks and was on a guided workout plan 4 days a week. The workouts are also on the website with video and to my knowledge are called based on your goals. As I was on what I can imagine was a more athletic program, my workouts were about 40-50 minutes in length and involved squats, bench variations and deadlifts and variations as well as numerous lower body stabilization exercises and core workouts. Needless to say, this was definitely what I needed to get my ass going.
I should mention I was hovering around 162-165 lbs before now I hover around 155-168lbs. Again while you can lose 21 lbs and sometimes more on this I didn’t want to as I needed to stay at my current weight class for competition. At least now I do not have to worry at all about making weight I just need to be and feel healthy.
While I am a largely self-motivated person I also have a very hard time with routine and doing anything for more than two weeks usually gets boring for me. Fortunately for me, the foods on the diet are things that I actually enjoy. It focuses on mostly whole foods fruits and vegetables and Micronutrients as well as proteins including, fish, chicken, eggs and the occasional steak. But you should be prepared to eat similar things all week long with the major changes at least in my program was the dinners varying from week to week. I also understand they have vegan and gluten-free diet options and you can always talk to them directly if you need specific alternatives.
With the program done I can say that I feel great and have more energy than I used to and I think this is the kick in the ass I needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle diet wise.
Here are things I learned directly from the program:
- I need to eat more calories appropriate to my exercise levels.
- Eating 5-6 meals a day is not painful with a little prep.
- I needed to get enough protein for my needs, which I previously was not.
- I needed to weightlift more throughout the week. Previously I was only lifting 1-2 times a week with no plan.
- Adding in more lifts other than the three main powerlifting lifts is necessary to get proper full body balance. This is often called accessory work, which based on what I have seen from watching different powerlifters also helps prevent injury.
- Doin variations of your main lifts can make your workouts easier to do more often so you do not get bored. It also gives your muscles something different.
- Staying on a program is easier when you have guidance. So either get an online program or get a trainer to keep you accountable and pushing yourself.
On top of this diet, it encouraged me and my partner in crime to start looking into health and fitness and lifestyle experts, and we are now heavily down the rabbit hole following people like Tim Feriss, and Ben Greenfield and many more. As I enter my 30s I can say that now was definitely the time to fix the issues in my lifestyle before I settle down and have a family. However, no matter where you are in life it is never to late.
I can also tell you for me and my partner it saved us a lot of money. While we both can cook we live busy lifestyles, so we were getting a bit lazy and just eating out which was costing far more than what we were spending on groceries. As one meal would be between $60-90 Canadian with both food and alcohol. But now we were spending maybe $100-200 a week for the two of us so you do the math.
Lastly, a positive effect of eating healthy is that I just don’t want to drink as much. While I don’t think I will ever outright stop drinking being healthy has allowed my body to self-regulate a lot better and I just don’t feel like drinking. So if you are a person trying to cut down or quit drinking alcohol perhaps a change of dietary lifestyle is in order.
Remember, the program itself is customized for you and will start with your needs and goals. So if you are looking for a lifestyle change this may be a good start for you. And remember, this fits right in with the Krav Maga attitude of living in peace. It is not just about your ability to defend your self but also be happy and healthy physically and mentally.
*I am not a nutrition expert this is simply an opinion based on my personal experience any diet or exercise changes in your life should always be been done with consultation with your doctor and appropriate professionals.
**The dolce diet is just one way to approach a healthy nutritional lifestyle and there are many that work. Actually going down the rabbit hole as shown me you may need to do a mix but one thing that seems to be consistent between what I have found out is to stay away from processed foods and sugars. Coffee can be good for you. Regular or some intermitted and full fasting is good for you. Cheat days are ok. Your body needs a variance and no one program should be strict for more than 3 months. Again, I am not an expert on nutrition this is just a cheat sheet of what I have learned in the past month both through the dolce diet and other sources.
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