Tag: living lean

LISTEN HERE
Mike answers your questions including how Mike & Brandy met, how healthy is pho, working out while sick, mercury poisoning from tuna and sardines, high school wrestling strength training, red meat, fat loss from peppers, buckwheat, rehydrating after being sick, how to pair meals on The Dolce Diet, tanning safety, should I wear flat shoes on leg day, dog training, and will doing heavy cardio slow down muscle gain?
The founder of The Dolce Diet & creator of UFC FIT, Mike Dolce is known the world over for his work managing the weight cuts of UFC athletes like Johny Hendricks, Vitor Belfort, Thiago Alves, Chael Sonnen, Quinton Jackson, Nik Lentz, Jake Ellenberger and more! His #1 international best-selling books include The Dolce Diet: 3 Weeks to Shredded, The Dolce Diet: Living Lean, & The Dolce Diet: Living Lean Cookbook.
For more information on Mike’s books, MMA weight cuts, weight management, gaining muscle, weight loss, overall healthy living, UFC FIT and so much more, visit TheDolceDiet.com & TheMikeDolceShow.com & UFCFIT.com.

The Chop-Chop & Zoey Incident

by Shantanee, MYDolceDiet.com Member
Figured I’d give this a go….
Oftentimes, I find myself wondering why I’ve failed so many times at this weight loss business. The end-all, be-all to my miserable existence. Dramatic? Possibly, but its been a life-long problem. It didn’t surface a few years ago, or even a few months ago, it’s ALWAYS been a problem. It’s been THE problem.
Even as a kid, the constant ridicule at grade school as well as home, made eating a comfort for me, and the pounds added up. I was never pushed to play any sports, hell even discouraged from even bothering on my own in High School. Why bother? Ya know, I wouldn’t be any good at them! Learned behavior. The worst possible learned behavior imaginable.
Nothing has ever panned out. Everything I have ever done has been met with a half-ass approach or no approach at all. The confidence of loving the way you look and feel hadn’t been present up until a year ago. I would go through cycles of years of, lose ten pounds, gain back 15, get frustrated, and give up. That was my life. I was used to failure and misery, and its comfortable for me. Even now sometimes, it is.
Once I hit my heaviest weight (272), I was pretty bummed to say the least. I went back into my lose weight, gain it back, get frustrated, and give up cycle yet again. Because I love to torture myself. Oddly enough, my cycle was repeated, but a lot more disciplined. Still not the best plan, but better nonetheless.
Two years had passed, and I would get compliments about losing weight, all the time! People would ask “How much weight have you lost?” I would respond with “Not sure, about 20 pounds or so.” The compliments came in waves, and I’d brush them off. I didn’t notice like everyone else did.

After a year and a half, I’d finally weight myself…51 pounds lost.

I refused to even believe that me with my track record, could even pull that off. I didn’t take much pride in it, because it wasn’t like me to really accomplish anything this significant.  And it wasn’t the 120 pounds I want to lose, so it didn’t matter.

Fifty pounds is a HUGE deal! I realized over time that I’m not afraid of falling on my face, or failing. I’m afraid of success itself. I’m afraid to experience a world where I can have all the things I want out of life. I don’t know what’s that’s like. AT ALL! They’ve always seemed so unattainable before.

I still have zero idea how I did it, and I knew if I wanted to lose more weight and keep this weight off, I needed a different plan, and to make it a lifestyle change…That’s why I’m here. (at MyDolceDiet.com). It was suggested to me via twitter, but I wasn’t sure I was ready, so I waited months to give the Dolce Diet a go.
Months later and 13 pounds down, I can’t ignore the difference it’s made on my life. Not just how I look, but how I feel. Doesn’t come without some self-sabotage though. I am guilty of standing in my own way sometimes, but I’m changing and growing more everyday.
I’m not used to this kind of relentless positivity, a wonderful support system, or feeling like I can actually do this. It’s new and it’s scary as hell, but I’m just gonna try my best to do what it takes, to be the best me I can…Gosh that’s cheesy! Ha! Something else I learned from that Dolce dude… 😉

Join the free MyDolceDiet.com Community today. get inspired and connect with people who are on similar, healthy journeys. let’s do this!

Celebrity Landscape Artist Justin Norris joins Mike and Brandy in studio to explain how anyone can grow their own garden in any place. Topics include how to get your garden started, organic gardening, balcony and indoor gardening, hydroponics, getting rid of garden pests, how to plant different types of vegetables and fruit, protein-dense vegetables and more!
The founder of The Dolce Diet, Mike Dolce is known the world over for his work managing the weight cuts of UFC athletes like Johny Hendricks, Vitor Belfort, Thiago Alves, Chael Sonnen, Quinton Jackson, Nik Lentz, Jake Ellenberger and more! His #1 international best-selling books include The Dolce Diet: 3 Weeks to Shredded, The Dolce Diet: Living Lean, & The Dolce Diet: Living Lean Cookbook.
For more information on Mike’s books, MMA weight cuts, weight management, gaining muscle, weight loss, overall healthy living, UFC FIT and so much more, visit TheDolceDiet.com & TheMikeDolceShow.com

Get ready to laugh…Luke Barnatt & John Maguire join Mike in studio once again to recap the Ultimate Fighter and give you an inside look into this Saturday’s fight card in which Luke will fight Collin Hart. Mike also discusses (with oodles of feeling!) the Cristiane Cyborg situation in which he said her own camp proved she could make the 135 lbs. division.
The founder of The Dolce Diet, Mike Dolce is known the world over for his work managing the weight cuts of UFC athletes like Johny Hendricks, Vitor Belfort, Thiago Alves, Chael Sonnen, Quinton Jackson, Nik Lentz, Jake Ellenberger and more! His #1 international best-selling books include The Dolce Diet: 3 Weeks to Shredded, The Dolce Diet: Living Lean, & The Dolce Diet: Living Lean Cookbook.
For more information on Mike’s books, MMA weight cuts, weight management, gaining muscle, weight loss, overall healthy living, UFC FIT and so much more, visit TheDolceDiet.com & TheMikeDolceShow.com

Luke Barnatt gained a unanimous decision win over Collin Hart at The Ultimate Fighter Finale, Saturday, April 13. Barnatt weighed in at 185 lbs via The Dolce Diet the day before.

>

Mike Dolce: The Art of Losing Weight

One of the leading MMA nutritionists shares his thoughts on the right way to lose weight.

Cutting weight has long been ingrained in the culture of professional combat sports.  Today the vast majority of fighters still seek to exploit the day before weigh-ins and by cutting weight, give themselves a clear size and strength advantage over their opponents.  Believe it or not, some fighters worry more about making weight than they do about their opponent.  Cutting weight can undoubtedly be a cruel process and it’s no secret that it isn’t always undertaken in the most professional manner.  Some athletes will practically starve themselves, use saunas or sweat suits and some have even taken drugs amongst other drastic measures in order to reach their goals.

The Dolce View

One man who is well acquainted with the process of cutting weight is Mike Dolce.  Dolce, a Las Vegas based nutritionist who also describes himself as a longevity coach, is regularly hired to assist elite mixed martial artists with their cut.  Vitor Belfort, Gray Maynard, Rampage Jackson and Johny Hendricks are just some of the world-class fighters who have reaped the rewards of Dolce’s expertise in recent years.  Dolce’s interest in nutrition is a longstanding one and originally evolved alongside his own athletic pursuits as a wrestler, powerlifter and mixed martial artist.  Here he gives an introductory overview regarding his philosophy on the art of cutting weight.
“Really there’s no magic pill,” says Dolce.  “It’s about maintaining a professional approach, not just in the build up to a fight but throughout an athlete’s entire career.  It’s that blue-collar mind-set and making simple healthy choices.  Three weeks before the fight my fighters are at about 7% body fat and throughout the entire process remain the epitome of perfect health.  It’s all done in cycles, three weeks, six weeks, nine weeks, setting goals for each week.  I call it ‘skewing’.  I tell my athletes they’re skewing in the right direction and that we’re always getting better day-by-day.”
‘The art of cutting weight is a matter of peaking.  It’s a very scientific process but in general, I try to bring a healthy and practical approach.  So many fighters look dreadful on the scales because they’re so dehydrated.  Unlike some others, my fighters stay hydrated throughout the entire process of cutting.  The day of the weigh-in is never going to be easy, no matter what.  However, the day before the weigh-in, the fighter should be fine.”
According to Dolce, the process of cutting weight remains stigmatised because of the somewhat primitive methods that are still in use.

The Wrong Way to Cut Weight

“It’s unfortunate that the art of cutting weight hasn’t evolved much in the history of professional combat sports.  The sports themselves have evolved whether it’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or western boxing but cutting weight for many is still seen as a crude process.  Take Brandon Rios (lightweight boxer) for example.  He turns up to press conferences in plastic suits.  Can you believe it?  Two days before a fight and he’s still wearing those plastic suits to try and sweat it out.”
Ultimately for Dolce, a healthy weight cut is about more than what happens in the weeks leading up to a fight.  The choices made in between camps are crucial, not only to the weight cut itself, but so that combat athletes can make the most out of what is essentially a very short career.  He uses the example of two world-class boxers to highlight the consequences of positive and negative lifestyle choices.
‘Take Ricky Hatton for example.  He was an extremely gifted and capable athlete whose career ended too soon because he didn’t take care of his body in between fights.”  Hatton, the former light-welterweight champion who retired recently at the age of thirty-three was infamous for his massive weight-gain in between fights.  “Then you have a guy like Bernard Hopkins at the other end of the scale,” says Dolce.  “He’s forty-eight years old, takes great care of his body and as a result is still competing at the highest level and could be fighting well into his fifties.’  In fact, just days after this interview, the forty-eight year old Hopkins won the IBF light-heavyweight crown against the thirty-one year old Tavoris Cloud.  In doing so he broke his own record to become once again, the oldest man in boxing history to win a major world title.
In an ideal world as espoused by Mike Dolce, combat athletes would incorporate cutting weight into their everyday lives whether there’s a fight coming up or not.  It’s a tough ask for those who like to kick back in between fights but look at Bernard Hopkins and Dolce’s message is clear. Discipline and dedication are much more than just sports clichés – they’re the building blocks of future victories.
For more information on Mike Dolce and The Dolce Diet – visit http://www.thethedolcediet.com
Click to View Original Article Posted on MuscleAndFitness.com

Photo by Ed Mulholland Twitter: @Muls96
 

In episode 24, world renowned weight management expert and peak performance coach Mike Dolce answers your questions! Topics include how to gain muscle, why the Dolce Diet just may be the most expensive lifestyle in the world, types of blenders, how you can be in the next Dolce Diet book, and are healthy people abnormal? Also, a listener gives his two-cents about Mike’s choice of words, and more!

VIDEO: Mike Dolce makes The Purple People Cleaner, a sweet, tasty and clean juice blended with tons of energy packed nutrients! Try it out and let us know what you think!
Check out more Dolce Diet videos on our YouTube Channel!

by Todd H.
As of March 2013 it has been 2 solid years since I changed my lifestyle and started living lean.
I started at (conservatively) 215 lbs. After my first round of Three Weeks to Shredded, commonly known in social media as (3W2S), I dropped 28 lbs and have not looked back. I am at, and have constantly remained at 187 lbs. +/- a few lbs.
No, it has not been easy; we all have our peaks and valleys. I never expected it to be easy, after all, real life is not like some commercial where you sprinkle some powder on your chili dog and everything turns out all right. Nothing valuable comes easy. This lifestyle requires a lot from the individual.
This lifestyle requires you to be accountable to yourself, become reliant upon yourself, make choices and live with the consequences of those choices, the good ones and the bad. It requires that you self govern and motivate yourself. See a theme here? This is about you and what you do; it has no chance of getting done otherwise.
Self-motivation is a huge aspect of this lifestyle but we all get down on ourselves at times and need help. This is where the masterful Mike Dolce steps in. Listen and re-listen to his podcasts. It is like having him over your shoulder coaching you anytime, anywhere through your ear buds. He is talking about a subject you don’t really care about? Use that time to think of what great and healthy meal you are going to make for dinner, then go back to listening.
Use MyDolceDiet.com and The Dolce Diet Facebook, ask questions, start discussions; you get no answer right away? Hit Twitter, if Mike doesn’t answer himself (which is crazy, I think he has clones of himself) then #hashtag that ****ing tweet! Get with it! #3W2S #LivingLean #TheDolceDiet #LivingLeanCookBook #EarthGrownNutrients #HelpMeDolce (LOL) Somebody in this Living Lean Community will see it and get back to you. Use this team as a motivational tool.
Mike Dolce and Brandy Dolce are like your Training Camp coaches, except this isn’t a 6-week or 12-week camp, this is for life! Don’t give up – don’t give in.  Use the resources available to your advantage. Make friends, follow, check @TheDolceDiet’s favorites, fill up your favorites with other people’s inspiring tweets, their success stories and go back and use those to motivate you. It works! I do it.
I have a vacation to Hawaii coming up I leave April 23 to paradise and I plan on being half naked about 98.9% of the time I am there. I am going to be surfing, swimming, paddle boarding, hiking, kayaking, I am going to squeeze every ounce of health and vitality that I have been blessed with, count on it. Like I said I am also going to be half naked, constantly so, I start another round of 3W2S on April 1st. I have already marked my calendar with my GOAL that by the weekend of April 20th I will be a lean mean, washboard abs machine!
Mike doesn’t type and talk until he is blue in the face for us to not take heed. He does it so we will set goals and do our very best to reach those goals. I consider Mike and his team to be my coaches, and coaches with this high level of passion and this much availability come around maybe once in a lifetime. I plan on taking heed and reaping the blessings that come with their dedication and their want for me to succeed. I will not squander this opportunity.
As always I really appreciate you taking the time to read my rants and I hope it encourages you to set your own personal goals and reach the high level of health and vitality that we are all capable of.
 
*Individual results may vary
 
 

“Mike Dolce is the reason I went to 145.  I had always had a hard time making 155, and when I got into the cage, I was drained because of it.  I knew I needed to make a change and stalked enough people until I got Dolce’s number.
I then preceded to text him constantly until he had to reply.  I’m sure he was like, “Who the #$%^ is this guy, and why won’t he leave me alone!”  I got him on the phone and he asked me what I wanted to do with my career.  I told him I wanted to be a world champion and I knew I had the talent to do it, but I was just missing the tools to make it happen.  He said he would work with me as long as I went to 145.  I was scared to death of the thought of dropping that much weight.  Like I said, it was incredibly hard for me to make 155, and now this dude wanted to see me at 145.  I decided what the hell, and said, “Let’s do it.”  When I hung up, I felt like I was going to throw up.  I pictured myself dying in the sauna, but I have not set foot in a sauna or put on a rubber suit since working with him.  The dude is a nutritional genius.  The diet also made it so I had more energy, so now I can work out twice as long.”
~NIK “THE CARNY” LENTZ, #8 WORLD-RANKED UFC LIGHTWEIGHT