If you follow Greg O’Gallagher (Kinobody founder) on Instagram, you’ll usually see him eating a LOT.
Stuff like:
- Steak
- Tacos
- French fries
- Alcohol
- Chocolate bars
- Chipotle burrito bowls
- And more
You might be wondering… how can you build such a great physique eating stuff like that?
And what is the Kinobody diet?
The Kinobody diet is an eating strategy that utilizes intermittent fasting along with a moderate calorie deficit (or small surplus), depending on your physique goal. This way, you get to eat big, filling, epic meals at night and still hit your calorie target.
The Kinobody programs usually recommend lower protein compared to common bodybuilding advice and higher carb intake for better fullness, energy, and workout recovery.
That’s the 1000-foot view. The programs have all kinds of nuances and fantastic weight loss hacks you’ll really want to check out.
(The Greek God and Superhero Bulking programs also feature some really interesting hacks to stay lean while bulking.)
If you’re ready, start with the Kinobody Movie Star Body program – it combines the best of all the Kinobody programs into one amazing protocol to get you shredded.
Now let’s take a closer look.
Kinobody and Intermittent Fasting
When I first started trying the Kinobody programs, I was SUPER resistant to the idea of intermittent fasting.
I didn’t believe it was essential to getting results or that it would make that much difference.
The truth is? Intermittent fasting IS optional on the Kinobody programs, but it will speed up your progress significantly and, frankly, make the process more enjoyable.
On cutting or weight loss programs like Aggressive Fat Loss and Warrior Shredding, for example, utilizing a really simple version of intermittent fasting suppresses your hunger during the day and allows you to eat bigger meals in the evening.
So even though, on these protocols, you’ll be eating a few hundred calories under your maintenance level, it can actually feel like a lot more than that.
Most nights on Warrior Shredding, I went to bed pretty full and satisfied even though I was losing weight.
(You can see my Warrior Shredding Program results here.)
On Kinobody’s lean bulking programs like Greek God and Superhero, IF isn’t quite as necessary, but it’s still extremely helpful in staying lean. Utilizing fasting can actually increase and optimize your HGH production, reduce fat gain on a bulk, and keep you from overdoing it and “dirty bulking.”
You won’t need to suppress your appetite on a bulk, but there are so many other benefits that make fasting a worthwhile strategy to adopt year-round.
(And for a Kinobody meal plan example, check out my intermittent fasting meal plan.)
Kinobody and Protein
In the gym bro and bodybuilding world, the more protein, the better!
It’s not crazy to see gyms bros consuming multiple protein shakes per day, and for pro bodybuilders to consume several hundred grams per day.
The truth is, for recreational lifters who want to look great all the time AND feel great, we don’t need that much protein.
The Kinobody diet usually calls for about .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day.
There’s a rather large body of scientific evidence to back this up. In fact, a giant meta-analysis conducted on optimal protein amounts found little to no benefit of eating more than about .7 grams per pound of bodyweight per day, when it comes to training and muscle growth.
If you’ve been subscribing to the ultra high-protein approach, this will free up a lot of room in your diet!
What should you spend those extra calories on?
In most of the Kinobody programs, you’ll be eating a good amount of carbs.
No, carbs won’t “make you fat.”
But they will help your muscles recovery and perform, fill up your stomach, satisfy your hunger, and give you more energy.
Kinobody and Coffee
Though totally optional on the programs, Kinobody has become somewhat synonymous with starting each day with a cup of black coffee.
It’s immensley helpful during fasting!
Coffee can:
- Give you energy
- Increase focus
- Reduce your appetite
- Not to mention reduce your risk of several diseases
And plenty of other benefits as well!
Again, coffee is totally optional and not exactly a critical part of any of the programs, but if you choose to utilize intermittent fasting, it’s a good idea to learn to love black coffee in the mornings.
(My guide to how to drink black coffee might help.)
Kinobody and Sparkling Water
The other thing you’re likely to notice is that Greg is a huge fan of sparkling water during fasts.
I picked up this habit after starting the programs and, I’ll admit it, I’ve become pretty addicted to the stuff!
Sparkling water during intermittent fasting helps hydrate you and keep the fast going, but it has just enough bite and texture for your stomach to grab onto.
It’s just a little more fun to drink and more satisfying than plain water, which you can only drink so much of on an empty stomach!
Greg can be seen in his YouTube videos drinking tons of San Pellegrino, but I prefer naturally flavored La Croixs (and La Croix rip-offs, whatever’s on sale!)
Kinobody and Calories
When you put it all together, the Kinobody diet is very much a CICO (Calories In, Calories Out) system.
It utilizes a pretty simple calculation to determine your “maintenance level,” or how many calories you should eat per day to neither lose or gain a significant amount of weight.
Then you’ll adjust for your goal.
For cutting or fat loss, you’ll eat a few hundred calories under that number.
For lean bulking, you’ll eat a little bit over.
As long as you hit your calorie targets and get enough protein, the exact foods you eat won’t matter as much.
Greg believes eating filling and satisfying foods you love will help with diet adherence over the long haul, versus purely eating clean and depriving yourself of your favorite foods.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it.
At its core, the “Kinobody diet” is a system that utilizes basic calorie counting to set your daily targets, along with relatively mild protein intake.
You’ll be highly encouraged to use intermittent fasting to suppress your hunger long enough to effortlessly hit your goal.
(The big dinners at night are pretty fun when you’re losing weight, I can vouch!)
Any other questions about Kinobody or the programs? I’ve reviewed them all, just check out my Kinobody FAQ page!
And don’t forget to check out the Kinobody Movie Star Body program here — it’s got all of Greg’s most up to date nutrition tips and workouts for the Hollywood physique.