Millions of dollars are spent each year by people looking for a way to lose weight. Whether it is a magic pill, a super duper piece of exercise equipment or the latest fad diet time and time again people will choose the quick fix approach. They simply become prey to the many marketing scams that sell people a dream and not a solution. This article will discuss the components needed to accomplish fast effective fat loss.
If you follow some fad diet and lose muscle and water weight you are only fooling yourself. In this article you will learn the secrets that will allow you shed body fat quickly and correctly.
If you are trying to lose unwanted body fat it is actually easier than you might think. In fact, done correctly you will see yourself change from day to day. You will not believe how fast the fat will fall of you. The correct combination nutrition and exercise will allow you to achieve quick and effective results. It takes 100% commitment for this to work. You can not get something for nothing.
NUTRITION PROGRAM
Nutrition plays a vital role in our body’s make up. “Your finished product is only as good as the parts you have available to build with!” There are four simple rules that you must follow when focusing on the nutritional component of your fitness program.
Rule #1 Caloric Intake
You must consume fewer calories than your body burns in the course of a day. Use some simple means of measurement for your food portion sizes.
Protein – Size of your palm
Carbohydrate – Size of your clinched fist
Fat – Have 1 to 2 small servings of EFA’s (essential fatty acids) per day. Consume them in the morning and or mid-day. (See Fats – food quality below) If you are looking to be precise take about 1.5g of both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.
Rule #2 Food Quality
The quality of your food will play a vital role in the out come of your results. Food quality can be compared to the fuel one would put in their high performance car. If the fuel put in the car is of poor quality it will hinder the cars ability to perform at its optimal level. The human body responds in a very similar way. Poor quality fuel (food) will hinder the body’s ability to achieve the great results you are striving to achieve.
Protein - Eat quality proteins such as chicken breast, turkey breast, cod, tuna, haddock, shrimp, swordfish, egg whites, whey protein powder, etc.
Carbohydrate – Eat whole grains, fruits and vegetable carbohydrates such as oatmeal, brown rice, yams, sweet potatoes, beans | broccoli, spinach, zucchini, squash, green beans, dark leaf lettuce | grapefruits, strawberries, apples and oranges. (Consume one to two fruits per day.)
Fats – Consume quality fat sources one to two times per day. Some quality sources include flax seed oil, safflower oil, canola oil, real peanut butter, salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, walnuts, almonds, avocados and fish oil supplements.
Rule #3 Balance (Macronutrients)
All three macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) are important to the function and make up of your body. Choose a quality protein and carbohydrate for each of your meals. Add a small amount of a quality fat source to one or two of your meals. Other fat sources will be consumed within your protein and carbohydrate sources.
Water is also an extremely important part of your nutrition. Consume at least 8-12 glasses of water throughout each day. Proper hydration will increase the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream which in return will increase the body’s fat burning ability and overall energy output.
Rule #4 Meal Frequency
Eating something every three hours will minimize your hunger and help you maintain your lean muscle. Muscle is the primary part of the body that burns calories from fat stores. It is vital that you improve the conditioning of your muscle through resistance training and maintain it with meal frequency. If the body goes without food for more than four hours it will begin to burn muscle as energy which will result in a lower metabolism and an ultimate increase in fat stores. Prepare your meals before hand to avoid making poor food choices.
RESISTANCE TRAINING PROGRAM
As mentioned earlier muscle is the primary part of the body that burn calories from fat stores. Improving the conditioning of your muscle through resistance training will increase the number of calories that your muscle will need to burn in order to maintain its current state. Incorporating resistance training into your fitness program is a key component to your fat loss success.
AEROBIC TRAINING PROGRAM
Adding aerobic training to your fitness program will greatly increase your body’s ability to burn fat. Perform aerobic training after your resistance training 4-6 times a week for a minimum of 25 minutes per day. Your heart rate should be in what is often called the fat burning zone of 65% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. To calculate your target heart rate zone use the formula below.
220 - Age X .65 = BPM (65% of your Max H.R.)
220 - Age X .80 = BPM (80% of your Max H.R.)
* BPM = Beats Per Minute
When exercising within this heart rate zone your body will use fat stores as its primary source of energy. Try to stay closer to the 75% to 80% zone if you are able to do so. This will maximize your results. Do not go above 80%. Your body will begin to go back into an anaerobic state which will burn less fat.
Fine tune your fitness program by using the information above. Combining sound nutrition with a challenging resistance and aerobic training program will lead to the results you have always dreamed of. Commitment and following through to the end will simply separate success from failure. Get started, stay focused and enjoy your new body!
If you would like more information about this article and article subjects similar to this one, please e-mail me at craig@fitnessprogramsplus.com or visit us at www.fitnessprogramsplus.com .By Craig LePage, CSCS, NASM-CPT, President of Fitness Programs Plus
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