To download your free copy today, click here now.

How NOT to Lose Fat This Holiday Season. The holiday season is one of the main causes for people getting fatter as they get older. Most people overdo it and gain several pounds of fat they never work at losing.

After a few years they realise they’re fat and so they start watching what they eat. Including during Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year. Here are 2 common, but wrong, ways to avoid fat gains during holidays:

• Counting Calories.
• Avoiding Junk Food.

Counting calories is damage control. Junk food remains unhealthy whether you eat a lot of it or not. And avoiding junk food that you happen to like makes you feel guilty & miserable during the whole thing.

People who get into exercising & eating healthier tend to get too extreme: from doing no exercise at all and eating junk food all the time, to going to the gym 7x per week and being anal about every single gram of junk food.

I’m not saying you have to force yourself to eat junk food. I rarely eat any: most taste too sugary or fat. I’m also not that big on alcohol. But I’ve been doing this for a couple of years. My taste has adapted and I’ve dealt with cravings.

What I’m saying is that you shouldn’t get stressed during the holidays because your diet is less healthy. It won’t make a difference in the long run as long as you eat healthy 90% of the year and exercise +45 weeks per year.

The Holiday Fat Loss Blackbook. My friend and fat loss guru Joel Marion has a new report The Holiday Fat Loss Blackbook that explains how to lose (instead of gain) fat during the holiday season and why restricting calories doesn’t work.

To download this report for free, click here now.

You’ll have to enter your name and email to get your free copy. But don’t worry: your email is safe. I’ve reviewed Joel’s products before: you can trust him.

Today is the last day you can get Joel’s report. Make sure you get it.

To download your free copy now, click here.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

So how will you prevent gaining 10-15lbs weight like most people will do and without missing a holiday meal or party (or being guilty for indulging)?

My friend & fat loss guru Joel Marion has a new report Holiday Fat Loss Blackbook that explains why restricting calories doesn’t work and how to lose (instead of gain) fat during the holiday season. All while eating your favorite foods.

To download this report for free, click here now.

You’ll have to enter your name and email to get your copy. But don’t worry: your email is safe. I’ve reviewed Joel’s products before: you can trust him.

You’ll have to be quick though: the free report is only available until Thursday November 12th. After that, it’s gone.

To download your free report today, click here.

What I’ll Do During The Holidays. I won’t celebrate Thanksgiving because we don’t do that in Belgium. But I’ll celebrate Christmas & New Year. I’ll eat & drink whatever comes to the table, including junk food & alcohol, if I feel like it.

Training-wise, I might take a break from December 23rd until January 4th. Much depends on how I feel with all the partying that will go on.

This is what I’ve been doing during the past years and it always worked. Here’s why: it doesn’t matter what you do during the holidays. What matters is what you do the rest of the year, between New Year & Thanksgiving/Christmas.

What’s really ironic is that eating junk food can actually help fat loss. You can learn how in The Holiday Fat Loss Blackbook.

Click here to download your free report.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Being skinny-fat isn’t healthy. But if you’re skinny-fat you probably don’t know if you should gain weight or lose fat first. Or gain weight without gaining fat. This post will give you insight.

Why You’re Skinny-Fat. Skinny-fat means you have skinny legs & arms and a skinny frame. But you’ve got some fat, usually belly fat & man boobs. Causes:

• Bad Food Choice. Anything that doesn’t look like the 8 nutrition rules. Especially excess carbs, low protein intake, junk food and alcohol
• Undereating. Fat is emergency storage for your body. Your body will burn muscle first if you get on low calorie diets.
• Excess Cardio. To try to get rid of the fat. Excess cardio will cause muscle loss if you don’t mix it with strength training.

Gain Weight or Lose Fat First? Gaining weight without gaining fat usually leads nowhere. While it can be done, it’s complicate and slow. Better is to focus on 1 goal at a time: weight gain or fat loss.

If you’re skinny-fat, best is to gain weight first. It’s a lot easier to lose fat with the added muscle mass and strength that comes with the weight gain. So gain weight first, then lose fat.

How to Lose The Skinny-Fat Look. Ignore the excess fat for now. Gain weight by eating massive amounts of food and training hard. Then lose fat.

• Get Stronger. Prevents muscle loss, increases muscle mass and makes you stick to your diet better. Check StrongLifts 5×5.
• Gain Weight First. Set a goal weight and do GOMAD. Ignore the 2-3% fat gain: GOMAD is the fastest & easiest way to gain weight naturally.
• Then Lose Fat. Once you got your goal weight, focus on fat loss. Apply the 8 nutrition rules and keep getting stronger. You’ll lose fat fast.
• Track Progress. Take pictures front/back/side, track body fat using a fat caliper and weigh yourself every 2 weeks. Keep a training log.

Here are some example goal weights you can set. Note that these aren’t ideal weights but minima. If you want to weigh more, go for it.

• 1m70/5′7″ at least 70kg/154lbs
• 1m75/5′9″ at least 75kg/165lbs
• 1m80/5′11″ at least 80kg/176lbs
• 1m85/6′1″ at least 85kg/187lbs
• 1m90/6′3″ at least 90kg/200lbs

What About Cardio? Cardio without strength training & diet is useless. Excess cardio will burn muscle, not fat. Lift weights to prevent muscle loss & increase muscle mass. Eat a lot to gain weight & build muscle.

Cardio is fine during your fat loss phase if you got your training & diet right. During the weight gain phase: only add cardio if you can eat +5000kcal/day consistently. Otherwise you’ll make the weight gain harder.

• Moderate Intensity. 60-70% of your max heart rate (which is 220 – your age). So if you’re 20 years old, that’s between 120-140bpm.
• 3×45mins. Start with 15mins straight post workout without eating in between. Add 1min each workout until you can do 45mins.
• Elliptical trainer. Most people enjoy the elliptical trainer most. But anything works: rower, stationary bike, outdoor runs, …

Do not waste your time trying to gain weight without gaining fat. It’s too slow & complicate. Gain weight first, then lose fat.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

You don’t need to get extreme and consume healthy whole foods all the time. The difference in fat loss when sticking to a diet that consists of whole foods only and one with 10% junk food is insignificant.

This means that eating foods like pizza, ice cream, pancakes or burgers won’t prevent you to lose fat. In fact, this will accelerate your fat loss.

How Junk Food Helps Fat Loss. When you try to lose fat by restricting calories for long periods of times, your body enters starvation mode. Your metabolism, fat burning enzymes & good hormones decrease. Hunger increases.

This is when you start hitting plateaus. Your body fat no longer goes down. The diet you used for weeks doesn’t work anymore. You lose motivation.

Spiking your caloric intake regularly keeps your hormones – like leptin – sharp and your metabolism high. Which means: no fat loss plateaus.

Eating junk food is the easiest way to spike your caloric intake. It also makes dieting psychologically easier: no more feelings of guilt or anxiety.

Cheat Your Way Thin. For years I’ve been eating 100% healthy from Monday to Saturday, but junk food all Sunday. I never had problems keeping my body fat around 10% using this diet approach and it keeps me motivated.

I found out this worked through experimentation. It took a few years before I saw research explaining how it’s possible to lose fat eating junk food. Much of this research – especially regarding leptin – is fairly new.

And then Joel Marion contacted me. He said he released a system a month ago that scientifically teaches you how to use junk foods to accelerate fat loss.

His system is called “Cheat Your Way Thin“.

Now when someone from the fitness industry contacts me and asks to take a look at their product, I’m sceptic. Most products aren’t worth looking at. But since I don’t want to limit myself, I was open minded & gave it a look.

And I admit I was impressed. In fact I found Cheat Your Way Thin so helpful, that I decided to recommend it here. So I joined Joel’s affiliate program.

Cheat Your Way Thin is a 7 components package that includes manuals, audios, video, workbooks & checklists. It contains all the research on how you can lose fat eating junk food. 308 research papers to be exact.

More important: Joel has perfected his Cheat Your Way Thin system by working with clients for years. His site is full of case studies with before & after pictures.

But what really impressed me is that Joel explains exactly how to use junk food to accelerate your fat loss. Cheat Your Way Thin is the only system that I know of that gives out this kind of information.

Special Offer for StrongLifts.com Readers. When Joel Marrion released Cheat Your Way Thin last month, he ran a 3-day promotion in which you could get the full package at less than half price. But since he contacted me afterwards, we missed this promotion.

Luckily Joel proposed to do that same 3-day promotion again for StrongLifts.com readers. This means that if you want to learn exactly how to accelerate your fat loss by eating junk food, you can get Cheat Your Way Thin at less than half the price during the next 3 days. That’s until Friday June 26th 2009 12AM EST.

Click here to go to Joel’s site.

If you go to CheatYourWayThin.com, you’ll pay the normal price like everyone else is doing now. So make sure you use this link:

Click here to go to Joel’s site.

Cheat Your Way Thin comes with a 60 day risk free money back guarantee. If you don’t like it, contact Joel and you’ll get your full money back. I’m confident, however, that you’ll like the information in his system.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Cardio is the most popular way to lose fat. But is it the best? And should you do long duration cardio or HIIT? Empty stomach cardio or not? This article will teach you how to really lose fat with cardio

Wrong Ways to Use Cardio. Cardio only speeds up fat loss. You can lose fat doing strength training & eating healthy only. 2 common cardio errors are:

• Neglecting Strength Training. Don’t try to lose fat doing cardio without strength training. Excessive cardio burns muscle, causing the skinny-fat look. You need strength training to prevent muscle loss & build muscle. Check StrongLifts 5×5, it only takes 3×45mins/week.
• Eating Unhealthy. Cardio without healthy nutrition is a waste of time. A healthy diet will make you lose fat faster. Apply the 8 nutrition rules.

Long Duration Cardio. This is cardio for 30-45mins at a steady state. On a machine or long runs outside. Pros & cons of long duration cardio:

• Burns Fat. 30mins long duration cardio burns about 500kcal. This allows you to create a caloric deficit without dropping your daily calorie intake.
• Increases Endurance. If you’re out of shape, long duration cardio is the easiest way to increase your cardiovascular fitness.
• Boring & Time Consuming. For maximal fat loss you’ll need 3 sessions of 30-45 mins per week. This can be boring & repetitive.

HIIT. High-intensity interval training. Example: alternate 60sec jogging with 30sec sprints for 15mins. Pros & cons of HIIT cardio:

• More Efficient. Burns more fat and increases your cardiovascular fitness more than long duration cardio does.
• More Fun, Less Time-Consuming. Takes only 15-20mins and is much more fun than 30-45mins long duration cardio.
• More Difficult. HIIT will make you puke if you’re a beginner with zero endurance. HIIT can also mess with your recovery.

Long Duration Cardio or HIIT? If you’re a beginner with 20-30% body fat, lose fat using long duration cardio. This is physically & mentally easier than HIIT. Couple this with strength training & healthy nutrition.

Your endurance will increase once you can Squat 1.5x your body-weight for at least 1 rep. That’s 300lbs if you weigh 200lbs – with your hips going lower than your knees. When you can do that, you’r ready for HIIT.

Realize that although long duration cardio is less efficient than HIIT, it burns fat. While our body fat might not go down as fast, it will go down. And since long duration cardio is easier, you’re less likely to skip workouts or quit.

How to Do Long Duration Cardio. I recommend long duration cardio if you have zero endurance. Remember: cardio without strength training & healthy nutrition is useless. Do StrongLifts 5×5 & apply the 8 nutrition rules.

• Moderate Intensity. 60-70% of your max heart rate (which is 220 – your age). So if you’re 20 years old, that’s between 120-140bpm.
• 3×45mins. Start with 15mins straight post workout without eating in between. Add 1min each workout until you can do 45mins.
• Elliptical trainer. Most people enjoy the elliptical trainer most. But anything works: rower, stationary bike, outdoor runs, …

How to Do HIIT. The point with HIIT is to get out of breath. If you’re doing it on a machine: choose a resistance that allows you to go as fast as you can when sprinting. But better is to go outside and have fun. Some ideas:

• Sprints. You can do these on a machine, but outside is better. Alternate 60sec jogging with 30sec sprinting. Repeat for 15mins.
• Burpees. 5 sets of 10 burpees with 30sec rest in between. Always try to beat your previous time. Build up to 10 sets of 10 burpees, then to 100 burpees in a row. Make sure you do a Push-up from the floor.
• The Bear. Do without resting 1 rep Power Clean, Front Squat, Overhead Press, Back Squat & Behind Neck Press. Repeat 4x without resting. This is your 1st set. Do 5 sets with 30sec rest in between. Build up to 8 sets of 5. When that gets easy, start adding weight (5lbs/2.5kg). Video.

When to Do Cardio. Most people don’t have time to train 6x/week. Those who can often burn out physically & mentally after a few weeks.

• Post Strength Training. Harder, but you have more rest days and can do more cardio. Example: MO/WE/FR weights first, then cardio.
• On Rest Days. Include days for total recovery: 3 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 1 day off. Example: MO/WE/FR weights, TU/SA cardio.

What About Empty Stomach Cardio? While it can be more effective for fat loss, I don’t recommend empty stomach cardio for 2 reasons:

• Time Consuming. You have to train 2/day since your Squat would suffer if you’d do cardio first. Means more driving back & forth and showering.
• Lower Back Health. Your spines hydrates at night. This makes it more prone to injuries. Your spine needs 1 hour on waking up to dehydrate. Loading & bending your lower back during that 1st hour is risky. Best is to have a solid breakfast, then do strength training and then cardio.

Do You Need Cardio for Cardiovascular Fitness? No, read this & this post. Strength training increases cardiovascular fitness. Personal example:

• I have a sedentary job. I do strength training 3x/week. No HIIT, no runs, nothing. You can follow my training log for more info.
• Last time I went for a run, I ran (not jogged) for 30 mins. Most people I know can’t even handle 15mins. When I went ski-ing, endurance was never holding me back while it was with some of the other guys.

Unless you do sports that need endurance (MMA, boxing, rugby, …) you don’t need cardio. Strength training will increase your cardiovascular fitness above average. Increase your Squat and you’ll see. The proof is in the pudding.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

One of the biggest questions I get is “how do I lose my belly fat? I’ve tried several things but nothing worked”. When I ask what you tried I hear 100 daily sit-ups, cutting calories drastically, excess cardio, fat burners, etc.

If you can’t lose your belly fat, you’re using the wrong approach. You don’t need endless sit-ups, supplements, starving yourself or worse surgery. Here are the 10 best ways to lose your belly fat – quickly and naturally.

1. Stop Doing Crunches. Crunches will strengthen your stomach muscles, but won’t burn the belly fat that covers your abs. Spot reduction is a myth. You’re wasting time & effort doing 200 daily crunches.

Crunches can also cause lower back pain, slouching shoulders & forward head posture. The Reverse Crunch doesn’t cause these problems, but again: spot reduction is a myth. To lose your belly fat, you need more. Keep reading.

2. Get Stronger. Strength training builds muscle mass, prevents muscle loss and helps fat loss. The Squat & Deadlift work best to build strength.

• Your lower back keeps you upright from the back. Your abs from the front. Both muscles will work hard during heavy Squats & Deadlifts at keeping you from collapsing under the weight.
• Squats & Deadlifts allow you to stress your body with heavy weights, working all your muscles from head to toe. This helps getting stronger quickly and building muscle fast, including ab muscles.

Spot reduction still doesn’t exist, so Squats & Deadlifts won’t burn your belly fat directly. However they’ll strengthen your abs and lower your waist size. If you never did both exercises, check StrongLifts 5×5. Only takes 3×45mins/week.

3. Eat Healthy. As the saying goes “abs are built in the kitchen”. You can train hard & build muscular abs, but if you eat junk food all day, you won’t lose your belly fat. Stop eating processed food. Eat whole, unprocessed foods.

• Proteins. Meat, poultry, fish, whey, eggs, cottage cheese, …
• Veggies. Spinach, broccoli, salad, kale, cabbage, …
• Fruits. Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, peers, …
• Fats. Olive oil, fish oil, real butter, nuts, flax seeds, …
• Carbs. Brown rice, oats, whole grain pasta, quinoa, …

No need to be perfect. Eating junk food actually helps fat loss by keeping your hormones sharp. Don’t overdo it though. Eat junk food 10% of the time max. That’s 4 junk meals/week if you eat 6 meals/day.

4. Limit Alcohol Consumption. To lose your belly fat, what you drink is as important as what you eat. Alcohol from time to time is OK. But forget about losing your belly fat if you drink beer & sweet alcohols daily.

Beer drinkers always have a peer shape: belly fat & man boobs – especially as they get older. Alcohol also stresses your liver which has to overwork to clear the toxins. This can get in the way of building muscles.

Drink alcohol 10% of the time. Example Friday & Saturday night. Normal alcohol consumption, not the get drunk. Rest of the time: water, water with squeezed lemon, green tea, etc. Either that or forget about losing your belly fat.

5. Eat Less Carbs. You need carbs for energy. Problem is that most people eat way more carbs than they need. Your body will stock the carbs it doesn’t need as fat. And this is often how you get belly fat.

Unless you’re a skinny guy who needs to gain weight, lower your carb intake. Keep eating fruits & veggies with each meal. But cut back on potatoes, pasta, rice, breads, … Eat these post workout only.

6. Eat More. Eating tons of healthy foods won’t make you fat. Especially not if you exercise 2-3x/week. Starving yourself is the number 1 nutritional mistakes. Healthy nutrition is important for 3 reasons:

• Energy. Food is energy. Your body uses food for weight lifting, working, digestion, etc. Lack of food means lack of energy, in all areas of life.
• Fat Loss. Eating the right foods helps fat loss: protein has the highest thermic effect and satiates, healthy fats promote fat loss, …
• Maintain Muscle. If you starve yourself, your body will burn muscle for energy – NOT fat. You’ll become skinny + fat.

Hunger means you’re not eating enough. Don’t worry about calories. Just eat breakfast and eat every 3 hours from there on, including post workout. Eat healthy foods 90% of the time to lose your belly fat fast.

7. Eat More Protein. Protein has a higher thermic effect than other foods: your body burns more energy processing proteins than it does processing carbs and fat. That’s why high protein diets work great at burning your belly fat.

How much protein do you need daily? Do like I do: eat whole protein with each meal without worrying about the numbers. Check the 10 cheapest sources of protein to keep it budget-friendly.

8. Eat More Fat. Fat doesn’t make you fat. Bad nutrition and lack of exercise do. Eating fat actually helps fat loss. Your body won’t stock fat as easily if your give it a constant intake of healthy fats.

Fish oil is the best source of fat to lose your belly fat. Fish oil naturally increases testosterone levels and increases fat loss. 6g omega-3 per day is a good start. Check Carlson Fish Oil: 1600mg omega-3 per tbsp.

Stay away from trans-fatty fats present in products like margarine. Trans-fatty fats are bad for your health. Eat whole unprocessed foods 90% of the time as I recommend in point 3 and you’ll avoid trans-fatty fats easily.

9. Lower Your Body Fat. As a man, your belly is the last place where you’ll get rid of fat. If you have man boobs and a double chin, you’ll have to lower your body fat to lose your belly fat. Here’s how:

• Get Stronger. Strength training builds & maintains muscle, increases fat loss, helps sticking to diet, … Check StrongLifts 5×5 if you don’t know where to start: it only takes 3×45mins/week.
• Eat Healthier. Apply the 8 nutrition rules. Eat breakfast. Eat every 3 hours. Proteins, veggies & fruits with each meal. Carbs post workout only. 2 cups of water with each meal. Whole foods 90% of the time.
• Add Cardio. 15mins post workout, build up to 3×45mins/week. If you have less than 15% body fat, just get stronger and eat healthier. That will lower your body fat and make you lose your belly fat.

Check the fat loss guide for more info about how to lower your body fat.

10. Stay Motivated. Looking at your belly or in the mirror gives you inaccurate feedback. What you see is influenced by food intake, water retention, light and your own perception. Self-image issues can make the last one tricky.

• Measure Body Fat. Every 2 weeks using a fat caliper. It doesn’t need to be accurate. What matters is that the trend goes down.
• Measure Your Waist. Also every 2 weeks. If you get stronger and eat healthy, your waist will go down fast. Your pants will start to feel loose.
• Take Pictures. Shoot pictures of yourself every 2 weeks: front, back & side. The side pictures will show the most change.

Success breeds success. Track progress accurately so you know where you are and stay motivated to keep working at losing your belly fat. Don’t just read this post and go back to what you were doing. Take action. Lose your belly fat.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

You only need 3 things to lose fat: strength training, healthy nutrition & cardio. This post will give you a simple, efficient fat loss plan so you can get your body fat to dream numbers while still have a life & eat normally.

1. Get Stronger. Strength training increases cardiovascular fitness, strengthens joints & bones, builds muscle, improves flexibility, … And it also helps fat loss.

• Maintain Muscle. More strength is more muscle. Strength training builds muscle and prevents muscle loss so you don’t get skinny + fat.
• Burn Fat. Strength training prevents your metabolic rate from going down when dieting. This means more fat loss.
• Stick to Diet. Exercising positively influences your eating habits. You’ll stick to your diet better if you do strength training, losing more fat.

You’ll get best results doing a free weight routine of compound exercises like Squats & Deadlifts. Check StrongLifts 5×5: it only takes 3×45mins/week.

2. Eat Healthy. Eat whole, unprocessed foods 90% of the time. Whole foods come as close as possible to their natural state: without added sugars, fats, sauces, … Buy raw foods and cook them yourself.

• Protein. Necessary to build & maintain muscle so you don’t get skinny + fat. Protein also satiates and has the highest thermic effect. Eat a whole protein source with each meal: beef, poultry, fish, dairy, whey, etc
• Veggies & Fruits. Fill your stomach, but usually low in calorie. Also high in fiber, water, vitamins & minerals. Eat veggies & fruits with each meal: spinach, broccoli, kale, asparagus, apples, oranges, etc.
• Healthy Fats. Fat doesn’t make you fat, bad nutrition & lack of exercise do. Healthy fats help fat loss: they satiate and slow down digestion. Eat healthy fats with each meal: fish oil, olive oil, mixed nuts.
• Water. Thirst can make you think you’re hungry. Avoid soda, alcohol and fruit juice. Drink 2 cups water with each meal and sip water during your workout. Green tea and water with squeezed lemon are OK too.

3. Eat Carbs Post Workout Only. If you’re like me and 70% of the population, you’re carb intolerant: excess carbs make you fat. Although you need carbs for energy, it’s easy to overdo it. Cut your carb intake.

• Eat Less Starchy Carbs. Eat proteins, veggies, fruits & healthy fats with each meal. Carbs from veggies & fruits are OK, this isn’t a zero carb fat loss diet. Don’t eat starchy carbs except post workout.
• No Workout = No Carbs. If you do strength training 3x per week, you can eat starchy carbs 3x per week post workout. Eat proteins, veggies, fruits & healthy fats with all other meals.
• Eat Whole Carbs Only. Whole carbs promote fat loss and take longer to digest. Avoid white carbs. Eat whole carbs only: brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, oats, quinoa, …

4. Eat More. Frequent meals prevent hunger by keeping your blood sugar stable. Frequent smaller meals also decrease your stomach size over time, which means you’ll feel full sooner. Eat every 3 hours.

• Eat Breakfast. Build the habit of eating breakfast and try one of these breakfast recipes. Cook your food for the day while making breakfast.
• Eat Post Workout. The only meal where you can have carbs to replenish energy stores. Whole meal of protein & carbs or post workout shake.
• Eat Every 3 hours. 6 smaller meals per day instead of 3 large ones. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, pre-bed and 2 snacks.

5. Add Cardio. Excess cardio burns muscle instead of fat, causing the skinny + fat look. Never do cardio only. Add cardio to speed up the fat loss you get from strength training & healthy nutrition.

• Moderate Intensity. 60-70% of your max heart rate. Breathing heavier than at rest, not gasping. Your goal is fat loss, not exhaustion.
• 3×45mins. Start with 15mins cardio post strength training 3x per week. Build up to 3×45mins per week by adding 1min each workout.
• Elliptical Trainer. Aka the crosstrainer. There are many cardio machines you can choose from, but this one remains my favorite.

Fat Loss Strategies. Now that you know what to do, you need to make it as easy as possible to apply the above fat loss tips. Follow the next 8 strategies, even if they sound counter-intuitive to you.

• Buy Healthy Foods Only. Enough for your whole week so you can stick to your fat loss plan. Don’t buy junk food – avoid temptations.
• Prepare Food in Advance. Cook your food for the day on waking up or when you get back from work. This takes about 1 hour.
• Make Double Portions. Speeds up preparation. Prepare 12oz chicken and eat half at lunch and half at dinner.
• Eat The Same Every Day. Removing choice kills cravings and makes you see food for what it is: fuel for your body. Switch it up every 3 weeks.
• Eat at Fixed Times. Don’t wait until you’re hungry or feel like eating. Eat every 3 hours. Build consistency.
• Take Food with You. Take food to work, to school, to the movies, etc. This ensures you’re eating foods that will make you lose fat.
• Eat Before Going Out. Avoid ending up eating junk food because you’re hungry. Eat before you leave home and take food with you.
• Eat Junk Food 10% of The Time. You can eat 4 junk meals/week if you eat 6x/day. This actually helps fat loss. Eat out so you can’t overdo it.
• Track Progress for Motivation. Pictures, body fat, measurements and strength gains. Aim for 2-3% fat loss/month (use a fat caliper).

Example Fat Loss Diets. To lose fat: proteins, veggies, fruits and healthy fats with each meal. Carbs post workout only. Example fat loss diet:

• Breakfast: eggs with tomato & bell peppers, orange, green tea
• Snack: cottage cheese with apple
• Lunch: chicken, bok choy, tomato, chicory, olive oil
• Snack: mixed nuts
• Post workout: ground round, brown rice, mixed veggies, banana
• Dinner: chicken, spinach, baby carrots, pear
• Pre-bed snack: cottage cheese, berries, ground flax seeds, fish oil

Remember to get variation using your 4 junk meals per week. You’ll get bored of eating the same every day after about 3 weeks. Make slight changes, keep the structure. 2nd example fat loss diet, using morning workouts.

• Breakfast: eggs with spinach, orange, green tea
• Post Workout: ground round, whole grain pasta, tomato sauce, banana
• Lunch: turkey breast, broccoli, apple, olive oil
• Snack: cottage cheese with mixed berries
• Dinner: turkey breast, spinach, baby carrots, pear
• Pre-bed snack: cottage cheese, chocolate whey, flax seeds, fish oil

Don’t waste your time counting calories: you won’t get fat eating unprocessed foods. Just eat your stomach full and prepare your own food so you have total control over the ingredients. Aim for 2-3% fat loss per month.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

The Apple vs. Pear Shape. The apple shape is obesity. The pear shape is the skinny + fat look: skinny upper-body, fat lower-body. You also have the ruler shape which doesn’t show any shape at all.

Image credit: ADAM, Inc.

Why You Have The Pear Shape. While the pear shape is definitely influenced by genetics & hormones, bad nutrition aggravates the condition.

• Under-eating. Fat is emergency storage. Your body holds fat and burns muscle for energy if you don’t eat enough. You end up skinny, but fat.
• Fat Deposit. Women’s fat deposit is predominantly in the thighs/glutes. Lack of muscle mass in your upper-body will make your hips look bigger.
• Genetics. If your parents have the pear shape, chances are you’ll have it too. Luckily you can work around it. Keep reading.

How to Get Rid of The Pear Shape. Burn the fat while increasing your muscle mass – especially in your upper-body. This will make your hips appear smaller, changing proportions and thus your body shape.

• Build Muscle. More muscle is more calories burned. More muscle will also get rid of your skinny upper-body. Get into strength training. If you don’t know where to start, check StrongLifts 5×5.
• Get Stronger. More strength is more muscle. Do compound weight lifting exercises like Squats, Deadlifts & Presses. Start light, add weight each workout. Don’t worry, you won’t get bulky.
• Eat Healthy. Stop eating food from a box. Eat whole, unprocessed foods 90% of the time. Drink 2 cups of water with each meal.
• Eat Every 3 Hours. No more low calorie diets. Eat meat, fish, poultry, fats, veggies & fruits every 3 hours to increase your metabolic rate.
• Eat Carbs Post Workout Only. Proteins, veggies, fruits and healthy fats with every meal. Rice, pasta, oats, breads, … post workout ONLY.
• Add Cardio. HIIT is better for fat loss, but hard combined with strength training. I recommend moderate intensity cardio (breathing heavier than at rest, not gasping). Start with 15mins post training, add 1min each session until you get to 40mins.

Cardio without strength training & diet is useless. Diet without strength training is also useless. Strength training and diet without cardio takes longer. For best results combine all 3 for 3-4 months and you’ll be who you want to be.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

Strength training builds muscle, which can make you gain weight. More muscle is more calories burned, meaning fat loss. Your body-weight can stay the same while your muscle mass increases and body fat decreases.

The weight scale can demotivate you as it doesn’t show improvements in body composition. Worse, water retention and stomach/bowel content fluctuate your body-weight. You must measure muscle gain & fat loss. Here’s how.

1. Track Strength Gains. When you can Squat 1.5x your body-weight, you’ll have bigger legs, bigger arms and your waist will be smaller. More strength is more muscle. More muscle is more calories burned.

Your 1st goal: body-weight Squat. Your 2nd goal: 1.5x body-weight Squat. You can achieve both within 6 months when doing StrongLifts 5×5. Keep a training journal. Keep a log in the forum. Add weight slowly, but systematically.

2. Track Body Fat. Get a fat caliper by Accumeasure. Measure skinfolds weekly. If you want your abs to show: aim for 10-12% (women 15-17%). Get stronger meanwhile. Low body fat is useless if you don’t have muscles to show.

3. Take Pictures. If you’re making progress after years being out of shape, you might still consider yourself out of shape when looking in the mirror. Much of this is about self-perception and self-acceptance.

Strength gains, body fat improvements & before-after pictures don’t lie. These are objective measurements of your progress. Check out John Stone’s weekly progress pictures for an example of this.

Pay also attention to how your clothes fit and to what people say. Especially people you don’t see a lot. They’ll notice your muscle gain & fat loss and will ask you questions about it.

Copyright © 2007-2009 STRONGLIFTS BVBA. Disclaimer.

I found this on Timothy Ferris‘ blog: How to Lose 20lbs of Fat in 30 days. I was familiar with this method. I’ve been eating like this for years. However I didn’t know this diet had a name. The Slow Carb Diet.

Benefits of the Slow Carb Diet. The slow carb diet focuses on low calorie foods & a high protein intake. This makes you lose fat fast. But there’s more:

• Maintain Muscle. Rich in protein, the slow carb diet helps you maintain & build muscle. You’ll lose fat, not muscle.
• Increase Health. The slow carb diet lowers cholesterol, regulates your blood sugar, reduces blood pressure & lowers your body fat.
• No Calorie Counting. This is an all you can eat diet: the bulk of your food is low calorie, you’ll never feel hungry.
• No Cravings. Foods with a low glycemic index (GI) means no cravings.

Rules of The Slow Carb Diet. Avoid the following foods on the slow carb diet to enjoy its benefits.

• No Carbs. Carbs are high caloric & high GI. Most whole grain carbs contain high fructose corn syrup. Avoid all carbs: rice, pasta, breads, potatoes, oats, cereals, etc. Except within 90 mins post exercise.
• No Fruit. Your body converts fruit to fat when you eat too much of it. Limit fruit consumption to post workout & consider a multivitamin.
• No Milk. Milk easily makes you gain fat. Avoid.
• No Junk Food. Limit junk food & soda consumption to once a week.

What You Can Eat. You don’t need need to count calories on the slow carb diet. Eat as much as you want of these foods.

• Proteins. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, whey, etc.
• Veggies. Low in calories, veggies fill your stomach without making you gain weight. Eat spinach, broccoli, asparagus, salad, cabbage, …
• Legumes. Higher in calories, provides you with energy. Eat all kinds of peas, lentils, beans, edible pods, nuts, etc.
• Healthy Fats. Fish oil, saturated fat, olive oil, flax seeds. No trans fats.

Example Meals. Eat 4-5 meals a day. I like eating the same meals every day for several weeks, then switching to new ones. Make sure you eat legumes: you need them for energy. Some ideas:

• Breakfast. Eggs with Black Beans & Mixed Veggies, Eggs with Spinach, Eggs with Peppers, etc. Remove the yolk if you believe cholesterol in eggs influences blood cholesterol.
• Lunch/Dinner. Beef with Beans & Mixed Veggies, Tuna Salad with Olive Oil & Nuts, Turkey with Lentils & Mixed Veggies, Steak with Peas, Mixed Salad with Grilled Chicken & Beans, etc.
• Post Workout. You can (don’t need to) eat carbs within 90 mins post exercise. Spaghetti Bolognese, Tuna with Rice, Post Workout Shake, etc.
• Eating Out. Order meat, poultry or fish with salad or veggies. No french fries & potatoes. Watch out with sauces & dressings.

Junk Day. You can’t eat clean every day. Planned cheat days limit the damage, give you a mental break & make social meetings easier. They also increase fat loss by keeping your metabolic rate high.

Plan one weekly junk day. I advise Saturday or Sunday. Eat whatever you want in excess. The next day go back to the slow carb diet. If you eat 6 days out of 7 clean food, which days will be the most decisive? Indeed.

Vegetarians. You need protein on the slow carb diet. Meat makes things easier, but isn’t necessary. Go for eggs & dairy. Watch the glycemic index. Whey also helps getting your daily protein intake.

Exercise. Any diet will make you lose fat faster if you exercise. Strength training increases your metabolic rate & builds muscle. If you’re new to strength training, check the Beginner Strength Training Program.

More Info. Check these links for more information on the slow carb diet.

• 30 Days of the Slow Carb Diet. John Wesley’s (PickTheBrain) results.
• Glycemix Index & Glycemic Load. Definite table for the Glycemic Index & Glycemic Load of foods. The excel file is easier to read.
• Glycemic Index Food Lists. Shorter list of Glycemic Index of foods.
• Protein Power. High protein, low carb way to lose weight in just weeks.
• The Glucose Revolution. Authoritative guide to the glycemic index.

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