Wednesday, February 10, 2010

So You Want to be Ripped?



8 Principles for Getting the Body YOU Want

The following guidelines are simple guidelines to follow, however for some reason most people fail to follow these rules and thus wonder why they cannot lose body fat. There is no magic bullet or supplement when it comes to loosing body fat but instead like most things in life it takes dedication and consistency. Now without any further ado:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours. This means you should be eating AT LEAST 5 meals a day and up to 8 meals. I do not want to hear you do not have time, because we both now that’s bullshit. Prepare your meals ahead of time! Plan meals for the times you know you will be on the go or at work.

2. Eat like a caveman. Avoid all processed and refined food, hence any food that comes out of a box or wrapper. If you need to be convinced by a commercial or an advertisement that a specific type of food is healthy, you must avoid it! Do you hear the media try and convince you that water, fruits and vegetables are healthy? No, this is because it is common knowledge and most people are looking for easier solutions than eating their greens. So what type of food would a caveman eat? Lean meat, eggs, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables. The list does not end here however it is a start!

3. Eat, lean protein, fruits and/or vegetables with each meal. Any meal that does not contain lean protein, vegetables and or fruit should be considered a cheat meal. Don’t cheat yourself!

4. Cycle your carbohydrates. First let me say if you need to lose 20 or more pounds diet down first before you cycle your carbs. Carb cycling is an excellent approach for anyone who is already pretty lean (10-12%BF) and is looking to lose those last 10 pounds that are covering their abs. In a nutshell, carb cycling divides each day of the week into either a low, medium or high carb day. Your activity level for each day will determine how many carbs you will take in. For more in dept information please check out this article from T Nation.

5. Drink only water. Cut out all soda, Gatorade, and any beverage with calories in it. Once you do this try to cut out all diet soda. Get use to drinking water!

6. Eat whole foods. Avoid consuming a ton of protein bars and shakes. There is a time and place for shakes (see below), but whole foods are the way to go.

7. Be sure to eat a big breakfast and consume a during and post workout shake. I mention breakfast, during workout/post workout shake, in the same rule because these are the times of day where our bodies can actually handle carbs. Upon waking, our muscles are desperate to take in large amounts of calories and are less likely to store carbs as fat. Furthermore having a big breakfast will speed up our metabolism for the rest of the day. The same goes for during and post workout. During this time our glycogen stores are shot and we need quick digesting carbs and protein to refuel and build muscle. For Post workout the best carbs include a combination of Dextrose and Maltodextrin or Waximaize. Personally I use Advocare Post Workout Recovery for during and post workout.).

8. Avoid mixing foods high in fat and carbs. The only time fat and carbs should be mixed is when the carbs are coming from fruits or vegetables. AVOID mixing starchy carbs with saturated fats at all times!

There is your list of 8 rules to follow. Until you follow all 8 rules there is no need to use a “fat burner” or to try and other magic diet. In reality, most people know how to lose body fat however they believe there is some sort of unknown secret. While I said these rules are simple to follow, simple does not mean easy. It takes a lot of dedication and consistency to reach your goals.

Joe Meglio

Performance Enhancement Coach
www.MeglioFitness.com
www.MeglioNutrition.com
Joe@MeglioFitness.com

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