A Few Tips to Accelerate Your Fat Loss Results!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:10-11

I’ve been listening to several interviews with Tim Ferriss, the author of The 4-Hour Work Week and the newly released 4-Hour Body. He has revealed several awesome tips to help accelerate your fat loss results. These are the things he recommends (and I have told our members these exact same things many times before):

1.) Take Before Photos and Measurements. Taking before photos and posting them on your refrigerator is one of the BEST ways to change your body. It’s a reminder of what you currently look like and may help curb bad choices when eating. Also, measurements show real progress – because the scale lies and is inaccurate!

2.) Keep A Nutrition Journal. This one habit can make a huge difference. When you track what you eat and how you feel when you eat it, you will be able to make the necessary changes to continue making progress. You should track your food intake for at least 8 weeks. Research has shown that those who keep a nutrition journal lose more weight than those who don’t.

3.) Consume 30 grams of Protein within 30 Minutes of Waking Up. Yes, this is another reminder that you need to eat breakfast! Research shows that breakfast eaters live longer and stay leaner. In fact, those who skip breakfast are 450 percent more likely to be overweight and obese!!!! Also, the 30/30 Rule (30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up) will help accelerate your fat loss tremendously! Tim Ferriss performed a variety of studies that showed the 30/30 Rule to be one of the keys to fast fat loss.

What’s a good breakfast? Scrambled eggs with some cheese and veggies with a side of turkey bacon or turkey sausage and some water or almond milk. Or make a smoothie with a scoop of whey protein, almond milk, walnuts and fresh or frozen fruit. A Prograde Lean shake also fits perfectly as a breakfast meal since it contains 35 grams of protein per serving along with some healthy carbs and fat and 8 grams of fiber.

4.) Drink More Water. I tell all our members to drink at least half their body weight in fluid ounces of water each day. Your urine should be clear. Tim Ferriss has found that a higher water consumption helps increase fat loss. Research also proves this.

5.) Replace the Milk in Your Coffee with Almond Milk or Cream and Add Cinnamon. Tim Ferriss found that removing milk from your diet and especially from your morning coffee makes a huge impact on fat loss. Milk is insulingenic which means it spikes your insulin levels and causes you to gain fat. By replacing the milk with real cream (not low-fat or non-fat cream, but real, full-fat cream OR almond milk) and adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, you can control your insulin levels and help prevent fat gain.

In fact, cinnamon can be added to all your meals to help you control your insulin levels. This is a tip I’ve mentioned in the past. All it takes is 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon sprinkled over your food or added to your protein shakes/smoothies!

6.) Go Low Carb for 6 Days with Reward/Cheat Meals on 7th Day. This is similar to our guideline of “protein, produce and water every 2-4 hours” with 1-2 reward meals each week. However, Tim Ferriss recommends some slight adjustments.

First, for six days, you will only consume protein, vegetables, beans/legumes and water. No “white” products such as bread, pasta, rice, grains, flour, sugar, milk, other dairy, white creams/sauces, etc. No fruit. Don’t drink your calories (no soda, fruit juices, etc.). You’ll be eating meat, eggs and veggies as well as beans/legumes for six days and on your seventh day, you can eat all the foods you want – pasta, pizza, bread, ice cream, or whatever else your heart desires.

I know the reasons behind this type of plan and why it works. For some, it may work. But the only way it will work is if you follow the six days of eating exactly as listed – Only protein (meat, eggs, whey protein), veggies, beans/legumes and water. No dairy. No alcohol. No fruit. No bread, pasta, rice, grains, sugar, flour or other “white” products. No calorie-containing beverages (soda, juices, etc.). You would have to save all the “No” foods for your 7th day (cheat day). If you think you are disciplined enough to do this plan, try it for four weeks and see how it works for you.

I will say that this plan won’t work for someone who is already lean. For someone who is already lean such as myself, I would need to cut back on the amount of “cheat” foods on the 7th day. For example, I would need to eat a normal breakfast of eggs and veggies to help curb some of my appetite. I could get away with a couple cheat meals on the 7th day, but they would need to be a little more controlled in order to continue getting leaner.

Also, remember to avoid milk and sugar with your coffee and add cinnamon to your meals/snacks and continue training hard.

In fact, training before your cheat meals (similar to our Damage Control Guidelines) will help your body best utilize the food you’ll be eating. If you don’t have time to perform a full workout, even an intense 5-minute workout will help. So you could do one round of a typical 5-exercise circuit like we use at Underground Fitness Revolution like this:

1.) Body-weight Squats
2.) Push-ups or Push-up Hold Variation
3.) Split Squats, Reverse Lunges or Forward Lunges
4.) Band Bent-over Rows or Dumbbell Rows
5.) Plank Variation (Plank, 3-Point Plank, Plank Walk-ups, Side Planks, Side Plank Raises, etc.)
 
Perform 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest and go through the whole circuit one time for a quick 5-minute workout and then enjoy the meal.
 
Crank it!
 
Nate