The 10 Commandments of Fat Loss
1. NEVER skip meals!! If you do, you will overeat your next meal. Even if that meal is healthy food (as it damn well should be) it doesn’t matter if you eat too much of it. Try to stay full with veggies and water.
2. Empty stomach cardio in the morning is optimal because insulin levels are very low, yet hormone sensitive lipase (the fat releasing enzyme) is fully active while lipoprotein lipase (the fat storing enzyme) is still asleep! GH (growth hormone, an immensely powerful fat burner) is still coming off its overnight high. At this time there is less blood glucose in your blood to be burned (versus after having just eaten a meal), leaving fats as the number one option for your body to burn as fuel.
3. Do NOT consume carbs when you don’t need them! The best times to eat large portions of carbs is first thing in the morning (after cardio!!) and after your workouts-you can be sure it will be put to use, then burned off. Consume no more than 25-35 grams in other meals if you must have more carbs due to your job or lifestyle being very active. And be sure to make them high fiber carbs (veggies). Give yourself the proper carb fuel to get the day started, get through a workout and recover from a workout. Thats all you need so any other carbs should be trace carbs found in small amounts.
4. Do not consume large amounts of fat and carbs together. Carbs of any kind will release insulin (high GI more so than low GI), which acts to store anything in your bloodstream. Fats normally get booted to storage since they don’t need chemical processing or active transport to become bodyfat. Additionally, the body prefers to use carbs (glucose) for energy. So don’t eat them together in large amounts (although that should be obvious!!) A few grams of healthy fat with complex carbs are okay (about 15 grams of fat for every 50 grams of carbs), assuming you always eat PROTEIN at each and every meal!
5. Supplement with fish oils. These healthy fats increase your sensitivity to carbs (the opposite of diabetes), allowing your body to burn more, rather than store more. They also assist with fat loss via PPAR-delta (a mitochondrial activator found in muscle) stimulation. If all you are seeing at this point is blabla..PPAR…blablabla then focus: FISH OIL= FAT LOSS. Try 3 to 6 grams daily. 65. Before bed, eat 1/2 to 1 cup of low-fat or fat-free greek yogurt or casein protein powder to fight late night cravings and give your body some slow-digesting protein to breakdown and use during the night. No it will not get stored as fat!! Your body does not just shut off the digestive system at night.
6. Eat citrus fruits since they are acidic and raise insulin levels less than most typical fruits (except for pineapple). Plus, they contain flavonoids such as naringin, found in oranges and grapefruit, which aid in fat loss by extending caffeine’s effects. Kiwi, mango, and strawberries are other good choices for citrus fruits.
7. Before bed : Eat 1/2 to 1 cup of low-fat or fat-free greek yogurt or casein protein powder to fight late night hunger cravings and give your body some slow-digesting protein to breakdown and use during the night. No it won’t get stored as fat!! Your body does not just turn off its digestive system at night. If calories are controlled during the day and exercise is intense enough, you will process and use foods even like this during the night.
8. Maintain some form of weight training at least 3 times a week or else your body will have no reason to hold lean muscle. Too much cardio and no weights equals a soft skeleton body (SKINNY FAT!!) in no time.
9. Re-Feed :If you really feel like you are hungry all the time and weight loss is not progressing, a “refeed” may be in order. Refeeds are more effective than the infamous cheat meals (which many turn into cheat days, then cheat nights, etc..) at kick starting your metabolism. Refeeds are a SINGLE MEAL, high in slow and medium-digesting carbs, eaten before bed. This tricks your body into sucking up carbs all night long, causing it to blunt any hint of starvation or metabolic slow down. The powerful thyroid hormone T3, leptin, and other hormones related to hunger and metabolic rate go through the roof because of the overnight presence of insulin (you won’t store much at all IF your diet has been spot on all week long). This does have a limit however. Remember- this technique is meant ONLY for those that have eaten at least 90% clean all week!!
10. If you are going to use a fat burning supplement, look for one with the right ingredients, take before cardio, and remember- YOU MUST DO CARDIO for any type of fat burner to be effective! There is still no MAGIC PILL!! Ingredients to look for:
Caffeine – a PDE inhibitor and known fat loss mobilizer
Yohimbine HCL – an alpha 2 adrenergic antagonist *Not for those with high BP
Green Tea Extract – inhibits the breakdown of norepinephrine
Synephrine aka Bitter Orange – similar to caffeine without the jittery side effects
L-Carnithine – acts as a fatty acid transporter to burn fat
Capsaicin– the chemical in chili peppers that elevates your metabolism
Guggulsterones– a thyroid stimulator that helps this gland pick up iodine from the blood
