Diet Hacks for Transformation Fat Loss
This week we’re going to give you some diet hacks for your transformation fat loss program. I hope your 2011 is off to an amazing start, and I also hope that you’ll join the 10th TT Transformation Contest.
=> Click here for the details on how you can win $1000 just by losing belly fat
The last day to enter the 12-week contest is Saturday, Jan 15th. Can’t wait to see your results. And we’ve got a lot of great tips in this week’s 7-day fat burning guide.
Click here to listen to the call
Now let’s get started with…
Monday – Jan 10th
Transformation Tip of the Week:
“People will do almost anything to stay in their comfort zones. If you want to accomplish anything, get out of your comfort zone.” – Kekich Credo #1
To help you get out of your comfort zone, set deadlines for behavioral change and results, with consequences for not meeting those deadlines. This has worked for me and many others.
For anything in life, if you want advanced results, you have to take advanced measures. Its not enough to give an ordinary effort if you want extraordinary results.
Training Tips from the latest issue of Men’s Health Magazine:
The latest issue is filled with conditioning methods, many of which can replace traditional interval training.
Method #1: “The Jump-Press Shuttle”: Jump over bench, do a pushup, get up, jump back over the bench, do a pushup, repeat. 40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest, repeat 6x
Method #2: Barbell Complex: DL, row, hang clean, front squat, push press, good morning, back squat. Do 6 reps per exercise without rest between exercises.
Method #3: A “Smoker Set”: Do the following for 5-minutes: Alternate between a lower and upper body exercise, using your 8-Rep Max for each. Do ONLY 4 reps per set. Continue to alternate back and forth until 5 minutes is up. Then rest 1 minute and repeat the 5-minute bout again.
Method #4: The “10-1 Countdown Ladders”: Doing this will give you 55 reps per exercise. Choose 2 exercises, such as KB Swings and Pushups. Do 10 reps of swings, then 10 reps of pushups. Without rest, do 9 swings and 9 pushups. Continue until you are down to 1 rep each.
Tuesday
• Get 30 minutes of fun activity – now grab a Green Tea and do this week’s research review.
Reference:
Am J Clin Nutrition. The Mediterranean and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diets and colorectal cancer
American researchers examined the diets of 87,256 women and 45,490 men (age 30–55 y for women and 40–75 y for men at baseline) for ~26 years!
They looked at two diet patterns:
a) The Mediterranean diet
b) The DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
There was no effect of the Mediterranean diet on colon cancer, but they did find that people who ate according to the DASH diet had a lower risk of colorectal cancer 
(DASH diet consists of whole grains, fruit, and vegetables; moderate amounts of low-fat dairy; and lower amounts of red or processed meats, desserts, and sweetened beverages).
Bottom line: Despite so many nutrition guru’s giving grains a bad name, study after study continues to show health benefits when including them in your diet. This is simple nutrition at its best.
Reference #2:
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet, long-term weight change, and incident overweight or obesity: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) cohort
Spanish researchers looked at the Mediterranean diet as a weight loss strategy in 10,376 Spanish men and women who were university graduates (mean age = 38 y) and were followed for over 5 years.
Subjects who did not stick with the Mediterranean diet had the highest yearly weight gain. Subjects who stuck to the diet the best had the lowest weight gain.
Conclusions: The Mediterranean diet can be recommended to slow down age-related weight gain.
BUT…still, it wasn’t weight loss, it was just less weight gain. To get fat loss, there needs to be dietary restriction and exercise.
Wednesday Workout Tip
Men’s Health featured abdominal tips that are worth repeating.
- Abs are designed to resist motion, not create it. Therefore, avoid bending/twisting your spine. Eliminate crunches, situps, and russian twists.
- During almost every exercise, such as pushups, you should brace your abs as if you were preparing to get punched in the stomach.
- Finally, Dr. Stuart McGill recommended these two ab exercises:
a) Stability Ball “Stir the Pot” – A regular stability ball plank, with the addition of your arms moving in a circular motion on the ball. Keep your torso straight. Do 6 reps in each direction to start.
b) Rolling planks – Start with 10 seconds in a side plank. Slowly roll your body into a regular plank, while keeping your body in a straight line. Hold for 10 seconds. Then roll your body – as a unit – into a side plank on the opposite side. That’s 1 rep, do 6.
Trainer Thursday
• Do 30 minutes of fun activity…
I wanted to share this thought with all the trainers who are out there and doing a great job…
“Over the holidays, your training clients were asked by their family “what have you been doing to get back in shape?” …and your client then told them – and everyone – about how YOU have changed their life…and how much they love YOU and how wonderful you are, and how they tell everyone they know about YOU.
That happened all over the world…in kitchens, living rooms, churches, malls, and everywhere that your client went.
So take a few moments and think about that, and let that be some inspiration to you to know that you are making a massive, LIFE-CHANGING difference in the lives of your clients! That’s pretty cool. And you deserve to feel amazing about that, because of the amazing help that you are giving these folks.
And just think that next year, there will be 2 times, 10 times, or even 100 times more people having those conversations. Congratulations on helping so many people in 2010, and I’m looking forward to your success in 2011.
Facebook Friday
Q: I imagine that interval training would have quite a high probability for injury especially for untrained individuals. Wouldn’t mixing it up with longer type cardio be the best option? – Colin
Answer:
Hi Colin. The injury risk is less with intervals, and in my opinion, greater with cardio because of overuse (too many repetitions in a workout). As you’ll see in almost every interval training study, the subjects are complete beginners – and no injuries are reported. There is less exercise done in an interval workout, and therefore less risk of overuse injury.
Q: If I can only work out on M,T,W & Th, do I alternate upper and lower body or do I do 2 days weights and 2 days BW??? – Kendra
Answer:
Hi Kendra, just train 3 days per week, M – upper, T-lower, Th-Total body.
Social Support Saturday!
• 30 minutes of fun activity…
It doesn’t matter how “good” jealousy feels, negativity does not serve you. Get over it, get on with your life, and start acting and thinking productively and positively.
Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
• 30 minutes activity and plan, shop, & prepare
And now for our 5 Diet Hacks, including tips from Tim Ferriss, Joel Marion, John Berardi, and John Romaniello.
Diet Hack #1 – Use “Ritual Eating” for fat loss
I first heard this idea from John Romaniello, and it simply means eating the same meal every day for 6 days per week during your 12-week transformation. Our friend Joel Marion just sent me this email about his 2011 fat loss diet.
“I’ve mapped out daily diet where i’m eating the same thing every day (this is how I did the BFL contest), and even if I’m traveling or out to eat, every meal is something I could order at a restaurant.”
Breakfast: 16 oz organic skim milk, Full Strength shake, 1 banana (same shake every day)
Snack: 12 oz Plain Greek Yogurt + 10 oz mixed berries (same every day)
Lunch: 6 oz Chicken, 2 oz Cheddar, ton of Green Veggies (same every day)
Snack: 2 oz Mixed Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews (same every day)
Dinner: One of 3 options for dinner (4 egg omelet w/ veggies OR 8 oz filet w/ veggies or 6 oz Grilled Chicken w/ salad)
Diet Hack #2 – Don’t drink ANY calories
Eliminate all juice, all soda, all alcohol, and any other liquid calories from your diet for the next 12 weeks. You’d be surprised how many calories sneak into your diet on a weekly basis through drinking.
Diet Hack #3 – Create a deferred cheat day list
This is a mental tip to help you get through the week until your reward meal or cheat day (whichever you choose). In my interview with Tim Ferriss, he recommended keeping a list of all your cravings, and promising yourself that you can have those foods on your cheat day. Knowing that you have something to look forward to is a great mindset tip. It will keep you going through the tough days during the week.
Diet Hack #4 – Fish Oil – 1g per 1% body fat
This tip comes from Dr. John Berardi, who said: “The first habit is to start off with one gram of fish oil per one percent body fat. When people are new to the program that’s the number one thing they start with. We do that up to about 30 grams, so if someone is 20 percent body fat, they take 20 grams of fish oil a day. If they’re 30 percent, they take 30 grams a day.”
Click here for the rest of my interview with Dr. John Berardi
Diet Hack #5 – Slow down and chew each bite of food 20 times
This tip comes from a “turn of the century” fitness expert, Bernar McFadden. I read a book about him called, “Mr. America”, and he recommended that his clients chew their food 30-50 times!
At your next meal, count how many times you chew each bite of food. I bet it is 5 or less.
When you slow down and chew your food longer, you’ll eat less before your brain registers it is full. There’s no need to eat a medium pizza in 5 minutes. You won’t get attacked by another caveman who is going to steal your meal.
So slow down, and I know that will help you control your portions.
Let me know if you have any diet hacks to add to our list.
And make sure to tell me about how they help your Transformation.
Until next week, make sure you get in the 10th TT Transformation Contest here.
Next week!
• Training Tips – More MH Workout Tips
• Research Review – Interval training
• Nutrition – Arginine Supplementation