| 1. Do some resistive weight training 3 to 4 times | | | | monkfish, perch, red snapper, sea bass, salmon |
| a week using short rest periods between sets of | | | | and tuna help improve health and fat loss. |
| 30 to 60 seconds. Work out no longer than 1 hour | | | | Essential fatty acids (EFA) are required for |
| to keep your anabolic (muscle-building) hormones | | | | optimum health and fatty acid metabolism. |
| high and catabolic (muscle-wasting) hormones low. | | | | Avoiding "good fats" is a sure way to sabotage a |
| Over-training is a quick way to lose muscle along | | | | fat-loss diet and degrade your health. |
| with fat. Maintaining muscle is the goal, and it will | | | | |
| help keep your metabolic rate high so that fat | | | | 6. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day |
| loss continues at a steady pace. Attempt to lose | | | | to prevent dehydration and help liberate fat |
| no more than 1 to 1.5 pounds of fat per week. | | | | stores to be burned as energy. Water intake is |
| | | | often cited as the most underrated and |
| 2. Avoid traditional long duration cardio, instead | | | | overlooked part of fat loss. |
| perform HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) 2-3 | | | | |
| times per week on alternating days or after | | | | 7. Eat fibrous vegetables to increase transit time |
| weight training to burn fat and increase metabolic | | | | of food, improve digestion and improve weight |
| rate. HIIT cardio is best done on alternating days | | | | loss. Increasing fiber intake from vegetables such |
| from weight training if possible. | | | | as broccoli, cauliflower and other raw vegetables |
| | | | adds fiber, minerals and vitamins with very few |
| 3. Watch what you eat. Beware of low-fat or | | | | calories. They add bulk to the diet while reducing |
| fat-free products. Typically, these products are | | | | appetite. |
| loaded with carbohydrates and while you are not | | | | |
| getting the fat, you may be getting way too | | | | 8. Spread food intake over 5 to 6 meals per day. |
| many calories from simple carbohydrates. Avoid | | | | Distributing your food throughout the day will |
| simple sugars and eat complex carbohydrates in | | | | improve nutrient absorption, prevent blood sugar |
| moderation to reduce insulin output and prevent | | | | fluctuations and decrease fat-storing hormones |
| blood sugar fluctuations. Insulin is the main | | | | and fat-storing enzymes. Simply spreading the |
| hormone responsible for storing body fat, and high | | | | same number of calories over 5 to 6 small meals |
| insulin levels prevent the burning of stored body | | | | per day rather than the standard 3 meals per day |
| fat for energy. High-carbohydrate diets are not | | | | will improve fat loss due to the above effects on |
| the optimal way to lose fat while preserving lean | | | | blood sugar, hormones and fat-storing enzymes. |
| muscle. Rely on complex, high-fiber carbohydrates | | | | |
| such as oatmeal, lentils and brown rice. Avoid | | | | 9. Avoid alcohol (or keep it to a minimum) while |
| breads, pasta, white rice and other highly | | | | you're dieting. Alcohol contains nearly 7 calories |
| processed, low-fiber carbohydrate sources, as | | | | per gram, and is easily metabolized and stored as |
| well as sweets. As a guide, reduce carbohydrate | | | | fat. When you consume alcohol with a meal, your |
| intake to 0.8 to 1.2 grams per pound of body | | | | body will metabolize the alcohol first. The rest of |
| weight. For example, a 150-pound person would | | | | the calories and the excess alcohol calories |
| eat between 120 and 180 grams per day of | | | | inevitably will be stored as fat. Alcohol is generally |
| carbohydrates (150 x 0.8 = 120 / 150 x 1.2 = | | | | regarded as empty carbohydrate calories because |
| 180). | | | | you get no other nutritional benefit as you would |
| | | | from the vitamins, minerals and fiber that you get |
| 4. Increase the amount of lean protein you | | | | from the carbohydrates in fruits and vegetables. |
| consume daily to increase your metabolic rate, | | | | |
| increase anabolic hormones and prevent muscle | | | | 10. Be snack smart. When you must have a |
| loss during dieting. Lean muscle mass is the active | | | | snack, make a smart choice. Avoid sugary or |
| tissue that burns calories and maintains metabolic | | | | fatty snacks like chips and soda, crackers, nuts, |
| rate. The goal is to preserve the active tissue we | | | | frozen yogurt and so on. Instead, try some |
| want while encouraging the body to reduce the | | | | air-popped popcorn (no butter or salt) or a slice of |
| tissue (fat) we don't want. Eat high-quality, low-fat | | | | lean meat like turkey. When you space your |
| protein sources like skinless chicken, lean red | | | | meals to 5 or 6 a day, snacking becomes less |
| meat and seafood during your weight loss | | | | important to you. Check the nutritional panels on |
| program. High-quality protein supplements may be | | | | your snacks for sugars and fats, remembering |
| used when the diet does not yield enough daily | | | | that fat-free does not mean calorie-free, and |
| protein. | | | | remember, excess carbohydrates in your diet will |
| | | | be stored as fat.Robert DiMaggio is first and |
| 5. Reduce saturated fats whenever possible and | | | | foremost the founder and editor of LLC, an online |
| replace with polyunsaturated fats such as flax oil | | | | bodybuilding and fitness magazine that has been |
| and monounsaturated fats such as olive oil and | | | | dedicated to helping people achieve their |
| avocados. Polyunsaturated fats are considered | | | | bodybuilding and fitness goals. has been online |
| "good fats" and should be a part of your diet. | | | | since 2001 publishing new articles, content and a |
| Research shows that omega-3 oils from many | | | | newsletter every month, along with a growing |
| sources of fish like cod, flounder, haddock, | | | | online community IronMagazine Forums. |