Sooo... I know you guys looove tips. So here's a dozen of them to help you accelerate your weight loss progress!
#1 Say 'No' to Junk Food
Say goodbye to McDonalds and Burger King and say hello to home cooking. This should be a no-brainer but people still think that if they go to the gym they can eat whatever they want. WRONG!
If you seriously want to shape up for the summer, you need to kiss all fast food joints goodbye. Not only are these places loaded with calories but also the fat content in them is enough to stop your heart instantly.
If you haven't watched the movie Super-size Me, you need to go rent it today and watch it. If you don't get sick watching that movie and seeing for yourself that McDonalds' french fries can last well over three months without sprouting any mold, then you honestly don't have all systems firing in your brain.
#2 Cook at Home as Often as Possible
When eating out you never really know how your food is prepared. Therefore, your best bet is to prepare and cook your own food. When you eat out many of the foods you are ingesting are cooked in butter or other fattening ingredients, which is exactly the stuff you want to stay away from. Plus, it's hard to find places that serves specifically chicken breast or egg whites when you need them the most.
Your best bet for cooking at home can be anything from grilling your foods, steaming your foods, and even baking your foods.
#3 Concentrate on Lower-Glycemic Index Carb Sources
The Glycemic Index measures how fast a certain food increases blood sugar. In short, the lower the Glycemic Index for a food, the slower it gets into your system, the longer it'll last and less insulin it'll spike - which means less fat storage. It will also
-keep you full for longer
-increase sensitivity to insulin
-prolong physical endurance
-reduce blood cholesterol levels
#4 Choose Water as Your Preferred Drink
When at restaurants, I'm sometimes afraid that ordering water as a drink will make me seem cheap (Honestly!). But it's for a good reason. Even though in liquid form, sodas and other sweet drinks can easily ruin your diet. And don't think that fruit juices served in restaurants are by default sugar-free. Unless stated, they probably have lots of sugar, enough to shoot your insulin levels sky-high.
#5 Make Lists and Notes of Everything
Giving attention to detail really matters! Big time! I did not notice so many things I did wrong for my previous competitions until I decided to write everything down for my Mr Kuala Lumpur 2010 prep. Even if you're not competing and just losing weight, this could boost your progress. Write what you should be eating each meal, what exercise you should be doing for which days, what supplements you should take at what time all on A4 sized papers and paste it somewhere you can see often. Having a shopping list helps you control your budget and impulse buying too!
#6 Realize That There is No Shortcut
Having hope is good. But hoping for something that wouldn't happen is deluding yourself. If something that promises you easy gains in muscle and fat loss with minimal effort in the gym and in the kitchen, it's probably not true, especially if it involves money. This is especially true for supplements with unbelievable claims. The sooner you realise that muscle is gained and fat is burned with hard work, the faster you'll reach your goals.
#7 Workout with Someone With More Experience
Many people think that they train hard... until they train with someone who trains harder than them. The same goes for dieting. When I was just starting my bodybuilding journey, I thought I was the most hardcore kid in the gym. I was. But that was because my gym was filled with uncles and aunties who came in just for a jog and their kids who follow them. Then when I started training with some friends whom I knew were into bodybuilding too, I made great gains because I know how much harder I must train to attain such gains.
Phil Heath (right), although being a prodigy in every sense of the word, admitted that he didn't know how hard he had to train when he turned pro until he trained with the reigning Mr Olympia, Jay Cutler (left).
#8 Aim to Maintain Muscle Mass While Losing Weight
Remember, losing weight means losing fat, not muscles. This is why the weight loss diet is a high protein diet. The more muscles you lose, the harder it'll be to lose fat because your metabolism will decrease. That's why when a guy is skinny-fat (low in muscle and has some fat), I would recommend him to gain muscle first then lose the fat, because with the muscle, it'll be easier to lose fat. To maintain muscles, always weight train heavy, consume a high protein diet (like the one I recommend) and don't let yourself become hungry, ever.
#9 Know the Difference Between Hunger and Cravings
If you're hungry, you want food. If you're having cravings, you want that double-topping, melted chocolate-covered triple flavour ice cream with a cherry on top. So, don't use the excuse that you're hungry when in fact, you're actually having a craving.
#10 Eat Fruits in the Morning
Contrary to some belief, fructose (fruit sugar) has a low glycemic value and does not spike insulin as much as other sugars. In fact, it's complex carbs. BUT there's one problem with fructose. Fructose can only be stored in the liver and once that storage is filled up, it'll turn into fat. So, if you want to have fruits, have them in the morning when your liver glycogen storage is empty.
#11 Get Enough Sleep
Not getting enough sleep will make your body more resistant to burning fat. Getting enough sleep will provide a better hormonal environment for your body to burn fat. Try getting at least 8 hours of nocturnal sleep (night sleep). And yes, naps have shown to help too.
#12 Don't Fall for the "Healthy Food" Trick
Some supermarket "health foods" aren't as healthy as they seem. The most common is yoghurt. I remember reading a label that says "99% fat free". And it has more than 10% of sugars. WTH?! That will kill your diet faster than the fat content! So, remember, read the labels yourself to judge if the food is suitable for your diet. Or better still, go with the usual unprocessed meat and vegetables.
Happy dieting! :D
#1 Say 'No' to Junk Food
Say goodbye to McDonalds and Burger King and say hello to home cooking. This should be a no-brainer but people still think that if they go to the gym they can eat whatever they want. WRONG!
If you seriously want to shape up for the summer, you need to kiss all fast food joints goodbye. Not only are these places loaded with calories but also the fat content in them is enough to stop your heart instantly.
If you haven't watched the movie Super-size Me, you need to go rent it today and watch it. If you don't get sick watching that movie and seeing for yourself that McDonalds' french fries can last well over three months without sprouting any mold, then you honestly don't have all systems firing in your brain.
#2 Cook at Home as Often as Possible
When eating out you never really know how your food is prepared. Therefore, your best bet is to prepare and cook your own food. When you eat out many of the foods you are ingesting are cooked in butter or other fattening ingredients, which is exactly the stuff you want to stay away from. Plus, it's hard to find places that serves specifically chicken breast or egg whites when you need them the most.
Your best bet for cooking at home can be anything from grilling your foods, steaming your foods, and even baking your foods.
#3 Concentrate on Lower-Glycemic Index Carb Sources
The Glycemic Index measures how fast a certain food increases blood sugar. In short, the lower the Glycemic Index for a food, the slower it gets into your system, the longer it'll last and less insulin it'll spike - which means less fat storage. It will also
-keep you full for longer
-increase sensitivity to insulin
-prolong physical endurance
-reduce blood cholesterol levels
#4 Choose Water as Your Preferred Drink
When at restaurants, I'm sometimes afraid that ordering water as a drink will make me seem cheap (Honestly!). But it's for a good reason. Even though in liquid form, sodas and other sweet drinks can easily ruin your diet. And don't think that fruit juices served in restaurants are by default sugar-free. Unless stated, they probably have lots of sugar, enough to shoot your insulin levels sky-high.
#5 Make Lists and Notes of Everything
Giving attention to detail really matters! Big time! I did not notice so many things I did wrong for my previous competitions until I decided to write everything down for my Mr Kuala Lumpur 2010 prep. Even if you're not competing and just losing weight, this could boost your progress. Write what you should be eating each meal, what exercise you should be doing for which days, what supplements you should take at what time all on A4 sized papers and paste it somewhere you can see often. Having a shopping list helps you control your budget and impulse buying too!
#6 Realize That There is No Shortcut
Having hope is good. But hoping for something that wouldn't happen is deluding yourself. If something that promises you easy gains in muscle and fat loss with minimal effort in the gym and in the kitchen, it's probably not true, especially if it involves money. This is especially true for supplements with unbelievable claims. The sooner you realise that muscle is gained and fat is burned with hard work, the faster you'll reach your goals.
#7 Workout with Someone With More Experience
Many people think that they train hard... until they train with someone who trains harder than them. The same goes for dieting. When I was just starting my bodybuilding journey, I thought I was the most hardcore kid in the gym. I was. But that was because my gym was filled with uncles and aunties who came in just for a jog and their kids who follow them. Then when I started training with some friends whom I knew were into bodybuilding too, I made great gains because I know how much harder I must train to attain such gains.
Phil Heath (right), although being a prodigy in every sense of the word, admitted that he didn't know how hard he had to train when he turned pro until he trained with the reigning Mr Olympia, Jay Cutler (left).
#8 Aim to Maintain Muscle Mass While Losing Weight
Remember, losing weight means losing fat, not muscles. This is why the weight loss diet is a high protein diet. The more muscles you lose, the harder it'll be to lose fat because your metabolism will decrease. That's why when a guy is skinny-fat (low in muscle and has some fat), I would recommend him to gain muscle first then lose the fat, because with the muscle, it'll be easier to lose fat. To maintain muscles, always weight train heavy, consume a high protein diet (like the one I recommend) and don't let yourself become hungry, ever.
#9 Know the Difference Between Hunger and Cravings
If you're hungry, you want food. If you're having cravings, you want that double-topping, melted chocolate-covered triple flavour ice cream with a cherry on top. So, don't use the excuse that you're hungry when in fact, you're actually having a craving.
#10 Eat Fruits in the Morning
Contrary to some belief, fructose (fruit sugar) has a low glycemic value and does not spike insulin as much as other sugars. In fact, it's complex carbs. BUT there's one problem with fructose. Fructose can only be stored in the liver and once that storage is filled up, it'll turn into fat. So, if you want to have fruits, have them in the morning when your liver glycogen storage is empty.
#11 Get Enough Sleep
Not getting enough sleep will make your body more resistant to burning fat. Getting enough sleep will provide a better hormonal environment for your body to burn fat. Try getting at least 8 hours of nocturnal sleep (night sleep). And yes, naps have shown to help too.
#12 Don't Fall for the "Healthy Food" Trick
Some supermarket "health foods" aren't as healthy as they seem. The most common is yoghurt. I remember reading a label that says "99% fat free". And it has more than 10% of sugars. WTH?! That will kill your diet faster than the fat content! So, remember, read the labels yourself to judge if the food is suitable for your diet. Or better still, go with the usual unprocessed meat and vegetables.
Happy dieting! :D
