Priority number one: WATER,
WATER, WATER! Please see the article HUDOR
for a reminder of all the reasons why water will help you lose fat.
- Start each day by drinking 16 oz. within the first hour of your day.
This will get you back to even as you lost at least this
much in exhaled vapor while you slept.
- Never pass a drinking fountain without stopping and taking 7
swallows.
- Keep fresh water in your car so you can drink while you drive ;).
Get in the habit of chugging at every stop light.
- Don't worry about beating a path to the bathroom - especially in the
beginning of this new habit. This just means your body has been chronically
dehydrated and is learning how to handle proper hydration. This inconvenience
will pass.
- Drink 8-12 oz. before you take your first bite at every meal.
- Keep water with you at your desk. Sipping regularly throughout the
day will help you absorb it optimally and minimize the bathroom trips.
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Priority number two: PROTEIN,
PROTEIN, PROTEIN! Lean white meat is best because the
high metabolic expenditure of this food will actually cause a negative fat
balance. Yes, you heard right: this is a food that will make you leaner for
eating it!
- Start your day with protein to kick up your metabolism and continue
your fat burning state from your night's "fast". Use egg
whites/Egg Beaters, or a whey protein shake (mixed in water) if you
are not a big breakfast eater.
- Try to get protein at every meal and eat it first.
- White meat (skinless chicken, turkey, white fish, canned chicken,
tuna, etc.) is low fat and carb free so seek this out first.
- Ditch the skin! This is where the fat is so peel it all off before
chowing down.
- Non-fat cottage cheese is another good option - especially in the
evening because it has a buffered release characteristic that helps
preserve muscle and elevate your metabolism while you sleep!
- Make sure you get protein right after your workout. The latest
research suggests within 5 minutes of your session! The easiest way to
do this is to bring a protein shake
(click here for a good brand suggestion) with you to the X Gym to drink
right after or even during your workout.
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| Priority number three: START
WEANING YOURSELF FROM SUGAR. Sugar
(including its derivatives like high fructose corn syrup) is poison to
your fat burning metabolism and a sure way to slow it down. Try to eat as
little refined and processed foods as possible and read your labels. Food
makers are now required to list the sugar content of all foods. Most
Americans are physically addicted to sugar so if you can't go cold turkey,
just chip away at it and the less you eat, the less you will continue to
crave it. Another technique while you are weaning is to eat these
foods in the middle of the day instead of the morning (which would disrupt
your natural am fat burning state) or at night (which would put you into
fat storing mode while you sleep). |
| Priority number four: TAKE
IT ONE DAY AT A TIME. If you fall off
the wagon, just brush yourself off and get back on. Most people beat
themselves up over it and wallow in their failure which always causes
complete abandonment of the whole idea. It's not the falling off - it's
not getting back on that will keep you from winning. Just remember,
everyone in this contest will fall off more than once but the winner will
be the one who always gets back on first. |
| Priority number five: MAKE
ALL YOUR WORKOUTS. Consistency is the
key with exercise so if you miss a session, reschedule it! Twice a week is
what you need for the strength training and cardio frequency will be based on your
individualized recommendation from your trainer. A new study was just
released confirming the belly fat burning benefits specific to weight
training (click here). |
| Priority number six: DEVELOP
A NUTRITION ROUTINE. Cook/prepare in
the evening what you will eat tomorrow. Eating right takes time and lots
of effort. If you put it off or say you will do it tomorrow or in the
morning you probably won't get around to it and will then have to
"improvise" as you go through the day which NEVER works. |
| Priority number seven: DON'T
SWEAT THE PLATEAUS. These are normal and will
kill your will if you let them discourage you. It is always the plateaus that kick people off the
wagon. Your
body is just testing you to see how serious you are. It might show you an
initial plateau as you start, and will certainly show you multiple plateaus
along the way. This is a natural survival response to avoid
starvation. It is especially apparent with low calorie diets and low water
habits, so keep the calories up with protein and the water consumption
high as well.
Stick out these nasty little plateaus and you will continue to lose fat.
Fat loss is always in steps and never a straight line so be aware and be
ready to win the standoffs! |
Other important tips (listed
here by date added so you can quickly scan for new ones since your last
visit):
- Always log your food on www.fitday.com.
We can't help you with your nutrition without this necessary tool. This consistency will
come to be your best friend - guaranteed. You'll see
why.
- If you get lazy, just eat exactly what PJ is
eating. He will be doing this with everyone else and knows how to eat
for optimal fat burning for ANY body type so just go to his page and
copy him. Use any day too. Just scroll forward or back through the
days to look at the others. He will have no cheat days so any day will
work. If you copy exactly
what he has eaten just type "PJ's log" and the date you
copied in your fitday journal entry and you can skip the food logging part.
- Use us often! If you are struggling or have
a question contact us right away. If you can't reach your specific
trainer, e-mail PJ at pj@xgym.com.
- Remember that the
first place you want the weight to come off will probably be the last
place it does. Cruel joke? Yes. True?
Yes. That's because we all know our trouble spots and the reason they
are is because those areas are probably the most stubborn for fat
loss. You will probably lose fat first from all the areas you don't
care about and then will start to lose it from the spots you want. One
of the funniest comments I've heard from an X Gym client is "I've
lost 5 pounds already but it's all from my eyebrows up". Hang in
there because as you can see, the end is the best part!
- You may still be losing fat even if your scale
weight is going up! Your body may just be
putting on muscle fast or finally deciding to hydrate properly. Don't
let this scare you. It is often part of the whole process. By the way,
STOP WEIGHING YOURSELF! This contest has nothing to do with scale
weight so that won't help you. Go by how your clothes are fitting for
the best gauge. Even if you are putting on muscle faster than you are
losing fat you will be shrinking because muscle takes up much less
space.
- Remember that not all fat loss is visible. Vascular (internal) fat
loss can’t bee seen but is an important and necessary phase. Many
people will trade fat in their muscles for more muscle and by the
mirror, scale and calipers it isn’t apparent. The good news is that
this phase is relatively short and when it has run its course, the
visible fat comes off even faster.
- Getting there is the hard part but maintenance
is much easier. Once you have reached your goals, staying there
isn't nearly as tough so look forward to that as another way all the
hard work right now will pay off later!
- Form new habits first, then break the old
ones. It takes 21 days on average to form a new habit. After
that it is much easier because it is ingrained and automatic. Breaking
habits on the other hand takes 2 months or more so try forming a new
healthy habit first and then work on breaking your old unhealthy
habit.
- Learn how to be content. Setting short
and long term goals is important but what is more important is being
content when you reach them. If you pass up you short term goals
without recognizing them and at least patting yourself on the back
they will become less meaningful. If you keep moving the end finish
line (your long term goal) like most people do, you will never be
happy with your results and fitness will just be a frustration to you.
- Stick with the interval cardio for the best
fat burn. Research still proves that the high intensity
interval cardio burns fat about 7 times better than steady state! For
a refresher on the best timing for you talk to your
trainer.
- Expect rapid results with full commitment. Water
is really hot at 80% boiling temperature (170 degrees). It's still hot
at 99.9% of boiling (211 degrees), but it doesn't boil until it's at
100% boiling temperature (212 degrees). The same goes for your
metabolism and fat loss results. If you are sticking to the plan 80%
of the time, you can expect about 50% of the results you want (at
best). If you are running at 99.9% commitment, you can expect pretty
good results, but only 100% commitment always produces 100% results.
This doesn't mean you have to be perfect every day. No one is. It just
means that every perfect day is a huge step toward your goals so pat
yourself on the back and affirm to yourself that you can do it when
you have these days!
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Click the link
here to see the BL emails For
2008 contest details
click here Click
here to see the new nutrition ideas page
Click
this link to go to the EFT shortcut page
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Click the button above to join
the X Gym BL chat group! |
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CHECK BACK SOON! THERE'S MORE TO COME! |
