warriors

Just cutting calories isn’t the answer and actually works against losing fat. The body will just adapt within a few days to the lower calorie amount. Improving the composition of the food you eat and how the different macronutrients are combined will yield a better body composition then just cutting calories and eating less. By changing to nutrient-dense whole foods, and avoiding high amounts of sugar and fats in the same meal, the metabolism will be primed to maintain lean mass and reduce body fat storage. Eat the same, but better and burn more, this will keep your metabolism running, maintain lean muscle and improve composition. To avoid starvation setting in, never decrease calories more then 30% of what your pre-diet consumption level, a 300-500kcal deficit is enough and simple to accomplish by replacing a high-carb meal with the same amount of vegetables.

1)Eat more often

Every time you eat, the metabolism is stimulated to break down the food, called the thermic effect of feeding. So you would rather have six times a day when your body has to expend energy to digest food rather then just three. This also maintains blood sugar levels, controlling hunger and providing a steady stream of nutrients to maintain lean mass and prevent catabolism. This also prevents the large surges of insulin that occur when the body is deprived of food for longer then a four hour time span.

2)Drink 10 glasses of water a day.

Dehydration is extremely catabolic to muscle tissue. Once thirst sets in, you are already in a dehydrated state. According to research, water also has a thermogenic effect[1] By drinking ice-cold water, metabolism is boosted by 30% to bring the temperature up to normal body temperature.

3)Fiber is King

I doubt many people truly get the minimum 30g of fiber a day recommended to ward off disease. Research has shown a 10% decrease in daily calorie intake and an average 4.2 lb loss in subjects who consumed an extra 15g of fiber per day[2]. So eat your veggies! The nutrient dense foods will not only boost your energy levels due to the natural source of vitamins needed for your metabolism to be running full steam, they will also give you a fuller feeling at each meal. One easy trick is to add Flax Seeds to your protein shake to add a high quality fiber source to them, not just the healthy omega-3’s of Flax oil.

4)Protein, Protein, Protein.

The power of protein is undoubted. It is the most thermogenic of all the three major macronutrients, requiring double the energy spent to digest carbs or fat[3]. It helps build lean mass that raises your resting metabolism, prevents muscle breakdown during calorie or carb restriction, and increases satiation at each meal. Lean protein at every meal is a must for a fat loss goal to be achieved. The 1g per pound of bodyweight is the norm, but when calories and/or carbs are restricted, 1.5-2.0g per pound of bodyweight should be the goal of daily intake.

5)Lance Carbohydrates

You’ll never win the Tour de France by cutting carbs, but you will lose fat. This is true to a point since your body is a highly adaptive machine. So by cycling carbs, or a cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD), you prevent the body from adapting and allowing a long term fat loss state. By cutting carbs, we put the body in a fat burning mode, but after a few days the hormone Leptin drops. Research shows Leptin is a key hormone in regulating hunger cravings and metabolic rate. It’s influenced by losing fat and insulin, so when fat loss occurs, Leptin drops, slowing your metabolism and increasing hunger. By increasing carbs on a scheduled basis, the rise in insulin causes a rise in Leptin levels allowing more time in a ketogenic state after the scheduled carbohydrate increase. For the average person, this can mean once a week or low-carb during the week, and eating carbs on the weekend. For people that are relatively lean, a carb-up day every 3-4 days seems to be the optimal schedule. Remember, once you have sugar cravings and/or increased hunger, Leptin has dropped too low. To counter this, try to target how many days before that occurs and schedule your carb-up the previous day.

6)HIIT it Hard*******

Just walking along on a treadmill will burn some calories, but you need to crank up the intensity to really lose fat. Long duration, low intensity cardio may statistically burn a higher percentage of fat, but also muscle. I always ask people, you want a body of a marathoner or a sprinter. The walkers will eventually just lose weight, both fat and muscle. Using High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) you will burn more overall calories, preserve muscle and kick your metabolism into high gear. HIIT training is characterized by brief bouts of intensity followed by a recovery period. Whether it be sprinting followed by walking/jogging, or cycling at 150rpm followed by 90rpm. The key is to be out of breath during the intense bout. Starting out the work to recovery ratio can be has high as 1:5 (i.e. 10sec intense followed by 50sec recovery) and slowly work up to a 1:2 ratio while increasing the time of the work interval. HIIT training will strip off fat faster when done first thing in the am, when insulin levels are low allowing for a higher amount of fat burned.
Be sure to check out goth's thread on HIIT in this section to learn more about it!!!

7)High weight, not high rep

While many feel that high rep burns more fat and calories, the difference between 5 reps and 15 is pretty insignificant. High rep and high volume training can be very taxing to the body, especially while on a calorie restricted diet. Doing so, risks muscle loss and also loss in strength. By doing low rep strength training, you increase intensity and maximize growth hormone secretion. With the extra surges in GH, fat burning and muscle gain are kept at an optimum level and strength is maintained. All of this accounts for maintenance and sometimes an increase in lean muscle, promoting optimal body composition. A 5x5 or 4x6 set/rep scheme is optimal utilizing the major lifts. Sticking to large compound movements will give you the intensity needed to boost GH and keep your strength.

8)Supplements do work.

Though most nutrients should be obtained through whole food sources, there are a few supplements that do speed up fat loss.


-BCAA’s are metabolized directly in muscle tissue and can be taken before HIIT training to prevent catabolism, in between meals to stave off hunger and when on a very low carbohydrate diet are used by the body to synthesize glucose for the brain. Supplementing BCAA’s prevent the body from breaking down muscle tissue to obtain them.


-*R-ALA is the optimal form of alpha lipoic acid that taken 20-30 min prior to meals containing carbohydrates improves insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal. Dosage is 100mg of R-ALA per 30-50g of carbohydrates in a meal, regular ALA is 300mg per 30-50g.


-DHA/EPA from fish oil. Fish oil omega-3’s has shown to change body composition by increasing muscle and decreasing fat without any changes in diet or exercise at a minimum of 3g of DHA/EPA a day. With the average brand of fish oil capsules at 30% DHA/EPA, which means 10 capsules a day.


-Green Tea has many benefits and anti-oxidant properties. The active extract EGCG of 90mg, three times a day has shown an increase in metabolic rate. Taken naturally in tea, that amounts to 5-10 cups of tea a day.


9)Consistency is the key

You can have the perfect plan and all the right supplements, but in the end it all comes down to consistency. Successful body composition changes require a 90% adherence rate for continued success toward your goal. This does allow for those crisis times or just a day off from being so strict. Fat loss is a slow and steady process for a permanent result, but little by little, it all adds up. Staying consistent will yield the best results in the quickest time. That’s why having a plan and preparing meals day in and day out for the day helps you keep to your plan not allowing for variations or unexpected situations. You’ll always be prepared for those off days and maintain consistency to achieving your goal.

With these simple keys, you have a solid foundation in burning off fat faster then just eating less and exercising more. These tips will keep your metabolism running high and put you on the road to a more muscular and leaner physique. Good luck!

[1] Boschman, M. Water-induced thermogenesis. J Clin Endroclinol Metab. 2003 Dec;88(12):6015-9.

[2] Howarth, NC, E Saltzman, SB Roberts. Dietary fiber and weight regulation. Nutr Rev. 2001 May;59(5):129-39. Review

[3] Nair KS, Halliday D, & Garrow JS. Thermic response to isoenergetic protein, carbohydrate or fat meals in lean and obese subjects. Clin Sci (Lond). 1983 Sep;65(3):307-12.

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antihero

great article...

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Disclaimer: Information given by me is my personal opinion.
It cannot be considered medical advice and does not represent the official opinion of a company that is not a sponsor here.
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sfiximo

Good post. thanks!

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check out my journal (its somewhere in the workout log section)

Whoracle

Great article! If I could rep you I would

Sholiz

Agreed, for the little guys (< 200lbs) HIIT works great. But when you get into the big dudes (like myself ) ... you tend to burn more muscle than retain, long low-intensity seems to work better for me and most big guys.

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mivi320

Nice post.

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Khryz

Hey guys. I'm new to this board so I just want to say hi.

First off, my MAIN goal right now is to cut fat, while preserving muscle mass as much as possible. If I have to lose a lil muscle to drop BF% enough to lose the fat around my torso to see my abs (which is peaking right now! so frustrating!) I will gladly do it.

I pretty much wrote out a sample of my diet while here at college for Khan (Bryan) to analyze on BB.com. He pretty much told me to eat more carbs, like 1 cup of oatmeal instead of 1/2 cup, more carbs in my PWO shake, etc. Now, I know this will increase muscle building, but it's not exactly what I should be doing right now to cut bodyfat correct? If I wasn't losing visible BF around my stomach with my old diet, then eating MORE carbs would be worse right? So should I do the opposite of Bryan's advice and eat 1/4th cup of oatmeal, less carbs in my PWO shake, less carbs in the bread I eat, etc .. And then have a "carb-up" day twice a week to keep Leptin elevated? Would that be beneficial for my goal?

I have a thread in the Workout Journals opened that I haven't posted in yet since Bryan wants me to start on Monday.

Khryz

Efficient for doing what?

Khryz

:p

Khryz

Yeah I definately understand where Khan is coming from. Can you give me more information on this Cycling Keto diet? Is it basically low-carb days 5 days a week with 2 high carb days? I'm not familiar with what a Keto diet is. A link or something would be great! Thanks! PS I lift on a 3-day split, and do cardio 3 days during the week, with 1 off-day.

Khryz

So the first 5 meals are the same throughout the entire week .. with just a last high carb meal added 2 days a week? And this diet still builds muscle mass while burning fat like wh0a?

Khryz

Yeah I hear ya. I've never really been on a true "diet" yet. When I come home for summer (dorming at college now sucks for food choices) I'm going to get a set diet to follow and tweak it throughout the summer. I'm start my diet/training log on this site on Monday if you wanna follow hehe.

Khryz

Thanks. One more question .. does veggies like salads and stuff, and fiber count as carbs when people calculate their carb macros? Like on a no-carb day, could you eat veggies or nah?

K_muscle

If it wasn't already mentioned, I just want to add that the key to loosing fat while keeping muscle is to not loose too much weight too fast. Shoot for 1-2 pounds per week, 2 being the absolute highest. This is simply a rule of thumb, you will not always loose a set 1 pound per week.

HAYWOOD JABLOME

Great post!! I also love the CKD for cutting.

HAYWOOD JABLOME

For CKD's, subtract the fibre content from the total carbs, to get net carbs. And dont get fooled into buying all those low carb foods that are jam packed with sugar alcohols.