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1. Burn more calories than you consume. If
this makes you go: "D-uuuh!!", snap out of it and
consider that this elementary aspect of dieting escapes countless
clueless -- and doomed -- dieters. Tabloids may claim to have
the "miracle foods" that'll allow you to eat like
a pig and have the pounds melt off, but it's a load.
2. Establish your base metabolism, and set
a target calorie goal approx. 500 calories below it. I wrote
an article dedicated to establishing your metabolism earlier,
so look it up in the article archive if you need a refresher.
3. Keep an honest log. Make estimates of
how many calories you stuff yourself with every meal and tally
up the total to make sure you stay within your target calorie
goal. Convenient "mistakes," under-estimates and
forgetfulness allows you to eat more now, but you're defeating
the whole point of dieting.
4. Actively choose good sources of fat. This
may sound like stupid advice -- shouldn't you AVOID fat when
dieting? Well, yes and no. You have to keep consuming some
fat, just not going overboard. Avoid butter, bacon, whole
milk, coconuts and such like the plague. Instead, make use
of olive oil (virgin) and fatty fish. Peanut butter is an
interesting topic. I used to put it in the same category as
the "bad" fats. It belongs there, packing saturated
fat as well as artery-clogging trans fatty acids. However,
based on highly unscientific testimonies by others as well
as personal experience, it seems like a handful of peanuts
once in a while when dieting can do wonders in keeping energy
levels up while not wreaking havoc with your overall diet.
Strange and illogical? You betcha. But it just so happens
to work anyway, kind of like bumblebees flying though they
technically shouldn't be able to.
5. Eat small but frequent meals throughout
the day. You've heard it a million times, I'm sure, but facts
remain: In order to keep an even level of blood sugar, you
have to eat small, balanced meals.
6. Don't go wimpy on the weight training.
When you diet, you're in the danger zone for losing muscle
mass most of the time. To avoid this, keeping pumping iron,
and be diligent about it!
7. Avoid alcohol. Given that barbeque-season
is upon us, this can be tough when your friends bring out
the ice-cold brewskis. The solution is simple: Only associate
with other bodybuilders, so you at least won't be the lone
dweeb sipping a diet soda! For those of you who have the ridiculous
idea that your life should not revolve around bodybuilding:
Snap out of it.
8. Do cardio in moderation. Doing 45 mins
on the stairmaster every day is a great way to get the pounds
off quicker. 2 hours is not so great, since you're bound to
start losing muscle mass. When and how much is individual
(and depending on what you've had to eat earlier in the day)
but avoid cardio sessions in excess of 1 hour. If you need
the punishment do one session in the morning and one in the
evening. Also remember to stay in the 65%-70% heart rate zone
for optimal fat burn.
9. Schedule "cheating" days to
stay sane. Dieting is no fun. No matter how gung-ho and motivated
you are when you start out, you'll have days when everything
is darkness and the world is out to get you. Make sure to
get a treat once a week on a set day (Saturday is good) as
it gives you something to look forward to. A juicy burger
is fatty and calorie-dense, but if you prepare by doing extra
cardio for three days in advance you'll come in right on target
for the week.
10. Don't be afraid of soy. I used to avoid
fake-meat products, but having been married to a vegetarian
for 3+ years I've tried soy hot dogs, burgers, chicken patties,
even riblets that taste just like the real thing. And here's
the kicker: Soy products is mostly protein! Granted, soy protein is not the highest quality out there, but if you drink a glass
of milk or have some other high-quality protein source with
it you can bump up the overall quality in a hurry. Besides,
soy has a number of great health benefits when eaten in moderation
and contains very little fat.
By Matt Daneilson
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