When entering a fat loss phase during your training, you must follow certain rules and steps in order to give yourself the best chance at success. Too many people focus on very specific ideas when trying to cut fat, yet they do not have the basics down. I have set up a list of steps that will get you headed in the right direction of getting you the physique you want. The key is you cannot move onto the next step until you have mastered the prior one.
Rule #1 – You MUST create a schedule for yourself that will allow yourself the best chance at success. The first objective is sleep. The MORE SLEEP the better. I am setting a minimum time of 7 hours of sleep per night. If you are consistently getting less than this it is going to be extremely difficult to get to the look you want. This might involve some switching around of plans but is necessary. In the rare occurrence you do not get enough sleep you must allow yourself of a minimum of 1 hour in the day for a nap. This can just be lying with your eyes closed as well. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Rule #2 – Once you have achieved rule #1 you can move on to rule #2. It is mandatory that you eat breakfast every single morning. It is important that you get a good amount of protein and healthy fat as this will give you slow burning energy throughout the day without spiking your insulin. Doing this will keep you in fat burning mode throughout the day. A good breakfast would be eggs, green veggies, bacon… if this is hard for you simply just drink a protein shake first thing. You should NOT eat any starches like toast, fruits, oatmeal, sugars etc… There is a time and a place for these and it is not breakfast. Supplying yourself with carbs first thing in the morning instantly spikes your insulin, and keeps you in storage mode for the day.
Rule #3 – After good sleep and breakfast now we must look at your nutrition for the rest of the day. Don’t worry about a specific amount of meals but just make sure you have a minimum of 3 meals, and no more than 8. Remember, any time you put any food in your mouth it is considered a meal. Each meal should contain a source of protein (meat, fish, eggs etc…) and a high fiber vegetable like broccoli or spinach. This will keep you full along with keeping your insulin from spiking which will allow you to be in fat burning mode all day. Again, remember that even if you just eat one piece of candy this can raise your insulin and put you back into fat storage mode, so NO carbs at these times. If you eat this way correctly, you should not have to count calories yet.
Rule #4 – On days of intense training, this is the time to eat starches such as potatoes, rice, or yogurt, specifically in the hour following intense training. Eating them post workout will make sure that they go towards replenishing muscle and not boosting insulin or filling up fat cells. This will in turn keep you in fat burning mode.
Rule #5 – Limit night eating. Try and make your dinner early evening, or directly after you train. This should be your last meal of the day. If you are still starving afterwards eat low cal, no starch foods like lettuce with a vinegar dressing, cottage cheese, or nuts.
Put these rules together and you will be well on your way to a successful body transformation. It is important to remember that these are rules for effective fat loss and body recomposition. If you are already lean, your body is already more insulin sensitive, so you may be able to eat carbs more often, and still have success with building muscle and losing fat. The more fat you cut and the leaner you get, the more carbs you will be able to add back into your diet without packing on too much fat. If you follow these rules the majority of the time, when you lose weight it will be mostly fat. Even if you eat a higher quantity because you are trying to get bigger, following these rules will have you putting on mostly muscle and not fat even when you put on weight.
