I’m sure you’ve seen hundreds of other fat loss “secret” tips out there. They all say pretty much the same thing. Eat every 2/3 hours, drink plenty of water, avoid white flour, don’t eat refined sugar, don’t order dessert, don’t drink fizzy drinks, use your fist to determine portion size, do cardio 30 to 60 minutes and build more lean muscle to speed up metabolism. These are all great tips but they are definitely not worthy being called untold ultra-fat burning secrets.
I have personally witnessed hundreds of my clients lose 20 pounds and get a six-pack in 8 weeks using the exact information that I am about to share with you.
This fat melting knowledge has literally taken me 10 years of research and volunteering my own body as a guinea pig to perfect it. And now, here it is, for you – FREE!
Fat Loss Secret # 1
1. The #1 make or break success factor is getting your mind set right! Looking back over the last couple of years at my clients who have had the most extreme results, and they all had a certain mind set before every workout. No, they didn’t put on war paint and go commando (well some of them did). Simply put, before every workout, they committed to giving 100%. No excuses, No complaining.
Believe it or not, once you practice this mind set a few times, it becomes an easy habit.
· Mind set tip – before each workout, visualize what is most important to you. Being healthy for your kids, looking ripped at the beach, having girls want your body, being the hottest girl at the club, etc. Picture what inspires you and say to yourself – that’s me, that’s me, that’s me…
Fat Loss Secret # 2
2. Technically, this does not burn fat, but it will make your waist look slimmer instantly. As I look around, I see endless clients with poor posture, which is the result of training programs which overly concentrates on working the chest and shoulders, combined with sedentary jobs where you are sitting at a desk or in front of a computer terminal all day. The result of this poor posture is rounded shoulders and a slumped forward appearance, which just pushes your belly out! To test this, all you have to do is stand up straight while drawing your shoulders back and instantly witness your stomach flatten. Strengthening the muscles responsible for maintaining an upright posture (lower back) and drawing your shoulders back (scapula retractors) will lead to a flattening effect on your stomach. Another quick remedy for bad posture is stretching your chest muscles.
· Tip – A great posture improving and waist slimming exercise is “seated rows.” Sit up straight, extend arms forward all the way, pull back with your elbows against your sides and squeeze shoulder together.
Fat-Loss Secret # 3
3. Unless you want to spend hours and hours in the gym, have a fast-paced workout instead. Most people don’t have all day to work out (I sure don’t). By not resting in-between exercises, you can build muscle and burn fat at the same time. I have personally tested this by putting a heart rate monitor on clients and comparing a fast paced, intense weight workout vs. taking a spin class. It was shocking to discover that they actually got more cardio in the fast paced weight workout than in the spin class. What could be better than saving time and melting away fat?
· Tip – Plan your workouts ahead of time. Don’t waste time and let your heart rate go down trying to think of what to do next. Spending a little time planning your workouts will save you a lot of time and yield better results in the long run.
· Tip – Pick exercises that do not require a lot of time to set up. It’s all about pace and saving time. Exercises that take more than a few seconds to set up let your heart rate go down and can add a lot of extra time to your workout.
· Tip – Keep your routine flexible. If a piece of equipment that you need to use is occupied, don’t wait or ask to work in. Just move on to the next exercise and come back later. Keep the pace going and the fat melting.
Fat Loss Secret # 4
4. Use “free” snacks and drinks that fill you up curb your cravings but won’t add any significant extra calories. Eat and drink as many of these free snacks and drinks, as you want.
· Tip – When you get the late night sweet tooth, try a delicious homemade Chai Tea. This is how I make it. Put two Yogi Mayan Cocoa Spice tea bags in a cup (I use a big 20 ceramic cup) of boiling water. Add a tiny dash (it’s very sweet) of KAL brand Stevia. Let it steep for a few minutes then add a little ‘no sugar added Silk Soy Milk’.
· Tip – Cut up cucumber, Jicama or celery. Munch away all you want!
Fat Loss Secret # 5
5. Don’t just work out aimlessly. Take pictures, measurements and weigh yourself before your next workout (or your first workout if you’re just getting started) then set a goal and a date, usually 6 to 8 weeks. If you can, get someone to agree to do the measurements to help keep you accountable. Over the years I discovered that when clients know they are going to get measured for progress on a certain date, they are less likely to miss workouts or cheat on their eating.
· Tip – set a realistic goal so that you stay motivated and do not get discouraged.
Fat Loss Secret # 6
6. A big secret to melting fat is to do exercises that work several muscles at once. This is important for two reasons: 1) Working several muscles at once burns more calories because it requires your heart to work harder to supply oxygen to the areas under stress. 2) It saves you time. Your workouts take a lot less time because you don’t have to do separate exercises for each muscle. You won’t see these super fat burning exercises too often at your local gym because most people just don’t know about them and their fat crushing benefits.
· Tip – Do Dumbbell Squat Presses: Target = Butt, Thighs, Shoulders, Triceps and Cardio. Hold dumbbells level with ears in the press position. Squat down until thighs are parallel to the floor. Stand back up and then press dumbbells over your head. Lower them back down and repeat 20 to 30 times.
· Tip – Do Walking Lunge Lateral Raise Curls: Target = Butt, Thighs, Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps and Cardio. With dumbbells at your sides, lunge forward with your left leg, and then bring your right foot forward up to your left foot. Next Raise the dumbbells laterally out to your sides until they are level with your ears, and then lower them back to your sides. Next curl the dumbbells up and down with your palms up. Repeat, alternating legs, until 20 to 30 lateral raise curls are performed.
· Tip – Do Burpee Pushups: Target = Butt, Thighs, Shoulders, Triceps Chest, Core and Cardio. Do one push up. Quickly jump feet forward to a squatting position. Jump high into the air, raising your hands above your head. Land with feet shoulder width apart, on the balls of your feet and drop back into a squat. Jump feet back to a push up position. Repeat 20 to 30 times in a fluid motion.
Fat Loss Secret # 7
7. Don’t work your abs…That’s right, I said it! Abdominal exercises do not burn fat away from your abs! I see so many people every day in the gym wasting their time crunching away then wondering why their body hasn’t changed after months. Working out the way I discussed in Section 3 and 6 is the way to melt fat and get lean and toned in a hurry.
· Tip – you can incorporate a few stomach exercises like hanging leg raises and cable twists between exercises as part of your fast-paced workout.
Fat Loss Secret # 8
8. Eat real food to get lean! Ever watch The Discovery Channel? See the tribes in the jungle. You never see anyone who is fat, even the elders have six-packs. Why? They eat real food and stay active. Stay away from processed foods. The food companies strip out the good stuff like fibre and nutrients. What you have left is a food that has way more calories than normal. Plus, the worst part is that they are high glycemic, which means your body treats it like sugar. The good news is once you cut out these processed foods for a couple weeks, you lose your cravings. I’m not saying to not have a life. I eat burgers, pizza or have a piece of cake from time to time.
· Tip – watch out for foods and drinks that people think are “healthy” like bagels, french sticks and sports drinks like vitamin water. Consuming these is like eating table sugar.
· Tip – Stick to foods like lean meat and fish, long grain brown rice, and fruits and vegetables.
Fat Loss Secret # 9
9. Alkalizing the body sheds fat fast! The body is naturally acidic. However, the foods we eat add to this acidity and the fat in our body stores the additional acid, which results in overweight problems and an unhealthy body. To protect against acid build up, the body begins to create and store fat. Even if you are on a weight loss diet and you exercise, your body will try to hold on to this fat because it is important for protection against acids. That is why many people whom restore alkalinity in their body find it incredibly easier to lose weight.
There are certain foods that are alkaline and help to flush the acid and fat from the body.
· Tip – Most green vegetables are high alkaline. Some really high acid foods are: Fast food, milk, eggs, cream, cheese, pork and red meat.
Fat Loss Secret # 10
10. Be prepared. Most of the time, clients eat poorly because they did not bring food with them or did not prepare. Bring healthy snacks with you like apples and almonds. If you can, bring some Tupperware containers with healthy meals. Keep it simple. If you don’t feel like bringing food, then plan out some healthy restaurants or stores that you can patronize.
· Tip – Get a rice cooker and keep some long grain brown basmati rice cooking on your counter. Also pre-cook some chicken or fish. It will only take a few minutes to prepare 1 or 2 meals and grab a few snacks to bring with you.
Fat Loss Secret # 11
11. Warning: Artificially Sweetened “Sugar Free” Foods Make You FAT. Did you know that most foods labelled as “sugar free” or “low-carb” actually contain artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and other additives that create a hormonal disaster inside your body, actually causing your body to STORE more belly fat and increase cravings! Also, foods labelled “whole grain” only have to contain a small fraction of whole grains, where the majority can still be refined starches and sugars that spike your blood sugar faster than a bowl of ice cream.
· Tip – Stop eating foods with artificial sweeteners for two weeks, then try it again. It will taste like disgusting sweet chemicals.
· Tip – If you really want to sweeten something, use an all natural sugar free sweetener like Stevia or Xylitol.
Fat Loss Secret # 12
12. Don’t cheat on your nutrition plan for 21 days. It takes the brain 21 days to reset itself and create a new habit. When you want to make a change, don’t tell yourself you are doing it for life; tell yourself that you are going to try it for 21 days. Now, when you have completed this for 21 days, your conscious mind has the choice of stopping it or carrying on, or so it thinks. Your neural pathways have formed already and you will more than likely continue with your new habit, you will have seen the benefits along the way your unconscious will want to continue if it has been beneficial.
· Tip – Make it as easy as possible for you to have a successful 21 days. Use your day planner to schedule eating and workout times. Leave reminder notes to yourself.
· Tip – Try working out first thing in the morning before your busy day starts and your workout gets put on the back burner.
Fat Loss Secret # 13
13. For at least one week, write down everything you eat and drink. You have to write it down right before the food or drink is consumed. By writing it down first, you will have a moment to stop and think about whether this decision is going to melt belly fat or pack it on.
· Tip – Have someone agree to review your food journal every day. Make an agreement that for each day you do not give him your journal, you owe him £5.00 and every time you cheat you owe £1.00. Doing this will help keep you accountable.
Fat Loss Secret # 14 *BONUS TIP*
14. Time after time, I see so many people with good intentions lace up their gym shoes, put on their workout clothes, arrive at the gym, realize they aren’t sure of what exercises to do, how many reps, how much weight, the proper form, how often and then get discouraged and just go home. Oh, and of course, lose the motivation to stick to their nutrition plan as well.
· Tip – Spend months or years becoming a fitness expert, or get a group of friends to do group personal training it will help you melt the belly fat and build a firm toned body and have lots of laughs!
Chris Stringer – BA Hons
Level 3 Advanced Personal Trainer (REPs)
Nutrition Guru