Getting Lean in a Hurry





I spotted her from across the room and knew immediately what I was in for. We seemed to be the only two guests at the engagement party who didn’t know anyone but the future bride and groom. It was destined to happen. She was in her early forties, dark hair, green eyes and a kick ass body. I could see her flexing her triceps at the encouragement of a woman she was speaking with. She had obviously spent some time in the gym and loved to flaunt her body and talk about diet and exercise with anyone who would listen. I hoped I wouldn’t have to be one of them. “Please don’t let her find out what I do,” I prayed silently. As I poured myself another vodka tonic, I glanced back in her direction. Apparently my prayers had fallen upon deaf ears. My friend Paul, the groom to be, had struck up a conversation with her and was pointing directly towards me. I pretended not to notice and gulped my down my drink as fast as I could. When it was finished I poured another, this time without the tonic. I searched in vain for some one else to talk to but it was too late. I was tapped on the shoulder by Paul who introduced Mary Ann, “Jason’s a personal trainer,” he said, as I cringed in anticipation. “Actually, a strength and conditioning coach, I work with athletes,” I corrected him, but it made no difference. She heard what she wanted to hear and had already begun to fire off the questions. “What’s your opinion of The Abs Diet?” “The what,” I wondered. “My new thing is eating everything uncooked and fresh, what do you think about that?” “Also I’ve been trying to cut my carb intake after five o’clock, does that sound smart,” she asked as I finished my fried ravioli and refilled my vodka. It was going to be a long night, but since I hardly knew anyone else in the place, and was already three sheets to the wind, I figured I would do the one thing I rarely ever have the patience to do outside of the gym, sit down and talk nutrition.



With summer right around the corner, I explained to her, many people start getting in panic mode and do everything they can to get leaner in a hurry. The problem is it takes a lot longer than most people realize to lose the weight, and a few weeks of crash dieting and muscle wasting cardio is never the answer. When a fat person asks how long it will take them to get significantly leaner I often answer, "How long did it take you to get that fat?" One of the pitfalls of trying to lose a ton of body fat in a hurry is that you typically lose quite a bit of muscle along with it and end up appearing flat, and flabby, which is never a good look. Under optimal drug free conditions it is impossible to lose more than two and in some rare cases three pounds of body fat per week without losing muscle. When beginning a diet phase always figure out how many pounds you would like to lose and give yourself a week for every two pounds. If you are severely overweight, you could lose more than two pounds a week for the first several weeks. However much fat you decide you need to lose, you will do so more successfully if you follow my ten tips to getting lean.

1) Eat every 2-3 hours- Eating small meals frequently throughout the day is one of the most important keys to speeding up fat loss. By eating frequently you keep your metabolism running full speed and keep burning calories at a high rate all day long. When dieting you must know how many calories you need to consume each day and then divide those up into a certain number of meals. If you need 2400 calories a day to lose weight, then obviously dividing that number up into six meals consisting of 400 calories would be a better idea then having 3 meals of 800 calories, or worse yet 2 meals of 1200 calories. Eating every 2-3 hours also keeps the body in an anabolic state and helps to avoid muscle losses associated with dieting.

2) Don't mix large amounts of carbohydrates and fats in the same meal- Consume meals consisting of protein and carbs or protein and fat, never carbs and fat. Mixing carbs and fat leads to elevated insulin levels in the presence of high levels of fat and triglycerides in the blood stream at the same time. This leads to the storage of body fat, which is why the two should never be mixed. When you think about some of the most fattening foods such as doughnuts, ice cream, and pizza you will see that they all contain high amounts of carbohydrates and fats. The maximum amount of fat that should be consumed during a predominantly protein and carbohydrate meal is around ten grams. During a protein and fat meal you should limit your carbohydrate consumption to approximately ten to fifteen grams, all of those coming from vegetables.


3) Eat most of your carbohydrates during and after training- The majority of your carbohydrate consumption should take place during the six hours following training. During those two to three meals you can consume carbohydrates and low fat sources of protein. All of your other meals throughout the day should consist of protein and fat only, with a moderate amount of vegetables. Vegetables are one of the keys to weight loss and should be a staple in your diet.

4) Drink like a fish- Water, of course. The more the better. Most people would be well served to drink a gallon of water per day in their quest to get lean. Adequate hydration is a key factor in losing body fat and should never be overlooked. Caffeinated beverages such as colas, coffee and tea cause dehydration and should be avoided. Alcohol consumption is also a physique killer and a major cause of dehydration and should be avoided at all costs. Clear, ordorless urine is a sign that you are drinking enough water and are properly hydrated.

5) Eat fiber with every meal- Consuming fiber every time you eat slows down the insulin response and according to some studies, improves the absorption of protein. It is also essential to have enough fiber in your diet for health reasons having nothing to do with weigh loss.

6) Limit carbohydrate intake to 200 grams per day- Not many people will ever achieve a lean physique while consuming over 200 grams of carbs per day. Intensely training athletes and those weighing over 225 pounds could get significantly leaner on a much higher carbohydrate intake and are the exception to that rule. But for average people, 200 grams should be about the limit. That should be the maximum number, with some people doing better at around 100-150 grams. In most cases, it is not a good idea to drop carbs below 100 grams a day. Doing so usually results in muscle and energy loss and decreased insulin sensitivity. Even on a no carb diet such as Atkins, I still recommend that people consume a post workout shake containing a moderate amount of simple carbs to help improve their recovery from training. No carb, fad diets are running rampant throughout America yet people are still as fat as ever. These kinds of diets generally do not work, are somewhat unhealthy, and do nothing to improve your fitness level. When we have gotten to the point where we can go to Burger King and get some kind of “Atkins friendly” meal, it has gotten way too out of control. No matter what people tell you, you do need some amount of carbohydrates in your diet.

7) Avoid all high glycemic carbohydrates- For those that don't know, the glycemic index is a measure of how fast foods enter your bloodstream and elevate insulin levels. Foods that are high on the glycemic index are much more likely to lead to the storage of bodyfat. Listing the G.I.'s of every food you should and shouldn't eat is beyond the scope of this article, however here is a short sample list of just a few of the foods to avoid: white potatoes, white rice, white pasta, white bread, white flour (see the pattern), pineapple, bananas, grapes, raisins, kiwi, corn, carrots, beets, peas, milk, juice, cold breakfast cereals, and of course, sweets of any kind. For more information, visit glycemicindex.com.

8) Have a cheat meal ONCE a week- Many people have stated that having a cheat meal can have all kinds of physiological benefits such as speeding up the metabolism and increasing the release of every hormone you can imagine. I'm not buying any of that. The only reason I suggest having a cheat meal once a week is because it increases the likelihood of you staying on your diet if you get to eat what you want once in while. It allows you to be social and go out with your friends and be happy. Like I said, it is a cheat meal, not a cheat day, and it should happen only ONCE per week, fat boy. After your pizza and ice cream, resume your normal diet immediately.

9) Keep protein intake high- When dieting, as I stated earlier, one of the scenarios we want to avoid is the loss of muscle. This can be done by maintaining an adequate protein intake, which depending on individual factors should be between one to two grams of protein, per pound of bodyweight each day. Protein helps spare muscle tissue and must be consumed in large amounts because of the reduction of carbs in your diet. Contrary to what some ill informed doctors may tell you, there is absolutely no danger to the kidneys from consuming a high protein diet. This is an old myth that somehow has refused to die. There has never been even one study that proved this to be true. If you have pre existing kidney problems that you were born with, then and only then, can a high protein diet possibly be harmful to your kidneys.

10) Use proper supplementation- There are many supplements that can aid in the loss of bodyfat. Omega 3 fish oils and flax seed oil are essential fatty acids which have a whole host of benefits including increased insulin sensitivity, among other things. Adding these fats to your diet will help you speed up your rate of fat loss. Thermogenics can also be of great use to the ADVANCED dieter. I stress the word advanced because you have to learn how to eat and how to train before resorting to the use of therms. You should also be at least 18 and not have an addictive personality. Therms can help if used wisely and safely, they can also cause more harm than good if you're not smart, take it from some one with first hand experience. I became addicted to high dose therms several years ago, upping the dose so high that I got terribly sick for two months and could hardy get out of bed on Christmas day. My years of chronic use has left me with a lowered thyroid and burnt out adrenal glands, making it twice as difficult to get lean as it once was. So if you choose to use therms, which I would still recommend in certain cases, please do so wisely. If you decide to go that route, I would recommend Hot Roxx by Biotest, which is probably the best product of its kind currently available and does not have as much of the jittery stimulant effects of many of the other products.

After an hour or so of discussing nutrition with Mary Ann, I told her that she had all the info she needed to get ready for the beach. “It seems a little more complicated than it really is,” I assured her. It will be hard work, no doubt, but definitely worth it in the end. She seemed pleased and excited, I was hungry and tired. Suddenly her friend Susan appeared and asked if I was the “personal trainer.” Somebody help me.