REDUCE DAILY CALORIES
To get your body fat level down low enough to reveal a six-pack, you will need to reduce your daily calories to a level where you are burning more calories than consuming.
Each person is different and will require more or fewer calories depending on many factors, gender, body weight, body fat percentage, how often they train, etc.
How do you figure out how many calories you need to reduce fat at a steady level each week?
It would be helpful if you were careful not to reduce it too much; otherwise, you will be burning a lot of muscle rather than fat. However, if you don’t cut it enough, you will have trouble reducing any fat. Start slowly, with not too much of a reduction.
Once you have reduced your body fat low enough, you can return to your maintenance levels of calories. Calorie reduction/ deficit is not natural, and the cravings can be intense.
• Do: reduce your calories slowly, so you aren’t burning muscle and also to see how your body reacts to different reduction levels.
• Don’t: go straight in at a ridiculously low amount of calories. Do your research and find out how many calories you require to start losing body fat. There are some excellent online calorie calculators out there, just go to Google and search – but beware of bogus ones!
INCREASE YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE
An increase in dietary protein can help promote fat loss and build muscle and help preserve muscle when you are on a calorie-reduced diet.
In a recent study published in the American Journal of Physiology, one group ate a high-protein diet (just over one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day) while the second group consumed a lower amount equal to the recommended dietary allowance. The group eating the higher-protein meal plan burned the most fat.
Many study participants gained muscle mass, too, while on a high protein diet without even working out!
I am not saying you shouldn’t work out, because this book aims to show you how to get a six-pack and fast! You must work out and lift weights.
• Do: calculate how much protein you require daily.
• Don’t: Overeat protein – this can lead to specific health problems.
EAT REGULARLY
People who try to lose weight, or lose body fat, all seem to have this common misconception – that you should try to eat as little as possible or starve yourself.
However, this couldn’t be further from the truth that your body works to burn fat.
You must eat regularly to keep your energy levels up and improve the speed of your metabolism and overall ability to burn fat. Aim for smaller portion sizes, more frequently. E will stop your body from going into ‘starvation’ mode.
When your body goes without food for extended periods, it will start to store increased energy reserves in your body.
How does your body store energy? By increasing fatty tissue. FAT! Unless you know what you are doing is correct and are practicing intermittent fasting (which I HIGHLY recommend!)
• Do: Eat roughly every three to four hours.
• Don’t: Overeat at these regular meals. You are eating more often, reflected through adjustments in your meal sizes and calorie control.
CARB TIMING
You need to time your consumption of carbohydrates to be used up effectively as energy and not put into storage as fat. The ideal time of the day for you to consume carbs is right when you wake in the morning, e.g., oats for breakfast. Your body has been without any energy sources throughout the whole night and needs carbs and protein.
The next time you should eat your carbs should be before an intense workout or immediately after one. This way, those carbs will be used up as energy rather than stored as fat. If you eat carbs at any other time to these, they will not be used up as energy as efficiently and is stored as fat, meaning you will never get a six-pack.
• Do: eat good carbs such as oats, sweet potatoes, vegetables, brown rice, etc.
• Don’t: use this as an excuse to overload on carbs. You need to calculate your carb intake at a moderately low level.
CHEAT MEALS
Cheat meals are an essential part of any diet plan! If you don’t have any cheat meals, it is unlikely you will stick with your diet. Therefore I recommend one cheat meal per week. That means one cheat ‘meal’ per week, not one day per week. If you are skinny and a hard gainer, you could have two cheat meals per week, it all depends on your body type.
Having a regular cheat meal will help you stay on track with your nutrition plan plus keep your body and mind satisfied. If you are eating bland and boring foods, then it’s highly unlikely you will stick with your meal plan.
Having this regular cheat meal weekly will keep you on track and significantly improve your chances of getting a six-pack and maintaining it.
