Article By Chris Shugart
* * * * *
I remember when I thought I'd gotten as lean as I could possibly get. I'd lost a ton of lard since my fat boy days, but still wasn't under 10%. I had a two-pack, not a six-pack. Like a lot of people who are frustrated and looking for excuses, I thought, "Well, I must just have fat genes."
Finally, I realized that I wasn't doing everything I could do to hit single digit body fat... so I started doing those things. Or rather, I started not doing some things, like bingeing on pizza buffets every weekend to "um, ya know, replenish glycogen or somethin.'"
Funny how you can change your "genetics" when you drop the self-directed bullxxxx and really tighten up your diet, huh?
See, it turned out that while I'd done a lot to build muscle and lose fat, I still had gaps in my training, my nutrition, and even my mindset. By filling them, my progress began to move forward again.
Do you have gaps in your plan right now? Do you even have a plan? And most importantly,
Are You Growing or Regressing?
I believe that we're always in a state of flux. We don't reach stasis; we're ever-changing, either growing or regressing.
I believe this is true in every aspect of our lives, from our level of lean body mass to our level of personal development: happiness, income, social relationships, etc. If you're not moving forward, then you're moving backward.
And here's the kicker: If you're not actively working on forward progression, then you're in a state of regression. Self-improvement takes effort and focused intention. We don't accidentally become leaner, more muscular, more knowledgeable, or generally better.
So what does "actively working to progress" mean? It means taking daily actions that bring you a step closer to your ultimate goals. You aren't just going through the motions; you're doing something, every day, consistently. You're becoming better, a little bit at a time, exhibiting the Japanese concept of kaizen: constant and never-ending improvement. Are you doing this? Would you like to do this, but you don't know where to start? Then read on.
28 Days, 14 Missions
I'm going to give you 14 little missions one thing to accomplish every two days for the next month. Each of these actions or assignments will better you in some way, especially if your main goal is dropping body fat.
These missions may expose you to something new in the gym or help you to tighten and dial-in your diet. A few of these missions are psychological, designed to make you think or evaluate something. Some of these mini-missions may not apply to you. Maybe you've already accomplished them. No problem, just skip to the next one and checkout the bonus missions at the end of the article for more options.
The idea here is that in about 28 days you'll have learned something new or acquired a new skill that'll help you get a step closer to your ideal physique. Many of these things will become permanent, and they'll help you not only find those abs but keep them.
But to really get this accomplished, you need a deadline (see bonus mission #4), some positive pressure to keep you focused, hence the "one mission every 48 hours" plan. You have two days to perform each mission. Commit to the program and in about a month you'll be leaner, maybe even more muscular, and better psychologically equipped to continue your physique transformation.
Ready? Let's get started!
Mission #1: Rethink the Last Supper
Let's start with the last... the last meal of the day that is. This mission's focus is on your final feeding of the day. Your goal is fourfold:
1) This meal should be calorically small: no more than 300 or 400 calories.
2) It should be low-carb: under 15 grams of carbohydrates.
3) It should contain at least 40 grams of protein.
4) It should be eaten an hour or two before you go to bed.
People who put all four of these things together lose fat rapidly. That's because fat people eat their largest, highest carb meal right before bed, essentially storing it instead of burning it. If this is what fat people do, then you should do the opposite.
Binge eating, especially at night, is now considered to be the number one eating disorder in North America. While it may not be a "disorder" for you, if you're overly fat then late night overeating is probably part of the cause.
So for your first assignment, experiment with smaller, low-carb, high-protein meals at night, and don't eat them too close to bedtime. Try this for the next two days.
Mission #2: Count Your Fiber
For the next two days, you're going to eat normally, but count every gram of fiber you consume.
Most Americans get less than half of the recommended fiber intake, only consuming about 10% of the fiber their great grandparents did. It's suggested that we take in around 25 grams per day, but in today's processed, fast food environment, almost no one does, even people who are normally conscious of their health. For example, those who lower their carb intake sometimes inadvertently drop their fiber intake.
Most dieters forget about fiber and instead focus on overall calories and carbohydrates, but taking in an adequate amount of fiber can help the fat loss process. Along with the usual health benefits associated with it, fiber will also keep you feeling satiated (full) throughout the day.
Fiber is essentially nature's hunger pang killer. It'll also prevent large spikes in blood glucose and insulin, which can lead to fat gain, mood swings, and cravings.
So, find out how much you're getting for the next two days. Keep a fiber log. Read labels and watch serving sizes. If you're not getting at least 25 grams a day, fix it.
Mission #3: Take a Hike
Go to the gym. Get on the treadmill and crank up the incline. If your treadmill goes to 15, crank it to at least 10 or 12. The speed should be a walk, slightly faster than your normal gait. Normal is 3.5 MPH for most adult males. Shoot for 4 MPH and do not hang on to the rails like a fat housewife. That reduces the effectiveness of the workout... and makes you look like a dork.
Now, walk for 20 minutes.
You have just discovered one of the most effective forms of "cardio" in existence for bodybuilders. You'll be sucking air and sweating, while at the same time hitting your glutes, hamstrings, and calves with a new stimulus.
But don't expect any muscle loss or performance loss, because it's just a short walk and won't interfere with your recovery from weight training. In fact, timing an incline walk for the day after a hard posterior chain workout can even speed up the recovery process.
Mission #4: Read a Label, Dummy
Go to your fridge or pantry. Pick out a packaged food product that claims to have health benefits: organic, all natural, low fat, low carb, reduced calorie, whole grain, high protein, "100 calories," etc.
Now, read the label, including the ingredient list. Is it really healthy?
Low fat often means high sugar. You can tell by looking at where sugar is listed in the ingredient list. If it's listed first, second, or third, then there's a lot of it in there. Remember, whatever is listed first is the main ingredient; whatever is listed second is the second most prevalent ingredient, and so on.
What about low carb? Low carb often means high fat, and that could mean it's calorically dense: still very high in calories in spite of being lower in carbs or sugar-free.
Also, the word "organic" or "all-natural" on the label doesn't mean it's supportive of your fat loss plan. Yes, even if you got it from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Read the calories and serving sizes. "All natural" low-fat granola cereal can have more than double the calories and carbs of an equal amount of Frosted Flakes. (But don't eat that crap either.)
And just because pomegranate is good for you doesn't mean that a high-sugar drink with 2% pomegranate juice is good for you.
Read. Ingredient. Lists. Dummy.
Mission #5: Go Green
Go to the store. Buy a bag of flash frozen veggies (any kind) or a bag of spinach leaves. Eat the whole bag today over several meals. Do it again tomorrow. Already do that? Then try for two baggies.
Eating veggies, particularly green veggies, gets you full for practically no calories. Full people don't overeat other stuff. Body fat is lost. It's magical.
Mission #6: Move
Park far away from the store or office. Take the stairs. Walk the escalator. Don't roll your luggage. Choose manual doors instead of automatic doors.
All of these thing increase your NEPA (Non-Exercise Physical Activity.) People with a high rate of NEPA usually aren't fat. So for these two days, seek to increase your NEPA. Look around and be aware of every opportunity to use your muscles more, to simply movemore. Make it a habit.
Mission #8: Toss the Scale
Scale weight isn't as important as body composition, but body fat percentage is tough to get tested accurately and consistently. Instead, reply on tape measurements. For this mission, get a fabric tape measure and measure these areas:
Around the largest part of your belly/love-handle area
Upper leg (thigh)
Lower leg (calf)
Chest (across nipple line)
Between belly button and nipple line (upper abs area)
Shoulders
Upper arm
Neck
Measure once per week if you're on a fat loss plan, paying close attention to the belly and love-handle area. The bigger this number is, the more likely you're cultivating a disease or condition that will eventually kill your sorry axx. Oh, and it makes you look pregnant. And chicks don't dig pregnant dudes.
Stop putting it off and take your measurements. Be accountable.
Mission #9: Eat and Start the Timer
Eating four to six smaller meals per day is better than two or three big ones. We know this, but it's sometimes tough to stop eating when you don't feel totally stuffed on these smaller meals. The reason? It takes 20 minutes for the body to kick on the hormonal "full signal."
So, after you eat that 300 calorie meal, set your Timex Ironman or a stopwatch to countdown 20 minutes. After the alarm goes off, evaluate your level of satiety. Chances are you'll be fairly satisfied and full. No, you won't be gorged, but remember, you'll be eating again in about three hours.
What we're doing here is training ourselves to outwit our body's slow satiety signal. This will teach us when we're really full, even if we don't feel that way yet.
Use the timer trick for every meal during this two-day period and you'll increase your level of "body awareness," a valuable tool that can lead to long-term physique improvement.
Mission #10: Say Cheese
Many people aren't motivated to lose fat until they see "the pic." The pic is that photo of you that makes you say, "Holy sxxx! How long have I been a fat guy and why didn't anyone tell me?!"
If you haven't seen "the pic" yet, take one. In fact, your mission is to take three photos of yourself one from the front, one from the side, and one from the back. No sucking in.
Chances are you'll be shocked... and more motivated than ever to make a change.
Mission #11: Browse the Grocery Store
Head to the market today but don't buy anything. Instead, spend one hour going down the aisles reading labels and finding new healthful foods. Most of the time we hit the food store in a rush and shop out of habit. We miss things that could help us reach single digit nirvana.
Some suggestions:
Hit the meats. Ooh look, bison. Bet you didn't know they carried that. (Even Wal-Mart does these days.)
Sweet Italian turkey sausage? Bet you never noticed that before. And a whole chicken for under four bucks? Man, you paid four bucks for that last fancy coffee drink at Starbucks! Time to try that
beer can chicken recipe.