Another outstanding Super Cardio… WE’RE LOVING THE HEAT!

 

Let’s welcome our newest team members to the M2 family…

Elissa, Lori, Edyie, Dahiana, Claudette, Marshall, Shyrl, Larry, Lu-Shonda,

JP, Santiago, Autumn & Olivia

and welcome back… Carmen, Allen and Kely

 

 

Also, a big thanks to George “Edyie’s husband” for sharing some great shots with us!

Notice Susan M.I.A this past weekend? Look’s like she wasn’t taking it easy after all…

 

 

 

 here’s MD Susan “spider woman” Sklar, another one of our M2 female warrior athletes getting her workout  this past weekend.

Susan… you ROCK!

 

 

Come a L-O-N-G way Susan!

What if I told you that you could eat your way skinny? You’d probably think I was crazy or assumed it had something to do with ingesting spaghetti made from tapeworms. Either way you’d be wrong.

In fact, there is a way that you could eat your way to significant and long term fat loss results. It’s called ketogenics.

Ketogenics is a term that’s simply refers to the process required for your body to enter a state called ketosis. Ketosis occurs when your body begins using fat as its main source of energy above all other types of energy sources including proteins and carbohydrates. Once your body enters this state it becomes much easier for your body to utilize stored fat deposits for energy thus resulting in automatic and ongoing fat loss.

So, if ketogenics is so incredible and can be your answer to fat loss… WHY HAVENT YOU HEARD OF IT?

Well, you probably have. Ketosis is at the core of many fat loss programs and diets including the incredibly popular Atkins program. Some people fear this diet because it touts ingesting large amounts of fatty foods which some believe could be extremely harmful to your body.

The fact of the matter is that when your body enters the state of ketosis it will burn most, if not all of these fats for energy so very little will be stored in the body or broken down and result in fat in the blood stream.

To understand why this ketogenic diet can be so effective at burning fat you have to look at how your body normally operates.

The body’s preferred source of fuel is carbohydrates and is very effective at metabolizing carbohydrates to use for fuel. Because of this fact your body actually craves carbohydrates on a regular basis which usually leads to us over eating them.

When the body eats too many carbohydrates than it can process, it breaks them down and stores them as fat for later use. If your body does not have a source of carbohydrates to use for energy, it must look for another source.

If you severely limit the amount of carbohydrates that you eat and instead replace them with fat, your body will go through a process and adjustment that will allow it to metabolize the fat for energy as well. In addition, once the body begins to use fat as fuel it will be much easier for it to metabolize stored fat as fuel thereby helping to speed up existing fat loss.

This article merely represents an introduction to the process of ketogenics and ketosis. If you are interested in pursuing this type of dietary plan for use in your own fat loss program, it is recommended that you do more research and get all the facts necessary to ensure a healthy and productive fat loss program. If followed correctly and monitored regularly, ketogenics can truly be your key to fat loss success.

You aren’t the only one asking the most common question. So how can I rid the fat FAST?

After all, you do want to look better naked, right?

It’s the time of year when we all start our fat and weight loss programs. And yet it discourages even the most motivated individual from sticking to their fat loss routine when their results don’t quite match the expectations. They set these unrealistic goals for themselves hoping to be one of those “overnight success” stories, ending up disappointed and disinterested. Because of the last minute nature of the demands placed on their customary lifestyle and schedule, these weight losers may only setting themselves up for failure. 

So while everyone is still HOT on their resolutions kick, here is a quick list of tips that may help you survive the typical “drop-off” and keep your SEXY on track during these shaky first months. They’re sure to get you ripped, lean and toned in no time.

1. Re-focus on your goal 

Take the time to sit down and really put some thought into what you are trying to accomplish. Reevaluate your fat loss goals and determine whether they are feasible. Ask yourself and be honest, “What is my motivation?” Set up some milestones towards your ultimate goal with a deadline in mind. Do you want to decrease your body fat or are you looking for a slimmer waist line? Are you looking for more definition in your legs or are you aiming for a chiseled upper body? Do you want to tighten, shape or build some rock solid glutes?

Keep in mind that you cannot “spot reduce” or choose to lose the fat from one specific area of the body. Be patient.

2. Measure it all and record

Get a body fat scale or hire a personal trainer to perform a proper assessment and body composition analysis. Stepping on a standard, run of the mill floor scale only displays your total weight and does not indicate your total lean to fat ratio. Having the proper balance is very important. Low percentages can cause a great deal of physiological challenges on the body. On the other hand, a high percentage can also be harmful. This knowledge will prove useful when establishing your baseline fitness level.

Take some “before” and “after” photos from every different profile perspective- frontal, rear and side shots. Seeing is believing. Being able to have a visual reference point is enough to keep most people motivated and focused. With each photo op, take accurate measurements of the circumference of all your major muscle groups. By collecting this data every now and then, you can actually plot your progress on a chart to gauge your progress – invaluable when you are trying to fuel your desire to move smarter and faster towards the finish line.

This is also helpful in determining whether you’re on or off course, so if need be, corrections can be made to get you back on track. An increase or decrease to your food intake or work output through strength and cardio training may be suggested here if not on course.

3. Sleep and recovery strategies

Most fitness newbs can also wash out from their quest to shed those pounds because of drastic drops in energy levels. Late night channel surfing in front of your TV is, often, a common cause for not getting enough rest. Staving off sleep for another hour beyond your normal shut eye to find out “who dunnit” will not make stripping that fat off your body any easier. By depriving yourself of sleep, you are not allowing your body to develop those fat burning muscle tissues necessary to accomplishing your goal. With a lack of sleep comes a lack of desire to push hard. No push=No change.

There is such a thing as “too much of a good thing.” Overtraining, in an attempt to cancel out all those days of not exercising, will only lead to you overworking yourself to the point of adrenal fatigue. That fatigue will only eat away at your intentions and kill any notion of making it a point of hitting the gym.

Aim for eight hours of sleep a night to keep your fitness program realistic. If need be, seek the help of a coach to assist you when assessing possible stumbling blocks on your way to success.

4. Assertiveness training

While your intentions may be wholehearted, keep in mind that results take time. Everyone in the world is extremely busy, elbow deep with commitments. Sometimes an over commitment of time is a challenge and this is when learning to say “NO” becomes essential to your success. It’s not selfishness we’re talking about here, but more about being realistic and committed to the goals we have set.

Making time for follow through should take priority over all those so called “personal obligations” that always seem to pop up at the most inopportune times. Don’t let that distract you from your target. If a situation comes up demanding you volunteer your personal time, pass on it. Stress management is learning how to say “NO”. You should’nt feel guilty about saying “no”. Your decision should be respected. Ask yourself where these feelings of guilt come from. Rid yourself of that unnecessary emotional baggage.

Life coaches and business advisors are helpful guides for those who need help identifying their strong points and weaknesses. They’ll help you work around your foibles and get you working optimally.

5. How to add 2 hours to a 24 hour day

Root out all the menial tasks in your daily routine and figure out a way to outsource them. Any thing from car maintenance to lawn work to grocery shopping can be delegated to someone with less responsibility, more free time and perhaps a vocation towards that particular task. By dishing off these errands, not only are you saving time, but you are also freeing up time in your schedule to perhaps “de-stress” with a relaxing massage or even some yoga.

6. Pick a time, gym or workout that fits your needs first, not someone else’s

For the many of us out there with all kinds of time restraints, finding time to hit the gym proves to be the hardest challenge. Workouts that reduce your stress levels are ideal. Unfortunately, during the first few months of resolution chasing when everyone is at their fiercest, it is common to find yourself in jammed conditions. Long commutes to and from the gym, crowded parking lots and rush hour gym crowds at the cardio machines can do damage to a person’s desire.

Start by joining a gym that is no more than fifteen minutes away from your home or work. Then get yourself a personal trainer to help you as your buffer when you get that urge to speed through or cut short your work out. That personal trainer will keep you focused and away from those chit chats with acquaintances that eat up more time than you had anticipated.

Personal trainers can also function as life coaches or mentors by passing onto you their knowledge and experiences. They are the ones, who are going to make it their mission to keep you focused and accountable every step of the way. They’ll be that voice of reason in your head telling you to snap out of your laziness- where you’ll be less likely to procrastinate and talk yourself out of the workouts.

Training in a private facility or in the great outdoors at a Naked Commando boot camp or a Super cardio maxed out session or even at home using bodyweight exercises can be viable option. Staying committed with a plan and being dutiful with your approach will make for a successful training session. Go at your own speed.

However, if you rather team up with a likeminded friend- try to avoid partnering up with someone that may be at a more advanced fitness level. You may be benefitting from the partnership, but, more than likely, they will not see enough benefits from the workouts to make it worth their time and effort. Adversely, pushing yourself to their limits may result in overtraining which could lead to serious injury or discouragement from unfair comparisons. Stick to your fitness routine long enough and you will naturally meet other likeminded training partners.

Less than five percent will stick to their fitness commitments—will you beat the odds?

What’s the RETURN of you investment? HEALTH IS WEALTH.

“Fat loss is an all-out war. Give it 28 days – only 28 days. Attack it with all you have. It’s not a lifestyle choice; it’s a battle. Lose fat and then get back into moderation. There’s another one for you: moderation. Revelation says it best: ‘You are lukewarm and I shall spit you out.’ Moderation is for sissies.”
— Dan John, Legend

Strategies discussed within this article are philosophies practiced at M2Fitness Pros with our clients and utilized in our contest prep techniques.

LET ME SEE YOUR WAR FACE!!

The Hierarchy of Fat Loss by Alwyn Cosgrove

1. Correct nutrition. There’s pretty much nothing that can be done to out-train a crappy diet. You quite simply have to create a caloric deficit while eating enough protein and essential fats. There’s no way around this.

2. See #1. Yep. It really is that important. Several trainers have espoused that the only difference between training for muscle gain and training for fat loss is your diet. I think that’s a massive oversimplification, but it does reinforce how important and effective correct nutrition is toward your ultimate goal.

3. Activities that burn calories maintain/promote muscle mass and elevate metabolism. I think it’s fairly obvious that the bulk of calories burned are determined by our resting metabolic rate (RMR). The amount of calories burned outside of our resting metabolism (through exercise, thermic effect of feeding, etc.) is a smaller contributor to overall calories burned per day. We can also accept that RMR is largely a function of how much muscle you have on your body… and how hard it works. Therefore, adding activities that promote or maintain muscle mass will make that muscle mass work harder and elevate the metabolic rate. This will become our number one training priority when developing fat loss programs.

4. Activities that burn calories and elevate metabolism. The next level of fat loss programming would be a similar activity. We’re still looking at activities that eat up calories and increase Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). EPOC is defined scientifically as the “recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels.” It can require several minutes for light exercise and several hours for hard intervals. Essentially, we’re looking for activities that keep us burning more calories after the exercise session.

5. Activities that burn calories but don’t necessarily maintain muscle or elevate metabolism. This is the icing on the cake, adding in activities that’ll burn up additional calories but don’t necessarily contribute to increasing metabolism. This is the least effective tool in your arsenal as it doesn’t burn much outside of the primary exercise session. Let’s put this fat loss continuum together in terms of our progressive training hierarchy.

Five Factors for Fat Loss Training

1. Metabolic Resistance Training – Basically we’re using resistance training as the cornerstone of our fat loss programming. Our goal is to work every muscle group hard, frequently and with an intensity that creates a massive “metabolic disturbance” or “afterburn” that leaves the metabolism elevated for several hours post workout. A couple of studies to support this include the following:

STUDY #1: Schuenke MD, Mikat RP, McBride JM. Effect of an acute period of resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption: implications for body mass management. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2002 Mar;86(5):411-7. Epub 2002 Jan 29.

This study used a circuit training protocol of 12 sets in 31 minutes. EPOC was elevated significantly for 38 hours post workout. Thirty-eight hours is a pretty significant timeframe for metabolism to be elevated. If you trained at 9:00am until 10:00am on Monday morning, you’re still burning more calories (without training) at midnight on Tuesday. Can we compound this with additional training within that 38 hours? No research has been done, but I have enough case studies to believe that you can.

STUDY #2: Kramer, Volek et al. Influence of exercise training on physiological and performance changes with weight loss in men. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 31, No. 9, pp. 1320-1329, 1999.

Overweight subjects were assigned to three groups: diet only, diet plus aerobics, diet plus aerobics plus weights. The diet group lost 14.6 pounds of fat in 12 weeks. The aerobic group lost only one more pound (15.6 pounds) than the diet group (training was three times a week starting at 30 minutes and progressing to 50 minutes over the 12 weeks). The weight training group lost 21.1 pounds of fat (44 percent and 35 percent more than diet and aerobic only groups respectively). Basically, the addition of aerobic training didn’t result in any real world significant fat loss over dieting alone. Thirty-six sessions of up to 50 minutes is a lot of work for one additional pound of fat loss. However, the addition of resistance training greatly accelerated fat loss results.

STUDY #3: Bryner RW, Ullrich IH, Sauers J, Donley D, Hornsby G, Kolar M, Yeater R. Effects of resistance vs. aerobic training combined with an 800 calorie liquid diet on lean body mass and resting metabolic rate. J Am Coll Nutr. 1999 Apr;18(2):115-21.

The aerobic group performed four hours of aerobics per week. The resistance training group performed two to four sets of eight to 15 reps, 10 exercises, three times per week. V02 max increased equally in both groups. Both groups lost weight. The resistance training group lost significantly more fat and didn’t lose any LBM, even at only 800 calories per day. (The reason the calories were so low was to take any dietary variables completely out of the equation and compare the effects of the exercise regime on LBM and metabolism.)

The resistance training group actually increased metabolism compared to the aerobic group, which decreased metabolism. It seems that resistance training is a more significant stress to the body than a starvation diet. In my experience, full body training in a superset, tri-set or circuit format (with non-competing exercises) in a rep range that generates lactic acid (and pushes the lactic acid threshold or LAT) seems to create the biggest metabolic demand. It makes sense: training legs, back and chest will burn more calories and elevate metabolism more than an isolated approach training one of them.

The rep range that seems to work best is the eight to 12 hypertrophy range, although going higher will work just as well with a less trained population. For a powerlifter or an advanced bodybuilder, doing one max effort exercise or heavy, low rep lift is more than enough to maintain your current strength levels.

Examples:
Powerlifter Exercise Sequence:
Exercise One: Max Effort Squat, work up to a 3RM
Transitioning into metabolic work

Bodybuilder Exercise Sequence:
1A: Bench press, 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps
1B: Row, 2-3 sets of 4-6 reps
Transitioning into metabolic work

2. High Intensity Anaerobic Interval Training – The second key “ingredient” in fat loss programming is high intensity interval training (HIIT). Interval work burns more calories than steady state and elevates metabolism significantly more than other forms of cardio. The downside is that it flat-out sucks to do it! The landmark study in interval training was from Tremblay.

STUDY #4: Tremblay A, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism. 1994 Jul;43(7):814-8

This study pitted 20 weeks of endurance training against 15 weeks of interval training:

Energy cost of endurance training = 28661 calories
Energy cost of interval training = 13614 calories (less than half)

The interval training group showed a nine times greater loss in subcutaneous fat than the endurance group (when corrected for energy cost). Read that again. Calorie for calorie, the interval training group lost nine times more fat overall. Why? Maybe it’s EPOC, an up regulation of fat burning enzyme activity, or straight up G-Flux. I don’t care. I’m a real world guy. If the interval training group had lost the same fat as the endurance group, we’d get the same results in less time. That means interval training is a better tool in your fat loss arsenal.

3. High Intensity Aerobic Interval Training – The next tool we’ll pull out is essentially a lower intensity interval method where we use aerobic intervals.

STUDY #5: Talanian, Galloway et al Two weeks of High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Training increases the capacity for fat oxidation during exercise in women. J Appl Physiol (December 14, 2006). doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01098.2006

 

 

 

This study looked at high-intensity aerobic interval training and its influence on fat oxidation. In summary, seven sessions of HIIT over two weeks induced marked increases in whole body and skeletal muscle capacity for fatty acid oxidation during exercise in moderately active women. In layman’s terms, the interval work appeared to “up regulate” fat burning enzymes. Basically, this means we can burn more fat in other activities as a result of this inclusion. In other words, we get some more bang for our buck. I do have a quick disclaimer, though. My colleague Alan Aragon once said, “Caring about how much fat is burned during exercise is equivalent to worrying about how much muscle is built during exercise.” In other words, substrate utilization during exercise isn’t really an important variable in the big picture of fat loss, total calories burned overall is.

4. Steady State High Intensity Aerobic Training Tool – This one is just hard cardio work. We’re burning calories, but we aren’t working hard enough to increase EPOC significantly or to do anything beyond the session itself. But calories do count. Burning another 300 or so calories per day will add up.

5. Steady State Low Intensity Aerobic Training – This is just activity, going for a walk in the park, etc. It won’t burn a lot of calories. It won’t increase muscle or EPOC. There isn’t very much research showing that low intensity aerobic training actually results in very much additional fat loss, but you’re going to have to really work to convince me that moving more is going to hurt you when you’re in fat attack mode.

Putting It All Together: Time Management

You’ll notice that this is perhaps the opposite recommendations from what you typically read in the mainstream media. Usually fat loss recommendations start with low intensity aerobics, progress to high intensity aerobics and then intervals. Finally, when you’re “in shape,” they recommend resistance training.

My approach to massive fat loss is attacking from the complete opposite of the norm. If you’re a professional bodybuilder, then you typically have extra time to add in cardio and do extra work to get lean. A “real world” client with a job and a family can rarely afford additional time; therefore, we need to look at our training in a more efficient manner and focus on our time available first, then design our programming based on that.

If you have three hours per week, use only #1 above: metabolic resistance training This can be three one-hour training sessions or four 45-minute training sessions. It doesn’t seem to matter. However, once you’re getting three hours per week of total body resistance training, in my experience, I haven’t seen an additional effect in terms of fat loss by doing more. My guess is that, at that point, recovery starts to become a concern and intensity is impaired. This type of training involves barbell complexes, supersets, tri-sets, circuits, EDT work, kettlebell combos, etc.

If you have three to five hours, use #1 and # 2: weight training plus high intensity interval work. At this point, any additional work is usually in the form of high intensity interval training. I’m looking to burn up more calories and continue to elevate EPOC. Interval training is like putting your savings into a high return investment account. Low intensity aerobics is like hiding it under your mattress. Both will work, but the return you get is radically different.

If you have five to six hours available, add #3: aerobic interval training. Aerobic intervals win out at this point because it’s still higher intensity overall than steady state work, so it burns more calories. There appears to be a fat oxidation benefit, and it will still be easier to recover from than additional anaerobic work.

If you have six to eight hours available, add #4. If you’re not losing a lot of fat with six hours of training already, then I’d be taking a very close look at your diet. If everything is in place, but we just need to ramp up fat loss some more (e.g., for a special event: a photo shoot, high school reunion, etc.), then we’ll add in some hard cardio such as a long run or bike ride with heart rate at 75 percent of max or higher.

Why not do as much of this as possible then? Well, the goal is to burn as many calories as we can without negatively impacting the intensity of our higher priority activities. If I have more time than that, I’ll add # 5. I don’t think most of us have more than eight hours of training time available per week. But if we do, this is when any additional activity will help to burn up calories, which is never a bad thing. A lot of fighters have used this activity to help make weight. This works because it burns up calories but doesn’t leave you tired for your strength training, sparring or technical work. That’s the key with the addition of this activity: get your body moving and burn up some additional calories but not to work so hard that it inhibits recovery and negatively affects our other training.

The research and the real world don’t really show massive changes from the inclusion of this type of activity. However, I think everything has its place. Remember, this is a hierarchy of training, and this is fifth on the list for a reason. Smart guys call this NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). I call it moving a wee bit more than normal.

Keep in mind that all I’ve said here is that harder training works better than easier training. It really is that simple. To conclude, I agree with coach Dan John. Attack body fat with a passion and a single minded goal. The best way to do this is with an all-out assault implementing the hierarchy I described above.

GO COMMANDO. IT DOES A NAKED BODY GOOD.

Long Beach, CA- Jan 1, 2009- Fitness Professionals, Emile Jarreau and Bea Fox have received more attention to the workout phenomenon, the NAKED COMMANDO System. Exposed. Bare Naked. A full body workout for mega fat loss, “Naked” meaning without the use of external weights or equipment that other industry experts are highly endorsing and fitness gyms lie to you about.

Craig Ballantyne, creator of Turbulence Training and author of “Just say No to cardio” asked Jarreau, “Why is this called Naked Commando?” This is the real deal. I put this program together almost two decades ago which began as regular group class at Gold’s Gym LBC and it screamed. People loved it! Your body and a mat, that’s it. No equipment needed. Hands down it is the fastest, most effective way to lose fat, build stamina, strengthen and tighten up the whole body. This provides rapid fitness results for people that want to look better Naked.

Highlights and benefits of the program include:

1. You can do it anywhere.
2. No equipment needed.
3. You will dramatically improve your strength and power without injury.
4. Fantastic for your body’s natural stabilizers.
5. Build your strength, stamina and flexibility throughout the whole body.
6. Helps reduce your back pain.
7. Helps eliminate your neck and shoulder pain.
8. “Triad” to train your whole body in 15 minutes or less.
9. You will see Amazing fat loss.
10. You need NO Gym membership.

Even more, Naked Commando System is available to the public in a digital format, along with an easy to follow workout book with complete photos, videos, audios, and email support. The program is also available to the Fitness Professional community to utilize as a part of a total system to enhance the results of all individual’s that personal trainers and Group-X instructors teach.

Underwear recommended.

Mr. Jarreau and Bea Fox also work with fully clothed folks as well. Their studio is located in downtown Long Beach on Pine Avenue. Class and service info are also available at M2FitnessPros.com. M2 Fitness Pros is Long Beach’s executive and celebrity training studio. Private services include beginner to advanced conditioning.

NakedCommando.com Emile Jarreau and Bea Fox co-Founders, M2 Fitness Pros, fitness solutions company, Long Beach CA. Increases results for people interested in saving time and money through customized training, coaching, and consulting. We establish structures and procedures in all facets of the training process, through workshops and individual coaching. Get www.m2fitness.com Now. More info at 800-513-4631 or e-mail info@m2fitness.com

Feeling flat lately… completely devoid of energy like a balloon without any air in it? Do you lack that sense of urgency? Do you resort to highly caffeinated supplements like Red Bull or double espresso shots just to give you wings? If you’ve answered “yes” then more than likely you are experiencing the body blues.

So, with all the items on the list you wish to resolve in the upcoming weeks… how are you going to attack it when you feel like you’re running on empty? After all, what we set out to do at the beginning of the year has much to do with our success, wouldn’t you agree?

As we wait to ring in the New Year, work slows to a crawl and I’m finally in the tail end of my offseason, making slight adjustments to my own sugar induced holiday splurge-THANK GOODNESS!. Yes, I’m right there with you. After twelve months of serious dieting, I took the liberty to indulge my sweet tooth just like you. Fair enough. However, after weeks of living “rock star” large on anything and everything peppermint bark, I know that I have MORE than satisfied my need for sugar.

The feel good serotonin rush will be all but a memory and nothing in comparison to the crash and crappy feelings of addiction, withdrawal, and cravings we’re left to deal with. Let’s not mention the bouts of emotional and physical stress associated with carrying around that extra added weight, not much fun either, is it?

“You are what you eat”

Sure, getting people to do what they don’t want to do can be difficult. And more often than not, the urge to splurge goes deep into the New Year which can then lead you right into spring… summer, and then you’re back full circle in a feverish vicious cycle. Nothing that you don’t already know.

However, I personally know that I have officially started to feel the ill effects of my carb addiction… believe it or not; carrying excess pounds of weight can make a big difference when it comes to moving the body even on a small frame. When I find myself out of breath at the start of a workout, I’m no longer functioning properly.

So, if the sugar overload is robbing you from the ability to live life–perform your day to day activities or if the few jolts of espresso no longer keep you from wanting to take a nose dive, wouldn’t it be reason enough to say… “Enough”?

Isn’t it time to face the uphill battle of shedding those ‘drag you down’ pounds? Not easy you say? Never said it was. If it was we wouldn’t be living in a fat world- yes, obesity is global. However, for me it’s enough to go cold turkey. I know I like to feel alive-POWERFUL! disciplined- in control. I like to wake up ready to charge. I like to feel like I can meet the demands of the day – that means I need to be alert and awake and ready for anything that comes my way.

Act as if you are the person you want to be.

Simple, we face it or go off the cliff.  We put on those pounds knowing full well the damage it would wreak upon us… I face it; time to wo-man up! Needless to say, it’s not going to be easy, probably somewhat painful, but as long we remain patient we will overcome with triumph. Thankfully, by slightly adjusting our caloric intake and most important, staying physically active– that means getting back into the gym (or  your playground of choice) regularly, those extra holiday pounds will fall off in no time.

If you’ve haven’t learned anything with your current or past experiences, learn this: don’t procrastinate and put this off! Procrastination is the biggest killer. As you may know, procrastination is “putting off today, what we think we’ll eventually get to tomorrow” tomorrow is NOW!

Are you ready to start feeling alive?

If you find yourself in a rut try seeking the help of an expert. One of the biggest mistakes anyone can make IS TO TRY TO LOSE FAT WITHOUT PROPER INSTRUCTION!

Not enough time… not enough money…If you think about it, people spend all kinds of time and money on things in life that really don’t help their wellbeing… such as junk food, alcohol, cigarettes even drugs, all which tear down health rather than build it up. Unfortunately, people spend more money and time on these things rather than their livelihoods. Some people spend money on supplements, which is good; however without the proper program supplementation can’t do much! Useless.

Support goes a long way. A few sessions with a professional can get you going in the right direction. What harm would it do to get some correct instruction every so often? Imagine having someone to call anytime to answer any questions you have? Someone to hold you accountable? Think of how much time and effort you can save. Having someone show you exactly what to do to lose weight is exactly what you need. Yes, you can try to enlist the help of a friend but nine times out of ten that’s sure to leave you back where you started.

By reading this post, you’ve already taken your first steps towards evolving. So let’s stop hiding behind excuses. Take charge!! I’m going to shed those pounds and so will you. This is what we like to call “putting skin in the game!” Let’s get on it and get moving!

Foods that help peel off the fat

Let’s start off with the most important aspect of any fat burning routine – your diet! Here is my personal “A-list” of fat burning carb foods that are sure to satisfy the most ravenous of cravings.  Although the mix-and-match combinations of foods are endless, these are the staple foods that make up a carbohydrate template of any healthy program. You can’t go wrong with any of these choices plus they are tasty enough to keep you coming back to time after time.
 
Oatmeal
 
Truly, the breakfast of champs – this is, far and away, my #1 “anytime” food choice for a complex-starchy carbohydrate in a fat loss program. Initially, not love at first bite, but after a few sit-downs, you’ll be loving it in no time!

Now that I have to take charge of the driver’s seat, I use oatmeal as the one carb that quench all my sweet tooth cravings. It is the one complex carb that I rely on to keep my sanity as well as get me back on track for my pre-con season.

I can only speak on behalf of figure athletes, but it’s safe to say that oatmeal is a staple in most every athlete’s diet. What makes it so great? Well, it’s a starchy carbohydrate that has a perfect balance of carbohydrates, protein and “good fat” – yes, there is such a thing!

A half cup of oatmeal contains 1 gram of fat, 29 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams worth of protein. This balanced composition of protein and fat makes for a very slow released carb – precisely what a person, who strives to get lean and mean, should look for in a food. Make sure you opt for the real stuff too. Choose the all natural oats, whether it be the crushed, cut, or rolled variety. Anything from old-fashioned oats (Quaker works too) or, preferably, the quick multi-grain oats to steel cut oats are ideal.

Stay away from the sugar sweetened and or flavored oatmeal packets. There are several ways to spice up a bowl of oatmeal and make it tasty enough to be considered a treat. If you really need that flavoring, try adding stevia with a bit of cinnamon for a sweeter taste. After it has been cooked, you can also stir in a scoop of your favorite protein powder to add flavor and complete your meal.

If you’re looking for consistency in your porridge, then I suggest adding some crushed walnuts and or flaxseeds to your oats. Not only are they delicious and crunchy, but they also provide you with those desirable “good fats” I mentioned earlier.

Head over to your local health food store and pick up some barley, wheat, rye, oat bran and or flax cereals. There are even multi-grain combinations of the aforementioned available for purchase as well. After a month or so of substituting this staple into my diet as my carb supplement, I quickly found it to be my favorite food. Oatmeal ably satisfied any and all of my carb cravings especially during my tense pre-contest schedule. It will leave you energized and satisfied.
 
Yams | Sweet potatoes

Next to oatmeal, yams and sweet potatoes are a close second on my list of favorite carb foods.  Yams and sweet potatoes are a complete package. They’re sweet, full of flavor, all-natural, low in calories and chalked full of nutrients and antioxidants like beta-carotene. It’s really no wonder why they’re one of the most popular carbs consumed in the world. Nothing compares with a yam.

Although the glycemic index is a secondary factor when making carb choices on the M2 Fat Loss program, it should be given more weight in your choices if you are carb sensitive or if you are on a very strict diet (similar to a contest diet).

Yams are, without a doubt, the best. Sweet potatoes are not exactly the same as yams as they are slightly higher on the glycemic index. Otherwise, sweet potatoes are still excellent choices for fat burning diets because they excel at slowing down the rate in which glucose is released and absorbed into your bloodstream thereby sustaining your energy levels longer and helping you dodge the fatigue slump.

Combine a yam with a green veggie, chicken breast, lean red meat or fish and you’ve got yourself a perfect fat-burning, muscle building, metabolism boosting meal. Bonus!

Oh! And ladies, these taters will fill you up without filling in those waistlines! Added bonus!
 
“Potatoes”

Whether they are russet, white or red, I try to avoid implementing potatoes into my fat loss programs. The reason being is that they are more susceptible to being accentuated with butters, creams and other condiments, which all make for super rich, calorie dense meals. However, and there always is one, potatoes do meet every criteria set for a great carbohydrate. Potatoes are all-natural complex carbs rich in vitamins as well as a good source of fiber and minerals. They also happen to be quite filling and low in calories. Eat it dry or top it with your favorite salsa and you definitely can’t go wrong.

Another reason fat loss programs tend to omit the potato has to do with its lofty ranking on the glycemic index. This ranking entails that potatoes have a high tendency of being absorbed as blood sugars in a rapid manner. This is what gives you that sudden burst of energy, but also results in a hard crash as that energy leaves you just as fast.

It should be noted; however, when you eat your potato as a whole meal with your choice of lean protein, the glycemic index of the entire meal is much lower. Also keep in mind that some white potatoes are higher on the index than others. Russet or “baking” potatoes are higher in amylose, a slow releasing starch, so the glycemic index is lower. If you happen to be extremely carb sensitive or hypoglycemic, then you might want to opt for yams or sweet potatoes.

Brown Rice

Brown rice is another solid whole grain staple food for both in-season and off-season regimens. This is another ancient food falling within our 3,000 year timeline. Why brown? The conversion from brown to white destroys most of its nutritional value thereby stripping a considerable amount of vitamins, all of the dietary fiber, and essential fatty acids, which results in a highly processed and refined grain.

For those of you on healthy meal plans, you may want to avoid any style of rice dish you might find served in Asian restaurants. These are usually loaded with sugar enriched ingredients. You can also substitute your sushi rolls with homemade protein rolls and brown rice. My best picks of the many choices of rice would be the slow-cooked brown or basmati. I always prefer to boil and simmer. If you absolutely must, the instant pre-cooked rice comes in handy when you’re in a time crunch. They make for quick eats and even quicker digestion.

100% whole wheat and whole grain products

The M2 Fat Loss program uses these bread products as part of the “baseline diet” on one condition – they must be made from 100% whole grains. Somewhere on the labeling, it should read, “100% whole wheat” or “100% whole grain” as the first ingredient.
White bread and anything made out of white flour is highly refined and therefore not allowed in any quantity on a fat loss program except for the occasional planned “cheat meal”. If you are particularly carb-sensitive, bread, of any variety, is one of the first things to go from your daily diet. A small handful of people will have an extreme sensitivity to the gluten in wheat. Gluten is a protein found in wheat products. Similar to the effects of lactose intolerance from dairy products, gluten intolerance can cause digestive difficulties and bloating in certain individuals.

On very strict fat loss diets, wheat and bread products are usually eliminated completely. Generally speaking, however, 100% whole wheat and other whole grains are perfectly acceptable additions to a healthy diet for long term body composition control. It just depends on how “strict” you want or need to be with your nutrition.

Greens

Fibrous carbs are your number one choice for fat burning carbohydrates and green vegetables the most popular of the group. Because green vegetables have a low caloric density, it is virtually impossible to over-eat. You can eat as much of them as you want, any time you want…well, at least later on in the day. A diet of green vegetables combined with lean proteins is one of the best methods of getting lean as quickly as possible.

Fresh Fruit

Whole fruits are great. These tend to my “limited” sweets on season. Granted, a diet of mostly complex carbohydrates will give you better results than a diet of predominantly simple carbohydrates. Do not take this to mean that fruit is “fattening”. In actuality, most fruits are low in calories, high in fiber and low in carbohydrate grams, at least when compared to starches.

Raisins are a particular fruit terse with calories and best avoided when you’re on a strict fat loss program or your calorie allotment is small. Fruits like apples, peaches, grapefruits, and oranges are a great addition to almost any nutritional plan. Just make sure the majority of your carbohydrates are of the complex type. Keep in mind, an all-fruit or mostly fruit diet won’t be nearly as effective for fat loss.