Skyline America

At this time of year we can use all kinds of tips to avoid weight gain. So here are 5 fat loss tips for beginner & advanced readers.

1) No liquid calories (with the exception of a post-workout drink). Get rid of all the sodas, sugary sports drinks, juices. Liquid sugar is the last thing you need when you are trying to lose fat. You must also limit your alcohol intake – especially if you are adding mix to drinks…that is a double calorie bomb! A single “Jack and Coke” is over 200 calories (100 calories from booze and 100 calories from mix).

2) No fast food. Avoid fast food restaurants. Even if you choose what you think is healthy, remember this – fast food restaurants are all about profit. Since they are about profits, they often use inferior ingredients – especially cheaper protein.

It’s been said fast food restaurants can be healthy if you choose right. But you know what, that’s just politically-correct opinion. If it’s fast food, it’s poor food. Walking into a burger joint and grabbing a chicken breast on a white bread bun with a piece of old lettuce and a half-green, half-pink tomato is “barely” healthy eating.

The politically-incorrect truth is that it’s going to take determination to eat properly. You will have to prepare and serve healthy meals. You will have to spend time cleaning, cutting, and cooking your food. That’s the truth. But believe me, it will taste so much better than fast food, and healthy eating will make you more alert. Eating fast food will make you feel terrible, and will make you want to have an afternoon nap at your desk. Make one small improvement to your nutrition everyday for the rest of your life.

3) Eat more fruits and vegetables. If you are eating 2 servings per day, then go up to 4 servings per day by the end of the week. And even if you think you are doing great by having 5 servings per day, you still need to double that (take 2-3 weeks to work your way up to 10 servings per day). Stick with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables – organic if possible.

4) Eat 1oz of almonds or walnuts per day (1/2 oz in the AM, and the other half in the afternoon). Most nuts are roasted in oils (possible source of trans fats), so stick to natural or dry-roasted nuts. Don’t worry…this minimal amount of nuts won’t fatten you up, but should fill you up and help you burn fat.

5) Be consistent with your workouts, and make sure your fat burning workouts are efficient and effective. To make it easy for you to follow, stick with the Turbulence Training fat burning workout system. It doesn’t matter if you train in the morning before or after breakfast, or at night before or after dinner, or at 1pm on days when the moon is in line with Saturn…don’t worry about the details, just train consistently.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

BONUS TIP: Go for a walk after lunch or dinner (or anytime you eat a big meal). Research shows this will help you control your cholesterol and triglycerides, plus any movement is better than sitting around watching the TV and snacking.