[jah7_fsu1]

"Beach season" is near. Here highlights from a paper I wrote a while back on how to trim down. It's basically little nuggets that are great for "getting ripped." It's a collection of ideas I got from other people off the internet, from fitness clinics, magazines, or stuff I researched on in college. Just copying and pasting the good stuff, not the some of the scientific links I had to have. on half of them. This was an unedited version without those links (and maybe without proper grammar in a lot of places!) Some of it you may have known, but maybe some people will get some useful nuggest for "beach season!"


***Brush away cravings: Dieting and need a Hershey's? Brushing your teeth seems to take the cravings away. The higher the peroxide content usually the better. It's part psychological, but it really works!

***No starvation diets: When the body is in a hypocaloric state it tends to hang onto bodyfat. This is due to the body’s survival mode where if it considers itself as starving. It will do what is necessary to avoid this! Eat small meals frequently because...

***Thermic Effect of Food: Anytime you eat you burn more calories, this keeps your metabolic rate high. Go longer between meals and your metabolism slows down.

***Glug, glug, glug: Drink water all day every day. 56-72 ounces at least, depending on exercise and heat. The actual amount isn't as important as just doing it a lot. Thirst can trigger hunger, and water has been shown to keep your metabolic rate consistent.

***Eat breakfast, and a big one: "Not eating breakfast may reduce your metabolic rate by 10 percent." Studies have suggessted that people who eat more in the morning consume less later in the day. Your body has been in a long fast, refuel it!

***Build around protein: People consume to many carbs, and to little protein. Eat more complete protein sources which has been shown to have numerous thermogenic effects. Minimize sugar and flour which cause blood sugar to rise quickly. This rise signals your body to stop burning fat (See insulin graph). Increased protein can reduce declines in IGF-1 from training and calorie restriction.

***Get groupies: The BJSM shows an increase in walking distance with a group as compared to solo efforts. Partners provide motivation, accountability, and competition. Make a bet to see who can lose more fat faster!

***BCAA'S: Adequate circulating levels of BCAA's and glutamine in the bloodstream appear to signal your body to lay off the muscle tissue as a fuel source. This causes increased levels of lean body mass witholding, paramount to the success of any bodyfat regimen.

***Increase "little" things for big results: Do mini-calf raises at your desk. Park far away from the office. Take the stairs at all times. Do pushups at commercials of TV shows. Play with your kids outside instead of in a confined space. Chew gum. It may not seem like much, but it will add up big time!

***Have Sex: Encourage your partner to help your fat loss goals. Sexual intercourse has a myriad of health benefits and burns quite a bit of calories so get busy!

***Make a list: Don't say I want to lose 20 pounds. Make a list of things you want to do to lose those pounds. Put it where you see it everyday. Examples include eat more frequent small meals, drink more water, exercise more, etc.

***Run hard!: High intensity interval training is the way to go to get lean faster. EPOC which is fueled by fat oxidation is higher in these intervals than steady-state cardio.

***Get hot: One study shows increases in body oxygen consumption and muscle oxygen consumption after red pepper ingestion. Red peppers may be a useful way to shed some excess lard.

***Go fishing: Small decreases in fat mass, small increases in lean mass, and an increase in metabolic rate were seen with fish oil supplements.

***Prime the perimeter: The perimeter of a supermarket has all the healthy foods! Your meats, dairy, veggies, and other great for you items are usually found on the outside of the aisles! Keep most of your shopping out here.


***Keep your liquid 0: Soda pop, juices, alcohol, and other liquids are empty calories. Try to get the majority of your calories from foods and not liquids such as pop. Note: Protein shakes or meal replacements are exceptions.

***Just lift baby!: What increases when we lift weights? Just about everything that we want to! Testosterone, growth hormone, muscle strength, muscle size, bone density, and fat free mass. What decreases? Cortisol and % of bodyfat mainly. You will have to do some cardio most likely to lose bodyfat, but don't underestimate the need for proper strength training!

***Don't last long: Working out for over an hour has shown to increase the stress hormone cortisol. Keep your time in the gym to around an hour or less. Don't be afraid to go multiple times in a day however.

***Eat more veggies: What can I say, the benefits of most vegetables are to long to list. If your cutting carbs, still get the good ones from veggies.

***Cheat a bit: Give yourself one to two cheat meals a week for sanity's sake. Don't overindulge, but a metabolic shift has been shown to take place that might actually be advantageous.

***Train large muscle groups: In the gym keep it heavy, keep it compound. If your looking for a type of fat burning program try something which stimulates the release of lactate.