Shed Fat Fast – The guaranteed summer plan

Around April/May every year for as long as I can remember my schedule gets increasingly busy with clients desperate to get in shape for the fast approaching summer holidays. If this is true for you then you better read on and apply what is to follow. I have proven time and again with different clients that this plan works and it will work for you.

Dominic’s 5-step plan for rapid fat loss –

Beach ready!!

Step 1 – Cut the carbs

On a very basic level, if you are coming from a position where you diet was filled with biscuits, crisps, lattes, cheap chocolate, alcohol and other junk foods then making even the simplest changes will result in fat loss. When you have a significant amount to fat to drop, just cutting out the alcohol, the biscuits with every meal, the takeaways at weekends will make a massive difference as most people do not even get the basics right. It’s quite sad that some of these same people would look for results using ridiculous weight loss aids and pills rather than facing up to basic facts on their diet.

More veggies and less bread, rice, cereals, pasta, rice and potatoes

Last week I had a client come to me that had ‘tried’ everything over two years to drop the weight. She had done every diet you can think off, lots of aerobic work for 1-2hours at a go, 4 days a week and still the weight would not shift. When I asked her about her diet she admitted to drinking as much as twenty units of alcohol over the course of a weekend. What was happening was that she was blowing any potential progress she had made during the week on what she through was ‘just a few drinks with the girls’. I see this all the time and it’s not always alcohol that is the culprit. It might be crisps, chocolate, biscuits, soft drinks etc that can be blowing all your hard work.

Once you have totally cut back the junk foods to no more than once a week (no total blow outs also) you can refine your diet by looking at your carb intake. High carb foods are the enemy of fat loss and by eliminating the likes of bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and cereals (porridge is ok) it will help strip away unwanted fat. Fat loss is all about eating fewer calories and keeping insulin levels down. Cutting out the starchy carbs and eating more fibrous vegetables, nuts/seeds, meat, eggs, fish and plenty of berries (strawberries, raspberries etc) will prevent you from overeating and assist in keeping insulin levels down. If you deviate from this your body will let you know by becoming bloated and putting back on fat so look for easy substitutes like oatcakes instead of bread and plenty of vegetables with your dinner instead of lots of pasta, rice or potatoes.

Step 2 – Do intervals

Over the past few months I have been regularly working with a certain former Miss Ireland and helping her get into her best possible shape. To encourage rapid fat loss one of the methods we have used in almost all sessions is interval training. Going for regular steady pace walks will work for you if you have not done any exercise at all but beyond that you really need to be doing intervals at least once a week. To do this I take my clients through sessions using weights, running, a bike or crosstrainer where they work hard for a short period of time (30-60secs) and then recover for the same amount or double the amount of time. Yes it is going to get your heart rate up but did you really expect that a method that produces nine times more fat loss than steady pace aerobic exercise was going to be a walk in the park? You can do this today by simply walking much quicker for 1min and then walking at your normal pace for 2mins (repeat 6-10times) when you are out walking next. If you are not doing any form of aerobic exercise and you are eying up your potential bikini then you need a reality check.

Skipping - great for some intervals and so simple

 

Step 3 – Use weights complexes

Another method I use with all clients of all ages and abilities are weights complexes. This typically takes the form of using a number of weights exercises done back to back with little or no recovery time. The exercises chosen can be just body weight exercises as this will be enough resistance for most people. An example of this would be doing lunges, press-ups and a stomach exercise like crunches back to back. You then take a 1-2mins break (shorter if you are fitter) and then repeat 3-4 times. Keep it simple to begin with a pick exercises that require no equipment as that way you can do it from home.

You will get more toned, drop fat faster and have much more energy by training in this way. It is a far more efficient way of training with weights as it makes better use of your time, gives a full body workout and really helps to boost metabolism and burn fat. I use a very wide range of exercises to do these complexes and there are lots of video examples of them that you can try out on in this blog in the crossfit and workout of the week section.

Step 4 – Eat more fat

From the diet journals I see on a daily basis the most common mistake I see is clients not eating enough fats. Now I am not talking about the harmful fats in fried foods and junk foods. These damaging fats are generally listed as hydrogenated or trans fats. There are no safe limits for these fats and should be avoided at all costs. The essential fats that you need for your body to function optimally are the omega 3 and 6 fats. Foods that are rich in good fats are fish, avocadoes, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and nut butters like peanut and almond butter. Initially when I meet many of my clients they are so fat phobic and the mere suggestion of eating more fats is seen as crazy. Yet many of these same clients are extremely deficient in good fats. There is a mountain of research to show that eating more fats even saturated fat from meat, dairy foods and eggs are beneficial to your health.

For example, In October 2005 the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study in which the diets of 2,200 post-menopausal women with low total fat intake and they discovered:

“A higher saturated fat (from meat, eggs, dairy foods) is associated with LESS progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD) whereas carbohydrate intake is associated with greater progression”

The bottom line is that it’s not the butter that’s causing you problems it’s the ton of bread and potatoes that is expanding your waistline and increasing your cholesterol.

Step 5 – Are you just asking?

If you have read this far into the article ask yourself this simple question – are you just asking about how to shed fat fast or do you REALLY want to know? Iget asked daily what is the quickest way to burn fat and get in shape but many people are just asking. They don’t really want to know. The people that are just asking can also end up asking too many questions and it’s like they are never satisfied with the answers becuase they prefer to keep asking questions rather than getting down to the business of putting in good hard training sessions and being way more honest with their diet. For example, do not ask me about whether to use low fat milk in your tea if you insist on eating bread twice a day, biscuits daily and just can’t give up the latte a day habit. Come on work on whats going to make a true difference! Less talk and more action please.

Mother of god noooo! Lifting tiny dumbbells counts as no action!

The clients I work with that do get and continue to get great results are the ones who REALLY want to know and not just know for knowledge sake but because they want to apply the info asap. They never feel there is no more to learn, they enjoy the challenge of a new program and can’t see their life without regular exercise and a clean diet. They love the feeling exercise gives them and they value the time it takes to exercise because they do not want to end up like some people who moan about their excess fat and being tired all the time but never do anything about it.

I never get tired of answering questions on training, nutrition and health but sometimes I have to ask myself does this person REALLY want to know or are they just asking. If you really want to know you NEVER make excuses and you get the job done. If you are just asking then that’s ok and maybe one day you will get the push you need to stop asking and take action.

Getting in shape in a short time frame requires consistent application of all the five points listed. It may seem strict but the best results come from a dedicated effort with a major goal in mind.

I leave you with a dance act I really like that are on Britain’s got talent- a good example of consistent application!

Tags: amazing fat loss, basic weights program, britain's got talent, burn fat, Crossfit, Dominic Munnelly, dublin personal training, personal training, shed fat fast, the transformation catalyst