Fat Burning Basics

Did you know that dietary habits are the #1 reason why most people will never obtain that lean, sleek, tone, sexy, ‘ripped’ mid-section with visible abdominal musculature?! No matter how hard you exercise and train, most can’t get their body fat low enough to see their muscles beneath the fat! Generally speaking, women need to get their body fat percentage down into the teens in order to become lean enough to actually see abs as opposed to jelly belly! For men, the percentage is a little lower.

Nutrition is equally as significant as exercise when it comes to achieving a gorgeous set of abs.
Now, let’s assume for starters that you’re eating foods in or close to their natural state, like we discussed in previous blogs. That being said, there is no reason to eliminate or limit your consumption of any one food group or macronutrient (protein, carbs or fat). Restrictive diets will always fail at some point. All 3 macronutrients serve critical functions in our bodies, and when eaten in the right quantities at the right times, promote a lean and healthy body. By the way, there is no magical dietary formula that promotes the best results for body fat loss (eg. 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat or 40/30/30, etc.) The experts can’t even agree!

Instead of focusing on meticulous percentages, focus on starting with healthy ‘real’ foods, including all the macro nutrients, keep an eye on total caloric intake (no fake ‘diet’ foods), keep portion sizes under control and eat frequent small meals (to increase metabolism and maintain steady blood sugar).

The following foods should comprise the majority of your diet in order to promote a lean, healthy body: vegetables; fruit; lean & clean white and red meat; deep, cold water fish; clean (organic) low fat dairy - if you choose to consume dairy; organic eggs & egg whites; whole unrefined high fiber grains (many wellness experts suggest limited quantities of even 'healthy' grains); legumes; nuts, seeds and non-hydrogenated minimally processed oils (extra virgin olive oil, flax seed oil and virgin coconut oil), pure water.

Can you imagine if you just ate foods from that list??? POW!!! Look at your abs, baby! You couldn't help but be smokin hot! Seriously, for most of us, if we could just take off that outer layer (or two!) of insulation, we're really not doing too badly beneath!

This is such an enormous topic! I'll continue to add to it as we go along. In the meantime, if you'd like to read one of the greatest resources I've personally found for results-oriented exercise and nutrition, you should really read the fabulous e-book by Mike Geary at www.SmokinHotAbs.com. He has done a spectacular job of simplifying the process of melting fat right off your body and revealing the sleek and toned YOU!