I’m not stupid. I know you’re probably going out tonight to do some really unhealthy stuff that you’re going to feel in a big way tomorrow. Or, if you’re reading this on New Year’s Day, you feel like hell and you’re already making your “perfect body” resolutions—ones that’ll be starting up tomorrow when you’re no longer hung over and you’re ready to eat and train in a way that actually works.
Consider these seven tips your portal to getting started with fast weight loss—my little New Year’s gift to you. Keep these rules in mind for the next 365 days, and you’ll be well on your way to the body you want.
1. Only eat carbs at night. I don’t care what lifestyle you’re looking to maintain, but if you resistance train, and especially if you’re doing Carb Nite® or Carb Backloading™, you should only be eating carbohydrates at night. The less active you are, the fewer carbs you should eat, and the closer to bedtime you should eat them. Researchers publish papers every day supporting this conclusion. This statement has been tested over and over again, and guess what? It works, period. This, by far, is the most powerful rule you can use to achieve your perfect body and maintain it forever.
2. Stop doing steady-state cardio. I don’t know how many times I have to say this before I start making a dent in the prolific societal disease known as steady-state cardio. Whether you run marathons or simply jog for hours on the treadmill, this only does one thing: it makes your body more efficient. In other words, it slows down your metabolism and makes it easier to get fat! I’ve written about the science behind this multiple times. If you want the perfect body—and especially if you want to make things easier on yourself—stop doing cardio. Strength train instead.
3. Base your diet on whole foods. I recommend quite a bit of supplementation, but my diet plans always focus on having the majority of your calories come from whole food sources like steaks, whole eggs, fibrous vegetables, and nature’s perfect food: bacon. These foods, when used properly, actually lower the bad cholesterol, promote 24-hour protein synthesis (which helps your performance gains), and provide fuel for the supplements you use to work effectively.
4. Don’t buy into the low-glycemic, whole grain carb craze. Dieticians and health scholars alike push low-glycemic food and whole grain products like they’re the final word on being healthy, but they’re dead wrong. Eating these foods is akin to putting a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound. If you’re going to be eating carbs all day, then sure, low-glycemic carbs might help a little. If you’re using a scientifically-engineered diet like Carb Nite or Carb Backloading, however, the rules change. You can’t apply shitty diet advice to programs that create super health and aesthetics. It just won’t work. What’s reality? High-glycemic carbs, used appropriately, will accelerate fat loss.
5. Ditch the stability training. Want to make money in the fitness industry? Design a stability training toy. This is still the flavor of the month, and you’ll see new devices every week trying to capitalize on the concept—from Swiss balls to wobble boards, the list goes on and on. These devices shut down your nervous system and will actually prevent you from building a stable foundation. Lifting heavy weight with your feet planted firmly on the ground is the best stability exercise you can do.
6. Don’t take dietary advice from overweight trainers. Trainers hand out nutritional advice like it’s candy. Trouble is, with most of these assholes, candy looks like it’s all they ever eat. I once worked with a trainer who bragged about eating and drinking nothing but pizza and beer—and when we did a caliper test, I found out the guy was carrying about 35 percent body fat. If trainers aren’t getting results for themselves, they won’t be able to get them for you, either.
7. Find a friend to start with. Whether you’re starting a new diet, a new training program, or just getting ready to kick ass in the gym after taking a month off, find someone like-minded to help you stay in the groove. Research shows that surrounding yourself with supportive people increases your chances of achieving your health and performance goals.
If you’ve been following the advice of your doctor or other supposed health experts—keep in mind, medical doctors only get a single 4 credit-hour class on human nutrition in med school—using these 7 simple tips will lead to fast weight loss in the all the right ways: you’ll keep your muscle, tone up and look sexy for swimsuit season.
