Transformation Delegation - Secrets The Fitness Industry Don't Want You To Know!

Yesterday I heard from one of my good buddies from college. He was one of the first athletes to do interval training with me on the “back 40″ at Howard University way back in 2000.

He’s currently using my Metabolic Training program but he emailed yesterday morning looking for a simple nutrition plan to go with it.

At first I thought about recommending FFBC Meal plan to him, but I know that even though it is the most similar plan to how I eat, there’s no way he has time to read through it (since he works 10 hours a day and has 2 little kids and a great wife to get home to each night).

So I started writing…and planning…and came up with this fat burning meal plan for him. And when I was done, I realized it might be the last diet article I ever need to write. Hopefully it will answer all of your questions…if not, ask away in the comments section below.

First, the rules:

1) For fat loss, men need 1800-2200 calories while women need 1500-1800. These are generalizations, I know, so what I recommend is using a site like Fitday.com to find out how much you are eating per day now. Then, provided you aren’t currently gaining weight, simply subtract 10-20% of that number to get your fat loss calorie goal. If you are gaining weight, you’ll obviously need to subtract more. Finding the right calorie number takes a little trial and error, but shouldn’t take more than a week.

2) Choose the eating pattern that fits your daily schedule. If you don’t get breaks at work, eat 3 larger meals. If you like the 3 meals and 2-3 snacks route, you can use that. Research suggests that meal frequency is not as important as bodybuilding magazines make it out to be…however, for some folks, the increased frequency works best. Again, a little trial and error on your part will be required.

3) When all else fails, eat more fruits and vegetables.

4) When in doubt, avoid eating foods from a bag or a box.

5) Only eat when you are truly hungry, not bored. Write down all the obstacles to this plan, then write down TWO solutions for every obstacle. Always have more solutions than problems (a good lesson to teach our kids and share with our co-workers).

NOTE: Even though I list “protein shakes” a lot here, there’s no need to use more than 2 servings per day (1 serving = 1 scoop). Protein shakes are:

a) Convenient

b) Filling

c) A better choice than most other things

But they are not magic or mandatory…just an option.

Look for a pure whey protein – giving you 20g protein per serving and less than 2g carbs. Mix it with 1 cup unsweetened almond breeze(because it has less than half the calories of a cup of milk).

For specific brands, I’ve partnered with Prograde Protein, and it’s the kind I will recommend to my mom.

Now for your fat burning meal plan.

Breakfast:

Option #1 – Eggs (i.e. a 2-4 egg omelet with spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, and even asparagus – choose a couple). Have an apple on the side. Drink some Green Tea (coffee is fine too) and water. You might want to supplement with fish oil and vitamin C. Those are the two supplements I take every day for health – I don’t expect fat loss from ANY supplement.

Option #2 – Protein shake + 1-2 oz almonds + piece of fruit

Mid-morning Snack

Option #1 - Almonds + piece of fruit + Green Tea + water

Option #2 – Protein shake + cut up vegetables and hummus + Green Tea + water

Lunch

Option #1 – Big salad with grilled chicken or salmon

Option #2 – Grilled chicken on whole grain bread plus cut up vegetables and hummus

Mid-afternoon Snack

Option #1 – 1oz raw nuts + small piece dark chocolate

Option #2 – Banana with almond butter

Option #3 – One of the morning snacks

Dinner

Option #1 – 6oz steak + all the vegetables you want (minimize eliminate starchy carbs most days of the week)

Option #2 – Chicken or Salmon with all the vegetables you want

Option #3 – Quinoa with vegetables (I eat this 3x’s per week)…and if you don’t eat meat, email me and I will design a vegetarian meal plan for you

By the way, if you want a glass of wine at dinner, go for it (but just one glass).

However, realize that when choosing treats, you have to pick your poison…you can’t have wine, bread, a giant potato and dessert – and still expect to lose fat.

Choose one of those extras, keep it to one serving – to limit it to under 200 calories, savor it, and enjoy the rest of the meal and the company you are with.

And try not to eat too much food off your kiddo’s plates 

Dessert/Evening Snack (if necessary)

Option #1 – Frozen banana (sounds lame, but seriously good) or frozen berries

Option #2 – 1 scoop chocolate protein in 1 cup plain vanilla yogurt with teaspoon almond butter

Option #3 – An apple with 1 teaspoon almond butter

I hope that helps. It’s about as simple as you can get when planning a fat loss diet.

But don’t forget to…

• Drink 2-3 liters of water per day.
• Get to know your condiments…spicy mustards, salsas, no-sugar added tomato sauce, all of these are better than mayo and ketchup.
• Plan out 1-2 reward meals each week…eat what you want, but don’tgo overboard with the portions.

Finally, one of the best things you can do to create order in a chaotic life is to create a series of personal philosophies/rules. They solve all of your problems without draining emotional energy. Here are my rules:

=> The 33 Rules I Live By

Please share that link with anyone who you think would benefit. I believe it’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever written.
Thanks,

Joe Buabeng, CPT, Fat Loss Coach

FitnessOptimist.com

Wait! Don’t just skim down to see which exercise I’ve labeled as the best, get the whole story…

I’m often approached and asked to pin down a single exercise as the one that will help lose the most fat and sculpt the quickest. That’s not an easy question to answer.

You see, I’m very aware of the fact that though an exercise may be perfect for Client A, it may not be the best choice for Client B—hence my hesitation to label any exercise as the universal best.

That being said, some exercises are definitely better than others. And, yes, there are even a few that I would call the best.

What makes an exercise the best?

When you decide which exercises to include in your routine, it is important to consider the type of movement involved. The simpler the movement, the fewer calories you’ll burn and the fewer muscles you will strengthen. On the other hand, the more complex the movement, the more calories you will burn and the more muscles you will strengthen.

To put it simply, exercises that use complex movements will deliver better results than exercises that use only simple movements. Complex movements recruit multiple muscles, some to stabilize and others to perform the movement. This process keeps your heart rate higher than a simple exercise would, giving you a more intense workout.

What is a complex movement?

A complex movement is a multi-joint movement that recruits large portions of the body to complete the exercise. Let’s compare a simple movement leg exercise with a complex movement leg exercise:

The leg extension machine uses a simple, isolated movement to work the quadriceps. You’re in a seated position moving only your knee joint. There isn’t much involvement, if any, from other muscles and it doesn’t burn very many calories.

Now let’s look at a free weight walking lunge. You start by standing with your feet together and a dumbbell in each hand at your sides (or a barbell across your shoulders, or a medicine ball held at your chest, or even with no weight at all). You take a large step forward and lower your back knee, keeping your front knee at a 90 degree angle. Now you push off your front foot and pull your back leg forward, repeating the movement.

How many muscles did you utilize while performing the lunge? Probably too many to count.

You certainly worked your quadriceps, gluteus, hamstrings, calves, abdominals, supporting muscles in your shoulders, arms and back- just to name a few. You also raised your heart rate and really kicked your metabolism into high gear. That’s what I call a great exercise.

Other ways to increase intensity

Using complex movements are just one of many ways to kick your workout intensity up a notch. Try incorporating a Super Set into your routine. To do so simply perform two or more exercises in a row and then take a short rest.

Or how about a Compound Set? Perform one exercise, rest, then perform an exercise with opposing body parts. To find exercises that compliment one another, choose ones that have similar but opposite motions such as a chest press and a row.

The key to finding the best exercise is to find the ones that bring your workout intensity to a whole new level.

I’d be shortchanging you if I named any exercise as the best. The fact of the matter is that it is a combination of changing your workouts up, using interval training, and even some good old cardio that will ultimately see you to your goal.

These methods will help you to burn more calories, increase your metabolic rate, and will stimulate the production of more fat burning and muscle toning hormones. Of course, there is more involved to achieving your fitness goals. You need to incorporate fat burning into your routine. You need to consistently challenge yourself during workouts. You need to take control of your eating habits and to get your diet dialed in.

So what’s the best exercise for you? Find out – call or email me today to schedule your no obligation fitness consultation.

You’re In Charge

While there are many things in life that you do not have direct control over, what ends up in your mouth is not one of them! You control what you eat. Instead of eating extra large portions, chose wisely and your body and waistline will thank you for it. Couple this with a regular fitness routine and you will find that reaching and maintaining your goal weight is easier than ever.

Do you have unmet goals?

You aren’t alone. In fact, many people live with unfulfilled aspirations and the self-help industry is booming.

Unfortunately, many widely used self-help techniques fail to deliver results.

Case in point: You’ve probably heard of the “Yale Goal Study” in which researchers were said to have interviewed the graduating Yale seniors in 1953, asking whether or not the students had written down specific goals that they wanted to achieve. Then twenty years down the road the researchers looked up each student and discovered that the 3% of the class who had written down their goals had accumulated more personal wealth than the other 97% combined.

Very compelling story, but complete fiction.

The “Yale Goal Study” never happened, though motivational speakers and self-help books have quoted it for years.

Best selling author and psychologist Richard Wiseman went on a mission to craft a no-nonsense response to the bogus self-help techniques. Using a diverse range of scientific data he uncovered a proven approach to achieve any goal.

The following 5 successful techniques (Do This) and 5 unsuccessful techniques (Not That) are from Wiseman’s book, 59 Seconds Change Your Life in Under a Minute.

Do This: Make a Step-by-Step Plan.

If you are serious about achieving your goal, then you need to create a step-by-step plan on how to do it.

Successful goal-achievers break down their overall goal into sub-goals. Each sub-goal needs to be concrete, measurable and time-based.

Not That: Motivate yourself by focusing on someone that you admire.

Studies show that focusing on someone you admire is not a strong enough motivator to see you through your goal.

Do This: Tell Other People About Your Goal.

How badly do you want to achieve your goal? If you want it bad enough, you’ll tell your friends and family.

This technique works on two levels. First, you’ve put yourself on the spot by letting the world in on your goal, so it’s all-eyes-on-you. Failure would be public. Second, your friends and family are there to offer support and encouragement. Don’t underestimate the psychological power of having someone in your corner.

Not That: Think about the bad things.

When you focus on the negative it becomes your reality.

Do This: Focus on the Good Things When Achieving Your Goal.

Remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goal.

Make a checklist of how life will be better once you have achieved your aim. This gets your focus on a positive future, one that’s worth the effort.

Not That: Try to suppress unhelpful thoughts.

Rather than trying to erase that image of chocolate cake from your mind, learn to deal with the reality of temptation head-on.

Do This: Reward Your Progress.

Studies show that attaching rewards to each of your sub-goals encourages success.

Your rewards should never conflict with your major goal. When aiming to lose weight, never use food as a reward.

Not That: Rely on willpower.

Willpower alone rarely gets anyone to their goal.

Do This: Record Your Progress.

Make your plans, progress, benefits and rewards concrete by expressing them in writing.

Use a hand-written journal, your computer or a bulletin board to chart your progress. This process is priceless for maintaining motivation.

Not That: Fantasize about life after achieving your goal.

Daydreaming is fun, but simply fantasizing about your new life will not make it a reality.

Are you ready to achieve your fitness and weight loss goal once and for all? Call or email me now to get started on the process that will put an end to your yo-yo dieting and your fat jeans.

Now is your time to get into the best shape of your life.

Just A Few Minutes

Are you a chronic procrastinator? Do you put off going to the gym? Research shows that by spending ‘just a few minutes’ doing the dreaded task you’ll feel an urge to see it through completion. These initial few minutes of activity create an anxious brain that refuses to rest until the job is done.

Talk soon, and remember anything and everything is possible.

P.S. Enjoy this Ahi steak recipe on me

Seasoned Ahi Steak

Ahi tuna is high in protein and low in fat, the perfect combination for building a lean, toned body. Add a side of roasted asparagus for a delicious healthy meal.

Servings: 4

Here’s what you need:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 Tablespoons cilantro, minced

dash of salt and pepper

4 (6oz) ahi tuna steaks

In a large re-sealable plastic bag combine the first six ingredients; mix well.

Add tuna to the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours, turning once. Drain and discard marinade. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the tuna in a glass pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the steaks and bake for another 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 312 calories, 10g fat, .6g carbohydrate, .2g fiber, and 50g protein.