Monday 28 June 2010

5 New Tips for a Flat Belly

Today's article is from one of my favorite fitness/nutrition authors, Jon Benson... he's also become a good friend of mine over the past couple years.  Check it out...



TIP 1
Flip The Food Pyramid Upside-down

The USDA's Food Pyramid is an absolute joke. It's origins stink up the joint, let me tell you.

First, the grain industry was in a pinch when the Food Pyramid was created. And wouldn't you know it... the grain industry increased their "contributions" to certain politicians to get placement right at the top of the pyramid... or in this case at the very bottom. The "foundation" if you will.

Just think about this for a moment:

The USDA wants you to eat (gasp) MORE starch than vegetables? More bread than fruits, lean meats, and healthy fats?

Are they NUTS??

Yes... they are nuts. (Which, by the way, are no where near the foundation... nuts, that is.)

You'd be better off flipping that sucker upside-down.

That would look like this:

40% of your calories from healthy fats
30% of your calories from protein
30% of your calories from carbohydrates

Roughly, that is.

Sounds... rebellious, right? Well it is.

Thing is, I have the science (and the abs) to back it up.


TIP 2
Can The Sodas (yes, even "diet" sodas)

This one is really hard for me. I've been hooked on diet-soda on and off for years. If you want to get into top shape, then get rid of the diet-sodas... yes, DIET-sodas. Need I say "real" sodas too? They are loaded with sugar.

Why diet-sodas? A recent study revealed that people who drank diet-sodas actually increased body fat when compared to those who drank sugar-sodas. What the... ??

Yep. Your body cannot be fooled by aspartame and chemicals. Sorry, but that's the truth.

Here's a personal story: When I cut out the diet-sodas, my body fat drops like a rock in a pond of clear water.

And that's what you need to be drinking: A quart of pure water per 50 lbs of bodyweight a day.

I mix it with lemon and a bit of Stevia (an herbal sweetener) and make lemonade. It's wonderful!


TIP 3
Ditch The Starch

Starches, such as rice, potatoes, cereals, oats, etc. are often considered "health foods."

While they can be healthy in some cases, they can also pack on stomach body fat like crazy if you overdo them.

Timing is everything.

 We need to take a "weekly" approach to foods rather than a daily approach. This keeps your metabolism guessing. If your body cannot figure out what you're up to, fat burning is that much more powerful. And you can get by with eating starches... at least at specific times on specific days.

The best way to start is to simply cut starches out entirely for 4-8 weeks. Then slowly add them back a few days per week.


TIP 4
Stay Hungry

Arnold's first movie was "Stay Hungry" (well, after "Pumping Iron" that is). You cannot rest on your butt and stay hungry. You cannot think you've "arrived" and stay hungry.

It takes a special person to be hungry... and an even greater one to stay that way.

I want you to stay hungry in two ways: In how you workout and literally... stay a bit hungry before you go to bed. Not "starving"... just a bit hungry.

First, check with your doctor and if he/she okays it take 500mg of potassium and 1000mg of magnesium/calcium a few hours prior to bed. This helps with the hunger pangs. Also, keep hard-boiled eggs in the fridge for a healthy source of protein and healthy fats. If you get really hungry, eat one at night. It keeps me full for an hour at least.


TIP 5
Get Raw At Night

Raw veggies with your last meal and as a snack will really help your fat burning along. I started with red peppers because they're sweet. Now I eat virtually every veggie raw at night without thinking about it. Give this a shot. The fat loss is well worth it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks Jon!

I like the tips about the hard boiled eggs and raw veggies at night. That's actually one of my favorite night-time snacks when I'm trying to drop body fat fast.  Great combination too.

Check out Jon's site below for more great ideas to get lean:

http://www.FavoriteFoodsDiet.com



Have a great weekend!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com

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