3 Tips Friday, a collection of weight loss tips that you can take action on today and be 3 days ahead of your friends who start things on Mondays. Each Friday, I publish 3 weight loss tips or fitness tips that allow you to take steps towards you ultimate physique today. Taking action is one of the main themes of this blog and my weight loss forum. There is a saying that Knowledge Is Power, however, it is my belief that Knowledge In Action Is Power. Take action. Begin today.
Weight Loss Tips – Playing with your food
The idea here is to test small changes to your weight loss program. Make a small tweak in your diet and then monitor the results on your body fat. I call this “playing with your food”
Increase Your Protein Intake – proteins are essential building blocks for living systems—hence their name, drawn from the Greek proteios, or “holding first place”. The power of protein cannot be denied and simply by adding a little protein to each meal, you increase your fat burning capability. More protein equals more fat burnt.
Two ounces of protein is a little less than 200 calories according to Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program. Begin by adding one or two ounces of lean chicken breast to each of your meals. The total calories would be 300 to 600 for the day, but the thermogenic effect of eating it burns more fat than the calories you consume. Tom’s trademarked phrase is “Eat More Burn More“. Try it for 21 days. Monitor your results
Properly Combine Your Foods – Fit for life author Harvey Diamond taught me about food combining. Food combining, otherwise known as natural hygiene was even practiced and taught by Henry Ford, the inventor of the Model T. The idea is that you can greatly improve your digestion and release enormous amounts of energy stored as fat on your body by simply combining your foods properly. Do not eat Starches and proteins together. You can eat protein and vegetables together or starches and vegetables, but not protein and starches. Choose chicken breast and vegetables as your primary food meals for say 2 meals a day. Make this one change and apply it for 21 days and monitor your results. For more information about food combining listen to my free interview with Harvey Diamond.
Eliminate Banana’s From Your Diet – Simple. I used to eat 1 single banana every day at 11:30 am before I had my lunch. I ate it by itself, according to the principles of proper fruit consumption and then had my lunch about an hour later. I heard that bananas had a lot of sugar in them and were very mucous forming. I didn’t believe it. It’s a natural food. I was told that by eliminating them I’d drop a few pounds, so I decided to prove him wrong. I proved him right. I lost 5 pounds in two weeks by eliminating this one single banana. Will it work for you? Dunno? Try it for 21 days, monitor the results and report back in the comments.
rob, do you think with regards what you say to protein and the thermalgenic affects of protein being broken down etc by the body, that there would be anyfat burning loss from having a protein shake before going to bed? idea being when sleeping your body is having to work to break the protein down? therefore burning fat as you sleep?
Your body needs protein at about 3 to 4 hour intervals so that it stays in an anabolic state (building of tissue). Without the protein at regular intervals, your body begins to break down your own muscle to be used elsewhere in the body. Muscle is easier to break down than fat because fat is a very tightly bound molecule. It takes an enormous amount of energy to break it down.
By having a little protein before bed, and especially in an easily digested and absorb able form, your body will stay anabolic, will have better sleep and continue to burn fat during the night.
and yes, a little 1/2 tablespoon of Good Fats as well (in the form of Udo’s Oil or other blend of Omega 3-6-9) is ok too. Just keep the calories low because you’re sleeping, not training.
For me, the focus is on keeping my muscle by having a little protein, rather than burning fat while I sleep. I work hard for my muscle. It’s the engine that keeps you burning fat, so keeping it is my priority while fat burning is second. They work hand in hand. Build muscle, keep the muscle through good nutrition, then do cardio to have the muscle burn your fat.