This is a direct follow up to my last blog about how I lost a lot of fat. There were so many topics to cover it was hard to go into a lot of detail and I ended up skimming most of it. If you missed the first part of How I Got Lean, click here.
More before and after pics. All the before pics were not at my worst but the poses are similar enough to compare. (Sorry for my bad cropping skills!)
For all the main points I have provided a link to articles/blogs from very credible fitness or nutrition experts. I chose to provide links instead of writing it myself because their knowledge on each topic is far superior to my own.
I personally like to stick to a handful of experts to learn from rather than reading from a vast array of different articles. In this field of fitness and nutrition there is too many contradicting arguments that can be confusing to some people so I would rather avoid reading nonsense found in some fitness magazines or other places. List of topics
Creating a calorie deficit
I have had the experience of people not being able to understand the simplicity of creating a calorie deficit to lose fat. This article explains this better than I ever could.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html
How much of a deficit should you set yourself?
Easy enough to have a calorie deficit but there’s a significant difference between 1 calorie and 1000!
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html
Body Type implications
This article takes the idea of body types a whole lot further and discusses how everyone has a different aesthetic potential. The people who put in the most effort aren’t always rewarded with the body they strive for.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html
Carb Cycling
There are numerous takes on this dieting strategy and this site provides many useful sources.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=CarbCycling
Common mistakes during a bulk up
It’s frustrating to hear some people say they cannot put on muscle no matter what. That is simply not true and the common mistakes included in the link explain why.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-mistakes.html
Why you shouldn’t do cardio for fat loss
I previously posted this on my facebook page. These blogs summarise everything I tell my clients about cardio perfectly.
http://www.radicalstrengthcoach.com/fat-loss-workouts.html
http://www.imagineiffitness.com/articles/the-real-facts-of-cardio-for-fat-loss/
Why eating at night can be a good thing
You hear many people who have made some progress losing fat telling their friends that they don’t eat after 8pm. You ask them why and they usually say because your body won’t burn the energy off during sleep so it turns to fat. Beyond this very simple explanation they will not be able to tell you why on a scientific level. Most likely they will have no knowledge to back up their claim at all. I always eat late at night and this article explains why there is nothing wrong with it.
http://www.leangains.com/2011/06/is-late-night-eating-better-for-fat.html
Limiting fat gain when drinking alcohol
I choose not to drink (last couple of months) now because I feel it makes me lose focus with training, diet, and makes work harder to get through. If you want to drink occasionally there are strategic ways to limiting fat gain. This goes a lot further than simply not having beer or sugary drinks as a mixer.
http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html
No need to eat 6 small meals a day
Someone with some but very limited nutritional knowledge will swear by the rule of eating 6 small meals a day to increase your metabolism. Eating regularly is a good strategy for some people to stop them from over indulging. However, eating the same number of calories that you do from 6 meals in 1 or 2 meals should not make any difference to fat loss/gain. Read the blog from the Lean Gains link to know why.
http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html
What is the point of being lean?
This is quite subjective but what is the point of being lean/ripped/toned. Here is one take on it and I agree with it completely.
http://www.leangains.com/2010/03/secret-benefit-of-being-lean.html
Tags: calories, cardio, count calories, exercise machine, how i got lean, lose fat, Training, weight loss