Fitness model bodybuilders have known for decades that increasing lean muscle mass is the best natural way to burn calories quickly, resulting in rapid weight loss and reduced body fat percentage.
To do this, you need a balanced, nutrient-dense diet while incorporating a comprehensive, high-intensity fitness program. This is easy to do, but you must be focused, determined, and follow the fat loss plan below.
effective diet to lose fat
Here is a simple diet plan to lose fat and gain muscle for women and men to follow. Eat five times a day and space your meals three hours apart. Instead of worrying about how many calories each food has, focus on nutrient-dense superfoods and balance (lean protein and (complex) carbohydrates and healthy fats).
Examples of nutritionally dense superfoods include
o Proteins: lean meats, fish, egg whites, soy protein
o Complex carbohydrates: yams, whole grains, brown rice, and leafy green vegetables (ie spinach)
o Healthy fats: olive oil, almonds, fish oil and avocados
To break through fat loss plateaus, cycle your calories with load and burn days. You’ll need to eat more calories and consume more carbs on your load days, while on your burn days you’ll be more in line with a low-carb, low-calorie diet.
Again, his mantra is nutrition density and balance; ensuring that your body gets the necessary vitamins and minerals to repair itself. These are the characteristics of a great muscle gain diet.
Training to build muscle/fat loss
A workout to gain muscle will increase your metabolism allowing you to burn calories faster. To build muscle fast, you’ll need to do this 3x3x3 training plan:
o Weight training – 3 times a week – 30 minutes
o Cardio Training – 3 times a week – 15 minutes
o Core Training – 3 times a week – combined with cardio
To burn fat faster, be sure to work large muscle groups (chest, back, legs). The best exercises to burn fat are the bench press, squats, and leg press. These foolproof exercises are performed by successful bodybuilders for a complete workout routine.
The elliptical trainer will not only build your cardiovascular strength, but it will also help you tone the smaller muscle groups in your arms and legs. One proven fitness tip is to set the elliptical machine to “interval training” for a more efficient calorie burn.
The basic training will consist of working the abdominals and the lower back. The benefits of strengthening these muscles are better posture and balance. Not to mention slimming down the waist line.
Tip: Be sure to rest between weight training days; this is necessary for your body to repair the shredded muscle tissue.
Supplements to gain muscle mass / fat loss
In many inner fitness circles there is a lot of controversy regarding fat loss or muscle building supplements (ie creatine). First be careful, you should avoid all steroids and pills that promise almost instant results; this is always bad news for your long-term health.
You will find conflicting evidence, when it comes to nutritional supplements and the impact fat loss enhancers have on your quest to burn fat. For now take a multivitamin designed for your gender; you’ll make sure your body gets everything it needs to function properly.
There is evidence that thermogenic fat burners will boost your metabolism and help burn more calories. Studies show that you can expect to lose seven to 10 pounds in a short period of time.
You will want to try a thermogenic that does not contain ephedra or stimulants (such as caffeine). A widely available thermogenic is Hydroxycut, caffeine free. Be sure to check with your doctor before taking any supplement for fat loss, muscle building, or weight loss.
The best natural supplement to lose fat and gain muscle is to drink plenty of water. Be sure to drink at least a gallon of water a day to flush out toxins from the body that are found in fatty tissue.
Learn the difference between fat loss and weight loss.
Many trainers will measure your progress in two ways (scale weight and body fat percentage).
Your body fat percentage is the more important of the two body measurements. You can measure your own body fat percentage at home with a specialized scale.
When you see your body fat percentage going down, this usually means your lean muscle mass is going up.
On the other hand, you may be experiencing weight gain because you are building muscle.
The best indicator of progress is whether or not your skinny clothes fit well (think skinny jeans) and whether your body appears more muscular (think ripped abs). These are the fitness models they use to see if they are experiencing fat loss and muscle gain.