Nutrition And Fat Loss 101, Part 5 – Cheating Your Way Lean

Today I want to talk to you really quickly about how to ‘cheat your way lean’. This is the 5th and final part in my Nutrition and Fat Loss 101 series, and I gotta say – it’s kind of my fave 🙂

First, a ‘disclaimer’ of sorts. I absolutely do NOT believe there is some kind of magic fast fix to full fat loss. Not least because (unless you’re starting out from being 95% clean) complete detoxification (if there is such a thing) and fat loss just takes time. Of course you can fast track things most certainly with a 7-day cleanse, but even then you’d want to know the ongoing tricks and techniques to be able to maintain it.

That’s what today is all about. The somewhat secret tricks and tips that myself and other coaches use to whip our own butts back into shape after some vacation time, or with our Biosignature clients who come in motivated and ready to transform their bodies.

sneaky tricks of the lean

We’re going to cover carb tolerance, managing blood sugars, and training.

1. Carbohydrate tolerance

The first thing I want to talk about here is carb tolerance. We’ve touched on this before, and it’s crucial to your ‘get-lean-fast’ success. The reason for this is that if you ARE carb tolerant then you have to be eating carbs to get lean, and if you’re NOT carb tolerant then you absolute should not be eating carbs to get lean. Unless they’re properly timed as part of your treat meals of course 🙂

Here are the rules:

• You can determine carb tolerance by having your Biosig assessment done and looking at your sub-scapular skinfold. This indicates genetic carb tolerance.
• Many carb tolerant people start have abused their bodies so much that they still have to steer clear of carbs until they ‘earn’ them. We determine this again by looking at the sub-scap measurement; under 10mm means you ‘earn’ your carbs. If you’re genetically carb tolerant then you will likely stay under 10mm easily even if other sites go up a little; if not then it could just be constant caution with carbs. The old adage of ‘all things in moderation’ simply isn’t true.

2. Controlling blood sugar

All good fat loss coaches understand the importance of controlling blood sugar as a means of helping to release stored fat. The truth is that even if you’re eating super low-carb your body might still be programmed to hold onto fat due to years of poor eating choices.

Here are some methods we like to use to ‘cheat’ when it comes to managing blood sugar and burning more fat:

• Take a tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon or lime before eating
• Use lemon or lime in your water or on food
• Switch from balsamic vinegar to red wine vinegar
• Use organic cinnamon liberally, in coffee/on food/in shakes. Yummy. You can even make a tea by boiling it with a pinch of sea salt. You can leave this to cool for drinking water, or drink warm.
• Eat plenty of good fats, up to 6 times per day. Raw cream/butter. Organic coconut/macadamia/olive oils. Ghee. Avocado. Nuts and seeds if you can tolerate them.

3. Training

Sweat sessions are all well and good, but not necessarily the be-all end-all for fat loss. Here are the rules on training to get lean:

• Alternate between periods (2-4 weeks) of high volume (high reps) and high intensity (low reps and heavy weights). This is crude, and individual needs may vary, but it’s a basic rule of periodisation. Doing 3 sets of 10 week/month/year in and out is a massive fat-loss FAIL.
• Lift weights before and even instead of cardio. I don’t mean do cardio straight after weights, I mean weights are kind; cardio is supplementary.
• For the rules on cardio, read here.
• My suggestion is 3-5 roughly 45-min weight sessions per week. Morning is best.
• 1 yoga or pilates type session per week
• Cardio can be 2-4 times, and could include intervals/playing/outdoor stuff/strongman training/kickboxing and so on.
• If you want to really fast-track things, then do your weights in the morning and your cardio 4-6 hours later that day.
• Post workout nutrition is CRUCIAL. Read here for more on that.

Lastly, just to get your juices watering, here is a sample food day from the Woman Incredible Transformation Day. This menu plan was designed for a low-carb diet with timed PWO carbs. If you want to know more about the day, read the ‘PS’.

8am: Lean organic porterhouse steak with nut butter; coffee with cream and cinnamon, or green or peppermint tea.

10.30am: PWO shake with bee pollen

12 noon: Salmon with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, pickled red onions, green beans, sweet potato strips, olives, red wine vinegar and olive oil

3.30pm: Egg and vegie frittata with mushrooms, broccoli, green beans, asparagus

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