5 Diet Tips To Help You Get Ripped

Dieting is by far the hardest part of getting lean. Working out is fun and you’re really only doing it a few hours a week … dieting sucks and it’s 24 hours a day, every day.

The good news is that there are a few things you can do to make things a little easier on yourself and to speed up your progress … here are five tips that have helped me and many of my clients lose body fat in the past:

1. Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

A lot of people seem to obsess about the ‘small’ stuff: if they ate white rice instead of brown, or if they slipped up and had desert one night after dinner. Honestly, these small things do add up and make a difference – but individually, they’re not going to kill your progress. This type of stuff happening every day is what ends up being a problem.

Look at where you’re at on a daily or weekly basis – if you’re in a calorie defecit, you should end up losing weight. This is where the importance of a food log comes in, too.

2. Portion Control

Your stomach is really only about the size of a fist; that’s about how much food it takes to fill it. You should feel better when you’re done eating, not sluggish or stuffed.

Getting your portions under control could be the most important factor in your weight loss efforts. If you simply took everything you currently ate and cut it in half, you’d start losing weight fast.

3. Prepare for success

If you have healthy food around the house, you’re a lot less likely to hit up the In-n-Out burger on the way home after a long day of work. Here are a couple examples of foods that won’t ruin your diet and are easy to prepare:

Pre-cooked grilled chicken breast
Bags of pre-washed greens
94% fat free microwave popcorn
Containers of pre-cooked brown rice

You get the idea. Set yourself up for success.

4. Have written goals

Write down your fitness goals. Tell your friends, co-workers, etc. about them. This is incredibly effective for any goal, fitness-related or not. Not only have you recorded what you’re trying to accomplish, everyone knows about what you’re doing, so you risk humiliation if you fail.

5. Once a week, eat what you want

Reward yourself for sticking to the plan all week long and eat what you want. This really helps keep you on track and gives you something to look forward to.

These simple tips really can make a difference in your diet efforts. The #1 thing is that you have to be committed – if you’re mentally ready to change, you’re well on your way.

P.S. Searching for healthy meals to help you lose body fat? Check out these slow carb recipes at http://www.thefitnessmonster.com/2012/01/slow-carb-recipes.html!

7 Great Kettlebell/Body Weight/Conditioning GymBoss Workouts

Whether you’re keeping track of rest periods between sets, the length of your entire workout, if you’re doing as many reps as you can in a pre-determined amount of time, or if you’re doing a specific interval method like the Tabata protocol, having a reliable and accurate way to time yourself is essential.

A simple stopwatch is one solution, but it doesn’t give you much flexibility, and it definitely leaves a few features to be desired. The GymBoss interval timer is a nifty little device and offers a perfect solution. Rather than list out all of the specific features and advantages it offers, I thought I’d just put together a list of seven cool kettlebell/ body weight/ conditioning GymBoss workouts you can try yourself … so you can get some new workout ideas and see how the timer works at the same time.

7 Great Kettlebell/ Body Weight/ Conditioning GymBoss Workouts

1. http://www.brinkzone.com/general-fitness-info/gppconditioning-day-the-vid/ – How you can use the GymBoss for GPP/conditioning
2. http://www.gymboss.com/crossfit-workout-timer.php – Sample CrossFit workouts with the GymBoss
3. http://mutusystem.com/gymboss-intervals-timer-free-workout-video.html – An at home GymBoss workout
4. http://www.jeremyko.com/2011/07/why-i-love-my-gymboss-interval-timer/ – Run-down of various workouts/etc. you can do with the GymBoss
5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsH4BRNRYgI&feature=player_embedded – Tabata kettlebell workout
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WirQWunpF4 – Another Tabata workout with kettlebells and body weight
7. http://www.healthhabits.ca/2009/01/21/warning-tabata-workouts-will-cause-fat-loss/ – Even more Tabata workouts w/ the Gymboss

Having an accurate and reliable way to time your work/rest intervals during a workout is essential. The GymBoss interval timer is a great solution … and the seven workouts in this article are a great starting point for your training efforts.

Keep working hard -

Forest

P.S. These tough workouts are just the beginning in terms of what is available through Sacramento Personal Trainer at http://www.forestvancetraining.com/personal-trainers-sacramento, you need to check it out!