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Getting your body in tip top shape can’t be done overnight but it can be done quickly.  The solution is to combine a few tactics that work synergistically to help you get there.  The other thing that is absolutely necessary is avoiding all of the detrimental things that will get in the way.  If you want results and you want them fast, there is simply no room to screw around.  The good thing is that if you follow the ten tips below most everything will take care of itself.  Fit these rules into your current routine and get ready to see your body catapult to the next level!

1. Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is one of the easiest ways to consistently burn body fat without having to make any other changes.  It can be done every day or periodically and still yield some awesome results.  Essentially, this strategy helps to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, thereby maximizing the bodies production of fat burning hormones. Learn more about how to skip a few meals to burn fat or build muscle here.

2. Try a One Day Fast

This strategy is a little trickier than number one but it works.  The reason it can be tough is that it involves eating nothing for the entire day.  Typically, the best day to do a fast for the entire day is once per week after a day of heavy eating.  So, for instance, if you eat a lot of calories on Saturdays, then Sunday can be a smart day to fast.  The logic behind this approach is similar to intermittent fasting but there’s another reason it works: fasting after “feasting” allows your body to burn body fat more efficiently since your leptin levels rise and help your body maintain a faster metabolism.

3. Try to Eat your Carbs after Your Workouts

This is a simple tip that is easy to follow and makes a HUGE impact on how your body looks.  The idea here is that your body will more efficiently utilize carbohydrates when you consume them right after working out, versus any other time throughout the day.  Some people would argue that eating carbs before your workout is the way to go but I would emphasize that you don’t need to eat much in the way of carbohydrate before working out if you want to target body fat.  Eating too many carbs before workouts shifts your body from fat metabolism to carb metabolism so your body will burn the carbs before tapping into stored fat mass. Take home point: save your high carb meals for after your workouts.

4. Limit your Overall Carb Intake

One of the easiest ways to get your body lean fast is to get your system to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel.  And the best way to do this?  Limit your carb intake.  Doing this almost always yields great results for most individuals.  For some people, their main problem is simply consuming too many carbs.  Most people will see results from dropping their carbohydrate intake to between 50 and 100g per day.

5. Keep your Protein Intake High (but not too high)

Focusing on keeping your protein intake high has several key benefits in regard to burning body fat.  First of all, it helps with satiety so you stay more full and are less likely to load up on carbs.  It is also a key component in muscle growth and maintenance, so it helps the body improve metabolic functioning.  One thing that people may not realize is that while high protein consumption is good, taking in too much can sometimes get in the way of losing weight or burning body fat.  Gluconeogenesis – the process by which the body creates glycogen from protein – can sometimes contribute to fat storage.  Bottomline: most active people can get the benefits of protein by consuming up to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

6. Only So Much Sodium

Sodium is an important compound needed during exercise and it’s often given a bad wrap.  The thing is, we do need sodium but – like anything else – too much can be bad.  The main problem with sodium is not that it limits fat burning directly but that it can cause water retention in tissues.  This results in a “puffy” look and can get in the way of dropping body weight.  The key here is to avoid overly salty foods, processed options, and most all fast food type meals.  The other indirect way that reducing sodium intake causes you to burn more fat is that to do so you reduce your intake of foods that are typically also very carb and fat laden.

7. Wash it Down with Water

Believe it or not, drinking more water will help your body burn more body fat.  There are a few reasons.  First of all, drinking more water helps with satiety so it sometimes helps people eat less.  Water also helps saturate tissues so it can help with the muscle building process, which ultimately will boost your metabolism.  Finally, drinking lots of water quenches your thirst so you’ll be less likely to fill up on other, more calorie dense liquids such as soda, alcohol, juices, or sports drinks.

8. Limit your Alcohol Intake

Alcohol is often viewed as a diuretic – and it is – but it’s still laden with calories that contribute to weight gain.  Although a few drinks a week may ultimately be beneficial to health, drinking more often just adds calories to your daily total.  The problem is that instead of decreasing carb and fat intake while drinking (which is what I’ve mentioned in the article how to drink and lose weight) most people eat their normal diet and end up adding a bunch of calories and at the end of day in the form of alcohol.

9. Add ALA

Alpha Lipoic Acid, also known as ALA for short is a an antioxidant that is made by the body natural but can be taken in supplement form as well.  Studies (and anecdotal reports) have shown promise with ALA for the treatment of complications from diabetes and other metabolic disorders.  The key behind ALA’s effectiveness is it’s ability to help the body manage blood sugar.  ALA is essentially what’s known as an insulin mimetic.  This means that it mimics insulin in the body and can assist the body in lowering blood sugar after meals.  The other incredible thing that alpha lipoic acid has been shown to do is make the body more likely to store carbohydrates as muscle glycogen or in the liver as opposed to body fat.  This gives the muscles more energy and makes the body more resistant to creating new fat cells when consuming excess carbs.  The dosages vary but people have recommended intakes as low as 50mg and as high as 1200mg per day depending on your goal. I have personally seen good results in the form of improved body composition from consuming 600-900 grams per day with meals.  For updated info on this supplement and more on my personal experience with it check out Alpha Lipoic Acid for Reducing Body Fat and Slowing Aging.

10. Count on CLA

Conjugated linulaeic acid or CLA is a relatively newly discovered “good” fat that helps the body with fat metabolism.  Not only does CLA help with fat burning but it also has been shown to possibly assist with muscle building and even preventing cancer.  The amazing thing about CLA is that it seems to preferentially target body fat in the abdominal region.  Click here to get more info on the benefits of this powerful antioxidant.

For more tips on how to get ripped stay tuned for Volume 2!

- Andrew