The #1 Secret To Fat Loss
Mark Twain once said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” Not only is his advice right when it comes to getting ahead, it’s also right when it comes to fat loss. The #1 secret to really succeeding at getting rid of fat, is you need to first understand what your major task is, and then break it down.
[If you can look at this picture and not feel a major urge to eat a donut afterwards, then you will have no trouble with fat loss. For the rest of you, think how disgusting eating those donuts can make you look and resist the urge!]
In the case of fat loss, your major task is to take in less calories than you expend. Every day that you expend more calories then you take in, is a day that you’ll be losing fat. Then you would break that down to a more specific task of taking in 500 calories less then you expend every day in order to lose one pound a week. Here are some awesome tips on how to make sure you’ll be able to sustain taking in less calories than you expend without going on a starvation diet:
The Importance Of Walking
A lot of the really effective information on fat loss is geared towards people who are already in good enough shape to run, sprint, and swim. For those of you who aren’t and want to start losing weight, the first thing you need to do is start counting calories with your diet, and walking as much as you can. Once your weight starts going down from walking and dieting and you get strong enough to do more intense exercise, you’ll see that your weight loss and muscle gain start to go up exponentially.
High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT
I’m a huge fan of high intensity interval training for both fat loss and muscle building. The truth is, doing cardio at a moderate pace for hours has been out of style for years and HIIT has been proven to be at least effective if not more than normal cardio and is far more efficient.
HIIT just means doing something at extreme intensity to raise your heart-beat(almost as hard as you can or as hard as you can) for a set period, then resting and repeating 6-8 times. An example of HIIT would be sprinting for 80 to 100m with a 1 minute rest in between each sprint for 6-8 times. This can also be done with swimming or any other sport. People really find this kind of exercise to be amazing for fat loss.
Throw Your Fat To The Sharks With Swimming
If there’s one sport that burns calories at an almost alarming speed, it’s swimming. For the best results, make sure to alternate between all the strokes (crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and if you’re really good, butterfly) and to at least part of the time go as fast as you can for 50m.
Those times where you really sprint swim as fast as you can is what really going to increase your endurance and muscle as well as burn fat like mad. That being said, because swimming burns calories so quickly, your body is going to have a reaction to replenish the calories and you’re going to be extremely hungry. So when you eat after a swim, remind yourself that you’re swimming to lose weight, not gain weight!
Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training For Fat Loss
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You’re right on target about the swimming. I went from running a half-marathon to deciding to do a sprint triathlon. I quickly learned that being able to run a long time meant little when it came to swimming. I thought after 25-meters in the pool I was going to collapse from asphyxiation!
Comment by Greg at Live Fit — July 17, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
Greg,
That’s a funny story. When I first got into swimming again it was after I had been injured for a long time (thus I was in bad shape) and the only pool available to me was more than 50 meters or bigger than Olympic size! Needless to say, getting back into swimming in that pool was not easy, but definitely good for me.
Anyway, you have an awesome blog and it’s great to hear from you.
-Rafi
Comment by Rafi — July 17, 2009 @ 4:33 pm
I read in your about section that you were in the israeli special forces. I want to join the British s.a.s when I am older ( I am 16) and was hoping that you could give me some fitness advice on how to join a elite unit such as the s.a.s. What sort of exercises and training should I do? Sorry if my comment is not relevant to your post, I would appreciate any answer since I can’t find seem to find imformation on how to train for special forces on the internet.
Comment by henry — July 18, 2009 @ 10:09 am
can I just add that I prefer training without any equipment
Comment by henry — July 18, 2009 @ 10:36 am
Henry,
I don’t know much about the s.a.s specifically. I will tell you though that in general, special forces guys need to be able to carry a tremendous amount of gear for huge distances. So what you’re looking for is an overall fitness level which is high, along with a body able to sustain carrying extreme weight for long periods without getting injured. To achieve this, here’s what I suggest:
1) You’re going to do a combination of weight training(squats, deadlifts, bench presses etc.) along with body weight training(pull ups, push ups, rings, parallel bar dips, sit ups, etc.).
2) You’re going to have to start running. If you can find a dirt path or sand for this, that’s better since it’s both harder to do and also easier on the joints.
3) If you’re not already, start wearing work boots more often (not when you run) to get your body and feet used to wearing boots full time. The whole way your body moves with boots is entirely different than sneakers or lighter shoes.
4) After a few months of training, you’re going to want to get a pack and load it with 5 liter water bottles (you’ll build up slowly, don’t start with a weight that’s not comfortable, and every liter of water equals a kilo in weight) and walk fast for a few kilometers and keep building up. This is to make sure that your body is up to doing what you’ll have to be able to do in the army.
Important tips: The key here is that you really need to build up slowly. The reason is we want to not only make you stronger, but increase your bone, ligament, and tendon strength which takes months to do. If you’re planning on going into the army at 18, start training now and get focused on training now until then. (Trust me, you can do it. It’s not as big a deal as you think it is and just concentrate on the moment.)
Also, I don’t know what your situation is. How developed you are at 16, if you’ve trained up until now, if you’re on any sports teams and so on. If you’re not a 16 year old who is already really developed, then I’d suggest taking your training more slowly. Give yourself time and just stick to it. Also, remember to eat well while you train, nutrition is just as important for increasing your strength as the training itself.
Hope that helps, and good luck!
-Rafi
Comment by Rafi — July 19, 2009 @ 2:35 pm
I won’t be joining until I am 22 ( i want to take a masters degree which takes 4 years) and then I have to be in the army for 3 and a half years to apply for the s.a.s so I won’t be able to join until I am about 26. Also there is a selection pass rate of between 2 and 10% so success is not likely. I appreciated advice from someone who was in the equivalent of the s.a.s (israelis special forces are modelled on the s.a.s). Thanks for the time you took to respond to my question.
Comment by henry — July 19, 2009 @ 5:09 pm
I’d have to say that training for a sprint triathlon got me into the best shape of my life. Swimming was incredible for leaning me out, and of course the bike and sprinting built my muscles up. It’s a rigorous training regimen, but it works and what an accomplishment it was to finish my first triathlon. Anyone can do it. Great article.
Comment by Amy Willis — July 20, 2009 @ 11:43 pm
Amy,
It’s awesome to hear about people who really succeed with their training regimens. Congrats on completing the triathlon!
-Rafi
Comment by Rafi — July 21, 2009 @ 3:42 pm