THE ULTIMATE FAT-BURNING DAY

Hi Folks,

Here is an article I wrote that was published in a magazine here in
Perth a few months ago. I hope you find it useful. If you have any
comments I would love to hear them. Enjoy...

Obesity levels in 'Western' countries are reaching epidemic
proportions and are growing almost exponentially. This has increased
our risk of developing degenerative diseases like, heart disease,
cancer and diabetes.

In this article we will examine the ultimate fat-burning day, which is
everything you need to do to burn off the maximum amount of bodyfat in
24 hours. As we cover each of the 'daily disciplines', decide whether
or not it suits you and if you can incorporate it into your lifestyle.
The most important point is any fat-loss principle you use must be
sustainable. It must become a habit that you can perform for the rest
of your life. If not, the results you achieve by using it will be
short-lived.

The first strategy to employ is the 'Maximum Fat-loss Protocol'. This
is a jealously guarded secret of fitness experts around the world
simply because it is so effective at getting amazing results in a
short period of time. This one strategy alone can burn off a massive
amount of fat if it is performed every day. It is a very simple 4-step
process:

1. Wake up in the morning and take a thermogenic.
2. Exercise for 30-60 minutes.
3. Wait 30 minutes.
4. Have breakfast.

This strategy uses a number of physiological mechanisms in the body in
order maximise the utilisation of fat for fuel.

Start your day by waking up in the morning at 6:00am and taking a
thermogenic. At this time your blood sugar (blood glucose) tends to be
low because you were fasting for the last 6-8 hours (assuming you
didn't have a midnight snack!). Your metabolism is relatively low too.
Taking a thermogenic (fat burner) like, BCN's XLR8 Thermogenic, gives
your metabolism a 'kick start' and also forces your fat cells to
release stored fat and send it into the bloodstream. Now you have
created an environment in your bloodstream where your blood sugar is
low and your blood level of free fatty acids is high.

Then, when you start exercising, your working muscles will use fat
almost exclusively as a fuel source. Plus, as a result of taking the
thermogenic and doing the exercise, your metabolism stays elevated for
quite some time after the exercise session is completed. This is why
it is important to wait 30 minutes before having breakfast. You will
keep burning fat during this post-exercise window. If you have
breakfast straight after the exercise session, your blood sugar will
rise, inducing insulin secretion. Insulin will then stop the fat-
burning process in its tracks.

In saying this though, you don't want to wait longer than about 30
minutes because cortisol will start to rise. Cortisol has the effect
of breaking down lean tissue in the body including muscle, which will
depress your metabolic rate.

It is best to use this 30 minute window to have a shower, get changed
and perhaps get the kids ready for school. Then at around 7 or 7:30am
have breakfast.

Your breakfast meal, as with all your meals, should contain a small
portion of all three macronutrients: carbohydrate, protein and fat.
Breakfast might be an egg on toast (wholemeal or multigrain without
butter or margarine) and a cup of white coffee or tea (one sugar is
allowed). Perhaps you would prefer a 30g serve of natural muesli with
150mls of HiLo or skim milk or lite soy milk, rice milk or oat milk.
Add 1 level tablespoon of LSA mix (a grounded blend of linseeds,
sunflower seeds and almonds) and 2 teaspoons of psyllium husks to the
cereal. You can also have a cup of tea or coffee with this meal.

Next, it's off to work or it's time to start your daily chores. During
the day carry around a water bottle with you. Make an effort to
constantly sip it all day long. Even though your body may not require
all the water you consume (because you do get water from food), the
extra water will flush toxins from your body, keep your body cells
well hydrated and reduced your appetite. It is best to use filtered
water rather than tap water to limit the impurities that go into your
body from the water you consume.

At 10am it's time for your mid-morning meal/ snack. Again, this
includes a small portion of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Of course
many people are busy during the day so they want options that are
quick and easy. A piece of fruit with some nuts or a small tin of
flavoured tuna on 1-2 corn thins are good 'whole-food' options. If
you're really busy though, and these days, who isn't? Then the 'whole-
food' options may not suit your daily schedule. If so, consider using
a meal replacement powder or bar, which is low in fat and
carbohydrates.

It is so important not to skip this meal because it helps you avoid
the 'Starvation Mechanism' that the body kicks in when you miss meals.
If the body goes without food for greater than about 3 or 4 hours
during the day, your body thinks it is entering a famine so it invokes
a number of mechanisms to protect itself. It may seem ironic that by
eating more often you can actually burn more fat but you would be
amazed at the number of overweight people who eat only once or twice a
day!

Lunch is around 1:00pm and is always a 'whole-food' meal. For maximum
fat loss you must control your intake of high-density carbohydrates
like, bread, pasta and rice without cutting them out altogether.
Unfortunately this means the traditional sandwich for lunch has to go!
Two slices of bread or a medium-sized roll have 30 grams of
carbohydrates or more and if you want to keep your blood sugar stable
and therefore insulin low, having around 20 grams of carbohydrates per
meal is ideal. This equates to approximately 1 slice of bread, ½ a cup
of cooked rice or pasta or 1 small potato.

The lunch meal should also have a small portion of protein and fat and
this can easily be achieved by having around 100 grams (cooked weight)
of lean meat either, fish, chicken or red meat. This will provide you
with 25-30 grams of protein and 4-7 grams of fat. Some low-density
carbohydrates should also be added to the meal because they have very
little impact on your carbohydrate intake but they do help to fill you
up as well as providing your body with many valuable nutrients
including, vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytonutrients (nutrients
from plants). 1-2 cups of a mixture of broccoli, carrots, green beans,
tomatoes and lettuce is a good option.

Also have a glucose disposal agent (GDA) with your lunch, BCN's GI
Factor is a good example. It will help keep your blood sugar stable
and insulin low. It will also get rid of any afternoon sugar cravings
you may get.

Your mid-afternoon meal/ snack at around 4:00pm has the same options
as your mid-morning meal/ snack. Often people skip this meal because
they are so busy during the day and as a result, when it's time for
dinner, they tend to over-eat, which is of course the worst time of
the day to be having a big meal. Furthermore, if they do have
something for their mid-afternoon meal, it is usually a piece of
fruit, a small tub of yoghurt or a low-fat muffin- not a complete meal
because it lacks protein and good fat.

As was covered earlier, it is essential that all meals have a portion
of carbohydrate, protein and fat, rather than just carbs because
they're the most convenient. Protein is particularly important because
it is used for many vital functions in the body.

Since the body is a dynamic structure, meaning body tissues are
constantly being built up and broken down, without enough building
blocks (protein) being supplied in the diet every few hours, more
breaking down than building up occurs. This slows the metabolism down
and makes fat loss difficult.

Take another serve of your thermogenic (fat burner) with your mid-
afternoon meal. It can help prevent the afternoon slump some people
fall into as well as giving you an energy boost prior to your
afternoon workout.

After work or late in the afternoon perform a resistance-training
workout. This may involve lifting weights, using rubber bands or
performing bodyweight exercises. Resistance exercise is the most under-
estimated way to burn fat fast. A 20-30 minute session 2-3 times a
week is all that is needed to provide your body with the benefits.

Resistance exercise forces your body to maintain or even slightly
increase your muscle mass. Since muscle is the most metabolically-
active tissue in the body, the greater your muscle mass, the faster
you burn fat. If resistance exercise is not a part of your fat-loss
plan, then you will always lose muscle as you lose weight, which slows
your metabolism down.

The fat-burning process in your body can be magnified even more by
doing 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise (walking, cycling, jogging,
swimming, boxing, etc.) after your resistance exercise session.

Resistance exercise is a high-intensity form of exercise and as such
the body uses more carbohydrates (muscle glycogen and blood sugar) as
a fuel source. Therefore, performing some aerobic exercise after the
resistance exercise session when the blood sugar is low means your
body will use more fat as fuel, especially if you've taken the XLR8
capsules with your mid-afternoon meal.

The other major benefit of performing an afternoon exercise session is
that any carbohydrates eaten for dinner will simply be used to
replenish the glycogen (stored carbohydrate) in the muscles and liver
rather than being converted into bodyfat.

Dinner is around 6:30-7:00pm and consists of a substantial portion of
protein (150 grams of fish, chicken, turkey or red meat), a reduced
portion of starchy carbohydrates (high or medium density
carbohydrates) like, potato, pasta, rice or pumpkin and a substantial
amount of fibrous carbohydrates like, broccoli, carrots, green beans,
peas, cauliflower, etc.). The protein portion is important because it
provides the building blocks for the body during sleep- the time when
the body goes through the processes of repairing, replenishing and
rebuilding cells. Protein also helps stimulate Growth Hormone (GH)
release, which is a powerful anabolic (muscle-building) and lipolytic
(fat-burning) hormone.

The reduced portion of starchy carbohydrates is necessary because the
body doesn't need much fuel in the evening since activity is low. It
is still good to have some though because it replenishes the muscle
glycogen stores that were depleted during the afternoon exercise
session. Having a small portion also makes it easier to follow this
style of eating long term. You don't want to have to eat differently
to the rest of the family!

After dinner take another GDA, a multivitamin/ mineral supplement and
3-4 fish oil capsules. The multi and fish oils ensure that any
nutrients lacking in your diet are supplied to your body, especially
at the time when they can be used most- during sleep. Also, by
providing all the required nutrients to the body through the diet and
supplements, all the body cells' functioning improves, including their
metabolic efficiency, which results in greater fat burning.

The glucose disposal agent will help avoid the evening cravings some
people tend to get.

At around 8:00pm, prepare your meals for the following day (mid-
morning, lunch and mid-afternoon) so you can have them ready to take
with you.

If you follow this daily plan exactly as outlined, you will burn more
fat off your body in a 24-hour period than ever before. Keep in mind
though, one day isn't going to transform your body. In order to see
dramatic changes in your body you need to string many days together
and make these strategies daily habits. If you do, you will be amazed
at how much your energy level will increase and how great your body
will look.

Go for it!