Fat burner diet and weight training

Take your fat-loss efforts to the next level
with these four advanced techniques from the pros

By Chris Aceto

It sounds simple – eat less fat and carbs, and you’ll get lean. But that can’t be the whole story, can it? Obviously not – otherwise a lot more of us would be ripped. To reveal the secrets of getting shredded, we went to four people who do it for a living: Top bodybuilders and fitness pros. Here’s what they had to say.

Fat Burner

SLOW BURN: Put the power of slow-burning carbs into your training with these foods: Yams – Buckwheat noodles or pancakes – Beans – Rye bread – Whole-grain bread – Oatmeal – Cream of Wheat – Peaches – Oranges – Nectarines – Apples

#1 INCORPORATE HIGH-CARB AND LOW-CARB DAYS

Sure, reducing calories by cutting back on carbohydrates in helpful in shedding bodyfat. But eating too few carbs can backfire, decreasing your energy and even your metabolism. So how do pros limit carbs without the energy slump?
Arnold Classic champion Jay Cutler sometimes uses the low- to high-carb approach. “I might keep my carbs between 200 and 300 grams a day for a few consecutive days,” he says. “When I notice my muscles shrinking or I’m not getting any leaner, I’ll double my carb intake for a day or two and eat 500-700 grams a day.”

Jay knows many dieters might balk at such an increase. “Eating fewer carbs helps a bodybuilder get cut, but you need them to train and maintain your muscle,” he explains. “So incorporating a high-carb day once every 4-6 days allows you to train as hard as you can while on a reduced-calorie diet.” He considers 1 gram of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight to be low and 2-3 grams to be high. Therefore, a 180-pound man might eat 180 grams daily for 4-6 consecutive days, then follow with a single high-carb day yielding 360-540 grams.

Pro fitness competitor Kelly Ryan diets hard 4-5 days a week, eating only 130 grams of carbohydrates a day. “I can actually see more contours and definition on those days,” she says. She then takes in a high amount of carb over the weekend. “This boosts your energy and helps you get leaner faster than eating low-carb all the time.”
Kelly eats 5-6 smaller meals a day, and recommends eating a large portion of carbs at four of those meals every Saturday and Sunday. “I’ll eat anything – a bagel, pasta or fat-free ice cream,” she adds. “I’m right back on my strict diet on Monday.”

#2 EAT LOW- GLYCEMIC CARBS BEFORE TRAINING

Slow-burning carbs, also referred to as low-glycemic carbs, can help maximize fat loss. According to pro fitness competitor Beth Horn, “Low-glycemic carbs make you feel full longer, so you eat less.” Gram for gram, they elicit less of an insulin response than many other carbohydrates. (See “Slow Burn.”)

Insulin, the storage hormone released in response to eating carbohydrates, can impede the mobilization of fatty acids from fat cells. Many pros like Beth believe that if you eat low-glycemic carbs before training insulin levels remain low, encouraging the body to burn a bit more body fat as fuel.

“I think eating low-glycemic carbs before training can help people get better results, especially those who have a hard time losing bodyfat,” she says. Her favourite preworkout meal is cooked oatmeal with fat-free cottage cheese and a non-nutritive sweetener such as Equal.

QUICK BURN: Consume fast-burning carbs after training: these foods are some of the best: Bagels – Bakes potato – White rice – Rice cakes – Muffins – Cookies – Cold cereals – Orange juice – Watermelon – pasta - Pancakes

#3 EAT HIGH- GLYCEMIC CARBS AFTER TRAINING

High-glycemic carbs are typically refined, meaning they’ve undergone some type of processing, and they create a larger insulin surge than unrefined varieties. Bagels, mashed potatoes, white rice, muffins, cookies and cold cereals are all high-glycemic.
While these foods don’t sound like diet foods, IFBB pro bodybuilder Milos Sarcev swears they’re one of his dietary secrets. “Refined carbohydrates are the ideal post-training carb because they cause an insulin surge that reverses the catabolic state associated with training,” he explains. High-glycemic carbs help halt potential muscle loss, and holding onto muscle will keep your metabolic rate elevated. This type of carb also helps the body quickly enter an anabolic state by carrying amino acids into muscle.

While eating fewer calories than you need certainly plays a role in developing deep cuts, Milos notes that it’s equally important to put together a diet that enables you to maintain muscle. “Getting ripped is not only about losing fat, it’s about keeping as much muscle as you can. A post-training meal has plenty of fast carbs is part of that approach.” Milos’ also contains creatine, glutamine, branched-chain amino acids and whey protein. He states: “High-glycemic carbs trigger a large insulin surge, and that drives these nutrients into the muscles. About 10-15 grams of glutamine helps the body recover and replenish muscle glycogen.”

How many carbs do you need after heavy weight training? A good start is half a gram per pound of bodyweight. A 180-pounder would need 90 grams of carbs, about what’s found in 2 cups of white rice or two low-fat blueberry muffins. Don’t worry that high carbs after training will increase bodyfat. Milos explains, “Your carb intake at this time goes toward muscle recovery, and elevated insulin levels help restore energy and rebuild muscle.”

#4 EAT MORE PROTEIN WHEN DIETING

When you drop your caloric intake by trimming excess fat and eating fewer carbohydrates, your need for protein increases. Protein helps prevent a loss in muscle mass, which, in turn, keeps your metabolic rate elevated. “I eat more protein when I’m dieting than when I’m in a bulking stage,” remarks perennial Mr. Olympia finalist Shawn Ray. Though Shawn eats low-fat, he believes there’s a benefit to eating red meat while dieting. “Of my six meals a day, I eat extra lean ground beef at 1-2 of those meals as my source of protein,” he says. Red meat contains creatine, which helps Shawn stay strong precontest. It’s also high in zinc and iron, which may better enhance recovery than sticking exclusively to poultry, fish and egg whites for protein.

The secret here is to start with the golden rule of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and add 50-70 grams of protein more when dieting. This can be achieved with a single meal-replacement shake (made with protein and carbohydrate) consumed after you train or by slightly increasing your protein portion sizes at each of your 5-6 daily meals.

Source:MUSCLE & FITNESS