Rapid Fat Loss - Here's the Formula You've Been Looking For

By Marcie Barnes

Much credit is due here to my virtual friend Timothy Ferriss, bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek. I stumbled across his website one day when reading a fitness blog, and this is the post I was linked to. Right away, I knew that he and I had similar philosophies on fat loss (among other things), so I wanted to share his post with you. Below are his rules, with my comments (but please read Tim's post as well!):

Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbohydrates
The diet world has gone crazy with low-carb regimens, but as with most things I find trying to create a catch-phrase around one facet of weight loss has a big downside: we should not be pouring all carbs in one bucket. Tim is right, any white carb is something to avoid. His plan does not include grains at all except post-workout (and then you should choose whole grains only), and legumes are a-okay - so it is totally possible to create meals that don't leave you hungry.

Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again
Tim's suggestion for simple construction:
Proteins: Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor, Chicken breast or thigh, Grass-fed organic beef, Pork
Legumes:Lentils, Black beans, Pinto beans
Vegetables:Spinach, Asparagus, Peas, Mixed vegetables

This sounds kind of boring, but believe it or not your body will appreciate the consistency and you will actually begin to crave these foods after awhile. I would throw in ground turkey and broccoli as staples in my menu planning - and I never eat red meat. But I think men have some kind of a genetic disposition to do so :). Keep things like fish and olive oil in the mix so you are getting your good fats.

Rule #3: Don’t drink calories
I wholeheartedly agree with Tim about drinking massive quantities of water and as much unsweetened iced tea, tea, coffee, etc. But one thing I absolutely will not endorse are diet sodas, because among other things, I believe they fuel your sweet tooth. If you are used to milk, I think unsweetened soy milk (not "plain") is a decent choice since it's basically like drinking a vegetable.

And more good news for wine drinkers - Tim says "I’m a wine fanatic and have at least one glass of wine each evening, which I believe actually aids sports recovery and fat-loss. Recent research into resveratrol supports this."

Rule #4: Take one day off per week
Whoo hoo! Tim recommends Saturdays as a “Dieters Gone Wild” day. Eat anything. I will quote Tim here because I don't exactly understand the science: "Paradoxically, dramatically spiking caloric intake in this way once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate (thyroid function, etc.) doesn’t downregulate from extended caloric restriction. That’s right: eating pure crap can help you lose fat. Welcome to Utopia."