A question I get asked all the time these days is: How can I lose as much weight as you in such a short amount of time? In this post I hope to answer that, tell you some secrets I discovered, and show you that you really can have your cake and eat it.
I had been introduced to a new diet that my friend Danny Ball had been doing, after seeing how dramatic the results he was getting (losing over 2 stones in 2 months) I decided to give it a try and see if it worked for me, operation Fast loss started! of fat! After the first month I lost 3.9% body fat, 17 pounds and a total of 8 inches.
I guess the rapid weight loss operation was a success.
If there was one lesson I could share it would be that many people who want to lose weight do it the hard way, they think it takes effort, incredible self-control, patience and self-discipline. I am proof that you don’t need that, the way I did it wasn’t a punishment, it wasn’t hard, it just took little changes. Small changes that make a big difference.
I hope you enjoy my story and I hope it inspires you.
To the new slimmer you.
Ryan
Recently in June 2011, one morning after a martial arts session, my friend Danny started talking to me about a principle called the minimum effective dose and explained how he was going to start a new diet to go from 203lbs to 175lbs. Although Danny worked out at the gym regularly and practiced martial arts, he had been overweight for several years and constantly complained that he was not happy with his body. It still amazes me how a small change in diet can lead to such a big difference in weight loss and fat loss. The joys of working smarter, not harder!
After 4 months on the diet, she lost over 49 lbs., 12% body fat, and a total of 31 inches overall. (waist, hips, thighs, chest, biceps)
What surprised me most about Danny wasn’t just the amount of weight he lost or the length of time he lost it. When I asked him how he did it, I thought it must be a mix of eating a celery stick a day, 23 hours in the gym, taking fat loss pills, and maybe training under a waterfall in the mountains with Shaolin monks. What surprised me the most was how he did it by following 4 simple rules. I count them as 4 even though he explained them as 5 because one of the rules is that you have to gorge yourself on crap once a week on your cheat day! Don’t worry, on diet days you can eat as much as you want too. Once again… The joy of working smarter, not harder. Now I know that there is a lot of knowledge about popular dietary rules:
eat more vegetables
Eat less fat
Exercise more to burn off calories, etc.
But these popular diets do NOT give people the results they want in the time they want. I’m not saying that popular diets don’t work, I’m saying that to be successful, to stand out, don’t do what the masses do. Let’s approach this from a different angle. An angle that won’t make people say “you look like you’ve lost a bit of weight”, but rather “what the hell have you been doing!?” I had never heard of a diet that had such drastic results, so I set out to find out what Danny knew that I didn’t. This is what I found out…
The minimum effective dose
This is what everything we will be discussing is based on and is described as the smallest dose that will give you the best results. For example: To boil water, the minimum effective dose is 100 degrees Celsius, boiling it more will not make the water boil more, it will only be a waste. In the context of weight loss, the minimum effective dose to consider is to eliminate stored fat by doing as little as possible to trigger a fat loss cascade of specific hormones. Remember that the lowest effective dose gives you the most dramatic results in the shortest amount of time.
5 rules
Following 5 simple rules is all it took to lose over 17lbs in 30 days, although I did gain a total of 17lbs with a cheat day once a week.
1. Do not eat white carbohydrates: this includes bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, chips, cereals, etc. Anything white with carbs avoid like the plague. Don’t eat the foods just described unless you want to gain weight.
2. Do not drink calories: the only drink I drink is water, I aim for 2 to 3 liters per day. Sometimes I have a can of Diet Coke as it is only 330ml, more than 450ml of Diet Coke stimulates weight gain due to the aspartame level. No milk, fruit juice, beer, soft drinks or carbonated beverages. I don’t drink wine, but you are allowed up to 2 glasses of red wine per night, but no more unless it’s a cheat day.
3. Don’t eat fruit: The quick reason is because sugar and fructose = fat storage. The exceptions are tomatoes, eat as many tomatoes as you like. And avocados if eaten in moderation.
4. Include 3 food groups at every meal: There are 3 food groups you should eat at every meal. Proteins, Legumes and Vegetables. It is important to eat vegetables for caloric load, as you will not get calories from carbohydrates.
5. Have a cheat day once a week
This is for 2 reasons:
1. To prevent your metabolic rate from slowing down due to prolonged caloric restriction.
2. Help make the diet sustainable. Remember you can have your cake and eat it. Just get the timing right.
That’s all the basics of how I lost 17 pounds in 30 days and continue to lose body fat every day.
For your fat loss success
Ryan Phillips
PS: If I can achieve this in 30 days and keep it sustainable, you can do the same. If not better!