Albert K. Park

                 Through the mazes of our urban concrete jungles and insect like infestation of fast food joints, we search for the Holy Grail like secrets of fat loss. Obesity and excess fat, plague our general populations and now we are backed into a corner with many surrendering to the relentless pursuit of weight gain. The hostile take over has even begun to attack our next generations of youth. Nobody is safe. Have you noticed yourself gain excess weight? Do you want to make a change?

            It is astonishing how so many people know that they are gaining weight but don’t know how to stop it. Is eating healthier enough? How about exercising? I hope with these basic but very effective strategies I can offer you a little light at the end of the tunnel. It’s time to start fighting back against weight gain and melting the fat away. You deserve it!

               They sure weren’t lying when they said that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Especially when your goal is fat loss. Don’t think I haven’t heard every excuse in the book for not eating breakfast. Feel free to laugh at them until your excuse comes up.

            If your goal is fat loss, you need to make time for a quality breakfast. After starving your body for 8 hours, what you eat is going to set the bar for the entire day. Eating a meal packed with protein, quality carbs, and healthy fats can have the effect of calibrating your metabolism to burn more calories throughout your day.

            When you have hit a plateau going for a light jog or walk in the morning before breakfast can have the effect of boosting your metabolism. Your metabolism is ultimately responsible for how effectively you burn calories so shaking it up every now and then can be vital in reaching your fat loss goals. Make sure you return to your normal training after using this method.

            I remember telling one friend about incorporating cheat days into his fat loss plan in order to boost his metabolism and recharge his system. This was a big mistake. I found him buried in a sea of Twinkie wrappers and empty bags of chips, barely conscious from a deep food coma. When I first saw him all I could think was that I should have taken my online CPR class more seriously. Can you say Lost in Translation?

            This technique also jumps on the bandwagon in jump starting your metabolism. With fat loss, a decrease in calories is usually common especially when you’re cutting unhealthy carbs, which your usual diet may have used for a majority of its calories. This decrease in calories will cause a slight decrease in your metabolism and Leptin levels. Since it takes only a week for your Leptin levels to reset, a high calorie day can help boost this and your metabolism. Be cautious if you easily fall off a meal plan. If this is the case a cheat day may not be ideal.

            This is something I live by: “The number one tool for fighting fat is lean muscle mass.” It’s a simple fact that the more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism is. Have you ladies ever wondered why guys can lose more weight and faster? This is partly due to the fact that they naturally have a higher level of muscle mass.

            No, you don’t have to put on tons of muscle and look like that scary guy in a string tank top at your gym. You just need to make an effort to train with a goal of putting on lean muscle. This means weight training.

            A lot of my clients wake up, eat breakfast, then 5 or 6 hours go by at work before they can get another meal in. Then another 5 hours go by before they eat dinner. You need to make sure that you are constantly fueling your body and keeping your metabolism high. You can do this by eating every 2-3 hours. Make your body work by making it continually process foods and not survive on its own.

            When you starve your body for prolonged periods of time it goes into survival mode. Since your body doesn’t know when the next time it’s going to eat, it stores energy in the form of fat. Keep feeding it so it doesn’t do this.

            If you want fat loss, you need to train like it. Walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes than going home is not going to get you the results you want. Incorporate High Intensity Interval Training that will challenge your metabolism and shred fat off your body. Walk into the gym knowing your going to challenge yourself because you know you’re serious about your goals.

            Getting in shape can definitely be a dreaded task. It often comes disguised as a hassle, a chore, and something you just don’t want to do. You will quickly realize that achieving good health is something where the juice is worth the squeeze. Eating healthy and workout starts to transition into becoming a part of your lifestyle.

            Fitness and health is my passion so it is easy for me to say this but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. By incorporating healthy nutrition and consistent exercise, you really do improve the quality of your life. Learn to love it!