If your current fat loss plan isn’t structured around these 5 key features you aren’t going to achieve significant long lasting results. Don’t waste all that time and effort in the gym, only to end up with little or nothing to show for it… Here are the 5 key features that I believe every fat loss plan must have in order to be successful.
1. Protein – this is number one on my list because the key to every great fat loss nutrition plan is retaining muscle mass and keeping the metabolism firing. This is not going to be possible unless we have an adequate supply of quality protein, spaced out throughout the day.
Protein levels don’t need to be excessive, however each meal needs to have enough protein in it to allow the body to be in a constant state of repair. Now this is the 64-million-dollar question – how much protein is enough? Some studies have shown elite weightlifters being in negative nitrogen balance (losing muscle) up until 4 grams of protein per kg of body weight is consumed. Other studies suggest regular exercising people only need 1.5 grams per kg of body weight.
In our experience, we’ve found that most of our clients get great fat loss, improved metabolism and muscle mass retention in the 2 grams per kg of body weight range. If you are a more advanced athlete pushing hard to improve your performance or physique you will need to bump this amount up close to the 3 gram mark.
2. Fruit and Vegetables – some meal plans are just fixated on results, cutting calories (and health) to the bone, while others focus mainly on macros, without considering all the micro-nutrients that are essential to having a healthy body. When each cell in your body is supplied with all the macro and micro nutrients they need to perform properly you will have “happy cells”. Happy cells perform as they should and burn a lot of calories in the process. A diet focused only on quick weight loss without the long-term concerns of health and function is guaranteed to fail at some point…
Every successful fat loss plan needs to be concerned about long term health of the individual, and fruit and vegetables are vital to the health of everybody! Concerned fruit has too much sugar content? Don’t be, the sugars in fruit are ideal just before or after a weights session to provide energy, improve performance and assist recovery.
3. Cardio – has fallen out of favour with a few internet gurus of late but I think this is a huge mistake for one simple reason – everyone should be doing some type of cardio vascular enhancing activity every week purely for long term health benefits.
The most successful ‘NO Cardio’ group are the ‘never been fat younger males’, who manage to get into great shape without having to use any cardio vascular activity. However I still feel that even this group would benefit from some cardio work, as an improved cardio vascular system allows you to push even harder during weight training sessions!
For the rest of the population, regularly cardio sessions are going to complement the fat burning effects of great nutrition and intense weight training. I’ll be honest, your results will be slow without some form of cardio. Whether you are doing HIIT (high intensity interval training) or steady state cardio (brisk walk, treadmill, bike, etc) it doesn’t make as much difference as some people think. Try both methods, see which one suits you best and then make sure you do it regularly. It’s that simple.
4. Nutrient Timing – the old school theory was that everything would balance out eventually and the body would figure it out. The body does figure it out, it figures you have just dumped too much of one nutrient into the body at once and it will either convert or eliminate it to bring back balance.
When you regularly supply the body with the correct nutrients at the time it actually needs them, your metabolism will hum along beautifully. Your body will perform better, recovery times between exercise sessions will improve and body fat levels will decrease. Nutrient timing matters!
5. Measurable goal with a structured plan – These two features apply to pretty much every aspect of our lives, but are particularly vital to the success of any fat loss nutrition/exercise plan. If you don’t have a clear and measurable goal in mind then how will you know when you achieve it? The second part is where it gets real. You have your goal, now you need a structured systemic plan on all the things you are going to have to do on a daily basis in order to bring your goal to fruition. Without the a clear goal and plan, you’re just going to be wondering around aimlessly.
So, your current plan isn’t structured to benefit from these key features? Head on over to Planet Max 8 Week Challenge to start seeing the results you have always wanted!