TODAY, I am going to show you how to lose the fat from your belly. Not only will I explain it, I will also tell you exactly how to get started.
This is a very simple strategy.
It’s so simple that most of the people who read it will do nothing more than nod their heads and forget about it.
They’ll continue the quest for that special diet, weight loss supplement or special combination of exercises that will help them lose belly fat.
Most will suffer from paralysis by analysis, feeling so confused by all the conflicting advice that they end up doing nothing. One year from now, the vast majority will look exactly the same as they do today.
I’m not going to promise a magic bullet, as it seems every website on nutrition and exercise seems to do these days, because there isn’t one.
I have no “underground” training methods or “closely guarded” fat burning secrets to share — just a proven strategy for delivering results.
Step 1: Don’t Tell Anyone What You’re Doing
When you’re trying to get in shape, the stock advice is that you should share your goals with other people, because it makes you accountable and gives you more motivation.
Personally, I think this is a mistake.
You want to go about your business like the SAS, on some covert operation behind enemy lines, where nobody hears about it until the job is done.
Don’t plaster it all over Facebook.
Don’t tweet about it.
Don’t run around telling all your friends and family what you’re planning to do.
All that does is add extra pressure that you could do without. You’re far better off just keeping things to yourself.
Step 2: Take a Simple First Step
I once heard it said that you should never leave the scene of a decision without taking some kind of first step towards making it happen.
It’s good advice.
How many times have you decided that you want to do something, only to get distracted and forget about it 20 minutes later?
So, right now, go and do something that represents a very simple “first step” towards getting in shape.
It doesn’t matter too much what it is.
Maybe set your alarm 20 minutes earlier than normal so you have time to get up in the morning and go for a brisk walk. Or take some of the food in your kitchen that you know you shouldn’t be eating and get rid of it.
You want to go and do something positive. Something that says you’re serious about getting in shape, rather than just contemplating starting to consider thinking about it.
This one action by itself won’t change much. But it will put you on a different path, and get you moving in the right direction.
Step 3: Sort Out Your Diet
Exercise can make you fitter, healthier, happier, stronger and more muscular. But, if you don’t get your diet right, it’s not going to make you any leaner.
HIIT… Peloton indoor cycling… strength training… metabolic resistance training… all can be useful at different times, and for different people.
But they’re not going to help you lose fat if your diet isn’t set up properly.
You don’t need anything complicated or fancy. Nor do you need to cut out sugar, carbs, fat, lectins, wheat or whatever else the food police say is bad for you this week.
The first and most important thing to focus on is creating a calorie deficit.
So what exactly do I mean by that?
When you’re in a calorie deficit, there is a mismatch between the amount of energy your body needs and the amount it gets from your diet, so it starts looking for something to make up the deficit.
As long as your diet is set up properly (which I show you how to do inside Gutless), that “something” will be the fat you want to get rid of.
There are many ways to achieve that, from a ketogenic diet to intermittent fasting to time-restricted feeding to IIFYM.
Ultimately, the “best” diet for getting rid of abdominal fat is one that you can stick to. Compliance and consistency trumps most other things when it comes to getting in shape.
Are you eating mostly wholesome, nutrient-dense foods? Are you cutting down on the junk that you know isn’t doing you any good?
If so, you don’t need to worry too much about the rest. You certainly don’t need to eat six small meals a day, cut out sugar, avoid combining this food with that food, eat in sync with your circadian rhythms or any of the other minor details that people like to waste time thinking about.
Step 4: Stop Exercising and Start Training
Most of the people you see in the gym are there to exercise. Very few are there to train. While training and exercise may look the same, they are in fact two very different things.
For most people, exercise is all they need – it gets them hot and sweaty, burns off some calories, makes them a bit fitter. Nothing wrong with that.
But I think you’ll see far better results when you stop exercising and start training. A training program has structure. It’s not random. Each workout forms part of a plan designed to move you closer to a very specific goal.
Think of it like reading a book. You start on page one. Then you go to page two, page three, and so on. Each page builds on the one that came before. Just like each workout should build on the one that came before.
When you train, you are doing what you need to do, rather than just what you want to do.
The type of training that will have the biggest impact on the way you look is resistance training. It’s not just for people who want to gain muscle, and will improve the way you look in two ways.
Firstly, if you don’t do some form of resistance training while you diet, be that training with weights, machines, resistance bands, or your own bodyweight, a portion of the weight you lose will come from muscle as well as fat.
Second, strength training makes a direct contribution to the energy deficit required to lose belly fat. And as long as your training program is set up properly, that contribution will end up being fairly substantial.
Aim to train at least twice a week. Three times a week will be better. And, if you’ve got the time, four workouts a week is better than three.
Make sure to train hard and push yourself. Aim to get each workout done in 45-60 minutes.
As far as cardio is concerned, I like to think of it as an optional extra. It’s useful in some circumstances, but not necessary for everyone. As long as your diet ticks the right boxes, losing your gut doesn’t have to involve any cardio at all.
Step 5: Get a Decent Night’s Sleep
You also need to start taking better care of yourself. And that starts with getting a decent night’s sleep.
Sleep is something that’s very important. Lack of sleep can screw around with some of the hormones involved in both hunger (the physical need for food) and appetite (the desire for food). Being deprived of sleep will make getting in shape a lot harder than needs to be.
If you’re struggling to sleep because you’re worried about stuff, pick up a pen and paper and write down everything that’s on your mind.
You don’t necessarily need to find a solution to any of it. Just get all the crap that’s bouncing around in your head down on paper. That by itself will often make it a lot easier for you to relax and fall asleep at night.
Step 6: Monitor Your Progress
You also want to monitor your progress on a weekly basis.
There’s no point wasting money on getting your body fat tested, mainly because most body fat tests (especially the body fat scales) are a waste of time.
They’re not accurate enough for you to use the information to make better decisions about what to eat or how to train. Instead, focus on the way you look in the mirror, how your trousers fit around the waist, your weight on the scales and your strength levels in the gym.
Always be willing to change what you’re doing if the results dry up. Don’t keep on doing the same thing if it’s not working. Stay committed to your goals, but flexible in the approach you use to reach them.
Step 7: Be Patient
Finally, you’ll need to be patient.
You’ll come across a lot of crazy claims about how fast it’s possible to lose fat or gain muscle. Don’t let them distract you or push you off course.
You’re not going to lose 25 pounds of fat in 25 days, or gain 30 pounds of muscle in a month. It’s all marketing BS.
No two people respond in the exact same way to an identical program of diet and exercise.
Which means that nobody can predict in advance exactly how fast you’ll lose fat or gain muscle, because they don’t know you.
They don’t know what your genetics are like, how much fat you want to lose, or how close you are to your maximum muscular potential, all of which can affect your rate of progress.
What I suggest you do is take some advice from John Wooden, college basketball’s most successful coach. Wooden didn’t focus on winning championships. Instead, he focused on the preparation and performance of his team.
“I never dreamed about winning a national championship,” says Wooden. “It happened before I even thought it was possible. What I was dreaming about each year, if you want to call it that, was trying to produce the best basketball team we could be.
“My thoughts were directed toward preparation, our journey, not the results of the effort (such as winning national championships). That would simply have shifted my attention to the wrong area, hoping for something out of my control. Hoping doesn’t make it happen.”
You have to accept that the result is ultimately out of your hands, but it is in your control to make sure you’ve done your very best.
And that’s exactly what I suggest you do.
You can control the food you eat, the training you do, the amount of sleep you get, and so on. But you can’t control the results that come from those efforts.
Just focus on doing the right things, every day, and let the results take care of themselves.
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