Issue 011
March 2006
It’s January and it’s the time of year when everyone kicks in their New Year’s resolutions for getting back into shape, especially after the Christmas indulgencies. But getting back in shape doesn’t just mean joining the gym, you actually have to go and workout! And if you have a bit of extra bulge to lose, you’ll have to improve your diet too. This doesn’t mean you’ll have to follow a strict weight-loss diet regimen, but it does mean you should clean up your food choices and get some structure into your day.
Structure your Eating
Meals should be small but regular, and in order to keep muscle, it is essential to keep protein intake high. You will also have to be that little bit stricter in avoiding treats and junk food of course!
The key to effective fat loss lies in careful manipulation of your intake of carbohydrate foods. Carbs should be low but regular and not omitted. Consume complex starchy carbohydrate foods regularly, but in small portions only. Carbs of a low GI (Glycaemic Index ) rating are the best to consume in small amounts, and will keep your metabolism working quickly.
Glycaemic Index or GI is a scoring system that refers to the rate at which your blood glucose level rises following consumption of certain foods. Foods with a high GI, such as sugars and white bread, cause the blood glucose level to spike quickly then slump. Foods of a lower GI cause the blood sugar level to rise slowly, thus there is an slow but steady influx of energy which is better for fat loss and exercise performance. Low GI carbs include oats, granary bread, basmati rice and sweet potatoes. Eat these in small portions where you can.
Don’t cut all the fat from your diet though. Some fats are essential for good heath so include some oily fish (like mackerel, salmon, sardines, etc) or flaxseed oil on some days.
A suitable fat loss regimen should provide high and regular amounts of protein, low but regular amounts of carbohydrates and low amounts of fats, whilst including essential fatty acids and sufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables. Whey protein is included on the plan below as it’s a convenient way of keep your protein at an adequate level.
Strength Training and Cardio
Obviously your main goal is to lose fat and maintain lean muscle and strength, so you are fitter and more powerful at a lighter body weight. In order to lose fat and maintain muscle, you’ll need to accompany your dietary changes with a structured strength training plan of 3-4 sessions per week, of 30-45 minutes duration per session. You will be able to continue to train hard as your calorie intake will not be too low and you'll be consuming regular carbohydrates.
You’ll also need to incorporate some cardiovascular work 2-3 times per week; any sparring or pad work you do is a great way of getting cardiovascular exercise and pad work is actually a better alternative to using a treadmill or exercise bike as it involves 2-3 minute bursts of exercise, which has been shown to be preferable in terms of losing fat. Do include one day per week exercise-free though, as it’s important to recuperate properly so as to give you more energy to exert yourself maximally the following week.
Ideally do your cardio work on a different day or a different time of day to strength training, so as not to interfere with the nutrients required for muscle repair. Intensity should be low, say about 55-60% maximum heart rate, which is though to be the optimum level for mobilising fat reserves whilst maintaining muscle tissue. In practice, this is the level where you cease exercising you feel slightly warm and just out of breath.
Post-Christmas weight loss is not hard when approached correctly. All it involves is following a structured healthy eating and exercise regimen. Follow our advice, and you’ll be well on the way to getting back in shape.
The meal plan below, gives an example of a suitable regimen for losing fat whilst maintaining muscle mass:
Breakfast
Porridge made with 50g oats + 200ml skimmed milk
100ml orange juice + 1 tblsp flaxseed oil
1 scoop whey protein in water
Mid Morning
50g cottage cheese
2 oatcakes
Item of fruit
Lunch
Sandwich: 2 slices granary bread + olive oil based spread + lean.ham/chicken
Salad
Afternoon
50g cottage cheese
2 oatcakes
Item of fruit
Pre-Training
100g cottage cheese
1 oatcake
TRAIN
Post-training
2 scoops whey protein in water
Evening Meal
100g lean steak or 120g chicken breast or 120g fish
Small jacket potato or 60g basmati rice
Loads of vegetables
Low fat, no added sugar.yoghurt
Evening Snack
1 scoop whey protein in 100ml skimmed milk
This plan is merely a guide and must not be stuck to rigidly! You must eat a variety of different meats/fish, complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables every day, and drink plenty of water. Adapt the plan to suit your own needs according to your results in order to attain a steady loss of body fat. Varying portions from day to day, along with hard training may help you to gain some lean muscle too.
James Collier BSC (Hons) RNutr runs the popular bodybuilding website www.MuscleTalk.co.uk and is a Nutrition Consultant. You can get his ebook Informed Bodybuilding Nutrition though MuscleTalk or www.bodybuilding-diets.co.uk and he is also available for personalised, tailored nutritional advice online or face-to-face (see MuscleTalk for details)
