How to Get Lean - 30 Tips

December 20, 2007

How do I get lean is a question that I get all the time. To develop a lean body you need to put into action a handful of different strategies. Here is a grab bag of strategies that you can use to up your fat loss as we approach the warm weather. Unlike most of my articles this will not just focus on nutrition but the nutritional, physical, and psychological aspects of fat loss. Use one or use them all (but the more you use the more successful you’ll be).

Eat more protein – Protein is great! Upping your protein intake will help protect your muscles from breakdown when your calories are down. Protein also stimulates glucagon secretion which will help liberate stored energy.
Eat more often – More frequent feedings will provide your body with a constant stream of nutrients, helping prevent catabolism (muscle breakdown) when you are calorie deficient. Plus “grazing” can help curb hunger because you are constantly eating.
Make green leafy vegetables your friend – High protein intake can make your diet acidic but increasing your vegetable intake will help counter act this and make sure your body is running in top condition.
Save starches for after workouts – Low glycemic carbohydrates (green vegetables, fruits, beans, etc) should make up the bulk of your carbohydrate intake but don’t shy away from starches (sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, etc) and some simple sugars (dextrose and maltodextrose) after your workouts.
Eat Volumes – Eating foods that are high in volume but not calories (nutrient dense not CALORIE dense) will keep you full but not fat. Cabbage, spinach, lettuce, and broccoli are great foods that you can eat lots of with out getting a lot of calories. Egg whites expand a lot if you beat them long enough (just don’t make meringue) and make your feel like you are eating a lot more calories than you are.
Drink water – Dehydration is a killer. It makes you tired mentally and physically. Plus drinking water has a thermogenic effect so you can burn some extra calories while you hydrate (See “10 Ways to Gut Out Your Gut” for more).
Don’t cut fats too low – No fat diets or extremely low fat diets are a HUGE mistake. Reduce your saturated fat intake but make sure you get enough monounsaturated (olive oil) and polyunsaturated (fish oil, flaxseed, and nuts) fats.
Cut out unplanned snacks – Calories from unplanned snacking can add up quick and can wreak havoc on your fat loss goals. If you haven’t planned on it, don’t eat it.
Make a meal plan for the upcoming week – This is an essential part to any fat reduction journey. A good food log helps monitor your progress so you can make accurate adjustments to better meet your fitness goals. It has been shown that people who keep food journals also snack less.
Pump up the protein – Consuming adequate protein (1-1.25g/pound of body weight) is so important I had to include it twice!
Remove nutritional vices – Why tempt yourself and test your will power?? Clear all the chips, sugary drinks, ice cream, and other processed physique destroying goodies from your kitchen. If it’s not there then you can’t eat it.
Read labels – Getting accustomed to reading the nutritional facts is a good habit to get into. But don’t stop at the protein, carbohydrate, fats, and sodium content – read the ingredients. You’ll be amazed at how many foods are loaded America’s “favorite nutrient”, high fructose corn syrup.
Don’t forget your BCAA – BCAA before, during, and after your workout (or even throughout the entire day if your calories are really low) will help prevent muscle breakdown and make sure that protein synthesis (muscle growth) is ramped up as high as possible.
Take ZMA before you go to get – Strength training legend Charles Polquin is a huge fan of this supplement. Recovering from your workout can be compromised when dieting. ZMA can help enhance recovery by helping you achieve a deeper sleep and increasing your testosterone levels.
Use a fat loss supplement that increases/maintains thyroid function – During the course of your weight loss journey are you probably going to have to lower your calories to a point that causes your thyroid to downshift your metabolism (See Fine Tuning your Physique II for more on how to avoid this). Hot-Rox from Biotest contains 3,17-dihydroxy-delta-5-etiocholane-7-one diethyl carbonate (also known as A7-E) which can help maintain healthy thyroid function. Don’t jump into using Hot-Rox right off the bat. Save it as a secret weapon to be used when your fat loss seems to have come to a halt.
A little caffeine goes a long way – If you are not too sensitive to caffeine then 200mg before your workout (cardio or weights) can help liberate some of that stubborn stored bodyfat. The extra energy boost from caffeine will also help keep your lifts up as reduced calories can zap your energy levels.
Supplement with fish oil – There has been some evidence suggesting that fish oil (EPA/DHA) can increase you basal metabolic rate (BMR) increase your insulin sensitivity which can help you stay lean and burn fat. Add that onto the boat load of data that shows fish oil decreases your risk of heart disease and you have quite a powerful supplement.
Stay Heavy – The big problem with reduced calorie diet is the loss of lean body mass. Lifting heavy weights can give your body no choice but to hold on to every ounce of muscle you’ve got.
Make Compound Movement Your Foundation – This builds on the previous rule. Compound movements allow you to lift heavier weights, recruit more muscles, and burn more calories. Lose the leg extensions and squat!
Increase NEPA (Non-Exercise Physical Activity) – When you are trying to drop bodyfat every extra calorie you can burn will take you one step closer to your goal. Increase you NEPA and burn more calories. What are some things you can do?
- Park farther away at work or when shopping.
- Skip the elevator and take the stairs
- Don’t drive around the corner to the store – WALK!
Progressively Increase Your Cardio Duration – The biochemistry behind low intensity cardio for fat loss is solid. Slowly increase your duration overtime to 60-90minutes. Increasing your duration is important because your body adapts relatively quickly repeated stimuli.
Start Sprinting – Interval Sprints, also known as High Intensity Interval Training, is another great fat loss strategy. Two or three 30 minute sessions will be a great addition to your training program.
Cut down on your rest between set – You won’t be able to lift as much weight but cutting down on the duration of your rest between sets will keep your heart rate up and have you burning more calories.
Avoid Failure – When your focus is on fat loss, your ability to recovery will be compromised. Training to failure and compromised recovery don’t mix. Make sure to keep one rep “in the hole” to help avoid overtraining.
Set Goals – You need to be on a mission and every mission has a set end point. Determine what you want, write it down, carry it in your pocket everyday, and be accountable.
Find a Mentor – Whatever your goal may be, someone has done it before. There is not need to reinvent the wheel. Finding a solid mentor will save you a lot of time and frustration.
Visualize you success – In order to achieve your goal physically you need to have already achieved it mentally. Visualize yourself the day you reach your goal. What will you look like? What will it feel like? Hold that image in your mind and achieve it!!
Posedown! – Posing is essentially just a series of isometric contractions. Adding a couple rounds of the mandatory poses will help “harden” you up (you’ll have to be pretty lean to notice) and burn more calories. Just don’t forget to breathe!
Don’t Skip Pre/Post Workout Nutrition – Skipping your Pre/Post Workout shakes just because they contain sugar is a bad idea. The simple sugars and hydrolyzed protein peptides found in a solid workout shake will due much more benefit than harm. (Note: If you are trying to get down to “contest shape” (3-5% you may need to replace the simple sugars with BCAA as you get leaner)
Get Micronutrient Support – This is not directly related to fat loss but it is very important. When your calories are low, you are at a much higher risk for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Taking a multivitamin or supplementing with whole food extracts can help prevent deficiencies from occurring and keep you functioning in top condition.

There you go 30 tips and strategies to maximize fat loss. Don’t just read them, put them into action.

Note: This article was originally published at Bodybuilding.com

Written by Mike Roussell · Filed Under Articles

Mike Roussell is a nationally renowned nutritionist and the president of the Naked Nutrition Network. He is currently a doctoral candidate in nutrition at Pennsylvania State University. Need to lose 15lbs fast??? Check out Warp Speed Fat Loss (I guarantee it will work)