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 By: Jeff Behar
One sure fire way to kill a diet is to overeat.
However, insulin also acts on adipose tissue to inhibit the release of fatty acids and will actually promote their synthesis. Eating smaller meals every 3 to 4 hours will improve your physique in several ways.
 Constant Energy
Eating regularly also feeds your muscles, and feeds the body so it can burn fat and not go into starvation mode which is the bodys way of protecting itself. Eating smaller meals every three to four hours also aids metabolism and weight loss (promotes storing rather than burning calories).
It decreases the bodys ability to create excess fat since insulin levels will not rocket which also inhibits fat burning.
High glycemic carbohydrates (e.g., fruits, white rice, white potatoes, bread, and pasta) are converted to glucose too quickly spiking insulin levels and causing the excess calories to be easily stored as fat.
Consumption of these shalt be minimized. Instead consume small amounts of low Glycemic Carbohydrates are broken down gradually to help maintain an even blood-sugar level). By properly managing carbohydrate intake this will provide many benefits, such as reducing the risk of heart attacks, decrease stored body fat, and reduce the risk of cells becoming insulin resistant.
Increasing these items will help ward off hunger between meals, fuel muscle growth and will NOT spike your insulin levels (which can be detrimental to building lean muscle mass). Eating small amounts of fibrous carbohydrates with your protein meals will also increase the protein assimilation. People involved in consistent, intense exercise require more protein intake and the muscle-building effects of weight-training can be enhanced by a high-protein diet.
Dieting will decrease your sources for essential nutrients. As you increase your training intensity your body needs for essential nutrients will increase. Since foods that have been processed lose many of the needed nutrients your body will remain hungry and will continue to try to satisfy itself by eating more food. This is not efficient and a sure fire way to keep that six pack hidden. Instead increase the consumption of natural, whole, unprocessed foods which will help your body meet its needs without extra calories, while also minimizing cravings and while increasing satiety.
  Thou Shalt Flaunt Thy Six Pack.  Click To Enlarge.
Preparing your meals in advance allows you to weigh and measure foods your foods, rack what you are consuming and avoid processed, high sugar, high fat foods that derail many good diets and the best of intentions. Monitoring what you eat using a food log helps remove certain uncertainties and allows you to better objectively evaluate how you are doing, and how your body to the diet, It will also be a definitive way to identify potential deficiencies (in protein) or excess (such as in fat or calories).
By tracking your food intake you know what you are eating and you can make needed adjustments to your diet as needed. Accountability. Another benefit that I have seen from my years of personal training experience: the act of writing down what you eat seems to make people eat less.
By cycling your calories (i.e, 1600 on day 1, 800 on day 2, 1200 on day 3, 2000 on day 4, etc.) you will be able to trick the body from wanting to slow down the metabolism.
 Thou Shalt Trick Thy Body And Thy Metabolism Shalt Prevail. Click To Enlarge.Cycling calories keeps your body working optimally, allowing you to maximize the calories you will burn without reaching a plateau. Carbs should also be cycled so your body does not adapt and limit the amount burned.
Dieting can cause nutritional imbalances or deficiencies that can negatively impact several metabolic functions, so pay special attention to your diet, and any cravings you may have so that you do get all the vitamins and minerals your body may require. Without them the body may go into survival mode as previously discussed. Taking the right supplements can also help increase your bodys ability to burn fat. Proven non stimulating supplements aid in fat burning include:
EFAs also activate fat-burning enzymes in the body, minimize enzymes involved in storing fat, while also serving as an excellent energy source maintain lean mass when on a carb restricted diet.
Increasing the intensity of your work outs with weights will burn more calories and more stored fat (explained below). It will also help increase lean muscle mass, which will raise your metabolic rate and burn more calories as well. Increasing the intensity of your work out can be done in one of several ways (Increasing the weight, shortening rest cycles, varying the number of sets, etc. The advantage of low intensity cardio is that most of the calories burned will come from stored fat and not other sources such as glycogen, and protein (muscle). Low intensity exercise burns more fat because fat is a slow burning fuel that requires oxygen. When you work out intensely oxygen is not always efficiently delivered to the cells in sufficient quantities which causes the body to burn more carbohydrates in order to keep up with increasing demand. The body then adapts to use glucose as the predominant energy source since glucose does not require oxygen. To burn fat directly you need to exercise at a lower level of effort (between 55 % and 65 % of your maximum heart rate) and for longer duration.
Working out in the morning can be advantageous for several reasons. One main reason being that the body's glycogen levels will be lower in the morning (assuming you last ate at dinner time and have essentially fasted for 10-12 hour fast). Exercising before eating also causes your body to mobilize more fat because of the unavailability of glycogen and because after fasting your insulin levels are the lowest (insulin interferes with the mobilization of body fat).
This also ensures increasing levels of glucagon (a hormone that stimulates the release of fatty acids from adipose tissue while inhibiting the breakdown of glycogen from the liver). The combination of low levels of both insulin and higher levels of glucagons (i.e., a low insulin to glucagons ratio) will create a superior fat burning environment when combined with low intensity, aerobic exercising for a prolonged period of time.
Avoid stress as much as possible. Stress increases fat storing due to increased acidity in the body and increased levels of cortisol. Many people also binge eat when they are stressed since binge foods satisfies because they tend to raise serotonin levels. Learn to relax as much as possible and keep a positive attitude. Exercise or go for a walk to reduce the stress. You will look and feel so much better.
 Thou Shalt Avoid The Evils Of Stress. Click To Enlarge.So, forget that last supper and look to the future. Following these simple diet commandments will have you lwell on your way to looking your best in no time!!
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