Women's Physique
Tammy Strome
C.KIN, RNCP, IFBB Pro
Tammy Strome is a Transformation Coach, Fitness Intuitive and IFBB Pro with 17 years in the industry as a Transformation specialist, Life Coach and Supplement Expert. She uses a combination of science, insight and intuition to help her clients sculpt their bodies and transform their lives. For more info on Tammy please visit her website at www.tammystrome.com or follow her on social media at FB: TammyStromeIFBBPro, Instagram @tammystromeIFBBPro and Twitter: @tammystrome
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How to Get Shredded
Q: What’s the maximum amount of cardio and minimum amount of food needed to really get shredded?
I’m not a big fan of ultra-low calorie diets as they can damage the metabolism, which can make it impossible to get lean and stay lean. The body is a great adaptor, and it will lower the metabolic rate and store more calories as fat to preserve health. It’s a survival response. I believe very solidly in optimizing fat burning through a combination of moderate calorie reduction, food selection, nutrient timing, manipulating nutrient ratios, and nutrient spiking (aka refeeding).
It’s hard to answer this question as the caloric amount needed will depend on a person’s prior accustomed intake, weight, body composition, sex, and activity level. I set my clients’ programs to lose fat gradually and leave plenty of time to be show (or beach) ready. I want to spare as much muscle as possible and maximize fat burning. I generally encourage people to diet 12 to 20 weeks out from a show depending on the current body fat level, etc.
I like to see a maximum loss of one to 1.5 pounds a week to ensure muscle is being spared. Fat loss isn’t always linear on the scale, but there should be steady progress. Generally female intakes could vary from 1,200 to 1,900 calories per day depending on size, activity level, and metabolism, and male intake could vary from 2,400 to 5,000 calories per day depending on size, activity level, and metabolism. I don’t believe in excessive cardio as the body will also adapt to that. I’m absolutely shocked when I see women doing Two hours per day in contest prep. If you’re at that point where you’re doing that much cardio in an attempt to get lean, you’re in trouble.
Start far enough out and leave enough time to lose as much fat and spare as much muscle as possible. Doing excessive cardio and going too low in calories will only wreck your results.
5 Best Fat-Burning Foods
FISH
This can be an effective fat-fighter not just because it is a great source of lean protein, but because of its effects on the hormone leptin and how it directly influences your metabolism.
GARLIC
This not only adds mouth-watering flavour to your food, but has also been shown to be an effective fat fighter. Allicin, a component found in garlic, is excellent for helping flush fat from the body.
GREEN TEA
According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition drinking four cups of green tea daily helped people burn more than six pounds in only eight weeks.
HOT PEPPERS
What gives peppers their punch is the compound capsaicin. Not only does it heat up your mouth, but it fires up your metabolism. It’s the fiery fat fighter with an extra kick of spicy flavour.
WHOLE GRAINS
They could be the holy grail of fat loss. Your body burns twice the calories digesting whole (high-fibre fare like brown rice and oatmeal) grains than standard processed foods.
Wanna read more on getting shredded? Take a read of this post by Canada’s premier fitness expert John Cardillo.
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