6 Most Underrated Tips for Getting Lean

Take an all-hands-on-deck approach to succeed in your fat-loss efforts

That day of reckoning has arrived. Those extra hamburgers, pizza, and fries you so heartily put down in your off-season have now come due, and you’re stuck with the cost. But the currency of payback has nothing to do with cash. Whether that’s 5, 10, 20 or more additional pounds you have to shed, you’re going to have to do a helluva lot of extra work to get your old body back.

For most of us, a leaning-out phase coincides with late spring so that by the warmer summer months, peeling your shirt off reveals plenty of deep cuts and ripped musculature. If you’re not ready to get started now, it’s time to prepare a plan of action.

Start off with these six useful tips to jump-start your fast-loss efforts. They’re designed to complement a well-designed weight workout, HIIT cardio, and a nutrition plan geared toward getting you ripped.

Underrated Tip 1

Enter a transformation challenge.

See the physiques gracing the pages of MUSCLE INSIDER? They’re commonly photographed around contests and competitions for which physique athletes spend several months preparing. A competition isn’t necessarily just about vying for a $35 trophy; it’s about setting a definitive goal and a deadline, a must for successful endeavors in their efforts to get into peak condition.

Take a cue from tens of thousands of folks before you and enter a physique transformation challenge, typically 90 days. Tell your friends and family about it, creating greater personal commitment. Post progress photos on social media; you’ll be surprised how much support you’ll receive to reach your goal. The fact is, you’ll achieve far more when you’re competing against yourself with a deadline than if you take a half-hearted approach to getting lean.

Underrated Tip 2

Make clean eating a way of life rather than a horrible diet you’re forced to follow.

Choosing clean, healthy foods to fuel your workouts and muscle gains is nearly impossible for some, but fairly easy for others. Someone with little willpower faces diet-busting temptations around every supermarket aisle and every street corner. A well-intentioned dieter can fail in a momentary indulgence of fast foods or sugary treats, setting back all their hard work.

Finding a balance in which you can enjoy healthy fare yet not give in to forbidden foods is often what separates the dreamers from the doers. Eating clean foods needs to become a way of life, almost second nature, rather than something that you suffer through.

It helps immeasurably to be a good cook so you can prepare not only your own fare but also sweet treats that are healthier alternatives to the real thing for times when temptation strikes. Find a diet you can stick to for the long haul rather than always suffering through wild swings of rigid eating and pigging out.

Underrated Tip 3

Surround yourself with people who share your fitness goals.

Ask yourself: Among your closest friends and the people you interact with each day, what’s their commitment to fitness and healthy eating? Does it matter? You bet! Research links your attitudes toward fitness and nutrition to those of the people closest to you.1You’re far more likely to be successful in your efforts if you include other people in your inner circle who are passionate toward a fit lifestyle and will further motivate you toward making healthy decisions. I’m not saying you should just dump your old group of friends, but seeking out individuals who inspire you toward making healthy choices and physical improvements can reinforce positive behaviors.

Underrated Tip 4

Replace calorie-loaded juices and beverages with water.

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the single biggest source of hidden calories in your diet comes from beverages, including sodas and fruit juices. How much exactly? About 37 percent of your daily calories, sobering news for dieters.2

That also waves a big red flag that it should be your first target to cut out a slew of calories from your diet. Because sugary drinks can spike insulin levels, they’re among the worst offenders when it comes to aiding body fat storage. Simply substituting plain water—aided by a squirt of Crystal Light or other zero-calorie flavour enhancer—can add flavour and encourage you to drink more. Beware that drinking sugar-free alternatives doesn’t give you a green light to consume more calories elsewhere in your diet, which happens all too frequently.

Underrated Tip 5

Eat out less often.

Just the act of eating out encourages you to eat more calories than you would at home. A study published online at Public Health Nutrition found that those who cooked dinners at home no more than once a week ate 137 calories a day—about 6.3 percent—more than those who cooked dinner at home six or seven times a week.3Not surprisingly, you have greater control over the ingredients you’re using at home; restaurants, on the other hand, also tend to serve larger portion sizes. And that’s before the dessert menu is brought to the table.

The fact is, research available on Americans indicate they eat out almost twice as often as they did 30 years ago. That’s twice as many opportunities to choose the wrong kinds of foods. A side benefit to eating at home is the savings on your monthly food budget.

Underrated Tip 6

Get on a roll.

How many folks do you know who fall off the wagon—be it a diet, not drinking, quitting smoking, exercising—and then have problems climbing back on again and getting restarted? In fact, we all do.

For me, I find it easier to stay on a program than trying to get started on one, most likely because I’ve already invested so much effort. Hence, I find ways to manipulate a situation to get back on that roll. One trick that works for me is to start my week on Sundays, not Mondays. The gym isn’t crowded, my energy levels are high, and I can more easily make smart food choices at home. When Monday’s chaos inevitably arrives, I’ve already got a perfect day under my belt, making it harder to blow off my training because I’m tired. String together a couple of good days, and you’re right back on track to transforming your physique.

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