Back in the day I was training in a gym on Orchard Rd in Singapore and I knew nothing. I literally followed what others were doing and the mantra at that time was body-part split training.

There was a big Australian guy, Tony Rizzo, he was strong, he was an international level masters bodybuilder having represented his home country many times. I got to know Tony and we’d often have a coffee together before or after training. These coffee sessions were great for me as I picked up plenty of pro tips and as regular readers will know, despite being very unsure that bodybuilding is truly a way to “get fit”, something I have explained in great detail elsewhere, there are parts of this sport that do crossover to the more functional concepts of getting fit. In searching for Tony on the net I came across this video. This video was taken around the time Tony and I were both living in Singapore –

One area especially that bodybuilders offer some very hard won expertise is in nutrition. Tony got very grumpy when preparing for competition as all he ate for 6 weeks day and night was chicken and broccoli. All he would drink was car battery water (as it’s distilled). This regime was nutritionally not great for several reasons but it did help him (and many other bodybuilders) lose weight quite rapidly.

Most “diets” will aid weight loss as they’re usually calorie restricted meaning that in a 24 hour period the individual will be using more calories than they’re eating resulting in the body using stored fat as a fuel. This basic concept is not lost on most people but it is flawed in a few different ways.

Primarily calorie restriction will take most people quite a long time to lose weight. A bodybuilder that is already in reasonable shape uses this to trim up.

Also bear in mind that your training does not provide the weight loss that many think it does. You cannot out-train a bad diet. I’ve said this before.

Therefore the first tip for weightloss is the best form of calorie restriction and that form is #1 intermittent fasting.

Only eat in your window and that is either 6 or 4 hours so that means your fast is 18 or 20 hours. Don’t be concerned that you will go into “starvation mode” or some other urban myth, all of which are regularly propagated by people that don’t have any real understanding of the way the human body has evolved and is meant to function. Having daily mini-fasts is as close to how our bodies have been required to function for thousands, 10’s of thousands and perhaps millions of years.

And if your body goes into starvation mode after a few extra hours not eating then your body needs some serious readjustment! Unfortunately the reality is the general population at large is too over-fed and in being so resting insulin levels are too high which will eventually lead to Syndrome X (aka insulin resistance syndrome) and then full-blown diabetes.

It is a sad reality that in many western countries high percentages of populations eat far too much food and this over-consumption leads to many “lifestyle” diseases.

This leads us to the next tip, #2 eating less food.

Most people can cut their food intake by HALF and still function quite adequately. I usually recommend people do this for 2 weeks prior to embarking on an intermittent fasting protocol. It’s a really simple exercise, just eat and drink what you normally would do and that includes alcohol, desserts, cakes, snacks etc. Go ahead still eat them but only eat and drink half. Same with any other foods you eat, meat, fish, vegetables, fruit etc.

Weigh yourself before and after the 2 weeks – you may find something mazing has happened!

Finally the last tip, #3 once you begin your fasting protocol eliminate as best you can rice, noodles, pasta and bread.

The more you eliminate these foods the faster you will lose weight. Only you know your ability to have discipline around change. If you’re typically undisciplined then try not to make too many changes as this will be unsustainable. The more discplined the more you should try to effect change. The only caveat to tip #3 is if you eat wild/black rice and some darker breads. Dark coloured carbohydrate even the processed types usually have a lot of good quality micronutrients and with this the insulin response can be different.

White coloured carbohydrates are usually indicative of what is described as foods with a high glycemic index (GI). These foods usually set off an immediate insulin response, insulin being the hormone that once in the blood turns carbohydrate into usable energy. This is all ok but the problems begin occurring when the amount of energy present in the blood (known as glucose or simply, blood sugar) and the amount of energy stored in the liver in the form of glycogen are maxxed out. Our bodies have this wonderful way of storing this excess fuel and it is called fat.

By reducing white carbohydrates you will significantly lower the chances of storing fat.

Usually people will then ask me “how do I get my energy if I am not eating carbs?” This is a good question but it also demonstrates a lack of understanding of what are carbohydrates. All fruit and vegetables are sources of carbohydrate. Before modern man began making bread and pasta and beating the nutrients out of rice to turn it white we relied heavily on these foods for our energy – we can still source awesome levels of energy from these foods and why tennis players will eat a banana during a professional game. Professional sports teams also have large fruit platters in the changing rooms after games to enable the players to replenish glucose and glycogen stores using high quality food sources.

In summary by using the 3 tips above you can go a long way to getting right on top of your weight management. Get to it!

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