How To Lose A Gut In 14 Days
Sadly, I've developed a little bit of a gut, and have received quite a fair share of ribbing for it...although to my mind, I think I've always had a little gut my whole life and never saw it as a problem till recently, maybe its been growing bigger lately. But anyhow, its been diminishing since I started a routine in my single-minded deteremination to bust my gut in exchange for an impressive looking 6-pac. Its been 2 weeks and without having to resort to *mesotherapy (trust me, I seriously contemplated it), i've managed to achieve some results...so I thought I'd share my routine and hopefully you guys can add your two cents worth and we can all come up with a practical gut busting solution for all sufferrers of this insufferable affliction. :)
1. Cardio! Cardio! Cardio! - 5x a week. 25min each time at 50-60% of your maximum speed. There are a couple theories on how fast you should run. Most people who want to lose weight think that the faster you run, the more weight you lose. I disagree. I think for weight loss, its not about how fast you run, but its about how long you run. In fact, the faster you run, the faster you deplete the resources in your body, then instead of losing fat, your body goes into a catabolic state, and you start losing muscle instead. That is a VERY bad thing. Cos muscles aid in the burning of fat, therefore the more muscle you lose, the less fat you gonna lose. Any commments?
1a. (Update) Ab exercises - Every other day.
i. Crunches do work! Don't believe those stoopid sellavision commercials that claim doing crunches is a waste of time. The reason why crunches do not work for some people is cos they have bad form. You need to crunch those abs with every rep and do your crunches in slow controlled movements. The point is not to do it fast so you can can over with it...cos then you're just wasting your time. 4 sets x 20 reps
ii. Leg Lifts. I love this exercise. You need one of those machines where you can hoist yourself up on the elbow rests and have your feet dangle in the air. Then lift your legs so that they are parallel to the ground. 4 sets x 15 reps. Followed immediately by 4 sets x 10 reps of leg lifts but this time bring your knees as far up to your chest as possible. This one kills.
iii. Ab machines. You know how these work...
2. Carbs - Basically, the guideline is this. The further the day progresses, the less carbs you take. That is, u should take the most carbs in the morning and the least carbs at night. That said, it is important to take carbs (despite what Atkins says) cos carbs help to metabolise protein to turn them into muscle. So you do need carbs if u want to build muscle or even to tone up. But then again, don't go crazy with the rice and potatoes...
3. Weight Loss Pills - If you ask anyone, I'm a firm believer of weight loss pills, but ALWAYS in combination with exercise. If you dread running like me, or if you are just too tired at the end of the day to do your cardio, then pop a couple of Hydroxy-cut or Zantrax pills (Britney Spears was caught having a bottle of this in her hand carry at the airport...hee hee). These pills are basically caffeine pills designed to give you an energy burst. One or two of these babies and you'll be on that treadmill for hours.... :) If you aren't intending to do any cardio that day, don't take them, cos they'll make you jittery.
4. Carb and Fat Blockers - Ok, this is a new addition to my routine, but what can I say, I love my carbs! And so do many of you!! :) So if you tend to eat more carbs and fat then you should, then perhaps you need this. There are several products out in the market including the Zoe Tay endorsed Xtrim. There is also a similar product called Medicad, which is a slightly more potent form of Xtrim, but has to be medically prescribed by a doctor. So, suffer not! But again, it doens't mean your diet goes to hell when you're on these pills, you still need to watch very closely what you eat and exercise some self control. :)
Comments! Comments! Comments!
*Mesotherapy - An aesthetic procedure, developed in France, where a cocktail of drugs and vitamins is injected into one or more localised areas to dissolve fat in those areas. Its a new cosmetic procedure that has gained musch popularity in recent months as an effective substitute for liposuction/liposculpture, as it is considered non-invasive with little downtime. The problem with mesotherapy is that it is at the present moment not approved by the U.S. FDA and in Singapore, it is not regulated by the medical council. So, the cocktail of drugs used may vary from doctor to doctor depending on the source. Many top plastic surgeons do not offer mesotherapy, as they believe it is not a medically safe procedure for use on their patients, which is a HUGE red flag. But then again, neither are the medical concoctions prescribed by our sinsehs, and yet Chinese medicine is one of the most effective methods for treating all kinds of ailments, including weight loss!
1. Cardio! Cardio! Cardio! - 5x a week. 25min each time at 50-60% of your maximum speed. There are a couple theories on how fast you should run. Most people who want to lose weight think that the faster you run, the more weight you lose. I disagree. I think for weight loss, its not about how fast you run, but its about how long you run. In fact, the faster you run, the faster you deplete the resources in your body, then instead of losing fat, your body goes into a catabolic state, and you start losing muscle instead. That is a VERY bad thing. Cos muscles aid in the burning of fat, therefore the more muscle you lose, the less fat you gonna lose. Any commments?
1a. (Update) Ab exercises - Every other day.
i. Crunches do work! Don't believe those stoopid sellavision commercials that claim doing crunches is a waste of time. The reason why crunches do not work for some people is cos they have bad form. You need to crunch those abs with every rep and do your crunches in slow controlled movements. The point is not to do it fast so you can can over with it...cos then you're just wasting your time. 4 sets x 20 reps
ii. Leg Lifts. I love this exercise. You need one of those machines where you can hoist yourself up on the elbow rests and have your feet dangle in the air. Then lift your legs so that they are parallel to the ground. 4 sets x 15 reps. Followed immediately by 4 sets x 10 reps of leg lifts but this time bring your knees as far up to your chest as possible. This one kills.
iii. Ab machines. You know how these work...
2. Carbs - Basically, the guideline is this. The further the day progresses, the less carbs you take. That is, u should take the most carbs in the morning and the least carbs at night. That said, it is important to take carbs (despite what Atkins says) cos carbs help to metabolise protein to turn them into muscle. So you do need carbs if u want to build muscle or even to tone up. But then again, don't go crazy with the rice and potatoes...
3. Weight Loss Pills - If you ask anyone, I'm a firm believer of weight loss pills, but ALWAYS in combination with exercise. If you dread running like me, or if you are just too tired at the end of the day to do your cardio, then pop a couple of Hydroxy-cut or Zantrax pills (Britney Spears was caught having a bottle of this in her hand carry at the airport...hee hee). These pills are basically caffeine pills designed to give you an energy burst. One or two of these babies and you'll be on that treadmill for hours.... :) If you aren't intending to do any cardio that day, don't take them, cos they'll make you jittery.
4. Carb and Fat Blockers - Ok, this is a new addition to my routine, but what can I say, I love my carbs! And so do many of you!! :) So if you tend to eat more carbs and fat then you should, then perhaps you need this. There are several products out in the market including the Zoe Tay endorsed Xtrim. There is also a similar product called Medicad, which is a slightly more potent form of Xtrim, but has to be medically prescribed by a doctor. So, suffer not! But again, it doens't mean your diet goes to hell when you're on these pills, you still need to watch very closely what you eat and exercise some self control. :)
Comments! Comments! Comments!
*Mesotherapy - An aesthetic procedure, developed in France, where a cocktail of drugs and vitamins is injected into one or more localised areas to dissolve fat in those areas. Its a new cosmetic procedure that has gained musch popularity in recent months as an effective substitute for liposuction/liposculpture, as it is considered non-invasive with little downtime. The problem with mesotherapy is that it is at the present moment not approved by the U.S. FDA and in Singapore, it is not regulated by the medical council. So, the cocktail of drugs used may vary from doctor to doctor depending on the source. Many top plastic surgeons do not offer mesotherapy, as they believe it is not a medically safe procedure for use on their patients, which is a HUGE red flag. But then again, neither are the medical concoctions prescribed by our sinsehs, and yet Chinese medicine is one of the most effective methods for treating all kinds of ailments, including weight loss!