Inside Tips

X-Gym Founder,
trainer, and inventor of the multi-protocol exercise concept shares his thoughts.

Inside Tips

BIGGEST LOSER TIPS PAGE

BOOKMARK THIS PAGE AND REFER BACK TO IT OFTEN FOR SHORTCUTS, TIPS AND TRICKS TO GIVE YOURSELF EVERY ADVANTAGE! IT WILL BE UPDATED REGULARLY SO DON’T MISS OUT!

Priority number one: WATER, WATER, WATER!

Start each day by drinking 16 oz. within the first hour of your day. This will get you back to even as you lost at least this much in exhaled vapor while you slept.
Never pass a drinking fountain without stopping and taking 7 swallows.
Keep fresh water in your car so you can drink while you drive ;). Get in the habit of chugging at every stop light.
Don’t worry about beating a path to the bathroom - especially in the beginning of this new habit. This just means your body has been chronically dehydrated and is learning how to handle proper hydration. This inconvenience will pass.
Drink 8-12 oz. before you take your first bite at every meal.
Keep water with you at your desk. Sipping regularly throughout the day will help you absorb it optimally and minimize the bathroom trips.
How much water should you drink? For those who weigh between 100 and 300 lbs. just divide your body weight in half and drink that many ounces per day.

Priority number two: PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN! This is a high metabolic calorie and will help you burn fat through an increased metabolism.

Start your day with protein to kick up your metabolism and continue your fat burning state from your night’s “fast”. Use egg whites/Egg Beaters, or a whey protein shake (mixed in water) if you are not a big breakfast eater.
Meat is the best source, but it must be wild or grass-fed if it is red, organic and free range if it is fowl, and wild from clean waters if it is fish.
Try to get protein at every meal and eat it first.
Organic cottage cheese is another good option - especially in the evening because it has a buffered release characteristic that helps preserve muscle and elevate your metabolism while you sleep!
Make sure you get protein right after your workout. The latest research suggests within 5 minutes of your session! The easiest way to do this is to bring a shake with you to the X Gym to drink right after (or even during) your workout.

Priority number three: START WEANING YOURSELF FROM SUGAR. Sugar (including its derivatives like high fructose corn syrup) is poison to your fat burning metabolism and a sure way to slow it down. Try to eat as little refined and processed foods as possible and read your labels. Food makers are now required to list the sugar content of all foods. Most Americans are physically addicted to sugar, so if you can’t go cold turkey, just chip away at it and the less you eat, the less you will continue to crave it. Another technique while you are weaning is to eat these foods in the middle of the day instead of the morning (which would disrupt your natural am fat burning state) or at night (which would put you into fat storing mode while you sleep).

Other important tips:

LOG YOUR FOOD EVERY DAY on www.xgym.com. We can’t help you with your nutrition without this necessary tool. This consistency will come to be your best friend - guaranteed. You’ll see why.
TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME. If you fall off the train, just brush yourself off and get back on. Most people beat themselves up over it and wallow in their failure which always causes complete abandonment of the whole idea. It’s not the falling off - it’s not getting back on that will keep you from winning. Just remember, everyone in this contest will fall off more than once but the winner will be the one who always gets back on the fastest.
MAKE IT TO ALL OF YOUR WORKOUTS. Consistency is the key with exercise so if you miss a session, reschedule it! Twice a week is what you need for the strength training and cardio frequency will be based on your individualized recommendation from your trainer.
USE US OFTEN! If you are struggling or have a question contact us right away. If you can’t reach your specific trainer, e-mail PJ at pj@xgym.com.
DEVELOP A NUTRITION ROUTINE. Cook/prepare in the evening what you will eat tomorrow. Eating right takes time and lots of effort. If you put it off or say you will do it tomorrow or in the morning you probably won’t get around to it and will then have to “improvise” as you go through the day which NEVER works.
Remember that the first place you want the weight to come off will probably be the last place it does. Cruel joke? Yes. True? Yes. That’s because we all know our trouble spots and the reason they are is because those areas are probably the most stubborn for fat loss. You will probably lose fat first from all the areas you don’t care about and then will start to lose it from the spots you want. One of the funniest comments I’ve heard from an X Gym client is “I’ve lost 5 pounds already but it’s all from my eyebrows up”. Hang in there because as you can see, the end is the best part!
You may still be losing fat even if your scale weight is going up! Your body may just be putting on muscle fast or finally deciding to hydrate properly. Don’t let this scare you. It is often part of the whole process. By the way, STOP WEIGHING YOURSELF! This contest has nothing to do with scale weight so that won’t help you. Go by how your clothes are fitting for the best gauge. Even if you are putting on muscle faster than you are losing fat you will be shrinking because muscle takes up much less space.
Don’t sweat the plateaus. These are normal and will kill your will if you let them discourage you. It is always the plateaus that kick people off the wagon. Your body is just testing you to see how serious you are. It might show you an initial plateau as you start, and will certainly show you multiple plateaus along the way. This is a natural survival response to avoid starvation. It is especially apparent with low calorie diets and low water habits, so keep the calories up with protein and the water consumption high as well. Stick out these nasty little plateaus and you will continue to lose fat. Fat loss is always in steps and never a straight line so be aware and be ready to win the standoffs
Remember that not all fat loss is visible. Vascular (internal) fat loss can’t bee seen but is an important and necessary phase. Many people will trade fat in their muscles for more muscle and by the mirror, scale and calipers it isn’t apparent. The good news is that this phase is relatively short and when it has run its course, the visible fat comes off even faster.
Getting there is the hard part but maintenance is much easier. Once you have reached your goals, staying there isn’t nearly as tough so look forward to that as another way all the hard work right now will pay off later!
Form new habits first, then break the old ones. It takes 21 days on average to form a new habit. After that it is much easier because it is ingrained and automatic. Breaking habits on the other hand takes 2 months or more so try forming a new healthy habit first and then work on breaking your old unhealthy habit.
Learn how to be content. Setting short and long term goals is important but what is more important is being content when you reach them. If you pass up you short term goals without recognizing them and at least patting yourself on the back they will become less meaningful. If you keep moving the end finish line (your long term goal) like most people do, you will never be happy with your results and fitness will just be a frustration to you.
Stick with the interval cardio for the best fat burn. Research still proves that the high intensity interval cardio burns fat about 7 times better than steady state! For a refresher on the best timing for you talk to your trainer.
Expect rapid results with full commitment. Water is really hot at 80% boiling temperature (170 degrees). It’s still hot at 99.9% of boiling (211 degrees), but it doesn’t boil until it’s at 100% boiling temperature (212 degrees). The same goes for your metabolism and fat loss results. If you are sticking to the plan 80% of the time, you can expect about 50% of the results you want (at best). If you are running at 99.9% commitment, you can expect about 70% results, but only 100% commitment always produces 100% results. This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect every day. No one is. It just means that every perfect day is a huge step toward your goal so pat yourself on the back and affirm to yourself that you can do it when you have these days!
Keep moving! Recent research has discovered that most people have an activity set point each day. What this means is that they only move a certain amount. If they work out hard one day, they rest extra to make up for the increased activity. If you understand this, you can break that pattern by making sure that you keep moving through each day - especially on the days you work out!
Follow the Biggest Loser Tweets. Go to Twitter.com and register to follow “xgymbl” to receive the text messages on your phone. These tweets will come periodically and will range from inspirational quotes to news on the contest. You can also just log on to twitter.com/xgymbl and check them regularly there if your phone doesn’t hook up with this service.
Use Nutritiondata.com. Find your food and select a 100 gram serving size. Check to make sure the Glycemic Load is a 5 or less. Those are free foods! If it’s higher than 5, regulate that food. Looks for foods that are anti-inflammatory too!
Come to the Lecture on 3/18. Learning about fat flushing foods and brain training to make your journey easier will give you a HUGE advantage over the BL’s who miss it! Besides, you’ll learn how to keep it off once the contest is over! Click here for more info.