How To Wage War On Fat

You know the feeling…you’ve floundered for weeks, considering all the things you need to do to get into shape…then, it hits you.

You are going to do this thing – once and for all.

The commitment is set. This is IT …and you instantly go into Starting Monday Combat Mode.

With the line drawn in the sand, from this point forward it’s likely you will approach everything with the mindset that the only way to annihilate fat is to enlist the most aggressive means possible.

There’s no denying it. Body fat is a formidable and obstinate opponent. But, before you embark on your next seek-and-destroy mission, have a look at a few tactics that can mean the difference between winning and losing the fight.

BE A STRATEGIST, NOT A WARRIOR – Winning a war takes more than just brawn and brute force. Think of it this way. If all it took was a lot of hard work and sweat, there would be a lot more fit people in the world, right? Guaranteed, if you charge in, full speed ahead, without a sound and efficient plan, you’ll be waving the white flag before you know it.

CALCULATE YOUR ODDS – The odds of winning any challenge can typically be reduced down to a few basic numbers, and fighting flab is no exception. On your side you have 3 big bad soldier dudes (cardio, strength training and nutrition) against a billion tiny but very tough fat cells. In order for your army of 3 to fend off 1 pound of those nasty little fat cells each week, you have to drop a total of 3,500 calories off your roster.

LEAD THE TROOPS – So, let’s say you put Sergeant Cardio in charge of 800 of those calories with three 30-minute bouts of aerobic activity Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then you bring in Lieutenant Liftsalot on Tuesdays and Thursdays to battle an additional 900 calories with two 45-minute strength training sessions.

That leaves Captain Munchie in charge of the rest – 1,800 calories – making it easy to see why nutrition is so important. Captain Munchie can either:

1) Blow the whole thing by eating too much

2) Keep things even by eating just enough or

3) Do his part to finish the fight by consuming just the right amount of calories.

It literally boils down to a difference of 300 calories a day, provided everyone else reports for duty on a regular basis. When you look at it this way, it’s easy to see how a few missed workouts, a couple of extra beers, or a generous slice of office birthday cake CAN make a difference.

FOLLOW THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Rule 1) Fight the battle Monday through Saturday and give it a rest on Sunday. On that day, eat whatever you want and do whatever you want.

Rule 2) Try to keep things even. Fight half your battle with work, the other half with food.

Rule 3) When any 1 of your 3 soldiers drops the ball, make the others pick it up. 2 glasses of wine means an extra 20 minutes of cardio – miss a workout and you can forget about that slice of cheese cake you’ve been saving up to eat.

So, if everyone sticks to their guns (sorry, I couldn’t resist) in the next 16 weeks, you could be a whole new, leaner person! As the Marines say, “Semper Fi,” stay faithful, and you WILL emerge victorious!

Now… drop and give me 20.