Tips to Lose Belly Fat

Imagine having a salad that is hearty enough to fill you up and prevent cravings while still being an a part of your meal plan to lose belly fat.

The following article contributed by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, gives you the recipe to his killer salad. Some key points to watch for in this article are: how to scale portions for calorie goals; how this salad helps you lose fat; and how the “fat” included in this salad makes it one of the healthiest salads you will ever eat.

This article also incorporates some of the same principles that you will find in “The Fat Burning Kitchen” the new program published by Mike Geary and Catherine Ebeling. The program includes the downloadable e-book, Video Tutorials, and an Advanced Nutritional Fat Burning Blueprint for accelerated fat loss over 3 to 4 weeks.

All of that said, here’s the article, enjoy the salad. It’s Killer good!

The Ultimate Muscle Meal Plan
By Mike Geary

With this article, I just wanted to share with you one of my special muscle meal plans that I love. Surprisingly, it actually comes in the form of a salad, but it is killer!

I know the ladies will love this idea, but for all of you guys out there that think eating a salad makes you less of a man… Well, you haven’t tried my ultimate “salad on roids” yet!

Keep in mind that this salad is not low in calories. It’s not low in fat. It’s not low in carbs.

And guess what…that’s the whole point! It’s not low in anything, but it sure as hell is HIGH in everything under the sun that’s good for your body… just about every vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, and phytonutrient on the planet! And that means your body will receive all the nutrition it needs to maintain optimal hormonal balance, function at it’s highest capacity, keep your appetite satisfied for hours, and prevent any unwanted cravings.

Keep in mind that last point… when you fill your body with all of the nutrients it needs on a daily basis, you pretty much totally eliminate cravings! This happens because your body is satisfied and doesn’t need to crave any more food, because it has all of the nutrients it needs.

I’ve experienced this myself. Years ago, I used to crave sweets ALL THE TIME. But now that I eat the balanced diet that I do these days, I can’t say that I’ve had a craving in at least 5 years! No joke.

Alright, here’s the special muscle meal plan recipe:

The Ultimate Muscle Salad

approx 1-2 cups spinach leaves

approx 1-2 cups mixed leaf lettuce

shredded carrots

1/2 of a ripe avocado, diced

2 hard boiled eggs, diced (preferrably organic, cage free)

3 Tbsp chopped pecans

1/4 cup dried cranberries

top with homemade dressing made of balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and Udo’s Choice Oil Blend (3/4 of total liquid should come from the vinegar)

Mix it all together and you’ve got one delicious and ridiculously nutritious salad. For an extra shot of antioxidants, wash it all down with some homemade iced green/white/oolong tea lightly sweetened with the natural sweetener Stevia or a little touch of raw honey.

Alright, now let’s look at the approx macronutrient breakdown:

Prot: 23 g., Carbs: 48 g., Fiber: 12 g., Fat: 45 g., Calories: 650

Now before you throw your arms up in disgust and call me crazy for recommending such a high fat, high calorie meal, keep in mind to scale back the portion sizes for your own caloric goal. The portions above are simply the portions that I use considering that my maintenance caloric intake is around 3000 calories/day. If your maintenance is 2000 calories/day, then scale back the portions accordingly.

Also, I don’t care about the high fat content of this meal… because every last gram of the fat in this meal is VERY healthy… from the pecans, the olive oil, the Udo’s oil, the fresh avocado… and yes, even the fat from the eggs is good for you!

How about the carbs? Well, out of a total of 48 grams, you’ve got 12 grams of fiber. That’s a pretty good ratio. Also, the healthy fats and protein in this meal will slow down the carbohydrate digestion, giving you a healthy glycemic response and steady controlled blood sugar.

Alright, so you’re probably also wondering why there isn’t a larger amount of protein. After all, protein is all the rage with bodybuilders, right. Well, actually 23 grams isn’t too shabby, especially considering 14 grams of that comes from the highly bioavailable protein from the hard boiled eggs. Also consider that this meal has a whole lot of healthy fats, which increases the utilization of your protein. This happens because your body does not need to use your protein for energy, and can instead use it for muscle building or maintenance, and all of the other various functions that amino acids are needed for in the body.

Overall, with this meal plan, you’ve got a great mix of healthy fats, good fibrous carbs, quality protein, and a huge diversity of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other trace nutrients.

Follow this link for more ideas on killer fat loss and muscle building programs.

Michael Geary (CPT) is a recognized Fitness Expert, owner of http://BusyManFitness.com, contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Magazine, and author of the internationally-selling book, The Truth about 6-Pack Abs ©2004-2006.

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A Reward  for achieving Goals is a great way to improve your success with a fat loss system.

Now, once you meet a goal you should give yourself a reward. Rewards are fun ways to  re-enforce you goals and boost your moral. Make them simple at first but as you achieve bigger goals make the reward match the accomplishment.

Start out with small rewards. Maybe a new pair of shoes. Increase the size or value of your reward with the size of the goal achieved. Make the reward for your ultimate goal a really good one. A reward that sez “Wow, look at you! You made it!” Get a complete new wardrobe or maybe a vacation to the beach. Make it special because you’ve earned it.

Get more tips to lose belly fat in my next post.

Being Prepared Can Prevent Frustration Later

Making Preparations is very important. Thinking through your plan to lose your belly fat will expose obstacles and allow you to plan for them in advance, making your life far easier. Use these tips to lose belly fat to help with this.

My first step in preperation would be to get rid of all the junk food in the house.  If it’s not there, it cant tempt you later.  This step also frees up shelf space for the healthy and nutritious food you will need to have on hand for your fat loss system. Stock up and have your favorites on hand. You’ll be more likely to stick to your plan if you enjoy what you have to choose from for meals and any snacks that are allowed.

Second, I’d make an emergency plan. Think about it. It’s late in the evening, you have a craving. It keeps at you, relentless. What do you do? If you plan ahead you can identify snacks and other foods you can have on hand so that when the cravings strike, you can get through it without ruining all you hard work. Most plans will have a list of foods that will fit the bill. So do a little research and be prepared.

Setting achievable goals is one of the most important steps in preparing to lose belly fat

Goals provide structure to any weight loss program by setting up mile posts that you can use to focus your efforts.

How do you set your goals?

First, talk with your doctor. As an example, he or she might say that losing 2-3 pounds per month is just fine. Whatever your doctor suggests is where I would put my base line. It’ll give you a good healthy base to measure your result.

Second, be honest with yourself. How badly do you want to lose your belly fat? Is this something you want to do or are being forced to do? Your personal motivation level will play a big roll in how much belly fat you lose.