7 Fat Loss Secrets Revealed: Essential Steps to Reaching...

©Becky Fox http://www.foxfitness.com P a g e | 1

7 Fat Loss Secrets Revealed:

Essential Steps to Reaching a Fit, Toned Body


Introduction

Want to know how to instantly look slimmer? Stand up nice and tall, roll your shoulders back, stick your chest

out slightly, suck your belly in a little, and bam! You instantly look 5 lbs leaner! Ok so that only gets you so far.

Whether you have 5 pounds or 100 pounds to lose, fat loss is fat loss, and you’re going to have to change

something you are doing already to get that extra weight off.

Losing fat can be a struggle. Have you tried diets with little success? Do you start at the gym motivated to lose

the weight only to quit going two weeks later? Well then you’re not alone. Weight loss can be a struggle and

with so much contradictory information out there it can be difficult to know exactly what to do to get the best

and fastest results. Luckily, I love to help people lose weight quickly and effectively so you don’t have to be

confused anymore.

My Story

I’ve been there too. Yes, even I started carrying around some extra fat and I was even a personal trainer at the

time. About 3 years ago, when I had already been training for 2 years, I started to realize I was getting fatter

and not really looking the part. I worked out sporadically and sometimes weeks would go by without a

workout, even though I was in the gym most of the day. The problem was that I was spending all my time

focusing on growing my training business and not on myself, just like you probably often do with your career

or family. I knew things needed to change.

So, I started making exercise and eating healthy a priority. Not only did I lose 19 pounds, but I also entered a

figure competition in 2008 to really get in the best shape ever. I was no longer embarrassed to be seen in a

bikini or sexy dress. I decided my health and fitness had to be a priority or I’d just keep growing, and I was not

about to buy a bigger jean size!


Becky Before in 2007 Becky After in 2008

So if you’re ready to start burning the fat and getting in shape you’ve come to the right place. The tips you will

read in this book will get you headed down the right path in no time. All it requires is a few small changes to

your diet and exercise plan that will rev up that metabolism and turn you into a fat burning machine.

Sorry, I must warn you that there are no diet pills or magic solutions here. No crazy fitness gadgets and no fad

diets. So if that’s what you are looking for then this is NOT for you. The approach here is all about a lifestyle

change. Something you plan to maintain for a lifetime to stay fit and healthy, so it is very doable and realistic.

True weight loss will take some time, but doesn’t have to take forever if you do it right. Generally 1-2 lbs of

FAT loss a week is going to be a healthy weight loss and going to be permanent!

So start making these changes today, not tomorrow, not next week. The sooner you start, the faster you will

reach your goals and the sooner these changes will become habits. Trust me the work will be well worth it

when those clothes are loser and that stomach is flat!


Part 1: Exercise

This book will cover both exercise and nutrition and both are very important when reaching your weight loss

goals. First, we’ll focus on exercise. Exercise is important as it helps to boost your metabolism and burns fat off

your body. It’s an integral part of your fat burning program so keep reading to learn about these three exercise

secrets to start burning fat.

Say good-bye to marathon cardio sessions. Try interval training.

We’re all busy, and squeezing a workout in can be tough. Good news: You don’t have to spend hours working

out on that boring cardio machine to drop the pounds. Yes, this means no more hour long cardio sessions on

the treadmill. Instead, start picking up the pace, work a little harder, and burn more calories in less time.

Interval training is a great way to do this!

I always use interval training in my programs. I love it because it burns a lot of fat and boosts your metabolism

in the least amount of time possible. Essentially, interval training is mixing high intensity bursts of exercise with

moderate bursts of exercise, known as recovery periods. Think sprinting vs. jogging. It is designed to get your

heart rate soaring and thus is something that is generally done for a shorter period of time, often only 20-30

minutes. Hey it will wear you out quickly but is well worth it to reach you fat loss goals.

Intervals can be completed for any type of cardio based exercise or equipment including running, jump roping,

biking, elliptical, swimming, etc…What you want to do is mix in intervals of a higher intensity with intervals of a

lower intensity. Intervals are short and can be a structured in a variety of ways and all depends on your fitness

level.


The best way to look at is on a scale of 1-10. A level 1 is easy, or not difficult at all, and 10 is really difficult. This

is your perception of how hard you are working based on how you feel and your heart rate, not a level on the

machine. So first determine what your general intensity level is when you exercise. Let’s say it’s a 5. So level 5

is a comfortable exertion for you and is a level you can maintain for 30-45 minutes. During your high intensity

burst of interval training you should be working harder than this, say at level 6 or 7. During your moderate

burst you will work at your normal level or slightly lower (4 or 5) depending on how you feel. The idea here is

to recover so you can continue to work hard through that next high interval burst.

The amount of time for intervals can vary slightly. Starting out you will want to have a longer recovery period.

You may start with 1-2 minutes of high intensity activity and 2-3 minutes of moderate activity. Or you can

shoot for shorter intervals of a minute each or even longer up to 3 minutes. Just play around with it and

change it up from time to time to get variety out of your workouts.

Also, to increase the intensity you can either increase your speed or increase the resistance or incline. So this

means picking up the speed (treadmill: increase speed, bike/elliptical: pedal faster) or adding an incline or

increasing the resistance. Or you can combine the two. Often on an elliptical I will bump up the resistance and

make an effort to pedal a little bit faster during that high intensity phase.

Below is an example workout that can be applied to your current cardio routine to really bump up the burn:

Minutes Level RPE

0-5 Warm-up Easy

Intensity

4

5-7 Moderate Intensity 5

7-8 Sprint or Increase

Incline for Hard

Intensity

6-8

8-9 Moderate

Intensity/Recovery

5

9-25 Repeat Minutes 7-9 6-8

25-30 Cool-Down Easy

Intensity

4


Strength training is just as important at cardio training.

Don’t ever neglect strength training. EVER! And no you’re not going to bulk up like a bodybuilder. It’s just not

that easy. Actually you will burn fat faster in less time and get a lean, toned appearance. So get the idea out of

your head that strength training is somehow bad and only reserved for bodybuilders.

Strength training adds muscle. Muscle burns more calories. Thus adding muscle increases your metabolism and

helps your body to burn more fat. So if you aren’t incorporating strength training into your workout routine

you need to start now.

Strength training includes using weights, medicine balls, bands, weight machine, or even bodyweight exercises.

Essentially anything that adds some resistance and causes you to work those muscles. Examples of exercises

include squats, lunges, bicep curls, tricep dips, shoulder presses, rows, push-ups, crunches, and more.

I encourage people to incorporate strength training at least 2-3 times per week and focus on working all body

parts, including arms, chest, back, abs, and legs. The key is to finding a variety of exercises and to not get stuck

in a rut doing the same routine over and over again. And make sure you are working hard enough to feel the

burn!

A little tip too for your strength training routine: Stop spending a minute between every exercise doing

absolutely nothing or 5 minutes talking to your neighbor. This is just going to cause you to be in the gym longer

as well as cause you to burn less calories since you aren’t keeping your heart rate up long enough. Instead

circuit train! What is this you ask…Essentially I’m telling you to keep moving. Don’t just sit on a machine until

your next set, instead do something else in between.


For example, you may start with squats, then go right into push-ups, then to lunges, and finally some bicep

curls. Next, repeat that whole sequence so you complete 2-3 sets of the same exercises. While your legs

recover, you work your upper body. Now doesn’t that sound much more efficient than doing some squats,

waiting a minute, doing some squats, waiting a minute, doing some push-ups, waiting a minute… Ok I think

you get the idea. You do not take breaks in-between each one. Instead, you keep going so your heart rate stays

up which causes you to burn lots of calories and save a lot of time. You get the same moves and results but in

less time.

Now I understand you may need to catch your breath once in awhile, and that’s ok. Just do it when you have

to, not every set. The goal here is to do as much as you can in the shortest amount of time possible!

Burn lots of fat by being more active everyday.

You can burn a lot of extra calories everyday by just making an effort to get off your butt once in awhile. Now

make sure to still include your regular cardio and strength training routines, but use general activity to help

shed the pounds even faster, especially on those days where you are super busy and getting to the gym is not

a possibility. Here are some tips to be more active every day and burn those extra calories for quicker weight

loss.


Walking

If you have kids, invest in a good jogging stroller and go for a walk. All kids love going for walks, and the both of

you will benefit from the fresh air and changing scenery. If you have a dog that needs walking, take him along,

this way you all get out of the house and you are accomplishing multiple tasks at once.

If you work outside of the home, invest in a good pair of comfortable walking shoes to keep at your desk and

take a stroll around the block during your lunch break instead of sitting in the break room. Double the fun by

asking a co-worker to join you, and you can enjoy a relaxing conversation to get your mind off work while you

burn off calories.

At the grocery store, instead of driving in circles around the lot looking for an open space up close to the front,

park farther away and walk the extra distance. It might not seem like a lot of exercise, but every extra step you

take each day helps.

Climbing stairs

When you’re at the mall or out running errands, take the stairs instead of the escalator. Walking up stairs is

great for your legs and calves and can burn loads of extra calories than using the elevator.


While watching TV

Make it a point during the commercials of your show to get up and do some crunches or jumping jacks,

because really who wants to sit there and watch the commercials anyway? It’s really a great time to squeeze in

a short burst of exercise every ten to fifteen minutes at night. Or even better, put your treadmill or elliptical in

the living room and watch your show while doing your cardio!

At the office

If you work in an office for a regular eight-hour day, it’s important to take breaks for yourself, because nobody

wants to sit in front of their computer for that long, and sitting still for such long periods of time is not healthy.

Stretch your legs out under your desk. Stand up and stretch your hands over your head and arch your back.

When you get a few minutes break, stand up and do calf raises right there in your cubicle. Not only will you be

getting a few minutes of exercise in, but you will your blood flowing back through your butt and thighs, a great

thing if you’re sitting for hours on end.

Everything adds up

The little five and ten minute bursts of exercise here and there might not seem like a lot, but when you start

adding up the walk around the block at lunch, the calf raises during your first break, and the twists in the

bathroom during the office break, you’ll realize, surprisingly, that you’ve just added up thirty minutes of

exercise all still during your workday!

The great news is that each one of those five minute increments could burn around twenty-five calories. I

know it doesn’t sound like much, but over the course of an entire day that could lead up to two hundred and

twenty-five calories. Over the course of a week that’s a half a pound without taking much extra time out of

your day! So why don’t you top it off with two 20 minute weight workouts a week and a few extra cardio

sessions and there’s an extra 1000 or so calories in your week. Ultimately, all those little bouts of activity are

going to add up over the long run, so you’ve got to look at it more than the “oh, 5 minutes isn’t going to do

anything for me” attitude, because you can achieve weight loss in the long run if you constantly make an effort

to incorporate mini bouts of exercise into your routine every day.

Part 2: Nutrition

If you want to lose weight and look great you’ve got to start cleaning up that diet. Although, exercise is an

important part of the fat loss equation, nutrition is just as important, if not more. So start watching what you

put in your mouth and you’ll notice amazing results.

Don’t skip breakfast.

People who skip breakfast are more likely to be fat, so don’t be one of those people. Breakfast is a great way

to get your metabolism started so you start your day off right burning fat from the get-go! So be sure to kick

your day off right. If you’re not used to eating breakfast I know this can be tough, but start small. A protein


shake or protein bar may be a good start until you get used to eating breakfast and then you may actually

wake up hungry which will make it easier to eat.

Here’s a simple solution: just get up fifteen minutes early or eat your meal in the car on your way to work!

After a full night of sleep, your body needs to be fed to start your day and to have more energy. Forget the

coffee and muffins from the café around the corner, which are usually loaded with sugar, fat, and are hardly

better than a piece of cake. Rather opt for a true balanced and healthy meal that will jump start your

metabolism and give you the energy to get through your morning.

Plan ahead for breakfast by keeping simple, healthy foods stocked in your cupboards.

Quick breakfast ideas

• Low-fat yogurt sprinkled with uncooked oatmeal and ground flax seed and a few hardboiled eggs

• Oatmeal with low-fat or fat-free milk, or soy-based beverage and berries

• A slice of whole-wheat toast with a thin spread of natural peanut or almond butter or fresh fruit

• Fruit smoothie made with frozen fruit, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat milk. You can also add a scoop of

protein powder.

• High-fiber, low-sugar cereal with low-fat milk (keeping to portion sizes, not filling your bowl!)

Track what you eat with a food diary.

Research has shown that individuals that keep a food diary on a regular basis lose more weight and lose it

quicker! So using a food diary can be a great tool for weight loss and I would recommend starting right away.

Your food diary doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It could simply be a notebook or a journal you buy at the

store. There are also many online programs that are available such as Fitday.com that are helpful when

tracking what you’re eating. Find something that works for you and that will be easy for you to track

everything.

When keeping your food diary it’s important to stay consistent. Writing down everything you eat for only two

days out of the week is not going to be very helpful. Instead strive to write down everything for at least 5-6


days that week. And be sure to go over it later. Analyze what’s healthy and what’ not, and do some research if

you’re not sure. Start making choices to cut out the stuff that’s not healthy and replace them with whole fruits,

veggies, grains, lean meat, and lowfat dairy.

Here a few more tips to keeping that food diary:

Write as you go. Don’t wait until the end of the day or even worse the next day to write down what you’ve

eaten. It’s easy to forget all the little things you munch on during the day.

Write down everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. This includes a single Hershey’s kiss you stole from your co-

workers desk or that glass of soda someone offered to you at lunch. All these little things add up and could be

what’s hindering your weight loss efforts without you even realizing it.

Watch those portion sizes. Write down your portion sizes so you know how much you are eating. And if you’re

not sure what a portion size is then start measuring foods with measuring cups or using a food scale. You’ll be

amazed at what a portion size really is once you start learning more about it, and you may be even surprised at

how much you are really eating.

And for the best success show your food log to someone else. The accountability will be a huge factor in

keeping you on track. Yes, I know it may be rather embarrassing at first, but trust me, you’re really going to

think twice about eating that pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream knowing that your best friend, spouse, or

personal trainer is going to be looking at your food log next week.

Eat more often to keep the fat burning oven on.

Would you like to boost your metabolism and burn more calories with one easy step? How can you really turn

down burning more calories, and thus increasing fat loss. Well the solution is eating small meals throughout

the day. Only eating one meal a day is not an effective weight loss program. This actually has the opposite


effect: it tells your body to slow down your metabolism and store fat! A big no-no for weight loss. By eating

more often your blood sugar levels remain stable giving you lots of energy and helping you to avoid

overeating. It also boosts your metabolism and kicks your body into fat burning mode.

Eating breakfast is a great start, but make sure the next meal isn't dinner ten hours later. To lose weight, you

must fuel the fire every few hours and never let yourself get hungry. Yes, I said never! You do want to look

fantastic right? Rather eat small meals, usually 5-6 per day every 2-4 hours. Now your metabolism will stayed

revved so you'll burn more calories while sitting at your desk and you'll have much more energy throughout

the day. Yes, you will burn more calories while sitting on your butt.

Now be mindful of your portion sizes. Just because you eat more often doesn’t mean you want to eat a bunch

more food. Moderation is the key. Eating too much of the wrong thing will certainly make you fat, but eating

too much food, even if it’s healthy will make you fat too. So focus on eating SMALL meals every time you eat

and these small meals will be enough to keep you energized and full throughout the entire day. And you’ll

actually find that when you start eating super healthy foods, it’s harder to eat too many calories because most

of the food selections are so lean.

Furthermore, by eating more often your blood sugar will remain stable so you don't end up binging later in the

day because you are so hungry you'll eat just about anything. Remember, these are small meals or snacks, not

a huge unbutton your pants meal. So it's important to eat every 3-4 hours starting with breakfast, followed

with a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner, and even a late night snack if you are hungry

before bed. Don't worry that late night snack won't turn to fat, unless of course, you're eating a bag of Doritos

and weren't hungry in the first place.

Now start eating small meals everyday and you'll see those pounds start to melt off. This technique will go a

long way when you're trying to maximize your fat loss efforts.


Get the idea of “diet” out of your mind and start picking the right foods.

We all know that cookies, doughnuts, candy, and soda are bad for us, but what about all those other millions

of foods that are found on the shelf? Yeah a lot of them are junk too. All those boxed and frozen foods are

often loaded with chemicals, fat, sugars, and salts. All of which only help to increase your waistline.

And did you know that drinking just one can of soda a day can lead to an extra 10 pounds every year. Uck,

what a waste of calories!

So instead, stick with whole fresh foods whenever possible, many of which can be found around the perimeter

of the store. This includes loading up on fruits and veggies, lean meat or fish, nuts, seeds, whole grains, low fat

dairy, and water.

Stick with the basics. Some healthy foods I suggest are:

Fresh Veggies

Sweet potatoes

Green Beans

Broccoli

Spinach

Dark, Leafy Greens

Peppers

Fruits

Berries

Apples

Bananas

Cantaloupe

Plums

Whole Grains

100% Whole Grain Bread or Tortillas

Brown Rice

Whole Grain Pasta

Quinoa

Oatmeal

Lean Meats

Chicken Breast

Turkey Breast

Lean Ground Beef

Sirloin Steak

Fish such as salmon, tilapia, or tuna fish

Eggs

Healthy Fats

Nut Butter

Almonds

Olive or Coconut Oil

Sunflower Seeds

Italian Dressing


So there you have it. Some of the top fat loss secrets designed to help you drop the pounds quickly. If

you enjoyed reading this book, be sure to check out more Get Foxy fitness and nutrition articles and

videos at http://www.foxfitness.com.

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