Usually when we talk about fat burning programs or weight loss programs, we are talking about an overall program that should lead the person who wants to lose weight from point A to point B in the shortest possible time.
A look at a higher resolution indicates that as we advance in the process it becomes more and more difficult, since when we reach the most stubborn fat areas in the body (and unfortunately they are in the belly area) we also need to put in a greater effort.
The person required for this matter is the Canadian fitness expert Jeremy Ether, who describes three processes on the way to reducing abdominal fat, when he mainly addresses men who are in the 20-25 percent fat range (the main target audience of fat burning programs, or in other words , lowering the stomach).
The first stage: reaching 15% fat
The first phase of Ether’s program is designed to kickstart the fat loss process and maintain it until reaching approximately 15% body fat. Throughout this phase your hunger levels will be low, your risk of muscle loss will also be low, and physiologically this will be the easiest phase to pass.
In order to pass this stage successfully, you need to focus on two principles: the caloric deficit and sufficient protein consumption. Let’s start with the caloric deficit: it is actually a process in which we burn more energy than we consume so that the body actually has to turn to the fat reserves to compensate for said deficit.
How will you know how many calories you should consume per day in order not to gain weight and not lose weight: if you are young and active people, multiply your weight by 29. If you are older and less active, multiply by 24. This is a rule of thumb, of course, and not at all accurate, but it will give you a not bad measure at all. When you have reached the number indicating your daily caloric intake, you will usually need to reduce about 500 calories from it to be in a normal caloric deficit that will lead to results (loss of 1 kg of fat per week).
In order for you to be able to maintain a lower calorie intake, Ether recommends eating foods with a low calorie density, that is, foods that will take up a large volume in the stomach compared to other foods with the same amount of calories (for example, three Oreo cookies are equivalent in their amount of calories to a bowl full of carrots or strawberries) .
After we have finished discussing the caloric deficit, it is important to emphasize the principle of sufficient consumption of proteins, since you are interested in losing mainly fat and as little as possible in muscle. If you are people who train in the gym or those whose muscle mass is important to them, the accepted recommendation is (by and large) to multiply your body weight by 2 to get the recommended amount of protein per day in grams.
The second stage: decrease from 15% to 12% fat
At this point you will be hungrier, your fat loss will decrease, and you will be at a slightly greater risk of losing muscle mass – this is where most people get stuck. There are two principles that will advance you at this point: First, you must track your calorie intake very accurately, even down to the level of weighing your plate, etc.
Second, Ether recommends lowering your fat intake to the minimum required level of 20-25% of your daily calorie intake – this is because each gram of fat produces twice as many calories as a gram of carbohydrates or proteins. As a result, you will be able to consume more carbohydrates – which will both help you persevere in the process and help you feel more energized during your training.
The third stage: drop below 12% fat
Probably the most difficult stage where everything increases by at least one level of difficulty: extraordinary care in counting calories, obsession with the composition of calories, and all this alongside feeling more hungry compared to the previous two stages.
In addition, you will probably have to give up more and more social events centered on food, and a lot of food, what’s more, you will probably lack energy and be much less nice to those around you…
In conclusion, Ether recommends staying in the second stage, as it is the balance between a state of being overweight, and a state of crazy toning which is very doubtful if you will last. In any case, and no matter what you choose, good luck to you.
pay attention – Everything mentioned in this article is for enrichment only. Before you choose a training program or a diet of one kind or another, you must consult with a qualified person who will adapt your training to your current state of health and fitness.
The writer Shi Lev edits the health and fitness section on the ONE website since it was launched in 2013. Basketball coach by training, gym instructor and certified TRX trainer.
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