Guest Post from Jon Benson: 5 Surprising Things That Make You Leaner

Today I have a guest post from one of the great trainers out there, Jon Benson. I've used a bunch of Jon's programs including his 7 Minute Muscle.

Since the goal of this blog is to help get me below ten percent body fat so I can finally see my 6 pack abs, I've asked Jon to talk about what you should and should not be eating. After all, what you eat is attributable to at least 80% of your success in getting ripped, lean and finally finding that six pack!!

[ Editor's Note: Fitness author Jon Benson shared this letter with me and gave me permission to share it with you. ]

5 Surprising Things That Make You Leaner

Want to be leaner?

Good deal... here's 5 tips that will help you along...

TIP 1 - Ditch The Starch

Starches, such as rice, potatoes, some veggies, oats, etc. are often considered "health foods."
While they can be healthy, they can also pack on stomach bodyfat like crazy if you overdo them.
As you may know, my "Every Other Day Diet" System (EODD) actually encourages you to eat starches and even sweets several days a week to get rid of excess weight:

Every Other Day Diet <-- click.

( Some of you may see a survey here on how best to help with your bodyweight goals. )

Well... how does EODD work?

Simple: Timing is everything.

And we take a "weekly" approach to foods rather than a daily approach. This keeps your metabolism guessing. As Mike has stated before, your body adapts rather quickly. So if your body cannot figure out what you're up to, fatburning is that much more powerful. And you can get by with eating starches... at least a specific times on specific days.

But if you're not going to do EODD, then you'll have to wing it. And the best way to wing it is to simply cut starches out entirely for 4-8 weeks. Then slowly add them back a few days per week.
This is no where near as effective (or as fun) as the EODD method, but it will get you pointed in the right direction.

TIP 2 - Can The Sodas

This one is really hard for me. I've been hooked on diet-soda on and off for years. When I go to get into top shape (like I am now) I have to get rid of the diet-sodas... yes, DIET-sodas. Need I say "real" sodas too? They are loaded with sugar.

Why diet-sodas? A recent study revealed that people who drank diet-sodas actually increased bodyfat when compared to those who drank sugar-sodas. What the... ??

Yep. Your body cannot be fooled by aspartame and chemicals. Sorry, but that's the truth. Which is why Mike always preaches the importance of eating all natural foods whenever possible!!

Here's a personal story: When I cut out the diet-sodas my bodyfat drops like a rock in a pond of clear water.

And that's what you need to be drinking: A quart of pure water per 50 lbs of bodyweight a day.
I mix it with lemon and a bit of Stevia (an herbal sweetener) and make lemonade. It's wonderful!

TIP 3 - Stay Hungry

Arnold's first movie was "Stay Hungry" (well, after "Pumping Iron" that is). You cannot rest on your butt and stay hungry. You cannot think you've "arrived" and stay hungry.

It takes a special person to be hungry... and an even greater one to stay that way.

I want you to stay hungry in two ways: In how you workout and literally... stay a bit hungry before you go to bed. Not "starving"... just a bit hungry.

For your workouts, I have a great solution. If you pick up EODD you'll get a limited shot at "7 Minute Body"... my combination of "7 Minute Muscle" and "The 7 Minute In-Home Workout" in one book... and for more than half off... but that's a very limited deal. Gotta have EODD... you'll need them both...Why? Because as Mike stated above, 80% of your success is tied to your diet, but you still need to be successful with the other 20% so that is why I am offer you this deal.

Every Other Day Diet <-- click. ( Some of you may see a survey here on how best to help with your bodyweight goals. )

You see, progression -- "forced" progression -- is the best way to stay hungry. 7 Minute Body forces you to progress without thinking about it. Progression is built into the System.
As far as staying hungry at night? Check with your doctor and if he/she okays it take 500mg of potassium and 1000mg of magnesium/calcium a few hours prior to bed. This helps with the hunger pangs. Also, keep hard-boiled eggs in the fridge. If you get really hungry, eat one with half the yolk (toss the other half.) It keeps me full for an hour at least.

TIP 4 - Cardio Clarity

Hours and hours of cardio a day is not the answer. However, you can do "light" cardio (i.e. brisk walking, or riding the bike at 60% of your max) just to burn off calories. That's okay... and personally I don't find it that boring if I'm watching a TV show. Mike gets his "light" cardio in by taking long walks with his wife, son and dog! It does not interfere with my main fatloss exercise (weight training... YES!) and it burns off about 400 calories an hour.

What does work is early morning fasting cardio... but you only need 9-15 minutes. I explain the GXP Protocol (Modified) in the 7 Minute Body book, available only if you pick up EODD, and you can get it at more than half off:

Every Other Day Diet <-- click. ( Some of you may see a survey here on how best to help with your bodyweight goals. )

TIP 5 - Get Raw At Night

Raw veggies with your last meal and as a snack will really help your fatburning along. I started with red peppers because they're sweet. Now I eat virtually every veggie raw at night without thinking about it. Give this a shot. The fatloss is well worth it.

----> Note From Mike:

Jon is still giving away "Radical Fatloss Blueprint" along with EODD for a few more days. I used the Radical Fatloss Blueprint along with Turbulence Training during TC5 and saw my body fat really drop to all time lows! He is giving a lucky few the chance to pick up the Supplement-Kit that comes with Radical Fatloss for almost 100 bucks off... the video and details are here:

Every Other Day Diet <-- click.