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14-Day Guide to Rapid Fat Loss

by: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Bodyweight Workout Program

Last Friday I stopped by the house of an ol’ college buddy to meet
his fiance and new baby boy. He’s getting married in 5 months time
and we had to have a serious chat.

You see, he’s gained 25 pounds since birth of his son. He really
fell off the wagon. But he’s taken the first and most important step
by admitting things have to change and so we sat around for over 2
hours in his backyard on a beautiful day and hammered out this plan.

I could have wrote a 5-month plan, but I wanted to fast-track his
results – and YOUR results – because research shows people who start
losing fat quickly get better long-term fat loss results as well.

So here’s your complete 14-day FAST-TRACK guide to fat loss (if you
like it, please forward it to a friend or print them off a copy too):

Day 1 – Stop Everything to Plan, Shop, & Prepare This Meal Plan

I hope you’re reading this on Sunday, because I want you to plan,
shop, and prepare today. If it’s Monday, skip your workout and do
this instead – its THAT important.

And I don’t just mean planning what you are going to eat for dinner.
I mean planning what you are going to eat for every meal for the
next 2 weeks.

Don’t tell me that’s too hard. After all, most people with lean
physiques stick to a relatively similar diet for 90% of their meals
and then enjoy a random cheat/reward meal 10% of the time.

So your schedule might go like this:

Breakfast – 2 eggs, 1 slice rye toast, 1 apple, Green Tea, fish oil

Snack – 1oz raw almonds, 1 pear, Green Tea

Lunch – Grilled chicken/salmon or black bean salad with spinach,
onion, peppers, mushrooms, etc., 1 banana or bowl of cherries,
2 cups unsweetened iced tea with lime or lemon

Snack – Unlimited raw vegetables and hummus

Dinner – Protein and vegetables and fruit…so this could be a small
piece of steak, chicken, or fish, along with your favorite
vegetables, and a bowl of your favorite fruit.

Or it could be the veggie dinner I had last Monday of
quinoa with red pepper-cashew sauce and avocado wrapped in
kale leaves.

Or it could be wild rice with beans and avocado and salsa.

That schedule won’t change much, with the exception of a slight
variation in your main course at dinner, right? And then once per
week schedule a meal of your favorite food.

Everyone can stick to this plan for 14 days, and this tip alone will
help you lose 5-12 pounds of fat in just 2 weeks. And this is also
how you’ll need to eat for the rest of your life. It’s not hard, it
just requires a little practice. Keep at it and never, EVER give up.

Alright, so to review, here’s your 3-step guide to Day 1.

i) Plan your meals.
ii) Shop for the food.
iii) Prepare the food (cut everything up, put in the proper trays,
cook food if necessary, and get it all packed up for work)

In addition to planning out all of your meals, you must also start
keeping a food journal (you could do it online too), because studies
show that keeping a food journal will help you lose fat faster.

Next, make sure you do 60 minutes of activity today AND take a
“before” photo along with your weight, body fat (if possible), and
measurements of your waist, hips, arms, and thighs. Continue to
weigh yourself every other day, as research shows that frequent
check-ins lead to greater weight loss.

Day 2 – Attend An “Online Turbulence Training Seminar”

You must set EVERY workout and activity session as an appointment
with yourself that you must keep – just like a doctor’s visit. Let
nothing, except real emergencies, come between you and your workouts.

Today you’re going to do a Turbulence Training workout.

Now if you are currently using long, slow, boring cardio to lose fat,
stop that bad habit immediately and switch to Turbulence Training.

If you need to learn more about TT, watch my free videos on youtube
where I explain Turbulence Training and interval workouts. While you
are there, look up my “Diet vs. Exercise” video series to see why
diet is much more effective for fat loss than cardio.

If you are a beginner, please start conservatively. But if you have
been working out for a while, the next 3 weeks are your time to step
your workouts up a notch.

Day 3 – Write Your Way to Fat Loss

First, you must schedule 60 minutes of easy to moderate activity.
I’ll talk about that in a second, but you can do anything from a 60
minute walk, a yoga session, a light bodyweight and stretching
session, an hour of playing with your kids, or playing an easy game
of your favorite sport. Don’t go too hard, but stay active.

You must also carve out 30 minutes to sit down and write out 3 short
term goals and 3 long term goals. Write down EXACTLY what you want
to accomplish in these 14 days. After that, write down what you
want to accomplish in the following 90 days.

Once you’ve done that, you’re going to prepare a contract with
yourself promising to take the steps necessary to achieve these
goals. Sign the contract and review it everyday to keep you on track.

Day 4 – Recruiting Day

Today’s another TT workout. Make sure you are using a professionally
designed structured and proven fat loss workout, rather than just
“winging it” or using long slow cardio for fat loss.

You’ll also spend time today recruiting for these 3 components of
your fat loss social support team:

- Nutrition buddy
- Workout partner
- Fat loss forum accountability buddies

Research shows that recording your nutrition in a food journal and
having someone review your meals increases your chance of losing fat.

Another study found that if you workout with a partner who is losing
fat, then you’ll have a greater chance of losing fat as well.

And finally, a third study found that the more often subjects
checked in to an online fat loss forum (like the TT Member’s forum),
the more likely they were to lose a lot of fat.

Get your team together and you’ll get more results – faster.

Day 5 – The 60 Minute Solution

Why am I telling you to get 60-minutes of activity on your off days
from TT?

Well, to be honest, I do NOT expect you to burn massive amounts of
fat with easy, off-day activity.

However, every minute you spend moving, you are NOT snacking! I know
the biggest problem you will have is your diet. So instead of
snacking in front of the computer or TV, spend your free time away
from food. That’s the simple secret to the 60 minute solution.

So get 60 minutes of activity on Day 5.

Day 6 – The Challenge

Your 3rd TT workout needs to be a challenge workout so that you can
improve your performance each week. In fact, you should set at least
one personal best in each workout. If you improve your performance,
your physique will improve as well. You can use one of the TT
bodyweight, Adrenaline, or Addiction Challenge workouts.

Day 7 – Diet Check-In and Reward Meal

Congratulations, you’ve made it through 7 amazing days of fat
burning. Today you’re going to double check your nutrition plan by
reviewing your food journal.

If you haven’t already done so, eliminate all liquid calories and
replace with water and Green Tea.

If you need to learn more about nutrition, start using the free
service called Fitday.com. It will help you track your calories.

And if you’re really struggling to avoid night eating, try this tip.
Place a small mirror on your fridge door. Research shows that
subjects consumed fewer calories when they did this because it will
remind you to make smarter choices.

Finally, as a reward for all of your hard work, you can treat
yourself to your favorite meal. But that doesn’t mean gorging. It
simply means having a normal meal of your favorite foods to give
you a mental break from your plan. When the meal is over, don’t go
back for seconds. Get right back on the 14-day plan instead.

Days 7 & 8 are also 60 minute off-day activity days.

Day 8 – Review your goals.

It’s no good to write your goals down and then forget them. Review
them at least weekly, if not daily. Heck, carry them around in your
pocket and look at them at every meal.

As you workout, visualize yourself reaching your goals. Believe in
yourself, keep a positive attitude, stay motivated and you’ll
continue to make fast fat loss progress every day.

This will also be another great day to plan, shop, and prepare.

Day 9 – Take It to Another Level

Week one was great, but with only 5 days left it is time for you to
step it up again. This time I want you to hire a trainer for just
one TT session to make sure you are doing all the exercises correctly
and training as hard as you can (safely, of course).

Add this trainer to your support team. And by the way, a good trainer
should be able to estimate your body fat better than any of those
“fat scales” you can buy at a store…so get them to check that too.

Day 10 – Plan Your Next Shopping Trip

Today is another 60 minutes of off-day activity, and you’ll also
work on improving your nutrition even more. What I want you to do is
focus on eating more from the Fat Loss Foundation.

The 3 components of my Simple Nutrition Fat Loss Foundation are raw
fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Research shows that eating more of
these 3 foods will help you lose weight better than a diet that is
low in fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Make an effort to eat one new fruit, vegetable, and nut each week
during your between meal snacks.

If you aren’t already eating grapefruit, try one today and see how
it helps fill you up (because it contains a lot of soluble fiber
called pectin). Add a new vegetable – such as broccoli, cauliflower,
or asparagus – to your dinner. And try walnuts or pecans instead of
almonds at your morning break.

Slowly but surely increase the fiber in your diet until you hit the
recommended amount of 35 grams per day.

And I hope this goes without saying, but you should have eliminated
all foods that contain added sugar. That is one the simplest yet
most effective nutrition changes you can make.

Day 11 – Recruit Again

Add a new member into your social support team, such as a new
workout partner or healthy-eating partner. This will add strength to
your commitment. If possible, join a transformation contest online,
or start one among your friends or co-workers.

But when you do that, keep in mind that you want to help other
people succeed. The more you can help others lose fat, the more you
will help yourself as you share what’s working with your friends and
they show you their fat loss secrets too. Stay positive, and you’ll
build a powerful fat loss team.

Today is also another TT fat loss workout day, so give it your best.

Day 12 – Check-In Time

Today you’ll re-measure your weight, body fat, and measurements.
Take a look in the mirror to compare yourself against your before
photo to see big changes that will motivate you to stay strong.

I also want you to start thinking about getting a tan. Yes, I said
getting a tan. Why? Because simply adding a little bit of color to
your body can make you look leaner. There’s a reason all those
models in supplement ads are tanned, you know.

Finally, if there is a “big day” at the end of the 14-days, make
sure you try on the outfit you are going to wear to double-check
that it is going to look great on you.

Make sure you do this check-in either before your 60 minutes of
activity or a few hours after so that exercise does not mess-up the
numbers.

Day 13 – Mental Performance Review

Write down all obstacles that are still in your way of success, and
then brainstorm 2 solutions to overcome each. Get some help from
your social support team on this. The more you and your team share
solutions, the more fat you – and everyone else – will lose.

For example, you might come up with rules like, “No eating in the
car” to help cut down on bad food choices. Someone else might suggest
“brush your teeth after dinner to avoid night-time snacking”. Those
are simple yet powerful tips to keep you on the fast-track to fat loss.

Follow up this positive session with your best TT workout yet!

Day 14 – Review, Plan, & Prepare

Congrats on making so many powerful changes in just 2 short weeks.

By now, you’ll probably have lost 5-12 pounds of fat and just as
importantly, you’ll have developed proven, life-long fat burning
habits that will be easy for you to stick to forever.

Keep this weight loss train moving by reviewing your original goals.
Next, do your planning, shopping, and preparing for another week,
and get ready for even more fat loss.

Enjoy your 14-day results and celebrate with a reward meal (and show
off your firmer, leaner body at the big event too!).
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Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you. I
have a new amazing content-rich article coming your way next week.

Thank you!

Your friend,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training