[Top_Prospect]

Getting in shape is pretty simple if you don't over complicate it. I use some pretty basic rules.

Getting healthy isn't just about dieting. It's more of a lifestyle change and a lot of it's mental.

I'm 6'2 and was 216 pounds a month and a half ago. It might not sound too bad, but my body fat is high (28% approximately). Losing weight is EASY.

I'm down to 199 , my bod fat is down to 23% and I didn't even go hard for the whole month and a half. I wen to Mexico for a week in between as well.

The first thing you need to do is get an estimate of what your basic metabolic rate is. You can go to a few websites and find out to get an estimate of this number. It's basically how many calories you burn if you were to literally sit on the couch and do nothing all day. You then have to multiply this number by another number according to how active you are during the day. You also have to add on any calories from cardio, etc.

Once you get this #, you need to create a calorie deficit to shed weight. If you eat the same calories as this #, you should maintain your weight. 500 calories is usually the starting point where you would lose 1 pound/week. I went more hardcore to start off and made a good 800 deficit. Sometimes up to 1000. Try this for 2 weeks. You will have a better understanding of your calorie maintenance once you see how much weight you are losing.

You should also drink a lot of water. One thing that i think is really important if you want to lose weight (maybe a lot of weight) is to eat enough protein. I eat 1 gram of protein per lean body pound. lean body weight is your overall weight minus the amount of fat weight you have in pounds. This will really help so you don't lose too much muscle mass if you are somebody trying to burn off a lot of weight. You want to lose weight, but you should also preserve your muscle as much as you can.

Cardio is optional. As long as a person eats a wide variety of meals and cuts out a lot of junk, you will shed off weight without cardio or strength training.

I also stopped eating past 830pm-900pm. Sometimes I spread my meals out throughout the day because it's supposed to help speed up your metabolism. I also know guys who eat even 1 big meal a day, stay under their calorie maintenance, and are ripped. I drink 2 Whey protein shakes a day because I cannot get enough protein strictly from food.

I cut out pop. I've been drinking Diet for the past 8 years so I still have diet here and there, but Pop, a lot of juices, lots of sugar in coffee, etc can add up the calories really fast. It's also good to have a cheat day even once a week. Just don't overdue it.

I also cut out bread almost 100%. If I ever eat it, I'll eat brown whole grain bead.

One last hint I have is if you want to do cardio and maximize fat loss, do HIIT (High Interval Intensity Training). Don't just go on the treadmill for 1 hour or more on one constant speed. Do a fast walk on a speed of 3.5 or 4 for 3 minutes or so. Then raise it up to 7 or 8 and run like hell for 20 seconds to 1 minute. Go back to the low walking speed and repeat 5-8 times.

I know i scrambled a lot in there, but just follow the main rules. Create a calorie deficit, get enough protein, and drink lots of water. You are GUARANTEED TO LOSE WEIGHT and get in shape by adding strength training. All of my pants right now barely fit me (as in they fall off)