Have you struggled with losing fat before? Hollywood trainer David Kingsbury is now sharing the same weight loss tips he gives to A-list movie stars.
Kingsbury is one of the hottest personal trainers in Hollywood, training celebrities like Eva Green, Jennifer Lawrence, and the cast of Wolverine.
Now in his new book, Fitter Faster: Your best ever body in under 8 weeks, he shares his tips to burn fat fast.
Kingsbury’s new book is a three-step programme designed to help you burn fat and become leaner in eight weeks.
Eating meals high in protein and fat, mixing up your workouts and cutting out sugar and booze are all crucial to shedding the pounds, he says.
Here are seven of his top tips broken down by Healthista:
Movie star Jennifer Lawrence (pictured at the BAFTAs in London in February) is among the clients of Hollywood personal trainer David Kingsbury, whose new book is out now
Each meal should consist of 40 per cent protein
In Kingsbury’s opinion, protein is the key to giving your body the energy to burn fat. Kingsbury recommends that 40 per cent of calories from each meal come from protein.
He says: ‘Protein is very important for muscle maintenance during a fat-loss plan and keeping the levels high will ensure you keep hold of all that hard-earned muscle whilst you are losing body fat.’
Protein reduces the levels of ghrelin, aka the hunger hormone, while increasing appetite reducing hormones to keep you full longer too.
Kingsbury regularly includes smoked salmon as a healthy source of protein in his recipes
Some sources of protein that Kingsbury uses regularly in his recipes are chicken, smoked salmon, tempeh, and beans.
Do circuit training workout twice a week
Circuit training is Kingsbury’s one-stop training session, combining cardio with resistance training to give you a full body workout in under an hour.
Kingsbury loves circuit training ‘because the rest periods are kept very short in circuit training, these exercises put a high demand on your body, depleting your energy stores and boosting fat burning after the session.’
Circuit training burns fat fast because it depletes your energy stores quickly – Kingsbury suggests doing it twice a week
Another convenient thing about circuit training is that no gym is required, it can be done virtually anywhere from your living room to the park. He suggests circuit training for about half an hour, twice a week.
Start with 10 exercises, doing each exercise for a minute. Kingsbury regularly includes squats, push-ups, and lunges in his circuit training.
Repeat the cycle 2-3 times depending on your exertion.
Keep carb intake to only 20 per cent of each meal
According to Kingsbury, ‘keeping your carbs under control facilitates better fat loss.’
Snacks such as crisps are high in carbodydrates – Kingsbury suggests eating a low-carb snack like walnuts instead
The tricky thing about carbs is that the higher your carb intake is, the more insulin your body will produce. And insulin is a hormone which boosts fat storage and stops the body from breaking down fatty acids.
So, he suggests that no more than 20 per cent of calories from each meal should come from carbohydrates.
But, Kingsbury emphasizes that (some) carbs are needed because carbohydrates break down in the body to make glucose.
As Kingsbury explains, ‘this glucose is then moved around the body to create fuel for muscles, brain, and other essential biological functions.’
A few of his go-to low carb snacks are walnuts, avocado, and carrots.
Do a low intensity steady state workout once a week for an hour
Low intensity steady state (LISS) is the cousin of the popular high intensity interval training (HIIT).
Only LISS is a low intensity steady state cardio exercise usually done for over an hour at a time rather than the high intensity short duration training of HIIT.
Plenty of cardio exercises can be a part of LISS; Kingsbury suggests ‘a brisk walk on a treadmill or a slow pedal on the spin bike.’
Low intensity exercise for an hour or more burns fat because it keeps the heart and muscles working hard for a long time
LISS is optimal for burning fat because ‘it works by increasing your heart rate into a targeted fat-loss zone and keeps it there’ according to Kingsbury.
To be sure you are in the fat burning zone, he suggests keeping your heart rate at 60-65 per cent of your maximum heart rate.
If you don’t have a heart monitor handy, measuring your perceived exertion can also ensure you are in the fat burning zone.
When you are in the fat burning zone, you should be able to carry on a simple conversation but find it difficult to carry on a full conversation with long sentences.
LISS is also ideal if you suffer from muscle soreness or are very overweight due to its low impact.
Do not drink alcohol (sorry)
I know, I know, it’s not what you want to hear but alcohol can be a big factor in burning fat and weight loss.
And trust us, Kingsbury has some very real reasons to say no to alcohol too.
Kingsbury says cut out alcohol because it contains a lot of calories and affects digestion
His first reason is calories. ‘ Alcohol supplies almost twice as many calories as equivalent amounts of protein and carbohydrates’ explains Kingsbury.
His next reason is: ‘Alcohol is an irritant to the lining of your stomach, gradually weakening your liver and kidneys.
‘As the lining is weakened, so the food you eat is digested less efficiently.’
Alcohol can also lower testosterone levels. ‘These lower levels have a direct impact on the ability to both burn fat and contribute to lean muscle mass’ says Kingsbury.
Each meal should be 40 per cent fat
‘Fat makes you fat’ is often what comes to mind when we think about consuming foods with fat. But as Kingsbury explains fats can actually be the key to fat loss.
It is important to eat fat, Kingsbury says, and avocados are a healthy source of it
‘It gets this reputation as it contains the largest number of calories per gram of the three macros. But you will only get fat eating fat if your overall calories are too high,’ according to Kingsbury.
Instead, fat is essential for giving your body the energy it needs to function.
And, as Kingsbury explains: ‘Fat is actually one of the secret weapons for effective fat loss, because it provides energy with the lowest impact on your blood sugar and insulin levels.’
Another benefit to fats is that they keep you full. When the fat you consume enters your small intestine, the hormones CCK and PYY are released.
These two hormones work together to help you feel full and satisfied. Kingsbury often uses avocado, extra virgin olive oil, and smoked salmon in his recipes as sources of fat.
Cut out sugar
Kingsbury’s top reason for why your diets in the past have failed is sugar.
The tricky thing about sugar is that we are often consuming it without even realizing that we are.
Sugar plays a large part in almost all processed foods from cheese to biscuits. Kingsbury also believes that sugar is the key factor to obesity.
Processed foods like cake, biscuits, doughnuts and sweets are a ‘big no no’, Kingsbury says
As he explains: ‘Our brains don’t register sugary, fatty, heavily processed foods in the same way as other foods, we don’t get the same “I’m full” signals.’
So yes, there is a reason why you tend to eat more of sugary foods. Kingsbury says that anything with ‘added sugar’ is a big no-no.
According to Kingsbury: ‘Eating excessive amounts of added sugar can have harmful effects on your metabolism, which can lead to insulin resistance, belly fat, fatty liver disease, and heart disease.’
This article originally appeared on Healthista and is being reproduced with their permission.