Slim up this summer!
Ever consider drinking hot coffee in a cold bath? Ever imagine it could lead to seriously shedding the pounds?
This week, talk of Six Weeks to OMG has been everywhere -- on my subway platform, in my inbox -- it's the latest British sensation to invade our shores, and it's full of unorthodox ideas that just may lead to serious weight loss.
If someone told you that sitting in a cold bath could help lead to thinner thighs, would you do it? Or did you ever think that skipping breakfast could actually help you burn fat? These are some of the ideas behind Six Weeks to OMG, by nutrition expert and personal trainer Venice A. Fulton, who was kind enough to sit down and answer a few of our questions!
LovingYou: You are a former personal trainer -- and this is a pretty grueling regime! Have you tried it yourself?
Venice: Six Weeks To OMG can be used as a regime, but it doesn't have to be. You can take or leave exactly the parts that suit your needs. I designed it that way because we're all different, and no one needs to feel bad for not following a book to the letter.
Is it grueling? Not at all! There is a massive sense of freedom that comes from knowing how stuff works, and it's this sense that transforms difficult sounding techniques, into a real pleasure. I kid you not: People love the cold baths!
I used most of the book, most of the time. If I said I did everything, all the time, that would be a lie, because no one's life runs that smoothly! There's an amazing power to be actually had from having a few spare tricks up the sleeve, and being able to change gear at will, when I want to look or feel especially sharper.
LovingYou: Why did you decide to self-publish?
Venice: I self-published Six Weeks To OMG because it matched the urgency I had when writing it. I had so much to say, and people had so many questions they wanted answered. I never even thought to speak to publishers, but I'm excited that they're now involved. The message gets out more to those who need it, and that's fantastic for everyone involved.
LovingYou: Any personal trainer will tell you that an athlete's "diet" is very different than a "regular person's." How would you define this?
Venice: Athletes have different diets simply because their financial career depends on it. A regular person gets their income elsewhere, so priorities slip. Well, they slip until something else makes them take notice. That could be ill health, criticism from others, or most powerfully, that I've had it moment. It's worth remembering, that while athletes and regular folk can look very different, we share the same basic human design.
LovingYou: For me, diets work best when they create a sort of "life plan" for me... this one seems to incorporate every segment of daily life. But how do you advise handling the unexpected -- say business travel?
Venice: 'Life plans' are definitely an improvement over the idea of a 'diet.' Six Weeks To OMG goes even further.
The aim is for every reader to become an expert and experience an entire shift in beliefs. Once you become an expert, you develop a tremendous sense of calm, and business travel offers no problems. For example, the complete lack of recipes leads to a complete skill in picking foods wherever you go in life. Another powerful feeling comes from the understanding of movement and how it affects the body. Once you master that, your positioning on the planet makes no difference. Six Weeks To OMG comes with a passport, e.g. its success travels wherever you may go!
LovingYou: Explain that cold bath to us... please! Is it to rev up your metabolism? If so, we're skinny dipping right now!
Venice: Skinny dipping, meaning baths using water no colder than out of the faucet, is a completely natural and powerful metabolic booster.
When you dip your body in cold water, it gets cold, and the body hates that. To keep your insides constantly happy, it turns up heat production. Just like turning the thermostat in your home, any extra heat has to be paid for. In our bodies, the extra increase in heat comes from stored body fat. You could burn fat at an increased rate for 12 to 15 hours.
It's important to not just jump in a cold bath, and the book goes on to explain the technique in depth. For eager beavers, I'll tell you right now: Don't get into water that's colder than 59 Fahrenheit or spend more than 15 minutes in it. It's not necessary and won't achieve more fat loss.
LovingYou: I noticed you recommend skipping breakfast. It goes against so much of what our moms told us! Is there a reason for that?
Venice: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day... for cereal manufacturers!
Seriously, it's important to skip breakfast time, but remember you will eventually eat (e.g. break your fast). By delaying your food, you're giving the body a chance to live up to its 2,000,000 year old breakfast skipping design, and use body fat for fuel. Blood sugar is low in the morning, and metabolism is fully switched on (that's right, it doesn't need breakfast to do that!). If you get moving in that state or just go about your regular day, your body has to burn stored fat to power everything.
If you feel bad when you first try it, give it a chance. This usually means you're just especially addicted, and reliant, on food. In seven to 10 days, you will notice an improvement and be able to go for up to three hours without grabbing some food. Your first meal (your breakfast) must contain protein, as that will massively dampen down any appetite quickly.
LovingYou: I love that you are pro-coffee! What are the diet benefits of coffee that everyone's been missing?
Venice: Coffee is truly a liquid black gold for those who want to lose fat fast.
It's the most easily available source off caffeine, which when used carefully, tells body fat cells to open up, and release their stored fat into the blood, where it can be sucked up by muscles for fuel. It's important to have the coffee black, as milk or sugar (and possibly even sweeteners) tell the body that food is coming in. When food is coming in, the body won't let food (stored body fat) out. If you hate black coffee, you could try some caffeine pills. Or, let some coffee cool, pinch your nose, and take a big gulp!
If you have coffee at a time you're not going to be moving around, you'll waste the benefits. Stored fat will be released into your blood, but without much to do, it will simply float back and set up camp again (in your butt, love handles or wherever jiggle lives!).
More great weight loss reads
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