The August issue of Men’s Fitness features “101 Ways to Torch Fat Fast.”
Here are 99 of them (courtesy American Media Inc.):
1. Eat six small meals a day. Stoking your body with food every three to four hours can rev your metabolism to the max.
2. Run 10 100-yard sprints and burn up to 500 calories.
3. Wait 20 minutes before going for seconds.
4. Throw on a hoodie before working out. When your muscles are warm, you actually burn more calories.
5. Use a smaller dinner plate — it’ll limit how much you can pile on.
6. Use a blue dinner plate. Studies show the color has an appetite suppressing effect (as opposed to red and yellow plates).
7. Sub in nonfat Greek yogurt for mayo and sour cream — you’ll save 700 cals and 100 cals per half cup, respectively.
8. Eat peanuts from their shells. You’ll nosh on 50% fewer nuts in a sitting just trying to peel before eating.
9. Chew on sugar-free mint gum after a meal. Mint flavors send signals to your brain that it’s time to stop eating.
10. Snack on pistachios instead of pretzels.
11. Take up power yoga. You can burn up to 344 calories a class.
12. Train fasted once a week. This helps the body to keep adrenaline high and blood sugar low.
13. Run intervals. Turn your body into a fat-fighting furnace by alternating sprints with jogs.
14. Replace your morning bagel and juice with a bowl of oatmeal and protein-packed eggs.
15. Work out with your partner. Couples who train together are 34% more likely to stick to their workouts.
16. Eat at the kitchen table — not on the couch.
17. Drink more water. Being dehydrated can fool your body into feeling hungry.
18. Poach (don’t fry) eggs, poultry, and fish.
19. Hit the pool — swim laps or run in the water, if you can touch the bottom safely.
20. Take a real “before” photo. You’ll be more motivated knowing what you look like and where you want to go.
21. For your morning cup of Joe: switch to skim milk instead of cream and sugar and save 105 calories.
22. Bike to work; burn 500 calories an hour.
23. Choose an elliptical with handles. You’ll recruit muscles in your arms and burn more calories overall.
24. Download a fit app — like a fast-food calorie counter or a digital workout log — onto your iPhone.
25. Crust proteins with panko crumbs. They’ll stick to pork chops and skinless chicken breasts without the need for higher-calorie breads made of eggs and flour.
26. Add strawberries to your whey protein shake. These superfruits amp up the fiber — it’ll help you feel fuller.
27. Eat more avocados. They’re loaded with the kind of healthy fats you need to keep your body burning fat.
28. Portion-control potatoes and pasta. Servings of starches should never be bigger than a baseball.
29. Look for these key words on restaurant menus: grilled, baked, sautéed, steamed, ovenfried, roasted, marinara, and primavera.
30. Drink tea. It’s loaded with fat-burning antioxidants.
31. Keep your body guessing. Swap out your old program for a new one every four to six weeks.
32. Size up your proteins. A 3- to 5-ounce serving should be about as big as a smartphone.
33. Throw a towel over the treadmill display console. Just concentrate on pushing yourself harder.
34. Squat heavy. The more muscles you can recruit with proper form, the stronger you’ll get, and the more fat you’ll burn.
35. Train abs heavy. Instead of regular situps, try doing a couple of sets with the heaviest weights you can hold.
36. Eat less sugar. Limit yourself to no more than 72 grams a day.
37. Snack the smart way. A small bag of air-popped popcorn instead of corn chips saves you 60 calories.
38. Go rock climbing. Even if you just hit an indoor rock wall, you’ll torch more than 700 calories an hour.
39. Find your rockbottom moment. Draw from the point in your life when you knew you had to make a change.
40. Get a dog (or borrow your girlfriend’s) — Taking Fido for a walk 20 minutes a day can help you shed 14 pounds a year.
41. Eat Beans. This high-fiber, protein-packed staple will help your body incinerate fat. Puree them for stews or toss with oil and vinegar and serve as a side dish.
42. Combine cardio and weights. Try jumping rope between sets, or string together some exercises into the circuits.
43. Get off the couch — do quick sets of pushups, sit-ups, or jumping jacks during the commercial breaks of your favorite TV shows.
44. Clean out your kitchen. Remove temptation at home and you’re much more likely to stick to your plan.
45. Plan cheat meals. If you’re strict all week, one pig-out will get your body primed for more weight loss.
46. Order chicken fingers instead of wings. They’ve got more protein and significantly less fat, sodium and calories.
47. Don’t quit cold turkey on your favorite foods. You’ll be more apt to fall off the wagon.
48. Jot short-terms goals on index cards. Once they’re met, add ’em to a pile. Having a stack of accomplishments will boost your confidence.
49. Use the back of a teaspoon when tasting your dishes during food prep. Every time you taste something, you’ll take in far fewer calories.
50. Load up on fiber. Lentils, beans, edamame, and pears are all great sources.
51. Opt for dark chocolate (over milk chocolate). It contains less sugar and more energy-boosting antioxidants.
52. Do burpees. They’re a compound exercise that works nearly every muscle in your body.
53. Get a physical. Dozens of our “Success Stories” were alerted to their poor health on a routine doctor’s visit.
54. Skip the elevator. Take the stairs and burn 100 cals every 10 minutes you climb.
55. Do push-ups every morning. It’ll jump-start your day, and it gets in some additional upperbody training.
56. Don’t drench your salad in fat. Balsamic vinegar saves you 300 calories over creamier dressings like ranch.
57. Hold the fries — and the cheese from your burger. Save 300 cals.
58. Write down everything you eat. Trim 250 calories a day and you can shed up to two pounds a month.
59. Run resistance sprints. Strap on an elastic exercise band to make the sprints harder and burn more fat.
60. Don’t skip breakfast. A high-nutrient breakfast gets your body off to a good calorie-burning start. Shoot for 400 to 600 calories within an hour of waking up.
61. Eat out smarter. Ask your server to bring half your entrée to the table, and pack the other half to go.
62. Go out for lunch twice monthly instead of twice weekly.
63. Stash sweets in out-of-sight places, like on high shelves or deep inside your cupboards.
64. Having a party? Bring the leftovers to the office instead of letting those extra chips, cookies, and cake pile up around your place. Let your co-workers finish them off instead.
65. Party clean. Snack on fruit before heading out to keep you from bingeing on chips later.
66. Challenge a buddy to a pick-up game of hoops. You’ll burn more than 500 calories without even realizing how hard you’re playing.
67. Craving something sweet? Eat a fat-free fudge bar instead of chocolate ice cream for dessert and save more than 200 calories.
68. Lose the takeout menu. Cook your own food, and you’ll always know exactly what you’re eating.
69. Get new sneakers. After about 500 miles, it’s time for a new pair. New shoes mean more motivation.
70. Buy a pedometer. Strive to get in at least 10,000 steps a day.
71. Get at least seven hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your metabolism.
72. Coat your skillet with cooking spray instead of butter. A second-long spritz contains only 10 calories and a gram of fat (versus 102 cals and 12g).
73. Do pull-ups. They work more muscles than lat pull-downs.
74. Buy individual size portions of your favorite snacks.
75. Manage your time wisely. Studies show that stress triggers the hormone cortisol to turn up your appetite.
76. Be unconventional. Working with odd-shaped equipment like SandBells and truck tires helps your body recruit more muscle.
77. Train with a buddy, especially one who’s stronger — he’ll push you to work harder.
78. Make peanut butter better. One tablespoon of PB packs about 100 calories. Cut back by mixing equal parts PB with cooked carrots or sweet potato in a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate until needed.
79. Train like a fighter. The cross-training of mixed martial artists is second to none. Add in plyometrics and put together some supersets, keeping your rest periods low to start.
80. Avoid processed foods that contain trans fat, a manufactured fat that’s difficult for your body to break down.
81. Cut 200 calories out of your mac ’n’ cheese. Swap half a cup of puréed cauliflower and butternut squash for half a cup of shredded cheddar cheese in your recipe.
82. Take your kids to the park. You can do all your pull-ups and ab work with the kind of equipment you’ll find in a playground.
83. Chew slowly. Seriously. Studies show it’ll help you eat much less.
84. Know your numbers. Monitor everything from your calories to your weight to your body-fat percentage.
85. Start running. Sounds obvious, but just try running as far as you can. The next day, try and go for a minute longer. Within a few weeks, you’ll notice how much farther you can go than when you first started.
86. Do household chores. Burn calories while mowing the lawn (346 calories per hour), raking leaves (230), or washing your car (269).
87. Don’t wait in line for a treadmill. Do a few sets of box jumps or mountain climbers to get warmed up.
88. Try ostrich. It’s leaner than most ground beef you can find at your grocer.
89. Swap a side of rice with a low-cal veggie like broccoli. You’ll save 250 calories per serving.
90. Cut rest periods in half while lifting. Your muscles and cardiovascular system will have to work harder, burning more fat.
91. When eating out, ask for sauces on the side. You’ll eat less — and save tons of calories.
92. Be wary of “zero-calorie” foods: If a product has less than five calories per serving, it can be labeled zero calories.
93. Brush your teeth before bed — shirtless. You’ll see your progress in the mirror and get psyched to work out the next morning.
94. Set a few simple goals every morning — getting in 30 minutes of training; skipping your afternoon junk-food binge. Meet ’em and build off of them for even bigger accomplishments tomorrow.
95. Load up on low-fat cottage cheese. It’s a great source of calcium, and packs just 163 calories per cup.
96. Finish a crossword while watching TV. You’ll be less likely to eat if your fingers are busy.
97. Don’t hold on. The guys on the cardio machines who hold onto the frame are usually out of shape. That’s not an accident.
98. Train with elastic bands on days you can’t make it to the gym.
99. Drink responsibly. Steer clear of mixed drinks. Stick with a light beer or glass of wine. Or at least something made with a low-cal mixer, like diet soda or tonic.
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