6 Ways to Lose Weight in 30 Seconds or Less
By Adam Rosante
Special to Eat This, Not That!
That's why, when I take on a new client, I put together a program that works quickly and effectively, and starts to show results almost immediately. It's based on a series of exercises that you do in just 30 seconds, and a series of nutrition and motivation tips that take just as long. Here are some of the secrets you'll find in The 30-Second Body.
30-SECOND BODY TIP #1 Do a Pantry Raid!
One of the first things I tell people who want to lose weight is to do this: Take a big, thick garbage bag, and move through your kitchen quickly, dumping all the junk. It worked for Saevar Halldorsson. He was part of the test panel for The 30-Second Body, and in just six weeks, he lost 45 pounds and completely reshaped his body and his life by combining a no-weights workout with a clean-eating plan. "When I started I was overweight, unhappy and depressed after a recent divorce," he says. "But Adam's positive encouragement pulled me through. That night I did a pantry raid, getting rid of all the garbage in my fridge, and began eating only natural, unprocessed food."
Don't hesitate! Give each shelf of your fridge and each shelf of your pantry just 30 seconds. Why? Because if you hesitate, you'll stop and think about how you spent money on it, or whether or not you'll need it for the superstorm. Don't. Go right now and toss out all your jelly and jam, sugary cereal, wraps, soda, coffee creamer (one of the 75 Unhealthiest Foods on the Planet!), bagels and white bread, pretzels, fruit snacks and gummies, canned vegetables and fruit, white rice and pasta, chicken nuggets, and margarine.
30-SECOND BODY TIP #2 Sign a Pledge
This may sound silly, but as a personal trainer, I can't do the work for my clients. And I can't succeed if they don't stick to a plan. But what am I gonna do, sue?
Gyms make you sign a contract to pay them, but where's the contract that says you're going to actually get in shape? I've found that when clients sign a contract with themselves, they are far more likely to see dramatic weight-loss results. You can find a sample contract for your weight-loss goals in my book.
More: See the 30 Best Proteins for Your Body Goals!
30-SECOND BODY TIP #3 Take a Selfie
No, not one of you cuddling your new puppy. A full-body photo, one from the side and one from the front. Wear as little clothing as you feel comfortable in. You've just established a baseline.
A lot of us, when we start a new diet or workout plan, don't see dramatic changes in the bathroom scale, at least at first. But what would see—if we could freeze time—is the dramatic changes in the shape of our bodies. Unfortunately, the image in the mirror today is gone tomorrow, so there's nothing to compare yourself to. By taking a photo at the start of your program, you'll see within days some dramatic changes—and you'll stay motivated. For some still-noticeable, beat-the-bloat results even faster, find out the 24 Ways to Shrink Your Belly in 24 Hours!
As much as you work out for your mental and physical health, seeing results is what counts. That's what changed Karin Dillie's life. She completely reshaped her body in just six weeks on the 30 Second Body program. "I did this challenge with a group of friends and I'll always remember after the very first workout when we were all a hot mess—not exactly the classic picture of 'sexy.' We believed that beauty came from things like exfoliating showers, mounds of hair spray and perfect lip gloss." But Karin soon saw results that changed her mind about beauty, and changed her body into a fat-burning machine. "No diet or new fitness fad could give that to us. It was the beauty that the 30-Second Body allowed us to find deep down within ourselves. And it sure was sexy."
30-SECOND BODY TIP #4 Do One More
One more rep. One more minute. One more notch on the weight stack. It's the concept of "progressive overload." No, that's not what happens when you see too many of those insurance commercials. Progressive overload is the foundation of my training program, and it just means challenging yourself to do a little more or a little better each time you work out. That may sound elementary, but how often have you gone to the gym, lifted a weight 8 times for three sets—and then come back several days later and done the same weight 8 times again? It takes just 30 seconds to find the one upgrade in your workout—a slightly higher weight, or maybe just one more rep at the end of your last set—to make all the difference.
Challenging yourself each and every time you do a workout is the key to making progress. I hear that all the time, from people like Matt Stueland, who lost two inches off his waist in just 14 days. "Only two months after training on Adam's program only two days a week, my total cholesterol dropped 20 percent," he says. The 30-Second Body plan will "raise your mental toughness and reveal the possibilities of how much you can accomplish in all aspects of your life. And it doesn't hurt that I look damn good in a bathing suit."
30-SECOND BODY TIP #5 Toss the Tofu for the Tempeh
I like to make my nutrition tips simple and universal, but here's one that I love: If you do the vegetarian thing, you've probably had it up to here with tofu. Well, you're also not doing yourself a lot of favors by eating something with SpongeBob's consistency and Christopher Walken's complexion. Upgrade your next order at the vegan spot to tempeh. It's made of soy, but unlike tofu, it uses the whole bean, so it's more nutrition-dense. A 100-gram serving of tempeh gives you 18 grams of fat-burning protein; the same amount of tofu, just 9.
30-SECOND BODY TIP #6 Find Your Why Power
This is a simple exercise I put people through that always seems to make a difference. You know how most gyms will ask you what your goals are? "I want to lose my belly" or "I want to firm up my arms." That's all fine, but they always forget to ask the important follow up:
Why?
Answering that question was one of the main factors that helped Madeline Gomez drop 40 pounds in just six weeks. "Depression is a bitch," she says. "I had stopped working out and I needed something different to shake me out of my funk."
Most of us want to look better, period. But when we really think about it, there's usually an added motivator behind that simple goal. We want to feel healthier and move with pain. We want to live to see our kids have kids. We want to feel more attractive to our mate. We want to keep up at work. Grab a sheet of paper, and write down your goals. But now ask yourself, why? Go nuts and scribble down as many reasons as you can think of. Then circle the most compelling reasons, write them down on a new sheet of paper, and post it where you'll see it often. You've just unleashed your why power.
For the complete weight loss plan from Adam Rosante, check out The 30-Second Body right here.
