The best weight loss strategy is the one most commonly used in the fitness industry for helping people achieve amazing results in a relatively short period of time.

It is called the, ‘Maximum Fat-loss Protocol’ and involves a number of simple steps that when followed can literally turn your body into a 24hr-a-day fat burning machine!

Once you understand some basic human physiology, the reason why it is the best way to lose weight becomes clear. The 4 steps in the ‘Maximum Fat-loss Protocol’ are as follows:

1. Wake up and take a thermogenic (fat burner)

2. Exercise for 30-60 minutes

3. Wait 20-30 minutes

4. Have breakfast

Obviously morning exercise may not suit some people so we will also examine an alternative option, which can achieve the same result.

When we wake up in the morning our blood glucose (blood sugar) level tends to be low (unless we’ve had a midnight snack!). Our metabolism also tends to be low at this time of the day. When we take a thermogenic our blood level of free fatty acids increases and our metabolism is given a boost.

Now we have created an environment in our body whereby our blood sugar level is low and our blood fat level is high.

The second step involves exercising for 30-60 minutes. The exercise should be aerobic in nature. This means it may be walking, swimming, cycling, boxing, rowing, participating in an aerobics class or exercising on a cross-trainer. The exercise should be performed at a moderate level of intensity; enough so your heart rate and breathing rate increase but not so much that your muscles start burning from the accumulation of lactic acid.

Exercising at a moderate level of intensity means that your body can use either fat or carbohydrate as a fuel source and since your blood sugar level will be low and your blood fat level will be high, a greater amount of fat will be used as fuel during the exercise session. If you exercise at a higher level of intensity a greater proportion of carbohydrate will be used as a fuel. Since your blood glucose will be low already, performing high intensity exercise will force it to become even lower still resulting in you becoming extremely hypoglycaemic (low blood sugar). This may cause you to feel nauseous, dizzy and shaky.

The third step involves waiting 20-30 minutes before having breakfast. As a result of taking the thermogenic and exercising, your metabolism will remain elevated for quite some time after the session has finished. An elevated metabolism means your body burns fuel at a faster rate. Since your blood glucose level will still be low and your blood fat level will still be high post-exercise, you will keep burning fat during this 20-30 minute window. If you make the mistake of having breakfast immediately after the session your blood glucose level will rise, inducing an insulin spike, which will stop fat burning. It is best to get home after your exercise session, have a shower and get changed before having breakfast.

After waiting 20-30 minutes have breakfast. It is best not to wait longer than that because cortisol will start to rise. Cortisol is the most catabolic hormone in the body, which means it will break down muscle if it increases too much. A loss of muscle will slow your metabolism.

As was mentioned earlier, exercising in the morning before breakfast may not suit some people. Accordingly, it is still possible to achieve the same outstanding results by manipulating your exercise session no matter what time of the day you exercise. All you need to do is perform some resistance exercise (weight training) before your aerobic exercise. The weight training will deplete your body of it’s blood glucose because it is a high intensity form of exercise, which means when the aerobic exercise is performed after it fat will be used almost exclusively.

Here are the steps to take if you can’t perform the standard ‘Maximum Fat-loss Protocol’:

1. Take a thermogenic before your workout

2. Perform a resistance training workout

3. Perform 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise

4. Wait 20-30 minutes

5. Have your next meal

Performing either version of the ‘Maximum Fat-loss Protocol’ at least 5 days a week will result in unbelievable losses of body fat, especially if you combine it with a suitable nutritional plan. Try it yourself and prepare to be amazed at the results you achieve.