Shredded is a term used to describe somebody who has extremely low body fat levels.

I'm not talking about somebody who is lean, has denition and you can see their abs. A
person who is shredded, like some bodybuilders, has skin that is like cellophane. You'd
swear they didn't have skin at all because you can see the striations in every muscle.
Getting to the point of being shredded is extremely difcult. It's so difcult that most
bodybuilders who put 110 percent effort into attaining this appearance for a contest fail.
Because of the amount of effort involved - primarily because maintaining this look is
such a harsh condition for the body - being shredded is a transient state. Bodybuilders
and models alike attain this condition for their respective competitions and photo shoots.
Once the event is over, many return back to a lean state, while some get completely out
of shape. The pictures of shredded individuals you see in advertisements claiming a
product made them that way are simply lying.
Advertisements for losing body fat are everywhere, making outrageous claims, peddling
miracle supplements and exercise machines. But are there products, supplements or
machines that can really make you Shredded, Ripped, Cut Up, Lean? Unfortunately, for
the legions of people who have wasted their money, there is no product that if used
alone will make them shredded. However, there are products that can help you reach
your goal, and we'll be discussing these later in this article.
One of my favorite mottoes is, If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
Another one of my favorites is, There is no such thing as a free lunch. So when you
see an ad that makes a claim like, Ripped abs in 6 weeks by using the Thingamajig! or
I just took one youbetcha pill a day and got shredded in 4 weeks! - don't give it a
second look. There is so much more to getting shredded than taking a pill or using a
thingamajig.
In order to change the way your body looks, you have to change your lifestyle. In order
to change your lifestyle, you have to educate yourself. Haphazardly making changes
and expecting results is like driving to a place you've never been without a map and
expecting to get there. Even when you have a map, there are unexpected hurdles. The
key is to be patient, remain motivated, and make adjustments when necessary.
The Calorie Theory
Many so-called experts think there is only one thing that matters when trying to lose
weight: calories consumed versus calories used. They try to lead you to believe that a
calorie of protein is equal to a calorie of fat is equal to a calorie of carbs, and that all you
have to do is cut down the amount consumed to lose body fat. In order for this to be
true, the physiological processes by which the human body transforms food into energy
- metabolism - would have to be the same for every type of food.
This is a simplistic, unscientic and untenable view.
All macronutrients - including fats, carbohydrates and proteins - contain energy. The
energy contained in food is expressed as calories. We tend to associate calories with
food, but in reality, calories apply to anything. For example, a gallon of gasoline contains
approximately 31 million calories.
A calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius at
sea level. What does this mean? A Double Whopper with cheese contains 960 calories.
If we were to burn this burger, it would produce 960 calories - enough energy to raise
960 kilograms of water 1 degree Celsius.
Calorie is a shortened name for kilocalories, to reect the simplied math. A kilocalorie
contains 1,000 calories, so the Double Whopper with cheese is actually 960,000
calories. Now don't get your panties in a bunch - this simplied math also applies to
exercise calorie charts. If the piece of cardio equipment you're using says you burned
200 calories, it's simplied for 200,000 calories. However, don't rely on exercise
equipment charts - they are grossly inaccurate. This is due to several factors, mainly
genetics, because the rate at which individuals burn calories varies greatly and cannot
be measured on a piece of cardio equipment.
Calories can and are measured in a sealed device called a calorimeter which locks in
heat of burning food. A small vacuum container of water is contained above the food.
Once the food is completely burned, the temperature of the water is measured. The rise
in temperature will determine the amount of calories. While the calorimeter can show
the total amount of energy in a serving of Fruit Loops, it cannot account for what the
human body doesn't absorb, or the energy used in the digestion and assimilation of it. It
also cannot show one's ability and efciency to use food as energy, as opposed to
storing it as fat.
Does counting the number of calories consumed matter, or is it even necessary when
trying to lose weight? No! Counting calories is completely inaccurate and a waste of
time. Our bodies do not process food like a calorimeter. The assertion that
macronutrients are all processed the same between individuals is just foolish. Yet, this is
the basis for the calorie theory.
Carbohydrates: The Smoking Gun
The enemy of weight loss and health is not fat, protein or carbohydrates. It's the types of
these foods, along with other man-made substances consumed, in the low fat/high
carbohydrate diet that has been forced upon us by the medical community, food and
edible oil industries. Started in the mid 1950s as the Lipid Hypothesis , this politically
correct diet has been a dismal failure. We are getting fatter and unhealthier because we
are eating anything other than what our bodies are designed to process. Add to this the
fact that most Americans get the vast majority of their physical activity walking to and
from their cars, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Although a lack of physical activity has a part to play in our being fat, carbohydrates,
especially simple carbs or sugar, shoulder most of the blame. The sole purpose of
carbohydrates is to provide energy. Whatever your body doesn't use as fuel, is stored
as fat. Carbohydrates are a non-essential nutrient, meaning humans do not need to
consume them for survival or even health. Our bodies function perfectly - and are much
healthier - without carbohydrates, especially sugars and starches.
In order to understand why carbohydrates are your worst enemy when trying to get
lean, you have to understand insulin. Insulin is the fat storage hormone. Quite simply,
the higher your insulin levels, the more you store food as fat.
As you eat carbs, the body breaks them down into a simple, more absorbable sugar
called glucose. The glucose is then transported to the blood stream. As your blood
glucose levels rise, this sends a signal to the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin
governs the processing of glucose. Without insulin, as with type I diabetics, glucose
levels will rise, eventually causing ketoacidosis. If not treated, it will cause death.
Glucose is processed by insulin in two different ways. As glucose levels rise, insulin
converts a portion of it to glycogen, which is stored in the muscle cells and the liver.
Once all the storage space is taken up (and it doesn't take much especially if you don't
exercise), insulin will convert the rest to triglycerides and store it as adipose tissue - fat.
Insulin is a facilitator of lipogenesis, or fat storage, and is a deterrent to lipolysis, or the
breaking down of fat for energy. Even low levels of circulating insulin have been shown
to prevent the breakdown of fat to be used as energy. Hence, as stated above, insulin is
the fat storage hormone.
Does fat make you fat?
We tend to refer to them as oils if they're liquid at room temperature, like olive oil. And
we refer to them as fat if they are solid at room temperature, like beef tallow, coconut oil
or butter. But whether liquid or solid, they're all fat.
Technically called lipids, fats and oils are made up of many different types of fatty acids.
Fatty acids are the same whether they come from plants or animals. Oleic acid that is
found in olive oil is exactly the same as the oleic acid found in lard (pig fat). What many
don't know is that lard is actually a monounsaturated fat. It's the proportions of fatty
acids that will vary from plant to plant, from animal to animal, and from plant to animal.
A fatty acid is a molecule that is made up of a chain of carbon atoms. These chains can
vary in length from 1 to 24 carbons. Fatty acids are given their names based on how
long the chain is, and at what position the unsaturation occurs. If the fatty acid is
saturated, then the carbon chain length determines the name.
What is a saturated fat? Each carbon atom in the fatty acid chain has room for two
hydrogen molecules, except at the end where it has room for three. A fatty acid with two
hydrogen atoms for every carbon atom in the chain is said to be saturated.
A fatty acid missing two or more hydrogen atoms along the chain, which causes double
bonds between carbon atoms, is said to be unsaturated. If there is one double bond, the
fatty acid is referred to as monounsaturated. If there are two or more double bonds
found along the chain, the fatty acid is referred to as polyunsaturated.
Fat has many functions in addition to being used as an energy source, and unlike
carbohydrates, certain fats are essential. Without consuming essential fatty acids (like
omega-3), attaining optimum health is virtually impossible. A diet decient in omega-3s,
like the typical western diet, is a major risk factor in the pathologies of several diseases
like cancer, depression, autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular disease. Including
the right fats in your diet will not only improve your health, but aid in fat loss.
But how does fat help us get lean? Fat satiates the appetite, and helps to stop the
cravings for sugar. But probably most importantly, fat - when combined with a low
carbohydrate intake - actually aids in burning fat as fuel. That's right - fat helps burn fat!
When fat is restricted, our bodies have a defense mechanism built in for survival. Our
bodies will actually stop using fat as fuel in an effort to preserve our stores for future
use.
Bodybuilders and tness competitors have known this for years simply through trial and
error, while dieting for competitions. Many bodybuilders while dieting for shows would
reach a certain body fat percentage and suddenly plateau for no apparent reason. We
found that by adding fat to the diet (like olive oil, axseed oil, or especially coconut oil) it
would jump-start the body to burn body fat.
Sounds bizarre doesn't it? Especially since it goes against what we've been taught: in
order to lose fat you have to cut fat from your diet. But the reality is, fat burns fat.
However, just adding fat to the diet doesn't ensure you'll get lean; you need to consume
the right types of fat and eat a diet low in carbs. For a more in-depth explanation on the
different types of fats, and which ones to include in your diet and which ones exclude,
read Fats, cholesterol and the lipid hypothesis.
Protein is #1
Protein is by far the single most important nutrient/supplement you can consume in your
quest to get lean, and add muscle and strength. Protein repairs and maintains
everything in our bodies from hormones to muscles to bones. Proteins are made up of
building blocks called amino acids. There are nine essential amino acids. Essential
meaning we have to ingest these for survival because our bodies cannot manufacture
them. Many researchers now believe we have many other amino acids that should be
considered conditionally essential, because of their signicance and our inefciency at
producing them. These include glutamine, arginine, cysteine, taurine, glycine, tyrosine
and proline.
Consciously consuming a diet low in protein has no benet; it is not based on good
science, and merely a matter of ignorance. If your protein intake or quality is low, your
body will get the essential aminos it needs from its most abundant storage system -
muscle tissue. The International Society of Sports Nutrition, in a 2007 position
statement, concluded that bodybuilders and strength/power athletes require just under a
gram of protein per pound of body weight per day, consistent with my recommendation
of 1 gram per pound of lean body weight. However, if you train intensely, which is how
you should train, empirical data suggests you may need upwards of 1.5 g/lb. Have no
fear - this extra protein will not make you fat.
Protein, in and of itself, has little to do with getting fat; protein consumption is inversely
related to fat accumulation. The more protein you eat, the more fat you burn as fuel.
Protein consumption is directly related to thermogenesis and satiety through multiple
mechanisms. It's what you eat, more than how much you eat, that will determine how
lean, strong and muscular you will get.
As discussed earlier, a calorie is not a calorie. A calorie of a carbohydrate does not
equate to a calorie of protein when being metabolized in our bodies. Protein calories are
not likely to be stored as fat, as compared to carbs, because protein requires more
energy to metabolize and assimilate and has numerous functions. Carbs are simply an
energy source, and if not used as fuel, they are stored as fat without much effort. Carbs,
unlike protein, also stimulate the release of high amounts of insulin, the fat storage
hormone.
Protein consumption is not only good for overall health, it's essential to building
muscular size and strength. If you do not consume enough quality protein - and I stress
quality - you will not only put a halt to your efforts to have a leaner, more muscular body,
you can actually lose some of the muscle you're working so hard to get. And what burns
fat as fuel? Muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism.
The lean advantage
Getting lean is a lifestyle. Genetics play a part, as with anything concerning the
physiology of the human body, in your ability to get lean. But even the genetically gifted,
who can eat more carbs or snack more often than you, will fail without a proper lifestyle
which includes consuming the right foods and exercise.
A proper diet will have the biggest impact on one's quest to get lean. If you continue to
eat the wrong food, there isn't a training program or a supplement that will get you to
your goal. As discussed earlier, if you're looking for that magic pill or exercise to get you
shredded, stop. There is no such thing. If you want to get lean, especially shredded, you
are going to have to make a huge commitment to yourself. The word sacrice also
comes to mind.
With the basics of macro-nutrition under your belt, it's time to put it all together. Start by
eliminating all processed or convenience foods from your diet. Taking this rst step in
and of itself will cause you to lose some body fat. The farther away food is from its
natural state, the worse it is for you. No more boxed this, or frozen that. Choose as
many whole, organic foods as you can.
Once you've stocked your home with the right foods, you're now ready to start on your
path to getting lean. You'll need to keep a Daily Nutrition Progress Report for at least
four days before you make any changes to get an average macro-nutrient intake at your
current body fat level. You can't possible make accurate changes to your diet without
knowing what you've been eating at your current state. The macronutrients to be
concerned with are carbs and protein.
Once you've calculated your averages, make the following changes:
Calculate 75 percent of your current average carb intake. For example, if your average
over four days is 250g, multiply that by 0.75 and it will give you 187.5g.
If your protein intake is below 1g per pound of body weight, raise it to at least that
amount.
Outside of changing your diet to whole natural foods, carbohydrate manipulation will be
the most important aspect of your diet, and the key to your success. Make sure to eat at
least four times per day, no matter what amount of macronutrients you're consuming.
The goal is to try and eat every two to three hours.
In this program you are going to have high carb days and low carb days. Your high day
is going to be your four-day average. Your low day is going to be 75 percent of your high
day. Organize your high and low days one after another. So if Monday is your high day,
Tuesday will be your low day and so on. Never go over the amounts of carbs on either
day. If you're hungry and you've eaten your total number of carbs for that day, have
more protein and vegetables. Conversely, if you're not quite as hungry on a certain day,
it's perfectly ne not to eat your quota of carbs. Eat when you're hungry, stop when
you're full.
Maintain the same number of macronutrients for at least three weeks. This will allow
enough time for you to see whether or not you're getting results. If at the end of three
weeks you're still losing body fat, keep consuming the same amounts. Do not make
changes until your body hits a plateau. Once you've stopped losing body fat, drop your
low day by another 10 percent. Keep your high day the same and eat more protein and
vegetables when you're hungry.
The control you have with this type of diet is a huge advantage. For instance, let's say
your low carb days this week land on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And your high
days are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. You are going out to dinner on Friday
night and would really like to enjoy yourself, but it's supposed to be your low carb day.
Instead of keeping your low day on Friday, make Thursday a low day and Friday the
high day. Now your week will look like the following:
Monday = low
Tuesday = high
Wednesday = low
Thursday = low (normally your high day)
Friday = high (the night of your dinner)
Saturday then becomes your low day and you start going every other day again.
Manipulating carb days like this does not give you free reign to eat whatever you want;
you are still expected to make healthy choices. This is a method used to cushion the
blow to your efforts in getting lean, while going out to eat or attending a party. If your
goal is to get lean, there is no reason to stop living. However, as discussed earlier, if
attaining a shredded look is what you want, be prepared to sacrice a great deal.
Whatever your goal is, this program is designed to be used for the long haul.
The longer you are on this program the more in tune you'll become with your body. The
more in tune with your body you become, the greater the changes to your body. And
with these changes will come a great deal of motivation. You'll discover how different
foods affect your body, including how they make you feel. You may nd that when you
eat pasta regularly, even though you stay within your carb quota, you feel bloated and
don't seem to lose as much body fat as when you eat whole grain rice or oatmeal. This
is why it is imperative you keep a Daily Nutrition Progress Report. If you don't keep a
record of where you've been, it's hard to make accurate adjustments when you end up
off course.
Supplementing your success
Supplements are supposed to supplement a proper diet and training program. If your
diet is piss-poor, and your training is sporadic, supplements are not going to help.
Unfortunately, even with all the evidence out there, charlatans relying on pseudoscience
get away with peddling their wares to ignorant consumers with hopes of an easy way to
get lean, muscular, strong or all the above.
I'm going to cut to the chase. Because of all the misinformation out there, supplements
can be a very controversial and misunderstood subject. Below you'll nd a list of very
popular supplements and a brief description of each. I will also let you know which ones
work and which ones don't.
Protein: By far the most important macronutrient in food and supplements you can
consume. When your protein sources come from grass-fed ruminant animals, free-
range fowl, free-range eggs, and wild-caught sh, you are consuming the most
nutritious foods on the planet. Getting away from mass production of foods and
returning to local farming would have a huge impact toward improving the health of this
nation.
If I had to choose just one supplement to take, protein in the form of micellar casein
(MC) would be it. MC, also known as milk protein isolate or milk protein concentrate,
has one of the most impressive amino acid proles. MC has a slow rate of digestion,
which gives the user enhanced satiety, and leads to its anti-catabolic properties.
MC's role as an anti-catabolic is unopposed by any other protein. However, one needs
to create an anabolic environment also in order to build muscle and get lean. Whey
protein comes in three forms: concentrate, isolate and hydrolysate. Concentrate is the
least expensive and has the lowest amount of protein per serving. This also equates to
lower levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA). Isolates are a purer form of whey
protein and usually provide 95 percent or more per serving, with a higher BCAA content
than concentrates. Hydrolysates are the purest and most rapidly absorbed form of
whey, with the highest biological value (BV) of any protein. BV is a measure of how well
nitrogen is retained after ingesting a protein source.
Muscle cannot repair and build without adequate amounts of nitrogen.
Whey protein is known for its fast delivery of amino acids into the blood stream and into
the muscle cells almost immediately after consumption, which elicits its anabolic effects.
It would be most benecial to use an MC/whey mix throughout the day and before you
go to sleep. This will give you a steady ow of amino acids throughout the day and
during most of the night. The best time to consume whey protein is before, during and
after your workout, and upon rising from a good night's sleep.
Coconut Oil: Taken from the fruit portion of the seed of the coconut palm tree, coconut
oil is one the most benecial foods you can consume. There is an array of positive
research published in the last few years showing the signicance of coconut oil.
Coconut oil is the most saturated of all fats. Saturated fat has three subcategories: short
chain, medium chain and long chain. Coconut oil contains approximately 65 percent
medium chain fatty acids (MCFA). The saturated medium chain lipid, lauric acid, which
comprises more than 50 percent of coconut oil, is the anti-bacterial, anti-viral fatty acid
found in mother's milk. But it's the MCFA's thermogenic (fat burning) effect that we're
most concerned about.
Researchers compared the thermogenic effect between MCFA's and long chain fatty
acids (LCFAs), like those found in vegetable oil after single meals. The meals were 400
calories and consisted entirely of either MCFAs or LCFAs. The thermogenic effect of
MCFAs over six hours was three times greater than that of LCFAs. Researchers
concluded that as long as the calorie level remained constant, substituting MCFAs for
LCFA s would result in weight loss. The same number of calories from two different
substances yielded different outcomes. How weird.
A study was conducted by researchers at McGill University to evaluate existing data
describing the effects of MCFAs on energy expenditure, and to determine their efcacy
as agents in the treatment of obesity. They reported that several different studies have
shown weight loss equivalent to 12 to 36 pounds a year simply by changing the types of
oils used in everyday cooking and food preparation. Animal and human studies have
shown greater energy expenditure, less body weight gain, and decreased size of fatty
deposits when using MCFAs as opposed to LCFAs. How about that calorie theory?
Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids have been referred to as a miracle fat with
good reason. These fatty acids are polyunsaturated and refer to a family of fatty acids
where the rst double bond occurs in the third position. In previous articles and columns
I discuss the fact that polyunsaturated fats/oils like soy, corn and canola should be
avoided.
The best way to obtain these essential fatty acids is to consume them in their original
packaging like wild-caught sh, or by taking a quality supplement. I highly recommend
Neutraceutical Science Institute and Flameout.
Omega-3s are an essential part of any diet. In addition to all the health benets
associated with these fats; omega-3s have body fat composition benets. They help you
lose body fat.
Nitric oxide: Nitric oxide (NO) is a very powerful chemical that, among many functions,
regulates blood ow. NO dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure, which allows
blood to ow more freely. It's this increase in blood ow that has led many in the
supplement industry to infer a better delivery of nutrients to muscle cells, which they
equate to more muscle. That is one hell of a stretch and just doesn't hold water.
The NO supplements of today are basically the same as the arginine products of the
80s; they're just marketing them differently. Unfortunately, for NO proponents the level of
arginine in the blood has little to do with NO production, and consequently has nothing
to do with increasing blood ow. If we could increase NO production through diet or
supplements, because of the decrease in blood pressure that occurs with higher NO
levels, we would have had anecdotal reports of lower blood pressure and syncope
(fainting). These types of reports have not occurred, nor have they been found in
research.
Hot-Rox Extreme: a Biotest product, it's the only fat burner that I've used since
ephedrine was rst banned that has produced any noticeable results. I have found that
even without changing my diet, I will notice a reduction in body fat over a 60 day period.
Now I'm not saying this product by itself will make you lean. However, used in
conjunction with a proper diet it will enhance your efforts.
Energy drinks: There are so many companies out there claiming their energy drinks
produce long term energy with an enhanced ability to lose body fat. I have tried many
different products, and have had many of my friends and colleagues try them as well. I
have yet to nd one that works.
Soy products: We have been led to believe that soy is a health food. However, in the
United States Food and Drug Administration's Poisonous Plant Database, which
contains references to the scientic literature describing studies of the toxic properties
and effects of plants and plant parts, there are 288 records under soy. The deleterious
effects soy has on our bodies are caused by several different substances, but I'm going
to briey review one for the purposes of this article.
The substances contained in soybeans that will hinder your body fat loss are
goitrogens. These are naturally occurring and interfere with the function of the thyroid
gland. Goitrogens get their name from the term goiter, which means enlargement of
the thyroid gland. Foods that contain goitrogens include broccoli, cabbage, mustard,
peanuts, turnips, brussels sprouts and others. However, unlike soy, cooking or
fermentation easily neutralizes the goitrogens in these foods. Heat, pressure or
chemical (alkaline) solutions commonly used in processing soy will neither deactivate
nor remove goitrogens. They are virtually in all soy foods, with the highest concentration
being in products that are not fermented, like soy milk, protein and baby formula.
Lean principles
As usual, like I do with all topics, I've provided you with no-nonsense information. If
implemented properly, this information will help you on your quest to get lean. It will not
be easy, especially getting to the point of being shredded, and will take a lot of
dedication, patience and self-motivation.
Use the basic principles below to get on the right path to changing your lifestyle, which
will positively change your life.
Eliminate all processed convenience foods from your diet.
Eat whole natural foods.
Eat at least four times per day.
Eat protein with every meal.
Keep a Daily Nutrition Progress Report.
Eliminate all store-bought oils like soy, corn or canola.
Don't consume any product that contains vegetable oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil,
partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or shortening listed as one of the ingredients.
Include fats like coconut oil, omega-3s, and raw butter in your diet.
Use coconut oil and raw butter for cooking and frying. Olive oil can also be used for one
time frying, but it doesn't contain the MCTs of coconut oil and butter.
Exercise intensely two to four times per week. Progressive resistance training is
imperative.
Do not perform slow or moderate cardio unless you enjoy it. It will have little to no effect
on your weight loss over the long haul compared to more intense exercise.
Get adequate sleep.