Slimming centers are sprouting everywhere, each claiming to be able to help you shed off pounds without exercise! Recently I came across an ad, which claimed that one treatment is as good as doing 300 sit-ups! I am quite surprised that so many people actually believe that they could lose weight and shed off those unwanted fat from the abs by just lying down in a slimming center having their fat massaged away!

For the people who know me, they have seen my transformation in 2004: my colleagues, friends, acquaintances and fellow gym-goers at California Fitness Orchard. I have shed off 8 inches of fat from my abs, and decreased my body fat percentage to a single digit figure! How did I do that in less than 6 months? It is as simple as understanding the concept of calories in versus calories out! If you create a calories deficit, you will lose weight! This is a very simple concept that does not require a lot of brain power to understand.

To help you achieve this, I will tell you right here, right now, what I have adopted in my exercise and diet regime. These strategies were based on numerous scientific studies, which have shown proven ways you can adopt to maximize fat loss.

1. Eat less and exercise more!

Diet is one of the cornerstones of a weight loss programme. If you take in fewer calories than what your energy expenditure is, you will lose weight! Although there is little evidence that diet composition plays a clinically important role in the absorption or expenditure of energy, it does appear to play a role in food intake. Diets with a deficit of 500-1000 kcal per day will produce weight losses of between 300 and 1000 g per week, depending on the patient's weight. Formulae for estimating energy intake can be found elsewhere on this site. Although a low-fat diet may be of value in helping patients to maintain their weight loss, higher-protein diets were more effective than low-protein diets in one clinical trial.

2. Keep a high protein intake

Evidence is accumulating that diets with reduced carbohydrates and increased levels of high quality protein are effective for weight loss. These diets appear to provide a metabolic advantage during restricted energy intake that targets increased loss of body fat while reducing loss of lean tissue and stabilizing regulations of blood glucose.

Dr Layman from University of Illinois proposed that the branched-chain amino acid leucine is a key to the metabolic advantage of a higher protein diet because of its unique roles in regulation of muscle protein synthesis, insulin signaling and glucose re-cycling via alanine. These metabolic actions of leucine require plasma and intracellular concentrations to increase above minimum levels maintained by current dietary guidelines and dietary practices in the U.S. Initial findings support use of dietary at levels above 1.5 g/kg/day during weight loss. Dr Layman also suggests that increased use of high quality protein at breakfast may be important for the metabolic advantage of a higher protein diet.

Johnston from Arizona State University found that low-fat, energy-restricted diets of varying protein content (15 or 30% energy) promoted healthful weight loss, but diet satisfaction was greater in those consuming the high-protein diet.

Recent findings suggested that protein plays a key role in food intake regulation through satiety related to diet-induced thermogenesis. Protein also plays a key role in body weight regulation through its effect on thermogenesis and body composition. A high percentage of energy from dietary protein limits body weight (re)gain through its satiety and energy inefficiency related to the change in body composition.

Researchers from the The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Denmark completed a randomised 1-year study on 50 overweight and obese subjects, comparing the effects of fat-reduced diet (30% of energy) either high in protein (25% of energy, HP) or medium in protein (12% of energy, MP). After 6 months, the HP group (n=23) achieved a greater weight loss than the MP group (n=23) (9.4 vs 5.9 kg) (P less than 0.01). After 12 months, 8% had dropped out in the HP vs 28% in the MP group (P less than 0.07). After 12 months, the weight loss was not significantly greater among the subjects in the HP group (6.2 and 4.3 kg), but they had a 10% greater reduction in intra-abdominal adipose tissue and more in the HP group (17%) lost >10 kg than in the MP (P less than 0.09). At 24 months, both groups tended to maintain their 12 months weight loss, but more than 50% were lost to follow-up. In summary, a fat-reduced diet high in protein seems to enhance weight loss and provide a better long-term maintenance of reduced intra-abdominal fat stores.

It must be remembered, however, that high-protein diets affect body weight loss positively only under ad-libitum energy intake conditions, implying also a decreased energy intake. This means that we have to increase the percentage of energy from protein while at the same time reducing energy intake.