thanks to their female hormone balance—more estrogen, very
little testosterone. Women should train just as hard as men do,
using weight training to sculpt their bodies. (More on that in
Chapter 6 when Becky Holman tells her transformation story.)
So what are the keys to an X-treme Lean physique? We’ve
covered a few; let’s review:
- Eat small, frequent, protein-based meals, and
never miss bre a k f a s t .R e m e m b e r, you want to keep your
blood sugar level steady and minimize insulin, which promotes
fat storage (except after a workout). A recent study showed
that men who ate at least five meals a day had an average
body-mass index that was 13 percent lower than those who ate
only one or two meals a day. The frequent eaters also had a 4
p e rcent lower waist-to-hip ratio, which indicates less bodyfat
(Int J Obesity, 26:1476-1483; 2002). Eat right, eat often.
As for skipping breakfast, here ’s why it’s a bad idea: In 1993
re s e a rchers at the University of Colorado and the University of
P i t t s b u rgh studied people who’d lost 30 pounds or more and
kept it off for at least one year. They were looking for clues as to
w hat h el ps p eo ple
red u ce bo dy fat
p e rm a n e n t l y. One thing
the y fou nd w as tha t
fo ur o u t of fi ve a te
b reakfast every day of
the week. If you don’t
eat bre akfa st, y ou r
b od y st a rts burn i n g
muscle immediately and
hangs onto bodyfat.
Some fat in your diet
can teach your body to
burn fat for energy. It’s
also a building block of
testosterone, a
hormone that helps
target abdominal fat.