Are you ready to get shredded in only a month? You should be. Why? Simple. We have a plan that should be able to get you there. Don’t believe us? Read on to find out more!

So you want to be shredded in a month? 

Let’s start out with a bit of honesty. Unless you exercise and eat clean on a regular basis, it will be difficult to be totally shredded in four weeks. To achieve this goal, you would need to keep your body looking like you are about six weeks out from competing in a bodybuilding show.

However, do not lose hope. There is a temporary means of dropping massive amounts of body fat in mere weeks. Note the word temporary! If you have a big event coming up and you are looking to show up lean, here is how to get as shredded as you can in a month. It is real simple. Planning plus preparation and perseverance equals progress.

Alan Lakein once said that, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” When you plan, you succeed. Therefore, you will need two plans, one for meals and one for exercise. The combination of a strict diet and a complimentary exercise plan will effectively melt fat off your body.

Here Is The Meal Plan

There is a simple diet, or a modified form of fasting, that has proven to be the quickest way to drop pounds that you have likely ever tried. When I initially researched this diet I realized that it is what bodybuilders do to attain the leanness they need for competitions. Therefore, I know it works!

I have experienced the results.

It’s called the Protein-Sparing Modified Fast or PSMF. PSMF is not a new fad. It is a ketogenic based diet that was developed in the 1970s by medical researchers to help overweight and obese patients shed fat rapidly. The original program from the 1970s was modified after many trials to include enough food, in the form of high-quality protein, to spare your body’s lean muscle mass while eliminating massive amounts of fat.

PSMF is safe because it’s a temporary program. Once you lose your desired amount of weight, you then modify your diet to make it a sustainable lifestyle, thus keeping the pounds off.

In a study by Van Gaal et al. (1985), they used PSMF on 15 overweight patients. Their patients lost an average of 31.8 pounds in a six-week period. Break that down. That means they lost approximately 5.3 pounds per week. So in four weeks, you could lose about 20 or more pounds.

In other words, are you ready to get shredded?

Here’s How PSMF Works

PSMF is a very low-calorie diet based on calculated protein consumption. It’s very individualized. By eating just enough protein to spare your lean muscle mass, the diet forces your body into ketosis. This is because you are cutting out most major food groups.

WebMD states, “Ketosis is a normal metabolic process, something your body does to keep working. When it doesn’t have enough carbohydrates from food for your cells to burn for energy, it burns fat instead.” In other words, your body has no source of carbs or fats. As a result, your body eats your own fat for fuel and you get a shredded body!

Lean muscle is spared because your body is fed the necessary amount of protein to keep your muscle.

Remember this is temporary. I would not suggest staying on this longer than one to three months. It’s safe as long as you do not consider it a permanent way of eating. Think of PSMF as more of a way to shock your body and trick it into using your own fat as its main energy source.

How Do You Calculate Your Protein Intake?

Each person’s protein is going to be different and therefore must be calculated. What follows is how to determine how much protein your body needs for the PSMF process and how much protein to build muscle.

First: You must determine your body fat percentage. You can ask a trainer at your local gym to calculate your body fat with their handy caliper, or you can use an online calculator to get a good estimate of your body fat percentage.

Second: You must determine your lean body mass. To find out what your lean body mass is, you can use an online calculator such as the Lean Body Mass Calculator. Please note: You must convert your weight to kilograms if using that calculator.

Last: Calculate your protein intake. According to a study by Bakhach et al. (2016), you should consume 1.5 grams of protein/kg of your ideal body weight, or lean body mass.

Your protein sources should be comprised of lean meat, fish, seafood, poultry, eggs, tofu and low-fat cheese.

Keep in mind: PSMF is a very restrictive diet that is not complete when it comes to macronutrients and micronutrients. Therefore, you will need to supplement your body with vitamins and minerals.

What types of supplements will you need?

• A quality multi-vitamin
• A quality multi-mineral
• Salt for your meals
• Potassium
• MCT oil or fish oil
• Some people will need fiber

I would also suggest that you add green vegetables (low carb), at least a cup per meal, to your food intake. They provide minimal complex carbohydrates and fiber to keep your system regular.

Water intake will be important as well. Have you ever noticed that bodybuilders always carry their gallon jug of water in the gym?

This will now be your task, to drink at least a half-gallon of water per day. Go get your jug ready!

A simple Google search of “PSMF diet” can even help you to find sample meal plans. Some of the plans are very detailed and include detailed supplementation consumption.

There is also a book based on the PSMF diet called The Rapid Fat Loss Handbook. Lyle McDonald, the author, took the clinical trials and converted them to a diet that anyone looking to rapidly lose fat can follow.

How To Get Ripped In A Month – Workout Plan

“Sweat is just fat crying.” No one knows just who came up with this quote. Regardless, it works on a number of levels.

Now to exercise! If you are following the PSMF meal plan, you may feel pretty lethargic. Your body will need time to adjust. However, if you want to expedite the fat removal process, you can create a greater calorie deficit through cardio. Cardio is king when it comes to fat burning. You can still lift if you want, but no skipping cardio.

When I was training for the bodybuilding stage, I did an hour of cardio every day and spent about an hour in the weight room. Not everyone has two hours to devote to training. If you do, great! You will see results more quickly.

If not, then you just have to make sure you get at least 30 minutes of cardio in every day. For the four-week period, do cardio six days per week. You’re going to be tired, but you will look great.

There are a number of different forms of cardio to consider. The types of cardio I would recommend while on the PSMF diet are:

• Walking/jogging
• Stepmill
• Rowing
• Incline walking on the treadmill
• Stationary bike
• Elliptical
• Swimming
• Biking
• Bleachers
• Group fitness classes

 

To stave off boredom, mix your cardio each day. For example, do 20 minutes stepmill/20 minutes jogging/20 minutes of rowing. You pick the mix! Change it up every day to keep the workouts fresh.

Preparation Is Key

Miguel De Cervantes said, “to be prepared is half the victory.” To succeed in getting shredded in only a month will take prep work in a couple of different ways.

Food Prep

If you don’t prepare, you will fail. I’m taking food here. This world is full of food temptations. It seems there are donuts everywhere at your workplace. There is candy on every end cap at the grocery store, and, when you are on a diet, you can smell it for a mile – literally. Your body screams for junk, fat and sweets because you are denying it food, and it’s in survival mode.

Every week that you do PSMF, you will need to meal prep. A diet like this requires cooking and weighing meals and snacks at home. This diet also means never leaving home without your previously prepared food. You must be prepared otherwise you will fall off the bandwagon.

Make sure you keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with only things that you are allowed to eat during this time. By keeping temptations out of your house, there won’t be room for error.

The fewer food errors you make, the more shredded you will be. Since you are only doing this for four weeks, you need to stay on point where food is concerned.

One more trick that will serve you well is to make sure you carry sugar-free gum with you at all times. It’s a lifesaver when you feel like you have to have something sweet!

Mental Prep

Dieting is a head game!

It’s mind over matter. When you take on an extreme diet and exercise program, you are only going to be capable of finishing it successfully if you are in the right state of mind. You need to learn to stay positive and keep your goal in mind when you feel like quitting.

I promise that a time will come when you want to wave the white flag. Don’t quit. Always remember why you started. When you have doubts, lift your shirt and look at your abs. From there, ask yourself, “do I want that junk food, or do I want abs?” Think about the progress you have made and you will overcome the temporary struggle that you are facing.

Sleep will also help you to stay mentally strong. To preserve your upbeat spirit, you also need to get eight or nine hours of sleep each night. Your body will need the rest and repair, and your mind will be clearer, more focused.

Keep On Going

According to Josh Shipp, “perseverance is stubbornness with a purpose.” I remember days when I was preparing for a show that I thought I might have to actually crawl into the gym to do cardio. Once I was in the gym, I realized that I was on autopilot – getting my workout done. I didn’t die. In fact, I persevered.

For four weeks, you will have to persevere through a mentally and physically tough process. I can guarantee that no bodybuilders died in this process and they continue this process for 12 or more weeks.

Progress Will Come

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” This is yet another great quote with no known author. That doesn’t take anything away from how true it is.

The tape measure is mightier than the scale! 

Before you begin your journey to getting shredded, you need to take your starting measurements. The scale is a filthy, filthy liar! True progress is read from a tape measure or by the pants that you’ve kept from high school that fit again.

Start taking selfies to track your progress. Before you started on your weight loss journey, people on social media constantly posting their progress pictures may have annoyed you. I’m here to tell you that selfies are a visual way to track progress and are motivating. Selfies have helped many people chronicle their weight loss progress and they can help you too. Be proud of your progress.

Conclusion

If you want to shred up to 20 pounds of fat off your body in four weeks, you can do it with PSMF and exercise. All you have to do is plan, prepare, persevere and then watch the progress unfold. Once you are shredded, you will be absolutely addicted to your own success, and you will see yourself as you never have before!

By Sarah Chadwell, CPT