It's weigh-in day for you at the gym and the scale has gone up favorably—hitting your target weight goal. After ingesting 3,000-plus calories a day and pouring your energy and sweat into working out the gym, you can now say that you’ve successfully gotten through the bulking phase. You’re eager to start cutting to get that lean and ripped physique.

For many people, cutting is more difficult than bulking up—you have to count your calories, give up that sweet tooth, and stay motivated. The cravings fairy may be whispering in your ear, but you can’t give in—it’s all mental from here on out. The cutting phase entails dropping almost 400 calories a day, and meals are every two to three hours due to the smaller portion sizes.

Slow and steady is the name of the game for cutting. Cutting too fast can diminish those hard-earned muscles, an maintaining proper nutrition is essential. However, if you feel like you need that extra jolt of nutrition, then consider taking certain supplements that can assist in supporting fat loss while preserving muscle mass.

Sixty-one percent of your skeletal muscle contains the amino acid glutamine. After a strenuous workout, levels of glutamine will drop significantly. This amino acid is crucial in maintaining muscle mass and fostering muscle protein synthesis. As for fat loss purposes, glutamine can offset fat storage, making it a beneficial supplement for weight loss. Let’s not also forget that as we get older, levels of human growth hormone (HGH) start to decrease. Well, glutamine increases your body’s ability to secrete the fountain of youth hormone; HGH helps burn fat and build muscle.

As the precursor to nitric oxide (NO), arginine can produce more muscle pumps during an intense workout. It works by widening your blood vessels during workouts, so that more oxygen and nutrients are hitting your muscles. Besides giving you more muscle pumps and growth, arginine is also a quality fat burner. As mentioned above that glutamine prevents the storage of fat, arginine will then use that freed fat as fuel (lipolysis).

Carnitine is also another valuable amino acid that can be of an aid during the cutting phase. It functions by moving triglycerides (TG) into the mitochondria of your cells. Once TGs enter the mitochondria, they get broken down for energy. With carnitine, your body will further prevent fat storage while increasing your aerobic threshold to burn calories.

Similar to the function of L-carnitine, Coenzyme Q-10 heightens metabolism, giving you more energy. CoQ10 accelerates the rate at which food gets used for fuel; this helps stabilize the amount of fat in the blood. This antioxidant also helps support basic cell function in the body. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can also increases your body’s ability to turn food into energy.

While dropping 300 or more calories a day, it’s a necessity that your body is still getting proper nutrition. Your goal is to effectively lose weight while preserving muscle mass. Incorporating these supplements along with a multivitamin will help get you the results that you’ve worked hard to get.

After filing an investigation in October against Pure Health LLC. and Genesis Today, the creators of the green coffee extract weight loss supplement, the Federal Trade Commission announced what we all knew to be true: these pills don’t promote weight- or fat-loss. 

The FTC charged Pure Health LLC. and Genesis Today’s owner, Lindsey Duncan, after they claimed that the green coffee extract supplement could allow users to lose 16 percent body fat in 12 weeks and that clinical studies backed these claims. What they failed to mention was that the clinical studies were intentionally flawed and numbers were deceptively skewed. 

The scam got even stickier after Lindsey appeared on the Dr. Oz Show and tailored a new advertising campaign around the appearance and Dr. Oz’s stamp of approval.

“After the supplement appeared on the Dr. Oz Show, there was a spike in sales’” says Mitch Katz of the FTC Office of Public Affairs. “Now that the investigation found all of the marketing claims to be false, despite the ‘Dr. Oz effect,’ the FTC is requiring that $9 million be paid back to consumers.”

Along with the $9 million fine for consumer redress, the defendants have also been barred from making deceptive claims about the health benefits of any dietary supplement or product. 

“Lindsey Duncan and his companies made millions by falsely claiming that green coffee bean supplements cause significant and rapid weight loss,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection in an official statement. “This case shows that the Federal Trade Commission will continue to fight deceptive marketers’ attempts to prey on consumers trying to improve their health.”

So while you are trying cut some fat in the name of your not-gonna-fail New Year’s Resolution, forget the quick fixes and just hit the gym and eat right–just like we taught you.

Imagine taking off your shirt, looking into the mirror, and seeing zero belly. Not a little belly. Not a tiny bit of belly. Not a spare tire or a gut. Zero belly. A flat, rippled stomach where the softness used to be. Most of us have long abandoned that ideal. We’ve accepted belly fat as an inevitable albatross, a companion for life, just a normal part of being a normal human being. But that’s not true. We don’t have to live that way.

As the nutrition and wellness editor for ABC News and the editorial director of MEN'S FITNESS, I’ve spent my entire career learning about belly fat: where it comes from, what it does to us, and how we can fight back. I’ve literally traveled the globe reporting on fat—from launching fitness and nutrition magazines in Europe and Africa to covering the habits of Olympic athletes in Beijing. So I might just know more about your belly than anyone else on the planet.

And what I know is this: There is no greater threat to you and your family—to your health, your happiness, even your financial future—than the dumpy bit of fat that has climbed up onto your lap and nestled itself against your belly. It’s a torpedo aimed at your torso, a missile fired at your midsection. It is a living, growing organism whose goal is to ruin your life. But you can win this war. That’s the goal. And the Zero Belly Diet is your plan.

A PERSONAL WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEY
I’ve made my career in health and fitness, but I wasn’t always what you’d call healthy or fit. I came of age in the 1980s, just as the obesity crisis started to expand, and I expanded with it. McDonald’s started to ask, “Would you like to supersize that?” and every time I said, “You bet!” By the time I was 14, I had 212 pounds of oily adolescent adiposity on my growing 5'10" frame. 

I knew I looked bad. I knew I felt bad. What I didn’t know was that if I didn’t change, I was headed toward disaster. 

It took a tragedy to wake me up.

At the still-young age of 52, my father passed away from a sudden, massive stroke. Always heavy since the time I was born, he had ballooned into obesity in the 1980s. I was his son. I carried the same “fat genes” that he did. Would this be my fate too?

My father’s death woke me up to the fact that excess weight—especially excess belly fat—is more than just a vanity issue. Belly fat may be the No. 1 cause of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer in America, and it contributes mightily to our epidemics of Alzheimer’s, depression, and even inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. 

Indeed, new studies show that belly fat is utterly different from other types of fat. It evolves out of a different set of stem cells than the fat found in other places on our bodies, its actions triggered by fat-storage genes that get turned on and cranked to high volume by our fast-food, high-stress lifestyles. Once those genes get turned on, visceral fat acts like an invading force, trying to take over our bodies.

Some of us carry a number of genes linked to metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity; others have a lower genetic propensity for these health issues. But once the “on” switch is flipped for our fat genes, we are at risk for weight gain and all the health issues that surround it—and no amount of exercise or calorie restriction is going to reverse that course completely. (That’s why so many people who diet and work out like crazy still can’t lose weight! Eureka!) And the No. 1 trigger for our fat genes is diet—especially a lack of certain nutrients.

In just the last couple of years, we’ve also learned more about belly fat—how it’s formed and how it behaves. As it gains greater purchase inside you, it spits out higher and higher levels of adipokines—a series of more than a hundred biochemical substances that do terrible things to your health. They include such nasty compounds as:

Resistin, a hormone that undermines your body’s ability to metabolize glucose and leads to high blood sugar.

Angiotensinogen, a compound that raises blood pressure. 

Interleukin-6, a chemical associated with arterial inflammation.

Tumor necrosis factor, which is as bad as it sounds—it causes inflammatory issues such as psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, and various forms of arthritis.

Visceral fat also increases the amount of estrogen in your body and interferes with the functioning of your liver, meaning your body has a harder time flushing away toxins—including the very toxins that fat is creating! In fact, visceral fat does the same thing to your liver that chronic alcoholism does; a recent study at the Mayo Clinic found that one in 10 cases of liver failure resulting in the need for a liver transplant is now caused by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH—a newly coined term for liver damage caused by visceral fat.

You can think of having belly fat as being in a state of chronic inflammation: Your body is being irritated and attacked, 24/7, by the substances your belly fat spews out. For some reason, men are much more likely than women to store fat in their midsections, although plenty of women have this “apple shape” as well. And new research is showing that children may be even more vulnerable: Ten percent of children in the United States may already have liver damage caused by visceral fat, according to federal surveys.

This is what visceral fat does. This is the enemy. And it is not fooling around. What was clear to me was this: Belly fat killed my dad. And I was going to find a way to fight back.

TURN OFF YOUR FAT GENES >>> [PAGE 2]

How to Lose Your Gut in 10 Days >>>

TURN OFF YOUR FAT GENES
The new science of nutrigenetics—the study of how food and DNA interact—holds the answer, a way to turn the odds in your favor. It’s this exciting new field of research that forms the basis of Zero Belly, the first program to reduce belly fat dramatically, not through traditional calorie-restrictive weight-loss methods, but by actually “turning off” our fat genes and putting an end to the inflammation that causes them to switch back on.

Your genes are your genes, and that can’t be changed. But how those genes express themselves can be. As Alfredo Martinez, Ph.D., professor of food sciences and nutrition at the Department of Physiology and Nutrition at the University of Navarra in Spain, most eloquently puts it, your personal genetic code “is like the lyrics of a song. You can’t change the lyrics, but you can change the way the song is played—the speed, the rhythm, and the volume—by changing your diet.” If your fat genes are blasting away like Metallica, adjusting your diet can turn them down to Mozart.

This new science is the foundation of Zero Belly. The Zero Belly foods are calibrated to disarm your fat genes, alter your genetic destiny, and reverse the march of diabetes and obesity. A healthy combination of fiber, protein, unsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids works in tandem with foods that provide specific micronutrients (including betaine, choline, and methionine from animal products; B vitamins from seafood and greens; and sulforaphane and resveratrol from brightly colored fruits and vegetables) that are linked directly to the function of our fat-storage genes. 

WHY WE MUST MUSCLE OUT FAT
Every time you take in more energy than you burn off, the individual visceral fat cells inside your body become larger. The larger the fat cells, the more metabolically active they are. 

And activated fat cells have one goal in life: to make themselves even bigger. So they send out adipokines to cause more inflammation, which helps shut down your satiation hormones, which makes you crave more carbs and saturated fat, which you then eat, causing more fat storage and giving your belly fat even more power to wield against you.

Even worse, visceral fat tries to grow itself by killing off other parts of your body, particularly—you guessed it—your muscles. Muscle burns energy on a regular basis, so it steals energy from fat cells to sustain itself. Unlike, say, a sprint through the airport, which requires an instant burst of energy, muscle draws on your fat banks more gradually. In fact, pound for pound, muscle tissue burns about three times as many calories as fat tissue.

Plus, muscles do something else that visceral fat hates: Muscles store energy. When you lift a bag of groceries, go for a bike ride, or flee an invading zombie apocalypse, your muscles quickly burn up energy they’ve got stored (in the form of glycogen). After you’re done lifting, biking, or fleeing, your fat-storage hormones are subdued because your body wants to use any incoming calories to restore the depleted glycogen in your muscle that you burned up during exercise. So building muscle, and working that muscle, robs visceral fat of the ability to grow larger.

HOW THE ZERO BELLY DIET WORKS >>> [PAGE 3]

18 Easy Paleo Diet Recipes >>>

SO, HOW DOES THIS ACTUALLY WORK?

Zero Belly is a unique approach to weight loss that attacks belly fat in three ways.

First, it lights a fire under your metabolism, triggering your body’s natural calorie-burning mechanism—a mechanism that specifically targets belly fat. Zero Belly unleashes the power of protein, fiber, and healthy fats to burn calories by encouraging lean muscle growth and maximizing the thermogenic effects of eating—in effect, burning more calories by eating more great food. These three “macronutrients” will trigger your brain’s natural satiation hormones to keep you feeling full while you strip junk from your diet.

Second, this plan attacks inflammation throughout the body by triggering your digestive system’s natural defense system, shrinking bloat, easing digestion, and flattening your stomach with shocking rapidity. While Zero Belly isn’t strictly dairy-free or gluten-free, it will substantially reduce your intake of lactose (the naturally occurring sugar in dairy), gluten (the protein found in wheat), and animal-derived saturated fat, and it will eliminate inflammation-causing additives and preservatives.

Third, this program turns off your fat-storage genes by focusing on nine powerfood groups that are linked directly to the emerging science of nutritional genetics, the study of how nutrients in food influence gene expression. By reversing the acceleration of your fat-storage genes, Zero Belly completely remaps your genetic destiny, allowing your body to return to its natural, healthful state.

THE ZERO BELLY DIET AT A GLANCE >>> [PAGE 4]

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ZERO BELLY AT A GLANCE

This plan targets the fat that matters most—visceral belly fat—through a unique nutritional approach powered by the latest revolutionary research in weight loss, digestive health, and anti-inflammatory foods that target, and turn off, your fat genes.

MEALS
Three square meals, one Zero Belly drink, and one additional snack per day.

NUTRIENTS
While Zero Belly is carefully balanced to give you all the essential nutrients you need to strip away fat and reveal lean, healthy muscle, you’ll ask three important questions before each meal or snack:
1. Where’s my protein?
2. Where’s my fiber?
3. Where’s my healthy fat? 

FOODS
These foods have been carefully selected for their micronutrient content; in fact, most have been linked to genetic triggers within the human genome that are associated with weight gain and metabolic disorders. They will help reset your body’s genetic destiny while decreasing inflammation and attacking visceral fat.

Zero Belly drinks 
Eggs 
Red fruits 
Olive oil and other healthy fats 
Beans, rice, oats, and other healthy fiber 
Extra plant protein 
Leafy greens, green tea, and brightly colored vegetables 
Lean meats and fish 
Your favorite spices and flavors (ginger, cinnamon, chocolate) 

MAXIMIZE
High-phytonutrient fruits and vegetables
High-fiber, high-protein nuts, legumes, and grains
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats
Lean meats, fish, and eggs
Omega-3 fatty acids 

SPECIAL DIETARY CONCERNS
Zero Belly is not strictly gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegan, but this program is built specifically with those dietary concerns in mind. Zero Belly dramatically reduces your exposure to gluten and dairy while boosting intake of plant-based sources of protein.

ALCOHOL
Limit alcohol to one drink per day during the initial six-week program.

DRINKS
One snack a day will be a Zero Belly drink, a satisfying plant-based, protein-filled smoothie. 

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When people ask me what’s so unique about the Zero Belly meal plan, I tell them this: It involves eating food.

By that I mean real food—food with the power to reverse the fat-gene switches that are triggered by our modern processed diets and set us back on the path to perfect health. In fact, studies show that the more processed food you eat, the greater your weight—even if you eat the same number of calories. It all goes back to inflammation, and why I built Zero Belly to calm the fire and turn off the fat-storage genes that processed foods turn on.

To make sure you’re eating a meal or snack that fits into the Zero Belly meal plan—at home or at your favorite restaurant—ask yourself: Where’s my protein? Where’s my fiber? Where’s my healthy fat? If you’ve got all three covered, chances are you’re well on your way to Zero Belly. In the meantime, here are three days’ worth of delicious meals and snacks to get you on your way to your best body ever.

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BREAKFAST

■ Better Than Green Eggs and Ham
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients
1      large portobello mushroom cap
1⁄2    tbsp olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1      egg 
2      egg whites 
1⁄8    avocado, thinly sliced
Herbs and spices of your choice

Directions
1) Preheat the broiler. Line large baking sheet with foil.
2) Remove and discard mushroom stem. Brush both sides of mushroom cap with half the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then place gill-side-up on the baking sheet. Broil mushroom until soft, about 5 minutes per side.
3) Heat the remaining oil in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Whisk the egg and whites in a bowl, add to pan, and scramble. When eggs are just set, remove from heat.
4) Top mushroom cap with eggs and sliced avocado. Season with salt, pepper, and spices of your choosing.

Nutrition: 226 calories, 14g fat, 2g fiber, 17g protein

■ Olé Omelets (pictured above)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1      can black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of one lime
Dash of hot sauce 
4      eggs
4      egg whites
Salt and pepper, to taste                                          
4      tbsp bottled salsa              
1⁄2    avocado, sliced

Directions
1) Pulse the black beans, lime juice, and hot sauce in a food processor.
2) Coat a small nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat over a medium flame.
3) Crack one egg and combine in a bowl with egg white, salt, and pepper. Whisk, then add to the pan. Use a spatula to stir, and lift the cooked egg to let the raw egg slide under.
4) When the eggs have all but set, spoon a quarter of the black bean mixture onto the omelet. Fold over a third of the egg to cover the mixture, then slide the omelet onto a plate, using the spatula to flip it over at the last second to form one fully rolled omelet.
5) Top with salsa and avocado. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Nutrition: 232 calories, 9g fat, 6g fiber, 17g protein

■ PB&J Bowl (pictured on page 1)
Makes 1 serving
​
Ingredients
1      cup water
1⁄2    cup quick-cooking oats
1      tbsp natural peanut butter
1⁄2    cup strawberries or raspberries

Directions 
1) Bring the water to a boil.
2) Stir in the oats and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
3) Just before the oats are finished, stir in the peanut butter and berries.

Nutrition: 269 calories, 11g fat, 7g fiber, 9g protein

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Zero Belly Drinks 

■ Strawberry Banana (pictured above)
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients
1      scoop vegetarian protein powder 
1⁄3    cup frozen strawberries
1⁄4    frozen banana
1⁄2    tbsp almond butter
1⁄2    cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond, hazelnut, coconut, hemp, etc.)
Water as needed

Directions
1) Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Nutrition: 232 calories, 5g fat, 4g fiber, 29g protein

■ Vanilla Milkshake
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients
1      scoop vegetarian protein powder
1⁄2    frozen banana 
1⁄2    tbsp peanut butter        
1⁄2    cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond, hazelnut, coconut, hemp, etc.)                                                                                                                                        
Water as needed

Directions
1) Place ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutrition: 248 calories, 6g fat, 3g fiber, 29g protein

■ Blueberry Dazzler
Makes 1 Serving

Ingredients
1      scoop vegetarian protein powder
1⁄2    cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond, hazelnut, coconut, hemp, etc.)
1⁄2    cup frozen blueberries 
1⁄2    tbsp almond butter
Water as needed

Directions
1) Add ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutrition: 2,232 calories, 6g fat, 3g fiber, 28g protein

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Lunch

■ Going Lentil Soup
Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
1      tbsp olive oil
1      medium onion, minced
2      cloves garlic, minced
1      tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1⁄2    jalapeño, minced
2      medium carrots, peeled and diced
1      cup dried green lentils 
1⁄4    tsp cumin 
1      bay leaf 
1      can lite coconut milk
3      cups low-sodium vegetable stock or water
1      tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions
1) Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and carrots and sauté till the onions are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
2) Add the lentils, cumin, bay leaf, coconut milk, and stock (or water). Turn heat to low and simmer until the liquid has reduced and the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
3) Season with the soy sauce, and add salt and pepper to taste. If you like, use a hand blender to gently purée the soup for a thicker consistency. Garnish with cilantro.

Nutrition: 300 calories, 12g fat, 9.5g fiber, 11g protein

■ Voodoo Chili 
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1      tbsp olive oil
1      medium onion, minced
1      medium zucchini, diced
1⁄2    lb cremini mushrooms, diced
1      medium carrot, diced
1      red or green bell pepper, diced
2      cloves garlic, minced
1      can (28oz) whole peeled tomatoes
2      canned chipotle peppers, finely chopped
1      tsp chili powder
1⁄4    tsp ground cumin
1⁄2    tsp dried oregano
1      can pinto beans, drained
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1⁄2    avocado, sliced 

Directions
1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan or pot set over a medium flame. Add the onion, zucchini, mushrooms, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
2) Add the tomatoes, crushing lightly between your fingers to give the chili a coarse texture. Add the chipotle, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and beans, plus salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve in bowls and top with sliced avocado.

Nutrition: 220 calories, 7g fat, 10g fiber, 9g protein

■ Mediterranean Dinosaur Salad (pictured above)
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients
2      cups kale (preferably lacinato, or “dinosaur,” kale), ribs removed and chopped
1⁄4    cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4      Kalamata olives, pitted, halved
1⁄4    cup artichoke hearts (canned in water, preferably)
1⁄4    cup cooked chickpeas 
1⁄8    red onion, diced 
2      tbsp walnuts 
1      tbsp cider vinaigrette
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions
1) Before making the salad, spend a few minutes massaging and squeezing the kale. It sounds funny, but roughing up the leaves will help break down the tough fibers, making the kale more tender.
2) Combine the kale, tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, chickpeas, onion, and walnuts in a mixing bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Nutrition: 273 calories, 12g fat, 8g fiber, 10g protein

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Dinner

■ Cashew Gesundheit
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients 
1⁄3    cup coarsely chopped unsalted cashews
2      tbsp virgin coconut oil
1      lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut lengthwise in thin strips
2      cups red bell pepper (about 1 large), julienned
1      tsp garlic, minced
1⁄2    tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3      tbsp scallions, thinly sliced
1      cup cooked brown rice

Directions                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
1) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cashews to pan; cook until lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Remove from pan.
2) Add coconut oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add chicken; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan and place in a bowl.
3) Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken back to pan; cook 1 minute. Sprinkle with cashews and scallions. Serve with 1⁄4 cup brown rice.

Nutrition: 350 calories, 19g fat, 2g fiber, 28g protein

■ The M*A*S*H Grill
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients
1      lb flank or skirt steak
1⁄4    cup low-sodium soy sauce
1      tbsp brown sugar
1⁄2    tbsp sesame oil
3      tbsp rice wine vinegar (white wine vinegar can be substituted)
1      English cucumber, thinly sliced
Pinch salt
1      head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
2      cups cooked brown rice
Sriracha or other Asian chili sauce for serving
Hoisin for serving

Directions                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
1) Combine the steak, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and 1 tbsp of the vinegar in a sealable plastic bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before cooking.
2) An hour before cooking, combine the sliced cucumber with a pinch of salt and remaining vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) Preheat a grill, grill pan, or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the steak 3–4 minutes per side, until a nice crust develops on the surface and the meat is firm but yielding to the touch.
4) Slice steak thinly, then serve with the lettuce leaves for wrapping, plus the rice, cucumber, Sriracha, and hoisin for topping.

Nutrition: 320 calories, 8g fat, 3g fiber, 29g protein

■ The Ultimate Burger (pictured above)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1      lb ground 94% (or leaner) beef
1      tsp salt
1      tsp freshly cracked pepper
8      oz mushrooms, sliced
1⁄2    tsp extra-virgin olive oil
4      gluten-free hamburger buns
2      cups arugula
1⁄2    cup caramelized onions
Ketchup and mustard (optional)

Directions
1) Heat a grill or stove-top grill pan until hot. Combine the beef, salt, and pepper in a bowl and gently mix. Form into 4 patties. Caution: Overworking the meat or packing your patties too tight can make tough burgers.
2) Cook the burgers for 2 to 3 minutes and flip. Cook on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes, until nicely charred on the outside but still medium-rare to medium inside. (The center should be firm but easily yielding.)
3) Meanwhile, sauté the sliced mushrooms in the olive oil until the mushrooms soften and release their liquid.
4) After you remove the burgers, toast the buns briefly. Divide the arugula among the buns and top with the burgers, mushrooms, and onions.

Nutrition: 387 calories, 13g fat, 6g fiber, 31g protein

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Gym junkies, this is the research you’ve been waiting for: Weight training whittles down stomach fat (and keeps it off) better than aerobic exercise. So keep clanking those weights, and let beer bellies be bygones. 

According to a 2014 Harvard School of Public Health study, published in the journal Obesity, lifting is more effective for maintaining a flat stomach than running or cycling, especially for middle-aged men, the Huffington Post reports.

Researchers studied the physical activity, waist circumference, and body weight of nearly 11,000 healthy American men age 40 and over. After comparing the participants’ change in activity levels over a 12-year period, they analyzed which activities had the greatest effect on their waistlines. 

Men who spent 20 minutes of daily weight training gained less abdominal fat as they aged, compared with men who spent the same time hitting the pavement or pushing pedals. The key, though, is not to become sedentary after losing the weight.

A new study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise shows that non-exercise activity thermogenesis (N.E.A.T), a measure of how much energy people use to stand, walk to their car, and simply move around, often declines after weight loss. And this increase in N.E.A.T. is most common in those who weight train. 

Weight training after weight loss prompts people to move more throughout the day. As a result, they burn more calories, and should thwart weight regain with the help of a disciplined diet. 

Throw some yard work, stair climbing, and moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise into your weight training routine and you’ll keep a svelte stomach well into your golden years. 

5 Fitness Measurements Every Athlete Should Know >>>

It's always best knowing what you're walking into, good or bad. The good thing about The 21-Day Shred is that you're actually going to see some serious results. The bad thing about The 21-Day Shred is that you're going to be sore as hell and work your ass off... Sorry, but it's the truth. If you're up for the challenge, go ahead, download the app for iPhone and iPad devices. And if you don't have iOS, grab your copy of the PDF.

In the meantime, here's every ab exercise you'll do battle with.

Online director Mike Simone visits FOCUS Personal Training Institute to meet with three new graduates of FOCUS' training course specifically designed for returning veterans seeking a civilian career as personal trainers. And as an extra boost, MEN'S FITNESS watched and captured the workouts of each of the men. You can find them here:

A Full Body Conditioning Workout with Rickie Osbun (US Air Force) >>>
An Upper Body Bulk Up with Greg Pettito (US Navy) >>>
The Total Body Transformer with Michael Thigpen (US Army) >>>

video edits: Nate Millado and Liam Holland

The standing-desk craze had only just arrived in 2011 when things started getting a little weird. First came the clunkier “treadmill” desk, followed by the wildly awkward-looking “elliptical-machine” desk. “I’ve seen boardrooms stocked with stationary bikes around the table,” says Phil Haberstro founder and executive director of the Wellness Institute. That’s right, the enormous communal spinning desk. 

While these may seem like a great idea—exercise is, after all, linked to faster learning, speedier memory encoding and retrieval, and greater creativity—exercise while working is actually a complicated issue. “Research shows that people who use treadmill desks—or even those balancing balls that look so cool—are finding that multitasking physical tasks
[such as walking or balancing while typing] can be just as counterproductive as multitasking mental tasks,” Fried- man says. In other words, if that’s what you’re doing, you’re doing too much. “You’re splitting your attention, and you’re probably making a lot of typos.”

The research, published by the journal PLOS ONE last February, calculated that treadmill desks cause a dip in performance that lasts up to six months. In the case of exercise-ball chairs, there’s evidence suggesting you may want to avoid them, too. A 2009 U.K. study showed that sitting on an exercise ball promoted an unhealthy slumping posture, and a study by Dutch researchers that same year found that it led to the compression of your vertebrae, or spinal shrinkage.

GET ON YOUR FEET TO BURN OFF FAT 

We at Men’s Fitness officially endorse the standing desk. Not only does working standing up not overtax the brain, it has the added benefit of burning 80–100 calories an hour, improving blood flow, alleviating back pain, strengthening muscles, and actually boosting productivity. “The health benefits are probably even greater than the data already suggests,” says James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., a lead researcher on the PLOS ONE study and author of Get Up! Why Your Chair Is Killing You and What You Can Do About It.

So what’s the right way to pull it off? For starters, ease into it. “People usually start standing all day, instantly, and that’s a mistake,” says Levine, who’s also co- director of the Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University’s Obesity Solutions Initiative. “The risk is that your body will get worn down by working your muscles far longer than you’re used to.” And be prepared to experience a firm tightness in your meniscus, the padding in your knees that absorbs pressure—it will fade over time.

>As with every fitness activity, the key is proper technique, and that starts from the top down, says Heather Moore, P.T., D.P.T., C.K.T.P., owner of Total Performance Physical Therapy. Stand tall, she says. Roll your shoulders up, back, and let them drop, then “stick your butt all the way out and tuck your pelvis all the way under.” Next, unlock your knees slightly. Finally, “bend your elbows 90 degrees, keep your wrists straight, and make sure your weight is going through the middle of your feet—not your toes or heels.” Once you’re there, you’ll find your weight perfectly distributed as human evolution intended.

TAKE A LOAD OFF TO FIGHT FATIGUE

Any time you find yourself truly uncomfortable, take a seat, says Levine, who suggests setting a timer to alternate standing for 50 minutes with sitting for 10 minutes when you start out. It’s also helpful to use an anti- fatigue mat, a rubber pad that palpably softens the pressure on your knees and ankles by promoting subtle movements of your leg muscles, which then pump more blood through the body. (The effects are profound— especially if you’re wearing leather dress shoes.)

If your colleagues make fun of you for hovering like a watchtower over your floor—and they will—counter with the facts. “You have to be prepared to give everyone in your office the full health rundown,” says Mat Honan, Buzzfeed’s Silicon Valley bureau chief and a devout stand-up worker. They’ll ask you about it for the first three weeks, he warns. But after that, they’ll just be eyeing you with jealousy.

Do you know what’s in your protein powder? There’s a good chance you don’t, as a number of companies are topping off their products with low-grade ingredients masquerading as complete proteins – an unscrupulous practice known as “protein spiking.” The label on your bottle might say “24 grams of protein” when in fact the true content is closer to 15.

As the price of whey protein has shot up in recent years, so too have immoral practices by shady supplement companies looking to increase profit margins at the expense of – guess who? – the consumer. With protein spiking, instead of putting the full amount of protein in the product that’s stated on the label, a company will purposely come up short and fill the rest of its formula with cheap amino acids and other non-protein ingredients to arrive at the desired amount.

The loophole that allows this to happen is the fact that protein content in such products is indirectly measured by nitrogen content. And any number of things that aren’t actually protein – free-form amino acids, creatine and arginine, to name a few – can raise a powder’s nitrogen levels at a fraction of the cost of whey, thus making the product appear to contain more protein than it actually does. And yes, proteins are made up of individual amino acids, but throwing a bunch of random, cheap aminos into a container doesn’t replicate the various health and performance-enhancing benefits of complete proteins. Not even close.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

One company, however, knows exactly what’s in your protein powder: ChromaDex, an independent third-party testing laboratory on a mission to separate the quality sports nutrition products from the imposters. When you see the “ChromaDex Quality Verified” seal on your tub of protein, you’ll know you can trust what the product label states.

Expect to find the ChromaDex seal on all BPI Sports protein products in the very near future. Since 2009, consumers have put their trust in BPI to deliver full transparency in its products; now, that trust will be further reinforced with an unbiased third-party verification.

In addition to sniffing out protein spiking, ChromaDex’s stringent testing procedures will ensure that BPI products meet full specification for ingredient identity, contaminants, heavy metals and microbials.

“This will be a total game changer,” says BPI Sports co-founder James Grage. “You as a consumer will no longer have to guess whether you’re getting a quality protein product or one that’s been spiked with subpar ingredients This will effect the entire sports nutrition industry. With BPI getting the ChromaDex seal, it will force other companies to do the same. If they want to say that their product is just as good as ours, they’ll have to put their money where their mouth is and get it tested. In the end, this is great for everyone. It means that all the big companies are going to put out better products. You, the consumer, deserve that and should demand that.”

Bad news for shady supplement companies, good news for consumers.

“You can actually predict how satisfied people in a workspace are just by the amount of sunlight that enters the space,” says Ron Friedman, Ph.D., author of The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace. And when you’re situated near a window—whether you’re looking at a peaceful garden or a brick building— research shows you’ll be significantly happier, more engaged, and, ultimately, more productive.

Get Fit @ Work: Take a Stand for Your Health; Try This Desk >>>

But if you’re marooned in fluorescent-lit cubeland, don’t despair. According to Michael “Dr. Woody” Woodward, Ph.D., an organizational psychologist and executive coach, you can fight that anxiety-inducing ultrabright light by putting a lamp on your desk and installing a Philips Hue bulb ($60, apple.com), a unique adjustable light bulb.

Get Fit @ Work: If You Have to Sit at Work, Here's How to Do It >>>

With the Hue, “you can control the color schemes and light intensity all from your phone,” says Woodward, “and change them based on what you’re doing. For example, when I’m reading, I’ll use the concentration setting, with its cooler blueish colors; if I’m just taking a breather, I’ll use the relaxed setting, which is almost red.”

And with your new powers, you’ll find that not just your mood has improved. “Research shows that employees who have control over their own lighting report less fatigue during the workday,” says Woodward.

Research has shown that a power nap—a sleep episode lasting 10–30 minutes—can boost alertness and mood. Even a doze lasting just six minutes can mean a profound increase in declarative memory performance, according to a 2008 Journal of Sleep Research study. But if you want to brave the desk snooze, first get your boss on board. “Tell him or her, ‘If I’m giving 110% and I’m taking 15 minutes just to close my eyes, shouldn’t that be more accepted than solitaire?’” says veteran office napper Ronit Rogoszinski, C.F.P., a wealth advisor at Arch Financial Group, in Garden City, N.Y. Here’s her technique for a proper snooze:

ONE
“Never lean forward and bury your face in your arms. And avoid arching your back. It’s better to recline a little. It’s all about getting comfortable and taking pressure off your lower back.”

TWO
“If you can raise your feet just a few inches off the ground, it’s ideal. I never put my feet on the desk—I just put them up on a shoebox. For whatever reason, that little bit of elevation in the feet makes all the difference in the world.”

THREE
“When you close your eyes, take long, deep breaths and concentrate on breathing very slowly. The best way I can describe it is to just imagine yourself powering down. If your office is loud, use ear plugs.

And cross your arms. You’ll find it’s more comfortable than letting them dangle or sit on the armrests. And it provides a small blanket-like warmth that helps you doze.”