#7 | Give your diet 14 days before making radical changes out of frustration.

During the first 14 days of a diet plan, expect to look worse rather than better. At the start of a diet, the body loses muscle-glycogen reserves, which leaves muscles looking flat. Roughly at the 14th day, the body seems to make a big and important adjustment it starts to exert a maximum anticatabolic effect, conserving its muscle mass, while fully adjusting to the diet phase by ratcheting up fat burning.

#8 | Take 7 g of supplemental omega-3 fatty acids daily to support fat loss.

These unique fats coax fat loss; however, you have to be eating fewer calories than you need and control insulin (the fat-storing hormone) by avoiding large portions of carbohydrates. Omega-3s spare muscles from being broken down for fuel, which helps maintain an active metabolic rate. They also support the immune system, which is stressed during stringent dieting.

Take 6-7 g divided into two doses the first at your first meal of the day and the second at dinner.

#9 | The ideal duration for a diet is 16 weeks if maximum definition is your goal.

Getting cut while maintaining muscle mass is never an easy task. Taking your time, rather than trying to achieve a cut physique within a month or two, allows you to drop bodyfat slowly (and gives you some leeway if you screw up). When you lose fat at a slower deliberate pace, you can maintain more muscle tissue regardless of the particular dietary approach you choose.


#10 | Take 20 g of glutamine (split into four doses) per day.

Glutamine is the amino acid that supports the immune system, prevents the burning of branched-chain amino acids and helps encourage the storage of carbohydrates as muscle glycogen rather than as bodyfat. Many hardcore dieters won’t see real results with just 5 g of glutamine a day. Four doses of 5 g each will help to ensure that you have a steady supply so that it can do its job. Take it in the morning, before and after workouts and before bedtime on an empty stomach.

#11 | A dose of 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine is an inexpensive and very effective fat burner.

The catch is how and when you take it. Coffee contains chemicals that over time can interfere with the caffeine kick. That is, when you drink a 20-ounce coffee, your body does not absorb the total amount of caffeine therein. With a caffeine pill, you receive the full strength of the 200 mg (a typical dosage); in addition, the form in which it is delivered anhydrous is superior to coffee in reaching the bloodstream.

Take a caffeine pill with water and no carbs 20-60 minutes before cardio to maximize the fat-burning hormonal flux prompted by aerobic activity.

#12 | Your weapon against metabolic and mental meltdown is 1,000 mg of tyrosine.

Tyrosine is an amino acid that can help you feel more alert (it does so by changing your brain chemistry). Dieting and performing a lot of cardio can deplete your body’s supply of norepinephrine a chemical that makes you feel strong, alert and energetic, and also enhances fat metabolism. Taking 1,000 mg of tyrosine upon waking can offset the depletion and loss of this neurotransmitter, helping you power through hard workouts and cardio sessions. Tyrosine also helps the body convert its own thyroid hormones-[T.sub.4] thyroid to a type called [T.sub.3], which helps burn more calories.

Diets tend to lead to a downgrade in the conversion of [T.sub.4] to [T.sub.3], so it appears that supplemental tyrosine would be valuable for all dieters, including bodybuilders in precontest mode.