7 Tips From Belly Off! Users: 

Chinups are hard.

 

If we’ve learned anything from the more than 5,500 guys who have signed up for our Belly Off! program, it’s that big guys have trouble with chinups.

 

We’ve learned more than that, though. Our program was designed by Men’s Health editors by distilling the combined wisdom of all the Belly Off! guys who have already appeared in the magazine: Regular guys like you who found the motivation and strategy to turn fat into fit through healthy living.

 

Now that we’ve launched our new program, the flurry of daily activity in our “Ask an Expert” section has given us even more weight-loss tips that are working for real guys with real jobs and now, real results.

 

Here are seven of our favorite tips from Belly Off! users. Check out the profile pages for each guy by clicking on their names, and then log into Ask an Expert to leave some advice of your own. If you haven’t signed up for the program yet, you can start right now, using our easiest plan ever to get fit enough to tackle the Bodyweight 500, Men's Health fitness expert Craig Ballantyne’s ultimate test of strength and endurance.

 

• Healthy options like almonds and yogurt can be pricier than junk fare. “Buy in bulk when you can,” says brianbascle. “If you’re a member of Sam’s Club, Costco, or one of those other places, you can save quite a bit … I’ll pick up a 3-pound bag of Diamond whole almonds at Sam’s for around $10 and that’ll last me a couple of months … if I’m careful.”

 

• A lot of guys miss the full flavor of their soda days. “I buy mint extract and put a drop or two into my water bottle when I want a little bit of flavor,” says NoMoreFatDad. “Another one I had at a restaurant that surprised me was sliced cucumber in my water. It tasted pretty good.”

 

• “I found that when I’m pushing myself during intervals, it’s difficult to keep track of when to switch my intensity levels,” says bandadellatigre. “I started using a free tool for PCs to input tones every 30 seconds into my mp3s so I can just turn off my mind and train.”

 

The program is called Audacity, and all I do is drag my mp3s into the box, highlight the first second of every half minute, select ‘generate,’ then ‘tone,’ and click ‘generate tone.’ Go to ‘File’ and select ‘export as mp3.’ That’s it.”

 

Studies show that playing up-tempo music before a workout can improve your power as much as 10 percent, too, so crank it up.

 

• A lot of guys don’t have access to a Smith machine, so they didn’t have the bar needed to complete the inverted row, one of the exercises in Belly Off! workout A. “I bought a piece of ¾-inch, 5-foot long pipe at Lowe’s and some foam insulation tubing that was sized up for it,” says nick95628. “I lay that across [a corner in] my counter and do it that way. It doesn’t wiggle at all—the soft foam holds it in place.”

 

• Like we said, chinups are hard. Craig has provided alternative exercises for men who can’t do them, but jlg91501 presented an exercise from his Army days that will help strengthen you to pull your weight. “Another great exercise that I found helpful with chinups were ‘dive bombers,’” he says. “Start off in the normal pushup position. Walk your hands back towards your feet about 6 to 8 inches or so,” with your feet 1 to 2 feet apart and your butt in the air. This is the starting position.

 

“Rock back and bend your elbows till your chest comes close to the floor,” he explains. “Push through and push your chest up to the ceiling (just like a bomber plane diving down to drop its payload on the enemy—hence the name). Hold for a second and reverse back through. That’s one repetition.”

 

• It’s tough to go cold turkey on the junk foods you love. The Belly Off! Club’s resident pilot, strtom, has a cheat solution. “I tried the 100% adherence approach a while back, and after 4 weeks or so I had turned into a obsessed, miserable, grumpy b*stard,” he says. “I stick to the 90 percent rule: As long as I follow the meal plan at least 90 percent of the time I am doing well. It might take me longer to lose the last couple of kilos, but I will maintain my sanity and be a more likable person to be around.”

 

• Probably the biggest obstacle to serious weight loss is mindless evening snacking. “Brush your teeth right after you eat [dinner],” says mvaldick. “I always equate brushing teeth with getting ready to go to bed, and therefore won’t eat … It’s a psychological trick, sort of like eating off a smaller plate—works for me most of the time.”

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