TNT Diet
The TNT Diet, or Targeted Nutrition Tactics Diet to give it its full title, has been developed by two leading authors, namely Jeff Volek and Adam Campbell. The TNT Diet book claims that the TNT diet is 'The Explosive New Plan to Blast Fat, Build Muscles and Get Healthy'.
The nutritional plan at the centre of the TNT Diet is in some ways similar to the GI Diet Plan, the Zone Diet, the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. The basic premise of the TNT Diet is that eating different carbs at different times can either build muscle or allow the eater to lose weight.
Like the South Beach Diet the TNT Diet suggests that the first two or three weeks of the programme the dieter should limit the amount of carbs they eat. Unlike the Zone Diet the TNT Diet doesn't suggest all carbs are cut but rather only 10 grams of carbs are eaten at any one meal sitting. In that respect the TNT Diet follows the same value of the Atkins Diet.
How does the TNT Diet work?
The first thing to be said about the TNT Diet plan is that it was written to appeal to people who exercise. A number of articles centerd around the TNT Diet have appeared in Men's Health because many men who read this publication are looking to either get fitter, build muscle or get leaner.
The TNT Diet is a 12-week program that provides all of the benefits that TNT has to offer. Based on results from lab research, sticking with the TNT plan for 12 weeks, dieters can expect to lose 15 to 30 pounds of fat, build several pounds of new muscle, and significantly reduce your risk for heart disease and diabetes.
TNT Diet - The science bit
Eat too many carbs or carbs that are high value GI foods and the body will a. aim to store excess carbs as body fat and b. insulin levels will increase, which itself aims to conserve sugars gain from carbs as body fat. A double whammy!
However, by controlling the amount of carbs eaten and understanding when to eat foods with different GU values people using the TNT Diet can see dramatic results.
TNT Diet plan in full
The TNT Diet plan concentrates on three phases:
- The Fat Burning Time Zone - Up 10 grams of carbs per meal + lean proteins and some fats
- The Reloading Time Zone - Eat up to 70 grams of carbs per meal + lean proteins and some fats *
- The Muscle Building Time Zone - Balance carbohydrate intake with protein **
* Eat a mixture of low and moderate value GI foods
** Low value GI foods before the workout and high value GI foods post exercise
Unlike most other diets the TNT Diet has different entry points onto the plan depending on the dieters goal. The table below explains the TNT Diet plans in more detail:
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TNT Diet Plan timings
|
| |
Plan A
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Plan B
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Plan C
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Plan D
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Plan E
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| Fat Burning |
7 Days
|
7 Days
|
6 Days
|
6 Days
|
5 Days
|
| Reloading |
0 Days
|
0 Days
|
1 Day
|
1 Day
|
2 Days
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| Muscle Building |
Protein only
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Protein + Carbs
|
Protein only
|
Protein + Carbs
|
Protein + Carbs
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To explain what each stage of the TNT Diet Plan relates to see below:
- Plan A - Looking to lose 25 pounds or more
- Plan B - Lose weight but build some muscle tone
- Plan C - Allows weight lose but with one 'cheat' day where the dieter can reload on carbs such as pizza.
- Plan D - Includes one cheat day and carbohydrate meals before and after work outs
- Plan E - Use this plan to build muscle while aiming to maintain current body fat levels.
Choose your TNT Diet plan
Choosing your TNT Diet plan depends on your workout and dieting needs. That said ALL TNT Diet Plan virgins should start on Diet A Plan and look to maintain it for a 4 week period.
TNT Diet Plan A
Choose this plan if any of these statements apply to you:
- I'm just starting the TNT Diet plan
- Lose more than 20 or more pounds of body fat
- Lose more than 4 inches or more from your waist
- Lose body fat at the highest rate possible
What to do on TNT Diet Plan A
Follow the guidelines of timings as diercted:
- Fat-Burning Time Zone : Every day of the week, except 1 hour before your workout, and 1 hour after your workout
- Reloading Time Zone: No reloading period at this stage.
- Muscle-Building Time Zone: Eat or drink protein only foods or shakes 1 hour before and 1 hour after your workout. Comsume no carbs.
REMEMBER: Stay on the TNT Diet Plan A for 4 weeks when starting the TNT Diet. Complete 4 weeks on Plan A before moving onto any other stage of the diet programme.
TNT Diet Plan B
Choose this plan if all of these statements apply to you:
- TNT Diet Plan A completed
- Lose less than 20 pounds of body fat
- Lose less than 4 inches from your waist
- Promote muscle-growth directly after your workout, but emphasize fat-burning at all other times.
What to do on TNT Diet Plan B
Follow the guidelines of timings as diercted:
- Fat-Burning Time Zone: Every day of the week, except 1 hour before your workout, and 1 hour after your workout.
- Reloading Time Zone: No reloading period at this stage
- Muscle-Building Time Zone: Balance 20 grams of protein and 20-40 grams of carbs 1 hour before and 1 hour after your workout
TNT Diet Plan C
Choose this plan if all of these statements apply to you
- TNT Diet Plan A completed
- Lose less than 20 pounds of body fat
- Lose less than 4 inches from your waist.
- Burn body fat at the highest rate possible 6 days a week plus pne carbohydrate day to replenish muscle gylgogen levels.
What to do on TNT Diet Plan C
Follow the guidelines of timings as diercted:
- Fat-Burning Time Zone: Every day, apart from Saturday and 1 hour before your workout, and 1 hour after your workout.
- Reloading Time Zone: All day Saturday
- Muscle-Building Time Zone: Eat or drink protein only foods or shakes 1 hour before and 1 hour after your workout. Comsume no carbs.
TNT Diet Plan D
Choose this plan if all of these statements apply to you:
- TNT Diet Plan A completed
- Lose less than 10 pounds of body fat
- Lose less than 3 inches from your waist.
- Promote muscle-growth, while still burning body fat most of the time.
What to do on TNT Diet Plan D
Follow the guidelines of timings as diercted:
- Fat-Burning Time Zone: Every day apart from Saturday and 1 hour before your workout, and 1 hour after your workout.
- Reloading Time Zone: All day Saturday.
- Muscle-Building Time Zone: Balance 20 grams of protein and 20-40 grams of carbs 1 hour before and 1 hour after your workout
TNT Diet Plan E
Follow the guidelines of timings as diercted:
- Completed TNT Diet Plan A
- Lose less than 5 pounds of body fat
- Lose less than 2 inches from your waist
- Maximize muscle-growth, without gaining unwanted body fat
What to do on TNT Diet Plan E
Follow the guidelines of timings as diercted:
- Fat-Burning Time Zone: Every day apart from Saturday and Sunday and 1 hour before your workout, and 1 hour after your workout.
- Reloading Time Zone: Reload on carbs on Satuday and Sunday
- Muscle-Building Time Zone: Balance 20 grams of protein and 20-40 grams of carbs 1 hour before and 1 hour after your workout
Advantages of the TNT Diet
The TNT Diet understands that exercise as well as diet manipulation is the key to successful weight loss. The TNT Diet also understands that successful dieting and 'weight loss' in more than what the scales report. If the dieter exercises and successfuly employes the TNT Diet they can actually gain some muscle weight to increase their actual body weight but look much leaner and more athletic. The name of the game is sometimes aesthetics rather than body weight.
The TNT Diet includes a number of plans. This means that the dieter can progress throughout the diet depending solely on their goals at a given time.
The TNT Diet also includes a number of 'cheat' or reloading days (Plan C, D and E). This will allow the dieter to replenish their carbohydrate levels, starving off the danger of the negative side effects or issues perhaps seen on the Zone Diet, the Lighter Life Diet and the Atkins Diet.
Plan B, D and E of the TNT Diet also allow the dieter to eat a variety of carbohydrates before and after their workout. This builds variety into their eating plan and means that the diet itself is both palattable and easier to sustain.
Disadvantages of the TNT Diet
Both Plan A and B of the TNT require the dieter to disgest only 10 grams of carbohydrates per meal. This may cause a feeling of weakness and dizziness for the dieter, especially in Plan A where the dieter is also required to exercise on low blood sugar levels.
For some following the TNT Diet will be both confussing and time consuming. It is sometimes hard enough to follow a single plan for 7 days. In the TNT diet the diet may be following one plan one day and a completely different plan the next.
The TNT Diet - The Conclusion
For those people aiming not to simply lose body weight but to change their body composition, more lean muscle and less body fat), then the TNT Diet may be for them/
One piece of advice to follow is that Plan A will, without doubt, require you to drink a large amount of water. Plan A will push the body into ketosis, which forces the body to burn body fat for fuel. This means high level of toxic ketones will need to be flushed away on a frequent basis. The suggestion, like within the Lighter Life Diet is that the dieter using Plan A of the TNT Diet should drink 4 litres of water a day.
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