How Liquid Calories May Be Making You Fat

How Liquid Calories May Be Making You Fat… Even Your Favorite Protein Drinks!

May 5th, 2008 by Brian Dickey

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By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

At least 7 scientific studies have provided strong evidence that energy containing beverages (i.e., “liquid calories”) do not properly activate the satiety mechanisms in the body and brain and do not satisfy the appetite as well as food in solid form.

Epidemiological research also supports a positive association between calorie-containing beverage consumption and increased body weight or body mass index. New research now suggests that soda may not be the only culprit…

The primary source of liquid calories in the United States Diet is carbohydrate, namely soda. Now running a close second are specialty and dessert coffees. Did you know that a 16 ounce Frappucino can contain 500 calories or even more! That’s one-third of a typical female’s daily calorie intake while on a fat loss program.

A recent study at Purdue University published in the International Journal of Obesity set out to learn even more about this bodyfat - liquid calories relationship.

Researchers compared solid and beverage forms of foods composed primarily of carbohydrate, fat or protein in order to document the independent effect of food form in foods with different dominant macronutrient sources.

Based on previous research, some experts have recommended targeting specific beverages as being “worse” than others. High fructose corn syrup and soda has been singled out the most and you’ve probably seen that yourself in the news.

There’s no question that soda has been on top of the “hit list” for some time now, by virtue of the amounts and frequency of consumption alone.

However, this recent study says that from a pure energy balance perspective, we should be cautious about ALL liquid calories, not just soda and not just carbohydrates!

Fruit juice for example, appears to be an obvious improvement over soda, so many people have swapped out their soda for fruit juice. However, when fruit juice is compared to an equal amount of calories from whole fruit, the whole fruit satisfies appetite better (largely due to the bulk and fiber content), and so you tend to eat fewer calories for the day.

[On an interesting side note, soup does not seem to apply; soup has higher satiety value than calorie containing beverages, possibly for mere cognitive reasons.]

If you were to meticulously track your calories from beverages and you made sure that your calories remained the same for the day, whether liquid or solid, there would probably be little or no difference in your body composition.

But that’s not what usually happens in free-living humans. Most people do not accurately track or report their caloric intake. Our mistake is that we tend to drink calories IN ADDITION TO our usual food intake, not instead of it.

Men are especially guilty of this when they drink alcohol - Men tend to drink AND eat, while women tend to drink INSTEAD OF eating.

This new research found that with all three macronutrients - protein, carbs or fat - daily calorie intake was significantly greater when the beverage form was consumed as compared to the solid.

Yes, it’s true! Even protein drinks did not satisfy the appetite the way that protein foods did!

While you would think that protein drinks are purely a good thing, because protein foods have been proven to reduce appetite and increase satiety, if you turn a solid protein food into a protein drink, it loses it’s appetite suppressive properties in the same way that happens when you turn fruit into fruit juice.

[NOTE: After weight training workouts, liquid nutrition may have benefits that outweigh any downside, especially on muscle-gaining programs]

Why do liquid calories fail to elicit the same response as whole foods? reasons include:

high calorie density
lower satiety value
more calories ingested in short period of time
lower demand for oral processing
shorter gastrointestinal transit times
energy in beverages has greater bioaccessibility and bioavailability
mechanisms may include cognitive, orosensory, digestive, metabolic, endocrine and neural influences (human appetite is a complex thing!!!)
last but not least, nowhere in our history have our ancestors had access to large amounts of liquid calories. Alcohol may have been around as far back as several thousand years BC, but even that is a blip on the evolutionary calendar of humanity.

As a result, our genetic code has never developed the physiological mechanisms to properly register the caloric content in liquids the way it does when you eat, chew and swallow whole foods.

Bottom line: This study suggests that we shouldn’t just target one type of liquid calories such as soda. If you’re trying to beat body fat, it’s wise to limit all types of liquid calories and eat whole foods as much as possible.

Start by ditching the soda. Then ditch the high calorie dessert coffees. Then cut back on the alcohol. From there, be cautious even about milk, juice and protein drinks.

Drink water or tea instead, or limited amounts of black coffee - without all the high calorie extras.

If you do consume any beverages that contain calories, such as protein shakes, be sure to account for those calories meticulously and be sure you don’t drink them in addition to your usual food intake, but in place of an equal amount of food calories.

Remember, those protein shakes you might be drinking are called “meal replacements” not “free calories!”

For many years I have suggested focusing primarily on whole foods rather than liquids, even protein shakes. Unlike so many other fat reduction programs, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle does not require any kind of liquid meal replacement or protein drinks and our company does not exist to sell supplements; we are here to educate you and millions of others about the realities of body fat loss.

We now have even more scientific data that confirms what Burn The Fat has been teaching all along.

I hope you found this helpful. You can learn more about “Burn The Fat” at www.BurnTheFat.com

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

Reference: Effects of food form on appetite and energy intake in lean and obese young adults. International Journal of Obesity. 2007 Nov (11):1688-95. Mourao DM, Bressan J, Campbell WW, Mattes RD. Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059, USA.

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com

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QUESTION: Dear Tom: I came across a piece of muscle-building advice written on a white board at a Bally's fitness club, posted outside the "advanced" personal training station. I took a picture and attached it to this email. As you can see, it said to ingest whey protein and 60-70 grams of *simple sugars* 30-45 minutes after your workout. Is there any truth at all to this advice? I take particular exception to point #1... I can't believe eating 60-70 grams of simple sugar at any time can be good for you! If this is indeed bad advice, I will write Bally's corporate and tell them to stop hurting the public with bad advice from their personal trainers. What do you think? thanks, Doug ANSWER: It does seem counter intuitive, but believe it or not, that is standard, and science-based advice for post workout nutrition. Post workout nutrition has been well researched and there is evidence that taking in simple carbs - usually glucose or dextrose with maltodextrin (plus whey protein) in the form of a post workout drink - is an ideal post workout recovery "meal." The part about "waiting" 30-45 minutes is the part that is questionable, but that may have been a simple oversight... I think what they meant was to ingest it "within" 30-45 minutes. Most of the research says that the sooner after the workout you take post workout nutrition, the better (which is why you see so many people these days chugging down workout drinks while still at the gym... in the locker room, etc.) That said, here is where I will get controversial, because almost everything you read and everyone you talk to these days tries to convince you that if you're not drinking a post workout

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By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.burnthefat.com If you've caused metabolic damage as a result of following starvation diets or losing weight too rapidly in the past, it can be extremely difficult to achieve any further fat loss at all. The good news is, metabolic damage can be repaired. All it takes is the right combination of metabolism stimulating exercise and metabolism stimulating nutrition (NOT just a diet), all done consistently over time. The big irony is that most of the diet programs that claim to help you get rid of excess weight, only end up making it harder for you in the long run because they use harsh metabolism-decreasing diets and not enough exercise (almost never any weight training). It may take a little longer if you have really messed things up with severe starvation dieting in the past, especially if you've lost a lot of lean body mass, but it is never hopeless. Anyone can increase their metabolism. Most people get an almost immediate boost in metabolic rate when they start the Burn The Fat program. However, the results are not going to be "overnight." Give it a little time... Within 3 weeks your metabolism will already be more efficient. Within 6-8 weeks, it's burning hot. Give me 12 weeks of consistent diligent effort, sticking with all the metabolism boosting strategies I teach, and your metabolism really will become like a turbo charged engine, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that. What’s most important for upping your metabolism is CONSISTENCY in applying the Burn The Fat nutrition and training principles every single day. That includes: Meal frequency: eat 5-6 small meals per day Meal timing: eat approximately every 3 hours, with a substantial breakfast and a substantial post workout meal. Sufficient Caloric Intake: maintain a small calorie deficit and avoid starvation-level diets (suggested safe levels for fat

Fats

Fats are made up of the same elements as carbohydrates - carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - but the way the atoms are linked together is different. Fats can be found in both plants and animal's and are insoluble in water. They are grouped in three categories: Simple fats (triglycerides) Compound fats (phospholipids, lipoproteins) Derived fats (cholesterol) Fats in the body serve three basic functions: 1. They provide the major source organs. 2. They serve to cushion and protect the major organs. 3. They act as an insulator, preserving body heat and protecting against excessive cold. Fat is the most calories dense of any nutrient. A pound of fat contains about 3,500 calories, as opposed to 1,600 calories stored in a pound of protein or carbohydrate. When you exercise, assuming you stay within your aerobic capacity (don't get out of breath), the body uses fats and carbohydrates for energy on about a 50-50 basis. But the longer you continue to exercise, the higher the percentage of fat used. After three hours or so, the body may derive as much as 80 percent of its energy from fat. Fat molecules differ biochemical in their composition, being either saturated, unsaturated or polyunsaturated. In addition to other factors, diets high in saturated fat tend to raise the cholesterol level of the blood. Therefore, health experts recommend that something like two-thirds of your fat intake be polyunsaturated fats. For the best sources of Fats please consult the USDA website.

Count Down To Fitness Success And Keep Your Motivation Drive Alive

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com There are many fantastic ways to get focused and motivated to begin a diet or exercise program, but often the most difficult thing to do is keep that drive and ambition alive for more than a few weeks and see your goal through to completion. Within just weeks of starting, many people have already hit their first snag or setback, and as a result, have slipped backwards in the mental focus and motivation department. Setting goals in writing is an essential step to success, but how do you stay focused on them? One technique I have used ever since my very first bodybuilding competition 18 years ago, is... The "contest countdown calendar." I have used it ever since, through 28 competitions and it will work for you too, for any fitness goal. I purchase a desk or wall calendar - the type that shows each week stretching horizontally across the page with an open block of space for each day. After I set my goal and place a deadline on it, I do NOT stop there. I take out my calendar and start counting backwards from my target goal deadline to the present day. T-minus 117 days.... T-minus 116 days... T-minus 115 days.... I also fill in my workouts for the entire 3-4 month period, which is the typical length I allow for my mid-range goals like contest prep. you would be shocked - pleasantly so - just how focused this keeps you. Even better still, you get MORE and MORE motivated with each passing day you countdown because the deadline is getting closer Deadlines are absolutely critical to your success. Little gets done without deadlines. There is a saying in management and psychology that "work will always expand to fill the time allowed for it's completion." Remember term papers in school?

Health And Fitness Is Not

Health And Fitness Is Not A 12-Week Program By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.burnthefat.com Not long ago, one of the members of my health club poked her head in my office for some advice. Linda was a 46 year old mother of two, and she had been a member for over a year. She had been working out sporadically, with (not surprisingly), sporadic results. On that particular day, she seemed to have enthusiasm and a twinkle in her eye that I hadn’t seen before. "I want to enter a before and after fitness contest called the “12 week body transformation challenge." I could win money and prizes and even get my picture in a magazine." “I want to lose THIS”, she continued, as she grabbed the body fat on her stomach. “Do you think it’s a good idea?” Linda was not “obese,” she just had the typical “moderate roll” of abdominal body fat and a little bit of thigh/hip fat that many forty-something females struggle with. “I think it’s a great idea,” I reassured her. “Competitions are great for motivation. When you have a deadline and you dangle a “carrot” like that prize money in front of you, it can keep you focused and more motivated than ever.” Linda was eager and rarin’ to go. “Will you help me? I have this enrollment kit and I need my body fat measured.” “No problem,” I said as I pulled out my Skyndex fat caliper, which is used to measure body fat percentage with a “pinch an inch” test. When I finished, I read the results to her from the caliper display: “Twenty-seven percent. Room for improvement, but not bad; it’s about average for your age group.” She wasn’t overjoyed at being ‘average’. “Yeah, but it's not good either. Look at THIS,” she complained as again she grabbed a handful of stomach fat.

Protein - Amino Acids

Protein is used by the body to build, repair, and maintain muscle and organ tissues by repairing and building cells, aid in the formation of antibodies, they work in conjunction with enzymes and the hormonal system, help transport oxygen and participate in muscle activities. When Protein is digested it is broken down into a number of amino acids (Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine, Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Cysteine, Glutamic Acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, Lyrosine, Proline, Serine, Taurine and Tyrosine), These amino acids are divided by definition into two main groups. The first group is termed essential amino acids and are required by the body to make the second group called non-essential amino acids. Don't be fooled by the term non-essential these proteins are very important to sustaining a healthy and vital life. A deficiency of any one essential amino acid can cause a corresponding deficiency in some or all of the non essential amino acids. Essential Amino Acids Non Essential Amino Acids Isoleucine Alanine Leucine Arginine Lysine Aspartic Acid Methionine Cysteine Phenylalanine Glutamic Acid Threonine Glutamine Tryptophan Glycine Valine Histidine Lyrosine Proline Serine Taurine Tyrosine Some foods contain what is called complete protein, that is, they provide all the amino acids necessary to produce usable protein. Examples of these foods would be milk, eggs, meat, fish, and various vegetable products, such as soybeans. But even these foods contain differing amounts of usable protein per weight. The suggested RDA for Proteins and Amino Acids varies from 0.8 to 1.5 grams per Kilogram body weight per day. I would like to point out to the reader that the RDA of any Nutrient is based on the absolute minimum to sustain life. I have not been introduced to any research documents that proves conclusively that over consuming proteins can adversely effect a persons health (with the exception of weight gain). I have read and heard from many so called professionals that the over consumption of protein can

Banking Calories

Banking Calories - Eat Less Now To Pig Out Later? By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.burnthefat.com Suppose you’re on a diet and you have a banquet or a holiday party coming up. You’re expecting a big meal to be served for dinner, and there will be open bar with lots and lots of “party snacks.” You’re not sure if there will be any healthy food there, but you are sure that you’re going to be in a festive, partying mood! What should you do? Should you cut back on your food earlier in the day to make room for the big feast? What I’ve just described is commonly known as "banking calories," which is analogous to saving calories like money because you're going to consume more later, and it’s a very common practice among dieters. If you’re really serious about your diet and fitness goals however, then the answer is no, you should NOT “bank calories! Here's why and here's what you should do instead: First of all, if you're being really honest with yourself, you have to agree that there's almost always something healthy to eat at any gathering. You know those tables you see at holiday parties that are covered with yards of chips, dips, pretzels, cookies, salami, candies, cheese, punch, liquor, and a seemingly endless assortment of other goodies? Well, did you also notice that there's usually a tray full of carrot sticks, cauliflower, celery, fruit, turkey breast and other healthy snacks too? No matter where you are, you always have options, so make the best choice you can based on whatever your options are. If nothing else, you can choose to eat a small portion of "party foods" rather than a huge portion, thereby obeying the law of calorie balance. If you skip meals or eat less earlier in the day to bank

Your Fitness Future Foretold: 20 Predictions for the New Year

By Tom Venuto www.BurnTheFat.com Happy New Year! In this article, I'm going to predict your future and forecast exactly what kind of results you're going to get in the next 12 months. Sylvia Browne, step aside... I'm pretty good at this. Several years ago, a public relations firm in New York City asked me to write an article for one of their publications about fitness trends and predictions for the coming year. It turned out that my "crystal ball" was pretty darn accurate. I nailed most of the predictions I made about aerobics classes, yoga, core training, "holistic" approaches, online personal training technology, the baby boomer market, increasing obesity and many other subjects. I do confess, it wasn't that difficult, because instead of just guessing, I actually did some research on industry statistics and I also had some "inside insights" because I'd been a health club manager for so many years and was privy to fitness business trends. This year, instead of making predictions for the whole fitness industry, what if I could take out my crystal ball again and predict with 99% precision exactly what kind of results you will achieve with your body by the end of the year? Well, no problem, I can do that too! I would claim that I have some kind of "gift" for this, but to be honest, you and I don't need to be psychic to make predictions like these. There are two things you can always count on: (1) Nature's laws of cause and effect, and (2) human nature. On that basis, here are my 20 fitness predictions for the new year: I PREDICT that if you can reach into your pocket on any day this year and pull out a card or piece of paper with all your body and fitness goals written on it in vivid detail, the odds

INTERVIEW WITH A WEIGHT LOSS EXPERT & MORE!

Introduction We will approach this interview as if we have someone who wants to lose weight. Our guest expert has a diverse background. His credentials include personal trainer certification, 26 years of fitness experience as well as several awards as a body builder and owner of his own gym. Using the experience and expertise of our guest, we are going to explore the different things that our client needs to do to get started. We will use a Q (Question) and A (Answer) format. Goal Setting Q - What is the average weight that people want to lose in your health club? A -For most people it’s anywhere from 10 to 50 pounds. Q - How important is the reason or motivation when someone decides to lose weight? A - The reason or motivation could be their health or their health situation or just the way they feel. Q - I guess what I am asking is that the reason that will get them to start with a weight loss plan and stick to it? A - I would say so. Q - What do you think our client should do to set realistic goals? A - Well the first thing, you have to do is what I say. That is really the bottom line they have to stick to good nutritional guidelines. Q - Do you find that clients set unrealistic goals based on a certain time frame? A - Not really, they are pretty realistic weight loss because that is one of the questions that I have on the data acquisition form that I use to evaluate my client. Q - Would you share some of those questions? A – Well, one of them would be how much weight do you want to lose and in a certain amount of time and I have

SECRETS TO LOOKING AND FEELING YOUNGER

INTRODUCTION The truth is we begin the aging process just as soon as we pop out of the womb. Every day of our lives our bodies slough off and regenerate new cells. The speed at which that process takes place when we are children is vastly different as we get older. For years explorers searched for the illusive “fountain of youth.” Unfortunately, it does not exist or you wouldn’t be reading this. Every day you are bombarded daily with commercial messages that attempt to lure you into believing that the most recent miracle drug is just what you need to fight off the ravages of Mother Nature. At times it seems as though there are more miracle methods than ever being flashed in front of your eyes each day. . .and there are. Ask any advertising executive and they will admit that there are more advertisements than ever touting everything designed to cash in on a huge market. What is that market? It’s the aging Baby Boomers. We are living longer as a whole. Singularly, that can be a curse or a blessing depending on your perspective. In this book we will explore low and no cost methods you can use to help in the anti-aging process. Some of our material may be new and some serve as reminders of things we may have forgotten. We may not have had much say in how we arrived on this earth, but we can certainly determine how and when we will depart. Just remember, YOU are in control. LIFESTYLE We have to discuss it. You’ve heard it before but it must be repeated. You ARE what you eat. There are over 13.5 million Americans alive today who have a history of heart

3500 Calories To Lose A Pound - Is This Formula All Wrong?

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com Most fitness conscious people have heard that there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so if you create a deficit of 3500 calories in a week, you lose a pound of weight. If you create a deficit of 7000 calories in a week, you lose two pounds, and so on. Right? Well, not so fast… Dr. Kevin Hall, an investigator at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda has done some interesting research about the mechanisms regulating human body weight. He recently published a new paper in the International Journal of Obesity that throws a wrench in works of the “3500 calories to lose a pound” idea. Some of the equations in his paper made my head hurt, but despite the complex math he used to come to his conclusions, his article clearly prompts the question, "3500 calories to lose a pound of WHAT?" His paper also contained a lot of simple and practical tips you can use to properly balance your caloric intake with output, fine tune your calorie deficit and help you retain more muscle when you diet. Below, I’ve distilled some of the information into a simple bullet-point summary that any non-scientist can understand. Then I wrap up with my interpretation of how you can apply this data in your own fat loss program: Calculating the calories required to lose a pound and fine-tuning your caloric deficit 3500 calories to lose a pound has always been the rule of thumb. However, this 3500 calories figure goes back to research which assumed that all the weight lost would be adipose tissue (which would be ideal, of course). But as we all know (unfortunately), lean body mass is lost along with body fat, which would indicate that the 3500 calorie figure could be an oversimplification. The amount of lean body

Mental Training Tactics For Health And Fitness Success

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com Understanding the mind's role in motivation and behavior is one of the most critical elements in fitness success. If you struggle with changing habits and behaviors or if you can’t get motivated, then even the best training and nutrition program is not much help. A fascinating fact about your subconscious mind is that it's completely deductive in nature. In other words, it’s fully capable of working backwards from the end to the means. You don't need to know how to reach a goal at the time you set the goal. If you "program" only the desired outcome successfully into your "mental computer," then your subconscious will take over and help you find the information and means and carry out the actions necessary to reach it. Many people are familiar with affirmations and goal-setting as ways to give instructions to your subconscious mind. But perhaps the ultimate mental training” technique is visualization. In one respect, affirmation and visualization are the same, because when you speak or think an affirmation first, that triggers a mental image, being as the human brain "thinks" in pictures. You can use visualization to plant goals into your subconscious mind. You simply close your eyes, use your imagination and mentally create pictures and run movies of your desired results. For example, in your mind's eye, you can see the "body of your dreams". If repeated consistently with emotion, mental images are accepted by your subconscious as commands and this helps with changing habits, behavior and performance. Although there are some new and creative ways to use visualization, (which you are about to learn), this is not a new technique. Visualization has been used formally in the fields of sports psychology and personal development for decades and philosophers have discussed it for centuries: “If you want to reach your

Brain Science And New Year’s Resolutions

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.burnthefat.com Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, "I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps it's because escape is easier than change." Success psychologists say that 95% - 97% of the people in the world do NOT have written goals and fail, while 3-5% have written goals and succeed. If these statistics are correct, then Mr Rohn's observation really IS quite fascinating isn't it? Unfortunately for most people, the odds for success are actually even lower, because out of the few people who do set goals, most don't take goal setting seriously, they don't do it scientifically and they only do it once a year. Goal setting is so important, that I always teach goal setting and mind dynamics first, and only THEN, do I teach nutrition and training second. It doesnt matter how much you know about nutrition or exercise. Until specialized fitness knowledge is linked with goals and directions, the knowledge is useless and you won't accomplish very much or keep the changes long term. In fact, I devoted the entire first chapter of my book, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (www.burnthefat.com) to the subject of goals and constructive "mind programming" for successful, permanent behavior change. I've also studied neuro linguistic programming (NLP) for many years and more recently spent many months researching the latest information about neuroscience to see just how much of the traditional self help and goal setting wisdom is actually backed by brain research. As you start thinking about your goals for 2007 right Now, I'd like to help you start the year off right by sharing two very valuable, science based tips on acheiving your goals: SCIENTIFIC GOAL SETTING TIP #1:

Biology And Body Fat

Did You Inherit Fat Genes? The Truth About Biology And Body Fat By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.burnthefat.com "Battle Your Biology? Fat Chance," proclaimed a headline recently in the health section of the New York Post newspaper. Quoting new research and citing psychologists, dietitians and physicians, the article says that more and more evidence proves that your weight is genetically determined, and if you're fat, "it's not your fault." "We've known for a while that genes - more than environment and behavior - explain obesity" argues Dr. James Rosen, an eating disorder specialist and professor at the University of Vermont. While genetics are definitely a factor, believing you are destined to be overweight for life because you've inherited "fat genes" is the most disempowering and self-defeating attitude you could ever adopt. The only way you’ll lose weight permanently is to accept total responsibility for yourself and acknowledge the fact that you have the power to change, regardless what mother nature has given you to work with. There's no denying that heredity plays a major role in how difficult it will be for you to lose fat. You inherited a body type, a predetermined number of fat cells, a metabolic rate and body chemistry just as you inherited your eye color and hair color. In the 1930's, Harvard psychologist Dr. William H. Sheldon developed a classification system for these different body types called "somatotyping." While there are no absolutes, Sheldon identified three basic somatotypes: ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs. Ectomorphs are the lean, lanky types. They are usually very thin and bony, with fast metabolisms and extremely low body fat. An ectomorph can eat like a horse without gaining an ounce. Mesomorphs are the "genetically gifted." They are lean, muscular and naturally athletic. Mesomorphs lose fat and gain muscle with ease. Endomorphs are the "fat retainers." Characterized by

Why Some People Can Drink Alcohol Without Getting Fat

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com Alcohol has been implicated as a factor that may hurt your efforts to lose body fat. Whether alcohol is "fattening" has been a very controversial subject because technically speaking, alcohol is NOT stored as fat; it is oxidized ahead of other fuels. Whether moderate drinking is healthy has also been a subject of controversy. Many studies show that cardiovascular health benefits are associated with moderate beer or wine drinking (which has been of particular interest lately with reservatrol in the news so much), while other studies show improved insulin sensitivity. Some experts however, say that alcohol has no place in a fitness lifestyle. A recent study published in the journal Obesity adds new findings to our knowledge about alcohol, insulin resistance and abdominal obesity. Analysis of the results as compared to other studies also gives us some insights into why some people seem to drink and get fat while others seem to drink and get thin! The truth about the beer belly phenomenon This new study, by Ulf Riserus and Erik Inglesson, was based on the Swedish Uppsala Longitudinal cohort. The researchers found that alcohol intake in older men did not improve insulin sensitivity, which contradicted their own hypothesis and numerous previous studies. They also said there was a very "robust" association between alcohol intake, waist circumference and waist to hip ratio. They pointed out that a high alcohol intake, especially hard liquor, was closely associated with abdominal body fat, not just overall body mass. Abdominal fat accumulation is not just a cosmetic problem, it can be a serious health risk. Abdominal fat, also known as "android" or "central" obesity, increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, glucose intolerance and elevated insulin levels. Many other studies have also found a link between alcohol intake and abdominal fat, but

Increase Your Metabolism

Increase Your Metabolism And Decrease Your Appetite With This Fat-Burning Food Group By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.burnthefat.com There have been countless studies performed on the role of protein in the muscle growth process to try and determine exactly how much protein you should consume to build muscle mass. Recently, several studies have looked at the role that dietary protein plays in helping you lose fat, and more importantly, helping you keep it off! One thing scientists have discovered is that eating lean protein foods is important for regulating body composition because it decreases your appetite. In a 2003 study reported in the journal, Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition And Metabolic Care (2003; 6(6): 635-638), protein was shown to be more satiating (made you feel fuller) than both carbohydrate and fat both in the short term and the long term. Eating more lean protein foods has also been proven as an effective strategy to help you burn fat and keep it off because of something called, “dietary thermogenesis” (also known as the thermic effect of food). In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2005 (93(2): 281-289), researchers followed a group of 113 overweight subjects after 4 weeks of a very low calorie diet, through a 6 month period of weight maintenance. The subjects were divided into a protein group or a control group. The protein group was simply given an extra 30 grams of protein per day on top of their usual diet. The researchers found that during weight maintenance, the group with the higher protein intake was less likely to regain the lost weight, and any weight gain in the protein group was lean tissue and not fat. The results were attributed to higher thermic effect and a decrease in appetite. Although calories will always be the bottom line when it comes to fat

Fish Oil May Help You Burn Fat…

What the latest research says about omega-3 fatty acids and weight loss By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere for the last several years, you’ve probably heard about the health benefits of eating fatty fish or taking fish oil supplements. Well, it looks like you might be able to add fat loss alongside the other benefits like heart, blood (cholesterol/triglycerides), brain, skin and joint health (and the rest of the list, which is too long to print here). The biologically active ingredients that seem to make fatty fish so beneficial are are the long chain omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids, EPA and DHA. At least a half a dozen human studies and more than two dozen animal studies have been completed in the last 10 years which suggest that these omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may help you lose more fat. However, the fat loss benefit is not as much as some people want you to believe… The results of two new studies on fish oil and fat loss were just released earlier this year. In one study published by the International Journal of Obesity, researchers from Reykjavik Iceland tested the effects of fish or fish oil consumption equivalent to 1.5 grams of combined EPA/DHA on body weight and body composition as part of a calorie restricted diet. (1) The subjects were 324 young overweight men and women who followed one of four experimental protocols for 8 weeks: (1) sunflower oil capsules (control) (2) lean fish (3) fatty fish (salmon) (4) fish oil capsules The researchers reported the following results: “In young, overweight men, the inclusion of either lean or fatty fish, or fish oil as part of a hypoenergetic diet resulted in 1 kilogram more weight loss after 4 weeks than a similar diet without seafood or supplement of marine origin. The addition of

Top 10 Travel Fitness Tips

Tom Venuto's Top 10 Travel Fitness Tips By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.burnthefat.com I recently read two articles about travel fitness. One said that while you're traveling, you should keep up with 50% of your normal training and the other said you should keep up with only one-third. Both were written by well known fitness professionals and both said that you should NOT expect to keep up your regular exercise program while you are traveling. That struck me as kind of "lame" and I said to myself, “Why the heck not? Why do people have such low standards and demand so little of themselves? Why do they let themselves off the hook and scale back?” Sometimes, of course, traveling is purely for a vacation – including a vacation from training. Occasional time off from intense training is beneficial and necessary to let your body recover and rejuvenate completely from chronic training stress, just as time off from the office is needed to disengage your mind for a while. It’s also true that it really doesn’t take much to maintain fitness once it is developed, and an abbreviated, but still effective, workout routine could certainly be used, if you choose, when you’re on the road. However, you still have healthy eating to think about and just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean you can’t follow your regular exercise regimen. Why settle? If you want to continue to improve your physique while on the road, you can! Here are 10 ways that I did it on my last extended business trip that you may find helpful as well. It begins with a simple decision. 1. Decide to improve while you’re traveling and to come home in better shape than when you left Nearly every time I travel (the exception being if it’s a complete rest and relaxation vacation), I set a

How To Turn Super Sizing, Dietary Displacement and Portion Distortion To Your Advantage!

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.burnthefat.com Ever since the independent film, Super Size Me was released, research on the relationship between increasing obesity and increasing portion sizes has skyrocketed and the results have been virtually unanimous. There have been numerous well-designed studies published just in the last several years which confirmed exactly what we suspected (and much of what the movie suggested): * Portion sizes have increased in restaurants and fast food venues on a major scale over the last several decades * We self-serve ourselves larger portions in the home than we used to * When more food is put in front of us, we almost always eat more * most people underestimate how many calories they are eating * All of these factors have contributed to the growing obesity problem and the related health problems that come along with it The obvious solution would seem to be to decrease portion sizes across the board, and indeed awareness of and control over portion sizes in general is important. However, research has demonstrated that perhaps an even better solution is to keep the portion sizes generous, but decrease the energy density (calories per unit of volume) in the foods you put on your plate. Several studies revealed that eating more low calorie density foods, especially green vegetables, salad vegetables and other fibrous carbs, as well as very lean proteins, maintains a feeling of fullness while reducing energy intake. In other words, large portions of highly nutritious, low calorie foods displaced the less nutritious, calorie-dense foods! Most people allow the bad foods to push out the good foods, but you can actually do the same in reverse! In a study published in the Journal of The American Dietetic Association, researchers fed one group a compulsory first course salad which was kept low

1,000 Sit Ups And Crunches A Day And Still No Abs

QUESTION: Dear Tom: I have been working out for around a year now and I cannot get my lower abs into any type of shape. Despite doing 900 various crunches, ab roller, and 100 sit-ups four days a week, along with running and my regular workout on the weights, I still have a tire around my waist. What else can I do? ANSWER: "What should I do to get abs?" is still one of the most frequently asked questions I receive out of the 7,000+ emails that come into my office every week. Although the question is often phrased differently, my answer is always the same: Seeing your abs, or any other muscle group, for that matter - is almost entirely the result of having low body fat levels. You get low body fat from proper diet (as well as cardio and strength training), not from doing hundreds of ab exercises every day. You didn't mention whether you knew your body fat level or not. My guess is that it may seem like your lower ab muscles are "hard to develop," but it's not really an issue of "muscle development" at all, you simply have too much body fat and are storing it in your lower abdominal region more readily than other parts of your body and you can't see the muscles through the fat. Most people don't have their fat distributed evenly throughout their bodies. Each of us inherits a genetically determined and hormonally-influenced pattern of fat storage just as we inherit our eye or hair color. In other words, the fat seems to "stick" to certain areas more than others. Men often tend to store fat more readily in the lower abdominal region (the "pot belly", "spare tire", "beer

Muscle Building Mania

Table of Contents Introduction to Body Building History of Body Building Basics of Building Muscle Body Building Facilities Building A Home Gym Body Building Routine Diet and Body Building + Recipes Dietary Supplements What About Steroids? Body Builder Beware Charting Your BMI Body Building Tips Resources INTRODUCTION TO BODY BUILDING This book is an exploration. We will explore the fascinating history of body building, which can be traced as far back as the 11th Century, up to the 19th Century when it arrived on the North American scene. We will explore how to build your body and muscles, body building and weight lifting equipment, the “right” and the “dark” side of dietary supplements as well as the importance of proper nutrition for the serious body builder. No discussion of body and muscle building would be complete without covering consumer health fraud. Bogus claims and promises of unrealistic results have been around for decades. The explosion of marketing on the internet has, unfortunately, created an exponential increase in unsavory providers ready and willing to bilk unsuspecting consumers. Muscle Mania will explore package labeling and what you should know about before you buy. The content we cover presents a broad outline rather than substantive personal recommendations. Nothing within should be construed as anything more than educational and should never replace medical advice from a professional physician. We will take a look at the different types of exercise equipment that is available to bodybuilders and what considerations you need to keep in mind when shopping for your own equipment or using the services of a gym. What could be more important than your diet and nutrition? It’s critical to your success when bodybuilding. We’ll give you several recipes that are not only prepared specifically for bodybuilders, but that provide you with a breakdown of calories, grams of protein, grams of carbohydrates, grams of fat

Fat Burners: The Unadulterated Truth

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com Fat burner supplements are advertised everywhere these days - on the internet, in magazines and even on TV. The ads almost always feature a very lean fitness model or bodybuilder and claim that these products, usually pills, were the secret to their six pack abs and very low body fat levels. Some of these ads suggest that the only way to get as lean as the "hot bodies" you see in the ads is by taking their "miracle pills" and that proper nutrition and exercise alone is not enough. While I won't dismiss the fact that there are ingredients in some fat "burner" products that might help a little bit, I take great displeasure in seeing misleading advertising claims as well as the misleading use of models who are often paid to endorse the product even though they may never have even used it (they're just models!) Many “fat burner” companies have been sued by the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising, false claims and falsifying before and after photos. The best you get is a slight thermogenic effect and possibly some slight appetite suppression. A few products might work through other mechanisms like improving thyroid, but if you forgive me the generalization, I consider the effects of all these “fat burner” products to be minutia. In one of my previous newsletters, I said that in my opinion, 97% of your results come from nutrition and training and maybe you get an extra 3% advantage from supplements. Just so you know those numbers arent something I just pulled out of thin air, lets take an example: I have reviewed scientific data that EGCG, the active ingredient in green tea extract, if consumed in enough quantity, could increase thermogenesis / metabolic

About

Brian Dickey 2113 204th ave Donnellson Iowa 52625 319-331-2674 Wider is better and size does matter, Never bluff, Never back down, Never ever give up. "Our world is what we think." - "believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who has said it, not even if i have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." - Buddha I'm a low carbing celiac, that happens to enjoy reading and writing about nutrition and health. So please enjoy my blogs I hope you find something useful. Enjoy. Low Carb Ketogenic Diets An Introduction 177 ways to reduce and burn calories Free 30 Day Low Carb Diet Ketosis Plan A - Z Common Health Disorders and Their Dietary Solutions Basic Meal And Menu Planning Basic Weight Management Childhood Obesity Conquering Cellulite Convenience Food Tips Dieting and Behavioral Changes Dietary surgical and medical solutions The Dieting Twelve Steps Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution Exercise Management Fad Diets and Popular Dietary Treatments Getting Rid of Bad Breath Interview With A Weight Loss Expert Introduction to the perfect diet. Low Carb Ketogenic Store Natural Dieting Alternatives Nutrition and Dietary Basics Overall food health values Overview of Obesity Obesity and its relationship to: Anorexia, bulimia and other special eating disorders. Perfect Diet Cooking Tips Social Eating and Traveling Tips Subscriber Diet Programs The Science of Obesity: Fats and Cholesterol. The Low Carb Ketogenic Store Low carb ketogenic terms History and Background of Low Carb Diets Popular Low Carb Ketogenic Diets Low Carb Ketogenic Diet Success Tips Low carb food ideas and meal solutions. Also visit. Low Carb Ketogenic Diets Advanced Antioxidants The Low Carb Blog The Adrenaline Blog

Listen to Maintainers, Not to Losers: 5 secrets to keeping the weight off for good

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com I have very little interest these days in all the media-hyped stories of dramatic, rapid losses of body weight. “Big losers” don’t impress me, for numerous reasons. For example, weight is not fat. “Weight” could be composed of mostly lean tissue, or it could be mostly water weight. In fact, I would go a step further and point out that rapid loss of bodyweight correlates very highly with a greater chance of relapse, weight re-gain and long term failure. So what does impress me? What gets my attention? I pay attention to what the “long term maintainers” have to say - those are the people who have maintained an ideal weight for over a year… preferably even 2-5 years or more. The difference between losers and maintainers As I was researching the subject of long term weight maintenance recently, I was surprised at the huge amount of research that's already been done in this area. One paper that caught my interest was published by Judy Kruger and colleagues in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, titled, “Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults successful at weight loss maintenance.” This was not an experimental study, but a compilation of data from the “Styles Survey” which was representative of the U.S. population and asked respondants questions about strategies to aid with maintaining an ideal weight. In this particular survey, only one-third (30.96%) of the respondents said they were successful at keeping their weight off. The researchers wanted to know the difference between the small group that was successful and the majority that were not. Both groups reduced the amount of food they consumed, they ate smaller portions, more fruits and vegetables, fewer fatty foods and fewer sweetened beverages. Not really any surprises there, but what we want to know most is not what losers

THE GREAT ABS MISTAKE “He Was Doing One Thousand Crunches And Sit Ups A Day… But Still NO Abs!!!

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com After 18 years in the fitness business, “How do I get great abs” is still BY FAR the most frequently asked question I receive out of the 30,000+ emails that come into my office every month. No doubt, it's because abs are the one body part that most people are the most frustrated with. Although their questions are often phrased differently and each person’s situation seems unique, my answer to “how do I get great abs” is almost always the same… and you’re about to hear it... "1,000 Sit-Ups And Crunches A Day and Still No Abs!" One question I received recently REALLY got my attention because a young guy told me he was doing 1,000 crunches and sit ups a day and said he still couldn’t see his abdominals. He wrote: “Tom: I have been working out for around a year now and I cannot get my lower abs into any type of shape. I'm starting to see my upper abs a little bit, which is great, but despite doing 900 various crunches, ab roller, and 100 sit-ups four days a week, along with my regular workout on the weights, I still have a tire around my waist. What else can I do?” What did I tell him? Well, I gave him the same answer I’ve given thousands of people over the years, which is the only true “Secret” to great abs... It takes training to increase strength, build endurance and DEVELOP the abdominals, but to SEE the definition in your abdominals - or any other muscle group for that matter - is almost entirely the result of low body fat levels. This may sound counter-intuitive, but if you can't see your abs, it's not an issue

Your Home Fitness Program!

Table of Contents First Things First How Much Exercise Do You Need? Basics of Fitness Resistance Training How to Combat Fatigue Walking Costs Nothing Beginner Fitness Program Intermediate Fitness Program Advanced Fitness Program Workout Gear Exercise Guide Fitness and Nutrition Exercise and Your Health Sport Training Inexpensive Equipment First Things First First things first: Motivation for a home fitness program The modern lifestyle each person has to contend with has resulted in quite a number of problems affecting both mental and physical health. People live their lives with only one goal in mind and that is to produce more, earn more and consume more. This has resulted in serious problems with the way people live their lives including the way they choose the food that they eat as well as their daily physical activities. People are so busy that they find it more practical to eat frozen food or fast food instead of cooking sumptuous and healthy meals. People are so caught up with their jobs that they no longer have much time for walking or for simple physical activities like a game of tennis or riding a bike. A person who has weight problems should consider incorporating his physical activities with his work or schedule. It is not easy to maintain a good fitness program but he has to prioritize first things first. And talking about first things first means knowing his priorities in life and what he has to do to address and achieve those priorities. Once the priorities have been listed or known then it would be easy to look for time to do those things despite a hectic schedule. A person can start a feasible home fitness program if he has the proper motivation for doing so. Knowing the target and how important the target is makes a good start for any person. A person should consider the negative and positive consequences

Secrets to Sleeping Soundly

Contents: The Definition of Sleep and What it Does About Sleep Research What is REM (and is it important)? Are Dreams Important? What is Circadian Rhythm? What is Insomnia? Do You Need a Sleep Test? How Light Affects Sleep How serious is Persistent Insomnia What are Snoring and Sleep Apnea? Your Infant and Sleep (Beware of SIDS) What is Narcolepsy and Is It Treatable? How to Prevent Sleepwalking and Night Terrors Sleep and the Immune System What Is Lucid Dreaming ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Definition of Sleep and What it Does Why is sleep important? Sleep needs no definition, especially for most people who have longed for the sweet experience of deep slumber, Sleep may be defined as that stage in which a person is supposed to experience total relaxation of body and mind. During sleep, a person is less conscious and less active but his brain is at work. Proper sleep is important if a person is to keep to his normal duties the next working day. A person who gets little sleep will be more irritable, less focused and more fatigued the next day. Getting less sleep for one night can be an irritant to most people; getting less sleep for weeks can be extremely detrimental to health. People who lack sleep can wake up troubled the next morning. And, while a person who lacks sleep can still do his normal tasks, he could be doing it in a robotic way and he can start acting like a zombie. While lack of sleep can cause minor disturbances and changes in a person’s behavior and working patterns, it can cause a major catastrophe when a sleep deprived person attempts to drive and subsequently causes an accident. Sleepy drivers have caused deadly accidents on the highways. This is no joke when you

Muscle Building Supplements

Table of Contents Why Use Body Building Supplements Body Building and Ephedra Using Nitric Oxide for Body Building All About Creatine Body Building Energy Drinks Protein Supplements Meal Replacement Supplements Maltodextrin Supplement to Degrade Enzymatic Process Glutamine Vanadyl for Nitrogen Retention Leucine to Promote Anticatabolic Metabolism Essential Fatty Acids Glucosamine Special Supplements for Women The Dangers of Steroids Why Use Body Building Supplements Why Use Bodybuilding Supplements? Bodybuilding supplements have risen in prominence in the past few decades. They offer the advantages of both convenience and affordability. Since bodybuilders need to get more nutrition than the average individual, it will be much easier for them to achieve their goals through supplements. Keep in mind that these are not magic bullets that you can take and expect to become big overnight. Everything needs to be included in a sound and systematic strategy. A Brief Description of Bodybuilding Supplements Bodybuilding supplements are used by many gym enthusiasts with the hope of gaining more lean muscle while losing extra fat. At present, there are so many choices to choose from compared to many years ago. During the 1970s, protein supplements were the only staple that helped bodybuilders reach their target protein intake per day without having to devour huge amounts of food. 20 years later, manufacturers and laboratories started creating more products that promise to create anabolic responses to boost the body’s recovery for tissue repair as well as improve metabolism to keep unwanted fat off. Now, there are protein supplements of different kinds like creatine, branch chain amino acids, nitric oxide, fat burners and energy enhancers which will support the aspiring bodybuilder in a variety of ways. Sometimes two or more of these products can be taken for better results since some products are known to compliment the effects of others. People however, should know that bodybuilding supplements only comprise a small portion of the entire picture. People think that the products have

How I Got “Ripped” Abs For The Very First Time

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com I’ll never forget the very first time I got ripped, how I did it and how it felt. I’ve never told this entire story before or widely published my early photos either. Winning first place and seeing my abs the first time was sweet redemption. But before that, it was a story of desperation… I started lifting weights for bodybuilding when I was 14 years old, but I never had ripped abs until I was 20. I endured six years of frustration and embarrassment. Being a teenager is hard enough, but imagine how I felt being a self-proclaimed bodybuilder, with no abs or muscle definition to show for it. Imagine what it was like in swimming class or when we played basketball in gym class and I prayed to be called out for “shirts” and not ‘”skins” because I didn’t want any one seeing my “man-boobs” and ab flab jiggling all over the court. Oh, I had muscle. I started gaining muscle from the moment I picked up a barbell. I got strong too. I was benching 315 at age 18. But even after four years of successful strength training, I still hadn’t figured out this getting ripped thing. Muscle isn’t very attractive if it’s covered up with a layer of fat. That’s where the phrase “bulky” really comes from – fat on top of muscle. It can look worse than just fat. I read every book. I read every magazine. I tried every exercise. I took every supplement in vogue back in the 80’s (remember bee pollen, octacosanol, lipotropics and dessicated liver?) I tried not eating for entire days at a time. I went on a rope skipping kick. I did hundreds of crunches and ab exercises. I rode the Lifecycle. I wore rubber waist belts. The results

Lowering Your Cholestrol

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION WHAT IS CHOLESTROL, LDL & HDL? DIAGNOSING CHOLESTEROL CAUSES CHOLESTEROL MEDICATIONS NATURAL TREATMENTS HERBAL REMEDIES LIVING HEALTHY INTRODUCTION Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years. It’s a natural function of the human body. The modern story of cholesterol and how it affects us today, actually began during a government study in 1951. The Pentagon sent pathologists to Korea to examine the bodies of servicemen who lost their lives during the war. Autopsies were conducted on 2,000 soldiers. The results were astounding to the medical community of that time. Normally, no one under 35 dies of coronary heart disease. Remember, this was 1951! More than 75 percent of the soldier had yellow deposits of atherosclerotic plaque on their artery walls. The average age of these soldiers was 21 contradicting the assumption that such artery clogging deposits were only prevalent in older men. The results of the Army pathologists rocked the medical community. Prior to these autopsies, doctors had no idea how early the process of heart disease began. Not long after this discovery, a name was given to the major contributor to the buildup of plaque and to heart disease risk – cholesterol. More recent studies have shown that for every 1 percent drop in cholesterol levels, there is a 2 percent decrease in the risk of a heart attack. Since those original studies, the risk of heart disease stemming from cholesterol has exploded. In 2002 it was estimated that 107 million American adults now have a blood cholesterol level high enough to require medical advice. Unfortunately, the numbers keep rising. Despite this epidemic problem, there is good news. You can do something about the problem and that’s what this guide is all about. In plain English, we will take a laymen’s look at cholesterol, the causes, effects

An Open Letter To Anyone Who Wants To Lose Up To 20 Pounds In 30 Days The ‘Low Carb’ Way

30-Day Low Carb Diet 'Ketosis Plan' has already helped scores of people lose their excess pounds and inches faster and easier than they ever thought possible. Why not find out what 30-Day Low Carb Diet 'Ketosis Plan' can do for you by trying it out for yourself! Meet Scot Standke, author of the 30-Day Low Carb Diet 'Ketosis Plan' and webmaster at several of the fastest growing low carb websites online. Scot Standke best known for his wildly successful internet sites, CarbTrack.com and LowCarbDietRecipe.com. An avid low carber himself for over 10 years, Scot has lost over 100 lbs and also has managed to maintain it for over 7 years now. His specialty is the easy induction style low carb diet, that he designed to blast away over 20 pounds in only 30 days. Scot Standke is the writer of one of the webs most successful low carb newsletters, claiming a subscription rate of over 10,000 strong and growing. Scot believes his 30-Day Low Carb Diet 'Ketosis Plan' is so effective that virtually anyone can now lose weight faster and easier than they ever imagined. I've developed something very powerful for the almost effortless removal of stubborn bulging fatty deposits. In fact it's so powerful that, depending on how much you're overweight, it allows you to lose up to 20 pounds of fat, flab and fluids in just 30 days, and amazing as it may seem, you can lose this awesome amount of weight, while you are still allowed three very filling meals a day! Real meals, mouth watering delicious meals, meals that give you that wonderful satisfying feeling that you've really eaten when you get up from the table. But, best of all, it's based on science, factual science, not false claims nor empty promises, and I'll stake my reputation on it. NO

Wu Long Tea (oolong tea): Does it really help you lose weight?

Red Bush Tea Green Tea By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS www.BurnTheFat.com You’ve probably seen the advertisements: “Drink wu long tea and lose a jeans size every 7 days!”… “Burn 20 lbs of fat in 30 days with wu long tea!” … Maybe you even watched Oprah a few years ago when Dr. Perricone said that switching your coffee for green tea would help you take off the pounds. You may have also read or watched countless news stories which say how healthy it is to drink green tea. The odds are good that if you’re interested in improving your health and losing fat, you probably either drink tea, take a green tea supplement or you’ve at least thought about it. But what if I told you that most of the fat reducing claims for green tea were absolute, total BS, based on misinterpretation or deliberate misreporting of the research? Unfortunately, it’s true. If you’ve bought green tea based on the claim that it causes large reductions in body fat, then you have been scammed. Here are the facts: Green tea DOES stimulate your metabolism. However, the research is very unclear about what kind of impact this small, short term increase in metabolism will have on your bodyweight in the long term. In the most often quoted study (Dulloo, 1999), A swiss research team found that 270 mg of green tea extract 3X a day increased metabolic rate by the equivalent of about 79 calories on average and increased the oxidation of fat as the fuel source. If you do the math, it appears that 79 kcal a day would add up to an extra pound of fat lost every 44 days. Not much, but you’ll take it, right? Hypothetically, that would add up to an extra 8 pounds lost per year. What advertisements quoting this study don’t tell you is that this and other similar

Tuna And Mercury - Are You Being Poisoned By The “Healthy” Fish You’re Eating?

QUESTION: Hi Tom: I love albacore tuna or salmon. Do you have any concern about the levels of mercury now being found in tuna and in larger fish? I still eat them. I'd have to quit eating to avoid all the things wrong with food. I’ve never been too environmentally minded, but I found myself perturbed that the fish are becoming toxic, little by little. My vegetarian daughter is our family environmentalist, and I'm on her side on this one. Recently there was an article in our paper suggesting that the breast milk of a nursing mother, could now be considered toxic in a high percentage of cases. If true, a sad indictment of our society. www.burnthefat.com ANSWER: According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the fish most likely to be contaminated with unsafe levels of mercury are those highest up on the food chain, including shark, king mackerel, tilefish and swordfish. These larger, longer-lived predatory fish feed on the smaller fish and retain in their bodies the contaminants that were in the small fish. The FDA released a mercury advisory warning in 1994, which advised the public that these fish were safe as part of a balanced diet if eaten no more than once per week. In 2001, the FDA upgraded their advisory, recommending that pregnant women, nursing women or women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, avoid the high-risk fish completely because mercury can harm the nervous system of a developing unborn baby. According to the FDA, the fish with the least mercury are salmon, trout, catfish, haddock, flounder, crab or shrimp. And what about tuna fish – that classic bodybuilding and fitness staple food? The FDA says that certain species of large tuna, usually sold as fresh tuna, tuna steaks or sushi, can

What Color Is Your Diet

QUESTION: Dear Tom: I’ve seen quite a few diet books lately that are based on the color of the foods you eat, including the rainbow diet, the color diet and the “color code” (sounds like the Da Vinci code, LOL!) Anyway, I’ve been reading your newsletters for a long time and I know how you feel about diet pills, books and gimmicks and I was wondering what you thought about these programs. Is it just another gimmick? ANSWER: Based on the clever titles, it might be tempting to dismiss these programs as gimmicks, and in fact when your weekly menus are literally “color coded,” it might seem that the diet book authors are just scrambling for a new hook or premise on which to base an entire eating program. I have not read any of those books you mentioned yet, so I can’t comment on any of them specifically. However, as “gimmicky” as eating from every color in the rainbow may sound at first, there is some very legitimate and scientific evidence that this is a great idea. We are often given the advice to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (which have a variety of different colors). Good advice of course; even common sense would tell us that. However, “eat a lot of fruits and vegetables”is vague advice because it could mean eating only apples and broccoli (red and green), and nothing else, but eating “a lot” of them. To take that advice to the next level, a better recommendation would be to eat a WIDE VARIETY of fruits and vegetables (not just “a lot”). Even “wide variety” is not really defined. What is a wide variety? Did you know that

The Best Selling E-Book In Internet History

Why Is Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle The Best Selling E-Book In Internet History, With Thousands Of Satisfied (And Now Fat-Free) Users In 133 Countries from Algeria to Zimbabwe? Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is the #1 best selling diet and fitness ebook in the history of the Internet. In fact, it's one of the best selling e-books on ANY subject in the history of the Internet -... And there's a reason why... It's because thousands of women and men of every age are burning off BODY FAT - not muscle or water weight - and they're doing it naturally, without supplements, pills or "magic potions," simply by using the proven, scientifically-accurate and common-sense advice found inside this amazing diet and fitness guidebook. T

Nutrition, Health and Diet.