If any of you get the time to try this out let me know how it goes and what you think.

I received a shocking email from someone I respect the other day that I want to share with you. (I have permission.)

My friend just came right out and told me the brutal truth: “You’re wasting months of your life for nothing.”

Pretty scary…and I had no idea what he meant!

So, I kept reading…

“Look, just figure out how many hours you’re spending in the gym and doing cardio every week. Multiply that number by 52. Then email me back.”

So I did the math. It freaked me out! It was a lot more time than I thought. I was spending literally YEARS of my life in the gym. Let’s not even talk about cooking food and eating 6 meals every day. It feels like my workout routine is like a second job sometimes. Can you relate?

Anyway, I emailed him back and here’s what he said:

“Okay, take that number down to less than an HOUR a week…tops. How much time have you just added to your life?” The obvious answer: A lot!

By now I was wanting him to give me the answer. If there was a workout program where I could see results in minutes a day versus hours I was all ears.

He said, “Check out my latest book and video series.”

Here’s the website so you can see it too — 7 Minute Muscle < — click.here

The guy I’m talking about is bestselling fitness author Jon Benson. His latest book “7 Minute Muscle” is an absolute jaw-dropper. You owe it to yourself to at least visit his homepage and discover what this is all about.

Jon spent three years researching one simple question: “How can you get the MOST results in the LEAST amount of time?”

Seems like common sense, right? Well it’s not. Most people, myself included, are spending FAR more time than necessary to get results.

Even worse –

— > I learned that all that time in the gym
— > was keeping me from the body I wanted!

Of course there is more to the story than just “working out less.” This is not some gimmick that involves pills or gadgets either. Honestly, it’s hard work.

But only 7 minutes of it.

7 minutes. No joke.

After that 7 minutes you feel like your muscles will explode from the pump. You get leaner, stronger, and you do it faster than any other workout I’ve ever seen. Your energy shoots through the roof to boot.

See for yourself –

7 Minute Muscle

I’m sure you’ll love “7 Minute Muscle” as much as I do. Even more, you love the months of life you’ll get back by train smarter, not longer.

P.S. Jon has some limited-time offers going on right now so it’s a good time to check out his homepage. Go see what others are saying about this revolutionary new way to train in just 7 minutes a day –

7 Minute Muscle < — click.here

7 Minute Muscle < — click.here

The quest to develop a stunningly fit, lean and attractive body is a long, slow journey. It’s not something you achieve overnight by popping a few pills or strapping an electric gizmo to your belly.

Which reminds me, did you know that by the time the FTC finally blew the whistle on the electronic ab belt scam, the makers of those “ab zappers” had swindled over $100 million dollars from unsuspecting consumers? Fortunately, some of those companies had to pay it back, and then some! The FTC charged three companies – Fast Abs, Ab Tronic and Ab Energizer – with false advertising and deceptive warranty practices for these “ABSurd” products.

But I digress… back to what I was saying about the journey to a better body…

Last week I looked out my window, and where there was once nothing but a dirt-filled empty lot, there stood a sprawling six story brick condo complex. If someone looked at this massive completed structure for the first time, they might not be impressed. However, since I observed the entire construction process unfold from my living room window, I was impressed – amazed even – at what goes into erecting this kind of structure.

I remember watching the crew humming around diligently every day like busy bees, laying one brick after another. From one day to the next, it didn’t seem like much changed. But slowly, over a period of a year and a half, I watched the building gradually morph into the finished product.

When you look at someone with an incredible body as a finished product, you often tend to dismiss the long, arduous journey and hard work it took to build that body. Unless you were side by side with that person in the gym (and in the kitchen), observing the work involved, it’s easy to attribute such a chiseled physique to genetics or give credit to a supplement (they just took product XYZ and voila – overnight abs). What you don’t see or appreciate are all the months and years of sweat and hard work.

Getting in shape is a lot like a construction project. First, there must be a picture in the mind. Then the vision goes onto paper as a blueprint. It takes months just to lay the foundation. More months of work will follow. On a daily basis, it doesn’t seem like much is happening. You look in the mirror and appear, for the most part, the same as you did yesterday. But sure enough, the small improvements are slowly accumulating like compounding interest in the bank. One day, you look in the mirror and “suddenly,” your blueprint has become reality.

The body of a fitness pro or bodybuilding champion is no more likely to be built overnight than a high rise is to be built overnight. It’s not physically possible. Accepting the idea that any type of pill, powder, drug, supplement or machine of any kind will make it happen sooner is pure folly. You can’t force it.

Growth and development of any kind always requires a gestation period. For a baby, it’s nine months. For corn, I believe it’s about three months. If you were an expectant mother, would you want to hurry the process? Could any new development in nutrition or medical science speed up this wonderful miracle even one iota? If you were a farmer, would you try to harvest your crop before it was ripe? Would you dig up your seeds to see if anything was growing down there?

The answers are obvious. If only we would adopt the same patient, nurturing “mother’s” or “farmer’s mindset” towards getting in shape, then no one would waste their money on “fast abs” or “exercise in a bottle” or any such silliness ever again. We would understand that one must sow first, then reap the harvest, but that you can’t sow and reap in the same season.

If you ever get frustrated with your rate of progress (and who doesn’t), just remember; success is always guaranteed to the persistent. Nothing in the world can stop someone who knows what they want and is willing to continue paying the price until they get it. It just takes time.

Become the architect and builder of your own dream body. You WILL build the body you want eventually if you’re patient enough and you refuse to quit. And set your goals HIGH! Create a fantastic blueprint. Michelangelo said, “The greatest danger is not that we set our goals too high and miss them, the greatest danger is that we set our goals too low and we reach them.”

Envision a castle – a veritable Taj Mahal of a body! There’s nothing wrong with building castles in the sky, as long as you patiently work at putting the foundations underneath them. There are very few unrealistic goals; only goals with unrealistic deadlines. So keep laying those “bricks” – every day – one at a time – and sure enough, eventually, you’ll build yourself a palace.

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide. For information on Tom’s Fat Loss program, visit: 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 loss, studies such as these are confirming what bodybuilders have known for a long time: That calories are not the only factor that can influence your body composition. Your protein intake and your ratios of protein relative to carbohydrate and fat can clearly play a key role in helping you lose fat and keep the fat off.

None of this is news to bodybuilders or to anyone who is already familiar with bodybuilding-style nutrition programs such as Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. But it’s interesting that such positive results were achieved in studies where protein was increased so conservatively – as little as 30 additional grams of protein per day or a 20% increase above traditional protein recommendations.

Many bodybuilding-style diets (such as Burn The Fat and Body For Life) call for as much as 30%-40% of the total daily calories from protein and some competitive bodybuilders crank up the protein (temporarily) to as much as 50% before competitions.

I’m curious to see if any research is ever conducted with these more aggressive protein intakes. If so, my guess is that we will find once again, that the bodybuilders are ahead of the science when it comes to the manipulation of diet for improving body composition.

The take home lesson is simple: If you remove some carbs and put in some protein – nothing too radical; even as little as trading 30 grams per day of carbs for 30 grams of lean protein – this small change in your diet may decrease your appetite, decrease your body fat and help you keep the fat off after you lose it.

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to burn fat without drugs or supplements using the little-known secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com. To get Tom’s free fitness newsletter, visit: www.tomvenuto.com

Every so often you read a sad story in the newspaper about someone who dove headfirst into a river or lake, without checking to see how deep the water was beforehand. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a shallow 18 inches and the consequence of this miscalculated plunge was a broken neck and a wheelchair.

This reminds me of the way most people impatiently dive into strict, extreme, or unbalanced crash diets, without thinking about the long term consequences, invariably crippling any chance they had for keeping the fat off in the long run.

One thing that almost all mainstream popular diets have in common is an “induction phase” (or the equivalent). This is often done under the scientific-sounding auspices of “making the metabolic switch” from “carb burner” to “fat burner.”

Another common way that popular diets begin is with a “liquid fast” or “internal cleansing” phase. This is often suggested as necessary for clearing out all the gunk that has accumulated on your insides which (says them), is the reason you feel like “blah” and can’t lose any weight.

Larrian Gillespie, the About.com guide to low carb diets, made a keen observation in a recent article. Writing about the Induction plan on programs such as the Atkins diet, she noted:

“Frankly, the only thing I object to is the induction plan concept…for ANY diet. It’s a cheap trick approach to weight management, since we as Americans are fixated on quick fixes or we toss a plan and go onto the next marketing promise.”

Not only do I agree – I would take it a step further. I believe that this radical beginning phase actually increases the chances of failure in the long term.

Gillespie continues with advice about what to do if you choose a low carb approach such as Atkins…

“This (induction) approach will trigger a rebound weight gain. Don’t overdo the induction phase. Better yet, go directly to stage 2 of the plan and begin there. There is nothing more irritating to a physician than having a patient come in with health problems as a direct result of following some crazy diet, like eating ONLY cabbage, or only grapefruit.”

“Induction” is simply a politically correct way to say you have to crash diet and starve yourself in the beginning. Look at the forums and message boards: They’re filled with posts from people about to start these programs, dreading the “initial” phase and wondering if they’ll be able to hack it (and with people telling war stories about how they “survived” it …or tried it and failed).

“Induction” has nothing to do with science, health or permanent fat loss. It has everything to do with marketing and instant gratification. Dieters flock to the gurus that promise 12 to 15 pounds of weight loss in the first two weeks, while sneering at the idea of losing a paltry 2 pounds of fat per week. “Give me results now” is the mindset, with no thought given to body composition, health or long-term consequences. What sells more books: “Quickly Lose 8-10 pounds in the first week” or “lose 8-10 pounds of fat per month and never gain it back?” Unfortunately, it is usually the former.

Over the past decade and a half I have almost always used the opposite approach with my clients – and that is, never dive into diets – instead, ease into a new way of life, one habit at a time, if necessary.

My clients are introduced to words such as habits, balance, lifestyle and patience. I sit them down, look them in the eye and ask, “Do you want to lose weight quickly and gain it back or do you want to lose fat slowly and keep it off forever and never have to “diet” again?”

When confronted face to face, the answer is always the latter (but often begrudgingly so). The patience pays off, and those who are wise enough to listen enjoy the fruits of lifelong health, leanness and fitness, never having to endure the repeated yo-yo losses and gains so many people suffer for an entire lifetime.

Consider these concepts: Do NOT crash diet only to relapse to your old, unhealthy ways. Do not even put yourself in “emergency” situations where you feel pressured to lose weight quickly. Build a foundation and master the fundamentals first, then nit pick, sweat the small stuff and try “advanced” techniques later.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, then you can slowly make your plan stricter – if necessary – based on your results. You can reduce or eliminate cheat days, and tighten up your food choices.

Yes, carbs can be s-l-o-w-l-y reduced to find that optimal level for your body type where fat loss really kicks in. Calorie levels can dropped, more cardio added, rest between sets decreased, and training intensity increased.

On and on your regimen can be gradually “tightened up” and compliance increased until the desired results are achieved. Then, it’s a gradual, comfortable transition to maintenance phase, which is never far away from the fat loss phase.

Contrast this sensible, healthy, lifestyle approach, (which most people view not only as slow, but flat out “backwards”), with the crash diet or “induction” approach:

The new dieter STARTS from day one with the strictest, most extreme version of the diet. It’s often very unbalanced with entire food groups removed, or it emphasizes only one food or food type. Sometimes, the restrictions are so tight, you even have to limit the amount of vegetables you eat! Is that CRAZY or WHAT????

The weight comes flying off… SUCCESS! Or so it appears…until all the weight has returned 6-12 months later along with the rest of the 95% of dieters who fail because they insisted on following the herd and hopping on the latest quick fix bandwagon.

No two people are exactly alike and no single nutrition program is right for everyone. For example, some people really do thrive on reduced carbohydrate diets. But one thing that‘s true for 100% of people 100% of the time is that starvation and crash dieting are a one-way ticket to eventual weight regain and metabolic destruction.

What should you do instead? Ease into it. Stick your toes in the water first. Isolate bad habits and replace them with good ones – one or two at a time – for life. Psychologists say it only takes 21 days to form a new good habit, and habits, not diets, are the key to long-term fat loss success. Any nutrition program not built squarely on a strong foundation of nutritional fundamentals and good long-term habits is an accident waiting to happen.

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to burn fat without drugs or supplements using the little-known secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com. To get Tom’s free fitness newsletter, visit: www.tomvenuto.com

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 calorie counting.
• NO side effects, natural, gentle, safe.
  
• NO caffeine, or harmful stimulants.
  
• NO nervousness or irritability.
  
• NO Unsafe Pills to take

You see, being an astute student that specializes in weight loss and more notably the Atkins Version of the low carb diet for more than 10 years, I’ve learned a great deal about how you can successfully destroy your stubborn fat, once and for all! How you can actually shed all your unwanted pounds and inches and reverse years of over eating without the pain and effort you may have thought it once took. How you can definitely lose your embarrassing fat and flab, even if you’ve failed time and time again!

And my number one fat burning secret, the secret that has helped so many overweight people just like you lose weight the easy way can be boiled down to simply this.

No matter what you’ve been told trying to lose weight the hard way, the way that requires tons of effort, deprivation, and lots of will power, just doesn’t work! It’s not counting calories or even starving yourself that really makes the difference between a fat unhealthy-unattractive body, and a lean, healthy, beautifully attractive body.

Why? Because your body will compensate for radically decreased caloric intake and actually slow down the burning of fat. And even worse, when you go off your starvation diet, your body will overcompensate and continue what’s called the “starvation response, which in plain words means you can actually gain back more weight than you may have temporarily lost!

Weight Is Managed, Not Cured!

Fortunately, there’s now a way to lose weight that doesn’t require counting calories or starving yourself, that doesn’t require the deprivation and suffering associated with conventional dieting! It’s what I call the easy way to lose weight, and it’s my number one secret for having a beautiful, slim, stunning body, my number one secret for enjoying the rest of your life as a happy, healthy, permanently thin person.

It’s really quite extraordinary, even if I do say so myself! For your nutritional health and well being, I’ve formulated an entire 30 day low carb diet system that can literally trick your body into burning excess stored fat, while you happily eat 3 filling meals a day! It’s a process known to medical doctors, most notably, Dr Robert Atkins as ketosis and I absolutely guarantee that it works. The process is literally so effective that it can cause your body to go into an almost non-stop fat burning frenzy while you continue to eat your 3 filling, delicious meals each day.

A fat burning frenzy that virtually destroys stubborn fat from your entire body, even from hard to reach areas like neck and chin fat. A fat burning frenzy so powerful that I can only recommend that you use the ketosis activating 30 Day Low Carb Diet system for one 30 day cycle at a time! Then you may need to adjust your carb intake upward a bit.

That’s right! It’s a fact! Once you try this powerful and effective method for non-stop fat destruction you may be tempted (because it’s so incredibly easy) to use it longer than 30 days but I highly recommend that you either, increase your carbs or add a few low carbs snacks in each day, and most importantly, get prior authorization from a professional Medical Dr. After this you can go back on what I call the Fat Burning Cycle and lose additional pounds. And even if you have one hundred pounds or more to lose, you can repeat the Fat Burning Cycle as many times as necessary.

I’m very proud to say, I’ve spent years researching and then carefully developing this diet system that tricks your body into relentlessly burning body fat, while you continue to eat your full three mouth-watering, real food meals each day. And you should know that the longer you follow the 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan’ the closer you will be in your desire to achieve the beautiful, attractive and healthy body of your dreams!

I highly recommend a strong vitamin ritual during your entire diet, with emphasis on the following vitamin and nutrients:

CHROMIUN PICOLINATE (Considered a highly effective natural metabolic stimulator.)

BEE POLLEN/BEE PROPOLIS (Super high nutrition value promotes lasting energy.)

B-1 THIAMIN (Essential for carbohydrate metabolism.)

RADIX GINSENG (Recognized as natural energy booster for the last 5000 yrs!)

GAMMA ORYZINOL (May contribute to increased stamina.)

LECITHIN (Powerful nutritional factor vital to both mind and body.)

SARASAPARILLA (Absolutely wonderful herbal extract for increased health and well being.)

INOSINE (A naturally occurring metabolic product which may help reduce fatigue and improve metabolic functioning.)

But, believe it or not, this special mix of vitamins, minerals and herbs are NOT the reason why my 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan’ will work so well for you. They’re NOT the reason why you can drop pounds and inches in record time. And they’re NOT the reason why you may see dramatic results from almost the very first week you begin!

The real reason why you can actually lose up to twenty pounds in 30 days the easy way is due to the powerful ketosis activating in my diet system.

And with the ketosis activating diet system you get to do the one thing everybody else has told you not to do! You get to eat without counting calories! And I mean EAT! 3 fully satisfying meals a day! East so much that one of my friends almost fainted in disbelief when she stepped on the scale after just two weeks and witnessed the incredible amount of pounds and inches that seemingly vanished!

Just imagine being able to eat regular meals for an entire month, enjoying yourself like never before, and then fitting into clothes you once thought impossible to wear. Imagine, thirty short wonderful days and you can kiss up to twenty pounds of fat, flab and excess fluids goodbye. Thirty short days to a leaner, more seductive body. It’s truly the easy way to lose weight!

Here is what some of my best clients are saying about their success. Of course, weight loss varies for every person and it depends on how well you follow the instructions, but nevertheless you’ll have to agree that these are some pretty impressive results:

Scot you’ve saved my life. I’ve been on so many diets and failed that I didn’t think I could ever try one again. Thanks to your easy way to lose weight I’ve finally lost the 35 pounds I’ve been trying to lose for more than twenty years! Thanks again!
–Susie G. Normand, OK

Since I lost 27 pounds the easy way, I’m bubbling over with self confidence. I’ve got a new boyfriend and can finally wear the clothes I dreamed of wearing!
–Sally F. Ripon, CA

Scot, you have developed what I consider to be one of the most effective weight loss programs available today. And quite unique! Count me in as an ardent supporter!
–John J. Baltimore, MD

When it comes to losing weight I really am lazy. You must have had me in mind when you developed the 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan’. Thank God you did, because it worked! I’ve lost 31 pounds and still going down.
–Kimberly P. Plano, TX

Scot you deserve a medal. Your 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan’ worked like a charm. I lost 45 pounds and never once was hungry!
–Jim H. River Falls, WI

Can you blame me for believing so strongly in the power of 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan’ that I’ve put my entire reputation on the line to prove it!

How many diets, pills, plans or systems have you tried that were actually developed by someone that actually lives the diet daily and is living proof that it works? Probably very few, if any. Why, because most people or companies have nothing to lose if their so called weight loss programs don’t work. They just don’t care if your hopes and dreams are shattered. Here today, gone tomorrow, along with the hard earned cash!

Here are just a few of the benefits you will find in using my 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan’

1. Enjoy 90 different recipes, (3 per day), all within the allowed Atkins ‘Ketosis’ range of 20 grams of carbs per day.
   Discover an almost instant weight loss, as the powerful ‘ketosis’ effect will boost your weight burning metabolism within the first three days.
2. Suffer from no more nagging hunger pangs, my 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan’ is specially designed to almost immediately eliminate all hunger within the first two days.
   Notice an almost instantaneous looser fit in all your clothing.
3. Discover an added amount of energy you may not have felt in years, all within the very first days of the program.

Well, I’ve spent too many years struggling with my weight, trying this diet, trying that pill, before I discovered and refined my 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan’, and I would not risk my reputation just to risk all this on a Fat Burning program that doesn’t do absolutely everything I say it can do. No, absolutely not! I repeat, I will stake my hard-earned lived it, tried it, tested it and refined it reputation on my easy way to lose weight. And I want to prove its power and effectiveness to you right now!

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN LOSE UP TO 20 POUNDS OR MORE IN JUST 30 DAYS
100% AT MY RISK
WITH A FULL 365 DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

I’m giving it away for free.

Try my 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan’ which includes the powerful ketosis activating diet system combined with the simple every day vitamins, herbs, and minerals described above for free.

Download your copy of 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan‘, in PDF format, so it is Guaranteed to work on any computer, both MAC and PC’s.

Thank you.

Brian Dickey

• Myspace on Myspace
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• The Low Carb Ketogenic Diets Blog
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Webmaster@low-carb-ketogenic-diets.com

P.S. If you desire to lose more than 20 pounds, you can simply extend your 30-Day Low Carb Diet ‘Ketosis Plan‘ plan to a 60 day plan, simply by starting from the beginning again.

Before starting this weight loss program, or any weight loss program, please consult your physician to determine that you are in normal health.

Exact quantities and menus are not listed, just the individual foods, and of course my food intake does vary. I aim to get as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables as possible over the course of every week and there are a lot of substitutions made, so you are not seeing the full list of everything I eat, only what foods I eat most of the time.

I also want to point out that while I don’t believe that extreme low carbs are necessary or most effective when you look at the long term, research has shown that there are some definite advantages to a low to moderate carb and higher protein diet for fat loss purposes. These include reduced appetite, higher thermic effect of food and “automatic” calorie control.

Personally, I reduce my carb intake moderately and temporarily prior to bodybuilding competitions. Specifically, it’s the foods that are on the starchy carbs and grains list that go down during the brief pre-competition period when I’m working on that really “ripped” look. I keep the green and fibrous veggie intake very high however, along with large amounts of lean protein, small amounts of fruit, and adequate amounts of essential fats.

This list reflects my personal preferences, so this is not a prescription to all readers to eat as I do. It’s very important for compliance to choose foods you enjoy and to have the option for a wide variety of choices. In the past several years, nutrition and obesity research – in studying ALL types of diets – has continued to conclude that almost any hypocaloric diet that is not completely “moronic” can work, at least in the short term.

It’s not so much about the high carb – low carb argument or any other debate as much as it is about calorie control and compliance. The trouble is, restricted diets and staying in a calorie deficit is difficult, so most people can’t stick with any program and they fall off the wagon, whichever wagon that may be.

I believe that a lot of our attention needs to shift away from pointless debates (for example, low carb vs. high carb is getting really old… so like… get over it everyone, its a calorie deficit that makes you lose weight, not the amount of carbs).

Instead, our focus should shift towards these questions:

* How can we build an eating program that we can enjoy while still getting us leaner and healthier?

* How can we build an eating program that helps us control calories?

* How can we build an eating program that improves compliance?

Here’s one good answer: Eat a wide variety of high nutrient density, low calorie density foods that you enjoy which still fit within healthy, fat-burning, muscle-building guidelines!

Here are the lists of foods I choose to achieve these three outcomes. This eating plan is not difficult to stick with at all, by the way. I enjoy eating like this and it feels almost weird not to eat like this after doing it for so long.

Remember, habits work in both directions, and as motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said, “Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.”

These are listed in the order I frequently consume them. So for example, if oatmeal is on the top of the list, it means that is the food I am most likely to eat every single day.

My 10 top natural starchy carb and whole grains

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned)
2. Yams
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice)
4. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes
7. 100% whole wheat bread
8. 100% whole wheat pasta
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal

My Top 10 top vegetables

1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini

My top 10 lean proteins

1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey or Casein protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Lean Ground Turkey
9. Bison/Buffalo
10. Trout

My top 10 fruits

1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple

Note: I DO include healthy fats as well, such as walnuts, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil (supplement – not to cook with), avocado and a few others.

Also, I do eat dairy products and have nothing against them, nor am I lactose intolerant. I simply don’t eat as much dairy as the rest of the stuff on my lists. When I eat dairy, its usually skim milk, low or non fat cottage cheese, low or non fat yogurt and low or non fat cheese (great for omelettes).

Last but not least, I usually follow a compliance rate of about 95%, which means I take two or three meals per week of whatever I want (stuff that is NOT on these lists – like pizza, sushi, big fatty restaurant steaks, etc)

I hope you found this helpful and interesting. Keep in mind, this is MY food list, and although you probably couldn’t go wrong to emulate it, you need to choose natural foods you enjoy in order to develop habits you can stick with long term. In the fruits and vegetables categories alone, there are hundreds of other choices out there, so enjoy them all!

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods 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