Fat Loss, Fat Burning

Multivitamins for fat loss?

2008-01-23T03:07:00.000-08:00

Q: I am on a healthy diet but there are days where I can't eat fruits or vegetables. My main concern is that I take a multivitamin everyday for health reasons like and I also want to lose the weight but stay on a proper diet. To put it in simple words, will multivitamins prevent me from losing fat or cause weight gain even if I am strictly on a diet?

A: Without knowing what your healthy diet is all about, it's hard to advise you on balancing it. See, if a diet needs 'balancing' - what makes you think it's healthy?

What I can suggest is that you read more about weight loss and supplements:

Tanya Zilberter, PhD

Back to Shape After the Holidays

2008-01-02T03:33:00.000-08:00

Without Turning into a Miserable Scrooge!
(A Holiday Survival Guide)
by Tom Venuto
Burn the Fat

My mom makes the most amazing Christmas cake in the world; it's been a tradition in our family for as long as I can remember.

First, she mixes up a light, fluffy, vanilla cake mix, pours it into the pans and then pops it in the oven. After it's been baked, she stacks the cake in two layers with whipped cream spread generously between each layer. She then pours on red and green Jell-O, which gets soaked up inside the cake. Next, whipped cream is smothered all the way around for frosting. And finally, she garnishes it with red and green sprinkles. A few red and green-striped candy canes are stuck in the top as the finishing touch, and off it goes to the refrigerator so it can be served chilled later.

Now let me tell you, as a bodybuilder, I have a lot of discipline. But when that moist, delicious, red and green, Jell-O- filled, whipped-cream covered cake is sitting on the table in front of me on December 25th, it takes every ounce of my willpower to keep from calling it a "VERY high carb day" and devouring numerous very large slices. Despite the temptation, I don't "pig out" nor do I deprive myself. Instead, I'm content with eating my single piece, savoring every mouthwatering bite, all the while repeating my mantra, "Nothing tastes as good as being lean feels." The next day, on December 26th, I'm on the bike or Stairmaster at the crack of dawn, followed by six perfect meals of lean protein and complex carbohydrate - just like every other day of the year. A week later, on December 31st, I usually go out for a nice dinner (very naughty food, I must admit), and then we toast champagne to the New Year at midnight. I'm in bed at a reasonable hour shortly thereafter. Unless it's a scheduled day of rest on New Years day, I'm not groggy and hung over like many of my friends are. I'm in the gym squatting, bench pressing, curling, or "stairmastering" just like I usually am. And here's the point: You can and should enjoy the holidays. You can enjoy being with family and going out with friends. You can go to holiday parties and have fun. You can enjoy a few "naughty" meals. You can have a piece of cake and a glass or two of champagne. There's no reason why you can't enjoy yourself AND stay healthy, lean and fit through the holidays. All it takes is some planning, some goal-setting and little dose of old-fashioned discipline. I'd like to share with you 10 ways that you can follow your diet and stay in great shape over the holidays without turning into a "miserable Scrooge." If you follow this advice, then you'll be one of the proud few with a New Year's resolution to be the best you've ever been in the new year to come - instead of one of the guilt-ridden many who must resolve to reclaim what they lost over the year that's just passed them by.

1. Expect to stay on your program over the holidays

"Fail to plan and you plan to fail" is a time worn and cliched statement, but it's still some of the best success advice you will ever hear. Not only do most people fail to plan, they consciously plan to fail over the holidays. Most people expect to "blow" their diet and skip workouts over the holidays. They expect to eat more, to exercise less and to gain weight. As a result, they don't even make the effort. Instead of taking control, they resign themselves to maintenance at best, or back-sliding at worst. This negative expectancy leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy. By the first week of January, they're in the worst shape they've been in for a year and they frantically make New Year's resolutions to shed the excess fat they've gained. You can avoid this trap by planning to succeed during the holidays. Set up a positive expectation. Resolve now that you will not tolerate slipping backwards. Keep your standards up and don't settle! Not only can you plan to "stay in shape" over the holidays, you can plan to improve! All you have to do is make the decision and expect success.

2. Plan all your workouts in advance

You know your schedule is going to get hectic over the holidays. You'll be cooking, shopping, wrapping gifts, sending cards, going to parties, traveling, visiting family, and so on. To stay on your training and nutrition regimen is definitely going to take some sound time management skills. Plan your schedule in advance. Anticipate what's coming up. Write it down. Put it on your calendar. By doing so, you won't be caught unprepared. Use a schedule book or monthly calendar and "make appointments" for ALL your workouts for the entire holiday season. Then, post a copy where you will be forced to look at it every day. This is a powerful exercise that will keep you focused and force you to think about and prepare for each upcoming workout. If you try to "wing it" and squeeze in your workouts and meals whenever you have time left over, you'll find that there never is any time left over! Somehow your daily activities always seem to "expand" to fill the hours in every day. So schedule your workouts and meal times in your calendar just like you would any other appointment or event. Once you've done that, stick to your schedule religiously.

3. Set some compelling training and fitness goals over the holiday period

Don't wait until January 1st to set your goals just because you think it will be harder to achieve them over the holidays. On the contrary, studies on personal achievement have shown that you'll usually reach 80% of the goals you put onto paper. The problem is that few people set any goals at all, and fewer still set them during the holidays. Why wait? Why not do it now? Set some big goals that you can start working on during the holidays: Set a goal to lose the 25 lbs you've always wanted to lose NOW Set the goal to gain 10 lbs of solid muscle NOW Been contemplating a competition in bodybuilding, fitness or the new ladies figure division? Pick an early spring show and GO FOR IT - START TRAINING NOW! Goal setting should not be a once a year affair, it should be a continuous process. You should always have your goals in writing and your list should be regularly updated and rewritten. If you only set goals once a year, you're not going to accomplish much in your life.

4. Give yourself permission to have "free meals" - and schedule them in

A planned "free meal" or "re-feeding day" helps you to stay on your program better in the long run. If you're too strict all the time, you're setting yourself up for cravings and bingeing. A few free meals per week will have very little effect on your physique. Also, if you've been on a strict, low carb and/or low calorie regimen for a long time, a full day of maintenance level calories might actually be good for you! It will boost your metabolic rate and give your body the signal that you're not starving and that it's ok to keep burning a lot of calories. Over the holidays, schedule your dinners and parties so they become your "free meals." Then, for the rest of your meals, be steadfast! Just the fact that you know you have free meals coming up will relieve the pressure of staying on a strict diet for a long time. Also, when you do have your free meal – ENJOY IT! If you're going to eat it and feel guilty, then don't have it at all. If you've stayed with the program all week long, then when your free meal rolls around, you deserve it!

5. If you fall off the wagon, get right back on it

So you had about a dozen too many of those Christmas cookies did you? Don't worry; because you have free meals built into your plan, you shouldn't let guilt immobilize you. Even if you fall completely off the wagon, don't beat yourself up. All you have to do is get right back on your program without missing another beat. Too many people mess up once and then think their entire diet is ruined. They feel as if everything they've done prior to that day was wasted and there's no sense going on. Or even worse, they rationalize to themselves, "Well, I already cheated, so it doesn't matter now, I might as well keep pigging out." That's nonsense. If you threw in the towel every time you didn't score 100% on your diet, most people would never get through more than a few days on any structured program. Just because you slip up once doesn't mean you should quit! You're only human. Don't let one small slip keep you derailed. Firmly plant your wheels back on the tracks and start rolling again.

6. Maintain your consistent eating schedule

If there's one thing that all people who successfully get lean and stay lean have in common, it's consistency. Without it, you never get any momentum going. It's like taking two steps forward, only to take three steps back. Many people allow the busy Holidays to throw them off their regular eating schedule. They completely veer off their usual meal frequency, or they start eating foods they would normally never eat (because "it's there"). Once you have a habit pattern going, it's fairly easy to keep it going. But once you lose momentum, it's very difficult to get it going again because you must overcome inertia all over again. (An object at rest tends to stay at rest!) On the major holidays, when there's a big dinner scheduled, many people think that skipping their morning and afternoon meals to "save room" for the big one later is a good idea. It's not. This is actually a good way to invite a binge that could set your back for days. Don't lose your consistency or your momentum. Continue with your pattern of eating small, frequent meals all year round. All you have to do is count your holiday dinners as one of your regular meals and keep them small.

7. Control your portion sizes.

You can have your cake and eat it too – you just can't eat the whole thing! One of the most important rules to remember this holiday season is the law of energy balance, which states: To lose body fat, you must consume fewer calories than you burn up each day. There are two corollaries to the law of energy balance: 1. A caloric surplus gets stored as fat – even healthy food.
2. Small amounts of anything – even junk food – will NOT get stored as fat if you stay in a calorie deficit. There's no reason to deprive yourself of things you enjoy. Just make sure you don't overindulge. As long as you enjoy your favorite foods in moderation, and you keep working out, it won't end up around your waistline.

8. Don't buy into the low standards and expectations of others

Keep your standards high, but don't expect other people's standards to be as high as yours. Remember that most people have already planned in advance to fail at fitness over the holidays. You've decided to stay strong (haven't you?) Don't let their negative influence drag you down. When you've reached your pre-ordained drink limit, say "When" and switch to water or a non alcoholic, non caloric beverage. When they offer you seconds on dessert, politely say, "No thank you, it was absolutely delicious, but I'm full, I can't eat another bite." And when the wee hours of the morning start to roll around, and your friends are egging you on to keep partying, politely tell them you need your sleep. Tomorrow is a work out day. If they're really your friends, they'll understand.

9. Make the best choices possible in every situation.

You know those tables you see at holiday parties that are covered with yards of chips, dips, pretzels, cookies, salami, candies, punch, liquor, and a seemingly endless assortment of other goodies? Well, did you also notice that there is usually a tray full of carrot sticks, cauliflower, celery and other healthy snacks too? No matter where you are, you always have choices. Sometimes you have to choose between bad and worse. Other times you can choose between good and better. But always make the best choice possible based on whatever your options are. If nothing else, you can choose to eat a small portion of something "bad" rather than a huge portion, thereby obeying the law of calorie balance. Chances are good that there's probably something healthy on the menu at every holiday gathering. As you know, lean proteins and fibrous carbs are a great for getting lean, so fill up on the turkey breast, try to get a vegetable in there, and go easy on the desserts.

10. If you drink, enjoy alcohol in moderation

If you enjoy having a few drinks on special occasions, then go ahead and have a drink or two. But if you're serious about your fitness goals, you must drink infrequently and in moderation. Alcohol puts fat oxidation on hold while providing a large amount of calories. When there's alcohol in your bloodstream, you're not in fat burning mode. I've never met anyone in my life that was truly serious about fitness or bodybuilding who was a heavy drinker. Alcohol and muscles just don't mix. The impact goes beyond added body fat; your energy levels and workouts can be ruined for days after a night of heavy drinking. A glass of wine actually has some health benefits. But there's NEVER any never reason or excuse for binge drinking or getting drunk. So go ahead and toast to the New Year, but know when to say when. In conclusion, there's no reason to let your exercise and nutrition program spoil your holidays, but there's also no reason to let your holidays spoil your exercise and nutrition program! Put these 10 holiday tips into practice and you can start losing fat today, not next year.

To learn even more about how to eat and work out to burn off body fat the natural way, visit Burn the Fat

Sleep, fat loss, and fat gain

2007-12-07T04:58:00.000-08:00

Tom Venuto
How to burn body fat and keep it off for life,
without supplements, pills or starvation dieting:
Burn the Fat

You've probably seen the magazine articles or news blurbs that say, "lack of sleep can
make you fat!" There is a lot of confusion however, about the mechanism. It's not
uncommon for people to believe there is a cause and effect relationship between sleeping less and gaining weight.

However, if that were the case, then you would always gain weight
if you slept less even if your food intake stayed the same. To the contrary, if you sleep
less AND eat less, rest assured you will lose weight. If you are awake more hours and you
are more active during those increased waking hours, again, rest assured you will lose
weight. Almost all the research on this subject has been cross sectional and therefore
does not prove causality. Research suggests that the likely explanation is a disruption
in hormones which can affect appetite and food intake so you are more likely to eat more
when you are sleep deprived.

For example, a new study published in the December 2007 issue
of "Nutrition Research Reviews" says that sleep deprivation can reduce leptin (the anti
starvation hormone, also known as an anorexigenic hormone) and increase ghrelin, a stomach
hormone that increases hunger.

This makes total sense. Think about it: less sleep equals more awake time. More awake
time equals greater energy needs. Greater energy needs can be satisfied by increasing
hunger hormones. Leptin and ghrelin are appetite-stimulating hormones. The human body is
incredible and amazingly self-regulating, isnt it?

In addition, when hormones are out of balance, that can affect nutrient paritioning.
Nutrient paritioning refers to where the energy comes from when you have a calorie
deficit - fat or lean tissue - and where the energy goes when you are in a calorie
surplus - fat or lean tissue. So, when partitioning hormones are messed up due to sleep
deprivation, it's entirely possibly that you are more likely to add fat (not muscle) when
in a surplus and lose muscle (not fat) when in a deficit. This is similar to what happens
during stress. Stress also
does not "cause" fat gain, but it certainly correlates to
fat gain, for similar reasons. Imagine what happens when
you are stressed AND sleep deprived?

Some people seem to get by with less sleep than others. I know many people, myself
included, who excel physically on 6-7 hours a night, so there is certainly a variation in
sleep needs from
person to person.

Developing sleep habits that promote deep, high quality sleep
may also reduce sleep needs an hour or two. This includes going
to bed and waking up at the same time every night, getting to
sleep early and awake early to maximize night time sleeping hours
and daylight waking hours, sleeping in a dark room, avoiding alcohol and stimulants prior
to bedtime, reducing stress and exercising regularly.

However, in light of past research and the new data that was just
published, if in doubt, it's surely better to err on the side of a little more sleep than
a little less sleep, if more muscle and
less fat is your goal.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle
Burn the Fat

Reference

The influence of sleep and sleep loss upon food intake and metabolism. Nutrition
Research Reviews, Dec 2007, 20:195-212, Cibele Aparecida Crispima, et al. Federal
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Are You Struggling To Lose Fat?

2007-12-03T06:10:00.000-08:00

Confession Of A Virtual Fitness Trainer Reveals EXTREMELY Top-Secret Information On What TRULY Separates The Winners From The Losers In Fat Loss!

I'm About To Reveal The Absolute Truth On How To Lose All Your Stubborn Fat For Life... And Once You Use This Tested & Proved System For 12-Weeks Or Less... You Won't Believe Your Eyes!

From Rich Tweten CPT, OPT, Author of No FAT Lies:

I must confess...

Not all of my clients have been successful. Unfortunately, it's true. I'd say that over the past 10 years as a certified personal trainer, 80 percent of my clients haven't achieved their fat loss goals! Great way to introduce myself, huh?

But there is a reason why and before you click off my website I'd like to share the absolute TRUTH on how 20 percent of my clients were able to lose pound after pound of stubborn fat, while the rest could not.

Now tell me -- what group of people do you think Leah belongs to?

Now let me ask you this...

Have you ever had an AH-HA experience?

If you don't have a clue about what I'm talking about, think back to a time when you were confused about how something really worked and then in the 'blink of an eye' the answer entered your mind.

Well, after witnessing the dramatic transformation of a very special personal client of mine named Leah Dryhurst who you can SEE and HEAR up above (if you haven't already)... I finally discovered 10, 'Insider' Secret Habits that she happened to share with the minority of my personal clients who were successful throughout the years!

On the flip side... it was now obvious to me that my clients weren't successful didn't cultivate those 10 crucial habits because they thought the 2 or 3 hours they trained with me each week 'blew the lid off' the other 165 to 166 hours in terms of importance.

My friend, nothing could be further from the truth!

And surprisingly, these life changing habits proved to be so quick, easy and painless for them to form... but the awesome results they achieved in such a short period of time, simply astounded me!

Here's another inspiring testimonial from a personal client who I shook hands with after Leah;

"I Can't Believe How Simple It Was And How Effortless
It Was To Drop The 30 Pounds Of Stubborn Fat That Took
Me 10 Years To Collect And Only 12-Weeks To Lose!"

"I dropped 30 pounds!"

Sure things for fat loss, part 3: The Omega-3's

2007-11-27T02:16:00.000-08:00

Tom Venuto
Burn the Fat.com

SURE THING #1: One thing that virtually the entire scientific community agrees on is that the law of energy balance is always ..
SURE THING #2: Why 90 out of 100 of dieters gain back ...

Writing a series of lessons on "sure things" for fat loss is not as easy as you'd think.
There are so many opinions about the "right way" to eat for getting leaner, that getting
all the experts to agree on anything occurs about as often as Haley's comet flies by.

Even the subject of dietary fat is hugely controversial. Just try
mentioning "saturated fat is bad for you" in a nutrition forum these days and you'll see
exactly what I mean.

But when it comes to one particular type of fat, the vote is virtually unanimous:
Omega-3 fatty acids are sure things for
your health. Even better: Scientists are beginning to uncover the important roles they
play in the fat burning process as well.

Omega-3 fatty acids are labeled "essential" because your body can't manufacture them, so
you must get them from the food you eat (much like certain amino acids, vitamins and
minerals).

Omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained from plant or animal sources.

The richest animal source of omega-3 is fatty fish such as salmon,
mackerel, albacore tuna, rainbow trout, sardines or herring.

The fat in fish contains two important long-chain polyunsaturated
omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These
appear to be the major players responsible for the biological activity in fish oil that
produces the long list of benefits.

The richest plant sources of omega-3 fats are flaxseeds or flaxseed oil. Flaxseed
contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which your
body can convert into DHA and EPA.

The list of potential health benefits from eating these "good fats" is so long, that if
you couldn't look up the scientific references to confirm them for yourself, you would
swear I was just pulling your leg.

Peer-reviewed research has been published on fish oil and omega-3 fats
for the treatment, management or prevention of ALL these conditions:

cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, cardiac
arrhythmias, inflammatory diseases, joint pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney disease,
prostate cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, crohn's disease, ulcerative
colitis, Alzheimer's, asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
sickle cell anemia, glaucoma, lupus, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, cirrhosis,
epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, menstrual symptoms, psoriasis, diabetes, insulin
resistance, migraines, response to stress, bipolar disorder, depression, psychological
disorders, and metabolic syndrome. Okay, so omega 3 fats are healthy stuff, we can all
agree on that!

Here's why I also suggest that omega-3 fats should be added to the
list of "sure things for fat loss":

At least a half a dozen human studies and more than two dozen animal studies in the last
10 years suggest that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may help you burn more fat or
at the very least that
they play an important role in the fat burning process, or that
a deficiency could inhibit fat burning. Some studies found that omega 3 fats may function
as fuel partitioners
and increase fat oxidation. This means that omega-3's shift glucose toward glycogen
storage and direct fatty acids away from body fat
formation and toward fatty acid oxidation.

Omega-3 fatty acids also enhance the expression of the Uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) gene
in skeletal muscle. Scientists say that this
may indirectly increase energy expenditure by dissipating calories as heat. Other
potential mechanisms include increased sensitivity to the
"anti starvation hormone" leptin, decreased insulin, reduced
fat cell proliferation and improved cell membrane fluidity. It's an exciting area of
research and a highly publicized one as well.

If you pay attention to the news or read any fitness or nutrition
literature, you probably already know about the benefits of omega-3 fats - it's no secret
anymore.

What's shocking is the fact that most people are still deficient
in omega-3 fats, according to the latest statistics.

As with that other "super food" - vegetables - most people seem to know that they
"should" be eating more healthy fats, but they still don't do it. This gap between
knowing what to do and actually doing it is a real problem, when it's so easy to take
advantage of the benefits
of this incredible "power nutrient."

Here are 7 tips that can accommodate both vegetarians and fish eaters alike:

1) eat fatty fish at least twice per week and even daily
if practical and economical for you. If not, you could supplement with fish oil (2-3
grams of combined DHA/EPA daily)

2) Omega 6 fatty acids are also essential, but most people
have an unbalanced omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. This can be
remedied by increasing the omega 3 consumption and or
reducing the omega 6 consumption (by decreasing intake of
processed foods, refined grains, and supermarket cooking
oils, with the exception of extra virgin olive oil)

3) grind up flaxseeds and sprinkle them on salads or add
them to oatmeal, protein shakes or morning cereals. Alternately, supplement with flaxseed
oil; 1 tbsp is equivalent to 3 tbsp flaxseeds (use as a supplement; Not for cooking)

4) snack on walnuts, which contain modest amounts of omega 3 fats

5) increase your consumption of leafy greens which
contain small amounts of omega 3 fats.

6) if you eat red meat, try game meats or grass fed
beef or bison. they dont have nearly the quantity
of omega-3 as marine sources, but they are higher in
omega-3 and have a better omega-3 to omega-6 ratio than conventionally raised and fed
beef.

7) Try omega-3 fortified eggs instead of regular eggs.

See how easy it is to get more omega-3? With all the health benefits stacked on top of
the potential
fat loss benefits, you simply can't go wrong by making this one change to your diet
program - eat more omega 3...
it's a sure thing!

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 naturally by visiting: Burn the Fat.com

Fat Fighting Fruits

2007-11-26T08:26:00.000-08:00