By Karen Sessions NSCA-CPT
MsFit

Gaining muscle mass starts with being prepared! There is no substitute for a lack of planning. It’s no secret that a nice, firm, shapely, and muscular body is a result of hard work, desire, dedication, passion, determination, and commitment. If you want the best physique you can have, then you must have your nutrition, training, supplements, and rest in order. This stack is a recipe for success!

Wait a minute. You say you are already doing the above, yet you see little if any changes? The reason for this is because you are either doing too much, or not enough to provide desired results.

Nutrition – The Stack to Produce Muscle Gains

Lets talk about nutrition. If you want to put on muscle, then you cannot be afraid to eat. I find far too many trying to pack on size by low-carbing and under eating. Now I’m not suggesting you shovel food down, but you do need to eat enough to provide energy for training and muscle recovery. If you fail to eat sufficient calories, your muscles will pay the price.

Training – The Stack to Produce Muscle Gains

Training is another important aspect if you want to gain muscle size. The problem that many have with training is that they are making it a workout marathon. There is no need in making resistance training an all-out cardio session. Your only objective when you are in the weight room is to stimulate the muscle, and that can be done fairly quickly if your intensity is where it should be. Training should not exceed an hour.

Get The Absolute Best Female Bodybuilding Information Anywhere!

Rest – The Stack to Produce Muscle Gains

Rest is often an overlooked factor when it comes to adding muscle. Many eat well, train with all-out intensity, and yet fail to rest properly. Your muscles grow when you are at rest. A minimum of eight hours of sleep is required for optimal growth, and additional power-naps are a plus. If you fail to listen to your body, it will fail to provide you with results.

Supplementing – The Stack to Produce Muscle Gains

Supplementing is the final area that many fail to capitalize on. However, don’t get stuck into thinking that supplements are magic pills and potions. A balance of proper diet, training, rest, with additional supplements is needed for proper growth. Supplements can give you that extra edge you need to build muscle. Some of the top supplements for growth are Protein, Creatine, and Glutamine.

Fitfully Yours,
Karen Sessions NSCA-CPT
MsFit

P.S. For more ADVANCED information on muscle gains and supplements, check out Iron Dolls – Female Bodybuilding Secrets! The absolute best female bodybuilding information on the Net!

About the Author

Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988 and is a multi-certified personal fitness instructor and specialist in performance nutrition. She is a nationally qualified natural female bodybuilder, holding numerous titles in the southern states including two overalls.

Karen has written six eBooks on fitness. She also writes articles for several fitness websites, and distributes two monthly newsletters regarding weight loss and female bodybuilding.

Karen has helped hundreds of clients reach their goal of transforming their body. Her success and success stories speak for themselves. www.Iron-Dolls.com

4 Steps to Creating That Sexy V-Taper
By Karen Sessions

What's the most pleasing aspect of a well-developed body? The chest? The biceps? These two muscle groups do get a lot of focus and attention, but what is really pleasing to the eye is a balanced physique with a stunning V-taper.

The most common question I get is, “how do I get that sexy V-taper?” The V-taper in question is that sexy appearance of wide shoulders, a small waist, and proportionate legs. Having that sexy V-taper can add the finishing touch to your physique, and make you stand out from the rest.

So, are you training to get that V-taper? Many people just assume it will come in time if they go to the gym enough. No matter how much wishful thinking you do or how often you train, this will not happen unless you put focus into your training to instill such results.

That well-known V-taper is built through specific training. Some gifted lifters will build the V-taper quickly without much focused work and just need enhancing, while others will need to specifically zone in and target those areas that create it.

Training Your Back for Creating that Sexy V-Taper

When most people want to build the V-taper they tackle lat training in the form of pulldowns and chins-ups. While lat training in this manner is effective, many lifters simply overdo these exercises and neglect other effective back training movements.

Granted, the lat pulldown and chin-ups will build a wide and desirable back, but they can be targeted in more than one direction. The pulldown and chins are vertical exercises and effective for lat development, many lifters tend to forget or neglect horizontal lat training, such as rows.

Pulldowns and chins will build some wide lats, but so will rows. Rows can add that missing element, as well as adding thickness to your lats.

Training Your Shoulders for Creating that Sexy V-Taper

Building big and shapely shoulders is another aspect to creating that beautiful V-taper. Possessing large shoulders will make your back appear even larger, in contrast, making your waist appear smaller.

When you train shoulders you should begin with a compound exercise, such as shoulder presses or military press. A compound exercise works all the muscles in that muscle group simultaneously. A compound exercise is a mass builder.

You need to build the muscles in your shoulders, which many women find difficult to do. I believe this is simply because they don't challenge themselves on this important movement. To build your shoulders you need to use heavy poundage and it won't hurt to include some partials at times to build your shoulder strength.

In addition to shoulder training, another exercise you should include is the lateral raises. This exercise targets the side head of the shoulder. Enhancing this muscle will make your shoulders wider, in turn making your waist appear smaller.

Training Your Waist for Creating that Sexy V-Taper

Of course we all know that diet is the key element in fat loss and getting those abs to shine through. However, you can effectively train your midsection to make is smaller to an extent, provided you meet some prerequisites (low body fat and clean diet).

The Stomach Vacuum is an excellent exercise to incorporate for slimming down your waistline in a very quick amount of time. It's simply sucking in your gut as hard as you can for as long as you can. This can be done every other day at best.

Regular abdominal training will strengthen your ab muscles and make them more pronounced in the absence of body fat.

You should avoid such exercises as the side bends and twists. These can work your sides, building the muscles there and make your waist thicker.

Training Your Legs for Creating that Sexy V-Taper

Most lifters don't think of leg training to enhance their V-taper, but just think how silly you would look with flaring lats, boulder shoulders, tiny waist, and no legs.

Your shoulders and lats create the upper canvas and your legs finish the work-of-art by adding balance. Your legs are important to your physique and proportion.

You want to build legs that compliment your upper body. For leg training begin with a compound exercise, such as squats or leg press. These exercises work all the muscles in the legs.

Conclusion to Creating that Sexy V-Taper

As you can see by this point, building a V-taper is not a one-shot approach, as many lifters think it is. It's a combination of enhancing upper body training, as well as lower body training. When you have the facts, you are more geared to developing an elite physique.

P.S. If you have absolutely made up your mind that you want to be build serious muscle, then I suggest you read Iron Dolls – Female Bodybuilding Secrets REVEALED . This e-book is jam-packed with detailed information on everything from dieting to advanced training techniques.

Fitfully Yours,
Karen Sessions NCSA-CPT
MsFit

About the Author

Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988 and is a multi-certified personal fitness instructor and specialist in performance nutrition. She is a nationally qualified natural female bodybuilder, holding numerous titles in the southern states including two overalls.

Karen has written six e-books on fitness. She also writes articles for several fitness websites, and distributes two monthly newsletters regarding weight loss and female bodybuilding.

Karen has helped hundreds of clients reach their goal of transforming their body. Her success and success stories speak for themselves. www.iron-dolls.com

**The contents of this article should not be considered as medical advice. You should consult a physician before starting a fitness program.

This newsletter is protected by copyright, 2006, Karen Sessions, All rights reserved. You may use this newsletter in your e-zine or website as long as the copyright and links remain intact.**

* * * Free Chapter Download * * *

Karen was kind enough to give me two sample chapter of Iron Dolls to share with you.

Simply visit : http://atozfitness.com/cms/category/karen-sessions/  to download your f ree sample chapter right away and see what kind of excellent information Karen shares with you.

All the best,
Lewis
www.atozfitness.com
www.atoztoptrainers.com

——————————

Sorry but there was an error in the download link for Karen’s free chapter download.

The link below has been corrected .

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Karen was kind enough to give me a sample chapter of Iron Dolls to share with you.  

Simply visit : http://www.bestofallstars.com/thankskaren.php to download your f ree sample chapter right away and see what kind of excellent information Karen shares with you.

Enjoy. Lewis

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Click this link to check it out now or keep reading to learn more!

http://irondoll.atozfitness.com

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I sent an e-mail to all atozfitness newsletter subscribers on Monday about Karen Sessions’ female bodybuilding eBook, Iron Dolls. 

It’s truly a complete guide to muscle building and fat loss for women, as well as men. 

With nearly 20 years of first-hand experience at the fitness game, Iron Dolls has all the bases covered. Iron Dolls makes no false promises.  It just gives you the facts straight up.  No more crap to sift through.  You will have all the muscle-building information you need right at your fingertips. 

Iron Dolls covers all the ins and outs on how to capitalize on muscle growth 100% naturally by manipulating carbs, as well as your natural hormone responses.  You’ll be floored at how simple building muscle is when you apply the right information in the right format at the right time. 

After you build your muscle base, Iron Dolls coaches you through how to diet to for that finely cut and detailed look.  You’ll learn where you need to start to diet down correctly so you keep the muscle you built, and you are also given guidance on how to get constant results.

Iron Dolls covers weight training completely, all the way to the exercises you should and shouldn’t do, and why.  You are literally given the how-to on how to train to ensure muscle growth and avoid injuries.

Not only that, Iron Dolls covers training principles, supplements, nutrition and dieting, cardio, overcoming plateaus, over-stepping your genetics, plus much more.

Karen was kind enough to give me a sample chapter of Iron Dolls to share with you.  

Simply visit : http://www.bestofallstars.com/thankskaren.php to download your f ree sample chapter right away and see what kind of excellent information Karen shares with you.

Enjoy. Lewis

p.s. three new e-books have been added to Karen’s free downloads .

• Iron Dolls Chapter 18 Free Download
• Karen Sessions Top 15 Dieting Mistakes
• Karen Sessions Free BB Ecourse

Again here is the download link :
http://www.bestofallstars.com/thankskaren.php 
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Click this link to check it out now or keep reading to learn more!

http://irondoll.atozfitness.com

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Karen Sessions (MsFit) has just released the female bodybuilding secrets I am talking about. 

Karen is a multi-certified fitness instructor and success coach, and has been bodybuilding for 19 years!  She has broken down every aspect of bodybuilding to create a working system of building beautiful muscle naturally. 

If you think Karen is just genetically gifted, think again.  Karen began her female bodybuilding journey anorexic and underweight.  She used weight training for therapy and recovery and the rest is history.  There is no doubt in my mind that she has truly mastered the art of female bodybuilding, and now she is sharing her 19 years of experience, research, trial and error with you. 

Iron Dolls has helped men and women meet their fitness goals naturally through nutrition and exercise. 

How is this simple approach so successful?

Karen admits she implements various tactics to literally make the body build muscle, and in some cases lose fat, at the same time. 

The Iron Doll’s muscle-building system is custom designed to manipulate your natural hormones and take advantage of the 4 windows of opportunity to capitalize on muscle growth.  Stack these two dynamite tactics with Iron Dolls explosive training system and you have a recipe for extreme muscle growth like you’ve never seen! 

Go NOW to…http://irondoll.atozfitness.com 

Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988 and is
a certified personal fitness instructor and specialist in performance nutrition. 
She is a nationally qualified natural female bodybuilder, holding numerous
titles in the southern states including two overalls.

Karen has written six e-books on fitness.  

1. Lose Weight Forever
2. Iron Dolls
3. The Competitive Edge
4. Killer Quads
5. Dangerous Curves
6. The Cellulite Cure

These days, carbohydrates are considered evil and responsible for the weight gain that has plagued western society. This is a two-fold argument. While carbohydrates can lead to weight gain, it’s usually due to overeating them, wrong carbohydrate choices, and/or lack of protein and essential fats for balance.

Have you ever eaten a good spaghetti dinner that left you feeling full and satisfied, even a little sleepy? Then suddenly, from no where you are literally starving again with a roaring appetite for more carbohydrates? It seems that big meal left you quicker than it went in.

High starch foods, such as bread, pasta, dairy, and potatoes (carbohydrates breakdown into sugar) stimulate the production of serotonin from the brain. This interesting hormone is responsible for suppressing your appetite and elevating your mood, as it produces a calming effect, making you feel content and happy. It also reduces pain and induces sleep. Yes, carbohydrates are a powerful macronutrient and if it was bottled, it would probably be a scheduled drug.

Sugar is along the same line as anti-depressants. Both sugar and anti-depressants increase serotonin production in the brain. The urgent need for it produces feelings of anxiousness and once it is consumed, all the anxiety is relieved, leaving you in a content state. When the serotonin level drops again, a gloom feeling takes over and the need for more sugar is triggered. Can you see how sugar and carbohydrates can be addictive?

Those who are sugar dependant have the same dependency as those who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, smoking, and gambling. The sugar need provides immediate gratification and the person feels they cannot live without this "necessary" substance. When in reality, the sugar injection is only playing mind games with the individual, keeping them on an emotional roller coaster.

Gaining Control

You can gain more control of this situation if you feel like you are a hostage to sugars effects. Proper nutrition, water, and supplementation can all aid in control.

Nutrition

Contrary to popular belief, you can have your carbohydrates and eat them too. Proper nutrition is most important. With nutrition comes, choice, balance, combination, and portion control.

Your best carbohydrate choices would be natural ones from Mother Nature. If you can grow it, pick it, harvest it, or gather it, you can eat it, in limited amounts of course. The key here to remember is to keep it natural and avoid processed carbohydrates sources.

You can have your carbohydrates, however you need to indulge in small amounts and combine it with a complete protein to blunt the serotonin effects. Serotonin is produced when you eat starchy or sweet carbohydrates by themselves or with very little protein or fat. Simply eating a piece of steak or chicken won’t produce any serotonin. Therefore, one way to gain the advantage over carbohydrates is to combine them with a protein.

You also have to be responsible for potion size. A little bit of carbohydrates goes a long way, so a good rule of thumb is to eat an amount the size of your fist.

Water

Water is a precious element which contains many minerals and is the single most important catalyst in losing weight. It is the most overlooked factor in nutrition and health and is the key component to overall wellness.

In addition, water is necessary factor in masking false hunger. Keeping properly hydrated will excrete sodium and fat, aiding in weight loss, and control sugar cravings.

Supplement

Supplementation is the final salvation for sugar cravings. Among these are vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, chromium, inositol, manganese, zinc, calcium, and colloidal minerals. Many of the top multi-vitamin complexes have all these vitamins and minerals, excluding colloidal minerals. It is imperative to include all, as well as proper nutrition and water to gain more control over being a sugar prisoner.

Taking control is not simply will power, but mind over matter, or shall I say matter over mind. Yes, carbohydrates can cause weight gain, but it’s up to you to make that decision. Don’t use a simple macro nutrient as a scapegoat. Be responsible and take control. After all, it’s your life. If you would like more information on general weight loss, check out my e-book How To Lose Weight; FOREVER!

Karen Sessions CPT

MsFit

© 2003 Karen Sessions All Rights Reserved

Building muscle is not easy. If it was, everyone would be walking around muscle-bound. The task of adding muscle to your frame requires work, and many times factoring in meticulous details.

Nonetheless, many people simply are not building muscle because they are neglecting a few basic details which we will discuss in this article.

If you’ve been pounding the iron every day, doing set after set and repetition after repetition and are showing absolutely zero results, you are probably making some costly mistakes just like many other bodybuilders.

This article is to identify and tackle each bodybuilding error to ensure you are building muscle. When you eliminate the obstacles, you start making progress.

If you are ready to start making muscle gains, then read on…

Bodybuilding Error #1 – No Starting Point

Many bodybuilders fail to show any progress when embarking on a new weight-training program because they have absolutely no idea of where to start. Before beginning a training program you need to first assess your physique. What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses? Which body parts need to be brought up to speed or balanced out?

Bodybuilding Error #2 – Tackle Plateaus Immediately

Often time’s, bodybuilders have a small growth spurt and then it stalls dead in its tracks. When this occurs they have no idea how to continue to produce gains. Hitting a plateau is not a detriment; it’s a red flag to tell you to change something in your program. This could mean more calories, more rest, or a simple change in training. Heed the warning and make changes when necessary.

Bodybuilding Error #3 – Failure to Track

Most bodybuilders don’t know how to track their progress, or they neglect to track their progress. Often times, bodybuilders fail to have a structured system to follow to evaluate and gauge their progress. Without a roadmap, you are headed down a dead end road.

Bodybuilding Error #4 – Neglecting the Weakest Link

It’s common among bodybuilders to train their strongest body part more because it feeds their ego. Those who don’t train or those who fail to put 100% into their weak body parts are doing themselves a great injustice, which can create imbalances.

Bodybuilding Error #5 – Supplement Reliance

Many bodybuilders get a condition called supplement-overload. This is simply taking too many supplements in hopes to build a superhuman body overnight. There are a few key supplements that help to build muscle. Knowing what supplement to take and when to take it can make all the difference in muscle gains. Overloading on the latest supplement trend will only deflate your wallet.

Bodybuilding Error #6 – No Intensity

I see a lot of bodybuilders lacking intensity. Anaerobic intensity is not high-volume training. Training intensity is the poundage and force used. When you fail to challenge your muscles, your body will fail to grow.

Bodybuilding Error #7 – Information Overload

It’s common for bodybuilders to be in a whirlwind of excess information. Information overload is having too much information and not having the slightest idea of how to implement any of it. Building muscle is not complicated. Go back to the basics, train, eat, rest = growth.

Bodybuilding Error #8 – Poor Form

Bad form is another major mistake made among bodybuilders. Many bodybuilders are ego lifters. The weight they try to push is so much that proper form is missing, which can cause injury.

Bodybuilding Error #9 – Fear of Carbs

Shunning the carbs is a major muscle-building error. Carbs are stored in the muscles as muscle glycogen. This is the fuel for weight training. Without the proper muscle fuel you will be in a muscle wastage state. You can eat protein until it comes out of your ears, but if you don’t have glycogen stores, you won’t increase your strength or muscle gains.

Conclusion

This is just skimming the surface of bodybuilding errors. However, if you can avoid the above you can maximize muscle gains and strength levels far beyond you ever imagined.

To be a success you have to keep yourself and your ego in check. Keep in mind your goal is progression, not perfection. If it means taking a few days off of training, so be it. Sometimes, taking a step back can put you two steps ahead.

For some of the best and most ADVANCED female bodybuilding information for packing on more muscle than you ever imagined, check out Iron Dolls – Female Bodybuilding Secrets REVEALED! Don’t miss out on getting in top competitive condition with The Competitive Edge!

You can also check out the exclusive package deal karen has put together for AtoZfitness Website visitors by Clicking Here

Water – Water is one of the most important nutrients you can put in your body. It is necessary for metabolizing stored body fat, digestion, transportation of nutrients and absorption of vitamins and minerals. It’s an important, yet overlooked factor when embarking on a fat loss or fitness program. Drinking adequate amounts of water daily will purge toxins and suppress your appetite.

Complex Carbohydrates – Carbs are broken down slowly. The body must split the long chain and then take one sugar off at a time. This allows the complex carbohydrate to be absorbed gradually into the bloodstream. Complex carbohydrates give a feeling of fullness and sustained energy, keeps the body working longer, and suppresses your appetite. The notion that complex carbohydrates are fattening is misunderstood. They can be the enemy if you eat them by themselves or overeat them. Your best complex carbohydrate choices would come from Mother Nature, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, oats, etc.

Essential Fats – Essential fats are great for suppressing the appetite, as well as being essential for our bodies to function properly. Essential fats are not the enemy either. However, trans fats (man-made fats) are. Since our bodies cannot manufacture essential fats, it is vital that we receive them through our nutrition. Adequate amounts of essential fat lowers cravings. These necessary fats can also aid in fat burning if the complex carbohydrates are limited. Don’t be afraid to toss some almonds or cashews in your mouth between meals.

Protein – Every living cell in your body is constructed of protein. It is necessary for cellular function, proper muscle growth, and tissue repair. Since protein doesn’t affect insulin in a negative way, it’s always safe to eat and important to include it in every meal. Eating the proper amount of protein for your body can blunt cravings and keep you on top of the fat loss game.

Balanced Meals – Balanced meals will give you and appetite suppressant advantage. A balanced meal entails a complete protein, carbohydrate, and an essential fat. Balanced meals keeps your blood sugar stable, provides energy, and aids in fat loss.

Eat Every Three Hours – Frequent meals are important for keeping the metabolism high and keeping the appetite low. Every time you eat a meal, your body must work (digest), which increases your metabolism. If you skip a meal, your body doesn’t know when it’s going to receive food again, so it holds on to body fat and even stores it to survive. In addition, constant, quality feedings kill mad cravings.

Avoid Processed Sugar – Processed sugar is the enemy. If you are going to cut anything from your eating program, make it this white devil, although it can come to you incognito. Sugar disrupts your normal body function. It shoots the insulin sky high and then it plummets faster than it went up. It can leave you in a merry-go-round of frustration. When you cut processed sugar from your life, you will regain so much control and combat those nasty cravings.

Supplemental Appetite Suppressant – Now Super Citrimax is an amazing supplement that contains chromium polynictionate and hydroxycitric acid (HCA). Supplementing with this product will reduce blood glucose levels and allow carbohydrates to be directed to the muscle rather than fat. This is an excellent supplement for those who are carb-sensitive. Stress, high sugar intake, trans fatty acids, over training, sweating, and low fiber contribute to a chromium loss. Supplement with 500 to 1000 mg, preferably thirty minutes before eating a complex carbohydrate meal. This supplement does not have any side effects.

Conclusion

When it comes to suppressing your appetite, nothing compares to eating right and drinking adequate water.  If you need that little extra kick, it’s perfectly fine to supplement with something of quality.

Karen Sessions CPT

MsFit

Uh oh, the holidays are approaching. It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for all that good food that’s so bad, right? During the holidays, many are thinking about parties, fun, and food, but in the back of your mind you are thinking about that dreadful weight gain.

When the holiday season approaches some just stop their healthy program and throw in the towel until after New Years and others starve themselves until they binge.

Life doesn’t have to be so demanding. You can enjoy yourself and still keep your figure. Thanksgiving and Christmas doesn’t have to have a negative impact. The trick is to keep a balance.

Eat sensibly and exercise. This will prevent excess weight from creeping up and make your weight loss resolution that much easier come January 1st.

Below are some simple steps on how to avoid that 5 to 10 pound holiday weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Years.

Start before Thanksgiving, not after New Years. Tossing everything aside and waiting for January is a cop out. Accept responsibility, take charge, and make a difference.

1. Tip 1 – Devise a daily menu and exercise plan. Put it in writing and hang it where you will see it the most. Also, hang a copy on your refrigerator. Continue to eat your regularly scheduled healthy meals and eat party treats in moderation. Have protein bars and MRP’s handy.

2. Tip 2 – Eat normally, even if there is an event later. This will keep your blood sugar stable and prevent overeating and binging. This does not mean you can’t indulge; it just keeps you in control. If you starve yourself for the party, you will binge for sure, feel sick, then regret it all night, making you spiral down the next days.

3. Tip 3 – When you attend parties or events, start off with healthy choices and snacks. Such as fruit, veggies, salads, and meat. You won’t be inclined to indulge in the sugar goodies as fast. Notice I didn’t say you can’t have the sweet treats, they are perfectly fine during this time, if they are kept in moderation and eaten last.

4. Tip 4 – Drink water or diet sodas at gatherings and limit the alcohol. A drink or two is fine, but if you want to remain fit, it’s best to limit them. Red wine would be the best choice for an alcoholic beverage.

5. Tip 5 – Exercise every day, even if you can only get 10 minutes in. However, don’t opt for just a mere 10 minutes if you have time to get a full 20 to 30 minutes in. The point is that some exercise is far better than no exercise.

The above are basic guidelines to help keep you on track during the toughest months in the year. Good luck and Happy Holidays!

About the Author:
Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988 and is a certified personal fitness instructor and specialist in performance nutrition.  She is a nationally qualified natural female  bodybuilder, holding numerous titles in the southern states including two overalls.

Karen has written six e-books on fitness.  

1. Lose Weight Forever
2. Iron Dolls
3. The Competitive Edge
4. Killer Quads
5. Dangerous Curves
6. The Cellulite Cure

She also writes articles for several fitness websites, and distributes two monthly newsletters regarding weight loss and female bodybuilding.

 Karen has helped hundreds of clients reach their goal of transforming their body.  Her success and success stories speak for themselves.  http://www.theelitephysique.com

Are you under the impression that in order to rid your body of fat you need to stop eating fat? It does sound fairly logical. There are those sayings, “eat fat and get fat,” “you are what you eat,” and so forth.

What about the opposite side of the spectrum? There are the diehard low-carber's who swear up and down that in order to lose body fat you have to cut out the carbohydrates and eat more fat. 

So, who's right? Actually, both tactics can have an effect on fat loss, but then again both have their short-comings as well. In this newsletter we will take a close look at fat, discover the hidden truth, burst through some myths, and be able to view it in a completely new light.

Fat is a double edged sword, no matter which way you slice it. It can work for you and it can work against you. I'm going to reveal both sides and teach you how to make fat work in your favor.

Mainstream's Brainwashing

The media and the medical community have the public so deathly afraid to eat fat that it's ridiculous. Read any newspaper or magazine, or watch the news and you will be overwhelmed with the amount of information you receive about how eating fat such as steak, eggs, nuts, etc. raises your cholesterol and prompts fat gain.

So what do we, as consumers, do in turn? We buy processed, pre-packaged “healthy” foods created by man labeled “fat-free!” Yes, man has the answer. Who cares what Mother Nature put on this ground for us, it's unhealthy, right? Mother Nature has provided us with a vast food supply that clogs arteries and causes the battle of the bulge syndrome. We were set up for failure right from the start!! Of course I'm being sarcastic.

Before we play the “blame game,” let's take a step back and examine what fat and cholesterol are. Fat and cholesterol are building materials for the body to replenish itself. Mainstream has spoon-fed consumers, suggesting that these elements cause heart disease and weight gain. However, what the media is NOT telling you is the types of fat and cholesterol you are eating is the heart killer and waist filler.

Fats

Myth: The best way to lose body fat is to cut the fat out of the diet.

Fat is a misunderstood macronutrient. It has been labeled as evil. What many people fail to recognize is that the term "fat" can mean several different things, and therefore it should not be lumped together and labeled "bad."

• Body fat is the fat that most people acknowledge. Body fat is simply a storage unit of fat in fat cells in the form of triglycerides.
• Dietary fat is another recognizable fat that many people can identify. Dietary fat comes from animal and plant sources.
• Structural fat is another term for fat that many people tend to overlook. These are the fats that the body uses as building materials for structures such as brain, hormones, and cell function.

The above are essential fats, meaning they are necessary. Yes, even some body fat is needed by the body to protect it. Essential fats can't magically turn into body fat. Body fat becomes an issue when you eat fats in excess or eat the wrong types of fat, such as trans fat.

A lack of essential fat can lead to many symptoms, such as dry and thinning hair, brittle nails, dry skin, sugar and carb cravings, constipation, and infertility.

The best way to include essential fat in your diet is to choose natural sources, such as meat, eggs, nuts and seeds, shellfish, fish, avocados, and olives. These are the fats your body can actually use and benefit from. However, moderation is a factor here. If you overeat fat calories, the unused energy can be stored as fat.

Trans Fat

Trans fat is the fat not mentioned in the media as much. Trans fat can be the blame for the rise in weight gain, obesity, acidic pH, cancer, and heart disease. Trans fat can be found in anything mad-made. Trans fat is an altered fat, it's damaged. It destroys the cells and how they function and makes the body acidic. Your body cannot metabolize trans fat.

Trans fat can be found in seemingly harmless products, such as dressings, sandwich spreads, non-dairy creamers, Half-and-Half, dessert toppings, and margarine. Trans fat can be found in nearly anything processed, or rather man-made food imitation items. Trans fat is the fat that you should eliminate if you want to lose body fat and gain health.

Cholesterol

Myth: Saturated fat and cholesterol clog your arteries and cause heart disease.

Cholesterol is a fat that the body needs for cell membranes and for the body's cells to function properly. Many hormones are made from the structural material of cholesterol, as well as vitamin D and the anti-stress hormone, cortisol. When you deprive your body of this necessary element, your cells become less efficient and it ultimately affects your metabolism. Not only does this pose a metabolic threat, but the lack of this essential element can alter your cell's membranes, causing other diseases such as cancer.

Cholesterol is a healer. When trans fat damages the artery walls, cholesterol is attracted to inflammations and irritations. The more damage present, the more cholesterol will be present. If the damage does not heal, the cholesterol builds up and forms plaque. Now, if you read between the lines, cholesterol is not the villain, it's actually the swat team. Trans fat and anything else processed, such as tainted water and environmental pollution damage the artery walls. If it wasn't for cholesterol band-aiding the problem, we could suffer heart disease at a much earlier age, probably all the way down to the teens.

You can obtain natural, essential cholesterol from meat, eggs, and shellfish. These foods should not be avoided, they are necessary.

In Conclusion

Now that you understand the role of fat and cholesterol better, take it upon yourself to make your life and diet better by including the elements that your body needs and requires to maintain proper cellular efficiency to keep you healthy and your metabolism on fire.

Get more tips and information for weight loss and health in How to Lose Weight, FOREVER!

About the Author:

Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988 and is a certified personal fitness instructor and specialist in performance nutrition.  She is a nationally qualified natural female  bodybuilder, holding numerous titles in the southern states includin
g two overalls.

Karen has written six e-books on fitness.  

1. Lose Weight Forever
2. Iron Dolls
3. The Competitive Edge
4. Killer Quads
5. Dangerous Curves
6. The Cellulite Cure

She also writes articles for several fitness websites, and distributes two monthly newsletters regarding weight loss and female bodybuilding.     

 Karen has helped hundreds of clients reach their goal of transforming their body.  Her success and success stories speak for themselves.  http://www.theelitephysique.com