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When is it OK to eat Sugar?
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By Isabel De Los Rios
http://yourdietsolution.com

One of two things happens when you even mention the word Sugar...people either jump up for joy, salivating for their next sugar fix or they go running in the opposite direction and avoid it like the plague (Hmm Lewis, which one are you?)

The sugar lovers, well, they just love their sugar and would probably sprinkle it on broccoli if that was socially acceptable. While others are so afraid of it they are even scared to eat foods like bananas, carrots and onions because of their high sugar content..huh?

I'm pretty sure we can blame crash and extreme diets like the all protein, no carbohydrate diets (author will remain nameless but I'm sure you know who I'm talking about) for people's fear of certain fruits and vegetables. When a diet tells you to stay away from veggies and fruit, you have to wonder how healthy it is. (What's next? You can't drink water?)

The real question here is:

Is all sugar created the same? And...Is there ever a time when sugar can be good for us?

Let's start with the first.

No, all sugar is not created equal. Table sugar (sucrose) responds very differently in your body than fruit sugar (fructose - not the same as high fructose corn syrup). Both are metabolized into glucose (the sugar in your blood stream), however it matters a great deal in how that process happens.

When you eat a food that contains sucrose (ex. Cakes, cookies, candies) your blood sugar is elevated very, very quickly and your body's response is to release a lot of insulin to control the blood sugar spike. As you have probably read in your Diet Solution Manual, insulin control is the name of the game as far as fat loss is concerned, and the better we can control your insulin levels, the faster you will be able to shed off unwanted fat. So eating a food that will elevate your insulin levels fast and high is exactly what you don't want and want to stay away from.

Fructose (fruit sugar), on the other hand, does not create the same response. Yes, your body knows it's sugar, but it will elevate your blood sugar and insulin levels much, much slower than sucrose (this is also reflective of how low it is on the Glycemic Index. For more info on the Glycemic Index refer to the Calories chapter, the Grains chapter, and the Glycemic Index Chart in the Diet Solution Manual). This is a good thing because it gives your body more time to respond to the sugar you have just ingested, many times not resulting in a high insulin rise, but a steadier, controlled one.

You can also think about it this way...Would it be easier for you to catch a sprinter (sucrose) or a jogger (fructose)? Choosing sweet foods that allow for a slow and steady blood sugar rise will help your body "catch" and use the sugar more easily and more efficiently.

Now, when can sugar be good for you?

Anyone who has ever tried any "no carb" crash diet before can testify that after just a few days you really start to feel pretty lousy: groggy, lethargic, and possibly even constipated. This is because your body does function much better when you make good healthy carbohydrates and sugars available to it. Now let's not take that sentence and go on a pasta free for all, but including foods that turn into glucose slowly in your blood stream helps your body function much better. Yes, your smart body does have the ability to make glucose even if you don't eat any carbs. However, healthy foods like bananas, apples, carrots and onions do NOT need to be eliminated to control your blood sugar, control your insulin levels and see long term fat loss.

Here are a few sugar tips you can begin to apply to your healthy meal plans right away:

1. Avoid the most deadly forms of sugar (Deadly? Yup, it's really that bad for you.) Refined white sugar really has no place in anyone's diet. Unfortunately, I'm sure you've noticed, it's everywhere! Cakes, cookies and candies are the most obvious, but many cereals, breads, and "so called" health foods (snacks, crackers, and frozen foods) now contain high amounts of processed sugar. Make sure to read the ingredients list carefully and if high fructose corn syrup, refined corn syrup, sucrose or cane sugar (even organic evaporated cane juice is still a bad sugar) are listed, re-assess your choice and look for something without these forms of sugar in the ingredients label.

2. Make foods that raise your blood sugar levels slowly (those low on the glycemic index) your staples when it comes to carbohydrates choices and sweet craving foods. Grab some berries instead of a cookie, cut up a sweet apple instead of a piece of cake, or go for some frozen grapes instead of candies. Not only will you have chosen a much healthier option, but your sweet cravings will quickly diminish the less you feed into them.

3. Save your sweet treats for the special occasions in your life. There's no need to skip your birthday cake or a well deserved dessert on a Saturday night. I usually indulge myself in the sweet treat of my choice on the weekends when I am out with my family. I keep my portion within reason, enjoy it and then continue on with my healthy eating plan from there (no guilt, beating myself up or throwing in the towel). As I have said before, telling yourself you can NEVER have this or that is a sure fire way to make healthy eating feel like torture.

 

Learn “The Top 5 Essential Truths You Must Know Before You Go on Any Diet Ever Again” from Isabel De Los Rios at http://yourdietsolution.com. Isabel is a nutrition, exercise and lifestyle coach who has helped hundreds of people lose their unwanted weight and take complete control of their health. She is the author of The Diet Solution Program, a complete and comprehensive nutrition program that is helping people all over the world finally reach their ideal weight. For more information on The Diet Solution Program and how it can help to change your life, visit http://yourdietsolution.com.

To your success,
Sarah, CPT
Lewis, Publisher
www.articles.atozfitness.com
AtoZfitness.com Google's #1 fitness site.
www.atozfitness.com
Follow me on Twitter for updates from my blog....
http://www.twitter.com/atozfitness

If you have any questions, you can contact me sending an
e-mail to me at atozsupport@atozfitness.com .

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A Double Dose of Metabolism Protection: Strategic Carbohydrate Cycling
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By Joel Marion
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/cheatyourwaythin.html

In last weeks update I talked to you about the most important hormone you probably never heard of – leptin. If you missed that update, do NOT pass go, do NOT collect $200 until you have read that article. It really is that important and I guarantee you’ll walk away from that article having learned a lot. Click-here if you missed it.

Without a doubt the most important thing you can do while attempting to drop body fat is to maintain high levels of leptin day in and day out.

With Cheat Your Way Thin, we accomplish this via two different means:

First, every so often we use strategically timed periods of overfeeding or “cheating” to restore leptin levels to baseline. These full-blown cheat sessions are almost magical when it comes to interrupting the starvation feedback loop, preventing your body from “turning against” your dietary efforts and putting the kibosh on fat loss.

In addition to strategic cheating, we also use strategic carbohydrate cycling throughout the week in order to safeguard against falls in leptin and other fat burning hormones even on “diet” days.

If you paid close attention to last weeks article, you remember that leptin and carbohydrate have VERY strong ties. I even shared a study in which leptin levels were maintained during an all out fast (no food whatsoever) by simply maintaining blood glucose and insulin via an IV drip. Wow.

When It Comes To Leptin, Carbohydrates Are King..

But, just like with cheating, you can’t just eat a boatload of carbs every day and expect fat to magically melt away. It’s all about strategy.

So here’s how we do it.

After a Cheat Day, when leptin is extremely high and the body is incredibly primed to burn fat, we go with a low-carb approach. By going low-carb here, we can fully take advantage of the fat burning environment that the Cheat Day created. The end result - total fat loss domination early in the week.

Unfortunately, you can’t get away with this forever as leptin will inevitably start to drop off in the face of a daily absence of carbohydrate.

So just as leptin begins to drop off mid-week, guess what we do? Yep, add more carbohydrates—the influx of blood glucose and insulin push leptin back up and communicate with the brain that everything is A-OK. Then, toward the end of the week once the body begins to adapt again, we up the carb ante once again.

In addition the Cheat Days, the weekly carbohydrate progress of low to moderate to high ensures that you never go a single day without a body primed for fat loss.

With regular dieting, come week two you’re metabolism is already beginning to suffer.

Do you see how strategic this is? Do you see why this works so well?

It’s everything “typical” dieting isn’t.

Oh, and here’s another benefit of carbohydrate cycling ==> extreme variety.

Diets for the most part are BORING. Same foods every day. Not so with Cheat Your Way Thin – the menu is literally ALWAYS changing (and that’s in addition to being able to eat whatever you want on Cheat Days). Have a steak in the beginning of the week, a large fruit salad mid-week, and then pasta toward week’s end. It’s ALL fair game. We limit nothing, and frankly, you don’t have to.

Oh, and did I mention just how huge all of this is psychologically?

Remember those feelings of guilt and failure I experienced when I first “cheated” back in 2003? Never again. Now when I cheat, it’s planned. And each time I do, I walk away knowing that I just accelerated my progress.

Frankly, it doesn’t get much better than knowing that you just used your favorite desert to speed along fat loss.

Anxiety? Nope. When cravings arise, there is major comfort in knowing that you’ll be able to enjoy that very food in just a few short days when your next cheat session rolls around.

Simply put, strategic cheating solves the dietary dilema by providing you with powerful metabolic benefits and perhaps even more powerful psychological ones.

Feelings of discouragement and decreased motivation? Definitely with other diets, but with Cheat Your Way Thin, you’ll actually be excited to step on the scale week after week to view the consistent, steady progress that regular, strategic cheating yields.

Are you ready to experience just how enjoyable dieting can be?

Here's to loving your diet (and the results) with with Cheat Your Way Thin

To your success,
Sarah, CPT
Lewis, Publisher
www.articles.atozfitness.com
AtoZfitness.com Google's #1 fitness site.
www.atozfitness.com
Follow me on Twitter for updates from my blog....
http://www.twitter.com/atozfitness

If you have any questions, you can contact me sending an
e-mail to me at atozsupport@atozfitness.com .

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Plateaus of Weight Loss- Adaptive Thermogenesis + FREE Download.
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By Mike Roussell PhD(c)
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpspeedfatloss.html

Weight loss plateaus can be frustrating and detrimental to your fat loss if not dealt with swiftly and properly. Another way to look at weight loss plateaus is that they are actually your body settling in at a new body weight set point.

The set point theory is basically the idea that your body likes to be at a certain body weight and it will work to keep you there. Chances are you have experienced this in your own life. I'm talking about situations where you will gain or lose weight but inevitably after a couple weeks or months of trying to change you end up around the same body weight (I know for me 175lbs was a set point, in my own system for quite some time).

In order to break these body weight set points, it is important to understand the forces that you are working against (know thy enemy, right?). I'm talking about adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis is the seemingly automatic reduction in energy expenditure that occurs when you diet. Many think that this is the driving force behind people's body weight set point.

This is important so I want to make sure I'm explaining it clear enough so here's an oversimplified example.

You are currently eating 2000 kcal per day. Your body is currently burning 2000 kcal per day. You decided that you need to lose weight so you cut 500 kcal from your diet. So in theory your body should now have to dig up another 500 kcal from body fat to fuel the calorie difference.

It doesn't work that way. Studies show that your body adjusts its energy output so that it can now function on only 1500 kcal per day. This is adaptive thermogenesis. It has been demonstrated that adaptive thermogenesis occurs with both severe and modest calorie cutting.

What is the driving force behind this? Here are some candidates are:

* Changes in body weight

* Changes in Leptin

* Changes in Insulin

* Changes in Thyroid Hormones

* Depletion of Fat Stores

Fortunately you can beat all of these, prevent adaptive thermogenesis, and keep the weight loss coming.

The answer?

Exercise combined with diet.

This seems to help - but not in all cases. We know from research and anecdotal evidence that not all exercise prescriptions work. What does work is intense metabolic resistance training.

If you are currently stuck at a weight loss plateau, you need to break your body's set point. To do this it is necessary to undergo a rigorous change in diet and training so that you can in essence shock your system.

Here's what to do next. Once you break though your sticking weight using Warp Speed Fat Loss (or which ever method you choose), maintenance is very important. Get 5-15lbs below your old body weight set point and maintain that weight. Many people lose their fire and drive after they have lost the weight but you need to stay focused so that you can reset your body's set point.

Maintain your new weight for 4 weeks (this is ideal - if you can't go that long at least do 2 weeks) before you start losing weight again. This step wise approach will help reset your system to your new body weight and help fight its urge to return to the old set point. The key is keeping your body weight long enough so that your body 'thinks' that is the new normal.

About the Author/More Info:
Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpspeedfatloss.html .

Mike Roussell is a nutrition doctoral student at Pennsylvania State University. Mike's writings can be found in magazines such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Testosterone Nation. Mike specializes in fat loss nutrition and diets for busy men and women who need to lose weight fast without it interfering with their lives. Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat to lose weight in record time.

Download this great free e-book.

Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

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  Is 6 meals a day still the way to go?
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By Mike Geary
http://truthaboutabs.atozfitness.com

The topic of the "6 meals a day for fat loss" has been touted by bodybuilding circles and personal trainers for years now as the best way to eat for fat loss compared to the traditional "3 square meals a day".

But is this 6-meal per day frequency the ONLY way to do it?  And is it really the most effective?

Well, the answer can go both ways. Let me give you my opinion on this...

First, let's look at what the recommended 6 meals/day instead of 3 really breaks down to calorically... On 3 meals/day, let's take the example of a normal person that might be eating 3,000 calories per day, but eating those calories in three 1,000-calorie meals (or more likely, two 1500-calorie meals for someone that skips breakfast).

This same daily caloric intake spread out over 6 smaller meals would be six meals at 500 calories each.  Keep in mind that this example daily caloric intake is just an example, and would be WAY too much for some people depending on body size and composition, age, and activity level.

The theory has always been (with overall daily calories being the same in both cases) that by spreading the daily calories out over 6 smaller meals per day instead of 3 large meals per day, this essentially helps to promote more steady blood sugar levels throughout the day instead of large spikes and dips seen with larger meals spaced out over longer periods of time.

It's also been theorized that more frequent meals evens out your protein digestion and amino acid availability throughout the day, so that there's less muscle catabolism compared to longer periods of time between meals.

Now here's my take on this...

I do still recommend 5-7 small meals per day for beginners or people that are just finally trying to get control over their diet. A lot of people that are used to eating 2-3 meals per day typically eat WAY too many calories in one sitting, and by eating smaller meals every 3 hours or so throughout the day, it helps them to finally get control over eating excessively large meals.

Think about this scenario... the average person at the office that eats lunch at noon, and then doesn't eat dinner until they get home at about 7pm that night. And they were so busy at work that they forgot to eat any small meal or snack mid afternoon.

With 7 hours between meals, they're so ravenous when they get home that they INHALE 2,000 calories before they've even given their brain a chance to register that they've eaten this much.

End result - eating WAY more daily calories than their caloric maintenance.

I will say that for people that already eat extremely healthy and control their calories each day, I don't think there's any magic bullet with 6 meals/day vs 4 meals, or 3 meals and a couple snacks, etc.

From personal experience with lots of my clients over the years, I've seen many people that struggled with their diet finally get control of things by "grazing" more throughout the day and eating the 5-7 meals/day. The important thing is that EVERY meal is kept small.

Personally, I've changed my eating habits to be so healthy over the years, that I find I can eat in almost any meal frequency and my body always seems to self-regulate appetite because of the high nutrient density of my diet these last few years.

Different methods will work differently for each individual. 

I've actually found in recent years that I seem to operate best by eating a fairly large breakfast of around 800 to 1000 calories, and then just grazing on small 200 to 300 calorie snacks every couple hours throughout the day. And then I like to eat a larger dinner of around 800-1000 calories.

The reason I seem to operate best on this breakdown is because I'm very active throughout the middle of the day most days with exercise, so I tend to not want large meals at this time, just lighter snacks.  However, at night, I like to eat the larger meal once again to help my body recover from my high levels of activity during the days (skiing, hiking, biking, weight training, etc).

Years ago, I preferred to eat the 6 meals a day at 500 calories each approximately (since my caloric maintenance is about 3000 cals/day).  Now, I prefer something more along these lines:

Meal 1:  800-1000 calories
Meal 2:  250 calories
Meal 3:  250 calories
Meal 4:  250 calories
Meal 5:  250 calories
Meal 6:  800-1000 calories

Keep in mind that spreading the calories out more evenly through the day may work better for you if you're not extremely active and you have a job that involves sitting at a desk most of the day.

A good example:

I had a co-worker years ago at my former corporate job that lost 30 lbs in about 2 months by simply changing his meal frequency.  He had previously been eating a carbohydrate-based breakfast, which left him ravaged by lunch time and he would overeat at lunch.  Then he would go all afternoon without eating and be ravaged by dinner and overeat at dinner.

His change...

He took my advice and started eating at least 1 source of satisfying protein and healthy fat at breakfast each day and reduced the carbs.  Then, around mid-morning, he would eat a combo of yogurt and cottage cheese that he had packed with him for the day.

Since he ate the mid-morning yogurt/cottage cheese meal, he was less hungry at lunch, and he would only eat a half of a sandwich instead of a whole sandwich, and he'd save the other half of the sandwich for mid-afternoon.

Then, when he came home for dinner at night, he wasn't starving like usual, and he would eat a much smaller dinner.

In reality, what he really did was inadvertently reduce his daily caloric intake by eating more frequent smaller meals each day because this would save him from the "binge" attacks, where he would eat monstrous lunches and dinners without even knowing how many calories he ate.

I hope this newsletter helped to give you some ideas... Remember, you won't know what meal frequency and meal sizes work best for you until you try different things and see how your body reacts.

Please feel free to forward this articles to any of your friends or family that may enjoy it.

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

Are your food tastes making you fatter?

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By Mike Geary
http://truthaboutabs.atozfitness.com

Are you "addicted" to overly aggressive food tastes? Is this making you fatter over time? Let's take a look...

You've probably noticed that I like to talk about food... and healthy eating in particular. I've always said that healthy eating does NOT have to be boring and bland, and if you know a few preparation tricks, can actually be exciting and delicious.

Many people seem to falsely believe that they'll never be able to get lean if they don't eat what is thought to be typical bodybuilder fare -- dry plain chicken breasts, plain broccoli, tuna fish, oatmeal, etc. If you've read my newsletters for some time, you know that I'm against this type of boring menu, and like to give healthy meal ideas that have a little more appeal.

However, here is one of the most important things you can do for yourself if you want to eat healthier for life and make it a HECK OF A LOT easier to get lean and stay that way permanently...

LEARN TO ADJUST YOUR TASTE BUDS TO ENJOY THE NATURAL UNADULTERATED TASTE OF REAL FOOD... UNPROCESSED FOOD

This is one of the main problems that I see so many people face with being able to control their eating... they have grown up with processed foods and additives that are excessively AGGRESSIVE TASTES.

*So many foods have excessive added sugars, corn syrups, artificial sweeteners, etc

*So many foods have excessive added trans fats, refined vegetable oils, and other processed fats

*So many foods are laden with excessive (and potentially dangerous) flavor enhancers such as MSG and processed commercial salt

All of this massive onslaught of overly aggressive tastes have rendered most people's taste buds senseless when it comes to the natural taste of real unprocessed foods.

I was having brunch with a couple friends recently and I noticed one of them dumped this huge heaping spoonful of sugar into their coffee. I can't even imagine being able to gag down a coffee that was so heavily loaded with sugar.

Even diet drinks (which I'd never drink because of the harmful artificial sweeteners) are so excessively sweet these days, they're not even refreshing. I can't understand how people can drink something that tastes like pure syrup.

Here's a quick quiz to see if you're officially addicted to overly aggressive tastes:

1. If given the choice, would you choose:

  a. sausage or hot dog

  b. steak, burger, or chicken breast

2. Do you prefer:

  a. sweetened tea or coffee (with added sugar or artificial sweeteners)

  b. unsweetened tea or black coffee

3. If given a choice for dessert, do you prefer:

  a. cake, pie, or ice cream

  b. a piece of fruit

4. If you like chocolate, do you prefer:

  a. milk chocolate

  b. extra dark chocolate

I could think of more, but that'll do for now... If you answered a's more than you answered b's, then you may be addicted to overly aggressive tastes, and that could be making you pack on more lbs indirectly.

One of the main problems is that needing to eat aggressive tasting foods means that all of that extra salt, MSG, added processed fats, sugars, and artificial sweeteners are playing havok with your hormones, and making you crave extra calories that your body doesn't need.

Don't worry though, it CAN be easy to wean yourself off of these aggressive tastes. I've successfully done it.

About 5 years ago, I'd have called you crazy if you said I'd ever be drinking unsweetened tea or black coffee... I always needed to add a sweetener back then... but now, I actually PREFER to drink them both unsweetened.

What I did was just slightly reduce the amount of sweetener I added over time, and eventually I got used to using none, and actually started to prefer the natural taste of coffee or tea instead of just tasting the sweetness.

Now you can start to see how this all ties back into enjoying the REAL taste of food (or drink) instead of the ADDITIVES in food!

My recommendations for your leaner healthier body:

*Enjoy the taste of real meats, such as grass-fed steaks, fish, chicken breasts, pork tenderloin... instead of needing the aggressive tastes of the additives in sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, and other processed meats.

*Start to enjoy the taste of the actual coffee or tea instead of the taste of the sugar or artificial sweetener.

*Start drinking water or unsweetened tea with meals (instead of soda or sweetened drinks) at least every other day, and try to increase that to every day eventually.

*Use herbs and spices in your cooking instead of heavy use of salt.

*Try to wean yourself off of cakes, pies, candies, and other sweets... Eat mostly fruit or small amounts of super-dark chocolate instead.

*Avoid any and all deep fried foods and processed starch-based side dishes - mac & cheese, scalloped potatoes, etc.

Even doing just some of these simple tips can help you to change your tastes over time and help to overcome your addiction to the overly aggressive tastes that food marketers have pushed on us our entire lives.

I hope these ideas help you to eat healthier in 2009!

**One more note for today...

I wanted to congratulate all of my readers who have achieved phenomenal results and changed their body and mind by using my TruthAboutAbs program. I get stories in all the time about these successes.

Anybody can get great results too... you're not "cursed with a slow metabolism"... that's a lame cop-out from people that are too lazy to take action and change their body.

I'm really proud of one of my readers who just recently sent me his latest pictures...

Click-Here to Check out the 3 pictures of Leith on this page showing his transformation:

You can see that these aren't any kind of "staged" before/afters... these are simply his legit pics which even show the dates automatically from the camera readout.

These are the kind of results that you can get if you actually take action on REAL workouts and REAL nutrition and stop searching for some kind of miracle pill (which will never exist).

If you liked these training ideas, my internationally best-selling ebook The Truth about Six Pack Abs contains hundreds of more innovative training ideas to lose stubborn body fat and carve out a rock hard set of abs and a flat stomach.

Feel free to email this link on to any friends or coworkers that you think would like to try these types of unique quick daily workouts.  Heck, try to get your co-workers to do these with you if you can!

Yours in fitness,,
Sarah, CPT
Lewis, Publisher
AtoZFitness Total Body Makeover
AtoZfitness.com Google's #3 fitness site.
www.atozfitness.com

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4 Ways To Break A Weight Loss Plateau
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by Mike Roussell PhD(c)
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpspeedfatloss.html
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Weight loss plateaus are the bain of every dieter existence. There is nothing more frustrating than doing everything that you are 'supposed' to do but for whatever reason the weight loss just stops. Before we get into how you can smash through your weight loss plateau it is important to determine if you have plateaued OR perhaps you haven't actually been following your diet and/or training program.

The first step is to do a gut check and make sure your compliance to your diet program is where it needs to be. If you haven't been 90% compliant then stop reading this article and get back to focusing on doing what you actually said you were going to do. If you have been sticking to your program but have stopped losing weight then we have a problem.

Homeostasis.

The human body is all about achieving homeostasis, so what we need to do is shake things up and get our systems un-homeostatic (not sure if that is a real word). Here are 4 ways that you can disrupt homeostasis and blast through your weight loss plateau. You aren't meant to do all of them instead just pick one at time.

1. Increase Calories for 7-10 Days This doesn't mean go off your diet. Instead, increase your calories (no more than 500 calories per day), mainly from carbohydrates to give your system a 'break' from calorie restriction. After the 7-10 day period cut your calories back down and your weight loss will start back up. This strategy works well if you have been dieting for a long time.

2. Crank Up the Intensity Often times we find ourselves perpetually dieting and can just never seem to get those last 10 pounds off. In these situations cranking up the intensity on all fronts (diet and training) for a set amount of time is a great way to blast through a weight loss plateau. With this method we are basically shocking your system out of homeostasis.

3. Change Your Training Program Sticking to the same training program for too long used to be a very common problem. Now with all the training resources on the Internet, being on a program for too long isn't an issue for many people (but it may be for you). You need to be switching up your program (set, reps, exercises, how many days a week you train, etc) every 4-6 weeks.

4. Reduce Your Carbs This tip is the opposite of the first one, but works just as well. Dropping your carbs down to a ketogenic level will strong-arm your system into using fat as its primary fuel source. This metabolic fuel switch works best if your carbs aren't too low already (>100g/d). To further enhance the effect of this technique use the induction protocol where you eat 20g/d of carbs or less for 2 weeks.

Weight loss plateaus are frustrating but don't let them discourage you or stop you from reaching your goal. If you have truly reached a plateau pick one of the techniques above and put it into action. When you hit another plateau, pick another one. Continue doing this until you have reached your goal. Remember that for the most part weight loss is not a linear process. Plateaus are a normal physiological occurrence but using the strategies in this article you can beat temporary weight loss homeostasis and achieve the body you want.
 

About the Author/More Info:
Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpspeedfatloss.html.

Mike Roussell is a nutrition doctoral student at Pennsylvania State University. Mike's writings can be found in magazines such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Testosterone Nation. Mike specializes in fat loss nutrition and diets for busy men and women who need to lose weight fast without it interfering with their lives. Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat to lose weight in record time.

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

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Carbohydrates and Fat Loss: What's the Deal?
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by Mike Roussell PhD(c)
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpspeedfatloss.html

Carbohydrates play an important role in any fat loss diet. You need them to help you recover from your workouts but you need to limit them so that they don't inhibit your fat loss. So what is the right balance of carbohydrates in your diet? When you eat carbs and what kind of carbs you eat depends on your body type and the time of day. Let's look at this idea a little more closely.

The degree in which your body does not 'handle' carbohydrates well is known in sciency terms as insulin resistance. While there are many factors that impact insulin resistance; the most important is your body fat. Lots of Visceral body fat (the kind that sits inside your gut surrounding your organs) leads to increased insulin resistance. The greater your insulin resistance the worse your body is at processing carbohydrates.

The best way to deal with insulin resistance from a dietary standpoint is to use lower impact carbohydrates. The 'impact' of a carbohydrate is the degree in which it effects your blood sugar levels. This can be measured in terms of 'glycemic load' (higher glycemic load leads to greater effect on your blood sugar levels). One of the world's top glycemic load researchers, David Ludwig, discovered in one of his research studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that people with insulin resistance lost more weight when they were on a low glycemic load diet vs. a low fat diet.

Low glycemic load diets are typically lower in total carbohydrates and higher in protein and fat than a typical low fat diet. This is the perfect kind of diet for weight loss. You can easily eat this way by switching out rice, pasta, potatoes, breads, etc for spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, green beans, chick peas, etc. These are the kinds of carbs that you want to focus on eating throughout the day as they are low in total carbohydrates and sugars but higher in fiber.

While low 'impact' carbs are important for controlling insulin levels and increasing your rate of fat loss, fast acting carbs are also an important part of a fat loss diet. A 2006 study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology showed that when people drank a sugary shake during their workout over the course of 12 weeks, they lost just as much weight as the ones that did not drink anything. Carbohydrates during your workout will allow you to train harder, burning more calories, and thus losing more fat. Fast acting carbs during your workout will also allow you to recover from your workouts faster, allowing you to continue training hard and losing weight fast.

The final important point that needs to be made is that when low carbohydrate diets are compared to low fat diets, the people on low carb diets consistently lose more weight after 6 months on the diet and they do not need to focus on cutting calories - they just eat however much they want. People on low fat diets need to focus on restricting calories and they don't lose as much weight. Which diet would you rather be on?

If you are truly serious about losing weight as fast as possible then you need to adopt a low carb approach during the day but allow for a fast acting carb workout shake when you train.

About the Author/More Info:
Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit WarpSpeed Fatloss. Mike Roussell is a nutrition doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania. Mike's writings can be found in magazines such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Testosterone Nation. Mike specializes in fat loss nutrition and diets for busy men and women who need to lose weight fast without it interfering with their lives. Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat to lose weight in record time.

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

---------------------------------------------------------------------- |

Hungry ?

---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
[ Editor's Note:  Fitness author Jon Benson shared this letter with me and gave me permission to share it with you. ]

Got a question for you:

Should you "stay hungry"?

Let me explain what I mean.

Arnold Schwarzenegger made a movie a while time ago called "Stay Hungry." Only a handful of people saw it.

I was one of them.

I loved the idea of "staying hungry" -- of never sitting on your rear end too long... of never being totally comfortable... and of always progressing.

Think about it:

Most of your greatest progress comes at the expense of temporary comfort.

This does not mean you should torture yourself. But being 'too' comfortable? Well that's bad news when it comes to weightloss and success in general if you ask me.

Here's two examples:

First, it is now 1:02 AM Texas time. I am writing this letter to you despite being quite tired and ready to hit the sack.

Why?

Because when it comes to my job, I like to stay hungry.

I am not satisfied with a "do it tomorrow" attitude. I have something to say and I feel that I owe it to you to say it.

Plus I love my job. I know my information is more than just "books that sell well" -- I know it's information that changes peoples lives.

That makes me stay hungry.

And that's a good thing. My greatest successes have been when I've stayed hungry and lived at the edge of comfort.

But let me share my second example and see what you think.

This one deals with my upcoming book.

The book I'm talking about tonight is one that thousands have been waiting for... literally. I have a waiting list.

The title says it all:

The Radical Fatloss Blueprint: How You Can Safely Lose Up To 21 Pounds In 21 Days

Pretty bold statement, right? In fact... it's radical.

Hence the name.  : )

And I have to warn you:  You will stay a bit hungry. Literally.

Not 'starving'... but hungry. And that means you'll be burning a lot of bodyfat.

Now, before you think I've lost my marbles, let me explain:

This is NOT a "dietbook" -- this is a blueprint for 21 days ONLY.

It is the same exact system I personally have used for years (with the addition of one new supplement that I really like) to get into top shape.

I've used this System on quite a few eager people, and the average weightloss has been over 16 pounds. Some folks lost like 30 or more... others only 11.

Still... in 21 days, this is amazing.

Some of the weight is going to be junk out of your system that can cause illness. It can build up inside and this program helps you get rid of it painlessly.

Some of the weight is water.... but it's water that you do not need to be carrying around. Needless waterweight.

The rest is almost pure bodyfat... and that's RADICAL. To keep muscle and burn that much bodyfat is very hard to do.

Like I said... it's radical.

And it's only 21 days long.

Now, I will also tell you this -- you cannot buy this book.

Not yet.

The reason is simple:  I've reserved the first few thousand copies for those of you who own by book "Every Other Day Diet."

They get it first... and since you will need a few supplements to make the plan work (I provide wholesale pricing for those as I do not make supplements) you can see why it's important to get in line if you want this book.

I'm only ordering a limited supply of the supplements that go along with the book.

And I'm just passing the savings on... I do not want to get into the "wholesale" business, but I also knew I could save you folks over 100 bucks if I did it this way.

So... here's the deal:

1. Pick up a copy of "Every Other Day Diet" now unless you already have it.

2. On or before March 15th you will receive a letter from me letting you know where to get your freee copy of "Radical Fatloss Blueprint".

3. You will also receive a link to order the supplements needed (only 21 days worth... no "reorders" needed) at wholesale price. You can have them shipped right to your door just about anywhere in the world.

No stimulants are used. Nothing dangerous. Just smart supplementation to help the body hold on to muscle, stimulate natural fat-burning hormones, and help you stay healthy and strong.

Again, this is the system I use to get in top shape.

So, step one: Get "The Every Other Day Diet" today...

Get that here:

http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com   <--- get this, get Radical Fatloss freee March 15

After that, read the book. Be sure you have it down because you will NEED this book to follow right after Radical Fatloss is over.

The worst thing you can do is try a radical dietplan without having a SANE dietplan to fall back to.

That's what Every Other Day Diet is:  A sane, real-world, eat-like-this-forever dietplan that works.

The Radical Fatloss Blueprint just kicks everything into high gear for 21 days.

So, get Every Other Day Diet here:

http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com   <--- get this, get Radical Fatloss freee March 15

THEN go to this page and let me know what you think about the new cover for Radical Fatloss Blueprint... and the supplements I have in store for you --

http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com <--- more about Radical Fatloss Blueprint

Finally, get ready to stay hungry:  And by that I mean to push yourself a bit more in order to become a whole lot leaner.

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

---------------------------------------------------------------------- |

 Burn More Bodfyat With Spices

---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
[ Editor's Note:  Fitness author Jon Benson shared this letter with me and gave me permission to share it with you. ]

It's the spice of life.

Food that is. Or opinions. I guess there is a lot of things that are officially "the spice of life."

I think spices are the spice of life.

I have a new-found love of spices since hanging around a killer healthy-food chef for the past week.

Wow oh wow... I had no idea.

And hey -- I'm helping her put her recipes into to a book that will be out soon.

I'll send you all a video of this woman doing her thing too in a week or so... prepare to be blown away.

Back to spices:

Not only can spices save an otherwise boring healthy meal.... turns to find out spices can help you burn more bodyfat.

The January 2006 issue of The Journal of Physiology and Behavior cited numerous studies on several spices that increased thermogenesis in the body.

Thermogenesis is simply heat -- and since a calorie is a unit of heat, guess what?

More thermogenesis = more calories burned = Less bodyfat.

Pretty cool stuff this thermogenesis.

In fact thermogenesis is the foundation of my upcoming handbook "The Radical Fatloss Blueprint." Out in late February.

I'm giving this book away for freee for 21 days to anyone who owns a copy of "The Every Other Day Diet."

The book comes out in late February... and it is... well, radical.

Up to 21 pounds in 21 days.

But you can only do it for 21 days. Fair deal, right?

If you want the book for freee, make sure you have "Every Other Day Diet" so I can send it to you the last week of February.

Get EODD here --

http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com  <--- more thermogenesis, less bodyfat

For now, here's the spices that work the best to help you burn bodyfat:

1. Capsaicin, the compound gives red chili pepper its heat, increased energy via heat expenditure by up to 23% after ingesting it at breakfast.

2. Black Pepper increases body heat (thermogenesis) by bonding to TRPV1 receptors in the brain.

3. Turmeric has both anti-cancer and pro-thermogenic support. Best of two worlds if you ask me.

Combine these three spices:  Red chili pepper, black pepper and turmeric, and use them liberally (as you can handle them) on your lunch and dinner meals.

Just be careful not to overdo the spices, otherwise you'll end up with more heartburn than fatburn.

I'll be including FAR more powerful ways to burn bodyfat radically in "The Radical Fatloss Blueprint" -- and you can get your copy free the last week of February if you own Every Other Day Diet.

Get it here --

http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com  <--- more thermogenesis, less bodyfat

Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

Did you see my blog post from yesterday?

If you did and haven’t taken these guys up on their 120% Money Back Guarant.ee do so fast.

The bad news is that if you wait until tomorrow the offer will most likely be gone as it is on a first come first serve basis.

Here’s the blog post link from yesterday that explains it all.

http://atozfitness.com/wordpress/he-could-lose-his-shirt/

Body Fat - Stressing You Out and Making You Stupid
by Mike Roussell PhD(c)
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpseedfatlossspecial.html

We can all pretty much agree that extra body fat stinks...right? It hides your abs from the world, makes your favorite clothes not fit, and increases your risk of heart disease and cancer. But did you know that you know that it can impair how your body responds to stress?

Here's how. Increased levels of visceral fat (i.e. not the stomach fat you can pinch, the fat sitting around your organs) lead to increased level of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that have been shown to decrease mental performance.

I just came across a pretty cool study that looked at body fat and its effect on one's ability to handle emotional stress...the results were not good if you have extra belly fat as the researchers found that the people whom had the lowest body fat percentage had the greatest ability to rebound from bouts of emotional stress (in the study they used sky diving).

So the connection is more belly fat leads to more cortisol which leads to decreased brain power and ability to cope with emotional stressors.

I'm sure that some of you may question whether body fat is the cause or not but I don't think that whether or not body fat is the cause really matters.

The people with lower body fat percentages are probably more active and athletic thus their bodies were accustomed to dealing with stressors or they may have better nutrition which could also help them cope better with stress. Better nutrition and more exercise are important factors that allow them to have lower body fat levels and deal with stress better.

The key point is that you need to get rid of the extra body fat hanging off your body as it is literally stressing you out. Many people's lives today are high pressure and always on the move. We need to be able to function at the top of our game at all times. When things are stressful you want to know that you are going to be able to function at your best.

To be at your best under stress (and not under stress for that matter) you can't have extra body fat slowing your down and metabolically contaminating your success by decreasing your body's ability to cope and respond to daily stressors.

Lose the weight and you will feel and perform better. Aside from the scientific evidence that shows extra body fat decreases our ability to properly respond to stress, think about it for a minute. When you are lean, don't you feel better about yourself? Don't you have more energy? I'm guessing that you answer yes to both of those questions right?

How to you lose weight? The fastest way to do this is metabolic resistance training and a solid fat loss diet rich in protein, fibrous vegetables, fish oil, and a variety of different fats (olive oil, butter, walnuts, flax, coconut oil, etc). Combine these two, lose the weight, and you'll brush stress off your shoulders - no problem.

About the Author/More Info:
Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpseedfatlossspecial.html.

Mike Roussell is a nutrition doctoral student at Pennsylvania State. Mike's writings can be found in magazines such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Testosterone Nation. Mike specializes in fat loss nutrition and diets for busy men and women who need to lose weight fast without it interfering with their lives. Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat to lose weight in record time.

 

 

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

He could lose his shirt.

I’ve never seen anything like this before.

Nutritionist Mike Roussell and Men’s Health Fat Loss Expert Alwyn Cosgrove have put their money where their mouth is…LITERALLY.

You’ve probably heard of the rapid weight loss program - Warp Speed Fat Loss. It is a 28 Day blueprint for people that want to lose up to 20lbs in 28 days. It works like gang busters.

The story goes…Mike was taking to his Dad the other week and his father didn’t think that people would believe that it was possible - being able to lose 20lbs in 28 day. Especially with all the exotic berry and weight loss scams all over the internet.

So Mike decided he needed to figure out a way to help overcome the seed of doubt in people’s minds (because the program really does work).

Do you know what he came up with?

120% Money Back Guarant.ee.

http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpseedfatlossspecial.html

That’s right. If you don’t lose the weight, Mike and Alwyn are going to give you your money back AND send you $20 for your trouble..

Find out all the details here:

http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpseedfatlossspecial.html

Talk Soon,
Lewis

P.S. Just in case a bunch of dishonest people take Mike and Alwyn up on this, just to get 20 bucks, they have limited the offer to the first 100 people

Go Here Now So You Don’t Miss Out
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpseedfatlossspecial.html

 

A Private Little Food Fight

---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
By Jon Benson
http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com 

———————————————————————- |

This was another great e-mail from my buddy Jon Benson. Just love the way he expresses himself. Posted it exactly as I received it from
Jon this morning.
Lewis

     Let's talk food Lewis.
    
     More than that, let's talk about the war
     going on right now in your local grocery
     store. The one right down the street.

     The place you went perhaps a few days
     ago for your family's groceries.
    
     Before I begin, you may not think this is
     that important.
    
     Believe me... it is.
    
     If you promise to read this with an open
     mind I will tell you at the end of this
     article exactly why its important to you,
     to your children, and to your pocketbook.
    
     Deal?
    
     There are three principle players in this
     food war:
    
     1. The government.
     2. The consumer.
     3. The store.
    
     The government has tons of cheap food left
     over after World War II's food production
     revolution. A good idea turned really bad.
    
     The consumer has been sold a bag of lies
     from the 1970s on -- the biggest being
     "food should be cheap and fast."
    
     The stores want to make as much money as
     possible and do not have the staff to
     support the small farmers and ranchers.

     They want one super-cheap supplier to
     deliver their apples... and they don't care
     where they come from as long as they can
     pass the criteria of...
    
     ... yep. The government agencies out to     

     more food more profitable.
    
     Billions in subsidizing dollars every year.
    
     Billions into the pockets of greedy
     politicians and massive agricultural
     production machines.
    
     Get this:
    
     Since 1975 there has been a steady decline
     in the percentage the average American
     spends on food. No joke. The food budget
     has decreased since 1975 by about 30%.
    
     At the same time... the exact same time,
     MEDICAL costs have increased by more
     than 30%.
    
     The graphs literally form an "X". One goes
     up -- medical costs -- as one goes down --
     the price we pay for food.
    
          Talk about getting what you pay for.
    
     We're fooled into believing that Play-
     Stations and new cars are more important     

     to our budgets than organically-grown
     vegetables and grass-fed beef. We're told
     we're "saving money" by purchasing
     ready-made food and imported vegetables.
    
          No way. You are losing money.
    
          And you are losing more than that.
    
          You are losing your health.... fast.
    
     Get this:
    
     The children born in the year 2000 and
     beyond will be the first children in
     recorded history to NOT outlive their
     parents. One in three will develop Type 2
     Diabetes before they turn 18. Over 50% of
     them will be obese... over 75% of them
     overweight. Imagine it.
    
     And they will never know what a real
     tomato, green pepper, or healthy piece of
     chicken tastes like.
    
     If you think this is extreme, think again.
    
     After you think again, go see a movie
     called Food Fight.
    
     Tonight we were treated to this documentary
     created by filmmaker Chris Taylor. In a tad
     over an hour and a half this film takes you
     on a tour of what it means to really EAT --
     to have "a community on a plate" by
     choosing to eat fresh veggies and meats
     rather than mass-produced foods.
    
     Most major cities offer these kinds of
     foods in places like Farmers Markets, Whole
     Foods and even online. And this is not an
     "elitist" thing. You do not have to spend
     more money on quality food. The stats
     completely support this fact.
    
     You will save big-bucks on medical costs
     for starters. You will feel better, look
     better, stop struggling with excess
     bodfyat, and help support your community
     in ways that will create lasting friendships.   

     Oh... and your food will taste a thousand
     times better. No joke.
    
     This weekend Sherry and I went to Farmers
     Market and Whole Foods here in Dallas. This
     is not a new thing for me, but tasting what
     can be done with veggies when a TRUE chef
     (who happens to be a nutritionist and knows
     how to cook for someone like me who is into
     building muscle and burning bodyfat) works
     her magic is a new and wonderful thing.
    
          WOW.
    
     I truly have never tasted any vegetable
     like these -- and it's not all about the
     chef, although she is spectacular. It's
     about the quality of the food.
    
     So, here's why this is important to you:
    
     1. You will naturally eat less when you eat
     organically-grown foods. Your body's
     natural appetite mechanisms will kick in as
     they are not suppressed by the hordes of
     chemicals found in grocery store foods.
    
     2. You will save big-time-bucks in trips to
     the doctor's office. Again these are stats
     that cannot be argued with.
    
     3. You will taste food, perhaps for the
     first time. Once you taste what "real"
     carrots taste like (or real broccoli... or
     real beef) you may never want to settle for
     less again. Food should taste fantastic!
    
     4. You will be helping to save the future
     of our children. We simply cannot survive
     as a nation at this pace -- the pace at
     which obesity is growing amongst our
     children and teen population, not to
     mention we adults.
    
     5. Finally, you will be helping to build a
     stronger bond-based community.
    
     I will be interviewing Chris Taylor in the
     coming days and helping him spread his
     movie out to the masses via the Internet.

     Food Fight is not an optional film: In
     fact, it should be required viewing for all
     school children and all parents.
    
     Now, here's the best part of it all:
    
          Taylor is like me:  He does not think
          you have to be "perfect."
    
     In fact, it's silly to think anyone will
     ever be perfect... that 'every' meal will
     contain organic veggies or grass-fed farm
     protein. No way.
    
     But just changing ONE meal... or two... will
     make a world of difference.
    
     He's also like me in the sense that he is
     not a vegetarian -- although that is, for
     some, a very healthy approach to eating. I
     am a carnivore and maintain superior health
     by selecting the right kinds of meat and
     consuming plenty of veggies. I'm just a lot
     more picky now that I've tasted true
     hormone-free beef and pesticide-free
     veggies. What a difference.
    
     In France, the demands on food are much
     higher than they are here in the U.S. All
     chicken is free-range, all beef grass-fed,
     and all veggies organic. I noticed a huge
     difference when I returned to the States
     after four months in France.
    
     And I swore I would never go back to eating
     inferior food. Ever.
    
     What about cost?  Well, it's a bit more
     expensive to eat this way... but not much.
     I naturally eat 'less', so it balances out.
     Plus I know I'll save in the long run with
     medical costs. I'm already saving in fact.
    
     Be looking for links to Food Fight in the
     coming days. Chris and I will be working
     together to see how we can get this movie
     into the hands of every concerned citizen.
    
     P.S.
    
     What about "fun food"?  Well more good
     news for you ---
    
     You don't have to give that up either. When
     I say "fun food" I mean pizza, burgers, and
     so-on. I had a burger tonight. I usually
     wait 4-5 days between my junk meals, but
     I'm entering into a serious "peaking" time
     this week so I cheated a bit.
    
     And that's FINE -- because it's on my plan.
    
     I follow the Extreme Plan from my book "The
     Every Other Day Diet."
    
     Chris would agree -- changing the way you
     eat just every other day would make a
     MASSIVE impact on your bodyfat levels and
     your health.
    
     Check the book out here:
    
http://myeveryotherdaydiet.com   <--- fun and healthy foods

 

 

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

 

Lose Fat Without Changing Your Diet
by Mike Roussell PhD(c)
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpspeedfatloss.html

Strategies on how to lose fat normally centers on specific dietary approaches. However, there are many factors aside from controlling how many grams of fat you consume each day that can help accelerate your fat loss. In this article we will look at two different nutrition research studies that reveal key strategies for effective and permanent weight loss.

Weight Gaining Behavior - A 2004 study published by Dr. David Levitsky examined the eating behaviors of college freshman at Cornell University. He found that the students whom gained the most weight had 3 common characteristics:

1. "All You Can Eat" Dining
2. Snacking On High Fat Junk Foods
3. Increased Frequency of Snacking on Junk Foods

The problem here is that humans don't snack well. We don't regulate our caloric intake over time such that if we eat an extra 300 calories as a snack mid morning then we won't eat 300 calories less at lunch.

You need to be careful when it comes to snacking. Most snacks are carbohydrate and/or sugar based. AVOID these snacks at all costs. They will balloon your calories and carbohydrate intake, pulling you right out of the fat burning zone. Instead focus on eating protein and fiber rich snacks. This one behavior change will make a huge different in your journey to lose more weight.

In regards to "All You Can Eat" Dining, this is just a bad idea. Control your environment. We are very sensitive to visual cues such as plate size, amount of food, glass size/style, etc. "All You Can Eat" Dining is setting yourself up for dieting failure - avoid it at all costs so you can control your calorie intake with ease.

Stress, Exercise, and Support - Another famous study, the Lifestyle Heart Trial, reveals to us 3 crucial behavior changes that we must make for permanent and fast weight loss. Between 1977-1980, a group of people were put on the Ornish Diet as part of the Lifestyle Heart Trial. The Ornish Diet is a vegetarian diet that is very low in fat (less than 10% of calories from fat). Because of the severe fat restriction many find this diet hard to adhere to for the long term. However, during the Lifestyle Heart Trial the participants experienced phenomenal results such as regression of heart attack causing plaques in their arteries. Ever since this original study, similar results using the Ornish Diet have never been replicated.

Why?

Because the people in the study were implementing more than just a diet; they also did regular exercise (3 hours per week), meditation and relaxation (1 hour per day), and participated in 2 group support sessions each week. The addition of the other factors made the diet so much more effective.

Most people are probably already adding exercise to their weight loss plan but many miss regular stress management and developing a strong support system. These are make or break pieces to your fat loss puzzle. Adding exercise, stress management techniques, and finding a support system will greatly enhance your weight loss results.

If you are having trouble losing weight or if you have hit a weight loss plateau examine your current fat loss efforts. Do you actively manage the stress in your life? Do you have a support team? What kinds of foods are you snacking on? Do you control the portions you eat by avoiding "All You Can Eat" events?

Honestly answer these questions. Find the holes in your plan. Change them and get your fat loss back on track.

About the Author/More Info:
Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/warpspeedfatloss.html .

Mike Roussell is a nutrition doctoral student at Pennsylvania State. Mike's writings can be found in magazines such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Testosterone Nation. Mike specializes in fat loss nutrition and diets for busy men and women who need to lose weight fast without it interfering with their lives. Warp Speed Fat Loss  is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat to lose weight in record time.
 

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

 

Tom Venuto CSCS, NSCA-CPT
http://burnallyourfat.com  

A news media feeding frenzy erupted earlier this week when a new diet study broke in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Thursday, July 17th. Almost all the reporters got it wrong, wrong WRONG! So did most of the gloating low carb forumites and bloggers. Come to think of, almost everyone interpreted this study wrong. Some valuable insights came out of this study, but almost everyone missed them because they were too busy believing what the news said or defending their own cherished belief systems...

The new study, titled, "Weight Loss With a Low-Carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat Diet" was published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in issue 359, number 3.

I quickly read the full text of the research paper the day it was published. Then, I shook my head in dismay as I scanned the news headlines.

I found it amusing that the media turned this into a three ring circus, putting a misleading "low carb versus high carb," "Atkins vindicated" or "Diet wars" spin on the story. But that's mainstream journalism for you, right? Gotta sell those papers!

Just look at some of these headlines:

"Study Tips Scales in Atkins Diets Favor: Low Carb Regimen Better Than Low Fat Diet For Weight And Cholesterol, Major Study Shows. "

"Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets Face Off "

"The Never-Ending Diet Wars"

"Low Carb Beats Low Fat in Diet Duel."

"Atkins Diet is Safe and Far More Effective Than a Low-Fat One, Study Says"

"Unrestricted Low-Carb Diet Wins Hands Down"

Some of these headlines are hilarious! I wonder if any of these reporters actually read the whole study. Geez. Is it too much trouble to read 13 pages before you write a story that will be read by millions of already confused people suffering the pain and frustration of obesity?

Here's a quick look at the study design.

The low fat restricted calorie diet was based on American Heart Association guidelines. Calorie intake was set at 1500 for women, 1800 a day for men with 30% of calories from fat, and only 10% from saturated fat. Participants were instructed to eat low fat grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes and to limit their consumption of additional fats, sweets and high fat snacks.

The Mediterranean diet group was placed on a moderate fat, restricted calorie program rich in vegetables and low in red meat, with poultry and fish replacing beef and lamb. Energy intake was restricted to 1500 calories per day for women and 1800 calories per day for men with a goal of no more than 35% of calorie from fat. Added fat came mostly from nuts and olive oil.

The low carb diet was a non-restricted calorie plan aimed at providing 20 grams of carbs per day for the 2 month induction phase with a gradual increase to 120 grams per day to maintain the weight loss. Intakes of total calories, protein and fat were not limited. However, the participants were counseled to choose vegetarian sources of protein (more on that bizarre-twist shortly).

The study subjects were mostly male (86%), overweight (BMI 31) and middle age (mean age 52)

Here were the study results:

Click-Here to read the rest of this great article on Burn the Fat Inner Circle.

In order to get to your maximum fitness potential you need to understand how the 5th Element is the missing piece of the fitness puzzle. The first 4 Elements are: 1. Proper Nutrition 2. Strength Training 3. The Right Mindset 4. The right amount of cardio but what is the 5th Element? The 5th critical component to achieving your best body ever? I have arranged for you to recieve a FREE copy of an amazing Special Report that the Fat Loss Guru Tom Venuto has created for you. Simply click here to get your hands on this special report! Get the 5th Element Special Report Now! I am sure that this report will help you achieve even better results!

 

If you're interested in leveraging the power of accountability and social support to help you stick with your program better and get leaner, faster, then check out what the Inner Circle has to offer by clicking here.

Sincerely,,
Lewis & Sarahh
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

How to Break a Fat Loss Plateau
by Mike Roussell PhD(c)
http://tinyurl.com/65hwje

What is stopping your from reaching your fat loss goals? Maybe you are on track. If so then you can skip this article and go read something else…however…if your body isn’t where you want it to be then keep reading.

It is not uncommon that I talk with someone about their weight loss and they are completely baffled about why they can’t lose more weight. They are training hard and they are using a solid high protein, reduced carbohydrate, low calorie diet but they just aren’t losing weight fast enough.

The first question I always ask is – “Do you track your compliance?”

They respond “Huh?”

The truth is that you may have an amazing training and diet program but if you aren’t following the plan then you might as well have a bad training and diet program. You may be thinking. “Yeah, compliance…I’ve heard that before, I actually DO track what I eat.” That’s well and good but let’s takes this compliance thing one step further and look at the little things.

Let’s be honest. You can eat an extra piece of toast and not mark it down. You can make that teaspoon of peanut butter more like a tablespoon and not tell anyone but in the end the tape measure never lies. It is these small food indiscretions that most people don’t may attention to but in the end they can be the deciding factor in your fat loss. You can overlook them and lie to yourself now but you’ll be disappointed later on when the time comes to measure your progress – the tape measure never lies. It is better to be honest about your compliance so you can make strides to fix the holes in your plan, then lie to yourself, not lose the weight, and be stuck saying “I don’t know why I’m not losing any weight.”

Are you making this mistake? Be honest with yourself. Let’s look at some things that you should be doing on a daily/weekly basis. If you aren’t physically tracking your compliance then you need to start there. How many of your planned meals are you eating? How many are you missing? That is step one. The next step is to ensure that you are accurately tracking your compliance. This is an area we are all tempted to cheat in.

One of the not so obvious reasons why I recommend that people “chunk” their food prep and do in 1-2 times a week is because many people snack while cooking (I’m very guilty in this area). A slice of chicken here, a couple carrots there, you know what I’m talking about. These things add up. If you can’t cut out your nibbling when cooking it is very important that you “chunk” your prep. The difference could be as much as 500 calories a week saved (maybe more!).

Your mission is to get your compliance in check. In order to guarantee your success this is the only change that you should make over the next 2 weeks. Don’t change your diet, don’t change your training – just focus on accurately tracking your compliance and under the radar snacking. If after 2 weeks you notice that your measurement are going down or the the scale shows that you’ve lost more weight then we know that was the problem.

About the Author/More Info:

Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit http://tinyurl.com/65hwje. Alwyn Cosgrove, M.S., C.S.C.S. is a nationally renown fat loss expert whose work has appeared in magazines such as Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Men’s Journal, Self, Oxygen, and Muscle & Fitness HERS. His Warp Speed Fat Loss system is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat and exactly what to do for exercise to lose weight in record time. http://tinyurl.com/65hwje

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarahh
Publisher – AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

Are your food tastes making you fatter?
By Mike Geary
http://truthaboutabs.com

Are you "addicted" to overly aggressive food tastes? Is this making you fatter over time? Let’s take a look…

You’ve probably noticed that I like to talk about food… and healthy eating in particular. I’ve always said that healthy eating does NOT have to be boring and bland, and if you know a few preparation tricks, can actually be exciting and delicious.

Many people seem to falsely believe that they’ll never be able to get lean if they don’t eat what is thought to be typical bodybuilder fare — dry plain chicken breasts, plain broccoli, tuna fish, oatmeal, etc. If you’ve read my newsletters for some time, you know that I’m against this type of boring menu, and like to give healthy meal ideas that have a little more appeal.

However, here is one of the most important things you can do for yourself if you want to eat healthier for life and make it a HECK OF A LOT easier to get lean and stay that way permanently…

LEARN TO ADJUST YOUR TASTE BUDS TO ENJOY THE NATURAL UNADULTERATED TASTE OF REAL FOOD… UNPROCESSED FOOD

This is one of the main problems that I see so many people face with being able to control their eating… they have grown up with processed foods and additives that are excessively AGGRESSIVE TASTES.

*So many foods have excessive added sugars, corn syrups, artificial sweeteners, etc

*So many foods have excessive added trans fats, refined vegetable oils, and other processed fats

*So many foods are laden with excessive (and potentially dangerous) flavor enhancers such as MSG and processed commercial salt

All of this massive onslaught of overly aggressive tastes have rendered most people’s taste buds senseless when it comes to the natural taste of real unprocessed foods.

I was having brunch with a couple friends recently and I noticed one of them dumped this huge heaping spoonful of sugar into their coffee. I can’t even imagine being able to gag down a coffee that was so heavily loaded with sugar.

Even diet drinks (which I’d never drink because of the harmful artificial sweeteners) are so excessively sweet these days, they’re not even refreshing. I can’t understand how people can drink something that tastes like pure syrup.

Here’s a quick quiz to see if you’re officially addicted to overly aggressive tastes:

1. If given the choice, would you choose:

  a. sausage or hot dog

  b. steak, burger, or chicken breast

2. Do you prefer:

  a. sweetened tea or coffee (with added sugar or artificial sweeteners)

  b. unsweetened tea or black coffee

3. If given a choice for dessert, do you prefer:

  a. cake, pie, or ice cream

  b. a piece of fruit

4. If you like chocolate, do you prefer:

  a. milk chocolate

  b. extra dark chocolate

I could think of more, but that’ll do for now… If you answered a’s more than you answered b’s, then you may be addicted to overly aggressive tastes, and that could be making you pack on more lbs indirectly.

One of the main problems is that needing to eat aggressive tasting foods means that all of that extra salt, MSG, added processed fats, sugars, and artificial sweeteners are playing havok with your hormones, and making you crave extra calories that your body doesn’t need.

Don’t worry though, it CAN be easy to wean yourself off of these aggressive tastes. I’ve successfully done it.

About 5 years ago, I’d have called you crazy if you said I’d ever be drinking unsweetened tea or black coffee… I always needed to add a sweetener back then… but now, I actually PREFER to drink them both unsweetened.

What I did was just slightly reduce the amount of sweetener I added over time, and eventually I got used to using none, and actually started to prefer the natural taste of coffee or tea instead of just tasting the sweetness.

Now you can start to see how this all ties back into enjoying the REAL taste of food (or drink) instead of the ADDITIVES in food!

My recommendations for your leaner healthier body:

*Enjoy the taste of real meats, such as grass-fed steaks, fish, chicken breasts, pork tenderloin… instead of needing the aggressive tastes of the additives in sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, and other processed meats.

*Start to enjoy the taste of the actual coffee or tea instead of the taste of the sugar or artificial sweetener.

*Start drinking water or unsweetened tea with meals (instead of soda or sweetened drinks) at least every other day, and try to increase that to every day eventually.

*Use herbs and spices in your cooking instead of heavy use of salt.

*Try to wean yourself off of cakes, pies, candies, and other sweets… Eat mostly fruit or small amounts of super-dark chocolate instead.

*Avoid any and all deep fried foods and processed starch-based side dishes – mac & cheese, scalloped potatoes, etc.

Even doing just some of these simple tips can help you to change your tastes over time and help to overcome your addiction to the overly aggressive tastes that food marketers have pushed on us our entire lives.

I hope these ideas help you to eat healthier in 2009!

**One more note for today…

I wanted to congratulate all of my readers who have achieved phenomenal results and changed their body and mind by using my TruthAboutAbs program. I get stories in all the time about these successes.

Anybody can get great results too… you’re not "cursed with a slow metabolism"… that’s a lame cop-out from people that are too lazy to take action and change their body.

I’m really proud of one of my readers who just recently sent me his latest pictures…

Check out the 3 pictures of Leith on this page showing his transformation:

>> http://www.truthaboutabs.com/testimonials.html

You can see that these aren’t any kind of "staged" before/afters… these are simply his legit pics which even show the dates automatically from the camera readout.

These are the kind of results that you can get if you actually take action on REAL workouts and REAL nutrition and stop searching for some kind of miracle pill (which will never exist).

 

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarahh
Publisher – AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

hey there,

For today’s fat loss tip my buddy Tom Venuto was kind enough to let me to share this motivation/mindset question and answer that he recently answered on the Burn The Fat Inner Circle member forums because he thinks that self limiting beliefs are an issue that many people deal with and it’s one of the reasons people start to falter as early as late January or early February in their 2009 goal pursuits.

QUESTION:

"Tom, I’ve followed your guidelines by writing down all my goals, and I’ve also identified all my self-limiting beliefs (and believe me there were a lot, including a belief that I didn’t deserve it).

Ok, but what do I do now? Do I visualize my goals or work on repeating my new beliefs? I also took the list of limiting beliefs and made a new list called ‘self enhancing beliefs’. This is the list of beliefs that I am wondering if I should affirm everyday until they sink in.
Should I do this BEFORE affirming my goals?

I Very much appreciate your advice.

TOM VENUTO ANSWERS:

We could break this down into 2 major steps, 2 quick questions and
4 ways to challenge a limiting belief.

STEP 1: IDENTIFY LIMITING BELIEFS

We’re well aware of some of our beliefs because beliefs about spirituality or politics or animal rights any other topic are the types of beliefs that are usually conscious.

But the beliefs that affect us the most in our physical development are NOT conscious. They are unconscious.

So the first step, which you’ve already done, is to make sure you’ve flushed them all out. For our readers who haven’t done this yet, here’s how:

————————————————
2 Quick Questions Will Draw Out Your Beliefs
————————————————

It pays to do this as a formal "exercise" with serious quiet time and pen and paper.

Question #1. What causes me to be overweight (or unhealthy, not having body I want, etc)?

Question #2. What’s preventing me from getting leaner?

Spend some time with it.

Consider the answers; what you may come up with may be legitimate issues that you can deal with or which you have no control over, but either way, you will also see limiting beliefs flushed out through this questioning process.

Example: "I can’t because I have no time, I’m too old, I can’t stop eating, I hate exercise, You just can’t do it when you have 4 kids, after a hip replacement, it’s impossible…
And so on….

Thing is, those are not accurate facts. Those are beliefs (negative thought patterns) that hold you back.

STEP 2: CHALLENGE THOSE BELIEFS

How do you challenge a belief? 4 ways:

(A) Challenge it directly: is it even valid at all? See if you
can find a counter example. For example; you think that when
you’ve had 3 or 4 kids you cant get a nice flat stomach, meet
Maxine or Bonnie , or any one of our other super fit moms who have been profiled within the Inner Circle.

Now… if they did it, then how could this belief be valid?
Answer: It WASN’T valid! Your belief wasn’t true. You were
believing in something false and inaccurate and it was holding
you back!

Out of all the psychological techniques that we can apply to
create belief change, I have never found a way easier or better
than finding role models that are counter-examples, therefore
dis-proving a limiting belief.

(B) Challenge the source: is it your belief, or have you been
living what someone else handed down to you? Just the realization
that a belief wasn’t yours to begin with is enough to shatter it.

(C) Challenge the usefulness of the belief. Ok so you believed
something before, does still believing it has any usefulness today?
Does it help you move closer to what you want in your life?

(D) Challenging the belief by weighing the consequences. If
you keep this belief what is it going to cost you? what will
the pain be like? What will you miss? And what will these
consequences be if you don’t change it NOW?

Last but not least, You’re RIGHT about "deservability." So start
with an affirmation every day that "I deserve it."

keep in mind that affirmations alone won’t do it in the case
of having feelings of unworthiness. You MUST take massive action.
The more action you take, the more you will feel "worthy" of
receiving.

That’s why it’s harmful to seek something for nothing; you
can’t get something for nothing in the long run anyway, but
even if you could, you would not feel worthy.

There would be an incongruous feeling inside you and you’d
sabotage yourself… kind of like those lottery winners who
win a million dollars overnight, but they never became millionaires (in their mind/self image), so they blow the money faster than they got it…

You can create affirmations about all kinds of things and work on
them at the same time – things you want to change, get, improve, attract. Goals get turned into affirmations. Beliefs can be written as affirmations.

Affirmations are simply stating your goals or your desired empowering belief in a way that your subconscious mind is receptive to.

The difference between a belief affirmation and a goal affirmation
is that goals all have end points. Beliefs don’t. Most of your
empowering beliefs you will want to keep. But when a goal is achieved, you have to set new ones.

So when you’ve found that belief that you know is limiting you,
write an affirmation for what belief you would want / need to
hold instead. Read it right along with your goals every day. Keep
it up until you start to see your behavior change and your results
fall in line with what you want.

If you’re diligent, you will see changes in attitude and
behavior with 21-30 days. It may take longer if you’ve carried
deep, lifelong, life-impacting limiting beliefs, but the roots
of the new pattern will be formed.

Then you can move on to another goal or belief you want
to work on… and the effect of changing a few beliefs one after another can be nothing short of life-transforming.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto
Author of "Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle"
Burn the Fat inner circle

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher – AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover