Fat Loss misconceptions

Are fat loss lies ruining your chances of success?
I sincerely hope that your 2009 workout and nutrition plan is already wildly successful and that you are well on your way to achieving your fat loss and fitness goals. But if you aren't, let
me know why and what I can do to help.Many people's programs suffer from misconceptions about fatloss - i.e. that cardio must be done everyday - and also false perceptions about how well they are eating.
I have one question on my feedback form that asks the client:"Do you eat lots of fruits and vegetables?"Almost every time the client's answer is "Yes".
On the next page, I have the client list their food intake.And guess what rarely shows up?
If you guessed fruits and vegetables, you'd get a prize if I were giving them away. There are too many inconsistencies in our thoughts and actions whenit comes to weight loss.And the misguided notions that well-meaning fitness articles heap on us simply adds to the ever-growing confusion.Here I want to shed some light on some of the most common misconceptions about training and dieting for fat loss. The more I discuss weight loss and read the research, the more I realize fat loss results come from your nutrition, and that training is just a relatively small part of the equation. But knowing this "truth" allows me to confidently design shorter fat loss workouts than most people traditionally use or expect arenecessary.
Listen, you can spend 60 minutes on a cardio machine if you want.Sure you will burn 500 calories during that session, but your metabolism won't be significantly elevated after exercise AND you'll still have to find some time to do the mandatory strength training that a beautiful and healthy body requires. Or you can do what I suggest... Scrap the long, slow, excruciatingly boring cardio workouts and instead stick to a much more manageable approach of... A bodyweight movement warm up (10 minutes) Strength Training Supersets (20 minutes) Interval Training (20 minutes) Done only 3 times per week, these 45 minute workouts still burn plenty of calories during training (300-400 calories), but theworkouts also boost your metabolism for hours and hours (some research suggests up to a day and a half!), therefore burning far more NET calories AND fat than slow, mind-numbing cardio. All you really need are some short intense training sessions to boost your metabolism and sculpt your body. And then you really just have to trust your nutrition to strip the fat.
Look at it this way...imagine you are carving an ice sculpture outof a block of ice. Your nutrition would be responsible for lopping off the big chunks to get down to only the amount of ice you need...and the Turbulence Training workouts would be responsiblefor chiseling in the details of your final sculpture. As no matter how much confusing information there is about exercise, the debate over the best way to eat for fat loss is always much more ridiculous.(That's why I went to a credible and sensible source - Dr. ChrisMohr, Ph.D. - for the TT Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines.)
As far as dieting misconceptions go, I think too many nutritionists are trading political correctness for results. In my opinion, PCdiets don't work. Take a look at the American Diabetes Association...they still make room for sugar in a diabetic's diet - because they don't want to deprive anyone of sugar. Well that's not going to work. You have to make sacrifices. You have to stick to at least a 90% nutrition compliance if you want big-time results. You can't go with the political correct approach of "having alittle bit of your favorite foods everyday so that you don't deprive yourself".Think about the person that has your dream body - whether it's a cover model, your neighbor, a TV star, or the fittest person down at your gym. Do you think they haven't made sacrifices? Of coursethey have. They've done the work to get their reward. Now its your turn! You have to get strict and stick to whole, natural foods (fruits,vegetables, meat, fish, and nuts) if you want to succeed. You need to accept that every action has consequences... If you want to live a lifestyle where you don't deprive yourself of daily treats, that's fine. But realize the consequence of this action will be that you will always remain a few pounds of fat away from your goal.
According to your actions, you value your treats higher than you value your fat loss success. But if you place your desire for fat loss success above your desire to eat junk, than the consequences will be that you will reach your body composition goals. It's that simple. We all get what we deserve and unless someone is holding a fork to your mouth, you are responsible for your own success.
And my last "non-PC" tip on dieting...almost all the people that tell me they are eating very well are lying to themselves and to me - as I mentioned before based on my client feedback experiences. So do what Dr. John Berardi calls a compliance grid.
Take a piece of paper and make a 6x7 grid (6 meals over 7 days). Then check off each time you eat according to plan and mark an "X" for each time you miss your goals. Realize that you only have 4 mistake meals for an entire week if you want to stick to the 90% compliance. Most of the time this is a bucket-of-cold-water-to-the-face wake up call to people. They quickly realize their nutrition compliance is much closer to 75% than 90%...and that explains why they aren't getting anywhere.
So the bottom line for fat loss: 1) Nutrition is where the hard work really is for fat loss. 2) The workouts don't have to be super-long to get fat loss results. You just need short, intense, and efficient. And that'swhat my workouts are all about. Nothing fancy, no rocket science,just FUN workouts that are over quickly...and who wouldn't want that considering today's busy lifestyles.

I'm too busy to diet

An hour of preparation on Sunday can ensure that you have plenty of healthy snacks available for those of us on the go. Here are some examples of both items that can be prepared ahead and stored in meal/snack size portions for your busy week ahead.

Baked or broiled skinless chicken breasts (available cooked in the freezer section for the non-cooks)

Hard boiled eggs

Clean and cut mountains of cucumbers, celery, cabbage and radishes

String cheese (already comes in 1 oz. portions)

Hard cheeses such as cheddar and swiss (cut into 1 oz. portions for snacks)

Tuna and Salmon in a pouch

Sardines

Frozen cooked shrimp & peeled shrimp

Beef Jerky

Pumpkin seeds

Mixed Nuts (portion these out ahead of time as they are high in calories and easy to over eat)

Whey Protein (in the infant section of the department store is a formula carrier that just happens to carry 4 individual scoops of Whey)

Low Carb yogurt (Kroger has a good one called Carb Masters)

Sam’s Choice brand of trail mix-Nature’s Trail (has no candy or junk food) portion in ¼ cup servings (I get this at Wal-Mart)


Compliments of:
Pat’s Personal Training 937-206-3864 PatFrock@woh.rr.com

Eating for Results from Testosterone Nation

Because Everybody Eats
As we say in the muscle-building world, nutrition is responsible for 50% of your results. Or is 75%? Heck, I've even heard 90%!
Whatever. We'll let the experts argue numbers. But this much is certainly true: If you aren't paying attention to the foods you eat, you're severely hurting your chances of building a muscular, lean, healthy body.
But let's go a step beyond the obvious.
Tell me, what do fat people and scrawny people have in common? What does the powerlifter have in common with the competitive bodybuilder? The pro athlete and the weekend warrior? The 17 year old newbie and the 25-year veteran?
Answer: They all eat. Every day. Several times per day. And if they aren't getting the results they want, then I'll bet you a shiny new quarter that their diet is a big cause of the problem.
And that's why I love to read, edit, and write nutrition articles: They apply to everybody and they can give your physique-building efforts a blast of nitro.
Do you eat? Good. This article is for you.
Power Foods, 2009
A few years ago, TC wrote a great article about what he called "power foods." There he listed 13 foods that have powerful, drug-like effects on human physiology — foods that not only make you healthier and potentially boost your lifespan, but also foods that support your physique and athletic goals. In other words, foods that make you look good nekid and keep you looking good for years to come. Here's TC's list:
Broccoli
Wild Salmon
Grass-Fed Beef
Walnuts
Olive Oil
Blueberries
Flaxseeds
Pumpkin
Spinach
Tomatoes
Turkey Breast
Yogurt
Shiitake Mushrooms
Pull up a chair. Let's eat!