Let’s face it, the reason why we spend hours pedaling away on stationary bikes is to burn more fat.  I can do five hours of cardio a week and still put two pounds on.  This is because while I’m burning calories, usually 400-500 per session, I’m also taking in a certain amount of calories and also building muscle with my weight training regiment.  The way to burn more calories than you take in is quite simple, don’t eat as much as you burn.

The problem a lot of us have is deciding exactly how many calories we need throughout the day. There are many different methods to help to help you do this.  They range from simple formulas, such as multiplying your body weight by a fixed number, to complicated equations that take into account your height, weight, age, resting metabolic rate and body type ( endomorphic, ectomorphic ).  Personally, I like to keep things simple.  Multiply your target bodyweight by a fixed number that varies depending on how much exercise your doing.  One of the key components to this method, is the amount of muscle you have does have an influence on your metabolic rate.  One of the big myths about muscle and metabolism is the idea that for every pound of new muscle, your body will burn an extra 50-100 calories per day.  You’ve probably read about how muscle burns calories  even while you are sitting at your desk or even sleeping.  This is all true!  When you gain muscle, your resting metabolic rate ( the number of calories your body burns at rest) does go up, but this increase is a lot less than the 50-100 calorie figure you’ll often seen written.

Methods for measuring resting metabolic rate and body composition vary widely in their precision and accuracy.  We don’t know for sure if any change in resting metabolism is because of extra muscle.   In addition, other studies show an increase in resting metabolic rate even when gains in fat-free mass are taken into account.

If you’re confused, join the club.  I’m here to make all this seem doable.  If you were to lose two pounds of fat and replace it with two pounds of muscle, your resting metabolic rate will increase by less than 10 calories per day.  In other words, the ideal goal is to build muscle while minimizing fat gain, or, lose fat while preserving muscle.  If  you are fortunate enough to gain a significant amount of muscle while you’re losing fat, the impact of the extra muscle on your resting metabolic rate will be small, and certainly won’t amount to 10,000 extra calories a month.  The key to burning more fat is burn more calories than you take in.  There are instruments like the Body Bug that measure the amount of calories you burn throughout the day and by logging in the amount of food you eat during the day, calculates the results.  The key to any device is to be honest with every calorie you consume in a day.  Soon you will see the difference in the mirror.  Stay healthy!

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I was recently discussing with a colleague of mine about the ever increasing problem of obesity in this country, and how many children are overweight from lack of exercise and poor eating habits.  Today we live in a society that is driven by electronic devices that keep us sitting for longer periods of time.  Because of the computer age, our children are also suffering from inactivity and therefore are not burning the calories they used to twenty years ago.  When I was young, I was way more active than my kids are today.  I can remember riding my bicycle 2-3 miles to my friends house, play basketball for two hours, then ride 2-3 miles home.  I”m not sure my daughter knows how to ride a bike and she’s ten, but she can certainly navigate her way around a laptop, and nowadays that’s important.  What’s also important is that she eats healthy for her age and has very little chance of having a weight problem thanks to parents who make sure she makes good choices when it comes to nutrition.

That leads us to our discussion about making healthy choices when it comes to fast food.  I know this might seem like an oxymoron,” healthy fast food,” but believe or not there are good choices to make or let’s say safe choices to make when pulling up to the drive-thru.  If you have kids or even if you don’t, but eat on the road a lot, you’ve had to pull into fast food restaurant once or twice in you’re life.  Recently I was in NY and noticed the calories printed next to each item on the menu.  Holy cow, I couldn’t believe how many calories there were in some of the burgers, shakes, fries, coffees, and God forbid, doughnuts.  A dozen doughnuts from Dunkin’s had about 8000 calories.  Not to say you’re going to eat the whole dozen, but you get the point!  Instead of eating fatty, sugary doughnuts, try a plain bagel with light cream cheese.  Instead of getting the double latte mocha frappachino, order a medium coffee with skim milk and two Splendas. Not as yummy, but way easier on the hips and gut.

One of the healthier fast food chains out there is Chick-fil-A. I was there the other day and ordered their Chargrilled Chicken sandwich, only 400 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 1120 mg of sodium.  Minus the huge sodium amount, which by the way is the big issue with all fast food chains, pretty good stuff.  Church’s Chicken on the other hand offers a six piece wing meal with fries that serve’s up 1155 calories, 50 grams of fat, and 3000 mg of sodium. With those numbers, you can feed a small village in Somalia for a week.

The biggest problem with eating fast food is not only the fat content, but all the sodium in each product. Unfortunetly, we can’t get away from the sodium, but we can order food with less fat.  If you drink plenty of water with your meal, that should help offset the sodium intake.  Speaking of burgers ( now I’m getting hungry), Wendy’s offers a great meal on the go. Order a Jr. Cheeseburger with a small Chili, and you’re looking at 490 calories, 18 grams of fat, and of course 1500 mg of sodium.  Portion control is so important when it comes to eating on the run.  Another smart choice when it comes to ordering burgers, is Burger King’s Whopper Jr.  If you order with no mayo (which adds 80 calories), you’re looking at 260 calories, 10 grams of fat, and only 460 mg of the salty stuff, not bad!

Any time you pull up to a fast food restaurant, immediately start thinking grilled chicken breast, salad, small hamburger (hold the mayo), and go for the bottled water and lay off the soda.  If there is one drink out there that you need to stay away from, it’s the sugary sodas.  Start reading labels. A 12 oz. can of Coke has 35 grams of sugar in it, enough for me to go into diabetic shock!

By far the healthiest place to eat on the run is Subway.  They have plenty of choices when it comes to nutritious food under 400 calories. I ate there today and had a 6 inch Roast Beef and Swiss on whole wheat, 360 calories, 9 grams of fat, 890 mg of sodium.  Let’s face it, most people eat fast food about 2-3 times a week.  If you can cut that number down to 1-2 times, you’ll start to see a difference in how you feel and your kids will be healthier in the end.  But if you have to eat out, be smart and start reading the calorie amount if offered.  Hopefully every fast food joint in every state will post the calorie amounts on their menus, so we all can make better choices.  Order wisely and stay healthy!

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Net carbs is a term that is commonly used in many of today’s fad diets such as Atkins, South Beach Diet, etc. and most people do not truly understand what it means.  Most people think that carbs are carbs and have been scared into the delusion that “to lose weight, I’ve got to cut out carbs!”.  This is, however, not true.  You must understand what net carbs are and how to effectively use that number when working towards obtaining your weight loss goals.

In reality, “net carbs” is a term made up by manufacturers of low-carb diets in order to make their carbohydrate count look much lower than it really is.  The idea behind low carbohydrate diets is to eat foods which will not cause your blood glucose level to spike up.  Some of the ingredients which are in typical low carb diets are not nearly as straight forward as the manufacturer would like you to believe.  There are some ingredients which contain carbohydrates which are much better for you than others.  Let’s take a closer look.

Fiber is fairly straightforward.  The total fiber count can be subtracted from the total carbs because fiber does not digest in the small intestine and therefore does not get broken down into glucose and released into the bloodstream. Therefore, it IS safe to subtract total fiber from total carbs.

Sugar is a different story altogether.  Sugar and its alcohol derivatives (-tol’s) all have a very high impact on blood glucose levels.  However, when you look in most “low carb” products, you’ll see a common ingredient named maltitol.  Many of the low carb companies subtract sugars from total carbs, but using this example you can see why this should not be the case!

As you can see – the “net carbs” is not a number which you can always trust 100%.  It’s always better to get back to basics and read the ingredients on the product label before determining if a product is good for you in your current diet or not. You simply cannot always believe what the product manufacturers tell you.  Trust me, many times they’re telling you EXACTLY what you WANT to hear, but unfortunately not what you NEED to hear.

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Hopefully, you’ve been keeping up with the articles I have written the last month to contribute to this informative web-site on health and fitness. You have probably have noticed with all your intensive training how your appetite has decreased. I know it sounds crazy, but I always thought it was the other way around, that hard work builds your appetite.

In a study at the University of Campinas, heart-pumping activity was actually found to decrease appetite by upping protein levels in the hypothalamus; tricking your brain into thinking you’re full. It appeared to make brains more sensitive to key chemicals that play a role in appetite communication. Researchers witnessed some key chemical changes in the brains of overweight animals that began getting regular exercise. The levels of two different proteins, interleukin-6 and interleukin-10, increased in the hypothalamus. These proteins served as a type of appetite control within the part of the brain that receives signals from important hunger hormones like leptin and insulin.

As a consequence of these protein increases, researchers found that the animals’ brain cells became more sensitive and receptive to hunger signals. The end result – the animals started to eat less. It’s not the first study to support the theory that turning up your physical activity level can dial down your appetite.  This is one of the first studies to highlight a possible underlying mechanism for the effect. More research will need to be done to determine whether exercise has exactly the same effect on humans.

For now, we already know lots of great health benefits to crank up your physical activity levels. I know that immediately after a grueling workout, the last thing on my mind is a big meal. That’s why a meal-replacement drink usually goes down easier than a plate of chicken and broccoli.

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Ok folks, you knew it was coming! I went to the doctor for some blood work and my glucose level was 156 – say hello to Type Two Diabetes. It figures that with a history of high triglycerides and family members with thesame sugar issues, I would be next.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a personal trainer or a truck driver, if it’s hereditary and you don’t watch what you eat and exercise daily, you’ll be getting prescriptions of Metformin like me.

So what can be done about this? First, start reading the labels of all foods you consume on a daily basis and make sure they are low in sugar (5 grams or less) or sugar-free. Like anything in life, you’ll get used to the taste, or lack there of. If you start to recognize food as a fuel source, and an important ingredient to help build muscle, you’ll put the soda and chips down and grab a salad with water instead. I’ll admit I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I’ve been eating sugar-free cookies and icecream to wean my way off the good stuff. I also cut back on my beer drinking which also contributes to high sugar levels. I’ve substituted beer for red wine, but not the whole bottle in one sitting. The limit should be two glasses at any one time.

Exercise is just as important and is so key to helping with Type Two Diabetes. Walking, jogging, swimming and any type of cardio for at least a half hour a day is recommended. You’ll be surprised how the fat will start to fall off you after cutting down on the sugary foods that only slow down our metabolism and increase chances of becoming diabetic. I also started to stay away from white bread, rice and potatoes. I regularly eat whole grains and I am eating more fruits and vegetables then before. Also, I am drinking less alcohol which, in turn, will help keep my glucose levels down.

You want your glucose to be under 100 so if you are like me and you’ve got some issues with diabetes, do yourself a favor and start eating healthier, exercise more, and take your medication. Have blood work done every 60 to 90 days or buy a blood sugar meter at your local pharmacy and check it once a week.

Stay healthy!

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A workout plan consisting of regular aerobic and anaerobic exercises are crucial to your weight loss success. You cannot achieve significant weight loss without them. Any weight loss plan that claims you can lose weight with dieting alone is simply false. A combination of diet and exercise (both aerobic and anaerobic) is the key to significant and permanent weight loss and no workout plan is complete unless it includes both of these critical components.

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The Importance of Aerobic Exercises Throughout my discussion of aerobic exercises, I will use the terms aerobic and cardio interchangeably. They have the same meaning, which is, with oxygen. In other words, aerobic or cardio exercises require oxygen. Aerobic exercises will increase your aerobic enzymes. Aerobic enzymes help burn fat so you want alot of them!

Cardio exercises should be done at least 3-5 days per week for a minimum of 20 minutes each session. You are going to want a target heart rate in the weight loss zone for maximum weight loss. As you put your workout plan together, you will want to choose a primary aerobic exercise. This will be the exercise you will do the majority of the time but by no means should it prevent you from adding some diversity to your workout plan. This is why, in addition to a primary aerobic exercise, youll want to choose an alternative aerobic exercise.

The Importance of Anaerobic Exercises When you put your workout plan together, be sure to first focus on aerobic exercises as they will have the most dramatic impact on increasing your metabolism (meaning, youll burn more calories and lose more weight). However, dont dismiss the importance of anaerobic exercises (weight training) when creating your workout plan. After you have established a routine of aerobic exercises in your workout plan, youll want to introduce anaerobic exercises for maximum weight loss results. Anaerobic means without oxygen. Weight lifting is the best example of an anaerobic exercise and needs to be included in any successful workout plan. Lifting weights increases your muscle mass, strengthens joints and ligaments, maintains bone density and increases your metabolism. In the long run, weight lifting is a critical component of the Total Fitness Plan and is vital to any successful workout plan.

Chad Tackett‘s five-part series on Strength Training Principles and Guidelines provides the fundamental principles to develop a safe and effective strength training routine. It’s a must-read for anyone new to strength training!

The Importance of Warm Up, Stretching & Cool Down While not necessarily an important component to weight loss, proper warm up, stretching and cool down are important elements of any workout plan. They prevent injuries and allow the body to return to its normal state so be sure to include time in your workout plan for these critical activities. Basically, your workout plan is a blueprint for you to follow on the road to attaining your weight loss goals. Dont think of it as something that is set in stone but rather as something that will change as you progress towards your goals. If you remember to include all of the ideas listed above in your workout plan, then success will be your reward!

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Cardio exercise is such a strange thing. In theory, it should work so perfectly well for all men and women, but as anyone who has tried it knows, the practicality of it just doesn’t add up.

After all, some men and women do cardio 6 hours, 9 hours, or more per week, and still have belly fat to burn. On the other hand, it works just fine for others. British researchers wanted to get more insight into this paradox, and studied 35 overweight men and women, who weren’t previously exercising. (Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008). Subjects exercised 5 times per week for 12 weeks. That’s a lot of exercise, but it helped the subjects lose an average of 8.2 pounds, which is great – I was positively surprised by the results. So cardio will work for some people, however, in my experience, it works best in young men, who need the help the least! Back to the study, the variance in fat loss between individuals was huge. Check this out… The best subject lost a staggering 32.3 pounds in 12 weeks, while the worst subject actually GAINED 3.74 pounds. The scientists think they know where things went sour. They classified the subjects into 2 groups, called the “Compensators” and the “Non-compensators”. The Compensators were hungrier, and as a result consumed an extra 268 calories per day, all but wiping out their cardio efforts. Therefore, the Compensators lost the least amount of weight, and scientists believe that was due to the huge “compensatory” increase in appetite experienced by this group. Does your appetite increase when you do slow cardio? If it does, research shows it will ruin your cardio efforts. So if your cardio program is not working for you, check your appetite and calorie intake to see if you are “compensating” for your efforts. If you are, you might be better off using a program of high-intensity resistance and interval training (i.e. Turbulence Training) for your weight loss efforts. As Australian Professor Steve Boucher has shown in research, interval training increases hormones called catecholamines. And increased catecholamines can reduce appetite, among other fat- burning benefits. In the real world, few people lose 33 pounds after 12 weeks of cardio. Heck, few even achieve an average weight loss of 8 pounds with aerobic exercise. So again, check your appetite, and consider giving high-intensity exercise a go for your next workout program. Beat the curse of cardio with high-intensity Turbulence Training.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Author, Turbulence Training About the Author Learn about the “Dark Side of Cardio” in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at www.TurbulenceTraining.com. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

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Everywhere you turn, someone’s promising the next secret to getting 6 pack abs. Some of these so called ‘secrets’ have some degree of accuracy, while others, not so much. Deciphering which are the best methods to getting 6 pack abs is going to be critical to your having success with this goal.

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The biggest area you need to focus on when trying to obtain 6 pack abs is going to be on your diet. Like it or not, the old saying that ‘abs are made in the kitchen’, is probably one of the most truthful statements in the fitness industry. If your diet isn’t in line, your stomach is going to show it. So, what should you be doing with your diet? First, ensure you are getting enough protein. Not only is protein going to form the key building blocks you need to build muscle tissue, but it’s also going to provide you with a better feeling of fullness than eating just carbohydrates alone would for example. Protein is more “expensive” than any other macronutrient meaning that your body will burn more calories breaking down protein compared to carbs and fats. Next, don’t be afraid of dietary fat that comes from primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive oils, fish oils, a mix of nuts, natural peanut butter and avocado. While it’s true that eating fat will increase your calories fast, as long as you keep it between 20-30% it can be one of the best things to get 6 pack abs fast. The important point here is that dietary fat helps keep your insulin level stable, which, when high enough can actually cause fat gain itself. Furthermore, dietary fat will keep you feeling the fullest for the longest duration in time; longer than both protein or carbohydrates would. Interestingly, some diets high in fat can get you 6 pack abs fast because your body learn to metabolize fat for energy. So, while you do need to watch it, be sure you are getting some in your diet. Finally, when it comes to carbohydrate intake and getting 6 pack abs, you want to focus most of your carbohydrate intake around the post workout period. Why? The biggest reason for this is because this is when your body is going to need those carbohydrates the most and will really suck them up into the muscle tissue. When you eat them at this time, it is least likely that they will turn into body fat. Additionally, consuming carbohydrates during this period will also help to aid with muscle recovery and repair, so that means less down time from the gym for you. If getting 6 pack abs fast is your goal than each meal you should consist of 1-2 cups of raw vegetables to control insulin levels, improve absorption of your protein and flood your body with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. So, if you are aiming to get 6 pack abs in the coming months, have a good hard look at your diet. That is the big secret that must not be overlooked if you are to succeed.

To read more about Vince Delmonte’s best selling fat loss secrets, please visit Your6PackQuest.com. ———————————- About the Author: Vince DelMonte is the author of Your Six Pack Quest found at Your6PackQuest.com. He specializes in helping chubby guys and gals get six pack abs without gimmicks, supplements or dieting. 2006-2008, Your Six Pack Quest All rights in all media reserved. You may reprint this article so long as the article and author bio are reprinted intake and all links are made live. This article may never be sold individually or as part of a package.

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Our friends and family play a larger role in our lives than we realize sometimes. Although we may feel strongly about the need to shed those extra pounds and to get ourselves back into shape, it is an uphill battle if the most important people in our lives are not in our corner. It isnt like we need support or some goofy group hug from people, but we definitely need to let them know that we are serious about this weight loss deal and that some changes have to be made in our lives that may affect the way we relate to one another.

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Getting weight loss support from family, friends and sometimes even professionals is important if you want long term results. You need to let those close to you know that you are embarking on a dramatic but exciting challenge. They need to know how important this change is to you and that you need them in your corner to help you achieve your weight loss goals. If you keep them in the dark, they may unknowingly jeopardize your weight loss goals.

You don’t have to share your specific weight loss goals with your buddies or even your family, but you should at least let them know that you are working hard to lose weight. If they are aware of your efforts, they will know better than to invite you over for pizza and beer! By letting your friends and family know that you want to lose weight and get into shape, they can get in your corner and help (or at least not hurt) your chances for success in attaining your weight loss goals. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to lose weight – only to have your wife stock the kitchen with junk food (not realizing you’re trying to lose weight in the first place)!  At the very least you need to let those people you spend the most time with that you are trying to lose weight and you are “watching what you are eating.”  Sometimes the weight loss support you get from your friends and family isn’t enough.  Some of us (and I would argue most of us) need a little extra push.  If you’ve looked over our Total Fitness Plan, you’ll realize we recommend several changes in your lifestyle to achieve your weight loss and fitness goals.  Sometimes it takes a little more than our wives or buddies telling us, “we can do it.”  If you’re struggling to stick with the Total Fitness Plan, or any weight loss plan for that matter, don’t hesitate to turn to a personal trainer or even a nutritionist in order to achieve success in your weight loss goals. A personal trainer can help you devise a workout plan that will put you on the path to success while also helping you avoid mistakes in your weight lifting techniques and exercises. A nutritionist can help you create a diet that will effectively aid you in your weight loss goals and leave you feeling healthier and more energized in the process.

If you’re considering a personal trainer or a nutritionist, we highly recommend you read our reviews of Global Health and Fitness and the M Power Audio Series. Both offer unbelievable weight loss support and will definitely help you achieve your weight loss goals.  Once you have the right people in your corner, the path to weight loss success will be much easier!

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