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Tom Venuto is an NSCA-certified personal trainer, lifetime natural bodybuilder, certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom has written hundreds of articles and has been featured in IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise. To contact Tom or get information on his e-book, visit www.BurnTheFat.com

Here are some of his latest articles:

Burn Fat and Curb Your Appetite With This Metabolism-Boosting Food

The Truth About How Much Exercise You Really Need

Organic Food and Grass Fed Beef – Worth It or Not?

Workout Timing – When to Train?

Elastic Bands for Resistance Training – Any Good?

Cardio: How Much Cardio Should I Do to Lose Body Fat as Quickly as Possible?

Calorie Calculators

Gaining Weight: I Can’t Gain Weight! What Should I Do?

Cheat Days: Is it O.K. to Pig Out and Have a Cheat Day Once a Week?

Fat Loss For Beginners – 8 Tips For Getting Started

Glutamine: Can You Give Me Any Practical Advice?

How Much Sleep Do You REALLY Need for Health, Fitness and Gaining Muscle?

Beer: Does Drinking Beer on the Weekends Slow Down Your Progress?

N02 (Nitric Oxide) – The Latest Wiz Bang Supplement?

The Top 10 Bonehead Workout Mistakes to Avoid and The Top 10 Kick-Butt Training Tips

How To Lose 20 Pounds REALLY, REALLY Fast

Cortisol, Stress & Body Fat: Straight Answers To The Top 20 Questions About The “Stress Hormone”

Is it o.k. to Lose More than 2 Pounds per Week?

Obesity: Why are We so Fat?

The Truth about Counting Calories

What’s Best for Fat Loss – High Intensity or Low Intensity Workouts?

Banking Calories: Eat Less Now to Pig Out Later?

Related Posts:

• Burn Fat and Curb Your Appetite With This Metabolism-Boosting Food
• The Top 10 Bonehead Workout Mistakes to Avoid and The Top 10 Kick-Butt Training Tips
• Weight Training: Better For Burning Fat?
• Top Ten Reasons to Get Hooked on Strength Training
• The Truth about Counting Calories

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Men’s Fitness magazine recently asked me for 3 of my best fat loss tips. Since most times the magazines just don’t have enough space to run my full tips, I thought I’d give you a more detailed explanation of my secrets here (plus a few extra bonus tips that I didn’t send to the magazine).

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Secret #1 – Focus on burning carbohydrate, not fat, during your fat-loss workouts. Sounds backwards, right? But not when you look at how I structure my workouts. Remember that Turbulence Training focuses on resistance training and interval training. Both of these use carbohydrate as the main source of energy. So it’s obvious the workout is designed to burn carbohydrates during the training session. I have no interest in you trying to train in your “target heart rate zone” for fat burning (aka – the fat burning zone). The whole idea of a fat-burning zone is an over-simplified idea of how the body works during exercise. Leave the inefficient fat burning zone to the mis-educated trainers in the commercial gyms (that not surprisingly, also want to sell you a heart rate monitor so you can stay in your “fat burning heart rate zone”). If you want to get the most results in the least amount of time, focus on burning carbohydrates, not fat. Why do my fat loss workouts focus on burning carbohydrate rather than fat? In order to burn more calories after the workout, that’s why. When you exercise with intervals and heavy resistance training, your body uses more calories in the hours after exercise than it would if you did traditional cardio and lifted lighter weights. Alwyn Cosgrove calls this ‘afterburn’, and I call it ‘Turbulence’. By any name it gives you the same results – maximum improvements in your body composition (helping you lose fat while gaining muscle). Secret #2 – Use a range of repetitions in your strength training workouts. In order to train more muscle fibers and burn more carbohydrates, I have clients use a range of repetitions within the same workout. My workouts now use 6, 8, and 12 reps per set in order to work the muscle the most effectively. This will burn more carbohydrates and promote as much muscle growth as possible when you are keeping the calories low. Secret #3 – Use the stationary cycle for interval training. I choose the stationary bike for intervals whenever possible because cycling against a resistance can help maintain muscle mass. Cycling against a resistance also allows you to perform a large amount of mechanical work, and that is a key determinant of the Turbulence in my training. But please note: I don’t use low-intensity, fast pedaling ‘spinning’ intervals as I’m convinced that the hard, resistance based intervals are more effective for fat loss. My clients only cycle against a strong resistance in their intervals. I really like the bike, but there are many other ways to do intervals. Use what works for you, but if you are at a plateau, try the bike. Secret #4 – Increase meal frequency Okay, so this isn’t really a secret to anyone that has read about fat loss. But a 2005 study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that eating 6 times per day was associated with eating fewer calories per day, lowering cholesterol levels, and lowering post-meal insulin levels. Combine an increased meal frequency with an increased protein and fiber intake, and you’ll see your body composition improve rapidly. If you need more nutrition help, then you’ll love the new Turbulence Training Nutrition Guide for Men & Women – written by Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D. See below for more details… Secret #5 – My Synergistic Turbulence Training Workouts My Turbulence Training Fat Loss workouts are fast becoming the most effective way to burn fat, build muscle, and get lean. The synergistic strength training-interval training workouts are efficient and effective – getting you in and out of the gym in under an hour. Here are some tips that you can use for an advanced training phase – use these tips for 2 weeks then return to your normal training schedule: a) Add 10 seconds to each interval but maintain the intensity b) Add in some bodyweight circuits (10-20 minutes per day) done in the morning or evening (if you do your regular workout in the AM, do your bodyweight circuits after dinner; otherwise, do the bw circuits first thing in the AM, and then do your regular workout at lunch or later in the afternoon or evening) If you are advanced, you can use squats, pushups, and bodyweight rows for your circuit. If you are a beginner, you could use lying hip extensions, modified pushups, and stick-ups. c) Add an extra set to each exercise in the first superset you do in each workout. Again, use these three tips for an advanced fat loss period of two weeks, then return to a normal training schedule. But always stick to the best fat loss nutrition plan possible. If you have any other questions, just let me know. 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

Related Posts:

• Why Cardio Doesn’t Work for Fat Loss
• Why Cardio Doesn’t Work

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Editor’s Note:  Weight training is a critical component to burning fat. Supersets burn fat faster without you spending more time in the gym. Christian explains in greater detail in this article.

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Many people point to a lack of time as the reason why they can’t stick to a regular exercise routine. That’s why books such as 8 Minutes in the Morning or The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution have become so popular. They promise to help you get in shape in less time and with less effort. One simple way to cut down on the time you spend in the gym is to increase the density of your workout. Workout density is a measure of the amount of work performed in a specific time period. Don’t worry if it sounds too complicated. Increasing workout density is actually quite easy when you use supersets. Most weight-training routines require that you perform one set of a given exercise, rest for a minute or two, then return to the same exercise. And it’s this rest period between sets that takes up a lot of time. With supersets, you move quickly from one exercise to another, with little or no rest between. In other words, rather than resting between sets, you perform an exercise for another muscle group. Depending on who you talk to, you might also hear supersets called compound sets or staggered sets. They’re all variations on the same theme. Supersets usually involve several sets of two exercises for opposing muscle groups, such as the biceps curl and triceps dip. A compound set is a superset for the same muscle group (such as two back-to-back exercises for your biceps). With staggered sets, you do an exercise for one muscle group and then, with little or no rest, perform an exercise for a muscle group (usually a smaller one) in a different part of the body. As an example, you might alternate squats with dumbbell curls. One of the main benefits of a weight-training routine that includes supersets is that it raises your metabolic rate in the hours after exercise. Studies also show a shift in substrate oxidation, which means that you’re also burning more fat. Some evidence for this comes from a study by researchers Kristin Osterberg and Christopher Melby [1]. A group of seven young women (aged 22-35 years), all of whom were physically active and lifted weights 3-4 times a week in addition to regular cardiovascular exercise, took part in the study. They reported to the laboratory at Colorado State University early in the morning. At 1:30 p.m. they began the workout, starting with 10-15 repetitions of the bench press. Without resting, they went straight to the bent over row. Each superset was followed by 2-3 minutes of rest. They repeated the process four more times, before moving to the next set of exercises. In total, the workout lasted 100 minutes. The routine included several compound exercises, such as the bench press, bent-over row and overhead press. The women also trained hard, with the last two sets of each exercise taken to the point of muscular failure. Measurements taken 16 hours later show the rate of fat burning had increased by over 50%. Resting metabolic rate was also up by about 4%. In other words, the women were burning more calories and more fat. In a previous experiment from the same laboratory, in which men followed a similar program, resting metabolic rate was almost 10% higher the next morning [4]. When longer rest periods between sets were used (4 versus 3 minutes), the rise in metabolic rate after exercise was less pronounced (4.7%). So, one of the ways to make sure your metabolism stays elevated after exercise is to keep your rest periods between sets relatively short. The fact that the workout in this study lasted 100 minutes does limit the conclusions we can draw. Most people don’t have the time or motivation to train for so long. However, at least one other trial shows a post-exercise rise in metabolism lasting for at least two days, despite the fact the workout took just 31 minutes [5].

The Bottom Line

If you find it hard to fit weight-training into your day, try increasing the density of your workout by using supersets or staggered sets. It’s a very simple way to boost your metabolic rate and burn fat faster without spending longer in the gym. NOTE: The new version of the Build More Muscle program in the Members-Only Area explains how to use supersets to make the workouts shorter. Using this technique, I’ve been able to get most of the workouts done in less than 45 minutes.

Read other articles by Christian Finn

About the Author

Christian Finn is a Certified Personal Trainer and holds a masters degree with distinction in exercise science. He’s lectured at a number of universities and private training organizations around the United Kingdom on fitness training, weight loss and the effective use of nutritional supplements. He writes extensively on the subject and his articles have been published in numerous magazines, leading industry journals and websites worldwide, including Men’s Health, Men’s Health Muscle, Fit Pro (April/May 2001), CAM magazine (February 2003), Image (January 1997), Zest (March 2004), and Body Life magazine (March/April 1997). He was also featured in the July 2004 issue of Muscle & Fitness (UK edition). His website, TheFactsAboutFitness.com, is dedicated to providing its members up-to-date, unbiased information and research on the world of fitness.

References

1. Osterberg, K.L., & Melby, C.L. (2000). Effect of acute resistance exercise on postexercise oxygen consumption and resting metabolic rate in young women. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 10, 71-81

2. Johnson, C.A., Corrigan, S.A., Dubbert, P.M., & Gramling, S.E. (1990). Perceived barriers to exercise and weight control practices in community women. Women Health, 16, 177-191

3. Trost, S.G., Owen, N., Bauman, A.E., Sallis, J.F., & Brown, W. (2002). Correlates of adults’ participation in physical activity: review and update. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 34, 1996-2001

4. Melby, C., Scholl, C., Edwards, G., & Bullough, R. (1993). Effect of acute resistance exercise on postexercise energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate. Journal of Applied Physiology, 75, 1847-1853

5. Schuenke, M.D., Mikat, R.P., & McBride, J.M. (2002). Effect of an acute period of resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption: implications for body mass management. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 86, 411-417

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• Why Pain Killers Can Stop Muscle Growth Dead in Its Tracks
• Busting the Twenty-Minute Fat-Burning Myth
• An Interview with Lyle McDonald, Part I
• An Interview with Lyle McDonald, Part II
• The Truth About Swimming and Weight Loss

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How can we possibly be committed to the Total Fitness Plan without first talking about the importance of sleep? You heard me – the right diet and exercise routine is not enough unless you get enough sleep. Your weight loss goals are unlikely to be met if sleep deprivation plagues you night after night. Here is some important information about how sleep deprivation will negatively affect your weight loss goals.

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Several studies conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago, Stanford University, and the University of Wisconsin have all found a link between sleep deprivation and weight loss. Eve Van Cauter, from the University of Chicago, recently conducted a study that found a definite link between hormone production and sleep deprivation.

Weight loss and gain are controlled by two hormones: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is responsible for stimulating your appetite and leptin is supposed to tell your brain when you are full. Van Cauter and her team found that people with sleep deprivation may find weight loss extremely difficult because a lack of sleep causes elevated levels of ghrelin (making them hungrier) and decreased levels of leptin (Source: usatoday.com, 12/06/04).

Sleep deprivation can make weight loss extremely difficult because it causes your body to work against you! Researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University also found a correlation between sleep deprivation and obesity. An estimated 65% of Americans are overweight or obese and 63% of the population report that they do not get 8 hours of sleep or more per night.

For people suffering from extreme sleep deprivation and getting only 2-4 hours of sleep per night, weight loss is unlikely because they are 73% more likely to be obese than those getting 8 hours or more of sleep. People getting less than their recommended amount of pillow time also tend to have a higher BMI and are therefore more at risk for disease (Source: usatoday.com, 12/06/04). I will bet good money that you never thought sleep deprivation could spoil your weight loss goals, did you? Even when you do away with all of the fancy research, it actually makes sense when you think about it.

Sleep deprivation will clearly affect your weight loss goals because you will have less energy meaning your workouts will not be as effective (if you dont blow them off altogether!). Sleep deprivation also robs you of mental focus so even if you do find the energy for your workout, it will not be as productive or intense as it would otherwise have been. The bottom line is sleep deprivation will have a negative impact on your weight loss goals. So turn off that boob tube a little earlier and hit the sack! You wouldn’t want to fall short of your weight loss and fitness goals just because you weren’t getting enough sleep, now would you?

Recommended Reading:

How Much Sleep Do You REALLY Need for Health, Fitness and Gaining Muscle? Is 8 Hours Just a Myth?

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• When to Take Creatine for Optimal Results
• Making Time For Strength Training
• Top Ten Reasons to Get Hooked on Strength Training
• Sole Fitness TT8 Treadmill Review: Serious High End Treadmill

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The Scarsdale Diet is a diet that has been around since the 1970′s and was invented by Dr. Herman Tarnower, whose specialty was treating obesity. The diet gets its’ name from the town in which the doctor created it.

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The Scarsdale Diet combines the medical condition known as ketosis with a specific food program known to cause this condition in those who eat it. Sound like any other diets that you’ve heard of lately? You’re probably thinking of at least 3 or 4 diets that use this same method that are “hot” right now. Regardless, the Scarsdale Diet plan consists of the following formula: On either a 7 day or a 14 day diet plan, the Scarsdale Diet outlines the foods that you are to eat at each of your 3 meals per day. The meals include fruit and vegetables (though some vegetables are not permitted) and an unlimited amount of lean sources of protein (either through food or through protein supplements, if you’re a vegetarian and can’t eat chicken, etc.). Salads are also highly recommended under this diet, although the dressings you use on them are scarce — namely lemon, and vinegar are permitted). Scarsdale relies VERY heavily on a drastically reduced number of carbohydrates and a drastically increased amount of protein in your diet. In order to reduce the caloric intake, artificial sweeteners such as Splenda are recommended in place of sugar. You might be thinking right now, hey, that’s not so bad — I can do that! Well, if you can then that’s wonderful news but you must be aware that you’ll need to limit yourself to 1,000 calories or less per day. A lot of people find this extremely hard to do, and those that do it report frequent headaches and sometimes dizziness. Your results may vary. I would recommend not continuing this diet if you experience either of these side effects. Be ready to drink a LOT of water on this diet, as most of your favorite drinks are more than likely not permitted. You can get away with coffee and tea, as long as you use artificial sweeteners. Other drinks may be permitted as well, though I can’t possibly list everything on this one web page that is or is not permitted. If you purchase the diet, it outlines exactly what is and is not allowed. If you are on a rigorous exercise schedule, then the Scarsdale Diet is probably not for you — and for good reason. At just 1,000 calories per day (or less) on this diet, you probably are not going to want to exercise to burn more calories. You may still do light cardio, etc. if you feel the need but be careful to stop doing even that if you feel faint, dizzy, etc. All in all, I’d say this is a good diet for some and a bad diet for others. Your lifestyle needs to be a certain way in order to follow the diet’s recommendations strictly and there are things in it that are probably just not possible for everyone to do. At the end of the day, it’s best to look through the information included in the diet first to make sure you think you can handle it before diving in head first. It is hailed as an “express route to weight loss” by some who have had great success with it, and while it may have worked wonderfully for them it may not for you if you cannot follow it for the entire term. Read it and research it first before starting, and good luck!

Click here to read the Scarsdale Diet and see if it will work for you!

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The main concerns when purchasing hoodia supplements are the purity and the amount of hoodia in the supplements you are considering. According to research done by Mike Adams, a health and nutrition expert, the vast majority of the hoodia gordonii sold in the United States and around the world is counterfeit.

Alkemist Pharmaceuticals, located in Costa Mesa, CA, has been conducting lab tests on hoodia samples submitted to them for verification. They are getting about a 60 percent failure rate for hoodia. That means 6 out of 10 hoodia samples are failing and these are samples coming from companies who voluntarily submit them and who believe they have genuine hoodia. The failure rate of hoodia is likely higher than 60 percent if you consider many companies selling hoodia don’t care if what theyre selling is genuine so they dont bother with verification. Furthermore, there are companies who know what theyre selling isnt authentic so they dont bother with verification either.

Mike Adams estimates that, “as much as 80 percent of the hoodia being purchased by consumers is either adulterated, which means cut with other ingredients, or contains no hoodia gordonii whatsoever.” Thats an eye-opening statistic that 8 out of 10 hoodia supplements are essentially fake or at the very least, seriously compromised. During the lab tests in 2005, Alkemist identified six hoodia supplements that contain 100% pure hoodia gordonii. They were Desert Burn, Hoodoba Pure, Dr. Wheeler’s Afrigetics, King Hoodia, Hoodia Max, and Ethno Africa. We thorough researched and compared all six of these products and while they all sell genuine hoodia gordonii, our top pick was Desert Burn. Their hoodia supplements are consistently verified by Alkemist as containing 100% pure hoodia gordonii. You can view the actual lab test results on their website. In fact, Desert Burn provides more documentation on their website than any other reseller of hoodia. You can view their CITES certificates, growers and sellers licenses, and the lab results from Alkemist. Youll also notice a scrolling news ticker on the left side of their home page which provides updates on the hoodia market.

What I’m also impressed with is that Desert Burn provides a customer service telephone number that you can call to get more information on their products or to place an order. Most resellers of genuine hoodia only have an online option for customer service and to place orders. Whats also nice about Desert Burn is that their shipping rates are cheap. They charge a flat $5 for any order. Their competitors start at $8 and go up from there. What we also like about Desert Burn is that they dont tell you their products are miracle weight loss pills. They stress the importance of a balanced diet and regular exercise when trying to lose weight. They dont try to scam you into believing that all you have to do is take their products and youll lose weight effortlessly. This straight forward, honest approach says a lot about a company.

The only complaint I have about Desert Burn is that their website plays this annoying sound. I had my speakers turned up when I visited their website for the first time and the obnoxious sound practically startled me out of my chair. I’m not sure why they feel the need to play sound because I have to believe it irritates many visitors (me included). Thankfully, you can shut the sound off by clicking on a link in the upper right hand corner of the website. Desert Burn has three core products: 750mg capsules, 400mg capsules, and liquid hoodia. They offer 3 bottle specials and various combo packages. In addition to their core products, they offer hoodia tea and coffee. Here are the prices of their core products: Desert Burn ZA 750 (60 caps): $59.95/bottle or $149.95 for 3 bottles Desert Burn ZA 400 (60 caps): $37.95/bottle or $99.95 for 3 bottles Desert Burn Desert Juice: $39.95/bottle or $99.95 for 3 bottles

To learn more about Desert Burn and their products, visit their website: www.DesertBurn.com

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I was at a big event last week and was reminded how important it is to have strategies for this season of high-calorie parties and busy schedules. But I get ticked off by the tired old suggestions you find on the Internet or in magazines like Woman’s World.

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Often the suggestions are lack any substance, because the writers don’t want to imply you actually have to make a sacrifice to succeed. They make fat loss sound easy, as if all you had to do was park at the far end of the parking lot and you’d burn all the calories from 5 shortbread cookies. Well it doesn’t work that way…So here are my politically incorrect, unique Turbulence Training strategies to help you keep off the holiday pounds. By the way, I “borrowed” a few ideas from contestants in my Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. The Transformation is rocking with social support and success stories right now, even while the rest of the world struggles with weight gain, these TT users are losing fat over the holidays. Click here to get started with Turbulence Training for Fat Loss: ==> http://www.turbulencetraining.com Strategy #1 – Green Tea & Almonds One of the most common tips you’ll hear is to “fill up” before you go to a party where there will be lots of goodies. Unfortunately, most people I talk to have no luck with this tip. Most people still go to a party and eat everything in sight. But recently TT users have told me that having a cup of Green Tea and one ounce of almonds has helped them avoid holiday cravings better than anything ever before. The fiber from the almonds reduces appetite while the small amount of caffeine from the Green Tea seems to increase mental alertness and keep you “energized” at the party. Hopefully that might work for you… Strategy #2 – Don’t waste your time on any fancy cardio programs Listen, the bottom line over the holiday season is that your success depends almost entirely on your nutrition. You can’t expect to hit the cardio confessional and burn off last night’s 2000 calorie smorgasboard. That’s a 4-hour workout. Instead, don’t get into that situation in the first place. Here are more nutrition tips: – Focus on portion control (and if you have no discipline, forget even trying to eat just one) – Nix all drinks mixed with calorie-containing beverages, or better yet, just stop getting drunk. Period. – Write down everything you eat to identify your problem spots. Then do whatever you need to do to eliminate your weaknesses. If you don’t record your nutrition, chances are you’ll miss big opportunities to change your diet and lose fat. Strategy #3 – Take care of yourself first. My friend Holly Rigsby (of http://www.fityummymummy.com) is always reminding busy moms to take care of themselves first, and I think that suggestion applies at this time of year to everyone. So take a deep breath. Ask yourself as you’re running around to please everyone else, “Have you set aside time for yourself” Be selfish. Make sure you have had some exercise time, some good nutrition, and some rest before overextending yourself and doing too much for other people when you haven’t taken care of yourself and your goals first. Strategy #4 – Get on a roll This one comes from a TT Transformation contestant who is too busy losing fat to get off track over the holidays. Don’t procrastinate till January 1st. Get started now. Dozens of men and women are doing their Turbulence Training Transformations right now – through the heart of the holiday season. They aren’t waiting for Jan. 1st to show up. They are taking control now, and getting on a roll, and not letting anything (from work parties to peer pressure) get in their way. Strategy #5 – Exercise in short bursts whenever you can Don’t be afraid to dance at your Christmas party. Don’t worry, there is bound to be at least one worse dancer than you out on the floor. Have fun and get down! On a more serious note, here’s how to avoid falling off the fitness program during the busy holiday season. Get your butt out of bed 15 minutes early so you can have 3 minutes to wake up and 12 minutes to do the December 2008 Turbulence Training 12-Minute Workouts. Get this workout as part of your bonuses when you start using Turbulence Training today: http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com Stay healthy and fit over the holidays, 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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Editor’s Note: The Negative Calorie Diet works, but as you’ll find out in today’s article, it isn’t necessarily the smartest diet for long-term success.

The Negative Calorie Diet will help you lose weight. You might – as the book promises – lose 14 pounds in 7 days. However, the diet is not one that I use or recommend. Let me explain why. The Negative Calorie Diet is based on the idea that some foods cause you to burn more calories digesting these foods than the actual calorie content of the food itself. It’s true that some foods raise your metabolic rate more than others do. Carbohydrate and protein, for example, contain about four calories per gram. But, the thermic effect of protein is far greater than that of carbohydrate. In other words, some of the energy in each gram of protein is wasted as heat during the process of digestion and metabolism. The thermic effect of nutrients is approximately 23 % for fat, 68 % for carbohydrates, and 2530% for proteins [2]. The foods you eat on The Negative Calorie Diet are mainly fruit and vegetables. For breakfast, you might have a bowl of strawberries or an orange. A snack might consist of apples or celery. You can have soup for lunch and dinner, though foods like chicken or fish are allowed after the first few days. The reason that fruit and vegetables help you lose weight is not because they’re “negative calorie foods.” Rather, fruit and vegetables have a very low energy density. Energy density refers to the number of calories in a gram of food. If you check the nutrition label on the top of a food label, you should find the standard serving size of the food, and the number of calories in that serving. To calculate the energy density, divide the calories by the weight. A food that contains 200 calories and weighs 100 grams, for example, has an energy density of 2.0. Lets use grapes and raisins (which are nothing more than dried grapes) as an example. If you wanted to eat 150 calories of raisins, youd be able to eat approximately 50 grams. Yet the same number of calories would give you almost 220 grams of grapes – more than four times as much. Because the grapes are higher in volume, theyll keep you feeling fuller for longer, and youll eat less over the course of the day.

Editor’s Note: Jon Benson, a fitness expert and lifecoach, wrote an excellent article about the importance of the energy density of foods to lose fat and get fit. The article is titled, Can The Weight Of Your Food Affect The Weight Of Your Body? In one eating study at Pennsylvania State University, a group of women hardly noticed when they ate fewer calories each day – as long as their meals contained lots of fruits and vegetables to bulk up the servings and lower the energy density [1].

The Bottom Line

You will lose weight on the Negative Calorie Diet. You might – as the book promises – lose 14 pounds in 7 days. But 14 pounds of what? A lot of it will be muscle and water, and not fat. More information on how to burn fat without losing muscle is available in the Members-Only Area of my website, TheFactsAboutFitness.com. Tom Venuto also covers the same subject in his excellent e-book, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. As soon as people hear the word “diet,” they think of restriction, and pain. However, the word comes from the Latin term diatea, which means “a way of living.” Follow any diet to the letter, and you’ll probably lose weight. But, if it isn’t a way of eating you can live with for more than two weeks, you’ll have to come off it again. Don’t be deceived by false promises. When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Read other articles by Christian Finn

About the Author

Christian Finn is a Certified Personal Trainer and holds a masters degree with distinction in exercise science. He’s lectured at a number of universities and private training organizations around the United Kingdom on fitness training, weight loss and the effective use of nutritional supplements. He writes extensively on the subject and his articles have been published in numerous magazines, leading industry journals and websites worldwide, including Men’s Health, Men’s Health Muscle, Fit Pro (April/May 2001), CAM magazine (February 2003), Image (January 1997), Zest (March 2004), and Body Life magazine (March/April 1997). He was also featured in the July 2004 issue of Muscle & Fitness (UK edition). His website, TheFactsAboutFitness.com, is dedicated to providing its members up-to-date, unbiased information and research on the world of fitness.

References

1. Bell, E.A., Castellanos, V.H., Pelkman, C.L., Thorwart, M.L., & Rolls, B.J. (1998). Energy density of foods affects energy intake in normal-weight women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 67, 412-420

2. Jequier, E. (2002). Pathways to obesity. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, S12-S17

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• A Better Way to Burn Fat Faster – Or Is It?
• Busting the Twenty-Minute Fat-Burning Myth
• The Top 10 Bonehead Workout Mistakes to Avoid and The Top 10 Kick-Butt Training Tips
• An Interview with Lyle McDonald, Part I

Skyrocket Your Fat Loss Success!

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Hoodia supplements can be great natural appetite suppressants but there are less expensive (and sometimes better) alternatives available. There are natural foods that are very effective at suppressing appetite.

The great thing about these foods that act as great natural appetite suppressants is that they are able to trick the body into thinking it has consumed lots of high calorie, filling foods, when in fact few calories have actually been ingested.

Like hoodia supplements, these foods should not be all that you consume in an attempt to curb your appetite and lose weight. You still need a healthy, well-balanced diet and should exercise regularly.

Here is a list of the best foods that are terrific natural appetite suppressants. Think of these foods as just one tool in your weight loss toolbox!

Natural Appetite Suppressant #1 Clean, Fresh Water Thats right, something as simple as clean, fresh drinking water can have a profound effect on appetite. Simply drinking an eight ounce glass of water at the first sign of hunger can help stave off those cravings and avoid overeating. Drinking water throughout the day can help to control hunger dramatically and prevent you from overeating.

Natural Appetite Suppressant #2 Green Leafy Vegetables Vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, bok choy and the like should be a staple of any healthy diet, and they have marked appetite suppressing qualities as well. These vegetables also have only tiny amounts of calories.

In fact, it can take as many calories to eat and digest the foods as they contain. Even though the calorie count is extremely low, these green leafy vegetables fill the stomach and provide a long lasting feeling of fullness and satisfaction. When enjoying these green leafy vegetables as part of a salad, use only natural, low calorie salad dressings. Avoid oils and fats that can significantly add to the calorie count of these healthy foods. When choosing a salad dressing avoid ingredients such as MSG, high fructose corn syrup and other unhealthy ingredients.

Natural Appetite Suppressant #3 Banana Pudding Do you have a sweet tooth? Try this healthy pudding recipe. Mix soy milk and banana flavored soy protein powder in a blender. Add stevia for sweetness if you desire. Then add a half tablespoon of guar gum powder and half tablespoon of xanthan gum powder towards the end of the blending to cause the mixture to have the texture and consistency of pudding.

Natural Appetite Suppressant #4 Pickles These are not the pickles found at the local grocery store, since nearly all those pickles contain unhealthy artificial food coloring and are often loaded with sugar. Instead, purchase natural organic pickles like those found at the local natural food market or the organic section of your grocery store.

It is possible to eat an entire jar of these natural pickles and consume only about 50 calories, while enjoying a filling snack that can control the appetite for hours.

Natural Appetite Suppressant #5 Apples Youll get a few extra calories (only about 100 per apple) and some carbohydrates, but eating an apple can make you feel full for a long time preventing you from eating other calorie-dense foods like chips, candy bars, etc. Apples are great at suppressing appetite because the bulky fiber fills up the stomach. Plus, apples provide various phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

Natural Appetite Suppressant #6 Lean Protein & Whey Protein Lean sources of protein like chicken, turkey, and fish are very effective at suppressing appetite. Not only will the protein help build more muscle (more muscle means youll burn more fat), but youll add few calories and little fat to your diet if your cuts of meat are chosen wisely. For example, a serving of boneless skinless chicken breast has only 110 calories and 1 gram of fat). Dont have time to make a meal or are simply tired of eating chicken all the time? Drink whey protein shakes. Theyll fill you up fast and youll get a whopping 25 grams of protein or so per scoop with only about 110 calories and 2 grams of fat. See my recommended whey protein supplements.

If you can’t afford hoodia supplements or would rather eat whole foods, these are the best foods for natural appetite suppressants!

EDITORS NOTE: Update January 2011 – If you absolutely MUST take an appetite suppressant, I’d avoid Hoodia completely these days and look into a product called PhenTabz. I’ve been using it with some of my personal training clients and they are seeing some great success with it.

Recommended Hoodia Reading:

What is Hoodia?How Does Hoodia Work?How Effective is Hoodia?Hoodia Media HypeIs Hoodia Safe?Why Hoodia is ExpensiveHow to Use HoodiaNot all Hoodia Supplements are the SameRecommended Hoodia SupplementsAppetite and Weight Loss – How Hoodia Can Help

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