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5 Burn The Fat “AH-HA” Moments

July 11, 2008

You know what an “AH-HA” moment is right?

It’s one of those times where you come across
something that causes a fundamental shift in
how you see the world and perceive reality.

Recently Tom Venuto polled some of the members
of the Burn The Fat Inner Circle about their
Burn The Fat “AH-HA’s”…

Tom was ‘BLOWN AWAY’ with the response…

(He had over 55 ‘Burn The Fat AH-HA’s’ submitted!)

If you want to read all 55 go here:

Burn The Fat Inner Circle

There are some real ‘gems’ contained in
these responses but before I share them with you
I wanted to tell you the question Tom asked them.

–> Here’s the question:

“Have you ever read a particular paragraph of
“Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle,” came across an
interesting idea in an article on the Inner Circle,
picked out a piece of ‘Venuto-Wisdom’ in one of Tom’s
interviews, or came across any other ‘nugget’ that
caused you to experience an “AH-HA” moment?

–> Here are five ‘Burn The Fat AH-HA Moments’ that
some Inner Circle Members submitted:

———————-
BURN THE FAT AH-HA #1.
———————-

“Nearly everyone has set up some sort of limitation for
themselves simply by deciding what level of discomfort
they are willing to put up with. Achieving your dream
body takes a lot of work and discipline.

Yet so many people come up with excuses to avoid a
workout, or indulge in junk food, or neglect writing
out their goals on a daily basis because of lack of
time.”

———————-
BURN THE FAT AH-HA #2.
———————-

“The mind is the missing key for most. Honest truth …
I bought the book in ’04, and skipped straight past the
goal setting to read about nutrition and training. That
was all I thought I needed from the book.

I did not write goals and I just set out to follow the
plan. Some short success followed but ultimate failure.
When I revisited the book in 2006, the early chapters on
goal setting really hit home with me. I set my first goals
and a lot of early success followed. It is so critical.”

———————-
BURN THE FAT AH-HA #3.
———————-

“I listened to Tom’s recent interview today about how to get
super-lean lots of things are covered in BFFM but the one
statement from the interview that stuck out in my mind was
that: We live in a reciprocal universe.

You get what you put into it. And in only 3+ months, I’m
already seeing that,

Since January, I’ve lost 20 lbs of fat and have gone from a
size 10 to a loose size 6. I’m currently sitting at around
20% bodyfat (down from about 30%).

I know I have a lot of work to do before September but I’m
enjoying the journey and looking forward to what my body is
capable of. With all of the knowledge I’ve gained so far and
continue to gain as well as having a wonderful support system
of my family, friends, and trainer, I KNOW I CAN DO THIS!”

———————-
BURN THE FAT AH-HA #4.
———————-

“Track Results Frequently. Seeing results on a spreadsheet
or in pictures will always help motivate you to improve or
worst case, help you to not fall too far off the wagon.”

———————-
BURN THE FAT AH-HA #5.
———————-

“The body loves nutrient rich food. Improving my diet has
taken a lot of time and self examination. Due to my body type
I realized maybe a tuna sandwich on wheat bread would not be
as good for me as a tuna on a bed of greens and other vegetables.

I have no history of ever being able to eat salads with any
consistency. Now I absolutely crave them and eat them twice
a day.

This was an impossible thought to me a year ago and not something
I strived for necessarily but I eat salads with protein and good
fats and the effect on energy levels, immune system, mental health
is nothing short of miracle.”

———————————————–
50 MORE BURN THE FAT AH-HA’s ON THE FR.EE BLOG
———————————————–

As I mentioned above Tom had over 55 ‘Burn The Fat AH-HA’s’
submitted by the Inner Circle members wrote in.

Tom and his Site Manager Kyle Battis have posted all 55 of
these “AH-HA’s” on the Inner Circle Blog and they invite you
to come sort through some of these gems:

Burn The Fat Inner Circle

You don’t have to be a member of the Inner Circle to see them
and benefit from the ‘boiled-down,’ concentrated fat loss tips
straight from the minds of the Inner Circle members.

Come take a peek here:

Burn The Fat Inner Circle

I hope that you benefit from these “AH-HA’s.”

To your success,
Greg

Written by Greg · Filed Under Burn The Fat Inner Circle | Leave a Comment 

2 Cardio Mistakes You’re Still Making

May 31, 2008

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

The controversies over cardio for fat loss are endless: steady state versus intervals, fed versus fasted, long and easy versus short and intense, and so on. Obviously there is a lot of interest in cardio training and how to do it right. Sadly, most people are still doing 2 things terribly wrong and it’s killing their results…… As best as I can figure, there are two major reasons why people are still mucking up their cardio programs for fat loss.

REASON #1: NOT ENOUGH FOCUS ON TOTAL CALORIES BURNED

Most people aren’t burning enough darn calories.
Why? Well, I guess they are too busy worrying about the “proper” type of exercise (which machine or activity), the mode (steady state or intervals), the “optimal” ratio of intervals, or the “best” duration.
Some people coast along on the treadmill at 2.3 miles per hour or some similar sloth-like pace and they think that just by hitting a TIME goal, such as 45 or 60 minutes, that with “X” duration completed, they are assured to get the results they want.
On the other extreme, we have folks who have found or created some mega-intense, super-duper short training protocol like the “4-minute wonder workout from Japan.” Just because the workout is high in intensity and it is performed in intervals, they too think they are assured to get the results they want.
What’s missing in both cases is the realization that total fat loss over time is a function of total calories burned over time (assuming you don’t blow your diet, of course).
AND…
Total calories burned is a product of INTENSITY times DURATION, not intensity OR duration.
Too much focus on one variable at the exclusion of the other can lead to a less than optimal total calorie burn and disappointing results. And remember, intensity and duration are *variables* not absolutes! (“Variable” means you can change them… even if your “guru” says you can’t!)
When you understand the relationship and interplay between INTENSITY X DURATION you will find a “SWEET SPOT” where the product of those variables produces the maximal calorie burn and maximum fat loss, based on your current health condition and your need for time efficiency.

REASON #2: TOO MUCH FOCUS ON WHAT TYPE OF CALORIES BURNED

As best as I can figure, there is one whopper of a mistake that is still KILLING most people’s cardio programs and that is…
Way too much focus on WHAT you are burning during the workout – fats or carbohydrates – also known as “substrate utilization.”
This idea comes from the notorious “fat burning zone” myth which actually tells people to exercise SLOWER and LESS intensely to burn more fat.
Hold on a minute. Pop quiz. Which workout burns more calories?
(A) A 30 minute leisurely stroll through the park
(B) A 30 minute, sweat-pouring, heart-pounding, lung-burning run?
Like, DUH!
And yet we have trainers, authors and infomercial gurus STILL telling us we have to slow down if we want to burn more fat??? Bizarre.

The reason people still buy it is because the “fat burning zone” myth sounds so plausible because of two little science facts:

  • The higher your intensity, the more carbs you burn during the workout
  • The lower your intensity, the more fat you burn during the workout
And that’s the problem. You should be focusing on total calories and total fat burned during the workout and all day long, not just what type or percentage of fuel you are burning during the workout.

It’s not that fat oxidation doesn’t matter, but what if you have a high percentage of fat oxidation but an extremely low number of calories burned?

If you really want to be in the “fat burn zone,” you could sit on your couch all day long and that will keep you there quite nicely because “couch sitting” is a really low intensity (“fat-burning”) activity.

(Of course, “couch sitting” only burns 37 calories per half hour…)

HERE’S THE FAT-BURNING SOLUTION!

In both cases, the solution to burning more fat is drop dead simple: Focus your attention on how you can burn more TOTAL calories during your workout and all day long.
If you want to burn more fat, burn more calories and you can do that by manipulating ANY of the variables : intensity, duration and also frequency.
If you build your training program around this concept, you will be on the right track almost every time.

BUT WAIT – THERE IS MORE TO IT…

Naturally, we could argue that it’s not quite this simple and that there are hundreds of other reasons why your cardio program might not be working… and I would agree, of course. But on the exercise side, the ideas above should be foremost in your mind.
On the nutrition side, you have to get your act together there too.
For example, many people increase their food intake at the same time as they start a cardio training program thereby putting back in every calorie they burned during the workout! Then some of them have the nerve to say, “SEE, cardio doesn’t work!”

Incidentally, this is the exact reason that a few studies show that adding cardio or aerobic training to a diet “did not improve fat loss”: It’s not because the cardio didn’t work, it was because the researchers didn’t control for diet and the subjects ate more!!

It should go without saying that nutrition is the foundation on which every fat loss program is built.

Choose the combination of type, intensity, duration and frequency that suits your lifestyle and preferences the best, and WORK THE VARIABLES to get the fat loss results you want, but whichever cardio program you choose, remember that a solid fat burning nutrition program, such as Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is necessary to help you make the most of it.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com


About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com

Written by Greg · Filed Under Burn Fat | Leave a Comment 

Wu Long Tea (oolong tea): Does it really help you lose weight?

May 31, 2008

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

You’ve probably seen the advertisements:

“Drink wu long tea and lose a jeans size every 7 days!”…

“Burn 20 lbs of fat in 30 days with wu long tea!” …

Maybe you even watched Oprah a few years ago when Dr. Perricone said that switching your coffee for green tea would help you take off the pounds.

You may have also read or watched countless news stories which say how healthy it is to drink green tea. Read more

Written by Greg · Filed Under Burn Fat | Leave a Comment