Tom Venuto - author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

Weekly weight loss is a confusing subject due to the mixed messages that the weight loss industry has been sending for decades. We are constantly battered with claims like “lose 9 pounds in 11 days.” These claims are not only untrue, they are actually illegal and dangerous. Rapid weight loss is a poor choice for your health and an almost guaranteed route to weight REGAIN, and usually with interest.

I’ve been saying it for years, and Tom Venuto has been saying it for much longer. If you can lose two pounds per week of bodyFAT (not WEIGHT), then you are making optimal progress that is NATURAL and has a much higher chance of being PERMANENT. Here is a great article that Tom wrote all about the safest and most effective way to burn fat.

The 2 Pounds Per Week Rule and How to Burn Fat Faster
By Tom Venuto
www.BurnTheFat.com

Why do you always hear that 2 pounds per week is the maximum amount of fat you should safely lose? If you train really hard while watching calories closely shouldn’t you be able to lose more fat without losing muscle or damaging your health? What if you want to lose fat faster? How do you explain the fast weight losses on The Biggest Loser? These are all good questions that I’ve been asked many times. With the diet marketplace being flooded every day with rapid weight loss claims, these questions desperately need and deserve some honest answers. Want to know where that 2 pounds per week rule comes from and what it really takes to burn more than 2 pounds of fat per week? Read on.

Why Only 2 Pounds Per Week?

The truth is, two pounds is not the maximum amount you can safely lose in a week. That’s only a general recommendation and a good benchmark for setting weekly goals. It’s also sensible and realistic because it’s based on average or typical results.

The actual amount of fat you can lose depends on many factors. For example, weight losses tend to be relative to body size. The more body fat you carry, the more likely you’ll be able to safely lose more than two pounds per week. Therefore, we could individualize our weekly guideline a bit by recommending a goal of 1-2 lbs of fat loss per week or up to 1% of your total weight. If you weighed 300 lbs, that would be 3 lbs per week.

Body Weight Vs Body Composition

Weight loss is somewhat meaningless unless you also talk about body composition; the fat to muscle ratio, as well as water weight. Ask any wrestler about fast weight loss and he’ll tell you things like, “I cut 10 lbs overnight to make a weight class. It was easy – I just sweated it off.”

You’ve also probably seen people that went on some extreme induction program or a lemon juice and water fast for the first week and dropped an enormous amount of weight. But once again, you can bet that a lot of that weight was water and lean tissue and in both cases, you can bet that those people put the weight right back on.

The main potential advantage of any type of induction period for rapid weight loss in the first week is that a large drop on the scale is a motivational boost for many people (even if it is mostly water weight).

Why do you hear so many diet and fitness professionals insist on 2 lbs a week max? Where does that number come from? Well, aside from the fact that it’s a recommendation in government health guidelines and in position statements of most nutrition and exercise organizations, it’s just math. The math is based on what’s practical given the number of calories an average person burns in a day and how much food someone can reasonably cut in a day.

How Do You Lose More Than 2 Pounds Per Week?

Can you lose more than 2 lbs of pure fat in a week? Yes, although it’s easier in the beginning. It gets harder as your diet progresses. How do you do it? My rule is, extraordinary results require extraordinary efforts. An extraordinary effort means a particularly strict diet, as well as burning more calories through training because you can only cut your calories so far from food before you’re starving and suffering from severe hunger.

Simply put, you need a bigger calorie deficit.

If you have a 2500 calorie daily maintenance level, and you want to drop 3 lbs of fat per week withe diet alone, you’d need a huge daily deficit of 1500 calories, which would equate to eating 1000 calories per day. You would lose weight rapidly for as long as you could maintain that deficit (although it would slow down over time). Most people aren’t going to last long on so little food and they often end with a period of binge eating. It’s not practical (or fun) to cut calories so much and in some cases it could be unhealthy.

The other alternative is to train for hours and hours a day, literally. People ask me all the time, “Tom, how is it possible for the Biggest Loser contestants to lose so much weight? Well first of all they’re not measuring body fat, only body weight. Then you have the high starting body weights and the large water weight loss in the beginning. After that, just do the math – they’re training hours a day so they’re creating a huge calorie deficit.

But without that team of trainers, dieticians, teammates, a national audience and all that prize money, do you think they’d be motivated and accountable enough to do anywhere near that amount and intensity of exercise in the real world? Would it even be possible if they had a job and family? Not likely, is it? It’s not practical to do that much exercise, and it’s not practical to cut your calories below a 1000 a day and remain compliant. If you manage to achieve the latter, it’s very difficult not to rebound and regain the weight afterwards for a variety of physiological and psychological reasons.

For Fast Fat Loss: Less Food Or Harder Training?

Trainers are becoming more inventive these days in coming up with high intensity workouts that burn a large amount of calories and really give the metabolism a boost. This can help speed up the fat loss within a given amount of time. But as you begin to utilize higher intensity workouts, you have to start being on guard for overtraining or overuse injuries.That’s why strict nutrition with an aggressive calorie deficit is going to have to be a major part of any fast fat loss strategy. Unfortunately, very low calorie dieting has its own risks in the way of lean tissue loss, slower metabolism, extreme hunger, and greater chance of weight re-gain.

My approach to long term weight control is to lose weight slowly and patiently and follow a nutrition plan that is well balanced between lean protein, healthy fats and natural carbs and doesn’t demonize any entire food group. To lose fat, you simply create a caloric deficit by burning more and eating less (keeping the nutrient density of those calories as high as possible, of course).

But to achieve the extraordinary goals such as photo-shoot-ready, super-low body fat or simply faster than average fat loss, while minimizing the risks, I often turn to a stricter cyclical low carb diet for brief “peaking” programs. I explain this method in chapter 12 of my e-book Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle (it’s my “phase III” or “competition” diet).

The cyclical aspect of the diet means that after three to six days of an aggressive calorie deficit and strict diet, you take a high calorie / high carb day to re-feed the body and re-stimulate the metabolism. Essentially, this helps reduce the starvation signals your body is receiving. It’s also a psychological break from the deprivation which helps improve compliance and prevent relapse.

The higher protein intake can help prevent lean tissue loss and curb the hunger. A high protein diet also helps by ramping up dietary thermogenesis. A high intake of greens, fibrous vegetables and low calorie fruits can help tip the energy balance equation in your favor as fibrous veggies are very low in calorie density and some of the calories in the fiber are not metabolizable. Healthy fats are added in adequate quantities, while the calorie-dense simple sugars and starchy carbs are kept to a minimum except on refeed days and after (or around) intense workouts.

There’s No Magic, Just Math

In my experience, a high protein, reduced carb approach in conjunction with weights and cardio can help maximize fat loss – both in terms of increasing speed of fat loss and particularly for getting rid of the last of the stubborn fat. It helps with appetite control too. But always bear in mind that the faster fat loss occurs primarily as a result of the larger calorie deficit (which is easily achieved with sugars and starches minimized), not some type of “low carb magic.” If your diet were high in natural carbs but you were able to diligently maintain the same large calorie deficit, the results would be similar.

I’m seeing more and more advertisements that not only promise rapid weight loss, but go so far as saying that you’re doing it wrong if you’re losing “only” two pounds per week. “Why settle” for slow weight loss, they insist. Well, it’s certainly possible to lose more than two pounds per week, but it’s critically important to understand that there’s a world of difference between rapid weight loss and permanent fat loss.

It’s also vital to know that there’s no magic in faster fat loss, just math. All the new-fangled dietary manipulations and high intensity training programs that really do help increase the speed of fat loss all come full circle to the calorie balance equation in the end, even if they claim their method works for other reasons and they don’t mention calories burned or consumed at all.

Beware of The Quick Fix

Faster fat loss IS possible. My question is, are you willing to tolerate the hunger, low calories and high intensity exercise for that kind of deficit? Do you have the work ethic? Do you have the supreme level of dietary restraint necessary to stop yourself from bingeing and putting the weight right back on when that aggressive diet is over? Or would you rather do it in a more moderate way where you’re not killing yourself, but instead are making slow and steady lifestyle changes and taking off 1-2 lbs of pure fat per week, while keeping all your hard-earned muscle?

Remember, 1-2 pounds per week is 50-100 pounds in a year. Is that really so slow or is that an astounding transformation? You don’t gain 50-100 pounds over night, so why should anyone expect to take it off overnight? Personally, I think short-term thinking and the pursuit of quick fixes are the worst diseases of our generation.

If you want to be one of those “results not typical” fat loss transformations, it can be done and it may be a perfectly appropriate short-term goal for the savvy and sophisticated fitness enthusiast. It’s your call. But when you set your goals, it might be wise to remember that old fable of the tortoise and the hare, and buyer beware if you go shopping for a fast weight loss program in today’s shady marketplace.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, independent nutrition researcher, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat-Burning Secrets of The World’s Best Bodybuilders & Fitness Models (e-book) 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

The BodyFat Solution is Coming


From what I’ve read so far, this book is simply amazing – and will empower thousands, if not millions of people to change their lives.

Here’s a brief look at the table of contents:

Part 1: Setting the Stage

Chapter 1 – BodyFat: A New Understanding of the Problem
Chapter 2 – Body Fat Myths and Why We Believe Them
Chapter 3 – Attitudes and Beliefs That Set the Stage for Success
Chapter 4 – Freedom From Emotional Eating

Part 2: The Five Principles

Chapter 5 – Mental Training Solution: Setting Goals and Reprogramming Your Mind for Automatic Success
Chapter 6 – The High-Low Nutrition Solution: How to Burn Fat Automatically and Feel Fuller on Less Food
Chapter 7 – The “E-Max” Fat-Burning Solution: Maximizing Your Metabolism and Burning More Calories 24 Hours a Day
Chapter 8 – The “Lean Muscle” Training Solution: Reshaping Your Body and Getting Leaner with Weight Training
Chapter 9 – The Social Support Solution: Recruiting Friends, Family, Peers, and Mentors into Your Support Circle

Part 3: Putting It All Together

Chapter 10 – Planning, Organizing, and Implementing: Focusing on Priorities, Putting it all together, and getting started right
Chapter 11 – Keeping Score and Staying on Track: How to Monitor Your Progress, Make Yourself Accountable, and Break any Plateau
Chapter 12 – Staying Lean and Staying Strong: Secrets of Maintaining Your Perfect Weight for Life

Appendix 1 – Stay Connected, Get Support, and Learn More at the BodyFat Solution Online
Appendix 2 – Body Fat Solution Recommended Foods

When I read through this list, this is what I see…

Tom has given an extensive solution to the underlying problems that create excess bodyfat. These solutions are based on principles, and are used for the purpose of fixing the source of the problem, instead of honing in on one of the sites of a problem (as so many popular diet programs do: such as eliminating carbs or fats from a diet, or restricting calories, etc.). I know Tom is sick and tired of “weight loss guru’s” trying to put a band-aid on a gunshot wound when it comes to fat loss.

This book gives a global, “big picture” perspective on how to shed excess bodyfat. Right in the introduction, Tom makes note that the key to the success of the BodyFat Solution is summed up in one word: simplicity.

The first part of the book is entirely devoted to educating you – to empowering you. Part 2 contains the essential ingredients of a successful fat loss plan, a plan that will help you lose weight permanently and naturally. I see all the important topics covered such as goal setting, maximizing the metabolic response to burn more calories, strength training, the “missing link” and success element we call social support, and of course, nutrition.

It only seems proper that the end of the book is meant to empower you even more with the power of simplicity, where Tom shows you exactly how to make all of this new information work for you and your lifestyle.

I haven’t finished the book yet, and I’m sure you’ll get my official review once I’m done. But from what I can see now, this book very well could change the face of the weight loss problem we have today. The truth is though, it’s not up to Tom to change the lives of millions through the adoption of healthier habits. It’s up to you.

The BodyFat Solution (hardcover) will ship January 8, 2009. For more information including a special sneak peek inside the book, visit: http://www.thebodyfatsolution.com

Or, pick up your copy by clicking the banner. Hold onto your seat, because the weight loss revolution is coming by storm in January!

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and Manager of Burn The Fat Dot Com

P.S. In case you missed the previous blog post, check out this special download… The BodyFat Solution: 21-page Interview Transcripts

Most people spend their time worrying about the impending weight gain with the approaching holidays, rather than planning how to be in better shape after the holidays. If you’re the type who doesn’t take no for an answer and who takes action instead of just thinking about doing something, then listen up – this article was meant for YOU.

Tom Venuto has been a mentor and a friend to me, and I have the pleasure of being able to work with him everyday. Tom has got the whole fitness lifestyle figured out, and while I don’t agree with Tom on everything – I think his information is some of the best available. Tom really woke me up with this Holiday Fitness Challenge, and he challenged me to take action on it myself.

I want to challenge you to do the same. Commit today to be in BETTER shape once the holidays are over. It sounds backwards, I know. It will make sense once you finish the article.

Read this article, write down some goals, and start taking action today to achieve them by January 1st.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional and CST Clubbell Athlete

My Holiday Fitness Challenge to You
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

Media reports say that most people gain between 5 and 10 pounds of body fat in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to research from the New England Journal of Medicine, the average amount is much more modest – just over a pound. However, even modest holiday weight gain may be cause for concern: A study by the National Institutes of Health found that this seasonal weight gain – even just a pound – is usually not lost after the holidays; it simply adds to the “weight creep” that sneaks up on us as we get older.

Whether the weight gain is a pound or ten pounds, did you ever ask yourself why does holiday weight gain happen at all?

Here are some common answers I’ve heard:

“I’m too busy over the holidays to work out as often as usual.”

“I’m more stressed over the holidays, and the food is there, so I eat more.”

“I have at least three parties to attend and then there’s Christmas and New Year’s, so it’s impossible to stay on a diet.”

“No one can tell me not to enjoy myself over the holidays, so I’m just going to eat whatever I want.”

These answers all have a few things in common.

First, they assume that it’s an either/or proposition: You can either get in better shape or enjoy yourself, but not both. Stated in reverse: You can either deprive yourself of holiday enjoyments or gain weight, but it has to be one or the other. The truth is, “either/or thinking” is a very limiting form of thought.

Second, these are all excuses or rationalizations. “I’m too busy” for example, is always an excuse, because I have never known someone who was too busy to make time for his or her highest life priorities. The problem then, is not lack of time, but that most people do not make exercise or eating healthy a priority. We all have the same amount of time – 24 hours a day – but the way people prioritize the use of time is the difference between success and mediocrity. And remember, words mean little. Actions reveal a person’s true priorities.

Third, none of these are the real reasons most people gain weight over the holidays to begin with. The real reason is because an intention was never set for the opposite: To get in BETTER shape over the holidays.

Most people set a “goal” to get in worse shape over the holidays!

It’s not consciously set, of course, as few people would intentionally set out to gain fat. They simply do it by default. In their minds, they accept that it must be just about impossible to stay in shape with everything going on over the holiday season, so why bother?

Once the decision has been made, then the rationalizing (“rationing lies”) continues:

“Why should I deprive myself?”
“Family is more important”
“Worrying about diet and exercise during the holidays is neurotic”
“I don’t care if I gain a few pounds, I’m going to enjoy myself anyway”
“It’s only these two or three weeks that I let myself go wild”
“I’ll start the first week in January and lose the weight then.”

As a result of this “negative goal-setting,” they expect to work out less, eat more and gain a few pounds, and they don’t seem to even consider alternatives.

But what would happen if you set an intention and a goal to get in better shape between now and New Years’s Day?

What would happen if you decided that it was not an all or nothing proposition and that you could enjoy the holidays and all it has to offer and get in better shape at the same time?

And what if you decided that your health and your body were the highest priorities in your life, because you realized that can’t enjoy anything else in life, including family or holidays, if you don’t have your health?

Here’s what would happen: You would get in better shape!

I’m not all that different from you just because I’m a bodybuilder and a fitness professional. I have many of the same problems, concerns and struggles as you do. Although today I always get in better shape between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, that’s a result of a conscious choice, a close examination of my old belief systems and a lot of action. For me, it all started about six years ago.

For most of my adult life, I wasn’t much of a traveller and I didn’t enjoy flying or staying in hotels. I had a belief that if I traveled, my workouts and nutrition would suffer. After all, “it would be hard to stick with my usual bodybuilding diet, and I wouldn’t have access to my usual gyms.” Because of these reasons (excuses), I never did much travel back in those days.

Then I was forced to take some trips for business reasons. Predictably enough, my nutrition and workouts suffered while I was spending time in airplanes and in hotels. With my experience having confirmed my beliefs, I re-affirmed to myself, “See, traveling is nothing but a pain. You just can’t stay on a diet and training program when you’re out of town.”

After several more trips, I noticed that something very negative happened: I surrendered. I had resigned myself to “not bother” while I was on the road. I let my expectations create my reality.

But I didn’t let it go on for long. As soon as I became aware of what was happening, I decided that I wouldn’t tolerate it, so I challenged myself and my previous limiting beliefs. I asked myself, “Why the heck not? Why let myself backslide? Why even settle for maintaining? Why not challenge myself to improve while I’m traveling?” The answer:

There was no reason, there were only excuses.

From that day forward, I set a challenge for myself: To come back from every trip or vacation in better shape than when I left. Of course there were exceptions, as when I went on a vacation for total R & R. But I never let travel get in my way again…

I prepared food that I would eat on the planes so airline food was never an excuse…
I only chose hotels that had kitchens, so I could cook my own food…
I went food shopping immediately after check-in…

And I actually found myself training harder than usual!

No matter where I was training – it could even be some “dungeon” of a gym in the middle of nowhere – it didn’t matter because my mind was focused on improving and looking better when I came home than when I left. I had a goal!

What do you think happened? It’s not hard to guess: I always came home in better shape than when I left.

Since then, my “travel challenge” has become somewhat of a ritual in my life. When I’m away from my “home-base” it becomes a “fitness road trip.” I search the Internet or yellow pages or ask locals to help me find the most hard-core gym nearby wherever I will be staying. When I get there, I train every bit as hard as if I had a competition just weeks away. I look forward to it now.

In fact, this experience is what led me to my “holiday fitness challenge.”

Like many people, I travel over the holidays, so I’m automatically in “travel challenge” mode at thanksgiving, Christmastime and New Year’s. But with the additional temptations and busyness that the holidays bring on top of the usual travel stresses, I saw fit to declare a new challenge: “The Holiday Challenge.” The difference was that for my “holiday challenge,” I pledged to not only to return home in better shape than when I left, but to enjoy the holidays to the fullest at the same time.

People who think I “deprive” myself to look the way I do would be shocked: I eat some damn good food over the holidays including Pie at Thanksgiving and my mom’s famous red and green Jell-0 Christmas cake. Then on New Year’s I’m usually toasting champagne and having a blast with friends or family. The difference is, every other meal stays right on schedule and I work out hard and consistently over the holidays; I don’t let everything fall apart just because ‘tis the season.’ In fact, I work out HARDER over the holidays!

The idea that you can either enjoy the holidays or stay in shape – but not both – is damaging and limiting. It hurts your social life, your emotional life and your physical life. Life is not an either or proposition; it’s a matter of balance. Success does not mean going to extremes. Success can be a simple matter of re-examining your beliefs, rearranging your priorities, setting goals, changing the questions you ask yourself, re-evaluating your expectations and acting in accordance with all of the above.

Your expectations will become your reality.

What are you expecting this holiday season? Are you expecting to be in better shape after holiday parties, celebrations, banquets, dinners, and desserts? If not, then why not? What’s preventing you from enjoying all of the above and still getting in better shape? Do you have a limiting belief which dictates that it’s one or the other? Could it be that you never set a goal, intention or expectation to do it? Could it be that you’re rationalizing or making excuses? If so, then I challenge you to change it this year.

I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE IN BETTER SHAPE ON JANUARY 1st THAN YOU ARE TODAY! I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE FITTER, HEALTHIER, LEANER AND MORE MUSCULAR!

There’s less than a month until the end of the year. Why not see how much you can improve your physique over the holidays, without depriving yourself of any holiday enjoyments or festivities? Just step up your expectations. Step up your standards. Step up your nutrition. Step up your training. Step up your action. Step up to the “holiday fitness challenge” the minute you finish reading this, and then just see what happens!

Eat right, train hard, and expect success,

Tom Venuto CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Fat Loss Coach

——————————————————————
BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE
The Classic Best-Selling e-book
——————————————————————

Discover the fat burning secrets of fitness models and bodybuilders and be 8-10 lbs LEANER by New Year’s. Visit: www.BurnTheFat.com

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

P.S. Read the official review of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by clicking here.

Tom has been super-busy taking media interviews with many major magazines and news outlets. The BodyFat Solution has been taking the fat loss industry by storm, and women especially have piqued an interest in Tom’s new book.

I’ve included a download link to 21 page transcript where you can learn Tom’s newest insights, techniques and strategies for fat loss success in the new year. You can download it here:

The BodyFat Solution: 21-page Interview Transcripts

Inside Tom’s report, you will learn

• how to end emotional eating and stop diet self sabotage once and for all
• Tom said that “BodyFat is not a problem, it’s a…”
• why people are confused when trying to think positively
• how to maximize goal setting with a “vision” that provides purpose and motivates you for life
• how to reprogram your mind to crave healthy foods unconsciously
• how ridiculous it is to listen to TV weight loss show winners for fat loss advice
• strategies to keep the weight off for good

You’re going to see and hear about Tom and The Body Fat Solution Book in the major media everywhere in 2009, and you will see the book on the shelves of every major bookstore in America….

Luckily, I have one of the first inside looks into Tom’s secrets for permanent and natural fat loss inside this PDF transcript.

My friend and training partner, Kyle Battis, just got a sneak preview for you from the first full-length interview Tom has ever given about his New Book! This 21-page transcript is from a teleseminar interview between Kyle and Tom.

The MP3 audio was already made available for the Burn The Fat: Inner Circle members (Inner Circle members get the first dibs on everything from Tom).

I can guarantee that when you read this report from Tom, his new insights on the reasons people are still failing with fat loss and why 90% of losers are regaining the weight, will give you some of the most enlightening “A-HA’s” of your life.

You can download the transcript, “An Introduction To The Body Fat Solution” from the link below, and get Tom’s latest advice that will help you reach your fitness goals in 2009. Knowing Tom, I understand that he doesn’t consider his work done unless he teaches you how to maintain your results for life.

The BodyFat Solution: 21-page Interview Transcripts

If you know anyone else that may be interested in reading this fat loss report, please send them the download link as well.

To your health and success,

Stumble It!

P.S. Happy thanksgiving! Take a moment and reflect on what you are thankful for, and then give thanks for it.

P.P.S. I’m not making any money off of promoting the BodyFat Solution.  Tom is a friend of mine, and I know that his work stands above and beyond anything else in the fat loss industry.  Tom has worked hard on this book, and he deserves to have it read by millions, which is why I’m sharing it with you.

Tom Venuto - the fat loss coach

I have very little interest these days in all the media-hyped stories of dramatic, rapid losses of body weight. “Big losers” don’t impress me, for numerous reasons. For example, weight is not fat. “Weight” could be composed of mostly lean tissue, or it could be mostly water weight. In fact, I would go a step further and point out that rapid loss of bodyweight correlates very highly with a greater chance of relapse, weight re-gain and long term failure.

So what does impress me? What gets my attention?

I pay attention to what the “long term maintainers” have to say – those are the people who have maintained an ideal weight for over a year… preferably even 2-5 years or more.

The difference between losers and maintainers

As I was researching the subject of long term weight maintenance recently, I was surprised at the huge amount of research that’s already been done in this area.

One paper that caught my interest was published by Judy Kruger and colleagues in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, titled,

“Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults successful at weight loss maintenance.”

This was not an experimental study, but a compilation of data from the “Styles Survey” which was representative of the U.S. population and asked respondants questions about strategies to aid with maintaining an ideal weight.

In this particular survey, only one-third (30.96%) of the respondents said they were successful at keeping their weight off. The researchers wanted to know the difference between the small group that was successful and the majority that were not.

Both groups reduced the amount of food they consumed, they ate smaller portions, more fruits and vegetables, fewer fatty foods and fewer sweetened beverages.

Not really any surprises there, but what we want to know most is not what losers and maintainers have in common, but what the maintainers did that the losers didn’t.

Some major differences emerged between losers and maintainers:

First, a significantly higher proportion of successful maintainers reported exercising 30 minutes or more daily, and they also reported adding other physical activity to their daily schedules (recreation, sports, physical work, etc). In addition, more of the successful maintainers included weight training in their exercise regimens than did the losers.

Reducing sedentary activities (TV watching, etc) was also a significant difference between those who successfully maintained and those who did not.

The next big difference that separated the successful maintainers from the unsuccessful was in their “self-monitoring behaviors” including:

* tracking calories
* tracking body weight
* planning meals
* tracking fat
* measuring the amount of food on their plate

Unfortunately, these types of self-monitoring behaviors, especially weighing and measuring food and counting calories, are among the most avoided and even criticized weight control techniques. Some weight loss “experts” even claim that it’s detrimental to count calories, weigh yourself or measure and weigh your food.

However, these self monitoring behaviors are being identified more and more frequently in the research as part of “the difference that makes the difference.” I agree, and they have always played a major role in my own Burn The Fat program.

A final difference was that people who reported self-perceived “barriers” to their success were 48-76% less likely to be a successful maintainer.

For example, they said they had no time to exercise, they were too tired to exercise or it was too hard to maintain an exercise routine. I interpret this as: the unsuccessful losers were excuse makers!

THE TOP 5 STRATEGIES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MAINTAINER

So let’s recap and turn these research findings into some practical action steps you can apply today.

1. Increase your total daily activity level, including formal exercise as well as sports, physical work or recreational activity. Exercise improves weight loss, but more importantly, it is critical for weight maintenance.

2. Decrease sedentary recreational activities by cutting back on TV watching, computer games and web surfing. Take up physical recreation such as sports, boating, biking, walking, hiking, gardening, physical hobbies and playing with your kids, if you have them.

3. Include weight training as part of your formal exercise program, throughout the fat loss phase and even more seriously during maintenance.

4. Track and monitor everything! Count calories and nutrients, measure your portion sizes, weigh your food, plan your menus in writing and monitor your body weight and body fat percentage.

5. Avoid excuses and maintain positive beliefs and attitudes towards your environment and what you perceive as “barriers.” For example, say, “I can always make time for what is most important to me” instead of, “I don’t have time to exercise.”

If you’re currently on a fat loss journey, and you want to know how good your odds are for being a successful maintainer, it’s pretty easy to predict using these 5 strategies. If you’re not using all 5 of them yet, then when would be a good time to start today?

There are limitations to survey results such as these, including the fact that they are cross sectional, and therefore cannot prove causality. However, I believe these findings are important and significant.

Not only do they confirm previous similar studies and agree with the findings of other groups of successful maintainers (such as the National Weight Control Registry), I found that these results match precisely what I’ve seen among my most successful “Burn The Fat” clients.

THIS is the type of advice I’d suggest you listen to the most: Advice about how to lose body FAT, not body WEIGHT, and how to maintain an ideal bodyweight and body composition over the long haul, not how to lose weight as fast as possible.

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

P.S. There was one more “difference that made the difference,” in this study, and this one may surprise you (although it didn’t surprise me). Successful maintainers were LESS likely to take over the counter diet products (pills, etc).

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

It’s finally here – after many many long days in his “writers cave,” Tom Venuto, author of the best-selling E-book “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle” and creator of the Burn The Fat Inner Circle recently finished writing his much-anticipated NEW hardcover book.

I am super excited about Tom’s new book and I’ve noticed The Burn the Fat: Inner Circle forums have been brewing with chatter about the BodyFat Solution.  I work with Tom everyday, so I know he has worked super-hard to get this done.

I wanted to post the official Press Release that explains what Tom’s new book is all about. (I recommend Pre-Ordering your copy before the first editions sell out – it’s been climbing the amazon sales rank fast!)

PRESS RELEASE

From Tom Venuto

Via (Avery Books/Penguin Group)

Re: pre-release announcement

New Hardcover Book By Tom Venuto Reveals the 5 Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscles, Ending Emotional Eating and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight.

By now, we all know that we gain fat when we take in more calories than we burn. But we’re not always rational creatures when it comes to food and exercise. Recognizing the emotional and psychological factors that sabotage success, Tom Venuto’s new Book, The Body Fat Solution (Avery/Penguin Group) hones in on the real causes of body-fat and provides a sound plan to take back control of our bodies and end emotional eating for good.

In The Body Fat Solution, Venuto outlines the five principles that will retrain your mind and body for automatic success. Determined to help you keep the fat off for good, Tom shows you how to:

- End emotional eating and stop diet self sabotage

- change your vision through manageable goals for indomitable confidence

- eat healthy, delicious food almost unconsciously and shed the pounds effortlessly

- reshape your body through lean muscle training for a strong core and toned frame

- invite a supportive social network of friends, family, and mentors to help you achieve your dream for life

Venuto reminds us that calories do count! But The Body Fat Solution is neither super low carb nor super low fat, and he steers clear of demonizing entire food groups. Instead, Venuto helps you personalize an eating plan that takes into account your unique metabolism and calorie needs. He then presents illustrated workout programs to maximize the success of the diet plan that are fast and efficient.

Most important, he helps you plan and organize your life so that you can fully implement your new goals and monitor your progress, and finally maintain your perfect weight for life.

Tapping into his years of training expertise and personal experience, Venuto helps readers change their relationship with food, empowers them to take charge of their lives, and delivers a program that promises dramatic and permanent results.

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ADVANCED PRAISE FOR THE BODY FAT SOLUTION:

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“Read this book–if you want to lose weight, improve your body and your health, and keep up these improvements for life. Tom Venuto gives it to you straight, basing his program on solid science and common sense. You will come away with a new feeling of inspiration and a new action plan to get you started and keep you on track to help you reach your goals–and then beyond.”

Judith S. Beck, Ph.D.

Author of The Complete Beck Diet for Life.

Director, Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania

“At last, easy, concise, no excuses – get skinny – this is the guide. Great work, Tom!”

Richard Bandler, co-founder of NLP, author, “Get The Life You Want”

“Tom Venuto’s Body Fat Solution is one of the most important books on health, happiness and physical well-being ever written. In this fast-moving, easily usable series of methods and techniques, you learn how to enjoy superb physical fitness, achieve your ideal weight, and feel terrific about yourself both emotionally and spiritually.”

Brian Tracy – Motivational Speaker, Author – “Reinvention”

In 2003 Tom Venuto changed the fat loss world with his ebook “Burn the Fat – Feed the Muscle”… In 2008 he’s done it again with the Body Fat Solution. The World’s expert on fat loss speaks – I listen.

I’ve often said — Fat loss doesn’t start with an exercise program, a diet or a supplement… It starts with a mindset shift. That mindset shift begins with Tom’s new book. If you want to change your body – you need to change your mind. And to do that – you need Tom Venuto.

Alwyn Cosgrove, Co-Author, The New Rules of Lifting and The New Rules of Lifting for Women

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The Body Fat Solution is scheduled for release on January 8th, 2009. Now available for Pre-order at Amazon.com (Click on the banner below to pre-order your copy today)

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, nutrition researcher, and natural, steroid-free bodybuilder. Since 1989, Venuto has been involved in virtually every aspect of the fitness and weight loss industry: personal trainer, nutrition consultant, motivation coach, fitness model, health club manager, freelance writer, and bestselling author of the popular eBook 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 or by joining the Burn the Fat: Inner Circle, the Internets premiere fat loss support community.

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To your health and success,

Website Manager
www.BurnTheFat.com
Contributor and Forum Moderator
http://www.BurnTheFatInnerCircle.com

Tom Venuto

I don’t know about you, but I have always admired a well-kept kitchen. It’s honestly one of the first things I want to see when I enter a new home. I guess I’m a weirdo.

Anyway, one of my life strategies is to stand on the shoulders of giants, and mimic those who have achieved success. My friend, Tom Venuto, is someone whom I admire and respect for his attention to detail and his principles such as lifestyle nutrition (I actually work with Tom everyday, with his website www.burnthefat.com). Just for fun, I want to share a video tour of Tom Venuto in his kitchen – he’s quite a character.

Just a personal note from me… whenever Tom speaks, I listen. His knowledge of nutrition, fat loss, and achieving the body of your dreams is broad and comprehensive. I’m not a bodybuilder, and never want to be, but I know that Tom Venuto has an amazing message even for health-first wellness warriors like you. Tom is truly a giant, not only because of his natural bodybuilder physique, but also his spirit and integrity.  And for those of you who have been wondering… no, Tom is not an “alien life form” or a robot from NASA, the UN, or the future.  Tom’s a real life guy.

Take-home points for your kitchen:

• get a rice cooker – it’s easier than cooking rice on the stovetop, and it doubles as a vegetable steamer.  Tom is notorious for recommending brown rice.  He mentioned that his favorite is Basmati brown rice because it is packed with nutrition, but I think he just likes the smell of popcorn.
• I will second Tom’s advice to get a blender. You can make smoothies, and finely chop veggies. I don’t know what I would do without a blender which I use almost every day for tasty protein shakes.
• A good set of knives makes life a lot easier, sage advice.  My wife and I have a block of cheap-o knives, and a select few very nice knives that we use most of the time.
• I don’t drink coffee, but you should get a coffeemaker if you are a morning zombie. It’s usually much better than buying coffee from your local Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, (etc.).
• Tom doesn’t eat much bread, but when he does it’s whole grain and toasted – get a toaster either with slots or just a toaster oven.  These are great for convenience.
• Tom’s tip to keeping healthy foods in sight is probably some of the best advice in that video.  I like to keep fruits, nuts, and seeds on the counter.  I will also place other dry goods on the counter if I will be eating it later in the day – this reminds me of my meal schedule and helps me avoid the temptation to eat something else.
• Tom drinks water, green tea, and coffee in moderation. I’m with him on his advice to stay away from calorie-containing beverages.  Soda, alcohol, fruit juices, etc. should be avoided when trying to lose fat and otherwise only consumed in moderation.
• Tom eats yams and sweet potatoes for starchy carbs – these are his top sources along with natural rolled oats – NOT sweetened, flavored packets of oatmeal.
• Potatoes are also a good source of complex carbs, and fiber – eat the skin!
• Tom says to forget the myths that microwaves leave your food nutrient-empty.  Microwaves are ok, and great for convenience.
• Tom eats lot’s of eggs and egg whites. Whole eggs are one of the healthiest foods, and I consider it a “superfood.” You don’t need to worry about the cholesterol in eggs increasing your blood cholesterol – there just isn’t a correlation.  Of course, always keep your doctors recommendations in mind.
• Tom eats chicken breasts and lean red meat – usually top round, sirloin, flank steak.  You’ll notice he did not include other meats such as bacon, sausage, pork.
• Always having an abundance of fruits and vegetables will keep you on the right track, things like: pineapple, berries, kiwi, oranges, celery, onions, green peppers, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, and squash.
• Tom also eats shrimp and fish regularly, and I know he is a big proponent of eating wild salmon for it’s fatty acid benefits.

All in all, that was a great tour packed with a ton of good advice.

Your Question of the Day is: What kitchen strategies could you work on this week?

To your health and success,

P.S. If you liked what you saw in this video and want to learn more about Tom, you can purchase his best-selling ebook, 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 or join his fat loss support community at www.burnthefatinnercircle.com

P.P.S. Read the official review of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle by clicking here.

Tom Venuto’s Bodybuilding/Fat Loss Recipe: Beefy Spanish Rice

I am a contributor and forum moderator at Tom’s website at the Burn The Fat: Inner Circle, which is the Internets premiere fat loss support community.  Inside this site, you can find dozens of “burn the fat” recipes like the one above.  These recipes are packed with nutrition and I think all of them must pass the “kitchen dummy” seal of approval – anyone can make these recipes.

If you liked the video above, and want to check out some more recipes, visit http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com

To your health and success,

P.S. If you’d like to check out the Internets largest premiere fat loss support community, click the button below:

P.P.S. If you are interested in a health-first diet without supplements, without drugs, and without screwing up your metabolism, then this will be the most important book you ever read. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is the #1 Best Selling Diet and Nutrition program in Internet History, and for a good reason. Tens of thousands of men and women from 143 countries have burned fat and gained muscle with these powerful all-natural techniques… and you can too! Read the official review here:

Review of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

If you need to lose weight, or more specifically, lose FAT permanently and naturally, or if you’re looking to build muscle and/or prepare for a fitness, figure, or bodybuilding competition: then pay attention!

The Burn The Fat: Inner Circle is a membership website support community for people just like you, who have decided once and for all to quit making excuses and take action NOW to achieve their goals. Many of the members join because this site is more than just a membership site with a subscription fee and quality information – it’s an open and honest support community. Having been involved as a forum moderator, I have seen first-hand how incredible it is when a large group of people joins together to accomplish a common goal like fat loss.

Tom Venuto, the creator of this community, has termed this phenomenon called social support the “5th Element” to every successful fat loss program.

The bottom line is that if you’re looking to lose fat or build lean muscle, and you need some social support (who doesn’t?!), then you should definitely take a few minutes to check out all this site has to offer.

The Inner Circle staff has provided every single tool you can think of that will help you with your fat loss goals, and this is only ONE of the reasons why we have almost daily success stories from our members. There is even a “100 Pound Club” forum for our members that have lost or need to lose over 100 lbs – and we’ve had many many members do this already – you can hear their stories in article, audio, or just through personal sharing on the forums.

One of the best resources on the Inner Circle is the network of fitness professionals that are available on the forums.  It’s like having some of the most knowledgeable fat loss and muscle building coaches just one post away.

I strongly encourage you to look into joining the Burn the Fat: Inner Circle.

To your health and success,

This program requires minimal equipment and can be performed at home or at the gym.  There are three, full body strength training sessions per week, performed on non-consecutive days, for four weeks.

Session scheduling, sessions A, B, C, and D.
Week One:
A B A

Week Two:
B A B

Week Three:
C D C

Week Four:
D C D

Sample schedule for week one:
Monday: strength training session A
Tuesday: other activity such as athletic skills practice, cardio, leisure activities, etc.
Wednesday: strength training session B
Thursday: other activity such as athletic skills practice, cardio, leisure activities, etc.
Friday: strength training session A
Saturday: other activity such as athletic skills practice, cardio, leisure activities, etc.
Sunday: rest

Equipment required: Stopwatch or Clock, Dumbbells, Pullup Bar, Bench or Chair, and Floor Space for bodyweight exercise.

Special Notes on How To Maximize Your Progress:

There are a total of 4 different sessions, each one will be performed 3 times over the 4-week period.  This gives you two chances for each designated session (A, B, C, or D) to outperform your previous results.  Your goal should be to set new personal records each time you repeat a session, otherwise you will not make optimal progress.  The two easiest ways to progress in this program are as follows:
1.    Increase the total amount of circuits per session.  For instance, if you went through the dumbbell circuit in Session A twice when you performed it for the first time – go through it three times the next time through.
2.    Increase the amount of time that you perform each exercise.  If you did bodyweight squats for 30 seconds the first time through, try aiming for 35 or 40 if you’re feeling strong.

Constantly seeking improvements in performance will ensure that you are pushing your limits and will see the best results.  Do you think you will receive the best results by putting in a marginal effort? I don’t think so!

Here are three more rules to keep in mind when doing the exercises:

Discomfort rating: Don’t move into any pain during these exercises.  Don’t confuse pain with discomfort, they send very different signals.  If an exercise is uncomfortable, that is OK, just don’t push into pain – learn to tell the difference.

Effort/Exertion rating: Try to aim for at least a 60% level of maximum effort during each exercise.  This means that 100% would be working as hard as you possibly can be.  Generally, your goal should be to stay between 60-80% of your maximum effort capacity.

Technique rating: I cannot stress the importance of using proper technique that is both EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE.  Make sure that you are performing the exercises nearly perfectly – think 8 out of 10, 10 being perfect technique or form.  If you cannot perform an exercise listed below with near perfect technique, either drop down a skill level (ie doing knee-pushups instead of regular pushups) or substitute another exercise.

4-week Sample Strength Training Program for your Workout Routine: Using Only Dumbbell Weight Training and Bodyweight exercise

Strength Training Session A (30-60 minutes)

Joint mobility warmup: 5-10 minutes

Bodyweight circuit, repeat 2-4x, no rest between exercises 60-120 seconds rest at end of each circuit:
•    Bodyweight squats 30-60 seconds
•    Pushups 30-60 seconds
•    Pullups (negatives or hanging on bar are substitutes for beginners) 30-60 seconds

Dumbbell circuit, repeat 2-4x, no rest between exercises 60-120 seconds rest at end of each circuit:
•    Dumbbell swings 30-60 sec/arm
•    Bent-over dumbbell rows 30-60 seconds
•    Overhead presses with dumbbells 30-60 seconds

Cool down with joint mobility and yoga, 5-10 minutes.

Strength Training Session B

Joint mobility warmup: 5-10 minutes

Bodyweight circuit, repeat 2-4x, no rest between exercises 60-120 seconds rest at end of each circuit:
•    Reverse lunges 30 sec/leg
•    Close-hands pushups (AKA diamond pushups) 30-60 seconds
•    Bodyweight rows 30-60 seconds

Mixed circuit, repeat 2-4x, no rest between exercises 60-120 seconds rest at end of each circuit:
•    Dumbbell bench or chair step-ups 30 sec/leg
•    Front plank on forearms 30-60 seconds
•    Side plank 15-30 sec/side

Cool down with joint mobility and yoga, 5-10 minutes.

Strength Training Session C

Joint mobility warmup: 5-10 minutes

Mixed circuit, repeat 2-4x, no rest between exercises 60-120 seconds rest at end of each circuit:
•    Dumbbell front squats 35-60 seconds
•    Bent-over dumbbell rows 35-60 seconds
•    Lateral lunges 15-30 sec/side
•    Pushups with hands on dumbbells (get deeper into range of motion) 35-60 seconds

Mixed circuit, repeat 2-4x, no rest between exercises 60-120 seconds rest at end of each circuit:
•    Forward lunges 30 sec/leg
•    Mixed grip pullups (negatives or hanging on bar are substitute for beginners) 30-60 sec.
•    Incline pushups 30-60 seconds
•    Front plank 40-70 seconds

Cool down with joint mobility and yoga, 5-10 minutes.

Strength Training Session D

Joint mobility warmup: 5-10 minutes

Mixed circuit, repeat 2-4x, no rest between exercises 60-120 seconds rest at end of each circuit:
•    Dumbbell deadlifts 30-60 seconds
•    Bodyweight rows 35-60 sec.
•    Single-arm dumbbell swings 35 sec/side
•    Pushups 35-60 sec.
•    Hold top pushup position for 15-30 seconds after finishing repetitions – contract abs and lengthen out your spine in two opposing directions.

Mixed circuit, repeat 2-4x, no rest between exercises 60-120 seconds rest at end of each circuit:
•    Walking lunges 30 sec/leg
•    Inchworm exercise 30-60 seconds
•    Alternating overhead presses with dumbbells 30-60 seconds
•    Side planks with elbow locked (arm straight) 20-40 sec/side

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT