Burning fat and losing weight is hard enough. But for most of us, losing those last 10 or 15 pounds – and keeping them off – seems nearly impossible. And let’s not forget that we want to keep the muscle we’ve built along the way, right?

OK, time to drop the word “nearly” and just call it impossible?

Not so, says personal trainer and fitness blogger Chad Howse.

Chad has a great personal story of his own which includes boxing and putting functional muscle on his skinny frame, but today he stopped by to share 3 tips for burning fat and how he went from fighting at 165 lbs to 152 lbs without sacrificing any muscle.

Here are Chad’s tips for dropping those last pounds and making sure they stay gone. < <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>

You arrive home after a grueling day at work. You kick-off your shoes, drop your briefcase and head for the refrigerator. As you grab the handle, thoughts of “what to eat” overwhelm your brain and as the fridge door swings open you hear a collection of voices yell out… SURPRISE!

[Anytime I stand in front of an open fridge for more then 10 seconds it usually leads to poor eating decisions...]

Not exactly the next Oscar nominee for best screen play, am I?

That’s OK – because what I really want to convey to you today is the surprising food choices you can make to lose weight faster and more effectively.

And don’t worry, I’m not going to get all exotic here and send you to some overpriced health food store looking for an African fruit berry. We’re keeping it simple and straight forward so pay close attention. < <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>

Protein shakes are everywhere – the gym juice bar, shopping malls, and even local supermarkets. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about drive-thru establishments that offer protein drinks like coffee shops. Seriously, has anyone heard of one yet?

However, a high-quality protein drink that is homemade and nutritious is little harder to find. Most protein drinks today are cheap sugar cocktails with protein sources that raise a spokian eyebrow. Throw in some outlandish claims and I wouldn’t be surprised if it flew off the shelf at every GNC store from here to Hong Kong.

[Doesn't get anymore organic then this, does it? Milk mustache ads, mooove over:)]

In today’s post I’d like to share with you a strategy to build your very own protein drink that is simple, economic, and healthy all in the same gulp. Four principles that will guide our protein drink are:

1. Go organic as much as possible;

2. Include plenty of healthy fats rather than cheap sugar substitutes to help control insulin and provide more satiety;

3. Be ‘raw’;

4. It must taste good!

So here’s a recipe complete with ingredients that will take less than two minutes to make and keep us full for 2-3 hours. < <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>

In a recent fat loss tip we talked about the use of intermittent fasting as a natural way for your body to burn fat. On a personal note, this strategy has become by far my most effective weight loss strategy I currently practice.

In the article, we covered just a few of the benefits of fasting including the ability to burn fat without restricting your diet to bland salads and dried-out chicken breast. The story is a simple one:

Enjoy your favorite foods without guilt or anxiety and you will lose weight.

Fasting with favorite foods can equal weight loss - just go easy on the whipped cream!

Eye brows were raised, sentences re-read, and conversations ensued. One of our readers, Al, openly questioned the whole concept:

That sounds all well and good, BUT don’t I still need to eat healthy foods to lose weight. It doesn’t make sense that I can eat pizza and hot dogs everyday, input 2 24-hour fasts, and still expect to lose weight? Am i missing something?

Here is my response to Al which I’d like to share with everyone: < <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>

Remember those gift cards or pre-paid credit cards you received from your lazy family members for Christmas? Well it’s time to cash them in and we’re here to offer up some health and fitness suggestions for you.

As an aside, I’m quickly becoming a fan of receiving gift cards, and especially pre-paid credit cards. With it, you get to shop anywhere you like instead of being bound to a single store like a traditional gift card.

However, watch out for the inactivity fee charge though. The MasterCard prepaid credit card I received for Christmas starts charging $2.50 per month at the 6-month mark after activation.

There are plenty of health and fitness products to consider – and completely ignore - in the today’s marketplace.

Here are 10 ways to spend your holiday gift cards on losing weight and getting healthy: < <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>

Personal trainers have built their business on bringing fitness training and support to individuals in the comfort of their own homes. In recent years though, there has been a new dynamic growing at creating a similar environment for another group of clients – those you never meet in person.

If you’re like me and born outside of generation z (mid-90s to 2000s) then this sounds absolutely crazy!

A personal trainer who never spots you or yells out “c’mon, one more rep”? Huh? Really?

[Imagine Obama on the other end coaching you?? - "I don't think I can do it coach... YES WE CAN!"]

So let’s move together past our collective first glances and see what virtual personal trainers and coaches have to offer.

How exactly does this arrangement work?

< <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>

In the world of 24-hour news and the internet, its easy to get confused on what information is accurate and what’s just a marketing ploy.

At the Fat Loss Authority, we do our best to sort through all the health and nutrition BS our readers might encounter in their everyday lives and we do our best to provide you credible information that we KNOW works.

[Burn some fat and people are sure to take notice... and want to know your secret!]

Something I have found incredibly useful in my personal health and weight loss goals is intermittent fasting. Anyone I have provided this information too has seen results – plain and simple. The ultimate decision is always yours, but let me tell you a little bit about why I think intermittent fasting is an incredibly secret and undervalued weapon for you and your lifestyle.

Flexible intermittent fasting is becoming a very popular way to use your body’s natural ability to burn lots of fat in a short period of time.

Here is a list of the ways that flexible intermittent fasting will turbo charge your fat loss. < <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>

I hear a lot of discussions in gym locker rooms about how to burn the most amount of body fat and gain lean muscle during strength training. The good news is you don’t have to spend more time in the gym. In fact, it’s completely the opposite:

Spend less time – especially resting between sets!

 
[A watch or clock is essential for measuring rest periods between sets - even grandma's old clunker will get the job done.]

Will I Still Be Strong?

It depends on your goals. If you’re training to increase strength to be able to compete in power-lifting competitions then resting a bit longer would be a good idea – up to three minutes for movements like squats and deadlifts. But chances are you’re here at The Fat Loss Authority wanting to learn about losing fat. Being able to lift a small European car is not the primary goal. < <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>

It’s not easy losing weight – at least for most of us – which is why fat loss is always a mainstream topic being talked about on almost every talk and news show (Larry King with Carnie Wilson and Jillian Michaels last week was the icing on the cake!). Most of you reading this probably want to burn up that fat and uncover your abs sooner rather than later.

Who wouldn’t want a midsection that looks like a cheese grater?

[This pic is for anyone stuck shoveling snow this past week. Must go somewhere sunny very soon!]

NOTE: I would’ve used the old “washboard abs” metaphor but I think it’s time to retire that one since anybody under the age of 30 probably has no idea what the hell a washboard is?

So to get you on your way to burning up the fat around your belly, here are five crucial fat loss tips to help your diet and exercise regimen for the new year: < <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>

Take a peak at your local department or sporting good store flyer and I bet you’ll see plenty of “sales” for fitness equipment this time of year. This isn’t by accident. We’re in the midst of “weight loss resolution” season where people are usually on the lookout for exercise shortcuts in order to lose weight and “tone-up” – minus the hard work of course.

[Honestly ladies? Would you wear fitness accessories at the expense of your coordinated outfit?]

A fitness item trying to make a “Brett Favre-esque type comeback” is the wrist and ankle weights we left in 1980s. Back on the market and attempting to be more stylish and functional with a new name to boot -wearable body weights – they promise to burn off all those calories you consumed between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But how well do these “new” exercise accessories measure up to their fat loss claims?

I spoke to some users at my gym and surfed the online forums to get a sense of how effective these accessories really are. Now I’m no Chris Hansen of 20/20 fame, but here’s what I found in my travels. < <- Click Here to Continue Reading ->>