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: (more…)

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: (more…)

So the calendar has switched over and it’s 2010. You’re interested in losing weight and think you should buy the latest supplement or give a new weight loss infomercial a try.

But what if we told you the secret to losing weight is right around the corner at your local grocery store?

[I can't remember the last time I went down the "pop" aisle? You shouldn't be going down it either!]

This is where it all starts – The input to the output. The snap of the ball before the touchdown pass. How you go about something as routine as grocery shopping could be holding you back from the fat loss goals you deserve to achieve.

Here are three important strategies to keep in mind the next time you’re heading out to the grocery store to “pick-up” a few things. (more…)

Everywhere we look there are savory food temptations ready to derail our healthy food intentions. My personal struggle during the holidays is homemade Italian cookies as I outlined last week.

[Candy canes don't do it for me anymore. I prefer sophisticated sugar treats now that I'm a big boy:)]

Just say no to the goodies? Ha, not likely, and I think I speak for the majority of us. So how exactly can we survive the holiday food traps and not swell up like a balloon?

Try these useful tricks to help keep your sanity and more importantly the excess pounds off and make one less resolution (weight loss) in 2010. (more…)

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard that fasting (or commonly referred to as starving by the uneducated) will cause you to lose your muscle mass. Every time someone asks me how I stay in good shape they think I’m lying when I say intermittent fasting is a major weapon in my overall health and fitness plan.

What? Come on man… you’re supposed to eat to get muscle, protein with every meal, 17 meals a day…

OK, I exaggerated that last one a little but you get the point. Fasting and the fear of losing your hard-earned muscle seems to be one of the most prevalent myths out there and it’s time to get to the bottom of it.

[Raise your hand if you've posed for a picture doing the double bicep shot? Of course we have:)]

Use it or lose it sister…

Intermittent fasting reduces your caloric intake but does not result in a loss of your hard-earned muscle if you follow this one golden rule: You have to be involved in some sort of regular resistance training program like strength training, body weight exercises, resistance bands, whatever. (more…)

Regardless of your experience with dieting – or what I like to call eating consciously – one major problem that everyone complains about is hunger pains. The inability to deal with hunger while dieting is one of the biggest reasons why many people fail on their diets and can’t lose weight.

[I said PANGS not FANGS! Poor Edward Cullen from the ridiculously famous Twilight movie can't even get his fangs in place above. FYI: Get ready to see a lot of vampire and werewolf costumes this Halloween. How original...]

The hunger pangs – must eat something…

OK… I’ll admit it. I thought it was “hunger pains” but informally it’s referred to “hunger pangs” when you start feeling those intense stomach contractions normally in the 12-24 hour range after your last meal. I don’t know about you but “pangs” sounds silly so I’m going with hunger pains. (more…)

It seems like every processed food item has a 100 calorie package version out on the market these days. I saw Doritos, Oreos, and every major chocolate bar touting 100 calories on the front side of their respective packages while standing in line at the supermarket last week. Ah… isn’t that sweet. They’re doing the portion control for me in an effort to help me eat less. Sure, I’ve got room for you guys in my shopping cart. Hop right in…

[The staple of low calorie snacking... popcorn. Put your hand-up if you can taste the difference between plain unsalted or unsweetened popcorn and styrofoam? That's why it's usually loaded with large amounts of additives!]

I thought smaller portion size was good? What gives?

When mindless eating takes over, yes absolutely, these packages are a great idea. Forcing a person to take the additional action of getting up and opening a new pack to continue snacking is powerful and works a hell of lot better then putting on the mental brakes in front of an already opened 450 gram bag of chips. But according to some research, such awareness doesn’t necessarily prevent overeating. (more…)

An interesting study from the Center of Science and Public Interest in Canada popped up in the news last month regarding processed/packaged/fast foods having far too much sodium (like 75% too much).

[I know people who ask for salt and pepper even before tasting their meal. That's when you know you have a problem...] 

Leave it to us Canadians to point out the obvious but discussions about salt intake should not be taken lightly. When you look at the big picture of food safety laws and associated public health risk, high sodium intake is barely on the map. Government officials direct far more attention to rare and more acute risks (if I hear one more West Nile virus commercial I’m going to lose it) when in fact excess sodium is a cause of substantially more deaths in North America.

(more…)

Another week and a dozen more offers sitting in my email inbox for the amazing Acai Berry. I’ve put off the idea of analyzing this highly touted supplement primarily for these two reasons:

1. Anything that sounds to good to be true usually falls flat on it’s face, especially in the world of fat loss;

2. Oprah.

[A friend asked me what Acai supplement she should be using in her diet. This picture captures my reaction quite well.]

Now I enjoy most of Oprah’s segments and features but this particular episode from last year, which also included some hyped-up talk about Resveratrol, was a complete disaster.

OK, it was really Dr. Mehmet Oz who dropped the ball, but unknowingly or not, this episode contributed to a dramatic rise in Acai profit ($15 million last year, up from $500,000 per year in previous years) and junk email offers around the world.

Almost overnight, Oprah and other celebrities became walking endorsements with ad campaigns built entirely around them to be used in every corner of the internet. By filing a lawsuit earlier this month, it looks like Oprah may think twice about doing another episode about this “miracle” fat loss supplement.

With the rise of acai berry products, it’s virtually impossible to get any subjective and unbiased information on the topic because all the junk websites have risen to the top in most search engines.

What I’ll attempt to do here is save you the headache and give you an honest digestible (pardon the pun) version of the facts regarding this heavily publicized piece of fruit.

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Life is normally not very exciting. Most of us get up in the morning and live each day almost as an exact mimic of the one before.

We rise, brush our teeth, wash away our less than lovely aromas, go to work, deal with it on a reactive level, come home, toss in a frozen dinner, watch a little TV, and get ready to shut ‘er down and start it all over again the following day.

Personally, fitness is just one weapon I use in my arsenal to break up this boring cycle. Three or four times a week I’ll step into a gym, or onto a running trail and tell myself, “Self, you are going to be better than you were the last time we were here.” Then I don’t just “work out”, I train.

To be stronger. To be faster. To be better than I currently am.

[Any challenge you take on, should be looked at as a test of your mental ability. Each victory is a reason to hold your head up high because not just anyone could have succeeded where you have. Keep reading to see why alcohol is so damaging to your fitness goals]

I admit that I am learning to train harder and push myself a little harder but like everything worth doing, it’s a process.

Sometimes I fail, sometimes I succeed, but after each challenge I put myself through I learn a little more about whom I am what I am capable of. This way, I am forced to face the results and myself, for better or for worse.

My findings have been the more I challenge myself, the better the person I become. Or at least I have a better understanding of my weakness so not to play to them in the future.

In the past I’ve challenged myself to things like a 24hr fast, with very successful results .  My fasting challenge alone has shifted my weight lifting and nutritional paradigms away from the traditional bodybuilder mindset into a new and more informed view of eating and training.

But last week I set up another gauntlet.

(more…)