I had the pleasure of being interviewed recently by a fitness professional from NYC, Certified Personal Trainer, Geovanni Derice. The interview is below and I think you're going to like it... I reveal some of the hardest hitting strategies for getting rid of that stubborn stomach fat to uncover those flat six pack abs that everyone wants.
"GD: Welcome Mike to our 4-ever-Toned Fitness Journal. For those who do not know you, please tell us a few things about yourself and how you can help our readers with their fitness and health.
MG: Thanks for having me, Geo. Well, to go back a little, I have been heavily involved in fitness and sports for about 17 years now, ever since I was a teenager. Being involved in sports in high school got me interested in strength training and conditioning.
At that point, once I started feeling more energetic, getting stronger, and looking better, I was instantly hooked for life. I'm 33 now and still addicted to the way living a healthy and fit lifestyle makes me feel energetic, confident, strong, and youthful on a daily basis.
I decided earlier in my 20's that I wanted to make the commitment to help other people experience the excitement of being fit and getting in the best shape of their lives, especially since we've reached an epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, etc. That's why I became a fitness professional. It just gives me so much satisfaction to help others, who have struggled for years to get in good shape, and show them that it can be done, and it can be fun in the process.
Go here to see the results many of my readers are getting in losing stomach fat and getting lean abs.
I've expanded over the years from just reaching local individuals with personal training, into being able to help people all over the globe achieve their fitness goals with the reach of the internet. I only hope that my passion for fitness inspires people to take action and improve how they look and feel for life.
GD: Now Mike, there's so many things out there as to what works and what does not work... if you had to pick 3 things that work time and time again to get flat lean abs, what would they be?
MG: The first and most important thing to get control of in order to lose your belly fat and get flat abs is cleaning up your diet. Exercise is important, but your diet is king when it comes to losing body fat so that you can see your abs.
There's so much confusion these days about what a healthy diet that promotes fat loss really is... after all, we are bombarded by conflicting messages in the media about what is healthy and what is not, and you have all of these gimmicky diet books about low carb, low fat, high protein, vegetarian, fasting, atkins, south beach, liquid diets, and hundreds more. There's so much conflicting info, that the average consumer doesn't even know where to start when it comes to eating for fat loss.
The second thing that works time and time again, is to focus on the intensity of your workouts and focus on working the body as a whole in order to get the best metabolic response to lose that stubborn stomach fat.
In order to really get lean, the workouts should have a high intensity, with short rest periods, working the largest muscle groups of the body, instead of trying to isolate specific small muscles like the biceps, triceps, or calves.
For the third thing, let's talk about actually training the abs specifically. When it comes to training the abs, if you want real results, I always recommend forgetting about the crunches and situps for the most part. They are ok for someone that is really deconditioned, but most people that already have some training under their belt need a much better stimulus for their abs than crunches. Crunches are one of the abs exercises that actually provide the least amount of resistance, and remember that resistance is what develops and tones the muscles.
I provide a ton of great abs exercises in my book, but one of THE highest resistance exercises for the abs, is hanging leg raises (but NOT the way you see most people at the gym doing them). The key to doing these and actually working the hell out of your abs is to curl your pelvis up as you raise your legs. Almost nobody ever does this right. To be honest, the majority of people cannot do this at first, but I provide some strategies in my book as to how to progress to doing these correctly.
GD: What are people doing wrong when it comes to developing the coveted "6 pack abs"?
MG: Well Geo, I know this sounds funny to most people, but the MAIN thing that people are doing wrong to get those flat 6-pack abs is... are you ready for this?
They spend entirely too much time focusing on training their abs! WAY too much time spent on abs exercises. Sounds crazy, but it's true.
Remember, having a flat and visible six pack of abs is all about getting down to a low body fat percentage. In order to do that, your workouts must focus on stimulating a fat burning hormonal environment in your body, and increasing your metabolic rate. That just does not happen when you focus too much time training a small muscle group like the abs.
Instead, you must use the majority of your time focusing on training the largest muscle groups of the body like the legs, back, and chest. That's what stimulates your metabolism and the fat burning hormones that will get you truly lean and sporting a flat sixxer!
GD: Which exercises are the top exercises that people need to do if they are to get maximum defintion with their midsection?
MG: When it comes to developing the abs themselves, I again refer to any kinds of hanging abs exercises, as well as some good floor abs exercises like lying leg thrusts (all described and illustrated in my book).
However, maximum definition in the abs and midsection comes from losing bodyfat, and the most effective exercises featured in my program for that goal are various forms of swings and snatches (unique dumbbell or kettlebell exercises that almost nobody ever does in normal gyms), squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, clean & presses, mountain climbers, sprinting, and other full body exercises and calisthenics. If you want great looking flat abs, focus on those instead of focusing so much on training the abs directly!
GD: When it comes to diet Mike, people really have tried millions of ways to get one thing... and that is fat loss. What recommendations have you used to successfully help your clients lose body fat and keep it off?
MG: I have included a fully comprehensive discussion of this topic in my book, which accounts for almost half of the book, but I'll try to make some nice simple generalizations to get people started on the right path immediately. The most important thing is that your diet is as natural and unprocessed as possible. It almost always comes back to the overprocessing of food that makes it unhealthy, and makes it totally wreck your metabolism and hormone balance in your body.
For example, why eat refined grains, when you can eat whole grains (even better are sprouted grains, as I usually recommend limiting grain foods overall for best results).
Why eat refined sugar, when you can get natural sources of sugar from a high nutrient whole food like fruit. Why eat highly processed, refined, and hydrogenated vegetable oils (these are THE worst thing in the modern diet), when you can eat natural sources of healthy fats like nuts, avocados, fish, eggs, coconut milk, organically raised meat, and so forth.
The point is to not fall for some gimmick like extremely low carbs (although I do believe in a fairly reduced carb intake as that is a big problem for most people), low fat, super high protein, or any other combination that has you focusing on one macronutrient vs. another.
Your body needs all macronutrients to thrive and obtain a variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. Trying to cut an entire food group out just works against what your body needs. I get into much more detail on this vitally important topic towards losing body fat (especially that stubborn stomach fat) for life in my book.
GD: Thank you very much Mike for sharing with us all of this great information.
program for lean flat absWell, I hope you enjoyed this interview and plucked several nuggets of info to get you motivated and started on showing off your flat abs shortly. If you don't already own a copy, be sure to pick up a copy of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book and discover the entire system I've developed for ridding yourself of that extra ab fat for good!
Go here to see the results many of my readers are getting in losing stomach fat and getting lean abs.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
How to Get A Great Fat Burning Workout Wherever You Are, Anytime
You’ve heard it a million times from people trying to burn fat, “I just don’t have time to get to the gym.” Well that really shouldn’t be a problem once you understand how you can get a proper fat burning workout done with basic or minimal equipment.
In order to get a great high intensity fat burning workout, like students of my Fat Burning Furnace system get….one that stimulates the growth of lean muscle tissue, accelerates your metabolism and fat burning, and provides cardiovascular conditioning…you need to perform a variety of exercises that work all of your major muscle groups in the same workout.
You have a few choices in what equipment to use. But I am here to tell you that you don’t need fancy equipment or a membership at the hot fitness center in your area. All that is really required for your fat burning workout is good old-fashioned barbells and/or dumbbells…or less. In fact, you can work your entire body from head to toe with a good set of adjustable dumbbells and a simple bench.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
Keep this in your home and it takes very little space and is always accessible for those fat burning workouts you’d have to skip otherwise. After all, the proper workout I’m talking about averages about 15-20 minutes…but if you factor in the transit time to and from the gym, it can become more difficult to stick to your routine.
I highly recommend getting a basic setup at home for those times, or you can even use this exclusively. I personally always workout at home and it has its advantages. You don’t have to wait for the next station or machine on your routine at home. This is very important in relation to pulling the maximum cardiovascular benefits out of the same muscle building and fat burning workout…keeping your time between exercises down to 60 seconds or less.
Home workouts are also great for those that might be a bit intimidated by working out with weights in public at the gym. If you feel this way, don’t fret, you’re not alone. This is especially true for some of the ladies, as weight training is traditionally thought of as the guy’s territory in the fitness center. Nothing could be further from the truth, but if you’d rather perform you fat burning workout at home, then do it!
Another excuse for skipping workouts that I hear a lot is related to travel. For busy people, this is a reality. You go on business trips. You go on vacation. You go to visit out of town friends and family. Now, when working out properly, like I teach my Fat Burning Furnace students, you’re only exercising for 2-3 days per week, but if you’re workout day falls on a day when you’re out of town, what to do?
Yeah, you could try and find a local gym to go to, but that can be a hassle. There are actually several fat burning bodyweight exercises you can do without the use of any equipment.
Movements like the pushup, chin-ups, sit-ups, etc. can provide enough muscle stimulation to keep you conditioned until you get back home. You’re using your bodyweight as the resistance, rather than dumbbells, barbells, or machines.
So don’t let those standard excuses work their way into your vocabulary…you can get a great fat burning workout wherever you are, anytime!
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
In order to get a great high intensity fat burning workout, like students of my Fat Burning Furnace system get….one that stimulates the growth of lean muscle tissue, accelerates your metabolism and fat burning, and provides cardiovascular conditioning…you need to perform a variety of exercises that work all of your major muscle groups in the same workout.
You have a few choices in what equipment to use. But I am here to tell you that you don’t need fancy equipment or a membership at the hot fitness center in your area. All that is really required for your fat burning workout is good old-fashioned barbells and/or dumbbells…or less. In fact, you can work your entire body from head to toe with a good set of adjustable dumbbells and a simple bench.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
Keep this in your home and it takes very little space and is always accessible for those fat burning workouts you’d have to skip otherwise. After all, the proper workout I’m talking about averages about 15-20 minutes…but if you factor in the transit time to and from the gym, it can become more difficult to stick to your routine.
I highly recommend getting a basic setup at home for those times, or you can even use this exclusively. I personally always workout at home and it has its advantages. You don’t have to wait for the next station or machine on your routine at home. This is very important in relation to pulling the maximum cardiovascular benefits out of the same muscle building and fat burning workout…keeping your time between exercises down to 60 seconds or less.
Home workouts are also great for those that might be a bit intimidated by working out with weights in public at the gym. If you feel this way, don’t fret, you’re not alone. This is especially true for some of the ladies, as weight training is traditionally thought of as the guy’s territory in the fitness center. Nothing could be further from the truth, but if you’d rather perform you fat burning workout at home, then do it!
Another excuse for skipping workouts that I hear a lot is related to travel. For busy people, this is a reality. You go on business trips. You go on vacation. You go to visit out of town friends and family. Now, when working out properly, like I teach my Fat Burning Furnace students, you’re only exercising for 2-3 days per week, but if you’re workout day falls on a day when you’re out of town, what to do?
Yeah, you could try and find a local gym to go to, but that can be a hassle. There are actually several fat burning bodyweight exercises you can do without the use of any equipment.
Movements like the pushup, chin-ups, sit-ups, etc. can provide enough muscle stimulation to keep you conditioned until you get back home. You’re using your bodyweight as the resistance, rather than dumbbells, barbells, or machines.
So don’t let those standard excuses work their way into your vocabulary…you can get a great fat burning workout wherever you are, anytime!
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
Two Magical Substances That Allow You To Burn Fat Faster & Create Lasting Health
In all of my experimentation and research on the subject of nutrition for fast fat burning, health and fitness over the last 10+ years, I’ve discovered 2 magical substances that can have a dramatic effect on whether or not you burn body fat and keep it off, or hang on to it like a security blanket.
These substances, in fact, have been around since the beginning of time and I’m surprised more people don’t value their importance like they should. What are these magical agents of fat burning wizardry? Water and Fiber. Let me explain why…
Everyone has heard that water is important for health, but even still, most people don’t drink enough water. Water is also vital to your fat burning efforts and maintaining a lean body. After all, our bodies are about 65-70% water. Water also keeps you from snacking on unhealthy sugary foods and sugar laden soft drinks, as many times when we feel we are hungry, we are actually just dehydrated.
We need water in our bodies more than we need food. The body can survive for much longer without food that without water. Water is like the oil in the engines of our cars. It is involved in almost every process the body goes through, from digestion to nutrient absorption. It also keeps your energy level up as it prevents dehydration.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
Now, this is very important…dehydration will totally kill your chances of burning fat, because the body interprets this as a state of shock. It shifts its focus on getting water and stops doing other things, like burning body fat for energy. And here’s even more helpful info about the power of water. Try this little trick to burn even more calories…try and drink most if not all of your water in ice cold form.
First of all, it typically tastes better ice cold, and every time you drink an ounce of ice cold water, your body must burn about a calorie in the process of warming the water to your current body temperature. Now, you can use this to your advantage to burn even more calories each day. Keep your water intake to 100 ounces per day, and you’ll burn an extra 100 calories and burn more fat! How cool is that!
Also, add some lemon to your water…this will have positive effects in helping cleanse your liver. And this brings up another key to fat loss…the body needs to be working efficiently if you want to burn fat fast…if your organs, especially the kidneys and liver, are working together in high efficiency, you will find it easier to burn fat!
So keeping yourself hydrated will keep your kidneys operating at a good clip, and your liver will be allowed to do its job of metabolizing stored fat for energy.
The other magical substance is Fiber. Fiber slows digestion and makes you feel fuller. This is so important in burning fat and reducing cravings, especially for foods loaded with sugar, and how many calories you end up eating throughout the day, which leads to fat loss.
Great sources of fiber include various whole grain products, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and beans. These, by the way, are foods that are also rich in other nutrients your body craves naturally…surprise surprise! Processed foods, however, are poor sources of fiber. White flour products including regular pasta is in this category. Also, watch out for high fiber cereals as many of these are also high in sugar.
On top of the fat burning benefits, fiber has been linked to the prevention of various conditions including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. That's a one-two health punch to be reckoned with!
So I urge you to put water and fiber at the top of your list of things to put in your body. If you combine that focus with a diet of nutrient rich foods and a properly conducted resistance exercise program, you’ll be on your way to burning more fat faster, and maximizing your genetic potential for a lean, strong, and healthy body.
My Fat Burning Furnace students are already doing this, and are enjoying all the rewards this lifestyle brings. Now, it’s your turn to get the most you can out of life and burn fat faster than you might have thought possible.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
These substances, in fact, have been around since the beginning of time and I’m surprised more people don’t value their importance like they should. What are these magical agents of fat burning wizardry? Water and Fiber. Let me explain why…
Everyone has heard that water is important for health, but even still, most people don’t drink enough water. Water is also vital to your fat burning efforts and maintaining a lean body. After all, our bodies are about 65-70% water. Water also keeps you from snacking on unhealthy sugary foods and sugar laden soft drinks, as many times when we feel we are hungry, we are actually just dehydrated.
We need water in our bodies more than we need food. The body can survive for much longer without food that without water. Water is like the oil in the engines of our cars. It is involved in almost every process the body goes through, from digestion to nutrient absorption. It also keeps your energy level up as it prevents dehydration.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
Now, this is very important…dehydration will totally kill your chances of burning fat, because the body interprets this as a state of shock. It shifts its focus on getting water and stops doing other things, like burning body fat for energy. And here’s even more helpful info about the power of water. Try this little trick to burn even more calories…try and drink most if not all of your water in ice cold form.
First of all, it typically tastes better ice cold, and every time you drink an ounce of ice cold water, your body must burn about a calorie in the process of warming the water to your current body temperature. Now, you can use this to your advantage to burn even more calories each day. Keep your water intake to 100 ounces per day, and you’ll burn an extra 100 calories and burn more fat! How cool is that!
Also, add some lemon to your water…this will have positive effects in helping cleanse your liver. And this brings up another key to fat loss…the body needs to be working efficiently if you want to burn fat fast…if your organs, especially the kidneys and liver, are working together in high efficiency, you will find it easier to burn fat!
So keeping yourself hydrated will keep your kidneys operating at a good clip, and your liver will be allowed to do its job of metabolizing stored fat for energy.
The other magical substance is Fiber. Fiber slows digestion and makes you feel fuller. This is so important in burning fat and reducing cravings, especially for foods loaded with sugar, and how many calories you end up eating throughout the day, which leads to fat loss.
Great sources of fiber include various whole grain products, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and beans. These, by the way, are foods that are also rich in other nutrients your body craves naturally…surprise surprise! Processed foods, however, are poor sources of fiber. White flour products including regular pasta is in this category. Also, watch out for high fiber cereals as many of these are also high in sugar.
On top of the fat burning benefits, fiber has been linked to the prevention of various conditions including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. That's a one-two health punch to be reckoned with!
So I urge you to put water and fiber at the top of your list of things to put in your body. If you combine that focus with a diet of nutrient rich foods and a properly conducted resistance exercise program, you’ll be on your way to burning more fat faster, and maximizing your genetic potential for a lean, strong, and healthy body.
My Fat Burning Furnace students are already doing this, and are enjoying all the rewards this lifestyle brings. Now, it’s your turn to get the most you can out of life and burn fat faster than you might have thought possible.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
The Best Way To Fire Up Your Metabolism, Burn Fat Fast & Developing Lasting Health
Ask ten people what type of exercise they should be doing to burn fat and fire up their metabolism and they’ll all probably tell you the same thing. They’ll tell you that you need to do 30-40 minutes of moderately-paced aerobic exercise on a treadmill, elliptical machine, stair climber, etc. for 3-5 times per week.
They’ll probably also tell you that more is better…4 times per week would be better than 3, and 5 times per week would be even better.
People will tell you this because that’s been and continues to be the mainstream recommendation for fat burning by many fitness professionals. Get in a certain target heart rate and stay at that heart rate for 30 minutes or so, several times per week. I am here to tell you there is a better way.
Sure, you’ll burn some calories while you’re running to nowhere on a treadmill, but you won’t make a complete physique transformation with this type of exercise alone.
In fact, this type of exercise can actually be counterproductive to burning fat. Here are just a couple of reasons:
Long duration, lower intensity aerobics calls upon your stored body fat for energy during the sessions. While this may sound good, this can actually cause your body to create more body fat in reserve after the workout is over to have ready for your next workout. Yikes!
What's worse, this type of exercise when done frequently as typically suggested, trains your cardiovascular system to be efficient. Again, while this sounds good, your heart and lungs can actually reduce their capacity for work as they are getting more efficient at doing easy work (your long duration, low intensity aerobic workouts), which reduces their ability to handle stress.
This can lead to a host of other problems including higher change of heart attack. You are only working within your current aerobic capacity because you're never challenging it to go beyond what it's capable of. And anything that is easy will not yield results even close to what’s challenging for the body to accomplish.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
Instead, you should be challenging the body to increase its capacity, so that it is stronger and able to deal with stress more easily. How is this done?
The fastest and most efficient way to rev up your metabolism, burn fat faster, and develop lifelong health and fitness is to add lean muscle to your body through resistance training - period. You want life changing results in the quickest possible time? Get stronger and build some muscle. When you add lean muscle to your body you’ll be literally turning your body into a fat burning machine!
Let’s say that you were eating the amount of calories that allow you to maintain your current bodyweight, but began to add lean muscle to your body through proper resistance training…you’ll need to use some of those calories you’re eating to feed the new muscle, creating a calorie deficit in your body.
In addition, when you stimulate your body with proper resistance training like I teach my students, the repair and growth process will call upon your stored body fat for energy. This calorie deficit combined with the repair and growth process will allow you to burn fat all day long, every day. You’ll even get these fat burning effects when you’re sitting around doing nothing at all.
Also, properly conducted resistance training actually increases your heart and lung's capacity for work. By placing intense demands on your body, it is forced into being ready for anything you throw at it. This makes you more resistant to cardiovascular health problems that plague most people...even those that exercise with aerobics frequently.
And the beauty is I’ve discovered that you don’t have to spend much time working out to get the fat loss effects, and strength and muscle gains that will create this environment…you can actually get it done with 2 or 3 weekly workouts that last between 20 and 30 minutes, and even less time at an advanced level.
And it’s easy to make this type of exercise part of your life because of its efficiency…and it will help keep you lean and healthy for the rest of it...muscle is the stuff that fat burning furnaces are made of! That I can promise you.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
They’ll probably also tell you that more is better…4 times per week would be better than 3, and 5 times per week would be even better.
People will tell you this because that’s been and continues to be the mainstream recommendation for fat burning by many fitness professionals. Get in a certain target heart rate and stay at that heart rate for 30 minutes or so, several times per week. I am here to tell you there is a better way.
Sure, you’ll burn some calories while you’re running to nowhere on a treadmill, but you won’t make a complete physique transformation with this type of exercise alone.
In fact, this type of exercise can actually be counterproductive to burning fat. Here are just a couple of reasons:
Long duration, lower intensity aerobics calls upon your stored body fat for energy during the sessions. While this may sound good, this can actually cause your body to create more body fat in reserve after the workout is over to have ready for your next workout. Yikes!
What's worse, this type of exercise when done frequently as typically suggested, trains your cardiovascular system to be efficient. Again, while this sounds good, your heart and lungs can actually reduce their capacity for work as they are getting more efficient at doing easy work (your long duration, low intensity aerobic workouts), which reduces their ability to handle stress.
This can lead to a host of other problems including higher change of heart attack. You are only working within your current aerobic capacity because you're never challenging it to go beyond what it's capable of. And anything that is easy will not yield results even close to what’s challenging for the body to accomplish.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
Instead, you should be challenging the body to increase its capacity, so that it is stronger and able to deal with stress more easily. How is this done?
The fastest and most efficient way to rev up your metabolism, burn fat faster, and develop lifelong health and fitness is to add lean muscle to your body through resistance training - period. You want life changing results in the quickest possible time? Get stronger and build some muscle. When you add lean muscle to your body you’ll be literally turning your body into a fat burning machine!
Let’s say that you were eating the amount of calories that allow you to maintain your current bodyweight, but began to add lean muscle to your body through proper resistance training…you’ll need to use some of those calories you’re eating to feed the new muscle, creating a calorie deficit in your body.
In addition, when you stimulate your body with proper resistance training like I teach my students, the repair and growth process will call upon your stored body fat for energy. This calorie deficit combined with the repair and growth process will allow you to burn fat all day long, every day. You’ll even get these fat burning effects when you’re sitting around doing nothing at all.
Also, properly conducted resistance training actually increases your heart and lung's capacity for work. By placing intense demands on your body, it is forced into being ready for anything you throw at it. This makes you more resistant to cardiovascular health problems that plague most people...even those that exercise with aerobics frequently.
And the beauty is I’ve discovered that you don’t have to spend much time working out to get the fat loss effects, and strength and muscle gains that will create this environment…you can actually get it done with 2 or 3 weekly workouts that last between 20 and 30 minutes, and even less time at an advanced level.
And it’s easy to make this type of exercise part of your life because of its efficiency…and it will help keep you lean and healthy for the rest of it...muscle is the stuff that fat burning furnaces are made of! That I can promise you.
Claim your free copy of Rob Poulos's "7 Secrets Of Permanent Fat Loss & Fitness" at his website: http://www.fatburningfurnace.com
Lose Fat Naturally without Supplements or Bogus Fat Loss Pills... Don't Fall Victim to the Scams!
Hey there. It's Mike here and I wanted to talk in today's Lean-Body Secrets Ezine a little more about supplements and fat loss pills.
The fact is, I still get questions almost daily from people that are still being suckered into throwing away loads of money on worthless "fat loss" pills and "muscle building" powders due to the clever marketing behind the supplement and fat loss pill industry.
The questions come in all the time, such as:
"Mike, what types of supplements should I be taking to help me lose fat quicker?", or
"Mike, I heard about this new weight loss pill called ______ that claims I can lose more than 30 pounds in a month. Do you think I should try it?", or how about this one...
"Mike, my friend just told me about this new Mega-Mass-Gainer-8000-Nitric-Cell-Volumizer that's supposed to make me put on 20 lbs of muscle in just 3 weeks. They said to get it quickly because the feds are planning to make it illegal in a few weeks"
It absolutely blows my mind every day that so many people are willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for all of these completely bogus supplements and pills, but they aren't willing to invest as little as $39 on my Truth about Six Pack Abs program, which shows them exactly how to save thousands of dollars throughout their lives by never having to buy supplements again, and discovering the training strategies and nutrition secrets (for how to eat naturally for fat loss and muscle gain) that actually get REAL fat loss results for LIFE!
Seriously, the only thing you could call a "supplement" that I've bought during the last 5 years is whey protein for mixing into my post-workout smoothies. That's it! That's about the only thing I'd even recommend including regularly. And to be honest, you could even do fine without that as well if you use some high quality natural sources of protein.
As for all of the new miracle pills that everyone asks me about....again, PLEASE don't waste any money on this stuff. This is exactly how the pharmaceutical and supplement industry makes billions off of people that are simply lazy and looking for a quick fix.
They take the quick fix pill or diet, might lose a few pounds, and they subsequently lower their metabolism by losing lean muscle. Then they gain back all of the weight plus more, in the long run.
So then when the next magic pill comes out, they buy that, make the pharmaceutical and supplement companies even richer, lose a little bit of weight again, wreck their metabolism again, eventually gain back even more than before, and go back to searching for another fad diet or magic pill.
This is an endless cycle that constantly goes on, and all that happens is these companies that promote this CRAP get richer, while the frustrated dieters get fatter. I'm serious, look at the stats...over the last 20 years, diet pills and supplements have exploded in popularity, while the population has simultaneously gotten fatter and fatter. Obviously, the pills and supplements have not solved the problem, and if anything, have only made things worse.
So what does work for true fat loss and a lean muscular body for life?
The ONLY way to lose body fat and get to a nice lean body composition and maintain it for LIFE, comes from these basic aspects:
* Make your health a priority. With everything you eat, drink, and do, think about whether it's helping or hurting your health, and only do the things that help. If you honestly think about what you're eating and what it will do to your body before you put it in your mouth, you'll be one step closer to eating clean for life.
* Eat a clean healthy diet made up of natural unprocessed foods regularly, and make this a habit. Avoid even allowing yourself to buy junk or processed foods at all. There's still a TON of delicious natural foods that can satisfy your cravings and give you great nutrition at the same time. If you can't give up junk foods altogether, choose 1 day per week as a "cheat day" and only eat your junk foods on that day (this still means not having them in your house, but getting them only for your cheat days).
* Make regular exercise a daily part of your life. Every single day doesn't have to include an intense workout, but try to at least workout intensely 3-4 days/week, and then at least get out and walk or ride a bike or something that involves movement almost every day.
* Try to keep from getting stressed, and get enough sleep every night. No matter how tough everyone thinks they are and that they claim they only need 4-5 hrs of sleep per night, the studies consistently show that 7-8 hours a night is best. If you're not getting that, you're creating a metabolic environment in the body that wants to store more bodyfat.
* And last, make sure you have the positive mental attitude where you know that you can actually achieve the body that you want. Believe me, I've worked with hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes, and I can attest that anybody can do it, but most people sabotage themselves with negative thoughts that they'll never be able to lose fat and their genetics has destined them to be overweight. That's a bunch of crap. You may never look like a fitness model, but anybody can get down to at least a reasonably lean physique if they do the right things consistently.
This mental aspect is more important than people realize, and I'll get into this more in future Ezine issues.
My last thought is that I want you to think back to how many times over the years you had the idea that you wanted to get back into shape, and maybe even started exercising and eating right for a little while, but eventually went right back to the negative habits. Think about why you abandoned your good intentions and gave up, and then figure out why you're NOT going to give up this time.
I hope this article has helped you realize that supplements, miracle pills, and diet fads will NEVER work in the long run. You may lose some fat for a few weeks or months, but in the long run, these are all a waste of money, unless you adopt the right lifestyle to maintain a lean body for LIFE.
If you haven't picked up a copy of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book yet, do yourself a favor, and use the money you would have wasted on your next bottle of supplement pills or powder, and discover the program that will get you lean, healthy, and ripped for the rest of your life, not just the next 2 weeks!
I'll be back in touch soon with more Lean-Body Secrets. I also have a couple great lean-body recipes coming up over the next few weeks that I think you'll enjoy, so hang on.
The fact is, I still get questions almost daily from people that are still being suckered into throwing away loads of money on worthless "fat loss" pills and "muscle building" powders due to the clever marketing behind the supplement and fat loss pill industry.
The questions come in all the time, such as:
"Mike, what types of supplements should I be taking to help me lose fat quicker?", or
"Mike, I heard about this new weight loss pill called ______ that claims I can lose more than 30 pounds in a month. Do you think I should try it?", or how about this one...
"Mike, my friend just told me about this new Mega-Mass-Gainer-8000-Nitric-Cell-Volumizer that's supposed to make me put on 20 lbs of muscle in just 3 weeks. They said to get it quickly because the feds are planning to make it illegal in a few weeks"
It absolutely blows my mind every day that so many people are willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for all of these completely bogus supplements and pills, but they aren't willing to invest as little as $39 on my Truth about Six Pack Abs program, which shows them exactly how to save thousands of dollars throughout their lives by never having to buy supplements again, and discovering the training strategies and nutrition secrets (for how to eat naturally for fat loss and muscle gain) that actually get REAL fat loss results for LIFE!
Seriously, the only thing you could call a "supplement" that I've bought during the last 5 years is whey protein for mixing into my post-workout smoothies. That's it! That's about the only thing I'd even recommend including regularly. And to be honest, you could even do fine without that as well if you use some high quality natural sources of protein.
As for all of the new miracle pills that everyone asks me about....again, PLEASE don't waste any money on this stuff. This is exactly how the pharmaceutical and supplement industry makes billions off of people that are simply lazy and looking for a quick fix.
They take the quick fix pill or diet, might lose a few pounds, and they subsequently lower their metabolism by losing lean muscle. Then they gain back all of the weight plus more, in the long run.
So then when the next magic pill comes out, they buy that, make the pharmaceutical and supplement companies even richer, lose a little bit of weight again, wreck their metabolism again, eventually gain back even more than before, and go back to searching for another fad diet or magic pill.
This is an endless cycle that constantly goes on, and all that happens is these companies that promote this CRAP get richer, while the frustrated dieters get fatter. I'm serious, look at the stats...over the last 20 years, diet pills and supplements have exploded in popularity, while the population has simultaneously gotten fatter and fatter. Obviously, the pills and supplements have not solved the problem, and if anything, have only made things worse.
So what does work for true fat loss and a lean muscular body for life?
The ONLY way to lose body fat and get to a nice lean body composition and maintain it for LIFE, comes from these basic aspects:
* Make your health a priority. With everything you eat, drink, and do, think about whether it's helping or hurting your health, and only do the things that help. If you honestly think about what you're eating and what it will do to your body before you put it in your mouth, you'll be one step closer to eating clean for life.
* Eat a clean healthy diet made up of natural unprocessed foods regularly, and make this a habit. Avoid even allowing yourself to buy junk or processed foods at all. There's still a TON of delicious natural foods that can satisfy your cravings and give you great nutrition at the same time. If you can't give up junk foods altogether, choose 1 day per week as a "cheat day" and only eat your junk foods on that day (this still means not having them in your house, but getting them only for your cheat days).
* Make regular exercise a daily part of your life. Every single day doesn't have to include an intense workout, but try to at least workout intensely 3-4 days/week, and then at least get out and walk or ride a bike or something that involves movement almost every day.
* Try to keep from getting stressed, and get enough sleep every night. No matter how tough everyone thinks they are and that they claim they only need 4-5 hrs of sleep per night, the studies consistently show that 7-8 hours a night is best. If you're not getting that, you're creating a metabolic environment in the body that wants to store more bodyfat.
* And last, make sure you have the positive mental attitude where you know that you can actually achieve the body that you want. Believe me, I've worked with hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes, and I can attest that anybody can do it, but most people sabotage themselves with negative thoughts that they'll never be able to lose fat and their genetics has destined them to be overweight. That's a bunch of crap. You may never look like a fitness model, but anybody can get down to at least a reasonably lean physique if they do the right things consistently.
This mental aspect is more important than people realize, and I'll get into this more in future Ezine issues.
My last thought is that I want you to think back to how many times over the years you had the idea that you wanted to get back into shape, and maybe even started exercising and eating right for a little while, but eventually went right back to the negative habits. Think about why you abandoned your good intentions and gave up, and then figure out why you're NOT going to give up this time.
I hope this article has helped you realize that supplements, miracle pills, and diet fads will NEVER work in the long run. You may lose some fat for a few weeks or months, but in the long run, these are all a waste of money, unless you adopt the right lifestyle to maintain a lean body for LIFE.
If you haven't picked up a copy of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book yet, do yourself a favor, and use the money you would have wasted on your next bottle of supplement pills or powder, and discover the program that will get you lean, healthy, and ripped for the rest of your life, not just the next 2 weeks!
I'll be back in touch soon with more Lean-Body Secrets. I also have a couple great lean-body recipes coming up over the next few weeks that I think you'll enjoy, so hang on.
How to Stop Cravings for Junk Food and Sugar
Hey there! Mike Geary here from TruthAboutAbs.com & BusyManFitness.com with another Lean-Body Secrets Ezine.
My good friend Virgil Aponte (the Stairs Exercises Guru) sent me this article that he wrote and I wanted to pass it on to you because I thought he made some excellent points, and some important things to keep in mind regarding your food choices.
One of the things I want to stress that Virgil mentions is the relationship with feeding your body nutritious foods vs. junk food devoid of nutrition and how this affects your cravings. I've said this before, and many people don't believe me, but the truth is that since I've adopted the balanced high density nutrition diet that I've eaten for the last several years, any cravings for junk food or sweets have virtually disappeared.
Here's Virgil's article below. Enjoy!
Is sugar as addictive as cocaine?
by Virgil Aponte, the Stairs Exercises Guru
Over dinner one day a friend of one my clients asked me a very interesting question:
Why is it that people crave things like doughnuts and sweets and not life giving, cancer fighting foods like spinach and broccoli?
I simply said that's an awesome question and that I've asked myself that questions many times. In fact I also went on to say that although I'm a trainer I have many of the same struggles with food that most people have. It has always perplexed me why I crave sweets and not a bowl of spinach and broccoli. I mean how can this be that foods like broccoli, spinach, carrots etc? which provide nutrients that are vital to our well being don't addict us like junk food does. I just have to walk by Crispy Creme doughnuts and I start fantasizing how delicious those little suckers will be.
In recent months I've come across some insights as to why many are addicted to or crave junk foods. Hopefully this information will at least motivate you to keep these foods out of your house. Outside of your house you will be tempted with many opportunities to eat these lifeless and addicting foods.
World famous health & nutrition expert, Paul Chek calls this the "you can't eat just one syndrome". First he explains in his "You Are What You Eat" audio series that junk foods or non-foods are foods that:
1. Offer very little or no nutrition at all.
2. Force the body to the use its own nutritional stores to assimilate and digest the food.
It's amazing that you are eating to nourish yourself with food but with non-foods you are actually depleting yourself of more nutrients thus creating a need for more nutrition.
These same non-foods also cause you to overeat and possibly become addicted to these foods.
The reason is as the foods enter your mouth your brain can sense if there is actually any nutrition (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc.) present in these foods. If there isn't then the brain simply signals you to keep eating until it finds nutrition. The problem with doughnuts, cookies and that soda pop is that there will never be any nutrition in that food.
So what happens is you simply eat the whole box of cookies, or slurp down 20 oz of that soda. This then creates a big problem with your blood sugar because you've just taken in a great amount of worthless sugar which skyrockets your blood sugar level and forces your pancreas to secret an enormous amount of insulin to bring your blood sugar back down.
Your blood sugar then plummets to very low levels and you feel horrible and guess what? Hungry again! And what better way to bring your blood sugar level back up than with good old worthless sugar laden nutrient-devoid junk food!
Can you see what I'm getting at here:
These non-foods actually cause an addictive cycle similar to hard drugs and alcohol! In fact Paul Chek even talked about how scientists found that the addictive mechanisms of sugar and hard drugs are actually very similar.
You get high and feel great and then you crash and feel worse than ever and crave the same substances that got you high in the first place. This to me is amazing and very scary. Eventually what also happens as with hard drugs and alcohol is that you need more to get the same high.
Now look at what's happening to you... You're eating a food that gets you high, robs you of valuable nutrition, makes you sick, gets you fat and on top of that makes you crave more of it.
The same reason you crave non-foods is the same reason you don't crave spinach and broccoli. One could easily slug down 20 oz of soda, but try doing that with spinach juice and you are likely to throw up. The reason for this is because with the brain will sense the enormous amount of nutrition coming in with the veggie juice and say it's enough. We naturally eat until we are satiated and it doesn't happen with non-foods but happens easily with real foods.
With real foods you eat, feel good, don't get bloated, don't get high, don't crash, don't overeat, and just plain nourish yourself.
So how do you protect yourself?
First let me say that we start off at a very big disadvantage. The very clever and powerful food companies find many places to put their non-foods in products and the labels will even say that these foods are healthy, low fat, "good for weight loss" etc? They are also very good at marketing to children. Remember, children will become the adults that eat these foods so what better time to reach them than when they're young.
I myself grew up on powdered ice tea, soda, crackers, pasteurized milk (which is also a non-food), and many other sweets. I also ate some real food like rice, vegetables, avocados and meat, but I've always had way too much access to non-foods.
The first thing is to not keep any non-foods at home. This is especially important for your kids because I believe it is easier for them to become addicted. Trust me and we all know this, but once you step outside, you will be bombarded with temptations to feast on non-foods.
I've looked at many of my client's kitchens and not one of them has passed my inspection. Many don't even pass a second time (that's how powerful these non-foods are). I mean if scientists can compare sugar to hard drugs shouldn't that open our eyes.
Make use of a juicer and juice a few days week. Most people don't get enough vegetables in their diet and juicing is one of the easier ways to do so. My favorite juice drink is spinach, kale, cucumber, and green apples (I wished I craved it though).
Keep healthy snacks in the house like quality fruits, cheese and yogurt. It is more expensive but isn't your health worth it. I mean it really saddens me when someone can drive to up to McDonalds in a 50,000 dollar car. They could easily have a 20,000 dollar car and just eat better quality food.
Get tested to find out what types of foods you are suited to... We are all unique in that we require different amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats and getting tested can help us figure out which type we are suited to.
Eat real food... Take the time to make yourself quality meals at dinner time. Beef, chicken, turkey and eggs make great protein sources. Brown rice, sweet potatoes, beans, salads and vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates. Don't forget to include high quality fats and oils in your diet as well like butter, coconut oil, nuts, avocados, cod liver oil, and extra virgin olive oil.
If possible try to buy organic meat and vegetables. They are more expensive but offer more nutrition then commercial foods.
Empower yourself: You've just read this journal because it can possibly help you. Keep doing so! You have the power to be better. Don't ever forget that!
-Virgil Aponte, the Stairs Exercises Guru
I hope you enjoyed Virgils article. I couldn't have said it all better myself and that's why I wanted to pass it on to you to keep these things in mind when choosing what foods you eat daily. Go and check out Virgil's website as he has tons of useful information and products.
If you enjoyed this article today, please feel free to email this link on to any friends or family that you think will benefit from it.
My good friend Virgil Aponte (the Stairs Exercises Guru) sent me this article that he wrote and I wanted to pass it on to you because I thought he made some excellent points, and some important things to keep in mind regarding your food choices.
One of the things I want to stress that Virgil mentions is the relationship with feeding your body nutritious foods vs. junk food devoid of nutrition and how this affects your cravings. I've said this before, and many people don't believe me, but the truth is that since I've adopted the balanced high density nutrition diet that I've eaten for the last several years, any cravings for junk food or sweets have virtually disappeared.
Here's Virgil's article below. Enjoy!
Is sugar as addictive as cocaine?
by Virgil Aponte, the Stairs Exercises Guru
Over dinner one day a friend of one my clients asked me a very interesting question:
Why is it that people crave things like doughnuts and sweets and not life giving, cancer fighting foods like spinach and broccoli?
I simply said that's an awesome question and that I've asked myself that questions many times. In fact I also went on to say that although I'm a trainer I have many of the same struggles with food that most people have. It has always perplexed me why I crave sweets and not a bowl of spinach and broccoli. I mean how can this be that foods like broccoli, spinach, carrots etc? which provide nutrients that are vital to our well being don't addict us like junk food does. I just have to walk by Crispy Creme doughnuts and I start fantasizing how delicious those little suckers will be.
In recent months I've come across some insights as to why many are addicted to or crave junk foods. Hopefully this information will at least motivate you to keep these foods out of your house. Outside of your house you will be tempted with many opportunities to eat these lifeless and addicting foods.
World famous health & nutrition expert, Paul Chek calls this the "you can't eat just one syndrome". First he explains in his "You Are What You Eat" audio series that junk foods or non-foods are foods that:
1. Offer very little or no nutrition at all.
2. Force the body to the use its own nutritional stores to assimilate and digest the food.
It's amazing that you are eating to nourish yourself with food but with non-foods you are actually depleting yourself of more nutrients thus creating a need for more nutrition.
These same non-foods also cause you to overeat and possibly become addicted to these foods.
The reason is as the foods enter your mouth your brain can sense if there is actually any nutrition (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc.) present in these foods. If there isn't then the brain simply signals you to keep eating until it finds nutrition. The problem with doughnuts, cookies and that soda pop is that there will never be any nutrition in that food.
So what happens is you simply eat the whole box of cookies, or slurp down 20 oz of that soda. This then creates a big problem with your blood sugar because you've just taken in a great amount of worthless sugar which skyrockets your blood sugar level and forces your pancreas to secret an enormous amount of insulin to bring your blood sugar back down.
Your blood sugar then plummets to very low levels and you feel horrible and guess what? Hungry again! And what better way to bring your blood sugar level back up than with good old worthless sugar laden nutrient-devoid junk food!
Can you see what I'm getting at here:
These non-foods actually cause an addictive cycle similar to hard drugs and alcohol! In fact Paul Chek even talked about how scientists found that the addictive mechanisms of sugar and hard drugs are actually very similar.
You get high and feel great and then you crash and feel worse than ever and crave the same substances that got you high in the first place. This to me is amazing and very scary. Eventually what also happens as with hard drugs and alcohol is that you need more to get the same high.
Now look at what's happening to you... You're eating a food that gets you high, robs you of valuable nutrition, makes you sick, gets you fat and on top of that makes you crave more of it.
The same reason you crave non-foods is the same reason you don't crave spinach and broccoli. One could easily slug down 20 oz of soda, but try doing that with spinach juice and you are likely to throw up. The reason for this is because with the brain will sense the enormous amount of nutrition coming in with the veggie juice and say it's enough. We naturally eat until we are satiated and it doesn't happen with non-foods but happens easily with real foods.
With real foods you eat, feel good, don't get bloated, don't get high, don't crash, don't overeat, and just plain nourish yourself.
So how do you protect yourself?
First let me say that we start off at a very big disadvantage. The very clever and powerful food companies find many places to put their non-foods in products and the labels will even say that these foods are healthy, low fat, "good for weight loss" etc? They are also very good at marketing to children. Remember, children will become the adults that eat these foods so what better time to reach them than when they're young.
I myself grew up on powdered ice tea, soda, crackers, pasteurized milk (which is also a non-food), and many other sweets. I also ate some real food like rice, vegetables, avocados and meat, but I've always had way too much access to non-foods.
The first thing is to not keep any non-foods at home. This is especially important for your kids because I believe it is easier for them to become addicted. Trust me and we all know this, but once you step outside, you will be bombarded with temptations to feast on non-foods.
I've looked at many of my client's kitchens and not one of them has passed my inspection. Many don't even pass a second time (that's how powerful these non-foods are). I mean if scientists can compare sugar to hard drugs shouldn't that open our eyes.
Make use of a juicer and juice a few days week. Most people don't get enough vegetables in their diet and juicing is one of the easier ways to do so. My favorite juice drink is spinach, kale, cucumber, and green apples (I wished I craved it though).
Keep healthy snacks in the house like quality fruits, cheese and yogurt. It is more expensive but isn't your health worth it. I mean it really saddens me when someone can drive to up to McDonalds in a 50,000 dollar car. They could easily have a 20,000 dollar car and just eat better quality food.
Get tested to find out what types of foods you are suited to... We are all unique in that we require different amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats and getting tested can help us figure out which type we are suited to.
Eat real food... Take the time to make yourself quality meals at dinner time. Beef, chicken, turkey and eggs make great protein sources. Brown rice, sweet potatoes, beans, salads and vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates. Don't forget to include high quality fats and oils in your diet as well like butter, coconut oil, nuts, avocados, cod liver oil, and extra virgin olive oil.
If possible try to buy organic meat and vegetables. They are more expensive but offer more nutrition then commercial foods.
Empower yourself: You've just read this journal because it can possibly help you. Keep doing so! You have the power to be better. Don't ever forget that!
-Virgil Aponte, the Stairs Exercises Guru
I hope you enjoyed Virgils article. I couldn't have said it all better myself and that's why I wanted to pass it on to you to keep these things in mind when choosing what foods you eat daily. Go and check out Virgil's website as he has tons of useful information and products.
If you enjoyed this article today, please feel free to email this link on to any friends or family that you think will benefit from it.
Does Diet Soda Make You Fat, or is it Really Good for Weight Loss?
We all know by now that soda (aka "pop" in some areas) is one of the most evil things you can put in your body... the nasty chemicals, the gut-fattening high fructose corn syrup, and a myriad of health problems caused by this carbonated cocktail worshipped by those that don't care about their health or body.
Since you're one of my subscribers, I know that you actually do care about your health and the appearance of your body.
Surprisingly, many people falsely believe that "diet" soda is in some way a good thing for losing body fat. In fact, I hear people all the time proudly state that they eat so healthy and only drink diet soda.
So let's set the record straight...
There is NOTHING even remotely healthy about drinking diet soda. In fact, I've even seen several studies that showed dedicated diet soda drinkers got even FATTER than their regular soda drinking counterparts.
Here's some findings from an 8-year University of Texas study that I had read...
An excerpt from the study author:
"What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher."
"There was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says.
Ok, as if we didn't already know how bad regular soda was for us, and now they're showing us studies that diet soda makes us even fatter than the already bad stuff!
There's a lot of complicating factors as to why this occurs...
One reason is that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas create a negative hormonal response in the body that increases fat storing hormone production and increases cravings for more sweets and refined carbohydrates in the time period after consuming the diet drink.
Another reason is that people may subconsciously think that because they are drinking a diet soda, that gives them more leeway to eat more of everything else, hence consuming more calories overall.
I've said this all along, but the bottom line is that if you're serious about your health and body, soda of any kind (and artificial sweeteners in anything for that matter!) should be avoided at all times, except for very rare occasions when you can't avoid them.
Another article I did about artificial sweeteners explains more of the problems with them and good substitutes
So what is a good alternative to diet sodas?
The best alternatives are good old water with lemon or unsweetened iced teas... you have plenty of options with teas - green, white, black, oolong, red... be creative in making your iced teas and you'll enjoy it more. Plus you'll get a more diverse array of antioxidants.
Now here's the cool thing...
On this link, I'm going to show you the quickest way to get a flat sexy stomach.
Recent TruthAboutAbs Reader Review
"Hi Mike,
A few months ago I bought your Truth about abs book with my wedding in mind. Anyway, I was procrastinating getting started and kept putting it off. Then, a few weeks ago I finally got started on your program. I had previously been going to the gym doing the boring machines and the tedious running etc etc.
After reading your book, one day, I picked up a pair of free weights, a medicine ball and got to work... I'm amazed, I'm more than amazed, I'm totally blown away!! I now refuse to work out on machines anymore; I do HIIT on the rowing machine instead of running (I HATE RUNNING).
I work out 4 times a week for 30-45 minutes and I have seen the biggest results EVER! I feel fantastic, I'm starting to lose this ugly big belly, I'm developing and defining my arms, shoulders and back and butt! And all of this, really after only a few weeks of your method of training. I haven't even worked through the whole book yet, or all the exercises yet and as I discover them I work them into my routine!
Thank you for a wonderful book and product. People are still a bit skeptical when I tell them about the weight training and other workout methods you use, but I know I'll win them over when they see my results!
Regards from South Africa,
-Libby
Don't be lazy... be like Libby, and get results!
If you are unsure if the Truth about Abs program is right for you, visit the page and judge for yourself.
Since you're one of my subscribers, I know that you actually do care about your health and the appearance of your body.
Surprisingly, many people falsely believe that "diet" soda is in some way a good thing for losing body fat. In fact, I hear people all the time proudly state that they eat so healthy and only drink diet soda.
So let's set the record straight...
There is NOTHING even remotely healthy about drinking diet soda. In fact, I've even seen several studies that showed dedicated diet soda drinkers got even FATTER than their regular soda drinking counterparts.
Here's some findings from an 8-year University of Texas study that I had read...
An excerpt from the study author:
"What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher."
"There was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says.
Ok, as if we didn't already know how bad regular soda was for us, and now they're showing us studies that diet soda makes us even fatter than the already bad stuff!
There's a lot of complicating factors as to why this occurs...
One reason is that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas create a negative hormonal response in the body that increases fat storing hormone production and increases cravings for more sweets and refined carbohydrates in the time period after consuming the diet drink.
Another reason is that people may subconsciously think that because they are drinking a diet soda, that gives them more leeway to eat more of everything else, hence consuming more calories overall.
I've said this all along, but the bottom line is that if you're serious about your health and body, soda of any kind (and artificial sweeteners in anything for that matter!) should be avoided at all times, except for very rare occasions when you can't avoid them.
Another article I did about artificial sweeteners explains more of the problems with them and good substitutes
So what is a good alternative to diet sodas?
The best alternatives are good old water with lemon or unsweetened iced teas... you have plenty of options with teas - green, white, black, oolong, red... be creative in making your iced teas and you'll enjoy it more. Plus you'll get a more diverse array of antioxidants.
Now here's the cool thing...
On this link, I'm going to show you the quickest way to get a flat sexy stomach.
Recent TruthAboutAbs Reader Review
"Hi Mike,
A few months ago I bought your Truth about abs book with my wedding in mind. Anyway, I was procrastinating getting started and kept putting it off. Then, a few weeks ago I finally got started on your program. I had previously been going to the gym doing the boring machines and the tedious running etc etc.
After reading your book, one day, I picked up a pair of free weights, a medicine ball and got to work... I'm amazed, I'm more than amazed, I'm totally blown away!! I now refuse to work out on machines anymore; I do HIIT on the rowing machine instead of running (I HATE RUNNING).
I work out 4 times a week for 30-45 minutes and I have seen the biggest results EVER! I feel fantastic, I'm starting to lose this ugly big belly, I'm developing and defining my arms, shoulders and back and butt! And all of this, really after only a few weeks of your method of training. I haven't even worked through the whole book yet, or all the exercises yet and as I discover them I work them into my routine!
Thank you for a wonderful book and product. People are still a bit skeptical when I tell them about the weight training and other workout methods you use, but I know I'll win them over when they see my results!
Regards from South Africa,
-Libby
Don't be lazy... be like Libby, and get results!
If you are unsure if the Truth about Abs program is right for you, visit the page and judge for yourself.
Strategies You MUST Know if You Ever Want to Stand a Chance of Getting a Flat Stomach with 6-Pack Abs
Below is an interview that I did with world-famous trainer and Men's Health Magazine Training Advisor, Craig Ballantyne as he grilled me on the top secrets for fat loss and six pack abs. Check it out...
CB: Mike, give us a brief background about yourself
MG: Sure Craig. Well, I'm currently a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer. I've been dedicated to improving my knowledge of fitness, both training techniques and nutrition aspects, for over 15 years now, and I never stop trying to learn more each and every day. I've also been a contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, and I'm the author of the popular internationally-selling book, "The Truth about Six Pack Abs" which has had hundreds of thousands of readers in over 150 countries currently.
I just love helping people with this area of their lives, as not only does it improve their outward appearance and confidence, but more importantly, improves how they feel and their internal health, helping them to live longer and healthier lives. It's something I'm very passionate about.
Click here to visit my website
CB: Okay, so where does the average man or woman go wrong when it comes to training abs?
MG: Ok, most people are probably going to be surprised with this answer. In their quest for 'six pack abs', the biggest mistake I see people making is wasting WAY too much of their time training their abs directly... pumping away with all kinds of different abs-specific exercises.
I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The person is trying so hard to get those abs to show, that they're spending almost all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various crunches, leg raises, twisting exercises, etc. Meanwhile, all of that wasted time directly training the abs could have been better spent on a properly designed full body workout program that would elicit a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well.
After all, losing the stomach fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important aspect for most people to finally be able to make their abs visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with hundreds of crunches and leg raises does NOT cause much of a metabolic or fat burning hormonal response. This is the main focus of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book... full body training programs and proper nutrition to strip off that stubborn belly fat and reveal the six pack that's hiding underneath!
Click here to visit my website
Of course it wouldn't be an abs book if I didn't focus on ab development too, but I make sure firstly that the most important concepts for lasting body fat reduction are understood.
CB: Do you see any gender differences in mistakes they make? And more importantly, do you see any gender differences in the response to various types of ab training?
MG: To be honest, I don't really see any need for men or women to train differently. Bottom line... the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender.
However, in regards to mistakes I see between genders... Yes, I tend to see women more often are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That is a shame, because THE most effective way to gain control over your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as working that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise regularly.
It's important for women to realize that regular strength training using heavier resistance will NOT "bulk them up" (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the key secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females that I've trained over the years are the ones that aren't afraid to work hard with the weights.
I also notice that most women (and a lot of guys too) spend way too much time with slow cardio exercise. This is simply not necessary, and the way I combine high intensity resistance training into full body routines provides enough of a "cardio" workout in itself usually. We'll get back to this in a minute though.
CB: What about ol' school sit-ups? Do you use these? Are they good, bad, or does it "depend"?
MG: Sit-ups are a controversial topic. I don't think they're good or bad per se, but rather "in between". I didn't include them in my program. I simply don't feel they are necessary, and I think there are much more effective abs exercises to focus on. Personally, I almost never do sit-ups except occasionally for a little variety every now and then.
CB: Give us a weekly sample ab training program. How many days per week? What are a couple of the best exercises you'd pick? How many sets? Reps? Rest?
MG: Well, first I'd like to point out that the full body movements that make up the majority of my programs indirectly work the abs and the entire "core" area to a fairly decent extent. However, I do include abs-specific exercises into the routines generally about twice per week. The "abs-specific" portion of the workouts generally only take about 5 minutes at most with very little rest between exercises.
Once people are past the beginning phase of gaining some initial ab strength, I try to get them away from the exercises that are too easy, where someone can do 50 or 100 reps, as is frequently common with standard crunches. Instead, I like to focus on higher resistance exercises that actually stimulate the muscle fibers to a much greater degree. One example of a higher resistance abs exercise is hanging leg raises with a proper "pelvic curl up".
It's funny but usually someone that has been wasting so much time with hundreds of reps of crunches can usually only do a few solid reps when they first attempt some of these higher resistance exercises. We also make sure not to neglect some rotational movements, as well as some work for the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis.
CB: What do you use for burning fat, intervals or slow cardio? Or both? Any gender differences here? Or differences between fitness levels (beginner vs. advanced)?
MG: In most cases, my answer is definitely intervals... or as I like to call it "variable intensity training". In general, I think slow steady pace cardio is a waste of time, especially if the goal is lasting fat loss.
I think people need to get away from this thinking about "fat burning zones" and calories burned during the actual workout, and look at the bigger picture of what you're doing in your workout to stimulate the greatest metabolic response in your body... and the best metabolic and hormonal response is achieved through variable intensity training and strength training, not slow steady-pace cardio.
Now I will say that if someone is really deconditioned and can't handle higher intensity exercise routines just yet, this still doesn't mean that they can't simply use lower intensity routines, but still use it in a "variable intensity" fashion, by alternating between higher and lower exertion levels throughout the workout.
CB: And finally Mike, 1 or 2 of your top secret nutrition tips for carving out those abs. Open your vault of info!
MG: Well Craig, I think you'd agree that there has never been a more confusing time regarding proper nutrition for consumers. Every so called "expert" out there seems to disagree and contradict each other on what's the best way to eat for fat loss and overall good health.
One of the most important messages I try to teach my readers in this world of heavy confusion is that your diet doesn't need to conform to any of the fad diets... you don't need to go "low carb" or "low fat", or high or low anything for that matter to be successful in losing enough body fat to get lean enough to be able to see your abs. I like to try to simplify things for my readers. I think that balance is the key to success along with eating a diet that is made up of nutrient dense foods in their natural state (as unprocessed as possible).
In general, it is the heavy processing of foods that makes it wreak havoc inside our bodies. Most foods in their natural unprocessed state are inherently good for us. Of course there are always exceptions... a salad of poison ivy leaves is "natural and unprocessed" but certainly would not be good for us!
I'll leave your readers with a couple of the most important aspects of nutrition that help to get you lean for life...
1. Get enough quality protein in the daily diet - not only does it have a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat (so you burn more calories digesting it), but it also creates satiety so your hunger is satisfied longer. Plus it's a building block for maintaining and building lean muscle... And remember that the amount of lean muscle you carry is one of the main factors for controlling your metabolism.
2. Think fiber! When it comes to carbs, make sure that almost all of your carbohydrate intake is from higher fiber sources like vegetables, fruits, and high fiber unrefined grains. Try to avoid refined sugars and refined grains as that is one of the main reasons so many people struggle with body fat. I personally don't eat many grains as I prefer to get most of my carbs from veggies and fruits, but I do use sprouted grain breads fairly regularly too.
I generally recommend looking for carbohydrate sources that have at least 2-3 grams of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbs. Remember that fiber helps fill you up and also slows down the glycemic response of the foods you eat, all beneficial for getting lean.
3. Don't be afraid to eat fat! Many people try to go way too low on their fat intake and this can negatively affect hormone levels in your body as well as causing more cravings. Try to eat enough healthy fats daily.
Good sources are all nuts and seeds, nut butters, avocados, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, coconuts and virgin coconut oil. On that note, saturated fats from tropical oils are VERY misunderstood, even by many nutritionists and other health professionals. Yes they are composed highly of saturated fats, but are actually beneficial (but that's way beyond the scope of this article).
4. Avoid the two worst things in our food supply at ALL COSTS:
* artificial trans fats from margarines, shortening, and hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods and deep fried foods
* high fructose corn syrup, which is in almost all sweetened products on the market
Again, if you avoid processed foods, it becomes easy to avoid these two worst offenders in our food supply.
I always contend that once you get a handle on these 4 main points of your diet detailed above, the rest starts to take care of itself as you gain control over your appetite, blood sugar levels, hormone levels, etc. It all falls into place, and you eventually gain total control over how lean you want to get.
CB: Thanks Mike! Check out the results that some of Mike's readers from over 150 countries are getting using the Truth about Six Pack Abs program
CB: Mike, give us a brief background about yourself
MG: Sure Craig. Well, I'm currently a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer. I've been dedicated to improving my knowledge of fitness, both training techniques and nutrition aspects, for over 15 years now, and I never stop trying to learn more each and every day. I've also been a contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, and I'm the author of the popular internationally-selling book, "The Truth about Six Pack Abs" which has had hundreds of thousands of readers in over 150 countries currently.
I just love helping people with this area of their lives, as not only does it improve their outward appearance and confidence, but more importantly, improves how they feel and their internal health, helping them to live longer and healthier lives. It's something I'm very passionate about.
Click here to visit my website
CB: Okay, so where does the average man or woman go wrong when it comes to training abs?
MG: Ok, most people are probably going to be surprised with this answer. In their quest for 'six pack abs', the biggest mistake I see people making is wasting WAY too much of their time training their abs directly... pumping away with all kinds of different abs-specific exercises.
I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The person is trying so hard to get those abs to show, that they're spending almost all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various crunches, leg raises, twisting exercises, etc. Meanwhile, all of that wasted time directly training the abs could have been better spent on a properly designed full body workout program that would elicit a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well.
After all, losing the stomach fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important aspect for most people to finally be able to make their abs visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with hundreds of crunches and leg raises does NOT cause much of a metabolic or fat burning hormonal response. This is the main focus of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book... full body training programs and proper nutrition to strip off that stubborn belly fat and reveal the six pack that's hiding underneath!
Click here to visit my website
Of course it wouldn't be an abs book if I didn't focus on ab development too, but I make sure firstly that the most important concepts for lasting body fat reduction are understood.
CB: Do you see any gender differences in mistakes they make? And more importantly, do you see any gender differences in the response to various types of ab training?
MG: To be honest, I don't really see any need for men or women to train differently. Bottom line... the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender.
However, in regards to mistakes I see between genders... Yes, I tend to see women more often are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That is a shame, because THE most effective way to gain control over your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as working that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise regularly.
It's important for women to realize that regular strength training using heavier resistance will NOT "bulk them up" (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the key secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females that I've trained over the years are the ones that aren't afraid to work hard with the weights.
I also notice that most women (and a lot of guys too) spend way too much time with slow cardio exercise. This is simply not necessary, and the way I combine high intensity resistance training into full body routines provides enough of a "cardio" workout in itself usually. We'll get back to this in a minute though.
CB: What about ol' school sit-ups? Do you use these? Are they good, bad, or does it "depend"?
MG: Sit-ups are a controversial topic. I don't think they're good or bad per se, but rather "in between". I didn't include them in my program. I simply don't feel they are necessary, and I think there are much more effective abs exercises to focus on. Personally, I almost never do sit-ups except occasionally for a little variety every now and then.
CB: Give us a weekly sample ab training program. How many days per week? What are a couple of the best exercises you'd pick? How many sets? Reps? Rest?
MG: Well, first I'd like to point out that the full body movements that make up the majority of my programs indirectly work the abs and the entire "core" area to a fairly decent extent. However, I do include abs-specific exercises into the routines generally about twice per week. The "abs-specific" portion of the workouts generally only take about 5 minutes at most with very little rest between exercises.
Once people are past the beginning phase of gaining some initial ab strength, I try to get them away from the exercises that are too easy, where someone can do 50 or 100 reps, as is frequently common with standard crunches. Instead, I like to focus on higher resistance exercises that actually stimulate the muscle fibers to a much greater degree. One example of a higher resistance abs exercise is hanging leg raises with a proper "pelvic curl up".
It's funny but usually someone that has been wasting so much time with hundreds of reps of crunches can usually only do a few solid reps when they first attempt some of these higher resistance exercises. We also make sure not to neglect some rotational movements, as well as some work for the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis.
CB: What do you use for burning fat, intervals or slow cardio? Or both? Any gender differences here? Or differences between fitness levels (beginner vs. advanced)?
MG: In most cases, my answer is definitely intervals... or as I like to call it "variable intensity training". In general, I think slow steady pace cardio is a waste of time, especially if the goal is lasting fat loss.
I think people need to get away from this thinking about "fat burning zones" and calories burned during the actual workout, and look at the bigger picture of what you're doing in your workout to stimulate the greatest metabolic response in your body... and the best metabolic and hormonal response is achieved through variable intensity training and strength training, not slow steady-pace cardio.
Now I will say that if someone is really deconditioned and can't handle higher intensity exercise routines just yet, this still doesn't mean that they can't simply use lower intensity routines, but still use it in a "variable intensity" fashion, by alternating between higher and lower exertion levels throughout the workout.
CB: And finally Mike, 1 or 2 of your top secret nutrition tips for carving out those abs. Open your vault of info!
MG: Well Craig, I think you'd agree that there has never been a more confusing time regarding proper nutrition for consumers. Every so called "expert" out there seems to disagree and contradict each other on what's the best way to eat for fat loss and overall good health.
One of the most important messages I try to teach my readers in this world of heavy confusion is that your diet doesn't need to conform to any of the fad diets... you don't need to go "low carb" or "low fat", or high or low anything for that matter to be successful in losing enough body fat to get lean enough to be able to see your abs. I like to try to simplify things for my readers. I think that balance is the key to success along with eating a diet that is made up of nutrient dense foods in their natural state (as unprocessed as possible).
In general, it is the heavy processing of foods that makes it wreak havoc inside our bodies. Most foods in their natural unprocessed state are inherently good for us. Of course there are always exceptions... a salad of poison ivy leaves is "natural and unprocessed" but certainly would not be good for us!
I'll leave your readers with a couple of the most important aspects of nutrition that help to get you lean for life...
1. Get enough quality protein in the daily diet - not only does it have a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat (so you burn more calories digesting it), but it also creates satiety so your hunger is satisfied longer. Plus it's a building block for maintaining and building lean muscle... And remember that the amount of lean muscle you carry is one of the main factors for controlling your metabolism.
2. Think fiber! When it comes to carbs, make sure that almost all of your carbohydrate intake is from higher fiber sources like vegetables, fruits, and high fiber unrefined grains. Try to avoid refined sugars and refined grains as that is one of the main reasons so many people struggle with body fat. I personally don't eat many grains as I prefer to get most of my carbs from veggies and fruits, but I do use sprouted grain breads fairly regularly too.
I generally recommend looking for carbohydrate sources that have at least 2-3 grams of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbs. Remember that fiber helps fill you up and also slows down the glycemic response of the foods you eat, all beneficial for getting lean.
3. Don't be afraid to eat fat! Many people try to go way too low on their fat intake and this can negatively affect hormone levels in your body as well as causing more cravings. Try to eat enough healthy fats daily.
Good sources are all nuts and seeds, nut butters, avocados, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, coconuts and virgin coconut oil. On that note, saturated fats from tropical oils are VERY misunderstood, even by many nutritionists and other health professionals. Yes they are composed highly of saturated fats, but are actually beneficial (but that's way beyond the scope of this article).
4. Avoid the two worst things in our food supply at ALL COSTS:
* artificial trans fats from margarines, shortening, and hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods and deep fried foods
* high fructose corn syrup, which is in almost all sweetened products on the market
Again, if you avoid processed foods, it becomes easy to avoid these two worst offenders in our food supply.
I always contend that once you get a handle on these 4 main points of your diet detailed above, the rest starts to take care of itself as you gain control over your appetite, blood sugar levels, hormone levels, etc. It all falls into place, and you eventually gain total control over how lean you want to get.
CB: Thanks Mike! Check out the results that some of Mike's readers from over 150 countries are getting using the Truth about Six Pack Abs program
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