Fitness Black Book » Dieting for Fat Loss

Stubborn Body Fat Caused by Excess Estrogen

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:14:40 +0000

What if you are creating a large calorie deficit through diet and exercise and still have a bit of fat that you can't shake? Well you might want to blame the estrogen mimicking effects of "Xenoestrogens".

Fat Loss Head Games – When Your Mind Makes Fat Loss Near Impossible.

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:18:32 +0000

Fat loss should be easy. It certainly looks easy on paper. What makes it tough is the fact that we tend to over complicate things. The human mind comes up with all sorts of ideas that seem legitimate at the time, but are really just excuses to avoid change.

Are All Diets, High Fat Diets?

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:39:37 +0000

I want to start this post off and say that I love free thinkers and people who question things. I don't even care if I agree with 100% of what the person is talking about. Rebels make the world more exciting. I have spent the past hour over on Free the Animal and have been sucked in to Richard Nikoley's fantastic writing style. He has several great articles talking about a similar subject: That all successful diets are high fat diets. You will see exactly what he means by this in a second.

[I tried to find an appropriate photo for the topic of "high fat diets", but those were all brutally boring. A ghost lady wearing a bikini instead? Someone needs to make a B movie with this theme!]

An Aggressive Dieting Approach to Use After a Period of High Calorie Eating

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 02:49:40 +0000

Most people, myself included, spend about 3-4 weeks eating higher calories than normal during the holidays. I am not just talking about on the actual day of the holiday. I had at least 10-12 days in December where I really just sat back and enjoyed a large quantity of really good food. Don't feel bad if you did the same. This is what December is all about. Heck, if I could go back in time I would probably try and eat a little more of my Aunt's cookies on Christmas. You live once and in my opinion, this is the time to reflect and enjoy good friends, family, and great food. So let's talk about a strategy to lose body fat in a short time frame.

[No worries if you gained a bit of fat in November and December. It just meant you stopped and smelled the roses a bit. Now it is time to step away from the roses and obliterate that body fat.]

Your Basal Metabolic Rate – How it Applies to Rapid Fat Loss

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:24:45 +0000

Your basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body burns, not including calories burned from daily activity. I realize that calorie counting and knowing your BMR may seem like an "old school" approach to dropping body fat, but an understanding of these numbers will help if you are stuck. I want to discuss your BMR and why many people simply eat too many calories per day when trying to lose weight. We will also discuss the fact that people overestimate the effect that adding muscle has on increasing the BMR.

[I wasn't planning on throwing in another Halloween photo, but this picture was too good to pass up.]

"Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" – Analyzing This Time Magazine Article

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:49:50 +0000

I am going to dissect a recent Time magazine article called, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin". I do agree with parts of this article, but think a lot of this is bogus. The author simply isn't taking a strategic approach to exercise and seems to be complaining for his lack of results. That being said, I do agree with a few of his points. Let's dig in!

[While staying lean and losing body fat is largely about diet, you can magnify the effects of a good diet with the right types of exercise. Note: The photo above is a good example of eating smaller portions of your favorite foods.]

"Cardio Compensation" – Certain Cardio Workouts Cause Intense Food Cravings

admin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:55:21 +0000

I used to be shocked at the number of people I saw in the gym who put so much time into cardio workouts without seeing any results. Many of these people are putting forth much more effort than me, but don't have the results to show for it. I feel bad, because I know their challenge comes down to diet. Did you know that the type of cardio you do, can play a big role in your craving for food? It is possible that many people are sabotaging their ability to lose body fat, by choosing a type of cardio that makes them desperately crave food.

The Evolution of Weight Loss – Guest Post by Brad Pilon

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:08:14 +0000

I can't thank Brad Pilon enough for taking time out of his busy schedule to do a guest post for my site. Any of you who are fans of "Eat Stop Eat" or have been following Brad on Twitter know that his wife just gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Ro Wilder Pilon (cool name). I asked Brad to do a guest post on calorie deficit and I think his son was born the following day! This is an outstanding article, well worth your time, and will challenge much of what you have heard when it comes to dieting and weight loss. Love it!

Constructing an Effective Diet Plan to Get Lean Before Summer

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:17:42 +0000

So both me and my girlfriend are going to "lean out" a bit right before summer. Neither of us has much body fat to lose, but getting extra lean allows us to still look sharp even if we gain 5 pounds over the course of the summer. I figured I would outline the plan we will follow over the next 6 weeks, to maybe give you some ideas. Hopefully analyzing my diet plan will allow you to come up with your own perfect approach.

Post Workout Shakes? Not If Fat Loss is Your Goal!

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:52:12 +0000

I have been avoiding post workout shakes for quite a few years now. In fact, I typically wait 1-2 hours after working out before I eat any type of calories. This flies in the face of the standard science-based idea of post workout nutrition. Why do I wait so long, when others are rushing to the locker room to chug down protein shakes? It is actually pretty simple.

The 5 Pound Rule – Staying Lean For a Lifetime

admin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:20:07 +0000

I have a rule that I follow that allows me to stay lean year round without getting too obsessed with food and counting calories. You see, I like to drink beer and eat tasty foods, but I also like to have visible abs and a lean youthful appearance. I will talk about a simple and realistic approach to insure that you never have to worry about racing to get in shape for the summer ever again.

[With the increase in beach pictures, you can probably tell that I'm dying for a tropical vacation. People who live in the upper latitudes like me can probably relate. This picture just sums it up perfectly. Suntanning and swimming. My idea of an ideal vacation.]

Maintain Muscle Mass On 800 Calories Per Day?

admin — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 04:28:45 +0000

Hopefully this title didn't scare you off, thinking I'm pro-anorexia. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm not endorsing eating 800 calories a day long term, or if you are over a certain weight. I do want to talk about a study which blows away the idea of losing muscle mass on a very low calorie, short-term diet. So what happens when 20 people go on a 12 week diet of 800 calories per day? Read more to find out.

Acai Berry, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Oz, Colon Cleansing, and Fake Blogs! What?

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:58:59 +0000

Okay, so I'm going to go on a bit of a rant about Acai Berry. I'm not going to put this product down. Acai Berry is an amazing antioxidant, but there are some big-time Internet Marketers engaging in deceptive marketing to make a killing off of this product. It was featured on Oprah Winfrey's show not too long ago and she was pretty excited about this amazing superfood. The problem is the Fake Blogs being setup all over the Internet to promote this as a "miracle weight loss" product (which it isn't).

[Acai Berry is harvested in the rain forests of Brazil. Here is a nice picture of the Brazilian Rain Forest. Look to the far left hand side of the picture! See the trees? Darn it! Another woman in a bathing suit jumped into the photo again! Why does that keep happening?]

People Are Quick to Criticize Low Calorie Diets

admin — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:01:14 +0000

I am a subscriber to Brad Pilon's newsletter. He is the author of one of my favorite diet books, Eat Stop Eat. He just sent out a great article in the newsletter that I'd love to expand upon. The article is titled: Are You the Victim and the Villain? It is about how people are quick to criticize an aggressive low calorie diet.

Insulin and Fat Loss. A Simple Explanation.

admin — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:54:16 +0000

If you are like me, you sometimes "zone out" a bit when articles talk about things like insulin. It reminds me of reading a textbook in college or high school, where your mind wanders while reading a page. You have to go back and re-read that page to understand the concepts. It doesn't help to read the words if you don't pay attention to what is being talked about. I'm going to attempt to write a very simple, straightforward article on insulin and how it effects fat loss.

[Students Pay Attention! The teacher has arrived.]

IF Life, The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting

admin — Tue, 27 May 2008 06:50:26 +0000

Want to read studies on Intermittent Fasting? I talk a lot about IF without going detail about the science behind it. Most Internet users are overwhelmed with information and my style is to give you fitness tips that I know will give you great results without always getting into the science behind each method. People tend to "drift off" when articles get too technical. That being said, going forward I will begin to point to more websites that go in depth into subjects I'm talking about. The first resource I want to point to is IF Life.

Embrace Hunger and Hunger Pains While Dieting

admin — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:28:49 +0000

Hunger and getting hungry while dieting is something that we are taught to avoid. I'm going to suggest something that most people think is taboo. You will get faster weight loss results if you allow yourself to get hungry from time to time. I'll even go as far to say that you should embrace hunger and look forward to it for rapid fat loss.

High Insulin Levels Stop Fat Loss and Cause Weight Gain

admin — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:49:35 +0000

It is impossible to have high levels of insulin in your system while burning fat at the same time. Think about that. If you eat a meal that has too high of a Glycemic Index, your blood sugar will spike, causing a large release in insulin. During this period of time your body cannot use fat for fuel (even if you are operating under a calorie deficit and even if you workout like crazy). You can get everything else right and not make good progress if you allow your insulin levels to get out of whack.

Bulking Up Causes a Permanent Increase in Fat Cells, Making it Tough to Stay Lean

admin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:43:23 +0000

I am about ready to give my biggest argument against "bulking up". Bulking up is the common practice of gaining muscle as quickly as possible by eating a ton of calories. Along with muscle quite a bit of fat is gained. The idea is that you can gain more muscle if you insure a ton of calories in your diet. The idea is to then burn the fat in the spring, revealing the newly acquired muscle for summer time. This is a common bodybuilding practice, but it is a BAD idea!

Why You May Look a Bit Fatter When First Losing Body Fat

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:53:29 +0000

There is a total mind game that happens when you first begin to lose body fat. At some point when dropping body fat, it is very possible that you look slightly flabbier than when you first began your diet and exercise program. I have never read about this fat loss principle, but I have observed it so many times that I know it is very common. Lets talk about why this happens, so you know what to expect when you start a strict fat loss plan.