“To Lose Weight, You Have to Burn the Fat and Feed the Muscle”, says Venuto!

If you’re like most people, then you’ve spent the bulk of your adult life fighting to keep your weight under control. You’ve tried fad diets, you’ve tried conventional diets, and you’ve tried hours of endless cardio. But in the end, none of these techniques worked.

Sure, a few of the diets helped you to drop some water weight. You lost 10-15 pounds, but then hit a plateau. From there on out, you simply couldn’t get any results, no matter how hard you worked. So you took a break from your diet and put the weight back on.

As a result, you’re still struggling with your weight problem today. But you’re getting older and you’re starting to feel as if you’ll never lose it. Fortunately, if what Tom Venuto claims is true, then you may be in for a good surprise.

First, let me introduce Venuto. He’s a nutritionist from New Jersey who spent much of his life working as a natural bodybuilder. Today, he’s taking the simple strategies that he learned during his career to tell people like you exactly how you can be similar to people like him. That is, how you can “burn the fat” and “feed the muscle.”

According to Venuto, the process is all too simple. There’s no magic involved or supplements required. Rather, it’s just a matter of getting the right information about nutrition and then acting on it.

In fact, Venuto goes as far as to claim that it is physiologically impossible for most conventional diets to actually accomplish what they claim to do. This might seem like a big claim initially, but based on what customers and reviewers say, he backs it up.

Venuto’s program starts by setting up the four pillars of his diet program. The first pillar is to lose fat-and to do so permanently, not temporarily. The second is to avoid wrecking your metabolism, as many fad diets will do. And the third and fourth pillars are to avoid the use of drugs and supplements-and instead to achieve all of the fat loss naturally.

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I remember the saying “No Man is an Island” from many years ago, and it’s true still today.  We can accomplish a lot more when we work in a group or have the support of our peers to help us reach our goals.

Another thing people often overlook, or are shy to ask for, is, having a mentor.  There have been many studies recently that show that people who ask for, and work with, a mentor or coach have a much higher chance for success than those who stubbornly try to ‘go it alone.’  

Anne Collins is an Irish nutritionist and the beauty and strongest point of her program is the very active forum.  All the comments I read by people who use the forum – newcomers and old timers alike – were positive and full of stories of support and encouragement as they walked their path towards good health and weight control. 

Anne Collins personally moderates this forum.  She will answer your questions and guide you as you progress.  It’s also possible for members to send private messages.  Anne Collins stresses that lack of motivation is one of the biggest obstacles to successful weight loss, and motivation is one of the high points of this program.

Anne Collins doesn’t just offer a “one plan fits all” diet program.  Her program has nine different diet plans so you can chose which one best suits you and you can move around between the different plans whenever you chose.

Here is a brief description of each of the plans currently available:

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You’ve probably been hearing a LOT about Joel Marion’s brand new Xtreme Fat Loss Diet — the very plan that outlines EVERYTHING you need to know to lose up to 25 lbs in just 25 short days.

But in case you missed my email yesterday, you can still grab the full system at $30 OFF for a little while longer here.

In this program, Joel shares some of the most strategic fat loss methods I’ve ever seen. Just check out this article for a taste:

Synergistic Diet & Exercise for RIDICULOUSLY Fast Fat Loss
By Joel Marion, CISSN, NSCA-CPT

Most people treat their diet and exercise programs as two separate entities — Totally WRONG if you’re looking to lose fat at the fastest possible rate.

You see, if you can learn how to use the most effective exercise strategies to “mirror” the goals of your diet each day (while mixing up dietary approaches to yield specific hormonal and metabolic benefits in the most effective manner possible) you can literally take your results from “okay” to OUT OF THIS WORLD.

That’s what I call SYNERGY. Diet and exercise working *together* in a very smart, strategic way to yield the fastest fat loss results possible.

Now, my above explanation may have sounded a bit complicated, so I’ll give you a quick example. Let’s take, for instance, the day after a Cheat Day—you know, those days where you get to eat WHATEVER you want on the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet (which just so happen to occur every 5th day).

 $30 OFF pre-sale here now!

[By the way, if you’re not incorporating Cheat Days into your current diet, you’re *way* behind the fast fat loss curve, and NEED to get on board. Long story short, they save your metabolism and actually allow you to lose fat faster week after week by increasing levels of important fat burning hormones within the body. Not to mention, they’re a heck of a lot of fun].

So, the day after a Cheat Day, the overall goals are as follows:

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This past Thursday evening Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac. Author of Chinese Medicine & Healthy Weight Managment An Evidence-based Integrated Approach was the guest expert for this week’s Health In No Time Teleseries. The host Danielle  Zanzarov and Juliette chatted for an hour about an East Meets West Approach to health weight loss and weight management.

You can listen to a replay the teleseminar for free, but for a limited time, only until Thursday April 22nd.
To listen now click HERE.

You can also click HERE to download a free E-book, Health In No Time: 20 Tricks.

Juliette Aiyana has an appetite for yummy, healthy and balanced meals several times per day. Her love for food, for writing, for cooking and for Chinese medicine led her to author her first book, Chinese Medicine & Healthy Weight Management An Evidence-based Integrated Approach (Blue Poppy Press, 2007). She is an acupuncturist, herbalist, workshop instructor, wife and mother. Her private practice, Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs, is located in New York City. To read more of her articles visit her website and related blog at www.amazinghealing.com.

If you are really trying to lose the fat around your belly, doing endless crunches or “amazing ab” machines is not the answer.

Your abs may be strong and developed even if you can’t see definition because a layer of belly fat is covering them up. Achieving that amazing coveted 6-pack, takes amazing work. Most of the fat around your belly is a result of poor nutrition.

Far better than independent ab exercises is to focus on high intensity combinations of full body exercises which more effectively increase your metabolism and burn more calories. This will work your abs and overall core strength at the same time.

You will definitely feel your abdominal muscles when you do exercises such as crunches or leg-raises. However, if you are looking for the best workout to lose belly fat, full body exercises like squats, dead-lifts, lunges, push-ups/pull-ups or other push/pull exercises, will be far more beneficial to lose belly fat. Make this the primary focus of your workout. You really don’t need more than 5-10 minutes working on ab specific exercises.

The full body exercise routines need not be time intensive, but they should be intense. In other words, perform two or more non-competing exercises as a circuit back to back without rest. Non-competing means that each of the exercises use different muscles, so in effect, the muscles from the first exercise are resting while you are performing the next exercise.

Get strong as you focus on building lean muscle. Don’t be afraid to lift heavier weights as long as you are not sacrificing your form. You will create a greater demand on your muscles, which will increase your metabolism which burns fat. If you are a woman, this will not cause you to bulk up, it will cause you to get stronger and more toned. Also, post-partum moms might try some more gentle ab exercises first before moving on to these more intensive exercises.

Here is an example of a quick high intensity full body combination workout. By the way, if you like what you see, you may be interested in purchasing the e-book from where these exercises came, “Women’s In Home Workout” This book features not only the exercises but beginner, intermediate and advanced routines as well.

Perform all 5 of these exercises without rest. Do 8-12 repetitions of each exercise. When the circuit is complete, rest 1 minute and repeat 2 or 3 more times.

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Step One: Clean Out!

Clean out all the junk food and unhealthy food items from your fridge and cupboard. Choosing what should stay and what should go is easy. Just start reading the labels of every box, can and package in your home. This is a great method for those of you who need to do things in an all or nothing way. If you are loathe to throw away food, or loathe to give away food, just eat the food you have, and then replace it once you have finished it up.

A good place to start the cleansing is by reading the ingredient labels of the food stuffs on your home and throwing out all processed foods which are high in sugar, high G.I., high in fats, artificial colors and flavors, white refined flour and low, low, low in nutrition.  So, get rid of anything “instant”; instant mashed potato, ramen noodles, cup o’soups, packaged noodles–n-sauce, macaroni and cheese, white flour frozen waffles or pancakes, hamburger helper, canned macaroni/ravioli products, instant rice, instant oatmeal with added sugar, items with artificial flavors or coloring, prepackaged flavored rice and rice and bean products (there are some brands like Near East which are healthier to eat sometimes), most frozen microwavable meals, granola and breakfast bars which contain sugar, corn syrup, artificial flavors, and basically anything containing corn syrup, artificial flavors and colors. (It’s ok to eat instant oatmeal without additives). 

Also throw away white pancake mix, cereals which are high in sugar, artificial color, and preservatives, high fat meats, like bacon, sausage, ground pork, picnic roasts, cured meats. Eating high fat meats in moderation is healthy, but if for example, you can’t only eat bacon on Sunday’s then get rid of it. Prepackaged and fresh deli meats which contain high amounts of sodium, fats, MSG and artificial colors. The better brands are naturally raised and or organic often found fresh at health food stores or packaged at grocery stores, and most but not all of Boars Head products. Smoked meats, canned meats, canned chili (canned fish is OK). Canned vegetables tend to be high in sodium and are very low in nutrition. Some canned items such at crushed or pureed tomato, corn and beans are ok. 

Avoid frozen vegetables with sauces (tend to be high in sodium) and veggies with artificial cheese sauces. If it is hard for you to get fresh veggies, chose frozen veggies instead of canned. Of course fresh veggies are the best choice.

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Throughout the holidays many people have consumed more rich, fatty, sugary foods than they should have in a matter of two weeks. To bring in the New Year, many people have resolved to go on yet another diet. Are you one of those people? Those extra holiday pounds added to the rest of the weight you want to lose could make dieting seem like an overwhelming task. Which diet will you chose: Vegetarian, Atkins, The Cookie Diet, Fit for Life, The Zone, Weight Watchers, Raw Foods, Juicing, or Cabbage Soup?   

Usually we declare we are going on a diet with an anguished moan. But weight loss doesn’t have to be a chore. We can make it much easier to lose weight and keep it off when we shift our perception about dieting. The most important shift is the realization that dieting doesn’t have to be about deprivation. You don’t have to live on bland salads, eating only soups or prepackaged, frozen diet plan meals, or go on controversial induction or crash diets to induce rapid lose weight. In fact, Chinese Medicine advises quite the opposite.

Even western nutritionists agree with the Chinese viewpoint. We advise balance, not deprivation, as the best way to achieve and maintain a healthy body. Dr. Dean Ornish, author of Eat More, Weigh Less comments on risky high protein diets, “You can lose weight from fen-phen, too, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.” Likewise, Katherine Tallmadge, nutritionist and author of Diet Simple states “I’ve found the biggest cause of overeating is under-eating. Most overeating is due to poor planning. It is amazing what a well-stocked refrigerator full of delicious prepared foods does for preventing that stop to the fast food joint. Most of your cravings and uncontrolled overeating will be conquered when you feed your body what it needs regularly during the day and have the food at your fingertips when you need it. Studies show that you are most likely to eat whatever is in your environment. If you surround yourself with delicious, healthy, wholesome foods, that’s what you’ll end up eating.” 

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In a recent NYC Department of Health campaign they ask, “Are You Pouring On The Pounds”? The campaign is to increase public awareness that healthy weight loss and weight maintenance depends not only on what you are eating, but also on what you are drinking. For instance, did you know that the typical cola contains 16 1/2 teaspoons of sugar? That’s 260 calories! And some people drink several cola’s per day, especially children who love that caramel sweet taste. Now to get a visual of 16 1/2 teaspoons check out the poster that the DOH hung all over the city.

If that isn’t scary enough allow me to present you with an even better visual aid in the form of a home, school or office project. Take a small bowl and spoon out 16 1/2 measured teaspoons of sugar onto it. When you literally SEE how much sugar piles up it will blow your mind. Humm, that reminds me of the scene in Super Size Me when they measured out all the sugar Morgan Spurlock ate in one month while eating every single meal only at McDonald’s. He ate 30 pounds of sugar. In one month. Yikes! That is about one pound of sugar per day. Much of that sugar came from the all the cola he drank.

Anyhoo, don’t go thinking that you can switch yourself or the kids over to drinking apple juice because there are 13 teaspoons of sugar in that juice. That’s right I said it, THIRTEEN teaspoons of sugar in apple JUICE. It drives me nuts when I see parents filling up their toddlers bottles and sippy cups with juices. And they wonder why their kids are hyperactive, over-weight and Type 2 diabetics. It all boils down to over consumption of sugar. If you are bored with plain water, then you can add a splash of juice for flavor.

Oh and that Orange Delight Drink the DOH mentions on the poster is also known as Sunny-Delight. Sunny-D is NOT juice as many parents believe. It only contains 5% juice. The rest of the ingredients include water, high fructose corn syrup, yellow dyes # 5 AND #6 and something else I can hardly pronounce, called SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE.  What the hec is that??? I looked it up. Okay are you sitting down? Are you ready for this? According to Chemicaland21.com Sodium Hexametaphosphate is an inorganic (chemical) product used as a seqestering agent. It is used in the industry of soap, detergents, water treatment, metal finishing and plating, pulp and paper manufacture, synthesis of polymers, photographic products, textiles, scale removal and agriculture. According to ScienceLab.com’s MSDS sheet on the chemical it “May cause gastrointestinal tract irritation with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. May affect behavior/central nervous system/peripherial nervous system (somnolence, convulsions, lethargy, flaccid paralysis), urinary system (kidneys- renal failure, acute tubular necrosis). It may also cause heart disturbances (fall in blood pressure, slow pulse) and blood chemistry effects (reduction of serum level of calcium). The toxicity of phosphates is because of their ability to sequester calcium. Systemic metabolic acidosis may result as this material is believed to be hydrolyzed to ortho phosphates when ingested (before absorption). Tetany may also occur as a result of reduction in serum level of ionic calcium”.

As far as I am concerned there is no redeeming quality in Sunny-D, even if the commercials want to tell me that the product will make my life as a mother oh-so much more convenient on hectic school day mornings. I am not believing their lies that Sunny-D is a healthy choice for my kids. I mean they want me to believe that feeding my son 12 1/2 teaspoons of sugar before school is going to keep him healthy and make him smarter in school. Pleeeeeease. Sure it contains 100% Vitamin C but weigh that against the 12 1/2 teaspoons of sugar and the sodium hexametaphosphate (among other chemicals) and I’ll stick with giving my kid a fresh whole orange to get his daily dose of C, thank you very much. Okay so let me get off of my sunny soap box.

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Aging slows most people down thanks to aches and pains, arthritis, heart disease, fatigue and more. As our bodies naturally slow down, let us not use that as a reason to stop moving, and exercising to stay healthy. As the famous Chinese doctor and longevity specialist Ge Hong said almost 1,700 years ago: “The leather hinges of a moving door never rots, and flowing water never stagnates”.[i]

Although the aged may not run the New York Marathon, they can still participate in a variety of less physically challenging practices. Before starting a new exercise program check out tips from The American Academy of Family Physicians about how to prepare and engage in physical activities and talk with your doctor.

Qi Gong and Tai Chi

In China, the elderly practice Qi Gong and Tai Chi every morning. Not only do these practices keep the body in optimal health, but they calm and center the mind before getting on with the day. Qi Gong and Tai Chi are now practiced by people young and old all over the world.

Yoga

Yoga is a wonderful practice for seniors because it also calms and centers the mind while opening and strengthening the muscles. This yoga DVD called Yoga for Back Care is excellent for beginners and those who are in pain and need modified poses. And this DVD specializes in yoga for longevity.

Walking

Walking requires little of the participant other than owning a good pair of sneakers, yet yields great results. According to a study run by the University of Georgia, seniors who routinely walk are 41% more likely to reduce future disability and walkers increase independence as they age. That means walking can reduce future disability by nearly half! Many elder communities get together and form walking clubs which meet in the great outdoors or inside malls when the weather is poor.

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Eating out while losing weight can present some problems to the dieter like when we are being served heaping portions of high calorie foods. This nifty You-Tube video can gives some tips on how to exercise portion control and cut calories when eating at restaurants.

Juliette Aiyana has an appetite for yummy, healthy and balanced meals several times per day. Her love for food, for writing, for cooking and for Chinese medicine led her to author her first book, Chinese Medicine & Healthy Weight Management An Evidence-based Integrated Approach (Blue Poppy Press, 2007). She is an acupuncturist, herbalist, workshop instructor, wife and mother. Her private practice, Aiyana Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs, is located in New York City. To read more of her articles visit her website and related blog at www.amazinghealing.com.