If you are familiar with Tom Venuto, you know that his ebook “Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle” has been answering the tough fitness questions for the past 7 years. Questions like:

“How can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?” and

“How do I get six pack abs?”

Because you get so many conflicting answers to these questions, they are asked constantly.  So what’s the deal? Is it really possible to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously? How does Tom answer this?

Short answer: Yes, you can gain muscle and lose fat at the “same time.”

Long answer: It’s difficult and it’s complicated. Allow me to explain…

First we have the issue of whether you really lose fat and gain muscle at the “same time.”

Well, yes, if your definition of the “same time” is say, a month or 12 weeks. But in that case, you’re probably not gaining muscle at the “same time” literally speaking, as in, right now this very moment you are reading this, or 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for months in a row.

The best explanation for what’s really happening is that you alternate between periods of caloric surplus (anabolism) and caloric deficit (catabolism) and the net result is a gain in muscle and a loss in body fat.

You see, if you stay in a calorie surplus, it’s the body’s natural tendency for body fat and lean body mass to go up together. And if you stay in a calorie deficit, it’s your body’s natural tendency for body fat and lean body mass to go down together.

There may be exceptions, but the general rule is that it is very difficult to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time – the mechanisms are mostly antagonistic to one another. When it does happen, it’s almost always the result of “unusual conditions” – I call them X factors.

The 4 X-Factors

The first X-factor is “training age” . Ever hear of “newbie gains?” The less trained your body is and the further you are from your genetic potential, the easier it is to gain muscle. The reverse is also true – an advanced bodybuilder with 20 years experience would be thrilled just to gain a few pounds of solid dry muscle in a year!

The second x factor is muscle memory. It’s easier to regain muscle you’ve lost than it is to gain new muscle in the first place (ergo, the fat out of shape semi retired bodybuilder who starts training again and blows up and gets ripped “overnight”).

The third X factor is genetics (or somatotype). Ever heard of the “genetic freak?” That’s the dude who sprouts muscle like weeds even when he’s on the “50-50 diet” (50% McDonald’s and 50% pizza)… and he never gets fat. (That dude chose the right parents!)

The fourth X factor is drugs. It would stun (or sadden) you if you knew how many people take performance and physique-enhancing drugs. I’m not just talking about pro bodybuilders, I’m talking about “Joe six pack” in the gym – not to mention those fitness models you idolize in the magazines. How did they get large muscle gains with concurrent fat loss? Chemicals.

I’m not a gambling man, but I’ll place a wager on this any day: I’ll bet that in 99% of the cases of large muscle gains with concurrent large fat losses, one or more of these x factors were present.

That’s not all! There are actually 5 more X factors related to your body composition and diet status (the X2 factors). But I’ll have to talk about those later.

So you’re not a beginner, you don’t take roids, you’re not a genetic freak and you have no muscle memory to take advantage of. Are you S.O.L? Well, I do want you to be realistic about your goals, but…

There IS a way for the average person to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

The Secret: You have to change your “temporal perspective!”

Traditionally nutritionists and fitness pros have only looked at calorie balance in terms of 24 hour periods. At midnight, you could tally up the calories like a shopkeeper closing out his register, and if the balance were positive, you’d say you were in a surplus for the day. If the balance were negative, you’d say you were in a deficit for the day.

But it’s entirely possible that you might pass through periods of “within-day” surplus where you were in a highly anabolic state (for example, you eat the biggest, highest carb meal of the day after your workout), and you were in a deficit the rest of the day.

If you did intense weight training, and you timed your nutrient intake appropriately, Isn’t it possible that you could gain a small amount of muscle during those anabolic hours, while losing fat the rest of the day? Granted it might only be grams or ounces – but what if you kept that up for a week? A month? Three months?

As you pan out and look at the bigger picture, what if most days of the week you were in a deficit for the entire day, and on some days you were in a surplus? If so, then isn’t it possible that over the course of the week, you’d have a small net gain of muscle and loss of body fat a a result of the caloric fluctuation?

These within-day and within-week phases are called microcycles and mesocycles. If you also had a primary goal with a longer term focus of several months, say 12 weeks or 16 weeks, that would be a macrocycle.

What I’ve just described is nutritional periodization. Some people call it cyclical dieting. it’s where you manipulate your calories (primarily by fluctuating carbohydrate intake, hence “carb cycling”) in order to intentionally zig zag your way through periods of surplus and deficit and create specific hormonal responses.

The end result: muscle gain and fat loss during the same time period!

I know that someone out there is having a hissy fit because I’ve only talked about calories: deficits and surpluses. Rightfully so. Calories matter but there’s more to it than calories – most importantly, hormones and “nutrient partitioning.”

If you”re in a calorie deficit you are going to pull energy from your body.The question is: From WHERE? If your hormones are out of whack and you’re eating crap, you could lose more muscle than fat in a deficit and gain almost pure fat, not muscle, in a surplus!

But WHAT IF you could manipulate within day energy balance, use nutritional periodization AND control your hormones with food and lifestyle strategies?

AHA! NOW you can see how concurrent muscle gain and fat loss are starting to look possible!

Make no mistake – concurrent muscle gain and fat loss is a difficult goal to achieve. The good news: difficult does not mean impossible. Or as George Santayana said, “The difficult is that which can be done immediately, the impossible, that which takes a little longer.”

The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program: How to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat at The Same Time

You can learn more about gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time in Tom Venuto’s new e-book called, “The Holy Grail Body Transformation System.”

You’ll learn all about nutritional periodization, cyclical dieting, hormonal manipulation, within day energy balance, nutrient partitioning, AND the all the X factors, including the 5 “X2-Factors” – which are the keys to gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.

You’ll also get Tom’s new “TNB” training system, as seen in Men’s Fitness magazine (the complete, expanded version that Men’s Fitness didn’t have room to print).

At the moment, The Holy Grail ebook is not for sale separately and there are only two ways you can get it.

From now until Midnight (PST), May 13th, 2010, you can get a copy of the Holy Grail Body Transformation program ebook for FREE when you purchase the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle e-book from this web page:
www.BurnTheFat.com

The other way you can get a copy is by joining the Burn the Fat Inner Circle.

After May 13th, 2010 at midnight PST The Holy Grail will be taken off the market for a period of time while Tom is collecting case studies and getting feedback from users, to include in the final edition – which WILL be released for sale separately later this year.

Visit the Burn The Fat website now and jump on this deal while you still can.

Technorati Tags: build muscle, burn fat, burn fat feed muscle, Diet, lose fat, nutrition, Tom Venuto

This bit of advice came from Mike Gear, the TruthAboutAbs guy. Many of you have probably heard about some of the health benefits of cinnamon before. I have been using 1/4 teaspoon on my oatmeal for ages. Tastes good and helps fight cholesterol.

But Mike pulled the unique benefits of cinnamon together and sent me the following email. I think you ‘ll find it enlightening.

==========

You might even call it a “fat burning spice”… in a roundabout way.

Here are some other benefits of this miracle spice:

• controls blood sugar levels
• helps maintain insulin sensitivity
• a very powerful antioxidant
• may have antibacterial and antifungal properties
• and dozens of other benefits

So what is this miracle spice?

In a study published in 2003 in the medical journal Diabetes Care, groups were split into people taking 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon per day in capsule form (the equivalent of approx 1/4th to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon).

Cinnamon can also increase insulin sensitivity, which essentially means that it is helping your body to control blood sugar while simultaneously allowing your body to produce less insulin.

As you know, chronically high insulin levels can make your body pack on the blubber.

How to harness this to lose more fat…

One possible way to benefit from cinnamon to lose more fat is to use cinnamon daily in your meals when you can, such as in yogurt or cottage cheese, in smoothies, oatmeal, or anything else you can think of where it would go well.

Also, you could use a cinnamon capsule before each of your meals.

This could help to control blood sugar and insulin response from your meals and thereby control your appetite and cravings throughout the day… hence, helping you to lose body fat more effectively over time.

So now you can see that not only is cinnamon a powerful antioxidant that can help you stay youthful longer, it can also help you to control blood sugar and get a leaner body!

Note: please make sure to consult your doctor before adding any new foods or spices to your nutrition plan if you are taking any medications or have food allergies.

Go to the link below to discover over a dozen more unique foods, spices, and weird styles of workouts that help to burn your abdominal fat faster:

TruthAboutAbs

Technorati Tags: fat burning food, fat burning foods, Fat Loss, how to lose baby fat, how to lose fat fast, lose fat quickly

I really owe Jon Benson how keeps  writing who graciously gave me permission to share it with you. I hope you enjoy Jon’s take on fitness and nutrition as much as I do.

Believe it or not you can get lean by eating fast food.

I know, it sounds crazy… but in a few weeks I’m going to prove it to the world with the release of my newest mini e-book “Fast Food Fitness: How I Dropped 40lbs Eating Fast Food Every Day.”

Do you think I’m joking?  I’m not.

Of course there’s a WAY to eat fast food and drop the pounds. You can’t just eat like everyone else does. That’s common sense.

And believe me, there are more healthy ways to drop the pounds than eating fast food… for sure.

But the way I figure it: Would you rather be healthIER and lean or UNhealthy and overfat?

Silly question… so consider “Fast Food Fitness” a path to the lesser of two evils… and one that actually got me to 10% bodyfat (that’s pretty lean!) a few years ago.

Here’s how it started:

I simply hate to cook!  I have since solved that problem… I hired a part-time chef (it’s cheaper than it sounds)… but until two years ago I was eating out every single meal… I mean EVERY MEAL.

Most of the time… not all of the time, but most of the time… these meals were fast food joints like burger joints and even fried chicken places.

But I had to keep my physique, so … what to do?

Well… you’ll have to wait. At least a few weeks.

If you want the book for half-price, you have to own a copy of “Every Other Day Dietplan”… everyone who owns a copy before “Fast Food Fitness” hits the Internet will get half-off.

So go here if you don’t have EODD yet …

click—–>  My Favorite Foods Fatloss-Plan

Here’s 3 of my top 25 fast-food diet-tips… just these 3 will take you 1/3 of the way there…

First, use my Half-n-Half Principle. Order whatever you are going to order and then have the person behind the counter cut the order exactly in HALF.

Half to go… half to eat there.

Eat half now…. then the other half 3-4 hours later. Believe it or not you will store less bodyfat and even increase your metabolism eating like this.

Simple trick… give it a shot.

Second, ditch all the starch. That means buns, bread and anything made of flour. BUT here’s the “still tastes good” trick I use. I keep ONE of the pieces of bread from, say, my hamburger. Then I “pick” at it while I enjoy the meat and either a small diet soda or tea. Eat no more than 5 “picks” at the bread… about half a slice. You still get the exact taste of a burger with none of the stuff that makes most people over-fat.

Third, for you chicken lovers, split your order between fried and baked chicken. KFC has excellent baked chicken… try it. Then strip most of the skin off the fried chicken. Not all… most.

You still get the taste, but with far fewer bad food-stuffs and calories…. make sense?

Enjoy the tips… but remember, the healthiest (and tastiest) way to eat is still my Every Other Day Dietplan, which works in your favorite foods each week….

click—–>  My Favorite Foods Fatloss-Plan

Technorati Tags: Diet, Every Other Day Diet, Fast Food

There are many abs systems on the market with more coming out every day. Books, videos, diet programs, equipment – you name it, if it could possibly have any impact at all on abs development, someone is selling it. Most of these come and go, thankfully they go as fast as they come before the harm too many people.

But some will stand the test of time and will be as effective in the future as when they were introduced because they are not fads but are based on sound principals. One of these is the Real Deal Six Pack Ab Sculpting System bySean Nalewanyj. This is the subject of this review.

Rating: (5/5)

What You Get: The Complete Real Deal Six Pack Ab Sculpting System including the Six Pack Ab Solution 261-Page E-Book Plus the  7 Real-Deal Support Modules:

1 – Metabolic Ignition Workout Plan
2 – Perfect Form Video Exercise Database
3 – Customized Body Sculpting Meal Plans
4 – Six Pack Abs Revealed MP3 Course
5 -Body Progress Tracking Tools
6 – 1-Month Private Forum Access
7 -Lifetime Product Updates

Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Money Back Guarantee: 100% Unconditional 8-Week Guarantee

Trial Offer: Free 21 day test-drive before you have to pay for it.

Review:
The fat loss diet world is dominated by marketing hype, exaggerations and flat-out lies and finding a reputable six pack ab program that actually produces results is no easy task.

Even you don’t fall victim to any of  the “miracle supplements”, “revolutionary diets” and “breakthrough equipment”, how can be certain of which products are worth your money and which ones are nothing more than hyped up junk?

If you are looking for something to help lose that belly fat and replace it with an impressive set of abs, trying to figure out which advice to follow can sometimes be a nightmare.

One of the best ways is to try a system from someone who has been around awhile and is still here because they have delivered solid advice in the past.

Which brings me to best-selling fitness author and fat loss expert, Sean Nalewanyj, who has just released a new fat burning and six pack ab system. For those of you who don’t know who Sean is, he’s the creator of one of the most famous natural bodybuilding programs available on the web today: The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System.

That program has been a top-seller for several years, and he’s finally decided to channel his efforts to taking on the fat loss world as well.  I must say that it’s one of the most complete and comprehensive abdominal fat loss programs to hit the market recently.

It’s called “The Real Deal Six Pack Ab Sculpting System”, and contains all of the tools in one package that you’ll need to finally get into shape.

The main component of the system is the 261 page “The Six Pack Ab Solution” which covers the entire process of losing stomach fat in detail from A to Z. You’ll learn everything you need to know about proper nutrition, weight training, cardiovascular exercise, progress tracking and everything in between.

The book is written in simple layman’s terms with no jargon so anyone can understand and follow it. You can read through the book directly from your computer or print it off and place it in a 3-ring binder to read wherever you’d like.

Along with the main e-book, Sean hands you an entire collection of detailed support modules and bonus gifts to help you even further.

You get the “Metabolic Ignition Workout Plan” that shows you exactly how to train for maximum fat loss and get razor sharp abs. Included are 2, 3 and 4-day per week training schedules, so you can be sure you’ll find one that fits your schedule.

Next up is the full video exercise database to teach you proper form and technique to use in the gym. Sean personally demonstrates over 100 of the most effective weight training exercises out there, complete with full motion video and written descriptions.

He then hands you 7 different “30-Day Ab Sculpting Meal Plans” to remove all of the guesswork from your diet. These exclusively developed plans show you what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat it to turbo charge your metabolism while staying full and energetic.

On top of the meal plans, Sean gives you 2 detailed “Fat Burning Food Reports”, where he outlines “The Top 20 Food Sources That Burn Fat Fast”, and “The Top 20 Food Sources That Make You Fat Fast”. This will give you a detailed analysis of which foods to keep handy and which ones to steer clear of.

He also keeps you organized and motivated by providing you with 5 different printable progress tracking booklets. Included are a workout logbook, daily meal planner, supplement organizer, 12-week progress analyzer and goal-setter.

To cap off the offer, Sean hands you a 1-month access card to his renowned “Muscle Building & Fat Loss Inner Circle” (where you can ask questions and share advice with other members) as well as free lifetime product updates.

You can check out Sean’s Website to read about all of the individual components that are included in the complete package.

After making my way through all of the detailed items included in this system, I can say with honesty that there are no other six pack ab programs currently available that offer this kind of value.

But the real question you’re probably wondering is simple…

“Does the program actually work?”

In short, YES! – But only if you follow it!

Sean has a great reputation in the industry for offering high quality and effective programs, and this one is no exception. Even though this system is still quite new, his members and colleagues are already raving about it. You can check out what they’re saying by visiting his website.

Even more noteworthy than the program itself is Sean’s obvious desire to genuinely help those who follow his advice. Unlike most junky programs out there that look to have been slapped together over a weekend, it’s clear that a ton of time and effort was put in to make this program really stand out.

Best of all, Sean offers everything to you for an extremely reasonable price. The system is currently selling for about half the cost of a single session with a personal trainer, which is incredible considering everything you’ll receive. However, this is simply an introductory price, and I suspect that the cost will be increasing in the near future.

Bottom Line Verdict: If you’re interested in burning fat (from your midsection and your entire body) quickly, safely and permanently, The Real Deal Six Pack Ab Sculpting System is one of the best investments you could possibly make.

It’s an incredible value… is endorsed by top experts in the field… was created by a reputable expert… and more importantly, it is highly effective at producing results fast.

In fact, Sean is so confident with the results that can be obtained from his system that he even lets you access the entire program FREE for a full 21 days. This way you can try the entire program out risk-free for yourself before deciding if it’s right for you.

You’ve got nothing to lose by at least giving it a try.

Important: When you place your order at Sean’s website, you’ll have the chance to grab 2 additional upgrade packages: the “Deluxe Edition” and the “Ultimate Edition”. Included in these upgrade packages are a professionally narrated audio version of his e-book, a recipe and smoothie booklet, no-nonsense supplement reviews, fat burning food guides, a mind & motivation mp3 course, body fat measuring instructions and more.

If you’re truly serious about achieving flat, sculpted and sexy abs, these additional features are strongly recommended and can be purchased for only a few extra bucks.
Go ahead and check it out now…

(Even if you’re not interested in spending any money on a full system just yet, you can still sign up for Sean’s free part email course, “6 Critical Keys To Rapid Fat Loss Revealed “. You can also read some inspiring before/after stories of people who achieved incredible results using Sean’s principles.)

Click Here To Visit Sean’s Website For More Information.

[ Note: This article was written by Jon Benson who graciously gave me permission to share it with you. I hope you enjoy Jon's take on fitness and nutrition as much as I do. ]

I bet you didn’t know this …

Obesity…even being overfat… is a disease.

No, really.

At least that’s what several social groups wish you to believe. “Suffers Of Obesity” is just one of those groups. Their entire stance is obesity (which, btw, can be only 30lbs or so over your ideal bodyweight) is an actual disease.

Well, is it?

Yes… and no.

Comedian Ricky Gervais has a hilarious go at this stance… that obesity is a disease. You sometimes have to laugh, you know? ; )

“No… it’s not a disease… it’s greed. You just love to eat,” or so Gervais believes.

Well, in my first newsletter for 2010, a new decade with new ideas, I’m here to share a new idea with you:

We really need to redefine some words.

One of those words is “disease”.

Case-in-point:  Wikipedia.com defines disease…

“In human beings, “disease” is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories.”

Let’s think about that.

If you bump your knee against a sharp object, is this a new disease called “bumpuskneeitis?” Er… no. It’s an accident. Sure, it may ’cause’ a specific set of symptoms that could broadly (as in as broad as the back-side of a barn) be considered a “disease”, but … no. It’s an accident with biological consequences.

Social problems?  So, if I decide to read 17 books on why my parents suck as a teenager and develop anti-social behavior, is this a “disease”?  NO!  This is the angst of youth combined, perhaps, with poor parenting!  Sure, it can lead to mental issues that could be classified as “disease”, but guess what?

It’s totally within your control. No one force-fed the books to the teen. And no one is force-feeding you, or anyone you know.

That decision is yours and yours alone… and anyone, repeat ANYONE on the face of planet earth can change their behaviors and attitudes toward food.

Okay, some more thoughts on disease:

Let me give you a few examples of what is typically thought of as “disease”…

— Leprosy
— Cancer
— Hypothyroidism

We’ll just take three… there are thousands as you know.

Now, we can all agree that these three states represent true “disease”. The first you could catch by accident; the second is a combination of genetics, environment, and who-knows-what-else, and the third is almost always genetic.

One, cancer, is something you ‘may’ be able to do something about. For example, lung cancer. 90% of lung cancer patients contract the disease from smoking.

Let’s just cover these 90%, shall we?

And folks, I’m asking for an open mind here…

Is lung cancer, in the case of the 90%, REALLY a disease?

Or is it a biological consequence?

Sure, “cancer” is a disease. But what caused it in this case? Something involuntary? Hardly. Something that could not be stopped?

No way.

The 90% caused it. Period.

Welcome to the real world.

So, I propose this:  We redefine “disease” as an abnormal biological condition that we DO NOT have direct cause or effect over.

Airborne viruses: Disease.  Obesity: NOT a disease.

And yes, lung cancer in chain smokers:  NOT a disease; it’s a biological outcome. The end result should be treated as a disease, of course, but come on: Where is the responsibility folks?

Life, if you want to life it fully and without fear, is ALL about taking total responsibility. That’s empowerment. Anything less is… well, LESS.

In our example, lung cancer is no more a “disease” than, say, me hitting myself over the head with a hammer every day and causing brain damage is a disease.

Brain damage (not self-induced) = disease.

Brain damage caused by self-inflicted hammer-hitting = biological consequence. In this case of sheer stupidity!

Now, one could (and many will) make the argument that I had a “mental” disease that caused me to WANT to hit myself over the head with a hammer… but… well…

At this point we need to redefine the word “disease” in my opinion. Here’s why:

First, if this were the case, I could say that all criminals have a disease.

They all have a mental disease that makes them want to kill, steal… you name it.

This may in fact BE true… we do not know… but do we hold them NOT responsible if it is? No, we do not.

And that brings us back to obesity.

Obesity and being overfat is not a disease folks…
—— >  it’s a biological consequence.

And, with the exception of the extremely ‘rare’ cases of total glandular dysfunction from birth, obesity… your bodyweight… is your responsibility.

Period. End of story.

Sorry, but that’s the way the ball bounces.

Am I being mean? No. I was obese. I have a right to speak my mind about it, and trust me:  My depression (a disease… sorta… some genetic, but a lot of it was caused by eating too much sugar) definitely aided in my obesity.

Then how come I’m not obese any more?

I found a better way to eat. I re-trained my body to crave this style of eating (and exercise) over stuffing myself with pizza and burgers every day.

Here’s what I use:

Click.Here———–>  My No-Disease No-Obesity Wake-up Call!

It torches bellyfat… and it reprograms the body and mind to use food as fuel… especially if you use my “7 Minute Body” workout system (you can get it at 77% off after you pick up EODD on the page above… ; )

So be brave. Be fearless. And be responsible.

Oh… and be sure not to catch “internetemailitis”… its a disease that causes you to want to check your email more than 10 times a day.

I have it. So be careful… may be contagious. : )

P.S. In my journey from obesity to total leanness I had to overcome ‘real’ diseases, like pituitary failure from a high fever (i.e. viral pneumonia that almost killed me) and, yes, clinical depression (partially my fault; partially not… i.e. half disease, half biological consequence.) So I have sympathy, believe me. But I also know what you can do once you have a solid plan in place and a determined mind.

Then no “disease” can stop you… at least the ones that do not kill you.

So go for it… be brave, be responsible… and be lean!

click.here ——>  My No-Disease No-Obesity Wake-up Call!

Technorati Tags: Disease, Every Other Day Diet, Obesity, weight loss