Not Your Average Fitness Tips

Archive for the ‘Health and Nutrition’ Category

Is weight loss genetic?  What is the blood type diet plan?  Can the genotype diet really help you lose weight?  I decided to look into the current research to see if any of these statements were true.  Just for background, why should genetics matter when it comes to weight loss?  I have opposing views on this.  On the one hand, it helps to know if someone is genetically predisposed to being overweight or carrying excess fat in certain locations.  On the other hand, blaming lack of weight loss or obesity on genetics is really just making excuses.  I’ve certainly seen thin people who would otherwise seem to have genetic problems losing weight based on the size of family members.  They seem to lose weight with the same strategies as everyone else: diet and exercise. Continue Reading…

It’s a trend across numerous corporations…employees get paid to lose weight.  Really?  Money has to be an incentive to live a long and healthy life?  I guess at the end of the day I’m happier to see more people trying to get in shape, even if it’s initially for monetary purposes.  I’d like to think that once they begin a good diet and exercise program, they will value the importance of being healthy for more than monetary reasons. Continue Reading…

Chances are that you’re going to put on some weight during the holidays.  With temptations stretching from Thanksgiving to New Years, and possibly beyond, how can you avoid holiday weight gain?  Just as important, how can you avoid holiday weight gain and still indulge in some of your favorite foods during this time and not feel like a diet outcast.

Average Holiday Weight Gain

Some studies have suggested that holiday weight gain averages 5-10lbs.  More recent studies have shown that average holiday weight gain is only 1lb.  However, this is simply the average amount gained.  Overweight people tend to gain more than others.  Additionally, this holiday weight gain is generally not lost over time.  In other words, the gains you experience during the holidays may remain with you for the rest of your life…just one more reason why many people start to accumulate excess fat after they hit 30. Continue Reading…

A viral story hit the press in the past week…a nutrition expert lost a lot of weight while eating junk food.  This junk food diet (also referred to as the Twinkie diet) proved a point that I’ve known for a while: it’s not what you eat, it’s how much you eat.  However, some other implications came out of this “research.” Continue Reading…

I pride myself on maintaining a fitness-lifestyle balance through which I’ve been able to get in very good shape without sacrificing my social life.  However, over the past couple months, I’ve delved back into the realm of exercise addiction and food obsession.  I recently came to this realization when I found myself planning social events based on my diet and exercise schedule.

Before I continue, I should be clear on a couple things.  First, there is a fine line between exercise addiction and being dedicated to a consistent workout routine.  Additionally, there is a fine line between food obsession and healthy eating for weight loss.  In fact, I’d argue that exercise addiction and food obsession are actually good in small doses.  These two things shouldn’t rule your life though.  Let me rephrase that; I don’t want diet and exercise to control my life. Continue Reading…

Generally speaking, weight loss is all about taking in less calories than you expend.  However, when you get close to your target weight, a calorie cycling diet plan can be beneficial.  In fact, I’d say a calorie shifting diet plan or carb cycling diet plan are some of the most effective ways to trick your body so that you can lose body fat, gain muscle, and get a really lean, defined body.

A calorie cycling diet is all about switching things up so that your body stays in a fat burning state.  Over the course of a week or month, you may end up eating the same number of calories as you would under a normal diet, but when properly implemented, you can burn a lot more fat.  In essence, you can provide your body with plenty of muscle building nutrients when you exercise and limit caloric intake when you don’t.  I remember first reading about these types of strategies from Tom Venuto (author of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle). Continue Reading…

I recently did a guest post at Trying Fitness about my eating philosophy.  It’s similar to articles I’ve written here discussing why the combination of Eat Stop Eat and Cheat Your Way Thin has been great for fat loss.  Below is the opening paragraph:

Conventional wisdom says that you should eat 5-6 small meals per day. Conventional wisdom also says that you can’t cheat on your diet. Well call me unconventional then because I’ve managed to lose a significant amount of weight and get to my lowest body fat level ever by skipping breakfast and lunch twice a week and eating whatever I want once per week. Even better, I’m not an outlier when it comes to the successfulness of these approaches. In fact, scientific research actually supports intermittent fasting and cheat days. If you’ve struggled with calorie restrictive diets, maybe it’s time to take a more unconventional approach…the only thing you have to lose is weight!

Read the reasons that I support intermittent fasting and cheat days at Trying Fitness.

I’ve posted a detailed How Much Protein Review.  Please check it out under Best Fat Loss Diets.

“Finally, Someone is Willing to Give You the Honest Answer to the Question ‘How Much Protein do I Need to Build Muscle?’

Find Out if You Are Getting RIPPED OFF On A Monthly Basis On The Hopes And Dreams That Protein Will Make You Bigger And Stronger

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At One Of The Fitness Industries Most Well-Kept Secrets From An Ex-Protein Supplement Developer And Research Scientist who agreed to ‘reveal it all’.”

Over the past month, I’ve revamped my diet a little bit.  After many years of unsuccessfully trying the calorie restrictive approach, I found success with intermittent fasting, specifically Eat Stop Eat.  I’ve gotten to a point that I’m as lean as I’ve ever been but still want to continue trimming fat on the margins.  I decided to incorporate some of the “cheat diet” recommendations from Cheat Your Way Thin to aid in this fat burning process.  Combining these approaches with an overall healthy eating diet has been highly beneficial for me.

I think each approach has benefits on its own, but provide an ideal fat burning diet when put together.  However, assess each on your own and decide what fits best with your lifestyle and overall fitness goals.  Here’s how I went from a simple calorie restrictive diet to the combination I’m calling Cheat Stop Eat Your Way Thin. Continue Reading…

I’ve posted a detailed Cheat Your Way Thin Review.  Please check it out under Best Fat Loss Diets.

“Eat What You Want.  Outsmart Your Body.  Triple Your Results.”

“Discover How You Can Join The Thousands Of Others Who Have Already Used My Proven “Cheating” System to Effortlessly Strip Away Countless Inches From Their Own Hard-to-Lose Problem Areas— All While Regularly Eating Ice Cream, Devouring Juicy Burgers, And Indulging In Foods That Most Other Dieters Can At Best Dream About”