(This is a guest post from Jon Benson, author of  Every Other Day Diet, 7 Minute Muscle and Fit Over 40)

One of the biggest myths out there is the myth that eating healthy costs too much.

Just the opposite… and I’ll prove it to you in 3 ways.

   #1:  Cash

Here’s some sample figures courtesy of Scott Tousignant’s fitness blog…

:  2 medium size sweet potatoes $1 or… small fries from a fast food joint

:  2 red peppers $1 or… a can of pop

:  Bowl of oatmeal with fruit & protein powder $2 or… large bag of chips

:  6 Chicken Breasts $10 or… a sub combo from a fast food joint

:  18 eggs $3.50 or… a burger from a fast food joint

:  2 salmon fillets $15 or… large pizza

:  Loaded chicken salad (homemade) $3 or… bag of cookies

:  Large bag of oatmeal $3.50 or… 4 chocolate bars

Not much of a comparison, is it?

Yet the foods on the left would feed a family of two or more for 4-7 days… the foods on the right? 2-3 days if you live through it.

Tips to make the most expensive part of eating healthy — the cost of quality meats — go further include…

1. Use tofu fillers in chicken and beef recipes. Even if you hate tofu, you can barely taste the difference when combined properly.

2. Buy your meats in bulk online. You can find less expensive grass-fed beef and naturally-raised chicken and have it delivered to you if you live near a large city. If not, check the local farmers.

3. Eat meat only 3-4 times per week and use black beans with rice or inexpensive tuna for your other days. I eat tuna cooked in a skillet with lots of veggies and some olive oil almost every night and I LOVE the taste!

My book, The Every Other Day Diet Plan has over 40 pages of recipes in it to help you eat healthy and cheap… and you can still eat out and consume your favorite foods several times per week.

    #2:  Your Health

Do we ‘really’ need to talk about buy new (usually larger) clothes every year or two? Or about the health care costs associated with being even 20 pounds over your ideal weight, let alone more? How about the time you miss from work with excessive colds?

Eating healthy and taking care of your body adds years to your life… and for the record, the years eating poorly takes away from your life, on average, costs each American over 80,000 in medical expenses.

Want to add that to your food budget?

  #3: The Big Picture

Anyone who has been fit knows the joy it brings… the freedom you feel from wearing whatever you want… the productivity you see from increased energy… the pace at which you move during the day.

Not only are these gifts priceless, but they are also massive cash-savers. Your productivity alone can add thousands to your bottom line each year, well off-setting any costs associated with eating quality food.

The Bottom Line…

Like any good accountant would suggest, you need to look at your ROI (return on investment) if nothing else.

What does investing in a better body, greater health, and vibrant energy do for your life? How can that actually translate into more income AND less expense?

You will be surprised.

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What is a pooch belly?

A pooch belly is where the belly protrudes outward even though you are not overweight. This is common in women, but also occurs in men too.

What causes pooch belly?

According to David Grissafi, of Firm & Flatten Abs:

Pooch belly is caused by neurological problems. Basically, the “wiring” of your lower abdominal muscles is inhibited, allowing the muscles to relax and bulge out.

This can be a result of:
- c-sections,
- food intolerances,
- food allergies, and
- visceroptosis, ie compression and displacement of internal organs.

How to lose belly pooch

Assuming that you don’t have excess belly fat, here are 2 tips to lose belly pooch.

1. Food allergies and intolerances

Many people are unaware that they are intolerant to gluten in wheat (and other grains) and/or dairy. Food intolerances or allergies can cause inflammation, gas and bloating in lower intestines that result in pooch belly appearance.

Here’s how to test if you are intolerant to wheat and/or dairy. Eliminate wheat and dairy products from your diet for 2 weeks. See how you feel and look. You may notice some positive changes that include losing belly pooch, losing body fat, resolving certain health issues (diabetes, chronic headaches, eczema, skin allergies, etc) and improved energy levels.

After the 2 weeks, reintroduce them one at a time to find out whether you are intolerant to one or both of them.

Most foods such as bread, cereal, crackers, cake, etc contain gluten from wheat or other grains (oats, barley, rye). It may not be possible to eliminate them completely from your diet. However, you may want to reduce its consumption as the first step to losing your belly pooch or a better health. Alternatively, choose gluten free food products where available.

2. Core exercises

Muscles that have been cut as a result of surgeries such as hysterectomies, c-sections and hernias tend to lack communication with the nervous system, thus causing a pooch belly. Perfoming certain exercises can help to re-establish this communication, tighten core muscles and help you lose belly pooch.

Check out some of the recommended core exercises by David Grissafi here:

Core exercises to lose belly pooch

He also wrote about why pooch belly occurs and what to do about it here:

Causes of a protruding belly and how to lose belly pooch

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(This is a guest post from Jon Benson, author of  Every Other Day Diet, 7 Minute Muscle and Fit Over 40)

Another good article appeared today in the fitness section of MSNBC.

Since you’re busy, I’ll do a quick summary of the article — the good stuff, the bad stuff, and what you need to do today to get started…

First, you need to know this…

And this will probably shock you…

Rarely, if EVER, do you need to suppress your appetite!

The real secret is to increase your metabolism… the rate at which your body uses food for fuel.

Then being hungry is a good thing… as long as you’re eating the right foods at the right time.

My “Favorite Foods” plan is a great way to do this…
Every Other Day Diet

But let’s say you want to curb your appetite at night…. that’s the time most people really lose it on a dietplan. Even on a plan that ASKS you to eat frequently like mine, there are times where night-time cravings need to be put to sleep.

So use these tips from the article to ease the urge to eat at night:

1. Protein First

As I say in my dietplan, “Rise and shine with protein.”  What does this have to do with night-time cravings you ask?
Everything.

Set the body up to use your own fat-stores for fuel by eating protein in the morning and your appetite FOR fatty foods goes way down during the day and the night. Protein is “thermogenic”, meaning it helps increase your metabolism. It also acts as a natural appetite regulator.

Notice I said “regulator” and not “suppressant.” That’s because you only need to regulate your appetite, no matter how much body fat you desire to drop.

I show you how here:

Every Other Day Diet

Cool, right?

2. Go For The Grapefruit

In a study at the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego, people who ate half a grapefruit with each meal lost an average of 3.6 pounds in three months. That doesn’t sound like a lot (and it isn’t) but that’s ALL they changed.

It doesn’t matter for our purposes… we want to lower insulin at night. Why? Insulin is not only dangerous for your health in excess but it also can cause a LOT of fat storage if secreted too much at night.
Enter the lowly grapefruit.

A great snack, especially if you have a few bites of lean protein with it.

3. Smell This!

This is a trick I didn’t know about until recently.

Smelling food can trick your brain into thinking you’ve eaten.

A recent study found that those who inhaled peppermint in scent form every 2 hours at (get this) 2700 calories LESS per week than they normally did.

Let me put that in perspective:  That’s a fat loss of more than half a pound a week… from sniffing peppermint!

Vanilla also works. You can keep vanilla-scented drops or even candles around the office and take a wiff every few hours.

How easy is that?

————————————————–
The Bad Part
————————————————–

The MSNBC article goes on with advice like “eat potatoes” and “eat just a little bit of fat”, both of which are nonsense.

Potatoes may fill you up, but they are still starch - and starch should be consumed on your “off” days.

Potatoes are especially bad due to the higher-than-desired glycemic index of 85 (anything over 50 is too high.)

You also need dietary fat… and not just “a little.” You need a moderate amount to stay healthy and keep insulin regulated.

Olive oil and even coconut oil are excellent sources, as are naturally occurring fats in fresh fish, grass-fed beef, farm-raised chicken and whole eggs.

The rest of the article is common sense stuff:  Workout, eat dense food that requires you to chew a lot (tire out the jaw muscles and you naturally eat less), etc.

The top 3 are the real winners.

**********************************

Here’s another really good article you may want to check out as well. It’s all about how dietplans fail YOU… and this may do more than relieve some “guilt” you might have over the start/stop dieting so many of us have gone through.

Read it here:
3 Reasons Dietplans Fail YOU
**********************************

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Belly bloating is not only unsightly and embarrassing, but causes physical discomfort. A bloated belly makes it almost impossible to fit into your favourite pants.

Belly bloat is often a build up of excess intestinal gas (assuming no underlying medical health problems) that can arise from various causes. Once if you’ve identified the cause, getting rid of a bloated belly is an easy task and you can prevent bloating in the future.

How to get rid of a bloated belly

1. Eliminate gluten

Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, barley, oats, semolina and other grains. One of the symptoms of gluten intolerance is belly bloating.

If you suffer from gluten intolerance, avoid foods made from grains such as cereals, pasta, oatmeal, bread, crackers, etc.

Gluten free alternatives are quinoa, millet, corn, rice, buckwheat and arrowroot.

2. Eliminate lactose

Lactose in dairy products causes gas and bloating in people who are lactose intolerant. This is due to insufficient lactase enzyme produced in the body to digest lactose.

Lactose free alternatives are rice, almond and hemp products or even lactose free dairy products.

3. Avoid carbonated drinks

Carbonated drinks contain gas, that’s why they cause bloating and intestinal gas. The best thing is to avoid them.

4. Avoid sugar substitutes

Certain types of artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame) and natural sweeteners (xylitol, sorbitol)  cannot be digested and hence, result in gas and belly bloating. They are usually added to processed foods.

Avoid foods and drinks labeled ‘low sugar’ or ’sugar free’ as these tend to contain sugar substitutes.

5. Constipation

Belly bloat can be caused by infrequent bowel movements. Constipation can be relieved by increasing fiber and water intake, and regular exercise.

Here’s a post on how to get rid of pooch belly:
Pooch Belly Syndrome: Why Your Belly Bulges And What To Do About It

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(This is a guest post from Tom Venuto of Burn the Fat)

Weight loss contests, especially the Biggest Loser, where obese people drop insane amounts of body weight - like 10, 15 or even 20 lbs in a week - have become extremely popular. Many people say they get incredibly inspired and motivated watching these huge weight losses take place right before their eyes. I agree that fitness contests are a powerful motivational catalyst. But I also believe that there are some fatal flaws in contests that encourage rapid “weight loss.” That’s why I finally decided to host my own body transformation contest -the “Burn The Fat Challenge”…

But Our Contest Was NOTHING Like The Biggest Loser…

Our fitness contest is different because it’s a body composition transformation contest - not just a “weight loss” contest.

If you’re not hip to what “body composition” means, then the results of our first contest (2009) are going to blow your mind: Josh Ketter, the men’s champ, and Ryan Cochrane, one of the top finalists, only lost one pound.

You might be thinking, “what kind of weird body transformation contest were you running where the winner and the finalists only drop a pound?”

Well, it might seem weird if you thought success at body transformation ONLY meant dropping large amounts of weight on the scale, but…

What About The Difference Between Fat Loss and Weight Loss?

What if you gain muscle while losing weight? Think about this - if you gain muscle in a weight loss contest, you get penalized, right? But shouldn’t you be REWARDED for gaining muscle as well as burning fat? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate prize?

That’s the fatal flaw of “weight loss” contests: Most people are obsessed with scale weight but don’t pay any attention to their body composition - the all-important fat-to-muscle ratio.

Of course, some of the contestants in our last Burn The Fat Challenge contest DID drop a lot of weight - 14, 19, even 26 lbs in only 7 weeks. In our upcoming 98 day challenge those amounts could be double that. But the person who drops the most pounds is not necessarily voted the winner in the Burn The Fat Challenge.

Some contestants became winners because they made astonishing improvements in their muscle to fat ratio, even though they didn’t lose much weight.

For example, Josh lost LESS than a pound because the solid new muscle weight replaced the fat weight. As you can see from his photos, he looks leaner AND more muscular, but the scale hardly changed at all!

How Gaining LEAN Muscle While Losing Fat Helps Women Get Fit, Sexy and Bikini-Ready…

The Burn the Fat System works for women too, and replacing fat with muscle is EXACTLY what most women need, but aren’t getting, because most women are worried about getting “bulky.”

Women who don’t train for more muscle are making a BIG mistake! What most women don’t realize is that if you strip off fat AT THE SAME TIME as you put on lean muscle, you don’t get bulky - you get strong and sexy!

The idea that women who gain muscle will look bulky or masculine is completely false (except for women who take anabolic steroid drugs, and I would NEVER recommend that!)

Take a look at Sarah’s before and after photos below. She gained an astonishing 7 pounds of muscle during the last Burn the Fat challenge contest. Her body transformation pics put to rest the idea that women get bulky from gaining muscle. They also reveal why the scale can play tricks on you…

Take note especially of the muscle Sarah added to her shoulders and arms (did you know that adding muscle to the side of the deltoids/shoulders creates an “optical illusion” of a smaller waist? It’s one of the tricks of figure girls, fitness models and bodybuilders).

Look at at the numbers too: She actually GAINED a pound of bodyweight according to the scale, increasing from 119 to 120 pounds, BUT her body fat decreased from 19% to a ripped 12.6%.

That’s a 7.9 pound GAIN in lean body mass and a 7 pound loss of body fat!

Bulky? Manly? I don’t think so!

This is what burning the fat and feeding the muscle can do for the female figure!

These results are definitely not typical. Most people don’t lose 7 pounds of fat weight and replace it with 7 pounds of muscle weight in 7 weeks. More typical results might be 1-2 pounds per week of fat lost (7-14 pounds in 7 weeks) and, if you do everything right, 2 or 3 pounds of muscle gained at the same time.

However, these body composition transformations do show what is possible with hard work, a goal, support and accountability.

3 Things You Must Know To Make Body Transformations Like These

My fat burning programs have helped dozens of men and women lose over 100 pounds, and up to as much as 256 pounds. I’ve published their success stories on the Burn The Fat Website, in the burn the fat newsletter and in our famous success story interviews at the Burn The Fat Inner Circle.

Why then, did I show you the success stories above, where there was virtually no “weight loss”, instead of 100+ pound massive weight loss stories - the kind so popular on TV shows today?

There are 3 major reasons:

1. I wanted you to see real-world proof that it IS possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time…
2. I wanted you to realize the difference between weight loss and fat loss…
3. I wanted you to finally give up the notion that weight loss is the only goal that matters

You may have a lot of weight to lose (body fat), but weight loss is not all there is to a body transformation.

Some people are not seriously overweight, but they are seriously unhappy with their bodies.

Whichever is your situation - you want to drop 40, 70 or even 100+ pounds, or if you don’t need to lose a lot of weight but you want to firm-up, lean-out and re-shape how your body looks, here is the perfect chance for you to do it.

We hold two Burn the Fat Body transformation contests per year. Our winter contest (the holiday challenge is only 7 weeks (49 days) long and takes place over the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New year’s Holidays.

We are running another transformation contest over the summer of 2010.

It’s NOT a weight loss contest - it’s a “BODY COMPOSITION TRANSFORMATION CONTEST.”

If you choose to enter and accept this challenge, you will take a “before” photograph of yourself between May 24th and May 30th.

You will also record your body weight AND your ULTRA-IMPORTANT body fat percentage. The body fat test will then tell you how much of your weight is fat and how much is muscle.

You may lose a lot of weight, or you may lose only a little. However, the winners of the Burn the Fat challenge will be chosen based on the following:

1. The improvement in your body as seen in your before photo compared to your after photo.
2. The improvement in your body composition (the fat-to-muscle ratio)
3. The essay you will write about your experience at the end of the 98 day contest.

For full contest details, including information about the grand prize trip to MAUI, check out this page:

–> Burn the Fat challenge

The contest entry deadline is May 30th - mark your calendars now!

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(This is a guest post by Craig Ballantyne, author and creator of TT for Abs DVD)

The thought of having to do an additional 20-30 minutes of abdominal work after a regular workout can sometimes be enough for you to skip the ab training altogether. But, with these six upper body exercises, you’ll gain all the benefits and more of a regular ab workout, without the extra time.

This 15-minute upper body workout will not only build your arms, your chest, and your back, but every one of these exercises is also going to work your abdominals.

So this workout will include as I mentioned 6 exercises, but they will be broken down into 3 supersets at 5 minutes each.

So, the first superset will pair chin-ups with spiderman pushups.

Now, just because these aren’t specific abdominal exercises don’t think your abs will walk away unscathed. I remember training a client before and a couple of days after doing the chinup exercise she commented how shocked she was that her abs were so sore.

With proper form, the chin-up exercise can very powerfully target your abs. For proper form, begin in the dead hang position. Now, keeping your body tight, brace your abs and pull your body up and chin over the bar, then in a controlled fashion, lower your body down. You will noticeably feel this exercise working your lats and your biceps.

Perform enough repetitions that take you until one short of failure. For example, if you can do 15 repetitions, then only do 14 and so on.

After the chin-up exercise, you will move into the spiderman pushup. In this exercise, you will get into a regular pushup
position, and then as you come down bring your knee up to your elbow and back down. Alternate sides.

As previously noted, each superset pairing will be done in five minute intervals. Once finished with the first superset, move onto the next upper body combination of one-arm standing dumbbell shoulder press and heavy weighted dumbbell rows.

For the one-armed shoulder press exercise, place the DB at shoulder height with your palm facing outward. Next, brace your abs and place your opposite hand on your side to ensure your obliques are working while pressing up with the DB. Do eight repetitions for one side, and then switch to the other side.

Immediately after completing your repetitions for the shoulder press, move to DB rows. This time you will choose a weight you can normally do 10 times, but now try to get 12 repetitions. However, be sure to use only good form.

By keeping your body and back in a straight position, you will end up working your abdominals very hard, especially as you get closer to failure and your obliques work against rotation. If you find that you need to take a 5-10 second rest after ten repetitions in order to use perfect form for the remaining two, then do that.

Again, you will do this superset for five minutes going back and forth between these two exercises.

To finish off the 15-minute workout, you’ll do two arm exercises that simultaneously work your abdominals. The first exercise is the lying dumbbell triceps extension. Now, in order to get a good ab workout from this exercise, when you’re at the bottom position, drop a little more and you stretch your abs. Then, bring the dumbbells back up overhead and repeat.

That little extra stretch at the bottom of the exercise will really work your abdominals to give you that six pack abs look, much like the stability ball rollout when you stretch out at the end of that exercise.

The final exercise is the one-armed standing dumbbell curl. For this exercise you want to begin in a braced position. Since you will be using a heavy weight, your abs will have to work very hard throughout this exercise. To get in proper position, if your right arm is working, then your left leg will be in front. You can do this exercise for 6-8 repetitions per side.

That’s the 15-minute upper body workout that will work your abs just as hard if not harder than any ab crunching workout you could possibly do.

For DVD workouts using these exercises please visit:

=> Abs Workout DVD

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Metabolism is the process that converts food into energy. It determines the rate that your body burns calories and therefore, affects your weight.

It is easy to blame a slow metabolism for being overweight. In most instances, poor nutrition and lack of exercise are the main causes of unwanted pounds. Are you consuming too many calories, eating processed foods or not exercising? These are some of the lifestyle questions to ask yourself before pointing the finger at a sluggish metabolism.

Some medical conditions such as hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease, and certain medications (for depression and mental illness) can reduce metabolism and cause weight gain. However, these are rare cases.

There are many factors that affect your metabolic rate, some of which are within your control. Here are 7 ways to increase your metabolism and burn more calories.

1. Resistance training

The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism is and the more calories you burn. Muscle even burns calories while you are at rest!

Besides building muscle, resistance training is also important for preventing muscle loss (and the resulting metabolism slow down) that occurs due to aging.

Make sure you follow a resistance training program that’s progressive to achieve maximum results.

Check out these muscle building workouts that can be done at home or in the gym:

–>Muscle building workouts

If you don’t fancy joining a gym, resistance training can be done at home with a set of adjustable dumbbells, resistance bands or your bodyweight.

Bodyweight exercises are excellent for boosting metabolism, gaining muscle and losing body fat. They can be done at home, in the gym and outdoors (playground, beach, etc).

Here are some incredible bodyweight workouts for men and women of all fitness levels:

–>Bodyweight exercises/workouts

For busy mums who want to get back into shape with short resistance training workouts from the comfort of their homes, this could be what you need:

–>Fit Yummy Mummy

2. Eat small, frequent meals

Take a look at your eating habits. Are you skipping meals or cutting calories drastically?

Your metabolism slows down when you go too long between meals. Insufficient calorie intake can reduce your metabolism by 15-25% and cause your body to burn muscle and hold on to fat.

Eating 5-6 small meals per day keeps your metabolism fired up and prevents over eating.

3. Eat breakfast

People who skip breakfast are sabotaging their metabolism and usually end up eating more in the later part of the day.

After an overnight fast, breakfast is the most important meal to jumpstart your metabolism. It supplies the body with nutrition and energy to undertake activities for the day.

A healthy, satiating breakfast should include lean protein and fiber, such as fruits, oatmeal, eggs and yogurt.

4. Sleep

Aim to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night.

Lack of sleep has adverse effects on your metabolism and energy level. It also increases cravings for carbs and sweets, leading to weight gain.

5. Water

Our bodies are made up mostly of water. Lack of hydration affects bodily functions so your metabolism slows down as well.

Drink at least 8 glasses of water each day.

Your body is dehydrated by the time you feel thirsty. So, don’t wait till you are thirsty to drink.

6. Lean protein

Protein has the highest thermic effect out of all the macronutrients. This means it requires more energy to digest protein than fat or carbohydrate. Protein keeps you satiated and is essential for building muscle.

Choose lean sources of protein such as fish, chicken breast, turkey breast, lean red meat and egg whites.

So, including some protein at every meal can give a boost to your metabolism.

7. Metabolism boosting foods

Some foods such as hot pepper (spicy foods) and green tea have been shown to speed up metabolism. However, their metabolism boosting effects are small.

More about Fat Burning Foods & Foods That Burn Fat

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Sugar craving is like a roller coaster ride that leaves you feeling high and low. Eating carbohydrates or sugary foods to satisfy your cravings makes your feel good and energised for a couple of hours. Thereafter, you feel moody, agitated and lacking focus.

It is easy to over consume sugar as refined carbohydrates in processed foods and grains. Hidden sugar is found in bread, cakes, cereals, sodas, juices, cookies, crackers, yogurt, sauces, etc.

Excessive sugar intake throws the body’s systems out of whack. Some of the health damages caused by sugar are:

1. obesity
2. cancer
3. stroke
4. high blood pressure
5. worsen symptoms in ADHD sufferers
6. diabetes
7. kidney problems
8. accelerates aging process
9. tooth decay and gum disease
10. yeast infection
11. high cholesterol
12. Autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and asthma
13. liver disease
14. cardiovascular disease
15. depression….. and so forth.

Sugar is sweet to the palate but not to your health. If you suffer from sugar cravings, consuming sugary foods only makes you crave more of them. It’s a vicious cycle that repeats over and over again.

Here are 7 ways to stop sugar cravings and regain your health…

1. Go cold turkey

Research has shown that avoiding carbs or sugar for a few days can eliminate its cravings.

2. Don’t keep sugary or processed foods

When you don’t have them in the house or at the office, you can’t eat them. Simple!

3. Choice of foods

Sugar cravings may be a sign that you are not eating nutritious foods. Your diet should consist of mainly natural whole foods. Fiber carbs, lean protein and healthy fats (coconut oil, avocado, nuts) prevent insulin and blood glucose fluctuations, and slow down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates in the form of sugar.

Limit your intake of refined or non fiber carbohydrates, processed foods, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners.

4.  Healthy snacks

If you want to satisfy your sugar cravings, have some vegetables, fruits, nuts or seeds. These are healthy snacks that are worth stocking.

5.  Avoid skipping meals

When you are not eating enough or regularly, hunger can often be mistaken as sugar cravings. The latter is your body is telling you that it is not getting enough nutrients.

By sticking to a regular eating pattern, you can maintain a stable blood sugar level without falling victim to carbohydrate or sugar cravings.

6.  Stress control

When the body is under stress, it releases cortisol hormone to help you cope. Unfortunately, this stress hormone also increases appetite and sugar cravings.

The best thing is to get rid of the stressor. Otherwise, keep stress level at the minimum by practising meditation, tai chi, deep breathing,  taking a walk, going on a vacation, etc.

Hypnosis is also effective for stress relief. Check out this great: hypnosis stress management program.

7. Sleep

Make sure you are getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night. Avoid staying up too late at night. Take a power nap during the day, if you need to.

Lack of sleep, tiredness and fatigue are likely to cause sugar cravings.

8.  Brushing teeth

Somehow, brushing teeth gets rid of flavour in the mouth and your sugar cravings, too!

(Some people find gum chewing helps as well… maybe because of the mint/menthol, which is also a toothpaste flavour)

9. Habit change

Sugar craving can be a developed habit. Do you find yourself reaching for sweet treats after a meal, while watching television and when you are bored?

Break your this habit by taking a walk, drinking water or green tea or hypnotherapy. New healthy habits take your mind off the craving and stop the bingeing for sweets.

10. Exercise

Regular exercise increases insulin sensitivity and prevents spikes in blood glucose levels.

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(This is a guest post by Jon Benson, author of  Every Other Day Diet, 7 Minute Muscle and Fit Over 40)

You know what?

I like “weird.”

I’ve always been a bit on the fringe side of the fence if you know what I mean.

A bit of a rebel.

So were guys like Einstein, Mozart, and Picasso. Not that I’m putting myself into their category of genius by any stretch… but I love their approach to life.

BE BOLD… OR GO HOME.

Makes sense to me. This life is too darn short for anything less than being bold.

That means taking some risks here and there. That means taking action while the others are content to sit on the couch being the same person they were yesterday.

And the day before…

And the month before…

And the year before.

Do you want to live your years like that? Or do you want to dive into life? Be the greatest “you” possible?

Then be a bit of a rebel.

Here’s 3 “rebel tips” for fat loss I think you’ll enjoy…

REBEL TIP 1     
Flip The Food Pyramid Upside-down

The USDA’s Food Pyramid is an utter joke. It’s origins stink up the joint, let me tell you.

First, the grain industry was in a pinch when the Food Pyramid was created. And wouldn’t you know it… the grain industry increased their “contributions” (read: bribes) to certain politicians to get placement atop the pyramid… or in this case at the very bottom. The “foundation” if you will.

Just think about this for a moment:

The USDA wants you to eat *gasp* MORE starch than vegetables? More bread than fruits, lean meats, and hormone-producing fats?

Are they NUTS??

Yes… they are nuts. (Which, by the way, are no where near the foundation… nuts, that is.)

You’d be better off flipping the sucker upside-down.

That would look like this:

40% of your cals from healthy fats, 30% of your cals from protein, 30% of your cals from carbs.

Roughly, that is.

Sounds… rebellious, right?  Well it is.

Too bad I have the science (and the abs) to back it up.

If you want a system laid out for you, then go here:

REBEL TIP 2
Cardio Is Not Smart-ee-o

At least the way the so-called “experts” want you to do it.

Look: This isn’t rocket science. Just walk into any gym…take a look at the folks who only do cardio work for 45-60 minutes every day.

Do they look any different from year to year?

Let me save you some time:  NO. They do not.

Cardio (unless you are into endurance sports) is a waste of energy done this way. First, it increases your carbohydrate cravings. For most people that’s not a good thing. Why? Because cardio at this pace burns mostly SUGAR, not bodyfat.

What do you want to burn?

Exactly. Body fat.

Finally, cardio is no where near as efficient as resistance training at dissolving bodyfat… and certainly not even CLOSE to resistance training when it comes to shaping lean muscle and getting the look all these cardio bunnies are after.

Now, I ‘do’ have a rebel cardio trick… and it takes 9-15 minutes 2-3 times a week to perform.

That’s it. And you get ALL the benefits heart-wise of long-session cardio.

Combine that with some brisk walking and my overall fitness plan and presto: No more body fat.

Here’s what is cool:  I put my new in-home version of this resistance-based workout online for a few days at a major discount… but it’s only for people who pick up this:

Every Other Day Diet

This is completely illustrated with photos too… and you do not need anything but resistance bands and perhaps some cheap dumbbells to do this in-home. Or you can use the gym-based workouts (included with videos.)

Train like this just 3-5 days a week and you can kiss long, boring cardio goodbye.

REBEL TIP 3
Do Not Overwork Your Abs

Here’s a mistake I see most people make in the gym: They do endless sets of crunches, leg raises, and *gasp again* sit-ups… all geared toward seeing those toned abs they want.

Guess what?

Waste of time.

In fact, it’s worse than that… it can literally shut down your recovery ability. You’ll slow your progress in the gym (or at home)… and your fat-burning too.

And you may give up your plan entirely because of it.

Here’s the brutal truth:  Ab ‘muscles’ are easy to build. It only takes about 3 minutes 2-3 times a week… that’s it.

( Note: I included my “3 Minute Abs” in the fitness book I just told you about… it’s only for those who get EODD though… )

The muscles are not what make your stomach flatter… it’s the nutrition plan folks.

You’re just building muscle underneath layers of body fat… not good.

I do very little direct ab training. When I do it’s usually 3-5 minutes tops 2 days a week. And my abs are… well… good. : )

I rely on resistance training and my special “favorite foods diet plan” to get and stay lean.

More about it all here:

Every Other Day Diet

So be a rebel.

Thumb your nose at the establishment and step out on your own.

Trust me: You’ll be a leader in every sense of the word if you do.

Every Other Day Diet

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(This is a guest post by Tom Venuto, BurnTheFat.com and BurnTheFat.com/innercircle)

What’s on the menu at the big fast food chains lately? Oddly enough, the answer is… “health food!” Even more incongruous, many are marketing their food for weight loss. Healthy weight loss food at Taco Bell and McDonalds? Is this a noble move to be applauded, is it a big corporate money grab, or is it a double edged sword?

Remember Jared Fogle, the Subway guy? He lost 245 pounds while eating at Subway regularly. He simply picked the lower calorie menu items.  Seeing an opportunity, the local store owner pitched Subway corporate with an idea. Before long, Jared was the company spokesperson in their nationwide advertising campaigns which became known as The Subway Diet.

Sales doubled to 8.2 billion. How much the increase came from the weight loss ads is unknown, but there’s little doubt that using weight loss as a marketing platform was a boon for the sandwich maker. Other fast food chains picked up the weight loss torch where Subway left off.

The latest is the Taco Bell Drive through diet, with their own skinny spokesperson: Christine! The ads, which are admittedly conservative, perhaps due to more stringent FTC laws, say Christine lost 54 lbs over 2 years by reducing her calories to 1250 a day, and choosing Taco Bell’s new lower calorie “Fresco” items.

These include “7 diet items with 150 to 240 calories and under 9 grams of fat.” For example, there’s a chicken soft taco with only 170 calories and 4 grams of fat.

For people who refuse to give up eating at fast food restaurants, this is arguably a positive thing. Take my brother for example, He’s not a total junk food junkie, but left to his own devices, he WILL make a beeline to Taco Bell and McDonalds.

I went to McDonalds with him a few months ago (I was dragged there), and he was about to order a bacon cheeseburger. I glanced at the menu and said, “That’s 790 calories!” I glanced down at his belly then continued, “Look, they have chicken wraps. Why don’t you have one of those?” Without questioning me, he agreed, apparently happy to get any McDonalds fix.

Right there at the counter they had the nutrition information sheets:

McDonald’s honey mustard grilled chicken wrap: 260 calories, 9 grams fat, 27 grams of carbs, 18 grams of protein.

That saved him 530 calories. Am I happy there was something with only 260 calories on the menu? Absolutely. Do I applaud the fast food restaurants for offering lower calorie choices? You bet. But the big question is: are these really “healthy choices?”

A few journalists and bloggers recently answered, “These fast food diet items are NOT healthy, they’re only ‘healthi-ER.’”

I think they’re both mistaken. I think this food is not healthy nor is it healthier. It’s only lower in calories. If you eat lower calorie food, that can help you lose weight and if you lose weight, that can improve your health. But what if your definition of healthy food includes nutrition, nutrient density and absence of artificial ingredients?

Let’s take a look at that very low calorie chicken wrap. Is it really healthier just because it’s got 1/3 the calories of a bacon cheeseburger?

Here’s the ingredients straight from McDonald’s website:

McDonald’s Grilled Chicken Breast Filet (wrap): Chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder, paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal source), caramel color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika), modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates. CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT. Prepared with Liquid Margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color). (and don’t forget the 800 mg of sodium).

HOLY CRAP! Shouldn’t chicken breast be just one ingredient… chicken breast?

This is not food. It’s more like what author Michael Pollan would call an “edible food-like substance.”

What about the honey mustard sauce? The first ingredient after water is… SUGAR!

The flour tortilla ingredients? Enriched bleached wheat flour, also made with vegetable shortening (may contain one or more of the following: hydrogenated soybean oil, soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, hydrogenated cottonseed oil with mono- and diglycerides added), contains 2% or less of the following: sugar, leavening (sodium aluminum sulfate, calcium sulfate, sodium phosphate, baking soda, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), salt, wheat gluten, dough conditioners, sodium metabisulfite, distilled monoglycerides.

Trans fats? Sugar? Aluminum? Stuff you can’t pronounce and have to look up to find out it’s preservatives and disinfectants?

Don’t confuse the issues: weight loss and health…. Calories and nutrition. There IS a difference, and that is what makes “healthy” fast food a double edged sword at best.

Some people, like my brother, simply aren’t going to give up fast food completely. If I can get him to make better bad choices, that could help him control his weight. If that works, then I’m pleased that the fast food restaurants have such choices to offer.

But if you wanted to make a good choice - a healthy choice - you’d forget about “driving through” anywhere on a regular basis. You’d shop for whole, fresh, natural real food, keep a well-stocked kitchen… and learn how to cook.

The Subway diet, the Drive Through diet, or the Weight Watchers approved McDonalds menu (yes its true, what a pair that is!) Don’t kid yourself – this is not only not healthy, it’s not healthier – it’s lower calorie junk food.

“Welcome to our restaurant sir. Would you like a large plate of dog poo or a small plate of dog poo?”

“No thank you, I will take neither. No matter what the serving size, crap is still crap.”

Train hard and expect success!

Tom Venuto, author of
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle

Founder & CEO of
Burn The Fat Inner Circle

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is the author of the #1 best seller, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom is a lifetime natural bodybuilder and fat loss expert who achieved an astonishing 3.7% body fat level without drugs or supplements. Discover how to increase your metabolism and burn stubborn body fat, find out which foods burn fat and which foods turn to fat, plus get a free fat loss report and mini course by visiting Tom’s site at: BurnTheFat.com

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Editor’s note: I encourage you to visit Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle, an amazing fat loss support community (even if you already own a copy of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle ebook) where you get tremendous support from Tom, fitness pros and a group of fat loss achievers to accomplish your own fitness goals.

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