The Anatomy of a Fad Diet

Most diets fail.  These diets that fail fall into the category of fad diets.  It would ultimately be healthier and more efficient in terms of achieving fat and weight loss results to just simply stay away from these fad diets and follow a healthy productive diet. Unfortunately, what's not so simple is  understanding what a fad diet is so that people can stay away from them. There's a lot of confusion and misunderstanding when it comes to diet and dieting.  This confusion is exploited by unethical fitness and weight loss companies to make money. In part two I'm hoping to clear up some of this confusion and hopefully save you time and money.  I'm also hoping to give you an understanding of why and how I came up with the Fat X diet.

Fat Burning, Weight Loss, Diet and Fitness Question of the Week

Every week I answer a question or questions that are sent in to me regarding fat burning, weight loss, diet, fitness and or the Fat X program. Today's question was e-mailed in and was in regards to re-starting the Fat X exercise program.

Hi my name is Joe an I have 2 questions for you about Fat X.  Number one, my top 4 abs are showing but not the bottom 2. If I do the Fat X program will it get my abs to show? Number two, how many inches did you lose of your stomach?  Thank you so much.  Joe

P.S. I have little fat covering my abs.

To answer you first question,  I designed the Fat X program to burn fat effectively within a short period of time, so I see no reason why you shouldn't be successful using it to help you burn off that last layer of fat.  Especially since you can already see the top for abs.  This usually means that your body fat percentage is already pretty low.

As to your second question, I'm actually not sure how many inches I was down in my stomach area from the first picture to the last one.  A few years ago I would take measurements to test where I was, but the whole Fat X project was centered around actually producing visible results, so I did not take measurements and relied on pictures to tell the fat loss story.

Diet Quality vs Calorie Quantity

When it comes to diet, fitness, fat burning and weight loss I learned a very important lesson a long time ago. Not all calories are equal in regards to their effect on fat burning, weight loss, fitness and health.  Yet, calorie counting is the biggest thing going on right now in the weight loss industry.  You see it in several websites, forums and other media.  Check out the Spark People forums over at sparkpeople.com and you will see the frenzy of people trying to hit a magic number of calories.  Everyone wants to cash in on this, so the myth that all you have to do to lose weight is hit a magic number of calories each day is highly marketed and  perpetuated.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with counting calories.  The problem is that this counting of calories has been placed above concentrating on quality of food and the quality of calories.  Therefore people are trying to hit a special number of total calories each day without regard to the nutrients the foods contain.  What makes things worse is that some of these foods lacking in nutrients have a negative effect on how hormones effect the storing of fat on your body.

To illustrate this point just think about how 100 calories coming from candy will affect your body as opposed to 100 calories coming from vegetables, berries, and or a lean protein source like chicken breast.  The 100 calories from candy will have no positive weight loss effects and or health benefits while the 100 calories from the vegetables, berries etc. will have a direct positive impact on your health, and will help indirectly with your fat burning and weight loss goals in numerous ways.

If you're one of the many people that like counting calories and keep a daily total then by all means continue, but just  make sure that you take quality of calories and quality of food into account.  It will help your fat burning and weight loss goals.  I personally do not count over all calories and focus mostly on quality of foods.  If you've read up no the Fat X diet you know that quality of food is the foundation and the engine that has driven it's success.

Fat Burning, Weight Loss, Diet and Fitness Question of the Week

Every week I answer a question or questions that are sent in to me regarding fat burning, weight loss, diet, fitness and or the Fat X program. Today's question was e-mailed in and was in regards to re-starting the Fat X exercise program.

Hi,

I first started your 12 day diet and exercise program last month and I lost 4 lbs in the first 7 days, unfortunately I had to stop due to the flu.  I'm ready to start it again, and was wondering if I should start where I left off, or start from workout 1?

Sidney

I would suggest picking up the exercise program from where you left off.  Reason being that this will establish some numbers and goals that you can use to motivate yourself the next time through the exercise program. If you do a good job logging in your workouts, you will be able to see where you can make improvements and push yourself to do so.  This is the reason a lot of people are actually having even more success the second time through the program than they did the first time they tried it.  Thanks for your question, and good luck with your future fat loss goals.

Diet Breaks Can Help Long Term Goals

I'm a big advocate of taking a diet break for long term fat loss, weight control and fitness success. If you've read my blog before you already now that a diet break is when you take a day or two off from concentrating on eating a healthy diet and just enjoy yourself.

The important thing to remember when taking a diet break is that you should have some time and experience under your belt in eating properly. This helps when it's time to come off the diet break because you'll be falling back into a routine that you've already established.

This weekend I decided to take a diet break. I went to Las Vegas to support a former client and friend that was participating in the Baker to Vegas run. The Baker to Vegas run is law enforcement event where several law enforcement agencies put a 20 person team together to have a relay race from Baker to Las Vegas.

So anyway, during this trip I decided to take a diet break and just enjoy my time in Las Vegas. This included eating at a buffet, having some drinks, and a lot of fast food. Needless to say, my diet this weekend was definitely not an example of how to eat in a healthy way.

Although I didn't eat in a healthy way, the diet break has definitely done what I was hoping it would do, rejuvenate my motivation to get back to working out and eating healthy. Most people get burned out when going on a diet or trying to eat too healthy for too long. Diet breaks will help you avoid burn out and can actually help boost your metabolism. All the extra food and calories signal your body that it's getting plenty of food and that it can go ahead and burn calories at a faster rate. This boost in your metabolism can do wonders when you get back to your diet.

P90X Exercise Program Review

I watched the informercial for P90X for the first time about a year ago.  I didn't pay to much attention to it until I kept reading questions about P90X and it's possible results on several different health, fitness and weight loss related websites and forums.  So I decided to take an in depth look at the P90X program and give my professional opinion on it price, the workout methods and possible results.  I always appreciate product reviews, so hopefully my P90X review helps you make an informed purchase. 

The first thing I noticed as I reviewed and looked over some of the P90X workout videos is the glitz and glamour.  There's a bunch of fitness models in the background exercising. The fitness models are performing the P90X routine while a timer is running in the video.  The P90X host and former comedian and actor, Tony Horton, is talking during the workout in an attempt to be inspirational and motivating.  The studio also gives it a nice touch with the fitness props in the background. While it's nicely produced, I wonder if what you're paying for is substance and content, or the glitz and glamour of the video production.

P90X: Tony Horton's 90-Day Extreme Home Fitness Workout DVD Program

The P90X program is sold for $139 plus shipping and handling. While it's a decent workout program, I don't think that it's worth $139. I believe the price tag is that high because of the production and marketing of the program, rather than the worth of the information.  You have to keep in mind that all those models have to be paid, the video production team has to be paid and the P90X production team has to pay to rent and set up the set. The marketing and promotion of the P90X workout video program also costs money.  The reality is, all these costs have to be passed on to the consumer.  At the end of the day, you end up paying for the glitz and glamour of the workout videos, more so, than the actual content and benefits of the workout program.

The P90X program is a three month program.  While the results of the models they use in the infomercials look impressive, I've seen similar and better results on shorter programs, including, but not limited to my fat burning, Fat X Program.

I'm also wondering why P90X chose high repetition training as their foundation, when lower rep, high intensity training has been proven to stimulate lean body tissue (muscle) and your metabolic processes much better.  Research has proven that high intensity (in respect to one rep max) low rest workouts produce a long lasting fat burning effect known as the afterburn effect, or EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption). P90X, with their low intensity (in respect to one rep max) high repetition and small muscle group training fails to take advantage of the afterburn effect. 

If money and time are not and issue, then the P90X program would be something worth taking a look at.  Any exercise is better than no exercise.  If you don't mind strictly adhering to a workout and diet program for three months to achieve results, purchase P90X. Otherwise, I would definitely suggest my 12 day Fat X Program to get better results faster, or you might want to take a look at one of my affiliates: Fat Burning Furnace.

I hope my P90X review helps you to come to an informed decision.  I would also suggest that you take a look at other P90X reviews, but be careful that they are not biased and written by an affiliate, or a "Beachbody Coach".  Amazon is a good place to check out reviews on P90X. 

Fiber, Health, and Weight Loss

There's been a lot written on fiber and it's positive effects on health.  But even so, the average American still consumes under 50% of the recommended daily intake by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration).  The FDA recommends that you should be  getting about 20-35 grams of fiber in your diet daily.  This 20-35 grams of fiber in your diet daily is also recommended by the ADA (American Dietetic Association) and the United States National Academy of Sciences.

Fiber can help your weight loss in two ways.  One, fiber makes you feel full. Have you ever tried over eating foods high in fiber?  The Fat X diet requires a high intake in vegetables.  Vegetables are high in fiber.  Those that have tried the Fat X diet have realized how effective it is at combating over eating without having to calorie count or having to keep track of calories.

The second reason fiber is important in weight loss is because it helps your digestive system run optimally.  Think of fiber as a way for your body to cleanse itself from the inside.  How does your car run when you haven't changed the oil in a long time?  How does it run after?  In the same way, fiber can be your daily oil change and help your body run optimally.

Beyond weight loss, a diet high in fiber has been known to reduce the risk diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, colon cancer and other gastrointestinal disorders.  Obviously it's ideal to get your fiber in through your diet, but luckily if you can't seem to do so, fiber supplements are relatively inexpensive.  Just to make sure I take in enough fiber I use a supplement most evenings before bed.

Fat Burning, Weight Loss, Diet and Fitness Question of the Week

Every week I answer a question or questions that are sent in to me regarding fat burning, weight loss, diet, fitness and or the Fat X program. Today's question was in regards to making protein smoothies.

Hello Coach,

I came to your blog because I saw the video on youtube about making a high protein low calorie smoothie.  I was wondering if you had a good recipe that I could use with a chocolate protein powder.  I already have it but I usually just make it with water or milk and it doesn't taste all that great.  I have to really force it down. Thanks in advance,

Thomas

Chocolate protein powders are probably my least favorite.  There's really only one recipe that I like.  I use a scoop of chocolate protein powder, half a frozen banana, a spoon full of peanut butter and some non-fat milk.  Whip it up just like in the video with the exception of the changed ingredients.  This can actually be changed into a weight gainer by adding some chocolate ice cream(for those of you that are actually trying to gain weight).

Top 8 Foods You Should Have In Your Diet

Having these foods in your diet will directly and indirectly help you with burning fat (reducing your body fat). These 8 foods are easily available and versatile in their use.  Versatility in food is very important if you plan to burn fat, keep the fat off and weight down long term. Make sure to have these 8 foods available in your kitchen as much as possible so as to include them in your fat burning diet and help your fat burning, weight loss, and fitness goals.

Chicken breasts:  High in protein, low in fat, and versatile in the way you can prepare them and eat.

Broccoli:  Packed with essential vitamins and anti-oxidants.  Easily available and inexpensive.

Salmon:  High in protein and omega-3 fats.  Want to burn fat (lose body fat), eat "good" fat. 

Tomatoes:  High in lycopene and other nutrients.  Can easily be implemented into many dishes.

Celery:  Very low in calories and is actually considered a negative calorie food meaning it takes more calories to digest than it contains.  Makes a good snack with peanut butter.

Natural Peanut Butter:  Good source of fat and can easily be used in many snacks.

Blueberries:  Very high in anti-oxidants.  Can be frozen and used to make a great tasting protein smoothies. Low in calories, high in nutrients!  Great for a fat burning (fat loss) plan!

Lettuce:  Salads are great for fat burning and weight loss (fat loss). Having lettuce around can motivate you to make them more often, plus they add volume to your food.  A good example is a a sandwich.

There are obviously other good fat burning foods you should include in your diet.  This is a quick list of foods to get you started with a healthy, and fat burning benefiting diet. These 8 foods are easily available and can be implemented into your fat burning diet in a variety of ways.  So make sure to have these 8 foods in your diet, burn the fat, lose the weight and get fit fast! 

Check out this Body Fat Scale at Amazon

Eat Before Bed To Lose Weight

One of the biggest myths going around about losing weight and fat loss is that you shouldn't eat before bed time.  I actually make sure to eat something before I go to bed every night.  This does two things.  One, it keeps my metabolism revved up by signaling my body that it's OK to continue burning calories.  Two, it helps my body recover from workouts.  The better you can recover from your last workout, the better you will most likely do on your next one

The most important thing to remember when eating before bed time is that it should be a low calorie, high protein meal or snack.  This way your metabolism stays revved  up, but in  a way that it will actually burn those calories and not store them as fat.  The protein will help maintain and or build muscle.  This is important because muscle will also keep your metabolism revved up.

Fat Burning, Weight Loss, Diet and Fitness Question of the Week

Every week I answer a question or questions that are sent in to me regarding fat burning, weight loss, diet, fitness and or the Fat X program. Today's question was in regards to Fat Burning Workout 4 and was e-mailed in.

Hey Coach,
Thanks for making these videos available for free. I had a question about workout 4. Should there be a push up involved with the burbee? I've seen some people do burbees with a push up. Thanks.

J. Sims

When it comes down to certain exercises, there are a small changes you can make to either make them easier or more difficult. There are a variety of ways you can do the burpee, with a push up, with and without a jump and with or without a squat. In this case, I chose the version you see in the video because of the way it would fit into the overall exercise program. For example, in workout 3, one of the main exercises was a pushing movement so doing the burpee with a push up in workout 4 would have been superfluous. Thanks for you question and good luck with the program.