It's Not Just About Fat Loss

I was watching a television show today called The Doctors and this particular episode was about life saving techniques. They went through C.P.R and other emergency medical techniques. Toward the end of the show they made the point that the best medicine is prevention, meaning that by doing things that can help you be healthy and fit, you can prevent a lot of diseases and medical complications. When I came up with the Fat X diet, contrary to what people might think, it was more about being healthy and fit, than just losing fat. When following an exercise and diet program or plan, remember that it's not just about fat loss, it's also about your health, preventing disease and medical complications long term.

While you will lose fat following the FX workout and diet program, I want you to also be motivated by knowing that you're doing something for your long term health as well. One of the hosts of The Doctors mentioned that a good diet habit to have is to eat seven colors each day. If you're following the Fat X diet, you are probably already doing this without even knowing.

Fat Burning, Weight Loss, Diet and Fitness Q&A of the Week-Active Rest

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 a message I received via Facebook and was in regards to day 9 of the FX program.

Hi Coach,

I'm on day 5 of your fat burning workout program and I noticed that day nine is an active recovery day. I'm in pretty good shape and was wondering if I could skip that day and continue with the program to get faster fat loss? Thanks for your help.

Danny

While day 9 seems easy, it is meant as a preventative measure to over training. If you push yourself enough during the FX workout program, when you get to day 9 you will definitely need an active recovery day. This type of active rest exercise will help your long term goals by giving your body a chance to recover while still burning calories. It will also get blood flowing in and out of your muscles helping the recovery process and preparing you for more intense workouts.

Before Buying Diet Pills

There are several weight loss (fat loss) scams on the internet. One of the most profitable scams on the internet is the diet pill scam. Before buying a weight loss (fat loss) supplement or pill, you should ask yourself a couple of questions. The first question you should ask yourself is through what mechanism is this supplement or pill supposed to work? The second question you need to ask yourself before buying a weight loss (fat loss) pill or supplement is, are there any studies done on humans that show the efficacy of the supplement or pill.

If you don't understand the mechanism of how a supplement or pill is supposed to help you lose weight , then save your money. Usually companies selling diet pills throw around the names of celebrities or names of exotic fruits and berries instead of telling you how it is supposed to work. The acai berry is one example of this marketing scheme. Don't be fooled into wasting your money, do your research and find out what and if there is a mechanism in which the diet pill is supposed to help you lose weight.

The other reason companies throw around the names of celebrities and or exotic fruits and berries like in the acai berry diet pill marketing strategy is to mask the fact that there is no real evidence showing that their product is useful in losing weight. Again, don't be fooled and look for the evidence that the product works. More importantly, look for evidence that it works on humans. I've seen several studies of a substance working on rats, yet not working when applied to human studies or human use.

Fat Burning, Weight Loss, Diet and Fitness Q&A of the Week-Breakfast Trouble

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 sent in by a myspace friend and was in regards to my diet and eating breakfast.

Hi Coach Rollie,

My biggest problem with your diet is eating breakfast. I've never really been a real breakfast eater and It's probably one of the reasons I have a slow metabolism. Anyway, I started your program but eating breakfast is making my stomach hurt. Any suggestions?

If you haven't been eating breakfast than starting to do so is a big change in your diet and you need to give your digestive system a chance to adjust. Eating breakfast doesn't mean that it has to be a big meal. You can start by maybe eating a slice of fat free ham with a slice of fruit. The important thing is that you get your body out of the calorie saving mode (a.k.a. starvation or survival mode) and rev up your metabolism by giving your body nutrients.

An Overlooked Concept in Fat Loss

One of the most overlooked concepts when someone is trying to lose fat, lower their body fat percentage and expose those six pack abs is building strength. When most people think of fat loss, getting ripped, achieving six pack abs or whatever other term that is used for that much coveted "toned" look, they usually assume that high rep training or hours of cardio is the key. While that is a path that can be taken, it is not the most efficient path. The truth of the matter is that absolute strength is one of the most important factors when trying to achieve or maintain a lean and toned physique.

One of the common myths that usually holds back women from achieving optimal fat loss results is the myth that strong muscles are big muscles or that lifting heavy will create big bulky muscles. Women do not generally need to worry about developing big bulky muscles because their hormonal system is different from a male and is not primed to build big muscles. As a matter of fact, it is even difficult for a man to develop big muscles even though a males hormonal system is better at helping achieve that.

So how can lifting heavy be better for fat loss? The answer to that question is very simple, lifting heavy requires more work while exercising, and it also requires more from your body to recover from the workout. The more work you body does, the more calories and other nutrients it utilizes to get the job done. This means that calories and nutrients you intake will be utilized and not stored as fat and stored body fat will be broken down to help meet the energy needs of your body and the extra work it is doing.

If you're doing the Fat X workout program, don't overlook this concept in fat loss, and make sure to utilize the heaviest weight possible for the recommended rep range in the workout guide. Good luck for beginners on the Fat X workout program and for those of you that have already finished your first project, good luck to even better results on each successive Fat X project.

Fat Burning, Weight Loss, Diet and Fitness Q&A of the Week-Diet Snacks

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 e-mailed in and it was in regards to good snacks on a diet.

Hello Coach FX,

I just found your blog recently and I am really excited to try your program. My question is about snacks on a diet. I usually have granola bars as a snacks throughout the day and I'm wondering if that's OK, and if not what would be some good alternatives?

Jes

You can do a search on the blog for the keyword snacks and you will see that I'm a big fan of snacking. Picking the right snack is crucial for optimizing fat loss though. Here is a post that can get you started picking healthy snacks to add to your diet http://www.fatx101.com/2009/09/tips-and-tricks-for-picking-healthy.html

New Study on Green Tea and Weight Loss

If you've done the Fat X program or have been a reader of Fat X 101 you know that I'm a big advocate of using green tea as a fat loss aide. The evidence showing the efficacy of green tea on weight loss continues to mount. The most recent study on green tea and weight loss was conducted at Fudan University in China and has been published in the Journal of Obesity.

The study was conducted over 90 days. Researches used a group of 182 overweight 18-55 year old subjects. They gave the subjects green tea with varying amounts of catechins, 30-900 milligrams at regular intervals. At the end of the 90 days researchers found that the group given green tea with the largest amount of catechins showed a significant decrease in body weight, inches and fat mass.

While the study was funded by Lipton, a major producer of tea products, the study confirms several other studies. Here's the link to the full story. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/green-tea-may-help-promote-weight-loss-new-research-finds-62341282.html

Other posts on green tea.

Green Tea For Fat Burning and Metabolism Boost

Diet Lipton Green Tea Review

Tip on Making Green Tea