Burn Belly Fat

E-Book Back By Popular Demand

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:29:00 -0500

Okay I keep getting asked for the book so I’m posting thelink to the sales page that has been hiding on this site. I took it down about6 months ago because I felt like my blog was covering the questions pretty welland I was trying to stick to recommending healthy lifestyle changes instead ofa rigid program. The book details out how I lost 100 lbs and covers the basicsof creating your own program to lose weight. It also covers nutrition andoffers up a sample program.

Also on the sales page is my weight loss progress pictures through the journey of 310 lbs to 205 lbs. These images were taken along the way and were not retouched or photoshopped.

Enjoy: http://burn-belly-fat.com/ebook.aspx

Losing Weight and Building Muscle

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:24:00 -0500

When people talk about getting in shape they almost always have two goals. Lose weight and build muscle. It is kind of odd if you think about it. Losing weight involves having a calorie deficit and seeing the pounds on the scale go down. Gaining muscle involves having a calorie surplus and seeing the pounds on the scale go up. So how could you possibly be successful in trying to lose weight and build muscle at the same time?

Simple answer…

You can’t.

"But Brad I see ads on TV and the internet all the time talking about losing fat and building muscle. Matter of fact it is on almost every supplement at GNC and every infomercial I see."

Yeah I know. And for only $39.95 I can change human genetics and basic math too.

The reality is most people have a good amount of muscle that is hidden by fat and once you lose that fat you look more muscular. Also a well structured weight loss program includes weight lifting so you tone up those muscles and make them pop as the fat comes off. Like I said to build new muscle requires more calories, and to lose fat requires less calories. You can manipulate that to some degree by consuming enough protein to power muscle growth while keeping your calories low but without a focus on one goal or the other you are going to have a rough road.

Now to save you some money I’m going to go ahead and give you the secrets to those infomercials and magic weight loss pills so you can achieve your goals.

Determine your optimal calorie intake: I’ve beat this to death, check the home page if you need a link.
- Monday: Back, Rear Delts, Biceps
- Tuesday: 45 minutes of cardio machine, running, swimming, etc…
- Wednesday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
- Thursday: 45 minutes of cardio machine, running, swimming, etc…
- Friday: Legs
- Saturday & Sunday: Rest, play favorite sport
Create a workout program that includes weight lifting and cardio exercise.
Drink Plenty of water
Watch the carb intake (sugars, breads, pasta, rice, etc…)
Be patient

Let’s compare this simple advice to the most popular infomercial on TV today, P90X.

	My Advice	P90X
Calorie Control	X	X
Weight Lifting	X	X
Cardio	X	X
Water	X	X
Time	X	X

So there you have it. Simple, effective, cheap!

Restaurants to start listing calorie counts

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:50:00 -0500

September 2008 California started requiring fast-food restaurant chains to list calories on their menus. Similar policies went into effect in New York City later that year and more than a dozen states are considering similar health code provisions. Now the restaurant industry is stepping up to the plate as well.

The National Restaurant Association, which includes Dunkin Donuts and Darden Restaurants Inc, operator of the Red Lobster and Olive Garden chains is backing a legislation to create laws that require calories and other nutritional information be posted on menus or be available on request for restaurant chains with 20 or more locations.

These kinds of laws are in response to the obesity problem since it has been determined that about 1 out of 3 American adults are obese which increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and many other medical problems. Since 2003 labeling laws have been stalled several times because of opposition by the republican leadership and business groups.

Join the effort and request nutritional information everywhere you eat. The more people that ask for it the more available it will become. I bet most people have no clue what is in the food they eat. For example here is a “reasonable meal” at McDonalds which includes a small fry, McChicken sandwich, and medium soda.

Can you Lose Weight Fast?

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:11:00 -0500

People often ask how they can lose weight fast. The reality is that you did not get fat quick so why should you expect to lose fat quickly? Everything worth having in life takes time to accomplish. You spend years in school to learn a trade, you spend years building a career, and you should spend years working on your fitness. Too many people view weight loss or building muscle as some kind of task to be accomplished and then strive to complete it as soon as possible. The problem with this approach is that fitness is not something you do once and then never again. Being healthy is more like gardening or learning. It is a continual process in which you make slow steady progress over a long period of time. Now granted you should have some kind of goal in mind like if you are obese and want to lose 50 pounds to be in the healthy range that is great. However, once you lose those 50 pounds you can’t just go back to your previous habits and check it off as complete. You have to continue working on your weight, your health, and your general fitness if you want to maintain those results. Tom Venuto talk about healthy lifestyle changes in his Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle program and does a really good job of laying out the differences between positive life changes and fad diets that don’t work.

When you decide to lose weight, build muscle or just improve your general fitness it is critical to focus on the lifestyle changes you are making and enjoy the process. So let’s say for example that you need to lose 10 pounds. In order to lose those 10 pounds you are going to replace your bad habit of drinking soda with drinking water. You currently drink 3 cans of coke a day so by switching to water you are cutting 420 calories a day which comes out to about 3,000 calories a week deficit. An old rule of thumb says that a pound of fat is about 2500 calories so with change you can expect to lose about a pound a week and achieve your goal in 10 weeks. That is really not that long of a time to wait and you have made a great improvement that will help you long term. A move like this is a healthy life style change that can be sustained long term, doesn’t involve any kind of rapid weight loss or major changes in your diet. Once you adapt to drinking water instead of soda it will be easy to give up soda forever and maintain your weight loss. This is much better and healthier that trying some crazy 2 week tuna fish diet.

Anybody else have good examples of small changes that produce big results? Comment below.

Lift Weight to Lose Weight

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:03:00 -0500

Doing lots of cardio and stomach exercises is not the only way to lose weight. As I have written many times before stomach exercises are really only good if you are already lean and the only way to really get those abs to show is to burn off the extra fat. Cardio has always been a popular choice but long boring sessions on the treadmill are not the only way to burn off that ugly belly fat. One of my favorite ways to burn fat is through weight lifting. Since it is really about calories in and calories out a high intensity weight workout routine can provide just as many benefits as an hour on the treadmill. An hour of high intensity weight lifting burns about 600 calories which is about the same as a moderate pace on any piece of cardio equipment. It also has the added advantage of making you look pretty good and fit.

When getting started in weight lifting it is best to do full body routines that hit every major muscle group. To up the intensity and keep the calories burning you might consider an interval approach where you alternate muscle groups with no rest.

For example:

Set of bench press (or pushups) followed immediately by a set of bent over rows (or pullups). You want to stick to big compound movements that utilize lots of muscle groups for the best effect. Pick a weight range that allows you to get between 8-10 reps where the last 2 are a struggle. Shoot for 2 sets of 10. If you are able to get 10 reps on both sets add a few pounds for your next workout.

Here is a nice sample program that combines a full body weight routine with some light cardio. You could do this 3 days a week with a day off in between each workout.

Warm up for about 10 minutes (jump rope, treadmill, stretching, etc..)
Squats 2 sets of 10
Deadlifts 2 sets of 10
Bench Press 2 sets of 10
Cardio machine of choice for 30 minutes
Decline Crunches 3 sets of 10
Hanging Legs Raises 3 sets of 10

Or if you want to do pure weight lifting you could do this routine twice a week with 2 days off in between

Warm up for about 10 minutes (jump rope, treadmill, stretching, etc..)

Squats 2 sets of 10
Leg Press 2 sets of 10
Deadlifts 2 sets of 10
T-Bar rows 2 sets of 10
Lat-Pull downs 2 sets of 10
Bench Press 2 sets of 10
Incline Flys 2 sets of 10
Military Press 2 sets of 10
Upright Rows 2 sets of 10
Decline Crunches 3 sets of 10
Hanging Legs Raises 3 sets of 10

The key to achieving results is make sure you are not sore from the previous workout before doing the next and give your body plenty of time to recover. 2-3 times a week is about all you need to do to make significant progress as a beginner so don’t overdo it and don’t go adding unnecessary isolation exercises. These movements are all you need to get great results. Craig from Turbulence Training has a complete program based on losing weight on this kind of program. I highly recommend his program and have seen people get great results with it.

Pointers on Losing Weight Safely

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:56:00 -0500

People who want to lose weight commonly, and first of all, think about reducing the amount of food they eat. This may be quite a solution but not exactly the best there is. In fact, depending on the amount you reduce in your food intake, it may even be dangerous to one's health. So how does one lose weight effectively and safely? Here are some points one should consider when trying to lose weight:

Beware of the Crash Diets

Most people think that trimming down the calories can alone shed off their unwanted excess. Probably this is because of the fad there is in advertising about low-calorie food products and beverages. What people don't know is that this could be dangerous because when they decrease their calorie intake way to below the required levels, the body begins to digest the fats. Sounds good but it doesn't actually. Burning fat requires a lot of energy. Since there is not much energy in the body to facilitate metabolism of fat, it will run at a very slow pace resulting to fatigue, illness and weak immune system.

Low-calorie diet is also compensated for by the body by burning muscle. People on this type of diet who revert back to their old eating habits end up gaining back some, if not all the weight they have shed off. This would consist mainly of fats. And since fats have more volume per mass than muscle, they end up having the same weight as before but more bulkier. In losing weight, one should keep in mind that they should lose excess body fats only.

However, one can try out eating small meals at more frequent intervals. This way the body will not think that it is being starved and will not store food as fat.

Eat Properly

One may have considered junking the crash diet option but he should also not forget to watch what he is eating. Variety must always be considered so that one may be able to get the necessary nutrients from his diet.It is also healthier to eat food which are roasted, steamed or broiled rather than fried. It is also important to include a lot of fiber in the diet. Frequent rehydration is also necessary.

Pump Up lean Muscle Mass

Muscles burn calories when they work; they even do so at rest. Unlike fats which just lie around, bulge around the pants and dangle beneath the sleeves, muscles burn calories all-day round. With this fact, one can start weight loss by increasing muscle mass. The more muscles, the less fat will be left. This is attainable starting with working out with resistance exercises.

Engaging in Aerobics

Aerobics are not only good for the heart by increasing cardio-vascular endurance. Aerobics also help in increasing lean muscle mass while simultaneously decreasing excess body fat. Aside from these, aerobics make the metebolic process more efficient and its rate high, even after a long while. Imagine burning fat efficiently while driving along the freeway or even while watching television.

Extra "Push"

Some people believe that smoking and caffeine can actually help in losing weight. This can perhaps be true; however, they do the body more harm than good because of their side-effects. For that extra "push", one can try out taking food supplements. Afterall, 95% of these products out in the market actually does good.

On Taking Diet Pills

Over-the-counter diet pills affect the amount of weight one loses as well as how long one keeps that amount of weight off. However, one must be wary of the side-effects of these diet pills. As such, one must faithfully follow the instructions provided for in the packaging. It is also prudent to consult the physician anyway before trying out these drugs and also to find out which type would be best for the individual.

Losing weight does not have to mean sacrifice and suffering. It actually means opening up to a more full and healthy life where one may not have to feel bad about himself having to look the way he does or not being able to do what he wants to do. Losing weight might entail a little adjustments plus the discomforts, but as the old saying goes, "no pain, no gain." Besides fat, what has one got to lose anyway?

12 Nutrition Tips

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:04:00 -0500

1.Your body is only as good as the things you give it! Eat junk and you'll feel bad, age earlier and get fat.

2.Eat three full meals a day, with 2-3 low-fat snacks in between. So it works out to eating a little bit every three hours or so, instead of starving until dinner time an then overeating.

3.Balance is key! Protein, lots of fruits and veggies, and a little fat (unsaturated). If your balance is out of whack, you're going to be out of whack.

4.Vitamins and Minerals. Start with supplements, because they help you to use the food you eat more efficiently. If you're not getting enough of them with your food, you'll feel lazy, tired and even sick. They aid digestion and assimilation of your food, plus you get an added nutritional boost.

5.Your energy needs change over time. When doing more sports, you need more calories. Adapt your food intake to your activities. Learn to listen to your body and stop eating when you're satisfied.

6.Eat foods that can remember where they came from. Try to cut down on processed foods and eat as much fresh fruits and veggies as possible. Go for organic wherever possible.

7.Read the labels: it's surprising to find out how much sugar is hiding in the different foods. Keep sugars low, at around 10% of the carbs.

8.Create a reserve of nutritious food. Cook your meals on a Sunday to hold you over for a few days. Stock up your fridge with healthy foods like fruits and veggies.

9.Keep an inventory of nutrition bars like Balance Bars or Power Bars. Keep them in your bag and eat them whenever you get hungry or get cravings for sweets. You won't be so inclined to overeat.

10.Scrap diet soda and caffeine. Water is very effective in fighting fatigue. Drink at least 8 big glasses per day. It helps you lose weight, control appetite, enhance fat burning, and cleans your system.

11.Keep your blood sugar in check and quiet sugar cravings by making sure that you eat often enough (see no. 2)

12.When eating out, eat only half of what you get. Most restaurants serve a lot more than you actually need. Pitch the bread basket and opt instead for a salad with dressing on the side.

Get more tips healthy eating and hundreds of delicious, low-fat recipes at www.delicious-low-fat-recipes.com

Thirteen Secrets Of Flat Belly

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:13:00 -0500

Have you done a thorough abs exercises and sit ups to get a flat belly without significant result? Then maybe you need to change the way you’re thinking. Shaping a flat belly is not only about sit ups, there are several other elements that you should know. These are thirteen important secrets for a flat belly....

#1- The most important element in having a flat belly is to manage your eating habit. Sit up does help toning your abs muscles, however to get rid of the fat, you need to pay attention to what comes into your body.

#2- Plan your exercise – Decide which exercises you will take, is it going to be daily or how many times a week, etc. A proper and good planning will help you to optimize your exercise.

#3- Morning exercise – Having a morning exercise before breakfast will enhance the fat burning, as you will burn what you eat the night before.

#4- Do it everyday – Building a flat belly is a continuous process. Support your exercise by always setting yourself in the right sitting and standing position. Often contracting your abs, even when you are working, will also help you to flat your belly.

#5- 10.000 steps a day – To enhance calories and fat burning, be active! Take at least 10.000 steps every day.

#6- Change the exercise – The idea is to change your exercise every 6 weeks, because more than that your muscles cannot grow anymore. At this period you will lose your motivation and that makes your exercise become useless.

#7- One hour jogging – Walking around your neighborhood for one hour will help you to burn calories.

#8- Heavy repetition – To tone your abs muscles, do abs exercises with heavy repetition (20-100 repetition).

#9– Don’t forget your back! – Although you are targeting your abs muscles, don’t forget to strengthen also your back muscles with back exercises. Unbalanced muscles strength will increase the injury risk during exercise.

#10- Cardio exercise – By having cardio exercise, you’ll burn not only fat from your abs muscles, but also all fat from the whole body.

#11- Best intensity – To optimize the fat burning, you need to optimize your fat use for energy source. The best exercise intensity to do it is below 65% of your maximum heart rate.

#12- Pilates – The focus of pilates is the core of your body, which includes your abs muscles. The exercise helps you to burn fat around that area. If you want to sculp your flat belly, do pilates at least once a week.

#13- Balance exercise – Last but not least, do also balance exercise such as gym ball exercise, to help you tone your abs muscles. Roller blade and biking can be your choice as well.

For you who take exercise as a task, try these fun exercises for alternative!

Hypnosis Weight Loss

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:41:00 -0500

Controlling your weight and avoiding weight gain as you get older are important ways to prevent a host of weight-related health problems.

Indeed, if you are more than 20 pounds over your ideal weight, you are at greater risk for a rogues’ gallery of potentially deadly conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, endometrial cancer, obstructive sleep apnea, and breast cancer.

What’s more, most people who are overweight tend to avoid exercise, and that avoidance just adds to the toll paid for extra pounds.

If you have a sedentary lifestyle and are overweight, you are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and other health problems. And, if you already have a medical condition such as high cholesterol, being overweight puts you at higher risk for complications.

The good news is that even modest amounts of weight loss can improve your health significantly. Loss of 10% of body weight can reduce blood pressure, high cholesterol, triglyceride, and high blood sugar levels.

Today, there are many procedures that can contribute and help people loss weight effectively. One of the known procedure in losing weight is through hypnosis.

However, many misconceptions have come up with regards to the application of hypnosis in losing weight. And because it does not involve drugs or any kinds of medications and surgery, many people tend to think that losing weight through hypnosis seems to be one of the safest weight loss program.

To know more about hypnosis and its effects on losing weight, here is a list of some facts that will give you an insight about what it can do to your body weight.

1. Hypnosis can be an imminently risky if not done properly and not utilize by people who are highly trained with the real concept of hypnosis.

Even if many people tend to think that hypnosis will not pose imminent danger to their health, still, it is important to know that the person who will do the procedure is skilled enough and that he or she knows what factors to consider before doing the procedures.

2. Hypnosis alone cannot eliminate excess fat from the body and, therefore, make somebody lose weight.

Most health experts contend that hypnosis should only be a part of a whole assimilated process. It should never be used as the sole weight loss procedure.

Moreover, one session of hypnosis will only have very minimal results on an individual’s weight. When losing weight, hypnosis matched with psychotherapy will be more effective than hypnosis alone. This is because hypnosis is only a state of deeply relaxing the mind, in which one can still be in control of his or her own body.

3. Hypnosis is one way of getting into the subliminal state of a person. When a person is on the “hypnotic stage,” the body is more responsive to suggestibility because of its intensified state of concentration.

However, this does not necessarily mean that through hypnosis, one can already “reprogram” the mind of an individual.

In reality, hypnosis can only run the range from trouble-free relaxation condition to proper initiation managed by a professional hypnotists. Hence, it should not be considered paranormal and magical in its upshots.

Boiled down, people should be more aware that hypnosis is not a sole effective process in losing weight. It is more of a facilitator of various treatment techniques.

Therefore, it should be combined with other weight loss management program to be effective in making people lose excess weight. In this manner, people will be able to lose more weight with a more relaxed and refreshed state of mind.

As they say, a healthy mind is a healthy body.

How to Get a Flat Tummy

brad.nospam@nospam.burn-belly-fat.com (bradgatewood) — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:02:00 -0500

A Flat Tummy. We see them on stars or models when they go topless or wear a mid drift. We can’t help but to notice and admire them. How did they get them? More amazingly, you see some actress several months after her pregnancy and her stomach is pristine. If you want to know how to get your stomach looking like theirs, then read on. And regardless of what you been told in the past, you can get one too.

How to Get a Flat Tummy

Remove Junk Food Go through your house and get rid of all the chips, cookies, and other high calorie low nutritional foods tucked away in your cupboard. Especially get rid of the sodas or soft drinks. Study after study site the link between the rise of obesity and sodas. Even if you are not obese, they are still adding unwanted calories to your diet, so toss them out if you want a flat stomach.

Eat 6 times a day It’s time to put your body’s natural fat burning mechanism to work. By eating 6 times a day– 3 meals and 3 snacks– you raise up your metabolism and turn up the heat in your body. Every time you eat, your body undergoes a process called thermogenesis. During this process your body uses energy stored from fat to digest your food, which is a form of work. Every time work is performed, heat is released. This is just a by product of your body burning fat as energy. Thus, the more meals you eat, the more you burn fat cells and generate heat.

Exercise your Abs To get definition, you need to exercise your abs. Three types are all you really need: crunches for your upper abs; leg raise for you lower abs; and twisting crunches for your obliques or the sides of your abs. Contrary to popular belief, these and other abdominal exercises do not burn fat around your tummy. They are performed to strengthen and build those muscles so that once the fat is burned away, you’ll have something nice to look at and admire.

Get Your Heart Pumping This, along with your diet, is how you are going to get your flat tummy. In order to flatten your stomach, you must get rid of those layers of fat. Short of liposuction, they only way to remove fat is by burning it off as energy by performing aerobic exercises.

Yes there are diet pills out there that are designed to block the formation of fat, while the others are designed to cause your heart to beat faster, the end result from this being the burning of fat. However, even with pills you still need to perform some aerobic exercises. Just 30 minutes a day at moderate intensity is all you need. Accomplish this, and the fat around your stomach and the rest of your body will start to melt away.

That’s it. This is all you need to do to get a flat tummy. Do these things and in as little as 4 weeks, you could be sporting that midsection that you’ve always desired. If you are more overweight, then it is going to take you a little longer, but keep the faith. You will get there.