Craig Ballantyne, the author of Turbulence Training, bodyweight fat loss training manual, and contributor to Mens Health magazine stopped in for a little chat a month ago and it’s now being partially released to readers. This Craig Ballantyne interview is ongoing, so be sure to register on the last page for updates.

Craig says

Everyone’s familiar with the term “turbulence” as it applies to flying. You know to buckle your seatbelt when you hit turbulence because the airplane has to work very hard to re-position itself in the air.

This is the same theory behind “Turbulence Training“, a combination of resistance training and interval training designed to lead you to the promised land of single-digit body fat.

Craig couldn’t be more clear about the need for variety and change in your workouts as well as the critical importance of weight training for building and keeping muscle in any successful fat loss program. Turbulence Training is just that. Craig has also been credited with the 300 workout that the actors for the movie 300 followed, but as it turns out, he didn’t, it was Mark Twight of Gym Jones (who I want to train with incidentally).

The original 300 workout, will kick your ass…

Original 300 Workout

The original 300 workout, designed for the actors of the movie, is definitely a challenge. Here’s how it goes:

a) Pullups – 25 reps
b) Deadlifts with 135lbs – 50 reps
c) Pushups – 50 reps
d) 24-inch Box jumps – 50 reps
e) Floor wipers – 50 reps
f) 1-arm Clean & Press with 36lbs Kettlebell – 50 reps
g) Pullups – 25 reps

And remember, there is NO scheduled rest between exercises. Although eventually, you’ll slow down.

Craig has done this workout in 19 minutes and 7 seconds, but he cautions people, not to do this all the time. This is something you have to work towards and do as a “1 time” shot to test yourself every other month or so. Read Craig’s thoughts on the 300 workout. The 300 workout was done against the clock, the quicker you could get it done, the higher you ranked. Mark used it as a way for the 300 movie actors to compete against one another in their fitness levels.

If you’re going to do this, train for it, then do it on the clock. Then train for it for a few more months, then try and beat your time. That’s how it works. If it takes you an hour the first time, then 55 minutes the second time, you got better. Get it?

He did go on to design another mini 300 workout for the average guy and gal:

Mini 300 Workout

Craig says

Appropriate exercises can be subbed in, and we can drop the number of reps down to 100, 150, or 200 – still making for a total body challenge.

For example, you might do this 200-repetition workout – this is great for a man with moderate fitness:

• 5 Chinups
• 20 prisoner squats
• 20 pushups
• 100 Jumping Jacks
• 30 Bicycle Crunches
• 10 decline pushups
• 15 bodyweight inverted rows

Optionally, you could do 100 reps of rope jumping to finish off 300 total reps.

Now, these types of workouts are for testing yourself, but for fat burning, while building or keeping your muscle, get and use Turbulence Training.

Like I said, the interview is in progress. I hit a bit of a technical challenge, but everything happens for a reason. The layout of the interview has improved and I’m much happier with it. I can’t wait to get back to it and while I’m on pause, you get to enjoy.

Part 1 – What Is Turbulence Training?

Craig – Thank you for taking the time to talk about one of the most misunderstood parts of fitness – cardio.

During my weight loss journey, I’ve used various methods of cardio including walking, running, Taekwondo, boot camps and stair running. I’ve done long slow cardio on a treadmill and high intensity interval training.

Personally – I like to be time effective and use the method that will get me the best results in the least amount of time. I like to be time effective and I’m sure most people today would agree with me.

I fully approve Turbulence Training and what it can offer for anyone – men or women.

How would you describe your Turbulence Training program in a few words?

Hi Rob,

Turbulence Training is a fat burning workout system built for men and women that don’t have a lot of time, and who generally exercise in a home gym with minimal equipment.

The traditional TT workouts go like this…

Continue reading the rest of the Craig Ballantyne Interview

---
Related Articles at Former Fat Guy Blog:

• Interviews
• Video: More Outdoor Pushup Variations
• Weight Loss Tips – Maximum Muscle Stimulation for Fat Loss
• Mastering The Kettlebell Swing
• Weight Loss And Fitness Expert Interviews

I should be clear that the sugar burner and fat burner inner biochemistry imbalances are not the same as you would traditionally think of in a weight loss program. These are specific imbalances and do not refer to ability to burn fat. I did the simple point and click test about a week ago and got my results back a few days later showing that I am indeed currently a Sugar Burner. Here’s how I’ve changed my diet in the past few days based on the guidance of :Kristine, my Ultra Homeopathic Physician.

First of all, a caveat

These are my words and my explanation. I’ve already found out that when I post something in regards to this, :Kristine gives me shit and quickly corrects me. It’s great, I love it. I write what I think I know, and then find out exactly what I don’t know, fix it and learn a great deal in the process. So, you will probably see some comments below where she’s gently guided me (ie: smacked me) to change my words, lol.

From what I understand, the labels Sugar Burner and Fat Burner are not metabolic type’s, they’re imbalances in your inner biochemistry. It’s an imbalance that needs to be corrected. Once corrected, your body will work more efficiently and the guidelines can be changed again. So, the program of food outlined for my current imbalance (yes, current imbalance – because once corrected, I can change my foods again) is temporary, for me. I’ve already booked a Gold test for hands on inner biochemistry work and exact supplementation advice. That’s later on in the month.

A few of us from this blog and community have already done the point and click tests. Jessie has done it, Darlene had to wait 72 hours because she had taken a Tylenol, Michele has done it and many more are getting on board.

The reason for the test is simple.

You won’t know which program to follow unless you know if you’re s sugar burner or a fat burner. Once you know, you eat for your type, get balanced and get results.

Simple

See, you could be eating the foods you think you should be eating based on what you know about health, nutrition or the latest well marketed weight loss program. You may even be eating foods that don’t appeal to you because you’ve been told they’re healthy.

However, those foods might be based on the authors inner biochemistry, and not yours.

There are a lot of weight loss programs and people get results for sure, but if you want to get results for sure, without guesswork, and get it right the first time with less effort, then take the test.

There, that said, I can move on to how I’m implementing my Sugar Burner program from :Kristine.

Here’s how I changed my diet

Greens

I’ve added in a daily double shot of Wheat Grass juice from a local Booster Juice. As far as I’m concerned Booster Juice products are crap, but the fresh juiced Wheat Grass is fine. I’m doing this until my Sunrider Evergreen and Sunrider Spirulina arrive. I had run out a few months ago and in my opinion, are much better products than any other on the planet for a source of greens, easily assimilated by the body.

I had recently begun to enjoy Kale and Swiss Chard as you have read in some of Darlene’s whole food recipes that come out on Saturdays.

Sugar Burners Are To Eat These Vegetables

… in moderation

• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Salad Greens

But emphasize

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Green Beans
• Mushrooms
• Olives
• Peas
• Spinach
• Winter Squash

I never really knew what a winter squash was, but Darlene explained it to me and it’s quite simple. Winter squash are the ones with hard shells. Zucchini for example has a soft shell or skin, so NOT a winter squash. Spaghetti squash has a hard shell – Winter squash. Get it? Cool, me too now!

So, it’s not to say I can’t have Kale, but in limited quantities, emphasizing the last list items. I already love avocado, Olives, Cauliflower and Winter Squash (ie: the hard ones like Spaghetti Squash), so eating them is not an issue. I’ll be steaming and creating curries out of Carrots, Asparagus and Cauliflower with a daily dose of spaghetti squash as well. Be sure to subscribe and you’ll see the recipes that Darlene and I come up with for Sugar Burners.

I will be stopping my mixed green salads that I’ve had with each meal and instead having either a spinach salad with mushrooms or steamed spinach. Hmmm, Darlene? A spinach soup of some sort?

Veggies To Minimize For Sugar Burners

Here’s the list of Veggies to minimize or avoid (avoid is my word, not :Kristine’s) for Sugar Burners

• Beets
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Egg Plant
• Garlic
• Mustard Greens
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Soft Squash
• Sprouts
• Tomatoes
• Turnips
• Zucchini

How I’ve Changed The Meats In My Diet

You know I’ve used Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program and gotten great results. As low as 8% body fat was my best after 6 weeks on the program. Well, life gets in the way of things as well as my own emotional state and I gained some weight back (more on that soon). I emphasized lean white chicken breast as my main protein source for years now.

White Chicken Breast Is Out

Dark meats are in.

I’m now emphasizing Steak, Chicken Thighs (the dark meat) and liver. I’m sticking with my egg allotment each day. My morning omelette has always been 6 egg whites and 2 whole eggs. That will continue.. with spinach and mushrooms now too. I’ve been bar-b-que’ing a LOT lately and even bar-b-que’d liver a couple of times. I’ve connected with friends to get some locally raised Bison meat in bulk in accordance with my philosophy of eating foods grown within 100 miles of where I live. This supports local farmers and allows me fresh produce. I will be adding in a lot more bison meat to my diet as well.

As for cooking times of the meat, that is changing as well. I used to eat my meal well cooked. Very well cooked. Traditionally, I’ve asked for my steaks “well done” or “Medium well”, but for Sugar burners, the guidelines are no blackened meat. Steaks should still be pink inside so now it’s “rare” for me. Interesting, I’ll see how that goes.

Grains

Wheat is out… way out… so far out I barely know how to spell it. Wheat is very bad for Sugar burners. I’ve know this in my own experiments. If I have wheat, I wake up with puffy eyes, scratchy skin and itchy everywhere. It’s like flipping the itchy, scratchy, puffy switch.

All other grains are ok, Amaranth, Corn, Kamut, Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Brown Rice, Rye, Spelt. I’m a big believer in oats an oatmeal. All the others I eat as well and have for years. :Kristine is advising me that I can limit my starchy carbohydrates right down to zero if I want and then re-load every 7 days, the last two meals of the day which is what I’ve been doing, so that’s perfect. Remember, it was she who referred me to Rob Faigin’s Natural Hormone Enhancement book in the first place.

Fruits

Fruits to emphasize – once a day max and only Tart apples, firm pears and bananas with firm green tips only. I only eat apples and blue berries anyway, so not much of a change.

Fruits in moderation – twice a week max, apricots, blueberries, other berries and plums.

Fruits to minimize – citrus, grapes and sweet fruits.

Avoid all food juices and vinegar.

Oils – Real butter, coconut, flax, olive and sesame – just what I’ve already been consuming except for the butter part.

Nuts and Seeds – I’m a big believer in nuts and seeds being good for me. During the west coast trail hike I did, I ate hand fulls of nuts and seeds every day. Handfulls, and then had to re-stock at Chez Monique’s little bistro as well because I was eating so much. I dropped 2% body fat that week even with all that fat. All seeds and nuts are good. I eat Almond, cashew and filberts mostly and now walnuts and pine nuts too. I love nut butters and snack on tablespoons of almond butter every day and even as a snack before bed – a great big tablespoon of almond butter. Mmmmmmmmm.

All processed foods are out. I don’t eat processed foods anyway. Processed foods are advertised by McDonalds, Dairy Queen, Burger King and the others as though it was a good thing “two all beef patties, processed cheese, blah blah, on a sesame seed bun”. Geesh, processed foods kill people! Wake up.

Celtic Salt

I love salt. I had a little bit of fresh ground celtic sea salt on my omelette a few years back when visiting friends in Vancouver and fell in love anew with my omelette. It was wonderful. I’ve never been without it since.

The Sugar Burner Inner Biochemistry imbalance recommends Sea Salt, Celtic Salt or Real Salt Brand salt, unbleached only. I use Celtic Salt, but had Real Salt brand salt at :Kristine’s a few weekends ago and it tasted just fine.

Oh, and the newest change, one that is kinda throwing me off, or for a loop is the requirement to drink 2 glasses of distilled water only upon rising. I’m not sure if this was just for me, or for all Sugar Burners, but I had left distilled water behind a few years ago.

There is more to it than just this list I’ve given here that I’m changing or modifying. I have not got into the supplements, calcium, Vitamins etc as I don’t want to overwhelm you any more than I already have. This is a partial list and is just a way to bring you the reader into my diet and show you how I’m eating and how I’m using the information I gained from taking these simple point and click tests.

I’ve been using the cellular patches for awhile now, specifically the energy patches and the Anti Aging patches , and just today got my Cravings Patches so that I could try them out and give a review. The cravings patches are called SP6 and eliminate cravings for sugar and other carbohydrate type foods. These Cellular Patches have only a positive impact on my inner biochemistry and work independent of my eating program. They work independently, and improve the results as far as I’m concerned, so I will continue to use them as I change my eating program.

I’m willing to do this because this is an imbalance I’m currently experiencing and the guidelines are here to bring me back to balance, improve my health and get me results in minimum time with less effort than me guessing what’s good for me.

Remember The Whole Health Thing?

That’s what it’s all about folks. Your health. This is not a weight loss program, but that will be the side effect of being healthy and treating the body with respect. I’m a body builder. I want to gain mass and get lean. I love how training makes me feel and look and I eat a LOT of food. Having a good night sleep is important as well, and so is a positive mental outlook on life. I love my skin, treat it well and know that others strive to have skin as clear and clean as mine, I’ve been told this by many friends and people I meet. All these things are the product of a body being nourished from the inside. Perfect sleep, good mood, no stress, effortless living, lean body mass, clean breath – you name it, all the reasons to be eating for your specific type.

This is easy people.

Start with the introductory tests, get your guidelines from :Kristine personally. If you have other more severe health problems, get the Gold test.

A few years ago my Gold test told me that I was a fat burner and I was eating for that specific imbalance. Today I’m a Sugar Burner and will be changing my diet to reflect the eating habits I will need to become balanced again. I have booked a session and will be doing the Gold Test personally at :Kristine’s office with ongoing work every month, or every other month. My ultimate goal is 8% body fat at 240 pounds by August 8, 2008 and the ability to drink a good wine every few weeks, lol. Everything that :Kristine has outlined for the Sugar Burner is what I had begun to do based on Rob Faigin’s Natural Hormone Enhancement program with a few personal tweaks based on my inner biochemistry. I’ll be reporting in about how this is going, as will Darlene, Jessie and Michele over the next weeks and months.

---
Related Articles at Former Fat Guy Blog:

• Recipe: Spanish Omelette
• Top 20 Posts Of 2007
• Sunday already?
• Whos Writing For The Blog – Writer Showcase
• 3 Weight Loss Tips

The Inner Biochemist

The Simple Solution

My Mission–is–My Passion:

- Healthcare Revolution

listen to my MISSION here…The Full Version

…We don’t experience migraines because of a deficiency in Tylenol 3.

…We don’t experience depression because of a deficiency in Prozac.

…Our child doesn’t have ADHD because they were born without Ritalin.

…We don’t experience cancer because of deficiencies in “Chemo”…

My mission is to change individual health care. I would like to see everybody understanding real health. What is Real health? Is it the absence of symptoms? No. Health is when a man becomes natural. What is natural? It is easy spontaneous and without effort. The word “SAHAJ” in Sanskrit means “what is natural, what is innate, in anything’s being.” When you are your natural self and don’t have any obsession or compulsion, you are not bothered about the results of your actions. That is what health is.

Health, is freedom from pain in the physical body… Having attained a state of true well being …Freedom from turmoil and conflict on an emotional level …Having attained as a result, a dynamic state of serenity and calm. Freedom from selfishness in the mental sphere, having as a result: total unification with truth.

…The mental level is the most important level for us human beings. It is the level where the spiritual content of a person emerges. That which is the true essence. We are all here for evolving in consciousness and if the inner tools of obtaining a higher consciousness are broken or disturbed then the whole purpose of evolution in consciousness is lost. Then what is the meaning of life? An absolute healthy mind is expressed by a person living in a continual spiritual bliss. Daily revealing new creative ideas… Expressed in very clear ways, always in the service of others. That is health.

I want to see that when your child experiences an earache, he or she is given natural remedies to help heal. Not antibiotics. And true understanding of the biological conflict that causes that symptom.

I want to see that an allergy is cleared naturally, instead of being “treated” or suppressed with Claritin or whatever else is available in the pharmacy.

Antibiotics, Pain killers, allergy medications, antacids and laxatives are all used and well over abused for the wrong reasons. We just need to understand why we are experiencing that certain symptom – and then follow the road to health.

You don’t experience a migraine because of deficiency of Tylenol 3.

You don’t experience depression because of deficiency of Prozac.

Your child doesn’t have ADHD because of deficiency of Ritalin.

You don’t experience cancer because of a deficiency of chemo.

I found this snip in an ancient text of Sumeria called

“The Sacred Script of the Covenant“:

“Honor your body, which is your representative in this universe. It’s magnificence is no accident.

It is the framework through which your work must come true, through which both the spirit and “the spirit within the spirit” speak.

The flesh and the spirit are two phases of your actuality in space and time.

Who ignores one, falls apart in shambles.

So it is written…”

The human being was originally designed to function harmoniously, and compatible with the environment. Since human beings are gifted with consciousness and awareness, they carry great responsibility both for their own benefit and for that of the cosmos, to live accordingly to the laws of nature.

But what we see is that most individuals, instead of enjoying an increasingly vibrant degree of health from generation to generation, are experiencing a continuous decline in heath.

Why?

For 2 reasons,

1: Humans are in violation of the laws of both nature and health.

2: Mankind has gradually lost an inner awareness which would have enabled correct perception of the laws of nature and health, which still must be respected.

So here I am to help you get out of this vicious cycle!
I believe that this universe would not be the same without all the individuals that are born…

We are all very unique and all of us have something very valuable to offer — and we have to help each other to reach our full consciousness.

All of us are here with a mission; there is no reason why anybody should be depressed, but in truth, millions of people are.

Why?

So let’s engage in this journey together, and untangle health, layer by layer, and reach our full potential together.

That is my mission.

…I hope you have found this article on MY MISSION informative!

Please post your comments and questions below, simply by scrolling to the end of this article…

So make sure you follow us closely – and if you have any questions – or future areas of interest – go to my forum at

The Inner Biochemist Question and Answer Section

Listen to an entire One Hour Long Interview with :Kristine:Earl – The Inner Biochemist

…Please help me change and heal the world! Spread the word…
…My Mission–is–My Passion: listen to my MISSION here…
…Because if you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?

www.TheInnerBiochemist.com

Comment on this article below, or go to my forum to ask further questions, and see more answers.

Please see my POINT-AND-CLICK ONLINE TESTS for amazing accuracy and health…
…because they get RESULTS

The Best a Person Can Get – Your Natural, Scientific Alternative to Drugs and Surgery

© 2006-2007 BY::Kristine:Earl::BetterHealthAnswers

The Fine Print

---
Related Articles at Former Fat Guy Blog:

• Introducing My Homeopathic Physcian – :Kristine :Earl
• Is Your Drinking Water Killing You?
• Understanding Hypoglycemia and Blood Sugar
• Miracle Pills or Propaganda? Vitamin C and Calcium, What Else Do You Have In Your Cabinet?
• Sunday already?

I hope you have been setting goals for yourself.
I hope that you have been WRITING THEM DOWN and reading them often. I hope that if you haven’t started, you will right now!!! hahhahaha
I can not stress the importance of goal setting enough. I always thought that I was goal orientated in the past, I knew what I wanted to accomplish, and left it at that. They really became passing thoughts that I would beat myself up for later. It is important to SEE your goals!!!! It’s important to see YOURSELF at your goals…
I know I wouldn’t play the lottery if the undetermined jackpot was worth less than the ticket.

To get myself to where I know I belong I am willing to put in the effort….I am willing to , learn, to try, to fuckin sweat!!! And that is really the key factor to achieving any goal you set out for yourself….you gotta taste it.

Cardio is getting me results. There is no question that the increase in activity has had an incredible impact on my body. I want more than that, I want to see results faster, faster, faster!!! I want to see what those machines over there do!!!
I received three personal training sessions with my gym membership and decided to put them to use.
“I will just get them to show me the machines and that’s it” I told myself.

As soon as I talked with Diana on the phone I knew we had chemistry. It wasn’t awkward, it was a “cool, lets hang out on Tuesday” feel. We hit it off right away, sharing the same sense of humor and sarcastic edge. Diana is absolutely full of life and very energetic.

Oh, she’s mine for sure….BOOKED…
I’m soooo worth it!!!

Because I had been focusing mostly on cardio work, she has shown me a moderately challenging beginner weight training routine.

I am in the gym 5 days a week. 2 of these days belong to my trainer.
She makes me laugh and she works me hard!!! I know ahead of time that I will leave feeling sore. My body burns in the most delicious way on the “day after Diana”
I am left to my own devices for the remaining 3 days of my week. These have, to date, been mostly cardio days for me, but I am now implementing a weight/cardio interval routine for two of these days. All that means is that I “warm up” on the eliptical/treadmill/cybex arc/row for half an hour, I slide into the resistence for another half an hour, (full body super sets) and then I go back to my chosen cardio for another 30 to 45 minutes. These are my early gym days (4am)
Days with Diana are strictly strength training, and are done later in the evening.

“Whoa….whoa…hold on girl…5 days …you serious?” was the reaction I received from a neighbor of mine, when explaining my gym routine. ahhahahaha.
I have time for anything that I am committed to.

To give you a better picture, this is what my week looks like this week.

Monday-Cardio / Weight Interval
Tuesday – Diana@ 3pm (lower)
Wednesday – Cardio
Thursday – Diana @ 8pm (upper)
Friday – Cardio / Weight Interval
Sunday – Rob’s Fitness BootCamp (weather permitting)

Alright, so I have comfortable yet challenging gym routines in place…what about the FOOOOOODDDDDD?

Diana (personal trainer) and I went for an adventure one afternoon. She took me to a few whole food stores and a “natural” market. She went through the different types of foods and explained the pros and cons of eating everything that was shown to me. We shopped, and then came back to my house for a “pantry purge” . This activity was something quite unexpected. She called me on a Saturday to see if I had plans for the day. What blew my mind was the fact that she was taking personal time out of her weekend schedule to educate me on proper food choices…this was not a paid session.
I must have left a wonderful impression on her!!! She is spectacular and YES, we are getting married!!! HAHA

What we “ditched”:

-white rice
-all of my pasta EXCEPT one box of sun dried tomato and spinach wheat pasta
-2 bags of sugar
-bag of flour
-container of yeast
-kool aid
-seasoned croutons
-some soup mixes
-white bread
-crackers
-consume (like beef broth, chicken broth etc etc….HIGH SODIUM)
-itcheban noodles
-tuna packed in oil
-pancake mix
-hamburger helper
-flavoured oatmeal
-cereal (I was only permitted to keep one box for the children (struggle) and my high fiber crisp cereal)
-frozen juice (punches)
-margarine
-mayonnaise
-soya sauce (I had to fight to keep the ketchup)
-ranch salad dressing
-ceasar salad dressing

Because I chose to keep the children’s snacks and lunch time favorites such as kraft dinner and zoodles in the cupboards we made check out sheets.
(My idea) On each box of snacks there is now a sign out sheet…who got the snack…what time…etc etc. It’s hilarious, but keeps me accountable!!!

We did not throw non perishable items in the garbage. They have found a new home at the Edmonton food bank.

What we “stocked”:

-Vegetables of all varieties!!!
-Whole grain cooked oatmeal /Hot & Cold cereal
-Sweet potatoes
-Brown long grain Rice
-Whole grain bread
-Whole wheat pasta
-Chicken
-Lean red meat
-Basa (fish)
-Tuna
-Eggs
-Olive oil
-Salt free seasonings
-Salsa
-Beans (all varieties)

I love how colorful my fridge is after I do my shopping. I love vegetables….and it’s a good things too cause I am eating A LOT of them lately. I am still using Udo’S Oil as my source of essential fatty acids.
If you are going to change your body, you need to change the way you eat. It doesn’t have to be drastic. You just have to realize that the food you are consuming plays a KEY role in how your body performs.
Should be common sense right? You’d think so….

I am experimenting with a “program” called Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. at the moment. I am getting some exciting results with this book. I have been following it for only a week and it has already resulted in a 6 pound weight loss.
It was my gift….my present for finding the icon that Rob hides, in his blogs, as part of the monthly scavenger hunt.
(which reminds me….better get lookin for this months icon or I get my choice again…and you dont wanna see that happen twice in a row do you? *wink*)

This food purge came at exactly the right time, and all of the new items were ones that were supposed to be here anyways.
I am absolutely loving this book and would reccomend it to anyone who wants to learn about the “fuel” that makes your body optimize potential. I will be writing more about BFFM in the near future. I intend to follow this program for 6 weeks and will, of course, be sharing weekly progress reports.
Rob has also followed Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. You can check out his experience here..

Don’t cheat yourself, believe that you can be incredible…that you ARE incredible. You only get what you put into it and YOU are 100% responsible for your own results.
I’ll tell you right now that it’s gonna be work, but you don’t want easy do you?…
…easy doesn’t make you learn…
…easy doesn’t make you grow…

Besides, the payoff is so fuckin incredible.

Keep your eye on the prize baby, cause I’ve got mine on lock…
*wink*

~J

---
Related Articles at Former Fat Guy Blog:

• No related posts

If you had the chance to ask any expert in the field of weight loss, fitness, muscle building or strength training, what would you ask? What would you want to know.

Lets say you wanted to ask Tom Venuto a question. Would you email him? would you join his membership forum and hope to hear from him? How would you connect with him to ask that ONE BURNING question?

Does it even interest you to be able to hear from these mentors and role models? To me it is. I believe that the easiest way to get where you want to go is to follow the map laid out by someone who’s been there before you, learn how they think and then duplicate what they accomplished. It’s the easiest way to skip what doesn’t work and go straight to what DOES work.

How about legendary bodybuilder Frank Zane? Frank won Mr Olympia in 1977, 78 and 79. What would you want to know about his training now that he’s in his 60′s. Did you know that

Only three people in the history of professional bodybuilding ever defeated Arnold Schwarzenegger. Frank is one of those three people.

What about Dr Barry Sears, or Harvey Diamond? What would you want to ask these Nutrition experts about your diet? or your favorite foods? You get the idea.

Lets say you knew somebody that had the connections to get ahold of them and ask for you? What would you want to know?

I have come up with a plan to do just this. I will be conducting interviews over the next months and years asking the Fitness, Weight Loss, Nutrition and Strength Training experts YOUR questions as well as my own. Now, I need your help. Who should be interviewed? I know a lot of them, but can’t possibly know them all. What I propose is that you give me the heads up on someone you want to have interviewed and I’ll take care of the rest.

First question is Who?

Register for the weight loss forum, and then post your request in the Interview Request section

Once you’ve done that, the next step is

Ask the question

I’ll take it from there and ask others to submit their questions as well. Then I will endeavor to contact the person in question and arrange an interview. Once the interview is complete, you can go ahead and discuss the interview in the forum as well.

I got this idea after speaking with Chris Brogan about the social aspect of building communities. It’s quite amazing what is possible when we all come together to act as one. He started me thinking about the 100 comments project for which I started my first 100 comments post about What Not To Do In The Gym. The idea is to propose a question and then generate 100 comments about it. Discuss it through the comment system and develop a solution. My current topic is about Gym Etiquette.. what pisses you off and you’d like to have everyone know about. I’m looking to generate at least 100 comments on the subject and then will compile them into a “master list”. Then get it promoted and accepted as the final word on the subject. It’s about building interactivity. Building community, and it’s not the last 100 comments project I’ll be doing. Thanks Chris.So

I’ve already got my first interview lined up, with Jon Benson Transformation LifeCoach and co-author of Fit Over 40 – Role models for Fitness at Any Age. I have know Jon for years trust him completely. He has an incredible new project in the works to which I was just made aware of and told to keep secret.. but it’s about the Easiest Diet In The World.. with a Full Year of coaching and motivation.

He was telling me about it and my jaw dropped. He’s the first person I’ve ever heard agree with me on a very specific topic. When I exclaimed “Oh My God”, he laughed because he as well has never heard anyone refer to this subject in this way. We completely agree on this “secret subject”.

I’ve agreed to keep it under wraps, but I do want to say that this will be the single best thing you’ve ever done to “Easily Improve Your Eating Habits and Physique”. I for one cannot wait to read more about it and get into the system.

If you know of Jon, or just want to ask him a question, then visit his Fit Over 40 website, learn more about him and then go ahead and register for the forum and post your question in the Interview Questions section.

---
Related Articles at Former Fat Guy Blog:

• About Me
• Top 20 Posts Of 2007
• Interviews
• What Would You Like To Know More About – Reader Poll
• The Three Stages Of Weight Loss and Health Success

I went out and bought a pedometer today. I got it from Mountain Equipment Co-op as I live just 2 blocks away. I picked up the Timex Digital Pedometer for $22 Canadian. It counts steps, calories and distance in either Km or Miles. It’s a lot smaller than I had figured it would be so that’s great.

I’m going to follow the format that I outlined in the 10000 steps a day program for week 1 and track what I’m already doing first as I’m kinda curious. I KNOW that I am not as active in walking as I should be as I’m blogging and writing a lot, but I wanted to do the program just as others would.

I remember that when I started my weight loss program back in 1990 that I wanted to do push ups and crunches but could only do 5 push ups and only a few crunches. I have decided to modify the 10000 steps a day program to include daily push ups and crunches as well. Why Not? If you’re out walking, why not begin something else new as well and do some daily body weight exercises as well.

Basic Crunch

The Crunch uses the abdominal muscles. It’s the most basic of abdominal movements. I want to point out that the abdominals are used to raise the shoulders off the ground and that’s it. If you continue to go farther than that, you involve the hip flexors which are not part of the abdominals, so stop and hold the crunch for one second or two and then return to the starting position. The exercise you know as a “sit up” uses the abdominals first, then the hip flexors. I see no value in doing a situp and they can be hard on your lower back and cause a lot of pain over time. My trainer forbids doing crunches as she focus’ on “core based training” to stimulate the entire core section. For the purpose of this goal though, I just want people to get started and get active and a crunch is fine to begin with. Then consider having a look at Core Based Training.

My buddy David Grisaffi wrote the definitive book on abdominals. It’s called Firm and Flatten Your Abs and in it David teaches how to quickly shrink your waistline, lose body fat, eliminate low back pain and develop great ab. He even included a walking guide with some twists as well.

Start with a goal of at least 5 push ups and lets say at least 25 crunches. If you’re more physically fit, then adjust the numbers, but do them daily.

They don’t have to be in a row either, just as long as the number is done each day. When I was working at the Peak Potentials Warrior Camp last year, my goal was 200 push ups a day. As with any exercise program, track your results. Keep a log. See how you progress over time.

I have to go buy new shoes now due to an unfortunate cat issue. I’m not going to get into the details of what my cat did to my shoes, but lets just say “bad kitty” and that I have to by a little more regular on cleaning the litter box. My cats are funny, each has their own personal responsibility in keeping me up to date on certain issues. Pumpkin is in charge of cat food while Boo is in charge of the litter box. They each let me know in their own special way that it’s time to check on things. But I digress.

Make sure you register for the weight loss forum and track your progress on the 10000 steps a day weight loss program.

See you on the trails.

---
Related Articles at Former Fat Guy Blog:

• Top 20 Posts Of 2007
• Michael Moore Weight Loss Expert Releases Sicko
• Strong Women: Nothing But Pushups
• 10 Recommendations For Preventing Cancer
• Outdoor Exercise: Triple Clap Pushups

10,000 steps a day is supposed to be the required amount of walking required per day to keep healthy and fit while no other exercise is required. The program was first mentioned about 40 years ago in Japan and supposedly was not based on any research, but just a number they came up with. Now it’s being promoted by many health professionals as a way to combat obesity, improve weight loss and heart health.

There is no question that walking is good for you and my earlier research showed that walking can be more beneficial than running. The idea was that our ancestor’s bodies developed a method of efficiency to use stored fuel (fat) before it used glycogen (quick fuel). It takes a long time to evolve, so there’s no reason to think that anything has changed over the past thousands of years.

My sister told me about the 10000 steps a day program just the other day. She’s a doctor working with immigration Canada and works overseas. She’s been in Vienna Austria for the past 4 years and just got a new position in Singapore. She was in Canada for a few business meetings and flew into Edmonton yesterday to visit while making her way back east and then on to Vienna.

I began my walking program at 375 pounds and walked 20 minutes a day or twice a day. I incorporated ankle weights, starting with 1 pound and then worked up to 2.5 pounds on each ankle and even started using 5 pound dumbbells as I walked my route. I walked rain or shine and one day I came back from my route during a -40 degree Celsius (-40 Fahrenheit) and my neighbor said “nothing stops you from your walk, does it?”

However you approach it, walking has many advantages.

• It’s low impact
• It can be done anywhere at any time
• Requires no special equipment
• Lowers Blood Pressure
• Increases HDL or Good Cholesterol
• Regular Walking or other physical activity lowers the need for gallstone surgery. A Harvard study of 60,000 women aged 45 to 60 found that the risk of needing gallstone surgery was decreased by 20 to 31%
• Can prevent depression, colon cancer, constipation, osteoporosis and impotence.
• Lowers stress levels
• Improves Sleep
• Strengthens muscles bones and joints
• And on and on and on….

I once began to think of what a person could do for free, and walking was one of the only things I could come up with. Sure, challenge me on this if you like, as I couldn’t come up with any others. If you think you know a free activity, leave a comment.

Tracking your steps with this program requires a pedometer or stepometer as they’re sometimes called. These can be purchased online or from a fitness store. They come in various versions from the most basic to the ultra feature filled versions. The simple versions track your steps and give you a readout while the advanced ones will allow you to track your progress over time, compile a database, download the data to your computer and create charts and graphs etc. The best thing to do is get the simplest version and then upgrade as you decide what features you want.

How Do Pedometers Work?

Most pedometers have a tiny spring-set arm that moves up and down as you walk and measures the vertical movement of your hips. Electronic pedometers, however, can detect the impact of your foot hitting the ground.

A pedometer is a motion-sensitive electrical circuit that switches on and off, activating a digital counter. It tends to function best during vigorous walking, when the motion of the hips is more pronounced. Some can even learn how you walk and become more efficient recognizing your specific patterns.

10,000 steps is about 5 miles and can take about one hour but this all depends on your step distance. If you were to get out and go for a walk, you could have it done in an hour, but most people simply start their day and see where they end up naturally. It would be interesting to see how active you are simply proceeding with your day.
To begin, follow these steps

Week 1: wear your pedometer each and every day from the moment you get out of bed to the time you go to bed and track how many steps you’re taking each day. Do this for a week to get a baseline for your physical activity. I would attach the pedometer to myself using something a little more secure so it doesn’t fall down the toilet. I learned this with a cordless phone. A friend I was working with dropped a cordless phone down an outhouse while we were working at Warrior Camp last summer. Wasn’t fun retrieving the phone. We retrieved it because we didn’t want to plug the pumps, not because we wanted the phone back.

Week 2: your goal this week is to increase your steps by about 20%. Add the total amount of your steps in week one and divide by 7 which gives you your daily average. Then multiply that number by 1.2. What you get is the number of additional steps to shoot for per day. Remember to continue to log your steps each day into some sort of spreadsheet or exercise log.

Many experts recommend 12,000 to 15,000 steps for weight loss results in obese people using the program, but I’d have to say that adding some sort of additional variables would help as well. What I’d recommend is the ankle weights or even walking uphill. I’ve read enough info about hill walking or hill running to understand it’s benefits. I did this during many a fitness boot camp and on my own. Hill walking and hill running can be low impact depending on how you do it. It’s low impact because you’re running uphill so the angle is shorter and you’re full weight isn’t crashing down on your foot.

Walking is a great way to create a positive new habit. I recommend creating new habits rather than trying to break old ones. I feel that if you can keep adding in new habits, the old ones simply have no more room or just fall away and are replaced. Ie: if you’re trying to break the habit of drinking soft drinks, just replace it with going for a walk around the block and then finishing up with a glass of water. If you’re craving something unhealthy, go for a walk. Your body will switch to fat burning mode, metabolism will increase as will brain functioning from the oxygen and the craving should go away or at least take your mind somewhere else for the time being. Doing so, you also add more to your daily goal of 10,000 steps a day.

For those that need to increase their steps per day and are just starting, here are some tips that my sister left me with from her experience and then some more that I’ve come up with.

My sister uses the transit in Vienna as her office is in the heart of the city. She walks to the transit terminal near her home which takes her down town. She would then get on a tram that circles around to her office. She changed that last part and began to walk it. The last tram takes 10 minutes which includes the stops etc while walking it takes 12 minutes and earns her 1000 steps I believe it was.

You can start by making modifications in what you’re already doing.

• Park at the far end of the parking lot instead of “as close to the door as possible”
• When dropping off the kids at school, park a few blocks away and walk it with them. This introduces physical fitness into their lifestyles every morning as well
• Use the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator
• When you’re on your break, get out and go for a walk around the block
• Vary your walking route to provide variety
• Choose walking routes that include hills
• Read more tips in the 10000 steps a day walking forum

Using an MP3 player to listen to your favorite music helps too. Even better is using the time to listen to motivational audios that you have. While you’re walking, why not listen to success stories of other people, or listen to weight loss guru’s who you can relate to and inspire you to do more. These are Role Models for success. There are a lot to choose from including one I was featured on, unstoppable fat loss. Unstoppable fat loss is an interview series of audios with fat loss and fitness professionals including Tom Venuto, Jon Benson, Dr Joe Vitale from the Secret, Donna Krech, Clarke Bartram and myself. There are 21 motivational and inspirational audios in total including two from handicapped individuals that let nothing stop them in their success. Read more about Unstoppable Fat Loss.

I use my MP3 player for educational purposes more than fun or pleasure. I’d rather learn about things with my time rather than listening to music, but that’s just me. Right now I’m listening to the Unstoppable fat loss series and on my “next up” list is Master NLP practitioner Chris Howard on Neuro Linguistic Programming.

Stay motivated

The hardest part of beginning the program is staying motivated. Here are some tips for motivation:

• The hardest part of any physical fitness program is the fist four to six weeks. Plan on maintaining your walking program for at least a month to give yourself a fair chance.
• Challenge others and become accountable for your progress
• Meet others doing the same 10,000 steps a day program in my 10000 steps a day forum challenge section where you can get tips, challenge others and log your progress.
• Get a dog. Dogs will walk you while you’d have to drag a cat. Hmmm.. added resistance?
• Use a daily positive walking affirmation such as “every day I’m walking more and more steps” or “walking makes me look great and feel great”
• Use your walking time to visualize your goals, not to think about problems. Think, Create and Believe.
• Focus on Deep Breathing to the bottom of your lungs. Use the time to fill your body with live giving oxygen. It’s in the presence of oxygen that fat is burned.
• Reward yourself for each month you’ve committed to walking daily. Buy some new clothes as you drop the pounds, buy a new motivational audio program for your MP3 player, or other reward.
• Find more motivational tips from members of the 10000 steps a day forum

The benefits of walking are endless. Lose weight, improve your health and just simply feel better. Anyone can do it and it’s free. Don’t let another day go by without taking action.

---
Related Articles at Former Fat Guy Blog:

• Michael Moore Weight Loss Expert Releases Sicko
• Add Pushups And Crunches To The 10000 Steps A Day Program
• 10 Recommendations For Preventing Cancer
• Top 20 Posts Of 2007
• Unstoppable Fat Loss Interview Series

Q: I know you said what started you on the road to fitness was food combining. But, it seems you recommend , like Tom Venuto, a protein and carb at each meal, except at night where you slash the carbs.

Do you still food combine?

I am a petite 5 foot one 120 pounds, which I have finally come down to but have maintained that weight for two years. I want to get down to 115, yeah just a stupid 5 pounds, but the scale does not like to budge, so I am wondering if the food combining thing would be good?

Lauren,
____________________

A: Thanks for the question Lauren. To fully understand my answer to this question, I feel that I must describe the events that led me from food combining all the way to Tom Venuto and his Burn The Fat program.

When I first began my weight loss journey back in 1990, I learned about Food Combining. I was about 450 at this point and what food combining did for me was to reset my digestion. Digestion of foods is the most energy consuming thing the body does. By using food combining, I was able to release an enormous amount of energy. This energy went into the cleansing process of my body and I was able to improve my sleep, feel more energized and improve the quality of my skin (after the initial cleansing process).

What I found to be most interesting was the principal of proper fruit consumption.

Harvey Diamond mentions in his book Fit For Life that fruit is a completely separate entity, and within the fruit category, fruits digest at different rates.

What was proposed to me was that fruit is pre-digested and should not be eaten with a meal, or after a meal, but rather it must be eaten by itself on an empty stomach. What I learned was that fruit slides right through the stomach in 20 minutes or less with the exception of Banana’s which take about 45 minutes.

If you eat them on an empty stomach as Harvey suggests, you get full value of all the nutrition in that fruit.

If you eat fruit after a meal, it sits on top of the meal and ferments causing all sorts of issues with your health and in one case caused a non-drinking priest to have enough alcohol in his system to cause liver disease. His doctor told him that he’d have to stop drinking to which he told the doctor that he never touched alcohol. I believe Harvey talked about this in the interview I did with him. (click here for the Harvey Diamond Interview).

It’s the fermentation process of fruit that can cause alcohol in the blood, liver disease and bloating.

I went through years and years of food combining and eventually turned vegetarian which I was for 12 years including 2 years of being Vegan.

Then I had this calling to come back to animal protein. I considered it for about 2 years before making the transition from vegetarian to meat eater and it was the day I spoke with Dannion Brinkley about it that I ate my first chicken in 12 years. Dannion Brinkley has passed away 3 times, 2 of which were from lightning strikes and another from a brain aneurism. I was sponsoring the “news for the soul” radio program of which Dannion was a co-host. I was invited to attend a seminar in Vancouver where Dannion was going to be speaking and where the audience had a chance to ask him questions. Dannion is able to speak to people who have passed over. I never really believed any of that sort of thing without EXTREME proof that would be unmistakable by myself. Kind of like going to a psychic and just saying “tell me about myself” without giving any details.

Dannion had spoke about energy and communications and about death and dying. He told us about how when he died, he instantly experienced every emotion that he ever was involved in while alive. He says that when he hugs people, he give them a hug as if his very life depended upon it because when he dies, he gets all those hugs back and loves it.

So, after the lecture, he started taking questions. People were asking him to speak with loved ones who had passed away and such. I had this question about making the transition from vegetarian back to meat eater. The question I wanted to ask was “how do animals feel about being raised as food?”

I had no attachment to the question. I said to myself “if I get to ask the question, that would be great, but if I am not able to ask him the question, that’s fine too”. There’s a lot of power in letting go of attachment and it’s one of the major concepts that I used to teach at Peak Potentials camps and courses.

There were about 75 people at this event, so I was not expecting to be able to ask my question. Dannion took about 6 questions, then he walked up the isle, stopped at my row, looked over at me and said “you have a question you’d like to ask me”.

If I didn’t truly believe the power of manifestation and non-attachment, this would have stunned me and I would have stuttered my question, but it did not. I had expected it, so I asked my question. What he told me gave me an insight to him and his soul and I realized that I was completely naked in front of him. He told me things that only I knew about and in an instant, everything he had said in the lecture about energy, love, healing, giving etc all came crashing in on me as being the absolute truth.

That evening I had my first chicken in 12 years and I felt great about it. Oh ya, there was a girl involved too. Funny that, making changes to my life for a woman.

In the next few days, I had so much energy coursing through my body. My level of alertness increased, my energy increased, and I felt so grounded. I continued with the chicken and added in salmon.

I have long said that no one specific diet or nutritional program is a correct fit for every person. I am asked this question many times because my website former fat guy presents weight loss programs that contradict one another. I also believe that someone who is overweight or extremely obese has a few phases of new nutrition to go through from the cleansing and regeneration process with calorie restriction right through the addition of weight training and the addition of extra calories including lean protein.

What works for one person does not necessarily work for another. Parts of one program may work, while others don’t, so we should begin to experiment and test and then keep what works and discard what doesn’t. Some weight loss programs may appeal to one person because of how it’s performed. Some people are visual and logical and require or are better able to understand the program if they input their numbers and diet info which then churns out a chart or a meal plan for the user. Some people choose diets based on their ethnic backgrounds or religious / spiritual beliefs. Some want programs designed by doctors while others, myself included, want “natural health programs”. I have not used any medications since adopting a natural lifestyle with the exception of a pain killer after some serious dental work.

There is a lot of information out there about “the best weight loss program”, or the “latest weight loss program” and read through TONS of material. Then they do nothing. They don’t get started. The simplest thing I can tell someone is to take action and not let another day go by without doing something. Stop thinking about going for a walk, and just go do it. My motto and commitment to myself was “think it, do it”. If the idea popped into my head, I’d take action on it.

During my weight loss journey, I tried a number of natural health and natural weight loss principles from various sources and began to apply them. My natural weight loss website has now become a resource for all the methods I’ve tried and used and those that I know about that I recommend.

After adding animal protein back into my diet, I got tremendous results. Body fat began to drop off me again as I was still carrying a little bit after being a vegetarian for so many years. I stumbled upon Tom Ventuo’s Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle program and as I usually do, I tried it.

Tom is an amazing man. His writing style oozes professionalism and honesty. I wrote in my review of his program that I learned one simple step that took my physique to the next level and went on to get into single digit body fat over the course of 6 weeks. I documented it all on my burn the fat review page.

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle goes completely against food combing. It’s quite the opposite in fact. Chicken and rice and veggies could be one meal for example. This defies all logic that food combining presents. So why did I do it, and why do I still do it?

It’s working for me, that’s why, and it continues to work for so many. It’s founded in logic and the proof is in the pudding.

Food combining works as well, but approaches health from a different angle.

Do I still recommend food combining? Sure. It works too and may very well help people overcome very serious illness.

The interview that I did with Harvey Diamond that lasted for one and a half hours covered a great many of the questions that people ask about the benefits and how it works.

You question asks if food combining would help drop your last 5 pounds and my answer is to try it. You may very well lose the 5 pounds or more, but it might be from a variety of sources, namely the cleansing of your colon of years of waste, or it may be from the increase in energy which melts the 5 pounds. It’s up to you or the reader to try it. Try something anyway. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle might also be your choice of programs to try because it also works.

If you’ve been on a program for awhile and want to take it to the next level, burn the fat, feed the muscle might be the place that YOU learn that ONE next trick that takes you to the next level as it did me.

The simplest thing to try when you hit a plateau, as you did Lauren, is to simply add more calories to your diet in the form of lean protein. Try adding 2 ounces of lean protein to each of your 5 meals per day. This should increase your thermogenics (heat) and you’ll burn not only the extra ounces of protein calories, but also MORE from the thermogenic effect.

Adding calories may not be something that you’ve ever considered because it’s the opposite of what we’ve learned for so many years, but I’ll tell you that a lot of my readers get results from increasing their calories. It’s due to the fact that as we become more active from cardio and weight training, our body needs more fuel to build muscle and repair and if it’s not getting it, it slows down the metabolism.

A client of mine wanted to drop 15 pounds before heading on a holiday and was stuck. I told her to increase her protein calories and she dropped 6 pounds in two weeks. And she’s a personal trainer!

Try it. Food combining might be the thing that works and may very well change your health picture and how you feel about yourself. Burn the Fat, may also be the thing to take your weight loss to the next level, so try it as well.

Rob
Creator of Fat Loss Insider Secrets

---
Related Articles at Former Fat Guy Blog:

• 3 Weight Loss Tips – Play With Your Foods
• Top 20 Posts Of 2007
• Poll: Is Cardio or Weight Training More Effective at Burning Fat?
• 3 Weight Loss Tips
• Recipe: Marrakech Couscous