Belly Fat Loser

Ain't seen nothin' 'till you're down on a muffin... Oh, wait.. anyway, you're definitely going to want to avoid this kind of muffin, if you don't want to end up resembling it.

‘Tis the season to get rid of belly fat. Actually, that starts next week. This is still the season to gain it for most people. They’ll be making all sorts of promises they have every intention of, but little chance of actually keeping vis-a-vis their fat loss goals for the new year. Here is how to get rid of belly fat and get an early start on the same new year’s resolution you made last year. With a bit of luck, you’ll hit your goal this time around.

It’s Not All The Same

Belly fat is also known as visceral fat, and, as scientists are discovering, it’s far more than simply little top for your muffin. It has a life all its own, which is one of the reasons it’s so damn difficult to lose. Lose it you must, though, as most of the latest research indicates that your mortality rate heads for the roof should you let it keep hanging around.

How’s it different from other fat? The jiggly fat you see is called subcutaneous fat, and lies under the skin, but primarily on top of the muscle, hence it’s name. Visceral fat, on the other hand is beneath your abdominal muscle. It’s packed around your internal organs, the way ice surrounded that half rack of Bud Light in the cooler you took to the last tailgate party.

What Now?

That brings up the natural question; how to go about it? Fortunately that’s one of those things that is fairly simple. Simple shouldn’t be confused with easy however, and simple though it may be, it’s also next to impossible for many people.

Here is a diet and exercise program for your new year that is easy to follow, highly effective, and yes, simple.

Keeping belly fat low is a numbers game. Lower calories taken in than expended equals fat loss. What’s that? You’ve heard that before? Sure you have, and with good reason. It’s because it’s the ONLY way to lose fat, belly or otherwise. It’s how you arrive there, and what you can do to arrest visceral fat’s powerful inside advantage that is important.

Blinded Me With Science

Fortunately, science is your friend in the belly fat fight, and thanks to talented researchers spending millions of taxpayer and donor dollars, answers to the question are forthcoming. A new study released by a Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center team led by Assistant professor of Internal Medicine Dr. Kristen Hairston, M.D reveals that there is one vital cog in the belly fat reduction wheel you can put to use at once to start deflating your own mid section.

The team found that soluble fiber was devastatingly effective at melting test subjects’ fat away where it mattered most. In fact she went so far as to say “Our study found that making a few simple changes can have a big health impact.” By simple, she’s talking about adding a mere 10 grams of soluble fiber to the average diet.

Unlike some studies, which look at only a few money hungry university students looking to earn a quick study buck, this one comprised a much more significant sample size; 1,114. No skin fold or hydrostatic fat level tests were used here. To ensure accuracy, researchers employed CAT scans, as that is the only 100% reliable method to look at the kind of fat in question.

What they found with all their high-tech doodads was startling. The aforementioned 10 fiber grams was responsible for lowering the participants’ visceral fat levels, although the other fat levels either remained the same or experienced a much smaller reduction.

That means that increasing soluble fiber intake is effective at targeting belly fat like some sort of medical smart bomb. The great thing is that this fiber can be found in all sorts of tasty foods, and you won’t get stuck eating some of that garbage you’ve subjected yourself to on occasion.

The “Get Rid of Belly Fat Diet”

First, a quick diet tip: Use a smaller dish. That makes thor portions look bigger. When you’ve got the mondo, man-sized plate, you’re likely to over-serve yourself, something McDonalds and Burger King maker far too easy already. No reason to super size your own portions. It will also make you go back for seconds, making you think more about it, and increasing the time it takes to eat, which helps you feel full, while eating less.

Mix and match these, and as I’ve posted about here plenty of times before, instead of three large meals, divvy it up some, and eat 5 or 6 smaller ones for better nutrient absorption. Also, if you eat too much at once and your body can;t use it right then, it gets stored as fat.

IMPORTANT: Three foods to avoid through all this:

White flour, white rice, and most importantly,  white (or other refined) sugar.

Exercise Plan:
Super easy here. Walk briskly for 20 minutes, three times a week. If you can nplay some tennis, racquet ball, or run, by all means do so.

Hit the weights for 15 minutes, 3 times a week. This is not a detailed plan, I’ll post that later, and I have plenty of weigh programs on previous posts, but just 3 sets each of squats, bench press, and power cleans. Use a weight you can do 8 -10 times with some effort. If it’s been a while since you’ve hit the gym (or have so far avoided it entirely) go at it slowly at first, and always warm up thoroughly before beginning. Even at this level, checking with your doc first is a must before you start.

Weight training will help you gain muscle and burn more calories even when resting, so you’ll have that going for you.

The “Get Rid of Belly Fat Meal Plan”

Breakfast 1:

Scrambled Eggs w/ tomato, green onions, and spinach  – Yes, you can eat the whites and yolks. You’re not cutting up for a bodybuilding competition here. There is simply too much good stuff in the yolks to throw away. Pepper and herb seasoning is great, but watch the salt, although a pinch won’t hurt anything. One key to dietary success is that you can’t make it painful. Humans are great at avoiding pain, and if you make any diet too painful, that’s exactly what you’ll end up doing.
.

Breakfast 2:

Breakfast sandwich with: 3 oz. Turkey breast portion & 1 egg, slice of low fat mozzarella cheese, on a whole grain English muffin. Eat an apple along with that to get vitamins and fiber. Apples have fructose, but are low glycemic index, meaning their sugars cause relatively slow increases in your blood glucose levels (that’s an important point for fat loss)
Breakfast 3:

4-6 oz oatmeal with 1 scoop of naturally flavored and sweetened protein powder. I like vanilla and chocolate flavored ones.

Lunch 1

Chicken breast spinach salad (Subway has one for $5.00, if you’re out and about, and want to see Jared). Add in plenty of other veggies, such as green pepper, which is an excellent source of vitamin C. Leave off the fat/mayo based dressings such as Blu Cheese (easy for me, as the stuff makes me want to hurl) and Ranch, in favor of olive oil and vinagar.

Lunch 2

Toasted turkey breast sandwich on thin bun with thin cheese slice, tomato, mushrooms, and green onion. Toast everything but the tomato and add that post-tosting. Have a salad with that too, if you’re hankering for something a bit more substantial. The same dressing rules apply.

Lunch 3

Easy Homemade Chicken Chili with black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans. This is a tri-bean taste treat.

Use 1lb turkey breast, either ground or shredded. Brown it first in a pan. As you’re browning, add chili powder, to taste (start with 3 tbsp), a tbsp of minced garlic, and ½ a chopped onion to season the meat. Add 1 can of Mexican seasoned, stewed tomatoes, and 2 cans of tomato sauce to the meat, along with 4 chopped Jalapenos. Add the other ½ of the onion you used to season the meat with, 1 can black beans, 1 can pinto beans, and 2 can kidney beans. Bring to a slow boil, then simmer covered on low heat for about 1 hour.

Chili is very personal. You’ll probably want to mess around with this to get it how you like it. For example, it’s better with raw beans, but that takes 24 hrs to do right.

Dinner 1

Veggie chicken spaghetti, sans noodles. This is one of my favorites, but…….
Anyway, brown about 8 chicken tenders in olive oil and minced garlic. Chop them into bite sized pieces as you brown them.

Add in fresh mushrooms, onions, black olives (probably not fresh, these), broccoli, green and red sweet peppers, and some zucchini, if you like the stuff. Add in about 1 tsp each of basil and oregano.

Sautee’ the veggies and chicken in the garlic and seasoning. After about 3 minutes, add in a jar of spaghetti sauce and cook it down some. That usually takes about 5 – 7 minutes.

Be careful, many store bought spaghetti sauces are loaded with sugar. Check the label, and find the lowest one. I like either Classico spaghetti sauce or Costco’s Kirkland Signature Marinara sauce. In a pinch, good old Ragu works  fine too, but use the original, it has about 40% less sugar than their other varieties.

Dinner 2

Poach fish and steamed veggies. This is super healthy, great tasting, and easy to make. You can use many kinds of fish, but check with the USDA to see about which are contaminated. That’s a sad commentary on the world  we live in, but it’s the way it is. Pregnant women should be particularly careful about mercury.

Salmon is usually pretty safe, and it’s very good for you, as well. When you’re poaching it, add in your favorite seasonings to taste. The same goes for the veggies, steam and season.

The sheer numbers of variations available mean you could almost eat this every day. Just change up the fish and veggies for a new meal each time.

Dinner 3

Blackened chicken breast with whole grain pasta and veggies. – Start the pasta cooking. Blacken the chicken in a pan with olive oil and blacken seasoning. When it’s nearly done, cut it into bite sized pieces and continue blackening. Just before you finish, add in the cooked and drained pasta, and a tbsp of olive oil. Cook the pasta and blackened chicken together, and add mushrooms, snap peas, sweet onions, green onions, and broccoli crowns. Stir fry until you get the veggies how you like them. Mmmm, Mmmm

If you want to know how to get rid of belly fat so you have some resolution resolution, that’s the plan it takes to do it. The keys are:
None of the white foods of death (White rice, flour, and sugar)
Implement the exercise plan above
Eat 5 -  6 small, healthy meals each day, and be sure and get your 10+ grams of soluble fiber daily.

Now, go and have a happy holidays!

Here is the offending muscle group that can wreak so much havoc on your athletic career, and even get you as you reach for your burrito (whole wheat tortilla, chicken please, and hold the sour cream) at the drive through window.

If you’ve been training for some time or involved in almost any sport, there’s a good chance you’ve felt that pain knifing through your shoulder that accompanies a rotator cuff injury. The rotator cuff is a little muscle group that few people bother to train, yet it gives nearly everyone who does anything athletic a little bit of hell at some point or another.

The rotator cuff consists of three comparatively small small muscles, the Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, and Teres Minor, whose job is to keep everything in your shoulder joint lined up where it’s supposed to be. It first gained notoriety through baseball players, especially pitchers, whose repeated throwing motion is especially injurious to the group, but anyone who throws, lifts, or even reaches for their coat in just the right (or wrong, in this case) can get or reaggravate one of these injuries.

Even if you’ve never had the misfortune to mess your RC up, you’ve probably heard of someone else doing it, whether that was at your gym, on your softball team, or on one of your school teams. I’ve torn both of mine, and I can assure you, it’s no picnic.

There are several well documented shoulder exercises which dramatically strengthen the 3 muscles that make up the rotator cuff, and significantly reduce your likelihood of injury there.  Your shoulder’s importance can’t be understated. Ever try to do anything involving your upper body without moving that joint?  That’s why it’s so important to keep it injury free.

What many people don’t know is that even if you’ve never even felt the twinge which indicates your rotator cuff is about to give way, much less torn it completely, you could be holding yourself back in other ways having nothing to do with injury prevention by not training this important muscle group. That being said, almost no one bothers to train it. You probably don’t, right? Ask around, I bet almost no one else in your gym, club, or locker room does, either.

That’s a shame, because chances are you’re short changing yourself in the upper body development department by not doing so. None of the traditional upper body lifts, whether it’s the bench press, shoulder press, side or front lateral raises, pull ups, or power cleans significantly trains this muscle group, leaving it struggling to keep up with all those other muscles that keep getting stronger, week, by week.

As noted, that can cause injury problems, but what you probably don’t know, is that it can also hold you back from a strength and muscular development perspective as well. That’s right, you can add to your bench press max by working out with a little 10lb (or even 5lb) dumbbell. That holds true whether you just started training last week, or walked off with your 23rd powerlifting trophy on Saturday.

It doesn’t matter, because nearly everyone can benefit from adding rotator cuff strengthening exercises to their training routine, yet virtually no one includes them. Do you want to increase your bench press max to finally pass up your training partner or impress the guys at the gym? Getting ready for the combine, and want to give scouts a more impressive number to enter on their sheet? Maybe you’ve been trying to breakthrough that troublesome plateau for months now, and can’t seem to blow the lid off of it, no matter how many different training variations you’ve tried.

Throw in some rotator cuff strengthening exercises, and most likely, you’ll finally see the results you expected all along. It’s probably that missing piece you’ve been looking for. You owe it to yourself to try it out.

Check out my post on how to fix shoulder pain for rotator cuff exercises. The point is, strengthen your rotator cuffs, and it will let your strength increase throughout your upper body.

Sure, you can spend time sweating on various pieces of exercise equipment, but wouldn't you have more fun losing weight by workin' up a sweat some other way?

There’s no question that losing weight can be the toughest of struggles. Watching what you eat, huffing and puffing for hours on a treadmill, or finding a place to go for a run as the snow is swirling about, or the mercury rises into the triple digits is nobody’s idea of a good time. What if there was a weight loss strategy that was virtually everyone’s idea  of a good time, yet required no special equipment, although some people do find it works even better with additional apparatus (that’s a subject for a different venue entirely).

That would be sex, of course. There is no denying that after an especially rousing experience you feel as if you burned off half the world’s calories, all while avoiding that “I want to kill myself” feeling you get when going for a long run. Can you incorporate rockin’ sex into an effective weight loss program? Would you like to try? It certainly couldn’t hurt!

There is plenty of evidence that weight loss can improve the sex life and sexual health of overweight individuals. An Australian study just published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine revealed that weight loss levels as minimal as 5% can deliver significant improvement in male sexual performance. The study evaluated participants on both a low-fat, high-protein, reduced-carbohydrate diet or a meal replacement-based low-calorie diet, both of which were designed to pare 600 calories from their diets.

What about the reverse? Can a sex life improve weight loss? Model, researcher, and author Kerry McCloskey says the answer is an unqualified “yes!”. In her book, Ultimate Sex Diet , she relates how she lost 23 pounds through copious quantities of vigorous sex. Of sex as a weight loss strategy, McCloskey says “Making love is the easiest, most pleasurable way to lose weight. In fact, sex is the ultimate exercise machine because it’s free, fun and has such terrific fringe benefits.”

That’s tough to argue with, but in addition to the “fringe benefits” does it actually work to drop weight?  Some experts agree with her, powerful sex can help you lose weight. Dr. William Granzig a sexual researcher who also happens to be head of the American Academy of Clinical Sexologists, says McCloskey offers “a solid scientific plan guaranteed to improve your fitness and give you the sexiest, most romantic relationship ever.”

If that doesn’t make you want to try out sex for weight loss (if for no other reason), perhaps McCloskey’s admittedly anecdotal results may do the trick. She said after getting on the program, “I quickly lost 23 pounds on my Love Diet and kept them off.

Other experts point to the fact that sex itself, despite all of it’s “fringe benefits”, elevated heart rate, and sweating, actually burns comparatively few calories. According to calorielab.com‘s calories burned database, an hour of vigorous sexual activity for a 150 lb person, provided you were able to pull of such a thing, would burn about 34 calories.

Yeah, that sounds a bit low to me too for an hour of vigorous sex, so upon further checking, healthstatus.com listed a

Captains chair leg raises were shown in scientific research to be the most effective abdominal exercise, and many women have discovered they can offer exciting "fringe benefits".

more reasonable sounding 288 hourly calorie burn for similar activity. That sounds more like it! An hour of running burns about 350 calories, again assuming the same 150 lb body weight.

WebMD.com lists the caloric value of sex between them both, at 170 calories. Maybe WebMd researchers weren’t quite vigorous enough to burn the number of calories noted by the folks over at healthstatus. In any case, WebMd notes that it is beneficial to cardio-vascular health. An expert quoted by them calls the activity “…a a great mode of exercise.” If your weight loss strategy includes nothing else, it should boast a great mode of exercise.

So, the next time you’re banging your head against the wall, trying in vain to develop a weigh loss plan  you don’t have to dread, think about sex, and remember, many women have reported achieving orgasm doing Captain’s Chair leg raises for abs, so that may be a great place to start for all the gals in the crowd.

There are plenty of delicious foods out there that you enjoy, guilt free. This burrito sans tortilla is one of them. Tastes great and it won't add to your waist.

Kiss these tasty eats goodbye forever, you’ll thank yourself for it later! Here are six foods that everyone should avoid.

1)    CRISPS
As a nation we chomp our way through about six BILLION bags of crisps every year. They might be ok for Gary Linker and he might even get you believing they’re good for you but in reality they only have marginally less salt and aft in them that they ever did. They’re still deep fried and have no nutritional value at all.

SWAP FOR: A handful of heart healthy mixed nuts which will also fill you very nicely, thank you.

2)    FIZZY DRINKS
We all know the “full on cola” is full of sugar and will easily expand our waistlines literally overnight but don’t be fooled by the “diet” or “light” versions of fizzy drinks as they aren’t as healthy as they claim. They can still erode tooth enamel, because loss of bone density and the sweet taste can actually make you feel as though you are hungry even if you’re not! Most of these drinks contain aspartame which is an n artificial sweetener that has actually been seen to cause cancer in rats and there’s a continual “buzz” that’s being ignored by the European food council that it’s safe for humans. I’d personally stay well clear!

SWAP FOR: Water, fruit juice and soda water.

3)    READY MEALS
The British eat more ready meals than any other nation in Europe believe it or not. Manufacturers are trying to reduce the saturated fat, sugar and salt content but unfortunately they still contain additives which mean they lose vital nutrients via processing. Not only that, they very rarely contain any fresh fruit and vegetables.

SWAP FOR: A delicious stir fry, it’s quick, it’s easy and it retains all its nutrients.

4)    SHOP BOUGHT SANDWICHES
They’re incredibly convenient when you’re in a hurry and I’m as guilty as the next person when I’ve been in a rush and haven’t prepared my food beforehand. Unfortunately you really don’t know what’s in them and the manufacturers want them to be as tasty as possible so you’ll buy them again and again, which means they go overboard on things like mayonnaise. Prêt A Manger “All day breakfast sandwich” has more calories than a Big Mac!

SWAP FOR: Home made sandwiches. Easy to make and better for your waistline and saves money as well. There are also some specialty sandwich shops and delis that use organic ingredients for their sandwiches. They typically taste great, too. Unfortunately, you’ll typically pay a price premium for the privilege of eating an extra-healthy sandwich.

5)    STUFF CRUST MEAT PIZZAS
Pizzas are fantastic as an occasional treat but it’s when you start going crazy and ordering the “all singing all dancing” stuffed crust version with meat topping that it all goes horribly wrong. Just one slice of “Pizza Hut Stuffed Meat Feast” contains a MASSIVE 417 calories and 9.5g of saturated artery clogging fat! Bear in mind that most people never ever stop at just ONE slice.

SWAP FOR: A thin crust pizza loaded with nutrient rich vegetables and lean meats, such as chicken and/or shrimp. Some specialty pizza houses also have pizzas with whole grain crust, for an added measure of health.

6)    SUGARY BREAKFAST CEREALS
Frosties, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, Rice Krispies and Coco Pops are all comprised mainly of sugar. Sugary cereals provide an initial rush of energy followed by a dip 30 to 60 minutes later which will leave you feeling drained, both physically and mentally. To make matters worse, you’ll then be left craving more food thanks to the sugar crash!

SWAP FOR: Porridge (Known as oatmeal in the U.S.), because it’s more filling and releases energy slowly. Plus, oatmeal has been shown to have cholesterol reducing effects.

Avoiding these six foods and replacing them with healthier alternatives can have you eating better than ever, while not missing out on any eating enjoyment.

The preceding was a guest post from Garth Delikan, a lifestyle coach based in the UK.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Belly-Fat-Loser is now listed at Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop, a listing of the top websites in many different categories, along with their most recent posts or new articles. There are some great sites there, for just about any interest. If you haven’t been there yet, you should take a few minutes to check it out.  Here is the fitness category for Alltop.com

I’ll post again soon, with some more key insights on how you can strip away belly fat, or any other kind, for that matter.

Want to lose fat, but keep your muscle? You should, because muscle mass is essential to keep your metabolic rate elevated, so you're buring calories all day long. Oh, and these little berries are not the secret. An Army research study revealed what is, though. Read on to discover it for yourself.

If you’ve been training for a while, or you’re just starting to lose weight, burning the far while keeping your muscle might seem like a moving target; almost impossible to hit. Simply put though, that is the key to success in weight loss. Not losing muscle is vitally important if you want to see your toes when you look down.

Why? Simple, really! Your muscle is responsible for keeping much of your metabolic fires burning, and these are what ultimately strip the fat from your body. That also points to why it’s essential to look deeper when you set out to lose weight. It’s not really weight that you want to lose, it’s really fat. Sure, you’ll typically lose weight, because most people are carrying around so much extra fat that it ends up that losing fat equals losing weight.

So, just what is the secret to burning fat and not muscle?

None other than the U.S. Army addressed just that question in a study earlier this year. Obviously, physical fitness is paramount to an organization such as the Army, and many of their recruits come to boot camp more than a bit overweight. They want to strip the fat off these new soldiers, without having them lose the very muscle that helps make them deadly, fighting machines (or supply clerks).

Thankfully, your tax dollars have been hard at work, helping to find an answer to the question that confounds U.S. Army trainers and average Joe/sephenes alike. If you’re trying to burn fat, how can you do that while sparing the muscle that will not only make it easier to burn that fat, but keep it off?

Here’s what the Army researchers discovered and how they did it:

First of all, they examined well trained athletes, so you may think that the results don’t apply to you, because, well, maybe you’re not so well trained. You’d be wrong on this score, though. Although the Army used 26 well trained athletes for their tests, the results still apply to you, and besides, you’re going to be well trained someday soon, right?

One of the key aspects to the study was that the test subjects were kept at the study location  for 11 days, and all aspects of their diet and exercise were strictly monitored and controlled. That’s important, because many studies of this nature rely on the subjects self reporting food intake and exercise.

Now, although most people strive to be accurate in research situations, the fact is that self reporting introduces unwanted errors into the results. Unfortunately, these self reporting studies are found even at the highest levels of academia. In addition, many of the oft quoted by supplement manufacturers studies are done exactly this way.

The Army 26 were divided into 3 groups. Why they didn’t use a number of subjects evenly divisible by three, I have no idea. Maybe they couldn’t find one more guy. In any case, the three groups each ate different diets.
Group 1 – Energy balanced diet (no calorie deficit) with moderate protein – 0.9 g of protein per kilo of body weight per day

Group 2 – Energy deficient diet (a daily calorie deficit) with moderate protein – 0.9 g of protein per kilo of body weight per day

Group 3 - Energy deficient diet (a daily calorie deficit) with high protein – 1.8 g of protein per kilo of body weight per day

The study lasted only 11 days. They had all subjects eat an energy neutral diet for days 1 – 4, no matter the group they were in. Then for the last week, they had the subjects burn off an extra 1,000 calories per day through a controlled exercise program. Group 1, the energy balanced group, ate an extra 1,000 calories daily to make up for the calories they were burning off. The other groups didn’t.

What did they find?

The findings are important and demonstrate exactly why just going on a restricted calorie diet to lose weight normally results in short term weight loss, followed by a rebound weight gain.

The Army researchers noted that subjects who either ate an energy neutral diet with moderate protein, or an energy energy deficient diet with high protein maintained normal glucose production. The other group, actually experienced a decline in internal glucose production.

Why is that bad, you ask? Because failure to maintain normal glucose production leads to muscle protein breakdown. That’s right, your body actually breaks down your hard earned muscle to feed itself during a calorie deficit like your experience during a restricted calorie diet. That means one thing; making sure you get enough high quality protein when you’re dieting for weight loss is absolutely essential to keep your muscle tissue intact.

Ironically, dieting to lose weight could detract from the very thing that keeps the weight off, your muscle mass. The study results point to the need for plenty of high quality protein during restricted calorie diets to make sure that you keep that muscle you either worked so hard for.

Maybe you haven’t done a lick of work to build muscle yet, but are still going on a diet to lose weight. It doesn’t matter, and actually it may even be more important. You still have muscle hiding in there somewhere, and the less you have, the less you can afford to lose, right?

So, if you’re going on a diet, or are already on one, make sure your diet contains enough high quality protein so you burn fat, not muscle.

Cardio or weights to burn fat? Conventional wisdom says to eschew hoisting the iron to maximize fat loss, but could conventional wisdom be wrong? Stop arguing with your friends and grab a read.

Cardio or weights to burn fat if you’re going to do only one? That is the question. I’ve come down on the side of weights here at BFL, on the theory that you need muscle to do the actual burning. After all, it’s your metabolic fires that actually melt away your extra fat, and what keeps that metabolism going? Why, muscle, of course! How do you pack on more of the meaty stuff? High intensity weight training sessions.

I’ve posted on that subject several times over the last few years, and I’m not alone in my fondness for iron. Of course, a balanced program of high intensity weight training, and high intensity interval cardio training is the best for overall fitness. Fitness isn’t all about body fat levels. Supplying enough O2 to your muscles is mighty important, too, and you’ll need some effective cardio training to facilitate that.

If you’re trying to burn off fat though, cardio is a waste of time. It works, it just takes too long. So, back to the iron. Not only will you burn fat, you’ll look better when you’ve burned it, thanks to the lean, hard muscle you’ve packed on under it during the training process.

If you’re going to combine cardio and weight training on the same day, hit the weights first, then head over to the track, treadmill, or elliptical. You can do a few minutes of cardio to get the blood flowing and warm up your muscles and connective tissues before you lift, but do your real cardio training after you’ve killed yourself on the bench or under the squat rack, not before. You’ll need the energy to maximize your training intensity when powering up those weights.

Check out smokin’ hot, 4-time Olympic medal winner, Kaitlin Sandeno over on the Yahoo Sports Training Day blog for her take on the subject:
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-day/201104/warm-cardio-then-go-weights-right-wrong

No, No, No! This is hte kind of thing you do in the winter to burn fat. Summer's coming. Get outside and enjoy it!

Okay, despite the kind of icy temperatures we’re enduring in the top half of the country this spring, summer’s almost here. You know what that means: mercury rising, outdoor activities, and a renewed push to burn fat left over from a winter of relative inactivity and too many second helpings.

Sure, burning off your extra fat in preparation for summer may be something that’s been on your mind, but chances are you’d like some alternatives that won’t leave you sweating, exhausted, and downright bored. That’s right, too many fat burning workouts are just plain boring. I can only walk on that inclined platform, going nowhere, and watching Sports Center so many times before I want to jump off the nearest cliff.

With that in mind, I’m going to reveal my favorite fun workouts to burn off fat for summer. They’re super effective, and they won’t have you reaching for the no-doze in a vain attempt to stave off boredom induced sleep.

Tennis -
My personal favorite, tennis not only burns fat with a vengeance, it does  great job strengthening and toning all manner of muscles, including your obliques, glutes, legs, and forearms. The best part for me though, is that it’s blast to play. Other advantages include the fact that it’s cheap, requires minimal equipment, and is easy to learn.

Disadvantages: you need a tennis court, complete with net, a partner, and moderately good weather, although I’ve been known to play in what many would consider better suited for skiing. On the bright side, courts are plentiful (in the U.S., at least) and many of them are free to play on. You’ll find them at parks and schools throughout the land.

Rackets are a bit spendy if you run down to the local store to pick one up. You don’t have to go that route, though. You can get great rackets for less than $10 at Goodwill, Value Village, or just about any second hand store. My wife even found a Babolat Pure Drive, in fantastic condition, for $7. They normally sell for about $190 when new. It was my favorite racquet until an unfortunate car trunk closing rendered it unusable. If you want a new racquet; stick with last year’s model. The good ones will run you between $50 and $100.

Inline Skating -
This is an old favorite, and if you have some nice, paved trails, uncrowded sidewalks, or empty parking complexes nearby, it is definitely a way to burn fat and strengthen your lower body. It will have you pushing ever harder, and like any fun workout, you can easily end up going at it far longer than you intended.

If you’re good, you can use your inline skates at a skate park, for fat burning fun in 3 dimensions. There are skate parks everywhere around me, and some of them have pools, bowls, and all manner of urban obstacles on and over which you can jump, grind, or fly.

As with tennis, one of the great things about inline skating is that you can get started with minimal equipment, and with this one, you don’t even need a partner, although like sex (another fun, fat burning workout) it’s more fun if you have one.

Wii Fit -
The Wii Fit was one of the first video games to improve your fitness, rather than devastate it. I have to admit that ours spends a bit too much time languishing in the corner of the playroom now, but it is a great time when we do play it, and while not as good at burning fat as some of the other activities listed here, it is definitely a nice fall back when the clouds come rolling in and the raindrops fall. I did a psot about the Wii Fit a couple of years ago. You can see it here: Wii Fit Games – Making Fat Loss Fun?

Biking -
This is a summer favorite almost anywhere you go. In the Pacific Northwest, where I live, people seem to take it a bit more seriously than most. You’ve got two variations to enjoy; road and mountain. That’s great to help add some variation, but most people tend to pick on or the other and stay with it.

My brother is a rabid road biker and racer who’s been known to take a brisk, 60 mile ride in the morning, before breakfast. While that certainly burns fat, and you can tell, because he doesn’t have any, it’s a bit too intense for me, and most others, I’d imagine.

Biking is great because you can enjoy scenery, and go mostly at your own pace, although many locales have speed limits on bike trails (another reason to take up mountain biking). The drawback to biking is that bikes can get fairly expensive, as a visit to your local bike shop will confirm.

You don’t have to spend a fortune for the latest carbon fiber and titanium laden wonder child, however. You can peruse Craigslist, e-bay, or your local Nickel Shopper and find a great deal on a nice bike that will serve you well. Don;t forget to do a bit of garage sailing if you’re in need of two wheeled transportation, either.

With the price of gas these days, you could start biking to work. You’ll get in great shape, and with the money you save, you could well retire early.

Dance Central for X-Box Kinect -
This is really fun! You can burn a ton of fat if you really put some energy into it. It’s a fun activity you can do with the whole family, which is also something you can say for biking too, but with a bike, your 7 year old may not be able to keep up the pace you need to get in a good workout. With Dance Central you’ll have no such worries.

The Kinect controller is fantastic. You can just move and the game knows what you’re doing. No need to hold to a controller or anything. As a side note, people (much smarter than myself) are using this controller to interface with computers and control all manner of things not even remotely video game related.

Like any fun workout, you can easily end up doing this far longer than you intended, which is definitely no bad thing. You have to really shake it up to get the full benefit, but you can take slower at the beginning if you need to.

Basketball -
Basketball is a time honored summer activity, even though its official season is smack dab in the middle of winter. There are pickup games throughout the country, on parks and play fields from the Bronx to Seattle and everywhere in between. Small towns and big cities alike have free to use basketball courts, and you’ll usually find pickup games there. It can get pretty competitive on some of these outdoor courts though, so that’s a better option if you can actually play reasonably well.

Many health clubs also have gyms, and you find pickup games there fairly often as well. Typically the competition there is a bit below what you’ll find on the outdoor courts, and you can organize your own games through the club. Many times the club will already have something set up to help people connect  for games.

You can get a pretty good workout even if the court’s empty, save for you and the ball. That’s a definite advantage, as is the next to nothing equipment requirement.

Hiking -
Here is a great, outdoor activity that can really help you drop the pounds, but the amount of exercise you get from hiking can range from very little to I-think-I’m-going-to-puke. It depends on many factors, such as the weather, the terrain and the amount of stuff you’re carrying with you. The beauty of hiking is that it’s free, unless you’re hiking in a pay for access area, and requires no special equipment or skills to get started.

There are some hikes in my area that reward you with out of this world views, and will definitely give you a workout. You can always ensure you get a workout by hiking away from your car a nice distance. You then have to get back, obviously, so you’re well and committed to a good workout at that point.

Be sure that if you’re hiking alone, someone knows where you are and when you plan to return. Plenty of hikers have disappeared or died because they fell, were injured, and then couldn’t get back before they were dead of exposure or attacked by a hungry animal. Bears are coming out of hibernation right about now. If you want a really great workout, just try to outrun one. They haven’t eaten in about 5 months. Be sure you make plenty of noise, so that you don’t frighten one by coming up on it unexpectedly, especially if it has a couple of cubs.

If you’re in urban areas, you sometimes have different predators to worry about. In that case, a can of pepper spray, a few Krav Maga classes, and a .45, loaded with some 230 grain JHP should do the trick, provided you can shoot worth a damn.

Another precaution to take when hiking is to bring plenty of water, especially if you’ll be in direct sunlight, and the temperatures start to rise. Stay hydrated, and be sure to liberally slather on the sunscreen. A friend of mine is a dermatologist, and he told me the number one and two mistakes people make with sunscreen is that they don’t apply it early enough before being exposed to the sun, and they use too little. Wearing a hat isn’t a bad idea, either.

These are my favorite fun, fat burning workouts. Of course, you can always try just keeping up with your kids, that’ll do it!

What are your favorites? Leave them in a comment, so others can enjoy them too.

Really, does it get any better than some of this stuff, steam still rising from it, and that fresh baked bread smell just about forcing you to eat it, one peice after another, until it's all gone?

Are you, just maybe, addicted to bread? I ask you, is there anything more powerful than the smell of freshly baking bread? It matters not whether the variety in question is sweet bread, cinnamon rolls, 8-grain, whole wheat, or potato bread, when that smell hits those olfactory sensors buried deep within your nose, it just flips a freakin’ switch like virtually nothing else, and leads your to consume bread like some sort of culinary pied piper. After a few of those bouts, you may even have wondered if you have a real, live bread addiction.

You know who you are. Face it, if you react to the aroma of freshly baked bread the way a heroin addict reacts to the sight of a spoon filled with bubbling goo, you may just have a slight bread addiction. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but bread is one of the foods that, more than many others, contributes to that roll around your waist that you’re trying to get rid of.

The fact is that you can be addicted to bread much the same as you can be addicted to sugar, because most kinds of bread react in your body much the same as does sugar. This is even true of whole wheat bread, although the more whole grains in the finished product, the lower the glycemic index.

The problem is that most breads may start out with whole grains, but by the time the grains are ground down into flour, it is almost as ground and ready to quickly digest as is pure, white flour….or pure, white sugar, for that matter. So, as I discussed in my post a few weeks ago about sugar addiction, eating bread really has much in common with indulging in sugar….and in many cases, the glycemic index of bread is even higher than many candy related products!

Really, the glycemic index of a bagel, that health food that’s not, is between 70 – 80, depending on the kind of bagel we’re talkin’ about. A snickers bar’s GI is only 55, and it’s probably higher in protein than some bagels.

The human mind is one, great, big association machine. It associates stimuli in the environment to past experiences. That’s why when you smell that deliciously fantabulous smell of freshly baking bread it about sends you over a cliff. Your brain knows that soon after that smell arrives at your nostrils, a piece of delicious bread arrives in your mouth, and shortly after that, your blood sugar levels begin to head for the stratosphere.

There are some more chemically oriented reasons that bread can have such a powerful hold on you, too. That sugar causes a reaction that allows more tryptophan into your brain, due to the fact that Insulin (called up because of your recent bread indulgence), keeps other amino acid competitors at bay for a while. Not a huge deal, except that tryptophan is ultimately metabolized into serotonin. For more on this exciting bit of body chemistry, see this post over at 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet.

Once you start indulging on things that ramp up your serotonin levels immediately after you eat them, all bets are off. You may as well be mainlining. A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience reveals that rats, and presumably humans, have addict-like reactions to food. Moreover, obese rats, and once again, presumably humans, exhibit different reactions than do leaner subjects. The study found that “These data demonstrate that overconsumption of palatable food triggers addiction-like neuroadaptive responses in brain reward circuits and drives the development of compulsive eating.”

Oh, you’re not off the hook yet. It gets worse from there. Some studies have examined the actual mechanisms that can make you crave bread more than all else. You see, the way some people’s brain reacts to wheat is very similar on some levels to the way opiate addicts react to opium products. Kris, over at KrisHealthBlog describes in scintillating detail exactly how this happens, but the upshot of it all is that as wheat is broken down by your digestive system, it forms opioid peptides. These proceed to cross your blood / brain barrier in much the same way as opium products do. Once there they have a great time stimulating your brain’s opiate receptors, and presto!! Bread addiction!

So you see, it’s not simply that awesome fresh baked smell that does it. Your bread addiction may actually be baked into your brain. One way to minimize the effects of this problem is to try a kind of bread that I’ve mentioned before; flourless bread. That’s right, it is bread made without flour. Since the grains are sprouted, rather than ground up into powder (there’s another drug reference), the glycemic index of flourless bread is lower than traditional bread. Also, it tastes great, but not quite as good as the best traditional bread, which can also keep you from powering down so much of it. Hey, every little bit helps!

Even if you haven't reached your fat loss goals yet, the key to looking your best can be right under your nose. You can look 10 - 20 lbs lighter without actually getting there. That doesn't mean you should stop reaching for them, but these tips on how to look thinner will help tide you over on your journey.

You don’t have to join a gym and hire a trainer to look your best, although the value of exercise can’t be overlooked. Of course a good trainer or some gym time also you to feel great, but even if you’re using their services you may still be interested in the following tips to look thinner. These are universal suggestions that are easy to implement in any lifestyle.

Wear the correct size
It’s amazing to witness people wearing pieces that are either way too big or way too small. Know your size and wear it with pride. If you’re self-conscience about your weight and are trying to hide behind a large t-shirt, you are not doing yourself any favors. The same goes for smaller pieces. If you have gained some weight, do not continue to try and fit into something that no longer fits. Wear your proper size and you will not only look more polished but also thinner.

Accent the right places
Pay attention to the focal point of the items in your wardrobe. If you are wearing a wide belt over a tunic with a short skirt, the eye will fall on the belt. Place it on the skinniest part of your body. This is generally several inches below your breast bone. Color also carries visual weight, so you can wear a bright pair of pumps and it will draw the eye down making your body appear longer and leaner.

Make stripes work for you not against you
Hopefully this is one you learned in elementary school and have never forgotten. When wearing horizontal stripes your eyes widen the space. The opposite is true of vertical stripes, they help to create a long and lean look. Be careful where you place strips in your wardrobe.

A little heel goes a long way
Pairing a long and skinny jean, skirt or slack with a pump or heel will visually extend your legs. Stand a little taller with a few inches that provides a sleeker, thinner look.

Never underestimate a smile
As the characters in Annie taught us, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” When you are truly happy and smile with confidence people will take note. Shed your insecurities about your size and smile because you are amazing. When your face is glowing with happiness others will focus their attention there and not at your waist or hips. Of course, for the men, using the right shaving products to create smooth and appealing skin will also keep the attention where you want it.

Protein is one of the most important nutrients for anyone training or trying to lose weight, but does it matter when you eat it? Yes it does, and more than we first thought. Here's what you need to know.

Protein is an important building block for our body. Muscle, hair, skin and connective tissue are mainly made up of protein. In addition, protein is a unique and powerful player in all of the cells and most of the fluids in our bodies. Many of our bodies’ important chemicals such as enzymes, neurotransmitters and even our DNA are also affected by the protein we intake. We use up protein constantly with all these purposes, so it is important to continually replace it. The times of day that we partake of protein and our activity level will affect how efficiently the protein is put to use.

For the average person, experts agree that we should be eating a minimum of our body weight in pounds multiplied by .37. This means that a person weighing 150 pounds should be eating 55 grams of protein a day. Keep in mind that many foods have a high protein content and it is not as hard as it may seem to reach this minimum recommendation.

Meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and nuts all have substantial amounts of protein. When eaten with other foods that create a balanced meal, our bodies will function ideally from this nutrition. In addition, using organic options when possible, such as natural beef or organic fruits and vegetables will keep your body free of contaminants. These contaminants could be preventing your body from working at its maximum capacity.

Natural, grass fed beef also has another advantage as a protein source; it’s chock full of Omega-3 fatty acids that help in burning fat and improving cardio-vascular health (not endurance). Traditional, corn and soy fed beef does not deliver this powerful advantage. In addition, while traditionally fed beef is normally given prophylactic antibiotics to guard against infection, the natural, grass fed variety receives no such medication, helping to keep you free of antibiotic resistant microorganisms.

When to Eat the Protein?

For those involved with heavy weight lifting or endurance sports such as long distance running, protein requirements will be increased. Protein is a key element in building the muscles back up after an intense workout. By eating foods or supplements rich in protein within 45 minutes of the workout you will help your body from using reserves of fat and glucose, and give the muscles what they need to grow and recover.

A fast acting protein source is best immediately post-workout. Whey is the fastest acting of the protein supplements. The added protein will build your muscles at a quicker rate. In fact, research and the experience of professional athletes and trainers suggests that protein and  nutrition timing may be one of the most important aspects of increasing your muscle mass and metabolic rate.

Eating a lot of protein at the beginning of the day may make more sense because our activity during the day will require it’s muscle building qualities. It is wise to avoid a lot of protein when you will be sedentary, for example near bedtime. If, however you are engaged in high intensity weight training, having a serving of slow acting protein, such as that found in casein, at this time is an excellent strategy to ensure your muscles recover and grow at their most productive time.

If you feel a lack of energy or particularly weak after intense workouts, you should consider trying more protein in your diet. It’s the body’s tool for building muscles and enhancing the chemicals that make our body work efficiently. Working it into your diet is not hard but you’ll notice a difference right away.

The Preceding was a Guest Post by Cam Jarvis

Yes, it's true, a woman was actually buying this stuff at the local market. I had to get a shot of it, due to the pure variety of sugary treats. Let's see, Oreos, bakery cake, regular Coke, Nutty Bars, Twinkies, Blueberry Struesel bread, and HoHos. Really? Yes, it's true, and shoping like that only proves that sugar addiction and poor nutrition are a huge problem in America. It also demonstrates tha effectiveness of the "Just don't buy it." strategy.

Sugar addiction is one of the most threatening dietary conditions in The U.S. The dangers of sugar and it’s connection with obesity and other health problems are well documented. In fact, eating large quantities of refined sugar has a correlation to obesity that’s just too strong to ignore. One could well argue (and I have, repeatedly), that the best weight loss strategy is to stop eating all forms of refined sugar.

How Much Sugar DO We Really Eat, Anyway?
That’s great, but what if you’re addicted to sugar? How can you stop sugar addiction in it’s tracks and eat a diet free from the dangerous sweetener, which Americas consume at a prodigious rate. Lest you think that I’m making this up, in 2009 the average U.S. per capita cane and beet sugar consumption was 13.4 teaspoons per day. That’s actually down substantially from it’s peak in 1970, when we downed over 22 teaspoons daily.

Have we lost our taste for the sweet stuff? Are we turning our backs on sweetened foods? Hardly! While our consumption of actual sugar is down, our consumption of high fructose corn sweetener is way up, from virtually zero in 1970 to 10.6 tablespoons daily in 2009. This is actually down somewhat from our peak consumption of 13.4 teaspoons 10 years ago. (All sugar consumption figures courtesy of the USDA) So, just counting those two kinds of refined sugar, Americans munch down 24 teaspoons each and every day. That’s well over 100 lbs per year. It’s easy to see why obesity and other diseases like diabetes are such a problem.

What the heck can you do if you find that your personal sugar consumption is through the roof? After all, if you’re overweight, or even if you’re not, this level of sugar can have a serious affect on you, health wise. I’ve railed on and on about the dangers of high glycemic index carbohydrates as it pertains to that adipose layer around your midsection. Sugar is obviously a high glycemic index carbohydrate, and eaten in the quantities we Americans tend to, will make you fat.

Sugar Dangers
In addition to obesity, what other dangers does sugar pose? Here are some of the more serious ones:
•    Immune System Suppression – Sugar consumption suppresses your immune system. It helps lower the phagocytic index, an indicator of immune system efficacy, by competing with vitamin C for cellular entry. More glucose means less vitamin C.
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•    High Triglyceride Levels – Simple sugar consumption has been tied to elevated blood triglyceride levels, which are produced by your liver from unneeded sugars. Recent research indicates that high triglyceride levels are an excellent predictor of cardiovascular disease.
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•    Decreased Insulin Sensitivity – This is a serious problem and a primary cause of Type 2 diabetes. A 2008 study at U.C. Davis concluded that “These data suggest that dietary fructose specifically increases DNL, promotes dyslipidemia, decreases insulin sensitivity, and increases visceral adiposity in overweight/obese adults.” So, another nail in the coffin of high fructose corn sweetener, one of the primary sweeteners used in our foods today. Note the term “visceral adiposity”. That is the scientific term for belly fat!
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•    Clinical Depression – Harvard researchers have linked excessive sugar consumption to increased likelihood of suffering clinical depression. In addition, study results from research performed at the Bergen Regional Medical Center, in Paramus, New Jersey and presented at the 2009 American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, revealed a causal link between elevated blood sugar levels and clinical depression. What does clinical depression feel like? Symptoms include (but aren’t limited to) persistent feelings of sadness or emptiness, helplessness, hopelessness, guilt, and worthlessness, coupled with a loss of interest in pleasurable activities, including sex.
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•    Increased Body Fat Storage – Well, here’s the big one, isn’t it? In fact, if you are to one thing to help yourself lose weight, it is to cut out all the refined sugar form your diet. Sugar promotes the perfect fat storage storm in your body, so removing it from your diet will have an almost immediate effect on how you feel and how much you weigh.
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•    Vitamin and Micronutrient Depletion – Sugar adds no nutritional value when consumed except pure energy. The problem is that digesting and disseminating it to your cells requires nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. That means it has a net negative balance of everything it needs in order to be processed by the body. The nutrients used by sugar can not be used by your body for the more important processes that require them, because they’ve been used to metabolize the sugar.

•    As if these weren’t enough, many other problems have been linked to excessive sugar consumption as well, including rising (LDL) cholesterol levels, tooth decay, periodontal disease, increased facial wrinkles, increased livelihood of ulcerative colitis.

What to Do About Sugar Addiction?

Sugar addiction is no easy thing to kick, but the hardest part is the first step. Many sugar addicts report that if they can just get by the first few days or a week without sugar, their cravings almost entirely disappear. The problem is that if they fall off the wagon even once, the sugar jonesing comes back with a vengeance. It’s like they never stopped at all.

That points to one key strategy – get all the refined sugar out of your house and never buy more. Sure, you can still trip up by visiting a mini-mart, restaurant, or coffee shop, but the best thing is to remove all temptation from your immediate vicinity. Often, it’s that quick craving that would be relatively easy to face down if you had no sugary treats staring you in the face that proves to be your undoing. If you have nothing which to grab, you can get past it. If there’s a plate of cookies, a slice of cake, or a box of sweet crackers within reach, all bets are off.

It’s Hiding Everywhere
I’m not only referring to the sugar you add in to things a sweetener. You have to dig a bit deeper, and toss the plethora of foods that are virtually nothing but sugar in disguise, and there are a freakin’ ton of them in most people’s pantries and kitchens. Most breakfast cereals fall into this category, as do the obvious things like cake, cookies, donuts, and crackers. Read the ingredients when you buy things to find the hidden sugar. If it ends in “ose” it’s sugar. You’ll discover that many foods have 3 or 4 kinds of sugar in them, like one wasn’t enough.

Exercise is another powerful strategy to help fend off the sugar Jones. Not just any exercise, either, but high intensity exercise, where you really take it to yourself. There is a bear in the woods with the exercise strategy you have to watch out for, though.

In many cases, intense exercise will make you hungry, and you may want to reach for some sweets. This is especially true if your blood sugar level is a bit low when you’ve finished with your workout. Not only that, but the “I just worked out really hard, so I can have this Snickers Bar.” is an all-to-easy trap to get snared by. Obviously, exercise has the additional benefit of itself being an excellent weight loss tool.

Realize Sugar Doesn’t Own You -
One important thing to beating sugar addiction is to realize that sugar doesn’t own you. It doesn’t control you, either. No, sugar is not able to physically make you eat it, although you do have cravings for it.

Although sugar addiction does have some things in common to drug addiction, technically, you don’t get physically addicted to sugar as you would heroin or meth. Sugar addiction is actually sugar dependency. You become dependent on the changes sugar can cause, and the taste of it , but if you stop, you won’t experience physical withdrawal symptoms. In addition, it doesn’t fundamentally alter your brain chemistry. So, while it may be difficult to cut yourself off from sugar, realize that you have nothing physically forcing you eat it. Grasping that concept is important, and it’s knowledge is powerful when you’re trying to kick the sugar habit.

New research suggests that there is the possibility that while sugar addiction may not be a full fledged addiction, ala heroin, it may share certain elements with drug addiction. A 2002 Princeton University study discovered that rats fed a very high sugar diet and then removed from it did exhibit some of the classic withdrawal symptoms of drug withdrawal, such as shakes similar to those experienced by addicts in rehab. The study’s authors however, indicated further research was required before any real conclusions could be reached.

What Else Can I Do To Fight Sugar Addiction?

•    Eat low glycemic index fruits. The sweet taste will help you blunt your sugar cravings, but the low glycemic nature of these fruit’s carbohydrates will not have the same impact on your body as refined sugar will. In addition, you’ll get valuable nutrients from the fruit. Apples  are a great one, and my favorite.
•    Brush Your Teeth – Don’t laugh, many people report that this actually works to help fight off sugar cravings, and it should be done in any case to preserve your dental health.
•    Eat 6 Times Per Day. – Not big meals, but small ones. This is a great strategy to help lose weight anyway. You body feels full more of the time, and is better able to utilize nutrients in your food when you eat smaller meals more often, rather than 3 or 4 huge meals each day.
•    Make sure you get enough protein and vitamins. Take supplements if you must. Chromium, vanadium, and b-vitamins can help you control your sugar Jones a bit.
•    Stay hydrated. This is another strategy that is vital to optimize fat loss and athletic performance, but it is also valuable to help blunt sugar cravings. Sometimes dehydration can trigger sugar cravings, so nip that in the bud before it even gets started.

Wanting to eat sugar all the time is no picnic. I’m fortunate in that sugar has never really done it for me. I’ve got other food demons to kill. It is one of the most destructive foods in our diets though, especially in the quantities many people consume. Hopefully you can use this info to help put your sugar addiction genie back in the bottle.

If you have a strategy that’s worked for you and you think may help others, please leave a comment and let me know.