The #1 Key Thing That's 80% To Blame For Excess Fat

We all know that what we eat and what kind of exercise we do affects our levels of excess fat right? No big secrets there obviously.
What is it then that gives so few people success with their fat loss efforts and lets so many people struggle in and out of starvation diets, exercise programs, gym memberships?
Well as I've pointed out several times before, fat loss is about the basic fundamentals of health. And although it's about combining lots of small effects to work together in producing a successful result, if there was 1 key that would help to give you 80% of your results, I'm very sure it would be this:

"It takes 3 months for your taste buds to change"

Losing weight and excess fat can be hard! It's absolutely a struggle for so many people, mainly because they ignore this 1 simple key!

You see, you can make drastic results happen by changing just a few of your eating habits. Every health and fitness expert I have ever come across has agreed that adjusting food intake gives you 80% of your results when it comes to losing fat and 20% is due to exercise. The trick in changing your eating habits though, is waiting out the 3 months. Learn a little bit about what tastes good and works for fat loss, and the chore suddenly becomes much easier.

So here's a quick summary:

1. The main key to blame for excess fat is rogue food habits
2. All it takes to change those habits is giving yourself 3 months to adjust to some "new foods"
3. Knowing some tasty foods that are awesome for fat loss can really help in this process
4. Don't discount exercise (It still helps your metabolism get a major boost and you will notice a difference if you do the right types of exercises). 

Losing 2 Pounds A Week - Is It Easy? Is It Possible?

Heaps of people want to know about losing 2 pounds a week. The first and most important question which should be asked though, and is not always obvious, is what are you really trying to achieve?
Losing weight might just mean losing water from your body, or losing muscle mass or like most people, losing fat is the real goal. The important thing to remember here is: Fat Loss Does Not Equal Weight Loss.
So let's just rephrase a little and say you want to lose 2 pounds of fat per week.

Q: Is this going to be easy?
A: It can be easy, but it depends mainly on what advice you have and what methods your actively following.

Q: Is it possible?
A: It most definitely is possible, although I recommend that if you want to maintain a healthy metabolism (and who doesn't) that you limit the fat loss to approximately 1 pound per week. I pound of pure fat lost actually equates to quite a drastic change in the way you look though.

Q: Is it healthy?
A: Losing 2 pounds a week is considered to be on the border of healthy and overkill. The danger in losing too much weight too quickly is that it can actually destroy your metabolism. The shockingly fast changes make alterations to the way your body regulates your weight automatically - this is going to make it a struggle for you to lose weight in the future.

So that is the basic "low-down" on the (commonly asked) question on losing 2 pounds a week.

Image courtesy http://www.truthaboutabs.com

How To Lose Fat Without Losing Muscle... 3 Tips On Approaching Fat Loss

Well, we are into 2011 now and want to act on some of our new years goals that will stick!

A problem (more common than you think) that I come across with people all the time is how to lose fat without losing muscle. The truth is, people struggle with this everywhere. The challenge is staying lean with a muscular frame but getting rid of the fat on top of the muscle.

So what's the answer then?

Well, there are a few easy tips that I'm going to show you that will absolutely change the way you look at fat loss and will revolutionize your results. 

Here they are:

Tip #1 - Don't follow your intuition.

Although your instincts are extremely useful and may be very helpful in other areas of your life - fat loss is simply not one of those areas. Most people intuitively think things like:

• "If I stop eating as much, I'll lose weight"
• "If I cut fat out of my diet, I won't put on any fat"
• "If I exercise my stomach muscles, I'll get a flat stomach"

FALSE!

These all sound like reasonable assumptions but it simply won't work.

Instead of following your intuition, look for some sound, credible advice (don't take the word of your friend who is in the same boat as you with trying to lose fat without losing muscle).

Tip #2 - Work on increasing your muscle mass.

This tip right here can be a little controversial, especially with the ladies, because not everyone wants bigger muscles. The thing is, muscle mass is like an automatic fat burning advantage. Every extra pound of muscle mass you put on will burn extra layers of fat off your body - this is hard science about how your body works. 

So instead of doing cardio all the time, try doing some strength training - the intensity and style of your strength training will also determine how much bigger you get, so if you don't want to grow much but just want to get rid of the fat, just start slowly and watch the effects take place.

Tip #3 - Eating, eating, eating.

Too many people mess this part up big time. And you DON'T have to be a health nut to get it right. Here are a few easy rules of thumb when it comes to your regular eating:

• Avoid processed junk foods on a regular basis
• Eat at least some raw foods every day and don't avoid fat
• Find out which foods boost your metabolism the most and eat them regularly
• Don't skimp on your eating - especially DON'T skip meals, it actually makes your body create MORE FAT!

Now that is an easy list of 4 food tips that anyone can put in place. I hope you got something out of this and know a little more about how to lose fat without losing muscle.

New Years Goals That Stick - Your 3 Step Guide!

New years goals that stick... How can you make it work for you?
As we get right into the new year many of us start to have a bit of a reality shift in terms of what we want in life.

We realize that there are a few things in life that we want... but we haven't made a priority...
...YET!

If you're familiar with goal setting, you'll know how important it IS in achieving any goal whether it be  getting six pack abs, losing weight or any other non-fitness related goal for that matter.

The process:
There are 3 easy steps to setting goals that work and here they are (these are definitely advisable for anyone wanting to get six pack abs)...

1. Decide on your goal - make it something realistic, something achievable and something that you desire.
2. Write down your goal in the present tense - For example, if you want to lose 10 pounds of fat write it like: "It is may 10th, 2011 and I have an awesome, toned body. I now weigh x-amount pounds and I feel awesome!"
3. If you want to do this thing properly and make it heaps more motivating to reach your goal, take the time to find a picture which reflects your goal beautifully. For example, if you want 6 pack abs, find a picture of a guy (or gal) with a 6 pack and stick a pic of your face on it... Hang it somewhere you'll see it frequently and you're set.

Goal setting is not hard. 

It can take a few minutes of your time, but millions around the world swear by it for getting real results. 

I personally guarantee that setting a new years goal properly makes your goal HEAPS more achievable. It means at least you know what you want and you have a bit of motivation to get there. 

Take the time to do it - set your new years goals now!

Image courtesy: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NcK4LkP1MbU_BM0I16jQ6dtC9i1PTU6Fp-g90jECRhQxOrv9e4edLgqDfu7Mzk0JF_EqMs9NXt53JH39BgW73vFRW8QULLHU0y2a-hYGyGVjWeZwZu7Dtob6XKUVGXQOYhA0t9aNHgQ/s1600/goal-objective-setting1.jpg

Chocolate - Is It Really Your 6 Pack's Enemy?

You wanna get 6 pack abs?
Of course you do! You're reading this after all right?

The problem for most is THIS:
On some level - either consciously or unconsciously - you don't think that it's possible for your flabby tummy to transform into a flat, sexy mid-section.


Now, I won't get too philosophical here. Let's keep it simple - you want sexy abs and you want to know how to get them fast. The new year is here after all - this is the time for CHANGE!

So let's talk about chocolate for one thing - is this delicious, irresistible treat really as bad as it is so often thought to be? I've known people who blame every health problem known to man on chocolate - from stomach pains to itchy skin! So what about stomach fat?

Q: What stops you from having the stomach you want?
A: Stomach fat.

Q: What is it that makes stomach fat appear and remain on your stomach?
A: Processed foods and lack of proper exercise.

Q: Does chocolate contribute to this?
A: It depends what type of chocolate.

In general, 80-90% of chocolate sweets sold at your regular grocery store will be full of processed "junk".
BUT, having said that - cocoa is an extremely antioxidant rich food which can actually help you boost your stomach fat loss!

That's right - chocolate can help you get sexy abs.

The trick is picking the right chocolate and formulating a strategy that works along with other fat loss methods.

The chocolate strategy:
Find a brand of chocolate that you like which sells a range of different chocolates including cocoa-rich chocolates. Now most regular mainstream media will recommend at least 60% cocoa solids but I'm going to say that is NOT enough. Here's what you need to do if you're absolutely addicted to chocolate and can't cut it out.
Step 1: Start by "supplementing" your regular chocolate intake with regular dark chocolate.
Step 2: Gradually shift the amount of chocolate you buy until you buy only dark chocolate.
Step 3: Slowly move to buying more and more of the cocoa-rich dark chocolates and less of the others.

Example:
Week 1: Buy 1 block of milk chocolate and 1 block of dark chocolate.
Week 2: buy 2 blocks of dark chocolate and 1 small milk chocolate treat.
Week 3: Buy 1 block of dark chocolate and 1 block of 60% cocoa chocolate.
Week 4: Buy 1 block of 60% cocoa chocolate and 1 block of 70% cocoa chocolate.
Week 5: Buy 1 block of 70% cocoa chocolate and 1 block of 85% cocoa chocolate.
Week 6: Buy 1 block of 85% cocoa chocolate and 1 block of 90% cocoa chocolate.

Now you'll only buy 90% cocoa chocolate (or even 95% if it's available). This will also alter your taste buds and you will only ever crave the dark chocolate - making you an unstoppable fat-burning machine!

Here is another interesting article from the former fat guy about having chocolate in your regular diet.

How Is Fat Essential For Fat Loss?

Fats get a lot of attention... Always have really. But over the past few decades, there have been some major changes in the way that the general population views fats and our understanding of fats has changed greatly.
We know about all the different types of fats, but do we really?

Well I know for a fact that even if someone does know which foods contain fat and which ones don't, they don't necessarily know whether or not they should eat it...
More importantly... Will it help with their fat loss?

There are tonnes of important things to learn about fats but in general, it's good to hold the understanding that we all HAVE TO eat fats. They are an extremely VITAL part of your health!!

Also, if you're going to remember anything about fats, remember this:
"Foods which contain fat are only good for you if they have had a minimal amount of processing."

So things like raw pecans and walnuts which have loads of "good fat" are absolutely AWESOME for you and will help you burn off excess fat quick-smart if you start eating them regularly.

Are Lean Abs & Cinnamon Closely Related?

If you've done a bit of reading on lean abs lately, then you've made the connection between powerful antioxidants and fat loss.
How many times have you heard that?

Antioxidants are constantly featured on every type of media around us today. TV, Newspapers, Magazines...
The fact is, antioxidants are great for you. What's even better though?
Antioxidant rich foods are absolutely awesome for fat loss and getting lean abs. In fact, a lot of fitness professionals (more and more by the day) swear that antioxidants are essential in the battle for lean abs and a lean body in general.

So no wonder then, that the whole world is in a massive riot bent on finding the foods with the richest antioxidant content. And unlike just about everything else, there is virtually no limit to how much antioxidant rich foods you can eat in terms of them ever having a negative effect on your health.

What about this cinnamon then?
Well, according to www.oracvalues.com, cinnamon has the 3rd highest ORAC value at 267,536!
If you don't know already, ORAC is Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and is a measure of how potent the antioxidant content of the food is.

That's gotta be worth something right?
The answer is, DEFINITELY! Cinnamon is definitely an extremely powerful food in its ability to get you lean abs. It's also got dozens of other properties that knock other foods dead in terms of health benefits.

"A teaspoon of cinnamon a day keeps the belly fat away!"
In all honesty, this is a great motto and you should follow it if your aim is to lose some tummy fat and get lean abs. Why wouldn't you? The beauty of it is, cinnamon is so easy to include in your daily eating. I mean, who doesn't like cinnamon? I love the stuff. I practically eat it by the bowl full.
It goes great with:

• Porridge
• Muesli
• Teas like chai
• Apple
• Berries
• Anything sweet 
• Tonnes of other stuff

So if you've neglected some of the exercise tips I've been dishing out and you're not motivated to change very much about your regular diet, eat a bit of cinnamon each day and watch the effects. You'll see what I mean.