2 Secrets For Effortless Fat Loss
Has Tom Venuto lost it? He’s talking about “effortless” fat loss now? Isn’t Tom Venuto the bodybuilder who has preached for years about hard work, persistence and self-discipline while speaking out against gimmicks, fads and “quick and easy” fixes? What’s going on? Has Venuto crossed over to the dark side? No, don’t worry, I haven’t started making claims that I can melt fat off you with no work. However, I do have two free tips for you today and I swear it’s true that it will make your fat loss seem more effortless. It may be only effortless on a psychological level, but hey, isn’t that the whole idea?
1. MAKE TRAINING FUN
At the age of 42, my friend John Bartlett transformed himself from what he described as a “240 pound physical mess” with 41% body fat, into a 175 pound bodybuilder with mounds of muscle and six pack abs (ShreddedMuscle.com).
The most surprising part is, he never did “cardio” in a gym. John lives in the red, rocky hills of Arizona. In addition to his weight lifting, John mountain biked, sometimes for an hour or two a day. Was he burning a lot of calories? You bet. Was he “working hard?” I suppose that depends on your definition of “work.”
Sometimes recreation and “fun hobbies” can become your biggest calorie burners. If you believe fat loss can only occur by doing a certain mode or type of exercise, such as cardio machines in a gym, (even if you hate it), then you haven’t grasped the importance of the energy balance equation yet and you’e limiting your choices, which can easily lead to boredom and dropout. Your body doesn’t care HOW you burn the calories, you just have to burn them.
Here’s a good question: What could you do to burn a lot of calories and have fun in the process? Your choices are virtually unlimited. martial arts, ballroom dancing, team sports, hiking, beach volleyball? There is no magic fat burning workout, so stop looking for “the one.” If it burns a lot of calories, it will help you get leaner. Start thinking out of the box.
2. MAKE LOW CALORIE, HEALTHY FOOD TASTE GOOD
If you think that fat loss requires a diet consisting of bland rabbit food that tastes like sawdust, you couldn’t be more mistaken. Fat burning food can taste absolutely delicious! I should know better than anyone because for years, not only did I believe you had to eat 100% “clean” to get lean, I also believed that you had to eat plain, bland food to the point of self-sacrifice and self-punishment. (I was wrong.)Truth be told, I do actually prefer a fairly plain and very simple meal plan, at least compared to most people’s standards. As a bodybuilder, it’s just the way I’ve gotten accustomed to eating. But contrary to rumors which say I’m some kind of cyborg and not a regular dude from jersey, (I’m a regular dude, I swear!), I do like tasty food and I enjoy a good meal as much as anyone.
What’s more, I recognize that most people demand tasty food and nutritional variety more than I do and that any diet that requires foods tasting like dirt is not going to last. Well listen, if a self-professed kitchen dummy like me can learn how to cook mouth-watering, delicious low-calorie healthy foods, then ANYBODY can do it! For most of my adult life, I kept telling myself that I couldn’t cook to save my life, and I wasn’t inclined to learn. The turning point for me was when I surveyed my customers and inner circle members, and they all demanded tasty recipes. They forced me to learn how to cook! Guess what? IT WAS EASY! It doesn’t matter if you eat low carb, high carb or anywhere in between, you can create delicious meals every single day, even if you’ve never cooked a meal in your entire life. This not only makes it seem like your diet is effortless, your nutrition program becomes enjoyable and you look forward to your low calorie meals!I’ll be posting more tips on healthy and delicious cooking in upcoming newsletters. For now, I simply wanted to make a point to open your mind and start you thinking differently about food:
If you choose a diet that offers no variety or forces you to eat food that tastes like sawdust, it doesn’t matter how effective that diet is for burning fat in the short term, it won’t be very conducive for helping you to stick with your program over the long haul.
Make your training fun and make your food taste good - you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes!
Train hard and expect success,
Tom Venutowww.BurnTheFat.com
www.BurnTheFatInnerCircle.com
PS. I posted one of my favorite recipes – oatmeal pancakes, in a previous newsletter. If you missed it, you can see it here
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. Tom teaches you how to lose fat without drugs or supplements using the little-known secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting www.BurnTheFat.com, home of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle and www.BurnTheFatInnerCircle.Com, the Internet’s premier members-only fat loss support community.
27 June, 2008 posted in Weight Loss
Comments
Work hard. 2 words that plague our culture. This posting of yours is BANG-ON! At least someone gets it. Thank you.
Pat
Posted by: pat | June 27, 2008 3:12 PM
Tom,
FINALLY! Finally advice that a 64 year old can relate to! After reading your book and listening to your interviews, I actually wrote off your program as one that was tailored to the 40 and under "health club" crowd, whether they be there looking for babes or wanting to show off their body.
I even joined a "health club" myself. What a waste. Between the hard bodies and the constant selling of extras, I couldn't take it any longer and GAVE UP.
Now you produce an email that encourages thinking of alternative forms of enjoyable ways to burn the fat I am re-energized.
Thanks for remembering that everyone is different and has differing needs and obstacles. I am also of the belief that much of one's body type is genetic with, short of becoming a fanatic, only accepting minor modifications to its makeup through diet and exercise.
At the end of the day we all have to deal with mother nature and the aging process.
Regards,
Peter Koteas
Carefree, AZ
Posted by: Peter | June 27, 2008 3:47 PM
peter
thanks for your feedback. That was my intention exactly and this is the direction of my future work (look for THE BODY FAT SOLUTION in bookstores in 2009 - its a book for everyone, not just the hard-core gym crowd)
I will still cater to bodybuilders of course, thats my passion and hobby, but will focus on bodybuilding subject matter over at www.bodybuildingsecrets.com
best regards
Posted by: Tom venuto | June 27, 2008 4:19 PM
TOM YOUR OATMEAL PANCAKES ROCK!!!
POST MORE RECIPES!!!!
AL
Posted by: al | June 27, 2008 5:51 PM
When I viewed the before/after photos of John Bartlett in your article, Two Secrets for Effortless Fat Loss, I recall my primary doctor advising me that, although I can lose my excess abdominal fat, I cannot lose my residual sagging skin without surgery ... which I'd never do. Needless to say, I became discougaged. Is his advice faulty? I'm about the same size as John in his before photo. I understand additional muscle can pull up some sagging skin but not all. An article by you on losing the residual after abdominal fat loss without surgery would be extremely helpful.
Posted by: Mike | June 27, 2008 10:45 PM
John had a 40 lb weight loss and he had no loose skin whatsoever. I fyou have a much larger amount of fat to lose, its possible there may be some loose skin that does not tighten up completely. However, I have seen many people lose over 100 lbs with no loose skin aftewards, so I have to disagree with your physcian. Look at mike ogorek, for example. he lost 137 lbs and has no loose skin afterwards: www.mikeogorek.com
heres an article with more info:
Everything you need to know about loose skin and weight loss
http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/public/149.cfm
Posted by: tom venuto | June 27, 2008 11:13 PM
GREAT tips Tom! Thanks! And "thank you" for what you are doing for all of us out there! ;-)
James
Posted by: james | June 27, 2008 11:14 PM
Dear Mr. Venuto,
I don't know if you'll actually read this, but your program and newsletters are so in sync with what I'm doing right now and my goals that reading your materials is increasingly encouraging and uplifting. I'm working at the gym 3 times a week with a friend who is training me (and, yes, is qualified to do so). For the first time I'm genuinely getting in shape, and as a result I'm finding myself drawn to learning sound concepts for changing my life in a positive way, both mentally and physically. My trainer friend thinks much as
you do, and not only do our workouts help my body, I find myself in a calm, concentrated, almost zen mindset. No BS, just breathe, concentrate, work, do it right first, learn the form, have patience, don't give up. If at first I'm unable to do a new exercise, there's no self-esteem building nonsense...instead, the response that now makes me want to try again: "Hey, if it were easy, everyone would do it." And I don't want to be like "everyone." Or, perhaps more accurate, every "body."
I've come now to crave the time at the gym...and I'm working to substitute that craving for the one I have too much for alcohol. Somewhere in all this, your tips and philosophy resonate perfectly....there is no substitute for hard work, but do it right, learn the rules, and the rewards are very much worth it. Change your life for good, not just for a few months. Learn to live in the truth of reality not the lies of fads.
To make a long message short, thank you. What you offer is very valuable, and I am happy to have found your site just when I needed it. Serendipity is one of life's greatest gifts, eh?
All best,
Karen
Posted by: karen | June 27, 2008 11:50 PM
Hi Tom I have read many of these blogs and wanted to respond several times but just never did until now. This hit home with fun exercise. Let me explain, Jan 21 2008 I started your program and the reason I started it was I wanted to return to slalom water skiing and have set a goal to compete in a senior event and go to worlds. I am 52 now and have not skied since I was in my 20's. Anyway I was at 204lbs back in Jan and 30.05% Body fat and now at 171.2 16.42% body fat. The reason to do this if you want to compete in this sport you must be lean and strong. I wanted to know how many calories I was burning while skiing and found some info on the web so I tracked my time but it did not seem accurate to me so I looked at my heart rate monitor and saw it was water resistant to 50 m so I put it on and started the timer just before steeping into the water and here are the results: 31 min =401 calories WOW and the target heart rate was where it needed to be on average, The max was more extreme than I ever thought. I have tried this on several occasions with the same result! And talk about hit cardio I am getting the best of both worlds. I just wanted to let you know how right on your stuff is and how it has helped me all the way around including the fact I feel I will be better at 52 skiing than when I was at 20. Thanks Russ Winter Haven FL
Posted by: Russ | June 28, 2008 5:27 PM
Tom, as usual you offer a great practical perspective for comprehensive health. I share many of your beliefs, 'walk the talk,' and share them with my clients. May God bless you with continued success.
In Abundant Health for Life (TM)
David Isaac West, Chicago
Posted by: david | June 28, 2008 7:25 PM
Hi Tom,
I've been following your advice for some time. Keep up the good work. It's all just commonsense.
Please tell people to stop ...
eating a lot of ice cream / candy / chocolates and fast foods of all sorts, as well as bread and beer.
And tell them it's so simple really .. just GET OFF YOUR ASS and just DO something. Even vigorous housework helps.
I am 55 and cycle a mere 5 miles a day. But I do this passionately so I am sweating by the time I get to work. NATURAL CARDIO not in a gym!
UK is now the main FAT epidemic in whole of Europe. Kids eating crap food and some also drinking from age of 10 or so up.
As a cyclist in London, I have also had a number of what I call 'mild assaults' from kids who are too high on the wrong stuff, at too early an age.
Dave
Posted by: dave | June 29, 2008 9:28 PM
Cool article. Love the part about cardio not having to be in a gym. I've never been to a gym - except for once - went to my friend's gym that he owned to check it out. I wouldn't want to go to one every week that's for sure. Thanks again for the common sense... I try share a bit around at my blog www.takefit.com but its not up there with yours yet!
Posted by: Mckenna Wilson | July 1, 2008 10:54 PM
Dear Tom
Just loved your 2 secrets to effortless fat loss. I'm sure all your readers can relate to these. I guess while we see weight loss as deprivation or something we have to do we will probably never get it right. To enjoy what we do and what we eat will make it a whole lot easier.
Anna
Posted by: Anna | July 2, 2008 8:26 PM