Yes, I know it’s the most clichéd end of the year post… “Stuff I learned in the past year.”  But actually, I like this topic. I think it’s valuable to take time for reflection and recapitulation. I enjoy “lessons learned” posts from other people as well when they’re written by experts I respect.  I always pick up some insights that benefit me when I read them.  I haven’t written a post like this in a long time, so I suppose I could say this is stuff I’ve learned in the last 5 years, but it all came to mind now in December of 2011 in this one big brain dump. Hope you find it helpful – and in parts, entertaining…

The 52-year old guy in the e-mail exclaimed: “SHOW ME SOMEONE MY AGE!” All I was trying to do was motivate and inspire my readers by showing them some before and after success stories. But it was almost like this guy was mad at me because the examples I displayed were age 20-something to 30-something. Afterward, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was trying to figure out whether he had some deep-rooted self-limiting belief that it’s impossible to get in shape after a certain age, or whether he was positive and open-minded and simply looking for tips for older men to burn fat.   I figured maybe a little of both, and I thought I’d post my response on the blog because I think I can help and I’m sure there are lots of other men who would like to know this too…

Bread haters are just HANGRY… That’s right, they’re mad at the world because yummy bread and yummy pasta are forbidden to them, while we in the bodybuilding nutrition field know how to use carbs intelligently rather than demonize them completely…

They say “success leaves clues.” I’ve always liked that quote, which I first heard from Anthony Robbins, and which I’ve heard re-quoted by many others over the years.  Unfortunately, most people don’t follow the advice contained in those three words. They keep pursuing the lean, “hot body” the hard way; trying to figure it out on their own, starting from scratch without a mentor or guide, following the masses, buying into gimmicks and making the same mistakes over and over again.  There is a much easier way.

At the Burn the Fat Inner Circle member forums earlier this week, I got a question which comes up with alarming frequency: “Why isn’t my cardio working?”  Despite not only doing regular cardio for weeks, but actually increasing the duration of her workouts, she still saw no added fat loss and started wondering what she was doing wrong… or what was wrong with her!  I gave her the surprisingly simple answer, which I’ve printed for you as well in today’s blog and new research has added even more to the answer – it’s a NEAT explanation…

Can you lose a pound of fat per day?  No, that’s not a typo, I said lose a pound of fat per DAY not per WEEK.  Yeah, I know what you’re thinking (especially if you’re a regular Burn the Fat Blog or Tom Venuto reader), but don’t get yer britches in a bunch just yet, just read the post first, THEN let loose with your comments…

Everyone knows that women have it harder than men in the fat burning department to begin with… and if you’re a mom, chasing screaming little ones around the house all day long, you might as well forgo the thought of getting yourself in shape, at least until they’re all out of the nest… and if you’ve just given birth recently, well, just forget about your figure for a loonnnggg time – 9 months to grow a baby, another 9 months just to get your body back to normal… if everything ever “snaps” back at all…. right? Not so fast! In celebration of mothers day, I present to you, some of the “super moms” who have proven that none of these myths about motherhood and lack of fitness are actually true…

Acai Berry has been touted as a powerhouse superfood and weight loss miracle. The truth is, not only are most of the health claims unproven, the weight loss claims have no basis whatsoever.  Although the Acai craze probably peaked a couple years ago, it never went away and the acai berry diet is now back in the news. This month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed 10 more lawsuits against fake acai websites.  Shady business practices on the internet have made acai marketing one of the biggest scams in weight loss history, but people are still buying this baloney.  By the end of this article, you’ll have seen undeniable proof that the Acai Berry Weight Loss Diet is an absolute fraud.

If you’re fat, then you must be sick too, right? After all, countless studies have found associations between higher body mass index (BMI) and risk of disease (death too!) In fact, obesity has been linked to at least 20 diseases including diabetes, hypertension cardiovascular disease and even cancer. But why is it that some people are obese but not unhealthy? How do we explain this seeming paradox? Can you improve your health while you’re still overweight? And if you’re fat but healthy, should you bother losing weight at all? Hmmm… interesting questions… and I have answers!

After you succeed at burning off the fat, what then? How are you going to maintain your new body? What does your next set of 12 week, 6 month and 12 month goals look like? What’s your next fitness challenge? What’s going to keep you interested in training? How do you plan to stay motivated? What will prevent you from slipping back into old patterns?