Blog - Burn The Fat Blog

From Desperate to Damaged: The True Cost Of The Biggest Loser
From Desperate to Damaged: The True Cost Of The Biggest Loser

Hall of Shame, Weight Loss & Fat Loss

From Desperate to Damaged: The True Cost Of The Biggest Loser

2025-08-18T08:07:56-04:00By Tom Venuto|Hall of Shame, Weight Loss & Fat Loss|

Netflix’s Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser pulls back the curtain on one of the most popular - and most harmful - reality shows of its era. Behind the dramatic weigh-ins and transformations were contestants pushed to exhaustion, starved on 800-calorie diets, and left with long-term physical and psychological health damage. In this review, I revisit my 2009 critique with new revelations, exposing how a billion-dollar franchise thrived while participants paid the price.

The Biggest Loser Pros And Cons: An In-Depth Objective Review of Television’s Most Popular Reality Show
The Biggest Loser Pros And Cons: An In-Depth Objective Review of Television’s Most Popular Reality Show

Classic Posts, Weight Loss & Fat Loss

The Biggest Loser Pros And Cons: An In-Depth Objective Review of Television’s Most Popular Reality Show

2025-08-17T13:20:31-04:00By Tom Venuto|Classic Posts, Weight Loss & Fat Loss|

With a new Biggest Loser documentary debuting on Netflix, I’m revisiting my one and only viewing of the show - the Season 8 premiere - which I watched solely to write this review. What I saw was extreme crash dieting, dangerous workout stunts (including a medevac), and humiliating weigh-ins. My in-depth article breaks down the show’s pros and cons - the good, the bad, and the ugly - from a fitness professional’s perspective.

Terrible Tabloids And Their Weight Loss Lies
Terrible Tabloids And Their Weight Loss Lies

Hall of Shame

Terrible Tabloids And Their Weight Loss Lies

2025-08-04T21:41:43-04:00By Tom Venuto|Hall of Shame|

For as long as I can remember, I’ve noticed those tabloid rags at the supermarket checkout line. It’s hard not to. I’m a captive audience - just standing there while the person in front of me fumbles with coupons - and right at eye level are the wildest headlines. But I don’t just notice them because I’m bored. I notice them because I’m a professional fat loss coach, and when I see outrageous health and weight loss claims, warning alarms go off in my head.

The 8 Biggest Myths About Meal Planning For Weight Loss
The 8 Biggest Myths About Meal Planning For Weight Loss

Meal Planning

The 8 Biggest Myths About Meal Planning For Weight Loss

2025-07-18T12:38:15-04:00By Tom Venuto|Meal Planning|

Did you know that nearly 80% of people who lose weight end up gaining it all back within one year? (Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). It’s not because they’re lazy. It’s not because they choose to be overweight. And it’s definitely not because they lack willpower. After more than three decades in the fitness world, and after coaching thousands of people, I started to understand the real problem...

Cardio Intensity for Fat Loss: How Hard Should You Really Work Out?
Cardio Intensity for Fat Loss: How Hard Should You Really Work Out?

Cardio Training, Classic Posts, Exercise & Fitness

Cardio Intensity for Fat Loss: How Hard Should You Really Work Out?

2025-07-11T16:27:10-04:00By Tom Venuto|Cardio Training, Classic Posts, Exercise & Fitness|

Intensity is one of the most important training variables, and at times, it's definitely beneficial to push yourself and train with high intensity (effort level) especially if you're short on time and want efficiency. But can you get too much of a good thing? How much intensity is too much? Do you need "insanely" hard workouts that bring you to your knees to maximize your potential? Read on to find out...

Diet Myths: 20 Things That Quacks, Cons And Charlatans Say
Diet Myths: 20 Things That Quacks, Cons And Charlatans Say

Hall of Shame, Weight Loss & Fat Loss

Diet Myths: 20 Things That Quacks, Cons And Charlatans Say

2025-07-07T13:19:09-04:00By Tom Venuto|Hall of Shame, Weight Loss & Fat Loss|

It’s an amazing time to be alive. Today, there’s not only more health fitness and nutrition knowledge available at your fingertips than ever before, but also more evidence-based (scientific) information. The problem in this new internet age is that mixed in with some of the best info we have ever had, is an equal if not larger amount of misinformation circulated by quacks, cons and charlatans. In this post, Tom Venuto debunks 20 of the biggest diet myths

How Lifting Weights “Backwards” Helps You Keep Gaining Muscle And Lifting Pain Free For Life
How Lifting Weights “Backwards” Helps You Keep Gaining Muscle And Lifting Pain Free For Life

bodybuilding, Weight Training

How Lifting Weights “Backwards” Helps You Keep Gaining Muscle And Lifting Pain Free For Life

2025-06-27T18:43:18-04:00By Tom Venuto|bodybuilding, Weight Training|

There are standard guidelines for choosing all your weight training variables. Traditional trainers and textbooks advise us to follow these rules if we want the best results in strength and muscle growth. But sometimes, after you’ve learned the rules, it pays to break them and do things completely “backwards.” This is especially important to understand as you get older and joint pain becomes an issue you have to deal with...

The 7 Biggest Lifting Mistakes That Kill Your Muscle Gains
The 7 Biggest Lifting Mistakes That Kill Your Muscle Gains

Gain Muscle, Weight Training

The 7 Biggest Lifting Mistakes That Kill Your Muscle Gains

2025-06-20T14:44:15-04:00By Tom Venuto|Gain Muscle, Weight Training|

If you’ve been lifting but your muscle gains have stalled - or never really took off - this post is for you. Discover the 7 biggest training mistakes that sabotage progress and how to fix them fast. From poor intensity and lack of progressive overload to ego lifting and inconsistent programs, these are the real reasons you’re not seeing results. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gym-goer, this checklist will help you break through plateaus and start building serious muscle, starting today...

How To Lose A Pound of Fat Per Day (Rapid Fat Loss Revisited)
How To Lose A Pound of Fat Per Day (Rapid Fat Loss Revisited)

Weight Loss & Fat Loss

How To Lose A Pound of Fat Per Day (Rapid Fat Loss Revisited)

2025-06-20T14:34:21-04:00By Tom Venuto|Weight Loss & Fat Loss|

Lose a pound a day? That's easy. I once cut 8 pounds in a day to make a weight class. I have wrestler friends who have cut more than that. Based on my experience alone, I have no doubt you can lose 7 pounds in 7 days or 10 pounds in 10 days like all those crazy ads claim. It doesn't even have to take that long. BUT... Weight loss and fat loss are not the same thing. Can you really lose a pound of FAT per day?

Weekends And Weight Loss: Why 5 – 2 = 0
Weekends And Weight Loss: Why 5 – 2 = 0

Weight Loss & Fat Loss

Weekends And Weight Loss: Why 5 – 2 = 0

2025-06-02T10:47:39-04:00By Tom Venuto|Weight Loss & Fat Loss|

5 days of perfect nutrition and training during the week can get wiped out by 2 days of indulgence on the weekend. In fact, it’s possible that even 1 day of weekend excess can set you back far enough that your net weekly results are a wash. Trainers get frustrated when the work they do with their clients all week long in the gym gets erased between Friday night and Monday Morning. As they say, “You can’t out-train a bad diet.” Today, however, it’s not just trainers who believe that 5 minus 2 equals 0. Scientists have also confirmed it.