Tom Venuto Interview
Tom Venuto author of
Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle has turned 40, and
was recently interviewed about the success of his book (being readied for a version 2.0 to be released later this year). I reviewed Burn the Fat a few years ago and got great results with it myself.
If getting into single digit body fat is your goal, and you’re serious about your training and nutrition lifestyle, then Tom’s book may very well give you the guidance you need to fulfill your dream.
Find out what’s new with Tom Venuto and
read what he has to say about the Internets most famous and effective weight loss system.
Labels: burn fat, Burn The Fat, fat loss, interviews, Tom Venuto, weight loss
Fat Man Unleashed - Interview Part 3
As I said in Part 1 of this interview with
healthy weight loss blogger Israel Lagares, in his best shape, a few years ago, standing 6 feet tall and weighing a muscular 235 pounds, Israel enjoyed living the fit life, working out and turning food into muscle. A few years later, having fallen off the fitness wagon and tending to not so healthy foods, he put on some weight and ballooned up to 348 pounds.
It happens to the best of us, something happens, life gets in the way, and for whatever reason, the guru of health or fitness gains some weight back.
Part 1 of this interview discussed his fitness routine, while
part 2 was about his diet. We conclude this week with part 3, the Mental Game of getting back in shape.
The Mental Game of Getting Back Into Shape
How important is the mental aspect to your training and nutritional program?
Crucial. Your head has to be in the game. You need to be mentally prepared to undertake the ups and downs that a diet or training program can have on you. There are going to be days when you just want to give it all up, but you need to dig down deep and stick with it.
Do you have any favorite sayings? Quotes? Anything that inspires you to be better, train harder or be more diligent with your eating?
My favorite saying is "Just Do It." I think it explains itself.
What happens when things don't go your way?
I cry like a baby. LOL. Seriously though, I just look at the positives and try to build on them.
How do you deal with boredom in your program?
I tweak it. I tweak out the boredom every so often. Tweaking can be anything from adding/replacing a specific exercise to changing the location of your workouts to alternating a workout altogether (incorporating boxing instead of running).
How does missing a workout affect you?
It really brings me down. I feel guilty and then want to make up for it by over training, so it behoove me to not miss a workout.
What do you do about it?
It rarely happens, but if I do I have a super intense workout the next day. This usually leads to some sort of strain, but i fight through it.
I try to plan ahead of time so that I don't miss any workouts.
How important is a reward meal or a cheat meal from a mental perspective?
It depends on the person. I can go a few weeks without a cheat meal and be fine, but some folks may need one cheat meal a week to stay sane. If that's what works for you, then go for it. When the time comes for a cheat meal you usually won't really overeat if you have been committing to your workouts and dieting. But, like I said, it depends on the individual. The best thing to do is find what works for you and stick to it.
I want to thank Israel for taking the time out of his busy schedule to participate in this interview series. Read about his
fitness routine, his
weight loss program in parts one and two and more about him on his
weight loss blog.
Labels: blogger-interviews, interviews, Israel-lagares, weight-loss-blogs
Fat Man Unleashed - Interview Part 2
Last week I began my three part interview series with Israel Lagares who runs his
healthy weight loss blog Fat Man Unleashed.
Part one of the series was about his
fitness routine, and this week we continue with his nutritional program.
Describe the diet you're following to achieve your goal.
I am on a balanced protein, carb, low fat intake diet. I eat a lot of fruit, veggies and chicken. I don't eat a lot of refined or processed foods. I don't drink anything but water and green tea. Simple.
Yep, sounds pretty simple. Seems we both believe eathing natural foods is the way to go. What is the main focus of the diet? (ie: cutting calories? cutting fat? eating natural?)
Initially it was cutting calories, but now I have focused on eating more fruits and veggies to "fill" me up.
So Volumization then? High fiber foods? How many meals a day are you eating?
I strive for 5 to 6 but am more at about 4 to 4.75 meals a day.
I'm finding the same thing. As I eat higher nutrient density foods and higher fiber foods, I'm full longer and eating 5 or 6 meals is a little more tricky. Does the rest of your family / household eat the same way as you?
With the exception of my daughter, yes. My wife has been an integral part in our healthy eating.
Nice. It's always good to have support when it comes to nutrition. I had no idea you had a daughter. Do you allow for a reward meal (cheat meal) [explain how often and how you manage it if the answer is yes, also your favorite cheat meals]
Man o man. I love food. As of right now I am not allowing cheat meals, but I usually do when I am not an such an intense program. My favorite cheat meals are pizza, chicken Alfredo, and lasagna.
What about supplements? Which if any supplements do you add to your diet?
I supplement with a multivitamin, amino acids, creatine, glutamine, and protein.
I used creatine and Glutamine for years. Right now I'm sticking with Sunrider foods for my supplementation. Ok, what about Coffee? Would you choose coffee or green tea?
GREEN TEA! I refuse to drink coffee.
Nice. Coffee is battery acid. Ok, what about water? Would you choose water by itself? or do you dress it up with some sort of mix? or do you drink a calorie free beverage?
Agua.
Eating healty must be expensive for you? How much do you spend on food in a given week / month?
We spend about $100 to 150 a week on groceries.
Awesome. That's less than me. Are there any foods you outright avoid and DO NOT eat?
Yes, definitely. I make a concerted effort to avoid eating anything from a fast food restaurant.
List your top 2 supplements [and why if it applies]?
Glutamine and multivitamins. Glutamine helps my body with the recovery process and multivitamins help fill the void when I don't get all of my nutrients from food.
And finally Isreal, how about leaving some tips for the readers. Please describe 3 of your best eating or dieting tips:
It's important to prepare. Prepare or plan your meals in advance. Know what you are going to eat well in advance that way you don't have to think about anything when the time comes. It's also important to forget.
If you have a bad day you need to acknowledge that you messed up and move on. Dwelling on the fact that you ate 2 whole pizza pies doesn't do anything but make you feel like crap. Put it behind you and get back on track with your life and diet. Finally, drink water. Water is your best friend. It helps with cleaning out your system, filling you up, and processing your foods.
The interview will continue next week when I talk with the Fat Man about his mental mindset to his training and nutrition. For more info about Israel, visit his
weight loss blog.
Read this interview from the beginning -
Israel's fitness routine.
Labels: blogger-interviews, interviews, Israel-lagares
Fat Man Unleashed - An Interview with Israel
In his best shape, a few years ago, Israel Lagares stood 6 feet tall and weighed a muscular 235 pounds. Israel enjoyed living the fit life, working out and turning food into muscle. A few years later, having fallen off the fitness wagon and tending to not so healthy foods, he put on some weight and ballooned up to 348 pounds.
Out of shape and wanting to turn his life around, Israel launched his
weight loss blog Fat Man Unleashed, in May of 2007 to chronicle the weight loss challenge that lay ahead of him.
In this first part of a three part interview, I ask Israel about the fitness routine that he's following to get him to his goal. In the following two weeks, we'll also discuss his nutritional approach and then finish up with the mental aspect.
Israel, or "Fat Man" as he likes to call himself, is a 27 year old man from Tampa Florida.
Hi Israel, thanks for doing the interview. Lets start with your goals shall we? What is your current fitness or exercise goal?
Thanks Rob, glad to be here. My immediate goal is to get to 265 lbs. while maintaining my strength and muscularity.
What methods are you using to achieve your goal?
I am on a healthy diet, weight training intensely, and performing cardiovascular exercises regularly.
Describe the exercise program you're following to achieve your goal
I do cardio 7 days a week, alternating starting my mornings with a HIIT session or a stationary bike session. I then follow that up later in the day with another cardio bike session. My HIIT sessions are short and intense, no more than 30 minutes, and my stationary bike sessions are from 45 minutes to an hour while I catch up on some television or movies. I also make an effort to be more active than usual, i.e. go for long walks and play at the park with the family.
I also strength train every other day on the days that I don't perform a HIIT session. Lately I have been focusing on compound, multi joint exercises that develop my large muscle groups. I have temporarily eliminated any single joint movements, such as arm curls. My lifting sessions are short, 30 minutes or less, and are heavily focuses around squatting and deadlifting.
Brilliant - going for the big muscle groups first. Is this a year round exercise program?
No, it is not. It's just a program I put together to help achieve my current goal.
What was your exercise program like prior to setting this current goal?
My previous exercise routine did not include as much cardio and did not focus solely on compound movements.
What results are you expecting from this exercise program?
I expect to lose a lot of fat while maintaining muscle mass. I'm also expecting to maintain my endurance and strength.
When do you expect to reach your goal?
I should reach my goal towards the end of June.
Do you have a reward for reaching your goal? What is it?
Nothing really besides going to the beach with my shirt off and telling friends about it. lol.
Nice. Which is more important - Weight training or cardiovascular training in a weight loss / fat loss program?
I'm no expert, but I would say both are equally as important. They still come in second to your diet.
How often do you change your exercise program?
I usually tweak my routines every 6 to 9 weeks.
Do you allow for down time at all? Recovery time?
I'll have plenty of recovery time when I die. Just kidding, I do. It's very important for your body to recover from all of the punishment it gets. Sleep is crucial!
Yes, sleep is critical. What do you do if you simply do not want to go to the gym on a given day?
I have the luxury of working out at home. I have a gym set up in my backyard with all of my equipment, so I have no excuses to not train. If I felt like not working out I would convince myself to go for just 10 minutes and leave. This usually works because 10 minutes was enough to get me going and wanting to stay and finish up my session.
Really? a backyard gym. I'd love to see a picture of it and share it with my readers.
Subscribe to my blog posts using the form below to read the upcoming parts of the interview series with Israel Lagares. Next week I'll ask him about his diet and then finish up with his mental approach.
For more information on this blogger, visit his
healthy weigh loss website
Fat Man Unleashed. Aside from blogging, Israel is the editor of the brand new
health news website dedicated to health and health topics,
Health Ranker.
Labels: blogger-interviews, interviews, Israel-lagares, weight-loss-blogs
Weight Loss Interviews - Steve
Steve was 160 pounds when he graduated from high school and entered the Navy but years later, at 38 and being married for almost 13 years, he broke the 200 pound mark topping out at 212. Steve says he started
burn the fat, feed the muscle on my recommendation and dropped 25 pounds. A knee injury a few months later stopped him in his tracks and the weight began to creep back on.
He started blogging about his journey on the website
No More Fat Dad, and says his turning point was in 2005 when he overheard one of his young sons friends say "Your dad’s fat!"
After dropping 21 pounds in the past 11 weeks, he's on a mission to pass the Navy SEAL fitness challenge.
Steve, aka No More Fat Dad, is a 38 year old sales engineer for a small company that sells Google Enterprise solutions to the U.S. Federal Government and hails from Cleveland, Ohio.
Thanks for taking the time to do the interview Steve. I'm glad I had an impact on you - it's why I run the site here. I know you're married, so tell me a little about your wife.
I'm lucky to be married to Christine, the best wife ever. Nobody else would put up with me as much as she does. We've been married for 12, going on 13 years.
Awesome. I'm lucky enough to be blessed with a very good woman too. What about the kids?
As if having the best wife wasn't enough of a blessing, I have two great young boys. Zach is 8 and Alex is 6. They enjoy all types of sports, playing tag, riding their bikes and scooters, Pokemon (ugh!) and reading and their Nintendo DS'.
Tell me more about why you started your weight loss program. Did you have a specific reason to start?
Several actually, but two that are the most important to me.
A few years back, 2005 I think it was, I knew I was overweight. I topped out at 212 pounds and decided to do something about it. Your site was one of the first I came across and your story was very inspirational. You also led me to Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle and that helped me drop around 25 pounds.
Unfortunately, I hurt my knees on a trampoline (that's when I realized I'm not 18 anymore) and was unable to keep running, which was my main cardio workout. I tend to be an "all or nothing" kind of guy, so when I couldn't run anymore, I gave up all together.
Fast forward a few years. I put back on the weight I'd lost and was now at 208. This past fall, during my boy's flag football season, I was messing around with the kids and one of them told Zach "you're dad's fat"! That absolutely floored me. I'd never been called fat in my life. Heck, when I joined the Navy, I was 160 pounds and I'm 5' 11".
That comment made me re-evaluate my health and fitness. I didn't want to be known as the fat dad and I'm sure my son's didn't want to hear me getting called names like that. I knew it was time to do something, but with the holidays coming, I decided to wait until the new year.
The second reason is because I haven't slept with my wife for the better part of 5 years. I found out that when I hit 190-192 on the scale, I snore every night. And when I say snore, I mean bring the house down snore. Not only do I snore on my back, I snore on my side, front, no matter the position I'm in, I snore. Christine wasn't able to get any sleep and with her being a stay-at-home mother, she really needed it. So I've been relegated to the guest room these past 5 years.
I finally realized that our "arrangement" wasn't too good for our marriage. We're like all the typical couples, we have our ups and our downs. But not sleeping together really changes the dynamics. It's more like we're live in friends with benefits than husband and wife. I wanted to be husband and wife again.
What was your starting weight and your current weight?
This time around, my starting weight was 208 pounds. Currently I'm at 187 for a total loss so far of 21 pounds in 11 weeks.
21 pounds in 11 weeks - Congratulations, well done. Do you have a weight loss goal? Is it a weight number or body fat number you're shooting for?
I have a few goals, both mini-goals and ultimate goals. My weight goal is 180 pounds, but I'm re-evaluating that right now. Since I'm just 7 pounds a way, I can see in the mirror that I can stand to lose more so I'm going to adjust that down to 170.
I typically set mini-goals at the 5 pound marks. So right now, I'm at 187, my mini-goal is 185. After that, my mini-goal is 180. It's a lot easier to focus on the smaller goals that ultimately get you to the big goals.
Just this past week, I put down a body fat percentage goal of 20%. That's my current goal, with my ultimate goal being 15%. When I get there, I may want to get leaner, but I'm pretty sure that's the leanest I've ever been in my adult life so I'll be extremely happy with that.
My final goal is to fit back into size 32 jeans. It was pretty embarrassing to have a waist size that is 20% bigger than the length of my pants. As of yesterday, I'm comfortably in 34s and when I started, I was busting out of my 36's (I refused to buy 38s).
Nice goals. I like the idea of mini goals that you're setting. Instead of looking at the "big picture" and being overwhelmed with 50 pounds to lose, shoot for 5 pounds at a time. Awesome stuff. What sort of exercise program are you following?
I started off with the Men's Health Belly Off program. It's kind of funny, in December I received a copy of Men's Health in the mail. I hadn't subscribed, and nobody I know admitted to subscribing me, but I'm glad I got it. That issue had a short mention of the Belly Off program. Since I knew I was going to start something at the beginning of the year, I decided to check it out.
I loved it! Short workouts that relied on body weight and just a few pieces of simple equipment (fit ball, chinup bar) that I could do at home. I signed up, printed off the materials and got started on January 8th.
The Belly Off program is 8 weeks long. As I was nearing the end of the 8 weeks, I started looking for something else. Since I'm no fitness expert, I knew I couldn't do it on my own. I needed a plan like Belly Off.
The creator of Belly Off, Craig Ballantyne, has another program called Turbulence Training. I decided to stick with what was working and downloaded Turbulence Training which I've been doing since the beginning of March.
I'm in the process of interviewing
Craig Ballantyne right now. Excellent program, that Turbulence Training. Tell me more about your experience with Turbulence Training.
You could say I'm a gym rat now. I'm in the gym 4-5 times a week. But the beauty of Turbulence Training is that I'm only there for an hour at the most each time. All told, I spend 5 hours a week in the gym.
Three days a week I do resistance training and then interval training. Once a week I'm in the pool swimming laps getting ready for the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge in May. If I'm feeling like I need some extra work, I'll throw in one extra interval session for the week.
What's y our favorite exercise?
I really enjoy the swimming. Having been born in Miami and growing up on the water, I was always a strong swimmer. After years of being out of the water, it's been fun getting back into the water on a regular basis.
Out of the exercises I do for resistance training, I'd have to say pullups are my favorite. Simply because, when I started I couldn't do a single one. Over the past 11 weeks I've been able to build up my strength to the point that I can do 5. I love the challenge of trying to improve on something I wasn't able to do at all before.
Oh I know how that is - I love seeing the progression of strength - to be able to lift something that you couldn't before, to be able to do more pushups than when you started, it's awesome. When I began back in 1990 I could only do 3 pushups and I had to do them incline on the stairs. Are there any obstacles you had to overcome to begin exercising / keep exercising?
In the beginning it was all mental. I had to overcome the lazy habits I'd developed over the years. It was a struggle to wake up in the mornings to go do my intervals. Or I would make excuses for not getting the bodyweight workouts in at night. It was all an internal mental battle.
But over time, that changed. So much so, that if I couldn't get a planned workout in when I wanted, I'd get grumpy and feel miserable. After overcoming the mental obstacles, I looked forward to working out and started seeking new challenges.
What is your goal in regards to exercising?
Obviously, this is a lifestyle not a short term program. Keeping that in mind, I've been looking for challenges to keep me motivated to stay healthy.
For example, I've signed up for the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge taking place in May. To pass the challenge you have to complete the following test;
500M swim (breast stroke or side stroke) in 12:00 minutes or less
40 pushups (or more) in 2:00 minutes
40 situps (or more) in 2:00 minutes
6 pullups (no time limit)
1.5 mile run in 12:00 minutes or less
I figure if I can pass that, I'm in good shape. And, it's a great reason for me to keep going. I don't want to get to the challenge and embarrass myself and it would be fun to do better than some of the kids trying it.
I'm also doing a triathlon sprint this summer. It's just one more event that will keep me motivated.
That's my plan for staying in shape. Constantly seek out new challenges that will push me to stay fit and get better all the time.
Great goals - I wish you the best of luck with the SEAL fitness Challenge. Be sure to let us know how that goes. What sort of nutrition program are you following?
None really. At least not any book type of plan.
In the past, I'd obsess over each calorie, measuring out everything. I kept track of everything I ate and worried all the time. That was just too much for me and I couldn't sustain it.
This time around, I decided to count calories for the first few weeks to get a baseline. Once I had that, I was able to figure out what I could eat for my meals and snacks and I've stuck with that.
My basic approach has been to eliminate all the processed foods, the junk food, the sugars and the sodas. I've replaced all that with whole natural foods, lots of fruits and veggies. One of the immediate benefits I noticed was that my sweet cravings (I'm a HUGE chocoholic) were gone within a week.
When I eat out or I'm in a situation where I don't control what I'm eating or how much is put on my plate, I just rely on portion control.
What is one of the cardinal rules of nutrition that you have learned, always follow or never break?
Dump the sodas & drink lots of water! I went cold turkey on January 1 and it's made a huge difference. It was nothing for me to go through a 6 pack a day (with no water), and there was usually a twinkie or a little debbie or a chocolate bar going down with each one of those sodas. That is the one food item I do not allow myself to have any more.
Do you have a food tip that you'd like to share?
Sure. Have fun with your food. I was a picky eater vowing I'd never eat "rabbit food" (aka salads). The only veggies I'd touch were beans, peas and corn.
Living this new lifestyle required me to get adventurous with my food. I've since learned that I love avocados, spinach, salads, mangoes, carrots, figs and a lot more. Each time I go to the store, I look for something new to try out from the fruit and veggie isle. I've discovered a whole new world and it's made eating a lot more fun since I'm not having the same old thing day in and day out.
Nice. Greens are good! Do you allow for a reward meal? A reward day?
Not really. I don't feel like I'm depriving myself of anything so I don't think I need to have a reward meal/day.
The one indulgence I do allow myself when I reach a goal or after being good for a few days is a square or two of dark chocolate. As I mentioned before, I'm a chocoholic. One of the lessons I've learned is that just one or two small squares of dark chocolate is enough to satisfy me, I don't need the entire bar or bag to enjoy it.
How important do you regard proper rest and sleep in your weight loss program?
Rest and sleep are very important to me. Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night allows your body to release chemicals that help in weight loss and muscle building. If you get any less, your body will release stress hormones which can sabotage your weight loss. I'd rather work with my body than against it.
What sort of nutritional supplements do you use?
Not a single one. Besides being cheap, I just don't think they work. If they did, we wouldn't have this obesity epidemic going on while the supplement industry continues to set revenue records. Everyone taking the supplements would be fit and slim and the companies pushing them wouldn't have any more customers. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I think the pharma companies, and others, are in this for themselves, not to help me or anyone else truly get in shape.
Why did you start blogging your journey at
www.nomorefatdad.com?
My original goal of
www.nomorefatdad.com was to share my experiences doing the Belly Off program with everyone else on the program. I figured if I was going through something, others were too and it may help them to know they're not alone. It was also a way for me to share my success with them so they could see that the program works.
Obviously, this put pressure on me to keep going because I couldn't live with myself if I just gave up with others watching. So it was great for accountability. Once I started getting some readers and feedback it made me want to keep going and do the best I could.
It turns out, what I started for the purpose of helping others ended up helping me. I've received quite a few messages and comments telling me how motivational I am. ME! That's very humbling to have others say you've motivated them and I'm happy I could do something for them. I never thought of it that way, but just knowing I was motivating even one other person really made the blog worth it and pushed me to succeed.
I've also received great feedback when I needed help. The power of the web community is amazing and I'm always very appreciative when someone offers advice. Thank you to all the NMFD readers and people who comment, I owe a lot to each and every one of you.
If you had any advice to anyone who's considering starting a weight loss journey, or someone who knows they should start but haven't yet, what would you say?
Stop thinking, start doing and realize it will be hard work.
A favorite quote of mine is "
To have more, you must first be more", written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. That quote sits on my desk and stares at me every day. To me it means, if you want to be fit or in shape you have to put in the hard work. Nothing comes easy and nothing is handed to you. You have to go out and get it. When you've put in the work and you've given it everything, you'll eventually become the person you want to be, you'll be "more".
Awesome Steve, thanks for all the insight into your new lifestyle. Thanks also for the heads up on the Navy SEAL fitness challenge - I'll have a longer look at it in the future.
For more information on what was discussed here in the interview, check out my interview with
Turbulence Training author
Craig Ballantyne, the
Navy SEAL fitness challenge and
Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. Steve's exercise program this time around was inspired by his participation in the
Mens Health Belly Off Program.
My last weight loss blogger interview was with
Andrew Scott, another blogger doing
Turbulence Training.Labels: blogger-interviews, interviews, weight-loss, weight-loss-blogs
Weight Loss Blog Interviews - Andrew Scott
I had to opportunity to interview Andrew Scott, a Scotsman living in Indonesia about his weight loss program. I met Andrew when he answered the call to be a beta tester for the 12 week course in whole food eating I'm developing. In a post I did the other day about other
weight loss blogs, I quoted from Andrew's website
Discipline or Regret where he says:
It’s time to think for myself, it’s time to educate myself about my body and the foods that I eat and how exercise affects it. And that’s what I did, for months I read and asked people and read some more. Then the time comes when all that knowledge has to be turned into actions to be come wisdom. I had to initiate all the information I had, and I am ... I am embracing the pain of discipline because I don’t want to suffer the pain of regret!
Hi Andrew, thanks for doing the interview. Lets start with your age.
I'm 29 Rob.
Where are you currently living?
I live in Surabaya, Indonesia, but I'm originally from Scotland
And what do you do in Indonesia?
I'm a happily married English teacher with an eleven month old son
What was your reason for starting your weight loss program?
I went on a Dr. visit in January and he told me if I don't lose weight I probably wont see 40. I have a beautiful wife and son, heck I have got lots to live for!
Wow, powerful motivation. What was your starting weight when you began?
My starting weight 15 weeks ago was 302lbs and now it's 282lbs
Congratulations - well done Andrew! 20 pounds down in 15 weeks, a safe and effective weight loss. Do you have a weight loss goal? Is it a weight number or body fat number you’re shooting for?
My weight loss goal is 220lbs, I am going home to Scotland in June for a holiday and I'll be having my body fat checked out. I also have a goal of a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.92
What sort of exercise program are you following?
At the start I was using the Abs Diet and then I started making my own workouts. But now I am following the Turbulence Training workouts
Yes, Turbulence Training by Craig Ballantyne, excellent. I'm in the middle of an
interview with Craig Ballantyne right now. How often do you workout / train?
I am doing 3 strength training workouts per week (Mon, Wed & Fri) and then 3 interval training workouts on the other days (Tue, Thu & Sat), with Sundays off. I do all my workouts at 4am in the morning, not because I want to but it's the only time I have.
Wow, 6 workouts a week, awesome, and 4 am! now that's commitment. Someone who's driven to get results, to get to their goal will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Nice to see you putting in such a huge effort. What's your favorite exercise?
I enjoy working my back and chest muscles, so anything that works them and gets them burning.
Are there any obstacles you had to overcome to begin exercising / keep exercising?
Getting up at 4am! If I try to do my workouts after work I get lazy and then inconsistent.
What is your goal in regards to exercising?
I am really digging into the science of exercising, before I would focus on small muscles but now I am targeting the big muscle groups to blast my fat!
Yes, once you begin exercising or make a change in your eating program, it's always fun to read more and discover the science of it all. I like science, but I like the ancient / natural approaches too. The natural approaches seem to get forgotten by maney. What sort of nutrition program are you following?
I started off with the Abs Diet program. But now I am happy to say that I am beta testing your "12 weeks to a Former Fat Guy" course; coming away from processed foods and sugar.
Yes, that's kinda how we met, you're a subscriber of my newsletter and when I put out the request for beta testers, you answered. Thanks for being involved. What is one of the cardinal rules of nutrition that you have learned, always follow or never break?
There are many that I don't want to break with my new lifestyle; I drink bottled water (about 2.5 - 3 liters per day). Eating more protein, and low carbs. One thing I have learnt is that not all carbs are bad.
Yep, it's mostly processed carbs that are bad, not all carbs. Do you have a food tip that you’d like to share?
Eat between meals!! Don't let anyone tell you that you can't eat between meals. If you have healthy snacks between your meals then you'll spike your metabolism into burning fat throughout the day.
Do you allow for a reward meal? A reward day?
I have a Cheat Meal usually on Saturdays for my dinner. Everything can be on the menu, but I am usually still very careful.
Ah ha, I see you're regarding it as a cheat meal, not a reward meal - interesting. How important do you regard proper rest and sleep in your weight loss program?
If I don't get a good nights sleep then my muscles wont get the recovery they need. I would like to be getting about 8 hours per night, but at the moment I am getting about 7 hours. I try to have a 30 min nap on workout days at about 4pm.
What sort of nutritional supplements do you use?
I am using Whey Protein.
Why did you start blogging your journey at http://www.disciplineorregret.com?
I started the blog to keep myself accountable and to encourage others.
Awesome. Tell the world your story and your goals and you have a huge audience to keep accountable to. Nice. If you had any advice to anyone who’s considering starting a weight loss journey, or someone who knows they should start but haven’t yet, what would you say?
Be very careful with all the weight loss lies out there. Start to educate your self with eating & exercise. I have but myself into this formula.
Educate + Initiate + Evaluate = Success! People can motivate you but you really need to take yourself seriously and know what you want and how to get there.
Evaluation is the key to show you where you have come from (mini successes) and also how you can build upon and improve what you are doing.
Thanks for taking a moment out of your busy day to share your story with us Andrew.
You can visit Andrew's website at
Disipline or RegretLabels: blogger-interviews, interviews, weight loss, weight-loss-blogs
Original 300 Workout by Mark Twight
The original 300 workout, designed for the actors of the movie 300, is definitely a challenge. Here’s how it goes:
a) Pullups - 25 reps
b) Deadlifts with 135lbs - 50 reps
c) Pushups - 50 reps
d) 24-inch Box jumps - 50 reps
e) Floor wipers - 50 reps
f) 1-arm Clean & Press with 36lbs Kettlebell - 50 reps
g) Pullups - 25 reps
And remember, there is NO scheduled rest between exercises. Although eventually, you’ll slow down.
Craig Ballantyne has done this workout in 19 minutes and 7 seconds, but he cautions people, not to do this all the time. This is something you have to work towards and do as a “1 time” shot to test yourself every other month or so. Read Craig’s thoughts on the
300 workout. The 300 workout was done against the clock, the quicker you could get it done, the higher you ranked. Mark Twight, the creator, used it as a way for
the 300 movie actors to compete against one another in their fitness levels.
If you’re going to do this, train for it, then do it on the clock. Then train for it for a few more months, then try and beat your time. That’s how it works. If it takes you an hour the first time, then 55 minutes the second time, you got better. Get it?
My goal is simple: to just complete it, and then to do it in under an hour by the end of the year. I'm not in THAT great a shape yet, but I intend to be. This 40th year for me is going to be my best!
Craig Ballantyne, the creator of
Turbulence Training, is sometimes credited with the workout because of his work with Mens Health magazine. He put together the 300 workout video and now gets credited for the actual workout.
Turbulence Training Author Interview
I didn’t actually create the 300 workout.
It was designed by Mark Twight. He trained the guys for the movie.
I just showed all the exercises in a video I did for Men’s Health.
... says Craig in part 4 of my interview with him.
Craig has a passion for teaching people how to burn fat and train with fat loss in mind. He combines complimentary exercises into workouts A and B which you perform intensely resulting in strength building while
maximizing fat loss.
The
Turbulence Training interview was paused due to technical difficulties a few weeks ago, but I decided to release the first four parts while I get things moving again.
Labels: 300-movie, burn fat, craig-ballantyne, fat loss, interviews, turbulence-training
Brad King Author of Fat Wars Live Interview
I was vegetarian for 12 years and Vegan for 2 of that. Just as I was considering the switch over to an animal based protein diet again, Brad King's information came into my life. I had read Fat Wars just as I began to eat chicken again. What I learned and what I experienced were congruent with each other. My metabolism fired up, I began to get leaner, I had more energy and my blood sugar stabilized.
I actually fought to have Brad on my show and I'm so glad he accepted.
Brad has been highlighted in numerous national magazines, health publications and newspapers including Maclean's, Chatelaine, alive, Total Health, Oxygen, Canadian Health & Fitness, Canada's Healthy Living Guide, Common Ground, Health & Vitality, The National Post, Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun and Times Colonist. Brad has appeared as a leading health and fitness expert on national television programs in both Canada and the U.S., including The Today Show, Canada AM, Balance TV, Cityline and Body and Health and has also been featured on hundreds of Canadian and U.S. radio talk shows.
To say Brad is passionate about his message would be an understatement as you'll hear in the interview.
Brad King and I discuss how to burn fat, how protein plays a role in shrinking our fat cells and it's role in anti-aging. We also discuss the importance of whole foods, reducing processed carbohydrates and how incredibly important water is in our life and it's role in the fat burning process.
Listen to the 1 hour long
interview with Brad King, the author of
Fat Wars.
Labels: interviews
Udo's Oil - Udo Erasmus Live Interview
I had interviewed Udo Erasmus, the creator of Udo's Oil and the Perfect Oil Blend, back in the spring of 2003 when I had my internet radio show, and it was one of my personal highlights. I have used / eaten Udo's Oil since 1991 or earlier. I recommend it to all my clients, friends and associates as one of the best ways to burn fat and improve every aspect of your health.
Now, a short (personal joke there) 4 years later, I've posted the interview here on my website.
To listen to Udo Erasmus and I discuss Good Fats, Bad Fats, Trans Fats, Probiotics, CLA and how
Udo's Oil can increase your body's ability to burn fat and build muscle, visit my
Udo Erasmus Interview.
Labels: Good Fat, interviews, Udo Erasmus, Udos Oil
