Reaction to Time's "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin"

If you have not read Time's article "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin," the link is at the bottom of this post.

First, let me say I'm not a scientist nor do I have a degree in exercise physiology or nutrition. BUT I do think I have learned a lot this year in my quest for six pack abs (31lbs lost and kept off so far this year!!)

But I doubt the author, John Cloud, has a lot of experience in nutrition or exercise (I tried to Google his background and was unable to confirm this). This article seems like he he found a bunch of studies that supported his argument and he threw them in his story.

Eat Junk and Exercise and You Will Get Fat!

John states that when he exercises he tends to get more hungry than on days when he does not exercise. Thank you Captain Obvious!! Of course you will be more hungry after you exercise because you have just expended more calories than normal.

I could actually agrue against that statement too. I would say a majority of the time after my workouts I am not hungry at all.

The key to not gaining weight is what you decide to put in your body, whether you work out or not. Mr. Cloud talks of consuming fast food and Starbucks after workouts. Well of course you will gain weight by eating that crap (pardon my French) after your workouts.

The key to losing weight is your diet. You need to eat healthy wholesome foods. The one rule that I learned from Craig at Turbulence Training is that you should try to avoid eating "anything out of a box or a bag." Chances are if you are eating out of a box or a bag then it is all processed and not very healthy.

So how do you eat healthy? Start with small changes and remember this should be a lifestyle not a crash diet.

You CAN'T out train a bad diet!!

Willpower

As for Mr. Cloud's study on willpower from Psychological Bulletin. I say BullSh!t!!! Before I started my weight lost crusade earlier this year I would eat every couple of hours (not even close to healthy meals). Heck, they knew me by name at the Wendy's drive through. Sure willpower does not just happen right away, but it can be learned. I manage to fight my cravings all of the time. The key is to have healthy substitutes when you do get a craving.

My 'willpower' is so strong now that I follow Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat and fast up to 2 days a week. Its really not that hard and you'd be amazed how clear your head is and how much better you sleep when you fast!

What Type of Exercise?

I would like to know what type of exercise Mr. Cloud is talking about. From reading the article I think he is talking about cardio. I did not see him mention resistance training or high intensity intervals (HIIT).

The problem with Mr. Cloud's exercise is that it seems to me is he doing long boring cardio. While he is doing this type of exercise he is just burning calories while exercising.

When someone performs a resistance training workout with HIIT (Turbulence Training is a perfect example), not only do they burn calories during their workout, but they continue to burn calories after their workout!! (Get your free report on the dark side of cardio.)

Conclusion

I may not have any studies on hand to back up my counter-argument to this article, but I do have my mirror. Since I have lost 31lbs this year, my exercise activity has gone up! That is all of the facts I need. In fact, when I reach my goal of ripped six pack abs later this year, I may send Mr. Cloud a picture and ask him how he feels!

Exercising more will not make you fat, eating more will!! Its simple math, if calories consumed is less than calories expended, then you will lose weight!!

Eat Less and exercise with resistance training and HIIT!!

Here's the link to the full Time article. After reading please leave me your comments:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html

6 Pack Abs Call with Vince and Scott!!

After the Transformation Contest #5, I decided to take a week and a half off from the gym and working out, just to rest my body (you should always take 1 week off for 12 straight weeks of work). Since today is my last day off before I go back to my workouts, I decided to join a conference call that discussed how to get ripped six pack abs.



The call was hosted by Vince Delmonte and Scott Colby, both experts in the fitness industry. Vince has 2 great programs: "No Nonsense Muscle Building" and "Your Six Pack Quest." Scott has a new product called "My First Six Pack."


I have been receiving Vince's emails for a while now, so when he said they were offering a free conference about how to lose fat and get six pack abs, I was in!! I am actually planning on buying Vince's products after I am done with Turbulence Training this year.


I have never heard of Scott before, but since Vince was recommending him, I was sure he'd be very knowledgeable.


The call was great, I reaffirmed some things I already knew and also learned a lot. Its great to see how Scott's advice is very similar to Turbulence Training.


Since the call was about getting 6 pack abs, the call was based on fat loss.


Scott said that he never does ab specific exercises like crunches, but instead does high intensity full body workouts (Sound similar to Turbulence Training??). Scott also believes in doing compound exercises to make sure he hits his abs. One of Scott's favorite compound exercises that really hits the abs hard is an overhead squat. This is a basic squat with either a barbell or DB's held straight over your head. It's a lot harder than it sounds, try it!!


Scott's workout sessions are very high in intensity and thus pretty short. 3 days a week he will workout almost in a boot camp like method. He keeps on moving to keep the intensity high so there is no need for long boring cardio.


On the other 3 days of the week (Scott takes one day off during the week), he does HIIT. Scott says he primarily does sprints but like to also use swimming, jumping rope and burpees.


Like Craig from Turbulence Training, Scott also believes in eating an all natural diet. He suggests that instead of relying on the front of a package, to instead read all of the ingredients. If there are a bunch of ingredients, and you can not pronounce most of them, then you do not want to eat it!!


Scott also suggested that in order to get enough fruits and veggies, to have fruit smoothies with some spinach thrown in (Veggie Meal plan anyone? lol)


During the call I managed to get a question in that I think a lot of people wonder about:


"How do you lose the last 10-15lbs of fat to get down below 10% body fat so you can see your 6 pack?"


Scott said it usually comes down to tweaking something small with your diet. He suggested to stop using or cut down on processed carbs. For whole wheat bread, he suggested to check the ingredients because it could be processed. Instead, he suggested Ezekiel Bread, which is all natural. He also suggested instead of whole wheat bread to substitute sweet potatoes and oatmeal for your carbs.


Scott says when he is trying to cut fat, he only has those types of carbs 2 days out of the week.


Vince reminded me that fat is stored energy and just like the fat that I have lost, it will take time to burn. He said patience is key when trying to lose the last 10lbs.


Vince also suggested that you cut all protein shakes and eat normal whole foods because the thermogenics is higher. He also emphasized not to under estimate the little things, especially in your diet!

PS. Scott also is offering his new product My First Six Pack, which is a 16 week coaching product. Scott will coach you week by week to make sure that you are getting the proper info about your diet and exercise in order to see your six pack abs.

Transformation Contest #5 Results!!

I officially finished the Turbulence Training Transformation Contest #5 last Monday. I managed to drop another 12lbs during these 12 weeks and really am showing a lot of definition now! So far this year I have lost 31lbs using Turbulence Training!!

I am also a lot closer to my long term goal of 10% body fat and ripped 6 pack abs!!

Check out my pictures, stats and final essay:

------------------------194lbs --------------------------182lbs!!






Stats:

Day 1 – May 11, 2009

• Height: 5’10’’
• Weight 194
• Waist 34''
• Neck 15.75''
• Biceps 14''
• Bi's Flexed 15.5''
• Thighs 22''

Day 84 - August 2, 2009

• Weight 182lbs
• Waist 32.5''
• Neck 15.25''
• Biceps 13''
• Bi's Flexed 15''
• Thighs 22''

Change

• Weight minus 12lbs!!
• Waist minus .5''
• Neck minus .75''
• Biceps minus 1''
• Bi's Flexed minus .5''
• Thighs minus 1.5''

Essay:

Essay Just in case my pictures do not do enough justice, let me put it into words how much Turbulence Training has changed my life.

I enlisted myself in TC4 and saw great results. I liked the competition because it kept me accountable. After all, I don’t want to submit before and after pictures with no results. Plus Turbulence Training has become more of a lifestyle for me that I plan to use to get to my ultimate goal of body fat below 10%.

I must admit that TC5 was a lot tougher than the last contest. In TC4 the fat just fell off of me, but now that I was down to my last 10-20 pounds of fat, I knew it would not come off as easy. I was religious with my Turbulence Training workouts and even threw in some fun off day workouts which consisted of hitting the heavy bag, swimming and soccer. The best off day workouts were the long walks with my wife, newborn son and our dog.

My workout programs consisted of the Turbulence Training for Reformed Meatheads, Turbulence Training Hardcore Fat Loss and Turbulence Training for Buff Dudes and Hot Chicks. I followed Craig’s instructions for the workouts very strictly and used my watch to make sure I adhered to the 60 seconds of rest in-between sets. The great part about these workouts is that I was in and out of the gym in 45 minutes or less, or I could even do some of them from home! No long cardio is another great factor of TT. 20 minutes max on the bike or treadmill while doing HIIT cardio was great and effective!!

Now for the hard part, the diet! Actually it wasn’t hard and I wouldn’t consider it a diet either! I plan to follow this for the rest of my life. Basically, I stuck to natural, whole foods and tried to avoid anything out of a box or bag and processed sugars. My diet consists of plenty of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. I also used Brad Pilon’s Eat-Stop-Eat for the contest and fasted 1-2 days per week.

I lost 12 pounds during this contest and now weigh 182lbs. At first I was not very happy with my results, but when I went and looked back at my starting pictures I was amazed! Wow what a difference! I plan to keep on going until I can see my 6 pack abs. (Please see my other measurements above).

If I had to sum up my success during this transformation, it would be accountability and patience. To see any success you need to be accountable to yourself, especially with your diet. Patience is key because everyone expects to see a 6 pack after a couple of weeks, if not sooner. What you must remember is that it took you years to get fat, so you’re not going to get lean a couple of weeks. Remember this should be a lifestyle change, not some crash diet/exercise program.

Craig thanks again. So far in 2009, I’ve lost 32lbs using Turbulence Training!

Healthy Grilling!!

I know I've been telling you about some great vegetarian meals lately, but today I have a great burger recipe for you. This weekend my brother-in-law visited to see the baby. We had a cookout that included the usually hot dogs and hamburgers. Since I am always interested in eating healthy and only have until Monday to finish the Transformation Contest 5, I made myself some very healthy and tasty Bison burgers (I offered to make them for everyone but nobody was interested, lol).

You can use free range Bison for this recipe or 99% Fat Free ground Turkey Breast.

Bison/Turkey Burger

1lb Bison or Ground Turkey Breast
3/4 cup of finely chopped almonds
1/8 Teaspoon of Sea Salt
1/4 teaspoon of Pepper
2 chopped green onions, including tops
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
1 tablespoon of fresh basil
Optional - 1/4 cup of whole grain bread crumbs

Mix together meat, salt, pepper, onions, egg whites, herbs and breadcrumbs. Form into patties (I usually get 4-5 patties for 1lb of meat). Coat patties with with almonds. Grill.

You can also just mix in the almonds in with the meat and herbs.

This is a great healthy recipe for summer grilling!

I promise you ONE thing...

Around the world millions of men and women just like you are wakingup to the harsh reality of factory farmed food and unsafe meat"processing plants".

(Eww, "meat processing plant" is a term that never should have beeninvented!)

And that means the food we eat - no matter what country we live in -seems to get more dangerous every year.

"But", you say, "all the nutrition books say I need to eat meat toget 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. How can I do that ifI don't have beef, chicken, and protein shakes at every meal?"

Well, the answer is easy.

In fact, Kardena Pauza, America's #1 Vegetarian and Vegan NutritionExpert put together a Done-For-Your Meal Plan System that proves you don't need all that protein...
...or all that meat.

And you can still transform your body. After all, just look at herradiant physique and complexion. And you know she's healthy on the inside, too.

Excessive protein intake is over-rated, but nutrition remains themost powerful part of any transformation program.

So if you want to transform your body while eating less factoryfarmed meat - or even while completely eliminating it - then here'swhat you must do...

First, visit Kardena's website to find out how she struggled, just like you, with the SAD Diet...
...and how she accidentally stumbled upon the Easy Veggie Lifestyleone day at a seminar.

And then compare for yourself the SAD diet vs the high protein dietvs the Easy Veggie Meal Plans:

=> Veggie Meal Plans

Once you've done that, then I want you to take advantage of Kardena'shalf-priced sale.
And I promise you ONE thing about the Easy Veggie Meal Plans:

There is NO risk for you to try out this product.

In fact, on Craig and Kardena's site you'll find a big BLUE certificate giving you a 60-day no-questions-asked, money-backguarantee.

That certificate insures you and you KNOW you are PROTECTED whenyou grab your meal plans.

=> Veggie Meal Plans

And if at any time during that 60 day period you feel that the MealPlans have not exceeded your expectations, then simply return theprogram with a single simple email. It's safe and easy.
But this is your LAST chance to get these guaranteed Meal Plansbefore the price doubles at midnight tonight.

You can't go wrong and you have my promise you'll love these meal plans.
Go here and take advantage of this incredible one-time-only offer:

=> Veggie Meal Plans

Let me know how the Veggie Meal Plans work for you,

PS - By the way, I just enjoyed another amazing vegan smoothie fromKardena's meal plans. It was heavenly.

You're going to feel amazing on these Meal Plans. Looking forward to your success.

3 Healthy Recipes for Ripped 6 Pack Abs

Shhh don't tell anyone, but I'm going to give you 3 great recipes from the Veggie Meal Plan that I have been writing about lately. I'm not about to become a full time vegetarian, but having a veggie meal is a nice change from time to time.


Here are 3 awesome recipes from Kardena Pauza's EasyVeggie Meal Plans.
Let me know what you think of them!


1) Strawberry-Mango Smoothie - 385 calories
1 cup strawberries stemmed
1/2 mango peeled
3/4 cup/6 oz Almond milk or Raw almond yogurt
4 Brazilian Nuts (Raw & Soaked)
2 tsp agave or brown rice syrup or Really Raw Honey, or 2-3 Dates
1 medium sized Cucumber
1 tsp NutriBiotic Vanilla Brown Rice Protein Powder
Add ˝ Cup Water and blend together
Optional: Dash Stevia, water, ice to taste only


Place all ingredients in a high powered blender. Add several cubes of ice if desired and blend until smooth. Continue adding ice untildesired consistency is reached. Pour into glass and garnish with mint leaf as option.

2) Breakfast Quinoa - Calories 369, Carbs 46g, Protein 15g, Fat 13g
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or fresh made almond milk
1 Tbsp raisins
1 med fresh peachź teaspoon vanilla extract
Stevia or agave nectar to sweeten

Rinse Quinoa and combine with almond milk and water. Bring to aslow simmer, then cover and cook for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients and place in food processor or blender and puree slightly. Ready to eat.


3) Portobello Mushroom Burger - 365 Calories (Craig Ballantyne'sFavorite Veggie Recipe!)
1 Portobello mushroom cap
.5 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
dash dried basil
dash dried oregano
dash minced garlic
1 oz (2 tbsp) sharp cheese or vegan cheese
1 tablespoons bottled teriyaki sauce
1 slices of Ezekiel bread
1 cup of tomato (slices)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic,salt, and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, turning twice. Preheat grill formedium-high heat. Brush grate with oil. Place mushrooms on the grill, reservingmarinade for basting. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, oruntil tender. Brush with marinade frequently. Top with cheese during the last 2 minutes of grilling.


And remember, if you don't want to, you don't have to go vegetarianeveryday, but in this day of "agri-business", "factory farming","E.coli outbreaks", and "industrial agriculture pollution", there'sa lot to be said about building a better body without meat.

Just a few of Kardena's recipes will help you transform your bodywhen added to any meal plan.

Click here for all of the meal plans and recipes at HALF-OFF:

=> Veggie Meal Plan

My Gym is keeping people FAT!! (Veggie meal plan update)

I'm about to let you in on a secret as to why I have gotten so lean (over 30lbs lost this year!) and will soon see my ripped 6 pack abs!

The secret is that I have never taken my gym up on this sign:

Okay so its not the best secret in the world, but I do not take my gym up on their offer. America has a serious obesity problem and my gym is not helping the problem!! If you want to offer free food, offer egg white omlettes in the morning and some veggies and chicken at night!

Actually, I really don't have any secrets, I have used Turbulence Training religously since January and I have really eaten a lot healthier in the time from too! I will have my Transformation Contest 5 photos up early next week!

I have an update on the new Veggie meal plans below, but I wanted to let you know I am researching meal plans that include meat. Its a lot easier to lose weight when you can follow a program. One of the hardest parts of weight loss is the correct way to eat healthy so I want to find a meal plan (with meat) that will help us do this!

Veggie Meal Plans

First let me start by saying that I purchased this meal plan and have tried a bunch of the recipes and have not had a disappointing meal yet! Some of the shakes are awesome and I would have never believed that you could have a tastey shake that included spinach in it!!

Yes, the meal plans are late and Craig sends his apologies!

But based on your feedback, Kardena has created a full, ADVANCED 90-day fat loss Veggie Meal Plan program for men AND women.

Plus, Craig begged her to go through her vegan recipe files and puttogether a "101 Vegan Recipes" cookbook as well.

You can get all of these Veggie Meal Plan resources and MORE here:

=> Veggie Meal Plans

Here's what you'll get...

Fast Action Bonus #1) The Awesome "Defend Your Diet" Coaching Call
This call between Kardena Pauza and Craig Ballantyne will help youanswer all your Veggie Meal Plan critics and avoid confrontationand peer pressure.
(I've never seen anyone do anything like this to help their readersovercome rude & insensitive people.)

Fast Action Bonus #2) The Raw Foods Smoothies Bonus
Raw Food expert, Kevin Gianni gives you 8 of his best smoothies. Ifyou're like me and love blender drinks, this bonus is going to keepyou energized and getting results with convenient, nutrient richsmoothies.

#3) The Complete Easy Vegetarian Lifestyle Book
You'll discover everything you need - from beginner to advanced -about living the Vegetarian Lifestyle and eliminating animalproducts from your meals so you can live healthier and transformyour body.

#4) The Easy Veggie Meal Plans
You'll get a 90-day meal plan (for men or women) full of vegan mealsthat will save you time and money. You'll have more energy and abetter body without tainted meat or factory farmed Frankenfoods.

These meal plans will also include alternatives for men and womenwho want to include dairy and/or eggs in their meal plans.

#5) The Quick Start Veggie Meal Plans Coaching Call
Here's everything you need to know to get started on the VeggieLifestyle, and you'll avoid "rookie mistakes" or worse, avoidfalling back into your old bad eating habits.

All that and MORE is available here:
=> Veggie Meal Plans

But hurry, the Fast Action Bonuses will only be available fromMonday to Thursday, and then they'll be removed!

Plus, Craig and Kardena have released the Easy Veggie Meal Plans ata 50% discount until Thursday, July 30th, at midnight.

But as soon as Friday morning hits, the price goes up!
So don't miss out on changing your nutrition program so that youhave more energy, better health, and the ability to transform yourbody in just weeks.

PS - That is NOT a typo.
The Veggie Meal Plans are on SALE for 3 days only AND you get the extra Fast Action Bonuses when you get started today.

Don't miss out on your last chance to change your body before theend of summer.
Let me know when you get started. Click here for your new meal plans:
=> Veggie Meal Plans