Try this 60 second trick BEFORE dinner to NOT store calories as fat

Did you know that there is a unique trick that's been tested before eating a meal, and if you do it right, you can actually preferentially shift the calories you eat towards muscle cells instead of fat cells?

This is a really simple trick to use daily, and it only takes about 60 seconds before each meal.  I've been using this before my dinners and it makes me feel good to know that it makes it harder for my body to store calories as fat.

Don't worry, this trick doesn't create "bulky" muscles by any means... it simply helps shift your calories into lean muscle instead of fat cells.

Today's article shows quick instructions on how this works:

How GLUT-4 shuttles calories into muscle instead of fat cells (powerful pre-meal fat loss trick)

Have you ever heard of a substance in your body called "GLUT-4" and how it can help preferentially shift calories into muscle cells instead of fat cells?

Well, read on, as I have some interesting science to share with you that I read about recently...

What if we could do a certain type of exercise for only about 1 minute immediately before a meal and this could help stimulate GLUT-4 to shift calories into muscle cells instead of being stored in fat cells?  Sounds good to me!

So what's the trick, and how does it work?

Well, this is yet another trick I learned from reading Tim Ferriss' fascinating book, 4 hour body which contains over 100 of these types of cool tests and studies that Tim researched.

GLUT-4 is glucose transporter type 4.

According to research that Tim has done, doing about 60-90 seconds of muscular contractions a few minutes before a meal and, ideally, about 90 minutes after a meal, helps to bring GLUT-4 to the surface of muscle cells, opening more gates for the calories to flow into.

As Tim continues, "The more muscular gates we have open before insulin triggers the same GLUT-4 on the surface of fat cells, the more we can put calories in muscle instead of fat".

I won't go into all the scientific details, but Tim actually cites several studies in his book that back up his theory that doing these muscular contractions a few minutes before a meal and 90 minutes after a meal help to shuttle calories into muscle cells instead of fat cells.

What Tim himself uses is a combination of bodyweight squats (which he calls "air squats", for contractions throughout the leg muscles), band pull-aparts (contraction in upper back muscles), and wall tricep extensions (pushups would work just as well too).

He chose these specific exercises because they would satisfy the muscular contraction needs in large areas of the body for the pre-meal and post meal contractions, but they wouldn't cause a lot of muscular damage that would interfere with his regular gym workouts and recovery.

Interesting stuff!

And I've certainly been trying to do about 1-2 minutes of exercise now before all of my dinners at home.  I've also been incorporating 2-arm kettlebell swings in my living room for about 60 seconds straight prior to eating a meal, and sometimes incorporate some pushups and band pull-aparts too.

Try out this little pre-meal trick yourself on a DAILY basis, and watch yourself get leaner by the day! 

It works!

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A Full Body Workout that Shreds Your Abs Without Ab Isolation Exercises

Try this workout below to get a killer full body workout at the same time that you indirectly work your abs hard.
by Zach Even-Esh, Certified Trainer, Founder - Underground Strength Gladiator Training

A lot of effort and thought is placed into ab exercises that isolate and work the abs. But, the good news is that there are many exercises that work your entire body AND your abs intensely at the same time.
This workout is perfect if you're busy as well as economical. I like to call this training economics: do only what works very effectively and gives you the most bang for your buck.
Check out some of my favorite exercises that will work your entire body AND your abs intensely. On the flip side, this does NOT mean to skip exercises that target your abs deeply.
All you need is 1 or 2 dumbbells for the exercises below. These exercises can be performed at the beginning of a workout or at the end.  You'll see at the bottom that we added a sample workout for how to incorporate these tough full body and ab training drills into a great workout.

Exercise 1:  1-Arm Overhead Dumbbell Walk:
Press 1 dumbbell overhead and lock out your arm. Keep your arm close to your ear, tighten your entire core, shoulder and back. This exercise is to be performed slowly and under complete control.
Walk for distance, anywhere from 100 – 200 feet with the dumbbell overhead. A heavier dumbbell will cut down on the distance you can walk and should be reserved for those who are experienced under heavy weights. Start light and be smart. Switch hands mid way through the walk to ensure equal work is done for each side.
Your arm should be perfectly vertical when carrying the dumbbell overhead. Often times people will allow the dumbbell to sway slightly forward which will NOT strain the abs intensely.
Try 2 sets for each arm, 100 – 200 feet for distance in total for each set.


Exercise 2:  Dumbbell Farmer Walks:
Stand in between two moderately heavy dumbbells and deadlift them up. Grip the dumbbells tightly, brace your abs and lower back and squeeze the weights all the way up. This intense squeezing forces the abs to contract intensely. Not only will your abs become very strong and tight from all this squeezing, but it also strengthens the back and reduces your chances of lower back injuries.
Once you have the dumbbells at your sides, make sure your posture is tall and your shoulders and tight. Speed walk the dumbbells 100 – 200 feet in distance, come to a complete stop and slowly deadlift the weights down.
You can carry the dumbbells in a straight line or in a zig zag fashion which can also strain the obliques very intensely.
2 sets of 100 – 200 feet per set is great. You can perform these exercises at the beginning or end of a workout. Or, begin your workout with 1 arm overhead dumbbell walks, then perform your regular workout, and finish the workout with 2 hard sets of dumbbell farmer walks.


Try this workout with the two exercises I just explained:
1) Arm Overhead Dumbbell carry 2 x 100 feet each hand
Superset all 3 below:
2A) Pull Ups 3 x max reps
2B) Walking Bodyweight Lunges 3 x 10 each Leg
2C) Push Ups w/Feet Elevated 3 x max reps
3) Dumbbell Farmer Walks 2 x 200 feet
Superset both exercises below:
4A) Plank 1 x 30 seconds
4B) side plank 1 x 30 seconds each Side
Enjoy the killer workout!
Zach Even–Esh is the owner of The Underground Strength Gym in Edison, NJ and the author of The REAL Man Muscle Building System.
Check out Zach's badass website here:
Underground Strength Gladiator Training  

OR,

Click here if you have been struggling to get your Six Pack defined.

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Can Timing Your Food The Right Way REALLY Help You BOOST Your Metabolism and Lose More Weight?

3 VERY Unusual Food Timing Tricks That STOP Fat Storage & KILL Belly Fat…

By Shaun and Karen Hadsall
Best Selling Nutrition Authors & Stubborn Fat Experts

Did you know that when you eat food at the wrong times, it can literally make
ALL the difference between losing fat or gaining fat?

In fact, if you don't understand proper meal timing, it can SLOW down your metabolism, destroy your energy levels, and STOP your body from using fat as fuel, which means the majority of calories you eat TODAY could easily be stored as belly fat making you fatter and fatter with every bite.
 
Simply put, if you eat food at the wrong times, you'll STORE fat, but if you eat food at the right times, you'll keep your body BURNING fat.

Did you also know that traditional food timing recommendations, like "don't skip breakfast"… or "don't eat late at night"…or "make sure to eat before exercise" are ALL complete myths?

Contrary to popular belief, you should intentionally BREAK all 3 of these traditional "diet rules" if your goals are to look younger, increase your fat loss, and boost energy levels.

As with most weight loss topics, the contradicting information is everywhere when it comes to the subject of food timing and losing unsightly belly fat.

However, if you understand these 3 VERY unusual food timing tricks below, you'll NEVER have to worry about storing the calories you eat as fat on your body.

All you have to do is follow these 3 simple steps to ensure that EVERY time you eat your favorite foods you'll speed up calorie burning, STOP your metabolism from slowing down, and keep your body's fat burning hormones at optimal levels day in and day out.
 
But please proceed with caution: these 3 tricks are NEVER talked about or recommended by dieticians or personal trainers, so they go completely against the grain and are often considered HIGHLY controversial.

The 3 controversial food timing tricks below reveal exactly how you can STOP FAT STORAGE and
REPROGRAM your body to STAY in
"fat burning mode" every time you eat or exercise…

Below, you'll find all 3 tricks, and you'll also discover how easy it can be to time your food intake to help BOOST your metabolism, increase your anti-aging hormones, while keeping your body in a fat burning environment 24/7.

Food Timing Trick #1:
SKIP Breakfast (it INCREASES your fat storing hormones)

Breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day - right?

Our culture has bought into the fact that if we don't eat breakfast our metabolism will slow down, we'll get intense cravings, lose energy, and it will be harder to lose weight and burn fat

But published scientific research is now proving otherwise. Here are 3 myths we've all been programmed to believe about eating breakfast for long term health and weight loss.

MYTH #1: Breakfast Increases Your Metabolism

The whole idea that not eating a big breakfast will somehow slow down your metabolism is simply not true.
In a recent paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [1], researchers delved into dozens of studies to uncover the relationship between eating breakfast and increased metabolic rate.

The researchers divided 309 overweight and obese (but otherwise healthy adults) into two groups to specifically find out whether eating or not eating breakfast had any impact on weight loss. After 16 weeks, the researchers found absolutely NO difference in weight loss between the groups.

The researchers concluded that breakfast being the most important meal of the day is merely nothing but a shared belief. That's it. In other words, there is ZERO long term research indicating or proving that eating breakfast leads to lower body fat or increased metabolism.

MYTH #2: Eating Breakfast Helps Control Your Hunger

In fact, the exact opposite happens.

Typical breakfast foods like orange juice and wheat toast will spike insulin levels, sending your fat storage hormones soaring SKY high, making you go on a hunger binge—all while putting your body directly into a fat STORING environment.

MYTH #3: Breakfast Helps You Control Weight And Lose Fat

There are tons of studies out there that claim eating a big, well balanced breakfast helps promote weight loss. But in reality there are NO long term studies that show a direct correlation between eating breakfast and weight loss.
In fact, according to Time Magazine [3]….
 
"...contrary to popular belief, having breakfast every day was NOT tied to an improvement in metabolism. Prior thought—supported by research—has shown that eating early in the day can prevent people from overeating later out of hunger, and it boosts their metabolism early. The new study which examined causal links between breakfast habits and energy balance did NOT prove that."

Bottom Line: Eating Breakfast Does NOT Aid Weight Loss Efforts

In fact, SKIPPING breakfast altogether (a form of intermittent fasting) and eating your calories later in the day, say between 11am to 7pm or 12pm to 8pm, has been shown to increase anti-aging Growth Hormone [4], while BOOSTING your immune system [5] and regulating your hunger hormone (Ghrelin).

It also normalizes insulin sensitivity, balances leptin levels (i.e. your #1 fat burning hormone), and even reduces oxidative stress by decreasing free radicals, helping you LOOK younger.

Mounting evidence also confirms that when you skip breakfast and use some form of intermittent fasting, your body becomes adapted to burning FAT (instead of sugar) as its primary fuel, which can make you LEANER, while dramatically reducing your risk of chronic disease.

And for all you breakfast lovers out there? Feel free to have a "light" breakfast, but make sure you AVOID traditional high carb breakfast foods that spike your insulin like bagels, toast, and orange juice.
 
Stick with light protein sources, like farm fresh whole eggs, along with some low glycemic fruits (like berries or cherries). This will help keep your body in "fat burning mode" for the rest of the day.

Food Timing Trick #2:
NEVER Eat Food BEFORE You Exercise (it STOPS your body from burning fat)

Eating a balanced meal before exercise is often HIGHLY recommended and considered a "healthy" choice to help you lose weight, but in reality it can actually STOP your body from burning fat

Even when you eat healthy food before exercise you'll still raise insulin (your body's #1 STORAGE hormone), which BLOCKS your body's ability to burn fat.

Additionally, if you eat before exercise your body will be so busy digesting and burning off the food you just ate, which is great if you're a bodybuilder looking to gain muscle—but it makes it impossible for you use fat as a fuel source.

Instead, the BEST time to eat food is at LEAST 3 to 4 hours before you exercise. This will ensure there is enough time after you eat to allow insulin levels to stabilize, which will KEEP your body in a fat BURNING environment before, during, and after your workouts.

In fact, recent research suggests "fasting" before exercise may help you shed fat, which is exactly what my wife Karen and I do to stay lean and younger looking. This happens because your body's fat burning processes are controlled by your sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which is "activated" by two things: exercise and lack of food. The combination of fasting and exercising together increases the breakdown of fat and glycogen for energy.

Food Timing Trick #3:
Eat Late At Night (even BEFORE bed if you want!)

Are you paranoid or afraid of eating late at night from the fear of gaining unwanted weight?

Well, there is really only ONE reason not eating after 6pm will help you lose more weight. You automatically end up eating LESS, which creates more of a calorie deficit. It's really that simple. It has NOTHING to do with eating late at night.

As long as you fast for a few hours before bed to let blood sugar levels return to normal levels before going to bed, which helps you release more Growth Hormone while you sleep… you can feel free to eat your biggest meal of the day well after 6pm if you want.

Believe it or not, Karen and I intentionally eat our LARGEST meal of the day between 7pm and 9pm for a variety of reasons that contribute to our health and fat loss goals.

But unfortunately, most people have been misled so they'll continue to consume their food and meals at the WRONG times, wreaking havoc on their metabolisms, suppressing their fat-burning hormones, and STOPPING their body from using fat as fuel – WITHOUT even knowing it.

It's backed by scientific research, and it's one of the easiest and safest ways to visually SEE your belly get flatter in as little as 7 short days WITHOUT strict, complicated diets or the pain and suffering of traditional crash dieting.

It's safe for ANY man or woman of ANY age, it works incredibly FAST, and it's one of the quickest ways to get a flat, attractive belly  WITHOUT long, boring exercise sessions or worrying about WHEN you eat your food.

Want to find out what foods you should have in your kitchen cupboards, and what foods you should avoid at all costs if you want to lose body fat? CLICK HERE




1. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition June 4, 2014 [Epub ahead of print]
2. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition June 5, 2014 [Epub ahead of print] (PDF)
3. Time Magazine June 6, 2014
4. Eurekalert April 3, 2011
5. Daily Life June 6, 2014

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5 Facts You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat and Get Six Pack Abs

Unusual Tips and Foods to Lose Your Stomach Fat

by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)

In this FREE presentation below, you'll find:

• Shocking foods that burn belly fat
• 2 so-called "health" foods that you should NEVER eat (they can actually increase stomach fat)
• Motivation secrets for lifelong fitness success
• 1 unique "trick" to reduce junk-food cravings
• Weird workouts that burn abdominal fat faster than typical "cardio"
• The TRUTH about getting flat abs without bogus "fat burner" pills

1. Many so-called "health foods" are actually cleverly disguised junk foods that can actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat... yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits.
2. Ab exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are actually the LEAST effective method of getting flat six pack abs. We'll explore what types of exercises REALLY work in a minute.
3. Boring repetitive cardio exercise routines are NOT the best way to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs. I'll tell you the exact types of unique workouts that produce 10x better results below.
4. You DON'T need to waste your money on expensive "extreme fat burner" pills or other bogus supplements. I'll show you how to use the power of natural foods in more detail below.
Before we get to #5, if you didn't do it already, make sure not to miss out on this free report with tons of fat loss tips today...

5. Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks... they're all a complete waste of your time and money. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that "ab contraption"... they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies. Again, you'll learn some of their secrets and what really works below.

Here's the REAL truth on getting a flat belly and lean sexy abs...

Women Click Here to discover several unique scientifically
PROVEN techniques for losing belly fat and getting a tight flat stomach like hers.

Men Click Here to learn the real secrets for losing stomach fat and
getting lean ripped 6-pack abs like this.

If you liked today's article, please feel free to share with friends and family below.

Ever Wondered Why People struggle to lose body 
fat regardless of what diet there on! 

Go To:- http://losebellyfatforlife.com  so you can start your education, to get the body you've always wanted. 

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7 "FATTY" Foods that Can Help You to Get a Flat Stomach (some of these will surprise you!)

These 7 shocking Fatty (but healthy) super-foods can actually help you to burn body fat faster!
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen & The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging

At this point, the anti-fat propaganda has died and almost everybody understands by now that eating fat doesn't necessarily make you fat.  In fact, it's absolutely imperative to get enough healthy fats in your diet to keep your hormones balanced, blood sugar under control, and prevent cravings.  Here are 7 examples of "fatty" foods that can actually HELP you to get lean...

1.  Super Dark Chocolate (at least 72% cacao content or higher)
It might not be a secret anymore, but yes, dark chocolate (NOT milk chocolate) can be a very healthy food, even though it is technically calorie dense.
However, I would contend that dark chocolate can actually HELP you to burn off more body fat if you're the type of person that has a sweet tooth and likes to eat a lot of desserts.  In this case, just 1 or 2 small squares of dark chocolate can many times satisfy your sweet tooth for only 30 or 40 calories as opposed to 500 calories for a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of pie.
Also some brands of dark chocolate that are in the mid 70's in % cacao content or higher, can have a fairly high ratio of fiber content (I've seen some brands have 5 grams of fiber out of 15 grams of total carbs per serving), and relatively low sugar content compared to the amount of healthy fats.  In fact, that's one of the "tricks" I use to select a good quality chocolate... I look for more total fat than total carbs (or about the same number of grams of each).
The importance of that fact is that it means many dark chocolates will not greatly affect your blood sugar and will have a fairly blunted blood sugar response compared to other "sweets".
In addition, dark chocolate is also very rich in healthful antioxidants, including a powerful compound called theobromine which has been shown to help lower blood pressure and have other health benefits.  The fat content in a good dark chocolate should come solely from the natural healthy fats occuring in cocoa butter and not from any other added fats.  Any chocolates with added fats or other additives will generally not be as healthy.
The reason I say to choose dark chocolates with at least 72% cacao content is that the higher the % of cacao, the lower the % of sugar.  However, this does mean that any chocolate over 80% cacao content will generally start to get a more bitter taste and have very little sweetness.  If you like this type of taste, then the higher % cocao, the better. Otherwise, a good 75% dark chocolate is in my opinion an almost perfect combination of lightly sweet with a rich chocolate taste.  Just remember to keep those daily quantities of chocolate small as it is calorie dense!
You can also reap the benefits of the antioxidants and fiber without all of the calories by using organic unsweetened cocoa powder in your smoothies or other recipes.

2.  Coconut milk, coconut flour, and coconut oil
Coconut milk and oil are great sources of a super healthy type of saturated fat called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), including a component called lauric acid, which is a powerful nutrient for your immune system, and is lacking in most western diets.  In addition, MCTs are readily used for energy by the body and less likely to be stored as bodyfat compared to other types of fats.
Along with coconut milk and coconut oil as healthy fat choices, we've also got coconut flour as a healthier flour option for baking. Coconut flour is an extremely high fiber flour alternative (almost ALL of the carbs in this flour are fiber and not starch!).  Coconut flour is also VERY high in protein compared to most flours and is also gluten free!
Just beware that if you're going to use coconut flour for baking, it absolutely NEEDS to be mixed with other flours as it sucks up moisture like crazy... I've made delicious baked goods by mixing coconut flour with almond flour and quinoa flour in equal parts, and adding slightly more liquid ingredients than the recipe calls for.

3.  Grass-fed (pasture-raised) butter
Yes, delicious smooth and rich BUTTER (real butter, not deadly margarine!)... It's delicious, contains loads of healthy nutritional factors, and does NOT have to be avoided in order to get lean.  In fact, I eat a couple pats of grass-fed butter daily and maintain single digit bodyfat most times of the year.
There's a lot of confusion about this topic... in fact, I just saw a TV show today that was talking about unhealthy foods and one of the first things they showed was butter.  It just shows that the majority of the population has zero idea that butter (grass-fed only!) can actually be a healthy part of your diet.
In fact, there's even ample evidence that REAL butter can even help you to lose body fat for a couple of main reasons:
   a.  Grass-fed butter is known to have high levels of a healthy fat called CLA, which has been shown to have anti-cancer properties, and also has been shown to help burn abdominal fat and build lean muscle.
   b.  Grass-fed butter also has an ideal balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids (unlike conventional grain-fed butter) which helps fight inflammation in your body, and can help balance hormones.
   c.  The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also contain MCTs, which help to boost your immune system and are readily burned by the body for energy.  The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also help to satisfy your appetite and control blood sugar levels, both of which help you to stay lean!
If you have a hard time finding a grass-fed butter at your grocery store, Kerrygold Irish butter is one of my favorites, and even though the label doesn't clearly state "grass-fed", the cows are 100% grass-fed on lush green pastures in Ireland. It's one of the richest butters in color that I've seen, which indicates high levels of carotenoids.

4.  Whole Eggs, including the yolk (not just egg whites)
Most people know that eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein.  However, most people don't know that the egg yolks are the healthiest part of the egg... that's where almost all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (such as lutein) are found in eggs.
In fact, the egg yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids.  Also, the protein of whole eggs is more bio-available than egg whites alone due to a more balanced amino acid profile that the yolks help to build.
Just make sure to choose free-range organic eggs instead of normal grocery store eggs.  Similar to the grass-fed beef scenerio, the nutrient content of the eggs and the balance between healthy omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (in excess) is controlled by the diet of the hens.
Chickens that are allowed to roam free outside and eat a more natural diet will give you healthier, more nutrient-rich eggs with a healthier fat balance compared with your typical grocery store eggs (that came from chickens fed nothing but soy and corn and crowded inside "egg factories" all day long).

5.  Grass-fed beef or bison (NOT the typical grain-fed grocery store beef!)
I know most people think that red meat is unhealthy for you, but that's because they do not understand how the health of the animal affects how healthy the meat is for consumption.  Keep this in mind -- "an unhealthy animal provides unhealthy meat, but a healthy animal provides healthy meat".
Typical beef or bison that you see at the grocery store is raised on grains, mainly corn (and to some extent, soybeans). Soy and corn are NOT the natural diet of cattle or bison, and therefore changes the chemical balance of fats and other nutrients in the beef or bison.  Grain-fed beef and bison is typically WAY too high in omega-6 fats and WAY too low in omega-3 fats.  In addition, the practice of feeding cattle corn and soy as the main portion of their diet upsets their digestive system and makes them sick... and it also increases the amount of dangerous e-coli in the meat.  This is not the case with grass-fed meat.
On the other hand, grass-fed beef from cattle and buffalo (or bison) that were raised on the type of natural foods that they were meant to eat in nature (grass and other forage), have much higher levels of healthy omega-3 fats and lower levels of inflammatory omega-6 fats (that most people already eat way too much of) compared to grain fed beef or bison.
Grass fed meats also typically contain up to 3 times the Vitamin E as in grain fed meats.
In addition, grass-fed meat from healthy cattle or bison also contain a special healthy fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in MUCH higher levels than grain-fed meat.  CLA has been proven in scientific studies in recent years to help in burning fat and building lean muscle (which can help you lose weight!).  These benefits are on top of the fact that grass-fed meats are some of the highest quality proteins that you can possibly eat... and this also aids in burning fat and building lean muscle.
Grass-fed meats are a little harder to find, but just ask your butcher or find a specialty grocery store and they usually have cuts available.

6.  Avocados
Even though avocados are typically thought of as a "fatty food", they are chock full of healthy fats!  Not only is this fruit (yes, surprisingly, avocados are actually a fruit) super-high in monounsaturated fat, but also chock full of vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, and antioxidants.
Also, in my opinion, guacamole (mashed avocados with garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, etc) is one of the most delicious food toppings ever created, and you can be happy to know that it's also one of the healthiest toppings you can use on your foods.  Try sliced avocados or guacamole on sandwiches, burgers, eggs or omelets, on salads or with fish, or as a delicious side to just about any meal.
The quality dose of healthy fats, fiber, and micronutrients that you get from avocados helps your body to maintain proper levels of hormones that help with fat loss and muscle building.  Also, since avocados are an extremely satiating food, eating them helps to reduce your appetite in the hours after your meal.  Say goodbye to junk food cravings and bring on that fat burning!  I personally eat anywhere from a half to a full avocado DAILY and it only helps to keep me lean.

7.  Nuts:  Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Macadamias, etc  
Yes, this is yet another "fatty food" that can actually help you burn belly fat!  Although nuts are generally between 75-90% fat in terms of a ratio of fat calories to total calories, this is another type of food that is all healthy fats, along with high levels of micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Nuts are also a good source of fiber and protein, which of course, you know helps to control blood sugar and can aid in fat loss.
Nuts also help to maintain good levels of fat burning hormones in your body (adequate healthy fat intake is vitally important to hormone balance) as well as helping to control appetite and cravings so that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you're consuming a high-fat food.  My favorite healthy nuts are pecans, pistachios, almonds, macadamias, and walnuts, and by eating them in variety, you help to broaden the types of vitamins and minerals and also the balance of polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fats you obtain.
Try to find raw nuts instead of roasted nuts if you can, as it helps to maintain the quality and nutritional content of the healthy fats that you will eat.
Also, try to broaden your horizons beyond the typical peanut butter that most people eat, and try almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or macadamia butter to add variety to your diet.
One of the little "tricks" that I've used with clients when trying to cut down body fat is to have them eat a handful of nuts such as almonds or pecans about 20 minutes before lunch and dinner.  This ends up being a perfect time to control your appetite before lunch or dinner and helps you to eat less overall calories on that meal.
I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the healthiest "fatty" fat-burning foods you can possibly eat.  I could list a ton more, but wanted to give you a few of my favorites for now.  Enjoy!

But BEWARE...
Although these "fatty" foods may be a super-healthy choice for achieving your lean, strong, and energetic body... I've discovered that there are at least 23 popular foods that most people falsely think are "healthy", but they actually HARM your metabolism and pack on belly fat.

Discover what these metabolism-harming foods are on the next page:

These 23 "healthy" foods HARM your metabolism & pack on belly fat (avoid these!)

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The Secret of the Properly Balanced Post-Workout Meal for Fat Loss & Muscle Building

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
I'm sure you've heard before that your post-workout meal is actually your most important meal of the day (aside from breakfast).
I'd have to agree with that for the most part because refueling your body with the right combination of nutrients is SOOOOO vastly important to repairing your muscles from the breakdown of a workout, and keeping your metabolism sky high.
From the research about post-workout meals:
"A recent 12-week study says that those who failed to consume a post workout meal immediately after their workouts suffered a lower metabolism, loss of fat free mass, and had clear indications of muscle loss - while their counterparts (those who consumed a post workout recovery meal) significantly lost more fat, increased lean muscle, improved their metabolism, and increased dynamic strength."
I've noticed that many people are confused as to what actually makes a good post-workout meal. A couple common questions about post workout meals:
1. Aren't post-workout meals just important for building muscle? Do they matter at all if my goal is fat loss?
2. Is it best to use one of the fancy post-workout drinks or shakes that you see in the magazines or is a whole food meal better? What's the best combination of carbs to protein to fat in a good post workout meal?
3. How quickly after a workout is best to consume my post workout meal?

Answers:
1. Post-workout meals are important for BOTH muscle building and fat loss!
Always remember that one of the most important aspects of long term fat loss and maintaining a lean body for life is raising your overall metabolic rate by building and maintaining adequate lean muscle mass throughout your body.
By consuming a proper post workout meal after every workout, you assist your body in repairing and building lean muscle throughout your body. The more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate... hence, you lose fat easier, and it is MUCH easier to stay lean long term.
2. Whole foods or supplement shakes? This can be done either way, but I'm going to show you some guidelines why some post-workout shakes are better than others and some whole foods are better than others. Either way, you can make it work.
First, keep in mind that your goal throughout the majority of each day is eating small whole food meals frequently that digest slowly with high fiber and a controlled glycemic response (blood sugar). These normal daily meals should also contain healthy fats and slowly digested proteins to keep a steady supply of amino acids.
Well, when it comes to post-workout meals, you can almost use the exact opposite strategy of your normal meals. With post-workout meals, you actually want a faster digesting carbohydrate source to elicit an insulin response, which surges nutrients and glycogen back into your muscles for repair.
So while I always preach high fiber for most of your meals, with post-workout, you actually want low fiber, high GI carbs, and quickly digesting proteins as well for muscle repair.
Another aspect to keep in mind... while I always preach healthy fats at most of your meals... with the post workout meal, you actually want almost all carbs and protein, and very little fat if any. Fat just slows the absorption and glycemic response which is not what you want with the post-workout meal.
What about ratios of carbs and protein?
I've reviewed dozens and dozens of studies on this subject and it always seems to come back to a ratio of approximately 2 to 1 carbs to protein (up to possibly 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein). This seems to be the optimal combination to maximize muscle repair to boost that metabolism for long term fat loss.
I usually make my post-workout shakes using a frozen banana, whey protein, water, and some real maple syrup and aim for about a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein.
If you want to make things simpler, one of the best post-workout shakes that I've found is Prograde's Varsity Post-Workout mix. Check it out at:
http://getprograde.com/workout
3. How quickly should you eat (or drink) your post-workout meal?
As soon as you can after your workout (the sooner the better)!
Studies show that the sooner you consume your post workout meal following your intense workout, the better your muscle recovery will be, and a higher percentage of the carbs ingested will be used for muscle glycogen replenishment instead of other uses.
The first thing I do when I get back from the gym is make my post workout shake, and this is about 10 min after finishing my workout.
Make sure to check out some of the other research about post-workout recovery meals at:
http://getprograde.com/workout
Alright, I'll be back soon with more Lean-Body Secrets. Til then...
Don't be lazy... Be lean!
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com

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Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You?

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

Author of best-sellers: The Fat Burning Kitchen & The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging


I was on a weekend trip with some friends recently and one of my friends was cooking breakfast for the whole group. I went over to see what he was cooking and saw he was getting ready to make a big batch of eggs.
Well, to my shock and horror, I noticed that he was cracking the eggs open and screening the egg whites into a bowl and throwing out the egg yolks. I asked him why the heck he was throwing out the egg yolks, and he replied something like this...
"because I thought the egg yolks were terrible for you...that's where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is".
And I replied something along the lines of... "you mean that's where all of the nutrition is!"
This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition. In a world full of misinformation about nutrition, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!  It's a shame at how many restaurants you can walk into these days and see that the "healthy" breakfast menu always has egg white items instead of whole eggs.  Are we really still in the "fat-phobic" 80's? 
By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you're essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients... it's not even worth trying to list them all.

In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolks.

Even the protein in egg whites isn't as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).
And now the common objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg...
"But I heard that whole eggs will skyrocket my cholesterol through the roof"
No, this is FALSE!
First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it's internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.
On the other hand, if you don't eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has dozens of important vital functions in the body.
And here's where it gets even more interesting...
There have been plenty of studies lately that indicate that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.
And 3rd... high cholesterol is NOT a disease!  Heart disease is a disease...but high cholesterol is NOT.  Cholesterol is actually a VERY important substance in your body and has vitally important functions... it is DEAD WRONG to try to "lower your cholesterol" just because of pharmaceutical companies propaganda that everyone on the planet should be on statin drugs.
If you're interested in this topic of cholesterol specifically, I have another article listed at the bottom of this page about why trying to attack cholesterol is a mistake, and what the REAL deadly risk factors actually are.
In addition, the yolks contain the antioxidant lutein as well as other antioxidants which can help protect you from inflammation within your body (the REAL culprit in heart disease, not dietary cholesterol!), giving yet another reason why the yolks are actually GOOD for you, and not detrimental.
To help bring even more proof that whole eggs are better for you than egg whites, I recently read a University of Connecticut study that showed that a group of men in the study that ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet increased their HDL good cholesterol by 20%, while their LDL bad cholesterol stayed the same during the study.  However, the group that ate egg substitutes (egg whites) saw no change in either and did not see the improvement in good cholesterol (remember that higher HDL levels are associated with lower risk of heart disease) that the whole egg eaters did.
So I hope we've established that whole eggs are not some evil food that will wreck your body... instead whole eggs are FAR superior to egg whites.
But what about the extra calories in the yolks?
This is actually a non-issue and here's why... even though egg yolks contain more calories than just eating the egg whites, the yolks have such a high micro-nutrient density in those calories, that it increases your overall nutrient density per calorie you consume.  Essentially, what this does is help to regulate your appetite for the remainder of the day, so you end up eating less calories overall.  In addition, the healthy fats in the egg yolks help to maintain a good level of fat-burning hormones in your body.
Overall, this means that the extra fats (healthy fats) and calories from the yolk are so nutrient-dense that they actually HELP you to burn off body fat!
Also, your normal supermarket eggs coming from mass factory farming just don't compare nutritionally with organic free range eggs from healthy chickens that are allowed to roam freely and eat a more natural diet.  Your typical cheap grocery store eggs will have lower nutrient levels and a higher omega-6 level and lower omega-3 level.  On the other hand, the cage-free organic eggs from healthier chickens allowed to eat more natural feed and roam freely will have much higher vitamin and mineral levels and a more balanced healthier omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio.
I recently compared eggs I bought at the grocery store with a batch of eggs I got at a farm stand where the chickens were free roaming and healthy.
Most people don't realize that there's a major difference because they've never bought real eggs from healthy chickens... The eggs from the grocery store had pale yellow yolks and thin weak shells. On the other hand, the healthier free range eggs from the local farm had strong thick shells and deep orange colored yolks indicating much higher nutrition levels and carotenoids... and just a healthier egg in general.
This is due to the fact that a free-roaming hen allowed to roam on plenty of land will eat a variety of greens, insects, worms, etc transferring MUCH higher levels of nutrients to the eggs compared to an unhealthy hen that is trapped inside a dark factory farm hen house in horrible conditions and fed nothing but piles of corn and soy.  It's a DRASTIC difference in the nutrition that you get from the egg.
So next time a health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior (because of their "fat-phobic" mentality towards dietary fats), you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you now understand the REAL deal about egg yolks.
And can we all please STOP with this sillyness about eating an omelete with 4-5 egg whites and only 1 egg yolk... If you want real taste and real health benefits, we'd all be better off eating ALL of our eggs with the delicious nutrient-dense yolks.
After all, do you REALLY think that our ancestors thousands of years ago threw out the yolks and only ate the egg whites?  NOT A CHANCE!  They intuitively knew that all of the nutrition was found in the yolks.  But our modern society has been brainwashed with misinformation about fats and cholesterol.
Another interesting study about eggs...
I read a study recently that compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts vs groups of people that ate cereal or bagel-based breakfasts.  The results of the study showed that the egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier bodyweight, while the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight. 
It was hypothesized that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied compared to the cereal/bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and food cravings.
Oh, one last thing I almost forgot... I personally eat 4 whole eggs almost every day with breakfast, and I maintain single-digit bodyfat most of the year. 
Enjoy your eggs and get a leaner body!

Health Alert:

 These 23 "health foods" CAUSE weight gain
(avoid them!)

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Unusual Tips and Foods to Lose Your Stomach Fat

by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)

In this FREE presentation below, you'll find:

• Shocking foods that burn belly fat
• 2 so-called "health" foods that you should NEVER eat (they can actually increase stomach fat)
• Motivation secrets for lifelong fitness success
• 1 unique "trick" to reduce junk-food cravings
• Weird workouts that burn abdominal fat faster than typical "cardio"
• The TRUTH about getting flat abs without bogus "fat burner" pills
  
  
  Facts You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat and Get Six Pack Ab 
  
  1. Many so-called "health foods" are actually cleverly disguised junk foods that can actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat... yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits.
  2. Ab exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are actually the LEAST effective method of getting flat six pack abs. We'll explore what types of exercises REALLY work in a minute.
  3. Boring repetitive cardio exercise routines are NOT the best way to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs. I'll tell you the exact types of unique workouts that produce 10x better results below.
  4. You DON'T need to waste your money on expensive "extreme fat burner" pills or other bogus supplements. I'll show you how to use the power of natural foods in more detail below.
  Before we get to #5, if you didn't do it already, make sure not to miss out on this free report with tons of fat loss tips today...
  5. Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks... they're all a complete waste of your time and money. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that "ab contraption"... they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies. Again, you'll learn some of their secrets and what really works below.
  

  Here's the REAL truth on getting a flat belly and lean sexy abs...

  Men click here for your free presentation with important tips to start losing your belly fat and carving out ripped six pack abs.

  Women Click here for your FREE presentation showing a unique method for losing your stubborn tummy fat and get a tight sexy stomach

   

  Want to read an amazing case study of mine that got ripped six pack abs?  This is very inspirational and I'm extremely proud of Alex for his results:  How Alex lost 36 lbs of body fat, built lean muscle, and got six pack abs for the first time.

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