How to Stop Cravings for Junk Food and Sugar

Hey there!

Mike Geary here from TruthAboutAbs.com with another Lean-Body Secrets Ezine.

My good friend Virgil Aponte (the Stairs Exercises Guru) sent me this article that he wrote and I wanted to pass it on to you because I thought he made some excellent points, and some important things to keep in mind regarding your food choices.

One of the things I want to stress that Virgil mentions is the relationship with feeding your body nutritious foods versus the junk food devoid of nutrition and how this affects your cravings. I've said this before, and many people don't believe me, but the truth is that since I've adopted the balanced high density nutrition diet that I've eaten for the last several years, any cravings for junk food or sweets have virtually disappeared.
Here's Virgil's article below. Enjoy!

Is sugar as addictive as cocaine?
by Virgil Aponte, the Stairs Exercises Guru

Over dinner one day a friend of one my clients asked me a very interesting question:
Why is it that people crave things like doughnuts and sweets and not life giving, cancer fighting foods like spinach and broccoli?
I simply said that's an awesome question and that I've asked myself that questions many times. In fact I also went on to say that although I'm a trainer I have many of the same struggles with food that most people have. 
It has always perplexed me why I crave sweets and not a bowl of spinach and broccoli. I mean how can this be that foods like broccoli, spinach, carrots etc? which provide nutrients that are vital to our well being don't addict us like junk food does. I just have to walk by Crispy Creme doughnuts and I start fantasizing how delicious those little suckers will be.
In recent months I've come across some insights as to why many are addicted to or crave junk foods. Hopefully this information will at least motivate you to keep these foods out of your house. Outside of your house you will be tempted with many opportunities to eat these lifeless and addicting foods.
World famous health & nutrition expert, Paul Chek calls this the "you can't eat just one syndrome". First he explains in his "You Are What You Eat" audio series that junk foods or non-foods are foods that:
1. Offer very little or no nutrition at all.
2. Force the body to the use its own nutritional stores to assimilate and digest the food.
It's amazing that you are eating to nourish yourself with food but with non-foods you are actually depleting yourself of more nutrients thus creating a need for more nutrition.
These same non-foods also cause you to overeat and possibly become addicted to these foods.
The reason is as the foods enter your mouth your brain can sense if there is actually any nutrition (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc.) present in these foods. If there isn't then the brain simply signals you to keep eating until it finds nutrition. 
The problem with doughnuts, cookies and that soda pop is that there will never be any nutrition in that food.
So what happens is you simply eat the whole box of cookies, or slurp down 20 oz of that soda. This then creates a big problem with your blood sugar because you've just taken in a great amount of worthless sugar which skyrockets your blood sugar level and forces your pancreas to secret an enormous amount of insulin to bring your blood sugar back down.
Your blood sugar then plummets to very low levels and you feel horrible and guess what? Hungry again! And what better way to bring your blood sugar level back up than with good old worthless sugar laden nutrient-devoid junk food!
Can you see what I'm getting at here:
These non-foods actually cause an addictive cycle similar to hard drugs and alcohol! In fact Paul Chek even talked about how scientists found that the addictive mechanisms of sugar and hard drugs are actually very similar.
You get high and feel great and then you crash and feel worse than ever and crave the same substances that got you high in the first place. This to me is amazing and very scary. 
Eventually what also happens as with hard drugs and alcohol is that you need more to get the same high.
Now look at what's happening to you... You're eating a food that gets you high, robs you of valuable nutrition, makes you sick, gets you fat and on top of that makes you crave more of it.
The same reason you crave non-foods is the same reason you don't crave spinach and broccoli. One could easily slug down 20 oz of soda, but try doing that with spinach juice and you are likely to throw up. The reason for this is because with the brain will sense the enormous amount of nutrition coming in with the veggie juice and say it's enough. We naturally eat until we are satiated and it doesn't happen with non-foods but happens easily with real foods.
With real foods you eat, feel good, don't get bloated, don't get high, don't crash, don't overeat, and just plain nourish yourself.
So how do you protect yourself?
First let me say that we start off at a very big disadvantage. 
The very clever and powerful food companies find many places to put their non-foods in products and the labels will even say that these foods are healthy, low fat, "good for weight loss" etc? They are also very good at marketing to children. Remember, children will become the adults that eat these foods so what better time to reach them than when they're young.
I myself grew up on powdered ice tea, soda, crackers, pasteurized milk (which is also a non-food), and many other sweets. I also ate some real food like rice, vegetables, avocados and meat, but I've always had way too much access to non-foods.
The first thing is to not keep any non-foods at home. This is especially important for your kids because I believe it is easier for them to become addicted. 
Trust me and we all know this, but once you step outside, you will be bombarded with temptations to feast on non-foods.
I've looked at many of my client's kitchens and not one of them has passed my inspection. 
Many don't even pass a second time (that's how powerful these non-foods are). I mean if scientists can compare sugar to hard drugs shouldn't that open our eyes.
Make use of a juicer and juice a few days a week. Most people don't get enough vegetables in their diet and juicing is one of the easier ways to do so. My favorite juice drink is spinach, kale, cucumber, and green apples (I wished I craved it though).
Keep healthy snacks in the house like quality fruits, cheese and yogurt. It is more expensive but isn't your health worth it. I mean it really saddens me when someone can drive up to McDonalds in a 50,000 dollar car. They could easily have a 20,000 dollar car and just eat better quality food.
Get tested to find out what types of foods you are suited to... We are all unique in that we require different amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats and getting tested can help us figure out which type we are suited to.
Eat real food... Take the time to make yourself quality meals at dinner time. Beef, chicken, turkey and eggs make great protein sources. Brown rice, sweet potatoes, beans, salads and vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates. 
Don't forget to include high quality fats and oils in your diet as well like butter, coconut oil, nuts, avocados, cod liver oil, and extra virgin olive oil.   If possible try to buy organic meat and vegetables. 
They are more expensive but offer more nutrition then commercial foods.
I hope you enjoyed Virgils article. I couldn't have said it all better myself and that's why I wanted to pass it on to you to keep these things in mind when choosing what foods you eat daily. 
If you enjoyed this article today, please feel free to email this link on to any friends or family that you think will benefit from it.


Stay lean, Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
TruthAboutAbs.com

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Fat Burning Kitchen Report

 Discover 23 HEALTH Foods that are causing weight gain (You've been fooled)
Also discover if your Kitchen contains fat-burning foods or fat- gaining foods


by Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
& Catherine Ebeling - RN, BSN
Please continue reading, because in this short article Catherine and I are going to share with you a few simple and easy tricks to turn your "fat gaining kitchen" into a "fat burning kitchen," while also showing you some deceptive "health" foods that are not only making it IMPOSSIBLE for you to lose fat, but also make you age FASTER.

In the next few minutes you're going to discover...

Eating for fat loss is simple, right?
Eat fewer calories than you expend in a certain time period and you lose weight... Eat more calories than you expend and you gain weight... right?
Not so fast!
While it's true that your overall caloric intake vs your caloric expenditure is one of the most important aspects in whether you gain weight or lose weight... there are a lot of factors involved that complicate this, such as:
1. Calorie counting NEVER works!
Almost nobody, and I mean nobody, counts calories accurately.  Controlled studies indicate that the majority of people (between 75-90%) consistently (and massively) under-report their calories consumed when they are asked to track their calories.
I'm going to show you why calorie-counting is completely obsolete (as long as you follow one of the main principles that I'm going to teach you).

2. Appetite control and cravings destroy the ability for most people to ever meet a calorie goal
If your appetite and cravings are out of control, how can you control hunger and actually stay in your goal calorie range for fat loss?  The problem is that most people can't!
There is a trick that you can master that will automatically control your appetite and cravings.
3. Hormone imbalances
If you're eating the wrong foods and don't even know it, this may be disrupting hormone balances in your body and leading you to overeat, decrease your metabolic rate, and other problems that can prevent you from burning off body fat effectively.
If you read below, you'll see how you can reverse these eating habits that are causing hormone imbalances, and turn your body into a fat-burning machine, like it was meant to be.
And don't get me started on the "Food Pyramid"...
The Food Pyramid is an absolute JOKE!
In fact, the food pyramid has mislead almost as many individuals down the depressing road of fat-gain as the crooked food companies and their deceptive food label claims.
So-Called "Health Foods" That Are Causing Your Body to Gain More Body Fat?
I can't tell you how many times I've walked into the kitchen of a client of mine that has hired me for nutritional counseling, and I'm shocked by what I see...
Almost every time, I see their kitchen cabinets and fridge LOADED with foods that they think are "healthy" (or have been deceived by clever food labels into believing are healthy), but in reality are fat-storing traps in disguise.
It's not uncommon to see foods such as:

• whole grain breads
• whole grain cereals
• whole grain crackers
• soymilk
• tofu or "veggie burgers"
• orange juice
• apple juice
• skim milk
• margarine
• pre-packaged "diet" dinners
• gator-ade or other sport drinks
• protein bars (aka - candy bars in disguise!)
• overly processed meal replacements (with more junk than healthy ingredients)
• rice cakes
• pasta
• diet ice cream or diet desserts
• so-called "energy" drinks
• low-fat foods
• low-carb foods
• soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil
• etc, etc

I see this trend over and over again with almost every client when I first inspect their cabinets and the foods that they were buying that they thought were healthy.
What they don't realize is that it's these exact foods that are sabotaging their fat loss efforts, increasing their cravings, throwing their hormones out of whack, and more.
The Simple Solution for Eating a Healthy Diet That Promotes Fat Loss (Permanently)
I'm going to show you that eating for permanent fat loss doesn't have to be complicated.
In fact, if you choose the right foods, and understand how these foods react with your body, this method is a way for you to automatically attain the right calorie level without the need to ever count calories again.
That's why I've teamed up with expert nutrition researcher, Catherine Ebeling, and we've co-authored this new program for you:
The Fat Burning Kitchen:  Your 24-Hour Diet Transformation to Make Your Body a Fat-Burning Machine
by Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
& Catherine Ebeling - RN, BSN

Inside this brand new program, you'll find:

• the true secret to making calorie-counting obsolete... this is the same principle that will automatically eliminate your cravings and control your appetite permanently (it's the same reason that I personally haven't had a real "craving" in at least 6 years) -- pg 1-2
• the truth about polyunsaturated fats (omega-6's and omega-3's) that most food companies don't want you to know -- pg.18
• which protein bars or energy bars are actually candy bars in disguise and which bars are actually good for you -- pg.50
• the real deal on saturated fat and cholesterol, and why they are essential in your diet -- pg.59
• the "whole grain" deception and why whole grain crackers, breads, and cereals could be packing on more bodyfat -- pg.9
• why that skim milk may not be so good for you after all -- pg.29
• the one time when tilapia and salmon are NOT health foods -- pg.36
• a healthy fat-burning burger option?  Yes -- pg.60
• why soymilk, tofu, and veggie burgers could be increasing your belly fat -- pg.41
• Are sports drinks stifling your fat-burning? -- pg.46
• The only truly healthy options for sweeteners... even non-caloric sweeteners -- pg.83
• A surprising healthy fat in some animal products that actually helps you burn fat and build muscle -- pg.60
• whole eggs or egg whites?  easy answer -- pg.65
• do diet sodas and other diet drinks hurt your fat loss efforts? -- pg.22
• Is whole milk actually better for you than skim milk?  there's more to the story -- pg.67
• A type of saturated fat that actually helps to stimulate your metablism -- pg. 112
• the one time when chocolate can even help to prevent your sweet tooth cravings -- pg.88
• does green tea or oolong tea really increase your metabolism and help fat loss?  the truth -- pg.90
• which fruits and veggies are okay to choose non-organic -- pg.94
• and TONS more secrets to help you permanently transform your diet to force your body to burn fat more effectively.

FREE Bonus:  6-Part Fat-Burning Nutrition Course - On Video!

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So I've lined up a series of 6 killer video tutorials (by my favorite nutritionist, Isabel De Los Rios) which will help to clarify where you might be going wrong in your food choices, more tricks to eliminate cravings, and even clever time saving tips you can use to eat healthier automatically (without excessive time spent prepping meals).
She even goes through some great examples of food labels showing where the food manufacturers are trying to fool you into thinking their junk foods are "healthy".  This will help you choose healthier at the grocery store.
This video tutorial series are regularly valued at $179.00 separately, but are yours FREE for choosing this program today.

Try it first, and THEN decide 

Of course, as always, you have our Iron-Clad 8-week 100% money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the program for any reason.
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The Super-Advanced Nutritional Tactics That I Used to Go From 10.2% Body Fat to 6.9% Body Fat in Just Over 3 Weeks (23 days to be exact)
 That's right... although I usually stay in great shape year round, I ended up planning a photo shoot recently and needed to drop a couple % more body fat, and I only had just over 3 weeks to prepare for it.
When you're already fairly lean (I was right around 10% bodyfat at the time), that is when it's hardest to lose that last bit of "stubborn fat", so it takes some advanced strategies to get rid of the last bit of fat.
After studying advanced fat loss techniques for years, I knew exactly what I needed to do and it was just a matter of taking action on it.  So I put together all of my most advanced fat loss techniques I've learned over the years and got to work.

 

In this advanced nutritional fat-burning section, I give you all the dirty details about exactly how I went from 10.2% body fat to 6.9% body fat in only 23 days.  Don't worry, there's absolutely no "fluff" in this section with bland and boring generic advice like "eat lots of fruits and veggies"... Everybody knows that...
Instead, this is the real nitty gritty details of everything I ate, meal timing, carb/protein/fat ratios and the exact timing in relation to workouts to maximize fat burning... and the advanced methods I used for the specific types of exercises and workouts that were necessary to maximize fat loss and lean muscle maintenance for such a short time period.
I even give you the details for the really advanced tactics that involved specific foods, teas, nutrients, spices, etc that I used to get the fastest results during these 23 days.
The powerful thing is... if these techniques worked for me, for that hardest to lose "stubborn fat", then it will work even better for you if you have a little bit more fat to lose. 
 These methods should ONLY be used for 3-4 weeks and ONLY on occasion when you need to really drop body fat and get leaner FAST for perhaps an event that you're preparing for... maybe a wedding, or a beach vacation, or a cruise, or your own photo shoot... whenever you need that extra "burst" of fat loss in just 3-4 weeks time frame.
Grab your copy of The Fat Burning Kitchen today, because this Advanced Fat Burning section is so good and so detailed that we'll be selling it separately for $34.95 in the near future
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I'm confident that you'll LOVE the unique nutrition tips and ideas that you'll gain through this program... You can say goodbye to cravings forever and start eating the right way to turn your body into a fat-burning machine 24/7!
Sincerely,

Mike Geary
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author - Worldwide best seller: The Truth about Six Pack Abs (over 539,000 readers in 163 countries)

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These Cereals Destroy Your Hormones, Zap Your Energy & Cause Weight Gain

Most cereals are promoted as "health foods" by the 
giant food corporations.  
However, these sinister common breakfast foods that almost everyone consumes daily are killing you slowly, zapping your energy levels, causing diabetes, excess body fat, cancer, and even faster aging in your body.  I'll explain why below...

by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist
Best-Selling Author:  The Fat-Burning Kitchen & The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging

If you care at all about your body and health, I'm sure you already know to avoid the obvious sugary cereals like the flakes with sugar frosting, the fruity sugar cereals with artificial colors, the frosted wheat biscuits, or the marshmallow cereals that so many parents are poisoning their kids with these days.
However, even most breakfast cereals that aren't frosted in sugar are marketed heavily as "heart healthy", "rich in fiber", and "a good source vitamins & minerals"... Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth!
As a Nutritionist that's studied the biochemistry of nutrition for over 25 years, and how certain foods affect the cells of your body, there are at least 10 important reasons to be extremely concerned about what cereals are doing inside your body.  I'll touch on a few of the important details in this short article...

Most cereals (even "whole grain" or "high fiber") cause extreme harm to your hormones and create runaway blood sugar in your body

One of the WORST things about most cereals, even so-called "whole grain" cereals is that they ALL cause a significant spike in your blood sugar (regardless of whether they are wheat, rice, or corn based) to dangerously high levels, which results in a cascade of fat storing hormones to be released in your body, and causes more carb cravings later in the day.  This is NOT the way to start your day if you care about your waistline or how much belly fat that you have.
In fact, even cereals that have added fiber (such as bran flakes or raisin bran) have been found to cause just as much of a massive spike in blood sugar as the low-fiber cereals such as rice or corn based cereals.  Remember that the starches in wheat, corn, or a bowl of rice cereal break down quickly in your body into SUGAR and immediately do as much harm to your blood sugar regulation system as if you ate 40-60 grams of pure corn syrup or pure table sugar.
Those massive spikes in your blood sugar essentially damage your cells in your body through a process called glycation, which accelerates the rate of aging in your joints, skin, organs, and even your brain.  Ouch...  That tiger on the cereal commercials is never going to warn you about that!
And speaking of hormones, another effect of high blood sugar is that it blunts the ability of your body to release growth hormone (aka, the youth hormone), so if you want to look and feel younger, cereals are NOT helping you in that department!
Note:  Regarding the claims that cereals are a "good source of vitamins and minerals", this is actually FALSE... The majority of vitamins and minerals in most cereals are not naturally occurring, but rather, are synthetically added vitamins, which have been proven to be less absorbed than natural vitamins and potentially even harmful in some cases.  As an example, synthetic vitamin E is shown in some studies to be harmful to us, while natural vitamin E is beneficial.

Crunching your way to Diabetes and belly fat every morning?
Think about this next time you're gobbling down that bowl of bran flakes, rice puffs, or wheat biscuits while you're running out the door in the morning...
The more cereal you eat, the more you constantly stress your pancreas and other organs involved in controlling your blood sugar.  Insulin levels surge every day to try to control your massive blood sugar attacks from all that cereal, and eventually, your insulin sensitivity suffers, leading many people to type 2 Diabetes, and a life of injecting insulin with needles and stabbing your fingers every day for blood tests 3-5x every day of your life.
Not only that, but causing high insulin levels in your body every morning by eating cereal also triggers your body to STORE body fat.  So if you want to be lean, cereal is directly going against your goal, and only making you fatter!

Gut Inflammation and even gut damage?
More bad news about cereal...
Any cereals with wheat ingredients in them can possibly cause gut inflammation and long term gut damage from too much gluten and lectins, even if you're not officially gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive.
Think those corn-based cereals are better than wheat?  Think again!  Corn-based cereals are almost always made with GMO corn, which has many scientists very concerned about long term health threats, since there are no long term studies on the effects of GMO corn to your health, as well as your children's health.
And rice-based cereals (krispies, etc) aren't much better, as they cause just as high of a blood sugar spike as pure table sugar... Ouch!

Cereal causes CRAVINGS for more carbs later in the day, leading to excess calories
The blood sugar spike and subsequent insulin surge from your morning cereal makes your body to try to get all that sugar out of your blood and into cells (usually fat cells), and that causes a big drop in your blood sugar hours later.  This makes you CRAVE more carb-based or sugary foods later in the day.
The result of this is a constant wild roller coaster ride of blood sugar and insulin all day long, leading you to eat more calories in any given day.
I recently read a study about people that ate egg-based breakfasts vs cereal-based breakfasts...  Even though the people that ate egg-based breakfasts consumed far more fat in the morning, they ended up eating much less calories throughout each day because they didn't have the wild blood sugar swings, hormone imbalances, and subsequent cravings.  Egg breakfasts are proven to CONTROL your appetite, while cereal breakfasts are proven to INCREASE your appetite for more food, particularly more starchy and sugary carbs.

Cereal makes your body a carb-burner instead of a fat-burner
The more carbs that you eat each day from foods such as cereal and breads, the more you train your body to rely on carbs for energy.  So when your blood sugar dips again, you need more carbs again, or you'll have a major energy slump.
On the other hand, the more that you get most of your calories from healthy fats instead (avocados, coconut oil, grass-fed butter and cream, olive oil, nuts, seeds, eggs, and pasture-raised meats), the more you train your body to be a fat-burning machine.
This is called creating a "fat adapted metabolism" and you do this by reducing your overall carb intake and simultaneously increasing your healthy fat intake.  This doesn't mean you need to go extremely low in carbs like Atkins, but just a LOT lower than the average carb addict, which is pretty much everyone eating a modern diet.
By relying mostly on healthy fats for energy instead of carbs, this balances your hormones and gives you VERY stable blood sugar levels throughout each day, allowing you to also have VERY stable energy levels throughout each day without the typical spikes and slumps in your energy that most carb addicts feel every single day.
Another benefit of creating a "fat adapted metabolism" in your body is that you will naturally lose body fat easier!  There is no magic ratios of macronutrients that's perfect for everyone, nor do I think you need to obsess over exact calories or exact ratios of carbs to fat... However, to give you an idea of how far off most people are... Most people currently eat a diet that is in the range of 60% carbs, 20% fat, and 20% protein.  What I'm describing to you in order to create a fat adapted metabolism would be more around eating 20% carbs, 60% fat, and 20% protein.
Basically, as you can see, it's like flip-flopping the typical western diet ratios of carbs to fat.

Healthier alternatives to cereal that are still QUICK (helping you to be a fat-burner instead of carb-burner)
Instead of the typical cereal in the morning (that's slowly killing you and making you fatter), try a bowl of plain greek full-fat organic yogurt (which is loaded with healthy gut probiotics, healthy fats, AND protein) and add in a handful of fresh, organic berries (or frozen wild blueberries), a handful of nuts such as either almonds or pecans (more healthy fats), and a little stevia or vanilla protein for a little added sweetness if you need it.
This breakfast will leave you leaner, keep your blood sugar, energy levels, and hormones balanced for the day, and prevent cravings for more starchy and sugary carbs later in the day.
Another option is simply any combination of eggs, veggies, avocado, and even organic breakfast meat if you want.  One of my favorite quick breakfasts is to cook up a couple eggs over easy real quick and slice a half of an avocado on a plate.
I chop the eggs and avocado together with some hot sauce and a couple slices of turkey, and voila... a quick 5-minute breakfast that's incredibly delicious, yet MUCH healthier than that bowl of cereal, and will help balance your hormones for the day instead of creating hormone imbalances and energy crashes like cereal does.
On the next page, I'll show you why you should STOP eating whole wheat bread, vegetable oils, canola oil, energy bars & these 2 particular milks if you want to stay lean and avoid diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes...plus you'll discover the popular restaurant plant-based "side dish" that CAUSES heart attacks according to one New Zealand study:

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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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The #1 WORST Food that HARMS Your Brain (avoid!)

Some foods you might be eating daily can actually DAMAGE your
brain over time. In this article, we'll explore foods that
HARM your brain vs foods that PROTECT your brain.

by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist
Co-Author of the best seller: The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging

First, the BAD NEWS...
Certain foods you eat can indeed harm your brain, both in impaired
learning ability as well as impaired memory.  Even worse, the wrong
food and drink choices throughout your life can even lead to the
terrible and deadly disease of Alzheimers.

A friend of mine just told me that her dad died of Alzheimers
recently and it was just a terrible disease where he didn't even
know who she was anymore towards the end.  It's time our society
starts taking degenerative diseases like Alzheimers, cancer, and
heart disease more seriously throughout our lives, and not just
once it's too late. Even in our 30's, 40's, and 50's, the choices
we make with our daily food can PREVENT these terrible diseases.

So let's dig in with the topic today of foods that harm your brain,
and what you can do about it...

Food #1 that HARMS your brain:  Fructose

In a 2012 UCLA study published in the Journal of Physiology,
researchers found that a diet high in fructose over time can damage
your memory and learning ability.
Beyond the harm to your brain, it's well known in the research world
that a high fructose diet can also cause insulin resistance in your
body over time, and possibly lead to type-2 diabetes and extra body
fat.  If that's not enough, a high fructose diet also detrimentally
affects your triglyceride levels in your blood as well as small dense
LDL particles that cause plaque in your arteries.

So what we have here is high-fructose intake = impaired memory and
learning in your brain, increased risk of diabetes, and increased risk
of heart disease. Oh, and we forgot to mention extra belly fat too...
Yum - who wants another can of soda pop or a large bowl of corn syrup
sweetened ice cream!
The average person eating a modern western diet of processed food
consumes a LARGE quantity of fructose without even thinking about it
from all of the soft drinks (high fructose corn syrup typically),
sweetened juice drinks, orange juice, processed junk foods such as
cakes and candies, as well as the HFCS that's added to store-bought
salad dressings, breads and cereals, and even condiments like ketchup.

Note that many sports drinks, even though marketed as "healthy", can
have large amounts of corn syrup or even crystalline fructose as their
main sweetener.  These sports drinks can be equally as bad as a soda for
your body and your brain.  Don't be fooled by the clever marketing showing
pictures of pro athletes guzzling this stuff.
Also note that agave syrup (aka, agave nectar) which is marketed as a
"healthy" sweetener as well, is one of the most concentrated forms of
processed fructose in sweeteners as well.  I personally stay away from
agave sweeteners as much as possible unless the amounts are very small.

All of these fructose-laden foods and drinks are easy to avoid though
if you choose to eat consciously... for example, make homemade salad
dressings from your favorite olive oil and vinegar with added spices,
or choose to drink unsweetened iced tea with lemon instead of sweetened
drinks or juices.  If you use a lot of ketchup, try to reduce the quantity
by mixing with mustard or hot sauce, which typically don't contain HFCS
sweetener in any significant quantities.

Last thing to note about fructose... Yes, natural whole fruits do contain
fructose, but generally contain MUCH smaller quantities of fructose than
you would consume in a sweetened juice drink, soft drink or sweetened junk
foods.  Also, the phytonutrients, antioxidants, and fiber that's contained
in most whole fruits counteracts any negative effects of fructose.
I personally try to keep fruit intake to no more than 1-2 pieces a day due
to the sugar and fructose content of larger amounts of fruit.

Here's a trick:  Did you know that limes and lemons contain virtually zero
fructose, and only 3-4 grams of total carbs in a whole lemon or lime,
whereas a typical orange contains 6 grams of fructose and 25 grams of total
sugar per fruit.  I squeeze lemons and limes daily into either water or teas
for a healthy flavorful drink. Fresh lemon juice has even been shown to
control blood sugar response from a meal...another bonus!

Other Foods that HARM Your Brain:

You probably already know some of the harmful health effects of these foods,
but long term effects on your brain are yet another...

Trans fats -- strongly inflammatory in your entire body including damage to
cell membranes throughout your body.  Avoid hydrogenated oils in processed
foods and deep fried foods.

Mercury -- studies show that mercury from pollution (coal burning plants are
the biggest source of mercury pollution to air and water) and from fish that
are high on the food chain such as tuna, shark, swordfish, tilefish, etc can
possibly cause long term negative effects on your brain.  Limit these types
of fish to a couple times a month and focus more on fish such as salmon, trout,
and many other types of smaller fish to reduce your mercury load.

Wheat-based foods -- In the groundbreaking book, Wheat Belly, Dr William Davis
makes a very convincing argument that wheat has addictive properties in the brain.
Wheat contains compounds termed "exorphins" that have an effect in your brain
similar to opiate drugs.  This explains why people have such a hard time giving
up their beloved breads, cereals, pasta, and muffins because these foods are
mildly addictive.

I know personally from past experience that if I have a pasta dinner,
I'll go back for seconds and thirds as I just can't seem to stop eating the
stuff.  And then hours after dinner, I'll get cravings for more carb-based
foods or sweets.  But if I pass on the pasta and just have meat, veggies,
and salad, I find myself totally satisfied after dinner with no cravings
later at night.

The good news is...

There are plenty of superfoods, herbs, and spices that can protect your brain
and your other organs too!

In fact, did you know that turmeric is one of the highest antioxidant spices
that also exhibits brain-protecting effects? In India, where curry containing
turmeric and other spices is eaten daily, rates of Alzheimers disease is among
the lowestin the world, proving some of the brain-protecting effects of turmeric.
In addition, the powerful DHA and EPA omega-3 fats in fish oil has been proven
in countless studies to protect your brain from damage over the years.

Want more...
I'll show you how to find dozens of delicious foods, spices, herbs, and unique
nutrients that PROTECT your brain, joints, organs, and skin from aging on the
next page!
These unique nutrients and superfoods can be found at most stores and can help
PROTECT your brain from aging, HEAL your joints, reverse or prevent type 2
diabetes, normalize your blood pressure, SLOW aging of your skin, FIGHT against
developing cancer, FIX years of digestion problems, and even help to BOOST your
metabolism...

If you want to discover these powerful superfoods and nutrients CLICK HERE

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Is "Whole Wheat" Damaging Your Body?

Can eating too much wheat be a factor in causing visceral abdominal fat, acne, joint problems and arthritis, IBS and acid reflux, cravings, addictive behaviors, increased overall calorie consumption, diabetes, heart disease, accelerated aging, and autoimmune diseases?  Let's have a look...
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of the best-sellers:  The Truth About Six Pack Abs
& The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging

One thing you may know about me is that I believe in continuing to educate myself on nutrition and fitness, and passing that information onto you, my reader.  I feel that regardless of how much we've already studied over the years, there's always new things you can learn that can help improve your health for a higher quality of life.

That's why I try to always read at least 2 new books every month on nutrition, to keep learning new things all the time.  Despite how much we already know, there's always new things to learn.

I've found this to be especially true of a new book I'm reading right now called Wheat Belly, by Dr. William Davis... there are lots of gems inside this book that I will be sharing with you over the next couple weeks.

There's a lot to discuss about this topic, so I wanted to start with just a few of the most important points in the book...
This is a topic that you should pay close attention to, as wheat is one of the biggest sources of calories in the average person's diet (along with corn and soy, which are equally bad).  The average American eats a whopping 133 pounds of wheat per year, which includes babies in that average, meaning that the average adult eats well over 150 lbs of wheat per year.

Most people eat wheat at every meal...bagels, muffins, or cereal at breakfast... a sandwich at lunch... crackers, pretzels, and other wheat-based snacks all day long... bread on the side at dinner... and maybe even some cake or brownies for dessert.  Yes, a day in the life of the average consumer makes most of us look like "wheat-a-holics".

First, as you know, I've talked a lot in past newsletters about why I believe that grains in general, and also wheat in particular, should not be a large part of your diet as government guidelines recommend.

We've talked about the negatives of anti-nutrients -- compounds in many grains that prevent some nutrients/minerals from being absorbed in your body, leading to possible deficiencies in some nutrients if you eat grains at most meals.

We've also talked about the possible negative effects of gluten on not just celiacs, but a large % of the population that can experience chronic gut inflammation from too much gluten, too often.  And we've also talked about the negative aspects of many grains on your blood sugar cycle, the caloric density of grains, and the weight control challenges that grain-based foods can give you if you're not a super-active athlete.

From all of my research, I see grains on a scale like this:

* oatmeal and rice -- Not the most ideal food, but not so terrible (only if you're VERY active)
* wheat and corn  -- Not much healthy about these at all  (regardless of your activity level)

...with many other grains somewhere in the middle.  It's all about the different anti-nutrients that each contains, the gluten factor, and whether they are genetically modified.

As a generalization, there are many more negative health aspects to wheat and corn than there are in rice and oats.  We'll discuss all of this in more detail in future newsletters.

But let's start today and focus on wheat...

Why in the world does Dr. William Davis conclude in his book that "whole wheat" is terrible for your health?  Well, let's start with a few of the topics Dr. Davis talks about in his book, Wheat Belly:

1.  The wheat we eat today is very different biochemically than the wheat even just 50 years ago
First and foremost, Dr. Davis goes through the history of wheat in the human diet, which goes back to only about 10,000 years ago.  He talks about how the type of wheat that was eaten 1000's of years ago is biochemically not the same wheat we are eating today.  And in fact, even the wheat our grandparents ate just 50 years ago is a far cry biochemically from the wheat that is used today.  This is because wheat has been hybridized heavily over the years to increase crop yield and to increase certain baking characteristics or taste.

Dr. Davis states:  "Small changes in wheat protein structure can spell the difference between a devastating immune response to wheat protein versus no immune response at all."

The take-home message... today's wheat is quite different than even just 50 years ago, as today's wheat has different levels of anti-nutrients and gluten with overall biochemical differences.

Essentially, big agra has hybridized wheat heavily over the last 5 decades to improve things such as crop yield and baking characteristics, but never once thought about the impacts on human health of changing the biochemical structure of wheat.  Although the biochemical differences may seem small, it can have a major impact on how the human digestive system processes the food.
Dr. Davis points this out with this passage... "Wheat gluten proteins, in particular, undergo considerable structural change with hybridization. In one hybridization experiment, 14 new gluten proteins were identified in the offspring that were not present in either parent wheat plant."  This means that modern wheat contains new "foreign" gluten proteins that the human digestive system has not adapted to properly digesting.

Because of all of this, Celiac disease, an autoimmune disease with complete gluten intolerance, has increased fourfold in the last 50 years.  Dr Davis also believes that gluten sensitivity has increased in similar levels in the last 50 years.

The message is that even if you haven't been diagnosed with Celiac or Gluten Sensitivity, it doesn't mean that constant daily gluten intake isn't causing chronic gut inflammation and some sort of possible long term digestive system damage, along with other possible autoimmune diseases.  And remember that chronic gut inflammation can also possibly lead to cancer later in life.

2.  Wheat has addictive properties similar to opiate drugs
Dr Davis makes a very convincing argument that wheat is addictive.  Wheat contains compounds termed "exorphins" that have an effect in your brain similar to opiate drugs.  This explains why people have such a hard time giving up their beloved breads, cereals, pasta, and muffins because these foods are mildly addictive.

I know personally from past experience that if I have have a pasta dinner, I'll go back for seconds and thirds as I just can't seem to stop eating the stuff.  And then hours after dinner, I'll get cravings for more carb-based foods or sweets.  But if I pass on the pasta and just have meat, veggies, and salad, I find myself totally satisfied after dinner with no cravings later at night.

3.  Wheat makes you consume more calories
Possibly due to the additive nature of wheat products, and the subsequent cravings for more carb based foods, Dr Davis cites studies in his book showing that wheat eaters eat more calories overall than people on a gluten-free diet.  One study he cited showed 14% higher caloric intake in wheat eaters than those on a gluten-free food plan.

Dr Davis also notes: "It might be due to the lack of exorphins, reduction of the insulin-glucose cycle that triggers hunger, or some other factor, but elimination of wheat reduces daily calorie intake by 350 to 400 calories -- with no further restrictions on calories, fats, carbohydrates, or portion sizes. No smaller plates, prolonged chewing, or frequent small meals. Just banishing wheat from your table."
The message... it's a LOT easier to control your total calorie intake by avoiding wheat based foods like cereals, breads, muffins, and pasta (with the exception of 1 cheat day per week if you can't fathom giving up wheat altogether).
4.  Wheat raises your blood sugar even more than table sugar
The type of complex carbohydrate that comprises wheat is called amylopectin A, which is a type of carb that is unique in that it is digested so fast that it highly affects blood sugar more than most other carb sources.  Dr Davis cites studies in his book that prove that wheat bread can raise blood sugar HIGHER than table sugar, due to it's amylopectin A content.

Dr. Davis even states:  "Aside from some extra fiber, eating two slices of whole wheat bread is really little different, and often worse, than drinking a can of sugar-sweetened soda or eating a sugary candy bar."
Dr. Davis discusses the fact that the amylopectin A which is uniquely found in wheat and not other sources of carbs raises blood sugar to a much higher degree than most other carbohydrates sources, regardless of whether they are simple or "complex" carbs.  He continues, "In fact, the degree of processing, from a blood sugar standpoint, makes little difference: Wheat is wheat, with various forms of processing or lack of processing, simple or complex, high fiber or low fiber, all generating similarly high blood sugars."

5.  Excessive wheat consumption leads to visceral fat in the abdomen
There are many causes of visceral fat in the abdomen and Dr Davis isn't trying to fully lay the blame on wheat, but he makes a case that shows that wheat is a heavy contributor to visceral fat.  Through a combination of wheat's trigger on the blood sugar and insulin process in your body, the ability of wheat to automatically increase calorie consumption, as well as the digestive system inflammation characteristics of some of wheat's contituents, including gluten, this all leads to a greater chance of developing visceral fat in your abdomen.
And as you know from my article above, visceral fat is particularly dangerous as once it accumulates in your gut and around your organs, it continuously releases inflammatory molecules into your system.  We've talked before about how high fructose corn syrup and other junk foods can increase visceral fat, but Dr. Davis makes a strong case for how wheat can also contribute to visceral fat accumulation.
The message... Eliminate the wheat (aside from one cheat day per week if you absolutely must), and you'll lose the belly much faster.
6.  Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Acid Reflux may be linked to wheat consumption
Dr. Davis makes a good argument in his book showing links between gluten consumption and IBS and acid reflux.  He states, "Eliminate wheat, acid reflux improves, symptoms of IBS improve. Unfortunately, this effect has not been quantified, though investigators have speculated on how large a role gluten plays in non-celiac sufferers of IBS and acid reflux."  Dr. Davis also states that hundreds of his own patients have seen complete or partial relief from IBS and acid reflux with gluten removal from their diet.
If you have IBS or acid reflux, you should at least consider removing wheat from your diet for 2-3 weeks and see if the symptoms go away.  It certainly can't hurt anything to eliminate wheat for a couple weeks (after all, there's nothing "essential" about eating wheat), and if anything, you'll lose some body fat as well in the process.
7.  Wheat consumption leads to accelerated aging
Eating too many wheat products such as bread, bagels, muffins, cereal, crackers, etc increases compounds in your body called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs).  I talked in a previous article here about how sugar can make you age faster and how to prevent this.
But it's not just sugar and corn syrup that cause this problem... as we've already mentioned in this article, the main starch in wheat products is a very unique and fast digesting starch called Amylopectin A, which raises blood sugar even more significantly than table sugar.  Due to the significant blood sugar effect of wheat products (yes, even "whole wheat"), this means it increases those nasty AGEs in your body which contribute to premature aging and wrinkles.
If you're concerned about aging and want to stay looking youthful, make sure to read this article:
>> 5 tricks for looking 10 years YOUNGER
8.  Too much wheat in the diet can cause ACNE problems
According to Dr. Davis, pimples (aka, acne) affects up to 95% of 16-18 year olds in western cultures, and even affects 50% of adults over age 25 with intermittent bouts.
But Dr. Davis provides evidence that acne is NOT caused by genetics, but rather almost entirely by diet.  He discusses how cultures that rely on a basic hunter-gatherer diet, or some other form of diet that does not include wheat or sugar, have been curiously acne free (until western diet influences came in of course).
Dr. Davis talks about how acne is nearly universal in young Americans, but does not occur at all in other cultures.  He states, "Some cultures display no acne whatsoever. Cultures as wide ranging as the Kitavan Islanders of Papua New Guinea, the Ache hunter-gatherers of Paraguay, natives of the Purus Valley in Brazil, African Bantus and Zulus, Japan's Okinawans, and Canadian Inuit are curiously spared the nuisance and embarrassment of acne."
Dr. Davis then cites research that shows that once Western influence introduced wheat, sugar, and other processed foods into the diets of the Okinawans, the Inuits, and the Zulus, acne soon followed.
9.  Wheat consumption contributes to heart disease risk
Another interesting chapter in the book Wheat Belly is where Dr. Davis makes a strong case that frequent wheat consumption increases your heart disease risk.
As you may have heard before, the LDL particles in your blood stream can be characterized as large puffy LDL types (which do not contribute to heart disease) or small dense LDL particles (which do contribute to plaque buildup and heart disease).  Dr. Davis states, "Foods that increase blood glucose the most therefore translate into both greater quantities of small LDL and increased glycation of small LDL.  So heart disease and stroke are not just about high cholesterol. They are caused by oxidation, glycation, inflammation, small LDL particles ... yes, the processes triggered by carbohydrates, especially those made of wheat."
10.  Eating wheat adds a large acid burden that your body must deal with
Your body is hard wired to keep a very precise pH level in your body of approximately 7.4.  What foods you consume either contribute acidifying compounds or alkaline compounds.  A natural hunter-gatherer diet is well balanced with the acid compounds of meats being easily counteracted by alkaline producing fruits, nuts, and veggies.  But when you add the acid burden of grains to the equation, the acid-alkaline balance shifts towards acid.
The more acidifying compounds that you eat or drink (soda, grains, sugar are examples), the more your body needs to pull calcium compounds out of your bone to regulate pH in your body.  This can cause weak bones and osteoporosis as you age.
According to Dr. Davis, grains such as wheat account for 38% of the average American's acid load.  Dr Davis states, "Around 10,000 years ago, the formerly alkaline human diet pH balance shifted to the acid side with the introduction of grains, especially the most dominant of grains, wheat.  The modern human diet of plentiful "healthy whole grains" but lacking in vegetables and fruit is highly acid-charged, inducing a condition called acidosis. Over years, acidosis takes it's toll on your bones."
Dr. Davis also cites a University of Toronto study that showed increased gluten intake increased urinary calcium loss by 63%, along with increased markers for bone weakening.  So even if you're not Celiac or gluten sensitive officially, this is yet another reason to consider reducing or eliminating gluten and wheat from your diet.
11.  A link between wheat consumption and joint degeneration, including arthritis
Dr. Davis also includes a chapter about how eating too much wheat over the years is linked to joint problems and pain, including arthritis.  Dr. Davis states: "The more wheat products you consume, the higher and more frequently blood glucose increases, the more glycation occurs. Glycation represents an irreversible modification of proteins in the bloodstream and in body tissues, including joints such as the knees, hips, and hands.  The cartilage in joints is uniquely susceptible to glycation, since cartilage cells are extremely long-lived and are incapable of reproducing."
Dr. Davis continues... "The damage of glycation is cumulative, making cartilage brittle and unyielding, eventually crumbling. Joint inflammation, pain, and destruction results, the hallmarks of arthritis."
The message... if you want healthy joints for life (I know I still want to be enjoying skiing and mountain biking, two of my favorite things in life, for decades to come) then Dr. Davis makes a strong case that eliminating or greatly reducing wheat in your diet can be an important step to help protect your joints as you get older.  And if you already have arthritis, it's a worthy test to eliminate wheat from your diet for a full 3-4 weeks and see if you notice some relief.  After all, what could it hurt... if anything, a side effect of eliminating wheat is that you'll drop some body fat.
Summary and Choices -- Do we eliminate or reduce wheat in our diets? 
As you can see in the 11 major points we've discussed above, there are a lot of negative consequences to your health of eating too much wheat.  And I'd be hard pressed to find any benefits whatsoever of eating wheat.
Fiber content may be the only possible benefit of wheat, however you can easily get more than enough fiber in your daily diet from fruits, nuts, and veggies instead, without the harmful health effects of wheat.
So you have a choice at this point... if you're the type of person who will do anything to improve your health and have a better body, both in looks and internal health, eliminating wheat is your best bet.
But if you're like most people, the thought of never eating wheat cereals, breads, muffins, pasta, and crackers is just too hard to bear.  If you're this type of person, you can still reap the benefits of greatly reducing wheat in your diet, but minimize your consumption to one weekly cheat day.  It helps to only have this cheat day which might include your favorite wheat products at restaurants, so you keep all wheat foods out of your house and not be tempted by them during the week.
Remember that one very pleasant side effect of eliminating wheat at least 6 days a week is that most people reduce their body fat significantly after making this choice and sticking to it.
And as we've talked about in this article, reducing or eliminating wheat can also prevent acne, reduce heart disease risk, slow down the aging process, reduce symptoms of IBS or acid reflux, help stabilize your blood sugar (assuming you're not still eating loads of sugar and wheat-free junk food), reduce diabetes risk, reduce visceral fat in your abdomen, and more!
Considering the possible benefits to our appearance and health, I'll choose to continue to reduce wheat in my diet!  For me, I've chosen to not completely eliminate wheat, but rather to never have it in my house, and only indulge in wheat products on once-weekly cheat days or while on vacation.
Do you want a healthier and better looking body?  The choice is yours!  Although we still need to consider major health killers such as sugar, HFCS, processed soy foods, processed corn foods, trans fats, and other junk foods, the case has been made that wheat is one of the biggest culprits in our health problems.

Please share today's article about the health effects of wheat with all of your friends and family to help protect their health too... easy sharing options are below:

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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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How do you know if you're getting scammed by supplement companies?

Problems you need to know about fat-burner pills, muscle-building supplements, antioxidant pills, acai, vitamins, protein bars, and more...

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

Did you ever wonder if those vitamins or supplements that you buy actually contain in the bottle what they say is in the bottle? You should! Because here's a shocker...
They don't have to put what they claim in the bottle! There's no regulations on supplements to assure integrity or quality.
I'm sure you've noticed from many of my writings that in general, I tend to be anti-supplements. The supplement industry is loaded with fraudulent claims, bogus products that sometimes aren't even what they claim to be, and lots of ineffective products (even when they ARE what they claim to be).  The biggest problems in the supplement industry are with overhyped "fat-burner" pills, and with muscle-building supplements that have vastly inflated claims (and prices).
Despite these problems, I've always contended that there are a handful of useful products out there, and certainly some honest companies mixed in with the abundant scam artists. One company I've found that is actually honest and sells only research-proven products is http://natuaral.getprograde.com/
This company has been in the making for about 3 years now, and was built by a group of fitness professionals whose main goal was to try to fight against the problems in the supplement industry and offer an honest solution without the hype and without the loads of products that have no research behind them and don't work.
If you choose the right products from a reputable company, there are certainly a few winners out there that can help you acheive a higher level of health and faster results with fat loss, muscle building, energy levels, etc.
Let me show you below some of the typical problems with supplements, and how to avoid them and choose the right products that will actually get you results.
Problem #1 with supplements:
Ever since the passing of the 1994 Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act (DSHEA) in the US, supplements have been excluded from federal regulation. One of the negative aspects of this is that certain unscrupulous companies could now pretty much get away with putting anything they wanted in the bottle because it did not have to undergo quality control testing to make it to market. Their label didn't even have to match what was in the bottle, since nobody is policing them.
The only way to catch these companies was for independent testing firms to run tests on their own dime to find out which companies are honest and which are fraudulent.
The founders of http://Natural.getprograde.com/ solved this problem by requiring that all of their products go through High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) testing to guarantee what they say is in the bottle is TRULY in the bottle, and delivers the desired results.
Their manufacturing plant is also a GMP certified manufacturer - "A" rated facility to assure quality.
Problem #2 with supplements:
One of the other major problems I've had with the supplement industry are falsely hyped up claims about "miraculous" results with their products giving you the false hope that your body will turn into a fitness model's within a couple weeks of using their "miracle pill".
Well, we all know by now that most of these products do very little, if anything to actually create results in the body. Even if some of them have minor positive effects, it does not address the underlying cause of the problem in the first place, and results will never last in the long run without lifestyle changes to both your exercise and nutrition habits as a whole.
In response to this, the founders of http://losebellyfat.getprograde.com/ made sure there was absolutely no hype or ridiculous claims... only a very limited line of the most effective research-backed products without any BS or confusing "stacks".
Problem #3 with supplements:
Most people overlook this problem when buying vitamins and supplements. The fact is that your body does not properly absorb nutrients from artificial vitamin sources as is common with many supplements and vitamins.
Once again, I asked the founders of http://losebellyfat.getprograde.com/ to respond to this. I was happy to find that their products are actually extracted from whole-food sources instead of artificial sources, meaning better absorption in your body.
They even purchased a 2500-acre farm in mineral rich soils in sunny Florida where all of their raw materials are grown. I must say...I'm impressed!
Problem #4 with supplements:
Another problem I have with typical supplements is this...
The normal scenario when someone buys supplements is that they may go to their local supplement/vitamin store and they are given advice by some high school kid making $7/hr who has no education whatsoever in nutrition.
Do you really want to put your health in the hands of some kid who is simply telling you that you need to get such and such supplement because he saw something about how great it was in a magazine advertisement?
Once again, the founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/ solved this problem by assuring that all of their products were designed by nutrition professionals in the industry -- dieticians and nutritionists who carefully analyzed which products actually are beneficial and which are a waste of time and money. They then narrowed their line of products down to only a handful of the most effective.
They also have dedided that their products will never be sold in stores because they don't want unqualified store clerks with no education in nutrition to recommend products for your health. That's why you can only obtain them from their website, so you know you're getting them from qualified professionals in the industry.
Problem #5 with supplements:
This problem is quite simply this... YOU DON'T NEED supplements for optimal health, IF you're eating right.
The fact is, you don't need supplements as long as you eat a well rounded diet full of unprocessed whole natural foods, lots of variety, high nutrient density... lots of fruits, veggies, whole unrefined grains, eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, organic meats, fish, etc, etc.
The problem is that most people don't have time (or think they don't have the time) or don't make enough of an effort to eat this type of optimal diet with proper balance and super-high nutrient density.
In this case, I concede that supplementation has many benefits for people who struggle to eat right all of time and may be missing many essential nutrients.
To solve this problem, the founders of http:/natural.getprograde.com/ have actually formulated their men's and women's formulas with extracts of natural whole foods instead of synthetic sources. They even use whole food extracts from cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, carrot, wheat grass, alfalfa, artichoke, chorella, kale, collard greens, papaya, grapefruit, tomato, omega-3's, and dozens more.
Here are my recommendations as a Nutrition Specialist myself... The only supplements I recommend are those that replicate the benefits of real food.
For this reason, be sure to check out their EFA Icon (essential fatty acid) which uses a unique Krill oil which has been measured as having 47 times more antioxidant value than standard fish oil. I've always been a big fan of fish oil, but when I found this krill oil, I had to make the switch based on the higher quality.
Also, I highly recommend the brand new Prograde Longevity Super-Antioxidant formula.
This is my favorite product, which contains a unique blend of 6 of the most powerful antioxidants available: 
1. coffee berry,
2. Acai berry,
3. wolf-berry,
4. pomegrante,
5. green tea,
6. Biovin grape (the same source of powerful antioxidants in red wine).
And lastly, my other recommendation is to try the Prograde Cravers, which are a delicious organic snack bar made with organic ingredients rich in antioxidants and nutrition. My favorite is the Peanut-Butter Chocolate!  Mmmm.

That's it for today. Til next Lean-Body Secrets Ezine... Stay lean and healthy,

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com

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