A Recipe Book Worth Its Weight In Gold 

Regardless of the fat loss approach you adopt, this collection of recipies will provide a wealth of options.

No matter what nutritional approach is best for you, you CAN'T go wrong with Dr. John Berardi's Gourmet Nutrition 2.0 recipe book. This is the sequel to the enormously useful and acclaimed Gourmet Nutrition E-book which I have been using for years.

I have tried most of the recipes in the original book and love them. I wouldn't trade mine in for anything. It has been a lifesaver in coming up with healthy recipes which meet my goals and satisfy the whole family.

You can "get a taste" of the book and its recipes by visiting this link which offers a free download of sample recipes right out of the book. You will see for yourself the exquisite layout, excellent instructions and delicious recipes contained in Gourmet Nutrition 2.0.

I recently recommended this to all my private clients and don't hesitate for a second to give it my full endorsement.

Eating for Fat Loss 

To lose fat you need to burn fat!

The Berardi Approach 

Precision Nutrition: fat loss for extremely active individuals.

Extremely active athletes (at least 5 hours of vigorous exercise per week) do well with a protocol which is exemplified by the work of Dr. John Berardi. Essentially, he espouses several daily "feedings" containing a fairly high protein consumption with bountiful fresh veggies and certain supplements such as fish oil. This approach revolves around optimizing the way insulin functions in your body and on the principle of G-flux (the energy flow and dynamics between consumption and exercise). This is a very simplistic description, and if you are very active, it behooves you to thoroughly explore his site for more information. I also recommend his groundbreaking book, Metabolism Advantage.

Dr JBs Approach In a Nutshell 

Fat loss strategies from the John Berardi website.

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs

Here's my take on it. I call these principles, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs," a shameless and possibly illegal play on Steven Covey's book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." (Great book, by the way-you should read it sometime.)

These aren't the newest techniques from the latest cutting-edge plan. Rather, they are simple, time-tested, no nonsense habits that you need to get into when designing a good eating program.

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.
2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.
3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.
4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.
5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).
6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.
7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).
So what about calories, or macronutrient ratios, or any number of other things that I've covered in other articles? The short answer is that if you aren't already practicing the above-mentioned habits, and by practicing them I mean putting them to use over 90% of the time (i.e., no more than 4 meals out of an average 42 meals per week violate any of those rules), everything else is pretty pointless."
-Dr. John Berardi

The Leptin Control Approach 

Teach your body to burn fat as fuel, and achieve fat loss no matter your level of activity.

I used the Berardi approach for quite a while with excellent results. However, over time my goals and activities changed somewhat, and I discovered that my nutritional needs evolved accordingly, and that there was an approach out there that better suited my lifestyle and training demands. I'm a dad and family man now, with all the ensuing responsibilities. And although I still train seriously, I do not have the same "body building" focus to my training. For me, this has meant that the Berardi approach, although valid in my mind, has become less effective for me. I have come to look at the control over the hormone leptin as a key tenet in my health and body composition efforts. One of the more popular books on the subject, and the one I currently follow, is the Rosedale Diet.

Solving the Sugar Addiction 

An integral piece of the puzzle in my personal nutrition.

The work of Kathleen DesMaison, Ph.D. has been another key element of my search for optimal health and fitness through nutrition. Her book, Potatoes Not Prozac, along with my research into leptin, has been instrumental in my gaining the upper hand on my sugar addiction and my ongoing up and down battle with body composition.

Without going into too much detail, Dr DesMaisons' work deals with controlling blood sugar as well as with serotonin and beta endorphins (brain chemicals).

Nutrition Tip of the Week 

Weekly fat loss advice.

Tip #1
Eat Pasta... Carefully
by Dr. John Berardi

As a God-fearing Italian, I have to admit that I love pasta. But, as a gut-fearing weight lifter and athlete, I definitely have to choose the lower GI, nutrient dense whole-wheat variety. During training phases that require or allow for higher carbohydrate intake (higher volume training) I'll eat one whole-wheat pasta meal per day. During other phases (like where I'm trying to lose fat), the pasta stays on the shelf in favor of a higher lean protein, good fat, and fruit and veggie intake.

SEE ALSO:
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More On The Science 

Some articles on the theories behind fat loss eating strategies.

Leptin on Wikipedia

Find out more about how leptin works in the body.

Sugar Addiction

This article from the Society for Neuroscience lays the foundation for understanding, and accepting, the idea of sugar addiction.

A Handy Tool: USDA National Nutrient Database 

Counting calories or understanding the macronutrient composition of your foods can sometimes be a necessary part of fat loss.

USDA Nutrient Database

Use this handy tool from the USDA to search for foods and get the low down on their nutritional breakdown.

Moving for Fat Loss 

Do the food, do the movement, drop the fat.

Just as with nutrition, popular exercise theories for fat loss fall short in delivering on their promises. Ever notice that there are people who consistently put in their time on the treadmill, day in and day out, for months, without really looking any different? But cardio is supposed to burn fat right? Back in the day, scientists discovered that the main fuel for long, slow distance based exercise (ex. jogging) is fat oxidation. Exercise physiologists and the rest of the fitness world ran with it. But some crucial elements in the fat loss equation were lost in translation or ignored by the cardio-craze proponents.

The Body Loves Homeostasis 

If you want a different result, you need to do something differently.

The body is a highly adaptive organism. It will quickly adapt to new physical demands and settle back down into a stable state called homeostasis. A handy acronym which illustrates this principle is S.A.I.D. (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands). So if you run at 4 mpg for 3 hours during your week, you will adapt to that training load and volume after a certain period of time. You will probably lose some fat and maybe gain some specific muscle. But once that adaptation period is over, your body will again settle into homeostasis. If you want to keep progressing, you need to keep increasing the work you are doing. This can be done through extending the duration, speed or difficulty of the run. Of course, this same idea applies to whatever other types of aerobic training you may wish to partake in.

One of the very best resources I have seen for those wishing to embark on a health-first running program is RMAX Powered Running which can be found at the RMAX International Website.

Check Out the Trailer for RMAX Powered Running 

Coach Joseph Wilson and Coach Scott Sonnon teach a health first, efficient and effective program for running which can accelerate your fat loss.

Creating a "Metabolic Disturbance" 

Aerobic exercise probably isn't the best way to lose fat.

Contrary to what the mainstream has been fed for years, and what your doctor and many personal trainers may still believe, steady state aerobic training is generally not the most expedient route to fat loss. It is true that moderate intensity, steady state exercise uses fat oxidation preferentially as fuel. But that is not the whole story.

One of the most potent, and overlooked, elements of fat loss is the creation of a "metabolic disturbance." Basically, what this means is that we are creating a situation in which the body's metabolism is revved up for several hours after training in order to work its way back to a normal state. This is often referred to as EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption).

In order to create this metabolic disturbance, we need to work at a high level of intensity. This can be done through resistance exercise or through HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). HIIT can be done using any number of modalities from running to cycling to rowing and even using resistance exercises.

An excellent book detailing the use of resistance training to lose fat is from Coach Charles Poliquin, arguably the most effective strength and conditioning coach on the planet. Coach Poliquin's book, Manly Weight Loss, details how to shed fat without doing a minute of traditional "cardio."

My personal favorite approach to creating a metabolic disturbance through training,using resistance-based exercise organized into a HIIT format, is the health first 4x7 protocol (4x7 DVD) developed by Coach Scott Sonnon. Coach Sonnon is by far the most impressive man I have run across in the industry of health and fitness.

CST Does HIIT 

Check out an example of HIIT from Circular Strength Training. You can almost see the fat loss.

No-Nonsense Fat Loss Articles & News 

CST For Fat Loss

I wrote this article as a survey of using Circular Strength Training (CST) protocols towards fat loss.

Fat Loss Article From Coach Charles Staley

I just read this excellent article from the website of Coach Staley. Pure no-nonsense fat loss...

Complexes for Fat Loss by Alwyn Cosgrove

I just read this article by Coach Cosgrove. It is an interesting take on using resistance training for fat loss.

Health First Fat Loss

In this article, CST Head Coach Joseph Wilson describes how taking care of his health led to massive fat loss. By letting go of the physique-first approach to nutrition and exercise, he gained the physique he always wanted.

Essential Fat Loss Books 

The Metabolism Advantage: An 8-Week Program to Rev Up Your Body's Fat-Burning Machine---At Any Age

by John Berardi

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 10/10/2008)

The Rosedale Diet

by Ron Rosedale, Carol Colman

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 10/10/2008)

Potatoes Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity

by Kathleen DesMaisons

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 10/10/2008)

Manly Weight Loss: For Men Who Hate Aerobics and Carrot-Stick Diets, Finally, a Weight-Loss Program That Melts the Fat and Spares the Muscle

by Charles Poliquin

Amazon Price: (as of 10/10/2008)

New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle

by Lou Schuler, Alwyn Cosgrove

Amazon Price: $17.13 (as of 10/10/2008)

The latest from my blog. 

Musings on health, fitness, nutrition, sports performance and fat loss.

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Coach Alwyn Cosgrove's Blog 

Coach Cosgrove is one the great thinkers in fat loss approaches. He is inspiring and looks at loosing fat from a "real world" perspective.

Since stumbling upon the work of Coach Cosgrove, I have become fascinated with his innovative views on training, and particularly fat loss. He describes himself as a "real-world" trainer, but he watches the science like a hawk and sifts through the data from his gym's clients like a private investigator. If you want the new rules, according to coach Cosgrove, check out his New book!

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Clubbells and related items on eBay 

Circular Strength Training and Clubbells can take center stage in your fat loss program.

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Let me know what you think. 

What did you like about this Lens? How can I make the information more useful? What's missing?

I want to make this Lens the very best resource for healthy fat loss. I will be actively maintaining and improving it, so your feedback will help me steer it in the right direction. Thanks for taking the time to give me your thoughts.