Calcium - The Key To Quick Weight Loss

Are you dieting your way to bone loss?

Are you aware that the diet you follow may be depleting your bones of essential nutrients and increasing your chances of developing osteoporosis? Popular diets may promise quick weight loss, but calcium and other important nutrients are often missing from the menu, which can lead to bone loss.

And women who consistently limit what they eat to avoid gaining weight may undermine the health of their bones, according to a study by ARS researchers in California. (1)

The study looked at the eating behavior of women between the ages of 18 and 50 and found that those classified as "restrained eaters" had significantly lower bone mineral density and bone mineral content (key indicators of overall bone strength and health) than women who said they weren't concerned about what they ate.

"Exercise and eating a well-balanced diet with adequate calcium, are two of the best ways to keep your bones strong and healthy." advise the researchers.

Calcium is not only good for your bones but can help you maintain a healthy, low fat diet too. There has been increasing media coverage about numerous studies showing that a diet rich in calcium helps reduce body fat.

Why is calcium important in weight loss?

Calcium is a fat burner. High-calcium diets seem to favor burning rather than storing fat. Researchers say this is because calcium stored in fat cells plays an important role in fat storage and breakdown.

Calcium changes the efficiency of weight loss . In fact, study after study has shown that the people with the highest calcium intake overall weighed the least, and the people with the lowest calcium intake had the highest percentage of body fat. (2,3,4)

When overall calorie consumption is accounted for, calcium not only helps keep weight in check, but can be associated specifically with decreases in body fat. A low daily calcium intake is associated with greater tendency to gain weight, particularly in women. (5)

Researchers found that adolescent girls who consumed more calcium weighed less and had less body fat than girls who consumed the same amount of calories from other sources. (6)

Previous studies have shown that a higher calcium intake can block body fat production in adults and preschool children (7), but this was one of the first studies to show that it might have the same effect in body-conscious preteen and teenage girls.

But aren't dairy products fattening?

Some dieters consider dairy products to be fattening, but the evidence suggests the opposite is true.

Consumption of calcium-rich dairy foods can actually help to reduce and prevent obesity. Over 20 recent studies show that milk products actually contribute to weight loss.

A new study in obese adults, presented at the First Annual Nutrition Week Conference, showed that increasing calcium intake by the equivalent of two dairy servings per day could reduce the risk of obesity by as much as 70 percent. (8)

The study provided clinching evidence that calcium in low-fat dairy products can help adjust your body's fat-burning machinery and help keep your weight under control.

In another study, obese subjects placed on a high-calcium diet, with yogurt as the calcium source, showed markedly greater fat loss than those on a low-calcium diet. (9)

Numerous studies have shown that dairy calcium is more effective in reducing body fat than other forms of calcium. (10)

Why does diary calcium work so well?

Researchers believe that other nutrients found in milk products act in synergy with calcium to reduce fat more efficiently.

Glycomacropeptides (found in whey proteins derived from milk) in particular, are known to create feelings of satiety and fullness and decrease food intake. (11,12,13)

Foods that are a good source of calcium include cheese, milk, ice cream, baked beans and other dried legumes, dried figs, broccoli, most dark-green leafy vegetables, and soft fish bones like those in canned salmon.

Disclaimer: If you are under 18, pregnant, nursing or have health problems, consult your physician before starting any weight loss plan. The information here is not provided by medical professionals and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your physician before beginning any course of treatment.

References:

1. April 1999; Agricultural Research magazine
2. Zemel MB et al. [2000. FASEB J 14:1132-1138.]
3. Zemel MB. 2002. [J Am Coll Nutr 21: 146S-151S.]
4. Shi H et al. [2001. FASEB J 5:291-293.]
5. Jacqmain M et al. [2003. Am J Clin Nutr 77:1448-1452.]
6. Novotny R et al. [2003. Poster Presentation, Experimental Biology Meeting, April, San Diego, CA.]
7. Carruth BR and Skinner JD. [2001. T Int J Obesity Relat Metab Disord 25:559-566.]
8. Zemel MB et al. [Obes Res. 2004 Apr;12(4):582-90.]
9. Zemel MB et al. [2003. FASEB J A1088:679.3]
10. Heaney, R.P., Davies, K.M., Barger-Lux, M.J. [Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 21(2), 2002, pages 152S-155S.]
11. Gibbs J, Young RC, Smith GP.J Comp [Physiol Psychol 1973 Sep;84(3):488-95]
12. Della-Fera MA, Baile CA, Schneider BS, Grinker JA. [Science 1981 May 8;212(4495):687-9]
13. Della-Fera MA, Baile CA. [Physiol Behav 1981 Jun;26(6):979-83]


By Priya Shah

Four Big Weight Loss No-Nos

I've worked with hundreds of people who
were interested in losing weight. Over
the years I've noticed four areas that
I believe are particular hindrances
to weight loss. If your goal is to be
successful at losing weight and keeping
it off, avoid the "big 4" no-nos.

#1 Big No-No: Not exercising on a daily
basis. Daily exercise sends your metabolism
through the roof! I have seen VERY FEW people
who are not very regular exercisers, lose
weight AND keep it off.

Losing weight and maintaining that loss
can be very difficult. However, both can
be made considerably easier with regular
exercise, preferably in the morning.

If you're interested in losing fat, you're
objective is to create a daily caloric
deficit. For example, If you're consuming
1700 calories per day, and expending 2000
calories per day, your caloric deficit is
300 calories. Losing a pound of fat requires
a deficit of 3500 calories. So, to lose
two pounds per week would require a daily
deficit of 1000 calories.

So, if you'd like to increase your daily
caloric deficit, you have two options;
1. To decrease your caloric intake by eating
fewer calories, or..
2. To increase your caloric expenditure via
more activity / exercise.
However, you cannot decrease your daily
caloric intake much lower than 1200 to
1500 or so without potentially creating
health and metabolism problems.

In fact, many people's metabolism (basal
metabolic rate) is so slow from years of
inactivity and dieting, that they are only
burning fewer than 1500 calories per day.
Without exercise, they would have to
decrease their daily caloric intake to
unhealthy levels to lose weight. And, a
caloric intake that's too low only creates
more metabolism problems and a vicious
cycle of more weight gain.

So, the only remaining factor in the deficit
equation is caloric expenditure through
increased activity / exercise.

The good news is that you can substantially
increase your caloric expenditure. For
example, if you're currently walking for
30 minutes two days per week, over a period of
several weeks you can increase your walking
to 60 minutes per day, six to seven days
per week and begin weight training for 30
minutes three days per week.

So, in this example, you would increase your
monthly exercise minutes from about 240 to
1530. Plus, in addition to the calories that
you're expending during exercise, you would
also substantially increase the number of
calories you're burning 24 hours-a-day, yes,
you'll even burn more calories while you're
sleeping because you've fired-up your basal
metabolic rate. You can't beat that, can you?

Here's another VERY important reason
to exercise while you're restricting
calories and trying to lose weight. you tend
to lose muscle tissue from any muscle that
you're not using while you're restricting
calories. You've heard it - use it or lose it.
And, there are three main consequences to
losing muscle;
1. Your metabolism (basal metabolic rate)
decreases causing you to burn *fewer* calories
24 hours-a-day and causing the maintenance
of your weight loss to be very difficult.
2. Your muscles get flabby and mushy.
3. Your are weaker and become fatigued
more easily.

#2 Big No-No: Not deciding to make a drastic
change. I've seen this over and over again
with hundreds of people. Unless someone
decides that they are ready to get really
serious about losing weight and ready to
make drastic changes, their chances of losing
weight and keeping it off are not good.

Research continues to indicate that
Americans are becoming more sedentary..
and fatter every year. This move toward
inactivity and an increase in body fat
is even more pronounced in children, who
don't get out and play anymore. Instead,
they sit in front of a TV or computer
(perhaps like their parents) for many of
their waking hours.

We know that there is a very direct,
inverse relationship between a person's
level of activity and the percentage of
their weight that is fat. less activity
equals more fat, and more activity equals
lees fat.

I received an email message recently
that I'd like to share with you. It's a
weight loss and fitness success story
that makes you want to start exercising
while you're reading it.

It's from a 48 year-old lady, Elizabeth,
who lives in Lexington, Kentucky. She
is living proof that less activity
equals more fat, and more activity
equals less fat. Here's her letter:

"Greg, I'm writing to thank you for your
inspiring articles and to tell you about
my journey (a rough one) to fitness. I
was at a healthy weight in my early
twenties and had my first child at age
26. I remained about 30 pounds overweight
after she was born."

"I managed to gain 15 more pounds during
the next four years, mostly because of
several diets I tried. After the birth
of my second child at age 31, I was 60
pounds overweight and very frustrated.
Over the next 15 years I tried numerous
diets (even eating just rice) that
ultimate led to me being 120 pounds
overweight."

"I started reading your articles two years
ago and it finally began to sink in. I
finally realized that exercise wasn't
just about the calories I was burning
during exercise. I finally realized
that I would never lose the weight and
keep it off without some real exercise
in my life."

"I reached a point in my life where my
weight was ruining my life. I got to the
point where everything was a struggle,
none of my fat clothes fit, I didn't
want to see anyone because of the way I
looked, and even walking made me
breathless. I decided that I would either
make a drastic change at that point or
I would give up. I chose to make a drastic
change."

"I knew that exercise needed to be a
priority and so I changed several things
in my daily schedule to make that happen.
I started with very little but I was very
consistent. I worked up to 45 minutes of
aerobic exercise in the morning and 30 to
45 minutes in the evening. On Saturdays,
I take a less intense, but longer walk
throughout my area of town enjoying all
the sights. I'm up to 8 to 10 miles on
my Saturday walk. I also weight train
three days a week. Please don't get the
impression that this was easy. I went
through MANY difficult struggles but
it definitely got easier as I progressed."

"I'm now 12 pounds from my goal weight. Greg,
I can't begin to explain how my life has
changed. Everything is different. Even
the way people talk to me. It's almost
like people didn't even see the person
under all that fat. Probably best of all
is that I have energy to function now.
I'm not constantly tired like I used to
be."

"Obviously, my perception of exercise has
changed now. I enjoy it and look forward
to it. I'm planning on doing a half
marathon (13.1 miles) walk in the fall.
Thanks again for your words of
encouragement."

Elizabeth
Lexington, Kentucky

Wow! This lady is unstoppable. Notice that
she first realized the true benefits of
exercise and then decided to do *whatever*
she had to for exercise to become a
consistent part of her life.

Exercise radically changes how your body
handles fat! when you're sedentary, all
the physiological signals tell your body
to hang on to the fat and dump the
metabolism boosting muscle. When you're
exercising on a daily basis, all the
physiological signals tell your body to
dump the fat and increase the metabolism
boosting muscle. Which signals do you want?

#3 Big No-No: Not taking the time to plan
and prepare your eating. Healthy eating for
weight loss won't just happen, you have to
spend time on it.

Not being prepared is a major factor that
leads to overeating and unhealthy eating.
Take time to plan your shopping and eating
for the week. Take time to prepare your
lunch to take to work, and your meal for
the evening, etc. Plan for healthy snacks
to have at home, in your car, at work, etc.
Our weight loss programs specifically
discuss how to set up an effective snacking
system.

4. Not including intervals in your aerobic
exercise. Intervals are brief periods (about one
minute) of more intense exercise mixed into your
regular aerobic exercise sessions. For
example, if you're walking, you would do a
one minute interval of faster walking once
every five minutes throughout your exercise
session.

Here's how it will look.. you'll start with
your normal three to five minute warm-up and
then five minutes into your workout you do
your first interval, one minute of faster
walking (or perhaps jogging). At the end of
that minute you should be "winded" and ready
to slow down. You'll slow down to your normal
exercising speed for the next four minutes
and then your fifth minute is another one
minute interval. This pattern continues
throughout your exercise session.

You'll derive several benefits from intervals..

1. Intervals can help you to get past a
weight loss plateau.

2. Intervals increase your aerobic fitness
level by "pushing the envelope". While doing
your interval you cross the anaerobic
threshold into anaerobic metabolism, forcing
your body to become conditioned to more
intense exercise.

3. Your increased level of fitness means that
a given level of exercise will feel easier
and that you will be able to exercise at a
higher intensity which "burns" more calories.

4. Your increased level of fitness also means
that you will be less fatigued from daily
activities and you'll have more "energy"
throughout the day.

5. Intervals increase your basal metabolic
rate (BMR), causing you to burn more calories
24 hours-a-day.

6. Intervals cause you to "burn" more calories
during your exercise session and for several
hours afterwards.

7. Intervals will tone the involved muscles
to a greater degree than your regular aerobic
exercise would.

8. Intervals can make your exercise less
monotonous and help the time pass more
quickly.

9. Intervals will energize you!

If you'd like to put a little excitement into
your exercise, and you're looking for better
results, give intervals a try.

Avoid these four "no-nos" and your weight loss
efforts are much more likely to be successful.

by Greg Landry, M.S.

Ten Important Things to Know Before You Join a Weight Loss Program

1. What is my BMI and how do I calculate it?

BMI means Body Mass Index.
The value is associated with body fat and health risks.

Healthy weight is defined as a BMI equal to or greater
than 19 and less than 25 among all people aged 20
or over. Between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight;
more than 30 is considered obese.

To determine body mass index:
[Weight in pounds ÷ Height in inches ÷ Height in inches] x 703.

Fractions and ounces must be entered as decimal values.

The metric formula is: BMI= Body Weight(kg)/height(m)2.
Remember that: 2.2 lbs.=1 kg and 39.4 ins.=1m.

For example, if you are 1.75 M tall and weigh 80 kg. , your
BMI will be = 80/1.75X1.75 = 26.122, i.e. slightly overweight 
(Always keep in mind that "obesity" is defined as a BMI greater
than 30)

2. What are carbs, proteins, fats?

Carbohydrates provide your body with its basic fuel, very
much like a car engine and gasoline. Glucose goes directly
into the cells, which convert it into the energy they need.

There are two types of carbohydrates:

Simple carbohydrates (also called "sugars" on food
package labels): glucose etc.

Complex carbohydrates ("starches"), made up of chains
of glucose molecules, which is simply a way plants store
glucose.

Starches can be found in great quantities in most
grains (wheat, corn, oats, rice) and things like potatoes
and plantains.

Your digestive system breaks a starch back down into
its component glucose molecules so that the glucose
can enter your bloodstream.

Carbohydrates provide cells with energy, proteins
provide cells with the building material they need to
grow and maintain their structure.

Protein can be found in both animal and vegetable foods.
Most animal sources (meat, milk, eggs) provide "complete
protein": they contain all of the essential amino acids.

Fats are also an important part of our diet. Many foods
contain fat in different amounts. High-fat foods include 
dairy products like butter and cream as well as mayonnaise 
and oils.

There are two kinds of fats: saturated and unsaturated.

Fat is necessary because: the only way to get certain
fat-soluble vitamins is to eat fat, your body has no way to 
make certain essential fats, so you must get them in your
food.

Another reason is that fat is a good source of energy,
in fact it contains twice as many calories per gram as
do carbohydrates or proteins. Your body can burn fat as
fuel when necessary

3. What else does my body need?

Mainly vitamins and minerals. These can be found in various
foods, fruits, etc..It seems the "Standard Western Diet" is
deficient in vitamins and minerals. This has led to the
creation of vitamin and mineral supplements.

4. What are the dangers of being overweight (too fat)?

When it gets to a certain level, overweight becomes "obesity", 
which has been described as "a serious, chronic disease
that is known to reduce life span, increase disability and 
lead to many serious illnesses including diabetes, heart
disease and stroke, cancer, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea,
gall bladder disease, gout." 

5. What exactly is Atkins diet?

Dr. Atkins diet, first introduced in 1972, is strictly
focused on limiting carbohydrate consumption.

That is why it is called a low-carb, high-protein diet or
sometimes simply a low-carb diet, together with other
diets such as South Beach Diet, Protein Power Diet etc...


By A.M.Sall

Can Writing Actually Improve Your Health?

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, writing about stressful life events helped reduce symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis in patients with these chronic illnesses. The effects of the writing exercise were still evident four months later and resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in patient symptoms.

Interestingly, studies showed that asthma patients who wrote about their most stressful life events showed a 19-percent improvement in lung function; similarly, rheumatoid arthritis patients had a 28-percent reduction in symptoms.


These findings add to a growing body of evidence that links mental and emotional health to physical well-being. Although researchers aren't sure exactly how expressive writing can lead to health improvements, they theorize that writing help people cope with stress, and stress-as well all know-clearly impacts health.

University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker believes that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. He theorizes that writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of these stressors on your physical health.

Louise Moran, a nurse coordinator, has written about a patient who, during a serious illness, sent daily e-mails to friends and family about her illness, a practice the woman believes played a pivotal role in her healing process. Moran said another patient felt that journaling helped her create a new life after breast cancer. There have even been studies suggesting that journaling in healthy people actually improves the immune system. 

By Patti Testerman

Top 10 Questions and Answers on Atkins Diet

1. What is Atkins Diet?

Dr. Atkins diet, first introduced in 1972, is strictly
focused on limiting carbohydrate consumption.

That is why it is called a low-carb, high-protein diet or
sometimes simply a low-carb diet, together with other
diets such as South Beach Diet, Power Protein Diet etc... 

2. What are carbohydrates, and where can they be found?

Carbohydrates provide your body with its basic fuel, very
much like a car engine and gasoline. Glucose goes directly
into the cells, which convert it into the energy they need.

There are two types of carbohydrates:

Simple carbohydrates (also called "sugars" on food
package labels): glucose, fructose and galactose are
referred to as monosaccharides. Lactose, sucrose and
maltose are called disaccharides (they contain two
monosaccharides).

Complex carbohydrates ("starches"), made up of chains
of glucose molecules, which is simply a way plants store
glucose.

Starches can be found in great quantities in most
grains (wheat, corn, oats, rice) and things like potatoes
and plantains.

Your digestive system breaks a starch back down into
its component glucose molecules so that the glucose
can enter your bloodstream.

A complex carbohydrate is digested more slowly than
simple carbohydrates because it takes longer to break
down a starch.

Complex carbs can be either high in fiber such as
broccoli or low in fiber such as bananas or potatoes.

But carbohydrates are not the only substances the body
uses: it also needs proteins and fats.


3. What are proteins and where can they be found?

A protein is any chain of amino acids. Carbohydrates
provide cells with energy, proteins provide cells with the
building material they need to grow and maintain
their structure.

Protein can be found in both animal and vegetable foods.
Most animal sources (meat, milk, eggs) provide "complete
protein": they contain all of the essential amino acids.

Vegetable foods usually have few or none of the essential
amino acids. Example: rice is low in isoleucine and lysine.

Some vegetable sources contain quite a bit of protein --
things like nuts, beans, soybeans, etc. are all high in protein.


4. What are fats and where can they be found?

Fats are also an important part of our diet. Many foods
contain fat in different amounts. High-fat foods include 
dairy products like butter and cream as well as mayonnaise
and oils.

There are two kinds of fats: saturated and unsaturated.

Saturated fats are normally solid at room temperature,
while unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.

Vegetable oils are the best examples of unsaturated fats,
while lard and shortening (along with the animal fat you
see in raw meat) are saturated fats.

We can further distinguish the unsaturated fats between
polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Unsaturated fats
are currently thought to be more healthy than saturated fats,
and monounsaturated fats (as found in olive oil and peanut oil)
are thought to be healthier than polyunsaturated fats.

Fat is necessary because: the only way to get certain
fat-soluble vitamins is to eat fat, your body has no way to 
make certain essential fats, so you must get them in your
food.

Another reason is that fat is a good source of energy,
in fact it contains twice as many calories per gram as
do carbohydrates or proteins. Your body can burn fat as
fuel when necessary


5. and how can I loose weight by reducing carbohydrate
consumption?

Atkins diet and other low-carb diets are based on the theory
that certain carbohydrates have a greater impact on blood
sugar levels than others.

So you count these carbs. They are the ones that matter.
To figure out the net carb count of a food item, you need to
identify the carbs that don't have a high impact -- those from
fiber and sugar alcohol, and subtract that total from the
overall carb count

Just regulate your blood sugar levels (from carbohydrates)
and you'll be able to better regulate your appetite... and
your weight.

Therefore, say Atkins diet proponents, the culprits are 
carbohydrates and there is nothing wrong with eating as
much meat as you want!

What you should do is restrict carbohydrate consumption,
specially starchy foods such as bread, rice, corn etc...,
except for what they consider as "good carbohydrates"
such as high fiber vegetables (broccoli etc...)

According to them, the energy we need should be taken
from proteins, and sometimes fat, but as few carbohydrates
as possible, hence the name: low carbohydrate diet..


6 . What else does the human body need?

Mainly vitamins and minerals. These can be found in various
foods, fruits, etc..It seems the "Standard Western Diet" is
deficient in vitamins and minerals. This has led to the
creation of vitamin and mineral supplements.


7. Is Atkins diet efficient?

Anybody can note the simple fact that cutting back on
carbohydrates works, at least for a quick drop in body fat
and body water.

However, for most dieters the problem is the long-term
effects on the body due to such a drastic reduction in
carbohydrates.

Whatever Atkins diet proponents have said, this remains a
real problem and people like those at South Beach Diet have
tried to solve it by introducing carbohyfrates after the 14 days
initial phase. 

8. What about the "fat makes you fat" theory?

According to Anthony Colpo, one of the most articulate of the
Atkins diet defenders:

"Some folks have been so inculcated with the simplistic
"fat makes you fat" theory that they just cannot believe
a diet high in fat can lead to a loss of bodyfat.

The fact is, high fat diets can result in spectacular fat loss
- as long as carbohydrate intake is kept low. Eat a diet that
is high in both fat and carbohydrate and your bodyfat
percentages will head north real quick! "

9. Does Atkins diet cause coronary heart disease (CHD)?

On May 26, 2004 A Florida businessman filed suit against
the makers of Atkins diet.

The man claimed as a consequence of following the low-carb
diet, he suffers from severe heart disease, necessitating
angioplasty and a stent

One of the fiercest opponents of Atkins diet, the Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) President
Neal Barnard, M.D, said that the diet proponents "push dieters
to avoid healthy foods, like rice, beans, and pasta, while
ignoring the risks of high-cholesterol, high-fat meat and
cheese. The idea that cholesterol and saturated fat don't
matter is a dangerous myth." 

But what does the other side say? As expected, we hear
a totally different story.

Here is Anthony Colpo's take on the CHD issue:

"A low carb diet based on paleolithic food choices, that is,
a diet based on free-range animal products and low
carbohydrate, low-glycemic plant foods, fits the bill quite
nicely. So go ahead, eat your steak and salad!"


10. Are there any other health risks?

In additon to CHD - coronary heart disease - Atkins diet has
also been blamed for a number of other "atrocities", such as:
colon cancer, impaired kidney function, osteoporosis,
complications of diabetes, and to cap it all: constipation,
headache, bad breath, muscle cramps, diarrhea, general
weakness.

A few quick answers to some of these accusations from
Anthony Colpo:

Kidney disease: "Bodybuilders and strength athletes have
been consuming high-protein diets for decades. Given the
widespread global participation in these activities, if the
claims of kidney damage were true, by now there would be
an enormous number of case studies of ex-bodybuilders
and strength athletes afflicted with kidney disease," which
is obviously not the case.

Osteoporosis: "a low-carbohydrate, high fat, high protein
diet is a far better choice for building strong bones than
a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet." 

By A.M.Sall

Questioning Cardio for Weight Loss?

Q: I've heard you mention that you don't need tons of cardio to burn stubborn abdominal fat. Okay, I can live with that, but you've also said that it isn't absolutely necessary to perform direct ab work either. What gives?

A: If you want to build a serious set of abdominals, routinely perform the following exercises and their variations: squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, and standing military presses. These multi-joint movements require a strong contribution from the abdominals to stabilize the core, particularly when heavy loads are used. It is not uncommon to hear clients complain of abdominal soreness a day or two after performing multiple sets with a decent weight of the chin-up or standing military press exercise - the ab prestretch will tap into fibers you never thought existed! And remember, your abdominals act as a natural girdle, or weight belt if you will, when performing all exercises, particularly squats and deadlifts. These muscles act as a bridge between your upper and lower body and are heavily recruited as stabilizers.

Sure, isolation exercises like pullovers, curls, and even triceps pressdowns also require a good degree of core stability; however, the loads used are relatively low compared to the big 4 mentioned above. In fact, according to Siff & Verkhoshansky, isolation becomes virtually impossible if large loads are used, and in many cases, the tension developed in the stabilizers will equal or even exceed that of the prime movers!* So, you see, the abdominals can be trained quite effectively as stabilizers - the physiques of top Olympic weightlifters will attest to that.

*Siff, MC, Verkhoshansky, YV. "Supertraining (4th Edition)." Denver, CO: Supertraining International, 1999. (pg. 241)

Q: I am still very much confused regarding cardio intensity. One book says keep it low intensity (i.e. 60% of MHR) and go for distance; another keep it high intensity (80% or more) and go for as long and hard as you can. The goal is to burn fat. Each book has great arguments for their approach. Which is accurate?

A: The second approach is far more effective for burning fat. Without getting into a huge discussion about this, here's how things work in a nutshell.

At a lower intensity, your body prefers fat for fuel. Yes, this is true, but two things generally happen:

1. After awhile of doing this type of activity, your body adapts by actually laying down fat (you heard me right) to become more efficient at the given task and this usually occurs in the lower body, and

2. A higher relative amount of fat is burned during low intensity cardio but a greater absolute amount is burned with higher intensity cardio and in less time.

Other things to consider are: a) the EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) is greater for a longer duration following higher intensity work; in other words, you're metabolism is much higher for a longer period of time post-workout with high intensity cardio, and b) higher lactate levels exist with high intensity cardio. So what you may ask? Well there is a direct correlation with lactate and GH (Growth Hormone) and GH is a potent fat-burner.

Bottom line: with regards to burning fat, do higher intensity work in the form of interval training and you'll get great results.

By John Paul Catanzaro

3 Ways Going with the Flow Will Make You Fat - And What To Do About It!

Wanna know the truth? If you're going to be slim, you're going to have to swim against the current. You're going to have to take charge of your body and make your own decisions?cause if you go with the flow today, I guarantee that you're going to be fat.


Here are 3 reasons why:


#1) Rampant Portion Sizes


'Supersize it', 'Biggie Fries', 'Value Meal', 'Super Big Gulp' - phrases that we use so commonly, it's hard to believe that we'd have to explain what they mean to someone from another era.


Restaurants have blown their portion sizes so big in the name of providing 'value' that one meal could feed a small soccer team.


Considering that your stomach is roughly the size of your fist (but thank goodness it stretches!), the portion sizes you get today in the average restaurant could probably fill 5 or more stomachs. 


But we're told to get our money's worth right? So go ahead and eat up. That way you can spend your money going to the doctor for obesity related health problems later. That's truly getting your money's worth!







#2) Diet as Religion


Diets boast a stellar 2-5% success rate (that's a 98% FAILURE rate by the way). And yet if an alien landed in North America, he (or she) would be convinced that our society must be built on the value of dieting. 


Billboards, magazines, books, television shows, ads, even restaurant menus?everywhere you look you're inundated with the latest diet, diet food or diet plan. Diets are touted as the ONLY solution to weight loss. 


We have more diets on the market now than ever before. We have more people on a diet now than ever before - and yet we continue to get fatter?is there ANY POSSIBLE connection here?


#3) Escalator Generation


Go with the flow and you'll enjoy a multitude of worldly conveniences. You can microwave your dinner in 5 minutes, load your dishwasher in 2 and pay the dog walker in 1. You don't have to walk to the store - just hop in the car. Your kids don't have to go swimming - they've got a new Xbox game. Don't bother taking the stairs because there's an elevator. 


You can sit at a desk for long hours without even getting up from your chair. And when you do come home from work - you have the luxury of flopping on the couch and watching 'Friends' while eating takeout.


Go with the flow my friend and you'll expend less energy while eating more. Oh - and you'll also be told that taking a pill is the only way to solve the problem of your ever-increasing waistline.


One of the best photographs I ever saw was of the front of a gym. There was a staircase leading up to the gym with an escalator beside it. And you guessed it - people were taking the escalator UP to the gym! The only guy on the stairs was walking DOWN them. That pretty much sums up the problem.


Unfortunately, if you go with the flow in our world today, chances are very high that you're going to get fat. BUT by knowing what you're up against, you can take steps to go against the flow. By taking a stand, taking charge and making positive choices for your body - you can live slim and healthy in a world skewed towards weight gain.