The FAT BURN Blog

No doubt you have seen the ads. Weight loss clinics like Curves and Contours claiming you can burn up to 500 calories in just 29 (or 30) minutes following their circuit workout.

Wow … sounds promising … 500 calories in just 29 minutes.

Maybe this is the solution you are looking for? So like millions of others you pick up the phone and call Curves or Contours to enquire about how you too can burn massive calories while barely breaking into a sweat. Of course the nice lady on the other end of the phone sounds very convincing as she explains how the equipment is all based on the latest hydraulic technology. She tells you that the workout is based on resistance training (which is a good thing) and because it is low impact you will not be left sore with tired muscles.

All sounds fabulous right?

Here is the one question no one ever asks them though that you should…

“Can you send me a copy of the independent Scientific Research study showing that the Workout does in fact burn 500 calories in only 29 minutes for the average person?”

That will put an end to their cheery little sales presentation.

Why?

Because there simply will not be such a study … if there is I will run naked down Bourke Street in Melbourne at peak hour. For those of you who do not live in Melbourne it is a busy main road in the heart of the cityt.

How can I be so confident that I am prepared to risk the embarrassment and possibly being arrested by running naked down Bourke Street?
It is a simple matter of science…

Let me explain. I am a 6 foot 1 guy who is solidly built and carrying a fair degree of muscle. When I get on the Treadmill for 30 minutes and complete cross country training on high intensity (80% MHR) … in other words I am going flat out … I can only burn approximately 300 calories.

How is it possible then that a middle aged overweight woman could burn 500 calories in 29 minutes at a lower intensity rate?

Simple answer … It is not possible! Unless I am missing something???

Now, I am not saying that companies like Curves and Contours are blatantly lying to you!

What I am saying is that the marketing practices they use are questionable at best. They dangle the 500 calories with low intensity exercise carrot to lure you in. The truth is you will never achieve anywhere near this sort of caloric usage.

They could just have easily promised you could burn UP TO 5,000 calories in 29 minutes and the statement would have been just as accurate. In other words, even if you burn just 50 calories, then by definition you fit into their marketing claims.

Do not be misled by deceptive marketing practices!

Again … find 10 people who have achieved significant successful long term weight loss and sustained that loss for more than a year in one of these weight loss clinics. I dare you :

By the way … here is a picture I found of one such weight loss clinic just so that you know what I am talking about here. (I do hope that the lady in the yellow top is not the fat loss coach):

I have been doing a lot of research on different solutions for weight loss. Many regular readers of the Fat Burn Blog will know I am currently studying to become a Certified Personal Trainer. My goal is once I get myself into shape to go and develop Fat Loss Programs for others and help them to also get in shape.

My belief is that the biggest health crisis in the world right now is Obesity and Overweight with all of the combined consequences that follow. So I am going to dedicate my life to working in this field.

In doing this research I came across a reserach study from the National Weight Control Registry. This is a registry of people who have successfully lost 30 plus pounds and kept them off for a year or more.

This research study indicated that 55% of people who where on the National Weight Control Registry lost the weight with the help of a formal weight management program. 91% of these people had also tried to lose weight in the past.

This is definitely in line with my thinking and where I was planning on going with my future business.

What I have been thinking is running a 10 Week Fat Loss program which consists of a weekly meeting for an hour and half. Each week will cover a different component of fat loss including nutrition, exercise, mindset, motivation etc.

The weekly group meetings will also have a strong emphasis on group support, accountability to your goals, and recognition for success. My goal is to create a totally positive supportive environment where people feel empowered to achieve fat loss success.

So here are a few questions for readers of the Fat Burn Blog:

* Would a 10 Week Weight Loss program appeal to you personally? Why or Why Not?

* What would be the ideal group size? eg 10 people, 20 to 30 etc?

* What topics would you like most focus on?

* What would be a reasonable price point for the 10 week program?

* Have you been involved in such a weight management program in the past and what were your experiences?

* Do you believe that being part of a 10 Week program would improve your chances of success?

I would love to hear your feedback. Please leave your comments if you have any thoughts on this.

I think it goes without saying that my first step is to get myself into shape (so this is planned for down the track), and secondly that I will complete my Personal Training certification to go with my Results Coaching & NLP Trainer certifications.

Yes that is right … I am still fuming!

On the 19th June 2006 USA Today reported that the worlds leading junk food manufacturer, whoops, I mean chocolate manufacturer Nestle was to buy the worlds largest weight loss centres Jenny Craig.

Say what ????

The deal was for a lazy $600 Million.

Even today this still blows my mind. Think about …

Nestle is a company that by any sensible persons reasoning has been a major contributor to the world obesity epidemic through its production of highly adictive and highly fattening product range featuring every ones favourite … CHOCOLATE !!!!

So having been a major player on the world obesity scene they now turn around and purchase Jenny Craig.

Talk about double dipping on profits.

I can just hear the conversations around the boardroom …. Lets make em fat with our chocolate (and other junk food) range, and then turn around and sell them the weight loss solution with Jenny.

What I find disturbing is that there is not more public outrage over this coupling of seemingly unfit bedfellows …

Call me critical … but I do think it is time to get real Nestle!

Here is the link to the USA Today story:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2006-06-19-nestle-craig_x.htm

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and your thoughts on this. Am I just crazy … or is this wrong, wrong, wrong?

Winner of the Australian version of Biggest Loser, Chris Garling had some fairly impressive results. He lost a staggering 70kg (154 pounds) during his time on the Biggest Loser reality tv show.

Sounds great right?

Well the question you always want to ask about any weight loss is how long has it lasted.

Research shows that 95% of people who lose weight through diets, dieting, fad diets, or starvation style diets will regain all of the weight plus some within 6 months.

Chris recently said …

“After I left the show I put on 30kg because I could no longer train 7 hours a day like I did in the house.”

He is now endorsing a new weight loss solution in Australia.

Now please do not get me wrong … I am not being critical of Chris, in fact I found his determination and focus to be quite inspirational.

My point is that you should not look at shows like Biggest Loser as having any resemblance to real world fat loss … unless of course you have 7 hours a day to train which I highly doubt.

In order to burn the fat in the real world you need a balanced lifestyle where you eat 90% fit foods, you exercise correctly 5 to 6 times per week, and you focus your mind to sustain your motivation over the long term.

Sensible weight loss is approximately 1 to 2 pounds per week (up to 1kg).

It takes time to lose all the weight.

I have always believed that the faster you lose weight the faster you find it again

So be prepared to take your time and enjoy the journey!

Recently I was reading a post by a blogger about his weight loss journey. He is like me, on a fat loss journey and tracking his progress and holding himself accountable via a blog.

This particular person was saying that they were weighing themselves every day and in the last four weeks had made no progress. You can imagine how frustrating this can be when you are trying hard, daily checking your progress but staying stuck in the same place for four weeks.

This reminded me of a time a few years ago when I was stuck in a similar place. Every morning I would get up a get out the scales to weight myself, and every morning I would see no progress leading me to negative emotions and ultimately the destruction of my resolve to burn the fat.

What I discovered is that a huge part of the problem was in the fact that I was weighing myself everyday.

The reason I discovered is this:

1/ Your body is unlikely to change much in the course of 24 hours a day including your weight.

2/ When you weigh yourself each day you see basically the same numbers keep coming up.

3/ This creates a negative feedback loop that affirms your unconscious minds view of your bodyweight ie your self image.

4/ Your now stronger self-image (of being at whatever weight your are) leads you to act in a way that will keep you consistent with it. Your unconscious mind always wants to keep you consistent with the image it has of itself.

5/ Your lack of progress leads to emotions like frustration, despair and disappointment

6/ You emotional eat the wrong foods to comfort yourself which leads to the whole cycle repeating itself.

In my view weighing yourself daily is one of the worst things you can do.

Here is what I started doing to get different results.

1/ I made a promise to myself that I would only weigh myself once a week. This was a difficult thing to do at first as I had weighed myself daily for many years.

2/ After my weekly weigh in session I took the scales and put them in the garden shed (or somewhere else that requires effort to retrieve them). This makes you stop and think about it before just blindly jumping up on the scales.

3/ For the remaining 6 days of the week I would do a mental weigh in where I would visualize myself stepping on the scales at 1kg (2 pounds) lighter than my most recent weigh in.

4/ This daily visualization would lead to the formation of a new improved self image. Over time you can re-write your negative self-image with something more powerful.

5/ The new self image lead to taking better daily consistent action.

6/ Which leads to improved results at your weekly weigh in.

7/ Which inspires you to go even further creating positive momentum

So if you are weighing yourself daily and not getting the results you desire then try the plan above. It worked for me and I have no doubt it can work for you by setting up a better mindset for you of success.

The article below was published in the Sydney Morning Herald today.

It references a particular study done in Australia. I think it is reasonable to assume that a similar trend is occuring in countries like the USA & UK.

I found the article quite disturbing … when people begin to accept poor health as being okay because after all … I am not is as bad a shape as others like the contestants on biggest loser, well that is a cause for alarm in my mind.

The health issues, emotional issues, and lifestyle impacts of being overweight, regardless of whether you call it being fat, obese or a little heavy, still remain.

What is required is a sense of urgency to do something positive TODAY about improving your health and dropping excess body fat.

If you are reading this and have found that you have arrived at a place where you are more accepting of your weight then please let this be a wake up call for you … today is the day to refocus your efforts and mind on improving your health, not accepting poor health.

Here is the article … please leave your comments:

Weight loss a dead loss for many women

Reprinted from Sydney Morning Herald

- by Natasha Wallace Health Reporter

A THIRD of overweight women have “surrendered to obesity” and are in denial about the need to lose weight because “fat” has become a politically incorrect word, according to the company that helps many Australians shed the kilos.

A Newspoll survey, conducted for WeightWatchers, showed that more than one in three Australian women have become apathetic about losing weight.

More than 35 per cent of respondents who described themselves as being overweight - either a lot, moderately or a little - said they had not tried to lose weight in the past 12 months.

The general manager of WeightWatchers, Sarah Verne, said Australians were in denial about their need to lose weight.

“For a start, language has changed and it is no longer politically correct to use the word ‘fat’,” Ms Verne said.

“Instead, we use terms like obese, which are easy to disengage from for most people who consider themselves not too heavy,” she said.

“People are starting to think that being overweight is normal and therefore acceptable and not something they need be concerned about.”

She said the delusion was compounded by reality television programs such as The Biggest Loser, which pits obese people against each other in a battle to shed the most kilos.

“[The programs] feature the most extreme examples of obesity and we take solace that we are not that big,” she said.

The survey was conducted last July among a national sample of 600 women aged 18 and over.

The federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, has declared the overweight and obesity epidemic a national health priority.

National studies have shown that about one in two adults and one in four children are overweight or obese.

Despite this, only 32 per cent of men and 37 per cent of women thought that they were overweight, according to the 2004-05 Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey.

“Australia has to face up to the truth, we are one of the fattest nations in the world,” Ms Verne said.

Read The Full Article Here

Just a quick note to thank Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training. I recently wrote Craig a testimonial for his fat burning program Turbulence Training. I have used the principles of Turbulence Training to help me burn the fat over the last 6 weeks or so and the results have been great.

Craig was good enough to post the testimonial to his blog which was great of him.

If you are looking for a new training program to kick start your metabolism and burn the fat in 2008 then you should invest in Turbulence Training and apply it to your exercise routine.

Over the Christmas break I created a bodyweight routine based on the prinicples I learnt from Turbulence Training

It went like this:

* Step Ups 15 x Each Side
* Prisoner Squats X 15
* Push Ups x 15
* Static Lunges X 15 Each Side
* 250 metre Sprint

I completed each exercise just using bodyweight one after the other to form what Craig would call a complex.

Then I rested for 60 seconds and repeated. I went through the complex three times taking just under 20 minutes to complete.

The result was a major ramp up in my metabolism for the next 48 hours and an incredible leg work out.

You can get your copy of Turbulence Training here www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Happy New Year !!!!

Here is to a happy and successful 2008 from the Fat Burn Blog.

We will back and full focused on the 100 Day Challenge on the 2nd January when we will be resuming regular updates at the Fat Burn Blog.

In 2008 my mission is to bring to you the reader of the Fat Burn Blog the very best information, strategies and real world fat loss techniques that I can find.

We also have some exciting projects in mind for 2008 including:

- Fat Burn Keys - A free e-Class and MP3 audio program on the 7 keys to burning the fat from your body. Launches in March 2008

- Fat Burn Results - We will be starting an online Fat Burn Results Coaching business as soon as I complete my Personal Training certification.

- Plus some other projects which I will tell you more about in 2008.

I look forward to hearing about your Fat Loss Success in 2008!

Merry Christmas to all of the Fat Burn Blog subscribers and readers.

I hope that you and your family have a fantastic christmas holiday break.

Remember that just because it is christmas you can still eat Fit Foods Its just a decision that you make.

In any event … have a great time and I look forward to your Fat Loss success story in 2008.

Thanks for your support of the Fat Burn Blog in 2007!!!

During the Christmas holidays I will be taking a 7 day break from all training. Then I will be doing a week of bodyweight training just to ease my body back into training ready for 2008.

Bodyweight training is great because you can do it in the comfort of your home. They ramp up your metabolism and help you to burn more fat.

The best information on bodyweight training is available from Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training.

Check out this video by Craig:

Find out more about Craigs Turbulence Training program here

You will find that Turbulence Training offers a great home based training program that you can easily do over the Christmas holiday period. It is certainly what I will be doing