Summer is just around the corner and you’ve packed on some new muscle mass, but now you’re dying to get really hard and cut up. Whether you’ve dieted for definition or not, before you begin your plan to get seriously defined you are probably thinking:

Where do I start and what should I do?

If you want to show off your best body this summer and get seriously defined, this week I’m going to show you how.

The first cut is the hardest.

Just like the first $10,000 is harder than the first $100,000 – it gets easier once you overcome that first wall.  It’s the same with fat loss.  Losing the first pound can sometimes be harder than the last pound.  And getting that first cut of definition on your body is always the hardest.

Getting Defined Is NOT Easy.

Once you understand that getting defined is hard, then it becomes easy.  The people who fail at getting defined start with the mindset that is should be easy – it’s not, which is why you see very few people on the streets who look truly impressive.

Serious bodybuilders would agree that building muscle is difficult and have this mindset that, “I’m going to spend a few months bulking up and then just cut the fat.”  You don’t “just cut the fat.” Not for most and probably not for you either. Getting defined is very possible for anybody but requires a mindset that, “This is going to be tough.”

Grasp The Lean Threshold

The Lean Threshold applies to men and women and we’ll use a man for this example.  The Lean Threshold suggests that at certain body fat levels a man will look the same.  This means that if a man is 13-18% body then you will not be able to distinguish the difference.  10% body fat for a man is very lean.  18% or more of fat for a men is fat.  If a man is under 10% fat or over 18% fat then you’ll clearly be able to tell he’s “lean” or “fat.”  Anything in between is very vague and it is very hard to notice any differences.

What does this mean to you?  If you truly want to stand out this summer, you need to get out of the “vague” zone and get close to 10% body fat.  The equivalent of 10% body fat for a male is about 15% fat for a female.

7 Things You Must Do For Definition

1. Give Yourself Enough Time

Time, your best ally. Give your program time to work. Some “pros” can drop 50 pounds of fat in 8-weeks. Others, it will take an entire year to get rid of 50 pounds of fat.  Don’t underestimate how much time it will take to get yourself defined. Most likely you have more fat to lose than you think.  Get your body fat measured and plan to lose at least 1% of your fat each week.

For most people, it takes 12 to 16 weeks, to get below the lean threshold so if you plan on being ripped for summertime, you’re already behind, let’s get started today.

2. Use The Mirror

Bodybuilding is a visual sport.  If it appears you need to lose more fat, then you do. The mirror does not lie.  Go by what you see, not by what numbers on a scale tell you. Plus, don’t feel like a narcissist for looking at yourself in the mirror.  The mirror is the equivalent of your bank account and a simple reflection of the amounts of withdrawals and deposits you’ve made.  As my Dad always warns me, “Just don’t fall in love with yourself, Vince.” (Every one is guilty of a little narcissism and I’m the first one to admit it).

3. Eat For Definition

Training is important but rely on nutrition to lead the way to leanness. Think of it this way: you could train 4-hours a day and still not get lean, ripped and defined if your nutrition is not right. Getting defined requires you to currently be on a good nutritional program before you begin your definition diet. If your nutrition is poor before you start cutting calories, you will end up losing muscle while your fat persists.

4. Weigh Less Each Week

Only genetic freaks or people on steroids can can go on a definition diet and gain muscle weight at the same time. You’ll have to lose weight on the scale to lose the fat.  Bodybuilders hate seeing the scale go down because they work so hard to see it go up.  Remember, the lean threshold.  Once you get into that 10% fat zone, you’ll in fact appear larger and more muscular.  That’s what happens when you get defined.

5. Eat Only Clean Calories

You know that clean calories come from vegetables, along with some fruits; proteins, including fish chicken and lean beef; carbs such as oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes and whole grains; good fats like fish, olive oil, and flax seed oils.

Understand how to get defined properly: nourish your muscles with clean calories to melt the fat and not lose muscle. If you cut all the carbs and fats from your diet, you’ll lose muscle, which is dangerous and can lead to other problems.

6. Don’t Use Calculators

Unless you don’t have access to a mirror in your home (notice my sarcasm), you don’t need formulas or calculators. Rely on the mirror.  The only time you need to do some number crunching is before you begin your definition diet.  Estimate how much fat you need to lose and step on the scale once a week to ensure your dropping at 1% per week.  The mirror will ultimately tell you if you need to make adjustments.

Formulas that tell you to eat X number of calories and X number of grams per pound of bodyweight etc are good for complete beginners who need a starting point.  However, what if the formula does not work for you?

The mirror will never fail you.  The formulas will. Stick to the foundational principles of training hard 5-6x a week and eating 5-6 meals a day and make regular adjustments based on your bodies changes.

7. Stick To The Plan

Most people never reach their goals because they quit too soon.  They don’t trust the program or trust their efforts.  Getting defined takes time so figure out what keeps you motivated and use it.  Don’t wait for somebody else to motivate you and don’t wait for “a better time” in your life.  It will NEVER come. Today is better than any day so commit to your plan of getting defined and follow through to the end.

On a final note, enjoy the journey to the finish line. It will not be easy the entire way, but take satisfaction in the progress you make each week and remind yourself that you are chasing after a worthwhile goal that will give you great satisfaction. Not to mention that you’ll inspire a lot of close friends and family who will benefit from you being a positive role model in their lives.

It’s about that time of year.

This is when folks slowly start dropping off from their workout
program, or cheating on their diet.

And for a lot of folks, weekend eating – particularly SuperBowl
weekend eating – is to blame.

When some folks binge eat, they go looking for a “detox diet”,
thinking that will reverse all their mistakes.

But I’m not here to recommend that…no way.

Instead, I have an amazing article – perhaps his best article ever -
from fitness expert Craig Ballantyne about a simple 7-Step Detox
Diet that you can easily follow everyday…

…so that you never need to do an extreme 7-day or 2-week cleanse.

Here’s Craig to tell it like it is:

I just got back from the SuperBowl and got a chance to sit in the
front row right in the endzone. It was really cool, and I also got
a chance to see “The Who” live in concert at half-time.

But, while I was there, I had a few extra “non-compliance” meals
than normal, so it got me thinking about detox diets.

I have a pretty strong opinion about detoxing, and I put together a
simple 7-step detox diet plan that you can easily follow so that you
never have to do a 16-day detox ever.

You see, my biggest “beef” with the entire theory of “detoxing” is this…

It is simply NOT possible to EVER detox your body.

Why?

Because it’s such a vague statement.

What does “detox” mean?

How do you measure “detoxification”?

What do you even define as toxins?

And when do you officially become “detoxed”?

The answer is, “You don’t.”

It’s impossible.

After all, every single second of every day your body produces
carbon dioxide, which is a toxin.

And if you have deep belly fat, research shows that this “visceral
fat” is constantly releasing inflammatory toxins into your blood.

Every second. The more fat you have, the more toxic you are.

Plus, every breath you take includes pollutants.

And even the water that you drink may contain “toxins”.

So….what’s the real deal on detoxing?

Listen, while every “expert” is out there arguing about tiny little
details and “gurus” are trying to sell you on detoxing so they can
sell supplements, the TRUTH is that you really just need to know a
few steps to avoid getting toxic in the first place.

In my opinion, the #1 factor in living a “low toxin life” is simply
to keep as much garbage out of your body in the first place, rather
than depending on a 3-day, 7-day or even 16-day detox to be healthy.

So what do I do to prevent “toxin build-up” in the first place?

Well, I live the Turbulence Training Lifestyle of course, including
my “7 Step Detox Nutrition Plan”:

1) Start each day with a blender drink of berries, spinach or other
greens, raw nuts (such as walnuts – rich in healthy fats), and other
ingredients packed with antioxidants and healthy fats.

2) For lunch, have a large green salad with spinach, beans, broccoli,
peppers, avocado, onions, etc.

3) Eat an organic apple a day. Certain fruits (i.e. apples, peaches,
cherries, and strawberries) and vegetables have a higher exposure to
pesticides, and you should choose organic when possible.

4) Eat RAW snacks only – of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Try using
this one simple rule and limit all of your between meal snacks to
raw fruit, raw vegetables, and/or raw nuts and I promise you’ll drop
the pounds because you’ll be full on a smaller number of calories.

5) Drink Green Tea (2-3 cups) and filtered water (3 liters) instead
of beverages that contain calories or chemicals.

6) Limit animal protein intake to only 2 servings per day. On most
days, I’ll one of the following: an “after workout” chocolate milk,
organic eggs in the morning, or occasionally I’ll have high quality
meat at dinner.

You don’t need to be a full vegetarian to live a longer life, but
you should probably avoid eating meat 5 times per day, like people
in Chicago.

(Hey Chicago, don’t get mad at me for that…it was a born-and-raised
Chicago native who told me 5 servings of meat per day was the
average Chicago meat consumption.)

7) Minimize or completely eliminate alcohol intake.

While research does show that for men, up to 2 drinks per day may
help cardiovascular health (and for women, up to one drink per day),
I’m not about to recommend you start drinking.

After all, if you go above those limits, you start to destroy your
health…and you risk addiction. Alcohol killed my father, and I
don’t want to see the same thing happen to you. Tread cautiously
with the booze.

So that’s it. A simple 7-Step Detox Diet Plan.

By the way, it goes without saying that you should avoid:

- cigarettes
- trans-fats
- excessive amounts of sugar
- refined grains
- and 7-11 nacho cheese

Right?

Of course.

And you should be exercising to lose the belly fat…using proven
methods, such as interval training – which is proven to beat long,
slow cardio when it comes to burning dangerous belly fat.

Plus, you should be using Turbulence Training resistance supersets
to burn more calories and sculpt your body.

If you’ve never used Turbulence Training, you can try it out today
for less than the cost of a Superbowl hot dog.

Click here to get Turbulence Training for less than 5 bucks:

=> <a href=”http://stmarketer.turbulence.hop.clickbank.net/?page=trialoffer”>http://www.turbulencetraining.com/trial-offer.shtml</a>

Simply follow those 7 nutrition guidelines and use the short TT
workouts to cut out as many toxins from your body – without detoxing.

Stay strong,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

PS – I also believe you should avoid toxic relationships…

…so you need to take a hard look at the people you surround
yourself with in life.

Do you have the right work friends?
Are you in the right relationships?
Do you spend enough time with the right family members?

Or are they toxic too?

Remember – you need social support for success in life and in fat
loss…so surround yourself with positive people, like the good
folks on the TT Member’s forum.

If you need to dump the toxic folks and get positive social support,
we’d love to see you on the forum and help you out.

You will get a free 3-month TT membership access to the forum when
you try out Turbulence Training for only $4.95 today:

=> <a href=”http://stmarketer.turbulence.hop.clickbank.net/?page=trialoffer”>http://www.turbulencetraining.com/trial-offer.shtml</a>

Please click that link to get started losing fat & getting rid of
the toxic baggage in your life.

******************************

The Trophy of all Trophies.

Ripped abs are sign of good health, power and yes, even sexual ability.

And ladies, don’t think us men don’t like a flat and firm midsection.  If you ever watch a sporting even with athletic females you’ll be drawn to the three hot spots of a female body – thighs, butt and abs. And these are three body parts that any women can modify with a clean diet and effective training.

Abs on men is the final piece of the puzzle to make the picture complete. Sure, a big physique can appear intimidating but a well-defined set of abs can be equally intimidating and can make a near-perfect body perfect.

A sculpted stomach on  a female can accentuate a smaller wasit-to-hip ratio which makes your shoulders appear more rounded and your butt appear more firm and full.

Male or female, it’s hard to be referred as sexy if you’re not flaunting a flat, firm, midsection.

3 Important Reasons To Train Abs

• A stronger midsection. Working with a weak core is like firing a cannon out of canoe.  It’s only a matter of time before you hurt yourself. A strong core acts like a belt to stabilize your trunk to reduce the risk of back pain and injuries.
  

• A massive confidence booster.  Anyone who has abs will be carry themselves with more pride and self-respect.  You won’t be self-conscious and experience anxiety about your body creating less stress.
  

• Long-term health. Revealing six-pack abs is going to require a very clean and dedicated diet that eliminates many of the foods responsible for obesity, diabetes and other diseases that can wreak havoc on your health.

Ab-Solute Perfection Tips

1. The best ab workouts in the world will not attract any attention if a layer of fat covers them up.  Ab workouts do not cause you to lose body fat in the midsection (to any significant degree) so ensure you’re following a clean diet and proper training program like http://www.yoursixpackquest.com

2. On the flip side, don’t be ignorant to the point that you don’t ever train your abs because they are covered by fat. As noted above, training your abs provide more benefits than just visual impact.

3. Use these ab workouts to motivate you to train harder and diet harder because you know that the trade off will be the trophy of all trophies!

On to the workouts…

Abdominal Circuit #1

This challenging circuit might be tame if your abs are already thick and popping but should still be used after your cardio workouts or after your weight training workouts to improve your abs conditioning.

Since this circuit is based on endurance and volume, you can build up to doing this circuit 2-3 x a workout or daily.

Ab Circuit #2

If you’re looking for lower ab workouts instead then check this video out.  I’ll share my top 3 lower ab exercises:

I want to know which ab workout above you plan to use and let me know the hardest thing about getting six pack abs in the comments section below.

Your friend and coach,

Vince DelMonte

P.S.  By the way, I am not sure if you know, but last summer, in just a matter of 10 weeks I went from around 215 pounds and 18% body fat… to 200 and 8% body fat.

That’s roughly a loss of 23 pounds of fat, while gaining around 8 pounds of lean muscle!  I used the same advice to help my friend Peter lose 100 pounds of fat in 6-months.

You can read more at http://www.YourSixPackQuest.com If getting six pack abs is your goal – this site is for you.

Let’s perform some basic mathematics, which many people just can’t get. There are 24-hours in the day, last time I checked. You probably train, if you’re using one of my programs, only 1 hour a day a few times a week, leaving many 23-24 hour stretches not working out. This means your muscles rely on what you put in your mouth during those times – or stays out – of your mouth.

So why don’t we talk about muscle-building nutrition more often?  Over the next two days I’ll share some unique strategies to eat for big muscle, many which can be applied to fat loss, equally effectively.

These strategies are designed to blow you up into a walking-beast that guys want to be and girls want to be with. These strategies are not intended to make you “that guy” with his legs crossed trying to hid his gut when he’s sitting down.  Everything is intended to maximize the muscle-to-fat ratio on your body.

1. Stick To Real Food

When you’re in doubt, stick to the foods your grandma and grandpa would have eaten.  If that standard is too high, don’t eat any foods that your parents would not recognize as food.  I still remember the look my Mom gave me when she found a tub of protein powder in her kitchen.  ”Why don’t you just make some eggs?” she said to me.

How do you know if it’s real food?  It should only have one ingredient in it. How many ingredients does broccoli have it in?  One.  That is a real food.  Fill your grocery cart with foods like lean beef, nuts, and vegetables, which contain nutrients that your muscles crave. Plus they supply a steadier release of amino acids and glucose that “fake food” that is packaged and found in the middle of the aisles of your local grocery store.

2. Get Creative and Get Cooking

Do you think you need to prepare every meal with a calculator in your hand plus a food scale?  I hope not.  I’ve never weighed my food in my life.  I don’t even know where to buy a food scale. Any diet that requires more than basic measuring of ingredients is a diet that is too complicated and will ultimately fail.

I’ve found that it’s best to approach your diet with a relaxed attitude and not got bogged down by exact measurements of nutritional content.  Make protein the starting point for each meal and snack – then surround it with a supporting cast of carbs and fat – it’s that simple.

This is my friend Dave Ruel 0ne-week out before his bodybuilding show next week.  I’l be hanging out with Dave in a few weeks in Quebec and then Montreal.  He’s the author of Anabolic Cooking – the best cookbook and nutrition guide for bodybuilding and fitness.  Check out his website: http://NoNonsenseMuscleCooking.com

3. Hook Up With Some Fatty Fish

Show your muscles some love by treating them to some fatty fish such as arctic char, mackerel, rainbow trout, salmon and sardines 3-4 times per week.  Fish is excellent post workout because their protein digests quicker than beef, poultry and pork.  Since fatty fish is abundant in omega-3’s, which reduce inflammation, these hook ups can get you back in the power rack squatting heavy again.  Fatty fish also contain a high amount of vitamin D, which improves muscle function and strength.  Low vitamin D levels is linked to low testosterone levels, which can lead to fat gain.

4. Mingle With Different Colors

Sticking to the same colored food can get bland and boring. Your diet should consist of a variety of colors from fruits and vegetables to ensure a wide range of antioxidants, which help in muscle recovery and promote growth. Research studies show that a diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables prevents cell DNA damage, which can cause slower hypertrophy and initiate disease. Next time you do your groceries, include these foods: broccoli, carrots, cherries, kale, blueberries, kiwi and red bell peppers.  These are the highest anti-oxidant rich foods in the produce section.

5. Get Your Game On

Find yourself some game meats like bison, elk, ostrich and venison, which have been the top quality muscle-building foods for a long time. They have a superior protein-to-fat ratio that results in lean muscle mass and they are mostly grass-fed with plenty of room to roam.  Unfortunately, now our stores are filled with industry-raised cattle that lack of the same “beef” our game meat contains.  Look for farmer markets that carry grass-fed beef.

6. Date A Cow Girl

If you can’t do that, visit your local farmer and become friends. That is just as good!  A lot of farms are the best place to stock your fridge with muscle-building power foods such as eggs, meats, vegetables, which haven’t not been abused by pesticides and hormones. You can often get better deals buying locally, which means you don’t have to eat on the cheap.  My good friend, Eric Wong, and I buy a grass-fed cow every few months and get it sliced it up for a few months worth of top quality feet, from a variety of cuts.  I figure I save a few hundred bucks a year buying from a farmer instead of a grocery store.

7. Eat Two Breakfasts

If breakfast is more important than every meal in the day, why not have it twice?  Nighttime is the most catabolic time for muscle growth and your liver glycogen is depleted while you sleep. To but the brakes on, wake up at 6 am and slam back a morning shake.  Here’s one of my favorites: 1 banana, 1 cup of coffee (or 1 shot of espresso), 2 scoops of Chocolate Iso-Smooth from Blue Star Nutrition (use the coupon code “maximize” if you order to get a discount), and 1 table spoon of almond butter.  This will get you revved up for you day and set the stage for a healthy day of eating. About 60-minutes later, follow up with a “real” breakfast consisting of whole food like scrambled eggs, organic bacon, slow-burning carbs like oatmeal or whole-grain toast for long-lasting energy.

Here’s a great breakfast recipe from Dave Ruel’s Anabolic Cooking recipe book:

Banana and Peanut Butter High Protein Muffins

Makes 1 Serving (3 Big Muffins)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Oatmeal • 1/4 cup of Oat Bran • 1 tbsp of Whole Wheat Flour • 6 Egg Whites • 1/2 scoop (15g) of Vanilla Protein Powder • 1/4 teaspoon of Baking Soda • 1 teaspoon of Splenda • 1 tbsp of Natural Peanut Butter • 1 big Banana • 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extracts • 1/2 teaspoon of Banana Extracts

Directions

1. In a blender, mix all the ingredients (except for the banana). Blend until the mix gets thick.

2. Cut the Banana in thin slices or cubes. Add the banana to the mix and stir (with a spoon or a spatula)

3. Poor the mix in a muffin cooking pan, and cook at 350 degrees F. until cooked (About 30 minutes).

Quick Tip: You can cook a big batch and freeze the muffins. Then just microwave the muffins when needed…

Nutritional Facts

• • • •

(Per Serving – 3 Big Muffins)

Calories: 569 Protein: 51g Carbohydrates: 53g Fat: 14g

—-

If you have any nutrition questions, post them below.  Let me know what your favorite nutrition strategy for more muscle was.  Talk soon

Vince

QUESTION: “Tom, on your www.burnthefat.com website, you wrote: ‘Who better
to model than bodybuilders and fitness competitors? No athletes in the world
get as lean as quickly as bodybuilders and fitness competitors. The transformations
they undergo in 12 weeks prior to competition would boggle your mind!

Only ultra-endurance athletes come close in terms of low body fat levels, but
endurance athletes like triathaletes and marathoners often get lean at the
expense of chewing up much of their lean muscle.”

“There seems to be a contradiction unless I’m missing something. Why do
bodybuilders and fitness competitors have to go through a 12 week ‘transformation’
prior to every event instead of staying ‘lean and mean’ all the time? If they practice
the secrets exposed in your book, shouldn’t be staying in great shape all the time
instead of having to work at losing fat prior to every competitive event?”

ANSWER: Thanks for your question. There’s a logical explanation for why
bodybuilders and other physique athletes (fitness and figure competitors),
don’t remain completely ripped all year round, and it’s the very reason they
are able to get so ripped on the day of a contest…

You can’t hold a peak forever or it’s not a “peak”, right? What is the definition
of a peak? It’s a high point surrounded by two lower points isn’t it?

Therefore, any shape you can stay in all year round is NOT your “peak” condition.

The intelligent approach to nutrition and training (which almost all bodybuilders
and fitness/figure competitors use), is to train and diet in a seasonal or cyclical
fashion and build up to a peak, then ease off to a maintenance or growth phase.

I am NOT talking about bulking up and getting fat and out of shape every year,
then dieting it all off every year. What I’m talking about is going from good
shape to great shape, then easing back off to good shape…. but never getting
“out of shape.”

Makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

Here’s an example: I have no intentions whatsoever of walking around 365 days
a year at 4% body fat like I appear in the photo on my website. Truth be told,
that is day of contest condition.

Off-season (when I’m not competing), my body fat is usually between 8 – 10%.
Mind you, that’s very lean and still single digit body fat.

I don’t stray too far from competition shape, but I don’t maintain contest shape
all the time. It takes me about 10-12 weeks or so to gradually drop from 9% to
3.5%-4.0% body fat to “peak” for competition with NO loss of lean body mass,
using the same techniques I reveal in my e-book.

It would be almost impossible to maintain 4% body fat, and even if I could, why
would I want to? For the few weeks prior to competition I’m so depleted, ripped,
and even “drawn” in the face, that complete strangers walk up and offer to feed me.

Okay, so I’m just kidding about that, but let’s just say being “being ripped to
shreds” isn’t a desirable condition to maintain because it takes such a
monumental effort to stay there.

It’s probably not even healthy to try forcing yourself to hold extreme low body
fat. Unless you’re a natural “ectomorph” (skinny, fast metabolism body type),
your body will fight you and you’ll always be hungry.

Not only that, anabolic hormones may drop and sometimes your immune system
is affected as well (and I hate to say this, but sometimes – for some people – even
the, uh… “reproductive functions”… decline a bit when you’re that lean).

Hey, I’m just being honest. It’s just not “normal” to walk around all the time
with literally NO subcutaneous body fat.

Instead of attempting to hold the peak, I cycle back into a less demanding
off-season program and avoid creeping beyond 9.9% body fat. Some years I’ve
stayed leaner – like 6-7%, (which takes effort), especially when I knew I would
be photographed, but I don’t let my body fat go over 10%. Thats “the line” I
draw – it’s like a personal “rule” for me.

This practice isn’t just restricted to bodybuilders. Athletes in all sports use
periodization to build themselves up to their best shape for competition.

Is a pro football player in the same condition in March-April as he is in
August-September? Probably not. Many show up fat and out of shape (relatively
speaking) for training camp, others just need fine tuning, but none are in
peak form… that’s why they have training camp!!!

There’s another reason you wouldn’t want to maintain a “ripped to shreds”
physique all year round – you’d have to be dieting (calorie restricted) all the time.
And this is one of the reasons that 95% of people can’t lose weight and keep it off
–they are CHRONIC dieters… always on some type of diet. Know anyone like that?

You can’t stay on restricted low calories indefinitely. Sooner or later your
metabolism slows down and you plateau as your body adapts to the chronically
lowered food intake and reduced body weight.

But if you diet for fat loss and push incredibly hard for 3 months, then ease
off for a while and eat a little more (healthy food, not “pigging out”), your
metabolic rate is re-stimulated.

In a few weeks or months, you can return to another fat loss phase and reach
an even lower body fat level, until you finally reach the point that’s your happy
maintenance level for life – a level that is healthy and realistic – as well as
visually appealing.

That’s how we physique athletes do it…

Bodybuilders have discovered a methodology for losing fat that’s so effective,
it puts them in complete control of their body composition. They’ve mastered
this area of their lives and will never have to worry about it again.

If they ever “slip” and fall off the wagon like all humans do at times … no problem!
They know how to get back into shape fast.

Bodybuilders have the tools and knowledge to hold a low body fat all year round
(such as 9% for men, or about 15% for women), and then at a whim, to reach a
temporary “peak” of extremely low body fat for the purpose of competition.

Maybe most important of all, they have the power and control to slowly ease
back from peak shape into maintenance, and not balloon up and yo-yo like
most conventional dieters.

What if you had the power to stay lean all year round, and then get super lean
when summer rolled around, or when you took your vacation to the Caribbean,
or when your wedding date was coming up?

Wouldn’t you like to be in control of your body like that? Isn’t that the same
thing that bodybuilders and fitness/figure competitors do, only on a more
practical, real-world level?

So even if you have no intention of ever being a bodybuilder, don’t you agree that
there’s something of value everyone could learn from physique athletes?

Don’t model yourself after the huge crowd of “losers” who gobble diet pills, buy
exercise gimmicks and suffer through starvation diets like automatons, only to
gain back everything they lost! Instead, learn from the leanest athletes on Earth -
natural bodybuilders and fitness competitors…

These physique athletes get as ripped as they want to be, exactly when they
want to, simply by manipulating their diets in a cyclical fashion between
pre-contest “cutting” programs and off season “maintenance” or “muscle growth”
programs.

Even if you have no desire to ever compete, try this seasonal “peaking” approach
yourself and you’ll see that it can work as well for you as it does for elite bodybuilders.

Anytime the topic of discussion in my blogs, articles or newsletters has turned to my own personal grocery shopping list, there has always been a spike in interest.

It seems that many people are not only curious about what foods a natural bodybuilder eats to maintain single digit body fat, but they also want to be taken by the hand and told exactly what foods to eat themselves while on fat-burning or muscle building programs.

Of course, I can’t tell you what YOU should eat because I don’t know your likes and dislikes, not to mention whether you have any intolerances, allergies or foods you don’t eat for ethical reasons, etc.

What I CAN do is show you what I eat, which has helped me keep my body fat under 10% all year round and peak in the low single digits when I want to get cut for competitions or photo shoots

I decided to put together four separate “top 10″ lists of healthy foods to feed your muscle and burn fat.

Exact quantities and menus are not listed, just the individual foods, and of course my food intake does vary.

I aim to get as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables as possible over the course of every week and there are a lot of substitutions made, so you are not seeing the full list of everything I eat, only what foods I eat most of the time.

I also want to point out that while I don’t believe that extreme low carbs are necessary or most effective when you look at the long term, research has shown that there are some definite advantages to a low to moderate carb and higher protein diet for fat loss purposes.

These include reduced appetite, higher thermic effect of food and “automatic” calorie control.

Personally, I reduce my carb intake moderately and temporarily prior to bodybuilding competitions. Specifically, it’s the foods that are on the starchy carbs and grains list that go down during the brief pre-competition period when I’m working on that really “ripped” look.

I keep the green and fibrous veggie intake very high however, along with large amounts of lean protein, small amounts of fruit, and adequate amounts of essential fats (“LEAN, GREEN and MARINE!”)

This list reflects my personal preferences, so this is not a prescription to all readers to eat as I do. It’s very important for compliance to choose foods you enjoy and to have the option for a wide variety of choices.

In the past several years, nutrition and obesity research – in studying ALL types of diets – has continued to conclude that almost any hypocaloric diet that is not completely “moronic” can work, at least in the short term.

It’s not so much about the high carb – low carb argument or any other debate as much as it is about calorie control and compliance. The trouble is, restricted diets and staying in a calorie deficit is difficult, so most people can’t stick with any program and they fall off the wagon, whichever wagon that may be.

I believe that a lot of our attention needs to shift away from pointless debates (for example, low carb vs. high carb is getting really old… so like… get over it everyone, its a calorie deficit that makes you lose weight, not the amount of carbs).

Instead, our focus should shift towards these questions:

* How can we build an eating program that we can actually enjoy while still
getting us leaner and healthier?

* How can we build an eating program that helps us control calories automatically?

* How can we build an eating program that improves compliance?

Here are the lists of foods I choose to achieve these three outcomes. This eating plan is not difficult to stick with at all, by the way. I enjoy eating like this and it feels almost weird not to eat like this after doing it for so long.

Remember, habits work in both directions, and as motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said, “Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.”

These are listed in the order I frequently consume them. So for example, if oatmeal is on the top of the list, it means that is the food I am most likely to eat every single day.

My 10 top natural starchy carb and whole grains

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned)
2. Yams
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice)
4. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes
7. 100% whole wheat bread
8. 100% whole wheat pasta
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal

My Top 10 top vegetables

1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini

My top 10 lean proteins

1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey or Casein protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Lean Ground Turkey
9. Bison/Buffalo (lean game meats)
10. Trout

My top 10 fruits

1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple

Note: I DO include healthy fats as well, such as walnuts, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil (supplement – not to cook with), avocado and a few others.

Also, I do eat dairy products and have nothing against them, nor am I lactose intolerant. I simply don’t eat as much dairy as the rest of the stuff on my lists. When I eat dairy, its usually skim milk, low or non fat cottage cheese, low or non fat yogurt and low or non fat cheese (great for omelettes).

Last but not least, I usually follow a compliance rate of about 95%, which means I take two or three meals per week of whatever I want – stuff that is NOT on these lists – like pizza, sushi, big fatty restaurant steaks, etc - whatever I want (contrary to the persistent rumors, I’m not some cyborg or “food neurotic” that never enjoys a good restaurant meal… believe me – I DO!)

I hope you found this helpful and interesting. Keep in mind, this is MY food list, and although you probably couldn’t go wrong to emulate it, you need to choose natural foods YOU enjoy in order to develop habits you can stick with long term.

If you’d like to learn more about fat burning nutrition and what to eat for maximum fat loss, then be sure to take a look at the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program.

Thousands of men and women call this their “fat loss bible” – and it comes with some bonuses that go into more depth about the best healthy foods to eat

* Foods that burn fat
* Foods that turn to fat
* The A-Food, B-Food Lecture, How to get good grades on your food choices

And, Burn The Fat includes a “clean food” data base which shows you in a quick reference chart an extensive list of exactly what to eat.

For more details on fat burning foods and Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, just go to: http://www.BurnTheFat.com

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto,
Fat loss coach

http://www.BurnTheFat.com