Mr. Low Body Fat's Blog

Mr. Low Body Fat's Blog Has Moved!!!

2008-08-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well, after exactly one year of blogging, I've decided that I needed a new look and address for my site. Please head over to my new and improved blog by clicking on the my blog's new header below.

www.mrlowbodyfat.com

This will be the last post that I will make at this address, so make a note of the change, and I'll see you guys over at our new home!

"12 Reasons to Fire Your Personal Trainer" by Steve Maxwell

2008-07-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

It appears that Coach Maxwell is causing a stir on his blog again, and his most recent post could not have come at a better time. Last week, I was at my favorite park enjoying the sunshine, green grass, trees, abusing my sandbag, and trying to break my pushup board when I see a woman being trained (Boot Camp style) by this trainer who looked to be in his mid-20s.

Every now and then I would see the trainer and the woman glance my way while I was training. This really didn't bother me since I'm use to folks staring at me when I train because nobody else is out there bare-footed in the grass, with shades on, and an mp3 player attached to his ears. I'm not even going to tell you how the parents, who are taking their kiddies to the community pool, look at me when I'm doing my hip mobility exercises. Man, I think I need to get a t-shirt that says, "I'm not a pedophile, I'm a physical culturist!" ...

So, this young buck had this poor woman, who was obviously de-conditioned, doing the following circuit:

pushups
30 yard bear crawls to a tree
jog around the tree
all out sprint for about 40 yards to the Fitness Cluster (the wooden workout stations in parks) near where I was training
15 reps of bodyweight squats
15 reps of step ups on a pretty elevated platform
run back to the starting place
repeat ...

I was floored when I saw this because she was clearly about to pass out after the first time through! Oh, and when she was complaining about how difficult this was, he had the nerve to tell her, "I told you that I was going to take things up to another level." This upset me, but what really pissed me off was that he worked out with her and was barking at her to keep up with him. Yeah, this de-conditioned, 40 something year-old woman, who probably needs to reduce her body fat by 10 percent, is going to keep up with a guy who was clearly an athlete in school judging by his build.

My blood was boiling a bit because it brought back very ugly memories I have of these type of personal trainers or personal abusers, as I like to call them. But, I didn't say anything because I go to the park to train and not socialize or get in other folk's business; however, when I could hear this woman panting so loudly that it was drowning out Bulls on Parade, I had to look back to see what was up. Well, as can be expected, she was on her second round of step-ups, and this poor woman had reached her limit. And, guess what her trainer was doing?

Checking his phone's text messages!!!!

When he noticed that I was watching, I guess he felt compelled to put away his damn phone and start doing step-ups with her, as if he was showing her how easy they were. He started to bark at her again about how she had to keep pushing herself. I was doing hindu pushups at the time, but I just stopped, shouldered my sandbag, and went for a walk across the field (a great leg and core exercise by the way) to get away from them before I couldn't hold my tongue any longer.

As I walked back across the field, they passed by me, and I could see the pain and frustration in the woman's face. Fortunately, her personal abuser chose not to make her do another round, as if she really could have. I watched as she limped, exhausted and sweaty, to her car. I really wonder whether or not she'll be back this week.

So, you can imagine how happy I was to read Steve's post on "Twelve Reasons to Fire Your Personal Trainer." I'm not going to post all of the pictures here, so I really encourage you to visit his blog to see them. Simply click on the article's title to read his original post complete with some pretty hilarious photos of Steve playing the part of the trainer who needs to be canned!

I hope you enjoy his post, and please leave comments about some horror stories you've had or have seen from these personal abusers.

* * *

"12 Reasons to Fire Your Personal Trainer" by Steve Maxwell

1. Your trainer is a poor match.
Training is a personality-driven business. More important than credentials, or even knowledge, the trainer's personality must be a good match with yours. The trainer's job is to be upbeat, positive and always in a good mood. Mood management is a hallmark of the true professional. If the two of you fight like a married couple, it's a poor match.

2. You're getting injured.
Even with the best personal trainers, an occasional injury is unavoidable, but when you have constant, nagging, recurrent injuries, your trainer isn't paying attention to proper form and technique.

3. No results or poor results.
Some clients have unrealistic expectations about what they can or cannot do; however, if you feel like you're on that treadmill-to-nowhere, never making progress with your weight loss or strength goals, then it's a good bet your trainer is incompetent. Which leads us to number 4...

4. No record-keeping.
For fat loss in particular, it's very important to document progress with anthropometric measurements and before/after photos. Skin folds and other measures of body composition are generally inaccurate but can sometimes be useful in gauging the general trend of fat loss progress. If your trainer isn't keeping precise records, including recording each workout, then he's simply lazy.

5. Not paying attention to your stated goals and needs.
Goals should be hammered out during the first meeting and everything should be made clear. If the trainer doesn't keep his agreement and starts to veer from the agreed-upon path, then it's time to say adios.

6. You're in a constant state of fatigue from your workouts.
Included here is frequent colds and other illness, constantly aching joints, especially a "heaviness" of the limbs. This means your trainer is driving you into the dreaded overtraining. Working out is meant to enhance your quality of life and make you feel better, not worse. This doesn't mean your goals don't require hard work--they do--but a good trainer knows the difference between under and over training and should be able to figure out the proper dose of exercise for you, if he's any good at all.

7. Using negative reinforcement.
Most people feel bad enough about themselves already and don't need anybody else to make them feel worse. Personal training is to help you feel good about yourself and enforce positive habits and positive self-image. Some clients may seem to respond well to being berating and insulting in a boot camp/drill instructor style, but in my experience, people who like this kind of training have a masochistic disorder, enjoying emotional beat downs. Words are powerful tools and affect the subconscious mind. Using negative techniques does nothing to promote health and healing. As a young trainer, I used to fall into this pattern because I thought it was cool and macho but later I realized it created more harm than good...for them and me.

8. Your trainer complains about his own personal issues on your time.
Your trainer is paid to be there for you. Part of that entails paying all of his attention to the details of your workout and supporting you in your optimal performance. There's no room for sharing personal gossip. If he's a constant complainer, run for the nearest exit! I've also heard trainers engage with their clients in a gab-fest and end up talking more than doing.

9. Your trainer is always late.
This is an indication he has no respect for you or your time. Subconsciously, he's not looking forward to seeing you and doing his job. When people are late for appointments, they're avoiding and procrastinating the meeting because they don't want to be there--this includes taking cell phone calls and texting during the workout. There are times these things are unavoidable, but anymore than very occasional is a waste of your money. Find someone who's in the moment with you.

10. Your trainer is a Don Juan.
There's an old saying, "you don't sh*t where you eat". These relationships rarely work out. There's undeniably sexual attraction when two people meet and it happens in every professional setting. Casual flirtation is harmless. Letting people know you find them attractive can be a great ego boost. But when your trainer is a known player around the gym, you may do better with someone with a better handle on who they really are. Maturity on this level is a good indicator of professional commitment. The energy should be going into your workout, not titillations.

11. He's letting you get away with murder--and you know it.
Sometimes trainers put clients through ridiculously easy workouts (they don't push you, permit sloppy form, stick you on aerobic equipment while they just talk to you) just to make some easy money. They don't progress you or design new programs. Or they switch up your program so frequently there are no meaningful gains made. They don't admonish you for diet infractions or missed workouts or touch on any seemingly unpleasant topics because they're interested only in your money, not you and your progress. A true fitness professional will call you on your bullsh!t because he's about earning the money he's paid.

12. Poor personal health and workout habits.
If your trainer shows up for your appointment looking like he slept in his clothes, sloppy and disheveled, it means he has no personal pride in his profession or appearance. The same goes for fat trainers. If your goal is weight loss, how can you expect someone else's help if they can't discipline their own eating? Another old saying in the coaching business: you can't take someone else where you haven't been.

Fatties in the weight-loss business are something to be avoided like the plague.

Before the flames arrive, let me clarify: I'm not talking about a power lifting coach or someone training strongmen. Being heavy and carrying extra body fat can be an advantage in these types of events. I'm talking about people who work with the general public where weight control and increased health are the primary goals. In my opinion, there's no place for fat trainers. If you're a fat trainer reading this, have some pride in your appearance, follow your own advice and get the weight off, otherwise you're in the wrong profession.

Further, I'd like to state that in over 36 years of working in the personal training business, I have violated many of these rules at one time or another...and I later regretted it. I've lost both clients and income and--worse--people's trust in me. Luckily, I'm a fast learner and corrected these mistakes and became a better trainer for it.

MLBF's Blog Recognized by Alltop.com!

2008-07-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

I just received an email from Neenz and the good folks at Alltop.com. They informed me that my blog was added to the fitness section of their site. I'm excited about this because I'll be in the company of other great fitness/nutrition related blogs out there such as Steve Maxwell's Blog, my buddy Israel over at Fat Man Unleashed, Diet Detective, and Strong Lifts to name a few.

The timing couldn't be better since I'll be launching the new look and location of my blog on the 2nd of August! I have been working day and night to get it ready, so stay tuned for more information about my new blog next week.

Have a great weekend and thanks for your continued support fellas ...

Fat Loss Stories of Inspiration: Mike Boyd (440lbs - 187lbs)

2008-07-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

I've decided to change the name of not only this series, but to my blog's tag-line too. I think there has been too much of an emphasis on weight loss fellas and it really needs to stop. When you say that you need to lose weight, what you are really wanting to lose is not simply weight but stored body fat! I know that this may sound like I'm splitting hairs, but I'm not.

Focusing primarily on the weight loss on a scale opens you up for a host of problems. First, you can be easily suckered into programs or weight loss aids that promise fast weight loss, but they never tell you whether you will be losing more fat than lean tissue. Second, when you focus on losing weight, instead of fat, you're more than likely going to look saggy and soft as you slim down, which is something that I'm sure you and your significant other don't want!

So, from here on out, this series will no longer be "Weight"Loss Stories of Inspiration, but will be now known as Fat Loss Stories of Inspiration because losing fat is the real goal. Also, I am now encouraging you guys to "Feed your brain to lose the fat!" OK, now let's move on to our next story. Oh, before I forget, I'm going to highlight at least one inspirational story a month; however, some months, like this one, I may spotlight more.

* * *

It had to be around 2006 when I first came across Mike Boyd's website. I was absolutely blown away by his transformation. Mike started his journey at a staggering 440lbs in 2005, and by 7/2007 he was weighing in at @187lbs!! Oh, and he did this through changing his eating habit and weight training only!

On his website, Mike explains that one of the main reasons he started his journey was because his doctor told him that either he lost the weight, or they would have to amputate his leg, which had horrible water retention problem that would have him visiting the hospital every 2-3 weeks. Mike remembers exactly what his doctor told him on one of his visits to the hospital to have, yet another, infection in his leg treated:

My doctor was blunt and to the point. He said "Your [sic] going to lose your leg"... and in the next breath he said "IF you don't do something NOW and I mean right NOW to change your life". Knock knock... reality check...

Well, this was more than enough to cause Mike to re-think his current situation and to, eventually, plan out how he was going to tackle his weight problem. However, the very first steps were the most difficult for him because of his size. He jokes on his site that he was only able to do 1 minute of cardio his first day. Hey, this clearly shows us that we all have to start somewhere, right?

Below, Mike explains the ordeal he went through just to get the mail at his job:

I could not walk to the mailbox and when it came time to clock out at work every night I would go through this unreal routine, which was extremely stressful, and challenging to me both mentally and physically. I would leave my desk and walk 27 paces to the waiting room then sit down, because I was extremely out of breath and scared that I was going to pass out. I had extreme anxiety over the fact that I could not breath or catch my breath so I had to make sure that I did not do anything over the absolute minimum to stress myself. Next after a few minutes rest I made my way to my vehicle and started it up then drove around the back of the building. I rested another few minutes in the car then I walked 20 steps into the waiting room where the Time clock was and parked my butt on a chair for 3-4 mins until I felt I was rested up enough for the journey back out to my vehicle.

Shortness of breath, pain in the legs, fear of passing out, all did not deter Mike from his goal of finally losing the weight and being the father he always wanted to be to his family. So he endured, and with the help of Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle program, Mike added weight resistance to his cardio routine and started to clean up his diet.

Well, as they say, a picture (or two) is worth a thousand words, so I'll let you guys see how Mike transformed his body from this guy:

To this guy:

OK, you can close your mouth and pick your jaw up off the floor now .... LOL!

Mike and I traded a couple of emails back in 2007, but I haven't heard from him this year. So, I'm not sure how he is doing in his new body. But, the determination and desire that he has shown in losing so much fat (over 200lbs to be exact!) leads me to believe that Mike is doing just fine. Also, he has a note at the top of his website to his visitors:

Mike has waged a personal WAR against Body fat and reclaimed his Life! Its all about Burning the Fat and feeding the Muscle as Tom Venuto can attest to! Over 200 Lbs of Fat put to rest. New goals continue to re-kindle my spirit as 2008 moves on. Stay tuned, my story is still unfolding!

I think it's safe to say that Mike is still on point with his fat loss and overall transformation. Guys, feel free to go to his website to see more pictures and to read more about his story.

Hands down, Mike's transformation inspired me more than any other one I've come across on the internet!

"Are You an Exerciser or an Athlete? Part II" by Charles Staley

2008-07-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

OK Fellas, here's part II of this great article by strength coach and the developer of the EDT System for building muscle and strength, Charles Staley. There are so many nuggets of gold, to borrow a term from my buddies over at bodyweight culture, in this article that I hope you guys print this one out and really study and think about these five brief, yet packed, habits that athletes possess.

"Are You an Exerciser of an Athlete? Part II"
By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems

Last week I differentiated between the "exerciser" mindset and the athletic paradigm. I equated exercisers with an amateur approach, and athletes with a professional attitude toward fitness. Most importantly, I demonstrated how the fundamental distinction between these two divergent perspectives is one of attitude: exercisers hate what they do, they do it begrudgingly, and they wouldn't do it at all except for their certainty that they have to do it.

Athletes, on the other hand love to train. In fact, they tend to overtrain, because their work ethic has become so ingrained that they live and die by a productivity-based ethos.

Becoming an athlete doesn't require advanced pedigree, a nasty steroid habit, bulging biceps, or even jaw-dropping talent. What it does require is a commitment to a set of practices that define the athletic lifestyle. People who consistently practice these habits can call themselves athletes, while those who do not continue to reside in the exerciser caste.

As you continue to read, take a self-assessment to see how many of these five habits you already practice, and which ones are missing from your dossier.
1) Process Orientation:

The athlete pursues goals, but the bulk of his day-to-day attention is focused on processes. A premise is first developed which states "If I do this process, it should lead me to this end." Once the premise is established, the athlete trusts the premise (much like a pro golfer must trust his stroke under competitive conditions).

The athlete shifts his sights away from the long-term goal and devoted his entire energy toward the day-to-day practices and habits that will give him the best chance for success. These practices encompass everything from training tactics, to nutritional and recuperative strategies.
2) Delayed Gratification:

The desire for instant results is the hallmark of an exerciser. Athletes know that the big payoff is worth the wait. One telltale sign of maturity can be found in sound nutritional practices: many people can commit to an exercise program, because there are immediate benefits- endorphin production, muscle pumps, greater energy, etc. However, there are little to no short-term benefits to be gained from a sound nutritional program - the payoff takes time to accrue.
3) Systemization:

Athletes record, document, and analyze their training, and often, their food intake. In other words, they keep records. When you don't have systems, you need to reinvent the wheel every time a unique situation presents itself. Athletes tend to know their maximum capacities in various exercises, they know how they react to various nutritional practices, and they're also familiar with the psychological states that produce superior performances. All of this knowledge is gleaned through the process of record keeping. After all, the best way to predict future performance is to study the past.
4) Professionalism:

The previous three practices are all components of professionalism, but here, I'd like to discuss a "root" habit that gives birth to all of them: distancing. This practice is perhaps best personified in the old weightlifter's credo "There is no joy in victory, no agony in defeat." Athletes maintain a certain impassionate distance from their craft. They know that if they identify too closely with their role, they'll be less likely to put themselves on the line, in the competitive arena.

Instead, they simply put in the work, do the right things, and resign themselves to whatever outcome might occur. Athletes know that commitment to the effort means more than the outcome produced by the effort. Exercisers on the other hand, are typically unwilling to put in the time, and instead resort to pills, powders, plastic surgery, and various other shortcuts that inevitably lead to failure.
5) Functionalism:

Exercisers are concerned exclusively with "form:" an improved appearance. Athletes are concerned exclusively with "function," which results in better form than what exercisers typically achieve. Put simply: form follows function. When you train like an athlete, you'll look like an athlete

---

I hope you'll notice the consistent parallels between these 5 practices. They all stress means over ends, practices over outcomes, long-term growth over immediate gratification. All of which are expressions of maturity. If you're currently living an exerciser lifestyle, you're ahead of the curve, but why not set your sights higher and join the athletic community? All it takes is making a decision- taking action, right now. Not sure how to start? Click the "comments" link below and let me know how I can help!

"Are You an Exerciser or an Athlete? Part I" by Charles Staley

2008-07-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

When I tell people that I don't workout or exercise but that I train, they usually think that I'm trying to be some macho-type guy, but that's not the case at all. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It's just a matter of perspective and how you approach being fit and healthy.

Well, once I came across this two-part article written by Charles Staley, the developer of the EDT (Escalating Density Training) System, which is something that I first heard of from strength coach Mike Mahler, I felt that I finally found someone to sum up exactly what I've been trying to explain.

Basically, EDT allows you to do a large volume of work over a specified time. The key to this system is that you try and beat the number of reps you did for a particular lift the very next workout. Now, this increase the next workout can be as little as one extra rep, which is fine because they name of the game is gradual and progressive resistance.

So, it's good to have a training partner to count your reps. EDT is a system I've yet to practice, but I plan on having a ball with it once I start my mass building phase after my 12 day extreme cutting diet, Lyle style.

OK, enjoy Charles's article and decide which one you are. I'll post Part II on Wednesday.

"Are You an Exerciser or an Athlete? Part I" by Charles Staley

By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
Probably 90 percent of all American adults are sedentary, fat, and/or just generally soft and out of shape. The fact that you're reading this probably means you're in the remaining 10 percent, which is to your credit.
When I look at the active minority however, it's clear that 90 percent of them are what I call "exercisers." Allow me to explain and define:
Exercisers want to look better, and despite years of neglect and bad habits, they want it yesterday. They try to achieve this end through manipulating the law of thermodynamics. Eat fewer calories, burn more calories. In other words, create a caloric deficit and (hopefully) lose weight and be somebody.
Athletes want to perform better, and despite years of hard training, they still see new PR's in their future. They achieve this end through consistent and progressive training, directed toward a competitive goalMost exercisers assume that the more an exercise hurts, the more calories it must burn, and therefore, the better it is for you. Similarly, exercisers assume the worse a food tastes, the better it is for you, and if you buy into the law of thermodynamics, it's not hard to see the kernel of truth in this assumption.

Ultimately, being an exerciser is a hard way to go. The exerciser lifestyle is about denial, self-loathing, and guilt.

You've got to make sure you put in enough punishment on the treadmill, and you've also gotta make sure you never eat anything that tastes good. No wonder people hate exercise as much as they hate dieting. I happen to hate both practices myself.

There is a better way however, and that better way is to adopt the mindset and lifestyle of an athlete. Athletes, don't exercise, they train. They don't diet; they refuel. They don't avoid, they seek. If you go into any Olympic weightlifting club, you'll notice that they don't do exercises, they do "the lifts." (meaning, the snatch and clean & jerk). In fact, most weightlifters refer to their workouts as "practices" as in "I'm going to practice."

Exercisers are perpetually trying to "lose weight." When a wrestler or MMA competitor needs to drop weight for a competition, they call it "cutting." Notice how the former sounds negative and reactive, while the latter sounds positive and proactive?

The biggest problem associated with having an "exerciser" mindset is that it compels people to make exercise choices that are contradictory to speed, strength, power, and generally, Type IIB physiology. Here's an example:

You read an article about "time under tension," and since the author is a world-famous strength coach, you decide to give it a shot. On your next workout you decide to squat using a "4-1-2" tempo, meaning a 4-second descent followed by a 1-second pause, and finally, a 2-second ascent. You quickly learn that "TUT" is a very painful experience, and since you associate pain with gain, you're hooked.

It's not until 3-4 weeks later however, that you begin to realize that your agonizingly painful squat routine hasn't put any beef on your quads or hams, and as far as strength goes, you actually feel weaker!

Any motor-learning professor could tell you why...your 7-second reps dramatically reduce the tension on your working muscles, which in turn reduce Type IIB (fast twitch) fiber recruitment in favor of more slow twitch motor units. This sucks, because now you're weaker and slower.

You might assume that the athletic lifestyle is beyond your reach. But being an athlete isn't the exclusive domain of elite performers. In fact, quite the contrary: by strict definition, most athletes are not elite! Instead, being an athlete is a lifestyle and a perspective. It's the way you go about business in the gym. It's a professional attitude, as opposed to an amateur one.

The exerciser does it because he has to; the athlete does it because he wants to.

Making the transition from exerciser to athlete is simple, but not necessarily easy. Next week, I'll present 5 Critical Practices that'll help you make the switch.

Weight Loss Stories of Inspiration: Series Introduction

2008-07-10T01:32:00.000-07:00

When I started blogging close to a year ago, I wanted to create an image for not only me to aspire to, but for other obese and overweight guys to aspire to also. Let's be upfront and honest about something. Having low body fat makes your body work and operate much more efficiently.

Sure, most guys want washboard abs and that's their man motivation. However, there's just no getting around the fact that once you're carrying around less stored fuel, your body can do many more things effectively. You become more flexible and feeling light on your feet beats the hell out of having pains in your knee joints and hips.

So, when I receive emails from guys all over the world telling me their weight loss success story, I can't help but to feel as if we are all connected in this battle against the bulge and journey to re-capture our health.

In honor of this connected feeling fat guys all over the world are experiencing, I've decided to start a new series that will highlight many of these stories of Average Joes who got tired of being fat and decided to do something about it! Let's start with our first Story of Inspiration, shall we?

“Kung gusto, maraming paraan; kung ayaw, maraming dahilan.” Translated roughly, it means: “If you really want to, you’ll find lots of ways; if you really don’t, you’ll find lots of ways not to.”
- Filipino Proverb

For this series introduction, I wanted to highlight a guy that emailed me all the way from Quezon City, Philippines after seeing my interview on CNN. In 2007, Erik Dayrit, a 28 year-old graduate student, weighed 293 and @ 40% of that was fat! Once he saw that he was getting close to the dreaded 300lb mark, he decided that he needed to do something to lose the weight because at a height of 5'9, Erik knew that he was classified as morbidly obese.

It was at this moment that he knew he could not blame anyone but himself for being obese. In his email, Erik explains:

I was looking for someone or something to blame but I eventually realized that the way out of this mess was all up to me. Nobody told me to have an extra serving of rice every meal or to have a midday “snack” of Big Mac, large fries and caramel sundae. I did this to myself and I can undo it if I really wanted to. That was my epiphany. I’ve tried to slimming down before but all were half-hearted attempts to please someone – my parents, my relatives or my friends – but it was different this time. I’m doing this for myself.

No matter how you slice if guys, it comes down to personal accountability and doing it for yourself this time!

So, Erik had an epiphany that he needed to lose weight, but, as I've mentioned before, having an epiphany isn't enough. You need a plan of action, and that's exactly what he did:

Before, I always reasoned out that I had no time to go to the gym since I was both working and studying. But since my epiphany, I’ve managed to allot at least 8 hours of gym time per week. My regimen usually involved a lot of cardio combined with some heavy lifting. As for my diet plan, I settled for the Chrono Diet since it was the most convenient plan for me. Basically I ate more during breakfast, some during lunch and a little at supper. After a visit to a nutritionist, I also learned how to monitor what I ate. I introduced myself to foods that I’ve never touched for a long time – oat meal, wheat bread, fish, veggies and fruits. In the past, I used to say, “Life is short so eat, drink and be merry!” before having a huge slice or two (or three) of cheesy, all-meat pizza and mug of ice cream float. But now, you’d have to move heaven and earth for me to even get near that stuff again. I’ve modified my eating mantra to: “Life is short so don’t gorge food that will shorten it even more.”

Erik's modified eating mantra is definitely words to live by.

One thing that I'm going to enjoy about this series is that you are going to hear stories from men from all walks of life, who use different approaches to lose the weight, but one consistent theme is the following equation:

An epiphany + an intelligently designed plan + desire & determination = sustainable results

So, what about Erik's weight loss? Well, let's just say that at the time of his email to me, which was less than a month ago, Erik is down to 174lbs with 21% body fat, and he has maintained this weight for the last two months. He also participated in his first 5K this past May, which is incredible considering that one year earlier he could barely climb a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing!

Now, Erik has cut back considerably on his cardio and has incorporated heavy weight training into his routine, which is something he said that he should have implemented sooner. Erik and I share a common goal of getting a ripped physique, complete with visible six pack!

Nevertheless, Erik's transformation is nothing short of amazing. I think his before and after pictures speak for themselves ...

Congratulations Erik on your outstanding transformation and inspiration to Average Joes all over who want to lose the weight.

Fellas, if you have a weight loss story of an Average Joe that you'd like for me to showcase, please email your story and send before and after pictures to muata@mrlowbodyfat.com.

My Training Blog Updated!

2008-07-08T00:34:00.001-07:00

Hey Fellas,

I just wanted to let you know that I've updated my Training Blog. So, feel free to check it out and leave a comment.

On another note, I just came across this article on Diet Blog:

Ask the Reader: How to Make a Man Eat More Veggies?

OK guys, why don't you go over there and help them figure this one out since I'm sure that some of you are like the man in the article. :)

Make Mistakes And Persevere To Be Successful by Mike Mahler

2008-07-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

"Fall seven times, stand up eight."
- Japanese Proverb

When many of us start our weight loss journey, we really think that we are going to be flawless with our program, and we are going to lose the weight just as predicted. Yeah right! You and I both wished that we had that much control over our bodies.

No, that's just being unrealistic. Along your journey, you are going to make mistakes. That's not the problem. What are you going to do with the mistakes you make is what causes many people to give up. You eat a big slice of cake or two, and you've ruined your program, and the world is coming to an end because you can't lose the weight, and that negative voice takes over once again. Listen guys, please stop with all the emotional panic attacks because there is another way to view a mistake.

You can view a mistake as simply a lesson. Does this mean that you'll never make that same mistake again, no not necessarily. But, once you no longer make that same mistake, then you can confidently say that you've learned that lesson and move on to the next one. Yes, the next one. Do you really think that life's not full of challenges and lessons for you to learn?

OK, before I get into today's strength and conditioning coach's re-post, I want to thank you guys for answering the current poll. It's going to be up for a few more weeks, so I can get a better idea of who my readers are, or, more specifically, are you Mr. Obese, Mr. Overweight, or Mr. Normal Body Fat.

Also, if you are interested in my 12 day experience on Lyle McDonald's The Rapid Fatloss Handbook diet protocol, please check out my training blog. I'm going to post everyday of my flavor-less journey, which started today! Please go to my training blog for more details, such as my menus, workouts, etc.

Alright, today's re-post is actually an article that can be found at Mike Mahler's site. Mike is not only a cool guy, but one of the most known Kettlebell instructors; he is known for his online fitness consulting, DVDs, and ebooks on topics such as using KBs for fat loss, strength training, and gaining size. Mike's in your face style really resonates with me, and the mentality I had to develop on my weight loss journey.

In the article below, he explains how you should view mistakes as opportunities to grow, excel, and progress that much further to reaching your goals! Enjoy ...

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Make Mistakes And Persevere To Be Successful

By Mike Mahler

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." – Christopher Reeve

I had a great conversation with my friend David Weck this past weekend on what it takes to be successful. Dave is the creator of the BOSU www.bosu.com which is one of the hottest fitness products around. I literally see the BOSU everywhere and unlike some other lame fitness products, the BOSU is an incredible training tool that I recommend highly. Anyway lets get back to my conversation with Dave. Similar to most successful people, Dave worked his ass off to achieve his immense success. He had tons of roadblocks on the way and there were many moments in which he thought he was done. No one gave him a roadmap to success. He simply had to act, fail a lot, persevere, and eventually achieve immense success.

This is a common path that most successful people have been through. What separates Dave from most people is he was not afraid to make mistakes. He made plenty and still does. However, he also hits home runs from time to time and they more than make up for all of the mistakes. Remember, in professional baseball if you hit the ball three times out of every ten at bats, you are a superstar! This means you are missing the ball 70% of the time! a 30% average is an F in school. Get over the illusion of having A+ results in the real world. If you are closing 90% of the deals you go after then you are either a liar or do not have enough deals. The more at bats you take the more misses you will have. However, do enough at bats and you hit a few balls as well. The key is to keep going for the hits and forget about the misses. Only losers get beaten down by mistakes. Winners take them in stride and are too busy pushing forward to give up.

Now that Dave is highly successful, he gets people coming to him all of the time for his secrets to success. These people are looking for a seamless path to success and hope that Dave has all of the answers. While it is great to get ideas from successful people on how to make it, you are kidding yourself if you think you can avoid suffering and failure on the way to success. If you are not prepared to get your hands dirty and put it all on the line, then do not bother starting. Moreover, do not bother wasting Dave's time or any other successful persons time. You have to get out there and learn how to be successful. You have to read the books, try plans out, fail miserably many times and still have the courage to persevere. You have to be able to persevere through being defeated day after day, month after month, and even year after year. You have to wake up the next day after being kicked around and do it all over again. You have to be able to get your ass kicked, recover and come back for more. Yes it is a fight and you need to be able to go all twelve rounds and then twelve more. Few have what it takes which is great for those of us that do as it means less competition, ha ha.

Most people will not even make it past the first set back. They get rejected once or do not have immediate success and it is all over. Pathetic to say the least. Such people do not deserve success as they do not value their lives. Especially if they are in America which is the equivalent to winning a lottery ticket. Making it here is much less easier than elsewhere. Unfortunately, people that are born in America rarely value the gift. Study successful people and I challenge you to find one person that had an easy road to success. Interesting people are people that persevered through rough times. You cannot have personal growth without tough experiences. No personal growth equals a very boring life and a very boring person.

Why do so many people give up at the first sign of failure? Why do others do whatever is necessary to make it? Who knows. It is one of the great mysteries of the universe. Regardless, I have a theory. People that give up easily are simply people that are nor prepared for success. They are nor prepared to do what needs to be done and suffer accordingly.

Without hard work, set backs, suffering, frustrations, and problems you will never enjoy the successes when you finally make it. You can apply whatever excuse you want. Maybe they had mean parents. Maybe they grew up in the inner city. While all of these are extremely influential factors, eventually you have to take responsibility for your life. You have to face your inner demons, crush them, and make your life what you want it to be. The arduous process is what reveals the inner diamonds. There is a difference between being a millionaire and having a million dollars. People that were given a million dollars did not have to work for it like the people who earned it through hard work, problem solving, and working smart. People that achieve their fitness goals through proper training, restoration, and nutrition are always more empowered than people that get cosmetic surgery.

People that are afraid to get their hands dirty are afraid of change. They really do not want to change or they would be busy working instead of applying delaying tactic methods. Yes eventually all talk has to stop and you have to act. Getting excited about an idea is easy. People do it all of the time. Every January 1, millions of people get excited about working out and getting in great shape. By January 15th, 50% of those people have given up. By March 1 the other 49% have as well. The final 1% get their hands dirty and finish what they start.

The only question left is are you part of the 1% club?

Live Life Aggressively!

Mike Mahler

My Weight Gains & Losses By the Year - Part II

2008-07-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like in addition to the other new features I already have planned for my new and improved blog, an integrated Discussion Forum will also be added. I really appreciate you guys taking time out to let me know how my blog can better serve you. I've posted another poll that I'd like for you to answer; as always, thanks in advance for helping me out.

OK, before continuing with Part II of this series, I wanted to share some exciting news. I've been in contact with Lyle McDonald, the author of The Rapid Fatloss Handbook, and he has agreed to let yours truly interview him! I'm pretty stoked about this interview because I've read just about all of Lyle's books, and the guy knows his stuff. If you're not familiar with him, all you have to do is Google his name, and you'll come across countless articles that he has written about topics ranging from ketogenic diets to how to get rid of stubborn fat, which you guys know that I'm still battling with.

Speaking of which, stubborn fat that is, starting next Monday (7/7/08) I will begin following the dietary protocol detailed in Lyle's Rapid Fatloss Handbook for 12 days. I'll explain the ins and outs of everything Monday of next week. As a matter of fact, I'm going to blog daily about my latest experience in attempting to further reduce my body fat percentage. However, I'm going to blog about it at my new Training Blog. I will continue to update it this week, so expect a mess if you decide to check it out before next week.

Alright, let's continue with my slow walk to weighing over 300lbs and what it took for me to lose, and most importantly, keep the weight off:

1998 - 2000: I like to think of these years as my discovering all the fascinating things about Southern California. Now, I'll be the first to admit that you either love it or hate it out here. I've had many of my friends come to visit from other parts of the country, and they were either ready to move in with me or were calling to arrange an earlier flight. So, I guess I just fell in love with all the different cultures and, of course, the cuisines that came along with them. I started dating a woman who was an OK cook, by her own admission, but man did she know where all the great restaurants were.

I'd never had Thai or Japanese food before, and when I found out that Taco Bell wasn't authentic Mexican food, I was floored! But, I think what took the cake was this Greasy Chinese joint in downtown LA that's actually a city landmark. Man, all these new dishes and let's not mention the desserts, tickled my taste buds. For some reason, I just didn't remember tasting such light and fluffy icing on cakes that actually had fresh fruit in the middle. And how could life be complete without eating pan dulce or, my favorite Mexican ginger bread, cochinitos?

As you can imagine, eating all these new foods only added to my already obese frame. As I celebrated bringing in the new millennium in Kingston, Jamaica, I had gained close to 20lbs in the two years I had lived in California. Oh, and I gained this weight while following a predominantly vegetarian diet. And for the record, it sucks being fat, but it really sucks being a fat vegetarian!

2000 - 2002: I started off 2000 weighing in at my highest weight, at that time, of 288lbs. In the back of my mind, I knew that I was quickly approaching the BIG 300, but I knew that I wouldn't let myself get that fat. So, I became desperate and consumed with trying to lose weight. You know the feeling guys, and our usual response: balls to the walls workouts! Yeah, I hit the gym and played tennis, only to hurt myself time and time again. I remember hurting my knees so badly that I actually went to the Emergency Room. I waited more than 2 hours just to have a doctor, who was around the same size as me, tell me that I needed to lose weight. Talking about the pot calling the kettle black!

Like most of you, I was desperate and tried pretty much anything that guaranteed that I would lose the weight. Whether it was Xenadrine, Ripped Fuel, Metabolite, the Lemon-Molasses Fast, Cabbage Soup Diet, taking hundreds of dollars worth of supplements I picked up from a Naturopathic Doctor, which included drinking de-ionized water with activated charcoal, I tried it. That's right, I was actually taking a scoop-full of charcoal to help cleanse the walls of my intestines, "Where all the fat is attached", he assured me. Besides making my crap look like peppered steak, I'm pretty sure it didn't work for the fat since I was still 288lbs.

Then, before I knew it, I got wind that my lady's niece had a friend who had lost a ton of weight taking prescription weight loss pills she got from a doctor in Tijuana, Mexico. She had lost more than 60lbs without doing a lot of exercise, so I was more than anxious to make a trip across the border. The Doctor's office was nice, clean, and very modern, so I felt comfortable with the information and diet suggestions he gave me. I was given a three month supply of diet pills, and made an appointment to return in 3 month's time to pick up another prescription and for him to monitor my weight loss progress.

Well, I probably went to see the good doctor a total of two times, and when 2001 rolled around I was down to 240 lbs.! I had dropped more than 40lbs following this routine. I would drink a meal replacement twice a day and eat one solid meal, which was usually lunch. After taking my second set of pills after lunch, the thought of eating literally made me nauseous. I had never experienced such a powerful appetite suppressant in my life. And, my energy levels were through the roof. I would go to the gym and stay on the elliptical machine for more than an hour at a time!

This was a great period of my life because I was smaller than I'd been since finishing graduate school. I had to go out and buy new clothes because all of my old clothes were falling off me, and I was starting to get more attention from the ladies too! I felt like a new man, but there were a couple of things that stayed with me like the proverbial albatross around my neck.

First, I knew that I could not continue to take pills for the rest of my life, no matter how easy they made it for me not to eat and, therefore, lose weight. Second, I hated the fact that I was soft and had hardly any muscle definition. This sucked because I really wanted to walk around shirtless, but there was no way I would do that with the man boobs I was sporting. Well, everything eventually came to a head when I found out that the pills I had been taking were basically speed! It was no wonder I was like the energizer bunny in the gym . . . I guess I was in my own Requiem for a Dream.

I stopped taking the weight loss pills towards the end of 2001, and the weight gain that ensued even surprised me. No, I wasn't surprised that I was regaining my weight since I went from eating one meal a day back to my usual three a day, with plenty of snacking in between. What surprised me was the rate in which I regained the weight, and the extra weight that also tagged along.

When it was all said and done, I ended 2002 weighing in at 310 lbs.! Honestly fellas, I'm sure that I weighed more than this, but I got off the scale once it hit 310. I could not believe that I had re-gained all of my lost weight plus 20lbs more.

2002 was a good year for me professionally and personally, since I was in a new relationship; however, these things could not overshadow the fact that I had allowed myself to reach a weight I swore I'd never get to. Well, not only did I get to the forbidden weight, I kicked down its door!

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Guys, I'm going to blog about my five year weight loss journey, one year at a time in upcoming posts. So, stay tuned for the rest of this series over the next couple of weeks ...

"Mobility Training May Be the Most Important Factor in ... Health" by Steve Maxwell

2008-06-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

I wish that when I started my weight loss journey back in 2003, that I was using joint mobility exercises. My knees and ankles would have loved me! Unfortunately, it wasn't until I took Steve Maxwell's Joint Mobility Workshop this year that I was able to fully appreciate the importance of doing daily joint mobility (JM) exercises. What I also like about these types of exercises is that it's not about working you out as much as it is training and strengthening your joints and learning how your body moves.

Another great thing about JM exercises is that they can be done every morning after rolling out of bed. In all honesty fellas, those of you who are not exercising like you know you should be, will benefit greatly by incorporating JM exercises into your routine because they also increase your balance, which is a seldom discussed aspect of being healthy. Oh, and you can do these exercises no matter how conditioned, or de-conditioned, you are. So whether you see yourself as fat, chubby, or skinny, JM exercises are for you!

I practice joint mobility exercises that I've learned from Steve Maxwell and Paul Zaichik. Steve has posted his Maxwell Daily Dozen on his website in addition to his The Encylopedia of Joint Mobility Exercises DVD, and Paul has several DVDs and books that also discuss JM exercises and flexibility. The JM exercises that I learned from Paul is discussed on his DVD Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Splits.

I hope that Coach Maxwell's post below, helps to convince you of the importance of JM training and its overall health-ful benefits. Enjoy!

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Mobility Training May Be the Most Important Factor in Musculoskeletal Health

By Steve Maxwell

Mobility, or joint mobility, is the ability to move a limb through the full range of motion--with control. Mobility is based on voluntary movement while flexibility involves static holds and is often dependent upon gravity or passive forces. Mobility demands strength to produce full-range movement, whereas flexibility is passive, thus not strength-dependent. Some authorities refer to mobility as 'active flexibility'. It is possible to have good mobility without being especially flexible, just as one can be flexible with poor mobility, i.e., control. Of the two, mobility is more important. It is better to be inflexible with good mobility than flexible with poor mobility. The percent difference between your mobility and flexibility is the same percent chance of creating a musculo-skeletal injury during physical activities.
Sports, recreational activities and other daily physical practices can result in reduced range of movement in any participating joint. When the joint is unable to move through its full range, we call it compromised. When compromised movement is present in a joint, surrounding joints take up the slack, creating extra stress all around. A typical example are immobile ankles and feet underlying stress and injury to the knees, hips, and lumbar spine. It's a cascade effect, albeit in reverse: the body tissues are held together with sheets of connective tissue called fascia, so stress extends upwards from the feet. Poor mobility in one area can cause pain and stress in seemingly unrelated areas, but once fascial anatomy is understood, the idea that immobile feet could cause neck or shoulder stiffness is no longer a conundrum.
Mobility work reduces the potential body imbalances inherent in our athletic and recreational pursuits. For example, it's widely accepted that running for distance shortens the hamstrings, calf muscles and hip flexors, resulting in decreased free movement in simple full-range exercises, such as bodyweight squats. Well-documented is the compromised range produced by heavy weight-lifting and body building strength sports--yet, properly conducted, weight training can improve range of motion! All too often, in practice, weight lifters endow themselves with tight, restrictive movement by over emphasizing short-range movements and excessive hypertrophy. Worse, especially in the U.S., is that ubiquitous non-activity: sitting. Sitting in a chair, at a desk, while hunching over a computer is a recipe for a compromised structure full of imbalance and continual pain.
The solution? A joint mobility program. Joint mobility exercise stimulates and circulates the synovial fluid in the bursa, which 'washes' the joint. The joints have no direct blood supply and are nourished by this synovial fluid, which simultaneously removes waste products. Joint salts, or calcium deposits, are dissolved and dispersed with the same gentle, high-repetition movement patterns. Properly learned, joint mobility can restore complete freedom of motion to the ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, neck, elbows, wrists and fingers. It's especially important to keep the spine supple and free and if there were such a thing as a fountain of youth, joint mobility exercises come very close.
Use mobility exercises as a warm up, an active recovery during other activities, or as a stand-alone workout. You can rejuvenate yourself and reclaim the movement of a child with a good joint mobility program. Joint mobility makes a wonderful, energizing morning recharge and sets the day up on the right foot.

My Weight Gains & Losses By the Year - Part I

2008-06-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I see that the majority of folks who voted want me to blog daily about my experience following Lyle McDonald's diet as outlined in his The Rapid Fatloss Handbook. I plan on doing this in a couple of weeks, so please stay tuned to more details about this. Thanks for those who voted, and please take your time to answer the new poll that I've posted ...

So, when you start a weight loss journey, many people who have already made the trip tell you the importance of journaling or keeping some sort of record of your weight loss as the months go by. Well, I can't say that I disagree with that advice; however, I'm not going to act as if I took meticulous notes like a Medical student or anything like that.

Actually, when I go back through my weight loss notebook (Sorry I'm old school and like to initially put my notes down with pen and paper before moving to the computer) I notice that as the years of my journey passed, the more detailed my notes became. This only makes sense because there were times, as you'll see in a minute, that I would lose weight seemingly at will, and then I went through droughts where I couldn't shake a pound off! But, you may be thinking:

Man, who has time to journal and write stuff down?

Unless, you're independently wealthy, I would venture to say that no one has the time, especially guys who have a family. Nevertheless, the question really becomes who is willing to make the time to journal?

Look fellas, you don't have to go out and buy a Franklin Planner to chart your progress. Simply buy a cheap spiral bound notebook from WalMart or the Dollar Store. Hey, I'm using an old journal from a student I had many moons ago who never picked up her journal at the end of the semester! LOL! I guess that one of the perks of being an teacher ...

The longer you keep your journal, the more it will turn into a place to jot down how you feel, your thoughts (negative & positive) that you're having on a particular day, etc. OK, I'm purposely avoiding using the word diary here because we're men, and we don't write in diaries, right? Of course we don't, so the information that I'm sharing with you below comes from my very manly weight loss journal/training log/idea and feelings recorder ;)

I've actually given you a time-line of my brief time on this earth and the causes of either my weight gain/weight loss. I strongly recommend that every guy does this at some point on their weight loss journey; you might be surprised what you discover.

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1971 - 1981: This represents the first ten years of my life. I was always seen as a husky kid with big thighs like my mama, as my family was happy to tell me. Even though I wore husky jeans from Sears, my mom kept telling me, and everyone else, that my chubby physique was baby fat and I would grow out of it.

1983 - 1988: The good ole' teenage years where I finally started to grow taller and lose the baby fat. It was during these years that I got into break-dancing, popping and locking. The extra activity, along with my love for playing basketball, helped me to keep my weight between 170-180 at a height of 5'11''. During these years, I never felt fat or had love handles, but I knew I was not extremely athletic even though I loved to play b-ball!

1988 - 1992: These were my undergraduate years in college, and the years that I, unfortunately, started my adult weight gain and loss journey(s). The first two years of college I gained @ 25-30 pounds, which averaged out to the freshman and sophmore 15! While pledging a fraternity on campus, my weight dropped back to 180, but it was short lived because I lost the weight as the result of eating once a day and having to exercise like crazy for the majority of the semester.

My weight loss was very short lived because once I "went over" or became a member of the fraternity, I went back to the usual upperclassman diet of beer, pizza, and fried chicken. So, the weight I'd lost while on line came back with a vengeance, and, of course, it brought along friends with it! When I graduated, I was tipping the scale at 225lbs, which was more than 50lbs heavier than when I entered college!

1992 - 1994: Entering graduate school was a very stressful time for me. I went from being well known at my small, at that time, campus, to being basically a nobody at my new school. This not only bruised my former senior and BMOC (big man on campus) ego, but it caused me to start using food as a crutch for my depression. This is when I can say that my ED (eating disorder) started. Oh, and working in one of the college's cafeterias didn't help either!

After completing my Masters Degree in 1994, I had yo-yo'd with my weight only to complete my program 20lbs heavier than I was when I entered. But, I had no time to think about that because I went straight from my Masters program right into my PhD.

1994 - 1996: A series of "life happens" events had me going from having my own car and apartment to living in my aunt's basement and catching the bus to school. This extra stress caused me to eat more, especially junk food; I didn't exercise, and guess what happened? I promptly gained another 20lbs before leaving my program ABD (all but dissertation) and starting my new teaching gig at my alma mater.

One thing I can remember about this two year stretch is that when I first moved in with my aunt, I was wearing a size 38-40 pants. Since I was a poor and struggling college student, my cousin gave me a couple of pairs of his old jeans. I remember putting them on and being happy because they were size 42 and too big for me. "At least I'm not wearing 42s", I thought to myself. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to teach my first college class in the Fall of 1996, I weighed 265lbs and I was wearing at least a size 46!

1996 - 1998: Coming back to teach at my old undergraduate school seemed like a good idea at the time, but it soon turned out to be one big stressful mess! I don't remember my grad school counselor telling me to take a class on BS College Campus Politics 101 or How to Mind Your Own Business When You Don't Have Tenure 102. I wish he had because my young ass didn't know the whippin' I was in-store for!

It was during this time that I thought I had finally found the answer to my weight problem. I was good friends with the college's assistant basketball coach. This guy had played on a NCAA team that went to the Final Four, and he had played professional ball overseas. So, I knew that I was going to get proper training and diet advice. Man, was I wrong about that. This guy embodied the "No pain No Gain" philosophy in a 6'10 frame. I endured 2 months of being tortured by this "coach", and I did lose about 20lbs through replacing one of my meals with a Spirutein shake, since Spirulina was the supplement flavor of the month at the time, and eating rice, steamed veggies, and baked fish damn near everyday.

This victory was short lived, as my trainer was fired (hmmm, I wonder why) and after the torture I endured training with this guy, I was much happier in a Pizza Hut's booth than in the weight room. So, of course I re-gained the lost weight, and an extra five pounds!

In July of 1998, I packed up and headed west to a teaching position waiting for me in sunny Southern California weighing 270lbs! It was now 10 years since I first started college, and I was 100lbs heavier, wearing long African clothing that fit me loose to cover up my fat ass and protruding belly.

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OK guys, I'll complete my rollercoaster weight loss journey next week when I'll detail my slow walk to weighing over 300lbs. I'll also detail how much weight I lost per year from the start of my journey in 2003 until now.

"Be Moderate In Everything, Including Moderation" by Ross Enamit

2008-06-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

OK fellas, I don't know about you, but we just finished going through a week long heat wave in Southern California that reminded me of being in the South, minus the humdity of course. Well, I'm glad that it's finally starting to cool down because I'm really getting into using my sandbag, pushupboard, and USA to train at the local park. I'm going to take pictures of my outdoor gym because it has a huge field that's large enough for me to do sprint intervals.

Speaking of which, I just picked up a gym boss interval timer that makes doing interval training really simple . . . well, as far as keeping you on time that is; interval training is, and should be, challenging. ;) Anyway, read up more about this interval timer at www.gymboss.com.

For this week's strength coach's re-post, I've decided to use a great post from a great trainer, athlete, and all around cool guy: Ross Enamit. Ross has more free videos on YouTube than most trainers, and, as you can tell from his videos, he practices what he preaches! He also has books and videos that he has put together for everyone from combat athletes, military personnel, or the weekend warrior.

What I like most about Ross's approach is that it's so multi-faceted. You'll see him doing burpees with a weighted vest to doing one arm DB bench presses, and finish it off with ab work using ab wheels he built with lawnmower wheels!

I watch his videos on YouTube for motivation and inspiration to continue to set my fitness goals that much higher.

Alright, enjoy his post on why extremist dietary approaches are neither healthy nor sustainable, which is a topic I plan on posting about this week.

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Be Moderate In Everything, Including Moderation by Ross Enamit

Horace Porter once said to be moderate in everything, including moderation.

Moderation is the process of eliminating or lessening extremes, and is used to ensure normality.

Note the underlined words above. To live a healthy (normal) life, moderation is important. My recent blogs were not intended to promote extremism regarding diet. We only have one chance at life. If you enjoy dining out at a nice restaurant, no one should stop you. As I’ve said before, I’m only human. I too enjoy good food. Who doesn’t? I’ve never met anyone who didn’t enjoy certain foods.

Yet, there is a difference between enjoying certain foods, and craving junk food 24 hours a day. Earlier, I stated that healthy living does not mean deprived living. Trust me, there are more than enough healthy (delicious) alternatives. If you are transitioning from junk however, it’s only natural to experience an initial struggle. Yes, tasty alternatives exist, but you must still overcome the initial attraction towards junk food.

Think of a drug addict. No one said it would be easy to kick the habit, but that doesn’t mean people stop trying. Initial struggles are to be expected. Obstacles are part of life. As Frank Clark once said:

“If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”

Life is about more than food. Consider the amount of time that you spend eating within a single day. I’m guessing that most people spend an hour or less actually chewing their food. Yet, that single hour of eating often dictates how you feel for the remaining 23 hours. How do you honestly feel? Are you energized? Do you wake up feeling sluggish?

For every decision, there is a consequence. Ask yourself why you eat your food? Do you base your decisions entirely upon taste? Is taste all that matters? What about health? Much of my eating decisions are made with health in mind. Is it fanatical to take health seriously? I enjoy being healthy. What’s wrong with that? It’s an added benefit that the foods I eat happen to be tasty. I don’t live solely for taste however.

My health and vitality are extremely important to me. Of course I consider health when selecting foods to eat. I enjoy food, but I don’t enjoy it enough to sacrifice the rest of my day (and life).

I see people every day who complain about feeling tired, bitch about one ailment after another, and struggle to function in the world without a never ending supply of coffee. Does anyone actually strive to feel this way? Is it worth it? Is that what you want to be remembered for? Does junk food offer a hidden high that surpasses the crappy feelings (physical) that you experience the rest of the day?

I doubt it…

I’m not suggesting that you never have a treat, but apply the rule of moderation. For example, I enjoy taking my son to a local farm where the ice cream is freshly made each day. He enjoys seeing the animals on the farm. It’s a nice trip for the family. I don’t go every day however, and I don’t wake up dreaming about the next visit to the farm. It’s all about moderation. Enjoy yourself, but realize that there are more important joys available in this world of ours. Also realize that healthy food can be extremely tasty.

And if you find yourself struggling with food, it is useful to think about what you are eating. I recently watched the Fast Food Nation movie. Fortunately, I can’t remember the last time I had fast food (many years). After watching this movie, I’m certain that I’ll never have another fast food meal. The movie made me sick to my stomach. How could anyone actually want to put that kind of “food” inside the body? Forget about moderation when dealing with pure junk. I’ll proudly be extreme when it comes to avoiding absolute crap.

I enjoy waking up healthy and energized. My nutritional habits are largely responsible for this luxury and freedom. I wouldn’t give it up for the sweetest taste in the world.

Fortunately, it’s easy to feel the same way. I don’t have any secrets to share. I don’t have a top secret food source. I eat healthy foods and exercise for approximately 1 hour a day. That’s it.

Ross

Country Biscuits w/ White Gravy .... MLBF heads South

2008-06-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

Before telling you guys about my trip South, I want to thank everyone who answered last week's poll question. It's really good to know that I'm not alone with the issues I've had in the past and continue to have with food. Please note that I've posted a new poll that I'd like for you to take. Thanks in advance for participating.

OK, let's move on to this week's post:

Even though I will proudly tell you that I'm a Californian, I'm really a transplant from the East Coast, with deep roots in the South. And, did I have a ball this past weekend re-connecting with these roots at my mother's 70th birthday party.

My brothers, sister, and I actually wanted to send mom on a cruise or to some exotic locale, but she wasn't interested. Mom told us that she simply wanted to be around her family on this special day. And, that's exactly what we gave her--a mini-family reunion!

This trip was extra special for me because it was the first time I had seen many members of my family in well over 10 years; also, I had a new wife that everyone had heard about and was excited to meet. And, to top it off, many of them had seen my CNN interview and was seeing the new Muata for the very first time. Let me give you some highlights from my trip to the "dirty, dirty" as the urban youth there call it ... ;)

Crystal was a bit nervous about flying since this was only her second time on a plane, but I assured her that our economy airline was not only 98% on-time but pretty safe too. While sitting in the really narrow chair, I couldn't help but think back to how much I hated to take the plane when I was fat. It was really embarrassing having your thighs press up against the button to recline your seat when you're not trying to lean back. Man, I can't count the number of times I got reprimanded by a flight attendant for not having my seat's back in its "upright and straight position". It wasn't until I started to use a trick I picked from a radio personality out here that I was able to avoid this; he mentioned that a soda cap top would fit over the recline button to keep your thigh from accidentally pressing it.

One thing that I can clearly remember about being fat and flying is the fear of having to use an extender belt. There were times when I would have absolutely no more slack in the seatbelt, but I would force it to snap close because I refused to ask for an extender. I guess I saw this as a small victory for me because only fat people use the extender belts anyway. So, I would fly in this uncomfortable position just to continue to fool myself.

Well, on a much happier note, I was so shocked at how my former fat ass (literarlly) could easily fit in the seats and fasten the seatbelt. Guys, there was enough slack that I could've probably made an extender belt from it! I was so stoked that I snapped a picture before they made me turn my cell phone off.

While I was relishing in all the new found room I had in my crappy seat, a woman sat in the seat next to me. I would say she was in her early 30s, stood about 5'4 and weighed over 300lbs. It was a surreal experience for me, and not because she was obese. Hardly! My trip down south confirmed that the 66% figure that we throw out about the number of obese and overweight folks in this country is on the low end of the scale!

What made the experience unreal was watching how uncomfortable she was in her seat. She shifted from one side to the next, sat forward, all knowing that she would never be comfortable in a seat built for someone who weighs at least 100lbs less. It put a lot of things in perspective for me sitting next to her.

Now, for those of you who have never been to the South, let's just say that their idea of a salad is usually the slaw you put on your hot dogs or hamburgers! Or, at least this is usually the case with my family. So, I knew that I was going to be eating food that I normally wouldn't; however, unlike most people who lose weight and fear regaining the weight, I was far from worried because I had a plan.

Listen, I hadn't been to the South in quite sometime, so that means there were certain foods, like biscuits and gravy, that I knew I was going to eat. Hell, that's like going to Jamaica and not eating Ackee and Saltfish, their national dish. So, not enjoying some of those southern delicacies was not an option for me on this trip! My plan? Very simple ...

First, I checked out my brother's house for a good place to workout. He has a nice home gym complete with cardio machines and free weights, but you guys know me. I went outside and found that the previous owners had put up a wooden swing and slide set that, get this, had plastic gymnast rings! After going over and making sure that it could support my weight, I knew I was in business.

Every morning (YES every morning!), I woke up around 6am, went outside and did my joint mobility exercises, warmed up for 3 minutes with shadow boxing and dancing to my favorite salsa tunes. I'm sure his neighbors thought I was crazy to be exercising outside, but I just loved how clean the air was. OK, so after warming up, I did a simple circuit/complex of the following:

Hindu Pushups
Hindu Squats
Chin ups
Plyo/explosive Squats
Static hanging knee raise

I did 3-4 complexes w/ 60 seconds rest between each one. I finished everything off with 100 jumping jacks and another 3 minutes to cool down a bit before going back in the house.

Since I had my training routine set, the only thing I really concerned myself with was the amount of food I would eat over the weekend. Fortunately, my days of gorging myself simply because the food is there are over and that I can appreciate good food without going overboard. And this was a good thing because there was enough good food at Mom's b-day party, complete with a whipped cream filled strawberry cake and a super rich chocolate cheesecake!

My mom's party was a success and people could not believe how I look now. They let me know how proud they were of what I'd accomplished and how I want to help others. It really made me feel good to know that many of my family members were watching CNN the first time my interview aired. I guess my 1 minute and 43 seconds of fame was enough for many of them to want to start their own weight loss journey. A good friend of the family took professional quality pictures that I'll post when they're ready because I want you guys to see how sexy my mom looks at 70!

Before flying out of Atlanta on Monday night, Crystal and I were treated to a tour of CNN by the producer who interviewed me for my interview, Matt Sloane. As I said in my last post, it was an incredible experience seeing all the behind the scenes activities that goes on with one of America's largest news organizations.

And, before heading out to check out The World of Coca-Cola (note: the Beverly is DELICIOUS!!) and the Georgia Aquarium, Matt was nice enough to pose with me in front of the CNN sign. He's busy working on their 2008 Fit Nation Tour. Folks in Seattle, WA may see a familiar face on the bus! Sorry about the poor quality of the picture, but it was taken with my cell phone.

So, did I ever get my country biscuits and gravy? Well, yes and no ...

OK, we get to a nice down home southern restaurant for breakfast one morning, and I order what I came South to eat, and you know what? The biscuits were so damn big that I was only able to get through 3/4ths of the first one while the other one simply hardened along with the cold white gravy covering it. I never thought I'd see the day when two biscuits cover an entire plate!

Oh, did I mention that this was a side order? There's no wonder why our southern states have some of the heftiest folks in the country ....

"Why Everyone is an Athlete" by John Wood

2008-06-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

OK fellas, I just got back from my mother's 70th birthday party my siblings and I had for her this past weekend in Charlotte, NC. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hook up with my buddy Ray, from www.pushupboard.com, whose company is based in North Carolina, but I was able to see a familiar face in Atlanta.

While staying with my brother in Atlanta, I was able to catch up with my buddy Matt Sloane, the CNN producer who actually conducted my interview. He gave my wife and I a great tour of the CNN's main headquarters in Atlanta. It was great seeing the set for many of my favorite news shows and to see some of anchors and news reporters I see everyday.

In a post later on this week, I'm going to post pictures and give you guys a full account of my weekend, but for today, I wanted to re-post an email that John Wood sent out to all those who subscribe to his Old Time Strongman blog. John has many other websites that I frequently visit, and I highly recommend that you check them out too, especially the first one below:

http://www.bodyweightbasics.com
http://www.FunctionalHandStrength.com
http://www.trapbartraining.com
http://www.oldtimestrongman.com

In the following post, John discusses a quote from old time strongman Al Treloar from 1904!! That's right, over 100 years ago, guys knew the importance of training and exercising for not only athletic competition, but for overall wellness and good health! When I write that I want to have the body of an athlete, that's exactly what I mean--I'm striving for the body of an athlete in the sport of life, as John notes below. Enjoy:

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"Why Everyone is an Athlete" by John Wood

There are many good reasons to train - some obvious and
some not quite so obvious.

I recently ran across something written by Al Treloar
(the subject of a recent blog post) way back in 1904, which makes
a lot of sense to me.

Check it out:

"Next to a clear conscience, a strong body is the most
desirable thing in life and the latter assures the former.
Physical exercise brings bodily improvement and
therefore better health with all that that implies.

Pain is the greatest affliction of human life and good health
which nearly all can get but exercise means freedom from
pain.

The study and habit of exercise calls attention also to the
general laws of health, and create an ambition and desire
for bodily perfection, thus hastening the desired result.

Another aspect of the results of exercise that will appeal
to busy people is the greatly increases capacity for work
produced.

The business man or mental worker who gains a strong
and healthy physical make-up will not only endure more
hours of work but will be able to accomplish vastly more
and better work in the same time than before.

Not only are one's chances of high success increased by
fine bodily vigor, but from the examples one is
almost led to believe that a well-trained and vigorous
body is necessary to the best success."

You'll see a lot of training info written for athletes of one
sort or another, (football, baseball, wrestling etc) but the
fact of the matter is that everyone is an athlete in
the "sport" of life.

The lesson here should be clear:

Whether catching touchdown passes, or doing yardwork,
physical training will help you do it better...

Train hard,
John Wood

Men and Eating Disorders: It's Time to "Man Up!"

2008-06-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that most guys would want to believe that women are the only ones with eating disorders (ED); however, those of you who have struggled with your weight over the years know, whether you publicly acknowledge it or not, that's not the case. And, hey, I'm no different.

Growing up in a household with a mother who was constantly going from one diet to the next really made an impression on my eating habits. I can remember that along with milk and OJ in the fridge, there would be cans of Tab and Diet Rite (which was the 1st diet soda in the states). Melba toast, cottage cheese, whey powder (from Amway), and tons of grapefruit were always on hand. Oh, and when the low-fat craze hit in the 80s, you better believe that my mom followed suit. I can remember all of the tasty soul food of my youth was ruined by this damn mania! How on earth can you eat fried cabbage seasoned with vegetable oil!

I never really thought that my mom's obsession with losing weight would eventually rear its ugly head in my life once I started to pack on the pounds; unfortunately, that's what happened. Sure, I remember my mom having a copy of the TWA Flight Attendants Diet on the refrigerator door for many years, but I would simply shake my head when I saw it because I thought, and still do, that cottage cheese wasn't meant for human consumption. :)

Nevertheless, I soon realized I didn't have a positive relationship with food when I was faced with losing the freshman 25 that I put on my first year of college. Losing weight, no matter how much you need to lose, is a daunting task at first because you realize that you are going to have to put in an effort that you're obviously not doing or you wouldn't be overweight, right?

So, when I was faced with having to lose weight for the first time in my life, what did I do? I tried to starve myself of course! I made up my mind that I would eat once a day and drink plenty of water. Oh, and I would start lifting weights with my roommates and playing tennis for cardio. As you can imagine, I lost the weight and more people started to notice me on campus, but this victory over the bulge was short lived. Sure, eating once a day was easy during the summer because I was a poor college student working on campus, and I wasn't on the meal plan. So, my "diet" was really easy to follow. As soon as the regular semester started, and my meal plan was reinstated, I regained all the lost weight.

After going up and down with my weight throughout my college years, I started to notice that I had developed a habit of dieting until I couldn't take it, and then I would binge. I have never purged, but my binges grew more severe as the years and pounds came on. One thing I always found interesting about my binges, especially as I got older, is that a pattern had developed.

First, I would be stressed about something going on in my life that I believed I had no control over. Then, I'd usually order delivery with enough food for 2-3 people. Almost immediately after paying the driver and closing the door, I would get this intense feeling of shame and disgust with myself. The more I saw all the food I had ordered, the more I hated myself. Finally, I would think to myself that the best way to rid myself of all these negative feelings is to eat it as quickly as I could. And, that's what I did until I could no longer shovel any more food in my mouth, or I was staring at an empty container. What's crazy about my pattern is that once I finished all, or the majority, of the food, I would feel a sense of relief?!? I would feel this way because I could now throw out the evidence of my binge and act as if it never happened ....

As a result of my night-time binging, all of my weight loss efforts were futile. It was a vicious cycle that I was in, and it was one that I had to break! And, fortunately, that's exactly what I did in 2002, which was the last year that I went on a binge. Now, does this mean that I simply walked away from it with no lasting side effects? Of course not! Just because I didn't actually binge, does not account for the numerous times I "mentally" binged when I was stressed. OK, some guys may think that this type of binging isn't that dangerous because you're not actually going through with the physical act, but I disagree.

When I would give into my midnight gorging sessions, I was obviously acting on urges and not allowing myself to think them through before acting on them. Similar to a child going with a stranger who has a pretty balloon or piece of candy, I binged with no more thought than "I'm stressed and I'm hungry .... no, I'm really hungry". All of the regret and shame came after the food actually arrived and soon went away once I hid the evidence. So, stopping this behavior was more about me becoming more conscious about my destructive behavior and changing it. It really is that simple, but that's why I say that the "mental binges" are worse.

They are worse because they mean that you have not quieted that voice of doubt in the back of your head. Fellas, you know the voice I'm talking about. No? Sure you do. It's that little voice that tells you that "You'll never lose weight!"; it's the voice that says "I don't care how hard you try that program won't work for you FAT BOY!" or "Everyone in your family is fat, so what makes you special?". Depending on how much weight you need to lose or how long you've been overweight, this voice can be as quiet as an occasional whisper (which I still hear) to a patronizing proclamation of your weight loss failure!

Having "mental binges" means that you are not fully confident that you can really lose weight and keep it off this time. In addition to nutrition and physical training, you must address this voice guys; don't ignore it or act as if it's not there. Oh, it's there and it's not going anywhere as long as you ignore or try to run away from it. One thing I can honestly say is that you have to face the voice! Today, may not be the day, but there will come a day that you are going to have to simply "Man Up!" and face that voice and listen to all the negative, sarcastic, and patronizing things it has to say. Soak it ALL up and don't turn away when it gets a bit more than you think you can handle. Stay there, don't shy away because you've done that before.

After taking all that abuse, don't make excuses or even feel remorse for what was said. Remember it and USE IT for motivation because I have a little secret for you guys. The more goals you set and achieve, the less you can hear that voice in the back of your head. Listen, if you need to lose 100 lbs., I can guarantee that the voice you hear now, won't be as noticeable when you lose 75 of that 100 lbs.

Unlike boxing and MMA where they tell you to kill the body and the head will die, in weight loss and management you must control the head (your brain that is) and the body will follow. Mentally come to grip with your ED and start mapping out strategies to deal with it, and ultimately "Man Up"!

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Update: Please take a few seconds to answer the poll I've posted about this entry--thanks!

"Confessions of a Strength Coach" by Josh Henkin

2008-06-09T01:35:00.001-07:00

When most guys think about ED, they're usually reaching for a little blue pill for help. However, I'm not talking about that kind of ED! I'm actually referring to eating disorders. Yes, a blog written for guys is going to discuss eating disorders in today's post because women aren't the only ones with this issue.

If you don't believe me, then I hope you enjoy reading Josh Henkin's latest blog post. I initially had two or three other posts from other S&C (strength & conditioning) coaches I was thinking about re-posting today, but, once I read Josh's post, I knew I had to share this with you.

I encourage you to leave comments at his blog as well as here because I'd like for us to start a discussion of the emotional side of weight loss, which, IMO, is grossly neglected. There are many men in this country with eating disorders, but they would never publicly admit to it for fear of being labeled a "sissy" or "punk". Well, get over it fellas because if a former collegiate athlete and current S&C coach can admit to having an eating disorder, what's stopping you?

In my post on Wednesday, I'm going to share my own issues with food and one topic most guys secretly obsess over: body image! Until then, read about Josh's continued battle with his eating disorder and some tips that he uses to manage it. Simply click on the title of his post to be taken to the original.

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Sunday, June 8, 2008

Confessions of a Strength Coach
It is impossible to speak about fitness, health, and performance without speaking about the role of nutrition. I am not going to speak about macronutrient ratios, carb intake, blood sugar, nutrient timing, or any of the typical nutrition talk. In fact, I think these aspects are far less critical than the often neglected part of nutrition, the emotional side.

One of the best ways I help my personal training clients is to give them some insight to my own personal struggles. When people can relate and understand you are not perfect, they are far more likely to adhere and listen to what you have to say. In this blog entry I wanted to share something on a very select few of people know (some family members don't even know) which is that I suffer from an eating disorder!

This isn't a trick to get people to buy products or to stir controversy. It is something I felt compelled to share after doing a very motivating interview with Muata Kamdibe. As many of you know at this point, Muata is a professor that lost over 130 pounds. In speaking with Muata it was reinforced to me how big of a role the emotional side of nutrition really is.

When I was 13 I was about 5'10 and pushing 185 very soft pounds. After feeling extremely self-conscious about the weight I decided over the summer break to do something about it. What I decided to do helped shape my coaching today. I began to take very careful stock of everything I ate. In those days, it was high carb, low fat nutrition.

So, I made sure that I didn't eat anything with fat. That wasn't the end of it, I tracked every single calorie that I consumed. If that wasn't bad enough for a 13 year old, I then made sure to burn every calorie I ate in the stationary bike in our basement. I also spent almost every waking moment during the summer doing some sort of physical activity. Guess what? It worked!

I entered school that fall down to 145 pounds! I was very thin and everyone noticed. The attention I received was far more positive. From friends, sports coaches, and girls in my school everyone remarked very positively about my change. For anyone that knows about eating disorders, this is the worst thing to happen as it only encourages the behavior. I was constantly sick to my stomach, tired, unable to concentrate, and many times almost passing out.

My life was probably saved by actually hurting my ankle very severely at the age of 14. This meant I couldn't be as active and began weight training with my older brother. Falling in love with weight training I wanted to know as much as I could. I read all the cheesy muscle magazines that all kids do. I started eating more rationally and developing a lot more muscle.

However, this didn't solve the emotional side of food. To this day, food is a constant struggle. No, I have never seeked help for this problem, but I have begun to develop very strong coping strategies that anyone can adapt to beat the problems of emotional eating.

Let's face it, it isn't as though people don't know vegetables and fruits are good for them. That they should eat healthy unprocessed meats and heck most know fish oils are good for you too. However, it isn't a lack of knowledge, but not addressing the personal issue that is far more challenging. Here are some strategies I found extremely effective.

1. Don't have bad foods in the house. This makes is far less likely that you will eat those foods. Oh, and if you have kids, don't feel bad about not having these foods, your kids don't need them either!

2. Find other foods that are healthy to satisfy cravings. I often will find a blend of different fruits to help sweet cravings. In addition, coconut butter blends are sweet treats and have a ton of nutrition. Also, you can not raw organic honey with some almond butter as a nice treat. All these things are healthy yet are easy to justify for those sweet cravings.

3. Watch for self-destructive friends and family. This sounds horrible, but I try to avoid friends or family that are highly negative and actually promote bad habits.

4. Choose restaurants that have a full selection of healthy foods. Try to avoid bars and other places that encourage bad eating habits.

5. Eat before you attend social events. I find that if I am not starving I am far better at controlling binging or other bad habits. I don't feel compelled to even start eating poorly.

6. Exercise regularly, this may seem obvious, but I find regular exercise encourages other good habits.

7. Surround yourself with positive people whether or the internet, gym, or social groups.

8. Find other coping strategies to stress. One of my favorite sayings is by Steven Covey. Mr. Covey believes that you can not prevent bad things from happening, the only thing we have control over is how we react. Very strong and powerful to me.

My hope is nothing more than a few of you that read this can relate and find some satisfaction in knowing there are more people like you that go through the same struggles. It is a challenge every day, but by applying some of these strategies I hope it becomes a little easier.

So, Where Do I Start?

2008-06-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

This seems to be a common theme in most of the emails that I've received so far. Oh, please keep them coming guys because I learn so much from them. If I haven't responded to you, don't worry one will be in your inbox before you know it!

OK guys, so you've read my story, you've become motivated, and now you're ready to lose the weight. But, just like me, most of you don't have a clue where to start. You could follow your old high school football routine that had you in the best shape of your life 20 years ago, or you could purchase the latest gadget on TV that guarantees results or your money back. Listen, I want to be clear about one point. You don't have to buy one single piece of equipment or one diet book to get the body of your dreams--not one!

This may seem contradictory since I promote certain products on my blog; nevertheless, all these are merely to compliment your training/understanding of nutrition, but you don't need them to lose the weight. Don't let anyone tell you differently because if guys in solitary confinement can get shredded on "nutritious" prison food and leaving the cell for 30 minutes to an hour per day, what do you think you can do?

I'm going to give you guys a formula for success that won't cost you one red cent! I'm even going to give them to you in bullet points for easier reading. OK, I know that in some of my earlier posts, I've discussed very complicated ways for you to figure out how many calories you need and macro-nutrient breakdown, etc. Also, I've posted some workout routines that seemed a bit complicated.

Well, I'm going back to my old fashion KISS (Keep It Sweet & Simple) philosophy for both my training and nutrition. Yes, I'm aspiring to have the body of an athlete, but I'm not one. So, I have to keep in mind that whatever program I create for myself must include the realities of my everyday life. Does this mean that you should continue to use your busy schedule as an excuse for you not exercising? Of course not, your busy schedule should cause you to want to exercise to help rid yourself of everyday stress. Hey, if you haven't hit a heavy bag imagining that it's your boss or an annoying co-worker, then you really don't know the true meaning of stress relief. ;)

Let's start with nutrition and the least you should know:

Calories do indeed count and always will. Don't get caught up in debates with people about this because it's counterproductive to your ultimate goal. If another person truly believes that they can lose weight and reach the size they want without having an idea of how many calories s/he is consuming, congratulate them on their success and move on because here on earth, the Laws of Thermodynamics have yet to be disproven.
"Eat Less, Move More" - Oh, how we hate hearing that from doctors, family, and friends who have never had a weight problem their entire life--lucky bastards! Well, don't be so quick to dismiss what they are saying because there is some truth in this weight loss cliche. In a most basic way, this expression is simply encouraging us to consume less energy (create a caloric deficit) while using more energy for the extra movement (which, since there is a calorie deficit, will cause your body to use its stored energy--fat and muscles--to make up for the difference, which causes you to lose weight on the scale). Simple, right? Yes, but they left something out. How much less do you eat and how much more should you move?
Determining your daily calorie requirements is usually so confusing that sometimes you feel you need a background in biochemistry to fully understand the damn formulas. Well, I've picked up a simple and extremely uncomplicated way to determine how many calories you need to consume to stay at your present weight and how much you should eat to lose weight thanks to tips from the bodybuilder and strength & conditioning communities. First, keep in mind that this is not an exact science and that these are estimates, but they are reliable enough that athletes use them as a guide for their training. So, to get an idea of how many calories per day you need to eat to stay at your current weight, multiply your bodyweight times 15. To lose weight, you want to multiply your current weight times 8 -12. For most folks starting off, go with 10 or 12. Reserve the lower number when you're going for your six pack!

Let's look at the example of a guy who weighs 300lbs. Well, to lose weight, he needs to consume no more than 3000 cals (BW x 10 = 3000) a day. He'll stay with this number until he loses 20lbs, and then he'll go back and reformulate his calorie needs, which will now be 2800 cals a day. Next, he'll be eating 2600 cals after losing 20 more pounds. You see how simple this is?
So, what about macronutrients (carbs, fats, protein)? Should you do low-carbs, low-fat, or a balanced diet? What I find interesting is that this topic makes so much money in the "diet" book industry simply because of confusion and marketing hype. It's really simple. If you want to lose weight, simply follow the previous bullet's suggestion. However, if you want the majority of the weight loss to be actual body fat, then I suggest that you consume no more than 100 grams of carbs a day. This has been shown to be the upper limit of carb intake for one to consume and still benefit from the hormonal response (read: lower insulin levels, more fat burning, etc).

If you are still freaked out about doing a low-carb diet, consider that the USDA recommends that we eat at least 125 grams of carbs because of the glucose our brains require on a daily basis. That's a difference of 25 grams, and I'll tell you what, without going into detail about ketones and the brain, I'll compromise with you. After you do a resistance workout, take in those 25 grams of carbs with your protein shake, and we'll call it even! There's no reason to go lower than 100 grams, despite what you may hear from low-carb sites and forums.
Finally, figure out what triggers your poor eating habits. Listen, we know that eating a scoop or two of ice cream in a cup is better than that gi-normous four scoop sundae that drips down our chin and add to our waist. What's just as important along your weight loss journey is to figure out who you are and what makes you tick. We all eat, or should I say overeat, for different reasons. I was an emotional eater. Whenever stress knocked on my door, I was off to Krispy Kreme for a baker's dozen! No one forced me or even suggested that I react this way to stress, and, unfortunately, my body acted accordingly to what and how much I was feeding it.

I wanted to get nutrition out of the way first because the training aspect of your weight loss journey is even more simple in my opinion:

If you lose weight mainly through calorie restriction, you, more than likely, will have droopy and saggy skin. We all have seen guys who lose a lot of weight and are pretty saggy. I call it the Jared Complex. No disrespect to the Subway guy because he is encouraging kids to exercise and be more conscious of their calories, but I never wanted to look skinny fat. When I lost weight using pills and doing tons of cardio, I looked like Jared, complete with the saggy skin and man boobs to boot! Fellas, if you don't want folks coming up to you and poking your saggy stomach like your the Pillsbury Doughboy, I'd suggest that you realize that resistance training is not an option--it's mandatory!
Compound bodyweight exercises are more than enough for your strength and cardio conditioning. That's right, the body you see in the mirror every morning presents more than enough weight resistance for you to build a respectable body! Again, you don't need to buy any equipment. For ideas, feel free to go to www.bodyweightculture.com for free videos, discussions, and information on bodyweight exercises. I think it's one of the best bodyweight only forums/sites on the web! As I stated in my last post, YouTube is chock full of videos of people doing various bodyweight exercises. Oh, and there are two more BW-only sites that I've come across that I want you to check out:

Beast Skills - Jim, who lives in my hometown of DC, has a great site and instructional videos.
Body by Fish - Scrapper is another bodyweight culturists who has an outstanding site.

Finally, I have a little treat for those guys out there who just need a program to follow. OK, if you fall in this camp, I have a pdf file that you can download or view by clicking here. This is basically a teaser from Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training Fat Loss Program. The good thing about this pdf is that you'll get a lot of mileage out of it because it has beginner, intermediate, and advanced routines. So, you have a good three months, or more depending on your current level of fitness, of workouts (including cardio) that you can use to decide if you want to purchase his ebook.

Even if you don't buy Craig's book, make sure to take advantage of this free pdf, and make sure that you start to do research on the term EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) to understand the number of new fat loss exercise programs getting ready to inundate the market around this concept!

Remember guys, the tortoise was right, slow and steady wins the race. It's OK to aim to have the body of a sprinter, but make sure to develop the mentality of a marathon runner along the way.

"Your Body is a Barbell: No Dumbbells, No Barbells, No Problem!" By Alwyn Cosgrove

2008-06-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned in a previous post, after researching and reading just about anything I could get my hands on related to weight loss and transforming your body's physique, I now listen to certain Strength and Conditioning coaches for advice. One such Coach is Alwyn Cosgrove. I have read and personally used his Afterburn Extreme Fat Loss program. Along with John Alvino and Craig Ballantyne, Alwyn is known for his ass kicking complexes! He wrote an article for Testosterone Nation about using complexes for weight loss that I suggest you check out.

Well, today our weekly re-post from a S&C coach's blog comes from Alwyn, and it reinforces the need for guys to first be able to master their own bodyweight before thinking about lifting even a 5lb dumbbell! I'll let Alwyn explain; however, if you're current level of conditioning is low, then I wouldn't try some of the exercises that he recommends in the exercise section of his post. As always, if you have any questions of comments, don't hesitate to leave one or shoot me an email.

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"Your body is a barbell: No dumbbells, No barbells, No problem"

By Alwyn Cosgrove

Muscles are just plain dumb. Despite their ability at some level to perform amazing Cirque De Soleil type feats, muscles only ‘know’ two things – stretch and tension. They can’t differentiate between stretches (whether the stretch is coming from yoga or from Taekwon-do kicking) or types of tension.

Let’s talk tension. As far as a fitness enthusiast is concerned, muscle tension comes when you place resistance on the muscles. And it doesn’t matter what form that resistance takes. You see, as far as the muscles are concerned, resistance is resistance is resistance. The muscles have no idea what form the resistance takes, whether it is a dumbbell, a resistance band, a barbell or your bodyweight. True, free weights are superior to machines when it comes to building strength, but it’s because free weights require you to stabilize the load in three planes, not because the weight on the muscles is any different.

In fact when you think about it, the only reason to ever use external load (i.e. weights) is because your bodyweight is not enough resistance. Yet most guys are making exercises harder by adding external load, when they aren’t capable of handling their bodyweight in the same exercise. I’m constantly amazed by how many people I meet who can bench press whatever pounds of weight, but are unable to perform 10 correct push ups (typically due to a lack of core strength and synergistic muscle stability. As far as I’m concerned – unless you can do an easy twenty push ups, you have no business getting under a bar for bench pressing. In my training facility everyone begins with bodyweight exercises. You have to earn the right to lift weights in my facility.

Now I’m sure some of you are jumping up and down right about now, convinced that your bodyweight is not enough for you to get a ‘good workout’. You think you’re much too strong. And you’re probably right. If you’re an Olympic Gymnast that is. Remember - most gymnasts use primarily their bodyweight in their conditioning programs and have no problem developing great physiques and great strength levels. I’d go as far as to say that most gymnasts have better physiques than most weight trainers. And these guys train exclusively for performance – not for mass or aesthetics. Nick Grantham CSCS, former conditioning coach to the Great Britain Olympic Gymnastics team noted that the majority of male gymnasts, after years of bodyweight training could typically bench press double their bodyweight the first time they ever tried it. If that’s not evidence of the efficacy of bodyweight training then I don’t know what is.

The key to effective bodyweight exercises are the same as with any exercise – time and tension. We need to select exercises that load the muscles effectively through the entire range of motion, and select a speed of movement that eliminates all momentum.

Workouts

Lower Body

A1: Bulgarian Split Squat: 2 sets x AMRAP each leg @ 333 30s rest

A2: Hip thigh extension: 2 sets x AMRAP each leg @ 333 30s rest

B1: Partial co-contraction lunge: 2 sets x AMRAP each leg @ 333 30s rest

B2: Step Up: 2 sets x 15-20 each leg @ 201 30s rest

C1: SL Partial squat: 2 sets x 15-20 each leg @ 333 30s rest

C2: Single Leg RDL: 2 sets x 15-20 each leg @ 333 30s rest

D1: Single Leg Squat: 2 sets x AMRAP each leg @ 303 30s rest

D2: Single Leg Deadlift: 2 sets x AMRAP each leg @ 303 30s rest

Upper Body

A1: T-Push Ups Left arm: 2 sets of 15 reps @ 211 30s rest

A2: Inverted Row: 2 sets of AMRAP @ 211 30s rest

A3: T- Push Ups Right arm: 2 sets of 15 reps @ 211 90s rest

B1: Mixed Grip Chins: 2 sets of 5-6 reps EACH SIDE @ 222 30s rest

B2: Dips: 2 sets of AMRAP @ 211 30s rest

B3: Prone Jackknife: 2 sets of 10-20 reps @ 232 30s rest

C1: Pike Push ups: 2 Sets of AMRAP @ 222 30s rest

C2: Reverse Crunch: 2 sets of 15-20 @ 111 30s rest

Advanced options

So is bodyweight training too easy for you? Yeah right. If that’s truly the case then here are a few variations that you can use for any of the exercises to dial up the masochism factor.

Oscillatory isometrics: This is an exotic name for what is essentially performing 4-5 short range mini-reps at the end range of the exercise. For example, perform the concentric portion (the lifting portion) of a chin up at a normal speed, then lower yourself down an inch or so and ‘bounce’ (controlled) up and down in that end range for 4-5 reps, before lowering yourself back to the start.

Dynamic Isometrics: Not a misnomer – just a combination of two complete opposite methods. This involves maintaining an isometric contraction in the toughest position of the lift for 4-5 seconds, and then performing the concentric and eccentric portions as fast as possible and returning to the isometric position. For example you’d be doing a tempo of X5X. Hold the bottom of a push up position for 5 seconds, then straighten and bend your arms as fast as possible.

Iso-explosives: Just taking the above a step further. A combination of isometric holds in the toughest position, with an explosive exercises. For example: hold the bottom of a Bulgarian split squat or a push up for 4-5 seconds – then as you press back up – explode with maximal force so your body actually leaves the floor.

One and a quarter reps: Perform the entire rep, and an additional quarter rep in the toughest part of the range (typically the bottom). This overloads your weakest angles by performing twice as many reps in that range.

Ladder reps: Break the exercise up into thirds – the bottom third, the bottom two-thirds and the full rep. For example perform five dips in the bottom third of the range (the toughest portion), then five reps in the bottom two-thirds of the range and finally perform five full range repetitions. This means you’ll have performed fifteen reps in the toughest range of the exercise, but only five in the easiest range.

Once you are capable of performing 15-20 reps of each of these exercises at the given tempo with ease – you are now ‘allowed’ to grab a 5lb dumbbell and start over!

Sandbags -- Stubborn Bastards!!

2008-05-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

OK, I have to admit that going from receiving only 100 hits a day on my blog to close to 40,000 yesterday, with countless emails, all have me a bit wired with excitement, so I knew that I needed to do something to work off some of this energy.

One unfortunate thing about the CNN interview is that they didn't show any footage of me training with my Ultimate Sandbag. These bags are put out by Josh Henkin, whom I've blogged about before. After researching other sandbags and even building my own, I found that Josh's bags are top quality and ones that I recommend.

To fill my sandbag, I went to Home Depot and picked up a 50lb bag of all purpose sand for $2.15! I used 45lbs to fill the inserts to stuff into the main bag, and I've been working out with this bag like a kid. It reminds me of carrying around a little brother or cousin who's playing dead or something! LOL!

Anyway, it's time for me to change up my routine, which I'm starting to do every four weeks. So, I decided to follow some of Josh's routines that he's posted at his website and on youtube. Well fellas, one move in particular really surprised me--the Turkish Get-Up or simply The Get-Up (TGU). If you click on this link, you'll be taken to youtube for more than enough videos of people performing TGU using kettlebells (KBs), dumbells, or sandbags. I've trained with KBs for a couple of years now, so I'm very familiar with this move, as it works the whole body.

One thing about doing TGU with a KB or dumbbell is that you have to really focus on the weight above your head because if your attention wanders away from the weight, so will your arm. As a result, it's not only an exercise for muscular endurance but overall concentration too.

Well, call it arrogance or foolishness (probably a combination of both), but I really didn't think that doing a Get-Up with a 45lb. sandbag would be that challenging. Hell, I've done more than one Get-Up with a 70lb KB! OK, it's not an earth shattering weight like my buddy Ray who does TGUs with the 106lb. "Beast", but it was enough for me to not really "respect" the sandbag.

Wrong move!

Alright, I'm on my back with the sandbag lying across my left shoulder and left pec. The first thing that came to mind was, "Man, this feels heavier on my chest than I thought". Since I'm going to start taking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes in a couple of weeks, I imagined trying to control a guy that weighs four times as much as this sandbag in my guard. It's no wonder that MMA fighters and other combat Martial Artists workout with sandbags.

"Yeah, it feels different, but at least I don't have to worry about focusing on anything overhead," was the next thought I had before going from my back to supporting myself on one-arm. As I raised my torso, the sandbag shifted and the weight pulled me back down to the floor! My wife just laughed at me because she saw that I was being kinda cocky with the sandbag since it only weighs 45lbs. OK, it was time to get serious, as I now realized that I have to "focus" a bit more than I initially thought.

I get through the first step of the TGU better this time because I was prepared for the shifting weight. Rest for a sec or two, and then I start my bridge and the sandbag starts to shift its weight again, which caused me to grip the bag and floor harder to support myself. This was really different from using a KB because you are so focused on staying in line with the KB so it doesn't veer from one side to the other; you don't experience the sensation of trying to keep something from falling from your body while supporting yourself on one hand with a KB. I think it's something that you have to experience to fully appreciate.

Now, I'm finally in the lunge position getting ready to stand up, but, before I can do that, I have to reposition the damn sandbag because it's not getting with the program! I'm trying to finish the "up" portion of the exercise before reversing all the movements, and the sandbag is trying to fall of my shoulder from every conceivable angle, which causes me to, once again, grip the stubborn bastard to get it under control. Fortunately, with help from gravity and a white-knuckle grip, going back down wasn't as bad.

All in all, doing TGUs with the sandbag was a pain in the ass, BUT man was it one of the most enjoyable pains in my ass that I've experienced in a long time. Sandbags don't care how much you can bench press or if you're doing double KB work with 70s; they don't even care if you have never touched a weight before in your life because they're not going to cooperate with you no matter what you current level of fitness. Stubborn bastards!

Below is a video of Josh showing the Top 5 Core Exercises done with sandbags. The TGU sit-up is the third exercise he shows. Notice how the sandbag flops around like a rag doll and the extra effort he has to use to keep it stabilized (if that's a word you can associate with them!):

Once again, I can't thank all of you enough for the comments and well wishes you have sent here at my blog or via email. I promise that I will answer every email that is sent to me, but please be patient with me.

Finally, be on the lookout for MrLowBodyFat's Blog to get a face-lift in the next couple of weeks, so sign up to receive my blog posts through email, rss/atom feed, or simply bookmark my site and check back weekly since my blog will be updated with new content and posts every week.

CNN Interview is LIVE!!

2008-05-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I just got the word that my interview is

LIVE

Thanks again to everyone for their support and encouragement!

CNN Interview UPDATE!!

2008-05-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I just heard from one of the producer's that my interview is not going to run until this weekend. Actually, here's what Matt wrote:

Oh! One other quick thing... It's not going to air Friday this week, just Saturday and Sunday... There was some breaking news last Friday, so they moved that Fit Nation piece to this Friday on American Morning...

Either way, it'll be on over the weekend, on CNN.com and on our Podcast which comes out Monday! Some rainy day, I'll offer it up again to American Morning when we have an open spot, so I'll let you know when that happens!

Thanks again for everything! (I read the blog about us by the way! The pleasure was all ours!!)

OK, there you have it fellas. Just wanted to let you know so you don't look for the interview tomorrow morning.

"Flexible mind leads to a flexible body" by Steve Cotter

2008-05-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

For the past four years, I have been meditating and using visualization techniques to help me reach my strength and conditioning goals. Now, I don't look at these practices in a mystical or religious way at all. On the contrary, I view them mainly as exercises for my brain--it's a muscle after all, right?

Well, this week's S&C coach's post comes from Steve Cotter, who is one of the leading kettlebell and bodyweight authorities around. The original posting of this piece can be found here. As always, don't hesitate to go over and leave a comment.

* * *

August 22, 2007
Flexible mind leads to a flexible body

Since I’ve been taking some yoga classes of late they have been really reiterating concepts I’ve known for years through my martial art training, have been reintroduced to through my kettlebell training and now once again, emphasized in the yoga. So, it has been great revisiting and further internalizing such valuable body-knowledge.

During last night’s class, the instructor made a comment that the posture does not begin with the head or with the body, that it begins with the imagination.

That reminded me of something I have taught for a long time about flexibility. Students often want to know how to develop flexibility and sometimes I will see even very young people with extreme stiffness. I tell them that flexibility begins in your thoughts, and I find this to be true.

Often, restricted range of motion has to do on some level with a rigid mind set. For example, the person may not be able to conceive of moving her/his body into an extended range. Thoughts, like postures become habits. A stiff/inflexible mind leads to a stiff/inflexible body. In overcoming learned stiffness, visualization can be a powerful tool.

For example, if you want to elongate your hamstrings, you have to be able to see in your imagination the hamstrings lengthening. As you learn to relax your thoughts, to be willing to release certain preconceived ideas about yourself you will find that your body will follow suit. All productive training is truly mind-body in nature. You cannot have effective progress without a clarity of focus and a harmonious relationship between what you want to develop and what you can ’see’ developing.

As the saying goes, “conceive, believe, achieve”.

Mr. Low Body Fat to be featured on CNN!

2008-05-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well guys, I told myself that I wasn't going to say anything until after my interview with CNN's Matt Sloane, but I just couldn't wait to share the good news!

I'm not sure if you guys remember, but I blogged about how my pictures were posted on their Fit-Nation website last year. One producer told me that they wanted to do a longer piece on me at the beginning of this year; however, I never heard anything back from them. Since I truly appreciated the exposure they gave me, I really didn't think much of not hearing from them.

Well, all that changed Monday when I received an email from Matt! After exchanging emails, he decided that he and his crew will come out and let me tell my story; this time for TV! He is also interested in getting footage of me training (I don't workout!) since, as you guys know, I consider myself a bodyweight culturist and highly recommend folks master their own bodyweight first. Matt seems really interested in seeing my minimalist routine.

I don't know when my interview is going to air, but I will definitely keep you posted.

Thanks to everyone for all of your support and encouragement. I'm pretty pumped for the interview, as I feel that I'll have a much wider audience to encourage to "Feed their brains to lose the weight!"

**Update**
Matt and Chris, the CNN guys, just left my place with more than enough footage. They were really cool guys as they created a very down to earth atmosphere, which I really needed. Hey, I've never been interviewed on camera before. LOL!

Anyway, my interview will air next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 8:30 am EST on CNN's Fit Nation segment. It will also be featured on CNN's Fit Nation webpage. Fellas, if you want some added motivation, go to this site and read and watch some of the great weight loss success stories. I'll be posting video of behind the scenes footage of my interview next week. Tomorrow's my 37th birthday, so this was a great early b-day gift!

"Gurus Gone Wild" by Josh Henkin

2008-05-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

OK fellas, I've decided that once a week, I will post something from one of the strength and conditioning coaches I mentioned in my last post. Our inaugural post comes from Josh Henkin, developer of the Sandbag Fitness System. In the about section of his blog, Josh says this about himself:

Josh Henkin is a Strength & Conditioning Coach in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is owner of Innovative Fitness Solutions (www.ifsstrength.com). He has trained professional athletes, composed creative fitness programs, and helped clients rehab from serious injuries. Coach Henkin is also the creator of the Ultimate Sandbag and author of two E-books on Sandbag training.

I found his post on "Gurus Gone Wild" an interesting read that I wanted to pass along. Click on the title to be taken to the original post and leave a comment:

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Gurus Gone Wild!

One of the most common questions I receive is "what do you think of what (enter guru name) said about this or that?" Let's face it I don't blame people, it can be very overwhelming nowadays. I use to feel overwhelmed 13 years ago when I first started in the industry. When I began I was attending seminars like crazy, this was my passion!! Even during these seminars coaches would say conflicting information and often I would leave confused and having what I call "seminaritis".

What is seminaritis? It is a common disease for most coaches and trainers. Seminaritis is when you enter a seminar with one philosophy and after the seminar COMPLETELY change your thoughts because of what was said. I use to be incredibly guilty of this and have seen it with other coaches soooo many times. Why? I believe in my early stages I wasn't completely confident with how I was working with people. I believed anyone giving a seminar must know more! This was probably a good attitude for a young person, however, as the years progressed I became more engrained in my own philosophy of training.

What else happened? I continued to grow more and more experience working with people. Currently I train people 60 hours a week, yep, you can call my assistant to verify this number. Insane, but true. So, just this year I will log almost 3,000 training hours! If we take this to a greater level, if I say I average 40 hours a week (I can only wish) in five years I will complete almost 10,000 hours of working with people. I can tell you in this day and age of internet coaches, very few will have logged that much experience working hands on with people.

So, when I attend seminars now my attitude is very different. Typically I will use the Bruce Lee idea of taking what is useful and disregarding the rest. I will look for ideas of subtle cueing or training concepts that I can relate to with my clients and their goals.

Here is what I DON'T do:

1. Perform a program because it is hard.
2. Perform an exercise just because it is hard.
3. Judge the success of a training session on the intensity of it.
4. Throw out my philosophy, I know it works I have worked with too many successful clients to say otherwise.
5. Listen to anyone that does not work with people daily.
6. Blindly say a method or technique works or doesn't because a Guru said so, this is foolish as almost anything works for a certain amount of time.

This may sound negative, but really it is a positive. My trying to understand how we can always improve what we are already are doing is evolution. Currently I am at a great program that I am looking forward to implementing some great concepts, but it won't change how I work with people. If you boil down all good systems they generally work with very similar principles.

Be careful of those that espouse that they have all the secrets, something completely doesn't work, and more importantly can't tell you from experience whether some ideas have potential or not. I can speak about a lot of different training methods because we have done most of them in my facility. The keyboard is a powerful tool nowadays for good and bad, you have to be the judge though.

Why I Listen to S&C Coaches For Weight Loss

2008-05-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

When I started my weight loss journey over 5 years ago, I had no idea all the different twists and turns I was in store for. Hey, I was just some fat English professor who was tired of not seeing his . . . uhhh . . . feet when he looked down. Well, after going through various stages along my journey, I think that I'm now in a position to make some observations about weight loss and management based on my own experimentations and results.

One such observation is that out of all the folks you find on the internet talking about weight loss (e.g., diet authors, fitness experts, weight loss gurus, etc.), I put my money on programs that are developed by certified (and experienced) strength and conditioning coaches. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not endorsing anyone who has CSCS behind their name. I have a few that I personally recommend, but I'll get to them later.

Guys, if you really think about it, when we lose weight, we don't simply want to be skinny. Yes, fitting into smaller size clothing is cool, but as we get older, we definitely don't want to be feeble and weak. So, we not only want to lose weight, but we want to be stronger too. Enter strength and conditioning coaches. Why? Well, it's actually simple. These coaches have the job of getting collegiate, professional, and Olympic level athletes in tip-top shape. I know you're probably thinking, "But what does this have to do with me when I just want to lose weight and not be an athlete?", which is a fair enough question.

Let's take a real life example. Those of us who follow boxing have seen a boxer a couple of months before going to training camp looking a bit on the "plump" side. I don't know, but Fernando Vargas come to mind. Anyway, after three months of camp, not only do they walk in the ring with sub-10% body fat, but they are also primed to operate at their peak level, depending on their training camp of course. Who do you think got this guy in that kind of shape in only three months?

Usually S&C coaches, who are familiar with not only exercises but also exercise nutrition. You simply can't have one without the other, and most guys looking to lose weight usually go the route of the diet authors and their annually changing titles. Or, the bi-weekly changing bodybuilder routines in the fitness magazines at the market. It's not enough to simply diet and exercise. You must have a goal, and, honestly, that goal should be to become as strong as your Joe Average genes will allow, which is way stronger than you think!

When you think about it, a S&C coach's bread and butter is mainly determined by the results s/he gets with his client. After spending the last couple of months reading e-books, websites, and forums of different S&C coaches on the net, here's a list of coaches that I personally recommend. I've been in contact with some, and others don't know me from a can of paint. Nevertheless, their writing has influenced how I approach being conditioned and, more importantly, healthy.

Do they all agree on all points related to fitness or weight loss? Of course they don't! They're all different individuals who have their own take based on their own research and experience working with clients. However, they agree much more than they disagree, which is good to know in this day and age of confusion and misinformation. I've listed these coaches in no particular order, and please note that some of them may not consider themselves to be coaches; oh well, I consider them one and, in the near future, I plan on re-posting information and posts from their blogs on a weekly basis.

Each person on the following list has much information on their blog/website related to topics from gaining strength, building muscle, to losing fat in a no BS fashion! Don't believe me? Click on their respective names and see for yourself:

Steve Maxwell
Mike Mahler
Steve Cotter
Josh Henkin
John Alvino
Alwyn Cosgrove
Jesse Ferrugia
Craig Ballantyne
Dan John
John Wood
Ross Enamit
Paul Zaichik
Jamie Hale
Alan Aragon
Got Built? - (Did you really think I'd have all guys?)

Look forward to an article from Josh Henkin (www.sandbagexercises.com) that I plan on posting later this week.

Rested, Re-focused, and Ready ...

2008-05-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a couple of week since my last post, but I needed to take a bit of a break. Nevertheless, after attending Steve Maxwell's Bodyweight and Joint Mobility Workshop in Las Vegas this past weekend, I feel rested, re-focused, and ready to kick some ass! But, before I get ahead of myself, I'd like to thank everyone for sending their condolences about my father's death. Also, I'm in the process of answering old emails. So, if you've emailed me and I haven't responded, keep an eye out for a response this week.

Steve Maxwell is the real deal!

Guys, I know that many of you, like me, buy DVDs from various strength and conditioning coaches online. We watch their videos and wonder how they are in person and if they really know what they're talking about. Well, after less than 10 minutes into the 6 hour workshop, I knew that Coach Maxwell, as I'll refer to him, must be related to Evander Holyfield because he is definitely the Real Deal!

Rarely do you find a person who not only has the book knowledge of his craft, but also has the practical, in the trenches, experience that Coach Maxwell possesses. He's a great teacher also. Ok, let me walk you through some parts of the workshop. Coach first took all the participants through his joint mobility exercises, which he expands upon in his Encyclopedia of Joint Mobility Exercises, that hit every joint in the body. And when I say every damn joint, I really mean it. There were times that I wasn't sure if I was in a workshop or playing a game of twister!

After a break, Coach then started with his Maxercise bodyweight exercises that are pretty brutal, but in a good way;) We alternated from working our upper body to the lower. No muscle group was missed, and, from the soreness I felt the next day, I have muscles in places I didn't even know about. Oh, and he practices what he preaches. Every exercise/movement in his system was shown to us at three different speeds before he had us follow him, usually for a certain amount of time. Watching Coach, a 55 year-old man, go through the exercises was a workout in and of itself. His endurance and flexibility are incredible for a man in his 20s, let alone his 50s.

I'm still digesting the great amount of information that he presented this weekend, but one thing Coach mentioned really stood out in my mind. He basically said that before the love affair American men had with having large pecs and bulging biceps, they used to workout because they wanted to be healthy. Health was the main reason why folks wanted to workout. How your body looked was secondary to the overall goal of being healthy. Now, this isn't to say that physical culturist of back in the day didn't care about how their bodies looked; it's just that they realized that if you worked out correctly, with the proper nutrition (of course), then your physique will follow suit. How many fat guys do you know who can do pistol/one-leg squats and one-arm pushups?

I'll be sharing more about the workshop and the folks I met in Vegas (i.e., Mike Mahler and Josh Henkin) in future posts. But, I will say that attending this workshop has opened my eyes even more to the benefits of building strength and losing weight using only your bodyweight. Fellas listen, unless you are interested in becoming a bodybuilder or powerlifter, there is no need for you to ever pick up a weight to develop a strong and chiseled physique. Don't fall for the hype that you see everyday on TV and in the muscle mags. Bodyweight exercises have been around since antiquity, and they have clearly stood the test of time for a reason: they are effective!

I thought that I'd leave you with a picture Coach has up on his blog that was taken from the workshop. Below he is showing us how to do the Dragon Walk; my face looks blurry because I was in the process of falling on my ass! LOL!

Remembering Warren ... Remembering My Dad

2008-04-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

So, my wife and I were watching re-runs of one of our favorite shows, HBO's The Wire, last night when the phone rang. After checking the caller ID and seeing that it was my mom calling, I had a feeling that she wasn't calling at close to midnight her time with good news. And, when she told me she had gotten word that the only man I'd ever called Dad had died, my feeling was unfortunately confirmed.

As she sat there and told me all the particulars of how Warren had passed, all I could think about was the last conversation I had with him well over a year ago. Even though Warren was not my biological father, he was the only man that raised and cared for me from the time I was 7 weeks old until I was ready to graduate from High School. And, just like most father-son relationships, we had our ups and downs as the post-High school years progressed. For various reasons, we didn't stay in touch as often as we should have; nevertheless, the last time we spoke was, fortunately, when we were on good terms.

It had been at least five years since we had last spoken, so I didn't know what to expect from him or his wife. After an awkward initial few minutes, his wife, Shelia, and I started to catch up on the last years; it was a refreshing and pleasant conversation. Before giving the phone to Warren, she told me that he had had a stroke and was paralyzed on his left side, which caused his speech to be slurred. "He has also lost a lot of weight and is confined to a wheelchair now," she went on to inform me right before handing him the phone.

After hearing Warren's slurred speech and barely audible words, I was glad that she had warned me. I couldn't help but to have the image of a frail man, sitting in a wheelchair with a blanket across his lap to keep his legs warm, and it bothered me. While Warren was always an average sized man in height and weight, he was strong as an ox! My brother and I use to joke that he had that "ole' country" strength. Or maybe it was all the times he said he spent wrestling bears and fending off 6 foot fighting cocks in rural Virginia.

No, seriously guys, Warren was pretty strong. He would often lift my mom, who outweighed him by at least 30 lbs, to his shoulders and basically do a sandbag-style squat with her. I loved to hang from his flexed bicep as a kid because it was like swinging from a tree's branch. It was no wonder that he had strong arms because of all the arm wrestling he would do with my uncles, brother, and me. Working in the basement of the Washington Post for 25 years, moving barrels of ink and huge reams of paper, forged an iron like grip too. And, I 'm sure that being a stocker in the back room of a liquor store for just as many years, as a second full-time job, was the reason he was strong without ever touching a weight until he was in his 40s.

I should know because I was the reason he actually tried doing a bench press. Being the proverbial "chubby" kid in the neighborhood gets old really fast. So, I bugged my mom enough to buy a Sears plastic covered, sand-filled, barbell and bench set one Christmas. It was such a poorly constructed bench that I'm surprised I didn't kill myself trying to look like Lou Ferrigno (Sorry Arnold, I loved the Incredible Hulk). One day, I was trying to bench way more than I could, but I thought that I needed to challenge myself. So, there I was with 110lbs pinned on my chest, and all I could do was barely squeak out a "help" when Warren was there to pull the bar off of me, laughing the whole time.

"It's not funny Dad! I bet you can't press it!" was the first thing that I said to him while he puffed on his Kool with a big grin on his face. So, he lies down on the bench, and I show him where he should position his hands, etc. Well, I thought I would need to spot him, but he told me to back up. He pressed it like it was nothing and told me to put more weight on the bar. Well, this went on until I had all the damn weights on the bar (around 200 lbs). Hell, this was more weight than my older brother could do at the time, so when Warren pressed it as if it was only a bit heavy--since he actually took the cigarette out of his mouth for this rep--I really thought that maybe he did wrestle a bear or two in his youth.

Although I wasn't sure if he could understand, I tried to bring him up to date on all that has been going on with me in California over the years we hadn't been in touch. He sounded happy to hear from me even though I could not make out everything he was saying. I was able to tell him that I loved him and to let him know that I would be out there soon to visit him. I never made it out there to see him and never spoke to him again. And, in an interesting way, I'm OK with that.

I'd like to remember Warren . . . to remember my Dad as the strong, peaceful, and simple man that he was.

Mr. Low Body Fat to start CPT classes!

2008-04-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

OK fellas, I've finally made up my mind to embark on another journey: becoming a certified personal trainer! Hell, after all the reading and studying I've done over the past five years, I figured that I could at least put this newly acquired knowledge to some other use than my usual rants here.

So, I've decided that I'm going to start taking classes at my college that will prepare me to take and pass whichever CPT certification I decide to pursue. I know that my students are going to love seeing their "English" professor in sweats, working out along with them. Hey, it's a good thing that I decided to take these classes after I lost all the extra chub I was carrying around.

OK, here's my plan. My school offers a Fitness Specialist Certificate that will, as I've said, prepare me to take the NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) exam. Now, there are many other CPT certifications out there on the market. Hell,with some of them you can simply take a weekend class and boom you're certified. And there are others that will charge you $50 for a certification via the internet. However, after finding out that the NSCA-CPT exam only has a 54.9% pass rate, you know it was a done deal--oh, the smell of a challenge.

I will definitely keep you posted as to how my classes are going, and I plan on taking my first one this summer. Speaking of taking classes, I have some great news. My wife decided to give me an early b-day gift-- a trip back to Sin City! But, this time I'm not going to tie the knot; I'm heading to Las Vegas to take Steve Maxwell's Joint Mobility And Bodyweight Training Workshop.

I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to take this 6 hour workshop with a true physical culturist whose philosophy you can read about here. If you're not familiar with Steve Maxwell and are wondering why I'm so excited about going to his workshop, well I think I can show you better than tell you:

As I said, I'm really excited . . .

Happy Belated B-day to Mr. Sandow

2008-04-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to post this on April 2nd, which was Eugene Sandow's 141st birthday, but that obviously didn't happen. So, it's better late than never. I also thought this would be a good time for me to report on what I learned during my In Search of Sandow Body Transformation, which extended a little longer than anticipated. Nevertheless, here's a list of things that I learned on trying to reduce my body fat % and my continued search for a six pack:

Life happens - Even the best intentioned plans don't always come off exactly as planned. Getting married, moving, and trying to keep with my planned diet and workout routine didn't always work well together. So, I feel as though I did not keep sufficient records for this cycle as far as my nutrition is concerned; however, I kept a pretty good log of my workouts. Even so, my next 6-8 week cycle, which I'll start in two weeks, I plan on being a bit more disciplined with keeping a written account of my intake.
Calories must be counted - It is really unfortunate that we are in 2008 and folks are still debating this issue. I'm sorry to keep beating a dead horse here, but I achieved my lowest level of body fat on this journey (7% as my electronic calipers indicate), and there is no way in hell I could have achieved this loss in body fat without counting my calories and eating below what my body needed to maintain my current bodyweight. I still don't understand why people are still so resistant to this idea, and it's not like you'll be doing it for the rest of your life.
Insulin is not an evil hormone - I'll be the first to admit that I am a re-covering Carb-phobe. You see, my body responds extremely well to a low-carb, paleolithic style diet since I suspect that I'm an endomorph that is insulin sensitive, which is a recipe for a fat ass; however, I played around with cycling my carbs or carbing up which allowed me to actually eat a large number of carbs which went to replenishing my depeleted muscle glycogen and not fat storage. I'm going to play around more with this and blog about it in the future. But, I will say that from reading Jim Hale's new book and a couple of Lyle McDonald's that there are many more hormones involved in the fat loss and fat storage process that are seldom discussed. I'll be the first to admit that I'm still trying to digest what they are saying because I don't think most guys really understand how complex our body really is, or at least I didn't. So, I'm getting a crash course education now.
Zero or very low carbs is not necessary - Unless you know that you are very sensitive to insulin, I really don't see the need for most fellas to go so low with their carbs. Honestly, I've done very low carbs for more than a year and worked out like a mad man with kettlebells only to get a very unimpressive (in my opinion) and emaciated looking physique. I had no idea how a muscle that's been depleted of its glycogen looked versus one that isn't. So, I could not figure out why I could not build muscle while I was going really low carb. Well, I wasn't eating enough carbs to keep my muscles' glycogen replenished, which gives the muscle a full look that most guys want. I suggest as Anthony Colpo does in his Fat Loss Bible that you eat between 60-100 grams of carbs a day and to take in post-workout carbs with the amount depending on how hard you worked out and for how long. Again, manipulating your macronutrients is not as simple as reduce your carbs to near zero and you'll have the body of Adonis before the summer.
One can gain strength and definition using bodyweight exercises solely - You know I really can't believe that people are still saying this is not true, and they really should be ashamed of themselves. Yes, I understand that folks want to sell fitness equipment, but when they make outlandish claims like this, it's really criminal. As I've noted before on my blog, some of the strongest athletes are gymnasts who use virtually no weight training yet are able to do muscle-ups, iron crosses, and push ups on rings. Hey, I'm not anti-weights or anything like that because I'm going to go back to my kettlebells in a couple of weeks; however, I still strongly believe that one should master his/her own bodyweight first before thinking about picking up a weight. Also, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying some type of Bowflex contraption.
Doing endless crunches is not necessary to get rock hard abs - Did I finally get my six-pack? Well, not quite, but I've reduced my sag in my belly enough to know that it is definitely within sight. Oh, and I did nothing special either to develop my abs. I hate doing crunches and preferred to do mainly isometric style holds such as ab vacuums, side bridges, oh and this one that my buddy Steve told me about which has you staying in the half-crunch position while raising your hands above your head. I called this one stick 'em up. LOL! The main thing about getting abs is removing that layer of body fat that's covering them up because WE ALL have them! They may not all look the same, as all of our muscles' shapes and sizes differ, but we all have a six-pack, and I don't care how fat you are right now.

Fat is not bad for you but shouldn't be eaten ad lib either - I think what happens when someone goes low-carb is that it is unbelievable that they can eat what seems like an unlimited amount of dietary fat and still lose weight. I know because I was one that couldn't believe that I could eat three double-cheeseburgers, without the buns of course, and still drop weight. Not only did I not count calories, but I embraced fat like a long lost friend whom I had shunned during my years of low-fat dieting. Well, it was too much of a good thing because of the calories per gram of fat. I know that there are a lot of guys out there low-carbing, eating damn near zero carbs and can't figure out why they are still experiencing a plateau. Well, if you stop eating so much fat, you would automatically lower your daily caloric intake. If you're going very low-carb, you could also increase your carb intake to no more than 100 grams a day, and as long as you are in an energy deficit, you will lose weight. Also, I've switched to using 2% shredded cheese as I did with full-fat shredded cheese and mixing real eggs with a little bit of egg beaters. Also, I'm taking more fish oil pills that have also replaced some of the dietary fat I use to eat. No, fat isn't bad, but when you are trying to get your body to use the stored fat it has, you need to chill on eating so much dietary fat.
Be flexible in your beliefs and open minded to challenge your previous views - When I reached my first goal of losing 100 lbs, I did so buy basically reading one book, Dr. Ellis's Ultimate Diet Secrets. I've blogged enough about this book, but I had to come to realize that there is no such thing as a guru or someone who has all the answers. If someone claims to, then they are just full of themselves because not one person can be an expert on every aspect of weight loss because the process is just too complex. Now I realize that much of the debating that goes on in the dieting community as a whole is really counterproductive in many ways because it keeps people from reading and trying to understand the complex processes involved in weight loss, especially if you are trying to achieve low levels of body fat. While I think that I'm getting a better grasp of the things I read, the more I read the more I realize how much I have to learn.
Saggy skin is mainly stubborn body fat - As my picture shows, my hanging belly has gone down a bit, but I know that I still have fat in my lower abdomen and lower back because I can feel it. I'm not kidding myself by thinking that my skin is going to come back and be smooth as it was when I was a teenager; however, I do believe that it will tighten up and come back much more than I initially thought. Also, I've noticed that my stretch marks become less noticeable the smaller my belly gets, which is really encouraging and motivating because I really want to see how far I can take this. Oh, and talking about the complexity of the problem of what I'm trying to do is that I'm actually fighting against my own body's defense system of stoping the body fat levels from getting too low. And, to add to this, different types of body fat respond to different stimulii from the body. Listen, if you are dieting down to try and get a six pack, and you've never done it before like me, then let me be the first to tell you that it is DAMN HARD, and anyone who tells you it's not is full of shit or trying to sell you something!
Bodybuilders have weight loss down to a science - I don't know if it's the image of over muscled guys or women with pecs harder than most men, but the average person becomes really intimidated when it comes to the bodybuilding community. This is really unfortunate because they have this weight loss thing literally down to a science, but let me be clear about which aspect of the bodybuilding community I'm talking about. Now, 99% of the BB magazines you see on the market are garbage that are basically full of ads of companies that want to promise you the world and basically hustle you. So, you can cancel your subscription to Muscle and Fitness. You want information on how to really lose weight? Well, go on bodybuilding forums and read, read, and read some more. Not only will you find some extremely smart individuals on there, but they are not the 'roid rage, WWF-type personalities they are stereotyped to be. BB is a competitive sport, so you don't have to do everything they do, but when you have a group of individuals who's chance of winning is how little amount of body fat they have is someone that I will definitely want to hear what they have to say. I've found that bodybuilding.com and t-nation.com are two of the best forums around. However, I will warn you. If you are lazy and looking for an "easy" way to lose weight or get ripped, these forums aren't for you. Although they have it down to a science, they don't have a patent on a magic potion to make you shredded overnight. I'm sorry but it's going to take a major effort on your part.

OK guys, there you have it. My report from this roller-coaster ride that I've been on over the past three months. While I did not get my six-pack as I had hoped, I more convinced now that it's in my cross-hairs!

Is It Time to Re-think Cardio?

2008-03-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Fellas, the wifey and I are in the process of moving, so I'll finish up my story about Willy next week. Nevertheless, I wanted to leave you guys with a blog post from one of my personal health and fitness heroes: Steve Maxwell.

He is a physical and conditioning educator, who has been in the fitness and martial arts fields for over 40 years! As you can see from his physique, this brother knows what he's talking about.

Oh, did I mention that he's 55?

OK, pick your jaw up off the floor and read the 10 top reasons why he does not do aerobic exercises. This was taken from his blog, and I encourage you guys to check out his website too.

***

I spend my days at a corporate gym. It's a sweet gig and a temporary livelihood.

One morning, while observing a female member endlessly running the treadmill-to-nowhere-fast, I realized I see the same people returning day after day, iPods silently blaring or, worse, mindlessly captivated by one of the ten wall-mounted television screens, while grinding away on those steppers and treadmills.

The drudgery of their Sisyphean tasks compels their attempts to lose self-awareness by inundating themselves with external stimuli. Often, their bodies reflect this lack of self-awareness in skewed gaits and other imbalances.

These same people come in religiously to get the feel-good fix, believing somehow their mindless, movement addiction is in some way benefiting them. Interestingly, they stay fat, show no progress, and sometimes even get fatter, especially after holidays. Most of these people are loathe to touch a weight, much less engage in any kind of productive strength-training. You see this same phenomenon in gyms all over the country.

Some will say, "Well, some exercise is better than none,"

But I say, if you're going to spend the time, why not produce something worthwhile?

Here are ten reasons why I don't do aerobic exercise:

But first, what is aerobic exercise? Any steady state locomotion elevating the heart rate into the zone for twenty minutes or more. The zone is determined by formulas based on age and resting heart rate.

Now, ten reasons why it not only doesn’t work but is a poor use of exercise time:

Oxidative Stress
Which causes a breakdown of tissues. It also predisposes one to cancer and heart attack.

Elevated cortisol production
Which causes a breakdown of muscle tissue and increases fat storage or depot fat. People do aerobics to alleviate stress yet end up creating more stress.

Lowered testosterone and HGH levels
For men, aerobics are a form of chemical castration. Low T-levels are associated with lowered libido, depression, anxiety, increased body fat and decreased muscle tissue. This contributes to muscle-wasting and lowers the basal metabolic rate.

Increased appetite and a tendency toward binge eating patterns
Aerobic exercise makes people hungry!

Excessive Muscular Fatigue
Making it difficult to do other more productive forms of activity. Aerobics creates muscular weakness.

Conversion of fast-twitch muscle fibers to slow-twitch
The loss of fast-twitch muscle fibers contributes to aging and the loss of explosive power and speed. People become slower and slower.

Burns a relatively small amount of calories vs. the time spent
One large meal completely offsets the pitiful amount of calories burned in an hour aerobics session.

Overuse injuries to the feet, ankles, and knees from excessive, continual force transmitted throughout the body
This is exacerbated by over-engineered running shoes which cushion the feet in such a way to create a neural amnesia.

Shortening i.e., deformation, of the muscle tissue from repetitive mid-range (partial range) movements
This creates inflexibility, immobility, and muscle imbalances. Besides being tight, the bodies postural alignment becomes compromised. Aerobics create tight, inflexible bodies that are in chronic pain.

Adrenal burnout
A consequence of the “feel good” neurotransmitters which also stimulate the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the fight or flight hormone. Excessive adrenaline creates an addictive response and people going routinely for the so called “high” of running end up with adrenal burnout, e.g., chronic fatigue and depression.

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the father of aerobic exercise (and the person who coined the term) completely recanted his assertions regarding aerobic exercise. After observing a disproportionate number of his aerobic-enthusiast friends die of cancer and heart disease, he reversed his ideas on the benefits of excessive aerobic exercise. He now claims anything in excess of 20 minutes has greatly diminishing returns. In fact, he's now an advocate of scientific weight training.

In strength and health,

Steve

***

I have always hated doing cardio even though I owned a club quality elliptical machine, which I used on and off when I first started my weight loss journey. The thought of getting up only to spend 30-45 minutes doing the same motion over and over was very uninspiring to say the least. Once I started working out with kettlebells, I came across Mr. Maxwell and other physical culturists who wrote about the diminishing returns of doing too much cardio. I'm happy to say that I've made the most dramatic changes in my physique through proper nutrition, anaerobic exercises (read: weight resistance training), and HIIT (high intensity interval training), so I couldn't agree more with what Steve is saying here. However, not everyone agrees with his view on aerobics as you can read in this one Judo discussion forum thread about Steve's blog post.

OK, so I'm really interested in hearing your views on his points. So, please feel free to post a comment and/or vote in the poll to the left.

Keep working out guys and new pics are coming soon . . .

Want Six Pack Abs Like A Gymnast?

2008-03-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Well, train your abs like they do!

Guys, you know that I've been doing bodyweight exercises solely with great results. So, when my friend Kris, over at shapefit.com, posted these five ab exercises that gymnasts do to keep their core strong and tight, I thought I'd pass them on to you. However, I have to warn you that these are advanced movements, and there are a couple that I can't even do yet! Ahhh, the smell of a challenge makes my body tingle all over with motivation . . .

http://www.shapefit.com/6-pack-abs-gymnast.html

When Willy Wouldn't Wake-up ... Part II

2008-03-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

In natural (read: non drug using) individuals who have dieted down to extremely low bodyfat levels, say 5%, you see a common hormonal pattern. Testosterone levels are typically bottomed out (some studies even find castrate levels, which is why a lot of natural contest bodybuilders can't get their dick hard, not that they have a sex drive in the first place), thyroid levels are bottomed out, IGF-1 levels are bottomed out, sympathetic nervous system output is way down meaning decreased caloric and fat burning, appetite is through the roof, cortisol is through the roof, on and on it goes. This makes good evolutionary sense: at 5% bodyfat, you are starving to death. Your body is turning off every system (metabolic, reproductive, immune, etc.) that it can to keep you alive until you get some food.

I read the above quote in Lyle McDonald's Ultimate Diet 2.0; however, I never thought that this applied to me. Hey, I was just some fat college professor who wanted to see how far I could take my weight loss. I could care less about bodybuilders or the problems they had. Well, that is until it affected me, or should I say my Willy!

Back to my story:

So, the second time I couldn't get an erection, I was literally scared. The thought of having caused myself to be a eunuch was not very appealing no matter how much I had transformed my body. Guys, it's amazing how well you can recall what you've read when you're faced with such a huge problem. LOL!

I don't know why, but Lyle's quote came to mind, and there I went tearing through loose pages of my fitness ebooks trying to find the quote. Once I found it, I read it in disbelief because he basically described what I was experiencing. I started to think back to the months preceding my failed horizontal mambo sessions, and I realized that my interests in sex wasn't really there. Now, for someone who has an enormous sexual appetite, this was far from normal. But, I was so focused on my training and diet, that I really didn't pay it much attention. However, my body, or should I say my hypothalamus, more specifically, definitely was.

If given the choice between the ability to have sex or survive, I would say that many of us would be dead fellas. Hell, I know I would, and I guess that's why I'm glad that the body has checks and measures to keep us alive. A discussion of the body's metabolic adaptations is way beyond the scope of this post, so I strongly suggest that you read Lyle's UD 2.0 and Ellis's Ultimate Diet Secrets, which are the only books that I've read that devote an entire chapter (or two) to how the body reacts, on a cellular level, to overfeeding and underfeeding. (Lyle's explanation is the more technical of the two.)

OK, so we all know that when you start a diet that your body recognizes this and starts to make adjustments. The more severe you cut calories or expend them through exercise, the more your body makes adjustments. Well, these adjustments are much more severe and noticeable when we attempt to push our bodyfat under 10%. Now, I'm referring to guys who are dieting down to this level, and not genetically gifted bastards who have no problem remaining lean.

Your body monitors how much bodyfat you have and could really care less about how much you weigh on the scale. And, when you think about it, this only makes sense. If you were a complex machine, you would care just as much about how much reserve energy you have in the tank, especially if you think that you are starving to death, as Lyle points out. And, similar to your car's gas gauge, the body lets you know when you are pushing it to its pre-detemined limits. However, unlike your car's gas gauge, the body's way of alerting you that it's approaching E is with a limp Willy and not an annoying light or beep.

After re-reading Lyle's chapters that deal directly with all the systems he mentions in his quote above, I was really ready to absorb the information in Dr. Wong's book, The Care and Feeding of a Penis. Well, so I thought because he had one quote that smacked me dead in the face:

We can’t help it, it happens to all. Somewhere after 27 our body processes begin to turn against us. The natural mechanism that causes aging and deterioration kicks into gear round about 27 and from then to 35 it’s the steepest drop in health and conditioning levels we’ll ever face. After that the down hill slide slows but only some. It’s round about 35 that men start to come into the beginnings of their “change of life”. This happens because our hormonal balance changes. As the years progress we make less testosterone and make more estrogen. After 40, Andropause, the male menopause kicks in and with it comes an almost total cessation in the production of testosterone! It’s a safe bet that by 45 or 50 a man has more estrogen than his wife does!

Now, this was the first that I had ever heard of Andropause or that I was well into the age range (read: middle-age) where all of these hormonal changes start occurring. Alright, now I felt that I was on to something and armed with my new Male Bible, I started to try and find out exactly what I needed to do about resurrecting Willy.

One of my bodybuilding buddies suggested that I look into taking Tribex, which is a super-concentrated formula of the Bulgarian herb tribulus terrestris, to boost my T levels. He also suggested that I take avena sativa to keep my E (estrogen) levels in check and to stop the conversion of my free T to becoming E, the real enemy of our manhood fellas. After doing some research, I also started reading a lot about ZMA, which is a supplement developed by BALCO founder, and former bass player for Tower of Power, Victor Conte. Don't worry, it's not CLEAR or anything like that; ZMA is simply a combination of the zinc, magnesium, and B-6. Dr. Wong highly recommends Maca too as a natural T booster and E inhibitor.

Next week, I'll detail my experiences with some of the above supplements and if they indeed help me wake up Willy. Nevertheless, I can't leave you without mentioning an herbal product that has done wonders for me and some of my other buds.

Guys, if you are interested in having rock hard erections and the ability to control them like you did when you were 18, then there is one herbal supplement that I highly recommend. I read about what many call herbal Viagra from Dr. Wong (who has personally used this product also), so I decided to give Super X, by Dr. Chi Enterpises, a try. Without sounding like a paid endorser, which of course I'm not, let me just say that Super X is one sexual enhancement supplement that's free of side effects that any man over 35 should have in his medicine cabinet.

I'll tell you what--I'll do a review of Super X in my next post because, man, do I have a lot to say about this supplement!

BTW, just wanted to let you guys know that my loose skin is really tightening up. Adisa, sorry about the camera angle playa ... ;)

Low T Levels Linked to Depression in Elderly Men

2008-03-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

I thought the timing of this report was really great since my last post, and the next couple, will talk about the male sex hormone Testosterone (T). Again, if you're over 35, I strongly suggest that you start doing some net research on T, so you can start to understand its importance in our being MEN!

Here's the url to the BBC report:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7274481.stm

When Willy Wouldn't Wake-up ... Part I

2008-03-03T14:10:00.000-08:00

Hey, before I jump into what this week's post, I'd like to personally thank all my readers, friends, and family who have congratulated me and my new wife, Crystal, on our recent marriage; we really appreciate it. However, let me be clear about something fellas. Marriage has not tamed the burning desire I have to complete my journey and share what I've learned along the way. If anything, as I stated in my last post, it has motivated me that much more!

To my female readers, whom I appreciate and respect, I have to warn you that this post is all about the male love muscle (i.e., Willy). So, you've been warned ;)

Guys, I believe that it's time that we have a real heart to heart about our bodies, especially our main reproductive organ. I know many of you that read my blog simply want to lose weight or get tips on how to build a lean and muscular body, so the following discussion may seem a bit out of place if not too damn personal to be sharing with the blogosphere.

Hey, if I'm able to put half-naked pictures of myself on the internet and announce my marriage to someone who is half my age on my blog, do you really think that sharing a story about my problems getting an erection is too personal, especially when it was a direct result of my weight loss? OK, before you answer, take a look at some pics of my back that the wifey took of me today, sit back, and read on to see why I was literally on the verge of committing suicide . . .

"Wait a minute, I'm too damn young to have problems getting it up!" was the first thought that ran through my mind when my Willy (read: penis) stayed asleep when it was time for us to go to work. Yes, I realized that I was no longer the sexual stud, or at least that's what I thought of myself, of my late teens and early 20s, but I've been able to "hold my own" in the bedroom without the thought of not keeping an erection. Well, a couple of months ago this was far from the case, and it has taken me this long to research and figure out just what in the hell was going on!

OK, let me start from the beginning. As you guys know, I've been working out and dieting on a consistent basis for more than three years now; the first two years of my journey were basically hit and miss. During this time, I've come across fitness books that dealt with the various ways that bodybuilders (natural & "not so" natural) achieve their ripped and defined physiques. A couple of these books talked about the relationship between sex hormones and working out, but I usually skipped over these chapters since I wasn't interested in becoming a bodybuilder and they were too damn technical. I'm an English professor for christ's sake.

Well, this was a big mistake on my part because who else would know and understand how to achieve low body fat percentages and the body's reaction to this than those who participate in a sport where having excess body fat is a liability. So, I had to ditch the muscle head stereotype that I had of bodybuilders and started to learn what processes, especially hormones, that are involved in becoming lean and ripped. However, I'm getting a little ahead of myself . . .

Alright, there I am staring, or should I say goggling, at the sexy body of a woman who wanted to do things to me that's probably illegal in most southern states. Many thoughts were running through my mind, and all of them would be rated TV-MA; however, I realized that there was one piece missing in this sexual puzzle which seemed to be having G rated thoughts: Willy was still asleep! I didn't think much of this as I just chalked it up to pre-intercourse jitters with a new partner that I know most fellas can relate to. So, I didn't think much of it and figured that everything would snap back to normal, and I would chuckle to myself about this a little later.

30 minutes later, I'm lying on my back, staring at the ceiling, and assuring the puzzled woman next to me that it usually doesn't take this long for me to get an erection and no it's not her. After another 15 minutes of failed attempts to wake Willy up, I decided that it was simply one of those un-explainable sexual thangs that we men experience once in a long while or even in a lifetime. Well, that lame excuse only held up until my next attempted, and failed, romp in the sack.

Guys, this is one time that I really wasn't interested in three strikes and you're out, so, putting my male ego aside, which you know is not an easy task, I finally decided that I could no longer do my ostrich impersonation about my little problem. After making sure to give away all the knives and sharp objects in my house, I sat down with my books to try and figure out why Willy went on an extended . . . uhh . . . prolonged vacation.

I felt that if I could deal with my problem myself, then I wouldn't have to explain to my doctor why a 36 year old man, who works out 5-6 days a week, and is obviously in great shape is having problems with maintaining an erection. Fortunately, I didn't have to go too far for some possible answers.

My readers know that I'm a big fan of Mike Mahler's ebooks and training DVDs. In his e-book, The Aggressive Strength Solution For Size And Strength, he devotes a chapter to the secret relationship between sex hormones and training. Basically, he gives an overview of the hormones Testosterone (T) and Growth Hormone (GH) and how they are affected by the different types of training one does; he also quotes from a couple of other books. One book in particular stood out from the rest because of its title: The Care and Feeding of a Penis by Dr. William Wong.

Considering my little problem, and not to mention the suicidal thoughts I was having, you can imagine how fast I ordered this e-book.

* * *

Preview of Part II:

why your body hates you but really loves you
why middle-age starts at 35
estrogen dominance, bitch tits, and moody men
big "hypothalmus" is watching
natural/herbal testosterone boosting supplements
herbal erection and sexual performance enhancers (no BS!)

Mr. Low Body Fat Ties The Knot in Vegas!

2008-02-25T07:14:00.000-08:00

That's right, you didn't mis-read the title of this post. I got married to a very beautiful woman on this past Friday in Las Vegas (no Elvis jokes please!). Although I vowed to never marry again after my first failed marriage, what do you do when you're bitten by the love bug?

As with my diet and workout routine, my marriage is far from conventional, as Crystal is one of my former students. Feel free to read this article that was done on us in a local newspaper that details what I'm talking about.

Anyway, here are a couple of shots from our wedding and this link is to more pictures. Feel free to check them out and leave a comment if you wish. I ask my readers to please bear with me as we move to our new home to start our lives together; however, I'm still in training and have only taken a week off.

Hell, I was up at 5am this morning getting back on track with my workouts and ready to bring this challenge to a close, in one month's time. I can't believe that I'm now even more motivated to get lean and ripped and be the proverbial trophy husband for my new wife (aka Mrs. Low Body Fat).

Still Focused Guys . . . Don't Worry!

2008-02-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

I know that I've been quiet for over a week now, so I just wanted to assure you fellas that I'm still on my 12 week transformation and progressing along nicely I might add ;) Let's just say that I'm in the process of giving away my size 36 pants since I'm now fully in a size 34! Now, this is a far cry from the tight size 48 pants I use to sport when I was at my heaviest weight.

Talked to our friend Wendy, from Wendybird Fotos, and we've tentatively setup the 1st of March for our next photo shoot which I'm really amped about. I believe that these pictures will be a major improvement from my last photo shoot.

Starting to clearly see your veins under your skin is truly one of those things that you have to experience for yourself. Nevertheless, I'm still concerned about getting cut and bleeding out faster than I did when I had a thick layer of fat covering them. Well, I guess that's the price one pays for trying to get lean and ripped.

I went to my 20 year Congressional Page High School Reunion over the holiday weekend. It was really an interesting experience since I had not seen any of my classmates in 20 years. Well, I had a blast, and we simply picked up where we had left off. Since I was not fat when I was 16, many of my classmates could not believe my before pictures that I showed them. And, I felt honored to have folks come up to me and talk about their current or past weight problems. I truly believe that this is an epidemic that we as a society need to address more aggressively.

This was a good break from my routine, as I let my hair down and indulged myself with foods that I normally don't eat; however, I was still very mindful of my portion size and not stuffing myself needlessly. All that being said, if you're in DC, go to Pizzeria Uno in Union Station and make sure to save room for the WOW Chocolate dessert. You'll thank me later.

Finally, I wanted to leave you with an inspirational quote that I picked up from one of those Airline magazines that I've actually added to my email signature:

"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible."

Oh, I almost forgot. I plan on dropping a BOMB on Monday that you will not want to miss . . .

In Search of Sandow Blog Updated!

2008-02-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it's the end of the 5th week of my 12 week In Search of Sandow Body Transformation, so I've updated the blog with information on how my diet and workouts are going. I've also posted a couple of teaser pictures of how I'm looking now, but these are just precursors to the full-body ones I'll post at the mid-way point. Thanks for all your continued support as I continue to bust my ass to get this damn six pack!

http://insearchofsandow.blogspot.com/

Interview with Jimmy "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" Moore

2008-01-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

OK Guys, today I am very happy that for my first of a series of interviews I plan on conducting this year is with no one other than a personal friend, an online mentor, and all around good guy. Yes, I'm talking about The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man himself, Jimmy Moore. Jimmy has been on the forefront of not only the low-carb movement, but the movement to allow people to have more than just a high-carb, low-fat choice in losing weight and maintaining it.

Jimmy's personal weight loss story of losing close to 200lbs prompted him to start a blog, write a book, and become one of the most recognized health bloggers on the internet. His very informative and entertaining blog, Livin La Vida Low Carb, has been visited by thousands of viewers across the globe and continues to gain popularity as folks are starting to take notice of the healthy, low-carb, lifestyle that continues to help many overweight folks lose the weight.

Most people don't know that it was because of Jimmy's encouragement that I decided to start my very own weight loss blog. That's right, if it wasn't for Jimmy, there would be no Mr. Low Body Fat's Blog! And since I started in August of last year, I can tell you that I've bugged Jimmy more than I had in the two years I'd been following his blog! OK, let's move on to the interview where I ask Jimmy a couple of questions about his weight loss, his blog, the Kimkins fiasco, as well as other hot topics:

Jimmy, welcome to my blog and thanks for agreeing to be the very first interviewee for my blog; I really appreciate it. Alright, I know that you have written a book about your inspiring 180+lb. weight loss journey; however, could you give my readers a re-cap of how you went about losing, and keeping off, so much weight?

Well thanks for having me today. I always count it a privilege to share my story with others and help them in any way that I can. It's all a part of my desire to give back for the miracle that has happened in my life as a result of losing as much as I did. My personal weight loss journey began the exact same way that most of us who have attempted to lose weight has--I was dissatisfied with how I looked and felt, I was on the brink of putting my health in permanent jeopardy, and I felt hopeless that there was any way out of this deep hole I had dug for my life. But there was one thing different about this time that I had never done before. I decided that the choice I would make to lose the weight would be something I would do for the rest of my life to keep the weight off. If you merely go on a diet to lose weight just so you can get back to eating the way you did before, then hear me out on this--YOU WILL FAIL! On January 1, 2004, I decided after trying to figure out which nutritional plan was going to enable me to lose weight and then continue eating that way long after the weight loss ended that I was going to go on the Atkins diet. And when I say Atkins, I'm not just referring to meat, eggs, and cheese.

There is so much more to this way of eating than that as you will discover in Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution. If you claim to be doing the "Atkins" diet and never even bothered to open the book, then you are NOT doing the Atkins diet. You can't possibly know how to do a diet that you've never even read. READ THE BOOK and absorb all the lessons that the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins shared therein. You're weight loss journey will be that much better if you do. When I started, my weight was 410 pounds, I had a size 62-inch waist, was wearing 5XL shirts, was on prescription medications for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and breathing issues. I was quite literally a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode at the age of 32. My brother Kevin had suffered a series of three heart attacks within the span of a week that nearly killed him when he was the exact same age, so I was deeply troubled and worried about my own health for the future. Unless you've been morbidly obese, you cannot even begin to understand the enormous pressure of living this way. You don't want to be fat, but that's exactly where you are. It is quite literally a lonely, bleak, and miserable existence from quite arguably some of the most intelligent, loving, and caring people you'll ever meet. These are the people who are overlooked by our society, but they have just as much to contribute as their leaner counterparts.

As for my Atkins lifestyle change, it started off pretty rough during those first few days, but I was determined that this time failure was NOT an option. The sugar withdrawals I endured gave me bad body aches, headaches, and such that I felt like I was detoxing from a cocaine addiction. I've never taken drugs, but in those first few days and weeks of the Atkins diet, I could finally imagine what it would be like to break an addiction to drugs. This one had a deep stranglehold on me just like the worst recreational drug you could ever take. It took a little while for my body to adjust to ending my sugar addiction, but when it did the real benefits of livin' la vida low-carb began in earnest. After one month on the Atkins diet, I had lost 30 pounds. I thought to myself, WOW, this diet really works! But I hadn't seen anything yet because in month two another 40 pounds were gone from my rapidly shrinking body. Holy cow, is this REALLY happening to me? By the end of ten weeks I had lost 100 pounds and I went on to lose a total of 180 pounds in 2004 despite a 10-week weight loss stall right smack dab in the middle of the year. I persevered despite the pain, despite the mental challenges, and despite the fact that I had lost weight and gained it back before. It was gonna be so worth it for me this time and I had a feeling something major was about to happen for me in my life.

Four years later, I'm living a dream life: after losing all that weight that changed my physical life, I decided to start my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog in April 2005 to share with others about my weight loss success and to help keep myself accountable. It's kinda hard to gain back your weight if you have a whole buncha eyeballs watching you on a daily basis at a blog. Of course, I also wrote that book you mentioned to tell my story in greater detail since people were curious about how I did it. Writing a book was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life and I'm ready to write even more books this year and beyond. As the blog audience continued to grow, I was approached about doing a podcast show and started "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" in October 2006 which now has over 100 episodes. My wife Christine then started joining me in August 2007 for some fun and educational new YouTube videos about low-carb living to reach a new audience of people who had never heard of me. Finally, last month I released a brand new sugar-free, low-carb dark chocolate raspberry bar called "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Bar" from the makers of ChocoPerfection. I like to stay busy with all of these things because it motivates me to continue doing the things that got me here so I can not just keep the weight off, but to maintain my health for many years to come. Livin' la vida low-carb is not just about getting skinny--health is the PRIMARY reason anyone and everyone should be eating this way. Weight loss is a nice side effect of the low-carb lifestyle.
I think that it is safe to say that more people probably know you more as "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man" than your real name. What caused you to start your blog and the whole "Livin La Vida Low-Carb" concept?

I'm not ashamed of nor do I run away from the branding of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" in as many avenues as possible. If someone finds my blog, podcast, YouTube videos, chocolate bar, or anything else that I've done and can change their life like I did, then the work I invest is all worth it. And from the hundreds of e-mails that I receive on a daily basis, that's precisely what is happening. Nothing is more satisfying than knowing you are playing an instrumental role in the success of others and that's what keeps me going regardless. The story about how my blog got started is that it was almost by accident. I was already a contributing opinion writer at a web site called CommonVoice.com where most of the columns were about politics (I have very little interest in that subject now--EEEK!). But after this enormous weight loss, I had written a few columns about my weight loss progress and success. Because anything posted to CommonVoice.com showed up in Google News searches, it captured the attention of lots of people who were interested in learning more about my story in a more intimate way. And everyone I ran into wanted to know, "How'd you lose weight?" A friend of mine who has a very successful political web site had decided to try his hand at blogging in early April 2005. I had heard of a blog, but really wasn't that familiar with them at the time. Commonvoice.com was a pseudo-blog because I could write whenever I wanted about what was on my mind. But seeing this new blog from my friend got me to thinking that this would be an excellent way to get the word out about my weight loss success, give me an outlet for writing about those experiences, and enable me to connect with others who struggle with their weight and health.

And thus was born the concept of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb." It's something that has flourished beyond anything I could have ever imagined. People are looking for someone they can relate to who understands them without being judgmental or preachy. That's why my motto is to "educate, encourage, and inspire" others as they begin this journey for themselves. That's what I was about then and what I'm still about today.
Again, following your lead, I'm thinking about doing a video blog of my 12 week "In Search of Sandow" Body Transformation" that I'm currently doing. Well, you've recently ventured out into the world of video blogging on youtube along with your lovely wife, Christine. What made you try such a different type of media? What are some of the pros and cons you've experienced so far with video blogging?

Absolutely, you should start doing YouTube videos. Just make sure the quality of your production is the best it can be. Get good lighting, make sure your sound is as clear as possible, look directly into the camera when you are speaking, and just be YOU! It's a great avenue for how-to videos like what you are wanting to do, so GO FOR IT!!! Why did I decide to start doing YouTube videos? Simply put, it was a new audience of people to reach with the message of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb." There are people who live on YouTube and so that is an attractive place to capture new faces to the concept of low-carb. And quite frankly I was disappointed at the lack of quality information about low-carb on YouTube. Other than my fellow 200-pound Atkins diet weight loss success story and friend Kent Altena (bowulf) who had posted a series of how to do Atkins videos in 2006, there was nothing positive on there about living the low-carb life. I mean, come on! We all know how wonderful this way of eating is and how much it can change your life. It was high time that even more voices in support of livin' la vida low-carb made their presence felt. And so I did and got my wife Christine to join me (which was amazing since she is a big-time introvert married to an ultra-extravert). But we've had a blast with these videos.

Pros? Definitely, you can reach new people who would probably not find you otherwise. But once you got 'em hooked on your videos, they'll start checking out your blogs, podcasts, and other entities to continue the learning process. Plus, it is another way to have an outlet for sharing about my success. It's been almost three years since I started my blog and there are STILL brand new people finding out about the work I am doing. I never assume that everyone knows about "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" because there are hundreds of millions more who don't. YouTube is yet another way to tap into that pool of people. Cons? It takes time to record and produce a YouTube video. First we come up with what we're gonna talk about, then we start recording the 10-minute video speaking almost exclusively extemporaneously because we don't want to sound scripted or robotic. Anyone who watches our videos will tell you that the unexpected is what they enjoy most about our videos. But this does open the door for leaving out some important things when you don't go by a rigid format. I think the trade-off is worth it, though, because people connect with the reality of how we present ourselves. Nobody is snoozing through our videos. :)
Jimmy, like you, I'm a big fan of the Biggest Loser. I've been hooked since the first season. I know that you have blogged about the show on numerous occasions and communicated with some of the contestants here in the US as well as internationally from the show. I really enjoyed your recent interview with Pete from the second season. So, why are you such a fan? Why am I such a fan of The Biggest Loser?

It's simple: that television show is changing the lives of real people for the better. You and I both know the pain of being morbidly obese and the struggle to overcome that major obstacle in our lives. The process is not easy, but it's not impossible either. I especially like the fact that they give people hope for a future they didn't know existed yet and an opportunity to see exactly what they can do when pushed to display the strength they have within them. The connection people make with these contestants rooting them on as they lose the weight and get their health back is what makes this the most wildly-popular weight loss show in the history of television. The trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels as well as some of the nutrition experts on the show like Dr. Michael Dansinger recognize the value of individualizing a diet plan that will work for each contestant. The monolithic low-fat, low-calorie approach to eating is not espoused on the show although I wish they would make it more explicit that they tailor the nutritional aspect of the contestants to maximize their ability to shed the pounds. And every single winner of The Biggest Loser in the United States and Australia has implemented some sort of a carbohydrate-restricted diet which tells me this way of eating is indeed a very viable way to help bring about weight loss and improved health.

Wanna know what my dream show idea for The Biggest Loser is? Low-fat vs. low-carb! Put half the contestants on a high-carb, low-fat diet a la Ornish and pit them against a team of contestants following a high-fat, low-carb diet. Talk about a runaway, slam dunk for livin' la vida low-carb and what great television that would make! But you and I both know that'll never happen because that would create such a demand for low-carb that the sugar, grain, and junk food industries would probably go out of business overnight. That wouldn't be such a bad thing, ya know? :D
I think it's safe to say that you have interviewed some of the biggest names in the low-carb movement, as well as the diet industry as a whole. OK, describe the absolutely worst interview that you've had. Now, of course I'm not expecting you to reveal the person's name, but just tell us what made it such a horrible experience. The more detailed, the better . . . ;)

I'm gonna be honest with you...I haven't had a "worst" interview. Whenever I am given an opportunity to speak with someone on my podcast show or send them interview questions for my blog, it is an honor to have a chance to speak with others who have much more knowledge and wisdom about diet and health that I do. So I remain humble and respectful because they took the time to talk to me. Not many people have the almost instant access to a whole array of experts at their fingertips, but I do and I am very grateful. It's all about cultivating those relationships with the people so they will feel comfortable speaking with you anytime. One such extreme example of this is low-fat diet guru Dr. Dean Ornish. Back in 2006, I tried to get an interview with him to share with my readers at my blog. He agreed to the interview after about six months of working out the details (he got married that year, so he was a little busy). Finally, in October 2006, that interview took place although Dr. Ornish was still a little concerned that I would try to twist his words into saying something he didn't say. But I assured him I recorded the interview and would write what he said verbatim. And I did. That experience enabled me to cultivate a cordial relationship with him that continues to this day. In fact, Dr. Ornish has a new book that recently released called The Spectrum that incorporates some of the areas of commonality he and I talked about during our first interview and he came to me about doing a second interview. We'll definitely be working out the details on that very soon.

I suppose the worst experience I have had TRYING to get an interview with someone is Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He is a well-known vegetarian author of the book Eat To Live and an outspoken critic of the Atkins diet, so I wanted to interview him to ask him some specific questions regarding his opposition to livin' la vida low-carb. Since I had interviewed Dr. Ornish, a much more famous low-fat vegetarian than Dr. Fuhrman, I didn't anticipate getting an interview would be an issue. But the webmaster for his blog Gerald Pugliese rather bluntly responded back to my request by saying "you're a nobody--just a lowly blogger like me." It's interesting that I'm such a "nobody" because they sure do talk about me and link to posts I have written quite a bit. Oh well, it's their loss and it makes you wonder what they're trying to hide. If he's worried about having his core nutritional beliefs challenged, then he should be afraid--VERY AFRAID!
Alright, now switching gears back to a more serious topic: online weight loss scams. To those of my readers who are not familiar with the whole Kimkins fiasco, please go here for a rehash. OK, instead reliving all that madness Jimmy, could you try and help me understand why people continue to support this big fat fraud? I mean, come one, she's been outed and forced to come clean. What do you think?

I wish I knew why in light of all the evidence showing the Kimkins diet fraud which was created by a morbidly obese 300+ pound woman named Heidi Diaz who has been a well-known scam artist for years is still so attracted to this plan. It is basically a ZERO fat, ZERO carb, protein-only diet that is causing some really dangerous health complications to happen in the desperate and unsuspecting dieters who try it. The calorie intake of the people following this plan as Diaz, who is neither a doctor nor a nutritionist, wrote it out is around 500 a day. Yikes! This diet is nothing more than a one-way ticket to anorexia and death due to malnutrition. I suppose people are so desperate for weight loss that they'll even try something this drastic to see if it will work for them. It's a sad day in our society when people are more concerned about weight loss than they are about improving their health. The latter is worth so much more to your body long-term which is why I emphasize that fact more and more in all that I do. National television exposure of the fraud as well as an ongoing class action lawsuit against Diaz will eventually come to a head and hopefully bring this diet imposter down for good. For the sake of the tens of thousands of people who got sucked in by this scheme, I can only hope that day will be sooner rather than later.
Jimmy, I was excited to see that you have decided to make 2008 the year that you get serious about resistance training because you're not happy with the way your body looks. I can fully relate as I have experienced the same thing after losing over 100lbs. What was the catalyst that caused you to post shirtless pictures of yourself to your readers? I mean, what kind of guy would have a blog and show shirtless pics of himself? ;) No, seriously, what made you want to pursue a more lean and svelte look?

Actually, I was so ready to get going with this that I started back in early December 2007 because I wanted to do this for real this time. I've been wanting to build upper body strength ever since I lost my weight in 2004, but didn't really know where to start. Despite losing a massive amount of weight, I've never felt comfortable with the way my body looks. Yes, I'm no longer that morbidly obese man that I once was, but I don't feel comfortable walking shirtless on the beach anytime soon. Why? I've got a belly full of loose skin and I'm just plain weak from the waist up. My legs have always been strong from carrying around 400+ pounds for so many years. But now it's time to work on my arms, shoulders, chest and abs. The problem for me was I am utterly clueless about where to start. Doing cardiovascular exercise on the treadmill or elliptical machine is easy--you just hop on and start sweating! LOVE IT! But lifting weights and doing resistance training was a mystery. Am I doing it right? How do I know which exercise to do to work a specific muscle group? How often can I workout so I can start firming up areas of my body? Is there such a thing as too much weight lifting? All these questions and more have swirled around in my head ever since I lost weight and quite frankly I had never received an answer to them until recently.
I know that you've recently hired a personal trainer to help you reach destination lean. I think this is a great idea Jimmy, and I'm not saying this because I've decided to study to be a certified personal trainer. So, how is it going? Do you find that you are more motivated to push yourself when you have a trainer? Could you give my readers an idea of a typical workout routine?

The main thing that has helped me this time around is hiring a personal trainer. Sure, there are lots of books and instructional videos out there which are excellent resources to use. But the personal touch of a trainer has committed me to doing this for real this time rather than hoping it will happen and then giving up in frustration. I've got a one-year contract with a trainer, so I HAVE to do this. If you are unsure about what to do to shape your body, lower your body fat, and get fit, then a personal trainer can help you get going the right way. I'm a little more than a month into this and have already seen a BIG difference in my biceps and shoulders. My chest, abs, and the rest of my arms still have a lot of work left to be done, but we'll get there. The ball is rolling and I'm ready for the ride.
Jimmy, you are always sharing with your readers exciting low-carb news before it breaks to the major media outlets or those stories that never make it. So, what are some new things on the low-carb horizon that you think my reader's should be on the look out for?

There's always so much going on that sometimes it is difficult for one person (ME!) to fit it all in. But I try my best to write about the most important stories that people should be aware of as they are happening. It makes my blog the "go-to" place for all things low-carb and I've purposely done that by design. Sure, there are other excellent blogs like yours, Regina Wilshire's "Weight Of The Evidence," Dr. Mike Eades' "Health and Nutrition," and many others who have their niche. And mine is to write as much as possible about livin' la vida low-carb so that you'll never be in the dark about what's happening with this way of eating. Hmmmm, is there anything new on the low-carb horizon you should know about...oh, yes, there is. Just as there was in January 2006, a brand new scientific sessions conference on carbohydrate restriction is scheduled for sometime this year and guess who one of the major sponsors of that conference will be? Yep, it's the American Diabetes Association who just this year has decided to promote low-carb alongside low-fat diets for diabetics. This is a major deal because much of the low-carb research has been about disease control with conditions like diabetes rather than weight loss. Losing weight is a given now on low-carb diets, so the researchers are now much more interested in the health improvements. This conference will present all the latest science behind livin' la vida low-carb and I personally look forward to being there to actively report on what is happening behind-the-scenes. It's truly exciting for those of us who support low-carb living!
HOT SEAT QUESTION: OK, Jimmy, you are my "blogger" mentor and good friend, but I have to put you on the hot seat. This is something that everyone I interview has to experience. So, let's get to asking the hard question(s). I see that you have a new livin la vida low-carb chocolate bar, which you guys can check out and purchase here. While I'm happy that you are starting to offer branded products because of all your hard work in getting your name out there, I feel a bit ambivalent about you offering a candy bar to your readers and viewers. As a business venture and offering an alternative to the sugary bars out there, I can see why you would feel this gap, with obviously a good tasting product--the reviews are glowing. However, do you think that you are sending a mixed message to your audience, especially in light of your new commitment to exercise? Hey, is there a LLVLC protein bar/shake or something more health-ful in the works?

Nah, that's not a hot seat question! I'm happy to talk about my amazing new low-carb chocolate bar. "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Bar" is indeed a VERY healthy product that I am proud to have my name on because it is only made with the highest quality of ingredients, including coconut oil, cocoa butter, chickory root for fiber, and so much more. There are plenty of excellent protein-based shakes and bars out there to power you up for your workouts, but that's not the purpose of my bar. This chocolate is designed to give you the decadence of a gourmet European bar without all the sugar that generally accompanies it. With most low-carb chocolate bars these days infested with inferior sweeteners like the stomach-busting sugar alcohol maltitol, I am proud to offer a dark chocolate raspberry bar that people who need a little sweet in their life can enjoy without the guilt. After all, what would life be like if you couldn't eat chocolate, hmmm? :)

Jimmy, I can't thank you enough for your time in allowing me to interview you for my blog. You have inspired me, as well as countless of others, on my weight loss journey with your passion and getting the message out to the lay person approach. Please keep on doing what you're doing Bro and know that you have a home here and are more than welcome to stop by any time.

You are VERY welcome, Muata! Take care!

Let Your Mortality Serve As Motivation

2008-01-19T03:46:00.000-08:00

Guys, I have something a bit personal to share with you today. I got a call from my mom yesterday, and she told me that my Auntie had finally passed on after a four year long battle with cancer. Since my mom had been to see her the last couple of weekends, I knew that she was literally on her death bed, so the news wasn't that shocking to me. However, thinking back from the time that she was first given 4 months to live, more than four years ago, until she finally died on this past Thursday, compelled me to share something with you, but I ask that you bear with me as I make my point.

My Auntie was a strong and proud woman who taught me many things, especially the family gardening secrets that she learned from my great-grandma. So, my avid love for gardening or just growing plants in general was definitely nurtured by her. She also constantly encouraged me as I worked and struggled my way through my Masters and PhD programs by allowing me to rent out her basement. I was experiencing really tough times as a poor, hungry, and jobless grad student, and I would have been homeless if it weren't for her taking me in.

Nevertheless, one thing that I observed from afar these past four years is my Auntie chasing after one treatment to the next in an attempt to "beat" her disease. While her warrior spirit was admirable, I can't help but shake my head because she spent the last four years of her life constantly in pain from one experimental chemo treatment to the next. There was one treatment where they had to put her hands and feet in cold water because of the heat generated by the chemicals they were pumping into her! Fellas, the truth is that my Auntie was, like many of us, afraid to die, and this fear caused her to miss out on possibly the most precious time of her life: her last years.

So, what in the world does this have to do with my weight loss blog? In a word, it has everything to do with not only weight loss, which is only a by product of our real goal here--taking control of You! Yes, I've read many books on nutrition and exercise that have been extremely valuable on my journey; however, there was one book that crystallized everything for me. After reading Dr. Wayne Dyer's Your Erroneous Zones, I had a new perspective on life. Yes, I'm talking about the same balding guy that seems to be on PBS 24/7 talking about his latest books or CDs. Honestly, I can't vouch for any of his other books or products since I haven't read or purchased them. Your Erroneous Zones was all that I needed at that point of my life, and reading it literally changed my life because it caused me to change my way of thinking.

I strongly encourage you guys to read this book, which was first published the year I was born, because it helped me to get over the fact that we are all going to die one day, and that fearing it was absurd. Why fear the inevitable? Yes, I know that many of us fear the unknown or the unexpected, but that doesn't keep those things at bay or even eliminate them, does it? Of course it doesn't because if it did, my Auntie would still be alive. We can will ourselves to live longer than the "doctors" have given us, but in the end our mortality wins out. So, is this something that we should cower in the face of or grit our teeth over? Hell no!

You use it at motivation to have the life that You want to live in the body that You want to have. People often ask me why I have set so many goals and challenges for myself. Well, it's actually quite simple. I realize that this is the only life that I will consciously live in the body I currently have. Now, there are hundreds of beliefs about what happens after we die, which is fine for explaining what happens after we stop breathing. But, what about all the years we have in between our first and last breath? Are we simply going to live a mundane life of unfulfilled dreams and aspirations, waiting for that dreadful day when we die?

I can't speak for you, but I believe like one of my fitness idols, Jack LaLanne. In an interview about his longevity, the interviewer asked Jack does he think about dying, and he scoffed at the question and told her that, "I'll think about dying when I'm dead!". Now, this is exactly the type of attitude about living life that I'm getting at guys.

For me, I'm going to live my life to the fullest, aggressively (thanks Mike), and without fear of dying. My life's goal is to complete as many challenges and goals that I set for myself and to live my life without regret of what I should have done or what I could have done. I think that a verse from Dave Matthew's song Lie In Our Graves sums it up best:

I can't believe that we would lie in graves
Wondering if we had spent our living days well
I can't believe that we would lie in graves
Wondering what we might've been
I can't believe that we would lie in graves
Wondering if we had spent our living days well
I can't believe that we would lie in graves
Wondering what we might've been

Is this the person you want to be? Lying on your death bed, wondering about all the things you said you wanted to do, but never did. Talking about all the accomplishments you decided not to pursue because you short-changed your own abilities. Are you really going to live your life wondering what you might have been if you had stood up and taken charge of your destiny?

Yes, I blog about weight loss and my journey to getting lean and ripped; however, these things are secondary to my goal of living a full, satisfying, and successful life, which I define for myself. I think this gets lost in all of the before and after pictures, debates about counting calories, losing weight as a hobby, etc that I blog about. Nevertheless, if you are simply losing weight for cosmetic or narcissistic reasons and haven't closely analyzed how this is part of you taking control of your life, then you're sadly missing out on the bigger picture.

* * *

As I plant my traditional and hydroponic gardens this summer, I'll think about my Auntie and the times that we've spent together. However, I'm going to remember my Auntie as she was before the last four years of her life because this is when she was focused more on living instead of focusing on trying not to die.

The Skill of Losing Weight - Series Introduction

2008-01-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

Five years ago, I decided to take control of my life once and for all, just like the countless number of guys will do this year. So, what makes the start of their journey different from mine? Did I know more than they did before I started? Well unless having back issues of Men's Health made me some sort of weight loss stud, then I guess I did. But, we know that wasn't the case.

Now that I've lost my extra chub, I get "So, what's the secret Muata?" or "How can I lose weight like you?". Well fellas, one of my New Year's gift to you is that I'm going to answer that question for you; however, I'm going to take a different approach . . . a really different approach.

This year, I strongly encourage you to approach losing weight as you would learning a new skill or hobby. That's right, I want you to view weight loss as you would learning how to play an instrument or a new dance. OK, let me back up and explain why I think this is an approach that you should adopt for this year.

Believe it or not, when I'm not obsessing about getting my six-pack, I actually have many hobbies and skills I've picked up over the years. For instance, I'm a musician, writer/poet, hydroponics/traditional gardener, part-time Linux addict (go open source!), salsero, and kettlebell enthusiast, to name a few. And you probably thought I was just some guy who likes to post semi-nude pics of himself on the net, eh? Well, my skill level in these hobbies range from a step above a beginner to intermediate; although I've not mastered any of them, it's OK because I have the basics down and, therefore, a solid foundation to build on.

Guys, you can view weight loss as no different than any of the hobbies you currently have. For example, I don't care if you've had dreams of being the next Victor Wooten (where are my bass players?), you had to start with learning the basic bass chords and keys first, right? Of course you did, and I believe that you had to practice too, didn't you? OK, I know these may seem obvious for anyone wanting to learn to play an instrument, but I believe that these, and a couple more, apply to weight loss also.

On my five year plus weight loss journey, I've come to recognize that there are five common characteristics of learning a hobby or new skill that can be applied to losing weight too:

Take the time to learn the basics FIRST!
Practice, Practice, Practice
Be patient with your progress
Look for other like minded hobbyists
Don't worry about making mistakes

In my upcoming series of posts, which will span the next couple of weeks, I'm going to elaborate on each characteristic separately. So, stay tuned and get ready to pick up, and dust off, an old hobby you may have abandoned back in the day because, whether you realize it or not, it's going to help you lose weight!

Starting Measurements, Workout, and Diet Posted ...

2008-01-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

Hey Fellas, I just wanted to let you know that I've posted my starting measurements (compared with those of Sandow's), the workout(s) I will be doing for the next 6 weeks, and my daily diet requirements for my 12 Week In Search of Sandow Body Transformation. Feel free to check them out at my other blog:

In Search of Sandow

MLBF's "In Search of Sandow" Body Transformation Challenge

2008-01-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

I've always been told that I have an old soul. I've always credited this to my hanging out with many of my mom's friends at a young age, which caused me to think differently from many of my peers. Well, this has continued well into my adult years because I consider myself, as the ESPN Classic commercial used to say, Old School!

Whether it's driving a 20+ year-old Mercedes Turbo Diesel, blasting Eric B and Rakim's My Melody (where are my hip-hop historians), or using fitness equipment that has been around for over 100 years (e.g, kettlebells), I enjoy using and studying about classics. Well, when it comes to the male physique, I'm really old school when I look for inspiration. While there have been great and marvelous physiques over the decades, one has always stood out to me as a physique that just about any man can achieve with hard work and the proper information about nutrition and exercise. And that was the physique of no one other that the great Eugene Sandow--the father of modern bodybuilding!

When I thought about a goal I need to work towards this year, I saw the picture above and knew instantly what my extremely lofty goal for the year is going to be. Yes, I believe that I can train my body to the point that my physique can rival that of the great Sandow. Pipe dream? Maybe it is, maybe it's not; but, I'm more than willing to challenge myself to find out.

So, to kick start my goal, I've decided to start another blog to detail my 12 week "In Search of Sandow" Body Transformation Challenge. There, I'll detail my daily caloric intake, exercise, and overall thoughts about the process. For more information about my challenge, which I will start today, please go to my other temporary blog: MLBF's "In Search of Sandow" Body Transformation Blog.

Don't worry guys, I will still post here weekly as I've been doing, as the other blog is solely for my personal challenge. As a matter of fact, be on the look out for a series of posts about losing weight as a hobby in the upcoming weeks. Also, I'm in the process of securing interviews with many authors, strength and conditioning coaches, health bloggers, and natural doctors. So, be ready for many new and exciting things from my blog for 2008!

Oh, just in case you were wondering, no, I'm not going to take pictures in leopard print bikins or with a leaf like the picture to the right! However, I haven't ruled out white tiger print bikinis just yet . . .

;)

Grow Your Own Food in 2008

2008-01-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

Well, not too many people know, but MrLowBodyFat is also a home hydroponics gardener. That's right, I've grown 'maters, cukes, watermelon, cantaloupe, bell peppers, chiles, gourds, and tomatillos to name a few. What's really crazy is that I grew all of them without using dirt! For more information on hydroponics, click here. And, to see some of the gardens, hydro and traditional, that I've had since 2004, feel free to check out my public web albums.

I have to warn you that when you are first starting out with hydro-gardening, it may seem a bit too complicated and expensive, especially if you decide to buy a commercially made hydroponics unit. So, if you have never tried your hand at home gardening, then I have a great, inexpensive, and simple project for you: grow mushrooms!

That's right, you can buy a home mushroom growing kit and grow more than enough fresh mushrooms for you, your family, and probably your neighbors too. I don't know about you, but I just love mushrooms, which are a good source of minerals such as selenium, ergothioneine, copper, potassium, and vitamins B and D.

Besides the obvious health benefits of eating mushrooms, you have never tasted a mushroom until you eat one that's freshly picked! However, keep in mind that our stomach's acid can not break down raw mushrooms, so you have to cook for your body to absorb the healthy minerals and vitamins I mentioned above. Knowing this, I think it's pretty funny that raw mushrooms are always available at virtually every salad bar. Do yourself a favor, if you can't steam or sautee them before putting them into your salad, skip 'em unless you simply want the extra roughage.

What? You don't believe that our bodies can't breakdown raw mushrooms? OK smart guy, do one small experiment for me. Swallow a small, raw mushroom whole, and keep check of your stool the next time(s) you go the bathroom. Just don't freak out and think that you've crapped out some important internal body tissue when you see a whole or partially-whole mushroom floating around like I did! LOL!

For more pictures of the mushroom kit I used and how it progressed to my first harvest, check out these pics. To read more about the kit and the company selling them, check out:

www.mushroomadventures.com

Shipping was pretty fast for me since I live in CA; nevertheless, the kit was shipped soon after I ordered it online. I ordered the half white button mushrooms and portabellas!

Please let me know if you order one and how it turned out.

Don't Be This Guy in 2008

2008-01-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

It's finally here--2008! This is the year that you have made the decision to finally start your weight loss journey. You made your New Year's resolution a month early and joined the gym to show yourself that you are really determined this time. In addition to your new gym membership, you've picked up a tub of Whey Protein, fat burners made from Artic sea weed (that promise you can lose weight without exercising), and your trusty tube of man-boob eliminator cream.

But, you don't stop there. You figured that since you're going to the gym, you have to dress the part, right? So, you go out and buy new workout gear, with matching shoes, towel, and weight lifting gloves. You decided against buying a weightlifting belt this week, but plan on coming back for it.

OK, you can dress the part, but what in the world are you going to do once you get in the gym? "No problem!" you say to yourself, and you simply dust off the stack of your favorite muscle mags in the corner and start flipping through looking for a good program. As you thumb through the pages and pages of ads and paid bodybuilders lying about how great a certain supplement is, you make sure to dog ear the programs that promise to Blast the fat, Burn the fat, and Melt the fat, etc. Oh, and you tear out the program that tells you that its scientifically researched exercises are specifically designed to Burn Belly Fat First!

Yeah baby, now you are ready to go to the gym to get that body that would make Zeus jealous. As you walk up to the gym for your first workout of the year, you are more than prepared. Hell, you've even brought a small tablet to write down the endless number of reps you're about to perform from your Burn Belly Fat First! program. You don't use a PDA; you're too old school and serious about working out for that!

But, to your surprise, as you open the gym's door, it's packed wall to wall with guys who are not only dressed just as nice and color coordinated as you are, but they are also slowly mulling their way through their own complicated routines they lifted from a muscle mag too. On top of everything else, they're hoggin' up all the cardio machines, and there's a line of guys waiting to use bench press and lat pull-down machines even though no one is using the dip and pull-up tower.

"Now what?", you think to yourself as you walk back to your car promising that you'll make it to the gym earlier tomorrow . . .

5 Ways to Get Fit in 2008

2007-12-28T10:33:00.001-08:00

One thing that I've enjoyed since starting my blog back in August is that I've met some really cool people, who also are interested in blogging about fitness and health. One person is Mark McManus, who usually drops by and leaves a comment or two. I like Mark's writing style and his approach, so I check out his blog weekly. Well, today I came across a post that I had to share with you guys because I couldn't agree more with all of the points he makes.

See for yourself and leave the brother a comment while you're at it:

5 Ways to Get Fit in 2008

* * *

Stay tuned for more details on MLBF's 12 week "In Search of Sandow and the Classic Male Physique" Body Transformation coming in a couple of days!

The Bells Are Back . . .

2007-12-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

As I alluded to in a previous post, one of my kettlebells was stolen from the fitness center in my apartment complex. OK, let me back up to the beginning. In May of this year, I moved from a four bedroom/two bathroom house to a two bedroom apartment. I had to sell all of my weightlifting equipment (i.e., power rack, dumbbells, benches, etc.) because I simply did not have the space. So, after reading one of Pavel's books, I became familiar with kettlebells and quickly ordered a set of 35lbers. I started using Mike Mahler's Kettlebell Solution for Fatloss and Mental Toughness DVD, especially the High Frequency Training (HFT) Double KB routine.

Following Mike's DVD, I was able to improve my technique and strength to the point that I needed to move from my 35lb KBs to a set of 54lbers. Since I live on the third floor, I decided to leave my KBs in the fitness center. Never in a million years did I expect someone to steal a 54lb. KB, but it happened! So, I was left with one 54lb KB since I gave my lighter KBs away. I decided that this would be a good time to take a break from KB training and try out bodyweight exercises wearing a weighted vest, and I'm glad that I did because now I'm going to combine both in my training.

Well, as the new year approaches, I'm happy to report that the Bells are back! No, the sorry bastard who stole my KB didn't have a change of heart and returned my shit. On the contrary, I picked up three new sets of KBs: 54s, 62s, and 70s. My previous set of 54s were from lifelineusa.com and are "obviously" really nice bells, but the shipping costs is a killer. So, now it seems that Apollo KBs has the right idea because they've opened a couple of distro centers in different parts of the country and reps are popping up everywhere. Here's a shot of my babies:

They have a smooth texture like Ader KBs, but the shape is pretty much identical to the lifeline bells. You need to use chalk with them for grip, but that's a small price to pay compared to not having to pay just as much for shipping as you do the damn KB. So, check craigslist.org to see if there is a distributor in your area.

As I was taking pictures of my new bells, I looked around and decided why not show you guys how much of a workout minimalist I am. OK, in addition to using my bells, I only use four other pieces of equipment. My weighted vest is at work, so I don't have a picture of it, but it's one that I picked up from Walmart for $45. Here are the other three:

Door Gym from newyorkbarbells.com

Ultimate Body Press & Cheap Walmart Ab Wheel

Fellas, you don't need a lot of equipment to get ripped: the closer I get to my goal the more I'm really starting to realize that. I'll give you more details in my next post, but I'm going to start a 12 week training cycle at the beginning of the year. And, I'm only going to use the KISS philosophy with only the equipment above. I'm really considering doing a video-blog; we'll see.

Anyway, 2008 is going to be the year that a reformed fat English professor is going to complete his transformation and inspire fat guys all over the world to not settle for simply losing weight or having a normal body fat %.

No, there are guys out there who have always wondered how does it feel to have a six-pack or a body of an athlete; you know who you are. Yeah, you're the guy who hears women talk about how fine or hot Brad Pitt is and wonders how does it feel to be lusted after. How does it feel for a woman to say, "Can I see your abs?". Well, even for someone who has bashfully lifted up his shirt since I have loose skin, let me tell you that it feels damn good! Listen, I don't care how much weight you have to lose; if you are the guy I'm talking about here, let me assure you of something: In every obese, overweight, or simply fat ass guy, there is a Mr. Low Body Fat waiting patiently to be unleashed . . . so, are you going to let him out?

Approximately 5 years after starting my weight loss journey, I realize now that I started off wanting to lose weight, but along the way I started to chase after what I like to call Sx3, which stands for Six pack, Shredded physique, and Strength!

Stay tuned and hold on . . .

KISS Your Old Routines Good-bye (Addendum)

2007-12-22T00:05:00.000-08:00

After yesterday's posting, I had one reader send me this question:

Could you suggest with your experience of how I can design my own KISS way of strength training?

Well, I'm glad that you asked because it allows me to spotlight another person whose training philosophy and methods are helping me on my journey to becoming very flexible. I encourage you to visit Paul Zaichik's Elastic Steel website for many free videos and articles. He has freakish flexibility, as you'll see from his site, but he is also a bodyweight culturists (i.e, folks who use their bodyweight as their main form of resistance in their training) who has many articles and videos on www.bodyweightculture.com.

As a matter of fact, to answer my reader's question, I've decided to post Paul's Home Workout video, which is in two parts. To do these workouts, you do not need to purchase any sort of weights or equipment. He explains, and performs, each one of the exercises. So, feel free to pause, stop, and back up the videos as needed!

Let me know what you think?

KISS Your Old Routines Good-bye

2007-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

In all of my composition classes, I stress to my students to remember the KISS principle in their writings. Well, at least my take on this acronym because I tell them that KISS stands for Keep It Sweet & Simple since I really don't like calling people stupid.

It's funny because I've been teaching this for over 10 years and never really applied it to my own life until a couple of years ago. I started reading more about how it's better to learn fewer things well than many things half-assed, which I got from the strength and conditioning authors I've studied. I've tried complex split routines that you'll find in most bodybuilding magazines; however, they were so complex and had so many sets to perform that I would simply give up on them especially since my main goal was weight loss and not becoming part of the sport of bodybuilding.

I think back to the days of being the largest guy in the gym trying to look like the personal trainers who worked there. I would work my ass off just to continue looking like a walrus. What really discouraged me was that I always wanted to be able to do unassisted dips, but I couldn't press my own bodyweight. Man, my buddy would have to spot me, and I felt sorry for him because I was giving him a workout by just trying to help me. Our workouts would mainly consist of high reps of isolation exercises. Basically, we did the staples that you'll see most guys doing in the average 24 Hour Fitness or LA Fitness: bench press, preacher curls, seated military press, etc.

Well, I've now been training long enough to have worked out with machines, free weights, kettlebells, resistance bands, and bodyweight. What I've found is that using free weights causes you to fully understand how your body needs to operate as one unit. I've found that using machines, especially those that focus on isolation movements, tend to cause you to not focus on how our muscles are all connected and work together. To get the best workout, you need to focus on exercises that cause you to use more than one muscle group at a time. This will not only give you more of a calorie burn, but it will also put you well on your way to being able to control your own bodyweight, which should be one of your ultimate goals.

I use to be one of those guys that was easily impressed with how much some dude could bench press, but not anymore because I'm not into competitive bench pressing. Also, my ultimate goal is to be able to master some of the most challenging bodyweight exercises out there. For instance, I definitely respect guys that can bench upwards of 400lbs, but to see Steve Cotter do a pistol squat holding two 88lb kettlebells with perfect form is unreal. Don't believe me, check out this youtube video.

Look, if you still have a lot of body fat, why not use that extra weight to your advantage? You don't need to buy one piece of equipment because that's going to be your fat stores role for the next month and a half. Even if you have weights, I suggest that you periodically take a break and use bodyweight exercises to break up the routine or even be cycled in to your current routine. The mistake most people think is that bodyweight exercises are inferior to weighted exercises. Well, for the guys reading my blog, this does not apply to you. We'll let the athletes, martial artists, gymnasts, strength trainers, and bodybuilders continue to debate that one. For purposes of weight loss and getting lean, you can start with bodyweight exercises only!

Yes, when you do lat pull-downs, you are working your lats, but it's a totally different sensation when you are pulling/holding your own bodyweight on a chin-up bar or doing a bodyweight row. There is a difference and it is one that you need to experiment with to fully appreciate. The same goes for overhead pressing movements. If you are doing seated dumbbell military presses, try doing them standing up. You don't have to worry about hurting your lower back if you lock out your knees by pulling your knee caps up, squeezing your glutes, and tensing your abs as if you're bracing for a blow in the gut. These muscles will help you to be tight enough to form a natural corset protecting your lower back. Also, why sit on your ass when you can use it to help save your lower back?

For more about bodyweight routines or getting strong and ripped without using weights, you should check out the following author's sites:

Power by Pavel (check for the Naked Warrior book)
Ross Training (He just came out with a new DVD and training manual. This guy is incredible!)
Mike Mahler (Mike is not only one of the strongest vegans you'll meet, he also has various articles on his site about bodyweight training.)
Steve Cotter (This guys is just unreal. His Encylopedia of Kettlebell exercises 1&2 are hands down two of the top KB videos out on the market. Also, he has a series on bodyweight exercises that is just as good.)
Steve Maxwell (Steve's new website is under construction, but you can pick up his new Pullup DVD here.)
John Peterson (one of the major modern day promoters of isometrics and be sure to visit his transfometrics site too)
Bodyweight Culture (I think the name speaks for itself. Great website!)
Bodyweight Basics (Another great site for bodyweight exercises)

Do You Really Have A Slow Metabolism?

2007-12-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

I think one of the biggest myths about weight loss is that overweight/obese folks have a slow metabolism. Hell, I use to claim this one all the time back in the day. It simply made sense to me. The majority of my family is overweight, so I just accepted the fact that I was genetically coded to be fat and cursed with a tortoise-like metabolism. Much like the whale in the comic strip, I just didn't fully understand why I couldn't lose weight.

Fellas, I know that you have read books, articles, and even other blog posts about how to speed up your slow metabolism for weight loss, blah, blah, blah. There's so much confusion out there simply because most big boys simply take somebody else's word for how to lose weight. Many of us simply want to be told what to eat and how to exercise without any active role on our part. Well, it's time to ditch the "easy" way of thinking and passively sitting by while your girth increases.

Well, today is the day that you are going to eliminate one of the most repeated weight loss myths from your bag-o-weight loss tricks. First, metabolism is a word that is thrown around as if most people really understand what it is. Wikipedia, one of my favorite sites, defines metabolism as the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms in order to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. You can read the rest of the definition and sub-categories here, but for purposes on this post, the first two sentences will be more than enough.

So, another way of looking at your body's metabolism is that it is the sum total of all of the daily activities that your body carries out on all levels (e.g., cellular, etc.). Usually when one talks about revving up your metabolism, they focus mainly on affecting one part of the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) equation. It's important that you understand what makes up your TDEE because it will make it abundantly clear that the notion of fat guys having a slow metabolism is a big fat lie!

OK, here's the equation: TDEE = Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) + Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) + Voluntary Physical Activity (PAL). OK, your RMR is determined by your age, gender, height, and current weight. This accounts for 75% of your total TDEE and is comprised of all the bodily processes that need to be fueled; this, of course, includes fueling ALL organs such as the brain, kidney, lungs, liver, heart and kidneys to name a few. Also included in RMR are the energy it takes to power you skeletal muscles. Next, it does require energy for the body to process the food that we eat; however, TEF only accounts for 6-10% of your TDEE, so it's not really that significant of a factor. Please remember this the next time you hear someone telling you that you burn a lot of calories digesting your food; it's simply not true.

So, we have roughly 80 - 85% of your TDEE that you have no direct control over. What you can control is the 15-20% that's generated by your PAL, which is usually broken down into structured physical activity, such as following a workout routine, and unstructured physical activity, such as taking the steps instead of the elevator or parking farther away from the front door of the mall.

Alright, enough with the scientific mumbo-jumbo, let's start making sense out of all this. OK, the man in the street believes that he is overweight because he has a slow metabolism. The logic usually goes like this: fat folks must have a slow metabolism because of the extra weight, lack of exercise, and overeating. Oh, and not to mention that many thin people (who have a "fast" metabolism) can eat whatever they want and not gain weight. Well, I hate to break this news to you guys, but it is impossible for a thin person to have a faster, or should I say higher TDEE. It's really simple; your body requires more energy to move around a larger body, but that's only half the story.

Remember that your RMR represents all of the bodily processes that happens on a daily basis, except the little energy required to digest your food (i.e., TEF). The organs I named above represent 60-80% of your total RMR! This means that while skeletal muscles represent 30-50% of total bodyweight, they only represent 20-25% of your RMR. Organs, especially the brain, require many more calories per gram of weight than muscles.

You still with me fellas? Cool.

Now, let's think about what we've gone over to see if fat folks do actually have a slow metabolism. When you gain weight, you don't just gain fat. You also gain lean body mass (i.e., bones, tissues, organs, etc.). The body is all about adaptation. As you gain weight, your body also creates more muscle tissue to help move the heavier body around. The heart and most of the other organs also grow, which only makes sense. Do you really think that the heart in a 180lb. man is the same size as one in a 350lb. man? Of course not; that's like putting a 4 cylinder engine in a Ford Excursion. Organs have to increase in size to accommodate carrying out their processes for the new heavier body. This is why larger bodies require more calories, and, therefore, a faster metabolism.

Well, what affects RMR? I'm glad you asked:

the number of calories consumed a day
changes in bodyweight (especially body fat %)
when daily calories drop below 1200, big drops in RMR occurs
ECA Stack (ephedera, caffiene, aspirin)

So guys, if you can't see your feet while standing or you use your navel to line up the toilet when you take a leak, trust me on this one: you don't have a slow metabolism and are not condemned to live the rest of your life being as big as a whale.

My Daily Diet

2007-12-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

Thank you to those of you who participated in my last poll. Well, I'm afraid that, like my workout routine, my diet is very simple. I mainly consume fresh cuts of meat, eggs, fresh green veggies, canned tuna (occasionally), nuts, and seeds. I eat shredded cheeses since I am, like most folks, lactose intolerant. I consume between 60 - 100 grams of carbs a day, and they mainly come from the veggies and nuts that I eat.

I don't eat grass fed meats or organic veggies. I shop at the local market and understand the arguments. I plan on growing my veggies hydroponically as soon as the new LED grow lights are available. I'll harvest my white button and portabella mushrooms in another week or so. I guess I'm really a gardener at heart.

I'm going to look into buying more grass fed beef; nevertheless, you can achieve serious results eating foods from the your local market that may not be the best or most healthiest of choices. I try to get my blood work done every six months, and I just received a thumbs up from my doctor's office the other day.

As far as supplements go, I take fish oil, CoQ10, a simple multi-vitamin/mineral, and an all natural energy supplement that Dr. Ellis sells, XCellR8. I would say that I drink 90% of my liquid intake is water, and I occasionally drink a diet soda (Coke Zero ain't too bad). Lately, I've found myself drinking low-carb Rockstar energy drinks to give me an extra boost, especially on my 45 minute commute each way to and from work!

One thing I do want to point out is that I have had adverse results from following a ketogenic diet, 20g or less of carbs per day, and working out 4-6 days a week using mainly resistance training. I found that my muscles were flat and that my limbs felt really heavy. Not only did I feel over-trained, but I was pretty lethargic as well. Now that I consume post-workout carbs and keep my carb intake at a level that keeps me out of ketosis, I find that I feel much more energetic and for the first time I think I understand what they mean by your muscles feeling full or having their glycogen stores replenished.

Nevertheless, the most important part of my daily diet is that I count my calories because you must create a calorie deficit if you want to lose weight, regardless of diet composition. So, even thought I follow a low-carb/paleo style diet, I do so because it keeps me full and helps me to retain more of my lean mass than following a low-fat or so-called balanced diet.

Well there you have it. No mysterious herbs or secret food combinations. Just basic calorie counting coupled with a diet that focuses on eating whole and fresh foods at least 80% of the time. Feel free to write me if you have any further questions about my diet or weight loss: kujifikiria@gmail.com

Mr. Low Body Fat Goes Green!

2007-12-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems that everyone is goin' green nowadays, so why shouldn't I? Actually, this has been something that I've been researching for over two years now before I made the leap. One thing that my readers will eventually learn about me is that I have an eclectic approach to life in general, and I'm interested in a too many things to begin to name. And, the picture on the left is just another subject that piqued my curiosity.

Yes, I'm filling my 84 Mercedes 300 Turbodiesel with Mazola 100% Corn Oil. You should've seen my neighbor's face when I took this picture.

What most people don't know is that when Dr. Rudolph Diesel patented his engine in 1892, it was made to run off of peanut oil. So, I guess it's safe to assume that saving the planet or using renewable sources of energy is not that new of an idea after all. For more information about Dr. Diesel and his engine, check out this Howstuffworks article.

A couple of weeks ago, I had my "hooptie" converted to run off of used or waste vegetable oil (which has been heavily filtered), biodiesel, regular diesel, straight (or new) vegetable oil, or any mixture of the four. Out here in California, many people are starting to convert their diesel cars, especially the 300 series MBZ from 1978 - 1985. These cars are perfect candidates for "veggie conversion", as it's affectionately called, because of the 5 cylinder engine that has the fuel injected directly into the engine block. To get my car to run off of veggie oil, my good friends, Gonzalo and Rodolfo, at Star European Inc. installed a Lovecraft biodiesel conversion kit.

How it works is not that difficult to understand. Unlike biodiesel, which can be used in any diesel engine without a conversion kit, used and new vegetable oils' viscocity is too thick. To solve this problem, they installed new glow plugs (diesel engines don't use spark plugs--see article above), a new heating element (to heat the vegetable oil before it's injected into the engine), and a heavy duty filter (pictured on the right).

So far, I have run soybean and corn oil in my car with no loss in horsepower or performance. Actually, the engine runs more quiet with veggie oil than it does using diesel! Also, the days of black and smelly smoke coming out of the tailpipe are over. They've been replaced by the faint scent of burned popcorn or whatever was cooked in the used oil.

Although diesel engines, unlike gasoline engines, don't contribute to global warming through greenhouse effects, they do, when using regular diesel, contribute to acid rain and smog. Now that I've converted to veggie oil, I can proudly drive around knowing that my car causes no more pollution than the fryers in fast food restaurants; also, I don't need to rely on foreign oil. More importantly, for a cheap bastard like yours truly, I can get used veggie oil delivered to my home for $2.38/gallon--that's more than a dollar and some change less than what regular diesel is going for these days. If I feel like being very adventourous, I can go and collect used veggie oil from restaurants and filter it myself, which means that I would be paying $0.00/gallon. So, not only am I doing my part to help the environment, but I'm saving a lot of money too.

Like her owner, she only gets better (and stronger) with age!

First Batch of Pictures . . .

2007-11-26T07:22:00.001-08:00

As promised, I just got the first batch of pictures from Wendy. I've uploaded them to an album which you can access here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mrlowbodyfat

Thanks for your patience guys . . . .

Please Stop Either/Or Holiday Eating

2007-11-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

I seriously considered posting this on Thanksgiving, but I figured the last thing you guys were going to do is read my blog. Hell, I know I wouldn't! OK, that being said, let me address an important weight loss issue that comes up around this time of the year; however, it serves as a great opportunity for you to start practicing portion control.

Yes, it's that time of the year when you probably attend more parties and dinners than you do for any other time of the year. This is also the time when many guys usually react by either just shrugging off the thought of losing weight and pig out until the next New Year's resolution which is right around the corner or they are in sheer terror of the thought of so many opportunities when the fat guy is given a free pass, and even encouraged in many cases, to eat till his gut's capacity has been reached. I'm very familiar with both because I've been each guy and will give you the pros and cons of each one.

President of the Al Bundy for President Club

What guy (uh, fat guy) in his right mind doesn't like being stretched out on the couch scratching his belly with one hand and a remote in the other? Oh, and there is the mandatory drink, usually a beer or something sweet, at our feet and snack food at arm's length. Flashes of my couch potato hero, Al Bundy, come to mind and that's probably why I silently declared myself the president of his upcoming, yet undisclosed, run for the White House. Well, during this time of the year, especially in 2002, this is what I did because I had made up my mind that 2003 was going to be the year that I stopped being part of the 300lb, my boobs are larger than my wife's club anymore. So, I basically did an Al Roker for the last two months of the year and here's the pros and cons of doing this fellas:

Pros:
You are in absolute gluttony heaven because you are eating the best prepared and made food you'll get all year long. Hey, two days ago you got a nice taste of exactly what I'm talking about. As you went house hopping, especially for dessert, everyone's specialty dish tasted just that much better, right? Of course it did because these cooks knew that their house wasn't the only house you were going to. So, they put that extra special touch or, as my mom would say, put their foot all up in the dish. And I'm sure that you, as the fat guy, was expected to eat a nice size plate no matter whose house you went to or how much you politely tried to refuse. Well, taking this approach is great because you don't have to feel guilty about eating more than you know you should eat! As a result, you make a lot of cooks out there very happy and your wife loves you too because you will be eating leftovers for a couple of weeks. If you decide to go this route, have a clear conscious, regret nothing, and tell them to pass the sweet potatoes.

Cons:
Rapid weight gain is the main bummer about this approach. Not only are you consuming way more calories than your maintenance level, but you're also not moving around that much. We have more parties and excuses not to work or move around during this time of the year, which makes sense because it is a festive time of the year. However, eating more calories + moving less = weight gain. So, you'll start noticing that simple tasks, such as walking, become a bit more difficult and you get winded a lot faster. If you have knee joint problems, then the extra weight ain't going to help them, and they're going to let you know. This may not be too much of a problem depending on what you do for a living because all those extra calories cause you to become pretty lethargic and not really want to do anything that involves moving around. My wife at the time was pretty pissed at me during this time of the year because, unfortunately, I didn't have energy or desire to do a lot of things. Also, be ready to buy larger clothes if you don't already have them handy because this was the time when I believe that I was close to wearing a size 50 pants. Lastly, it makes starting your journey that much more difficult because you've been pigging out for close to two months and then you expect yourself to stop on a dime and be ready and willing to be on a new diet (usually reduced calories) and exercise (usually tons of cardio) routine. Yeah right! Very few guys have the willpower to maintain this change, so they hold out for as long as they can and then eat, feel guilty, and resemble this guy:

Mr. Atlas Bearing the Weight of Weight Loss

I can hear Willy Nelson's voice in my head singing his version of "You're Always On My Mind" when I think about this guy because knowing that you need to lose weight is the first thought you have in the morning and the last one you have before bed, just don't tell your wife this for obvious reasons! You, like Mr. Al Bundy above, have tried and failed at different attempts to lose weight; but, unlike Al, you can't just let loose and eat as much as you want during this time of the year. You know that you need to lose this weight and stuffing yourself is not the answer, but it's so tempting because all of your favorite dishes are right there for you. This is the dilemma I was faced with in 2001 after I started to regain weight after I had stopped taking doctor prescribed weight loss pills. I felt that I couldn't stop myself from eating more, and I would feel absolutely terrible and guilty about this. I've come to learn that, for me, guilt is a useless emotion that doesn't truly help you reach your weight loss goals. I just wished I had known this back then.

Pros
I know this is going to sound like I'm contradicting myself here by mentioning guilt as a pro when I just said it was a useless emotion--just hear me out here fellas. What's useless about feeling guilty is the stress and anxiety that usually comes with it. Being aware that your behavior is working contrary to your weight loss goals is a good thing; it's just our reaction to it. So, since you are aware that you shouldn't be eating like a damn cow, is a step in the right direction, and that's what you need to focus on. Just don't beat yourself up when you eat to the point that you need to unbutton your pants like you did the other day.

Cons
The stress and anxiety from being guilty causes you to binge, especially when you are in the midst of food and feel bad about what you've eaten already. You know that feeling and voice in the back of your mind reminding you that you shouldn't be eating this or that. Also, since there is more than enough research showing a direct link between stress and heart disease, I think that the cons of this approach is actually compounded. You eat just as much or maybe a little less than Mr. Bundy above, but you still consume more than you need and all of Al's other cons apply to you too.

OK, now consider this . . .

Whether you pig out with or without guilt is really not that important when you consider that the end result--weight gain--is still the same and not the desired result. So, what should you do? Deny yourself all the treats and goodies that are calling your name? Buy one of those fat burner pills you see on TV to help you "melt" away the fat? No, I want you to try three simple techniques that I continue to find very useful:

Stop either/or thinking when it comes to eating. I teach my Basic Composition students that even though we live in a country whose political machine falls in this category, when one is making a logical argument s/he should avoid this mistake. Once I started applying this to my eating habits, I found that I became less emotional about eating and more conscious about how much I was eating. So, there's no need to be either Mr. Al or Mr. Atlas because these are just two of many options for you to explore and imitate.
Drink plenty of water, especially before a party or dinner. You need to be drinking as much water as you can anyway, so why not drink a couple of cups to help fill your belly a bit before you are presented with a buffet of food. Drinking more water will also help you to watch those deadly liquid calories in sodas, juices, and other sweet juices. It's not just the sugar/carbs but the calories that we seem to overlook, especially during the holidays.
Save room for dessert. While you are fixing your plate, keep in mind that you want to save room for dessert and if you get that full beyond belief feeling before dessert, then no dessert for you! Make this promise to yourself and stick with it because you'll enjoy the dessert more because you don't feel like a stuffed pig. Also, be conscious of your portion sizes. If you plan on starting your weight loss journey in 2008, then now is a perfect time for you to be conscious about how many helpings and plates you're eating. I'm not asking you to count calories, as much as I am asking you to be an active eater and not passively shovel food in your mouth. Don't deny yourself, just limit the amount. This approach allows you to eat what you want without guilt, but you are learning to see how much food you're eating.

I hope these tips work for you as they have for me.

On another note, thanks to all those who participated in the poll. I will be posting about my daily diet next. And, I'm still waiting to hear back from the photographer. As soon as I get the pics, I'll post them. You have no idea how anxious I am to see them.

My First Photo Shoot (Part I)

2007-11-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

First, I want to apologize for posting so late, but Wendy, my photographer and owner of Wendybird Fotos, and I couldn't meet last weekend as we had hoped. So, we rescheduled for this past Saturday and had a blast! I didn't want to post without having some sort of new picture for folks to see.

OK fellas, I have to be honest here because I didn't quite know what to expect since this was my first time at a photo shoot actually taking my shirt off. Hell, the last time I consciously and willing took a picture with my shirt off was probably when I was 16.

So, the shoot starts with Wendy suggesting that we move my empty fish tank so that she could take the pictures against a plain white wall. By doing this, she is able to manipulate the background; however, and I want to be clear about this, besides the lighting effects and the coloring (e.g., sepia), my body has not been touched up or tampered with at all. In light of the whole Kimkins fiasco, I don't want anyone to think that I'm putting up photoshop'd images of myself. Don't worry, when you see my trademark saggy skin and stretch marks on my belly in the other shots, you'll know she didn't do a thing. LOL!

Alright, back to the shoot. Well, I start with a tank top and sweats on. I'm so nervous and really didn't know what to do. So, Wendy told me to do whatever and to act as if she wasn't there. OK, so I shadow boxed a little, jogged in place a bit--I told you I didn't know what to do--and then it hit me: go grab my kettlebell (KB). It still pains me to type kettlebell without an "s" because at one time I had a pair of 54lb KBs, but one was stolen from the fitness center in my complex. This is a long story that I plan on blogging about in another post. So, now I'm left with only one which I decided to workout with in front of the camera. After a couple of one-arm clean and presses and KB rows, I felt warmed up and ready to take off my shirt . . .

(to be continued)

* * *

The picture above was taken when I was either doing a windmill or a bent press--I don't remember. Nevertheless, it really doesn't matter which one I was doing, all I know is that I was focused on keeping my eye on the KB at all times! This is the first and only picture that Wendy has forwarded to me from the shoot, so I had to get it up as soon as I could. In the second part of this post, I'll talk more about how the rest of the shoot went and how Wendy handled my request to take a couple of pics of me in my bikinis!

MLBF News Flash: New Pictures Coming Soon ...

2007-11-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

The first time that I did Nike Hill with my ex and her youngest daughter, Katherine, I remember that she told me the wrestlers at her high school would pump themselves up by saying, "Get some . . . get some!!!" in an almost snarling grunt. So, when we were making it up the last hill before reaching to the top, we kept telling each other to "Get some" the closer we got to the top.

Well, this phrase has stuck with me, and I use it to get me through my all aspects of my training. Fellaz, I've been working my ass off these last six weeks just to see how much I could continue to lean out by following a high frequency training (HFT) full body routine using only body weight exercises, and I'll have more answers for you next week as this is week six.

Also, on this coming Saturday, I have an appointment to have my first professionally shot pictures taken. I'm pretty excited, a bit nervous, but mainly excited about sharing with you my progress so far.

I've been so focused on working out that I haven't even been posting on my favorite weight loss forums. If you're looking for places with different views on low-carb eating and working out, then you may consider checking out the following forums:

beyondlowcarb.net
forum.lowcarber.org
lowcarbdiscussion.com
auslowcarb.com

OK, without giving anything away too much about how I'm progressing, I'll leave you with this little tidbit--I just bought a new pair of jeans with a 34 inch waist! Yeah baby, Get some!!

Talk to you next week and please be sure to answer the poll question to give me an idea of what you'd like for me to post about next ...

Plateau Does Not Equal Failure

2007-11-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

OK, so you've been losing weight at a pretty steady clip and then, all of a sudden, you stop seeing the numbers on the scale go down. Panic starts to set in, your palms get sweaty, and all of your failed weight loss attempts of the past start flashing before your eyes. Sound familiar fellaz? I'm sure it does because anyone who has tried to lose weight has experienced a stall. Hell, I know that I have on many occasions.

As I've already discussed in my post on the Atkins Diet, I went through pretty much a one year plateau after losing 50lbs. It was a frustrating, yet rewarding, experience for me in many ways. I don't suggest that people follow my take a whole year to figure out you need to change something attitude; however, I now realize that while I was definitely not pleased with the pitiful weight loss numbers on the scale, I wasn't regaining my lost weight either. For the first time on my journey, I felt as though I really did have a little control over my bodyweight. Yes, one can argue that I really didn't lose any weight that year since our bodyweight can fluctuate up to five pounds on a daily basis, but that's taking the glass is half empty approach.

An alternative view, and just as valid, is that I was able to control my weight for an entire year by exercising and eating low-carb. Also, we have to remember that the scale is just one tool that we use to see how we are progressing on our weight loss journey. Keep in mind that you also have a tape measure, a full length mirror, and your clothes to see if you are still losing inches. If you are weight training, then you can expect to go through a period of possible gains on the scale because of your muscle growth. Those new to weight training or seasoned vets returning after a lay off will see the most initial growth in strength and size.

Next, you have to figure out how you can burn more daily calories. Don't always look to slashing more calories first. Guys, this is the wrong approach and one that leads to yo-yo dieting and weight loss. It's really simple: look for more ways to burn not cut calories. Stop parking so close to the front door of the mall. Get off the escalator and get out of the elevator and take the stairs. And, don't even think about getting on those moving sidewalks in the airport! Do these activities burn hundreds of calories? Nope, not even close, but they burn calories nonetheless and that's the point. To break through a plateau, try and figure out how you can holistically burn more calories first through a structured exercise routine (think weight resistance before cardio) and spontaneous activities like those I've mentioned.

Now, if you know that you are eating more calories than your maintenance level, then you need to do what I've said above and eat the number of calories that you've already calculated that you should be eating. Hey, don't beat yourself up and get down on yourself because I'll let you in on a little secret. The more you concentrate on eating whole, unprocessed foods, the easier it is to clean up your diet. It takes time, and it's not easy. But, man is it ever rewarding!

For Guys Who Need To Lose 100lbs

2007-10-31T13:22:00.001-07:00

You know, it's pretty funny. I never thought that I would be writing a post for guys who need to travel the same road that I have. When I started my weight loss journey back in 2003, I didn't do it with the thought of losing more than 100lbs. There's no way I could have continued through the many setbacks and mis-steps I have experienced if I started off saying to myself that I'm going to set out to lose 100lbs. Setting realistic and attainable goals really worked for me even when I was experiencing a plateau.

This lead me to think about the countless number of guys out there who are standing in my former wide width shoes. (Hey, you gotta love New Balance and the many wide widths they come in.) So, I decided to pass on a couple of pointers that are targeted specifically towards all my Big Dawgs, which are those guys who need to shed 100 or more lbs. In true MLBF style, I've decided to give you some bullet points that I feel are crucial to you achieving your goal(s):

Set small and reachable goals
This may seem obvious, but it's really not, especially when you have a lot of weight to lose. What most non-obese (including those considered overweight) don't understand is the feeling of being trapped in a morbidly fat body. This stifling feeling is something that you have to experience to fully appreciate what I'm talking about. Since we feel trapped, the only thing we really care about is losing the damn weight, and, unfortunately, many of us could care less how we do it. This desperation is one of the reasons the weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar business. Yes, I know that you have a lot of weight to lose and, if you could, you'd like to snap your fingers and have that gut disappear, right? Of course you would. Hell, I had many tearful nights sitting at my computer wishing that I could simply chop off all of the mounds of flesh (and fat) that rested in my lap.

Listen fellas, snap out of it, OK? There is no magic pill, operation, or even diet that will cause you to lose weight as fast as you would like to, so forget about it. Make up in your mind that you want to average losing no more than 1-2 lbs a week and remember that it's not all about the journey, but what you learn while you're on it.

Stop Dieting and Make a Life-style Change
If you are serious about losing the weight and keeping it off, then you are going to have to be serious about the life-style change that you are going to have to make. Most folks go on a diet and think that once they reach their goal weight, then they can go back and eat whatever they want. Man, how foolish this type of thinking is. This is the mentality that must die! There's one important thing that I want you to etch into your weight loss psyche: Once you start to lose weight, you will never be able to eat the same amount of food that you did prior to losing weight. If you do, you will regain the lost weight. That's right, I want you to have a hard look at the amount of food you need to consume to stay at your current size. Take a mental picture and kiss it goodbye because to lose weight and keep it off, you'll never be able to consume that amount again. Oh, and a true life-style change is one that happens over time (i.e., months, years) and not something that you can master in a couple of weeks.

Stop Living in the Past
Yes, yes, I know that you use to play football in high school or college, and you were the man on the basketball courts back in the day. I'm sure that you also had a nice bod at that time too. Well, those days are gone my friend, so let 'em go. Stop looking at your current self with nostalgic thoughts of how you use to be able to do a hundred reps of (fill in the exercise here) before you let yourself go, yadda-yadda-yadda. Bredren, please let it go. You'll never reclaim the years of your youth, no matter how badly you reminisce about them. Hey, I was just as guilty as many of you. I would often tell people how I could actually dunk a basketball (on the shorter, outdoor courts) back when I was a freshman in college, and then go on to tell them about how active and athletic I was (was being the key word here). There's no need to live in the past guys when you can create a healthier and stronger you NOW!

Man, I would love to meet my former self now. That 18 year-old punk couldn't hang with me in any activity you name. I can do more pushups, pullups, dips, lift heavier weights, run faster, farther, etc. now than I could when I was just starting college. Basically, I would kick my young ass. Guys, get to the point where you feel, as I do, that not only is youth wasted on the young but it's grossly overrated . . .

Only Compete Against Yourself
OK, I know that we men are usually competitive creatures by nature; however, you need to redirect and focus your competitive spirit towards yourself. If you workout in a gym, don't gaze in amazement at the guy who looks like he's going to be on the next cover of Men's Health (one of my goals). There's no need to put anyone on a pedestal or make yourself feel as though you are less than they are because you have so much weight to lose. Hey, you had absolutely nothing to do with that guy getting buff, just as he had nothing with you becoming obese. So, why even compare or even try to compete with him. He's not your opponent--your soon to be former fat self is. You are striving to be the best (fill in your name here) there can be, and only one person can determine that: you!

Don't Drink From the Goblet of Haterade
My friends get a kick out me talking about drinking from the Goblet of Haterade. OK, for those of you not keeping up with the current Urban American slang of the day, let me explain what I mean by this. First, when someone is extremely envious of another person, you can say that s/he is "hating" (i.e., jealous) on the other person. And, Haterade is simply a play on combining the words "hate" with the sports drink "Gatorade". OK, I think you get the picture now.

Just as you don't compete with anyone else, don't envy or "hate" on them either. This is a trap that most fat guys get caught in. Being jealous of someone because they've lost weight or are losing more weight than you is simply juvenile. Instead of hatin' on someone, use that energy to be motivated by them instead. Download their pictures and use them for motivation and not an invitation to sip from the goblet. Right now, I'm using D'Angelo's music video Untitled as pure motivation to get lean!

Stop Worrying About Loose Skin
Yes, you are going to have loose skin, especially if you've been obese for some time. Start explaining this to yourself now, so that when it becomes more noticeable, you won't completely freak out. However, the good news is that your skin is a living organ that sheds and rebuilds itself. So, how much your skin comes back after weight loss depends on your diet composition, age, how long you've been obese, and your genes. It's also important to keep your skin hydrated by using lotion or body creme after bathing. I've found that drinking lots of water does wonders for your skin too. Finally, realize that your skin is very thin and what most people call loose skin is actually loose skin that still has fat under it. To get an idea of how thin your skin is, pinch the back of your hand. I'm currently battling with the last bit of fat on my belly, and I can tell you that it's not an easy task. Now, I can fully understand why people get tummy tucks or lipo after losing a lot of weight since you have to fight against your bodies metabolic adaptations to your new, and improved, active life-style change.

It Ain't Easy
Losing weight is not an easy task; the failure rate of people to maintain the lost weight in this country proves this point. However, it is not an impossible task and it does not take the strength of Hercules either. The problem with many of us is that we get caught up in the all or nothing mentality. Either we are 100% on a diet or we are 100% a failure and decide to go back to our unhealthy ways of eating. Guys, stop swinging from one end of the pole to the next. What you are embarking upon is a life-style change that you will continue to refine for as long as you live! If you are serious about losing and keeping the weight off this time, then you need to realize that this is a process that you will have to not only be an active participant, but you will need to take the leading role. Yes, you are going to have to take charge of your health and be willing to admit that either you don't understand how to lose weight, which my last bullet addresses, or you understand the theory side and are having problems putting it into practice. Either way, the road to weight loss is full of ups and downs, which is no different from the life you're living right now. So, keep telling yourself that you can handle it.

Feed Your Brain to Lose the Weight
I love having this phrase as the signature for my email and forum posts. Oh, I have to give credit to my brother Elgin for coining this catchy phrase that pretty much embodies the message that I'm trying to bring to my readers. If you don't have a good and working understanding of how the body loses and gains weight and how diet composition is factored into the equation, then you are bound to following someone else's plan. And, following someone else's plan is like trying to live someone else's life. You need to become the authority of your body and health. Stop sitting on the sideline of your life as a passive observer, simply giving the reigns of your health over to your doctors. As I've said before, there's more than enough information on the internet and in the books that I've suggested on my blog for you to make very intelligent decisions about your health, diet, and exercise. Look, your brain is a large muscle and learning new information, in addition to meditating, is a great mental workout.

While on my journey, I've come across very inspiring websites. However, I think that you'll find the two following weight loss stories and pictures very inspiring. Be sure to drop them a line:

Mike Ogorek - who went from 333lbs. to 196lbs.
Mike Boyd - who went from 440lbs. to 186lbs.

Nike Hill: A Hidden Cardio Treasure!

2007-10-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

For the last month or so, all I've been doing is raving about Nike Hill and how it's done wonders for my conditioning, especially cardio. Well, I think that it's time that I reveal this hidden cardio treasure to my readers. Fellas, I can't begin to tell you how challenging and mentally trying hiking up this hill is, so I've decided to take you on a hike with me. But, before we go on our walk, I think you need a little more information about my latest workout gem.

During the Cold War, the US military built many Nike Missile installations to protect key cities as a last line of defense against air attacks. These now decommissioned missile launch sites surround LA, as shown on this map. I just think that it's really ironic that one of these sites would later become part of my college.

I've heard about this infamous hill since I've been working here because many of my students would tell me about the killer hike they had to do for the final exam in their walking class. I had one student tell me that many of his classmates couldn't make it to the top of this 2.5 mile zig-zagging road that continued to climb until you reach the very top.

A little more than a month ago, I was reminded about Nike Hill from a co-worker, and I set out to conquer this hill. My first experience with Nike Hill was brutal. I had no idea the types of inclines I was going to be dealing with, so I had my 20lb weighted vest strapped on for the ride. Little did I know that I would barely make it to the top. The next day, I was completely wiped out, but couldn't wait until I was ready to try and climb the hill again.

Since then, I've dropped the weighted vest (for now) and hike up the hill and jog down. Each trip I take up the hill, the stronger I can feel my legs getting; however, to reach the very top is still a heart-pounding event and one that I look forward to every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday!

I keep trying to explain to folks how steep these hills are, but it's hard to imagine unless you've walked the trail. So, I thought that I would do the next best thing: present a slide show. I hope that the captions and pictures are enough to give you an idea of the kick ass workout I get hiking this trail four days a week.

Hey, if you pay close attention to the shots right before I get to the top, you just might hear me grunting as I slowly jog up the last hill. ;)

Click on the image to be taken to a full-size slideshow.

View Larger Map

My Weight Loss Tips Interview is LIVE!

2007-10-15T07:37:00.001-07:00

Hey, I just received an email from Lizza at Weight Loss Tips, and my online interview is now live. Feel free to check it out when you get the chance.

Also, I just joined an awesome forum for those following a LC WOE (way of eating) and are serious about working out and sculpting their physique: www.beyondlowcarb.net.

MLBF in the News

2007-10-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hey fellas,

I thought I would write a quick post about a few new places that have highlighted my weight loss transformation. I've already blogged about my story being featured at shapefit.com; now, pictures of me have been posted to CNN's Fitnation website (click on #5 for my pictures), and they are planning on interviewing me for a feature piece at the beginning of the year. The only problem I have with the CNN piece is that they used an old after photo of me because my current one doesn't show my face. While I understand why they did this, the picture that they did use shows me at least 30 lbs heavier than I am now! But, that's cool because I'm going to be taking professional photos next month, so no more taking pictures of myself in the mirror for me.

Also, my school newspaper was kind enough to interview me about my weight loss story. You can check out the story and a current picture of me here. I know that I look pretty thin in this picture, but don't worry because there is a beast of a body being developed underneath the XL polo shirt I'm wearing!

And, finally, I was contacted by the good folks at Weight Loss Tips to do an online interview. I've responded to their questions, and I'm just waiting for my story to be posted. Once it's up, I'll let you guys know.