Big Fat Lies Series #10

Hi Subscriber, 

How quickly should you shed your excess pounds? Let me guess ... You want to get rid of them as fast as possible! (like, yesterday, right?)

Yes, we all wish we could melt off the fat "overnight," but supposing you really could take the weight off "lightning fast." Is rapid weight loss is really healthy and safe? And is it permanent?

How much fat loss is realistic? How much is physiologically possible?

I've got bad news for you. You have been lied to over and over about "quick fat loss" and it really irks me that weight loss companies keep getting away with it at your expense!

It's time to bust this myth and uncover the truth.

Train smart, expect success, and be relentless.

Kirk Huggins Rogers
Physique Transformation Specialist
www.heroicfitness.com

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Fat Loss Lie #10: "Fat loss can be quick and permanent"
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The "Quick Fat Loss" Lie Exposed

"Lose 30 pounds In 30 Days!"

"Lose 9 Pounds Every 11 Days!"

Lose 10 Pounds This Weekend!

You see ad claims like these all the time, and they sure are enticing, aren't they? They play on our emotions and our desires for instant gratification.

Patience is the one thing you never seem to have when you've got a body fat problem. You want the fat gone and you want it gone now! And why not? It seems so do-able. Everywhere you look, you hear promises of quick weight loss and you even see people losing weight quickly.

We have reality TV shows that actually encourage people to attempt "extreme" body makeovers or see who can lose weight the fastest, and the winners (or shall we say, the "losers", as if that's a flattering title to earn), are rewarded generously with fortune, fame and congratulations.

Let's face it. Everyone wants to get the fat off as quickly as possible - and having that desire is not wrong - it's simply human nature. However...

Serious Problems Can Occur If You Try To 

Force It And Lose Weight Too Quickly

The faster you lose weight, the more muscle you will lose right along with the fat, and that can really mess up your metabolism.

An even bigger problem with fast weight loss is that it just won't last. The faster you lose, the more likely you are to gain it back. It's the the "yo-yo diet effect" - weight goes down, but always comes back up. Think about it: We don't have a weight loss problem today, we have a "keeping weight off" problem

Weight loss will be the healthiest, safest and most likely to be permanent if you set your goal for about two pounds per week (and even if you lose only a single pound each week, that is healthy progress). This is the recommendation of almost every legitimate and respected dietician, nutritionist, exercise physiologist and personal trainer on the planet, as well as exercise organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Dietetic Association.

Are there any exceptions? Yes. It may be ok to lose more than two pounds per week if you have a lot of weight to lose, because the rate of weight loss tends to be relative to your total starting body weight. Generally the rule is that it's safe to lose up to 1% of your total body weight per week, so if you weigh 300 lbs to start, then 3 lbs a week is a reasonable goal.

But there IS a catch.

What Really Matters Is Not How Much WEIGHT 

You Lose, But How Much FAT You Lose 

Where did your weight loss come from? Did you lose body fat or lean body mass? "Weight" is not the same as "fat." Weight includes muscle, bone, internal organs as well as lots and lots of water.

Let's look at an example with some numbers so you can really grasp this concept of weight versus fat and then you can see, illustrated with specific examples, what will happen when you lose weight too quickly.

As an example, let's take a 260 pound man who has a lot of body fat to lose - let's call it 32%. With 32% fat, a 260 pounder has 83.2 pounds of body fat and 176.8 pounds of lean mass. Using this example, let's look at a few possible scenarios with losses ranging from two to four pounds per week.

Weight Loss Scenario 1:

Suppose our 260 pound subject loses four full pounds instead of the recommended two pounds per week. Is this bad? Well, let's see:

If he loses a half a percent of body fat, here are his body composition results:

256 lbs
31.5% body fat
80.6 lbs fat
175.4 lbs lean body mass

Out of the four pounds lost, 2.8 pounds were fat and 1.2 were lean mass. Not a disaster, but not good either. Thirty percent of the weight lost was lean tissue.

Weight Loss Scenario 2:

If he loses a half a percent of body fat and only three pounds, here are his results:

257 lbs
31.5% body fat
80.9 lbs fat
176.1 lbs lean body mass

These results are better. Although he lost less body weight than scenario one, in this instance, 2.3 pounds of fat and only 0.7 lbs of lean mass were lost.

Weight Loss Scenario 3:

What if he only lost two pounds? Here are the results:

258 lbs
31.5% body fat
81.2 lbs fat
176.8 lbs lean body mass

These results are perfect. Even though our subject has only lost two pounds, which seems slow, 100% of the two pound weight loss came from fat and he kept ALL the muscle!

Weight Loss Scenario 4:

Now let's suppose he loses three pounds but he loses more body fat: .8%

257 lbs
31.2% body fat
80.2 lbs fat
176.8 lbs lean body mass

These are the best results of all. When the weekly fat loss is .8% (better than average), 100% of the three pounds lost is fat. So as you can see, yes, it's safe to lose more than two pounds per week... but only if it’s fat weight. If you lose three or four pounds per week, and you know it's all fat, not lean tissue, then more power to you! If you lose four pounds and two of those pounds are muscle, you just shot yourself in the foot!

If as little as 20%-30% of your weight loss comes from muscle, when compounded over a few months, you're talking about a massive muscle tissue loss which can dramatically slow down your metabolism, weaken you and turn you into nothing more than a "skinny fat person" (that's a person with low body weight because they lost so much muscle, but still holding stubborn fat because they shut down their metabolism).

Don't Be Fooled By Water Weight Losses

One thing you should also know is that it's very common to lose 3 - 5 pounds in the first week on nearly any diet and exercise program and often even more on low carb diets. Just remember, its NOT all fat - WATER LOSS IS NOT FAT LOSS!

The only way to know if you've actually lost FAT is with body composition testing. For home body fat self-testing, I recommend the Accu-Measure skinfold caliper or a digital bodyfat caliper. Even better, get a multi site skinfold caliper test from an experienced tester at a health club, or even an underwater (hydrostatic) or air (bod pod) displacement test.

From literally hundreds of client case studies, I can confirm that it's rare to lose more than 1.5 - 2.0 lbs of weight per week without losing some muscle along with it. If you exceed 2.0 to 3.0 pounds per week, the probability of losing muscle is extremely high. If you lose muscle, you are damaging your metabolism and this will lead to a plateau and ultimately to relapse.

The Biggest Weight Loss Mistake That Is 

FATAL To Your Long Term Success

Lack of patience is one of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to losing body fat. If you want to lose FAT, not muscle, and if you want to keep the fat off for good, then you have to take off the pounds slowly. (of course, if you want to crash diet the weight off fast, lose muscle with the fat and gain all the fat back later, be my guest)

This is one of the toughest lessons that overweight men and women have to learn - and they can be very hard learners. They fight kicking and screaming, insisting that they CAN and they MUST lose it faster.

Then you have these TV shows that encourage the masses that rapid, crash weight loss is okay. To the producers of these shows, I say SHAME ON YOU! To the personal trainers, registered dieticians and medical doctors who are associated with these programs, I say DOUBLE SHAME ON YOU, because you of all people should know better. These shows are not "motivating" or "inspiring" - they are DAMAGING! They are a DISGRACE!

The rapid weight loss being promoted by the media for the sake of ratings and by the weight loss companies for the sake of profits makes it even harder for legitimate fitness and nutrition professionals because our clients say, "But look at so and so on TV - he lost 26 pounds in a week!"

Sure, but 26 pounds of WHAT - and do you have any idea what the long term consequences are?

Short term thinking... foolish.

Do it the right way. The healthy way. Take off pounds slowly, steadily and sensibly with an intelligent nutrition and exercise program like Heroic Fitness’s, measure your body fat, not just your body weight, and make this a new lifestyle, not a race, and you will never have to take the pounds off again, because they will be gone forever the first time.

We're getting close to the end of this series and next time, in part 11 of 12, you'll find out about the scandal that is taking place in the medical and pharmaceutical industries ("The big pharma lie")... Until then...

Train smart, expect success, and be relentless.

Kirk Huggins Rogers
Physique Transformation Specialist
www.heroicfitness.com

Subscriber, Here's Big Fat Lies Series #7

Hi Subscriber, 

Welcome to part 7 of BIG FAT LIES! In this lesson, you'll learn the scientific facts and latest discoveries about heredity and body fat, straight from the laboratories of the human genome project...

Train smart, expect success, and be relentless,

Kirk Huggins Rogers

Physique Transformation Specialist
www.heroicfitness.com  

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Fat Loss Lie #7: "Your genetics are keeping you fat"
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How The News Media Distorts, Exaggerates And Lies To You

A recent New York Times story headline said, "Genes Take Charge, And Diets Fall By The Wayside." A similar headline in the New York Post said, "Battle Your Biology? Fat Chance!"

These and other articles like them claim that more and more evidence is proving that if you're overweight, "it's not your fault" and that genes - more than environment and behavior - explain obesity.

I say, "Complete, unadulterated GARBAGE!"

Media stories like these often take legitimate statistics about genetic obesity completely out of context and blow them out of proportion to make for sensational news. They also make the common and devastating mistake of encouraging people to cast blame for their health anywhere but on themselves. Many of these types of stories are also based on ulterior motives.

Even worse, believing that "It's not your fault" is one of the biggest lies told in the weight loss industry and one of the most damaging beliefs you could ever have. In fact, the ONLY way you can ever become successful at achieving and maintaining your ideal weight is by accepting responsibility.

What The Research Really Says About Obesity And Your Genes

Make no mistake, there IS a genetic component to obesity. According to the latest research from the Human Genomics Project, you may inherit body fat tendencies just as you inherited your height, eye color or hair color. The tendency may range from slight predisposition to full blown genetic obesity.

In the 1990's, obesity researchers identified the OB (obesity) gene and mapped it to chromosome #7. Studies following a large number of twins and families have also helped to establish a link between obesity and heredity.

However, scientists say that severe mutations in the obesity gene are rare in humans (so mouse studies are largely irrelevant) and doubt has been raised concerning high genetic probability for obesity. ("Full blown" genetic obesity affects only about 5% of obese individuals!)

Therefore, claiming that genetics are more important than behavior and lifestyle is completely false.

Other Genetic Influences... Your Body Type And Metabolic Type

Other theories of genetic individuality discuss inherited body types, metabolic rate and body chemistry. In the 1930's, Harvard psychologist Dr. William H. Sheldon developed a classification system for different body types called "somatotyping":

Ectomorphs are the lean, lanky types. They are usually very thin and bony, with fast metabolisms and extremely low body fat. An ectomorph can seemingly eat like a horse without gaining an ounce.

Mesomorphs are the "genetically gifted." They are lean, muscular and naturally athletic. Mesomorphs lose fat and gain muscle with ease.

Endomorphs are the "fat retainers." Characterized by round features, excess body fat and large joints ("big bones"), endomorphs usually have difficulty in losing body fat and they tend to gain fat quickly if they eat poorly or don't exercise.

In addition to inherited body type ("somatotype"), individuals may also inherit certain metabolic types. Some people metabolize carbohydrates inefficiently and do not regulate blood sugar efficiently. They tend to produce too much insulin when they eat concentrated or fast-absorbing carbs, and or to be insulin resistant. This makes it more difficult to release stored body fat and puts them at risk for a variety of health problems. This condition is known as "Syndrome X" or "metabolic syndrome."

The $26 Billion Conspiracy Behind The Lies

Some doctors and researchers, such as those quoted in the newspaper stories, consider these obesity-stimulating conditions to be genetically transmitted "diseases" that require medical treatment. In a few isolated cases, obesity clearly is a genetic disorder. However, these cases are rare, so this idea of obesity as a "disease" should be viewed with a great deal of caution and suspicion, because weight loss is potentially the biggest market in the world for drug sales.

According to Justin Gillis, a staff writer for the Washington Post, more than 45 companies worldwide are trying to develop new obesity drugs, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Gillis writes, "In world where a blockbuster drug is worth $1 billion a year in sales, analysts give $5 billion as the low estimate for sales of an important obesity drug. If a company developed a truly safe, effective weight loss drug, and sold it for $3 a day to one quarter of the 100+ million American adults estimated to be overweight, sales would exceed $26 billion a year in this country alone."

If obesity is classified as a (genetically inherited) "disease", that means more prescriptions will be written

Listen, if anyone ever tells you that "It's not your fault... you were born fat, so don't feel guilty... and don't worry, we have a drug that can help," be cautious and question whose interests are being served; yours or the pharmaceutical giants.

The Truth About Heredity And Body Fat

Losing weight does seem easier for some people than for others. In fact, researchers say that there is a segment of the population that appears to be "genetically resistant to obesity." That doesn't seem fair, but that's the way life is. Let's be honest; not everyone has the genetics to become a top-ranking pro bodybuilder or to become an Olympic Gold medalist.

But you are NOT doomed to live a life of fatness if you don't have "athletic genes." Everyone can improve their body shape and fitness level beyond where it is today.

Body fat is the result of many influences. Genetics is only one of them and as little as 25% the causes are genetic/biological in nature. According To Dr. Claude Bouchard of the Human genomics Laboratory in Baton Rouge, LA, there are several certainties about the TRUE causes of obesity. He suggests the following contributing factors:

(1) physical environment
(2) social environment
(3) behavior
(4) biology
This means that 75% of your results are dictated by lifestyle and behavior factors and only 25% by biology. According to Dr. Bouchard, "The obesity epidemic that we are facing today has developed only over the past 50 years and cannot be explained by changes in our genome."

And The Truth About Personal Responsibility That Will Set You FREE!

Like it or not, the condition of your body today is primarily a result of your own lifestyle, behavior and mindset (psychology). But that's great news, because it means most of the factors that affect your body fat levels are entirely under your control. These factors include how much you eat, what you eat, when you eat, who you eat with, how many sedentary activities you engage in, what type of exercise you do, how frequently you exercise, how long you exercise and how hard you exercise

Your first step if you want to achieve and maintain your perfect weight, is to accept 100% responsibility for your weight and your health. When the going gets tough, it's easy to blame and make excuses. But blaming genetics is a convenient excuse for not taking continuous action. It's also giving away your power and conceding that you are a victim of life rather than a major influencer of your destiny.

If you're a frustrated "endomorph" or if you feel like dieting is an uphill battle against your genes, PLEASE do NOT chalk it up to "bad genetics," and do NOT blame your weight on your chromosomes! YOU are responsible and YOU are in control! Dr. Thomas Wadden, a psychologist from Syracuse University, says, "There IS a genetic component to your weight, but NO ONE is destined to be obese."

Above all else, do NOT quit! The universe always bows to persistence. The empowering approach is to see your physical challenges as assets, because overcoming obstacles forces you to develop discipline, determination and character. These traits will carry over to other areas of your life and make you a stronger person.

As Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you overcome hardships, that is strength."

In the next lesson you will learn the lies and the truth behind the whole low carb diet phenomenon.

Train smart, expect success, and be relentless,

Kirk Huggins Rogers
Physique Transformation Specialist
www.heroicfitness.com

Sense of Entitlement is Killing your Results

Sense of Entitlement is KILLING your results! 

Entitlement- an established or recognized right.

Are you sabotaging your own results by acting like a spoiled brat?!

Do you say:

“I workout so I can eat what I want”

“I deserve this treat because I worked hard today”

you get my point…..

Soooo much of losing body fat and having your body look the way you dream of is IN YOUR MIND! The working out is the easy part. Your brain is the battle zone where the daily struggles of what you NEED (results driven) and what you WANT take place.

It’s easy to give in to every desire. It’s easy to feel like the world owes you something.

Guess F’in what?You have to WORK to achieve anything in life. Stop acting like a spoiled brat! Stop feeling like you deserve a treat every time you accomplish the smallest task.

Guess what?

Working out for 30 minutes is not a huge accomplishment…. IT’S WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING!!

Cured Cancer…. ok you can have an I’m Awesome party and Indulge.

I feel like sometimes I care more about peoples results and goals than they do. If your goal is to lose 20 lbs, are you doingEVERYTHING possible to reach your goal?…… I didn’t think so. Stop Making Excuses, Stop being like “Veruca” up top, and man or woman up!

Our country is being ruined by this imaginary sense of entitlement. Kids expect things from parents. Parents expect things from the Government or their employer. What ever happened to good old fashioned HARD FREAKING WORK?!!!!

Stop expecting things…. because I guarantee you WILL be disappointed!

“How does this tie in to fitness?” you ask…….

You can bust your ass all week long in the gym, and still not get the results you desire.

Guess how?

By feeling like you “earned” the right to eat whatever you want. A sense of entitlement.

There is NO WORKOUT PROGRAM that can out run a bad diet. period.

Empower yourself by taking RESPONSIBILITY for all aspects of your life. You only live once, and it would be an epic waste of time to just sit around expecting things to happen without you actually taking action…..

Steve Krebs
The Funniest Man in Fitness
www.SteveTheFitnessGuy.com

Here's Big Fat Lies Series #6

Hi Subscriber, 

We're half way through the mini course, BIG FAT LIES, and in this lesson, you'll learn about the "quick and easy" way to fat loss. You'll also hear about two dangerous diseases you don't want to catch!"

Train smart, expect success, and be relentless,

Kirk Huggins Rogers
www.heroicfitness.com  

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Fat Loss Lie #6: "There's a quick and easy way to burn fat
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One of my favorite motivational speakers is Brian Tracy, who is one of the world's top experts on success psychology and personal achievement.

In a recent seminar, Brian said that there are two diseases running rampant across America and much of the industrialized world today. If you had to guess, which two do you think they are? Cancer? Diabetes? Heart Disease? Osteoporosis? Obesity?

Nope. None of the above. In fact, they're not even physical diseases - they are mental diseases.

The first mental disease, according to Tracy, is called something-for-nothing disease.

Something for nothing disease is contracted by people who believe they can take more out than what they put in. These are the people who want all the rewards without paying full price, or as Brian put it, "They want to go through the revolving door of life on someone else's push."

Quick fix disease is the second of the mental diseases. According to Brian, this disease is contracted by people who always want a quick way to reach their goals.

They search for instant cures to solve problems that may have taken months or even years to develop. They seek short cuts to acquire key skills that actually take many months and years of hard work to master.

These diseases are not to be confused with the desire to constantly get better and search for more efficient ways to reach your goals (which is a positive trait). The "diseased" people are those trying to reach their goals faster than nature intended or without any effort (which is a negative trait).

Brian's New York City seminar was mostly filled with businesspeople and sales professionals, so he gave financial examples, such as: wanting to work fewer hours while earning more money, investing in get-rich-quick schemes, or buying lottery tickets.

However, I believe that quick fix and something for nothing disease are more rampant and insidious among people with fitness goals than any other group.

Health and fitness seekers with something for nothing disease think they can get twice the results in half the time. They want weight loss without dieting, fitness without exercise, and perfect health while eating, drinking and smoking whatever they want.

Those with quick fix disease want to take a pill, go to sleep, and wake up skinny. They are forever on a quest to bypass hard work and find short cuts to fitness goals that normally take months or years to attain.

People afflicted by quick fix disease are suckers for the latest "exercise in a bottle," "fat burning cream," "diet pill," or "steroid replacement" scams. They impulsively buy miracle solutions on a whim, which they haven't researched and know nothing about.

Saddest of all, they often waste YEARS of their lives on a misguided quest for the holy grail of fitness, when they could have reached their goals with a better work ethic and a little bit of persistence.

People with these diseases are violating the most basic laws of the universe: Cause and effect, sowing and reaping, action and reaction. This is just as ridiculous as attempting to violate the law of gravity. Jump off a cliff, and you're going to plummet to the Earth below - 100% of the time.

Not only will you fail and hit bottom if you catch one or both of these diseases - the very act of seeking a quick fix or wanting something for nothing makes you a weaker person.

On the other hand, the act of setting a worthy goal for something you want and reaching it through determination, discipline and hard work changes the very fiber of your being and you become a stronger person, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally.

It's been said you don't get what you want in life, you get what you deserve. If you want success and achievement... If you want to lose weight, improve your health and transform your body, then set the goals and go for it!

But whatever you do, don't catch these two diseases. Avoid the quick fixes, work hard at it, and deserve it. You can have, do or be anything you want... you can have the body you want! Just pay the price and it's yours!

Burning fat and transforming your body is simple, but it's not easy. You gotta work at it. But if you're willing to put the work in, you will take out the rewards!

Stay on the lookout for the next lesson because it's a good one! It exposes the truth about heredity and obesity. Are your genetics making it almost impossible to get lean? You'll learn the surprising scientific facts in part 7 of Big Fat Lies...

Train smart, expect success, and be relentless,

Kirk Huggins Rogers
www.heroicfitness.com 

Big Fat Lies Series #5

Hi Subscriber, 

Welcome to part 5 of the BIG FAT LIES mini-course.

In this lesson: Discover the "hidden agenda" behind one of the biggest nutrition and fat loss lies of all... "Calories don't count."

Train smart, expect success, and be relentless,

Kirk Huggins Rogers
www.heroicfitness.com

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Fat Loss Lie #5: "Calories Don't Count"
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In many popular diet books, especially low carb programs, "Calories don't count" is a frequently repeated theme and "you can eat as much as you like" is an often repeated promise. Other programs stress the importance of energy in versus energy out, but recommend that you count "portions" rather than calories. Still others say that you must keep a strict accounting of everything you eat. Who is right?

Well, trying to count every single calorie - in the literal sense - is probably not realistic or necessary as a lifestyle for the long term (all the number crunching can drive you crazy, for one thing!)
However, that doesn't mean that calories don't count. Any diet program that says you can "eat all you want and still lose weight" is one you should avoid because that is one of the biggest lies in the business.

The truth is, that line is a bunch of baloney designed to make a diet sound easier to follow. Anything that sounds like work - such as counting calories, eating less or exercising, tends to scare away potential customers. (This is why “no calorie counting necessary,” “eat all you like” and “no exercise necessary” are ubiquitous and notorious diet industry claims)

The law of calorie balance is an unbreakable law of physics: Energy in versus energy out dictates whether you will gain, lose or maintain your weight. Period.

I believe that it's very important to develop a respect for portion control and the law of calorie balance.

I also believe it's an important part of nutrition education to learn how many calories are in the foods you eat on a regular basis - including (and perhaps, especially) how many calories are in the foods you eat when you dine at restaurants.

The law of calorie balance says:
To maintain your weight, you must consume the same number of calories you burn. To gain weight, you must consume more calories than you burn. To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn.

If you only count portions or if you haven't the slightest idea how many calories you're eating, it's a lot more likely that you'll eat more than you realize.

So how do you balance practicality and realistic expectations with a nutrition program that gets results? Here's a solution that's a happy medium between strict calorie counting and just guessing:

Create a menu using an EXCEL spreadsheet or your favorite nutrition software. Crunch all the numbers including calories, protein, carbs and fats. Once you have your daily menu, print it, stick it on your refrigerator (and/or in your daily planner) and you now have an eating "goal" for the day, including a caloric target.

Rather than writing down every calorie one by one from every morsel of food you eat for the rest of your life, your menu plan serves as a daily goal and guideline.

If you're really ambitious, keeping a nutrition journal at least one time in your life for at least 4-12 weeks is a great idea and an incredible learning experience, but all you really need to get started on the road to a better body is one good menu on paper.

If you get bored eating the same thing every day, you can create multiple menus, or just exchange foods using your primary menu as a template.

Using this meal planning method, you really only need to "count calories" ONCE when you create your menus, not every day.

After you've got a knack for calories from this initial discipline of menu planning, then you can estimate portions in the future and get a pretty good (and more educated) ballpark figure.

So what's the bottom line? Is it really necessary to count every calorie to lose weight?

No, it's not.

But it IS necessary to eat fewer calories than you burn. Whether you count calories and eat less than you burn, or you don't count calories (guess) and eat less than you burn, the end result is the same - you lose weight.

But which would you rather do: Take a wild guess, cross your fingers and hope for the best, or increase your chance for success with some simple menu planning? I think the right choice is obvious.

In the next installment, you'll learn about two diseases that you might be affected with and not even know it... they are deadly to your fat loss progress and you've probably never even heard of them before!

Train smart, expect success, and be relentless,

Kirk Huggins Rogers
Physique Transformation Specialist
www.heroicfitness.com

Big Fat Lies Series #4

Hi Subscriber,

Liquid diets, protein drinks, or meal replacement shakes... Do they really help you burn the fat and keep it off?

You'll find out in this, the 4th installment of the 12 part BIG FAT LIES mini course.

Train smart and expect success,

Kirk Huggins Rogers

Physique Transformation Specialist
Fat Loss Coach
www.heroicfitness.com

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Fat Loss Lie #4: "Liquid diets, protein drinks or meal replacement
shakes help you burn fat and keep weight off"

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Liquid diets go back as far as 1930, when Dr. Stoll's "Diet Aid" was hawked in beauty parlors. In the late 1970's, liquid protein diets such as "The Last Chance Diet" became all the rage, much like low carb diets became popular in the 1990's. According to the FDA, in 1977, 58 deaths were reported by adults following these strict liquid protein diets, which lacked essential nutrients and solid food.

When news of the deaths made the headlines, liquid protein diets fell out of favor. However, they returned just as quickly in different incarnations. One of them was the doctor-supervised liquid protein diet, which provided an extremely low calorie diet (as low as 800 calories per day), primarily aimed at the seriously obese.

Proponents of these "second-generation" liquid diets, which still exist today, say they are safe and nutritionally complete because they are medically supervised and patients are given vitamin and mineral supplements.

The liquid diets became immensely popular again in the late 1980's. According to a New York Times story, when Oprah Winfrey announced the name of the liquid diet program she was using, that company recieved one million phone calls in a single day. By 1988, diet clinics expanded beyond the medical setting and had become a $10 billion dollar industry.

The third generation of liquid diets came in the form of powders or cans of diet drinks, which you could pick up at the local grocery store. Generally, you were advised to eat a shake for "breakfast," a shake for "lunch" then eat a "sensible" dinner consisting of whole foods. Sometimes snacks were allowed in between.

All these liquid diet programs claimed you would lose weight on them. That much is true. But many claimed that you would lose more weight using their products than you would with real, whole food, and that their products would help you keep the weight off. That part is NOT true.

Very low calorie diets (VLCD's) that emphasize liquid nutrition and de-emphasize whole food, can be unhealthy, nutritionally inadequate and even dangerous, and are one of the worst things you could ever do to your body and your metabolism in the long term. Here's why:

First, these programs are usually 800 to 1000 calories per day or less, which will virtually always trigger your body's starvation response. According to Eleanor Whitney and Sharon Rolfes in the textbook, "Understanding Nutrition, "Very low calorie diet formulas are designed to be nutritionally adequate, but the body responds to this severe energy restriction as if the person were starving - conserving energy and preparing to regain weight at the first opportunity."

Second, the weight comes back. No doubt, the weight losses from liquid diets can be dramatic - but not nearly as dramatic as the weight regain afterward - along with the physical and psychological damage that comes with it. According to Dr. Phillip Sinaikin, an addiction recovery specialist and author of "After the Fast," "A drug addict stands a better chance of recovery than a [liquid] dieter."
The fact is, liquid formula diets do not teach you how to eat in order to stay slim.

In a New York Times survey of 31 men and women who had lost up to 194 lbs. on liquid diets, 23 said they began to develop a strong fear of food, yet they experienced uncontrollable cravings and urges at the same time. One respondent said that after a binge that started with 7,000 calories in one day, he had regained 21 lbs. in 15 days.

Third: Many of these liquid diet products are poorly formulated and loaded with junk such as pure sugar or corn syrup! YES - CORN SYRUP - That nasty refined sugar that nutritionists are blaming much of obesity and childhood obesity on during the last decade.

You would be shocked - even disgusted - if you looked at the "ingredients list" of some of these drinks and shakes that are actually being passed off as fat loss or health food.

Fourth, even if you know how to select a quality meal replacement product, these products do NOT contain any fat-burning or muscle-building properties that you can't obtain from regular food.
Today, nutritional supplements have come a long way and we now have "fourth generation" products including protein powders and meal replacements that contain protein and carbs. The better products are more adequate in calories than the previous generation of diet drinks and they are usually well fortified with vitamins and minerals and use high quality proteins such as whey and casein. Some even have added fiber.

High quality, modern meal replacement products can play a small role in your nutrition program. But even the very best products will never be superior to real whole foods. Human beings cannot improve on mother nature. Whole food contains naturally-occuring vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, and bioactive compounds. They provide bulk and satisfaction and they improve your metabolic functioning.

The truth is that meal replacements are nothing more than "powdered food" (or "liquid food"). They're useful for convenience when you're in a hurry and you don't have time to prepare and eat whole food... but they're not better than food (with a possible exception being post workout drinks, which can also be helpful).

The process of digesting solid whole food every three hours actually stimulates your metabolic rate due to the "thermic effect of food." According to exercise physiologist Victor Katch, the thermic effect of food can be responsible for as much as 10% of your total daily energy expenditure.

Although scientists are still examining the metabolic difference between calories obtained from liquids and calories contained from whole foods, many champion bodybuilders and fitness models have discovered that eating 5 or 6 smaller meals, mostly from whole food, will maintain an optimal metabolic rate, a lot like stoking a furnace with efficiently- burning fuel.

The fat burning solution is to eat real, whole food as much as possible, to eat small frequent meals throughout the day, and avoid very low calorie "liquid diet" products unless your doctor is having you use them for a specific reason. Use the modern, nutritionally-complete meal replacements and protein powders only for convenience purposes, NOT for weight reduction.

Stay tuned for part 5, where you will discover the diet industry's "hidden agenda" behind one of the biggest nutrition and fat loss lies of all... "calories don't count."

Train smart, expect success, and be relentless,
Kirk Huggins Rogers

ARE YOU DISTURBED???

Transform From Have you ever seen a really impressive "before" and "after" photo on a weight loss product? Well, there's something that the diet industry doesn't want you to know. There is more involved than just the diet product, and it's the same across the board. Look into the eyes of any person in their "before" picture and you'll see that they are deeply disturbed. The body they have is no longer in sync with the body they are able to accept. They changed the body that they accept, and became disturbed. Now look into their eyes in the "after" picture – see the sweet satisfaction? They now live in the body that they decided they could accept. What an amazing feeling that is. Why are you still living life in your "before" body? Sure, you have obstacles that get in your way – your schedule, your job, your kids, the weather, your knee injury from college…but ultimately you have the body that you accept. I'm going to repeat that so it will really sink in. You have the body that you accept. The transformation that started it all... Transform from "Before" to "After" You may not realize it, but you already posses everything you need to transform your body, and it all starts with taking responsibility for the body that you have today. You are in your current shape because, until this moment, you've been OK with it. Oh I know you aren't thrilled with it, and you even talk about losing weight and getting fit - but you haven't changed what you'll accept. Here's how to transform your body in 3 steps: Step One: Feel Disturbed It has been said that emotion creates motion. This is essential when it comes to personal transformation. Just like those folks in the "before" pictures, to transform your body you must first decide that you can't live another day in the body you currently have. Get your emotions stirred up. Make a list of all the reasons that you're ready to lose weight and get fit. Get disturbed. Step Two: Decide What You Want Without clarity you'll never get where you want to go. Now that you're disturbed with the body you have, decide what the body you can accept looks like. Think in concrete and specific terms. Just like the captions under ‘before" and "after" pictures - "Shannon lost 50 lbs," "Matt lost 8 inches from his waist," "Catherine went from a size 20 to a size 4." Get a clear picture in your mind of what you'll look like in your "after" picture and decide what the caption will read. Step Three: Take Action The time spent between your inspiration (now) and taking action determines whether you will succeed or fail. Don't allow yourself to get stuck between inspiration and action - there is always something that you can do immediately. Take action by emailing or calling me now to set up a fitness consultation. I am here to take you from your "before" picture to your "after" picture. What will your "after" caption read? Get Disturbed You have to get disturbed with your current shape before you’ll take the action needed to transform your body. How do you get disturbed? Try these: Go shopping for a swim suit Try on all of your "skinny" clothes Look at old pictures from when you were in better shape Go to the doctor for a physical Salmon and Broccoli Scramble Salmon, broccoli and egg whites combine for the perfect protein-packed breakfast. Add a side of avocado for healthy fats and a serving of fruit for a delicious start to your day. Servings: 2 Here's what you need... 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 cup fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces 5 egg whites 8oz grilled or smoked salmon, separated into small pieces dash of salt and pepper Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 225 calories, 7g fat, 557mg sodium, 6.5g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 33g protein. Motivate your friends, family and co-workers! Use the "refer a friend" link below to forward this newsletter and subscribe your friends. Forward This Newsletter - Refer a Friend IMAGINE, How big would You Dream, if You knew You couldn't fail???...Click Here for More Information.

Come Train With Kirk!   Heroic Fitness Hours of Operation Carillon Building Fitness Facilities Monday:  7:00 AM – 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 AM – 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Thursday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Friday: 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM Ally Center Fitness Facilities Monday:  10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Tuesday: 7:00 AM – 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Thursday: 7:00 AM – 9:30 AM, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Friday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Client Testimonials From the novice exerciser to the seasoned exerciser,  Kirk Huggins Rogers of Heroic Fitness has the passion, desire, and ability to help you transcend your goals and transform your workouts into an epic experience.  He is by far the best personal trainer I have ever utilized, and is truly a physique transformation specialist.  I whole-heartedly recommend the Heroic Fitness Experience! -Sofia Mohammed    Kirk, thank you so much for sharing your physical fitness knowledge, your patience, your gentle urgings (which kept me going, even when I didn’t think I could!), and for your constant and consistent belief in my abilities- I’m so grateful you pushed this 50 “ish” year old woman to keep trying!!  You’ve provided me with a terrific foundation – now, I just need to continue to DO it! -Debi Brause

Email: heroicbod1@heroicfitness.com
Phone: 704-575-1514
Web: www.heroicfitness.com

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HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND

The Labor Day weekend is upon you. Do you have plans? Do those plans include exercising, dieting and staying fit? If not, and for most people this is rarely a part of the plan, there are some things you can do to keep from gaining weight or falling too far off the wagon.

According to some research, women consume about 115 more calories each day over the weekend than they do during the week. Those extra calories can tack on about nine to ten pounds each year. That is why you need a few tips to help you to avoid weekend weight gain.

Put Down the Alcohol

What you may not realize about the alcoholic beverages you are drinking is that they are high in calories.  It may be hard to stop drinking them, but at least minimize what you are drinking. Choose lighter versions of beer, for example, to get fewer calories. It is a good idea to skip those desert-like drinks altogether since those drinks tend to have the highest number of calories in them.

Don’t Forget to Eat

You are busy shopping and hanging out with friends. You may shop your way right through your Saturday lunch. That is not a good idea because once you do catch up to a meal, you will find yourself consuming too much. In addition, you may find yourself eating more of the wrong foods as a result. If you will be busy during lunchtime, you should at least pack a snack to take with you, such as nuts or granola.

Monitor Movie Eating

Are you heading to the movies this weekend? If so, put down the popcorn and the sugary soda. Both of these can kill any of your good eating habits during the week. In fact, a soda and popcorn combo can pack a hefty 1600 calories, depending on the size. That is a lot of calories for just one person for one meal. The better option, then, is to bring your own foods, if your movie theater lets you. Try the 100 calorie packs of goodies available prepackaged for you otherwise. Many movie theaters now offer these.

Date Night Dinner Mistakes

When heading out for that special dinner, do take the time to focus on what you are eating. Choose foods that are healthy for you. Skip out on fatty deserts that make you feel bad after that date, too. You may want to choose the smallest steak or go for the vegetables instead of the baked potato. These small changes will help to reduce the weekend weight gain.

Stay Active

Perhaps the biggest mistake you can make on the weekends is not doing anything. Get busy. Go for a run, swim or play a game of basketball with your friends.

By doing these things, you keep your body in line for your health goals throughout the week. At the same time, though, you are not depriving yourself of the things you love to do or of the time that you get to spend with your friends.

Big Fat Lies Series #3

Hi Subscriber, 

This email contains part 3 of your 12 part mini-course,
BIG FAT LIES.

In today's lesson, you will learn the "dirty secrets" of the fitness magazine publishing industry that they don't want you to know about...

Train hard and expect success all-ways,

Kirk Huggins Rogers
Physique Transformation Specialist
Fat Loss Coach
www.heroicfitness.com 

Fat Loss Lie #3:

::: You can believe everything you read in the magazines :::

In general, you tend to trust what you see printed in the magazines, just as you tend to trust the information you hear on the evening news and read in the daily newspapers.

Why? Because the news media and most magazines have mega-credibility.  Most people automatically assume - consciously and unconsciously – that if it's in print or on the news, then it must be true.

However, the fitness and bodybuilding publishing industry have some dirty little secrets...

Just as much of the news we hear is "planted," much of the fitness and nutrition information we read in our favorite magazines is also planted and heavily biased.

Publishers realize that the vast majority of readers will believe almost anything if it's printed in a nationally-circulated magazine.  As a result they created...

"The magazine / supplement company business model."

Today, most fitness magazine publishers not only depend on supplement company advertising revenue to stay in business, they actually OWN the supplement companies and use their magazines as the primary channel for promoting their products.

It didn't take long before the entire bodybuilding and fitness magazine industry realized that more moolah could be made selling supplements than selling advertising or subscriptions.

Here's another dirty little Secret they don't want you to know about:

Most people cannot sort out where the editorial ends and the advertising begins.... and that is by design.

Editorials are more believable than advertising (that's why they try to make supplement ads look so much like articles these days).

Did you ever notice how many magazine articles are about the latest, greatest "breakthroughs" in supplements? These "articles" aren't really articles at all; they're nothing more than advertisements in disguise... with an 800 number for easy ordering at the end...(how convenient.)

Even if a magazine doesn't have a vested interest in a supplement line, you still can't count on them to reveal the whole truth to you. A full page ad in a high circulation national fitness magazine can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so the publishers don't want to write editorials that will upset, offend or contradict the advertisers

It's clearly in the magazine's best interest to promote supplements like crazy, and stay in bed with the supplement companies, regardless of whether the products work or not, because the more supplements that are sold, the more the supplement companies will advertise. The more they advertise, the more the supplements sell, and on and on the cycle goes.

It may seem blatantly obvious to you that magazines are "pushing" supplements, or you may have simply suspected it.

However, you would be stunned at how many people - especially beginners - believe every word they read in the "muscle mags" and buy hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of useless "muscle-building" or "fat burning" pills, powders and drinks as a result. I know I did.

In the next installment of BIG FAT LIES you'll learn more about this subject when I reveal the truth about  protein shakes, powders, diet Drinks, and meal replacement products (MRP's)... Do they really help you burn fat? Look for part 4 in your email the day after tomorrow to find out!

Train smart and expect success,

Kirk Huggins Rogers

www.heroicfitness.com