Good morning guys! Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I've been extremely busy the past few days with my offline business, taxes (HELP!!!!), and we also just got a new kitten that we have to "break in". Whew.....I need a vacation! lol

Okay, today I would like to talk about genetics in relations to your body composition with fat loss, weight loss, and gaining lean muscle.

If you have been following my blog, by now you should know the core components to successfully burn fat, lose weight, and build muscle (water, sleep, exercise, proper nutrition, and staying 100% consistent). However, there is another component often overlooked that has a tendency of making people lose motivation with their efforts. That component would be genetics and trying to achieve a body like someone else.

You see the ads, the websites, the magazines, in person, etc. of folks who have a body that you wish you had. The problem is, due to genetics, chances are you may not achieve their actual body composition. I'm here to tell you....there is NOTHING wrong with NOT being able to achieve someone else's body shape and size.

Why?

Because YOU are YOU. When you lose that weight, burn off that stubborn fat, and tone up to get those ripped muscles, you are going to achieve a body NO ONE else has.....now what's wrong with that? You are going to then have a body that someone else is going to wish they had and on and on.

Don't have goals to LOOK like someone else, if anything, have goals to follow someone else's determination and will power to reach the promise land of better health and a better body. For example, for my own personal motivation, I love reading about and watching videos on Ronnie Coleman (8 time Mr. Olympia). His dedication is UNBELIEVABLE!! Ronnie gives me so much motivation to stay 100% consistent with my efforts to lose weight and build muscle.

I would say it's okay to follow someone else's "plan", but even that may become a conflict due to the same point of this post.....everyone is different. If you need a diet plan that will provide you with a CUSTOM nutritional plan, then I recommend for you to check out the Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet plan.

So, in closing, don't be upset if your body isn't going to look exactly like someone else's body. Be happy with who you are, and what type of body YOU have, and what type of body YOU are going to achieve.

I often struggled with motivation to lose weight and improve my health in the beginning. I just couldn't find in it me to push myself to stay committed and focused on getting in shape. What I soon learned was 4 important steps of motivation that empowered me to accomplish my goals.

Here are the 4 steps:

Step #1 - Envision: Picture in your mind and dream of how your body is going to look, how you are going to feel...both mentally and physically, how your family and friends are going to respond to you, how you will be an inspiration to someone else, and how you will live a longer, healthier, and happier life.

Step #2 - Set Your Goal: The next thing you're going to want to do is set your goal. Do you want to lose 20 pounds? Do you want to go down 3 sizes? Do you want to get in shape for sports, a job, military service, etc.? Having a clear picture of what you want to accomplish before you begin will help you stay focused on your journey to lose weight and improve your overall health.

Step #3 - Plan Your Journey: Getting yourself in shape and in better health requires planning. A lack of having a solid and effective plan before beginning on a weight loss journey is one of the top reasons a lot of people fail with their efforts to lose weight.

Gaining knowledge of nutrition, fitness, and YOUR body before beginning will make your journey a guaranteed success.

Also, I recommend for you to keep a journal covering everything it is you are doing on your weight loss journey. A journal is great way to keep track of your progress, and it is also a great motivational tool for you to use since you'll be able to actually SEE the progress and commitment on paper.

You can be helped tremendously with the task of planning and getting knowledgeable by getting yourself a customized diet plan. Take a look at my diet review site here that lists the top online diet plans that are proven to be highly effective.

Step #4 - Execute Without Fail: Now that you have reached this step, the time has come.....execute your plan without fail! Consistency is key if you want to successfully lose weight.

Believe in yourself and don't let anyone try to sabotage your efforts! There are going to be many roadblocks in your way....we all know that is inevitable....but keep on track and stay committed to your goals. Trust me, once you've reached your goals.....anything negative you may have faced before and during your weight loss journey will be minuscule compared to the end results!

Those are the 4 steps I keep implanted in my mind that helped me first get motivated to start, and second, to stick with it all and never quit!

Good morning!

As the title states, do you have mental strength (self-discipline) to avoid...or better yet, despise, unhealthy foods? Besides understanding and practicing all of the basic core principles of a healthy lifestyle for fat loss and weight loss, learning how to develop discipline to always eat healthy and avoid unhealthy foods is important. Find out how....

I received the following e-mail from my colleague Mike Geary, the author of the popular six pack abs program, The Truth About Abs. He talks about how he developed the discipline to avoid unhealthy foods, and it is also something I did and still do on a daily basis. Check it out....


"I've been interviewed a lot lately for fat loss tele-seminars, radio shows, etc, and one question really caught my attention recently.

I believe I was asked how I maintain so much discipline to always eat healthy and rarely ever cheat.

Well, first of all, I don't always eat perfect, but if I do cheat, it's only a couple times a month and only when I eat out. So basically, I never keep any junk food at all in the house. And even when I do "cheat"... I still never eat french fries, soda, donuts, or candy.

But I get asked often how I stay so disciplined to eat so healthy and always bypass the fries, sodas, and other junk foods that we're all bombarded with on a daily basis.

I thought about it for a second, and my answer was that I don't really think it's about discipline for me. Instead, I have something going on in my head that makes the thought of eating deep fried food, candy, donuts, or sodas not appealing at all to me.

In fact, it even goes a step beyond junk food just not appealing to me...

My mindset is that these junk foods actually appear disgusting to me and I have no desire to eat them at all. I actually crave healthy foods instead.

So it made me think... Why do some of us see junk foods and not crave them at all (and even view them as disgusting), while others see junk foods and cannot resist the temptation?

That's a tough call...and when it comes to how our minds work, things can get complicated.

For me personally, I can say that I think the reason why junk food is so revolting to me is that I've spent so many years reading about all of the negative effects that these foods have on your body... and digging into the actual science and the negative cellular reactions that they cause within your body.

Due to the fact that I've read in such depth about what these foods do to your body, I have ingrained in my head over the years that these foods are pure evil and therefore, I have no desire to eat them.

In fact, my dislike of junk foods is so deeply rooted at this point in my life, even the smell of deep fried chicken or donuts sometimes can make me feel sick, whereas the smell of a healthy meal makes me feel energized.

I never realized during all of these years that this was the reason that I eat so healthy on a regular basis. Everyone always said I just had "discipline"... but now that I've actually thought about it more, I've discovered that it's not discipline, but rather that my brain views junk foods with such a negative view, that the thought of eating junk food almost makes me feel sick.

This is interesting indeed. I'm not a brain-science expert, so I can't explain exactly how to adopt this type of mindset. All I can say is... keep continually educating yourself on nutrition and how different types of foods are processed and react in your body.

Hopefully, by learning exactly what is going wrong in your body when you consume trans fats or excess processed sugars, perhaps that will help you to view junk foods in such a negative way that you no longer crave them at all.

Good luck!"


Well, there you have it. The 'trick', if you want to call it that, to avoid unhealthy foods is to very regularly read and be informed on the unhealthiness of the bad foods out here nowadays, and what they can do to our bodies. The more you know and understand about these unhealthy foods, the more you are going to stray away from them...for good. You wouldn't even think twice about having "cheat days".

When I started on my fat loss journey, I remember reading how many calories were in a large order of McDonald's french fries (close to 600 calories and close to 300 in fat....plus contains trans fat).....how does that jingle go...."Ba da ba ba ba...I'm Loving It"? What's to love?

Yes, this is such a basic general question. But, when you look deeper into that question, you will soon realize that REALLY coming up with good SOLID answers to this question could actually have a tremendous impact on your success with weight loss.

The point of this post today is to help you understand that you should never approach weight loss with having simple reasons to lose weight such as, just simply to look good. Yes, that is one of the results from proper dieting and exercise. However, there are several other important reasons that should be higher on your list of priorities for why you want to lose weight.....like for example.....your health.....enough said.

Having good powerful reasons for wanting to lose weight will have a tremendous impact on your motivation and inspiration to continue this journey called a healthy lifestyle.

Some folks have no choice but to get rid of that fat and lose the weight. The military, law enforcement, sports, etc., are all reasons where you basically have no choice but to lose weight, gain strength, and improve your overall health. For those folks, they have support systems around them pushing them (drill instructors, coaches, etc.). However, as sad as it sounds, for us, we're all on our own! We have to be our own motivators. Sure, you can hire personal trainers, etc., but you still have to get yourself to that point of wanting to do this thing here. Remember, you could always quit with a personal trainer.....let's see you try that with a Marine Corps drill instructor in Parris Island, S.C.!! The way you make sure you always stay motivated, is by having good powerful reasons to want to lose weight before you start.

So, why do you want to lose weight and burn fat?

For me, it was a few reasons.

For one, it was the birth of my first child. I looked at me having excess weight and fat as obviously being detrimental to my health and energy levels, and I wanted to make sure I was going to be healthy and active with a newborn coming into this world.

With having my son being born, it also put my life in perspective in regards to my health. Being overweight can obviously cause long term health problems, and I also wanted to make sure I would be able to live a long, healthy life.

Another reason why I wanted to lose weight and burn fat was I was just sick and tired of being sick and tired. Getting a myriad of health problems is something most people overlook as a reason to lose weight. Joint problems, body aches, diabetes, cancer, heart attack, heart disease, and more, can be the result of being overweight. It's not all about looking pretty at the beach, your health IS and SHOULD always be the #1 reason why you should want to lose weight and burn fat.

The final reason on my list to lose weight and burn fat was to build self confidence. Long story short, IT WORKS! When you go from being overweight to in shape, a long with having strength from building lean muscle, that can do wonders for your self esteem and inner strength.

In summary, because I was able to come up with solid answers to that basic question, "why do you want to lose weight", my efforts to lose weight and burn fat were a lot more simple than I expected. This is because I had focus, and clear legitimate reasons to want to lose weight and burn fat.....which kept, and still do keep me very motivated in my weight loss journey.

So, with all that said, what are the reasons why you want to lose weight and burn fat? Comment below!

All of us who start on a weight loss journey will need what?

Motivation.

Motivation and inspiration is something that will keep us focused and driven on our goals to achieve great health and a great body.

That's where the pen and paper comes in. Keeping a journal of our weight loss journey is great for motivation and education.

Having a journal chronicling your weight loss journey is an excellent way to keep you motivated and educated due to the fact you are SEEING your progress, your mistakes, and more.

Some examples of what you could write down would be:

• What are you eating through out the day?
• How many calories did you consume from not just food, but also from drinks, additives (cream, sugar, condiments), etc.
  
• Did you have any food cravings, and what did you do about it?
  
• How much water did you have to drink?
  
• How long did you sleep last night?
  
• What exercises did you do?
• How long were the exercises?
• How much weight are you currently lifting and how many reps, etc.?
• And more.
  

By having all of this written down, it will be a reminder as to why you started on this journey to improve your body in the first place. Also, having a journal will help you keep track of those 'little' things that can contribute to possible weight gain, and those 'smart' things that you've underestimated that can contribute to successful weight loss (such as getting adequate sleep).

With having a journal, you will have an answer as to why you are either NOT losing weight or you ARE losing weight.

Another pointer would be to have a book journal and not one you write on your computer.....even if it's a laptop. Having a book journal is great since you can carry it with you to read it, and write in it anywhere and at anytime.

Record your journey and you'll be surprised by how effective having a journal could be, by giving you a written "picture" of your efforts for faster weight loss and to improve your overall health.

• Shift the calories you eat to burn fat and lose weight faster here.
• Get six pack abs or a flat tummy here.
• Flush toxins and parasites out of your body to help get rid of excess body fat here.
• Burn fat AND build lean muscle here.
• Stop doing LONG boring cardio and optimize your workouts for effective fat loss here.
  

As soon as Spring comes around, folks start flocking to the gym, joining weight loss programs/diets, and jogging their a** off around their neighborhood trying to burn off excess fat, and lose weight.

Why?

Why else? Too look good for Summer! I mean you got sexy clothes, pools, beaches, and social scenes that are all buzzing during the Summer months, and you don't want to be the one showing up with love handles and a fat pooch for a belly!

Well my friend, I have some disheartening news for you. Summer is almost over and it's now time to go back to your usual lazy ways, and eat fattening foods until next Spring! Then you can start the cycle all over again!

Sarcasm aside, please don't tell me that is how you think?

What's wrong with being healthy and in shape during the Fall and Winter? Is is because no one is going to see how fit your body is under layers of clothing and coats? Is it because you are not going to be at the beach or pool during this time? Or is it because you simply associate getting toned and in shape with Summer?

If the above is your way of thinking, I urge you to change your thinking, as this is a poor way of approaching your health, and could end up being dangerous to your health due to "up and down weight loss".

Did you know that you are supposed to improve your health and maintain good health for life? Are you shocked? Did I just make you spit out your coffee? I hope not, because this is not new news. Don't start a healthy lifestyle just to look great for Summer or any other special occasion. You should start on a healthy lifestyle to look and feel great....for LIFE!


Top weight loss programs...

The following 25 weight loss tips to lose weight fast, are things that have worked for me in my quest to lose over 50 pounds. I would like to share these tips with you in hoping that it can also help you with your weight loss efforts. Feel free to add some weight loss tips you know yourself by commenting below!

1. Consistency. Consistency is key to losing weight and keeping it off. Don't start on a new diet, lose weight and then stop. Focus on changing your lifestyle. Do not focus on "dieting". When you focus on dieting, you are looking at this whole weight loss thing as something temporary. Diets work ONLY to get those pounds off, but what are you going to do after the diet is done? "Living a healthy lifestyle is a marathon, not a short sprint down the road."

2. Drink more water....enough said.

3. Your name is not Beyonce Knowles, Madonna, Brad Pitt, etc. Therefore, do not try to do what THEY do in terms of getting and keeping there body in excellent shape. Everyone is unique and all of our bodies respond differently to different things. Do what's best for YOU and YOUR body....not what's best for someone on T.V.

4. Do not drink any type of soda...including diet soda (diet soda is just as bad with it's content of artificial sweeteners).

5. Stay away from diet pills. Diet pills are dangerous for your health and could cause yo-yo dieting.

6. Eat smaller meals more frequently instead of the usual 2 or 3. This will help in boosting your metabolism. The better your metabolism is running, the more fat you can burn.

7. Have ready made vegetable and/or fruit slices on hand for a quick snack to help in avoiding the "munchies" you get through out the day for some type of junk food.

8. Watch those additives. Sugar, toppings, creamer, etc. That's an easy way to jump up your calorie intake without you knowing it. With weight loss, you have to keep an eye out on everything going into your body. It sucks, but, this is what you'll have to do in order to lose the weight and get rid of that annoying body fat.

9. Don't eat too close to when you go to bed. This is mainly for foods that are high in protein, carbs, sugar, and fats. Things such as salads, fruits (except bananas), etc. are okay to have in the evening. Eating too close to when you go to bed could disrupt the functions of your metabolism.

10. Sleep for 7-8 hours every night. I struggled with this one in the beginning. But, once you start getting more sleep, your body will get accustomed to it and you'll find it more easy to get to bed early.

11. Choose exercises that you'll enjoy. There's nothing worse than trying to improve your body by way of exercise, but only to be doing exercises you do not like. For example, I can't stand running on the treadmill. So, what I do instead is power walk on the treadmill but on an incline. I enjoy it, but more importantly, it works just as good as running!

12. Do high intensity interval cardio training to burn more fat and MAINTAIN muscle. Long boring cardio is brutal on the joints and it does burn off fat, however, it could also burn off muscle!

13. Make sure you include building lean muscle in your workout regimen. Muscle burns a ton of calories while building AND while resting.

14. Do not go food shopping on an empty stomach....don't ask me how I know!

15. Make sure you are getting enough protein in your diet to maintain and repair muscle tissue.

16. Do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. You'll be burning off stored fat and calories instead of what you JUST ate! That's a golden tip!

17. Include apple cider vinegar in your diet. Yes, this is a miracle drink. Not only does it help with weight loss, but with a plethora of other health benefits for your body and mind!

18. Be realistic with your weight loss goals. Do not go into some diet expecting to lose 50 pounds in one month. When you go into a diet expecting to lose extraordinary amounts of weight in a extraordinary amount a time, you are now placing WAY TOO MUCH pressure on yourself. What do you think happens if you can not reach those extraordinary goals?

19. Take fish oil daily. It's important to make sure you are getting Omega 3 Fatty Acids since it is very important for your total overall health, and it is one of the things your body does not produce naturally.

20. Stay away from artificial sweeteners! You'll be better off with regular freaking sugar when you discover the harmfulness of artificial sweeteners! Opt for honey, stevia, natural syrups, and other all natural sweeteners.

21. Do not check the scale, check the mirror for your progress with your weight loss efforts.

22. Don't feel like you HAVE to join a gym in order to exercise and lose weight. There are plenty of exercises you can do right at home (body weight exercises, home gyms, etc.).

23. Do not have cheat days for the first two weeks of a diet. This could end up being a huge distraction to your weight loss efforts and cause you to lose motivation.

24. Do not get caught up into those fad diets. Fad diets typically avoid the basic core principles of a healthy lifestyle. If a diet tells you to avoid protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, fruits & veggies, cardio or interval training exercise, and weight training exercise, then I highly recommend you avoid these types of diets or weight loss programs.

25. Have a support group. Having people around you keeping you motivated will do wonders for you mentally. You will be able to stay focused and have the motivation to keep on going when it seems too tough for you....especially in the beginning.


Remember, weight loss can not be successful without commitment and consistency. I learned that loud and clear early on. I had a tendency to lose focus and slip a few times....and the outcome was I had lost motivation and re-gained weight. Take it one day at a time, stay focused, and stay consistent. It's only hard in the beginning, and I'm only talking a few weeks here. Hang in there!

Also, live healthy for life, not just to lose your excess pounds and fat. There's no sense in starting on some weight loss program, lose the weight, and then back down from living healthy. A healthy lifestyle is something you do for life, because it is your life...hence, "lifestyle".

Believe in yourself! Trust me, if I can do it, and still am doing it after 5 years, ANYONE can change their mindset and get more healthier.

If you have any questions about what I have done to help me lose weight and get in better shape over the years, please, feel free to contact me. I am more than willing to share all that I have learned and done to improve my health so that I can help someone else who is struggling the way I did in the beginning.


- "Shift" the calories you eat to burn fat faster.

Get rid of harmful toxins in your body and lose belly fat.

- Stop with the long boring cardio and get in better shape faster with Turbulence Training.

- Get a flat tummy or those coveted six pack abs here.

To diet and exercise to get in great shape, it requires more mental energy than it does physical energy.

In other words, you are going to have to take control of your mind to let it know that you are living a healthy lifestyle.

Once this is achieved, you would find that hot pepperoni pizza that was once delightful to your eyes, it now does not look that good. If you see this pizza and start thinking about all of the harmful things in it and how that is not good for you or for the person about to eat it, your mind is now that of someone with a healthy lifestyle.

That's where the cheat day phenomenon comes in...

The problem with having "cheat days" is they will eventually end up confusing your mind. If you can not see bad foods as BAD FOODS, you are more likely to give in, even when it is not on your "cheat day". That leads me to the next problem.

A lot of these bad foods (especially foods high in carbs & fat), provides a mental trigger for you to eat more. This is why a lot of people who diet with cheat days....but are not strong mentally...end up relapsing and go right back to their bad eating habits.

So, my point is that if you are going to have a cheat day, make sure that you are mentally prepared BEFORE you start your diet.....or you'll end up like my buddy up top who ate too many candy bars!

I also don't recommend that you have a cheat day for the first two weeks of your diet.....this is the time when you are most vulnerable to break your diet.



"Shift" the calories you eat, boost your metabolism and burn fat off lightning fast here....

Are you having difficulty on getting motivated to lose weight, burn fat, and build lean muscle? The following is a little trick you can do so that you would end up actually addicted to fitness!

What are your common emotions and thoughts when it comes time to get to the gym, or on your home gym, etc.? The feeling of you not wanting to go thorugh with the workout because it is tiring, physically demanding, causes you to sweat profusely, you're out of breath, it causes your muscles to burn, and so much more. I have bad news for you, all those things are SUPPOSE to happen! There is no way of beating all of those physical changes when it comes to successful exercising. If you don't feel those aformentioned body changes, you are not going to see results.

However, no one said that how you lose weight, burn fat, and build lean muscle has to be boring. Make it so that some form of your workout is something that you will enjoy. That is the little trick you can use to motivate yourself to get into fitness at a more consistent level. Motivating things to get you to the gym could be bringing your own favorite music on a walkman, ipod, etc. that you can listen to for getting that extra energy while working out, it could be you swimming after your workout, using the tanning booth, using the massage chair, or doing some other type of fun activity after or during your workout.

For example, with myself I love to play basketball. There just so happen to be an indoor basketball court at my gym. So, I use my desire to get on the court to play some basketball as a source of motivation to get to the gym on a daily basis ( I go 5 days a week). I do my workout (warm up, weightlifting, incline treadmill), and then go play basketball for 30 minutes or so.

Since I have been going to the gym consistently now for a very long time, I now don't need motivation, I just get up, get my fitness clothes on and go. Once you actually get mad if there happens to be a day you just can't make it to the gym, that's when you will know you are now addicted to fitness!

Let's face it. You are not going to lose weight unless you have self-discipline.

Self-discipline is the ability to control your thinking, your actions, and ultimately the results that you are looking for in a particular task.

In order to apply self-discipline to losing weight, you need to first ask yourself, "why do I want to lose weight?". After you answer that question, that answer must be present in your thoughts on a daily basis. The answer could be, to look better, to feel better, to be in better health, to live longer, to be attractive, to get a specific job, to join a sports team, etc.

Afterwards, you have to train yourself to eat and drink what is right. When you feel like having a soft drink, drink water, when you feel like have a piece of cake, eat a piece of fruit. This is not going to happen overnight, but the more you practice telling yourself NO, and don't give in to things that are not good for you, the more it will become second nature.

To motivate yourself to exercise, you just got to do it. If you go one straight week consistently working out, you are telling your mind not to quit since you achieved this successful task of going a whole week straight exercising. Once you keep on doing it, it will become like second nature to you. Eventually, you will actually start to get upset if there is something threatening to prevent you from working out!

So, now you know that YOU control you, not those cheeseburgers, not that ice cream, and on and on. Control your mind, and your body will thank you.