The Best Way to Burn Fat, Lose Pounds, and Keep (or Add) Lean Muscle

There are many ways to lose weight fast. But most end up leaving you with a "skinny fat" body because, in the process of losing "weight", you've also lost a significant amount of lean muscle tissue. A skinny fat person isn't usually happy with his or her body and usually has a very hard time keeping the weight off, both in the short-term and the long-term. In this article I'm going to show you the best way to burn fat, lose pounds, but also keep -- or even increase -- that vital lean muscle tissue that will keep your metabolism high and allow you to keep the weight off!

1. Intense Strength Training -- Without a doubt this is the best exercise for boosting the metabolism, burning fat, losing lbs, and keeping/increasing muscle. It basically involves doing short workouts based around high-intensity sets of compound resistance movements. Intense strength training helps to burn fat extremely efficiently in 3 main ways:

-- Requires lots of energy (calories) during the actual workout
-- Re-building/repairing muscle tissue uses up lots of energy during the 1-2 days after the workout
-- The new lean muscle tissue you're left with (if you're consuming enough protein/calories) will boost your metabolism and allow you to continue burning fat fast

2. Protein-based, Quality Carb Diet -- The best diet for burning fat, losing pounds, and building is one based around protein, healthy fats, and only "quality" carbohydrates. Protein is necessary because it provides the amino acids that build that vital lean muscle mass. Healthy fats are necessary because you're body needs them to function optimally and have a strong metabolism. Carbs are where things get a little tricky. You definitely need some to enjoy good health and high energy levels. But it's very easy to overdo it, especially if you're consuming large amounts of highly-processed carbs (e.g. refined sugars and flours) and/or "white" starches (e.g. white potatoes, white rice, etc.).

The best solution is often to limit your carb intake to mainly vegetables, fruits, and beans/legumes. Add in some healthy natural starches like whole grains, sweet potatoes, etc. in a strategic way that allows your body to use the calories and insulin-boost well (e.g. eating them only after your strength training workouts).

3. Smart Cardio -- Cardio exercise can definitely help you burn fat faster. But, like starchy carbs, it's easy to overdo it and end up burning lots of lean muscle as well. The best option is to do mostly short, variable-intensity cardiovascular workouts such as HIIT-style interval training. This is proven to speed up fat loss while also limiting muscle loss. You should also practice a fun sport or higher-intensity activity like hiking at least once or twice a week.

So there you go: the best way to burn fat, lose pounds, and keep or increase that ultra-important lean muscle tissue. Use the tips above and you'll get that lean, toned, and sexy "fitness model" body you've always wanted!

Tags: burn fat

Buying Discount Treadmills -- A Few Shopping Tips

When it comes to choosing a good piece of exercise equipment for your home, it's hard to beat a treadmill. Along with elliptical trainers they are among the best-selling home fitness machines in the world. In this post I'm going to give you some shopping tips for finding high-quality discount treadmills online...

First... Why a Treadmill?

Running and walking are two of the best things anyone can do to lose weight and get fit. And a treadmill gives you a very versatile platform that's easy to use and easy on your knees, ankles, back, etc. With a solid treadmill you can walk, jog, run, sprint, run "hills", run intervals, and a whole lot more... all in comfort. Having your own machine that you can use in the privacy of your home at any hour day or night can be a BIG help. Many people who've bought treadmills have been able to burn fat, lose weight, and get fit very quickly.

Why Discount Treadmills?

Treadmills aren't cheap, at least the good ones aren't. And you never want to buy a really inexpensive (sub-$700) treadmill because I can pretty much guarantee that it'll be a piece of junk and will soon turn into a clothing rack. In fact, most quality treadmills are going to start at around $900. Really great ones that will give you many years of solid service will start around $1500 at a minimum. The good news is that many web sites now offer some really nice deals on some of the most popular treadmills brands and models at very low prices. In fact, it's now possible to buy many of the best treadmills direct from the dealer, allowing you to cut out the retail price markup and, in some cases, save 40-45% on your purchase!

Where to Go Next

Listing all the different places to find deals on treadmills is beyond the scope of this post. But I will point you in the direction of one popular site that has helped thousands of people save a lot of money on their treadmills: Discount-Treadmills-Guide.com. We know the owners of this site personally and I can tell you that they really know their stuff. It's one of the few places I've seen online that is totally independent and free to recommend any and all of the best sources for discount treadmills. No matter what kind of machine you're looking for, I suggest stopping by and seeing if you can't find a better deal or bargain on a great treadmill!

Tags: fitness equipment

Mindset Tips for Fast Fat Loss Success

Nothing is more important to success than your mindset. If you have the proper mindset you'll be able to lose lots of weight quickly and get super-fit at the same time. Use the proven tips below to get into the proper mindset for fast fat loss success...

The "Get It Done" Habit

This is maybe the most important fat loss tip of all. In order to burn fat quickly and lose weight as rapidly as possible you must become an automatic action taker. That means you just do things automatically without really thinking about it. No hesitation, no procrastination... you just do what you know you need to do to be successful. This applies mainly to exercise and diet.

The KISS Principle

Most people overcomplicate the weight loss process. The simpler you can keep things the faster you'll start to see great results. Always stick with the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Stupid. You don't need a complex workout routine or a complicated diet plan. In fact you can lose all the weight you want by doing nothing more than bodyweight exercises and following a very simple diet based around meat/protein, vegetables, and healthy fats. So make a habit of always choosing the simplest healthy solutions that will lead to quick fat loss.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

You don't have to go crazy and starve yourself or start working out like a maniac (and many, many people try to do this). But you do have to get yourself out of your comfort zone on a day-to-day basis. The key is to do just enough to become a little uncomfortable and then back off. The next time you'll be able to push it a little farther, until eventually doing something you thought was "impossible" -- like jogging 3 miles non-stop -- is actually easy for you.

So there you go: 3 of the best mindset tips for fast fat loss success. They all work very, very well!

Consumer Reports Reviews the Ab Circle Pro

Consumer Reports magazine finally got around to reviewing the Ab Circle Pro, which has become one of the top-selling fitness products in the US. As usual, they started by questioning the claims: a firm and flat stomach in just weeks by exercising only 3 minutes a day. All for just $200! They measured the actual energy expenditure and muscle activity that occurs when a typical person uses the machine. They also evaluated the nutrition plan that comes with the Ab Circle.

They had several men and women use the machine so that they could measure how much exercise they were actually doing and how many calories they burned. They even had 9 women and 4 men do the entire DVD workout coached by Ms. Ab Circle Pro herself Jennifer Nicole Lee.

The results? Consumer Reports found that the home exercise machine does engage the core muscles but burns no more calories than walking quickly. They found the diet plan to be fairly strict... strict enough that most people would lose a significant amount of weight on it alone! Could that be the main reason why some people do burn fat and lose weight using the Ab Circle?

In the end, of the 13 panelists CR brought in to test out the machine, only 3 said they would actually consider buying it in the future. That's nearly a quarter of them... which may be quite a bit better than some people would have expected!

Check out this video:



Now read some more Ab Circle Pro reviews and check out the original Consumer Reports article.

Tags: Ab Circle Pro

How Lose 2 to 3 Pounds of Fat FAST

Need to lose a couple of pounds of body fat really fast? Fast fat loss is simply a matter of knowing how to eat and how to exercise intelligently. Below I'll show you 3 proven techniques just about anyone can use to lose 2 or 3 pounds of fat in a matter of days. Use them next time you need to get rid of some belly fat so you squeeze into those "sexy" jeans...

1. Make Veggies Your Only Carbs

For the next few days get 100% of your carbohydrates from raw or lightly cooked vegetables. Eat no sugar (refined or natural) and no starches (grains, potatoes, etc.). This will help you cut calories significantly. It will also shock your body in a way that'll make it easy to burn those few pounds of fat.

2. Start Working Out First Thing in the Morning

Many fitness experts believe that exercising first thing in the morning before eating can help to force your body to burn its stored fat for energy. If nothing else, morning workouts jumpstart your metabolism and make it much more likely that you'll stick to a clean eating plan for the rest of the day.

3. Do Short, Intense Resistance Workouts

Every other day or so do a 15-30 minute workout based around compound resistance exercises that work multiple muscle groups (e.g. squats, pull-ups, push-ups, etc.). Do a combination of movements that work all or at least most of your body. Besides burning lots of calories, these workouts will force your body to pump out powerful fat-burning, muscle-protecting hormones.

So that's it: a simple way to lose 2 or 3 pounds of body fat really quickly. As usual, fast healthy weight loss just comes down to super-clean eating and smart, higher-intensity exercise. Good luck!

Can you lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks?

The other day I had a good friend ask me this question: "Can you lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks?" She wanted to know if it is possible to lose 10 lbs in such a short amount of time. I told her it depends: does she want to lose 10 pounds of fat or just 10 pounds in general? It would be extremely difficult to lose that much body fat in only 3 weeks. Not impossible... just very challenging.

On the other hand, it's not too hard to lose ten pounds in only 21 days if you follow certain diet and exercise rules. I gave me friend the following tips for losing 10 lbs in three weeks...

1. Get very focused on your specific goal. Write it down and think about it constantly.

2. Start eating a diet based around healthy, unprocessed "paleo" foods: meats, nuts/seeds, veggies, fruits, etc.

3. Limit your intake of sugars and starchy carbs. During these 3 weeks, the fewer sugars and starches you eat the faster you'll lose the weight.

4. Start drinking at least 70 ounces of water per day. You'll have more energy and less hunger.

5. Do short, intense workouts every other day. Combine both cardio and weight lifting for best results.

6. Take good supplements. A quality whey protein powder, a good multivitamin/multimineral forumla, and a decent omega 3 fish oil or krill oil supplement can make it much easier to lose fat, pounds, and inches super fast.

So that's pretty much it. Yes, you can lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks. It is certainly possible if you know what you're doing. Just incorporate the steps above and you'll be able to burn fat and lose up to 10 lbs in a quick, safe, and healthy way.

Lose Weight Fast and Safe -- 7 Tips

On New Year's Day lots of people want to learn how to lose weight fast and safe. So we're going to help out by giving you guys 7 of the best tips for achieving fast, safe, healthy, efficient fat loss/weight loss results. Enjoy...

1. Get focused -- Know exactly what you want (e.g. "Lose 10 pounds by the end of January") and focus on that goal as much as possible. Focused people get faster and better results.

2. Write it down -- Write down your goal statement and review it several times per day. This is a proven "mental programming" technique that will allow you to lose pounds in a quicker, safer manner.

3. Start eating a super-clean diet -- Starting today, begin eating as clean a diet as you can. Avoid all refined sugars and most processed foods (especially the junk foods). Diet is at least 75% of the solution so get going on it.

4. Focus on protein -- Eat some quality protein with nearly all your meals and snacks. It'll reduce hunger and speed up your metabolism. It'll also make it easier to add some metabolism-boosting lean muscle tissue.

5. Eat mostly good carbs and fats -- Focus on getting nearly all your carbohydrates and fats from "good", healthy sources. The best carbs are vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Starches (grains, potatoes, etc.) should be kept to a minimum and then gradually worked back into your diet if you choose. Most fats should be monounsaturated and omega-3's: fish, nuts, seeds, avocado, virgin olive oil, etc. Unrefined coconut oil is a natural saturated fat that is super healthy, so eat some if you can.

6. Do intense workouts -- Another major key for losing weight fast and safe is intense exercise. 2-5 times a week do some form of higher-intensity exercise, preferably both strength training and cardio work in combination. Keep workouts short, hard, and fun to avoid getting burned out or bored.

7. Supplement smartly -- Take whey protein and a quality multi-vitamin to speed up results. Also consider taking a good omega-3 fat supplement to boost metabolism and improve energy levels.

So there you go: 7 of the best tips to lose weight safe and fast. Each one is 100% proven to help anyone burn fat, lose pounds, get fit, look better, and feel great... so give them a try and see how much weight you can lose safely this year!

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