What’s the secret behind the runaway success of Curves? Why, if the training program is so bad, is the franchise such a moneymaker? My colleague Mike Collins suggests that it is because Curves encourages consistency and fosters a nurturing, peer-oriented environment. It’s marketed towards women, who tend to thrive on group-based endeavors. A Curves circuit […]
Fat Loss
On Food Journaling.
Just recently my friend Matt was kind enough to share his food journal with me (he’s been chronicling his intake off and on for years, as he has severe digestive problems). It struck me that in the time I’ve known him it was the third food journal I’ve known him to keep. Matt needs to […]
How Long Until I See Results?
Probably one of the top 10 questions I get asked by new clients is, “How long will it take before I start to see some results?” Well, the answer to that question is a tough one, because a great deal of it relies on the client. It depends on: How motivated you are to create […]
Who Wins the JAMA Fight? Atkins (of course).
I previously posted a quote from Alywn Cosgrove – “If you’re looking to lose fat and you’re not eating a low-carbohydrate diet, you’re a fucking idiot.” – which on the surface, looks like a fairly controversial, lunatic fringe comment. After all, doesn’t every health and medical professional “know” that low-carb diets (a la Atkins) may […]
One Little Thing.
There are essentially two approaches to behavior modification from a weight loss standpoint. They are analogous to the two methods used when jumping into a cold swimming pool, namely: 1) The “toe” method, where you drop your various bits of anatomy in by the smallest amount possible, slowly but surely, until your entire body is […]
More Reasons Not To Do Cardio.
I previously detailed that cardio makes you hungrier, causing you to eat more calories and to have an overall net calorie gain. Let’s go through some more reasons why doing cardio (aerobics) for fat loss may not be the best approach: 1) It burns fewer calories than you think. So you got on the elliptical […]
Another Reason NOT To Do Cardio For Fat Loss.
Another satisifying day on the slopes over. Ah, I do love snowboarding season. My friends and I took on a day’s worth of reasonably good East coast snowboarding over at Killington today. Yes, we suffered through the crowds. Yes, we suffered through the bitter winds and hardpack “snow.” And yes, we had a blast doing […]
So What Does Minestrone Have To Do With Weight Loss?
Here’s a repost of a riff I did for my friend and colleague Michael Collins over at MC Newsletters. Go over and take a look at his stuff. From the 11/3/06 newsletter: Following the Recipe: Using Minestrone as the Key to Weight Loss by Eugene Thong, CSCS Last Saturday I found myself in the position […]
12 Ways to Turbo-Charge Fat Loss.
1. Drink more water. Although a recent study suggested that drinking the standard “8 glasses” or 64 oz of water touted by experts is not necessary for health, forget about it. We’re dealing purely with fat loss; moreover, ways to maximize it. In my experience (and in the collective experience of other fitness professionals), I’ve […]
The Perils of Low-Fat Eating.
Just randomly perusing the Internet landscape: Eat Fat to Lose Fat. It shouldn’t even be questioned that the low-fat diet advanced during the fat-phobia craze of the 80s and early 90s is an unhealthy and nonsustainable diet. Aside from throwing the baby out with the bathwater (i.e., essential fatty acids with saturated fats), the low-fat […]