Wednesday

Bad nutrition advice from the Biggest Loser

I have to admit... up until this season, I have never watched that much of the "Biggest Loser" tv show.

And although I hear a lot of people criticize the show for many reasons, one thing I like about it is that I feel it gives people hope... people that have long given up on getting the body they want and falsely think that they are "cursed with a bad metabolism" or other garbage that goes through their minds. I think there's definitely a great motivating aspect to the show that can really help a lot of people to finally lose weight.

Although one criticism I have is that I think it makes people think that losing 10-15 lbs a week is normal, when it most certainly is NOT.

Obviously the people on the show are basically in a camp where calories are controlled and they work out for ridiculous numbers of hours per day. So then when average Joe or Jane goes to try to lose weight, and he or she only loses 2 lbs per week, they think they are "failing", when in reality, that's a perfectly healthy weight loss pace.

And now comes my nutritional criticism of the show...

I couldn't help but cringe about some of the nutrition advice on several of the recent episodes.

The first example...

On one of the recent shows, they had one of those "trainer tips" 30-second spots on the show, and the recommendation was to eat MORE cereal if you want to lose weight.

Are you kidding me?

The ONLY time I would recommend more cereal is if somebody's goal involved wanting to GAIN weight.

Seriously, I've had clients in the past that had difficulties gaining weight, and one of the techniques we use in those cases is to have them eat more grains like cereal, because it tends to stimulate weight gain nicely. But it's few and far between where people actually want to GAIN weight, so this recommendation to eat more cereal to aid weight loss is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard.

Of course, this little 30-second "trainer tip" was sponsored by a cereal company... big surprise.

I could go on and on as to why we DON'T need any more grains in our diets... but I think this previous article of mine explains it well:

3 foods we should STOP eating


The second example...

The next nutrition criticism I had wasn't a bad trainer recommendation, but it shows some misunderstanding of nutrition by the contestants. One of the contestants chose a breakfast sandwich of egg whites on whole wheat bread.

This shows 2 things that they misunderstand about nutrition... for one, they falsely think that they need to avoid egg yolks, when those yolks are vitally important to controlling their appetite and balancing their fat burning hormones.  As you know from one of my previous articles, egg yolks are actually the MOST important part of the egg!

And the second misunderstanding they have is that "whole wheat" is good for you and a good thing for fat loss. Again, I would only recommend bread (even so-called "whole wheat" bread) for somebody that is trying to GAIN weight... not for somebody who is desperately trying to lose weight.  Read this article to see more details about the problems of eating lots of wheat.

If I was to recommend one of the best breakfasts for fat loss, I'd recommend several WHOLE eggs with lots of veggies.  I personally LOVE a 3 or 4-egg omelet with onions, mushrooms, zucchini, red peppers, spinach, and topped with salsa and sliced avocado! 


The third example...

This is another example of a misunderstanding of nutrition by the contestants. In one of the shows, several of the contestants scolded another one of the contestants because he was thinking of making a steak for dinner. They told him that he MUST have fish instead of steak.  They seem to have this false assumption that steak is somehow horrible for you.... which in the case of a corn-fed steak, may be the case.

However, this ignores the fact that a grass-fed steak can be equally as good of a fat loss meal as a piece of fish. Actually a steak, vegetables, and a salad is a perfect meal plan, especially if it's a grass-fed steak, which contains that oh-so important healthy fat called CLA, which can help you to burn fat and build muscle.  And CLA is something that fish doesn't have.

I would be more concerned about his choice of side dish rather than the steak or fish question. The more important thing is to avoid the starchy carbs and focus on the meat and vegetables if fat loss is the goal.

I could go on with more examples of nutritional misunderstandings on the Biggest Loser show, but I think this gives some good ideas for now.

If you want to be set straight for life on nutrition, make sure you have a copy of my Fat-Burning Kitchen program.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

The type of Fish Oil to NEVER take

As you know, fish oil is one of the healthiest and most powerful supplements that you can take for your health...
but I just got done reading a new report that shows testing results from some major brands of fish oils out there that showed shocking levels of contaminants and also rancid oils, which could be more harmful than beneficial.
The report is available for FREE below:
Shocking report shows the type of fish oil to NEVER take

 Inside this report, you'll also learn:
  • How some fish oils may be elevating levels of oxidative stress in your body and increasing your risk for advanced aging and disease! 
  • A fish oil related neurotoxin which can cause irreversible brain damage 
  • The disturbing truth about the fish finding their way into YOUR supplements (we bet you didn't realize this)
  • How to detect and avoid rancid fish oil containing incredibly dangerous lipid peroxides 
  • The mega-powerful carotenoid found in the best sources of essential fatty acids - but probably not YOUR bottle of fish oil!
  • The real environmental impact fish harvesting is having on eco-systems

Grab the new FREE report here:


 This report is a must-read if you take fish oil. Please don't think this is all bad news. The report shows how powerful fish oil and krill oil can be for your health, but shows you exactly what to look for so you don't choose one of the brands that failed testing.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

4 "fatty" foods for a flat belly

Thursday

A delicious new healthy low-sugar chocolate truffle

I just found a new healthy low-sugar chocolate "truffle" at Whole Foods the other day. Wow, delicious! And surprisingly healthy too as it contains a good amount of healthy fats, antioxidants and VERY LOW in sugar.

Even if you don't have a Whole Foods near you, you might even be able to make these at home as I'll show below.

And more exciting... these chocolate truffles are low carb and low sugar with absolutely ZERO sugar alcohols and ZERO artificial sweeteners!

They are simply called "Organic Chocolate Truffles" and I found them at Whole Foods, but I've seen almost identical types at other health food stores, and I think Trader Joes as well.

I found that eating just 1 truffle satisfies my sweet tooth after a meal, and only has 55 calories, which is pretty low if you absolutely have to have dessert after a meal.

Each chocolate truffle contains:

55 calories
2.5 gms total carbs
5 gms total fat (all healthy fats)

...and 76% of the calories come from healthy fats (mostly from organic coconut oil which makes it oh so creamy and smooth)... the healthy fat content helps to eliminate further cravings and control appetite and hormone levels. Since there's only 2.5 gms of sugar in each truffle, this will have almost zero effect on blood sugar compared to a typical high sugar dessert.

The ingredients are all healthy (except for one) as seen below:
  • organic cocoa mass (rich in antioxidants and healthy fats)
  • organic coconut oil (healthy fats and immune boosting lauric acid)
  • organic sugar (the only non-healthy part of these, but only 2.5 gms of sugar, so pretty low)
  • organic cocoa butter (a reasonable source of healthy fats despite false rumors about this type of fat)
  • organic cocoa powder (more goodness)
If you were to try to make something similar to this at home, I would use real maple syrup as the sweetener instead of sugar. Or I would try stevia or a blend of stevia and a small amount of real maple syrup. And for the cocoa mass, just melt a baking chocolate bar that's 100% cocoa content.

If you haven't seen these before, I have 2 amazingly delicious healthy chocolate recipes that have been super popular with readers:

My super-healthy chocolate fudge recipe

  
High-protein, high-fiber delicious healthy chocolate pudding recipe
Last note for today:

If you haven't check out the new program yet, "Lean Hybrid Muscle", check it out below... I really liked this program and the nutrition component is spot-on in my opinion. Plus, there's some super-unique training methods inside:

The weird new "Lean Hybrid Muscle" method


Enjoy those healthy chocolate treats and feel free to share this with friends and family!
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author:  The Truth About Six Pack Abs

Tuesday

The number 1 thing stopping your fat loss

You may notice that the internet is flooded today with people talking about best-selling author, Bill Phillips (the famous author of Body-For-Life), and his new Transformation program.

But I have a different perspective than most... You see, I actually got the pleasure of meeting Bill in person and spending a day at his house in Beverly Hills with about 2 dozen other fitness authors a couple months ago. Here is a pic of me and Bill in Bill's yard in California:



One of the biggest things that stood out to me when I met Bill was his sincere desire to change our society's unhealthy habits... and how genuinely he wants to help people live better lives. As you may know, he's even won awards for being one of the biggest contributors to the Make-a-Wish Foundation charity.

The guy is a class act...plain and simple.

So what is all of this new buzz surrounding Bill on the internet today?

Here's what all the buzz is about: If you've tried, over and over, to lose body fat but just couldn't do it, or you gained it back after you did, then you HAVE to hear what Bill wants to share with you about the newly discovered roadblock that is keeping you from dropping 225% more body fat, boosting energy levels, reversing poor health and feeling great from the inside out...

Your #1 Roadblock to Burning 225% More Fat


Even celebrities like Brooke Burke (Host of Dancing With The Stars) and Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) are tweeting about Bill's new Transformation Solution program.

And I can attest to the fact that Bill's program is POWERFUL... I'm not talking about little nutrition and exercise tips... we're talking LIFE-CHANGING type of powerful.

After all, if exercise and nutrition tips aren't changing your body and your life, maybe you need to think about things in an entirely new way... and that's what Bill's program is all about.

And the exciting news is that since Bill is just releasing his new program today, he's having a HALF-PRICE sale for only the next 3 days...

But better yet, you can feel good about supporting this program, because Bill is donating ALL of his profits from this program to charities for children, so it's for a good cause... plus you get a very special bonus when you order by MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.

Inside the Transformation Solution Program, Bill not only reveals the #1 roadblock to your success, but he also unveils what he calls the 'Bio-Balance Anti-Diet Solution,' which is scientifically designed to help people quickly lose body fat who have NEVER been able to before.

Read about Bill's "Bio-Balance Anti-Diet Solution"

I really think you're going to enjoy Bill's program... the information is truly profound and powerfully life changing!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
author:  The Truth About Six Pack Abs