Calorie Shifting
Fat loss 4 idiots is now the #1 Clickbank weightloss product. I still don’t understand why? So in honor of their latest achievement, here is my post on Calorie Shifting again. You can do it on your own if you really want to without paying $35 (unless you want to pay me for this article 
)
I recently received an email from an obvious online marketer promoting the wildly popular fat loss 4 idiots diet program, which is based on the theory of calorie shifting. I didn’t bite but I’ll admit the promises are very enticing.
Claims like “Lose 9 pounds every 11 days” always spark my interest and curiosity. So I wanted to share my thoughts, research on calorie shifting and how it is done. (without you paying $39 for it)
What is Calorie Shifting
Calorie shifting is a method of eating that involves you having 4 meals a day and following a meal plan with foods that supposedly burn fat more effectively (mostly high protein foods and very little vegetables) That is how the commercial programs do it anyway.
You are constantly changing the total amount of calories you eat in any given day, “shifting” your calories up by 400 one day and then down by 300 the next day and so on.
Things to Note Before Starting a Calorie Shifting Plan
Below is an example of a typical calorie shifting plan. In order for this to work there are a few things you should note before you can see the 9 pounds in 11 days claim.
1.) You should establish a calorie baseline that your body has become accustomed to for at least 21-28 days. For this example it is assumed that a daily calorie intake of 2000 calories or very close to it has been maintained.
2.) Your current diet should be pretty bad already. If you have been eating well (lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats and whole grains), exercising regularly and getting plenty of recovery time this most likely won’t work for you. This is something the programs don’t mention as they assume you are already in bad shape to begin with.
A Calorie Shifting Plan Example
Day 1 -1700 Calories
Day 2 -2200 Calories
Day 3 -1600 Calories
Day 4 -2300 Calories
Day 5 -1900 Calories
Day 6 -2500 Calories
Day 7 -1700 Calories
Day 8 -2100 Calories
Day 9 -1500 Calories
Day 10 -2200 Calories
Day 11 -1600 Calories
Notice the up and down swings in the total daily calories. This is designed to confuse your body’s metabolism and supposedly burn more calories.
Is Calorie Shifting Effective?
For some people this can actually be an effective short term plan. But just like any other diet program/ plan it all depends on the individual as everyone’s metabolism is different.
Just be clear that once you return to your normal eating patterns you will most likely regain some of the weight.
Do I Recommend Calorie Shifting?
If you are looking to make a lifestyle change and improve your overall health then I don’t think a calorie shifting plan is the right way to start. These plans exclude many fruits and veggies which I think are essential to your health.
The other thing I dislike about calorie shifting plans is that they require no exercise. I understand that many people hate to exercise and this “no exercise claim” can seem appealing but trust me when I say that food alone is not enough. Please don’t discount the benefits of regular exercise.
Keep in mind that this is calorie shifting as I understand it and there are many variations in the calorie shifting theories and programs.
What is your opinion of Calorie shifting?
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Win the 10lb shred Ebook
Ok I’ve been negelcting this site and my readers for the past month, as you can see from a total of 0 posts in April. So to make up for it I am giving you the chance to win 1 of 2 copies of Tommy Europe’s 10lb shred ebook and access for 1 year to his new membership site Tommyeurope.tv
Tommy Europe is the trainer and star of the Last 10 pounds bootcamp and bulging brides. Two great shows that help people get back into shape. He is a former CFL football player and certified personal trainer from Canada.
I’ve read the book myself and It’s really good. There are 30 pages of high quality exercises that you can do either at the gym or home. The book includes a 4 week workout plan that will help you drop the weight quickly.
It’s not all about the workouts Tommy also has the diet aspect covered which includes a 7 day meal plan designed by the Maria Thomas the women that creates all the meal plans for the last 10 pounds bootcamp contestants.
How To Win
Winning should be fairly easy. You can enter 2 ways:
1. Leave a comment for one entry (I will be contacting the winners by email).
2. Write a post about this contest, the last 10 pounds bootcamp, or Tommy Europe and link back to weightlossweapons.com for 5 entries.
This will be a short contest with the winners being chosen on May 11th using random.org
Good Luck!!
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The Top 4 Rapid Weight Loss Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
This is a guest post by Barbara Cronin of www.HealthyNewAge.com
You want to lose weight fast? You’re not alone. More than 50 million Americans go on diets every year and according to the American Obesity Association 127 million adults in America are overweight.
Many times motivated by an upcoming event, people look for rapid weight loss. Turning to products and diets that not only don’t work but are actually harmful to your health has become commonplace. In fact, according to Lisa Coles’ book, Fat: Exploding the Myths, Americans alone spend between $30 to $50 billion a year on weight loss products, with $6 billion wasted on fraudulent or ineffective products.
Many of these products claim you’ll lose weight fast and keep it off. These claims are made by marketers only looking to increase profits. Oversight by the FDA, FTC, and other government regulatory bodies is often lax, so diet products commonly make astounding claims with no research or proof to back them up.
If you’re sincere about losing weight, you can do it. You first must realize is that weight loss is a lifetime commitment. Rapid weight loss usually only lasts for as long as you’re on a given diet and then eventually leads to rapid weight gain, which can endanger your health.
When you decide to lose weight, it’s vital to avoid the common fast weight loss mistakes that plague our society. The following is discussion of the Top 4 Rapid Weight Loss Mistakes.
1.) Dangerous Diets
Diets have been around for ages. Horace Fletcher of San Francisco published the first diet book on record in 1898. Horace’s dieting advice? Chew each mouthful of food 32 to 100 times and you’ll lose weight! (The New York Times, 1919)
Fad Diets:
Everywhere you look and every time you turn on the television or radio there’s a new diet out there, a diet that promises to get you slim in no time at all. There are the fad diets like the Lemonade Diet, the Hollywood 48 Hour Diet, The Grapefruit Diet, and hundreds more. These diets just don’t work, at least not for the long term. Not only will you put the weight back on after stopping the diet, you’re depriving your body of essential vitamins and nutrients during the diet. Don’t fall for fad diet claims.
Starvation Diets:
Then there are the starvation diets. The basis of these diets is to deprive your body of calories in hopes of dropping as many pounds as you can as quickly as possible. Sure, you may drop impressive pounds initially, but then watch out. If you’re consuming less than 1,200 calories a day you begin to lose muscle mass. Loss of muscle mass actually hinders weight loss. You need muscle to keep your basal metabolic rate, or resting metabolism, high. With more muscle mass you’ll burn more calories while your body is at rest.
Another problem with starvation diets is that consuming too few calories actually sends your body into “famine mode.” In this starvation mode, your body conserves all its energy and significantly slows fat burning. In addition, resting metabolism drops. This state not only prevents weight loss, but it also compromises the body’s natural metabolic functions.
Eating a Healthy Diet:
“Diets” are not the way to lose weight; however, eating a healthy diet is. Cutting out fast foods, fatty and fried foods, and sodas is a must. Eating at least 5 servings of fresh fruits and veggies will fill you up and you’ll be using your calories wisely. Don’t skimp on protein, either. Protein rich foods like lean meats, beans, yogurts, cheese, and nuts will make you feel full, and that full feeling will last. Even more important, proteins preserve muscle mass and encourage fat burning.
Be sure to keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water everyday. Sixty-four ounces is a good baseline goal. And also consider colon cleanse weight loss since careful detoxing can be an effective and safe holistic approach to slimming down.
2.) Using Weight Loss Pills and Unnecessary Supplements
Sure the claims are attractive. Lose 14 pounds in just one week! But are they for real and just what will your body suffer in the process? This is a billion dollar industry today. If you want to use a weight loss pill or supplement, you would be wise to first research the product. Some may help a little, but for the most part their claims are only hype and can even be dangerous.
Weight loss pills are often loaded with stimulants that suppress the appetite. You feel less hungry and eat less. That sounds great but the problem is this approach slows your metabolism. As your metabolism slows, so does your weight loss.
Many of the ingredients in these pills are very strong and can be habit forming. This isn’t a healthy way to lose weight. Not only are most pills ineffective, you’re seriously putting your health at risk when you go this route. Side effects from diet pills include nervousness, tremor, diarrhea, bulging eyes, racing heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, heart failure, chest pain, fever, hair loss, depression, heart damage, impotence, and more.
Not the exactly the picture of health.
Stronger ingredients are being used in these pills and with little or no research to test the products. The unknown side effects can be dangerous, even potentially deadly.
Even diet pills that claim to be all natural or herbal can be useless and risky. Remember: diet pills are loosely regulated at best since they’re classified as food supplements, not drugs. Is it really worth the risk?
3. Setting Unrealistic Goals
Many times people set weight loss goals that aren’t realistic. While goals are good to have, it’s essential to make them sensible. Striving to lose ten pounds for a wedding or reunion in a month may be too much. If you look at weight loss as lifetime commitment and a way of life, then you won’t be disappointed or discouraged.
Don’t try to lose more than 1-2 pounds of fat a week. When you do, your body starts to burn off muscle mass for energy supplies. Remember, you want muscle mass not only does it keep you toned, fit, and active, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you’ll burn around the clock.
If you set unrealistic goals, it’s easier to get discouraged and even give up when you don’t meet these goals. Keep it real!
4.) Ignoring the Need for Behavioral Changes
It seems everyone is looking for a quick fix. Go on diet or take a pill for a few weeks and lose all the weight you want. It doesn’t really work that way. In order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, it’s vital to adopt an overall healthy lifestyle.
If you set out to lose weight but don’t look at your eating and lifestyle habits, you’re setting yourself up to gain back any weight you may lose. Living a healthful life, at an optimal weight, involves a balance between nutrition, exercise, and other self-care habits, like getting enough sleep and time for relaxation.
You can’t stop for fast food 5 times a week and then take a diet pill to lose that weight. You must make a disciplined and consistent effort to live a healthy life.
Honestly evaluate your current habits; replace poor, unhealthy habits with new, healthy ones.
First, look at your eating habits. Do you overeat? Eat late at night? Eat many of the “wrong” or “bad” foods while avoiding healthy foods you know are good for you? Answer honestly and get real with yourself about your eating habits. Be positive and make the needed changes.
A vital part of living a healthy, active life is exercise. If you don’t exercise now, you must start. That doesn’t mean that you have to begin jogging, if this is an exercise you absolutely hate. But it does mean that leading a sedentary lifestyle won’t help you achieve your weight loss or overall health goals. Make exercise a part of your everyday life, and the rewards will astound you. Walk, swim, run, hike, join a gym, get some exercise DVD’s the choices are endless just get started!
When you change your behavioral habits that aren’t working, you can replace them with new healthy ones that will help you lose weight, get healthy, and stay that way for life.
Know the Dangers of Rapid Weight Loss
There are many mistakes people make when trying to lose weight quickly. These are a few of the most common. When you lose weight too quickly, you put excessive physical demands on your body. The risks are serious and shouldn’t be ignored. Some common rapid weight loss side effects are:
* Gallstones
* Dehydration
* Malnutrition
* Headaches
* Irritability
* Fatigue
* Dizziness
* Constipation
* Poor complexion
* Muscle cramping
Rapid weight loss is a dangerous undertaking. Looking good, being a healthy weight, and feeling good are lifetime journeys. Take the time to do it the right way and you will find yourself fulfilled and happy in your life and with how you look.
By Barbara Cronin, writer for HealthyNewAge.com, the alternative health web site and blog.
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Tony Horton’s Revolutionary Workout Programs Offer Fitness Solutions for All
This is a guest post by Barbara Cronin of www.HealthyNewAge.com
Known to many as “The Godfather” of extreme workouts, Tony Horton is a personal trainer and the creator of numerous outstanding exercise programs. His innovative exercises promise to get you fit and take you to the next level of fitness and beyond.
Tony has trained major movie celebrities, rock stars, CEO’s, and the everyday person looking to improve their health and wellbeing. With a unique mix of encouragement, humor, and discipline, Tony makes working out fun and fast with results that will astound you. Using Tony’s programs, people get in the best shape of their lives in record time.
Tony has been training countless individuals across the country since the late 1980′s, but he wasn’t always in such amazing shape.
A Humble Start
Born in Westley, Rhode Island and raised in Trumbull, Connecticut, Tony was a self-described “quintessential 98 pound weakling” for most of his early life.
Hating exercise and sports, and then developing a love for fast foods instead of his mother’s healthy home cooking, Tony didn’t have a fit, ripped body in those days.
That was soon to change. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island, Tony headed off to Hollywood to pursue his acting dreams. Feeling exhausted and overworked in Hollywood, Tony convinced himself that he didn’t have time to eat right or exercise.
The Transformation Begins
Although Tony’s ambition and dreams were strong, he was at an all time physical low in his life. Discouraged with his health and prospects in Hollywood, he realized (with the help of his talent agent) that it was time to turn his life around. Getting fit was the first step.
From that day on, Tony’s life would drastically change for the better.
Joining the famed World Gym in Venice, California, Tony began the journey of a lifetime. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno both worked out regularly at the World Gym and captured Tony’s attention. He watched closely, asked questions, and read every book related to health and fitness he could get his hands on.
His evolving knowledge, coupled with cardiovascular training from world-class triathlete Mark Sisson, gave birth to Tony’s unique fitness program. Focusing on exercises for speed, flexibility, and balance, Tony developed a fit, streamlined appearance not the bulky and stiff look many body builders had.
As Tony continued his workout programs and got in better shape, he began to notice other remarkable changes in his life. He started to feel better than ever before, his mind was clear and sharp, and he became more productive in his daily life. Tony felt amazing and his world expanded. He started rock climbing, in-line skating, yoga, Pilates, and plyometrics. As he learned more and applied himself, his overall wellbeing improved. He felt better and looked better.
The changes in Tony were unmistakable. Friends and acquaintances started asking questions. They wanted to know what he was doing to transform his body and life. Word spread fast everyone wanted to do what Tony Horton was doing. Whatever his methods, he was sure doing it right!
Tony Captures Hollywood’s Attention
Before long, word found its way to legendary rock musician Tom Petty. Tony helped Tom get into the best shape of his life. Other rock stars started training with Tony, too. This was the launch of his incredible career as one of the most sought after fitness trainers in Hollywood and across the country.
Continuing to build his career, Tony began his own fitness center, ASH Fitness in Santa Monica, California, and became the spokesperson for NordicTrack. His acclaimed techniques and videos have appeared in dozens of magazines including the prestigious Men’s Fitness.
In the late 1990′s Tony was hired by a major Hollywood studio to condition the entire cast of the motion picture The 13th Warrior.
Tony Horton and Beachbody: A Groundbreaking Fitness Partnership
In 1996, Tony met Beachbody CEO Carl Daikeler. Hitting it off immediately, the two became friends and soon after Tony became Carl’s personal trainer. After 90 days of training with Tony, Carl was awed by the results. He couldn’t believe the changes that he saw in his body, changes he never imagined could happen, and all in just 90 days.
In 1998, Tony and Beachbody collaborated and created the Great Body Guaranteed! Workout series. However, the launch of the Power 90 In-home Boot Camp is what propelled Tony to Beachbody celebrity status.
What’s emerged from the pairing of Tony Horton and Beachbody are exercise programs that have forever changed the way people achieve fast weight loss and enjoy getting fit.
Tony has continued to develop motivating, results producing fitness programs since the Power 90 In-home Boot Camp first debuted. Many of the programs are available at Beachbody.com, which promotes many fitness superstars, including Chalene Johnson and her ChaLEAN Extreme workout DVDs. The Power 90 series is referred to as P90.
The P90 Series: A Breakthrough in Exercise
The Power 90 In-home Boot Camp utilizes Tony’s exclusive Sectional Progression training technique. Each movement targets a specific zone for maximum fat burning and toning results. If you train for just 30 minutes a day, you’re guaranteed a great body in only 90 days.
Expanding on the huge success of the Power 90 workouts, Tony has added three more P90 workout programs. These routines build on the original P90 program.
Power 90 Master Series offers advanced workouts targeting specific problem areas for maximum body sculpting and muscle definition. Plyo Legs, Core Cardio, and UML (upper, middle, lower) are just a few of the specialized routines.
There’s P90X, a leading system of 12 sweat inducing, muscle pumping workouts. The exercises target muscle groups like legs and back, and chest and arms. They include yoga, plyometrics, and many other methods. Also built-in is a 3-phase total nutrition plan, special nutritional supplement options, a detailed fitness guide, a tracking calendar, online peer support, and more. This program offers 100% satisfaction guarantee to transform your body from ordinary to extraordinary in just 90 days.
Once you’ve mastered P90X and are ready to step it up, Tony has created the P90X Plus Series. This workout cycle offers brand new moves and never-before-seen routines. You’ll get improved results and break through fitness plateaus with these intense workouts. Jason Scheff, the lead singer of the band Chicago, created music exclusively for the P90X Plus Series. (Jason also uses P90X programs.) This advanced series is recommended only for individuals who have successfully completed P90X.
That’s Not A Program for Everyone
Too busy to work out? Think again. With Tony Horton’s 10-Minute Trainer you can workout no matter how busy your schedule. With breakthrough exercises and a specialized eating plan, you’ll be more fit than ever before. The secret is Tony’s Super Stacking Technique using resistance bands. Tony “stacks” the workout by doing cardio, toning, sculpting, and abs at the same time. It’s exercise multi-tasking! The program offers four 10-minute workouts: Total Body, Lower Body, Cardio, and Yoga Flex.
10-Minute Trainer Deluxe offers 3 new workouts: Total Body 2, Core Cardio, and Upper Body. You also get 2 additional resistance bands and an accelerated results calendar.
Want to get “up close and personal” with Tony? One on One with Tony Horton puts you there. Subscribing to this program gets you the latest workouts from Tony’s gym every month. “No set, no cast, NO MERCY” is the battle cry for this program. With workouts like Just Arms, Killer Abs, and Power 90 Road Warrior, this program will bring the latest workouts directly to you.
Looking for fast results? With Tony Horton’s Power Half Hour you’ll see results in as little as 6 workouts. What you get is a complete workout in just 30 minutes with this fast, versatile total-body program. You’ll get 5 fat burning, muscle toning videos that focus on abs, thighs, buns, arms, chest, and shoulders. You also receive a nutrition guide, 30-day power tracker, and a tracking calendar.
It’s Never Too Late (or too soon) to Get Fit!
Tony’s commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of people isn’t just for adults. Check out Tony and The Kids. Designed for children ages 5-12, Tony entertains kids as he takes them through fun and simple routines that almost anyone can do. He also has a special chat with the kids about eating right, staying active, and making healthy choices.
It doesn’t stop there. In Tony and The Folks, anyone over age 55 can get fit, after all it’s never too late! This fun half hour exercise program eases you into exercise. You’ll get your heart pumping and blood flowing with low-impact exercises. Benefits are increased energy, reduced joint stiffness, and improved flexibility, strength, and balance.
There are also supplements created by Tony. The P90X Peak Health Formula is a high quality multivitamin that helps your body get the vital nutrients it needs to perform at its best. P90X Peak Performance Protein Bars come in three flavors and are packed with 20 grams of protein to maximize your workout. P90X Results and Recovery Formula helps to refuel after intense workouts. With four part carbs to one part protein, muscles will repair faster.
Tony continues to work everyday in creating revolutionary exercise programs to get people healthy and fit. Continuing to excel as a personal trainer in Santa Monica, he is dedicated to helping people get into the best shape of their lives. Tony also lectures and participates in live online Beachbody chats.
By Barbara Cronin, writer for HealthyNewAge.com, the natural remedies web site and blog.
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