Posts Tagged ‘weight loss’

Why You Shouldn’t Drink Alcohol if You’re Serious About Losing Weight

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

The following guest article is written by Christine Howell of DNP Programs, a guide to doctor of nursing practice programs and careers.

Want Beer

When you are trying to shed those few extra pounds it is very important to watch what you eat and drink. One thing you should try to avoid, when possible, is the consumption of alcohol beverages. It is said that in moderation alcohol can help to maintain a healthy heart, but when it comes to weight loss efforts, alcohol has many negative effects on your dieting attempts.

Some of these negative effects include:

  1. Having a direct link to the body’s increased fat levels.

    The human body will use the carbohydrates in the alcohol first. This means that the fat from the food that you have consumed is laying in your stomach turning into sugars that are absorbed and deposited as fat.

    (more…)

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How to Save Time Building Muscle

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Swole Fitness Tips

You want to save time building muscle and losing fat. You want to put in as little time as possible, using as few days out of the week as possible, and get the most bang for your buck. In that case you should exercise only when you can maximize your returns on time invested. Here’s how:

(more…)

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Free Giveaway: Bob Greene’s Total Body Makeover DVD

Monday, February 8th, 2010

So apparently Bob Greene is Oprah’s personal trainer. He is credited with giving Oprah an exercise and nutrition plan that has actually helped her maintain a healthy weight.

** Comment on this post to qualify to win a free copy of this DVD. **

Obviously you must know by now that Oprah started off huge, lost a ton of weight, ballooned back up again, lost it again, gained it all back, etc… But from what I understand, thanks to Bob Greene’s workout plan and nutrition tips, she is finally maintaining a healthy weight.

Free Product Alert!

Allow me to announce Project Swole’s most recent free giveaway: Bob Greene’s Total Body Makeover DVD.

I haven’t watch this, nor will I, but I can tell you what it says on the DVD package.

  • An 8-Week Program for Maximum Results in Minimum Time
  • 8 Express Workouts on 1 DVD – Customized for Every Level
  • Nutrition and Diet Advice
  • Motivational Tools
  • Bonus: A 24 Page Makeover Plan

(more…)

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Full Body Fat Loss Workout Logs in an Excel Spreadsheet

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Now you can download the Full Body Plus HIIT for Fat Loss workout routines in Excel spreadsheet format. You can use these files to print out the routine and take it to the gym on a clipboard, keep track of your progress on the computer, or both.

The Full Body Plus HIIT Fat Loss Routine for Men can be found here:

Click this link to go to the download section of the post so you can download your spreadsheet!

The Full Body Plus HIIT Fat Loss Routine for Women can be found here:

Click this link to go to the download section of the post so you can download your spreadsheet!

I made some changes to the programs as well. Going through them I realized that there will almost always be time to complete those optional sets at the end of the routine, so I made the “e” exercises mandatory and added an additional abdominal exercise to make a super-set.

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Fat Loss for Men: A 7 Day Full Body Routine Plus HIIT

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Build Muscle, Burn Fat, Get Ripped

Originally posted: 1/27/10
Updates:
2/1/10 updated routine, added Excel spreadsheet workout logs)
3/8/10 added example HIIT routines for days 2, 4, and 6.

Fat Loss for Men
Fat Loss for Men

Many of you are asking for a full body workout routine to burn fat, so here you go.

I have even customized the program for both men and women.

You can skip the details and go straight to the routines if you wish:

The Program

We are integrating 3 full body training sessions with 3 HIIT routines and taking the 7th day off. Since the goal is fat loss, we are striving to add some muscle mass, maintain strength, and burn as many calories as possible.

This is accomplished by staying in a slightly higher rep range than we would normally use for strictly strength training, while using super-sets for most of our exercises. We add an optional set to the end of each workout in case you are able to finish the workout early.

Major compound exercises are rotated to prioritize a different muscle group on each of the 3 training sessions each week.

(more…)

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Fat Loss for Women: A 7 Day Full Body Routine Plus HIIT

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Build Muscle, Burn Fat, Get Ripped

Originally posted: 1/26/10
Updates:
2/1/10 updated routine, added Excel spreadsheet workout logs)
3/8/10 added example HIIT routines for days 2, 4, and 6.

Fat Loss for Women
Fat Loss for Women

Many of you are asking for a full body workout routine to burn fat, so here you go.

I have even customized the program for both men and women.

You can skip the details and go straight to the routines if you wish:

The Program

We are integrating 3 full body training sessions with 3 HIIT routines and taking the 7th day off. Since the goal is fat loss, we are striving to add some muscle mass, maintain strength, and burn as many calories as possible.

This is accomplished by staying in a slightly higher rep range than we would normally use for strictly strength training, while using super-sets for most of our exercises. We add an optional set to the end of each workout in case you are able to finish the workout early.

Major compound exercises are rotated to prioritize a different muscle group on each of the 3 training sessions each week.

(more…)

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How to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat Most Effectively

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Your Questions
Your Questions

I get plenty of questions in various comments throughout the website, but I also get comments and questions via the Project Swole Contact Form.

Generally I address those questions through e-mail, but often I do not have the time to reply to each and every question personally.

The category, Your Health Questions is a more proactive approach to answering your questions so that everyone can benefit from the Q & A.

Greg wrote:

“Hi,

First, let me say thank you for this website and all the useful information you post here. I am 45 years old, at 6 foot 1 inches and 210 pounds, and my goal is to simply change my weight distribution (don’t mind weighing 210 if it’s muscle and not fat).

Since I am a ‘hard gainer’, I have read your recommendations on the best exercises/workouts to build mass, and I have two additional questions.

First, I’ve continually heard the following: higher reps + lighter weight = definition, and lower reps + heavier weight = mass. My question is, what is the sweet spot for mass AND definition? For example, if I do three sets of curls, how many reps for each set – 12, 10, 8 or maybe 10, 8, 6 (with progressively higher weight)?

Second, what about diet? I’ve also heard that you should eat like a horse – lots of protein and carbs. Of course, if you overdo it, you’ll gain fat as well. So again, where is the sweet spot?

Thank you!
Greg”

(more…)

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What Kind of Fat Should You Eat?

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Dr. John Berardi
John Berardi

Since the late 1990’s Dr. John Berardi has published 8 scientific abstracts; 15 scientific papers and textbook chapters; presented at nearly 50 scientific, exercise, and nutrition related conferences; and published countless articles online.

His first articles at Testosterone Magazine so many years ago, provided me with the basis for everything I know about nutrition today. Now I will turn some of that knowledge over to you in the form of Nutrition Tips written by Dr. Berardi himself.

Today’s Topic – What kind of fat you should eat.

(more…)

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Conditioning Workouts Do Not Affect Strength Gains

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Need another reason to add either HIIT or HIRT into your workout routine?

A university study has concluded that a combination of cross training and strength training produces the same strength adaptations as strength training alone, while also eliciting the wonderful benefits of cardiovascular conditioning.

Conditioning
Conditioning

(more…)

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How to Lose Those Last 20 Pounds

Monday, September 14th, 2009
Your Questions
Your Questions

I get plenty of questions in various comments throughout the website, but I also get comments and questions via the Project Swole Contact Form.

Generally I address those questions through e-mail, but often I do not have the time to reply to each and every question personally.

The category, Your Health Questions is a more proactive approach to answering your questions so that everyone can benefit from the Q & A.

EKansas wrote:

“I am at 168lbs, down from 232. I’m female and 5’6. I work out with a trainer twice a week and do weights and cardio kickboxing and other cardio on off days. I work out 5-6 days per week.

I’ve been trying to get below 160 for months. My trainer says to bump my protein from 80grams to 160. I’m afraid of the extra calories. I try to stick to 1500. Is this correct?”

(more…)

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The Myth of Spot Reduction

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

Mary Ward is a blogger and enjoys writing about medical career topics, such as how to obtain a Master of Health Administration degree, job and education tips, and more.

The Myth of Spot Reduction: Why Crunches Don’t Work

So many of us are on a constant quest to lose weight, it’s just a natural part of life. We tend to put on the weight without realizing it and before we know it, we’re clinging to any diet or fitness regimen that we can find.

Female and Male Abs
Six pack abs can’t be obtained by spot reduction.

This holds especially true when it comes to certain body parts, namely the abdomen.

(more…)

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What is the Weight Loss Drug Contrave?

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

Weight Loss Drug Contrave Receives Positive Feedback From Clinical Studies

Food Addiction
Food Addiction

Scientists and drug companies are still hard at work searching for a magic weight loss pill. So far they have had about as much success as a one legged man in an ass-kicking contest, but they have made some headway.

A product called Contrave has been introduced by Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. as the best and brightest future star of new prescription weight loss products.

Contrave is the first weight loss drug to combine an anti-depression and smoking cessation drug called bupropion with naltrexone, which is prescribed to fight alcohol and opiate addiction.

(more…)

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How to Manipulate Insulin for Fat Loss & Muscle Gain

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Insulin can be a touchy subject when it comes to fat loss, muscle growth, and weight training. It is extremely important that we understand the role of insulin in the body and how the foods we eat affect our health and physiques.

What is Insulin?

First, we must define what insulin is:

Insulin in a peptide hormone composed of 51 amino acid residues, which is produced by the beta cells of the pancreas and released when any of the several stimuli is detected. These stimuli include ingested protein and glucose in the blood, produced from digested food. Insulin has expansive effects on metabolism and other bodily systems.

Fat Loss

What Insulin Does in the Body

Let us look at what insulin does when it is present in the body.

When present, insulin causes the uptake of blood sugar (glucose) by the vast majority of bodily cells. These cells include muscle, fatty tissue, and liver cells.

Insulin is primarily responsible for storing glucose as glycogen in the liver and muscles. When insulin is at high concentrations in the body, it prevents the use of fat as an energy source.

(more…)

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Skip the Cheat Meal, Fatty

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Dr. John Berardi
John Berardi

Since the late 1990’s Dr. John Berardi has published 8 scientific abstracts; 15 scientific papers and textbook chapters; presented at nearly 50 scientific, exercise, and nutrition related conferences; and published countless articles online.

His first articles at Testosterone Magazine so many years ago, provided me with the basis for everything I know about nutrition today. Now I will turn some of that knowledge over to you in the form of Nutrition Tips written by Dr. Berardi himself.

Today’s Topic – Cheat Meals

(more…)

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How to Break Through Plateaus When Your Personal Trainer Sucks

Friday, May 29th, 2009
Your Questions
Your Questions

I get plenty of questions in various comments throughout the website, but I also get comments and questions via the Project Swole Contact Form.

Generally I address those questions through e-mail, but often I do not have the time to reply to each and every question personally.

From now on I want to take a more proactive approach to answering Your Health Questions by posting them separately in the blog. This way we can be sure that everyone benefits from the Q & A.

Rich wrote:

“I have been working out with a trainer for about a year and when I started I was at 180lbs and had a pretty big gut and I am now down to 159lbs. The problem is I still have the gut, even though it is much smaller. I look much better, but I am not satisfied because I want to have a six back. I know it will take a lot of time and patience, but I was wondering if you knew of some stuff that I could do.

What do you recommend here?”

(more…)

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Hydroxycut Recalls 14 Weight Loss Products

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Hydroxycut kills.

No, I’m not talking about the ephedra laced Hydroxycut that actually works, I’m talking about the ephedra-free Hydroxycut products that are supposed to be safe. Yeah, not so safe.

Hydroxycut
Hydroxycut

Hydroxycut products are marketed as inexpensive, energy-enhancing fat-burners. They do work to some extent. Hydroxycut will definitely increase your energy, but at what cost to your body?

Why Hydroxycut Was Recalled

  • 23 reports of serious liver injuries
  • liver damage
  • elevated liver enzymes
  • reports of jaundice
  • liver transplants
  • confirmed as the cause of death in a 19 year old male
  • cardiovascular problems
  • seizures
  • rhabdomyolysis – serious muscle damage directly linked to kidney failure

(more…)

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The Resveratrol Diet

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Resveratrol

Recent studies say that resveratrol may counter diabetes and insulin resistance, two well-known culprits of obesity.

Some studies have recently reported that the supplement resveratrol, most commonly found in red grapes and wine, aids in preventing and treating obesity. In fact, consuming a full wine bottle’s worth of resveratrol reportedly has the same effect as being on a reduced calorie diet. Of course the calories in wine offset that particular effect. =)

Let’s examine how and why we can use resveratrol to help us lose weight.

(more…)

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The Truth About Fasting to Lose Weight

Friday, March 6th, 2009
Update: I wrote this article with regards to fasting for 24 hours or longer. I did not intend to address intermittent fasting with this post. Since I wrote this, I have learned about intermittent fasting and fully support it as a fat loss strategy. I still don’t support fasting for more than 24 hours though. 1/4/2011
Fasting
Fasting

What is fasting?

Fasting is when you don’t eat anything at all for a prolonged period of time. I’m betting you have heard of “breakfast”? This is a meal that essentially breaks your overnight fast.

Is it healthy to fast overnight?

Your overnight fast isn’t that bad. Some hardcore individuals do set an alarm clock to wake up 4 hours into their sleep cycle in order to swill down a protein shake. I have actually done this before, except that I planned it out as follows:

(more…)

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How Can I Lose Muscle Mass on Purpose?

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
Your Questions
Your Questions

I get plenty of questions in various comments throughout the website, but I also get comments and questions via the Project Swole Contact Form.

Generally I address those questions through e-mail, but often I do not have the time to reply to each and every question personally.

From now on I want to take a more proactive approach to answering Your Health Questions by posting them separately in the blog. This way we can be sure that everyone benefits from the Q & A.

Chris wrote:

“I have what some might think a very unusual issue with my weight. I’m a 34 man , I’m 6’3, and I weigh almost 220 lbs. and I have always been very muscular. I have not lifted a weight in almost 13 years, and my body looks like I’m a football player. I’ve done some research on how to lose muscle, and what I’m finding is that I should cut down on protein and load up on carbohydrates. I’m either playing basketball or doing yoga almost 5-6 days a week, so I am very active. I’ve even toyed with the idea of becoming a vegetarian and cutting meat proteins completely out of my diet just to rid of some of the muscle I have. Is this problem common, and what should I do. I can’t imagine not eating a steak or chicken any longer, but if that’s what I have to do then so be it. What would you advise.”

(more…)

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Upcoming Diet Articles for Project Swole

Friday, January 16th, 2009

For the last two weeks I have been experimenting with a new diet plan. Something more strict than just plain “healthy eating”. Something designed to help you shed 12-15 lbs in 3 weeks. It’s a little something I refer to as Project Shred.

Weight Loss

Basically this is a diet plan used by my extreme kickboxing instructor Barbara Woo to get her students in shape. The plan that I have been working with is meant for a female who is between 120-200 lbs, wants to weigh 130 or less, and wants to lose between 10-20 pounds quickly in a month.

Barbara Woo MMA
Barbara Woo In Action (Barbara is kicking ass on top.)

(more…)

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