The contest prize package is awesome and really was the catalyst for me to join. Since I’ve signed on I’ve become incredibly excited to begin the process. I’m on a rest week from the gym and I’m just dying to get in there and try some of the workouts laid out in the RTP 2.0 System.

I’ll be keeping a daily journal within what’s called “The Shredder Sphere”, which is the member only RTP 2.0 online community forum. I’ll also be keeping a progress journal to document my efforts to trim my thighs and butt here on The Diet Skinny.

While you can certainly begin using the RTP 2.0 System to achieve your weight loss and body transformation goals at any time, the deadline for entering the contest is midnight EST on April 30, 2009. So hurry!!

I’ve looked over all of the material provided with the system. I know for a fact that the RTP 2.0 System will work for because the principles it is based on are the exact ones I used to lose 30lbs in 5 months - while eating more food than Weight Watchers allows you to eat on maintenance! Seriously!

PS…If you’re considering joining Weight Watchers - try and hold off for a few more days!  Be sure to subscribe to blog updates via RSS and/or sign up for The Diet Skinny Newsletter. I’ve got a video series I’m working on that you will most definitely want to consider before joining Weight Watchers.

This is my public chronicle for my first RTP Mission: Sag to Fab. Please check out the RTP website if you’d like to transform along with me!

OK, I’m not officially starting yet. I need to take a week off. I think I will probably officially begin on May 3 - though given the mood swings I’ve been having, that could change. Though yeah, I certainly need a few days rest. My knees are getting (almost) as cranky as I am!

I printed out all the sign up forms for INBF membership and registration for the figure competition I want to do on Oct 24. The only reason I didn’t mail them was because I had a few questions for the event organizer.

I was looking at last year’s entrants and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I could definitely place if the field were the same this year. One of the rare times I haven’t had to silence the “Oh no you can’t, you’re too fat, too old, too much cellulite, blah blah blah” voices. YAY go me!! I love that feeling!!!

I spent some time this morning trying to absorb the first few RTP Modules. Then I hit the gym for my last HIIT/SS Cardio session before rest week.

I was SOOOO fired up I could have run all day. And that’s saying a lot because I don’t ordinarily enjoy cardio much. OK at all. Not once did I look at the timer and roll my eyes and pray for a power outage.

This afternoon I decided to take some test pictures - trying to figure out where the best lighting would be, camera angle, zoom distance, etc etc.

So, I take a few and then the camera batteries die. OK no biggie.

I load up the pics onto my computer and here’s what I see (this is the best of the bunch lol and actually this one looks good - it’s the full sized that made me want to beat up my computer)

My not so skinny trim and toned butt

The first thought that ran through my mind was…

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!!!!???” There were a few other words thrown in as well. They all had four letters.

I’ve got veins AND cellulite on my thighs - though it’s hard to tell in this image. It all just looks like cellulite. ugh ugh ugh!! My quads are vascular too. How do I get rid of that???

I’m really mad right now!!!! I don’t know how to do this! My butt says starve me. The rest of me is screaming feed me or I will take you to my master. Or something.

My initial plan when I signed up to enter the RTP 2.0 Date With Destiny Contest was to spend the 84 days on a very controlled bulk.

I’ve been carb cycling since mid Jan. I’ve made good progress numbers wise. On paper. I was starting to see progress in the pics I was taking. Or so I thought just a few days ago. Now I’m not so sure.

I look at this picture and think, “Are you kidding me, you need to lose tons more fat! You can’t bulk! You certainly are no where near ready for a figure competition. Are you INSANE?? Go back to the gym and do 400 more hours of cardio and then we’ll talk!!!”

UGH!!! I don’t know what I’m doing right now. I hate this feeling.

Yet the thing is, my upper body is so lean that I look like a skeleton with veins. It’s nuts. I literally had to wear long sleeves to the gym the other day because I was that scary looking. It’s getting embarrassing!! I’ve even got veins popping out of my shoulders!! I hate it!

LOL!!! Am I gonna have to walk around all summer in long sleeves and jeans because my top is too lean and by bottom is too lumpy? I HATE being a girl sometimes!

So, I dunno. I’m gonna try again tomorrow with the pics. I had to use flash for this one. I’m gonna try natural morning light in a different room. Dunno if that will make a difference.

I don’t understand why sometimes I look at myself and feel good and other times I can’t even stand to look OK well, it’s not that bad but you’d think that after losing 75lbs and all the work that I’d feel comfortable in a bathing suit. But NO!

OK sorry for the rant. I just had to say it out loud. err, type it out loud. Not like I can say any of this stuff to anyone I know. I tell them I’m dieting and they think I’m nuts - as well they should since they are only judging by my upper body.

And then there’s that carrot cake in the fridge just daring me to eat it because right now I’m like “what’s the point??” Danger!! Danger!! And no, I’m not gonna eat it but it really is talking to me. I wish it would shut up. I may have to go silence it with the garbage disposal!

I’ve been trying to figure out how get more visitors to this blog.  So, I did what you just did - I started off by asking Google a question. I said, “Hey Google,  How many people ask you about weight loss and diet?”

Google replied, “During February 2009 there were 368,000 searches that included the word “weight loss” and 201,000 for “diet“.

Cool!! Lots of people are searching for weight loss and diet information!

Then I typed, “Dear Google, how do I get these wonderful people to type “How to Get Skinny” into your search box so that I can show them some easy diets that work for weight loss - specifically the plan I followed and is one of   the best ways to lose weight?”

Really. I typed all of that. I swear.

Google stammered, spit out 6 million pages with bright yellow highlighted red letters, and finally mumbled…

“Dammed if I know!!  Why don’t you Go Ask Alice?” (If you’re a grown up you get that reference. If you’re a kid listen to “White Rabbit”).

NO WAY GOOGLE! Been there done that!! If I go hang out with Alice I will end up craving Twinkies, gain weight, and want to buy the weight loss miracle cures those websites are selling!”  (I told ya you should listen to the song!)

How To Get Skinny Tip For Today: Don’t Ask Google About Easy Diets

40%  (that’s nearly half!) of the people who used the term “weight loss” or  “diet” in their search were looking for pills or drugs.

Weight loss/diet were the #1 searched for words. Weight loss pill, drug, etc were #2.

Diet & Weight Loss Search Results - Feb. 2009 (click for larger image)

Why?

Well, what happens when you type “weight loss” into Google? Here’s the #1 result I got (your mileage may vary):

Top Google Search Result for "weight loss"

What stands out to you most? (larger image)

If you’re like me the first thing that grabs your attention is the image - promoting easy diets that work for weight loss.

YES!!! I’ve arrived! This is right where I need to be! They’ve got some quick easy diets here!!

Clicking on the image brings you to different articles. Here are some quotes:

Detox Demystified

And yes, you will shed unwanted pounds — not because of any medical magic, but because these plans are super-low in calories.

5 Fat Burners

Fat-burning Workout: Pump Up the Cardio

SAY WHAT? Exercise? Low Calorie?  OH Dear Google how you have failed me!!  I’ve tried diet and exercise already! Diets don’t work for me and I hate exercise!

I must try my search again!

And since “weight loss” didn’t give us the results we wanted, well, what’s the number #2 most search for phrase?

Diet pills.

“Dear Google,  do diet pills work?”

Google won’t tell you this - but I will:

According to The Weight-Control Information Network:

1. Percentage of US adults who are overweight or obese: 66%
2. Percentage of US adults who are obese: 31.4%

Percentage of people searching for diet and weight loss pill, information, drugs, etc? 40%

I can barely add single digits without a calculator….but I excel at logic!

Considering how many people search for diet pills - does it make any sense AT ALL that so many people are overweight? Do I really need to answer that?

Obesity is killing us!  If diet pills actually worked don’t you think that maybe, just maybe, the pharmaceutical industry would bully the FDA into requiring them all to be prescription only - so that the drug companies could take even MORE of our money?? (I shouldn’t have to answer that question either!)

Take Jefferson Airplane’s cryptic but sage advice folks -

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead,
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen’s “off with her head!”
Remember what the dormouse said:
Feed your head. Feed your head. Feed your head

“Feed your head” aka THINK!!

Or just follow the drug money trail.

Feed your head with quality weight loss advice, facts, and information which has been proven effective not only by science (over and over!),  but also by folks who have managed to lose weight and keep it off!

In the end, the only thing diet pills (might) do is make you eat fewer calories. Coffee can do that too. And so can fiber. And so can healthy fats. And so can eating small meals every 2-3 hours. And so can getting a good night’s sleep, etc!  All the things that sound too simple and really ARE simple -  really DO work!

And you know what the saddest part is?

# of searches in February for the phrase “do diets work“?

170

# of searches for “how to fast“?

5,400

Perhaps we aren’t asking the right questions?

What phrase did you type to get here? Did you get the result you were looking for? How effective has the advice you’ve found online regarding weight loss actually proven to be for you - long term?

Is weight gain while dieting normal? Well, it depends!

Weight fluctuations are normal.

A better question might be, “WHY am I gaining or not losing weight?”

If you can’t identify the WHY (like maybe you ate six Twinkies last night) then it’s time to reevaluate your weight loss methods, program, nutrition, workout, motivation, goals, etc.

Or keep spinning your wheels going nowhere.  You choose.

Do you know how many calories you require to lose weight? Do you know how many calories you are consuming a day? If not, that is where you want to look first - caloric requirements and caloric consumption.  More often than not, if you aren’t losing weight it is because you are consuming too many calories! Barring that……..

Are you dieting and not losing weight?

I’ve lost 75lbs.  Have a look at my weight loss results chart …

I dieted. I lost weight. I dieted. I didn’t lose weight. I dieted. I gained weight.

This chart isn’t even the whole story. The first year, which isn’t on here (I started at 213.6lbs), shows an initial 20lb loss followed by a several month loss and gain of the SAME censored 5lbs!

So, I offer up this chart for the wonderful weight loss warriors I’ve been chatting with lately who aren’t getting the results they expect.  You’re not alone in your frustrations! Anyone who’s had to lose weight has (at times) lost their sanity dealing with the scale’s refusal to budge.

I still have a few pounds I want to lose. Even after having seen - day in and day out - for THREE years, how schizophrenic my scale can be….I STILL get frustrated with my lack of weight loss results! And I (should) know better!!

I hope you find some comfort in knowing you’re not alone. If it’s true that misery loves company, well then………….I love you!

You are most definitely normal if you’re dieting but can’t seem to lose weight.  Don’t give up but also - don’t keep spinning your wheels for months on end! (I tried that - it doesn’t work!) You know what the definition of insanity is don’t ya?

The Diet Skinny Weight Loss How To Tip For Today:

I promise - lifetime money back guarantee - focus on the tangible, lifestyle change things you do every single day that WILL bring weight loss results when done consistently over time……

………You know, the things you do like forgoing the chocolate cheesecake when you really really want some, getting in the exercise when you really really don’t wanna, drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, etc!

IF you DO the little things consistently over time while eating fewer calories than you require to maintain your current weight, (sooner or later) your body will have no choice but to burn the fat! Just like mine did!!

I have tons to share with you on this issue - I could write a book on the topic -  but this is a blog and I can only feed you small mouthfuls at a time!

If you struggle at all with losing weight please be sure to subscribe to The Diet Skinny Newsletter (you’ll get a chance to subscribe when you leave a comment or enter your email at the top right corner of this page).

I’m working on an exclusive, top secret, free for The Diet Skinny subscribers  e-book. Sort of an insider’s secrets thing - though there isn’t really any huge secret to weight loss. The secret part is how to deal with the frustrations!

I haven’t come up with a title yet. How about, “How To Get Skinny:  Advice On How To Lose Weight -Tips, Hints, Help, and Facts To Keep You From Smashing Your Head Scale Against The Wall? What? Not good?

Well, who cares what I call it?! It will be free for subscribers!

I MUST absolutely MUST go to the gym right now. I’ve been at trying to fix this problem ALL day. So, I am incredibly cranky, and now I have brain fog from going in circles trying to figure out what happened here.

Excuse the misleading sales pitch but hey - I had to get you to read this blog post! I’ve done the same thing too many diet plan marketers do!

One of the reasons I struggled with weight loss had to do with the fact that I expected a quicker rate of weight loss than I was getting.

What happens to you when you’re dieting and exercising and aren’t getting the results you expect? Do you keep on trying or do you eventually go off the diet and stop working out?

The media bombards us with messages suggesting that weight loss can be fast and easy.

But why would they bother to try and convince us of that?

Are you going to pay good money for something that can only promise an average of 1-2lb weight loss a week? Something that you could probably do yourself without spending money?

We humans are impatient - especially in terms of weight loss. Marketers know we’d jump at the chance to buy a money back guaranteed quick 10 or 20 pound weight loss.

And so that’s what they tell us they have. Over and over. They’ve got the magic pill. Really. They do.

Believe you me, thinking is NOT something they want you to do! They rely on the impulse buy. Impulse buys only happen when they push your emotional hot buttons! (See questions below for some hot button issues)

Over the past few years I’ve become painfully aware of the weight loss and fitness myths marketers promote as facts - over and over!

I see the effects of manipulative and what I consider to be unethical weight loss advertising every day -  online and offline. I see the negative impact it has on people who I very much want to help!

How many times have you started a diet and then lost motivation? Do you think that perhaps that could be why you can’t keep the extra pounds off?  Why did your last diet fail? What happened?

I believe that diet and weight loss advertising has a direct effect on our ability to stay motivated to diet and exercise. While it’s only a piece of the puzzle, it is one that’s in our face every day and is nearly impossible to tune out. We are being brainwashed and it irritates me to no end!

I’ve put together a video illustrating some of the the ways marketers create, reinforce a diet sabbatoging belief that many of us have  - and that is:  weight loss really can be quick and easy -

………….if we just buy their product!

I’d like to show you just how marketers do this so that maybe they will stop having such a negative influence on your weight loss efforts! So, I’ve made a video for you.

Before you watch, PLEASE be sure to answer these questions - if you take the few minutes to do this you will get more out of the video.

I hope that you’ll answer in the comments - it would be helpful to others to see just how much we all have in common!

1. Have you tried to lose weight in the past?

2. If you have tried to lose weight before - what was your average rate of weight loss? i.e - You lost 20lbs in 12 weeks for an average of 1.6lbs a week.

3. List 5 of the most difficult, frustrating, and/or unpleasant aspects of your previous weight loss efforts.

4. Describe your ideal diet/weight loss plan. What would it include? What would it absolutely not include? i.e. no liquid meals, no supplements, it must be effective, etc.

Once you’ve answered these questions, go ahead and watch the longer video.  (Sorry - bad sound for the first few minutes but it gets much better at 4 min in).

Here is a somewhat shorter version - approximately 16 minutes - “Is Diet Advertising Making You Fat?” and part 2 - Is Diet Advertising Making You Fat is here.

Be sure to subscribe to the Diet Skinny RSS feed or email updates. I’m going to purchase the product, inspect, and come back and review.

After you’ve answered the questions and watched the video - check out The Truth About Rapid Weight Loss Results (and how it hampers your weight loss results!)

You’ve heard it before - “It’s water weight.”

Yet how many times have you hopped on the scale at the end of the first week of a diet and felt incredibly awesome and skinny and totally sexy when you see a significant drop on the scale?

How do you feel the second and third week when the rate of loss slows? How are you feeling after 8 weeks when you’ve been doing everything right and see a measly 1/2 lb loss for your Herculean efforts?

Despite how great it feels when weight seemingly melts off the first few weeks, these huge drops on the scale set off a chain of events that lead to loss of motivation and eventual “diet” failure. Huge weight losses followed by the typical 1-2lb a week average really does mess with dieter’s heads.

Not only do my clients experience this but I’ve started (and stopped!) many a diet in my time. Every single time I see that number drop by huge amounts my brain tells me, “Sure maybe it’s water but hey it COULD be fat ya know!!”

In fact, I weighed myself this morning and I was down 2.5lbs. Over night! Was it fat that I lost? Uhm, nope.  Yet, even though I know better, I still get excited when I see that scale number drop!

We are told, over and over by weight loss product marketers, “Lose (some ridiculous number - FAST!). We’ve been programmed to believe that these large numbers we are losing rather quickly is fat.

How many advertisements have you seen that say, “Lose 10lbs of water in two weeks?” Zippo. Why?

Because we know water isn’t fat and we don’t want to pay for water loss. If we wanted to lose water we could just pick up a diuretic at the pharmacy, pop a few pills and abracadabra we’re 5lbs lighter.

However, what we really want is fat loss. Depending on our (or their) mood, some of us would trade our first born for fat loss!  Most of us know that we can push scale numbers around by simply increasing our water intake and/or lowering our sodium intake. Who wants to pay for water weight fluctuations? Women get enough of that every 28 days give or take! Water weight fluctuation is the very LAST thing we want!

We’re also told that these huge drops on the scale could be the result of decreased carbohydrate consumption - especially if we’ve reduced our intake even a little. I’m on a low carb rotation diet right now, hence my recent low scale number. IT’S WATER - OK maybe a tiny bit of fat as well. Hopefully!

I set out trying to prove the math of how carbs make us retain water - which they do to a point - a rather small number in relation to the “lose up to 12lb” claim that inspired this article.

Every gram of carbohydrate stored in lean body mass (muscle) is attached to 2.7 grams of water. That’s a total of about 2lbs of water retained in muscle tissue. When we cut back on carbs some of that water is released. Somewhere up to 2 whole pounds! 2lbs? Whoop-dee-doo!

There will be some amount of carbs floating around in your blood and stored in cells but that number is still relatively small in terms of total body weight. On average we carry around about 2-4lbs of carbohydrate related water. That’s not all that much in relation to the  12lb claim. Most of us see scale numbers jump around by similar amounts no matter what we eat or don’t eat! I’ve seen my weight increase 5lbs over night for no apparent reason!

Knowing only the basics of physiology, biochemistry and metabolic function, I was stymied when trying to figure out the math. HOW are they claiming these numbers? Where are these numbers coming from?

Sure, the 12lb claim could be an out and out lie but those numbers ARE seen by some people. So, I had to do some research.

Here’s how this works…….above and beyond, “You’ve lost water weight.”

First we need to look at what the body does with water. Well, actually our bodies do a whole lot with water. For our purposes we are concerned with primarily two things:

1. Water is required to keep the sodium concentration of our blood at a certain percentage. If you eat a salty meal your serum (blood) sodium concentration rises.

When the serum sodium levels rise your body will retain water in order to reduce the sodium concentration.  Said another way,  you will retain water in order to keep the ratio of sodium to water constant. The more sodium you consume the more water your body will retain.

2. Water is created when we metabolize (burn) macro nutrients.

Carbs create 55g metabolic water
Protein creates 100g water
Fat creates 107g water

Even when we aren’t dieting we are burning macro nutrients and creating metabolic water.  More water in = more water out!

What happens when we go on a “diet” or simply change the types of foods we eat?

Depending on what you were eating prior you will most likely be creating an increased amount of metabolic water. The more water we create, the more our body will release!

The diet being reviewed in this video is very likely a reduced carb, increased protein plan. Protein creates more metabolic water than do carbohydrates. If you are burning more protein (because you have less carbs to burn!) you are creating more water!

When you reduce calories AND add in exercise ( even MORE macro nutrient burn)  you will be creating even more metabolic water!

Now we need to look at sodium. On average we retain 3lbs of sodium related water. A Tulane University study conducted over a 19 year period on 14,000 participants found that overweight people retain and are more sensitive to the effects of sodium on blood pressure.

Simply put, the more overweight you are the more likely it is that you are retaining more than the typical 3lbs of sodium related water. You could be retaining up to 7lbs of water simply due to sodium. This also explains why generally speaking, the more weight someone has to lose, the higher their initial rate of weight loss. They simply have more water to lose!

What do most diet programs consist of food wise? Less processed and more whole foods.  Guess what?………..

Processed foods are where we typically find the the highest levels of sodium! If you eat like most people, you are probably consuming something around 4500mg (or more) of sodium a day. The RDA is 2400mg.  Go on a diet and you are likely to reduce your sodium intake by at least 30% if not more.

So, when we diet we’ve got increased metabolic water and decreased sodium intake. Add this to the fact that most people also drink more water while dieting and you get an influx of water which our body must release. Our bodies require a consistent sodium concentration. If our water level gets too high the body will release it!

So, here’s the math of how these marketers can claim weight loss rates inconsistent with what our bodies are actually able to do (in terms of pure fat loss -  physiologically speaking) -

Water loss from reduced carbs:  2 - 4lbs
Water loss from reduced sodium:  3 - 7lbs
Fat loss:  1-2lbs

Add in potential water weight loss related to the menstrual cycle and the unavoidable loss of muscle whenever we reduce calories and (at the high end) you get numbers exceeding the 12lbs in two weeks claim!

And that my friends is how they can claim these sorts of incredible weight losses - making you believe that it is fat loss simply by failing to mention that the majority of the loss is water.

What happens when your sodium/water consumption and production adjusts to your new habits?

Well, first of all, you stop losing water weight - so you don’t see the huge number drops on the scale.

You will begin to hold on to some water again - the typical 3lbs.

What happens after 3 months of doing everything right and you decide to treat yourself with a healthy but perhaps high carbohydrate/sodium dinner out for your birthday?  You gain weight!

And of course because you assume all that weight you lost was fat, you naturally assume all that weight you gained back was fat! You become discouraged because after all who wants to go the entire rest of their life without being able to have dinner out once and a while without gaining 5lbs? Nobody!

So, sooner or later, if you are smart, given the information (err uhm brainwashing) you’ve been provided, somewhere around 90% of you will eventually quit your diet and go back to your old eating habits - because you’ve also been brainwashed to believe that “diets don’t work” AND that 90% of people gain the weight back anyway - so why bother?! Diets don’t work, do they?

Ah but thankfully there’s a plethora of weight loss products you can buy that require no dieting, no exercise, blah blah blah!

Are you still not convinced that your 7lb loss your first week on South Beach wasn’t mostly water?

Let’s look at a real life person eating real life food.

Our “test” subject (me) is a 40 year old 5′5″ female who’s BMI is 29 - that’s the high end of “overweight”….nearing ”obese”.

So, she is 29lbs over her top “healthy” weight according to the “healthy weight charts”.

This is what I would typically eat when I wanted to if  not lose, simply stop gaining weight - and didn’t want to engage in a formal diet plan or  actually count calories!  I mean after all,  “calories don’t count”…or that’s what Weight Watchers led me to believe.  (PS calories DO count - Weight Watchers just counts for you!)

So basically, this is what I would eat when I was trying to eat “healthy”. I quote that because there’s not a fruit or veggie anywhere. I eat more veggies now before lunch than I used to in an entire week…or more!!

Breakfast:  Dunkin Donuts Sesame Bagel w/lowfat cream cheese
2 - 20 oz Dunkin Donuts Medium regular coffee w/ 3oz milk & 2 Equal  (yes I’m a junky!)

Calories: 603
Carbohydrates: 86g
Sodium: 1108mg

Snack: Kashi Pumpkin Spice Granola Bar

Calories: 180
Carbohydrates: 26g
Sodium: 150mg

Lunch: Subway 6″ BMT with 2tsp mustard
1.8oz Bag of Baked Lays Potato Chips

Calories: 647
Carbohydrates: 88g
Sodium: 2040mg

Afternoon Snack: 4oz Fat Free Chocolate Pudding
English Muffin w/ 1tsp Smart Balance margarine

Calories: 236
Carbohydrates: 46g
Sodium: 548mg

Dinner: Chicken Parmigiana w/lowfat cheese (5.5 oz chicken before cooking)
3 oz Barilla Angel Hair Pasta - approx 1.5 cups

Calories: 655
Carbohydrates: 70g
Sodium: 531mg

Snack: 6 cups Lite Microwave Popcorn (about 1/2 large bag)

Calories: 120
Carbohydrates: 24g
Sodium: 240mg

Daily Total Calories: 2446
Carbohydrates: 343g - 56% of total calories
Sodium: 4644mg

You will note that on this menu there is no added salt - that is, I didn’t throw a bunch of salt on my food before I ate it. However, my sodium intake is through the roof - nearly double the RDA.  Why?  Processed food - mostly of the carbohydrate variety.

What happens when we reduce carbs and processed food?

Most processed foods are loaded with sodium. Most people eat far too many processed foods. Most carbs we eat are processed.

So, I’m consuming all this sodium which results in my body retaining  extra fluid (water) in order to lessen the concentration of sodium.

Now, what happens when I try to lose  weight? Well, the first thing I’d do is cut out the 510 calorie bagel and cream cheese!!

What will I replace that with? Let’s try, as this diet plan suggests, eggs. How about 2 extra large eggs, 8 0z of non-fat/low sugar yogurt, a slice of whole wheat toast and 1 tsp of Smart Balance low fat margarine. (I’m keeping the coffee. Coffee is soul food!)

That brings my sodium intake for breakfast from 1108mg to 479mg! And uhm, since we are talking about losing weight - calories go from 603 to 386!

I won’t bore you with the details but I can go through this menu and clear out at least half the sodium. (I can also eat 30-50% more food in terms of volume -AND stay in a caloric deficit.  I’m good like that!)

The 6″ Subway alone has 1770mg sodium. And, keep in mind that this menu is probably tame in comparison to what most non-dieting, overweight people consume. Their processed food, sodium and calorie intake is very likely to be even higher!

Any nutritionally sound weight loss plan will have you lowering your processed food intake - unless it’s something like Nutrisystem where everything is processed!

Generally the most effective way to cut calories is to nix the processed food. You simply get more bang for your buck with real, whole, unprocessed foods. When we eat less processed food we consume less sodium AND fewer calories.

And what do we replace this sodium laden processed food with? Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein - most of which have a higher water content than the processed stuff!  So we increase water consumption and metabolic water production while decreasing sodium.

Again, the body is programmed to keep the concentration at a certain level! It must rid itself of all the extra water! This is why we lose so much weight at the start of a “diet”! Your body MUST rid itself of the water in order to keep you alive! Yes, too much water is bad and can result in death - though that’s incredibly tough to do!

OK fine. You sorta kinda knew all of this maybe? Did you really? Do you really believe it?

Or are you going to start your next diet hoping to see huge number drops on the scale? What if you DON’T see a huge number drop? Then what?

Might I suggest a little Lifestyle and Weight Management Coaching?

Weight loss, and really most anything we wish to accomplish in life, begins and ends in the mind. There is an acronym computer programmers use - GIGO. It stands for Garbage In, Garbage Out. In order to lose weight we first need to rid our minds of the garbage it’s been programmed with.

Lose 12lbs in 2 week claims are just more GARBAGE IN - which means you get garbage out…..thankfully…..for the people selling you weight loss products! How long would they be in business if this stuff actually worked long term and people actually kept the weight off? Not very long!

Weight loss is a $30 billion a year industry for a reason! 90% of people gain weight back for a reason and it’s NOT because diets don’t work. Diets absolutely DO work 100% of the time - provided:

A)  The program isn’t garbage……

and…..

B) You follow the program consistently over time!

If you’ve lost weight on a diet and gained it back, to be sure, the program was “garbage”!

Long term successful weight loss is much more than simply weighing less! To be successful long term we MUST learn how to live a full, healthy, and happy lifestyle in our own skin, today, and every day…….despite what it looks like on the outside!

I have been there done that to the tune of 75lbs. Twice. Yes, my first program was garbage. If you would like expert advice, support, and assistance choosing the optimal plan for YOU and your lifestyle from someone who understands where you are and can show you how to get yourself to where you want to be, please visit http://www.capitalregionfitness.com.

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For more information and reviews, check out: The Body Fat Solution website!

Once upon a time I weighed 213lbs. I am female. I am 5′5″. Needless to say, I had a few pounds to lose. I lost it. And then I became a statistic - I gained it back.

In my second attempt to lose 70+ lbs I struggled with an incredibly slow rate of loss, to the tune of an (on average) a half pound a week while following two very popular commercial weight-loss/lifestyle plans.

One day I happened across a link to Tom Venuto’s first book, “Burn The Fat - Feed The Muscle”. I read the book. I did what he suggested. My life has not been the same since. Over the next five months, I lost the final 30lbs - thanks to the author’s expertise! And he IS an expert, make no mistake! My rate of fat loss nearly quadrupled!! For me, it was literally a miracle!

And no, the nutrition plan is not extreme. At all. In fact I was eating more total volume of food than I had been on the aforementioned plans. The only extremes I experienced came in the form of improved health, mood and energy levels! Oh yeah, and there’s the I look good naked thing!

I still follow the maintenance version today. As I will always. This is seriously magic when you consider my history and what my previous lifestyle and mindset was like! On a diet. Off a diet. Weight up. Weight down. For years. I’ve paid to participate in commercial diet plans on at least on 10 different occasions (that I can remember!). Finally, I’m cured!

I’ve read many “diet” and self help books in my quest to lose 75lbs twice. I can say, without hesitation, “The Body Fat Solution” is a book like no other!

I have had to learn and apply the principles Tom teaches in “The Body Fat Solution”. Some of these things I had to learn on my own over the course of my weight loss struggles. Some I learned from Tom’s first book. Some of this material is new and has given me added insight that will I’m sure make maintenance a whole lost easier! Had this book been available to me in the beginning it would have saved me over a year of suffering, mentally, physically and emotionally!

Is this book a magic pill? It is if you swallow it - meaning you apply what the author teaches. Reading does nothing. Doing does.

All I can say is, it’s about time someone wrote something that will actually HELP people! In my experience (and I have far too much), HEALTHY fat loss and weight maintenance begins and ends in the mind. Tom Venuto will get inside your head, and stay there - so that you may live happily ever after.

The End.

For more information and reviews check out: The Body Fat Solution website!