3 Easy Weight Loss Foods

One of the biggest questions I receive, both in and out of my studio, is “What do I eat if I want to lose weight?” and it’s a great question.

I used to get a little cranky when asked that question because it’s a no brainer for me, but now I’m glad when people ask because it means they want to learn and are seeking answers and are ready to lose weight and achieve their Superhero Body.

I have a couple guidelines when it comes to choosing good weight loss foods, but the biggest is versatility.

I think a good food choice, whether you’re trying to lose fat or just be healthy, should be able to fit your lifestyle. It should be easy to transport without being overly messy, you should be able to add it to other dishes as a side item or topping and, of course, it should taste awesome.

Here are a few of my favorite foods to help you lose weight.

1) Hummus

I’m a big fan of hummus because of its versatility for dipping.

You can dip veggies in it, which is great if you have kids that you’re trying to convince to eat better (or a spouse!) and if you’re hosting a party, or are responsible for bringing a veggie try to a party, hummus makes a much better choice than ranch dressing as a dip.

It’s loaded with nutrition, most notably healthy fats. Believe it or not, fat is a very important factor when trying to lose weight and you should not avoid it if you’re looking for foods that help you lose fat.

In my family, we dip weight loss food #2 in it (actually my 4-year old daughter loves it!), and more recently we started dipping slices of bell peppers.

Do be careful on how much you eat because it is a calorie-dense food, especially if you’re just enjoying it as a snack.

2) Broccoli

I can’t make a list of top weight loss foods and not include broccoli because it’s just too dang powerful.

It’s loaded with fiber which helps keep you fuller longer and keeps your digestive system moving smoothly.

It’s also loaded with the all-powerful phytonutrients, which makes it a powerhouse of nutrition.

You can eat it by itself, which is usually an acquired taste, add it to salads, dip it in humus, or even throw it in a smoothie.

3) Pears

Pears are a great weight loss food because they’re relatively low in calories, yet high in nutrition and fiber.

The average pear has around 4 grams of fiber, which is close to 20% of your daily need.

You can eat it all by its lonesome, obviously, or slice it up and add it to a healthy salad, or use as a side dish.

The great thing about these 3 foods is that they’re easy enough for the whole family to enjoy.

I’ve always insisted that if you can eat healthy as a family, long-lasting weight loss is easy. Get your significant other and kids to eat like you, and watch the health of your family soar!

Sure your kids may poo-poo on the broccoli, but give them the hummus to dip it in and they’ll learn to enjoy it.

That's it for today!

Talk soon...

ed

To discover 4 more simple and easy weight loss foods, and some quick and easy workout tips, be sure to head to www.FatLossToGo.com and check out the video.

More Fat Loss Diet Secrets and Why Traditional Diet and Exercise Fail

I started the week off by telling you my “secret” diet and how it is really a no brainer in terms of fat loss, well today I’m going to do a guest newsletter written by the author of Eat Stop Eat, Brad Pilon.

When I say that he’s a nutrition expert, that’s really putting it lightly. The guy pours over research studies like you and I may read the newspaper or a magazine. I really don’t understand how he does it because my eye lids start to get heavy a paragraph into a scientific study.

Anyway, here’s Brad…

Traditional diets and exercise plans are mediocre at best when it comes to helping us lose weight. But don't blame the diets, and don't blame the exercise either.

After all, it's our extremely poor ability to estimate how many calories we burn and how many calories we eat that is their downfall.
Take this study as an example.

Women exercised on a treadmill until they burned a set number of calories (the researchers new what the number was, but the women did not). After they were done exercising the women were asked to guess how many calories they burned during the workout.

Shockingly, the researchers found that the women overestimated how many calories they burned by 300 to 400%!

If you find this surprising, it gets better.

After exercising the women were then instructed to go into another room where there was a buffet set up. The women were instructed to try to eat the same amount of calories that they had just burned during the workout.

The subjects ate double to triple the amount of calories that they had previously burned during exercise!

And this is just one study. Research consistently shows that we are very poor at estimating calories. We constantly overestimate how many we burn working out, and underestimate how many we eat.

When left to eat as we please, our mind and body will try and convince us to overcompensate and eat more than we need.

This is why diet and exercise often fail for so many people. If we overestimate how many calories we burn during exercise, and underestimate how many calories we eat AFTER exercise, we could very easily end up in a positive calorie balance after each and every workout if we are not careful.

This is why I like the Eat Stop Eat method of fasting for weight loss so much. Simply, you don't need to count ANYTHING. This means you have absolutely no chance of messing up your diet with faulty calorie counting.

BP

Awesome article Brad, thanks for sharing that with everybody.

I hope you have an awesome weekend!

Ed

P.S. – If you really want to step up your fast loss I suggest you give Brad’s no brainer, anti-diet a try. Check it out at www.EatStopEat.com

I Decided To Spill The Beans On The Easiest "Diet" I Have Ever Tried

Given that last weekend was a holiday for us in America, that meant that more than likely you ate and drank far too much (I know I did). That also means that you’re having another “I won’t do this again” or “I can’t eat and drink like that and plan to lose weight” conversation.

Well I decided to spill the beans on one of my “diet” secrets and let you in on quite possibly the easiest diet (that’s not a diet) in the world.

Last November, while I was in Florida for a seminar, I was able to meet very interesting guy. His name is Brad Pilon. In case you’ve never heard of Brad, he wrote quite possibly the easiest to stick to “diet book” I have ever read.

If you know me, then you know that I’m not a “diet” guy. I despise fad diets because they don’t work.

But Brad’s concept is totally different and it’s quite controversial at the same time. It’s really not a diet at all, it’s more like a non-diet or a diet for anti-dieters if that makes any sense.

His non-diet diet is called Eat Stop Eat and it’s about intermittent fasting and how that one little thing can help you lose lots of fat.

To put it bluntly, all you do is not eat anything over a 24 hour period. Simple concept and Brad’s got the science to back it up.

You’re allowed to drink calorie-free drinks like water, teas or flavored water. It also helps to have some breath mints or sugarless gum to keep your mouth busy.

I thought it was a very interesting concept. Not only that, but it’s a highly controversial concept because it goes against everything you (and I) have been told about how to eat when it comes to losing fat.

Anyway, we got to talking and he explained the science to me but then we had to finish up our seminar. After his explanations and showing me some science, he convinced me that I have really been brainwashed by the food and supplement industry, even though I don’t take supplements (other than vitamins) and am pretty good at getting past deceptive advertising.

I’ll leave his book to convince you on the science and rationale behind his anti-diet, and I’ll just get into my personal experiences.

Anyway, I was able to meet up with him again a few months ago and he finally convinced me to give it a try and I was floored with the results!

I got home from my meeting and my wife and I decided we’d try fasting for a day a week like he suggested. I was worried about not eating and how it might affect me mentally and in my workouts, but I knew one day wouldn’t be a big deal.

So we didn’t eat anything after dinner Sunday and didn’t eat again until dinner Monday. All I had was lots of water and breath mints.

I got up Monday morning and was able to get to my training studio earlier than normal because I didn’t have to prepare my morning smoothie. Bonus points to intermittent fasting for saving time.

I filled my water bottle and began my busy day training clients.

Anytime I felt I was getting hungry I took a big drink of cool water, popped a breath mint and focused on something else and that seemed to do the trick. I knew I could make it through the morning just fine, but was worried about lunch and after lunch.

Much to my surprise, lunch time went right on by and I felt fine. To be totally honest, I was a little hungry, but nothing major.

Actually, I felt more alert than usual and was getting more done in less time. Bonus points to intermittent fasting when it comes to saving time.

I didn’t have any training clients in the afternoon, so it meant more desk time. Again, whenever I got a little hungry I took a big drink of cool water and popped a breath mint. That really seemed to help.

Pretty soon my day was over and I was ready to head home. I felt fantastic!

I wasn’t tired or run down like I thought I might feel, even though Brad assured me this wouldn’t happen.

I’ve since done this for the last 7 or 8 Mondays (the first time or two were kind of tough, but it’s much easier now) and I’ve noticed that I’ve lost fat from my stomach. That may not seem like that big of a deal to you, but considering that I’m a pretty fit personal trainer who didn’t have much fat to lose, I think it’s saying a lot.

I only lost a couple pounds off the scale, but my clothes are fitting better than ever and I’m more defined, which tells me that every pound lost was pure fat! There was this fear I had about losing muscle mass. Brad assured me this wouldn’t happen in just 1 day per week, but if I tried to do more than that, I would lose muscle in addition to fat.

I didn’t follow Brad’s Eat Stop Eat plan to lose fat. I was more curious than anything. I wanted to experiment on myself and I am very glad I did. It is without a doubt, the easiest “diet” I have ever read or tried.

I lost fat and inches off my stomach. I didn’t have much to lose, but I lost it…more bonus points to intermittent fasting.

My energy levels are better on my fasting days.

My concentration levels are better on my fasting days.

I feel awesome on my fasting days.

I couldn’t recommend Brad’s Eat Stop Eat diet more and I really think you should check it out. If you want to learn more about the easiest diet in the world and how it can help you lose fat too, click here.

Or go to www.EatStopEat.com

Have an awesome day!

Ed

P.S. – A very important thing to remember when trying Eat Stop Eat for yourself is to not take the mentality of “more is better”. Brad recommends fasting 1 day a week with a maximum of 2. Brad also goes over many of the myths and lies associated with meal timing and frequency in his book and he really helps take what he calls our “obsessive-compulsive eating” habits out of the picture. So be sure to check his Eat Stop Eat program out by clicking here => www.EatStopEat.com

You Eat Right And Exercise, But Why Can't You Lose Fat?

It’s reader mail time!

Here is one of the most common questions I get and the way I always respond to it.

Q: I eat right and I workout all the time, but I’m not losing fat. What else can I do, or what am I doing wrong?

A: I get this question all the time and it’s a very, very frustrating situation to be in to say the least.

You think you’re doing everything right, and the scale isn’t moving.

First you have to ask yourself if your clothes are fitting better. If they are, then don’t even worry about the scale because the number on the scale will begin to fall if you notice your clothes getting loose in the places you want.

If that’s not the case, you really need to examine what you say you’re doing “right.”

You say you’re eating right, but what does that mean?

That usually means there’s something you’re not understanding or are you’re just lying to yourself.

I don’t mean to be rude, but if you truly do eat “right”, then there’s no reason you should be maintaining your current weight (if you want to lose). If you were really eating the way you should if you want to lose fat (and you’re overweight), and the scale isn’t moving, then you should probably become some sort of lab rat for the UN because you could solve world hunger.

I would never outright call someone a liar. I just think that you may be misunderstanding what it means to eat to lose fat. There’s a lot of misinformation out there and sometimes what seems like the most common sense approach is actually the worst approach.

So let’s see if I can solve your dilemma right now.

Does “eating right” mean you eat like a bird, if you eat at all, most of the day, then eat a huge meal at night?

If so, there’s your problem right there. You can’t eat little to nothing for a good portion of the day, then eat a huge meal later on. Your body doesn’t work that way. If you consume more calories in one sitting than your body can use, the remainder will get stored as fat. It really is that simple.

Eat over 1000 calories in one sitting (which is very easy to do), then count on a good chunk of those calories going right to your gut, butt, thighs or chest as fat.

Or maybe you’ve got some hidden calories in the form of sauces, salad dressings, coffee drinks, soda/pop/cola, sweetened teas, breads, etc.

Most of those things that I just mentioned are loaded with calories and you wouldn’t normally even think of them because they’re not your “main dish”, they’re add-ons. But believe me when I tell you that salad dressings and sauces WILL turn a fat fighting meal into a fat gaining meal.

Read the label, don’t douse your food with the stuff, and switch to low calorie versions.

If you drink those calorie bomb coffee drinks, cut them out. There’s no place for them if you’re trying to lose fat. Many of them can be well over 600 calories.

The other thing it could be is portion sizes. Most people under-estimate their portions by around 25%. That one thing right there could be your whole problem.

You may think you’re consuming around 2000 calories per day, when in actuality you may be consuming 2500.

If all else is equal, that could mean a pound of fat gain per week, or if you understand that and fix it, it could mean a pound of fat loss per week. It really is that simple and it’s your choice.

The last thing I’ll cover today is the weekend.

I know people who eat perfectly all week long, then when Friday night rolls around…everything gets thrown out the window and on comes the beer, fast food, junk food, etc.

That will ruin your fat loss plans and you should count yourself lucky if you’re even maintaining your current weight rather than gaining fat.

To succeed on the weekends, you’ve got to treat it as if they were any other day. Sure you can relax a little bit, but if you’re trying to lose fat, you have to maintain some discipline.

Remember what you’re trying to accomplish?

So before you tell someone that you’re eating right, exercising, and doing all the right things and the scale isn’t moving, you really need take a long hard look at how you’re actually eating.

Have a good day!

Ed

P.S. – My Fat Loss To Go program comes with a Nutrition eBook that covers all the healthy, fat fighting eating habits you should be doing, plus it tells you what things to avoid and how to eat to lose fat. It’s not some sort of fad diet, it’s eating to live and eating to fight fat rather than starving yourself or going on some goofy fad diet. Check it out at www.fatlosstogo.com

Can You Save Calories In Order To Eat More Later In The Day?

Last weekend Andrea and I were out with my sisters and brothers-in-law for dinner and drinks (yes I, the personal trainer, has drinks on the weekend...I'm not a total health nut).

That's when I heard it.

It's something I've heard from clients before, but I thought I had taught my family better.

It's something a lot of people do and think they're helping themselves, when in actuality they're hurting their fat loss goals.

My sister said that she didn't eat very much earlier in the day so she could eat worse later in the day.

She thought she was "saving calories" by not eating them earlier and that would make it OK to eat more with dinner.

In my sister's defense a lot of people think this and put this into practice quite often.

Unfortunately that's not the way your body works.

You can't eat little to nothing early in the day and then eat lots of calories later in the day.

Sure you may think you came in "under" on total calories for the day, but that's not even the case.

Most meals/drinks eaten when this rationale is taken are thousands of calories in total, not hundreds.

Heavy meals like pastas, sandwiches with lots of sauces or melted cheeses, foofy foofy alcoholic drinks and desserts that are loaded with so many calories they'd make the guy who takes 5 trips to the buffet line stop and shake his head.

Plus your body just doesn't understand the thought of "saving calories."

Your body can only process so many calories at once and if you consume more calories than your body can process at one time, the remainder will more than likely get stored as body fat.

Stored in the form of stomach fat, hip and thigh fat, butt fat, man boobs for the fellas or bra fat for the ladies.

Please don't misunderstand.

I'm not saying you can't treat yourself every now and again. You should treat yourself on a regular basis if you're on a fat loss plan. It helps keep you sane and looking forward to something so you don't splurge.

All I'm saying is that you can't skip meals or eat like a rabbit for part of the day in the hopes of "saving calories" for some event or meal later on in the day.

It won't matter and might even make you gain more fat.

So the next time you have that thought, block it out and keep eating normally (healthfully) and allow yourself a couple treats rather than going crazy and feasting like it's your last meal.

If you've working out with consistency and eating healthy fat fighting foods the majority of the time, the occasional treats won't derail you.

Have a good day!

Ed

P.S. - If you need to know what a good, healthy, fat fighting day looks like and all the fat loss nutrition information you need - not some fad diet - check out my Fat Loss To Go program at www.fatlosstogo.com You'll find all the workouts you'll ever need, plus all the healthy fat fighting habits needed to lose fat and keep it off...without turning yourself into the "no fun person" at the party who won't eat cake or have a drink.

Will Smoothies Make You Fat?

Last weekend my wife and I decided we wanted to have a smoothie for lunch.

Not one of the smoothies we make from home, no we decided to go to the local place just up the street from our house.

We used to go there quite a bit when a good friend of ours was a manager, but haven't been there regularly in quite some time.

I've also never looked at the nutrition information on the smoothies we usually get.

But why should I? Aren't smoothies supposed to be healthy?

That's how they're marketed. The healthy alternative to fast food, or the perfect "snack" or meal on the go.

Anyway, I took a look at the two smoothies my wife and I normally get and was floored!

The one my wife normally gets is a whopping 1050 calories! Plus it had over 200 grams of carbohydrates, and it didn't even include how much sugar was in it. That really made me worry when they included all this other information, including its vitamin breakdown, but didn't even include how much of the carbohydrate was simple sugar.

I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that an overwhelming majority of that 200g number was sugar.

Mine was a little better, having only 450 calories, but it still had a ton of carbohydrates, but again no sugar breakdown.

I knew there was going to be a lot of carbohydrates because it's a smoothie and smoothies are supposed to be made with a lot of fruits/juices.

But 1050 calories is just about how many calories my wife should be consuming in one day, yet here we were thinking we were doing something "light" yet getting a ton of calories.

There really is no reason that anyone should be consuming that many calories in one sitting, unless you're trying to gain weight.

Does that sound like you? Do you want to gain weight?

Didn't think so.

That's just one more reason you should be mindful of what you eat and of food marketing. Most food marketers are not concerned about your health or waist line, they're concerned with their bottom line.

So what're you supposed to do? Here we were trying to fit in something a little healthy for lunch and ended up getting smacked with a ton of sugar and a ton of calories (in my wife's case).

Well, you could check the nutrition breakdown before you order (which I will do whenever I go back to that smoothie shop).

You could make your own smoothies from home. I've got over 170 recipes as a bonus to my Fat Loss To Go program (shameless plug, I know).

You could just assume the worst and ask for a half order or a kid's size, or order one and ask for it to be put in 2 cups and share it with your spouse or friend.

Or you could never eat a meal or snack away from home. If that's you, let me know because you may be the only person in the world who fits that bill.

Have a good day!

Ed

P.S. - I was serious about the 170 smoothie recipes that come with my Fat Loss To Go program. Check it out at www.fatlosstogo.com

Are Hidden Calories Sabotaging Your Fat Loss Goals?

In my training business, I have the pleasure of training married couples. Sometimes they train together and sometimes they come in at different times because they know they wouldn't be able to workout together without annoying one another (or me).

I've also had the opportunity to work with mother/daughter duos. Again sometimes they train together and sometimes not.

However I learn the most about the other when they don't train together. Not that I pry and try to wrestle out deep, dark secrets. Maybe I do sometimes as a form of bribery for the future, but not often.

But I learn a lot about the other's eating habits, entirely by accident. I don't ask, it just comes out through normal conversation.

What I find is that the other half of the duo is not entirely truthful with me.

Sometimes it's on purpose, but most of the time it's just an oversight.

People forget about certain parts of their daily diet.

They neglect to tell me that in addition to their morning eggs and toast, they put a lot of sugary jelly on the toast. Or that they drink 4 cups of coffee that are loaded with heavy creamer or sugar.

Again, I don't think my clients lie to me, I just think they don't realize what they're eating and how it can affect their waist line.

I call these things "hidden calories."

Hidden calories include things like jellies, sauces, salad dressings, juices, adding sugar to coffee or teas, etc.

They are things that seem minor, but can add up to hundreds of calories very quickly and if it's a habit to do them every day, that adds up to lots of fat over the weeks, months and years.

Do you have any hidden calories?

Do you put ketchup on every single bite of food?

Do you add a couple scoops of sugar to your morning cups of coffee?

Do you add salad dressing by the scoopful to your otherwise healthy salad, turning it into a calorie bomb?

Maybe you like to have a bagel for breakfast or for a mid-morning snack. That's all fine and dandy until you realize that most store-bought bagels are loaded with calories, the majority of them highly processed carbohydrates that will send your blood sugars through the roof, then send you crashing back to earth, only to be hungrier than before.

Maybe you eat perfectly all day (uh-huh, sure you do) only to succumb to a bowl of ice cream or cereal before bed. Bam! There's a few hundred worthless calories right there.

My point is that these hidden calories will add up...quickly. They will add up in the form of fat around your waist, on your butt or giving you a little more jiggle than you're comfortable with. Or, they'll just de-rail your otherwise healthy eating plan and stop your fat loss dead in its tracks.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to find these hidden calories and get rid of them (sorry, I watched Mission impossible the other day). Or at least greatly reduce them so they're no longer a factor in your fat loss.

Get rid of the sauces.

Cut your salad dressing in half.

Cut the sugar and cream out of your coffee.

Drink brewed green tea rather than the store bought kind that doesn't have all the health benefits anyway.

Think about what yours are and fix them.

Have a good day!

Ed

Want To Know How I Fit 7 Servings of Fruit In Before Lunch?

Yesterday I told you about the importance of “baby steps” when it comes to anything having to do with nutrition or exercise.

My point was that you shouldn’t have the idea in your head that you can go from 0 to 100 just by flipping a switch. You need to take small steps over and over again in order to make big changes.

Today I’m going to give you a few more pointers dealing with the idea of baby steps.

Let’s say that your goal for the next couple weeks is to add more fruits and vegetables to your daily diet.

Here’s what I do that gets me 7 servings of fruit in before lunch.

Everyday for breakfast I have a smoothie. It’s part of my routine. I have a glass of green tea, then make my smoothie and head out the door. The smoothie contains blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, pomegranate juice, ground flax seeds, wheat germ, protein powder and a little skim milk.

When you have a breakfast like that, calorie counting isn’t really even a concern. I’ve heard trainers and other fitness/nutrition people tell their clients or readers not to eat bananas or other fruits because they’re too high in carbohydrates. That’s a bunch of bull. I’ve never known anyone to get fat because they eat too much fruit. Not only that, but most bananas are only around 100 calories.

Anyway, back to my 7 servings of fruit before lunch.

That breakfast nets me 4 servings of fruit right off the bat. A serving berries is ½ cup and I have ½ cup of each of those berries, plus the pomegranate juice adds another serving.

Then mid-morning I’ll have an apple and a banana. Most bananas actually count as 2 servings, an a medium sized apple counts as 1. So there’s my 7 servings all before lunch.

My energy levels are through the roof in the morning and it’s all because I get all that fruit with the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber and protein.

So if a healthy breakfast is your first “baby step”, follow my lead and have a healthy, fat fighting, immune system boosting smoothie everyday.

What if your “baby step” is that you want to start doing fat loss workouts 5 or 6 days per week, but you only regularly exercise 2 or 3 times? Then what?

Make an appointment with yourself. That’s the easiest way to ensure that you’ll find the time and stick to it.

You might have to get up 30 minutes earlier or miss your daily lunch with friends or co-workers, but so be it.

By setting a fat loss workout appointment with yourself, and sticking to it, you’ll be that much closer to setting that new habit in stone.

And healthy habits are no different than bad habits in one respect. They are hard to break.

Once you’ve changed a couple things for the better and you see and feel the results, you will actually feel guilty if you begin to break that habit for a couple days.

If you get used to exercising 4-6 days per week and have to miss a couple for whatever reason, it will eat at you because you know how much better you feel for it.

Or, if you begin to have a healthy smoothie every morning for breakfast and you forget one morning, or decide to do breakfast out with some friends and eat something unhealthy, you will feel guilty and might even get a stomach ache because you’re not used to the unhealthy meal.

Your body yearns to run at its peak. It wants to be healthy and fit, you just have to give it the means.

So, what are your baby steps? Figure them out and start today!

Have a good day!

Ed Scow

P.S. – If you want to try having a smoothie every morning for breakfast, one of the bonuses that comes with my Fat Loss To Go program includes over 100 different smoothie recipes. With that eBook, you really have no excuse on what to have for breakfast. Plus, smoothies make a great post-workout meal. Check it out at www.fatlosstogo.com

Baby Steps And Fat Loss?

Last Fall my daughter took her first steps. It was October to be exact.

We were playing outside and I set her down in front of me and she took a few steps. I followed her very closely to keep her confidence up, and she took a few more steps.

Some people don't believe me because I was the only one there at the time and my wife was kind of disappointed because she missed Maren's first steps.

It didn't help my case that she didn't take another step on her own for about a month and a half. Then she started to wobble a little bit more on her own and now, 7 months later, she is running everywhere. She loves to run around out side. She loves to carry things around. She loves to hold a phone up to her ear and walk around and "talk". It's the cutest thing you've ever seen.

But she didn't get to this point easily. She fell...a lot. She still falls...a lot. But she's gotten much better at walking/running, but it wasn't the easiest thing in the world for her.

The same can be said when it comes to changing your eating or exercise habits. You know what you want to do and you have a goal you want to reach, but you've got to take "baby steps" in order to achieve that goal.

No one should even let it cross their minds that they're going to eat perfectly and exercise everyday of the week when they don't exercise at all now and have horrible eating habits.

That's just plain dumb. Not only that, but it sets you up for failure and a quick failure at that.

You have to take things one step at a time and build on each little success until you find yourself running rather than wobbling around barely able to walk.

Let's say that you have a soda drinking problem, in addition to a lot of other poor eating habits. You should first conquer the soda drinking and totally cut that out or relegate it to a "reward meal". Once you have that habit down, THEN you can start on another habit. But don't move on until you have successfully kicked the soda drinking habit.

Or, let's say that you like to eat a lot of junk food between supper and bedtime. You should get that under control before you even worry about the snacks available in the breakroom.

The same correlation can be made with exercise. If you are totally new to exercise, you should start small. Start by setting an appointment with yourself when you're going to workout. Once you get that going, then progress from there.

Taking these "baby steps" when it comes to fat loss will greatly increase your chances of success. It does because if you only focus on 1 or 2 things rather than your entire lifestyle, it makes it much easier to conquer each poor habit and replace it with a good habit. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other and pretty soon you'll notice that your clothes are fitting better, people are taking notice of how much different you look and you'll find yourself with more energy than you thought possible.

So what are your baby steps? What can you work on RIGHT NOW to help you lose fat? Do you need to cut out drinking soda or coffee drinks? Do you need to cut out the nightly glasses of wine or beer? Do you need to make appointments with yourself or a personal trainer to make yourself workout? Do you need to get a hold of a good fat loss program to get you started?

What is it? Figure it out and do it. Then after a few weeks when you've got that one habit down, pick the next one and just keep building.

Have a good day!

Ed Scow

P.S. - If you do need a good fat loss program, check out my Fat Loss To Go program at www.fatlosstogo.com It comes with over 29 weeks of fat loss workouts, 10 minute workouts, workouts that can be done while traveling, plus tons of nutrition information.

The Easiest Fat Loss Nutrition Tip I Can Possibly Give

The other day I was training a client and she asked me about nutrition.

We got to talking and she asked me "What's the easiest thing you can tell me? What one nutrition tip can you give me that will help me lose fat and stay healthy?"

That was a very good question. And a tough one to boil down to just one thing.

I'm not very good at giving one sentence answers.

What I came up with was a pretty good tip, though.

I told her if it has no chance of spoiling, don't eat it.

Pretty simple, right?

Well, think about it. What foods spoil?

Fruits, vegetables, dairy products, breads, meats, etc.

What foods don't spoil and would probably still be edible after a nuclear blast?

Processed carbohydrates like crackers, chips, or basically anything that comes in a bag or box or can.

I know that chips and crackers can get stale, but that's not the same as eating a banana after it's sat on your counter for a few days. Stale chips are still edible. Ask any poor college kid.

I could go in farther with this tip and get into whole-wheat vs. white, non-fat dairy vs. 2%, and lean meat vs. fatty and that would be a very good conversation. I'll save that for another day because I was asked about 1 tip, not a research project.

I will however go a little farther into that tip and give you some advice for your next trip to the grocery store.

Stay on the edges of the grocery store and don't venture into the middle aisles. The outside of the store is where all the fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meats are as well as their organic counterparts. These are the foods you want to stock up on.

Not only are those foods that spoil the ones that will help you lose fat, but they're loaded with the things that our bodies need to survive.

They have the vitamins, minerals, cancer-fighting phytonutrients, enzymes, proteins, amino-acids and healthy fats our bodies must have in order to stay healthy and live a full life. A life without constant colds, trips to the doctor and an ever-growing waist line.

However, when you venture down the dark, cavernous center aisles you get into the highly processed items like kids' cereals, chips, crackers, sugar-laden condiments, soda, alcohol, etc. and those are the things that will make you fat and unhealthy.

Simple enough, right?

I promise you that if you take this one, overly simple piece of advice and put it to use you will see results. And not only in your waist line, but how you feel too. You will be more vibrant, have more energy, your skin will look and feel better, your hair will look and feel better, plus you'll start to strip the goo off your waist line.

So do it and do it today.

Have a good day!

Ed

P.S. - I'm working on getting a lot of good nutrition bonuses from some fitness professionals I know to be added to my Fat Loss To Go program. There's going to be recipes, fat loss tips for people on the go, etc. Once I get all these bonuses together, they'll be up on the site as f.ree bonuses. However, if you buy before then I'll be sending you all the bonuses at no additional cost.

There's also going to be a ton of new workout bonuses in there too including abs specific workouts, workouts geared towards women's trouble spots and men's trouble spots, etc.. So make sure you don't miss out! Go to www.fatlosstogo.com today and get it purchased!

Want To Know How To Enjoy Your Favorite Foods And Still Lose Fat?

I love LIFE cereal.

To be more precise, I love Cinnamon LIFE cereal.

It's a guilty pleasure. I know I shouldn't. I know that it's a horribly processed carbohydrate, with no nutritional value, and will do nothing but mess with my blood sugar levels if eaten by itself, but I love it. I'm the grown-up version of Mikey.

In the past, I've actually been known to eat a bowl (or 3) for lunch...but only as a "cheat" meal, and only on a very rare occasion.

See, even a personal trainer isn't perfect with his eating.

But there's a better to fit in my guilty pleasure of Mikey's favorite cereal. As I've said before, one of my favorite snacks is homemade trail mix. My wife buys almonds and other nuts in bulk and puts in raisins, craisins and my Cinnamon LIFE cereal.

That way I can get a high protein, high fiber, vitamin and mineral packed, easy to transport and eat snack in and still enjoy a guilty pleasure. Plus those extra carbs actually help out with my busy training and massage schedule.

That's how you can enjoy a guilty pleasure and still make it healthy.

If you like ice cream, give it a little punch by adding some high fiber raspberries or blueberries. Or you can put a mixture of those two and throw in some strawberries too. It'll make the ice cream taste a lot better and make it a little better for you.

Or if you're a candy bar junky, just buy a small package of "bite size" bars and pack them with your lunch and have one after you eat your chicken breast sandwich, apple and broccoli.

My point is that you don't have to give up your favorite foods just because you want to lose a little blubber. You just have to figure out sneaky ways to keep them and minimize the size and frequency of those guilty pleasures.

You can have them on occasion, even daily if you do it right and only have very small portions.

In fact, I recommend that you still keep your favorite unhealthy foods in your regular eating plan.

It'll help keep you sane.

It'll help ensure you actually stick to your new healthy, fat fighting lifestyle.

Think of it this way. Have you ever seen those hidden camera shows where they put a plate full of junk foods in front of little kids and then leave them unattended?

If you haven't, let me fill you in.

The kids whose parents let the kids have a little treat every now and again will only take a few bites of the junk food and then continue playing.

But the kids whose parents totally restrict the junk food go CRAZY and stuff their faces. They come unhinged and become junk food junkies.

Don't be kid on a sugar high.

Let yourself have an unhealthy snack every once in a while. It'll do your body good.

Just make sure it's small and only done on occasion.

Have a good day! And snack well!

Ed

P.S. - Did you like this nutrition tip? The nutrition manual that comes with my Fat Loss To Go program is loaded with common sense fat loss nutrition advice just like this. Check it out at www.fatlosstogo.com and don't forget that within the next week or so I'm going to have a big announcement including lots of new bonuses, and if you've already purchased the program, you'll get them sent to you at no additional charge.

What Can My 17 Month Old Daughter Teach You About Fat Loss?

You learn a lot about life and life’s principles when raising a child.

You learn how to be patient…relatively.

You learn how much joy one little person can bring you.

You learn how much you have an effect on someone else.

But one thing I’ve learned, as it pertains to fat loss, or really any goal, is that of perseverance and patience.

I learn this whenever my daughter is trying something new.

Take her walking for example. A number of months ago she took her first steps. She was very wobbly at first, but after a while she got the hang of it and now she’s running, and falling, everywhere.

But when she was first learning, it was kind of driving me crazy. Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome watching her learn, but it was making me crazy because I wanted it to happen NOW.

I didn’t want to have to wait weeks for her to get the hang of it. I wanted her to just stand up and go.

But looking back, those weeks (or days, really) weren’t that big of a deal.

They were at the time, but aren’t now.

The same can be said about fat loss. It can make you crazy at first.

The pounds don’t come off as fast as you’d like.

You’re not gaining the leanness or muscle tone you want fast enough.

It doesn’t seem like your waist line is shrinking.

However, if you stick with it and don’t give up, a few months from now you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come.

You’ll be amazed at how many inches you’ve lost and how much smaller your waist line is from when you started.

But you have to keep at it. You must persevere.

You must realize that it takes time, not that much in the big scheme of things, but it takes time.

However, like I said before, if you stick with it, just like my daughter did when she was learning to walk, you will succeed and a few months from now all this struggle won’t seem like such a big deal.

Have a good day!

Ed

P.S. – If you want to learn all the healthy eating habits and get enough 15 and 10 minute workouts to last you about 6 months, check out my Fat Loss To Go program. Go to www.fatlosstogo.com to pick it up.

P.P.S. – Don’t forget that in a couple weeks I’ve got some big announcements for my Fat Loss To Go product. I’ve got a bunch of new bonuses lined up that will only be available for a limited time, however they will be given to everyone who’s already purchased. So if you don’t want to miss out, pick up your copy today and you’ll be sure to get all the new bonuses as soon as I get them ready.

How Does Me Singing Relate To Your Fat Loss?

Do you like to sing? How about karaoke?

Personally, I hate singing and I definitely hate karaoke.

I'm a horrible singer. My dog howls when I sing. Not really, but he does look at me goofy.

I can remember a couple years ago being at a family reunion on my wife's side and there was karaoke.

A few of my relatives decided to do an old Sinatra song and wanted a group of guys to do it "rat pack" style.

They needed one more person, so I decided to fill the gap. That was a horrible mistake on my part.

We got booed...by family!

That was the first and last time I ever did karaoke. The bad thing is that my 16 month old daughter loves music and loves to dance so I have to occasionally sing.

She doesn't care that I am a horrible singer, she just wants to hear a melody, no matter how horrible it is.

How does this parallel to fitness and fat loss?

Because there are going to be things that you don't enjoy doing, but must do if you want to succeed and live a healthy, fat free lifestyle.

Maybe you don't like vegetables. Too bad. You have to eat them.

Maybe you don't like to exercise. Too bad. You have to do it. You can search out things you enjoy doing, but it must elicit enough of a calorie burn to make a difference and going for a leisurely stroll with your spouse or friends doesn't count.

Maybe you enjoy drinking soda and don't want to give it up. Too bad. You have to give up that habit if you want to lose fat. And sometimes diet soda is worse than its regular, sugar-laden counterpart.

Maybe you like the donuts in the break room everyday or hitting the vending machine around mid-morning. Too bad. You can't eat donuts or junk food on a regular basis if you want to be fit. You can have it occasionally or for one of your "cheat" meals, but that's it.

You get the idea, right?

Sometimes you have to do things you don't like because they're good for you.

It may sound horrible, but I promise you that if you give it a shot for a few weeks it will be easier and will become a habit. It's just getting to the point where it becomes habit that's difficult.

I'm actually starting to enjoy singing. Well to my daughter at least. She likes it, so I like it.

Have a good day!

Ed Scow

P.S. - Who knows you may enjoy eating broccoli, drinking green tea, or, God forbid, doing resistance training a few times per week followed by some interval training for about 15 minutes each. That doesn't sound too bad, does it? Give it a shot. You just may surprise yourself. And if you're really smart you'll pick up my Fat Loss To Go program and get started today with your fast fat loss workouts and common sense nutrition. Check it out at www.fatlosstogo.com

How To Dine Out And Still Lose Fat

Have you ever been eating at a restaurant and wondered how many calories are in the meal sitting before you?

No? OK, well maybe it's just me, but after reading this you may want to do the same.

Some have the information available upon request, but most don’t make it available.

Well, my aunt sent me an email that had the worst restaurant meals and their caloric content and nutritional breakdown.

Here’s just a few examples.

McDonald’s 5 piece Chicken Selects with ranch sauce has over 800 calories with 55g of fat. 55 Grams of fat! That’s insane. Especially when you consider that they advertised them under the guise of healthy food because they were supposed to be chicken breast, but even chicken breast isn’t healthy when it’s doused in batter and deep fried.

My favorite, though was the smoothie from Jamba Juice. When you hear smoothie you probably think it’s healthy, right? That’s how they’re marketed after all. But this smoothie from Jamba Juice had 900 calories, with 160g of sugar! That’s unbelievable!

By the way, those two I just gave you were the “best of the worst”. There were plenty with upwards of 1500 and 2000 calories. That’s how many calories many people should be consuming in an entire day if they want to lose fat and these entrees (or some appetizers) have them in one shot.

Hearing numbers like that it should be no surprise to anyone that we have an obesity epidemic in this country. We simply eat too much, or don’t pay any attention to what’s going in our mouths, and don’t notice until it’s wound up as gooey fat sitting on our gut, butt or thighs.

You should be wary of any meal when dining out. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t go out to eat. Quite the contrary. I think it’s necessary that we get out of the house and frequent restaurants. I’d go crazy and get cabin fever if I didn’t get out of the house and eat at restaurants. What I am saying is that you need to understand that many meals and drinks are not prepared with the idea that they’re going to keep your waist line in check.

They are made to taste as good and but as cheaply as possible because restaurants need to make money, after all. So in order to make many foods taste better, they are fried, sautéed, or otherwise prepared to increase the fat, because fat makes food taste better, or are smothered in sugar and fat loaded creams and sauces.

So here are a couple tips to watch out for when dining out.

First, avoid the appetizer. Appetizers are usually loaded with fat, and this includes the veggie dishes because they come with some sort of dipping sauce.

Next, avoid anything fried, sautéed or cooked in some sort of sauce. It may sound healthy because it’s salmon or chicken or vegetarian, but if it’s fried, sautéed or cooked in sauce, it’s high in fat and loaded with calories.

Last, if you’ve decided that you’re going to eat poorly when you’re eating in a restaurant, at least get a half order. The proportions on full orders are so out of whack they could feed an entire village in some starving country. So do yourself a favor and just ask for a half order, or split it with whomever you’re dining.

Another easy thing to do is to take a drink of water between every bite. Water will fill you up a little faster, which means you won’t be able to eat as much, which means you won’t store as much fat.

I hope I’ve enlightened you a little bit, and will begin to eat a little more consciously when you’re out and about.

Have a good day!

Ed Scow

P.S. – I have an entire bonus dedicated to traveling and eating out that comes free with my Fat Loss To Go program. It comes with tons of fat loss workouts to do on the road and how to read menus to keep you on your fat loss track. Check it out at www.fatlosstogo.com

Eat Your Cake and Lose Fat Too!

"So, who's going to be the first one to eat the cake?"

That's the question I asked recently when I was at small business meeting up in Toronto.

There were 10 fitness professionals in the room and we had lunch catered to the meeting room...and there was chocolate cake.

Everybody was looking at it and you could tell everybody wanted it, but we're fitness professionals. We shouldn't eat that stuff, right?

So do you think anybody ate it?

Absolutely! By the end of lunch the ENTIRE cake was gone. And you know what? It was fantastic.

What's my point?

You have to relax a little bit every once in a while. Just because you're on a fat loss program doesn't mean you have to totally throw out your favorite foods.

If you try to do that, you will fail. And you will go crazy in the process of your failure.

Many of my clients who have tried fad diets in the past tell me that they simply can't stick to the program because they're too restrictive and make the person totally eliminate the foods they love. Or they make you eat something that you don't like.

That's just insane. And it sets you up to fail. And it makes you crazy.

Here's where me and my fellow fitness pros differ from the majority of the population and why we were able to eat the cake - guilt free.

We all worked out in the morning before our meeting. Not long workouts. Mine only took about 15 minutes and included all bodyweight exercises (it was a workout from my Fat Loss To Go program) and I didn't have to leave my hotel room, which meant no worries about bags under the eyes, stanky breath or the proper workout attire.

The other thing was that our lunch and snacks all included healthy food.

We had bananas, apples, pears, oranges as well as yogurt and for lunch we had sandwiches (whole wheat bread and low-fat meats) and salad.

That means that it's OK to splurge every now and again on something like chocolate cake.

So lighten up.

Have a piece of cake.

And don't feel guilty after you eat it.

Just make sure you stick to your fat loss workouts and healthy eating the rest of the time.

Have a good day!

Ed Scow

P.S. - Sorry there's no video today. I had planned on filming a video up here in Toronto, but I forgot my camera. Oh well. But if you're looking for some awesome fast fat loss workouts, check out my Fat Loss To Go (www.fatlosstogo.com) program. All the workouts can be done in as few as 10-15 minutes and done in the comfort of your own home, or hotel room.

Are You Sabotaging Your Fat Loss Goals?

I’ve been told by some of my friends and clients that they just can’t lose fat.

They try and try, but nothing happens.

They exercise. They eat “right”. They do all the right things.

Does that sound familiar?

However, when I dig down deeper and ask some questions I find out that they’re all doing one thing wrong. It comes in different forms, but it’s all the same mistake.

They think that if they have a really good workout, they can “reward” themselves with an unhealthy snack.

Or, if they have had a really hard day/week, they give in to some temptation or comfort food.

It’s just this one time, right?

Many people think that just because they exercise that they can eat more unhealthy foods and not have any consequences. After all, exercise burns calories and so if you eat extra calories they won’t matter in the grand scheme of things, right?

Have you ever had that thought?

Or have you told yourself that if you stay diligent and focused all week that you can let it all hang out on the weekends, because you deserve it after all your hard work?

Or maybe you’re the emotional eater who stays disciplined 80% of the time, but there are those days that make you want to pull your hair out (or someone else’s) and you cope by drinking alcohol or eating ice cream or cheeseburgers.

Those are all hidden mistakes that will wreak havoc on your fat loss goals.

Never lose sight of the fact that you’re trying to LOSE FAT and, if that’s what you’re after, you have to keep an eye on everything that goes in your mouth (or doesn’t go in your mouth).

You can’t justify eating whatever you want just because you’re active. That may be fine for the 20 year old collegiate athlete, but not the 40 year old, mostly sedentary, except for the 30-45 minutes of exercise 3-4 days per week man or woman.

Nor can you give in whenever your kids, husband, wife, job, neighbors, or whatever the trigger is, drives you a little crazy.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for rewarding yourself once and a while. I adhere to the 90/10 rule, where I stay disciplined 90% of the time and 10% I can “loosen the tie” so to speak and have unhealthy foods or a little alcohol. That’s what I preach in my Fat Loss To Go program and what I preach to my clients.

Sometimes this mistake is known and sometimes it’s “hidden”, but I want you to really look at your eating habits and ask yourself if this mistake fits you.

Do you justify eating those junky treats because you deserve it after that fat loss workout?

Do you reach for the “Chunky Monkey” ice cream after a hard day’s work?

Do you justify eating and drinking whatever you want on the weekend because you stayed disciplined all week?

If you answered yes to any of those, or if you thought of your own, change those habits and you WILL lose fat. That I can promise.

Have a great day!

Ed Scow

Is Fat Loss Really Easy?

Do you remember learning to ride a bike?

Probably not.

OK, bad example. Do you remember teaching your kids how to ride their bike? Or maybe you just remember the gist of learning to ride a bike.

Was it easy? Of course it wasn't. You probably fell off numerous times until you got your balance in check and confidence in line to help keep you upright and going down the block. Until you had to stop and freaked out and then fell in your neighbor's yard.

But it was simple, wasn't it? When it came down to it, all riding a bike entailed was balance, confidence and some coordination and you were on your way.

Simple, but not easy.

There's a big difference between simple and easy.

The same correlation can be made when it comes to losing fat.

Losing fat is very simple, but it's not easy.

When it comes down to it, losing fat entails consuming fewer calories than you expend through your daily activities and metabolism.

Sounds simple, right? But as you know it's not very easy.

It takes willpower.

It takes confidence in yourself.

It takes social support.

It takes having the right exercise program in place, and actually doing it on a consistent basis.

It takes the knowledge of knowing what to eat and when and knowing what foods and drinks to stay away from.

Simple. But not easy.

However, it can be done. All you need to do is understand that it's a simple equation and have the confidence in yourself that you can achieve your goals and will stick to it when the times get tough and move on when you mess up.

Plus you need to do resistance training 3-4 times per week, while training your entire body in each session, for 15 minutes, along with some form of cardio work (preferably interval training because it delivers the most bang for the buck and gets you done quicker).

You also need to eat fruits and vegetables and get quality protein from sources like turkey and chicken breast, lean sources of beef, beans, and nuts. In addition to eating breakfast everyday and limiting your alcohol intake.

Simple right? You should be nodding your head.

Losing fat doesn't take any fancy gizmo you see on television, nor does it take some over-hyped fat loss supplement that's really just loaded with some form of caffeine which jacks up your nervous system and makes you pee (thus losing water weight and not fat).

Simple, but not easy.

That's the theory behind all my training programs, including my e-book Fat Loss To Go, and always will be. The workouts and nutrition information, when used properly, aren't easy, but is very simple.

Have a good day!

Ed

P.S. - If you ever have any questions about anything I write in these newsletters or anything else related to fat loss or exercise, don't hesitate to ask. I'm here for you.

Was Your Easter Gluttonous?

Have you ever said something to someone that you knew was stupid? You know, the old "foot in mouth" syndrome?

I do that quite regularly. I don't know why, but stupid things seem to flow out of my mouth pretty readily and I get my foot lodged deep down my gullet.

That's actually how I got the idea for this newsletter. I said something stupid.

You know what the best way is to alleviate "foot in mouth syndrome"?

Apologize and move one.

Pretty easy, isn't it?

The same thing can be said about messing up with your exercise program and eating plan, like eating too much Easter candy or too much ham, casseroles, side salads, etc..

We all mess up. I do that quite often, too. Just today I ate some (OK, a lot) of Starburst Jelly Beans. Yes, I know I'm a personal trainer who's supposed to be all about fitness and fat loss, but I love those little sugar-laden, fat storing, demons.

And it's just this one time, right? I just ate them because it was Easter...and they were readily available...and they kept calling my name.

But I just have to move on. I already did it. I can't change the past. The jelly beans are already eaten. I can't do anything about it now other than pick myself up off the ground, dust myself off and move on.

Tomorrow is another day and I won't eat poorly tomorrow. I'll eat my fruits and vegetables and get my protein.

Have you ever done that? Have you ever messed up your eating plan (like yesterday)? Maybe you splurged a little bit over the weekend and now you feel like a bloated sloth. Or maybe you were running late and decided to run through the drive-thru and your cravings got the better of you and instead of getting the chicken sandwich without mayo, you got the double cheeseburger and fries with the giant Coke (and "no", making it a Diet Coke doesn't make it any better).

Or maybe you decided you'd rather head to the bar after work than doing your fast fat loss workout. It's just one workout, right?

But then the guilt hits and that's no fun.

You have two choices at this point. You can either give up and tell yourself you can't do it, or you can pick yourself up and move on.

The only way to alleviate that guilt, and succeed in your fitness or fat loss goals, is to move on. You can't change what you just did. You can't go into the past and do the workout you skipped. You can't join Michael J. Fox in the time machine from Back to the Future and go back and not eat that double cheeseburger (or Starburst Jelly Beans in my case).

You just have to move on...and more importantly not do it again.

That's the real key. Don't do it again. We all make mistakes, and changing your eating and exercise habits are big undertakings and mistakes are bound to be made. But you must remember that if you do mess up, just move on, don't worry about it and keep moving forward...and try not to do it again.

Have a good week!

Ed

P.S. Did you know that the unofficial start to summer is only about 10 weeks away? This year is already flying by. Don't get stuck wishing you had worked out and ate better come summer. Do something about it now. Go to http://www.fatlosstogo.com/ today and get started on your fat loss journey immediately.