The Most Critical Part Of Your Workout

Ok, so you’re working your butt off. You’re sweating. You’re hustling. You’re getting that exercise “high.” Heck, not only are you now enjoying your workouts, but you want to learn more about how to make them more effective.

That’s great!

It never ceases to amaze me how most people don’t give their bodies a second thought. They think they just go to the gym…walk on the treadmill…throw some weights around…go home and eat whatever…

Seriously, the human body is the most complicated piece of machinery on the planet. Do they really think there’s ZERO science behind exercise? Do they really think they can just eat whatever is in their fridge after working their butts off?

I dunno, maybe it’s just me, but it drives me a little crazy when people look at fitness as nothing more than guesswork. Actually, it’s a little infuriating.

Take post-workout nutrition, for example. Does it make sense that there be an OPTIMAL way to fuel your body after all the demands you make of it during your training session? Of course it does!

Bottom line: Recent studies have shown that a carbohydrate AND protein formula is more effective for rapid replenishment of muscle glycogen after exercise than a carbohydrate only supplement of equal carbohydrate or  caloric content.

In other words, just drinking a “sports drink” after your workout doesn’t cut it. The research indicates you need to fuel your body with just the right combo of carbs AND protein. And yes, this is hyper-critical to optimizing your efforts.

Here’s two more things you need to know about getting the most bang for your workout buck:

1) As a proud Prograde Partner I’m thrilled to let you know that Prograde Workout is now available on a FREE trial basis. There’s just a small S & H fee.

2) On the link below you can also learn more about the research study on post-workout nutrition.

Yes, Prograde Workout recovery drink is based on this very research. It provides the right combo of protein and carbs that your body craves after a tough training session.

Just click this special link right here and find out for yourself how you can try it for FREE:

http://colbyconditioning.getprograde.com/workout-free-trial.html

PS – If you want to optimize your efforts then you owe it to yourself to try Prograde Workout and see the results for yourself.

http://colbyconditioning.getprograde.com/workout-free-trial.html

a big sets/reps MISTAKE that most make…

Why Doesn’t Exercise Lead To Weight Loss

A client of ours just sent me this article that was in the New York Times Why Doesn’t Exercise Lead to Weight Loss

In my mind the article should have been called “Why the Wrong Type of Exercise Doesn’t Lead to Weight Loss”

The article goes on to say that research shows that few people will  actually lose weight with just exercise alone, without changing their lifestyle and eating habits. I would have to agree.

We always tell our clients at Colby Conditioning that the first rule for fat loss is nutrition. Guess what  the second rule for fat loss is? yes you guessed it nutrition. I think everyone is probably sick of me saying that “you’ll never be able to out train poor eating habits” unless of course your a genetic freak like Chris Larson and Rob Cummings

However if you really want to get great results you must adopt this type of mind set.

In regards to exercise this article really only looked at the effects of traditional steady state aerobic exercise (cardio) on fat loss and its ability to increase metabolism (afterburn).

Instead of writing an article that shows misleading research that exercise doesn’t work for weight loss. Which in my opinion basically sends a message of (why should I even bother with exercise) to a country that is already in the middle of an obesity epidemic.

The New York Times in my opinion should have wrote an article based off the effects of some of the following studies that Alwyn Cosgrove has brought to our attention:

Sedlock DA, Fissinger JA, Melby CL.

Effect of exercise intensity and duration on postexercise energy expenditure.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1989 Dec;21 (6): 662-6

This study compared the effects of high intensity short duration exercise, low intensity short duration exercise and low intensity long duration exercise. The researchers found, not suprisingly that the magnitude and duration of afterburn was affected primarly by exercise intensity (i.e. the higher the exercise intensity – the higher and longer the afterburn).

Thorton MK, Potteiger JA.

Effects of resistance exercise bouts of different intensities but equal work on afterburn.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Apr;34(4):715-22

This study compared two resistance training bouts with equal volume of work performed. The collected data indicated that for resistance exercise bouts with an equated work volume, high intensity exercise (85% of 8-RM) will produce similar exercise oxygen consumption, with a greater afterburn magnitude and volume than low-intensity exercise (45% of an 8RM).

Their own conclusion was that when work volume is held constant, high intensity resistance exercise will produce similar exercise energy expenditure, but a greater afterburn than low intensity resistance exercise. If total energy expenditure is an important consideration during exercise, then high intensity activities should be considered in the exercise prescription.

Schuenk MD, Mikat RP, McBride JM.

Effect of an acute period of resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption: implications for body mass management.

Eur J Appl Physiol 2002 Mar;86(5):1-7

If that’s not enough here is an email that I received from Alywn Cosgrove with a few more studies:

This group looked at the effects of circuit weight training on afterburn. The exercise routine consisted of three exercises (the bench press, the power clean and the squat), performed with 10RM loads as a circuit. The circuit was performed four times (i.e. 12 total sets) and took 31 mins.

Afterburn was elevated for 38 hours post workout (possibly longer as this was when the researchers stopped measuring). The duration and magnitude of the afterburn observed in this study indicates the importance of the role of high intensity resistance training in a fat loss program.

• A 1999 study compared a resistance training and aerobic training program with a very low-calorie liquid diet and looked at it’s effects on lean muscle and resting metabolism. Both groups lost the same amount of weight but the resistance training group lost significantly more fat and did not lose any lean muscle. Additionally, the resistance training group actually increased metabolism compared to the aerobic group which decreased metabolism.

• Another study from the same year assigned overweight subjects to three groups: Diet Only, Diet plus aerobics or Diet plus aerobics plus weight training. The Diet-only group lost 14 lbs of fat in 12 weeks but when they added in the aerobic program – that group lost only one more pound than the diet group.However the Weight Training group lost 21 lbs of fat in the same time frame.

• A 1992 paper compared 40 mins of high intensity aerobic training, a circuit-training routine and a heavy weight-training routine. The heavy weight training and circuit routines both burned more calories post workout than the aerobic routine.

• Another group of researchers compared the short term EPOC effect of two resistance training modalities: A standard weight training program using 80% of RM (3 x 6, six exercises, two minutes rest between sets) and a circuit based weight training program using 50% RM (3 x 10-12 reps, six exercises – 30s between sets). The total work volume was similar.However the circuit training group had a bigger EPOC effect. Basically – there were more calories burned with the shorter, lighter workout – probably because minute for minute the actual workload (or density) was higher in the circuit group.

• A paper from 1994 showed that resistance training resulted in a higher post workout metabolic increase than aerobic exercise.

• A study published in 2005 compared a treadmill workout and circuit weight training at the same intensity and found a higher increase in calories burned post workout with the circuit group. In other words – despite working at the exact same effort level – a circuit training model burned more calories overall than treadmill exercise.

• A 1997 study looked at two groups over 8 weeks – a strength training group and an aerobic training group (both workouts were designed to burn the exact same amount of calories Both groups followed the same diet and lost the same total amount of weight – 19.8lbs However the strength training group lost significantly more fat and maintained more muscle than the aerobic group.

• A 2003 review from Norway noted that “Little is known about the mechanisms underlying EPOC after resistance exercise.”"The relationships between the intensity and duration of resistance exercise and the magnitude and duration of EPOC have not been determined, but a more prolonged and substantial EPOC has been found after hard versus moderate resistance exercise” – basically there is a longer, bigger post-workout elevation with heavier training

• And a 2007 study from the Human Performance Center at Anderson University, on caloric burn in weight training using the same loads but different lifting tempos: This study compared explosive training and slow training both using 4 sets x 8 reps @ 60%RM.The explosive group actually burned 13% more calories during training and 7% more in the post exercise period despite using the exact same loads as the slow training group. The researchers summarized – “by using explosive contractions and moderate exercise intensity, experienced recreational exercisers can increase their energy expenditure during and after resistance exercise, and this could enhance weight-loss adaptations.”

But here’s the one thing that you don’t really find in the research - programs that need to work or the researchers don’t get paid! That’s the difference between their world and ours! All these studies are essentially observations to see what happens. None of the studies are trying to get real people to lose fat as quickly as possible, which is what we are paid to do with our clients. Compound that with the fact that we work in the real world – our clients can often only give us 2-3 hours total workout time per week – you can see that every minute counts in training.

What I can tell you is that in our facility when we combine all of the above findings into a program – there is some synergy. The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.

The Enzyme Factor Part I

I just finished reading a very interesting book called The Enzyme Factor by Dr. Hiromi Shinya. If you are serious about your health and want to make yourself as cancer proof as you can control, this book is a must read.

Dr. Shinya is well known as the developer of the field  of colonoscopy surgery (the Shinya Technique). He performed the first non-invasive colon surgery. Using his own invention of the colonoscope, he discovered the ability to both examine and operate on the colon without abdominal incision. He has been in regular practice of medicine for 4 decades, has examined the stomachs and intestines of over 300,000 people, and is able to report clinical results of a 0% cancer recurrence rate with his patients following the Enzyme Factor  Diet and Lifestyle. Dr. Shinya is now in his seventies and talks about how he has not been sick since he was 19.

I thought there was a lot of excellent nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle related information in this book and I plan on sharing some more of what I learned in upcoming posts, so stay tuned.

For now here are some things to think about:

“We are born with the right to health; it is natural to be healthy. Once I started understanding health I began to be able to work with the body, helping it to rid itself of disease. Only the body can heal itself. As a doctor, I create space for that healing to happen.”

“Your body is the only healing system that can bring you back into balance when illness strikes. Medicine can support your body through and emergency, surgery can be necessary in certain circumstances, but it is only your own body that has the ability to heal.”

“Unfortunately, modern society is overflowing with factors that consume our precious source enzymes. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, food additives, agricultural chemicals, environmental pollution, electromagnetic waves, and emotional stress are some of the factors that exhaust this enzyme. For you to maintain good health in contemporary society, it is essential to understand the mechanism of your own body and to exercise the will to look out for your own health”

“Instead of eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die, I suggest that you eat and drink wisely, and live merrily today and tomorrow.”

“I strongly believe that no matter how hard a doctor tries, he or she cannot maintain a patient’s health over time just doing checkups and treating disease. Long-term health is the result of healthy attitudes and habits. Improving one’s daily lifestlye is fundamentally more important than counting on the efficacy of surgery or medication.”

” Rather almost all illness is the result of each person’s habits that have accumulated over time.”

“Most people do not really understand what is truly good for their bodies and are thus easily manipulated by the media.” (same can be said for fitness infomercials that do a great job at marketing and manipulating)

“Many people fall for mistaken common beliefs regarding their health because medicine today does not look at the human body as a whole.”  (Funny the same can be said for traditional body part training and rehabilitation methods in my opinion)

“When it comes to changes within the digestive tract, out of sight is out of mind. People tend to think that unless they have a severe pain in the belly, everything must be fine in there. Nothing is done to take care of the inside of the stomach and intestines, and they continue to deteriorate. Later on people become sick, many regret not having made a lifestly change to prevent the illness.”

“The biggest reason eating meat damages our intestines is because meat contains no dietary fiber but does contain a large amount of fat and cholesterol. In addition, meat causes the walls of the colon to gradually become thicker and firmer. This happens because the lack of dietary fiber in meat results in a significant decrease of stool in the colon, making the colon work harder than usual to excrete the small amount of stool through peristalsis. In other words, excessive peristaltic motion causes intestinal wall muscles to become thicker and bigger, making the colon firmer and shorter.”

“When your intestines are unhealthy, your body is gradually weakened from the inside.”

“Americans take medicine to casually. Although it may be necessary to treat certain conditions, I believe that all drugs, prescription and non-prescription are basically harmful to the body over the long term.”

“Nowadays, many people like myself who react to even small amounts of medicines are labeled “drug hypersensitive”, but I consider this a complete misnomer. The human body is like this in its natural state. Since most people regularly consume alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and soft drinks, and eat meals that use food additives and chemical seasoning, their bodies build up a tolerance to chemical substances, thus becoming desensitized to stimulus.”

“Researchers are trying to desperately to find the cause of cancer, but, in reality, it is not caused by just one factor. This is true for other illnesses as well, because various factors surrounding us – food, water, medicine, lack of exercise, stress, living environment – all intricately influence our bodies and lead to the development of illness.”

“Our gastrointestinal system, which absorbs our food and water, is thus the foundation of our body, If the quality of food and water is bad, the gastrointestinal system is the first to suffer.”

“The quality of food and water determines the health of the entire body.”

The Evil Supplement Industry

As you probably already know, the supplement industry is filled with phonies.

They use shady manufacturing processes. They use cheap ingredients. Heck, sometimes they don’t even use the ingredients they claim on the label!

And for awhile now I’ve been telling you about Prograde Nutrition. They are the real deal.

In fact, they’ve created a behind-the-scenes video that SHOWS you how they make their products. What other company does that?

Seriously, this is REALLY cool. You even get to see how they do micro-biological testing on the ingredients before they are even used. And if they don’t pass their tests then they do NOT make it into the bottle.

See for yourself here: Prograde Nutrition Video

P.S. – I don’t know of any supplement company – other than Prograde Nutrition that would have the guts to do this. And I’m sure their competitors aren’t too happy about it!

Why Exercise STILL Doesn’t Work

Why Exercise STILL Doesn’t Work

by John M Berardi, August 19th, 2009.

This past week saw the publication of a highly controversial article in Time Magazine, an article called “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin” by journalist John Cloud.

The thesis of the article?

“Pushing people to exercise more is contributing to our obesity problem.”

Huh?  Exercise makes us fatter?

Wha-choo-takin-bout, John Cloud?

Now, in most blogs it’s customary to link to the article in question.  But I just can’t do it.  Mostly because John Cloud wrote this article in a controversial way for that exact reason.  To get people talking.  And to drive a shit-ton of web traffic to Time Magazine dot com.

So eat it, Mr Cloud and Time Magazine.  You’ll get no links from me today.

The Truth Is…

Now, I’m a guy who makes 100% of his living by helping people get into fantastic shape.  Yes, I do have a PhD in the field.  And yes, I do the occasional research project.  But helping people improve the way they look, feel, and perform butters my whole grain bread.

So, I’ll admit, I do tend to get a little over-protective when some journalist comes messing around in my territory.   Yep, it’s easy for me to start off all defensive.  In this case, instantly thinking of a host of rebuttals to prove what a dim-witted moron John Cloud is.  In fact, all across the web people are doing just that.

However, the truth is this.  John Cloud is actually right!  Exercise – all by itself – pretty much sucks for weight loss.

Come on folks, this information isn’t new!  In fact, back on August 12th, 2008, I published an article called “When Exercise Doesn’t Work.”  Oddly enough, it was almost 1 year to the day (August 9th, 2009) that Cloud published his “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin” article.

When Exercise Doesn’t Work

In my original article I discussed two studies demonstrating quite conclusively that even well-designed exercise interventions, in the absence of a nutritional intervention, can lead to highly disappointing results.  Check this out:

Study #1  - University of Texas

With 12 weeks of exercise; 3 strength sessions per week, 2 interval sessions per week

Only1.5lbs of fat were lost

Study #2 – University of Oklahoma

With 10 weeks of exercise; 3 endurance sessions per week, 2 strength sessions per week

Only 1.5lbs of fat were lost

In each study, should the participants have hired personal trainers, they would have spent between $3500 and $4500 in personal training and gym fees.  They would have spent between 50 and 60 hours doing gut-busting training sessions.  And they would have lost a mere 1.5lbs of body fat for their efforts.

So, readers and trainers alike, it’s time to recognize.  Without a nutritional intervention, exercise alone does kinda suck.  And it’s not just Mr Cloud’s article that demonstrates it.  His article is just a “tipping point” of sorts.  Years and years of research have been leading to this conclusion.

Many of us, either because we’re too indoctrinated, or because we fear too much for our financial well-being,  have simply chosen to ignore this research.

What Does Work?

So, if Mr Cloud was right all along, why did I sorta hammer him in my intro? Well, in his attempt to be controversial, he’s also become irresponsible.

Rather that sharing the full story – that exercise plus nutrition works oustandingly well – he adopts a common journalistic default position.  He becomes the myth-destroyer.  And once he’s adopted this role, he’s too busy destroying myths to reflect on what he’s also destroying.  Truth.

Exercise doesn’t suck, Mr Cloud.  Exercise provides a myriad of benefits.

It preserves muscle mass with advancing age – a key factor in independence into our senior years

It leads to enhanced aerobic and anaerobic fitness – two other key factors in successful aging

It creates important biochemical changes – reducing disease risk and mortality rates

It improves cognitive function and mood – resulting in an ehanced quality of life

Of course, I do agree.  That exercise – without a good nutrition plan – doesn’t deliver on weight loss promises.

Yet let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Exercise – with a solid nutrition plan – has been repeatedly shown to improve muscle strength, boost lean mass, and slash body fat.  And both the research and the real world evidence has borne this out time and time again.

The Sadness of Mr Cloud’s Gut

In his article, Mr Cloud confesses that despite his almost daily, intense workout routine (which is often supervised by a personal trainer):

“I have exercised like this — obsessively, a bit grimly — for years…(and) I still have gut fat that hangs over my belt when I sit.”

“My weight…(is) the same 163 lb. it has been most of my adult life.”

This, to me, is the sad part.  The guy exercises almost daily.  He pays a personal trainer to help him look better, feel better, and perform better.  And, at the end of the day, he hasn’t improved his body in years.  He’s got a body he’s not entirely comfortable with.

Yet a problem even bigger than his gut is this one.  Mr Cloud is so dissatisfied with his physique that his exercise frustration led him to pen this article.  An article that may dissuade thousands from finally getting off the couch and starting a proper exercise program.

Get Mr Cloud Precision Nutrition

What I’d love to do is put a copy of Precision Nutrition in Mr Cloud’s hands. Maybe even get him enrolled in the PN  Lean Eating Coaching Program.

Seriously, if any of you readers know him or have his contact info, I’d love it if you could put me in touch.  Now, maybe we’ll get off to a rocky start since I did tell him (and Time magazine) to “eat it” earlier in this blog.

However, if we can get past that, I’d love to show him that with the principles we teach in The Precision Nutrition System, he’ll likely be able to exercise less, enjoy his exercise more, and get into wicked shape by encorporating BOTH proper exercise and proper nutrition into his regimen.

The Best Types Of Cardio For Fat Loss

I happened to be reading an article the other day

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_interviews/sucker_punch_alwyn_cosgrove

and came across this quote which really simply sums things up if you want to change your body. I think you can get away with less protein intake but overall you can’t go wrong with Chad’s suggestions of keeping it simple.

“If I told you to consume one gram of protein per pound of body weight , fibrous vegetables, water, green tea, 12 grams of fish oil, and spread those out over the course of six meals each day, you’d be anything but impressed. But if I held you in captivity and forced you to do that every day for a month, you’d be blown away by the results.”  -Chad Waterbury

Do that for 8 weeks and people will accuse you of being on something.

I hope by now you understand that interval training is the way to go if you are trying to get lean and burn more fat because it burns more calories and elevates your metabolism up to 24 times longer than traditional steady state cardio.

Below are some of my favorite types of Interval workouts that will help you burn lots of fat and improve your overall conditioning level.

It is also important to note that I am not a big fan of most traditional cardiovascular equipment because most machines like the elliptical do not properly work your hip flexors and extensors. Most cardio machines don’t require or allow hip extenson past neutral. Combine that with the fact that most people already have tight enough hips and you have a recipe for dysfunction.

1. Airdyne Bike Sprints – are the safest option because there is no deceleration component (eccentric stress – the stuff that makes you sore and delays recovery) required when pedaling on a bike. The other nice thing about the airdyne bike is that the combined arm and leg action helps produce a higher heart rate than just pedaling alone. Essentially, you get maximum disturbance with minimal muscular disruption. Another piece of equipment I like similar to the airdyne is the Versa Climber - which is done standing and allows for more hip extension.

2. Sprints – are probably the best option, but not everyone can do them without risking injury. Just take a look at sprinters and you can easily see the benefits that sprints will have on your body. Have you ever seen a fat sprinter? With sprints, make sure you prepare your body properly beforehand, start slow and gradually work your way up. I would suggest no more than 40 yards to start at around 85% with at least a 90 sec. rest period in between.

3. Slide Board – is a great bang for your buck tool that we use with most of our clients. The slide board allows you to condition the body in the frontal (side to side) plane vs. always going forward in the sagittal plane. The other great benefit about the slide board is it helps strengthen the hip and groin musculature in a different way compared to other commonly favored activites.

4. Hill Sprints – the nice thing about hill sprints is that they are safer than sprints because the hill will slow you down making it less likely to injure a hamstring or hip flexor. Find a hill that you can sprint in about 5-30 sec. and follow the same guidelines for sprinting. If your hill is short  just do more sprints with less recovery over time.

5. Sled Sprints – these are done by attaching a weighted sled to your waist or to a harness that goes over your shoulders. These have the same benefit as hill sprints in that the weight slows you down making the risk of injury less of a concern.

6. Prowler Pushes - I only wish I currently had enough space for one of these. The prowler is a sled with upright handles that you push that is very demanding and burns a ton of calories.

7. Shuttle Runs - are another excellent fat burning option that I would consider very advanced because of the high muscular demand of acceleration, deceleration, and change of direction. 300 and 150 yard shuttle runs can be performed on a 50 or 25 yard course with the 25 yard course being harder. Shuttle runs should also be preceded by a few weeks of tempo runs done preferably on a football field.

8. Jumping Rope - a simple yet effective option that helps increase foot speed and calve development. You can also incorporate jump rope into a circuit, use it on it’s own, or use weighted ropes.

9. Kettlebell Training - is a great training method that allows you to train in a short amount of time by moving from 1 exercise to another without having to move to another tool. Kettlebells are also very effective for building power endurance, are excellent for circuits, and can be used after your workout in place of traditional cardio as finishers. A simple but very effective kettle bell wokout is to do 20-50 1 arm swings per side with minimal rest for 5 – 10 minutes. This will get your heart rate jacked up big time!

10. Bodyweight Exercises and Circuits -performing different body weight exercises with moderate to high reps in a circuit like squats, push-ups, lunges, moutain climbers, walks, jumps, jumping jacks, squat thrusts and step ups in all 3 planes of motion

11. Battling Ropes - Are heavy one and a half to two inch thirty to fifty foot long ropes that you loop around a heavy immovable object and grab both ends being sure to pull the rope taut so that there is no slack and start creating a wave with the ropes so that it does a snake like motion. You can use both hands at the same time or alternate. Try maintaing power for 30 seconds before taking a rest interval.

12. Stadium Stair Sprints - This is an old school method of conditioning but still very effective. Just go to the local high school or college field and sprint up the stairs. If the stairs are longer you may want to sprint straight up, walk down and repeat for 12 – 15 sets. If the stairs are short you could sprint up, jog down and repeat four or five times before taking a short rest period.

13. Barbell/Dumbbell/Kettlebell Complexes - involves doing a set of exercises all in a row without ever putting the bar down. Reps of  5-8  of each exercise are usually performed all in a row before moving to the next exercise without ever letting go of the bar. After completing all the exercises a rest period is taken before repeating the complex. These are really hard and light weights should be used to start.

14. 400-Meter Sprints -  Are one lap around a standard track. These would also be listed in the advanced category. I would suggest using 400 meter sprints after you have worked on building up some speed from sprinting for a few months and then start with one 400 meter sprint workout per week at first as they’re very hard.

15. Interval Running - Basically with interval running you’ll alternate between jogging and sprinting. I would suggest starting with two a week and building up to 3 if you are trying to lose fat. Stay with two if your trying to build muscle. My favorite Interval run is the 15 minute interval build-up run.

One final but very important note is to always remember to try to do a little better each week by increasing the intensity but make sure to never increase the total time or distance by more than 20 percent from week to week. A 20 percent increase will continue to improve your results without an increased risk of injury. In order to watch this it is very important to keep track of both distance and total time.

The 10 Unhealthiest Restaurants

From the Wise Bread Newsletter

Eat This, Not That! analyzed and graded 66 different chain restaurants, and came up with a list of America’s Unhealthiest Restaurants. It goes to show how easy it is to underestimate the amount of calories in a seemingly simple meal. Consider your portion sizes (you’ll live longer, too) and the types of ingredients before accepting a plate at face value.

Here are the restaurants that topped the charts with calories and fat content per serving. [America's Unhealthiest Restaurants, (Yahoo! Health/Men's Health)]

Chili’s
From burgers to baby back ribs, Chili’s serves up some of the saltiest and fattiest fare. Also on the list of worst bugers in America, their Smokehouse Bacon Triple Cheese Big Mouth Burger has 3,810 mg of sodium and 122 grams of fat.
 
 
Baskin-Robbins
Their Heath Shake was named the Worst Drink on the Planet. It’s got 2310 calories and 108 grams of fat. Enough said.
 
 
Carl’s Jr.
Instead of paring down and offering healthier choices, Carl’s Jr. pushes on with their bigger is better motto when developing new burgers. Their Double Guacamole Bacon Burger has over 1,000 calories and 74 grams of fat (27 of it is saturated fat).
 
 
Dairy Queen
Combines the two evils with greasy, heavy foods followed by heavy ice cream concoctions. Eaters can easily spend their entire day’s calories in one sitting here.

 
Ruby Tuesday
Their appetizers hover at around 1,000 calories each, and even their veggie and turkey burgers have more than 850 calories!

 
Chevy’s
Their massive portions push many of their meals over 1,000 calories. Consistently high in fat and sodium, it’s no wonder there is no nutritional information to be found
 
 
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Their Seared Sea Scallops Salad made it on the Worst Salads list with over 1,300 calories and 2,860 mg of sodium, and is considered an Italian grease spot when it comes to their appetizers.
 
 
On the border
Owned by the same parent company of Chili’s and Romano’s Macacroni Grill (both here on this list). Their appetizers have 120 grams of fat and salads have a full day’s worth of sodium. Even their taco entrees have 960 calories (tacos only, rice and beans not included in that calculation).

 
Baja Fresh
Their Shrimp Burrito Dos Manos Enchilada-Style contains over 5,100 mg sodium — more than two days’ worth!

Why are Drinks Offered First?

Those restaurant owners are smart cats whether they realize what they are doing or not?

The first thing that is offered , while your in a state of hunger is usually a drink?

Why do you think restaurant servers usually noted to be seen with a smile, on their face always offer you a drink first?

Well, drinking alcohol, especially drinks that have sugar added, results in a huge increase in blood sugar levels.

This huge increase in turn causes your pancreas to release insulin in an attempt to balance your blood sugar.

The insulin circulates and performs it’s duty, leaving you hypoglycemic (lacking blood sugar) just in perfect time for your order.

Hypoglycemia stimulates hunger cravings and behavioral changes making you aggressively pursue more food.

By this time your eyes and bill are likely to be bigger than your belly.

So next time your out to eat, pass on the drink unless it’s a cheat or you think your server deserves a nice treat.

Check out this study from the Stonehearth Newsletter

According to the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health men who drink four pints of beer a week could be increasing the risk of needing hospital treatment during their lifetime, a study has suggested. Researchers studied 5,772 Scottish men for up to 35 years. They found those who drank between eight and 14 units a week were more likely to be admitted to hospital than those who drank fewer units or nothing. That is the equivalent of four pints of beer, eight shots of spirits or eight small glasses of wine.

The men, from Glasgow, Clydebank and Grangemouth, were all aged between 35 to 64 when they were recruited between 1970 and 1973.

Drinkers were also likely to be kept in hospital for longer than people who drank less or abstained, according to the research by the universities of Glasgow and Bristol, which has been published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

To find out more about how Colby Conditioning (personal trainers in boston) can help you simply click on the link below and receive 2 free private coaching sessions, a 30 minute massage, a consult and assessment with no pressure or obligation.

http://www.bestpersonaltrainersinboston.com/personal-trainers-in-boston-consult.html

Snack Your Way to a Bikini Body

Look, you know as well as I do that you can’t just snack on fatty foods all day long and wake up one day to the body of your dreams.

It’s funny how those infomercials make you want to believe you can eat anything and everything and still watch the pounds melt off. Ummm, it doesn’t work that way.

But you CAN enjoy your favorite foods in moderation and look great naked.

Now I realize not everyone loves chocolate, but a lot of people do.

And if you’re one of them I’ve got some great news for you.

If you’ve never heard of Prograde Cravers before, well, you’re really missing out.

They’re 180 calories of organic dark chocolate heaven.

Again, you can’t just eat an entire box of these healthy snack bars and suddenly slip into the bikini you wore when you were a teenager.

But they DO fit into a fat loss plan.

Ok, so here’s two things you need to know:

1) Prograde Cravers http://colbyconditioning.getprograde.com/specials are on sale this week.

And trust me, you MUST try them if you are a chocolate lover.

You save 11% on all their delicious flavors this week only.

2) Check out the video from Registered Dietitian Jayson Hunter to discover how Prograde Cravers fit into your rapid fat loss plan.

Everything you need to know about this killer sale – including the video from Jayson Hunter – is just a click away. Just click here http://colbyconditioning.getprograde.com/specials

Next Page »