Recent Posts

Avoid this on your Cheat Day (at all costs)

Posted by Joel Marion on June 13, 2011 25 Comments

This post is short, but you’ll be glad you read it.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions recently regarding Cheat Days, particularly about the use of alcohol.

Seems that a lot of folks are using Cheat Days as their weekly excuse to indulge not only in their favorite foods, but also a considerable amount of alcohol.

Bad idea (unfortunately, I know).

The entire purpose of the Cheat Day is to upregulate leptin levels, resetting metabolism and creating a hormonal environment conducive to fat burning.

Alcohol consumption pretty much cancels out ALL of those positive benefits.  In fact, alcohol consumption has been shown to acutely LOWER plasma leptin levels which is in direct opposition to everything you are trying to accomplish with a Cheat Day.

In the end, Cheat Days + Alcohol = Fat GAIN.  That ain’t pretty.

Now, does that mean that you can’t have a drink on your Cheat Day?  No, but anything more than 2 drinks will begin to have a negative effect.

Basically, if you’re feeling the effects of the alchohol you consumed, you drank too much.  I know, bummer.

But, you have goals, and in order to reach them it will require some level of sacrifice.  Know that, embrace it, and move forward toward your goals.

Besides, I’ve already revealed to you how you can use full blown eat-whatever-you-want Cheat Days as frequently as every 5th day to lose fat at record speed, so it really isn’t that bad ;)

That being said, if alcohol is more important that your fat loss goals that is certainly a decision you’ll need to make.  Just giving you the facts so you can make an educated decision.

Keep rockin’,

Joel

P.S.  I’m now doing virtually ALL my cooking with coconut oil – if you want to know why, click HERE

==> Why I no longer cook with other oils

Two Dining Out Weight Loss Strategies (Unconventional)

Posted by Joel Marion on June 6, 2011 36 Comments

Last night while out to dinner I was reminded of two research studies (yeah, I know, I’m a geek).

Allow me to set the stage.

We pull up to El Vez—a hip, Mexican-American restaurant in center city Philadelphia serving up some of the best guacamole (next to Eva’s of course) that I’ve ever had the pleasure of sampling.  A truly euphoric experience for my mouth and buds of taste.

And naturally, when you have what is a somewhat euphoric encounter when visiting a restaurant, you make other visits to said restaurant…and I do…often.

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3 Scenarios – Who Burns More Fat?

Posted by Joel Marion on June 2, 2011 70 Comments

In yesterday’s post, we discussed several different ways to create a 300 calorie deficit:

• Skip the morning bagel (-300 calories)
• Walk on the treadmill for an hour and half (-300 calories)
• Perform a very high intensity interval session (-300 calories)

In all 3 instances, the net calorie burn is -300 cals; however, as mentioned in the previous post, scenario 1 sucks, scenario 2 really sucks, and scenario 3 trumps them all–by far.

And today I want to share 3 other “scenarios” with you, with yet another lesson to be learned.

Out of the below 3 individuals, who will burn more fat and achieve better, faster results?

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How Will YOU Burn 300 Calories?

Posted by Joel Marion on June 1, 2011 71 Comments

If you’re looking to shed body fat, there’s simply no getting around the fact that you absolutely must create some sort of caloric deficit.

Any way you look at it, you MUST burn more calories than you consume.

Now, it can get quite a bit more complicated than simple math would have us believe, but the fact remains–a deficit must be in place for fat loss to occur.

But, there are many different ways to create a deficit, some more effective than others.

For example, if you’d like to create an additional 300 calorie deficit per day, you could simply skip your morning bagel (approx 300 calories).  Fairly simple to do, unless you have some weird affinity toward bagels like I do.

OR, you could walk for an HOUR on the treadmill and create the same 300 calorie deficit.

OR, you could do a 10 minute high intensity interval training workout and create the same 300 calorie deficit.

And here’s where things get a little more complicated than the numbers suggest.

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Two Ways to Use Fasting to Boost Results

Posted by Joel Marion on May 31, 2011 142 Comments

I’m just getting back from a fun-filled Memorial Day weekend in San Diego with a bunch of my fitness buddies like Braig Callantynez, Vinny D, The Truth, and Dr. K.

We had a blast exploring the famous San Diego Zoo, catching some rays on Mission Beach, and of course eating our share of delicious holiday weekend food.

And today I’m fasting.

No, not to “make up” for my weekend indulgence, but rather because I know that strategically placed fasting can lead to faster fat loss when done correctly.

Here are my two favorite strategic methods:

1.  The Post-cheat Fast:  This is my favorite version of strategic fasting and the version I’m currently employing today.  Why?  Because when you use it you can lose up 2 lbs of pure fat in ONE day.

Tony-the-Tiger awesome (I know he says GRRRRREAT, but awesome is better).

You see, after a Cheat Day your body is in an optimal fat burning state with important body fat regulating hormones like leptin and T3/T4 at their peak.  In other words, there is no other day in which your body is primed to burn MORE fat than on this day.

And that’s why the Post-cheat Fast works so well – it creates a massive calorie deficit on a day in which your body WANTS to release fat.

To perform it, consume only non-calorie liquids from when you wake up until you wake up the next morning.  Essentially, it’s 36 hour fast.  For example, if fasting on Monday you only consume non-calorie liquids until breakfast on Tuesday.

Want to lose even more fat on a Post-cheat Fast Day?  Throw in lots of activity and strategically timed exercise.

This is exactly what we do in my Xtreme Fat Loss Diet program and one of the reasons the program yields such rapid results.

2.  The 24-hour fast:  The 24-hour fast, as it’s name suggests, is when you fast for a 24 hour period.  It is more or less the equivalent of eating only one meal.

For example, after dinner on Tuesday you fast until dinner on Wedneday (24 hour period).  Your dinner on Wednesday would then be approximately the same size (or slightly larger) than your “normal” dinner.

This method, when used 1 – 3 times a week, allows you to create a greater weekly caloric deficit  by incorporating several very managable low calorie days each week.

I recommend placing higher carboydrate days in between 24 hour fasts to spike important metabolism-regulating hormones.  This will allow you to get the most out of each 24-hour fast.

Again, strategic fast days are one of the pillars of my Xtreme Fat Loss Diet program.  If you’re interested in losing up to 25 lbs in 25 days, check it out here:

==> http://XtremeFatLossDiet.com

Do YOU use fast days?  If so, what has your experience been?  Respond below!  At least 100 comments and I’ll be back w/ ANOTHER killer blog this week.

Talk to you in the comments section!

Joel

Win a FREE copy of the Xtreme Fat Loss 2.0 System!

Posted by Joel Marion on May 19, 2011 2,286 Comments

We’re going to make this post extremely quick and easy.

To enter to win one of the 7 free copies of the entire Xtreme Fat Loss Diet 2.0 system that I’m GIVING AWAY today, simply reply in the comments section below this post (reply form is at the bottom of the page) with the following information:

In 250 words or less, I want you to tell me exactly why this program is the perfect program for you at this point in your life.  Tell me WHY you NEED access to this information.

Again, please keep your reply less than 250 words, and please, leave finances out of your reply.  This program (via our special launch pre-sale) will be affordable for literally anyone who wants access to  it.  Anyone.

So, again, leaving the financial stuff out, I want you to tell me, based on everything you’ve learned about the strategic Xtreme Fat Loss Diet 2.0 system over the last 6 updates, why this program is the perfect fit for you.

I will keep the contest open for a full 24 hours, and then I’ll go through the replies and notify the winners via email sometime late Saturday!

Good luck!

Joel

NOTE:  This contest is now closed.

Eva Longoria, Avocado, and One Helluva Recipe

Posted by Joel Marion on May 5, 2011 63 Comments

I don’t know about you, but if I’m flipping channels and come across Eva Longoria, the remote stops there.

At least for a little while.

In fact, Eva’s probably the only reason I started watching Desperate Housewives several years back, and quite unexpectedly, I found that I actually enjoyed the show.

Weird, I know.

Well, just so happens that yesterday I got a little two-for with Eva ‘s guest appearance on the Martha Stewart show.  Sure, it was a re-run, but whatever, she’s hot.

And not only that, but she also makes a pretty mean guacamole.

How do I know?  I watched the show and tried the recipe.  So when I say that this bad-boy is killer, I speak first-hand.

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The BEST Time of Day to Eat Carbs

Posted by Joel Marion on May 5, 2011 29 Comments

There are actually two best times.

Oooo…sneaky.

But really, there is only one.

Huh?

Let me explain.

You see, the best time to eat carbs is when your body is best primed to deal with them (that’s the “one” rule), and this happens to occur twice a day:

1.  In the morning

2.  After intense exercise

For one, loads of research has shown that glucose tolerance is highest in the morning, making it a no brainer to consume a large portion of your daily carb intake at breakfast when your body is best equipped to process them.

If you’re someone who consumes frequent meals, mid-morning is a another great option.

Basically, the rule is this:  eat your carbs in the morning, not the afternoon or evening.  Unless…

…you’re performing intense exercise.

Perhaps (well not perhaps, it’s true) an even better time to eat your carbies is after exercise.  During the 1-2 hour window post workout your body is ultra primed to suck up carbs for recovery, energy replenishment, and other anabolic processes (and NOT fat storage).

Here are some sample daily ”carb-friendly” schedules for both exercise and non-exercise diets.

Exercise Day:

Breakfast:  protein/carbs
Mid-morning:  protein/fat
Lunch:  protein/fat
Mid-afternoon:  protein/fat
Evening (after exercise): protein/carbs
Pre-bed: protein/fat

Non-exercise Day: 

Breakfast:  protein/carbs
Mid-morning:  protein/carbs
Lunch:  protein/fat
Mid-afternoon:  protein/fat
Evening: protein/fat
Pre-bed: protein/fat

Want to learn some other quick fat-burning strategies that contain FOOD?  Check out my buddy Isabel’s video here:

Red Meat and Your Health (Not What You Think)

Posted by Joel Marion on May 2, 2011 149 Comments

On Friday I got a package in the mail.

It was a BIG package.

It was also an unexpected package.

Don’t you just love it when that happens?

Well, turns out that a friend of mine decided to send me about 20 lbs of organic grass fed beef as a thank you for some consulting I helped him with the other week.

Pretty freakin’ sweet, eh? (He’s from Canada, so he’ll appreciate that)

Of course, I made a point to defrost them immediately while planning to fire up the grill several times over the weekend for a 2-day feast of fresh burgers and NY strip steaks (and broccoli, and grilled asparagus, and a few huge salads :-)

Who says low carb meals can’t be fun?

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Should You Work A Sore Muscle?

Posted by Joel Marion on May 1, 2011 68 Comments

Last week I told you how my buddy John Romaniello royally kicked my butt with an insane full body workout last weekend.

I woke up the next day sore as @#$%^&*.

Translation: quite sore.  Thanks, John.

So naturally, I did as a good boy should and worked out the very next day.

Huh?

Now, I’m sure you’ve been told that you should wait until all that soreness subsides before stepping in the gym again.

How can I be sure? Easy, I’ve been told that same crap more times than I can count.

Fortunately, I don’t adhere to that silliness anymore, and as a result, I’ve got more muscle and less body fat to thank for it.

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