Do you ever wonder why nothing seems to work? Take a look at this list, and see if you are doing any of the items on it—but still have that fat belly or those fat thighs:

• Skipping breakfast (or lunch, or dinner)
• Eating salads
• Being on special diets
• Doing Pilates
• Working out
• Doing sit-ups
• Using the treadmill, stair-stepper, etc.
• Running
• Taking diet pills
• Eating protein shakes
• Having a low carb diet
• Having a low fat diet
• Denial

Let’s take a look at each of these, then talk about what you need to do to have those great legs, nice butt, or great abs.

• Skipping breakfast (or lunch, or dinner). This fails for several reasons. First, millions of people have proven that eating six meals a day, not two, induces fat loss. Folks who skip breakfast signal their bodies to conserve calories that they later consume anyhow! You end up losing muscle due to catabolic action from the extended fast, and you then add fat later in the day. If you want to be fatter, just keep skipping breakfast.
  
• Being on special diets. These don't work, because the body isn't designed to deal with them. Forget special diets. By the way, the diet that gets most people too fat is a special diet--the sugar and saturated fat diet. We'll look at the answer to this one, shortly.
  
• Doing Pilates. This, Tae-Bo, and other "breakthrough" exercise programs fail on several counts. If you are extremely out of shape, these can help. But, if you are serious about being in shape, you must go beyond these. We'll look at how, later.
  
• Working out. What most people call a "work out" involves unfocused activity. This activity often takes too long, tries to do too much, and fails to stimulate muscle growth or fat burning. The correct approach isn't rocket science, but it does require not doing what most people do at the gym.
   
• Doing sit-ups. This exercise is a waste. It doesn't develop your abs, and doesn't burn much fat. It takes about 3,500 sit-ups to burn a pound of fat.
  
• Using the treadmill, stair-stepper, etc. Think of sit-ups. Cardio is helpful, but it is not the cure-all.
  
• Running. Take a look at long-distance runners. They may look "thin," but they typically have fat/lean tissue ratios that are much higher than ideal--partly because they sacrifice lean tissue. They also have high cortisol levels, which means their "health activity" poisons them."
  
• Taking diet pills. This is not a sustainable strategy. Diet pills can help you jump-start things or get past a plateau. But, they do not make up for poor eating habits or excessive calorie consumption.
  
• Eating protein shakes. You can get quality protein through quality protein shakes. Eating more protein, however, won't help you unless you have a protein deficiency. Eating a protein-rich meal replacement (powder form, typically) as one to three of your six daily meals is a great low calorie way to nourish yourself. But, don't get the mistaken idea that adding chicken, steak, or protein shakes to what you already eat will make you slim. It won't.
  
• Having a low carb diet. You need carbohydrates to burn fat. The trick is to eat enough carbohydrates, to eat them at the right time, and to eat the right kind. Carbohydrates do not make you fat, and they are not bad. Abusing carbohydrates can make you fat and is bad.
  
• Having a low fat diet. You need fat to burn fat. You need fat to be healthy. The trick is to eat the right kinds of fats.
  
• Denial. This is the most common way of dealing with being out of shape. Saying you are "doing everything right, but can't understand it" or "this must be in my genes" is denial. You can choose between making dishonest excuses or getting results. I know a Physician's Assistant who counseled a 430 lb woman. From what this woman said she was doing, she should be at her ideal weight. The reality is she is doing things to make herself fat but wants a magic pill to make up for her own errors. That doesn't work. Are you doing something similar?

What works

To keep you from reading an extremely long article, I will only summarize here. You can view more detailed "how to" articles by choosing them from the menu at left.

Below is the basic strategy. To get results, you must score 100%--close doesn't count.

1. Eat small portions. This is where most people mess up. They simply eat too much. Take care of this, and you have solved 30% of the problem.
   
2. Eat the right foods. This is another 30%.
   
3. Supplement. Understanding what supplements to take (you do not need to spend a fortune) and when can give you a decided edge. This is worth 20% of the battle.
   
4. Exercise properly. This doesn't mean exercise fanatically. It means understanding what you are doing with each exercise and working toward specific goals. If you don't have a map and don't follow it, you will just stay lost. This is 15% of the battle.
   
5. Rest. Muscles need time to recover. Failure to respect this results in excess cortisol, which means less muscle and more fat.

The articles in the menu at left explain things in more detail. The supplements we provide at such low prices are ones that work. You can find cheaper brands. But, I am interested only in making sure that when you spend your money with SuppleCity that you get results that justify spending that money in the first place.

If I can answer any questions for you, please contact me at webmaster @ supplecity.com. My name is Mark.

Here's another site with similar advice: http://www.building-muscle101.com/weight-lifting-tips.html

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