The Infonian

I’m a strongman. I’ll Love the sport ’til I die! Although there are many different fitness topics in this blog, Strongman is the sport I’m most inclined to discuss. Anyone wishing to post their fitness routines/diets/workouts on Infonian.com is more than welcome to! Just send me your workout to workouts@infonian.com and I will be MORE than happy to evaluate it, post it on the homepage, and give you valuable feedback…FOR FREE!!!

That’s it. No catch. I’m not going to ask for payment in anyway anyhow. I just take pride in learning how athletes, like you, do what they love and helping them out however I can. If I see any drawbacks in your fitness plan, I’ll discuss in a review I’ll write. And of course you should expect to get “two thumbs up” for submitting your workout. Besides just getting feedback from a fellow athlete, you will be adding to the mass amount of articles on this site. Now that’s what I call killing two birds with one stone!

Faith based diets have been around for decades. But is overeating really a sin? Does God punish you for being fat? A recent column in an issue of USA Today answers, “weight loss is hard enough without feeling that the almighty is on your back, too”…

Recently, I was sitting in a wonderful little breakfast “parlor” on Main Street in Santa Monica (California), enjoying a bowl of oatmeal, a mountain of fresh fruit and a “sexy omelette” (the bodybuilder’s favorite). There was even a “Schwarzenegger omelette” on the menu – I kid you not! Although the usual dietary temptations are omnipresent everywhere, I noticed a lot more healthy eateries and healthy options on menus out here, which is okay by me! It seems like people are much more health conscious in Southern California compared to back home in the New Jersey/New York City area.

One thing is for sure – people are definitely in better shape. No doubt, it’s partly due to the year-round beautiful weather. You can’t hide under those winter coats in this weather! When I left Newark airport it was a blustery 37 degrees. It’s 77 degrees and sunny as I sit here on my hotel balcony, laptop on my lap, overlooking the palm trees and Pacific ocean.

A friend of mine once said that “Palm trees are God’s way of saying, LIVE HERE!”

Speaking of God, that brings me to the subject of this article. As I was finishing up the last few bites of my high protein omelette, I came across an article in USA Today that I simply HAD to pass on to you because it’s related to some of the weight loss work I’ve been recently doing and it bears some important lessons.

The column, written by Christine Whelan, a professor of sociology, said that religious diet groups are growing in number and some of them say that “God might not approve of that second piece of pie.” In fact, some of these groups, reported Whelan, warn that God will punish you for overeating and being fat. The Weigh Down Workshop, one of the most “hard-line” of such groups, tells their participants that God will “destroy you” if you abuse your body by overeating.

Well, we’ve certainly heard of gluttony referred to as a deadly sin, but is this going a little too far?”

I’m not sure what other people think, but I prefer to think of God as a loving God, who does not punish a person in the hereafter for being fat in this life. But then again, why would he have to? He has created a magnificent physical world based on immutable physical laws of cause and effect, reward and consequence, which mete out all the “punishment” needed, right here in this life: diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, osteoarthritis, gout, and even cancer. All of them are linked to obesity. Combined with the emotional pain of being overweight and the lower quality (and sometimes quantity) of life, I’d say that’s punishment enough, wouldn’t you?

But enough of my theological viewpoint, I found some tremendously valuable practical lessons in the newspaper article.

I don’t believe that instilling guilt or fear of eternal damnation is an uplifting way to change behavior. Perhaps it might be effective for some, as fear of consequences can be a powerful motivator. But aren’t there more positive ways to achieve behavior modification than hellfire and brimstone?

For example, metaphors are also powerful motivators, especially because metaphors are language that your unconscious mind can understand. Didn’t Jesus teach in parables and metaphors? What if you said your body was like a temple? Would you behave differently? Would you look after your “temple” with more care? Those with spiritual beliefs almost certainly would, if they kept that in mind and believed it on a deep level.

In my books, I delve into the emotional, psychological and social aspects of body fat loss.

Some of the chapters are devoted to teaching you how to build a fortress of positive, uplifting, inspiring energy around you in the form of positive, uplifting, and inspiring people. But many of my readers and clients tell me this is easier said than done in their world. “What am I supposed to do when peer pressure from my friends is pulling me down?” “What do I do if my own family won’t support my new, healthier choices? What if they keep bringing potato chips, cookies and ice cream into the house?” “What if no one supports me?”

Enter spiritual diet support groups. Not all of these groups are so extreme as to pronounce that being fat is a sin. And as Whelan put it, “religion may be the ultimate trump card of many behavior modification programs.”

No matter how independent we are, we all need support in our journeys toward personal improvement. It’s the great paradox of succeeding in any endeavor in life – you have to do it by yourself, but you can’t do it alone.

Spiritual communities and religious support groups can be the last refuge of support and encouragement for some people. For anyone with spiritual beliefs, these groups may be one of the best places of all to turn for social support. There’s your church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship. There are also organized weight loss support groups.

One such group mentioned in the USA Today article is BABES – Beautiful Accountable Babes Exercising Sensibly. The mission of babes is “connecting with others to lose weight and build friendships.” Accountability. Exercising. Connecting with others. That all sounds pretty sensible to me! Moreover, according to BABES co-founder, Barb Swanson, “we are not into sin and judgment. God wants balance and it’s more than the size that you are.”

Indeed it is. As I have said before, body fat is not a person, it’s a temporary physical condition. What we really are is far more than physical bodies.

There’s enough guilt, fear and shame for people who are struggling with weight issues already. They don’t need any more negativity from their spiritual leaders. Instead, if you are a person of faith, use your spiritual community as a source of social support and inspiration, and motivate yourself by focusing on the positive and uplifting side. It will pay you eternal dividends.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.burnthefat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting:
www.burnthefat.com

Online diet programs can make weight loss an easier process than more traditional weight loss programs, because they offer a variety of useful extra features, such as regular updates, online support, and various tools, such as applications that generate meal plans and shopping lists. However, there are a large number of online diets to choose from, so it can be hard to know where to begin. It’s true that no single diet plan will work well for everyone, but the good ones will at least meet the following criteria:

Focus on Health

Many diets, both online and off, lure people in with promises of fast weight loss, but these are often dangerously unbalanced. Many extreme low carb, low calorie and low fat diets fall into this category, as do those plans based around just eating one type of food. These fad diets are also usually so difficult to stick to that any weight you do lose will be regained before long. You should give plans like this a miss, and instead opt for a healthy diet that allows a wide range of foods, allows for some ‘treats’, doesn’t exclude any of the major food groups, and doesn’t expect you to under-eat. A sensible weight loss plan will also stress the importance of exercise, which is essential for lifelong health. Forget about ‘going on a diet’, and instead opt for a program that you can live with over the long term, and that doesn’t put your health at risk.

Updates

Web-based diet programs have an advantage in that they’re often more up to date than those you’ll find in books, as it’s much easier to update a website, or publish a new edition of an ebook. The best online diet plans are updated as often as necessary, and ideally you should receive free access to these updates after you’ve paid the initial fee for the program.

Guarantee

Reputable online weight loss plans come with a money back guarantee for a trial period. This way you have the chance to read through the materials and see if the diet is a good fit for you. Despite what many diet book authors would have you believe, no eating plan will work well for everyone – people have different lifestyles, metabolisms and personal preferences – and to lose weight permanently, you must find a plan that you’ll be happy to stick with over the long term. Reputable authors are aware of this and provide a guarantee in case the plan isn’t suitable for you.

Support

Online weight loss programs frequently include support that you wouldn’t usually get when buying a physical book. Most at least include a contact form so you can get a personal response to any queries or concerns that you might have, and some also offer a forum or some other kind of virtual ‘meeting area’ for customers. Avoid any online program that doesn’t provide contact information.

Extras

A great advantage of online diet plans is that they often come with various bonus features in addition to the main ebook itself. These might include a diet generator, which will give you a menu based on your favourite foods, making meal planning very easy. Some diet generator applications even provide a shopping list of your selections which you can print out. Some online plans also include tools to keep track of things like your exercise routine, calorie intake (if you’re counting calories), nutrient intake and other aspects of your regime. You might also get some bonus materials such as recipe books. So when choosing an online diet program, make sure you check out the extras as well, as they can add a lot of value to your purchase.

Bear these key points in mind when evaluating online diet plans, and you’ll avoid the scams and more easily find the ideal program for you.

For more details about of a variety of online diet programs, as well as lots of other weight loss information, visit Fat Loss Choices. Or save some time and just check out Strip That Fat, which in my opinion is the best downloadable plan for those looking for a healthy, easy way to lose weight – you can read my in-depth Strip That Fat review here.

Author: Lea Jones

This society is paying the price for leading a more or less sedentary life. This is a life where people do little or physical activity. This, coupled with high fat diets have spawned a nation of overweight people not to mention that there are about 350,000 deaths each year in the United States due to obesity.

In a way, we cannot blame the people themselves because society has really changed since the 1st century. In those days, people used to be extremely active because the men had to hunt and build houses and fight wars while the women had to tend the home and the till the land.

Today, people work in offices and drive there. Then their idea of work is sitting behind a desk all day. This is a very low level of activity all while feeding your body with snacks and other foods that are rich in trans fats, protein and carbohydrates. This is a sure recipe for obesity and that is what almost 40% of the US population is grappling with.

There are other reasons why people end up being obese and with body fat.stores a lot of simply fail to generate the needed metabolic combustion rates to burn most of the fats that come into the body. All the same, these people, together with this that lead a life devoid of strenuous activity end up with the same problem. One reason is genetic. There are people whose bodies cannot process food efficiently and either digests it slowly and

Exercise is a great way to combat belly fat. One great exercise is to do a 30 second run on the spot before you begin anything else. Then rapid sit-ups can follow and these are very effective in eliminating belly fat if done consistently for a number of weeks.

Author: Joe Golson

You don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight.There are many ways to lose weight without drastically cutting down on diet. Many people who are overweight get discouraged when they hear that they have to cut down on their food intake but this is not necessarily true.

One can lose a sizable amount of weight and still be eating some of their favorite foods. This is not entirely difficult especially knowing that there are many that are doing that. Let us examine one way one can achieve this.

One way of losing weight without starving themselves is to get as much education as possible. This means going to the Internet and reading as much information as possible on ways in which one can lose weight all while maintaining many of their eating habits.

There are weight loss forums which provide a wealth of information to someone looking on how to inject some wisdom into their diet plan.These forums are full of opinions and practical ideals from people who have triumphed over weight gain and this information is invaluable. What makes forums so potent when it comes to the battle against weight gain is that they are interactive. Once you sign up you can easily begin to post opinions of your own and even ask questions.

Another way to lose weight without necessarily starving yourself is to get on an expert diet. A quick search of the Internet reveals that there are many diets, some cheap and some costly that you can get into.

The Atkins diet for instance, allows you to continue eating much of the same quantities of food you were eating before but you eliminate most of the culprits of weight gain such as fats and carbohydrates. Reading the labels when shopping also ensures that you buy only that which has low fat and low cabs. This is what is called wise dieting.

By: Joe Golson