I am sure you have all heard of at least some of these ingredients being included in some sort of “SUPER DIET”.

 I wanted to quickly dispell some of the myths associated with these kinds of fad diets. First off, I will not argue that these diets help you lose a good amount of weight pretty quickly; however, none of these will provide you with lasting results.

 Here’s why…

 1. Most of these diets include foods that repeat themselves over and over again, or even require you to eat one food exclusively. Tell me how long you can stick with that!

2. Most of these diets lack the proper nutrients and minerals that your body needs to stay healthy.

3. Most of the fad diets also lack the protein needed to support muscle repair, which makes it nearly impossible to workout and get good results

4.  There is no mention of exercise or fitness.  It is all about the numbers on the scale.Greg Carbone, CSCS, CPT, YFS

Through all my years as a fitness professional, I noticed a flaw in people’s diets who struggle with weight loss and toning their body.  I find that many people have difficulty in coming up with new high protein sources for their snacks.  It seems that chips, pretzels, carrots and popcorn always find their way into everyone’s mid-afternoon snack at the office.

So, today I want to share 3 often forgotten high protein, lower calorie snack options for mid morning or mid afternoon snacks.  Adding these in will help you stay fuller, be more productive and also help build a lean body.  Oh yea, these are all very convenient and easy to pack in your bag.

1. Beef Jerky.  This snack makes it simple to get about 10-12 grams of protein in, while only getting hit with about 70-80 calories.  Try picking this up at a health food store instead of opting for the highly salted convenience store brands. 

2. Lentils.  This was even surprising to me.  Lentils are packed with close to 20 grams of protein per cup, which is a great way for vegetarians to get their protein in.  It also has about 225 calories per cup, but that is relatively low if you sprinkle it on a salad or eat it as a soup. 

3. Hard Boiled Eggs.  Sure, these may stink up the room, but each egg has about 8-9 grams of protein.  Yolks are ok in moderation and will give you an extra 4-5 grams of protein per egg.  Cut them up on a salad or eat them whole.Greg Carbone, CSCS, CPT, YFS

You have probably seen Fat Loss Myths in a title more times than you can possibly imagine.  Unfortunately, many people are ingrained with certain ideas in their head that are spread by the media, books and the internet.  I want to keep this post very simple and give you 3 simple myths that are related to fat loss so that you can forgot all the junk you have been brainwashed with over the years.

1.  Water Consumption is NOT Important for Weight Loss.  This is one of the myths that I thought had finally been banished; however, I just ran across it on a major weight loss website in the past few days.  An ‘expert’, who is nothing more than a journalist student…and struggling with weight loss, said that water will not lead to fat loss.

I beg to differ.  In fact, water is extremely vital for carrying out chemical reactions in digestion and metabolism.  Without proper water intake, the body doesn’t metabolize fats efficiently.

Divide your body weight by 2 and drink that much water (in ounces) daily to kick fat in the ass!

2. Don’t Eat Carbs Because They Will Make You Fat.  I can’t tell you how often I hear this.  Have you ever heard of fruits, vegetables and whole grains?  These are all carbs…and they are healthy.  In my over a decade of training, I have yet to see a single person get fat from eating too many fruits or vegetables. 

I do recommend that my Freehold Boot Camp members eat a lower carbohydrate, higher protein diet, but that does not mean that carbs are bad.  Protein is great because it takes more energy to digest and also aids in muscle regeneration.  Carbs play a major role in diet though because leafy green vegetables keep you full and offer vitamins and minerals.

Steer clear of processed carbs like cakes, cookies, most cereals, and white breads and you will be fine.

3.  Fat is Bad. Hmm, you are probably totally confused right now.  Fat is NOT bad for fat loss?  Before you think I am absolutely crazy, hear me out.  The fat free craze has confused so many people over the past few years to the point that most people will choose a fat free food (that tastes disgusting) that is packed with tons of extra sugar rather than eat 3 grams of fat. 

When looking at food labels, pay attention to saturated fats and sugars.  The extra sugar will not only be stored as fat, but it will also leave you hungry within a very short time…and have you craving more sugary, fatty foods.

Instead, eat some fat, which will keep you more full.  Just do your best to stay away from saturated fats, which cause major health problems.Greg Carbone, CSCS, CPT, YFS

Just a warning -  I am about to go off on a rant. 

 Those of you who know me personally may be a bit surprised by this post. 

You see, my parents raised me to always try and be polite as possible and to deflect any type of confrontation.  I hate seeing people do anything but smile and be happy…and I especially hate to disappoint people. 

I think I got mixed up somewhere though between being completely honest with people and being too “polite”.  My “polite” side has caused me to FAIL some of you who workout, when in reality you need a good swift boot in the ass and to be told “Suck It Up!”

I will be the first to admit I failed some of you and will never allow that to happen again.  I would much rather risk someone leaving rather because I pushed them than knowing I may have not given everything in my power to change a life and instilling a positive, healthy lifestyle.  I mean, we all workout to get good results and feel good, right?  So, if we are making the effort to go to the gym, then why wouldn’t we want to work hard?

My first bit of complete honesty is that getting in great shape is not easy!  You have to work your ass off for it and responsibility needs to be taken.  I will work myself to the bone to HELP you get where you need to be, but you must be the one to follow through when I am not around.

So work hard, keep a positive attitude and kick some ass!Greg Carbone, CSCS, CPT, YFS

Katie and I decided to head over to the dog park on Sunday since it had been a while since Tuggy had been able to run free.  He just loves to get out there and run around chasing dogs, being chased and dodging the dog owners who stand around. 

We immediately became the unpopular group when Tuggy walked out and chose his first ‘victim’, a small chihuahua.  Tuggy ran a few small circles around him and then gave a playful pounce to get the other dog chasing him.  It lasted about 15 seconds until the other dog quit.  Poor Tuggy ran around like the unpopular kid on the playground looking for someone to play with…until another female Boston Terrier came along and ran and played with him for the next 45 minutes. 

Tuggy was running faster than I had ever seen and jumping over other dogs as he chased his new female companion.  He was like a totally different dog now that his energized little friend was around.  This was until she took a water break and he decided to put on the moves on by air-humping at her, but that is another story.

What is the reason for this post, besides talking about mybest  buddy…and dog, Tuggy?  Well, Tuggy wasn’t enjoying himself when he was around the lazy dogs.  He had the energy being sucked out of him every minute and wasn’t doing the things he was capable of. 

This happens with people all of the time.  It is a fact we act and become just like the 5 people we spend the most time with in our lives.  Are you hanging out with energy suckers?  Complainers?  Crabs?  Underachievers?  If so, then it may be time to find a new pack and live up to your full potential.  Find like minded people who enjoy working out, work hard, are positive and push themselves.  I guarantee that you will reach your goals way faster than you could have ever imagined.

More on Tuggy in the future when he shares his favorite healthy human snacks with you….Greg Carbone, CSCS, CPT, YFS

Hey all, Callie Durbrow here from Ultimate Athletic Fitness…I’m really psyched to be doing this guest post for my buddy Greg. Let’s get right into the dirty details…

A common question that I get from a lot of new clients is “how do I lose that extra belly fat?” Everyone wants a toned and tight belly and mid-section, and I’ve got good news and bad news.

The bad news is that you cannot spot reduce where you lose fat. Most people know this but still get wrapped up doing crunches and weird things on the swiss ball in attempts to trim that belly fat away. Sorry folks, you can do crunches until you are blue in the face. Then you’ll just be blue in the face and probably have awful posture. Okay, anyway…

Your body is a unit, things work together and as much as we all want to “trick” our bodies, it won’t happen. When you exercise and eat right, you mobilize fat and eventually burn it for fuel and energy. Wherever you have the highest concentration of fat cells will take the longest to break down and lose just because there is more of it.

So, that’s the bad news but it’s only bad if you REALLY love doing crunches. If not, then let’s move on to the good news. Just like everything in life, you’ll have to put in a little work to get the results but it will be well worth it. Here are the top three things you MUST do if you want to lose belly fat and create a trim, athletic looking body. These things will ensure that you are in fact losing fat all over, and you are creating a rapid metabolism that burns fat while you are not working out (awesome, huh?)

#1 way to lose extra fat around your belly and mid-section: Eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet consists of 5-6 small meals and snacks per day, always eating breakfast, and having fruits, veggies, lean proteins, low fat dairy, whole grains and nuts as the staples to your nutrition plan. Drink 1/2 of your body weight (in pounds) per day (in ounces) to ensure proper hydration and mobilization of fat. If you starve yourself or gorge yourself, say goodbye to a trim mid-section because either your metabolism is going to slow down to a snail’s pace or you are just constantly storing excess calories.

#2 way to lose belly fat and trim your mid-section: Strength training. This is by far the BEST way to boost your metabolism to create a furnace effect where your body is burning while you are not working out. Get involved in a metabolic strength training program which will combine large movements into complexes so you are moving from one exercise to the next. (ex: squat, push up, stair sprints, kettlebell swings) This type of training will elevate your heart rate, pump up all major muscles to burn more calories, and is much more fun and functional than sitting on a machine or using the treadmill for a jog. You will burn a ton of calories during the workout but you are also going to kick start your metabolism so that you are burning calories like crazy after the fact. Many studies today are showing up to 36 hours of “afterburn” with a properly designed workout.

#3 way to lose belly fat: Interval training instead of slow, steady cardio. This type of training has a similar effect to the metabolic strength work I just talked about. It’s not nearly as good for building lean muscle but will help you burn a lot more calories, raise your metabolism and also strengthen your heart and lungs. The idea behind this is that you work hard for a set interval (ex: sprint for 1 minute) and then recover for a set interval (ex: walk for 1 minute) to recharge your body and give you energy to complete the next set while still working. This is much more effective than just running for 3 miles.

If you are looking to trim your mid-section and lose that extra few pounds of belly fat, stick to the basics and avoid the crunches and tricks on the ball. Sure you’ll burn a few calories but if you don’t create an efficient metabolism and fuel it with healthy foods, you will be slowing your progress exponentially.

Make sure you are integrating these factors in your fitness training program. You’ll see amazing results quicker than you ever imagined, and you’ll actually have more fun. Keep checking back to Greg’s blog for awesome fitness tips and motivation!Greg Carbone, CSCS, CPT, YFS