If you haven’t listened to the amazing 18 minute interview that I did with Tom covering the topic of overcoming limiting beliefs, I recommend that you drop everything and pop it into your mp3 player now. You can download it by visiting Fat Loss Belief System with Tom Venuto and look for the audio player at the bottom of the page.

That is seriously one of the most powerful interviews that I’ve ever conducted, especially considering that it was only 18 minutes long. It’s all content with action steps that you can easily implement.

The thing that I love most about Tom is that he challenges you to grow as a person. Every post or email that I receive from him gets the wheels spinning in my head. His perspectives are always fresh and incredibly thought provoking.

If you want a taste of his style and are eager to put your thinking cap on, I encourage you to visit Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat Blog. It is without a doubt one of the greatest resources out there to help you become the best that you can be.

Here’s some thought provoking posts for you to check out…

Does Cold Weather Make You Store Body Fat?

A New Challenge For 2010: Goal Setting For A Decade

The Truth About Comfort Zones and “No Pain, No Gain”

“Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT????”

Like I said, I think everyone can learn something valuable from the above posts and if you explore Tom’s Burn The Fat Blog even deeper you will find some very invaluable tips that have the potential to significantly impact your fat loss success.

Like me, Tom keeps it real. There’s no hidden agenda. He’s one of the good guys who is on your side. Rather than simply take a stance on a certain topic such as HIIT vs long duration cardio, or high carb vs low carb he will show you both sides of the debate and provide you with the right kind of information to help you form your own opinion. I told you that his blog posts and emails are thought provoking right???

I’ve personally been a subscriber of Tom’s newsletter for well over six years… maybe even seven. It was actually the first newsletter that I had ever subscribed to and his book Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle was the first ebook that I ever purchased. I often sit back and think of how grateful I am for whatever forces pulled me to Tom’s site that day.

BFFM is not a diet book for everyone. If you do not enjoy paying attention to the details or counting calories you will have a difficult time sticking with the program.

But here’s the kicker… I’d still recommend that you read Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle even if you aren’t going to count calories or stick to the program. Why? Because I want you to use it as an educational tool.

BFFM does a phenomenal job of educating you on the science of nutrition and even the science of diet. Even if you don’t plan on following BFFM you will get a lot out of the mindset component of the book as well as have a deeper insight into nutrition.

Investing in Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle for educational purposes rather than “Hoping that this is going to be the diet that finally helps you lose your stubborn belly fat” is a mindset shift in itself.

If you ever purchase another diet book again, I highly recommend that you take the approach of education instead of wishful thinking.

I’m keeping it real here folks! It’s really difficult for me to make this sound un-hyped because I’m one of Tom’s biggest fans and will be for life. He’s taught me more than I could have ever hoped for. Not just in terms of fat loss… but in life.

If you prefer hard cover books and you are looking for some great advice on how to stick to a diet or workout program, I highly recommend that you grab yourself a copy of Tom’s book The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscles, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight

You will not find any hype or gimmicks in this book. The Body Fat Solution has got to be one of the most refreshing approaches to fat loss out there.

And it’s pretty darn cool to see that Tom uses Angie and I as an example of the power of spousal support on page 207 of The Body Fat Solution.

Here’s a video review that I did for The Body Fat Solution last year when I received an autographed advance copy from Tom.

Last, but certainly not least… if you have been looking for an incredible support community full of amazing and caring people to cheer you on, as well as in depth articles and interviews on the most important topics in the area of fat loss, I recommend Tom’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle.

I’ve been busy listening to several of the interviews where Tom shares some rare gems that I haven’t heard many people discus before. I love his no B.S. approach and his total honesty and passion for helping others. I’ve got my mp3 player loaded up and looking forward to listening to more of Tom’s audios while I go out walking this week.

If you are already a follower and fan of Tom Venuto I would love to hear from you. Take a moment to share your thoughts and let us know the one thing that he has taught you that has made a positive impact on your fat loss and your life.

Have yourself an awesome day!

Keeping It Real,

Scott Tousignant

I’m sure that one of the thoughts that crossed your mind was, “What kind of liquid potion or magic pill is Scott going to try to sell me?” After all, releasing unwanted body fat takes plenty of hard work.

No worries… I’m not trying to sell you a hyped up miracle in a bottle. I’m trying to ’sell’ (not in the monetary way) you on an idea, an approach,… a concept that can have a dramatically positive impact on your life.

Yes, releasing unwanted body fat takes hard work and effort. But the approach that we will be sharing with you will help you effortlessly put in that effort during your workouts and preparing healthy meals.

This “Naturally Thin” approach will bring a great deal more joy to your fat loss journey and significantly reduce the instances of guilt that’s associated with not following a certain program to a ‘T’.

Note: This approach is not for everyone. If you are a hard core bodybuilder or someone who really enjoys getting down to all the fine details of nutrition and fitness and has no problem sticking to diets, this approach may not completely resonate with you. But at the same time, in a way, you are actually applying the principles that we will be discussing.

I’m sure that you are wondering, “What’s all this talk about living naturally thin?” Allow me to explain…

I recently contacted my friend Marna Thall (Some of you may know her by her maiden name of Goldstein). Marna is one of the motivational experts that I interviewed for the Unstoppable Fat Loss audios.

Marna’s website is called Thin Within and covers issues such as emotional eating while empowering you to live a life free from dieting. Marna’s website has recently received a makeover and is looking fantastic!

The reason that I contacted Marna was to unite with her in an effort to help spread this naturally thin approach as I believe that it’s an approach that you may be craving and an approach that will resonate with you.

Marna and I will be conducting regular podcasts to discus the naturally thin lifestyle and provide you with action steps that you can immediately implement into your day.

Our first podcast, which you can listen to and download by clicking on the audio player at the bottom of this post, is an introduction to the naturally thin lifestyle. The action step is to simply have an open mind as you begin to embrace this lifestyle.

Before you go thinking that I’m against dieting and counting calories, let me assure you that I’m not. Allow me to share my reasons for embracing this naturally thin lifestyle and uniting with Marna.

I have a bit of a natural body builder mindset in me. I think that’s what makes partnering with Marna so awesome because it’s like having two different worlds coming together.

I do believe that it’s a great practice to monitor and record your calories for two weeks so you can have a fairly accurate idea of how much you are consuming throughout an average week instead of just guessing. This is often an eye opener for many people, which is why I highly recommend going through the process.

After all, no matter if you are living the naturally thin lifestyle or following a diet program, calories do matter and it’s important that you have an awareness of your calorie surplus or deficit.

I believe that my background in health sciences as well as the application and education of a variety of diet programs has made it possible for me to embrace this naturally thin lifestyle.

First of all, I’m one of the 2% of the population who is able to stick with a diet program and follow through to the end. I’d say that my education in Sports Psychology has played a key role in this. I’m also among the small percentage of the population that gets a thrill out of manipulating calories and working out in an effort to sculpt my body and burn fat.

I have learned a lot by applying the information from a variety of diet books over the years. I think that’s key. To use diet books as an educational tool rather than viewing them as, “The solution that’s finally going to help you burn your stubborn belly fat.” This only leads to an “End all, be all” approach, which can be very unhealthy.

I have taken something from nearly every book that I’ve read. Even the most outrageous books have some sort of lesson in them.

I believe that it is important to educate yourself when it comes to nutrition and diet. I will continue to read new diet and nutrition books and explore different views and philosophies. I’m certain that there’s enough material out there to keep me busy reading for life.

I’m very open minded when it comes to nutrition. I respect the opinions and views of most nutrition philosophies even though I may not actually follow through with their recommendations. Some views just do not resonate with me while others are much too harsh. But they have their place for the right people and I can respect that.

I haven’t followed a ‘Diet Plan’ for the past two years. I’ve been following the naturally thin lifestyle without even realizing it. I now effortlessly eat well. I don’t need to read labels or count calories. All the years of applying the information that I’ve absorbed has made eating well become second nature to me.

I look at my wife Angie who is basically the living definition of a naturally thin lifestyle. Angie has followed only one diet program her entire life. That was a time when we created a fun little challenge for ourselves to get in tip top shape.

Other than that she lives naturally thin. She’s very active and she’s a mindful eater who listens to her body. She doesn’t restrict herself from eating some junk foods that she enjoys and she rarely over-indulges when she does eat junk food.

I wish that I had Angie’s control at times when it comes to just eating two cookies instead of the entire box. But I believe a big part of it is that she gives herself permission to treat herself daily because the majority of her day is made up of eating really well. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve heard Angie say, “I’m stuffed!” This is Angie’s “Way of Life”.

In my opinion this is what living naturally thin is all about. It’s a way of life and a mindset. This is what we will be discussing in our podcasts. How to create a naturally thin mindset to help you overcome issues such as overeating, binge eating, emotional eating in a natural and fun way.

I for one am really excited to be sharing this kind of information with you and I’m really looking forward to all the amazing conversations that I will be having with Marna during these podcasts.

Our podcasts are going to be kept under 20 minutes to make it easier for you to schedule them into your day. They will also be available for download so you can listen to them while you are being active instead of sitting at your computer.

Take a moment to download our first podcast to your mp3 player and go get active while listening to our introduction to living naturally thin.

When you finish listening to it come on back and share your thoughts with us. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Have an absolutely amazing day! Remember… today you are one step closer to achieving your fat loss and fitness goals.

Keeping It Real,

Scott Tousignant

So tell me, what should I eat? How do you eat? Is there a certain diet program or nutrition program that has worked really well for you? Have you been able to stick with the program and maintain your results?

In my opinion there are no right answers here. Everyone’s views are more than welcome.

I bet that you’ve read more than your share of nutrition and diet books in the past. If you have applied that information that you learned I’d say that you are pretty knowledgeable on the subject.

There’s nothing wrong with continuing to search for new nutrition information. I’m still learning and love to learn about all the different recommendations when it comes to healthy eating. That’s why I want to hear from you. I want to hear your views on the subject.

So let’s get this discussion going. Tell me… What should I eat?

Keeping It Real,

Scott Tousignant

Today we would like to share our homemade roasted red pepper dip, which is at the top of our favorite healthy snack options. Here’s a video of Angie and I demonstrating how to make roasted red pepper dip…

Roasted Red Pepper Dip: A Healthy Snack Option

Here’s the ingredients:

Preparation:

Give this tasty and healthy snack a try and let us know how you enjoy it.

Keeping It Real,

Scott Tousignant

Healthy Eating Tastes Great!

Here are the ingredients in this recipe and a note about what we will do next time we make it…

This was the first time that we tried to make this dip and I didn’t plan on recording it on video because we weren’t sure how it would turn out. Angie new most of the ingredients but didn’t have a recipe to follow.

Next time we may add one more avocado. We’re also going to try using a bunch of fresh tomatoes instead of the canned. This will thicken up the dip. It wasn’t runny at all this time, but we want to see what way we like it better.

You can add garlic to meet your taste preferences. We love garlic and used 3 cloves I believe. Same thing with the cilantro. We may actually add a bit more of that the next time.

I’ll share another great dip with you tomorrow.

Let me know if you go ahead and prepare this avocado dip yourself and share your feedback with us here. Let me know if you add anything different to the recipe and why.

On a side note, I’ve witnessed people avoid avocado’s because of their high fat content. Sure you don’t want to go eating a boatload of avocado’s each day, but this incredible super food contains the healthy fats that will have a significant impact on your overall health as well as your fat loss efforts.

We enjoy adding avocado’s to our salads for flavor and texture as well as variety. Have no fear of the wonderful and amazing avocado

Have a ROCK’n day!

Keeping It Real,

Scott Tousignant

I’m not sure how new this menu is to Taco Bell as I haven’t eaten there in a long time and I don’t watch television enough to be aware of their marketing campaigns, so this may not be new news to you, but I thought it would make for a lively discussion.

As I mentioned, I was initially shocked, but then I thought of the other fast food chains that have been doing this for years. McDonald’s has their healthy menu and Subway has Jared and their healthy menu, so why can’t Taco Bell do the same thing now with Christine and the Fresco Menu?

Here’s a quick video to give you a peak at the Taco Bell Drive Through Menu…

Highlights from the video:

OK so let’s get into a discussion here. All thoughts and opinions are welcome.

Do you think that the trend of fast food joints offering healthy menus is a good thing?

Are you outraged that fast food joints are misleading the public into thinking their food is healthy?

Do you find that this is exactly what you need in order to fit some healthy food choices into your busy schedule?

Scott’s take: I’d rather see you prepare meals at home. If you are short on time I recommend that you prepare very large meals and store the leftovers in containers so you can have them throughout the week. The quickest way for me to prepare a meal is to warm up leftovers from the night before. Most of my meals are leftovers, which makes my life a lot easier.

With that being said I understand that we are all looking for convenience and we don’t want to completely give up fast food. I don’t want to completely give it up either. We enjoy pizza once per week in our home.

I do believe that you can achieve a fantastic physique without eliminating junk and fast food from your nutrition plan. I certainly wouldn’t want to see you consuming it everyday even if it is from the healthy menu.

I’m not at all outraged that fast food joints are offering healthy menus even if they are not the healthiest options that you could choose. The way that I look at it is if you are going to go to a fast food joint anyway it’s nice that you have a healthier option than a heart attack in a box burger. Not to say that one of those heart attack in a box burgers are bad if you have one from time to time

It is important to be informed about the caloric content of the meal though even if it is healthy. I know that I would not be satisfied with just one chicken burrito, yet that would come very close to my calorie requirements for that meal (even though I don’t count calories).

I do have a problem with the advertising labeling this as a ‘diet‘ even though they say it’s not a weight loss plan. The word ‘diet’ can be misleading to some people. If they kept it at ‘menu‘ that’s cool. But labeling it as a diet is going a bit too far in my humble opinion.

As I mentioned in the video I have mixed feelings about fast food joints and healthy menus. For the most part I think that this is a good start and gives us ground to improve upon. It’s good to see the fast food joints making an effort to put out healthier choices. I just hope that their hearts are in the right place and it’s not all a marketing ploy where the only thing that matters is dollars and cents.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let’s get a great discussion going on here. Keep it clean though. If you don’t agree with someone’s opinion that’s ok, but there’s no need to bash them. All opinions are welcome and there is no right or wrong answer here. This is simply a place to express your feelings.

One of my friends sent me a message on Facebook yesterday about this and his statement was, “Honestly, I think it’s criminal what kind of garbage they’re feeding people – literally and through their new ad campaign.”

I can certainly respect that perspective and understand where it’s coming from. Like I said, I’d rather see you preparing healthy meals at home, but if progress is going to be made we need to find some common ground. This is a start, but it’s far from the solution.

So what do you think?

Here’s the Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet Menu if you want to look at it a little closer.

Keeping It Real,

Scott Tousignant

5) You believe in striving for perfection

4) You love to verbally abuse yourself with phrases such as, “You’re such a failure. I hate myself for always sabotaging my goals.”

3) You believe that chocolate is evil and will go directly to your hips the second it touches your lips.

2) You get a high from the self torture that you go through as you watch everyone else eat desert while you refuse.

1) You believe that you must never eat junk food as a punishment for bad behavior
in a previous lifetime.

I hope that you realized I was joking before you got to #1.

Bottom line, you should never feel guilty for eating the foods that you enjoy even if they are not a healthy option.

I certainly don’t feel guilty about eating an entire chocolate bunny yesterday. In fact I look better today than I did two days ago.

Believe it or not cheating on your diet actually helps you reach your goals. It’s one of the best things that you can do.

Don’t believe me?

You need to check out the two case studies here… The Cheat To Lose Diet

If it wasn’t for planning chocolate and pizza into my nutrition plan I would be a basket case and there’s no way that I would have 6 pack abs without these little indulgences.

Promise me that you’ll never feel guilty again after eating junk food. No good ever comes from these feelings of guilt.

It’s time to look at some of our favorite foods in a whole new light.

I love case studies and I especially love success stories from real people who didn’t go to extreme measures in order to achieve their goals.

Check it out for yourself here… The Cheat To Lose Diet

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC

Banana Muffins

Here’s how I make them really healthy:

3 large, ripe bananas
½ c. sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1 egg
1/3 c. melted butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¾ c. white flour
¾ c. whole wheat flour
½ c. walnuts
¼ c. ground flax seeds

Mash up the bananas and add the sugar, honey, egg, and melted butter. Mix up the dry ingredients and add the banana mixture to it. Mix everything together.

Scoop out mixture into greased muffin tray. Makes 12 muffins. Bake at 375 for 20 min.

** I like to add the whole wheat flour and ground flax seeds to make it healthier. **

The bananas are a great source of potassium and fiber. The flax seeds are full of fiber as well. Also, walnuts are an excellent nut and full of omega 3 fatty acids.

Enjoy!

Cheers to health,

Angie Tousignant, ISSA – C.P.T.,B.Ed. Creator of “More Love Less Fat” – A Couples Guide To Transforming Your Body and Relationship. She is committed to helping women and couples to be the best they can through exercise and nutrition.

Angie and I have both experienced great success with Nick’s workout programs over the past 4 years. I have also been using his programs to help my personal training clients achieve phenomenal results.

I gained six and a half pounds of lean muscle mass in just 28 days with his “Muscle Explosion” program. Angie firmed up her thighs and tightened her butt with Nick’s “Gluteus To The Maximus” program. This is also the program that I put many of my female clients through as well as some of the guys who want to build a butt because theirs is flat.

Lets face it. When you get a new workout program you expect to learn something new. Often times you discover that it’s the same old recycled crap on the market. One thing that I can guarantee with Nick’s programs is that you will learn something new from each one.

Here’s The Great News…

This week Nick is giving you some great samples from his programs for you to implement immediately. Simple visit the links below and sign up for the sample exercise and courses on each page. You will find the sign up box at the top right hand corner of the page.

Here’s Even Better News…

When you sign up for these sample exercises and courses you will be provided with a special link for 50% off of all of Nick’s programs. This is a really big deal. Why?

Because Nick’s programs are already a crazy bargain. Seriously! He’s been told for years to raise his prices but he prides himself on over-delivering.

With his programs being 50% off this week it’s an absolute steal and I am not exaggerating.

If you want to learn something new and you want to make 2009 the year that you finally achieve the body that you deserve, I highly recommend that you jump on this offer.

I own all of Nick’s programs and love each one of them. If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to ask.

Bonus:

If you take advantage of either Muscle Explosion or Gluteus To The Maximus send me an email with the receipt number and I will send you a link to a special private call that I did with Nick on how to make the most out of each of those programs.

Those two calls really helped Angie and I make the most out of the programs. Nick delivered unbelievable content in those calls. I’ll make a point to schedule some calls for Nick’s other programs to help you make the most out of them as well.

But for now I would like you to click on the links below and sign up for the sample exercises and courses. You’ll really enjoy them.

Metabolic Surge – This is a unique diet program offered by Nick. It’s definitely unconventional and that’s probably why it works so well.

Gluteus To The Maximus – If you want to learn some great new exercises to work your butt and thighs along with a variety of unique workout programs to help you firm your butt, this is one hell of a program.

Muscle Explosion – I gained 6 1/2 pounds of muscle mass in just 28 days following Muscle Explosion. The amazing thing is that I’m a self proclaimed hard gainer. This program blew my mind.

Best Abs Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of – Want a new and unique program to work your abs? This is one workout program that you must try. I love Nick’s creativity and I incorporate many of his abs exercises into my programs.

Hybrid Training – This program left me in awe. I had never witnessed this form of training. If you want to completely shock your system and force your body to change, this program with amaze you.

Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of – This was the first program of Nick’s that I ever purchased. It’s what turned me onto his work and made me a raving fan of everything that he creates.

Specialization Training – If you have weak or lagging body parts, then this program is definitely for you.

There you have it! Seven amazing programs offered by the “Mad Scientist” of the fitness industry, Nick Nilsson. Take advantage the free offers on each of those pages and the incredible 50% sale that he has going on for this week only.

Reminder: You will only receive the Special 50% Discount link when you sign up for the sample exercises and courses.

If you have used any of Nick’s programs I would love you to leave your feedback in the comment box below. I personally love each one of them, but I want to hear your input as well. So don’t be shy. Share your feedback below…

Empower Your Mind… And Your Body Will Follow!

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC is the creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss, The Fit Chic, and the Fat Loss Quickie Experience. Scott is on a mission to reverse the obesity trend by 2015 and is calling upon YOU to help make this possible. Together we can create positive change.

Just envision this: a small hamburger on your plate. Or, a large salad, sandwich on whole wheat bread, and celery sticks. Now, what do you think will keep you feeling full longer?

Try this today: For your first 3 meals, have a serving of fruit. For your next 3 meals have a serving of vegetables at each meal. There are many reasons why eating more fruits and vegetables will keep you slim:

1. Fruits and vegetables are high in water. This means that they provide volume, but calories. Did you know that grapefruit is 90% water and has just 38 calories in a half-fruit serving? Wow! Carrots are also high in water, racking up only 52 calories in 1 cup. Another wow!

2. High fiber foods take longer to digest, which will keep you feeling fuller longer. These include: fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

3. You will also want to include protein and dairy into your diet. The best choices are those that are high in protein but low in fat and calories, such as legumes, fish, lean meat, egg whites, nuts, and fat free dairy.

You will without a doubt notice your body slimming down when you begin to consume more foods that are low in energy density. Start making small changes each day.

I know that when I started to add more veggies into my eggs each day, I did feel full longer. I also always add blueberries to my oatmeal now. When I have a midday snack, I think of a vegetable such as raw carrots and celery sticks. I may also eat a protein such as almonds or walnuts because they, too, will sustain my appetite. These particular nuts are high in omega 3 fatty acids and will take time to digest. For dinner, I try to stay away from foods that are high in energy density such as heavy pastas and potatoes. Instead, I will fill my plate with a huge salad and lean meat. If I want a potato or pasta, I will try to consume it earlier in my day so that my body has time to digest it and burn off the calories throughout the day.

These are just a few tips to help you to take the steps to achieving the body that you soooo deserve!! Go and get it!

Cheers to health,

Angie
ISSA – C.P.T., B.Ed.