Tell me all you know about Tom Venuto...

I have been reading his articles for months. They are always informative and reinforcing. While I do know a lot of what he is saying already, it helps to see it in print.

On another note, I am still struggling with losing. While Complexes for Fat Loss helped me some, I feel I got hung up this past week while I was sick with the crud, and am still coughing my head off. Not able to work out, or feel like logging, not that there was all that much to log anyway... chicken broth, cheerios, onion soup.

What better time to read up on things than when I am sick and have all kinds of time....  and try to determine if I am doing all I can to reach my goal. It's a simple goal... to be at 25% body fat. I am now at 34. If I manage to get there, I'll then decide if I am comfortable or need to go for less.

ANYWAY, point being.... Venuto has an ebook called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. I figure since NROL4W isn't really a fat loss program, that maybe I should reconsider what I am doing.

Has anyone here in this group heard of,  bought, tried, succeeded, failed, hated, loved... etc... this ebook? AND... is it worth the $40 bucks, or do I already know most of what he is going to tell me?

~Julie

So many of those ebooks are tempting.  But they are expensive.  I spent a lot of time reading articles on figure athlete last night and came away with some new strategies.  If you want a new source of information, you can do a search on Amazon and get a new book for $15 or less.  Just my opinion, but I think you should save your money. 

What did you decide to do?  I have been tempted to buy the Fat Loss Trouble Shoot by Leigh Peerce.  It looks good too, but $60.  I didn't want to spend that espcecially because it includes several different volumes, only one of which really interests me.  I'm still resisting, but I have my moments.

For the time being, I have decided not to. Not for any other reason than I want to give a little more time for my current plan to work.

I have not completely ruled it out, but actually am still researching, and trying to get a better consensus as to the success rates... other than from his webpage.

Seems as though there aren't many on here who've utilized or analyzed... so its still a toss-up for me at this point.

I am like you... I don't like spending the money! BUT... once I get some more feedback... from here (*crossing fingers*), and from researching on my own, I will have a better idea.... for now... standing my ground. LOL...

I haven't heard of Leigh Peerce... let me know what you find out.

Here is one article by Leigh Peele that I liked.   

http://www.figureathlete.com/free_online_arti cle/training/burning_fat_is_neat

She also talks about refeeds on her JPFittness.com fat loss trouble shoot forum.  I am trying to find out exactly what they entail without buying her e-book.  I have been searching figurealthlete.com but have come up only with references in the forums.  Not a full description.  Anyway, I think I inadvertantly did one yesterday.  I had kept my calories 1400 and 1500 for 4 days while working hard in the gym, and yesterday I was fatigued all day.  I felt like I was walking through molasses.  So I didn't go to the gym but took a 50 minute leisurely walk instead and ended up eating all day.  I logged everything and ate 2500 calories, with over 300 g in carbs.  I felt gulity about it, but today I feel great and am ready to go back to the gym.  I think that is what a refeed is. Taking a day to do no formal exercise and eating more than usual, but having extra in carbs, not fat or protein.  I think I went overboard - shouldn't have gone more than 300 cal over maint. but accomplished what was needed.  Can now go back to the grind. 

Anyway, I like Leigh a lot, but have also seen Tom Venuto's stuff and like him too.  It can be fun to do a lot a research, but sometimes overwhelming. I think my body does not want to do the things I am asking of it right now and it is challenging to find the right combination of things to make it happen.

I had been tempted to purchase the Leigh Peele e-book too.  I read about progress people had on it over at JPFitness where she actually participates in a forum, but they never really said what it entailed.  If they did, then no one would buy her book! 

Laura - I would have to concur that Leigh is right on with the "refeed" theory. I haven't even read the article yet, and have never really even heard it called that...  but have been told by Lou Schuler via email, that a "cheat" day after several consecutive hard working deficit days, will jolt your metabolism. It seems to be the same concept, just in a different wrapper... I will read up next week, as I have to leave town this weekend for a funeral. Fortunately I am feeling almost 100%. I feel tons better, but still don't have my full voice back. Weird, because I didnt' even have a sore throat with it all. 

However, I am anxious to get back into the groove, and believe me, I will be ready for a "cheat" day this weekend, as the chicken broth has not stopped flowing for about 6 days now.... and mini pancakes.... lol... with syrup. And strawberries. Yep, I ate what I wanted! Crazy stuff, but I was craving carbs, and the pancakes were like comfort food. And no, I didn't lose myself in them... I just had a little one... left over from skiing... every now and then as a snack. The strawberries? Well, I just figured they had plenty of vitamin C... I seemed to forget about protein in my fevered state of medicated delirium. That was the chicken part of the broth, right??? KIDDING! LOL...  I bet I havent had 1000 cals a day for a week. Not good I know... but I don't regret it. Maybe I've dropped a few... heheh! *insert evil laughter* ... being sick is a good way to get a jump start on it, eh?

Yoga - you'd be great at marketing for them, maybe a way to make a little extra cash?

Hope you all have a nice weekend... wish me luck on eating right while on the road.

Happy Healthgain,
~Julie

Julie,

I own BFFM and it is awesome!  WELL worth the $40.  It is hands down, the most informative stuff I've ever read on fat loss.  On the other hand  you can tell I haven't APPLIED the info in any meaningful way because I'm still searching for a way to burn off this fat.  Basically, I am already in the "healthy" body fat range for women (upper 20s) and would like to be in the low 20s for pure vanity.  So am I willing to eat completely clean like a bodybuilder to get there?  Apparently not!!  ha ha

Did you read my last post on your "Complexes for Fat Loss" thread?  I have decided to take a more general approach to fitness and wellness (i.e. a Dr. Weil approach) as opposed to one that's so driven by working out and eating protein!  Since I don't seem to gain or lose whether I eat 1600 calories or 2100 calories, I'd much rather take the 2100 for now and be happier -- ha ha!  Seriously though, I think my body is burned out and I'm gonna slow down to heal it.  I think maybe that's why I got so sick a couple of weeks ago.

Tom Venuto's e-book is surely worth the money, and he really will give you your money back if you're not satisfied.   Also, once you buy it he will continue to send you e-updates which are very informative.  Plus he's just so darn cute and easy on the eyes!  Finally, you can join his "Inner Circle" for $9.95 per month and it was really worth it to me for awhile when I was first starting to eat clean and lift weights.  I was a member for about 6 months and finally quit after the material and message boards started to get a little repetitious.

I'm still doing NROL4W but am planning on hanging around in Stage 1 for awhile.  Check out my post in your other thread...   Karen :)

Julie, glad you are feeling better. 

Karen, I think I am in the same boat - trying to push my body to a place it doesn't want to go and can't or won't put in the grueling work necessary to get there.  Also, I really am confused about furhter fat loss.  I shouldn't lose any more weight, but I would like to get my fat % lower.  Not sure how to do it.  Hence, the tempting e-book purchases.  May just go with maint. eating and do fat loss II in NROL.

Yoga - you're right.  60 bucks is just too steep for me.  I guess I resent it because you can buy a paper book for under $15, and when you publish something on the web, there aren't even any expensive publishing costs.

Karen - Let me make sure I am understanding....

You first said Venuto's ebook is really awesome... then you said you haven't applied it because you're still "searching for a way to burn off this fat." - I kinda was hoping his Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle ebook would tell me how to do that. If it doesn't, then maybe I really don't want to spend the money??

~Julie

Julie,  I should have been more clear in my response!  The book is awesome; the problem is ME.  I guess I just don't want to work that hard to have a buff body . 

Honestly, I think you already know much of what is in Tom Venuto's book, especially since you've been reading a lot of Alwyn Cosgrove's articles.  The nice thing about "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" is Tom Venuto does a really nice job packaging it all in one handy place.  He gives great advice on EXACTLY what to do if you are stalled or at a plateau.   There is tons of info on eating clean, macronutrients, goal setting, body-types, metabolism, etc.  He also has a new book out in hardback called "The Body Fat Solution."  It is available on Amazon but I've heard the die-hard BFFM fans say they don't like it as much.

My problem is after reading all this stuff and learning what it takes to really be buff (eating every 3 hours, eating tons of protein, packaging food in little cartons and taking it in coolers wherever I go, not eating any fun food, etc.) I just don't think I have the mental fortitude and discipline to stick with such a rigid schedule.  I tend to overanalyze things and can easily get consumed by all this food and workout planning.  Not to mention the fact that I have two teenagers and I want to be able to eat "normal" food (still healthy though) without being fixated on whether there's enough protein, etc.

I am still walking daily for about 40 minutes and following the NROL4W (I'm still only in stage 1).  I absolutely hate doing the HIIT workouts so I've shelved those for now.  I'm going to my doctor on Thursday and I plan to have my thyroid and hormone levels checked and I'll figure out my next step based on those results.

I'll let y'all know what the doc says -- for as much as I workout and count calories, I should be SVELTE by now and it's just not happening!