Alcohol and FAT Burning!!!

I am getting a lot of questions about alcohol in regards to what is acceptable and where the line is to be drawn. Please remember that in Beginner Boot Camp you are not allowed to have alcohol at all. If you cannot go 4 weeks without alcohol then you will have a difficult time getting the results you want. Once you move onto Advanced Boot Camp we can slowly re-introduce alcohol into your life with some guidelines. Of course, you can always disregard these instructions and claim your right to drink alcohol…………….well, we all know how that goes. Yes, you have the right to drink. Unfortunately, you do not have the right to drink and avoid the negative consequences of alcohol. Read on and choose wisely. :)

Daily alcohol consumption will slow or stop your results. The drawbacks are probably going to far outweigh any health benefits. Your liver can't metabolize alcohol and fat at the same time. It will always get rid of the toxic substance (alcohol) first. That means that as long as there's alcohol in your system you won't be burning any body fat. If you have one or two drinks, you might stall your fat loss for about 12 hours. If you have quite a few drinks, it might be as long as four days before you're metabolizing fat again.

Drinking also dehydrates you, raises cortisol levels (goodbye muscles), raises estrogen levels (hello hips), lowers inhibitions (pizza anyone?). Combine that with the fact that alcohol promotes abdominal fat storage (of all places!) and it's really not worth it, not even on free day, not if you're serious about making a major transformation.

The Effects of Alcohol on Fat Burning...
What most people don’t realize is that drinking has a far more damaging effect than you can predict simply by looking at the number of alcohol calories in a drink. Not only does alcohol reduce the number of fat calories you burn; it can also increase your appetite and lower your testosterone levels for up to 24 hours after you finish drinking.


The infamous "beer belly"
According to conventional wisdom, the infamous "beer belly" is caused by excess alcohol calories being stored as fat. Yet, less than five percent of the alcohol calories you drink are turned into fat. Rather, the main effect of alcohol is to reduce the amount of fat your body burns for energy. Recent research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that fat metabolism can be reduced by as much as 73% after only two drinks of vodka and lemonade in a one hour time period. What this tells us is that the primary effect of alcohol on the body is not so much how much of it gets stored as fat, but how it shuts down the body’s ability to access your fat stores for energy.

Alcohol in the body is converted into a substance called acetate. In the previous mentioned study blood levels of acetate were 2.5 times higher than normal after only two drinks. And it appears that this sharp rise in blood acetate puts the brakes on fat burning. Unlike a car that uses primarily one source of fuel, the body is able to draw from a number of different sources (carbohydrates, fats and proteins). To a certain extent, the source of fuel your body uses is dictated by its availability. Consequently, when your blood acetate levels rise, your body simply uses more acetate instead of fat.

Summary of alcohol metabolism after only two drinks
* A small portion of the alcohol is converted into fat.
* Your liver then converts most of the alcohol into acetate.
* Other acetate is then released into your bloodstream, and replaces fat as a source of fuel.



Alcohol increases appetite
The combination of alcohol and a high-calorie meal is especially fattening, mainly because alcohol acts as a potent appetizer. A Canadian study shows that an aperitif (an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to increase the appetite) increased calorie intake to a greater extent than a carbohydrate-based drink. In fact, the more you drink the more you tend to eat. And unfortunately, having just two drinks in an hour will leave your liver struggling to convert the alcohol into acetate, which means that other foods are more easily converted into fat.

Alcohol affects testosterone levels
Not only does alcohol put the brakes on fat burning, it's also one of the most effective ways to slash your testosterone levels. Just a single bout of heavy drinking raises levels of the muscle-wasting hormone cortisol and increases the breakdown of testosterone for up to 24 hours. The damaging effects of alcohol on testosterone are made even worse when you exercise before drinking.

Nutrient deficiency
As previously mentioned, too much alcohol prevent fat burning and reduce your testosterone levels, but it also can affect the body’s ability to break down proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Too much alcohol in the blood can lead to a deficiency in Vitamins B1, B2 & B3, as well as magnesium and zinc. These nutrient deficiencies can eventually cause weakening of the heart muscles, poor skin, arthritis and prostate gland disorder.

The bottom line
Drinking will not only put the brakes on your fat loss efforts; it will also prevent you from building muscle tissue. The bottom line is that alcohol and a leaner, stronger body just doesn’t mix. Our bodies were never meant to have alcohol put into them. It is poison for our bodies and should be eliminated. Any client that has done this has seen dramatic changes in their health and fat loss. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news. All I am doing is reporting the facts as I have researched them. Sorry…..:)

Cheers to your success?

Everybody hates me for bringing this to their attention but that is what happens when you ask!!!

Victor

Are you a boiling FROG?!?!?!?!?

There used to be an experiment in high school, where they would drop a frog into a pot of extremely hot water to test the frog’s nervous system, and see if the frog was smart enough to jump out. It always did. Then they would drop the same frog into a pot of room temperature water where it inevitably just stayed and swam, unaware and seemingly unaffected by its surroundings. Lastly, they placed a burner under the pot and turned it on, slowly increasing the temperature one degree per minute. The frog continued to just swim around without noticing what was happening. The water became hotter and hotter ... and the frog eventually died. Despite the fact that the frog literally was being boiled, it never once tried to escape from certain death. It never even noticed the precarious situation it was in. This cruel experiment is no longer done. However, it can provide you with excellent information about how you can assess your own health. Because the temperature change was slow, the frog didn’t notice the pain or discomfort of being boiled. The frog died slowly, and never once knew of the urgent need to escape certain death. Every day we are subjected to stress in the forms of unnatural pollution and toxins, unhealthy diets, emotional and mental pressures of work, family issues, paying the bills ... as well as not getting nearly enough exercise, sunlight, sleep, or laughter.


Slowly throughout your lifetime, your nervous system has become so accustomed to your unnatural and unhealthy choices that you don’t even realize they are killing you, one degree at a time. By the time you finally realize that something is wrong, the downward spiral has sometimes gone on for decades. To give you an example, studies show the average American gains 1-3 pounds a year until they are 30. Unfortunately, after 30, the weight gain usually increases. Please come to my seminar entitled “Controlling your weight by controlling your life” to learn more about this and how you can prevent it or reverse it.

Only the lucky ones get symptoms in the early stage, and many individuals will either ignore the symptoms, or mask them with drugs. Did you know the first sign of heart disease, more than 50 percent of the time, is a heart attack? And that fifty percent of heart attack victims die instantly? Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, arthritis and even tooth decay are all processes that occur over time due to unhealthy lifestyles. If there was a way to assess where you are currently, and where you are headed, wouldn’t you want to find out if you are “being boiled” before it is too late? We are like those boiling frogs, sitting in a pot of water that is slowly killing us and we never do anything to stop it. What’s worse is that someone else committed the frogs to their untimely demise, but sadly we continue to do this to ourselves with poor lifestyle choices, day after day after day.

Fortunately, your body has an amazing capacity for self healing. You can in fact turn things around, and start a positive healthy spiral upwards, even in the face of deadly disease. More importantly, we are killing our children by passing on our bad habits to them. Did you know that in toxicology, several Doctor’s classify sugar as a poison? In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, illness, or death to organisms. Just one teaspoon of sugar will suppress the human immune system for up to 4 hours. According to Paul Check in his series “You are what you eat!” the average American consumes 174 pounds of sugar per year. For children it is well over 200. Not only are we slowly killing ourselves we are slowly killing our children. Think about it. For more information on sugar read my article on 6 turkey sandwiches part 2.


See you on the wall of fame,

Victor

How to survive a 3500 calorie weekend BINGE!!

I want to start this article by saying that I am not writing it to justify drinking and overeating. If you are looking for that then stop reading this right now and do 50 pushups. I am writing this because I am not a “purist” trainer who believes you must eat brown rice, chicken breast, and broccoli to get results. It is possible to “splurge on occasion and stay on track with your fitness goals. In addition to this, I have been a trainer for over 12 years and I KNOW you will not be perfect. I know, especially in the beginning, that you will have moments of weakness and cave in. My philosophy is that if you I know you fail once in awhile then I want to teach you how to fail and more importantly how to get back on track.

This article is not intended for someone who is just getting started. If you are just getting started then I am sorry, you are not strong enough to take this action. You are still getting the “CRACK” (sugar) out of your system and need to stay focused a little longer. This article is intended only for people who have achieved half their goal or, are in their second month of advanced boot camp. Only then are you strong enough to blow it like this and recover, without regressing. It is very important that before you read this article you have a complete understanding of the 1st Law of Thermodynamics and calorie staggering. If you do not, you must the article on “How body fat really leaves the body.” Do not continue if you have not read that article.

So, you have a big party coming up and you really want to enjoy it. What do you do? For the most part you have been very consistent on your program and have enjoyed some success. You want to have fun, but you don’t want to “blow” your program either. Here is how you can minimize the damage. Let’s say you get an average of 1300 calories per day in order to achieve your desired deficit. That would mean you get a total of 9100 calories for the week. Your week might look like this:

Sunday       Monday       Tuesday       Wednesday       Thursday       Friday       Saturday      
1800          1100            1300             1200                1100             1500         1100


This is a good calorie staggering program for someone and it helps keep homeostasis from coming on too strong. If you look at example #1 below you can see how to plan a week so that you have enough reserve calories to really blow it on Friday. There two important things to notice. The first is that you only get 600 calories on Tuesday. You want to treat that day like a “fast.” It is not normal to fast once a week, however, it should not be normal for you to go on a drinking binge once a week. This is meant to be a very rare and special occasion. I would say no more than once every 6 months. The second thing you will notice is that the calories total 9600 for the week. That is 500 calories above the desired amount.

Example #1
Sunday         Monday         Tuesday        Wednesday        Thursday        Friday        Saturday
1100             1100              600               1100                  1100             3500          1100

So, that means you need to take a Boot Camp class or put yourself through a very intense workout on Saturday or Sunday. DO NOT be willing to have a good time on Friday and not be willing to work a little harder on Saturday or Sunday.

In example #2 you are going to get a little more calories for each day, however you will do a complete “fast” one day during the week. You still have 500 calories extra so you need to throw in that extra day of intense physical activity. Obviously if you get more than 1300 calories per day you have a little more flexibility. This is just a guide for you to use.

Example #2
Sunday        Monday        Tuesday        Wednesday        Thursday        Friday        Saturday
1200           1300              Fast              1500                  1100             3500          1100

I want to re-iterate my point on drunken behavior and overeating. This article is not intended to teach you to cheat or justify bad decisions. In addition, this article is not for people who are just getting started on their fitness program. This is only for people who are strong enough to go to the “dark side” momentarily and then quickly come back to the “light side.” I only consider someone strong enough to do this if they have reached at least half their goal or completed month #2 of advanced Boot Camp.

If you need help determining and tracking your individual calorie staggering program you can get this assistance in ELITE BOOT CAMP.

Six Turkey Sandwiches Part 2

Six Turkey Sandwiches Part 2


So in the first article I discussed how we can easily eat a value meal from our favorite fast food restaurant. However, we would really have a difficult time eating 6 turkey sandwiches even though both meals have almost the same number of calories. So now the question is WHY??

There’s a section in your brain that monitors your blood stream for all the nutrients in your blood called the apastat. The apastat controls the cravings and hunger. Keep in mind that we have only had refined sugar and salt for about 50 to 60 years. Prior to that, when we consumed sugar that meant we were eating natural, unprocessed sugar and the body knew that good vitamins, minerals, and fiber would soon be following. Scientists have also found that by adding these nutrients (salt and sugar) they can manipulate the apastats response to these foods. For example you will find one of the main ingredients in almost all fast items is salt. This is because salt stimulates hydro-chloric acid production and any time you stimulate hydrochloric acid production you’re going to stimulate appetite.

When salt is in its natural form it contains a lot of minerals, trace minerals, and elements from the ocean. The salt you have on your table has no nutritional value at all. In fact it is not even salt. It is has been stripped of any nutritional value and all that is left is sodium chloride. What the salt companies do is they extract the trace minerals from natural salt and then sell it to vitamin companies so they can make a double profit on one item. So now when you consume salt your brain is looking for those trace minerals. Your brain tastes salt but the apastat is monitoring your blood and saying “Where are all my trace minerals?” Have you ever said “Oh I’ll just have a few chips and before you know it the bag is gone? Don’t feel bad. Unless you are eating organic food there is some real science behind your inability to stop at just one. This is called the “can’t eat just one” syndrome. So, you eat a potato chip. The brain gets excited and prepares the body to receive some good nutrition. When the body has a chance to assess that potato chip the apastat realizes you’ve been tricked and tells you to keep eating in hopes of getting some nutrition and since you’ve got chips in front of you, that is what you will typically go for. Food manufacturers know this which is why all junk food is loaded with sugar and salt. They know how addictive it is and how it tricks your body into thinking it is getting nutrition. As the potato chip slogan goes, they know “You can’t eat just one!” That’s right. It’s not just a catchy slogan, it is manipulated science designed to poison you and fill their pockets with money. The same is true with sugar. You eat an oreo cookie. Your brain tastes sugar and taste salt but says “There’s no nutrition here. There is no trace minerals.” So it tells you to eat another one. Maybe in the next one you will find some nutrition . Before you know it your gut is distended but you still feel the need to keep eating. Have you ever felt full, but at the same time felt a need to continue eating?

This is why today, we have so many obese-malnourished people in society. Scientists have found that it takes 51 different nutrients in their natural form for you to experience complete satiety. Satiety means a sense of fullness or satisfaction. If you want to read a great book on this subject I recommend “Beating the food giants” by Paul A. Stitt. Paul Stitt was a food scientist for quaker oats and in his book he describes exactly what type of scientific games these food companies play with your food to get you addicted to them so you will eat more. In this article I am only talking about the sugar and salt scam but you can get a lot more disturbing information that will prepare you to not be suckered by these greedy food companies that will slowly kill you to make money. If you take a look around us at all the obesity in our society I would say it is safe to say they are very successful.

Now that you understand these concepts let’s go back to the 6 turkey sandwiches vs. the number 4 value meal. Just so you know, fast food companies have a rule that every item on their menu must contain high amounts of sugar or salt and many times, both. They are also aware of the trickery and addictive properties of salt and sugar. The reason you are able to eat all 1800 calories of the value meal is that the apastat is constantly telling you to keep eating that cheeseburger in hopes of eventually getting nutrition. When you are eating the turkey sandwich you are getting good vitamins and minerals from the meat, bread, and vegetables as well as protein and fiber. Therefore you get the feeling of being satisfied at around 300 to 500 calories instead of 1800.

Now go eat a sandwich and be satisfied.

I hope this answers some of your questions and helps you enjoy the journey,

Victor

Six Turkey Sandwiches!!!

I wrote this article before we opened the gym, two years ago. It has been one of my most popular articles because it is so true and it really makes things clear.

Stay with me here, I am going to talk about important stuff. I want to talk about how the food choices you make can make or break your success. Let’s take a whopper for example. Did you know just one little whopper contains 770 calories? The French fries pack an incredible 500 calories, and a soda is 280 calories. Now, if you are like every other red blooded American, you have to refill your soda on the way out the door, right? I mean, you have to get your money’s worth. If so, you have just consumed 1830 calories in one sitting!!!! A woman that weighs 150 pounds will typically only burn about 1800 calories in a day. She just went 30 calories over, in one meal. Now let’s look at some other food choices. Two slices of wheat bread has 140 calories. (for two slices) A slice of cheese has 90 calories and your typical serving of turkey lunch meat has 60 calories. Load it up with vegetables and you might get 15 calories. A typical turkey sandwich has around 310 calories. That “value” meal from the fast food restaurant has the same number of calories as 6 turkey sandwiches. Let me ask you; when is the last time you ever ate 6 turkey sandwiches in one sitting? Now, when is the last time you put away a number 4 value meal from a fast food place? Now, let’s talk about how you feel. When you eat the fast food, do you feel like you have the energy to play with the kids, go for a walk, or hit the weights? Probably not; you more than likely feel like you need a nap to digest all the grease. So, not only did you eat way too many calories in one sitting, but you ate a meal that didn’t even give you enough energy to burn itself off. And if you’re thinking to yourself, “but I really enjoy eating fast food,” then please read the article “fun vs. joy.” Oh and one more thing; You can buy the stuff to make 6 turkey sandwiches for about $4 and you would actually be able to make about 6 more sandwiches. So much for saving money with the “value” menu. So we have discussed how fast is not “cheaper” and it does not provide adequate energy. But what about the convenience? It takes about 20-25 minutes to pull off the road/highway, go through the drive through and get back to the same place on the road/highway. I can make 7 turkey sandwiches in about 15 minutes. That is only two minutes per meal. Fast food is not more convenient. In fact, when it comes down to it, fast food is not cheap, it does not provide adequate energy, and it is not more convenient. The only advantage fast food really has, is that you did not have to do the work yourself.

DO THE WORK YOURSELF AND BURN MORE CALORIES!!!!!

For more info on our boot camps go to www.myspace.com/elitefiteducate

Or www.elitefiteducate.com/elite-bootcamp

Have fun and remember to enjoy the journey,                                                  

Victor

How is your digestion????????????

So I spent about 15 minutes trying to come up with a catchy title for this article and all I could come up with was “POOP.” Since that is what we really need to talk about it seemed a fitting title. Our poop is a very important indication of the health of our digestive system as well as the rest of our bodies. Nobody likes to talk about POOP, I know. However, if you have been with us at ELITE long enough, you know we talk about POOP a lot.

The chart above gives you some examples of “bad” poops and “good” poops. The list below explains why our poops look they way they do according to the chart. For more information, ask your favorite trainer. Yeah, right. Like someone would really come up to a trainer and say “Can I talk to you about my poop?” Seriously though, watching your poop is a good way to know what’s going on in your body. Take the picture above and hang it up in your kids bathroom so they can be aware and healthy.

Black and “Tarry” Poops– These poops look very dark and almost like tar. They are a result of too many toxins in your body. These toxins come from foods but also from household cleaners, aluminum cookware, microwave ovens, furniture polish, tobacco smoke, laundry detergents, synthetic carpet, mothballs, dryer sheets, and several other common household items. You want to buy as many “organic” or “natural” cleaners as possible. You can find safer alternatives at stores like Trader Joes and Whole Foods. Fred Meyer has a great organic section as well. Before you tell me it is too expensive consider the average American spends $150 a month on fast food and eating out. This is your health.

Fatty Poops– These poops can come from too much grease and fat in the diet. This can also occur if you are gluten intolerant or have a hard time digesting fats.

Pile of mush Poops– This is just what it says. A pile of mush in the toilet bowl. This is commonly found in “bodybuilder” type athletes that are taking in too much protein or too much of a liquid diet.

Rabbit Poops– This poop looks like little balls of poop pressed together, like rabbit poops. It can come from dehydration and/or too many processed foods.

“Diahrella”– Diarrhea is caused by many things that include food allergies, a virus, or eating foods that upset your digestive system. It’s common for a healthy adult to have diarrhea 2-3 times a year. More than that would suggest you might have some digestion issues.

Food Poops– This is when you see pieces of undigested food in your poops. This can occur if your hydrochloric acid levels are low or if you are not chewing your food enough. Remember you should drink your food and chew your drink. Always chew food until it is almost liquefied and every time you take a drink, chomp like you are chewing .

The poopy police– This is the ideal poop. You want a 6-8 inch “brown banana” in the toilet. This is the sign of a healthy digestive system. Get a copy of this article and hang it up at home. Your friends will love it!!!

Why should you check out ELITE Boot Camp???

We have the most complete Boot Camp program in Bend, Oregon. We have over 150 success stories to back that up. There are several Boot Camp programs in Central Oregon so why should you choose ours?

1. Other Boot Camps claim they have success stories but their websites only show "written" testimonials. I can write anything I want, but if there are no pictures to prove it, then what assurances do you have that it really works? Check out our success stories at www.elitefiteducate.org/testimonials.

2. You will receive a 70 page manual that walks you through the entire process. It helps take out the guesswork and helps you prepare for the following weeks.

3. You will be held accountable. What good is a "boot camp" if nobody cares that you show up, as long as you pay? In ELITE Boot Camp if you do not show up, your classmates must pay the price. This concept is called positive peer pressure. In high school your buddies were trying to get you to smoke and drink beer. Now they are begging with you to "Please, show up to class!!" We do understand that things come up that simply can not be avoided. As long as you communicate with your instructor there are no consequences for the class. It is only when someone does not show up, and does not call, that everyone gets stronger with extra pushups and squats.

4. You will receive education on exercising, nutrition, supplements, stretching, advanced stretching, lifestyle changes, how to deal with an unsupportive spouse, how to maintain your friends without letting their bad habits influence you, and more. This course will equip you with all the tools you need to get started on your journey and see it through.

You have nothing to lose (except maybe some unwanted weight) and everything to gain by being a part of this process. Even if you decide not to join boot camp after the meeting, I promise you will be inspired to at least "do something!" There is no obligation to join by coming to our “call to Action” meeting. Go to www.elitefiteducate.com/elite-bootcamp to watch some fun videos or email us at Victor@elitefiteducate.org to reserve your spot in our next meeting.

We have 4 convenient times to choose from. Classes are taught at 5:30am, 9:30am, 5:30pm, and 7pm. Classes are twice a week and class times are subject to change with prior notice. Come to the next “Call to Action” meeting to get an updated class schedule.

Welcome

Welcome to the Elite Fitness and Education Blog! We will use this to keep you informed on what we are doing as well as articles to help. There will be weekly recipes added as well.

At Elite we believe in helping people not only achieve their goals, but live a healthier life. Losing weight can be a very emotional thing for a lot of people. Throw in all the garbage marketing and advertising that promises "quick and easy" success, and it can be down right overwhelming. At ELITE Fitness and Education we do our best to sift through the hype and find what really works. We also understand that there is no "one plan" for everyone. Different people have different motivators and needs. That is why we offer several different educational programs to help our members succeed. This blog will be an extension of our ambition to make Bend Oregon the fittest city in Oregon.

I have to give a quick shout to my awesome wife for forcing me into the world of blogging. I have known for some time that I should be doing it and she just DID IT. It's one of the things I love about her.

This blog will be used to educate as many people as possible, introduce them to our services, and inspire people to reach their true achievement and potential. If you want to check us out our website is http://www.elitefiteducate.org/. You can also email me directly at Victor@elitefiteducate.org.

Remember fitness is not a destination, it is a process. The sooner you learn to relax and enjoy the process, the sooner you will enjoy its rewards.

See you on the wall of fame,

Victor