Some of you may recall that I announced an 8 week summer competition to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of this blog. Here, I'm showcasing four of the seven competitors that followed through (three had to drop out due to events related to travel and new job opportunities). The winner (Aaron) received the consultation fee in return.

Aaron, before at 203 lbs




Aaron, after at 186 lbs



Despite facing many challenges throughout the consultation period, Aaron managed to skillfully juggle a hectic work schedule and social events with his diet and training regimen; this netted him a loss of 17 lbs and a personal best in the deadlift. Having shown such success in a not-so-diet-friendly environment, I think Aaron was worthy of being crowned the winner of the lot.

I love the Leangains approach! The problem I usually have with dieting is hunger. With the Leangains approach, I actually felt full during the eating phase. The morning hunger wasn't bad at all, and knowing a filling meal was coming made it very easy to tolerate. Martin provided a detailed plan and was always available to offer feedback. I highly recommend the Leangains approach, and I intend on maintaining this lifestyle for the health benefits of IF'ing and the ease of use. It is so nice to not be thinking of 6 meals a day and to be free of the constant planning and cooking.

- Aaron


Tiffany, before at 150 lbs




Tiffany, after at 145-146 lbs (4 weeks)







Tiffany was only able to remain on the diet and training regimen for 4 weeks (due to relocating), but made impressive progress during that time. I was quite surprised that a mere 4-5 lbs fat loss had such a profound impact on her physique.

I've tried many different diet plans over the years, and they've all pretty much worked as long as I've complied with them. In the past, my dieting success has been directly linked to my motivation. I'm willing to put up with a lot of blood, sweat and tears (and hunger!) if I am motivated enough. Once the motivation is gone though, I always slip back up to a weight that's easier to maintain, because I'm not motivated enough to maintain a weight that requires deprivation and constant hunger. I'm also not motivated enough to drastically change my lifestyle. I would rather enjoy restaurants and bars at 20% bodyfat than eat perfectly clean all the time in order to be 15%. It's just not that important to me. My experience with intermittent fasting has been great because I've been fairly successful without much motivation. It fits so well into my schedule and lifestyle that it's not very painful. It still requires some discipline, but on this plan I will be able to maintain a lower bodyfat level without feeling deprived. I do miss breakfast, but it's a sacrifice I can easily make. It's way easier to give up breakfast than to give up restaurants and bars. Also, even though I miss breakfast, I definitely do NOT miss the mini-meals, or having to carry tupperware containers around with me everywhere. Even if I were to stop following a strict IF regimen, I will certainly never go back to 6 meals a day. I am thoroughly convinced that 6 meals a day has no positive effect on body composition. The only thing 6 meals a day ever did for me was to make my diet MUCH more difficult in every aspect - hunger, food obsession, convenience, compliance, feelings of deprivation, etc. I am much happier now that I know I can be more flexible with my diet and still make progress.

- Tiffany

Einar, before at 205 lbs



Einar, after at 186 lbs



Einar lost an impressive amount of body fat while gaining strength consistently throughout the consultation period, but I fear these pictures may not do his body transformation full justice.

Before I contacted Martin I didn`t know much about calorie counting or how to put together an efficient training routine. As I got started with the diet and training routine Martin gave me I was surprised of my own progress, I lost weight and gained strenght at the same time, something I didn`t even think was possible. All of this was done with the leangains approach, which saved me a lot of wasted time eating and preparing food. Any questions I had were answered with a detalied explanation, leaving little room for mistakes.
I would highly recommend Martin your personal trainer as he certainly has helped me to understand a lot about dieting and training.

- Einar

Megan

Megan made an impressive change to her physique, whilst gaining a good amount of strength and cardiovascular fitness, but has choosen not to display her pics for personal reasons. I have included her stats here instead.

Megan, before

Body weight: 265 lbs

Bench Press: 80 lbs x 5
Squats: 135 lbs x 6
Deadlift: 175 lbs x 5

Megan, after

Body weight: 240 lbs

Bench Press: 115 lbs x 8
Squats: 185 lbs x 8
Deadlift: 235 lbs x 4

I've struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember and when I say I've done every diet under the sun I really, really mean it (it's such a cliché right!?). They all work, but I always end up rebounding (aka binge eating...) once the feelings of deprivation hits me. BUT! I can honestly say that I think intermittent fasting may just be that missing part of the puzzle I've been looking for. Oh, and not to mention being made aware of all stupid mistakes I've made in the past! During the eight weeks I've been doing this diet, I've managed to be "strict" without feeling the need to overeat when I feel a setback or when I feel deprived. That's a first! I'm REALLY psyched about the progress I've made so far and I think hiring Martin was the best investment I've made in a very long time.

- Megan

Last week I participated in an intermittent fasting roundtable at Mike O'Donnell's blog. Nothing groundbreaking if you're familiar with the gist of my protocols and ideas, but well worth a read to see what Mike and Brad has to say about IF.

On the topic of blogs, you should also check out Lyle's six part series on the hormones of body weight regulation. A very good and comprehensive read about leptin, the body fat set point and it's implications for the dieter.

Another blog of interest is Chris Highcock's Conditioning Research which has heaps of studies on intermittent fasting.

That's all for today, but later this week I'll be announcing the winner of the anniversary/summer competition and post some new client results.

Mission Statement: all reviews will be my honest assesment on the material in queston. My opinion will never be influenced by personal bias or my opinion of the author.

The Metabolic Repair Manual

"If you have ever seen the frustration of a woman who hates her body to the point of starving herself and training for so many hours that it is a wonder she can walk, all in the effort to lose those "last pounds" then you might start to understand why I do what I do. I just can't let that happen anymore, not when I have the answers."

- Leigh Peele

Who is this book for?

This a book for chronic dieters that might have caused significant damage to their metabolism by years of calorie deprivation and yoyo-dieting. The book provides a practical approach with the objective of fixing a 'broken' metabolism.

What will I learn from it?

This book attempts to answer the question why you're not losing fat despite a rigid diet. You will learn the functions of various hormones and their effect on your metabolism, and you will learn how to get your fat loss back on track again.

Strong points

* Good points about some common mistakes made by everyone including experienced dieters. This video is pretty telling: Food counts.

* Although it is geared towards the 'professional dieter', male and female, it feels like this book is specifically aimed towards women. In that category it is a welcome addition, since it deals specifically with many general behaviors and issues pertaining to this group.

* Good primer on hormones and their effect on metabolism.

* The R.E.P.A.I.R program is based on sound priniciples.

Weak points

* In the chapter 4, there is a brief summary of some of the advice given in The Fat Loss Troubleshoot (another book by Leigh). The advice (goal setting, behavioral strategies etc) is generally quite sound, but the training and diet advice given here feels generic and haphazard. I get the feeling that Leigh went 'let's throw this in the mix just for the hell off it', and I suspect it may only serve to confuse the reader.

* Book layout, and even language in some areas, feels a bit lacking.

* The absence of a reference list; this seems like a bit of a cheap move considering all the research Leigh apparently put into the subject.

Overall

Albeit lacking some polish (editing mainly), my impression of this book is mostly positive. Interactions between hormones, metabolism and calorie balance is quite complex, particularily when it comes to women, yet Leigh manages to fit together the pieces quite well; I particularily liked the fact that Leigh discussed topics like water retention, periods and the effect on scale weight (a seeminly small issue which can be quite a mindfuck for some people, causing much frustration and discouragement). So, this book comes recommended for frustrated dieters and people interested in the subject of metabolism in general.

Time for another client update.


Karl, before at 185 lbs



Karl, after at 173 lbs






Karl, before at 185 lbs




Karl, after at 173 lbs



Despite getting absolutely ripped, Karl gained strength during the 11 weeks we worked together (period included one off-week, making it 10 weeks of effective dieting in total).


Johan, before at 182 lbs



Johan, after at 170 lbs



Johan, before at 182 lbs



Johan, after at 170 lbs



Johan, before at 182 lbs



Johan, after at 170 lbs



Even though Johan got his conditioning to a point where he looks as if he's ready to step on a bodybuilding stage, he retained his strength very well during this dieting phase.


James, before at 160 lbs



James, after at 170 lbs



James consulted with me a while ago, after which he proceeded on his own and used my diet to gain some quality mass. These pics were taken after 16 weeks of a mass phase followed by 4 weeks of a diet phase. As you can see the difference in body fat is minimal, yet he looks a lot thicker on the after-pics. The net result seems to be about 10 lbs of pure muscle on his frame.

Here are some of the excellent strength gains he made:

Bench press

at 160 lbs: 185 lbs x 6
at 170 lbs: 235 lbs x 5

Squat

at 160 lbs: 245 lbs x 6
at 170 lbs: 285 lbs x 5

Deadlift

at 160 lbs: 265 lbs x 5
at 170 lbs: 310 lbs x 5


Matthew

Another successful example of the Leangains approach to quality mass gain, Matthew reports the following results after 12 weeks.

Bench press

at 175 lbs: 205 lbs x 8
at 184 lbs: 245 lbs x 7

Front squat

at 175 lbs: 205 lbs x 5
at 184 lbs: 255 lbs x 4

Deadlift

at 175 lbs: 340 lbs x 4
at 184 lbs: 405 lbs x 5

Though there are no adequate before-pics of this client, Matthew reports no measurable fat gain despite having added 9 lbs of mass to his frame. In fact, he reports feeling slightly leaner than before.

Mission Statement: all reviews will be my honest assesment on the material in queston. My opinion will never be influenced by personal bias or my opinion of the author.

Eat Stop Eat Review




“Discover why one simple change to the way you eat will make you forget about every other super-complicated weight loss and diet program"

"The Eat Stop Eat method of using flexible intermittent fasting for weight loss is so completely uncomplicated that you can literally start the program the minute you finish reading this book. You don't need to buy any fancy foods or special diet supplements. You will start seeing results today!"

- Brad Pilon

Who is this book for?

Anyone interested in intermittent fasting; the science behind it, as a lifestyle or as a way to lose fat.

What will I learn from it?

Besides learning how to practise the Eat Stop Eat lifestyle, this book covers topics pertaining to intermittent fasting and metabolism, health, body composition, hormonal effects and much more.

Strong points

* Very newbie friendly, yet well referenced and scientificly accurate. This is the only book on the market with a substantial collection of research on intermittent fasting.

* Does a good job of dispelling the diet myths ('starvation mode' etc)

* An enjoyable reading experience.

Weak points

* There are no calorie/macronutrient specific guidelines given in this book, which might be a problem for some people. Of course, if you have a good grasp on calorie counting and such, this is a non-issue. On the other hand, I think Brad left out meal plans/nutrional guidelines intentionally, since he pushes this as a lifestyle diet rather than a 'diet' diet, so to speak.

* As for training, Brad refers to some of his affiliates, which feels like a cheap way out of having to come up with something of his own. It woudn't have hurt to put some basic workout templates in the book.

Overall

This is the best book about intermittent fasting you can get at the moment. Not a hard title to grab, seeing that there aren't that many around, but it's actually a surprisingly good read; it's written in laymans language, simple and easy to understand, but remains solid on the scientific side of things. I particularily liked that Brad choose not to skimp on the reference list. The main downside as I see it, is that it is a bit vague when it comes to the practical side of things (what to eat, how to train).


Eat Stop Eat Audiofiles Review



Click link and then click 'order form' on eatstopeat page to view this product

Who is this product for?

Anyone interested in the science and technicalities behind intermittent fasting.

What will I learn from it?

Brad speaks about intermittent fasting and how it relates to hormones, health, muscle/fat metabolism and exercise.

Strong points

* Covers the topic in fairly technical terms, but doesn't get over the top. Anyone should be able to understand and follow along after having read the book.

* Complements the book nicely.

* I particularily liked the chapter on insulin resistance and growth hormone.


Weak points

* Some type of lame new age music playing in the background. That, in combination with Brad's voice, made me sleepy at times.

Overall

Complements the book very well and I found the discussion interesting, despite being well versed in the topic myself.

I just added Digg and a social bookmarking icon to this site, and I'd greatly appreciate if you would digg any articles/posts that you like. Take a minute or two, it's not much to ask.

For example, by digging the post from 18th July, which explains why meal frequency doesn't have anything to do with boosting your metabolism, we might be able to spread the message just a little bit further and make people a little bit smarter and skeptical of what they hear and read about dieting.

The digg count will also help me determine what you as readers want more of, and prompt me to post more of the same stuff.

My review of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle prompted me to seek some clarifications regarding Tom's stance on meal frequency and whether he has changed his stance since the latest edition. I think BFFM is a great book overall, so I wanted to give Tom a chance to meet my critcism personally. This is how it went.


---------

Hi Tom,

I'll keep this short and to the point.

I am an affiliate of your book and recently reviewed it on my site (check the post from 18th July). Credibility is important for me and I only review material I consider worth recommending.

The gist of the review was that I think BFFM is an excellent book, despite one major flaw; your stance wrt meal frequency and how it boosts your metabolism. This is simply put not true, as you probably know. I posted evidence to the contrary (check the excerpt from my book, the post above the book review).

In response to the review, my blog readers (and I) want to know if you have revised your stance wrt meal frequency and if you plan on releasing an updated version of BFFM.

Thanks for your time,

Martin

---------

Hi Martin

Thanks for your email. Actually, I'm somewhat familiar with the type of work you do, so I'm surprised and very much appreciative that you even took the time to read and review my particular ebook - among all the others out there - and then email me
about your concerns.

You wrote:

I'll keep this short and to the point. The gist of the review was that I think BFFM is an excellent book, despite one major flaw; your stance wrt meal frequency and how it boosts your metabolism. This is simply put not true, as you probably know. In response to the review, my blog readers (and I) want to know if you
have revised your stance wrt meal frequency

OF course! Anyone who has read my recent work knows that I've become an absolute stickler for scientific accuracy.

In fact, this is EXACTLY why people should listen to me today, because unlike some others in the diet field who are too emotionally and financially vested in their dogma to change, I believe its our responsibility as fitness/nutrition professionals to acknowledge errors, omissions or new data.

I haven't read your post but Ive read all the literature on meal frequency (I have at least 40 full text papers in my files), actually I read them a long time ago.. which is why its' my "bad" that I havent updated the book yet. The first edition was written in 2002.

yes there will be a new edition. Burn the Fat 2.0 may get released later this year, or at the latest early 2009.

heres what you will see in the new edition:

You will still see me recommend 5-6 small meals per day,and rather strongly. But not dogmatically. What you wont hear me say is that 6 meals increases metabolism or weight loss over 3 meals at an equal caloric intake.

You will also not hear me say that your metabolism slows down if you miss a single meal. (starvation
response) I already reviewed that data on my public blog last year:
http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2007/11/is_starvation_mode_a_myth_no_i.php

It's important that my burn the fat ebook - both the original 1st edition and the new 2.0 edition that will be released soon - is viewed inside the context in which it is writen: the subtitle of the book gives the context:

"fat burning secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models"

One reason I am still very proud of that book after all these years, even though my knowledge and teaching ability has since multiplied exponentially, is that I made a promise and I delivered on it: I promised my readers that I would show them how bodybuilders and fitness/figure competitors do it. It did exactly that. As a matter of fact, It might help you if you view my book as somewhat autobiographical. Even if we (bodybuilders) did some dumb stuff (we did, LOL) or believed some dumb stuff (we did!). I delivered on my promise. The fact that I've spent 20+ years
going through the world of bodybuilding dogma and come out the
other side makes me a better person to teach this stuff today than
someone who has never been immersed in it

I also practice what I preach. I still compete to this day, drug-free for life, using
the same methods I teach in my book. Nothing has changed except my understanding of WHY certain things work.My technical errors in that original first edition, were virtually all about mechanisms, not methods. the methods worked, and looking at my client photos and my own competition photos are testimony to that fact.

Today, I do not view or pitch burn the fat, feed the muscle as an end-all-be all program, or as THE best solution and I have NEVER pitched it as "magic" in an attempt to sell more. I view it as A solution. Its one model. One way of doing it. Just like intermittent fasting is not THE way to do it, it's ONE way to do.

we are all amenable to certain laws, but there are many ways to skin a cat. four people can approach the same destination in the center of town, one each from the north, south, each and west. they are all heading in different directions on different paths, but all toward the same destination.

As an interesting footnote, my new book THE BODY FAT SOLUTION to be published in hard copy by a major NYC publisher in early 2009, is my attempt to show a different model: how does the average, busy overweight person with no inclination for number crunching, stay motivated, overcome emotional issues with food, deal with life stresses and pressures that get in the way, and burn fat, and keep fat off permanently. In the nutrition segment of this forthcoming hardcover book, i recommend THREE meals a day... plus 2-3 snacks.

Martin, THANK YOU again for contacting me. i appreciate the opportunity to personally answer your concerns about the old edition of my ebook. Other people would have just jumped on a forum and "flamed me."

sincerely,

Tom venuto

PS you have permission to reprint my reply as long as you reprint
the entire thing

---------


I was quite pleased with Tom's openmindedness and sensibility; it is a rarity in this industry.