Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Good Advice

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is a 340 page ebook written by natural bodybuilder Tom Venuto. I got hold of the ebook some time ago, and have read it a number of times. During my fat loss phase I probably referred to the book once a week.

Apparently it's been one of the top-selling weight loss ebooks for over a year now, so I thought I'd give my spin on it.

So what's so good about it?
There are loads of weight loss ebooks out there. After a brief search, I found no less than 88 diet ebooks! Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to read a few of these. The reality is - most of these ebooks are crap. Forgive the crudeness but it's true. Many of them are cheaply produced generic diet plans that you might try for a few weeks, and then throw out.

I got hold of Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle (BFFM)after the author sent a copy for me to have a look at. The sheer size of it put me off at first - after all most diet books are formatted in a nice simple quick-to-read style - so as to make them more attractive.

After delving into BFFM I discovered this was quite unlike any other diet book. There are no promises of outstanding breakthroughs or secret methods - just simple facts about fat loss. However the book is anything but simple - there's a lot of science and a lot of reality.

What's in the book?
Everything is covered - nutrition, weight / strength training, cardio, goal-setting, dedication - in fact everything that's needed to reach a fat loss goal. My first few reads were skim reads, but I have found in my journey that I began to read all the details eventually.

What's NOT so good about BFFM?
Like any successful person, the author Tom Venuto has his critics. One person has called him egotistical. However in my emails with Tom, I've found him to be quite helpful and very genuine. But let's face it – to be a bodybuilder you have to have a certain amount of vanity!

The other thing is, BFFM is NOT a quick-fix - nor is it easy. Sounds like typical fat loss really, and BFFM makes no false promises. The program requires motivation. Also I find the concept of getting obsessive over calories, grams, portion size to be tiresome - but it is something you will need to do to get a handle on the amounts of food that work for you.

Some people also accuse Tom of being too zealous in promoting lots and lots of exercise. There certainly is a huge element of cardio training in his advice – BUT – he also talks a lot about finding what is right for you.

What's the nutritional advice about?
BFFM will completely educate you on the core nutrients - carbohydrates, protein, and fats. The appendix provides a number of sample meal plans - but the book is all about teaching you how to eat right, and make your own meal plans. I get frustrated by all the books out there that make absolute claims about weight loss methods. There is no perfect answer as we are all very different, and have to find out what works for us.

It terms of nutrient ratios - I would call BFFM a moderate carb, moderate protein, low-ish fat diet. But there is no strict formula in the book. It's all about finding what works.

The Last Word
Personally I think BFFM is a must-read for anyone who wants to lose fat. Will it be the complete and perfect answer? Of course not! But it will give you all the tools and understanding to seriously transform yourself. In fact, reading BFFM gave me a huge burst of motivation, as for once it actually seemed do-able.

Is this a shameless plug?
I guess it's a plug - but it's not shameless. Many many weight loss programs have been read, reviewed, and even tried. Burn the Fat stands out as one of the best -- and will be for many years to come.

See the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle Program

54 Comments

Catherine

RE: Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Good Advice

Thank you for posting your comments (good AND bad)about this ebook.

I purchased it almost a year ago, printed it out (it was HUGE!) and placed it in a very large binder. I think I pulled it out once, dusted off the cover, and returned it back to its resting place.

Being fit for a long time, lately I have been in a rut and out of the gym for over a year. I need to really get my diet back on track - I want to lose 10 pounds. Moreover, I need to get motivated again and need some good advice.

Based on your review, I think I will once again pull out the binder but this time take the time to read it.

I'll let you know the outcome.

-Catherine, New Jersey

Jose

Okay, based on research (and your comments) regarding this ebook, I'm purchasing it tonight, I'm a 27 y/o guy that needs to lose about 56 lbs to meet my goal I am 5'7" and way overweight, I will come back and place comments again after following this book for a month and see if I can as well testified of the content. 1/17/06.

Joe

I bought bffm over a year ago. Of all the "programs" I tried, this one had the greatest effect. The guy is up-front and honest about it (fat loss is simple, but it's not easy!)

tracey

hello!!
i am hoping for a miracle.....would anyone out there be kind enough to please please email me a copy of burn fat feed muscle? i know it sounds scabby, but i have sadly $23.50 cents to my name and i am desperate to lose weight.
if there is anyone kind enough, that wouldn't mind please emailing me a copy i would greatly appreciate it.
it would mean the world to me.
please let me know and ill email you and then we can swap email address.

your sincerly, a friend in need
tracey x x

Trey the third

Just a quick question... would this be a good book to buy for gaining muscle also... because although i have some fat to lose... once i do that, will this book be able to get me into great shape? Thx a lot

- Tr3

Diet Blog

Trey, yes the book is a primer on the basics of nutrition for increasing muscle mass and dropping body fat. There are also some basic weight-lifting programs.

Tim

Can you please elaborate on the basic weight training programs he has?

Is it like what exercise to do for specific muscle groups for a whole body work out and what groups to work on what days of the week?

Thanks

Hi Trey the III,

Just thought I'd let you know that the answer to your question is answered at the official website's FAQ:

http://www.burnthefat.com/faqs/gaining_muscle.html

That said I haven't got any sort of opinion about this book. Just thought I'd let you know.

Jess

I'm trying to decide between purchasing the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle e-book or signing up on "the facts about fitness". (http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/). I can afford both for now.
I'm tempted towars the latter, because I hear that the BFFM program requires you to eat every 3 hours. Is that true?
I'm 21, female, I work and got to college and go out on weekends. I want to eat heathier and exercise but I can't plan my life around what and when to eat.
Any advice on which of the two I should pick?

Barb

I am a competitive natural female bodybuilder. If you want to get into the best shape possible, you HAVE to eat frequently. Once you get used to it, it's not hard at all to fit into your daily routine, whatever that may be. It all depends on how bad you want it.

Jess

I meant, I CAN'T afford both now.

Ryan

Jess: BFFM doesn't exactly require you to eat every 3 hours. It just says that you will get better results from smaller meals more often. I like to think of BFFM as a collection of things you can do to accelerate natural fat loss. Just include as many of its suggestions as you can.

Ryan

"But let's face it – to be a bodybuilder you have to have a certain amount of vanity!"

I think this is an unfair statement or somewhat of a stereotype. First of all, bodybuilding can be a very difficult sport for some. There are many factors involved in building muscle. If you miss even one, you may not make any progress at all. In addition, natural trainers have to deal with the constant worry of overtraining.

Because of this, bodybuilders are forced to learn how to listen to their bodies and listen very carefully. You may see a bodybuilder flexing his biceps or pecs when he's waiting for a bus, but what is he really thinking? Is he just admiring himself, or is he asking his body if he's eating enough, or maybe he has a workout scheduled for today and he's asking his muscles if they're ready for another workout. In my case, I can even ask my body if I remembered to take my multi-vitamin this morning.

Even when you see them posing in the mirror, they might just be looking for imbalances in their physique. For example, I know that my arms are too small with respect to my neck and calves, my shoulders need another inch or two of horizontal width, my lats need more work, etc. It's no different than a tennis player paying attention to every little detail in his serve. I've been in that situation too.

This is not to say though that there are no vain bodybuilders.

sulay

This is EXACTLY the same regimine that Cliff Sheats wrote about in his 1992 book LEAN BODIES. SAME philosophy, science, meal plans, recipes...SAME CONCEPT. And you can get the harccover book for less than a buck at www.half.com!
http://product.half.ebay.com/Cliff-Sheats-Lean-Bodies_W0QQprZ317113QQtgZinfo

brwneyedgrl

Have you read BFFM and Lean Bodies? I read lean Bodies years ago and I still have it so if you really think they are basically the same, I will hold off on this one for now.

Cheryline Lawson

Does this ebook give the information that one needs to lose weight or is it just a bunch of fluff. I am tried of buying books and just adding them to my collection. Can you shed some light, please. thanks.

Jim

Cheryline Lawson said:
Does this ebook give the information that one needs to lose weight or is it just a bunch of fluff[...]

Yes it does give the right information. However BFFM does not list out screeds of meal plans - but teaches you how to make meal plans yourself. As stated in the review - you need to have plenty of motivation -- and choose to apply the principles in the book. Reply

top weight loss site

I recommend BFFM to all the visitors to my site as I believe that this book stand apart from all the other diet and weight loss book on the market today.

Concerned fool

Tracey and others who would like the book.....if you promise not to email it to anyone and also promise to do your due diligence, READ the book and try to understand and follow the material (I know....an internet promise is soooo awesome, but still) I am willing to email you the book. Please also join the yahoo BFFM group (and get on t-nation.com and read the article there as well)

Lisa

Dear Concerned Fool,

I also be very interested in the book and would love a copy of the book. I am tired of all the "promises" and at this point more interest in changing habit than a quick fix. my email is lisang19@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Steven

Hi there,

I have been reading alot of reviews about this book and saw your comment on wanting to help us with a copy of this book.

i am overweight and pretty self concious about it so i was wondering you could email me a copy, I would greatly appreciate it.

Kind Regards,'
Steve

fab

dear concerned fool,
i'll take you up on your offer, i'm a fan of weight loss planes and would like to have a copie.
i have no intentions in creating a black market out of bffm. i just want to read it and try it out.
thanks aggain

KMD

Dear concerned fool,
I have been doing alot of reading about bffm. I too was wondering if you would email me a copy. I really want to read the book and test it out. and i promise it will be for my use only.
Thanks so much, KMD

Lori

Offering and/or asking for a copy of the book is stealing. Think about it, if this book is so useful to so many people, does Tom Veneto not deserve to be paid for it? And accepting internet promises that it won't be passed on is a strange exercise in itself - the only person who has the right to do that is Tom Veneto.

Shannon

COncerned fool - I would like to take you up on your offer as well. I am serious about looking into the book. How do we exchange info?

Roni

Hello Concerned fool:

I am a 22 year old tech student, just out of military service, without a penny to my name. I would really appreciate it if you could please send me a copy of the book. I promise not to resell or pass out the book. It will be used for my own personal use only.

Thank you very much,
Roni
ronibarr@gmail.com

Concerned fool said:
Tracey and others who would like the book.....if you promise not to email it to anyone and also promise to do your due diligence, READ the book and try to understand and follow the material (I know....an internet promise is soooo awesome, but still) I am willing to email you the book. Please also join the yahoo BFFM group (and get on t-nation.com a[...]

Jeremy

Thank you Sulay!

sulay said:
This is EXACTLY the same regimine that Cliff Sheats wrote about in his 1992 book LEAN BODIES. SAME philosophy, science, meal plans, recipes...SAME CONCEPT.

Rob Harris

I would really appreciate a copy of this book. I got over a head injury and my right side was paralyzed. I have rehabilitated to about 90% but would like to burn to fat and build my right side back to normal. It's slow and I lost some coordination, dexterity and fine motor activity. I walk well but sometimes drag my leg. I would like to build muscle in my right leg also.
Thanks

Angelina

Concerned Fool,

This is sooo great of you to offer. I also promise to read it and not reproduce it. Like everyone else, I am in desperate need to find something that actually works.

Thank you sooo much =)

(How do we exchange info?)

Brad H

I've talked to Tom V personally on a number of occasions and I can vouch for his approach to both business and fitness...

If you're looking for a great resource... you really can't go wrong IF you put it use :)

Tracy

Dear Concerned Fool,
My name is also Tracy (but without the 'e'). THANK YOU so much for offering this to people who are genuinely interested and in need of some good advice from the book. I am in a financial slump and I am very desperate for some good, sound advice on weight loss and would love to look at this book (I promise not to email it or reproduce it!!!). I just REALLY need some help right now. Can you PLEASE email it to me too?

Sincerely,

Tracy

Heather

Dear Concerned Fool,

I also am interested in reading and applying the information in this book to make lifestyle changes. Would it be possible for you to email me a copy of the ebook too? I,too, promise to use it for my use only. I am only interested for my own health.

thanks.

How do we exchange information?

James

I would love to take you up on your offer to email BFFM...thank you so much. I have been working overseas and am now unemployed. It will be nice to get back in shape while I look for a new career. Thank you!

James

Jim

Please do not offer or ask people to send copyrighted material. Any more requests will be removed.

Steve

If you were the owner of this book, would you like someone coming on a public forum like this and offering to give it away to anyone who asks? I think we all know the answer to that.

Concerned Fool

Dear all

I don;t think it would be ok to email the book for reasons already wuoted.
I still invite you to t-nation.com which will give you the same info for free (albeit over several articles)

Harvey

Catherine said:
RE: Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Good Advice[...]

Excellent advice, many people just YO-YO diet wich means they burn fat and muscle. It is the amount of muscle on your skeleton that primarily governs your your metabolism. In other words, muscle burns fat just by being there. So more muscle equals faster metabolism.
To get an idea of your Body Mass index ie how much body fat as a percentage - try www.fat-buster.com. This is a free online analysis. People who lose weight and burn muscle will ultimately slow down their metabolism so that when they eat normally they put on more weight than before they went on the diet.

jenny allan

I just downloaded BFFM yesterday. I read most of it (OK I skimmed some of the chapters). I think it is a very useful book. It is dense, not simplistic, but everything he says really makes sense to me. Also his strategy matches up with the people I've known who've made very dramatic and permanent changes to their bodies. The key elements of his book are very simple. I think he could have probably organized them better in a more reader-friendly way because the book does get bogged down a bit in parts. Having said that, the most important part of the book is the goal-setting and motivation part. I've started doing some his motivational techniques and I think they are really great. I used similar things when I was training as an athlete, and I know it works. I don't know why I didn't think about applying that stuff to healthy living, but I just didn't.

Also, he's already cleared up some myths about cardiovascular training that I think a lot of people buy into, including myself, so the book was valuable in that respect.

I really like his strategy and I have started doing it. I agree with the poster who said you need to think of it as a collection of really good advice about fat loss and not a diet. Try to incorporate as much of it as you can into your daily routine. I think the more you do, the faster and better your results. As he says in the early chapters you need to figure out what is working for you and make lots of little adjustments. This is the most appealing thing to me. I don't want to give away the key points of the book, but the main points are simple enough that you can start encorporating them into your daily routine right away.
Was it worth $40? Well, if there is another hard cover book out there that offers the same info, for less, then no. But if you compare it to what I've thrown away on online diet stuff in the year, than it's cheap. I found the motivation to roll out of bed at 6:15 this morning and get on the Nordic Trac. It's been a while since I had that kind of drive. I'll post back here in three weeks to let you know my progress.

Heidi

Jenny:

I would greatly appreciate your comments in three weeks. I am looking for a way to lose fat, and keep it off - but I am tired of reading all of the books and other diets that promise you weight loss that isn't permanent. If it works for you, or if it's really doable for someone who works a 40 hour work week, has crazy schedules due to kids, etc., I would like to know. Thanks.

juan

Roni said:
Hello Concerned fool:[...]

I am interested in the book to, if someone can send it to me I would greatly appreciate. I read alot in the Internet about it but I can't afford it.

jcabanm@hotmail.com

Thanks in advance;

Loreto

Hi, i'm a 26 year old woman, i'm overweight not for much tho but still. I did tried de michael thurman 6 week makeover an it's the only thing it's ever worked on me, I loose 12 pounds in the first month and i looked great, but unfortunaly my motivation went down and down and i did cheat a lot (and i finished de program) my problem was i have to eat every 2 or 3 hours but I work in a 6 hour shift and to many times i didn't have the time for a snack.

So enybody have tried de 6 week makeover and this other program and can compare?

Denis Gaudette

Help! I purchased the ebook BFFM and started to print a copy to read the other night but my ink cartridge ran out at page 57. I tried to find the book again on my computer but I can't find it. Can anyone help? Thanks.

Kailash

Start -> Search

Then search for "pdf" without the quotes.

Emma

jenny allan said:
I just downloaded BFFM yesterday. I read most of it (OK I skimmed some of the chapters). I think it is a very useful book. It is dense, not simplistic, but everything he says really makes sense to me. Also his strategy matches up with the people I've known who've made very dramatic and permanent changes to their bodies. The key elements of his book[...]

Jenny? It's been way more than three weeks. We're waiting!

Susan

Hi, I would truly appreciate copy of the book if possible. I am tired of the yo yo thing, and was not doing anything to just try and stay stable, but really could use some help., Thanks very much, Susan

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