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.
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People, stop trying to get this book for free. If you want a copy then buy the ebook online, if you are in a financial slump, then what are you doing reading online when you could be working? Also, if you are in a financial slump, how do you pay for internet etc. Stop trying to freeload.
ReplyI'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 :)
ReplyI meant, I CAN'T afford both now.
ReplyWe live in a time when people want to be politically correct. Burn Fat Feed The Muscle does not pretend to be politically correct. Tom Venuto refused and correctly so to pander to the desires of those who call the shots in the diet pills industry.
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is well put together and makes total sense. Nothing good comes easy. Those who desire to loose weight by sitting in front of the TV eating cookies are not going to like Tom's approach but those who truly want to burn fat and gain muscle and are willing to pay a price, will appreciate what Tom has hand them.
ReplyI also thought the meal frequency would be a problem for many considering that we are already living under serious time crunch. I also believe that where there is a will, there is always a way. If that does the trick, why not.
ReplyHi,
I'm 40-50 lbs overweight and was looking for a long-term solution to fat loss. After a little research I chose this system. In the first couple of chapters Tom stresses how important it is to keep track of your progress,...so I decided to blog it.
I just started and there is a LOT of reading so I am only on Chapter 4. I'm sharing my opinions of the book and will record my progress following the system.
If you are curious about Burn The Fat, then check out my blog:
ReplyDoes Burn The Fat really work?.
You can burn fat all day at work using a treadmill desk like the TrekDesk. It lets you walk and work at the same time. You can see it at www.trekdesk.com
ReplyThis e-book sounds to be promising. I think that losing some extra pounds with exercises from such a book is really easy to be done and funny as well.
Reply3 weeks for me on this program. First off.. it's a lot of work! But.. it's worth it.
I started at 202lbs and 22% bodyfat. I'm down to 202 lbs and 20% bodyfat! That's 3 weeks!
As the program instructs.. Losing 2% p/ month is optimal and what you really want to shoot for, so that you don't lose lean muscle. Obviously, I didn't.. my weight stayed exactly the same!
Keep in mind that I'm calorie counting like never before and getting 45grams of protein every meal. That's a hell of a lot of protein and gets expensive! I have also got up all 3 weeks (6 days a week) at 5:45 to do 35 minutes of cardio (I actually did 25 the first two weeks and then switched to 35 on week 3).
At this point.. I couldn't be any more excited. It was like week 3.. boom.. everything started happening. Pants were bigger and I could definitely tell a difference by looking! After week 2, I wasn't sure. I think it just took a bit for my system to adapt, but I seem to be burning fat very well now! My goal is to get down under 10% body fat. As the book says, look at 90 days for a 6% bodyfat reduction and you'll realize how effective this can be. I find that incredible.. thinking that by mid-summer, I can be down as low as 12% bodyfat!
Sometimes, I swear that getting up is the hardest thing in the world, and I've layed there a couple times thinking, "Can I really do this?".. but once I get my butt out of bed and start my cardio, I'm immediately reminded.. I'm almost a month into this and I've been perfect in every workout and meal. If I can do it one month, I can do it for another 3 or 4! And then.. let's face it.. if I get down around 12%, I don't think I'll need much more motivation. Getting up early is already getting easier. After getting there, maintaining should be much easier.. won't have to workout nearly as hard, so do what I did and at least dedicate yourself 100% to 90 days that you will not fail in diet and exercise. I am convinced this works and well! Forget the diets that tell you how to lose weight! Lose the fat!
So yes.. I recommend BFFM highly! Feel free to click my name and ask me questions via my site. As you'll see.. I'm just an ordinary joe.. no ties to BFFM or anything. I'm just excited to see a program working so well! Feel free to contact me and ask me anything you want you to know!
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