Fitness Goal: Muscles

Sometimes the main goal of a fitness program is not weight loss, but rather a healthy and muscular body frame.

In these pictures, Aaron Ferguson weighs only five pounds less in the 'after' photo. In the before photo, he weighs 166 pounds and has a body fat ratio of seventeen percent. In the after photo he weighs 161 pounds but his body fat ratio has been reduced to an unusually low six percent.

Aaron was able to transform his body into a supremely muscular frame within only twelve weeks. This wasn't done primarily for appearances sake. In the process he cured the pain in his lower back (due to sacral joint problems). He had thought he would need a spinal fusion but his intense fitness program fully cured his back pain.

In the process he has become a muscle man extraordinaire. See Aaron's story here.

Acupuncture for Weight Loss

Acupuncture can help you lose weight. It is recognized by the World Health Organization as an effective treatment for weight loss together with a range of other common health problems including headaches, neck pain, stress and fatigue.

Acupuncture is a central component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and has been practiced for over 2500 years in parts of Asia. There's a growing interest in traditional Chinese medicine in the Western World. It's an alternative to the Western path which often seems to rely excessively on prescriptions or surgical solutions.

If you've tried losing weight without success, it may be really worth your while to investigate accupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine solutions.

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The above photographic print is 'a close view of acupuncture needles treating a stomach ailment' by O. Louis Mazzatenta

The Raw Food Diet

The Raw Food Diet is becoming increasingly popular in some circles. The diet is relatively simple. Basically you are limited to foods that haven't been processed or cooked.

The diet consists mostly of raw vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruits.

A friend of mine went on the diet a few months ago. She's lost a ton of weight and looks really good. Her complexion is radiant and her eyes are bright. She looks a lot younger. The other day she super-enthusiastically said to me; "Did you know that you can eat oatmeal raw?!"

Actually that's one thing I have been doing the last five years. I often eat an oatmeal granola mix for breakfast. I mix a big batch of mostly oatmeal (I buy it at a fabulous store that packages raw oatmeal in one kilo bags) and a granola mix, some long-grain unsweetened coconut, some raisins, peanuts and almond bits, and whatever else I have around that would go into this) and then I mix it all up and store it in a huge glass jar). In the mornings, I put some in a bowl, pour boiled water over it, slice up a banana or other fruit and this is my typical breakfast. My husband eats it too, but instead of boiled water, he prefers to pour cold cold cranberry juice over it. Oatmeal is one of the foods that can keep you going for a long time in the morning without getting hungry.

But personally to me the raw foods diet seems extreme. I think anyone who follows the Raw Food Diet for a long time period must have extreme dedication to their weight loss goals.

But I would completely agree with the underlying principle which is that if your diet is composed largely of raw foods, your overall health is bound to improve. I'm not a professional nutritionist but I can believe that the relative absense of raw foods in our diets is largely responsible for the increasing incidence of asthma, learning disabilities, chronic fatigue, depression, diabetes and obesity.

If you are interested in more details about a raw food diet, Wikipedia.org has a good overview. They also provide links to the leading sources of online raw food diet information. The most popular Raw Food Diet related book these days is Raw Foods For Busy People: Simple And Machine Free Recipes For Every DayIt's gotten great reader reviews. Here's a couple of examples of what people are saying at Amazon;

"In our modern, grab-and-go society, most people don't have the time for radical changes in their diets. But, fast food is literally killing us! It's no secret that at least half of the western world is suffering from one ailment or another; and it's not gettin' any better! So, how do we improve our health, while maintaining our go-go-go lifestyles? Jordan Maerin has the answer in her new book "Raw Foods for Busy People." Whether you're looking to just add more raw food into your diet, or you're going for the extraordinary results of a 90-100% raw food diet, Maerin's book can make that path a lot easier.

She starts off with the basic ideas behind the raw food diet, including her own personal journey, then moves onto pages full of delicious, easy-to-make recipes (most of which you can make without having to spend hundreds of dollars on new appliances!). And if you thought raw food was boring or tasteless, think again. My personal favorites here are the Pesto-stuffed Vegetables, the Curried Coconut Soup and the Cottage Pie! So, if you're looking for a healthy alternative to fast food, and you can't afford highly priced gourmet raw food meals, "Raw Foods for Busy People" has everything you need to get started on the path to awesome health."

*****

"Its very apparent that a lot of love went into making this book. The layout, additional info and resources are excellent and presented very clearly.

As a single guy with not a lot of free time I searched all over for a Raw Foods cookbook that I could use. This is the ONLY book I found that has things I'd eat, enjoy and are easy to make without exorbitant costs or prep times or weird ingredients. Honestly after researching a lot of the Raw Foods books I figured the only people who could eat this way are housewives with a lot of money, I couldnt imagine anyone spending the time or wanting to eat a lot of the recipes in these other books.

After making many things from the book I can say that they fall into two categories-great or bland/too watery. Things like the cinnamon stewed apples, cashew cream, schezwan marinade, halvah shake, puddings and the dehydrator recipes are outstanding. Others like the gravy, curry apple marinade, tahini marinade, mashed potatoes and others are way too watery or lack flavor.

I'd still rate this book 5 stars since theres no other raw cookbook like this but I think she needs to fine tune some of these recipes. Would still highly reccomend it though. It was a big relief to get a practical book like this after my 1st purchase- Raw in Ten which was truly an awful raw book."

Before and After Weight Loss Pictures

If you are looking for before and after weight loss pictures and photos, here are some examples of men and women who lost a lot of weight. Click on their names to see their photos:

Women:

Cathi Lee (from 500 to 170 pounds)

Kristie Alley (lost over 50 pounds)

Men:

Michael Becker (from 280 to 227 pounds)

Ultraclyde (from 290 to 170 pounds)

Jimmy Moore (from 400 to 220 pounds)

Aaron Ferguson (from 17 percent body fat to six percent body fat)

I would like to get a long list of before and after pics of people who have successfully lost weight. If you'd like a write-up and a link to weight loss pics on your website from here, please write me in the comments below.

Losing Fifty Pounds in Four Months

Ultraclyde has lost more than fifty pounds in just over four months. His body fat ratio is down to 13.6 percent. His secret? Training for a marathon.

In September of 2005 he weighed 222 pounds. Today he weighs 170 pounds at six feet tall. Because of his heavy fitness workout schedule, Ultraclyde has to eat a great deal of food just to maintain his current weight. He estimates he needs to consume 3700 calories a day just to stay at his current weight and not lose more weight.

Back in 1997 when he was 22 and just out of university, he weighed 262 pounds. At that point he joined Weight Watchers where he became the star of his class and was down to 209 pounds within a few months. However, he gradually regained all this weight plus more. By 2001, he was up to 290 pounds.

Since then he began exercising on a regular basis and in September of 2005, when he started his marathon training web site, he weighed 222 pounds.

UltraClyde's story is really inspirational for people considering a serious exercise program as part of their new lifestyle. He is seeking stories from other people who have lost over a 100 pounds as a result of marathon training. Check out his site at UltraClyde.

The picture on the left is Ultraclyde in 2001 at 290 pounds. The photo on the right is his current weight of 170 pounds, taken in January 2006.

Health Benefits of Spirulina

Spirulina is purported to have incredible health benefits. It's often recommended for people who are obese as it has huge nutritional value and can replace a meal and help you lose weight. And it can help you stabilize your blood sugar levels.

Spirulina is like seaweed, expect that it grows in fresh water, not sea water.

Spirulina is remarkable in the sense that it is composed of about 65% protein. This protein is perfectly composed, with all the essential amino acids present. This is very unusual for a vegetarian source of food; for example, soybeans are only three percent protein.

Spirulina is also an excellent source of B12, another nutrient usually only found in significant quantities in meat. One teaspoon of Spirulina will provide you with 250% of the recommended daily value of B12.

Spirulina also contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), lots of iron , chlorophyll and phycocyanin.

I'm personally not a believer in vitamins or supplements. I think it's much better to change your overall diet toward the healthiest foods rather than focus on various pills and supplements. But spirulina is one item I could personally tout as a real aide to weight loss.

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The picture above is "Mirror Lake", an art print by Marcia Burtt

Britney Spears Weight Loss Timing

Britney Spears has gained a lot of weight since her pregnancy. Her baby boy was born just four months ago (on September 14th) but already she is getting a lot of rude press about not yet having regained her pre-pregnancy figure.

I don't know anyone personally who was able to lose their pregnancy weight in less than six months. Do you? Most women take a minimum of a year before they are back to pre-pregnancy weight, if ever. There's always reports in the tabloids about celebrities who lose their baby fat within three months but I'd question the validity of these reports in most cases.

Britney Spears is not letting this baby be cared for by full-time nannies. She is still breast-feeding and spending her days with the baby. That's something we don't see a lot of celebrities doing. It's not a good idea to start a rigorous diet or exercise program when you are still nursing and the baby is only four months old. Hopefully she is not too troubled by negative press and can devote at least a year to herself and the baby without worrying about getting back into supremely good shape in such a hurry. The above pic is a PR photo taken some time before her pregnancy.

Britney Spears Update February 16th:

Spears is featured on the cover of People's Magazine February 25th Edition. She's lost a lot of weight over the past few weeks. In the magazine she says she has been working out by doing cardio, pilates, yoga and weights in addition to going for long walks with her baby. She has to keep it relatively light on the cardio workouts because of a knee injury from 2004.

Update February 22: This photo by Hollywood Rag was apparently taken after her photo shoot with People Magazine earlier this month. It looks like she's back to gaining some weight again. Some gossip magazines are speculating that Spears is pregnant with her second baby now.

Update March 10th: The rumors that Britney Spears is pregnant again are getting stronger and stronger.

Update May 26th: Here's a picture of Britney Spears from yesterday. Britney confirmed her second pregancy a couple of weeks ago on the David Letterman show.

Update August 18th: Spears has told People Magazine that she can't wait to get back in shape after this second pregancy. She feels she's been pregnant forever and she's excited about being able to sweat like she used to and getting her body back in shape with a routine. She plans to start working out in a huge way after this second baby is born.

I wish her great luck with this. It's harder than it sounds, especially if she plans to breast feed for an extended time as she's doing with the first baby.

Update November 7th: Britney Spears made a brief visit to the David Letterman show while she was in New York yesterday. She's really gone all out to get in shape quickly after this second pregnancy. Personally I prefer her hair without bangs because she has such an amazing face and the bangs hide it but she looks fantastic and very fit just weeks after the birth of her second baby. See the video clip here;