7 Ways to Double Your Fat Loss Today

Dr. Nick Galante, M.D. - Certified Medical Doctor (M.D.) Harvard Medical School

1. Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals. This will keep you full and prevent your from overeating. Additionally, eating more often keeps your metabolism firing on all cylinders.
2. Make Sure You’re Eating Enough Protein. This is key to building lean mass. Protein requires the most energy for your body to process. Last, consuming protein at every meal will help optimize digestion and absorption by lowering the glycemic load of any meal.
3. Choose low glycemic index carbohydrates. We'll talk about the good magical carbs in our presentation below, but for now, remember that low glycemic carbs are the perfect solution to becoming lean.

4. Have sweets for breakfast. In the morning your metabolism is in a low because you’ve presumably been fasting for at least 8 hours (provided you didn’t sneak a late night snack). Your body needs fast digesting carbs in the morning. Having a sweet and a protein shake is a great way to satisfy cravings, jumpstart your metabolism, and get you going for the day. As always, moderation is key. Pop Tarts anyone? Be aware thought, one or two is fine, three or more is NOT.
5. Caffeine is your friend.In the morning, and pre workout. It’s a powerful, natural, and safe fat burning agent.
6. Stay well hydrated. Water is essential for your metabolism. It helps you digest food. And it keeps you feeling full.

7. Get enough sleep. Muscles aren’t built in the gym, they’re built while you’re recovering. The majority of this recovery happens overnight. Your growth hormone levels tend to peak about 4-6 hours into your sleep cycle. What’s more, sleep deprivation increase stress hormones, which actually lead to your body holding onto fat. And studies have shown that deprivation increase carbohydrate cravings. So make sure to get plenty of sleep!

To learn more about other simple tips that can help you Burn More Fat and Lose Weight, Click Here.

Are Energy Drinks Making You FAT?

Dr. Nick Galante, M.D. - Certified Medical Doctor (M.D.) Harvard Medical School

The energy drink market is huge right now. And while these drinks do provide energy in the literal sense, more often than not they are bad for your diet, nutrition, and weight.

These drinks pack a huge amount of sugar, often the equivalent of 2 candy bars. Since these come in the form of liquid, it’s even worse because they are not filing at all. They contribute to your calorie count for the day and little more.

This is the definition of an empty calorie. Unless you are performing endurance exercises for more than an hour at a time, you don’t needs this large of a sugar load. Your calories for energy should come from whole foods so don’t drink your calories.

There are sugar free energy drinks. These basically provide caffeine and some vitamins. This can serve as a good source of pre-workout caffeine. But, they do contain artificial sweeteners, which turn many people off.

The moral here is that there are better energy sources than so called energy drinks. But if you prefer energy drinks, stick with the sugar free varieties. Above all else, do NOT drink your calories.

To learn more about what energy drinks are good for you and will help you lose weight, Click Here.

Burn Pounds of Fat by Eating Fat?

Dr. Nick Galante, M.D. - Certified Medical Doctor (M.D.) Harvard Medical School

The low fat craze swept the nation and left it worse off than before. The effect was to emphasize excess carbohydrate consumption. So in place of fat, America ate too many refined carbohydrates and sugars which promptly converted to fat in our bodies. What’s more, is that the low fat craze was actually very unhealthy in many ways. Excess carbohydrate consumption is directly linked with obesity and type II diabetes.

While fats are calorie dense and certain kind are linked with disease processes, other fats are necessary for survival and greatly increase your overall health. They can improve energy, be used to boost your metabolism, and actually help you lose fat. That right! Eating the right types of fat will help you burn more fat!

First the bad. Saturated fats have been conclusively shown by the scientific community to be detrimental to your health, both in terms of cardiovascular disease and weight loss. These fats are the ones in animal and dairy products. They should be consumed as little as possible. These fats are much more likely to be stored in your fat cells after you consume them or to wind up coating the walls of your blood vessels.

The healthy fats are numerous. These include the so called “essential fatty acids” also know as the Omega 3, Omega 6, and Omega 9 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These actually circulate in your blood and help you get rid of bad fats. What’s more is that these fats will be used as energy for your brain and body. They won’t be stored in your gut. Lastly, they actually increase your metabolism because they create a favorable biochemical profile.

You can find these healthy fats in grape seed oil, nuts, avocados, and certina fish among many other sources.

To learn more about other sources of Healthy Fats that can help you Burn More Fat, Click Here.

Egg Whites: Your Body’s #1 Biggest Enemy?

Dr. Nick Galante, M.D. - Certified Medical Doctor (M.D.) Harvard Medical School

Back when the low fat craze was popular, eggs were in the crosshairs because of their fat and cholesterol content. This led many to avoid eggs all together or to just eat the whites, whether by separating them out themselves or opting for products like egg beaters.

The truth is that egg whites are an amazing source of protein. They are easily and nearly completely absorbed by your body. So much so that they are the gold standard by which other proteins are judged. But aside from the protein in egg whites, there is almost no other nutrient content.

The white is half the egg and much less than half the story. A lot of the protein in an egg is also in the yolk. Additionally, the yolk contains all the vitamins and minerals. These include numerous metabolism stimulating B vitamins, essential minerals like Zinc and Phosphorus which are essential to energy production, all of the fat soluble vitamins: Vitamin A, Vitmain D, Vitamin E and Vitmain K, antioxidants, and eye-health-supporting carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin).

But what about the fat and cholesterol? Remember that first and foremost, fat is not the enemy. Overeating is. Good Fats are necessary for a balanced diet. If you limit fat consumption, not only will your testosterone levels plummet, but so will your metabolism and fat loss. It may seem like a paradox, but it isn’t: Eating good fats will actually make you leaner.

What about the effect of cholesterol and fat on your cardiovascular health? To date there have been no convincing scientific studies liking egg consumption with high cholesterol or heart disease. But again, moderation is key. Try to limit egg yolk consumption especially if you have high cholesterol. You can always mix in a few whites with the whole eggs to add more protein to you meal.

Also, how you cook eggs is also important. Using too much butter is a great way to up the amount of unhealthy saturated fats. Instead use a little nonstick cooking spray, or boil or poach your eggs to get that helathy.

To learn more about Eggs and other healthy foods that can help you Burn More Fat, Click Here.

Fat Burning Supplement That Torches Fat (100% Natural)

Dr. Nick Galante, M.D. - Certified Medical Doctor (M.D.) Harvard Medical School

Caffeine is a natural wonder supplement. It’s most commonly consumed in the form of morning coffee to jumpstart your day. What many don’t realize is it can also jumpstart your workout and fat loss. The benefits of caffeine are many.
Caffeine stimulates your sympathetic nervous system, increasing release of epinephrine and norepinephrine, so those fight or flight neurons will be firing on all cylinders. Additionally caffeine has been shown to increase pain tolerance, so you can push out more reps at the end of a grueling workout. Lastly, it will increase your circulation and elevate your heart rate, so your muscles will get plenty of blood flowing to them. All these factors will aid in creating a more intense exercise experience.

From a fat loss perspective caffeine has many advantages. It curbs your appetite, so you will tend to eat less. It also stimulates your metabolism, so in a given time period you’ll burn more calories per pound of lean mass. Lastly, it actually stimulates your fat cells to breakdown and release stored fat. If you consume caffeine prior to working out, these mobilized fat stores will be used as energy. Therefore caffeine consumption will help your burn fat directly and indirectly.

Finally, caffeine is thought to be good for your overall health. Many studies have shown lower incidences of certain kinds of cancer, diabetes, and inflammatory condition in coffee drinkers.

Though the effects of caffeine are seen no matter how you consume it, you can optimize your nutrition through how you consume it.C coffee has a good deal of caffeine in addition to natural occurring free radical fighting antioxidants. The key is to not ruin the nutritious benefits of a cup of coffee or espresso with too much cream or sugar. Many drinks from coffee shops have a ton of added sugars, flavoring, and fat from milk and cream. A little sugar, artificial sweetener, and milk is fine. But be careful no to overdo it. Some other sources of caffeine that should be avoided are sugar laden energy drinks. If you enjoy these, at least opt for the sugar free varieties. Green and white teas have less caffeine per serving, but contain some of the greatest concentrations of antioxidants.

So unless you’re overly sensitive to stimulants, consuming caffeine prior to workouts is an easy way to maximize your time in the gym and beyond. We'd recommend about 100 mg of caffeine approximately 30 minutes prior to exercise. This is the amount in a medium cup of coffee or large tea.

Click here to learn more about Caffeine and how to Burn More Fat.

Are Carbs Evil? The Shocking Truth!

Dr. Nick Galante, M.D. - Certified Medical Doctor (M.D.) Harvard Medical School

Carbohydrates get a bad rap these days. Just look at the popularity of low carb diets like the Ketogenic diets, Atkins diet, and Paleo diet. The truth is that carbs are not evil, they’re far from it.

Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred fuel source. The problem is that if you give your body more fuel than it needs, by overeating, that fuel will be quickly be stored in the form of fat. This is where choosing the right kinds of carbohydrates at the right times is key. By making the right choices, you can maximize both your performance in the gym and actually use carbs to help you burn fat!

There are two basic types of carbohydrates: sugars and starches. They are all made up of the same basic molecular compounds (glucose and other 5 and six carbon sugars). The difference is in how many of these simple sugars are strung together. Anything more than two single sugar molecules and the carbohydrate starts to taste less sweet and are classified as starches.

Examples of sugars are sucrose (white table sugar), fructose (the sugar found in fruits), and lactose (milk sugar). Examples of starches are anything made from flour or grain (oatmeal, breads, pasta) or starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes). After all is said and done, these will be digested down to their simple sugar components. So 40 grams of table sugar and 40 grams of carbohydrates from pasta each have the same amount of calories. The difference is in how fast they hit your blood stream once you’ve eaten them and what kind of blood hormonal (mainly insulin) response your body has to them.

The reason insulin is so important is because it is one of the major signals telling your body that you have enough fuel, are full, and that it should begin fat storage. So you can see the goal is to control insulin levels in your blood, and to carefully manipulate your carbs throughout the day to achieve a steady blood sugar and insulin level.

There is one time when you want insulin levels to be high to drive glucose into your cells. After a workout your muscles need to replenish their fuel stores (long chains of sugars called glycogen – your body’s temporary 24 hour fuel reserve). Basically, your body is in diesel engine mode after lifting weights. It will take what it can get and put it to use without much downside of storing fat. That’s again so long as you don’t completely gorge yourself.

This brings us to the topic of glycemic index and glycemic load. This is a direct measure of how quickly the carbohydrates you eat show up in your blood as sugar. This in turn relates to the degree of insulin spike you’ll have. The goal is to maintain a relatively steady blood sugar and insulin level. This will insure that you feel full and energized. And, it will help avoid the ups and downs that come along with a turbulent blood sugar level.

So the solution is to choose foods that have a low glycemic index.

It all sounds complex, but if you learn the basic it will become second nature. You’ll be able to enjoy carbs, even sweets on a daily basis, while seeing great energy levels, adding lean muscle mass, and most importantly torching fat. Click here to learn more.

Are Protein Bars Secretly Making You Fat?

Dr. Nick Galante, M.D. - Certified Medical Doctor (M.D.) Harvard Medical School

There are literally hundreds of protein bars on the market. Each one makes claims of great taste and amazing health benefits. Unfortunately more often than not, both the taste and health claims leave something to be desired.

The most important thing to look for in a protein bar is its carbohydrate and sugar content. Since many are marketed to endurance athletes, they can come absolutely brimming with carbs and sugar. First, the amount of carbohydrates should never exceed the amount or protein. Second, there should be less than 10 grams of sugar. If some of the sugars are sugar alcohols, this number can be higher.

A quick side note about sugar alcohols: Many people think sugar alcohols have no calories or aren’t absorbed, which is just not true. They have less calories than glucose but still come in somewhere better 2-3 calories per gram.

Next, look at the fat content. Often there are many unhealthy saturated fats and oils added to these bars. The lower the fat content, the better. The kind of fat is also important as you want to stay away from Saturated Fats.

Last, look at the protein content. How much is in there? Some bars tote high protein and then put in only 6 or 8 grams. That’s like eating two slices of bread. There should be at least 10 if not 15 grams per bar to actually be considered “high” protein. Next, what kind is it? Whey is ideal. It’s faster digesting than soy and also more easily and completely absorbed.

Here are some protein bars that are low in sugar, have favorable protein to card ratios, aren’t loaded with bad fats and taste decent (we’re still talking about protein bars after all):
Pure Protein Bars

Detour. 2:1 Bars

Supreme Protein Bars

Click here to learn more about what protein bars to eat.