EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FAT BURNING-- The Permanent Solution to Obesity: My name is RD Skinner, author of Best in Fat-free Cooking and Finally! The Fat-Free Cookbook. I've been studying the metabolism, or what I call the "Internal Fat Burning Stove" with experts in every part of the field--Fat elimination/Lean Body mass experts, registered dieticians/nutritionists, and exercise physiologists. These are the facts that will help you develop a better understanding of how fat in the body works. But first let me start out with our individual thinking patterns because that's where it all starts. I hear the word "diet" so often. If I had a penny for every time I heard this word, I'd definitely be a millionaire, no kidding. This week, be conscious of this four letter word. Look at the newspapers, listen to the radio, watch TV, browse through magazines. That dirty four letter word is everywhere. The word "DIET" is a: D-epressing I-nconsistent E-xcruciating T-erm Don't you agree? FACT NUMBER ONE: RESTRICTING CALORIC INTAKE = FAT STORAGE Any time you restrict your caloric amount to under 1500 calories, you're fat burning capability slows down (this is an average). Your body will adjust to whatever you do to it... in other words, when you restrict your calories and starve, your body adjusts to the starvation by holding on to it's best source of famine...FAT. FACT NUMBER TWO: THE ORDER IN WHICH YOU EAT YOUR FOODS HAS A DIRECT EFFECT ON YOUR FAT BURNING CAPABILITY. There's a secret formula of foods that will help you burn fat more effectively. Here are a couple of tips: Eat a variety of low fat foods and compliment as many meals as possible with cellulose rich vegetables such as: Broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, spinach, Brussels sprouts +more. Eat your last meal at least two hours before bedtime. This includes snacks (and caloric drinking) as well. Your fat burning capability slows down tremendously at night time and especially while you sleep. FACT NUMBER THREE: EXERCISING TO EXHAUSTION DOESN'T BURN FAT If you exercise too hard, you won't go into fat storage--you will burn glycogen (you're body's naturally produced sugars). Any time you are exercising without oxygen you are exercising non-aerobically... an exercise that doesn't directly burn fat. You need a comfortable source of painless aerobic activity to burn fat storage... i.e. w hat's good fat burning exercise for you, may not be good fat burning exercise for your best friend. FACT NUMBER FOUR: DIETS, NO MATTER WHAT FORM THEY TAKE, DON'T WORK That nasty four letter word again! As you already know, restricting calories = more fat storage... So let me ask you: 1. Do you love to diet? 2. Do you love adding layers of fat on your body? 3. Do you love having no energy whatsoever? 4. Do you enjoy improving your capability of storing fat? 5. Do you love being miserable as well as all the above? If you answered no to these questions, then wouldn't it be correct to say you need a better alternative? First off, let me start by saying diets are not a solution, which you know. Miracle Slim Shakes... they certainly aren't a solution--a miracle shake for breakfast, a miracle shake for lunch and a sensible dinner (wow, another fad diet). Does this really sound sensible? What if I told you, "Give me a week so I can starve you on a 70% liquid diet which will increase your capability of storing additional fat immediately" what would you say? Moreover, what if I had you pay me to make you miserable and gain additional fat? That's not sensible, that's a hoax! As you can see, these concepts are only temporary remedies which lead to a bigger problem. They put a bandage on the "fat." They don't heal the wound. The only way to heal the wound is to change your fat burning capability... Your metabolism. Continue reading... FACT NUMBER FIVE: WEIGHT LOSS CENTERS DON'T HAVE THE SOLUTION What's the difference between weight loss centers and other fad diets? They're more clever. At approximately $75.00 a week for prepackaged food alone (which does not include the fresh produce you have to buy, their program fee, and other motivational and exercise material) a person will spend a whopping total of: $375.50 a month just for their so-called cuisine! Let's include a modest $35 a week in fresh produce. This now comes out to nearly $500.00 a month simply from the food you'll be eating. What if you're in the program for six months? That's nearly $3,000.00!!! How about one year? $5,928.00!!! For a remedy? For a bandage? That's a $5,928.00 bandage! Wouldn't Johnson and Johnson love to sell those Band-aids! Weight control centers restrict your eating (as well as your calories) to their prepackaged foods and they use a weight scale to measure your progress which doesn't even begin to tell you anything about body fat. They monitor you, they weigh you, they hold your hand making you believe that's exactly what you need. But, if they truly wanted to help you, would they restrict your calories thereby improving your fat storing capability? Would they make you spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to purchase their cuisine? Would they make you have them monitor you? Would they breed dependence? What about independence? What about doing it in your own home? What about knowing all the answers? Wouldn't that be the best solution? FACT NUMBER SIX: BEFORE YOU CAN BURN FAT, YOU MUST KNOW THE ANSWERS Most important... it's different for every single individual. There's no one size fits all concept when it comes to fat burning. What's a good, sound fat burning formula for you, might not be a good, sound fat burning formula for your best friend. The other gimmicks listed in this report simply conceal the problem and make you believe the concept of "one size fits all." And why conceal the problem at all? For instance, if you're finger nails fell off right this minute, you wouldn't run to the drug store and buy some press-on finger nails without questioning "why" they fell off in the first place. Yet, that's what a diet is and that's what a diet does. It simply conceals the problem. It doesn't solve it. RIP OFF THOSE BANDAGES AND HEAL THOSE WOUNDS! Keep your heart rate within the target fat burning zone. The Target zone should be between 60 to 75% according to the latest studies conducted by Pro-Line, Director Lance Dreher... two time MR. Universe and exercise physiologist. QUESTION: What if your heart rate exceeds 75%? Well, you're body burns glycogen which is your bodies produced sugars (thru carbohydrate consumption and conversion). In order to burn into the fat reserves (stored energy) you need to keep your heart rate under 75% of the maximum. If it's above 80%, you're not burning your stored energy. Keep it under 75% and at least for 12 consistent minutes (as long as physician approved). This is the time needed to produce those fat burning enzymes. You will burn glycogen no matter what... there's no way around it, however, if you exercise beyond the 12 minute mark (aerobically), you will be burning more of that stored energy... and again I can't stress enough, check with your physician to meet your own physical/individual needs. QUESTION: Is aerobic activity enough to burn all the fat I want? No. You need strength training as well... strength training as in weights, or your own bodies resistance... pushups, sit ups, tricep pushups... Strength training builds muscle and muscle chokes out the fat!!! Yes, muscle accounts for over 90% of your fat burning capability... And, if you're a woman (like myself) don't worry about becoming bulky... It's very hard even if you build muscle fast. Do this with light resistance (hand weights)... this will turn up the flames in your fat burning furnace...TREMENDOUSLY! USE THESE TIPS TO BURN FAT! THANK YOU FOR READING. If you have any questions, I can be reached on the Students Forum on CompuServe. Please feel free to leave a message to Ardy "RD" Skinner at 74211,144