Marching Into The Peace Corps, pt 14: Weight Versus Fat

I'm currently using a bit of a “home made diet”, but I'm using foundational basics from an e-book called “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle” by Tom Venuto. I don't agree with everything he says or the contents of his recipes, but he's right on with a lot of no-nonsense material every person should know. This isn't your average diet book – I sniffed around it and read some reviews online before I said to myself, “Ok, let's give this diet book a chance.” If you're looking for a “how-to” with pictures and other fodder to fill space, this isn't it – this is a long, hard read that can tie your optic nerve into knots, but I'm generally sold he's got the answers no one likes to hear. You might want to visit his site and give it the sniff test for yourself, but I'll keep you updated as to my own personal progress.

When I began to apply information from his book, I was stuck in the fastest plateau I'd ever run into. I was shifting between ten and twelve pounds lost, and now I'm almost twenty pounds down. The one thing you won't do on this diet is eat like a bird – for women, you eat five times a day, and men eat six times a day! I admit I'm sick and tired of eating that much food, but you'd be amazed at how fast your metabolism starts to kick in. I eat every three hours, but I feel like I'm starving around two hours; I don't eat small birdseed sized portions, I'm eating a couple of cups of veggies and chicken breasts or salmon filets. Hunger is a sign your body is starting to work efficiently, and best of all I have no cravings on this approach.

If you start experiencing cravings, it's because your blood sugar's too low and your body's survival mechanism is kicking in and trying to “force” you to eat. Of course when we feel sluggish, we automatically grab for the sweet treat for the fastest sugar spike to return our energy back to normal. You can beat it first thing in the morning with a cup of oatmeal and a liberal dose of your best weapon: cinnamon. Turns out this wonderful and under-utilized spice has the ability to regulate blood sugar levels, which means your sugar won't drop and you won't crave. I use it a few times a day in assorted foods and all you need is ¼ teaspoon of it to work, so use it early and often and you'll be able to drive past Krispy Kremes without biting the steering wheel.

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quazen.com articles by this writer can be found here

socyberty.com articles can be located here

relijournal.com articles are here

picable.com photographic images are here