Great article from @jillfit - women and weightlifting - a MUST read

Why It’s Time to Throw Out Your Light Weights (Lift Heavy, Get Smaller)

Exercise, Lifestyle

by Jill Coleman

I am not a “rant” type blogger. In fact, I can’t stand a trainer or coach going off on people about things that “make them mad.” I don’t know…just doesn’t sit right with me and doesn’t seem helpful to be yelling about things that piss me off or spreading negativity that way. Only reveals insecurity, immaturity and lack of professionalism, IMHO.

Anywho, with that said, this is as close to a rant as I will ever get. And honestly, it is only for your own good 

Ladies, ladies, ladies…

You know it. You have heard it. Many times. And yet, you don’t like it. Just like with weighing yourself, the thought of lifting heavy weights makes you cringe. You just KNOW you are going to bulk up. “My legs respond really quickly” or “I don’t want to look like a man” are a few of the usual tunes. In this post, I will do the following:
a) explain why you will not, in fact, ever look like a man
b) what “bulking up” really is and
c) explain why a woman will muscles and curves is not only stronger, but also leaner and sexier.

Ok, ready?

Lifting light weights in almost every case is a waste of time for women who are seeking body change. Exceptions to this rule may include pregnant women, those recovering from injury, in rehab, beginners (and even they should be adding weight quickly) or those who are giving their body a rest from the intense stuff. If you are a woman, who wants body change/to get leaner, you should be lifting heavy. “Heavy” is a relative term as it will be different for every woman, and that is fine. At the LIGHTEST, you should be using a 15 rep max on whatever exercise you are doing. In other words, you can complete 15 reps with clean, good form, but not 16. More advanced trainees will even use closer to a 10 rep max in their circuits and just take more rests.

Reasons Lifting Light Weights is a Waste of Time

1. If you are lifting light weights, you are training for one thing: muscular endurance. You might be able to do 100 body weight lunges, but add a few dumbbells held in your hands and you can’t do any. What about strength? What about power? What about hypertrophy? Building muscular endurance is really only good for…building more muscular endurance.
2. You are not applying enough stimulus to elicit a physique-changing response. The exception here is the beginner, with whom ANY consistent muscle contraction will elicit a response. But after time has gone by and you are no longer a beginner, you better start adding some plates if you want to keep seeing physique changes.
3. The more weight you lift, the more your body will change, period. The amount your shape changes is directly proportional to how heavy the weights are. Light weight=very little change. Heavier weights, intense workouts and achieving failure in your workouts are all correlated with increased release of testosterone (don’t get scared) and growth hormone, muscle-building & fat-burning hormones. Yes, women need testosterone too. But don’t worry, natural levels of testosterone released as a result of weight training cannot make you look like a man (more below). And growth hormone is anti-aging.
4. You will get more bang for your physique buck spending that time in the kitchen prepping clean eats. Dietary adjustments have way more of an impact on weight loss than exercise anyway, especially light weight training.

The Real Deal with Bulking Up

Ok, I am going to let you in on a little secret: bulking up does happen, BUT it’s not what you think it is. Essentially, when people bulk up, they are add lean muscle UNDERNEATH layers of fat and not solving the fat-burning part of the equation. Adding muscle itself is beneficial. In fact, muscle is more metabolically active than fat, so it is extremely advantageous to exchange fat for muscle. Building muscle + burning fat = smaller, leaner and more defined. So that is why the nutrition piece is so important, that is where most of your fat burning will happen. A clean nutrition plan made up primarily of lean protein, fibrous veggies, fruit and some select clean carbs will help shed inches. The way you train is important too–avoid taking super-long rests like a power lifter. Instead, go with circuit training, moving quickly from exercise to exercise, resting as needed.

Women who successfully build muscle and burn fat end up smaller overall, shed inches, and do not bulk up. Their body fat percentages go down and their amount of lean muscle mass increases.

However, regardless of bulking up, I guarantee you WILL NOT ever look like a man  How could you, if you are not using anabolic steroids, sex hormone supplementation in the supra-physiological range or other performance-enhancing drugs? Practicing good, old-fashioned heavy weight training along with a clean diet will do nothing but enhance your feminine look. Muscles, curves, strength, oh my!

I will leave you with an excerpt from an OLD article I wrote right after my first figure competition  (never published). I was all fired up because of the negative attention I was getting (as I perceived it) as a result of my recent muscle gain, from acquaintances, family members and even people on the street (though a) now I see that a lot of it was simply in my head, and b) who cares?), even though I was the smallest physically that I had ever been. People just didn’t get what I was doing. They didn’t get the new me. They didn’t get why I loved lifting heavy weights! Here is the excerpt from what I would call my one-and-only rant (from 2006)…hope you enjoy lol (thinking about posting the whole thing at some point? I mean, why not? I share every other thing on here lol):

What do people really think of  “us” muscular women?  

 There is a very small population of people who care enough about their physical appearance and personal health to focus their efforts on doing a fitness or figure show.  It is not common.  It is time-consuming.  It takes away from other priorities.  It requires preparation and dedication more than most can comprehend.  It is obsessive.  I have tried to pick the typical American’s brain about why it is considered weird to exercise with such consistency, eat with such awareness and be so focused on one’s physical health and appearance. 

One perception is that if an individual is so intent on developing bulging biceps, that they will be using illegal anabolic supplementation. Of course the stereotype of old is that if you are bodybuilding, you are taking steroids. In fact, this is precisely what my parents thought when I first told them I was competing in a figure contest; of course they didn’t know what they heck it was, they were apprehensive and scared I was going to turn into Lou Ferrigno (though Lou still looks pretty good!).  My mom showed her skeptical support by coming into town for my first figure show and I picked her up at the airport.  Not having seen me for months and knowing I was competing the next day, she expected that I would be a huge, muscle-bound hulk.  Needless to say she was shocked to see someone who was physically the smallest she had ever been, in terms of inches.  I was muscular, but regarding actual size, I was tiny.  I had lost 20 pounds of fat for the show and I was looking slim, trim and vivacious, baggy clothes and all.  For some reason, she thought I would not look like her daughter anymore…maybe I would look like a son?! lol But she was happy to find me just as feminine as ever and looking “beautiful.”  I went on to win the Tall Class in my show and I think she was actually proud of me!  This serves as just one example of someone whose stereotypical view of the sport of fitness had changed. 

However, there are many more minds to be opened.  Many to whom I spoke think it is much more acceptable for a woman to prove her career prowess by working her way up the corporate ladder, all the while eating cupcake after cupcake at office parties, than it is for a woman to transform her physical appearance to create a successful career in the fitness industry.  “People just don’t do that.”  Furthermore, it is perfectly common to see a woman sacrifice her physical self to create a family and maintain a household.  There’s no judgment there, a family is an amazing thing that everyone who wants to should experience, but it can lead to a less physically healthy priority shift in many cases.

Nonetheless, many of today’s women are able to have it all—a career, a family and a healthy, rockin’ body.  So keep it up and make it your priority to educate a few others in the health benefits and beauty that comes with having some muscle on your frame.  Besides, I would much rather be called “butch” any day than skinny-fat!  :)

Short and sweet guide to what worked for me in reducing body fat % down to single digits. 

Be aware there are many many different opinions out there. In the words of one of my favourite fitness tweeters @itsjillgardner 'There is no right or wrong way, this or that way BUT there is your way'

Number 1 rule is that it is about FATLOSS not WEIGHT LOSS - This mindset is VERY important.

Based on what worked for me I would suggest you ;

1. Reduce carbohydrates (apart from vegetable carbs). Many people are overweight because they eat too many carbohydrates (see my previous blog entry on carbohydrates and the insulin response)

2. Increase fat intake (I use almond/peanut butters/oily fish/coconut oil/nuts)

3. Increase water intake

4. Focus your training on gaining muscle and increasing strength. Use Kettlebells (see You Tube for Kettlebell training videos). Muscle burns more calories, the more you have the more calories you burn doing day to day stuff like walking, climbing stairs etc etc. Weight training raises your metabolic rate, some say, for 24 to 48 hours after you have finished.

5. Avoid cardio apart from HIIT (see previous blog entries for a podcast from @biolayne regarding this)

6. Get rid of your scales. Muscle weighs more than fat so initially your weight will increase. If you are using scales to monitor your progress then scales will demotivate you

7. Use your mirror and how your clothes fit you better as your judge

8. Consider the following core supplements

• a. BCAA
• b. Omega 3/cod liver oil
• c. CLA (see previous blog post)

9. Cut out sugar (and artificial sweeteners) wherever possible - it is addictive and eating sugary foods make you crave more. 

10. Cut out low fat dairy. Have a look at the sugar content of things like low fat yoghurt (some can be 20% sugar). You need fat to burn fat and low fat dairy has the CLA removed (CLA is a popular supplement believed to help you burn stored body fat and help prevent further fat storage). Personally I have cut out all forms of dairy from my diet due, partly, to the insulin response it is believed to cause.

11. Avoid liquid calories, some smoothies for example have 52 calories per 100ml

12. Eat clean unprocessed food - meat/fish/eggs/vegetables/100% nut butters

Try is and see how you go, trial and error, see what works for you.

I am not addressing anyone's personal situation and you should rely on this blog for information purposes only. Please consult with your own physician before acting upon any recommendations contained therein.

Interesting pod cast courtesy of @biolayne on Twitter, the upshot of which is that HIIT is better than steady state cardio for fat loss and also that the best form of cardio to avoid muscle loss is cycling - well worth an hour of your time.

http://www.rxmuscle.com/2013-01-11-01-57-36/muscle-college/7694-muscle-college-3-12-13.html

More information regarding carbohydrates courtesy of @musclerecipes on Twitter

There can be so much conflicting information everywhere regarding good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates, and high or low carbohydrate diets, particularly now the internet has grown and any “expert” can add their opinion as “fact”.  I wanted to help clear up some of that confusion for you and give you my opinion which has served me well over the years.

First of all, I believe that one of the main causes of increased bodyfat, primarily in the western world, is that people are over-consuming processed refined carbohydrates such as pasta, breads, cereals, rice, fruit juices, etc.  I am not saying that you should necessarily follow a low carb diet, but I do believe that these over processed carbs should be avoided.   In addition to causing big blood sugar swings and insulin surges that stimulate direct body fat storage, eating too many of these carbohydrates can also increases your cravings and overall appetite.

After years of eating excess processed carbohydrates, it becomes harder and harder for insulin to do it’s job and continue handling all of this blood sugar, and insulin resistance and eventual type 2 diabetes can occur in many people.

I actually try to avoid all grains completely.  This includes pasta, bread and rice, and yes, it include whole grains as well – something which many people believe to be healthy. Instead, I aim to get my carbohydrates from vegetables, sweet potatoes, lentils, quinoa, and sometimes berries (NOT fruit juices which are packed with sugar)

If you are going to get any grains at all, focus on the most nutrient dense and fibrous portions of the grain… the bran and the germ. This means that the healthiest ideas are using oat bran instead of oat meal, and using wheat germ and rice bran by adding them to your salads, yogurt, cottage cheese, soups, smoothies, etc. This way you get all of the most nutrient dense parts of the grains without all of the excess starches and calories.

If you are used to consuming large quantities of cereals, bread, pasta, and other carbohydrate sources, and move to a lower carb diet, try replacing the carbs with additional healthy fats from avocados, guacamole, coconut oil, oily fish, nuts, seeds, nut butters as well as healthy proteins such as grass-fed raw dairy and grass fed meats, whole free-range organic eggs, etc. Healthy fats and protein sources go a long way to satisfying your appetite, controlling proper blood sugar and hormone levels, and helping you to make real progress on weight loss for life.

Whilst I consume vegetables throughout the day, I like to consume the majority of my carbs as soon as possible after training in the gym.  I train in the evening and then will normally have sweet potato, quinoa or lentils with my dinner.  Am I concerned about having carbs in the evening, before bed? Not one bit – and you shouldn’t be either – as long as you are eating the correct kind of carbs, i.e. not processed rubbish. In fact, carbs can help to improve the quality of your sleep!

The ultimate cutting guide courtesy of SimplyShredded.Com

The most comprehensive diet guide I have ever come across

http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

Faster Fat Loss - HIIT over Cardio

Imagine a world where any type of exercise you performed could burn fat and help you lose weight. Whether it was the treadmill, the weight room, or the swimming pool. You choose the activity, and the pounds melt away.

Now, understand that the world you are looking for does exist. And it’s not hiding in some fitness Eden. It’s the same world you live in, one filled with big box gyms, cardio rooms, CrossFit boxes, mobile fitness apps, swimming pools, rowing stations, stadium steps, and every type of exercise in between.

While different fitness enthusiasts have their preferred method of burning calories (and rightfully so — a world without different opinions would be pretty boring and limit innovation), the reality is that many things work in fitness. The same reason people get frustrated looking for “the answer” in nutrition applies in fitness, too.  There is no one answer, and there are many types of exercises that burn calories.

But there are some big exceptions. While any type of activity can help you burn fat, certain methods — like weight training — are more efficient than others [1] [2]. And while it’d be easy to tell every person to just lift some damn weights (I do it quite frequently on my blog and on Twitter), there’s one small problem: Some people don’t like lifting weights. In fact, they hate it. No matter what they do they can’t fall in love with the iron and the challenge of pushing themselves to lift more weight, perform more reps, or do it all in less time. These people are oftentimes written off. They’re told their approach to fitness won’t work, and generally ignored and left as fitness loners.

I hate that. You see, any type of exercise can be turned into a fat burning experience. Fitness shouldn’t be a place just for those who conform. It’s a platform for those with desire to make improvement.And who am I (or anyone else) to insist that fitness must occur on my playground?

While my preference always focuses on resistance training and trying to lift heavy objects, I care much more about helping everyone become active as opposed to convincing people to do things my way. (Dear fitness industry: Please read that sentence again. And then spread the word.)

So for those of you looking for a different approach to fat loss (whether with weights or not) it’s time to take a well-known recipe for fat loss, and apply a modified version to your activity of choice.

ENTER TABATAS

Some of you might have heard of Tabata Protocol. (Not to be confused with Robota, which is also awesome but in a much different way.) Many view this method as the holy grail of fat loss, and here’s why. In the mid-1990s Dr. Tabata designed a study where one group of people performed “steady state” cardio for 60 minutes [3]. This is what most people have historically considered fat loss exercise: slug away for 60 minutes at a constant pace, let the elliptical tell you that you burned a ton of calories, and then call it a day.

The other group? They just pedaled on a bike for a pathetic four minutes. (Or as long as it takes you to karaoke to “Living on a Prayer.”) But it wasn’t any regular four minutes; the participants biked as fast as they could for 20 seconds (max effort), rested for 10 seconds, and then repeated this pattern for eight rounds until time was up.

Sure, 60 minutes of exercise versus four minutes of exercise doesn’t seem like a fair trial. And it wasn’t:The four minutes was superior to the 60 minutes in terms of overall conditioning and fat loss.

And thus began the evolution of high-intensity training and intervals. Push yourself really hard and rest less, and you can burn more fat. The concept is simple, but the execution is one that has still been hard to apply correctly. Until now.

HOW TO BURN FAT FASTER (DOING ANY EXERCISE)

The biggest problem with Tabatas is that people took a great concept (higher intensity, less rest) and destroyed the execution. If four minutes is great, then eight minutes must be incredible. And if eight minutes is incredible, then 16 minutes must be mind blowing.

Yet, much like many other things in life, sometimes more isn’t better. And in the case of Tabatas, that’s exactly what’s happening. Remember, the key to Tabatas was the intensity [4]. Push to you maximum output, rest for just enough time to keep that intensity at it’s highest, and then get back to work.

The secret of Tabatas is not necessarily the work to rest ratio; it’s the fact that you can push your body to the extreme and experience supreme benefits.

Now, that’s not to say that you can’t do two or three or four rounds of Tabata style workouts. But those additional rounds might have diminishing benefits if your intensity isn’t that high, which is what happens if you maintain a 20-second exercise-to-rest ratio for long periods of time. By round four, odds are you’ll be moving at an intensity that is far from your max. Or in other words, you take your output from being a sprint to a marathon. And in a marathon, a sprinter won’t win because he or she can’t sustain his or her intensity for the duration needed.

The solution: Manipulate the work rest ratio so that you can squeeze in a longer workouts and maintain higher intensity.

This approach is not Tabatas. Calling every type of four-minute interval Tabatas is like labeling every type of high intensity training or Olympic lifting as “CrossFit.” (It’s not, so please stop.) But, it is taking the Tabata concept (high intensity, low rest) and applying it in a way that you can have a short workout (12 to 20 minutes) and push yourself in a way that will deliver great results by maintaining higher intensity.  

THE PLAN

Step 1: Choose a form of exercise of your choice. Note: It must be something that allows you to push at a very high intensity. If you choose to walk, then you must be able to run. If you want to bike, then bike harder. If you’re swimming, swim faster. And if you’re lifting weights, you’re picking a weight that you can lift for about six reps. (For other activities, I think you get the idea.)

Step 2: After a thorough warm-up follow this routine:

• 10 seconds of high intensity work.
• 30 seconds of rest or low intensity work.
• Repeat for 8 rounds (or a total of 4 minutes)

Step 3: Rest one minute and then repeat.

Follow this process for three to four total rounds, or a total of 15 to 20 minutes.

The result is a workout with enough rest that you can maintain a higher intensity for a longer period of time. Best of all? You can make progress at any activity, burn fat, and not have to completely sacrifice your schedule to become fit. And while it’s just 15 to 20 minutes, if you push the pace and maintain a high intensity, you’ll be shocked by how much you can transform your body.

This is not to say that you can’t try the Tabata method. But I’d be lying if I said that four minutes a day of exercise (even at the highest of intensity) would be all you need to get in shape. This way, you choose the activity you want, spend enough time to produce real (visible) results, and keep the workouts short enough that time is never an excuse.

7 good reasons to give up sugar via @dietsinreview on Twitter

7 Good Reasons to Give Up Sugar

• Had No Idea
• Need To Quit
• Total Sugar Addict
• Gave Up Sugar

By Diana Herrington for Care2.com

OK. I admit it. I’m a little intense about the subject of sugar.

As a child I was practically raised on white sugar and feel that it had a part in my manyhealth problems which took me decades to overcome.  You can read some of my story here: Diana’s Story. It was a different time back then. There was not the awareness about nutrition that there is now.

I’m going to give you strategies to avoid sugar and the cravings, but first I must make a few points about why you would want to do such a thing. This was already dealt with briefly in my previous article on artificial sweeteners.

1. Sugar is Not Food – It is empty calories with little nutritional value and actually causes your body to steal vitamins from other vital organs in attempt to process the sugar, leaving you undernourished.


2. Sugar Makes You Fat – It is filled with calories that are stored in your fat tissues.


3. Sugar Makes You Nervous – There is a clear link between excess sugar and disorders like anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia, because of extreme levels of insulin and adrenalin.

4. Sugar Causes Diabetes, Kidney and Heart Problems – Excess sugar can damage the pancreas’s ability to function properly.

5. Sugar Kills Your Teeth – Sugar increases the bacteria in your mouth that erodes enamel. The biggest crime is that many popular toothpastes contain sugar, which is not required to be put the on the label.

6. Sugar Suppresses the Immune System – Sugar interferes with the body by overtaxing its defenses.

7. Sugar Causes Wrinkles – A high-sugar diet damages collagen.

The average American consumes 20 teaspoons of added sugar each day; that is 2-3 pounds of sugar per week! This is added sugar; not sugar naturally found in fruit, vegetables, grains and milk. The World Health Organization says no more than 10 percent of calories should come from added sweeteners; that is a maximum of 12 teaspoons of sugar for a 2,200-calorie diet. Twenty teaspoons may sound like a lot of sugar to get through in one day, but…

Consider the following:

• Low-fat fruit yogurt (125ml) contains 4 1/2 tsp of sugar.
• 2 slices white bread contains 6 tsp of sugar.
• Wheaties (1 bowl & 1/2 tsp sugar) contains 3-4 tsp sugar.
• 1 glazed donut contains 6 tsp of sugar.
• A 12 ounce Pepsi contains 10 tsp of sugar.

That is a total of 29.5 teaspoons of sugar! It is easy to see why sugar consumption is on the rise when we look at how many foods have added sugar in them.

More CLA information

http://www.ehow.com/list_6012937_foods-cla.html

Looking for an Omega 3 supplement ?

The best value based on strength and quantity I can find online are these from Transforme - £14.99 with free delivery. Transforme also sell these on Amazon but they are £14.99 & £2.99 postage there.

http://www.transforme.co.uk/omega-3/116-omega-3.html

Coconut oil for weight loss

Do you believe that coconut oil is beneficial to the body while facilitating you on dropping those additional pounds? In this article, you will know what the benefits of coconut oil are and why coconut oil for weight loss is tremendously popular these days.

Coconut is a fantastic variety of fruit bearing plant and for many years now, it has been connected to weight loss activities. It is believed to help decelerate food absorption. As an outcome, people who drink or consume coconut oil are inclined to feel additional full and pleased each mealtime, and are less expected to acquire slighter serving of food.
Coconut oil and its involvement to weight loss and on the maintenance of excellent physical condition have sustained and have been probed, and even ruined due to the inclination to integrate in each variety of fatty acids into a particular group of nutrients…

Coconut oil can also help in keeping our hair and skin healthy, Coconut oil hair treatment is an enormous instinctive hair intensification treatment for the reason that in a lot of techniques it facilitates to keep both our hair and scalp healthy. Lots of individuals utilize it to overturn baldness relatively than medications, which can cause side effects. There are different ways you can use it.
Lastly, here are some of the benefits of coconut oil for healthy skin:

Coconut oil is not just only a variety of plant with enormous advantage for your skin but has a lot of other functions. This oil is renowned for its refurbishment capabilities and properties that make it an immense defiant instrument to any prospective skin related tribulations in the upcoming.

Every year, consumers spend factually a lot of money for their make ups and are in search of that solitary wonderful item to be taken that will decrease the indications of old age. The product that will restore that broken and dehydrated skin or abscond their skin texture to feeling silky and flexible to the touch never apprehending that this oil just may possibly be the merely item for consumption they necessitate for all their skin related tribulations.

This brilliant oil will help out in fighting off uncontrolled cells that help accelerate the ageing development with your skin. It has contained by an antiseptic helpful substance that performs well in shielding our body from diseases, harmful microorganisms. Additionally, the oil will also help in reducing the chances of having skin pigmentation as a sign of aging.

In view of the fact that coconut oil on the skin is not a water-based lotion, it can help out to block up in pigmentations with relieve and give the ability to our skin to absorb the nutrients and vitamins coming from the coconut oil itself.
Truthfully, coconut oil is very much considered as a very useful gift of nature because it gives a lot of benefits that are helpful to our entire being. Clinical experts have determined that coconut oil may possibly be utilized naturally and chemically to improve our body and its physical condition as well by all means.

Almond Butter and Peanut Butter

The best almond and peanut butters are those with nothing added. Many peanut butters have palm oil added to stop the oil rising to the surface. All you have to do with the 100% nothing added varieties is stir the oil back in.

I've tried most of the 100% almonds (nothing else added) brands now and in my opinion the best tasting and also value for money is that sold by My Protein @£10.49 (slightly cheaper if you buy more than 1)

http://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/almond-butter/10575082.html

I prefer almond butter as it is lower in carbs but the Peanut Butter from My Protein @ £4.79 is also the best tasting and also value for money. It is also 100% peanuts with nothing else added and again is slightly cheaper if you buy more than 1.

http://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/peanut-butter/10530743.html

Peanut Butter and Jelly Chocolate Protein Fudge (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, no refined sugar added)

Makes approximately 30 small bites (1-inch-by-1-inch pieces that are about 1/2-inch high; how you pour the batter and slice the fudge, i.e. thin/thick, cubes, bars, etc. will determine the piece count but this is not a “huge” recipe)

3/4 cup honey* (or brown rice syrup, agave nectar, maple syrup)

3/4 cup peanut butter (I used non-natural, i.e. Jif)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate protein powder* ( I used Sun Warrior Raw Vegan Brown Rice Protein Powder in Chocolate)

1/3 cup diced dried cherries* (or diced raisins, dried blueberries, dried fruit of your liking, or omit)

1/3 cup chopped peanuts* (or other nuts, or omit)

Note: This is a fast moving recipe so have everything ready to go before you begin and work quickly through the steps.

Line an 8-by-8-inch baking dish (or slightly smaller if you have it) or 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Dice the dried fruit and chop the peanuts and set aside. Dicing and chopping is preferred because smaller pieces will incorporate better into the batter.

Pour the honey into a medium-sized sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat until it almost begins to boil but do not let it boil; turn off the heat. Add the peanut butter and stir until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and stir, using caution as it could bubble up a bit. Add the protein powder and stir, taking care to work quickly because batter will get increasingly stiff as time elapses. Quickly fold in the diced fruit and peanuts.

Spread the mixture into approximately half the width of the prepared pan, noting the mixture will not cover the entire pan. Keep the mixture about 1/2 inch in thickness, or thicker if you prefer thicker cube-like fudge, but do not spread it paper thin (I called for an 8-by-8-inch pan because most people have that size or something similar and if using a loaf pan, the mixture could likely cover the base of the pan entirely). Place pan into the freezer for at least 90 minutes. Remove from the freezer and slice fudge into desired size, waiting five to ten minutes to slice it if fudge has frozen too solid for slicing.

Store fudge in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months or in the refrigerator for up to one month. I do not recommend storing this at room temperature as it becomes too soft for my liking. I store mine in the freezer and remove it five minutes before I intend to eat it as I like my fudge well-chilled.

*Notes, suggestions, variations:

The honey can replaced with maple syrup, yacon syrup, brown rice syrup, agave nectar or mix-and-match various sweeteners.

I used Sun Warrior Raw Vegan Rice Brown Protein Powder in Chocolate. The recipe can likely be made with any flavor protein powder you have from vanilla to strawberry to cookies and cream and I’m sure other flavors, brands, and types will work (whey, soy, etc.) but I have not tested them. I called for 1/2 cup of protein powder and the batter was tacky and sticky however if using another type of protein powder or you want to make this more dry and crumbly than dense and chewy fudge-like, increase the protein powder amount based on your preference and brand used.

Dried fruits such as: raisins, apricots, dates, pineapple, mango, blueberries, apples or any type of dried fruit you have and like, or use one at all.

Nuts and seeds such as: diced cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, or any type of nut or seed you have and like, or use none at all.

You could also add coconut flakes, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, toffee bits, cereal pieces, whole rolled oats.

Ingredients and ratios may need to be altered and tweaked based on type and brand of protein powder used, peanut butter used, add-in’s used, and personal taste preferences.

The best part of this fudge is that it’s “healthy”. I really don’t like using that word because we all have different definitions of what it means, in both food and in life.

Fat loss NOT weight loss

I've been coaching a female friend of mine for 8 weeks now.

At the beginning I told her not to weigh herself until the end of the 8 weeks, cut starchy carbs out, eat more protein, eat more fat, drink more water, stop doing cardio (HIIT if she must) and focus on strength training including kettlebell work and squats.

She has just weighed herself and has lost 1lb - yes 1lb in weight but has dropped a jean size, has much more definition ("ooh look I've got striations in my shoulders") and both looks and feels amazing. This proves my theory that it is most definitely about fat loss and not weight loss. Had she been weighing herself along the way then I don't think she would have lasted the 8 weeks. She is now looking forward to the next stage and has just ordered her first batch of CLA (you have to give these 3 months at least to take effect) and BCAA's.

BCAA tablets - Looking for the best value BCAA tablets available ?

Try these from Bulk Powders

http://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/branched-chain-amino-acid-tablets.html

FACT - Muscle cannot turn into fat nor can fat turn into muscle

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/henkin6rrr.htm

Progress photographs

You cannot 'spot fat reduce' i.e. target a specific area to lose fat from, you lose it all over.

Don't lose sight of the fact that when you gain weight the first storage area it goes is generally the abdominal area which is why this is normally the last place the last bits comes off when you lose it. Be mindful of this when doing progress pics and assess yourself all over.  If you aren't you will lose sight of the progress you have made on the rest of your body, the strong defined shoulders, a toned and defined back with that 'gap' down the middle, toned legs and forearms.

In my experience you will see much more progress in the abdominal area last, i.e. when your overall body fat is getting very low.

CLA and BCAA information

http://www.cutandjacked.com/Conjugated-Linoleic-Acid-CLA-Natures-Fat-Burner

http://www.cutandjacked.com/Guide-On-BCAA-Supplementation

Struggling for motivation ? Check this site out

http://www.motivationalwellbeing.com/

Ladies - here's a healthy dose of motivation

http://www.therippedathlete.com/female-motivation-rock-that-bodyvideo

The 6 rules of success speech from the legend Arnie

http://www.therippedathlete.com/6-rules-of-success-from-arnold-schwarzenegger

Having trouble with cellulite ? - Let me know what you think

http://www.newliving.com/issues/may_07/articles/cellulite.html

Alcohol and its effects on fat burning, appetite, testosterone, vitamin and mineral absorption and dehydration

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/the-negative-weight-affects-of-consuming-alcohol.html#b

If you are trying to lose the last few pounds/ounces and your diet is pretty clean try cutting dairy and artificial sweeteners from your diet (the only sweeteners I take are in my post workout protein shake).

From the research I have done dairy can cause a spike in insulin (see my previous post on insulin).

Here are a couple of articles on this topic

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dairy-insulin/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/546921-what-causes-insulin-to-spike-with-milk-products/

Sugar Cravings - If you are having trouble with sugar cravings try eliminating all forms of refined sugar, sugary food and sweeteners. It is hard in the short term but in my opinion is the only way. Maybe just remove refined sugar at first then the sweeteners, might be better for you to do it gradually.

Approximately 25% of the calories you take in from protein are burned digesting it

www.lookgreatnaked.com/articles/archive/0800article.htm

Carbohydrates, the Insulin response and weight gain - My OPINION

NOTE - This is my OPINION, I am not a medical expert or a nutritionist but have explored this theory and it works for me.  I have been ultra low carbohydrate for a while now and in my estimation have lost about 5% body fat in that time.

With the benefit of hindsight I now realise why I always struggled with my weight, until now that is. I must thank a series of videos on You Tube, by Dr. Greg Ellis, for finally making sense of it and, as he puts it, 'LEARNING THE RULES, ONCE YOU KNOW THE RULES IT IS EASY'.

Quite simply, for me, it was a diet high, not in fat, but in Carbohydrates and sugar.

Carbohydrates, particularly starchy ones (bread, pasta, rice etc) are broken down in the body into small sugars. Sugar causes a spike in insulin. When you have insulin in your blood your body stops burning food and fat for energy and insulin sets about removing the sugar from your blood. If you are not using the sugar for energy, for example by exercising, the body stores this sugar as fat. The end result is you have gained a little fat and are hungry again.

I've not researched the effect of the carbohydrates in vegetables but the general opinion out there is that you can pretty much discount these having an insulin effect, they are fibrous and contain a lot of water.

The trouble with sugar is that it causes you to crave more of it - just try eating one biscuit out of a packet !

If your diet is high in carbohydrates and has been for a long time there is a good chance you are insulin resistant meaning insulin is present in your blood for prolonged periods, removing the sugar from your blood, storing it as fat, making you hungry again and so the cycle goes on.

I cannot see how carbohydrates are essential for the body. I am very rarely hungry. I have increased my fat intake, I cook food in coconut oil, love 100% 'nothing added' almond butter and drink lots of spring water (sparkling is my preference).

I have never been fitter and more defined in my life.

Do we really need carbs ? Part 1 of 8 You Tube videos from Dr. Greg Ellis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlNyiZCfGYU

A bit about me  - My posts are my OPINIONS, I am not a medical expert or a nutritionist but base them on what I have learnt through links posted on Twitter, online research and, more importantly some would say, by trial and error. Some of it you may not agree with but we all have our opinions don't we ?

Up until 6 months ago I did not even have a Twitter account, in fact I was very cynical about social networking.

Had I joined Twitter when I set upon the road to fitness, diet and training then I would have achieved my goals so much sooner.

Feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

I am not addressing anyone's personal situation and you should rely on this blog for information purposes only. Please consult with your own physician before acting upon any recommendations contained therein.