Fact: a hard diet will create a hard man.

Who has the hardest bodies in the world?

Competitive bodybuilders. No other athlete comes close.

There is no other breed of athlete that has mastered the art of deprivation or denying ones taste buds, using high protein low carb diets.

Stripping off the last few ounces of fat dares you to take your body further than it has ever gone before. To get extreme fat-burning results like you’ve never seen before, be prepared to punish yourself and rely on sadomasochism as a guiding principle.

In the gym, high-level bodybuilder would tell you that must be prepared to punish yourself with your weight-training routine.  In the kitchen, same rules apply.

The World’s Hardest Diet, which consists of ultra low carbs and ultra high protein (and virtually no fat) demands that whiners, complainers and quitters need not apply.  This is not for you so don’t waste your time.

Do you think pro bodybuilder Jay Cutler has a side order of bread with his chicken breast? Not a chance. Do you think Arnold enjoyed fruit crepes as a side order to his breakfast?  No way.

Heck, most pro-bodybuilders indulge in fish and chicken (unsalted) for weeks at a time leading up to their big shows.  I doubt you have the commitment or will power to make it through one-week, but I’ll give you a chance to prove me wrong :)

One of my favorite bodybuilder, Jim Cordova (2-Time Mr. Universe), who is familar with high protein and low carb diets

The World’s Hardest Diet Rules

1. Cut out all the carbs – yes, even the clean sources like oatmeal, brown rice and yams.  This diet consists of barely 10% carbs and the sources come from vegetal sources, which means they are primarily fibrous carbs that will not raise your insulin levels or be burned for energy.

This ultra high protein diet and ultra low carb diet consists of no oatmeal, rice, cereals, potatoes, bread, fruit or fruit juice – not even after or before workouts when carbs are normally encouraged.  All condiments are eliminated from this diet too because many contain hidden sugars.  This includes ketchup, which is one of the worst culprits, made up of 75% sugar. Even eliminate those “20 calorie energy drinks.”  I did tell you this was tough right?

2. Ultra high protein intake. They key on an ultra-low carb diet is to get enough calories from protein and fats.  This is the foundation of the Atkin’s diet.  The Atkin’s diet is a cake walk compared to what I have in store for you, if you dare accept the challenge.

Protein intake can come from egg whites, chicken breasts and canned albacore tuna – this will constitute almost 80% of your caloric intake.  Not even protein sources like whole eggs, beef, deli meat or fatty fish like salmon is allowed in The World’s Hardest Diet. As you can see, its impossible to follow this diet successfully by eating out.  Say goodbye to restaurants and eating out completely for the next 2-weeks.

The only protein you can substitute chicken breast for is white fish like tilapia, every other option is out!

3. Forget the fat. Most high protein low carb diets provide a degree of sanity by allowing good fats like almond butter, olive oil, avocado and peanut butter.  Not this diet.  You’re left with virtually no fat except the fat that comes with the protein sources so you’re barely getting 10% of your caloric intake from fat.

Again, The World’s Hardest Diet does not even allow the clean fats you’ve relied on as life-savers which allow low carb diets manageable.  It’s virtually impossible to find fat-free meat, which is why beef is completely axed as a protein source.

For cooking, rely on nonstick cooking spray.  Vinegar is the only condiment allowed in this diet.

4. Include muscle saving supplements. You’ll notice that Whey protein is included and I recommend that you rely on Iso-Smooth by Blue Star Neutraceuticals which includes a blend of four different isolates: whey, casein, milk and egg, which releases different rates of protein into your blood stream.

Iso-Smooth contains no sugar and no fat, and whey creates a hunger-blunting response on your hormones, which makes the diet realistic to complete.

Include a multi-vitamin as well since this diet is very limited in fruits and vegetables.  Currently I’m using Blue Star’s Vitality multi-vitamin, which contains 100% of the RDI for all vitamins and minerals.  They have a male and female version of their multi.

5. Boost up these beverages. As you can imagine, your beverage options are just as limited as your food options.  No juices, no Gatorade, no Star Bucks Lates, no sodas and not even any milk (which contains sugar).  Stick to the cleanest, fat-burning and energy-boosting drinks: water, black coffee and green tea.  That’s it.

Even cut out your diet sodas.  Research shows that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas can trick the body. Your body associates sweet tastes with calorie dense foods and will become confused when their are no calories accompanied.  This can lead to an increased appetite which will make it harder to stick to the diet and in turn you might sabotage your fat-burning results.

Here is Artus Shakur, one of my sponsored athletes who competed recently.  He didn’t follow The World’s Toughest Diet, as per below, but his diet was pretty darn close to the rule above.  You can see me to the left and our friend Burak to the right.

Additional Muscle Saving Supplements

As you’ve noticed, you’re basically eating protein only so I suggest you include some of the following supplements to combat craving, make up for nutrient deficiencies, and provide energy to still train.

• Caffeine. Aim for 200-400 mg 30-60 minutes before your morning cardio workout and evening weight training workouts.  Your body is running on very low energy so you need every boost you can get.  Plus the caffeine will provide some muscle-strengthening benefits to maintain your intensity in the gym.

• BCAAs. Branch-chain amino acids will provide some additional energy and be your muscle saving weapon to get ultra shredded while keeping your muscle mass in tact. Males should be taking at least 10 grams in the morning with their caffeine and 10 grams before bedtime.  Additional BCAAs in between meals is allowed and suggested for extra insurance. These are the exact BCAAs I use.  Click here and add the coupon code “maximize” for a discount.

• Omega-blend. A good product is Udo’s Oil which contains a blend of omega-3s but also omega-6s which your body will become deficient in on this diet.  If you don’t use Udo’s Oil, look for a omega-3/omega-6/omega-9 blend that will cover all your bases.  Include with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Fat burning supplement. What has this world come too? Vince Del Monte just endorsed a “fat burner?”  Yes, and for very good reason.  This diet is going to slow down your metabolism after a few days so to maximize your fat-burning results, look for a fat-burner that contains caffeine, carnitine and yohimbine.  Carnitine helps push fat into your bloodstream for energy, which will allow you to train and have energy.  Taking 1-3 grams in the morning, before your workouts or before bed is fine.  Yohimbine has been shown to boost fat-burning. Use only 1-20 mg in the morning before you train.  Lately I’ve been using Blade by Blue Star Nutraceuticals to speed up the fat loss process for me. Check them out and use the coupon code “maximize” for a discount.

Why This Diet Works: Eliminating The Sugars

Your body is a sugar-crazed machine.  It loves sugars, which turns into a belly-battling nightmare.

Your body has zero interest in losing your fat stores.  It could really care less – that’s your goal.

Your body would prefer to burn every ounce of glucose (technical name for sugar), before it even touches your fat stores and protein stores for energy.

Your body prefers simple. It wants to burn the fruit you ate for breakfast; the healthy whole-grains you ate for lunch; the healthy sweet potatoes you ate for dinner before it starts using your stubborn fat for fuel. Tough life, which is why you need a tough plan to fight back.

Most people spend their workout days simply burning off their breakfast, lunch and dinner and never make any forward progress so they are basically workout out to enjoy the foods they enjoy.  In exchange, no body composition changes are ever accomplished. That sucks.

Think of this way: carbs protect your body from burning fat

Is that your goal?  To protect your body from burning fat?  Not if you want to get ultra-shredded this summer and show off an shredded six-pack!

They key is to limit the amount of carbs your body has and it’ll begin to break down fat for survival after using up the stored glycogen stores in your muscles and liver.  This leads to a state of ketosis, and not only results in a state of accelerated fat-loss (primarily around the abdomen) but protects muscle mass.

How to make this diet work for you:

Toughen up. There are no cheat days to rescue you for the next two-weeks.  When you are hungry, suck it up because there is no option except to look forward to your next scheduled meal.

This plan should not be done for longer than two-weeks and is perfect to slap onto the end of a fat-cutting cycle when you’re ready to strip off the last few ounces of fat surrounding your bones.

By the way, there is no “part two” to this diet.  This is as tough as it gets.  If this does not work for you, nothing will.  There is no graduating to the next level; this is the final level.

Ultimately, there are two options to this diet: finish or fail.

The World’s Hardest Diet Sample Meal Plan

Breakfast:

Egg White Omelet:

12 egg whites

1 cup of spinach

1/4, medium onion, diced

1 bell pepper

Mid Morning Snack

1 can of albacore tuna with vinegar

Lunch:

1 large chicken breast

2 cups of broccoli

1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

Pre Workout Meal:

2 scoops of Iso-Smooth Protein Powder

Post Workout Meal:

2 scoops of Iso-Smooth Protein Powder

Dinner:

2 large chicken breast or tilapia

2 cups of cauliflower or 12 asparagus spears

Pre Bed Time Snack:

1 can of albacore tuna

1 tbs of vinegar

Total: Approximately 350-400 grams of protein, 25-50 grams of carbs, 10-20 grams of fat equalling about 1500 calories.  Yes, very insane, very crazy, very tough, hence the name of the program

Are you up for the challenge?

Let me know below if you’re going to give The World’s Hardest Diet a shot.  Remember, two-weeks is the max you should follow this before returning to your regular meal plan.  Finishing three-days on this plan is an accomplishment in itself so feel free to start with three days first.

I’m 100% aware that this diet lacks a load of nutrients and will slow your metabolism if stayed on for too long. However, if you’re looking to radically strip off the last bit of fat from your bones, give this diet a shot.

I dare you!

Vince

P.S. Okay, time for your comments.  Is this diet calling you out?  If so, let me know if you’re going to do it and where your current body fat is right now and what you hope to get to with it. How many days are you going to shoot for?

Good luck!

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Summer is just around the corner and you’ve packed on some new muscle mass, but now you’re dying to get really hard and cut up. Whether you’ve dieted for definition or not, before you begin your plan to get seriously defined you are probably thinking:

Where do I start and what should I do?

If you want to show off your best body this summer and get seriously defined muscle, this week I’m going to show you how.

The first cut is the hardest.

Just like the first $10,000 is harder than the first $100,000 – it gets easier once you overcome that first wall.   It’s the same with fat loss.  Losing the first pound can sometimes be harder than the last pound.  And getting that first cut of definition on your body is always the hardest.

FAME 2008, Toronto Ontario. Vince Del Monte competing in the Muscle Model Category.

Getting Defined Muscle Is NOT Easy.

Once you understand that getting defined is hard, then it becomes easy.  The people who fail at getting defined start with the mindset that is should be easy – it’s not, which is why you see very few people on the streets who look truly impressive.

Serious bodybuilders would agree that building muscle is difficult and have this mindset that, “I’m going to spend a few months bulking up and then just cut the fat.”  You don’t “just cut the fat.” Not for most and probably not for you either. Getting defined is very possible for anybody but requires a mindset that, “This is going to be tough.”

Grasp The Lean Threshold

The Lean Threshold applies to men and women and we’ll use a man for this example.  The Lean Threshold suggests that at certain body fat levels a man will look the same.  This means that if a man is 13-18% body then you will not be able to distinguish the difference.  10% body fat for a man is very lean.  18% or more of fat for a men is fat.  If a man is under 10% fat or over 18% fat then you’ll clearly be able to tell he’s “lean” or “fat.”  Anything in between is very vague and it is very hard to notice any differences.

What does this mean to you?  If you truly want to stand out this summer, you need to get out of the “vague” zone and get close to 10% body fat.  The equivalent of 10% body fat for a male is about 15% fat for a female.

7 Things You Must Do For Muscle Definition

1. Give Yourself Enough Time

Time, your best ally. Give your program time to work. Some “pros” can drop 50 pounds of fat in 8-weeks. Others, it will take an entire year to get rid of 50 pounds of fat.  Don’t underestimate how much time it will take to get yourself defined. Most likely you have more fat to lose than you think.  Get your body fat measured and plan to lose at least 1% of your fat each week.

For most people, it takes 12 to 16 weeks, to get below the lean threshold so if you plan on being ripped for summertime, you’re already behind, let’s get started today.

2. Use The Mirror

Bodybuilding is a visual sport.  If it appears you need to lose more fat, then you do. The mirror does not lie.  Go by what you see, not by what numbers on a scale tell you. Plus, don’t feel like a narcissist for looking at yourself in the mirror.  The mirror is the equivalent of your bank account and a simple reflection of the amounts of withdrawals and deposits you’ve made.  As my Dad always warns me, “Just don’t fall in love with yourself, Vince.” (Every one is guilty of a little narcissism and I’m the first one to admit it).

3. Eat For Muscle Definition

Training is important but rely on nutrition to lead the way to leanness. Think of it this way: you could train 4-hours a day and still not get lean, ripped and defined if your nutrition is not right. Getting defined requires you to currently be on a good nutritional program before you begin your definition diet. If your nutrition is poor before you start cutting calories, you will end up losing muscle while your fat persists.

4. Weigh Less Each Week

Only genetic freaks or people on steroids can can go on a definition diet and gain muscle weight at the same time. You’ll have to lose weight on the scale to lose the fat.  Bodybuilders hate seeing the scale go down because they work so hard to see it go up.  Remember, the lean threshold.  Once you get into that 10% fat zone, you’ll in fact appear larger and more muscular.  That’s what happens when you get defined.

I don’t remember this guys name! I remember him being his is late 50’s and saying to myself, “I need a pic with this guy to inspire all my readers.”

5. Eat Only Clean Calories

You know that clean calories come from vegetables, along with some fruits; proteins, including fish chicken and lean beef; carbs such as oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes and whole grains; good fats like fish, olive oil, and flax seed oils.

Understand how to get defined properly: nourish your muscles with clean calories to melt the fat and not lose muscle. If you cut all the carbs and fats from your diet, you’ll lose muscle, which is dangerous and can lead to other problems.

6. Don’t Use Calculators

Unless you don’t have access to a mirror in your home (notice my sarcasm), you don’t need formulas or calculators. Rely on the mirror.  The only time you need to do some number crunching is before you begin your definition diet.  Estimate how much fat you need to lose and step on the scale once a week to ensure your dropping at 1% per week.  The mirror will ultimately tell you if you need to make adjustments.

Formulas that tell you to eat X number of calories and X number of grams per pound of bodyweight etc are good for complete beginners who need a starting point.  However, what if the formula does not work for you?

The mirror will never fail you.  The formulas will. Stick to the foundational principles of training hard 5-6x a week and eating 5-6 meals a day and make regular adjustments based on your bodies changes.

7. Stick To The Plan

Most people never reach their goals because they quit too soon.  They don’t trust the program or trust their efforts.  Getting defined takes time so figure out what keeps you motivated and use it.  Don’t wait for somebody else to motivate you and don’t wait for “a better time” in your life.  It will NEVER come. Today is better than any day so commit to your plan of getting defined and follow through to the end.

On a final note, enjoy the journey to the finish line. It will not be easy the entire way, but take satisfaction in the progress you make each week and remind yourself that you are chasing after a worthwhile goal that will give you great satisfaction. Not to mention that you’ll inspire a lot of close friends and family who will benefit from you being a positive role model in their lives.

————–END—————

Not it’s time to hear from you.  Which point do you think will make the biggest difference for you?  Share your answer below.

Vince

lean and over 18% would be considered fat. Anything in between is very vague and it is very hard to notice fat gains. Over a couple of months this could lead to an enormous increase in body fat with eventually noticeable differences in body fat.

Consuming certain foods will actually help you burn fat while others can cause you to store fat.

Yes, it’s true that energy management is related to the amount of calories you to do and don’t stick in your pie hole.

But that’s not the whole story.

If weight management was simply a function of calories then it would be true that 2000 calories of Apple Fritter doughnuts would have the safe effect as 2000 calories as oatmeal. Eating 2000 calories of oatmeal a day would provide a full feeling that will provide you long-longstaing energy all day.  In comparison, 2000 calories of Apple Fritter doughnuts would result in a spike in your insulin levels, shortly making you craving another fritter and more famished before you had the first one – and more likely to get deposited around your butt and gut.

So how do you pick the best fat burning foods? Easy. Look for foods that are considered thermogenic. Calorie for calorie, certain foods are considered to increase your metabolic rate – that is, they naturally increase energy expenditure – helping you burn body fat rather than storing it.

And when that occurs, your body taps into existing fat stores to meet energy demands, melting off the layer of fat covering up your six pack that you’ve been dying to show off.

Even better, some foods have abilities to surpass their fat-burning effect. Certain choices result in fullness; some require energy to be broken down; and some can some can even release body fat elevating your metabolism.

The science is complicated and not necessary to grasp.  You need to understand which foods work to promote fat burning so you can capitalize on the best options and get rid of your unwanted fat.

Here are a few of my favourite fat-burning foods and why they can be so effective:

1. Oatmeal

The breakfast of fat-loss champions! Oatmeal will help you reduce fat levels by providing sustainable energy and keeping you full so you don’t over eat mid morning. It’s full of plenty of fiber to maintain your insulin levels throughout the day.

A key to losing fat is to keep insulin levels lowered because insulin moves fat into storage more easily, especially if you’re not weight training regularly.

YOUR TIP: Start each morning with a bowel of oatmeal (not the sugary packets).  Add natural peanut butter, sprinkle some cinnamon and pour a chocolate protein shake on top. Top your breakfast off with 3 scrambled eggs and a black coffee with some Steveia (natural sweetener) inside.

2. Cold Water

Don’t expect this to work miracles but everything has an incremental effect. Studies showed that cold (or iced) water can increase metabolic rate, although most studies kill the excitement reporting a minimal effect on your metabolism. Regardless, keep cold water in your thermogenic food plan and rely on water’s other advantages: It keeps you hydrated, which assists with energy, absorption, being anabolic and is required to burn fat.  Staying hydrated can also help you keep your overall calories lower.

YOUR TIP: Drink 1 liter of water between your meals on a empty stomach.  Water should be your drink of choice when you dine in or dine out.  Drink 1 liter as soon as you wake up, between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner.  That will ensure you have at least 3 liters of water a day.

3. Eggs

Studies show that eating 2 eggs for breakfast instead of calories from bagels helped reduced appetite and calorie intake for up to 24 hours. The study showed that those who ate eggs for breakfast instead of bagels lost considerably more fat.  Not to mention the muscle-building power of the protein found in eggs because of it’s superior amino acid profile.  The fat in the yolk of the egg is the healthiest part and helps with slower digestion and reduces hunger.

YOUR TIP: Eat eggs at least five times a week with up to three eggs per meal.  Eliminate muffins, bagels, pastries and any other sugary carbohydrate from your breakfast because they result in insulin spikes and fat storage.

4. Coffee

If you’re a coffee-nazi then you and I won’t get along! Not only does my coffee wake you up in the morning but it wakes up your metabolism. Caffeine also improves brain activity. Another huge benefit is that it increases your performance in the gym and it’s not uncommon to lift more weight and more reps after one cup of coffee before your workout. Coffee is also loaded with antioxidants – chemicals that neutralize harmful free radicals. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant so it clearly has a thermogenic effect.  Your body will adapt to caffeine intake over time, so it’s more beneficial to a “caffeine virgin.”

YOUR TIP: Cycle your caffeine intake like you do any other supplement.  Every one-to-two months, cut your caffeine intake completely for one or two weeks.  This will prevent your body from adapting to it’s powerful effects. The goal is to learn how to enjoy a black up of coffee in the morning without milk or sugar.  Most people will get a strong fat-burning effect with 200mg, which is about 2 cups. A Grande coffee at Starbucks has 330mg, which will get you really jacked up!  When trying to lose fat, always have a cup of black coffee half hour before your workout and you’ll burn more calories overall.

5. Olive Oil

Your body cannot live without certain foods and “good fat” is one of them. That’s because approximately 70% of it Olive oil is one of those “good fat.” Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that has many healthy benefits like preventing heart disease, colon cancer and controlling LDL (bad cholesterol). It’s also loaded with vitamin E and antioxidants.  Olive oil can increase the activity of certain chemicals called “uncoupling proteins.” These chemicals effectively “tell” the body to burn excess calories, rather than store it.

YOUR TIP: The easiest way to add olive oil to your diet is to add a tablespoon to your protein shakes or simply mix it one-to-one with a balsamic vinegar, and use it instead of those high-fat, high-carb salad dressing.

END OF ARTICLE

Which fat burning food are you going to incorporate more of?  Post your comment below.

Vince

In this article, John shares some awesome information, including:

1) The exact hormone most responsible for stubborn belly fat

2) The “secret” hormone no one talks about that you NEED more of to fight off the hormone from #1

3) A new, unusual training style that has been show to increase the hormone from #2

I GUARANTEE you’ll learn something new:

Suffering from Belly Fat?
By John Romaniello

Like many people, you probably suffer from regional fat storage issues. That is, while you store fat over your entire body, it’s probably most noticeable in certain areas, and it’s from these areas in which we struggle most to lose fat. You know–the problem areas.

These problem areas are influenced heavily by your hormonal environment, and where you store that last bit of fat is determined by which of your hormones are most out of whack (and yes, sometimes it’s quite a few of them).

Today I’m going to talk to you about belly fat specifically.

One of the things that has been talked about quite a bit in fitness media lately is the relationship between belly fat and a hormone called “cortisol.” To put it simply, the higher your cortisol levels, the more belly fat you’re likely to have.

By the same token, if you have a good deal of belly fat, it’s reasonable to assume that you have high cortisol.

Having high cortisol is detrimental for other reasons, but for our purposes, let’s focus on the fact that cortisol is keeping you not-so-little in the middle.

Rather than just suffer through this, the obvious solution is to try to lower cortisol levels and resultantly lower belly fat. And I’ll tell you, lowering cortisol is a LOT trickier than you might think.

I’m sure you’ve seen the late night TV ads trying to sell you anti-cortisol pills. Even if they worked (they don’t), it’s a hormone like cortisol can’t be fooled by a little pill.

Besides, wouldn’t it be much more effective to find a solution without taking expensive pills? Something that is also going to help you burn fat overall?

Well, that’s actually possible.

You see, I’m big on using certain hormones to tame other hormones. Essentially, you CAN actually fight hormones WITH hormones. Clever, I know. It’s just a matter of finding which hormones work well against one another. When it comes to cortisol (and belly fat), you need look no further than Growth Hormone.

Also known as Human Growth Hormone or simply GH, growth hormones is produced in the pituitary gland and is responsible for growth (obviously) among other things. More specific to this writing, growth hormones is actually one of the most effective things in the world to offset cortisol.

Put simply, if you want less cortisol, just make more growth hormone.

Just tell you body to do it. Make a few calls.

Okay okay, it’s not that simple…but I have some really good news.

Did you know that there are certain types of training that are actually exceedingly effective at producing growth hormone?

It’s true–indirectly.

You see, growth hormone is normally produced and released in response to something, and in the case of training, GH is released as a response to the production of something called lactic acid. Lactic acid is a waste byproduct of some of the chemical and metabolic processes that happen during exercise.

So, if you do exercise in a specific way, you can produce MORE lactic acid, which will then produce tremendous amounts of growth hormone as a result. That growth hormone surge will also help to work against your high cortisol levels. And as we’ve established, that will absolutely assist you in getting rid of your stubborn belly fat.

Of course, you’re wondering: how to I do it!? It’s easy. While lactic acid is produced in most forms of intense exercise, there is an unusual style of exercise that can actually produce even MORE lactic acid than is generally possible with other types of exericse. Appropriately (and not-so-cleverly) called “lactic acid training,” this type of training uses slow lifting speeds and fast lowering speeds.

The reason for the structure is that lactic acid is primarily produced during the “concentric” or positive/lifting phase of an exercise, and not so much during the “eccentric” or negative/lowering phase. To take advantage of this and produce more lactic acid, we simply–with apologies to Bing Crosby–accentuate the positive and (almost but not quite) eliminate the negative of each rep on all of our exercises.

To quantify it a bit, for each rep, you’d lift it over a period of about 4 seconds, and lower the weight extremely quickly, but safely.

If you were squatting, you’d drop down to the bottom position relatively quickly, and push slowly back to the top. In an overhead press, you’d lower the dumbbells quickly but safely, and press them back over your head over a period of 4-6 seconds.

Performing exercises with these extended concentric movements is going to create a tremendous amount of lactic acid, which in turn is going to prompt your body to produce fantastic amounts of growth hormone. And that growth hormone is going to help you manage cortisol and fight belly fat.

And if all THAT wasn’t enough, lactic acid training is also just a great fat loss training methods, so you’ll lose fat overall.

If you want to fight your cortisol issues, you need growth hormone. And for that you need lactic acid training. Utilizing this method, you’re one step closer to fighting off your belly fat for good.

END OF ARTICLE

Pretty cool, huh? John is a MASTER at pinning “good” hormones and specific exercise up against the “bad” hormones that cause regional fat storage.

And in his new program (which is available at a full 52% OFF until tomorrow), Final Phase Fat Loss, provides you with specific types of exercises and workouts to combat:

1. Estrogen, “man boobs” and lower-body fat (combatted with “Density” training and Testosterone)

2. Insulin, and your “love handles (combatted with “Dynamic” training and IGF-1)

3. And of course, Cortisol and belly fat (combatted with specific “Lactic Acid” training and Growth Hormone)

If you struggle with “problem area” fat storage, this is THE program to set you free. And right now, it’s still 52% OFF (but not for much longer).

http://FinalPhaseFatCutting.com <——- End Regional Fat Storage

I hope you enjoyed today’s article, and I hope you choose to invest in John’s system before the Grand Opening Special closes tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Vince

P.S. “Problem area” fat storage SUCKS. Get the “new” solution:

==> http://FinalPhaseFatCutting.com

I love seeing the pictures of every day folk, like you and I, who have taken action and proved that they are for real.

Today I want to feature Peter Luckraft who was a winner of my 3rd Transformation Challenge and who was willing to answer some questions about his success.

I plan on doing this on a regular basis so keep an eye out on your email Inbox for when I ask you to be featured.

Here are Peter’s before and after pics (he cropped out the background so they look better FYI)

Vince: What was your fitness level and physique like before using any of my programs?

Peter: I would say mediocre to poor. Before I began implementing your six pack program, I did go to the gym, but like most of the people there, I really didn’t know what I was doing. It was the same old routine with no real results.

Vince: What has been your primary fitness goal and what is your primary motivation towards your training?

Peter: My fitness goal was to get my body fat level into the single digits. I feel that 10% BF is a healthy place to live. My primary motivation is my age and family.

I am 32 years old, and have a wife and 3 daughters who look up to me. I will be the best role model I can for them, and you and I both know Vince, that it feels dam good to be in shape.

Vince: What is your secret to staying motivated?

Peter: Good question, because I have seen so many people lose weight, only to put it right back on, and end up either where they started, or worse! If you have ever watched the first episode of “The Biggest Loser”, then you will know what keeps me motivated. Like anyone else who is out of shape, I struggled like heck to shed the fat and get into great shape, and there is no way I want to do that again, especially now that I have all of the tools required to keep in shape. I quote you Vince, “It’s much easier to keep a six pack than it is to get one”.

Vince: How do you handle your training and nutrition schedule around your company and having a wife and 3 daughters?

Peter: Another great question. Here’s how I see it, if getting in shape is important to you, you make it a priority. Personally, I get up at about 5:00 to 5:30 to get to the gym, usually about 4 days a week. I will sometimes use the old treadmill in the basement for evening intervals on the off days (time I would likely be spending in front of the tube). It leaves me so much available time to be with my wife and daughters.

Regarding nutrition, For the first 4 meals / snacks, I eat alone, so I can eat as healthy as I wish. In the evening, I always try to prepare a great dinner for my family, and frankly, I do allow myslef to indulge a bit at times, but I always make sure that the majority of the time, I am eating good whole foods.

Vince: What is your biggest obstacle with achieving your fitness goals and how have you overcome it?

Peter: Nutrition nutrition nutrition!!! I am a big eater, and I do tend to indulge in a few beers or mixed drinks sometimes more often than I know I should. I have overcome it by being truly commited to my goals, as your programs have taught me how to do so well. I am not going to lie, in my journey, I did go out occasionally, I did order a big prime rib with mashed potatoes once or twice, but I seriously felt commited to my goals.

Like I said, if it is truly important to you, you WILL make it happen. I have heard so many people say, “oh I can’t live that way”. No, it is that you won’t live that way, and that says to me that becoming lean and fit is not important enough to you.

In a nutshell, I overcame this obstacle by taking a stand against myself, and like Eddie Murphy said in the Nutty Professor, saying to myself, “YES I CAN” :)

Vince: Share your latest results this past 3 weeks getting ready for your cruise?

Peter: 3 weeks prior to the cruise, I incorporated Joel Marion’s Program, “Cheat Your Way Thin” into my routine. Using this coupled with your workout and motivational program gave me great results, and this was through two of the worst flus I have ever had! The results were I went from 186 lbs to 179 lbs, dropping my bodyfat by 2%. May not sound like much, but it brought me to the lowest BF level I have ever been, sub 8%. Also, as many of you know, the last few pounds are the toughest to lose!

Vince: What has been the most valuable technique you’ve used in building your body to this point in your life?

Peter: Supersets and Giant sets at the gym, as you outline in your programs. Physically, I believe that I learned how to get the most out of a workout when I am at the gym. Frankly, sometimes I am at the gym for 45 minutes, and I literally have to stop because I have worked so hard. I would say this made the biggest difference in my results.

Vince: Your biggest physique goal for 2010?

I would like to live the entire year around 10% BF, and I would really like to pack on some lean muscle. Through my 6-pack quest, I learned that there was a lot more fat on my body than I knew about, and overall, I have gone from a max of nearly 235 lbs down to 180. I would like to get myself to 190 lbs (in the single digits for bodyfat). My plan is to begin by using the 29 week intermediate No Nonsense muscle building program, eating lots of whold foods, and then to lean down over a 12 week period, and see where I am at.

Thanks for the interview Vince, I have truly changed my life thanks to your guidance and support. Your programs are motivating, inspiring, and extremely informative and complete, and I hope that my results have inspired someone else to take a stand and change their life, it is truly the best experience you could ever go through!

END OF INTERVIEW

Wasn’t that great? Heck, I was very impressed to Peters 5-530am wake up times and his outlook on, “If you’re serious than you’ll make time…”
So true!

I asked Peter if he would pop into the blog and answer your questions below so feel free to shoot him some specific questions and don’t forget to give him a huge congratulations.

Also mention what stood out to you in his interview. I’m sure he would appreciate that.

If you want to be featured then let me know and send me your pictures and I’ll send you a new batch of questions to answer.

Thanks
Vince

(Hey guys, in my defense, I ‘ve been a huge vampire and werewolf fan since I was younger so I’m a sucker for monster movies – although this saga could use a lot more testosterone for my liking. And to maintain my manliness during the movie, at one cheesy point in the movie I pretended I was snoring for a good 3 seconds – just in case anyone recognized me).

Back to Taylor Lautner.  What I was most impressed about during the movie was the amount of giggling from the girls during the shirtless scenes in the movie.  And I could even hear some dudes whispering about how fit he looked.

Then it hit me.

We need more Taylor Lautners.

Sure, we have Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig getting jacked for their blockbuster movies but who has filled the void for the younger generation?

Even though Arnold in Terminator and Stallone in Rambo inspired me beyond belief, I could not connect with their level of muscularity at a deep level.  It was too unrealistic for me and I’m sure many people reading this would agree.

I’m confident that Taylor is going to make a major impact on young people, especially male teens.  I’m guessing a lot of males are going to hit the gym shortly after seeing this movie so they can muscle up like Taylor did.

From my reading Taylor packed on 30 pounds of muscle for New Moon and he’s no Vince Del Monte :) but I got to say he looks really, really impressive.  And in a recent interview before the filming of New Moon I picked up a few lines that stood out:

“…a few weeks ago I gained 20 pounds and guaranteed 10 more pounds and I already put on 6 pounds…”

Take home message:

It is possible to gain over 20 pounds of muscle in a short period of time.

He guaranteed 10 more pounds which shows supreme confidence and belief in himself.

“…I’m not sure how many inches around….”

Take home message:

When asked, “How big are your biceps?”  You don’t need to be concerned with numbers – just how you look in the mirror.

“…I hope it’s paying off because it took A LOT of hard work.”

Take home message:

It took a lot of HARD WORK.  Taylor didn’t mention anything about powders, potions or pills!

“…I’m going to put on 4 more pounds and I’m going to go ABOVE AND BEYOND…”

Take home message:

More supreme confidence in his belief and a relentless determination to keep growing.  His last few words reflects the attitude you should have too.

If He Can Do It, So Can You!

From some reading I learned that Taylor started out 5′10″, 140-pounds, scrawny and weak teenager.  Now his body represents a powerful werewolf and dominates the screen as a rippled fitness animal.

If Taylor can gain 30 pounds of muscle in a year then I see no reason you can’t either.  And if you’re a complete beginner than you’re just like Taylor.  His trainer, Jordan Yuam was quoted as saying, “The less muscle you have, the easier it is to gain muscle mass more quickly.”

I experienced the same.  Inexperience works to your advantage because your body has zero stimulus and most receptive to the new stress it’s forced to adapt too.

5 Muscle Principles TaylorLautner Followed

1. Heavy weights. This is taught in my No Nonsense DVD Series and you’ll hear me say over and over that you need to get a healthy taste of heavier weights to pack on mass.

2. Mixing up your volume. It sounds like Taylor’s trainer ripped a few pages out of my muscle book because you’ll find that one of the key ingredients is mixing up the volume to muscle up.  Lifting heavier is not the only way.

3. Long periods of tension. Anybody who’s gone through my advanced muscle program knows what this is all about. To recruit all the muscle fibers and speed up muscle growth it’s critical that you put your muscles under enough tension.  Sets that last 40 seconds to 80 seconds is the ideal period of tension for hypertrophy.

4. Cut down on cardio. Between weight training and diet it’s amazing how much fat you can lose and muscle you can pack on.  I don’t recommend more than 20 minutes of cardio, three times a week, if you’re looking to pack on at least 30 pounds of muscle.  When I gained 41 lbs of muscle in 6 months, I did zero cardio and didn’t gain any fat but then again I had to previous exposure to weights.

5. Don’t forget to recover. In total, you won’t need to train more than 5 days a week.  At least 3-4 weight training workouts without doing more than 2-3 weight training workouts in a roll will keep you body growing with out plateauing.

48 Hours Left For Birthday Bash Sale

I was called “Rambo” by the hotel employees about 7x on this trip – I didn’t bother correcting them :)

Do you want to have a solid body on your next big trip or big day? Then you need to order a set of my No Nonsense Muscle Building and Six Pack DVD Series before they sell out, again.  As of right now, we are on track for selling out Friday afternoon.  Take advantage of 30th Birthday Sale and get over $900 worth of my my best workouts at a steep, steep discount.  This week only!

http://www.NoNonsenseDVDS.com <- Save over $700 and get ripped for 2010!

Vince

But before I share those three deadly nutrition tips for getting a six pack I would like to remind you of the BIG NEWS about my Birthday Bash Sale by clicking the image below:

Six Pack Tip #1

Avoid starvation emergency

One of the secrets of getting a six pack is to not starve your body all day and then dump a boatload of food into your body at once. In short, when you eat is just as important as what you eat. Even a small plate of food at the wrong time, after hours of caloric starvation can cause you to rapidly gain a lard gut. I call it “starvation emergency.”

Shockingly, most North American’s follow a similar diet to Japanese sumo wrestlers who can be credited to exploiting the starvation emergency response to the max. Believe it or not but most sumo wrestlers only eat one meal a day in the evening. It’s named chanko and consists of pot broth with pieces of meat, poultry, fish and vegetables. It’s side dishes are rice and tea. This doesn’t sound too bad and it may appear puzzling to determine what is wrong with this meal. To me the problem is clear. Even though the total calories is not a lot, the timing of the meal could not be worst. The meal is served in the evening and right before bed time. The perfect combination for piling on lard. This sets up a catabolic and fat-accumulation message throughout the entire body.

Sumo wrestlers intentionally starve themselves throughout the day so that when they eat in the evening time, the body is fully prepared to stockpile nearly every calorie as fat, all in what the body perceives as necessary for surviving the next day of starvation.

I hope you’re not eating like a sumo wrestler because if you are putting yourself through starvation emergency then you’ll easily gain plenty of fat and curb quality muscle growth.

A better approach is to eat more calories early on in the day, maintain frequent smaller meals throughout the day, decreasing to nothing in the evening time.

Six Pack Tip #2

Get your ZZZZZZZZZZZZ’s

Rest, in particular sleep, is critical to shedding all your belly fat. No matter how perfect your diet or training might be, without rest you’ll never pack on serious muscle and shed all the fat. During sleep your cortisol levels balance out and your growth hormone levels surge. Your body requires deep healing sleep from your low calorie diet and intense workload while cutting off the fat.

With this increased workload and stress on the body, you can quickly become fatigued and feel overtrained. The longer you cut your cut your calories and longer you push the weights, the worse the fatigue and stress becomes. There are no magic supplements that counteract the damage you do to your body during an intense cutting phase than sleep. Getting anything less than 7 hours of sleep a night will eventually take its toll on your body and I recommend you strive for at least 8 hours of sleep each night if you want to keep your metabolic furnace burning.

A demonstration of deep healing and rebuilding sleep

Six Pack Tip #3

Master a consistent meal cadence

Remember the last time you went long periods without food? Think about how you felt. Your stomach starts growling and you began salivating at your mouth when you visualize your favorite meal. You may even start drooling thinking about gross foods like greasy cheeseburgers, salty fries and sugary pops.

Then what happened? Your temperature went up, you began to sweat and you started to become very agitated. Soon after, all that torture disappeared and you mysteriously felt fine again, at least for a little while.

What happened to your body is that you slipped into starvation emergency. After those first few signs it’s usually too late to reverse even with a quick meal. The relief you feel is from a triggering of catabolic hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine, every bodybuilders worst nightmare because they cause you to break down muscle for energy and store energy as fat.

The simple way to avoid this cascade of destructive hormones is to avoid the starvation emergency in the first place. I recommend that you create a standardized meal cadence. If you’re skinny and packing on muscle then strive to eat at least every 3 hours. If you’re trying to lose fat I would still suggest to eat every 3 hours. The take home message is to never reach the point of high hunger level. You should eat because it’s feeding time, not because you’re starving.

END OF ARTICLE

Remember, I’m celebrating my 30th Birthday by re-releasing another 500 DVD sets of my No Nonsense Muscle Building and Six Pack DVD Series until this Friday December 4th at midnight. In the last 24-hours we’ve sold over 120 sets so this WILL sell out.

At the end of the week, the birthday bonuses disappear and they will not be released for another long time…

If you’re looking to get access to the same six pack I used to get ready for the World Fitness Model Championships (I followed the 5-day Metabolic Overdrive program) then be sure to give yourself an early Christmas gift.

Click this link below for more info:

http://www.NoNonsenseDVDS.com

Vince

Over the next five days I’m going to share with you, in detail, my top 30 ways to build muscle and get a six pack, Vinny Style. In this five part series we’ll cover six of my best and fastest ways to do this through training.

Please keep your questions completely revolved around training and workouts.

Muscle Building Tip #1:

Do the least amount of training needed to get the result you want.

Instead of trying to figure out how much you can do, focus on how little can be done.  To achieve this, start with a low volume training plan and monitor the results, instead of the opposite of starting with the largest training volume and lowering them when you are not seeing results.

This approach goes against the mainstream  where it appears there is a desire to test a trainee’s limits instead of seeing how little the trainee can do.  This approach will reduce wear and tear on the body and help prevent burn out.

Think of it this way – if you can achieve your muscle building goals with 1 set of 1, why would you bother doing 1 set of 2?

This entire principle is backed up the more is less training theory that my programs are based on. You will get better training by often doing a smaller amount of training.  In other words, you get more results when doing less training.

Muscle Building Tip #2

Results are the only thing that matters.

It does not matter what you, another person on a forum, magazine, text book, research article thinks or claims about any training technique – the only thing that matters is what is happening.  In other words, the only thing that matters is what was the outcome.

Value this muscle building tip above all else and respond accordingly without emotional attachment and when your beliefs are challenged.

For example, if the expert bodybuilder in your gym is saying, “You’re not training with enough volume…”  but you’re getting stronger and bigger with each workout doing the opposite than does his expert opinion matter?  I would say at the current moment, no, because you are getting the results you want.

Muscle Building Tip #3

Training is more of an art than science.

Yes, science has its place and I do not reject it or diminish it’s value but I keep science in perspective and acknowledge it’s limitations.  Science will never be able to properly make all your training decisions and is far from the main player. The main player in your training decisions should be your own intuition i.e. your body’s feedback based on your own training experiences.

I believe it’s critical that you get in touch with your intuition and respect the information your body tells you.  This is far more important than looking for “scientific” conclusions and believing the science holds all the answers.

Muscle Building Tip #4

You have the answers.

Why would I say this when I make a living from creating and selling fitness info products? Because I want you to have the courage to trust your intuition and make your own training decisions.  The secret to training is realizing that training is more of a process than a prescription and through self-discovery you’ll find the answers to your own questions.

It’s critical that you take responsibility for the outcome of your training and by giving yourself permission to become involved in the training process you will benefit from the empowerment to make final decisions. In some situations, you might tweak a exercise that may defer from my program which is okay.  You do not need to email me for permission to be involved in the training process – you have my blessing :) This results in you taking ownership and responsibility of the final results.

Muscle Building Tip #5

Be patient.

This one is tough for me because I know what I want in life and I want it now. Of course this drive is a positive virtue and there is nothing wrong with a relentless and intense drive to your muscle-building goals, however you need to remember that your body has limits.  Your mind and body may be ready to go full-throttle and your body may be willing to get pushed but muscle growth occurs in spurts.  Don’t get discouraged.

Muscle growth is not directly related to how much effort you place on your body.  There are hormone fluctuations, stress changes, diet changes and lifestyle considerations.  Take this into consideration and there will be times you are growing at rapid rates and other times your gains seem to be nonexistent. Don’t give up.  Show yourself some self-control and perseverance.  Patiently and faithfully continue to commit to your training with the knowledge that it takes time to build muscle.  All good things come in time.

Muscle Building Tip #6

Build muscle to serve others.

Over the years I have discovered that my physique benefits more people than just myself.  My girlfriend benefits with pride from being able to show me off; my friends are inspired by my work ethic; my family members seek me out for fitness advice; and my training intensity motivates others in the gym to train harder.

Interesting eh?  Building muscle can go beyond serving your own desires, instead it can serve others. Ever since I discovered the opportunity I had to bring the best out of others I viewed my training like a higher calling. I realized that when I did not pursue a body of excellence, I was not only hurting myself but I was limiting my circle of influence.  What a shame! By applying this tip you gain a new perspective that should fire up your own training.

I encourage you to give yourself the best.  You deserve it and so do the people around you every day.  Your friends and family need you to be the person to inspire and motivate them to be the best they can be.

Your Comments

Which muscle building tip was your favorite? We still have 24 more tips to go and we’ll get into more specifics but today I wanted to address some tips beyond the basic “bodybuilding 101″ advice you already know.  These are some deeper rooted philosophies behind my the curtain of my brain.

Love to hear which one you connected with the most.  Post below.

Vince

P.S. Tuesday December 1st at Midnight EST, I’ll be doing a 4-day Birthday Bash Sale of my No Nonsense Muscle Building and Six Pack DVD Series.  There are only 500 sets available and I have some killer birthday presents by celebrating with me.   Stay tuned for tomorrow!

Today is actually my 30th Birthday, officially turned 30 at 11:16am and I’m spending the day at sea with my girlfriend.  Should be pretty sweet… I have over 1000 pictures and just posted a few teaser ones…   I’ll post the hot and sexy ones of Flavia and I when I get back to Canada.

Here are just a few…  post your comments and let me know what you think.

Oh yeah, today is the last day to pick up the same nutrition program I used the last 3 weeks to shed the last few pounds of fat while keeping all my muscle:

http://www.HolidayTreatPlan.com <- Last Chance for Half-Off Deal

That’s my knockout girlfriend, Flavia.  I can’t keep my hands off her :)

http://www.HolidayTreatPlan.com <- Last Chance for Half-Off Deal

http://HolidayTreatPlan.com <== LAST Chance

http://HolidayTreatPlan.com <== LAST Chance

You’ll also get my BIG BONUS, the Ultimate Cheat Day Workout showing you how to use Cheat Days to GAIN muscle while losing fat fast.  Just email me your receipt at vincedelmontefitness@yahoo.ca with the subject “Send me the Ultimate Cheat Day Workout” and we’ll get it right over to you.

Okay, time for bed and to get up bright and early for Saona Island… I’ll post more pictures from our shoot very soon and click the link underneath if you want to leave a comment.

Let me know what you think of the cheat days using Joel’s program after you go through a few cycles.

Train hard (and diet easy)

Vince

My first impression of Joel: what a goomba.

Joel is very tall,has a slight side-to-side shuffle, and has one of those laughs that make you laugh even if whatever you’re talking about is not funny.  When we went to Las Vegas back in April, I believed we laughed for 5 days straight.

Back in NYC, I think he he introduced himself as, “Hey, I’m Joel Marion, 2001 Body-for-Life Grand Champion for ages 18-25.”

Maybe he didn’t say the ages 18-25 part but he did introduce himself as “I know something that you don’t know” energy about him.

My second impression of Joel: this guy is pretty cocky.

Pretty ignorant and shallow of me eh?

Over the course of the next few hours I came to realize that Joel was anything but an “ordinary guy” — and certainly not cocky but still a bit of a goomba.  Over the last few months he quickly became one my best friends and respected colleague with whom I’d exchange ideas daily.

In the months that followed, I watched as Joel became a online fitness celebrity, famous for developing a fat loss system that’s been introduced in his book, Cheat Your Way Thin.  Joel has tirelessly researched and experimented with various theories in hopes of turning “good” into “optimal” and there’s no better example of this than his dedication to helping you succeed a better way.

Joel is helping me get my book published and more recently has helped me with my diet the past three weeks since visiting him at his home in Tampa, Florida.

Joel and I in Tampa on October 29th

More accurately, Joel has helped me incorporate overfeed days/cheat days/treat days or whatever you want to call them into my diet (every 5 days for my upcoming goals).

The results?  I’ve gone from 203 pounds to 197 pounds – three weeks to the day and I’ve gained two pounds of muscle according to my body fat pincher.  Overall, I look bigger than three weeks ago.\

In my girlfriends words when I revealed the goods, “Holy!” (Jaw dropped at the same time).

What am I training for?  A photo I’m doing in the Dominican Republic this Monday November 23rd while at a wedding with my girlfriend.  Pictures will be posted soon.

I’ll take pride that I used my own training programs and am one bad ass mo fo when I train but Joel’s helped me crush through the final phase of fat loss using the exact plan you can pick up, half-price, on Tuesday November 24th at 12pm EST.

The pre-sale lasts for 72-hours only so I hope you are ready to go this Tuesday.

You should also know that I’m giving away The Ultimate Cheat Workout I filmed yesterday if you order your copy by clicking on this link:

http://www.HolidayTreatPlan.com

NOTE: This is ONLY available if you order through the link above.

Joel’s Not Messing Around…

Joel’s passion, and having spent the last six years of his life researching and developing the book is impressive. And I suggest that you get your facts straight before entering a conversation with him on leptin because  here is his common response (in person) when I asked him every question you’ve had about the program:

“Dude, (bursts out laughing), I’ve answered that question 1000 times already in every form of print media and during a twenty-city national radio tour.  I have over 200 research papers to counter any argument you throw my way.  This stuff is for real man and I have the results to prove it.

Even Tom Venuto interviewed me on my program and that was the toughest  interview of my life but after the call Tom said, ‘I’m a believer.’”

If you know Tom, that’s impressive!  Although I love Tom, just because Tom is a believer does not mean you should believe too.

My advice: Don’t believe ANYONE (not even Joel or I) by reading about it, ultimately you must learn from doing.That’s my motto for life.

You can do that on Tuesday November 24th and today you can learn more about it with the interview I just posted.

Holiday Treat Plan: An Interview With Joel Marion

Vince: People think the name of your book, Cheat Your Way Thin, is “nonsense” and as you know, I’m a no nonsense kind of guy so what would you say to someone who instantly thinks this is just marketing hype?

Joel: “Cheating” to lose fat faster is about as counterintuitive as it gets, but when you understand how the body works, it couldn’t make more sense. On the surface, no sense, or “nonsense”, but when you truly “get it”, it’s like the biggest “Ah ha” moment you’ll ever have. It finally “clicks”.

As I’ve shared in my past few updates and in the articles that you’ve posted on your blog, it’s really all about keeping your body happy. Typical dieting works against your body. When you restrict calories 7 days a week, week after week, month after month, your body “retreats” and makes it more difficult for you to lose fat as a starvation protection mechanism. Fat burning hormones plummet, metabolism slows, and losing fat becomes extremely difficult and slow. Simply put, your body doesn’t know you’re “on a diet” trying to shed body fat. The only thing it knows is that you aren’t eating enough calories, and to your body, that’s a big, red flag.

Fortunately, you can override this “starvation” response by periodically, strategically eating high carb/high fat/high calorie foods (and yes, that means pizza and ice cream). While it takes about a week of dieting for your body to “catch on”, it only takes one day of overfeeding or “cheating” to reset metabolism and keep the fat coming off. The rest of the diet is extremely strategic surrounding each cheat day, but that’s the major premise. Keep your body happy, and fat melts off. “Deprive” it, and your own body becomes your worst fat loss nightmare.

Vince: So the book has been out for 6 months, but I know you’ve been working with this approach for well over 6 YEARS. What has been the biggest feedback from fans?

Joel: People love the fact this is a program that focuses on what they CAN eat, instead of every other restrictive approach that simply tells people over and over again what they CAN’T eat. It’s DOABLE. And the fact that they use pizza to strip away fat faster than they ever could with restrictive dieting certainly hasn’t brought in any complaints. :)

Vince: What has been the most popular email and concern you have received from prospects of your program and what was your reply?

Joel: There is always a select group of “hardcore” people or “naturalists” that are against eating anything that would be considered “unhealthy” and are looking for ways to manipulate the anti-starvation hormone “leptin” without eating cookies, french fries, etc. For them, we teach them why these foods work, and then have them mimic those qualities with other foods.

Foods like pizza, ice cream, and french fries work extremely well because they combine very high glycemic carbohydrates with fat. That combination right there breeds a massive surge of insulin, which believe it or not is exactly what we want to achieve on cheat days to reverse the negative physiological adaptations of dieting. Truth is, you don’t need to eat cookies if you prefer not to (personally, Double Stuff Oreos are a staple food on my cheat days, but to each his own. I actually “unscrew” two Double Stuff Oreos and then put them back together to make Quadruple Stuff, but hey, maybe that’s just me). Anyway, you can achieve the same effect with “cleaner” foods like a huge plate of pasta with meatballs, bread & butter, lasagna, etc. The key is following the rules of high carb/high fat/high calories.

Vince: You get any hate mail yet?

Joel: Yet? I started getting hate mail before I even wrote my first article on the subject back in 2003. With success, it just gets worse. But you know what, I get A LOT more “love” mail from people who actually put their faith in the program, acted, and saw amazing results. The haters hate (without ever giving it a try), and the action takers get results.

Vince: LOL.  No kidding eh – I find that foolish.  I think people are scared of the specific foods we use to capture their attention (like pizza, ice cream, french fries, etc) and that raises instant fear and disbelief. What is your response to folks who claim that your approach is unhealthy?

Joel: You know, I get this concern from a select group quite a bit actually, but let’s think about this logically. The end result of using my program is significantly lower levels of body fat. So, let’s say someone uses it to lose 20 lbs. The health benefits of having 20 lbs less fat are immense. Cholesterol levels improve, blood pressure, and a bunch of other markers.

On top of that, we use strategic exercise. Because of this, cholesterol levels , blood pressure, and other markers improve.

Further, we are eating “clean” 85% of the time. To have a single day of induglence, even if you eat the worst stuff (which as I’ve mentioned previously, you can easily mimic the effects with “cleaner” foods so long as you combine carbs and fat), it’s not going to negate doing EVERYTHING right the 6 other days.

People can expect every health marker to improve, and that’s in addition to looking better than they ever had (not to mention actually being able to stick to a diet, the diet being liveable and doable, and enjoying the process).

Vince: Am I eating bird food on the other days when I’m not cheating?

Joel: If by “bird food” you mean tender steak, fish, shrimp cocktail, rotissiere chicken, pork chops, loads of sweet, juicy fruit, huge salads, pasta, potatoes, sandwiches, and about a hundred other flavorful choices, then yes, it’s very much like “bird food”.

Vince: That’s what I’m talking about home boy! How is the Holiday Edition different than the version you released last year?

Joel: It includes the original program, but it has several “holiday” related bonuses, such as the Holiday Cheat Calendar which gives people a day by day blueprint for how to approach this holiday season while having every single day as a Cheat Day, never missing a holiday meal, party or dessert, and LOSING fat over the course of the next six weeks. Beyond that, it contains all the specs of the regular program as well, so you can always reference it again at a later date and be good to go, even if it’s July of next year.

Vince: Anybody this program definitely not for?

Joel: If you’re stuck in the mentality that you have to sacrifice and deprive yourself to lose weight and just can’t “believe” that you can use your favorite foods to lose weight faster (despite the overwhelming amount of science I’ve shared to support my approach), then this program isn’t for you. If you’re looking to get crazy fast results while eating your favorite foods, then this program will be a godsend.

Lastly, if you have pre-existing medical conditions, of course, you should listen to your doctor and go with his or her advice.

Vince: Last one browksy. What kind of results should action takers expect? You have 100x more fans than skeptics… lets focus on the positive people who are actually going to take action, follow the system and get killer results.

Joel: It really is dependant on your starting point. As you know, those with a lot to lose tend to lose faster at first, while those who are losing the “last 10″ a bit slower. Bottom line, I’ve had people use this approach to get ridiculously lean for a photo shoot (like you’re doing now), and other people who have lost 40, 50, and even 100+ lbs on the program. For the average person with about 20 lbs of fat to lose, I would expect they’d easily be able to lose the vast majority of that DURING this holiday season (while everyone else is out there stuck gaining weight, wondering how you’re chowing down at every holiday party and actually LOSING weight).

END OF INTERVIEW

I did my best the last few days to address as many of your concerns for a number of reasons:

1. I understand you’ve heard me say, “Eat healthy and avoid junk…” and this appears that I have abandoned my beliefs and have betrayed you.  I have not – I am learning just like you and with new experiences, reading and testing, I have discovered new things and am sharing them with you.    Cut a brother some slack – I’m 29 years old.  Did you know everything when you were 29?  Do you know everything right now?  I respect a saying that says, You don’t know what you don’t know. Right?

2. This program is bad ass. It works if you work the plan.  Read that last sentence ten times.

3. Here is my formula for overcoming fear: Knowledge + Action = Overcoming Fear. Ultimately you will not know if this is the real deal unless you try it.  That’s for YOU to decide.  I’m not twisting any arms.  I’ve got a six pack and my girlfriend loves it so I’m not losing sleep at night if you don’t have yours. I’m not interested in helping people who don’t want to help themselves. Makes sense, right?

4. I think 3 reasons are good enough.  I’m off to the Dominican Saturday at 5am and have a killer video of me eating a cheat meal so stay tuned for that and remember to pick up my program by clicking on this link:

http://www.HolidayTreatPlan.com and forward me your receipt with the subject line, “Send Me The Ultimate Cheat Day Workout Bonus Video” to vincedelmontefitness@yahoo.ca and I’ll hook you up with a video I shot yesterday of my cheat day workout.

I know you’re going to want it.

Have an amazing weekend.  Onward and upward!

Vince

P.S. Post questions below if you have them.