The “Cost” of Eating Healthy

January 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

[ Note: This article was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. I have his permission to share it with you. ]

One of the biggest myths out there is the myth that eating healthy costs too much.

Just the opposite… and I’ll prove it to you in three ways.

#1: Cash

Here’s some sample figures courtesy of my friend Scott Tousignant’s fitness blog…

2 medium size sweet potatoes $1 or… small fries from a fast food joint

2 red peppers $1 or… a can of pop

Bowl of oatmeal with fruit & protein powder $2 or… large bag of chips

6 Chicken Breasts $10 or… a sub combo from a fast food joint

18 eggs $3.50 or… a burger from a fast food joint

2 salmon fillets $15 or… large pizza

Loaded chicken salad (homemade) $3 or… bag of cookies

Large bag of oatmeal $3.50 or… 4 chocolate bars

Not much of a comparison, it is?

Yet the foods on the left would feed a family of two or more for 4-7 days… the foods on the right? 2-3 days if you live through it.

Tips to make the most expensive part of eating healthy — the cost of quality meats — go further include…

1. Use tofu fillers in chicken and beef recipes. Even if you hate tofu, you can barely taste the difference when combined properly.

2. Buy your meats in bulk online. You can find less expensive grass-fed beef and naturally-raised chicken and have it delivered to you if you live near a large city. If not, check the local farmers.

3. Eat meat only 3-4 times per week and use black beans with rice or inexpensive tuna for your other days. I eat tuna cooked in a skillet with lots of veggies and some olive oil almost every night and I LOVE the taste!

My book The Every Other Day Diet has over 40 pages of recipes in it to help you eat healthy and cheap… and you can still eat out and consume your favorite foods several times per week.

#2: Your Health

Do we ‘really’ need to talk about buy new (usually larger) clothes every year or two? Or about the health care costs associated with being even 20 pounds over your ideal weight, let alone more? How about the time you miss from work with excessive colds?

Eating healthy and taking care of your body adds years to your life… and for the record, the years eating poorly takes away from your life, on average, costs each American over 80,000 in medical expenses.

Want to add that to your food budget?

#3: The Big Picture

Anyone who has been fit knows the joy it brings… the freedom you feel from wearing whatever you want… the productivity you see from increased energy… the pace at which you move during the day.

Not only are these gifts priceless, but they are also massive cash-savers. Your productivity alone can add thousands to your bottom line each year, well off-setting any costs associated with eating quality food.

The Bottom Line…

Like any good accountant would suggest, you need to look at your ROI (return on investment) if nothing else.

What does investing in a better body, greater health, and vibrant energy do for your life? How can that actually translate into more income AND less expense?

You will be surprised.

Remember:
Don’t Quit. Get Fit!

P.S. If you want some tips on getting started with shedding that excess weight… go here for a short video… and prepare to take some notes! …

it’s freee….

Weight Loss Tips

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , , ,

Which Online Fat Loss Program? (2)

June 17, 2010 By 2 Comments

Hey there, Dave G here.

Apologies for the late posting of Part 2 of this article on “which online fat loss program”. It’s taken a little longer than I thought. I hope you like it.

I’ve created a mind map for you. This summarises the key points that I made in Part 1 Of This Article – these are the key decision criteria that you should consider before purchasing an on-line fat loss program.

Before anything, however, you need to understand what you are trying to achieve and what resources you have available to you… what are your fat loss goals? It is important to have clarity on this before starting your research…

THE BEST…?

I’ve been in the same position as you. When I started I quickly got confused with all the information that’s out there. So what I’ve done for you here is summarised “The Best….” programs for different outcomes. These short summaries are based on my experience with each of the products. If you click on the links, it will take you directly to a more extensive product review for each program that has been considered “The Best….”

This information is summaried in a table at the end of this blog post. I hope you find it useful.

The Best… Fat Loss Through Exercise:

FAT BURNING FURNACE

This program changed my life. Forget the cardio – go high intensity with resistance training. With training sessions lasting 20 to 30 minutes and repeated only 2 to 3 times per week, the Fat Burning Furnace not only raises your metabolism to burn fat fast, but it also saves you a bunch of your valuable time. Workout programs come complete with photos and their is also a sound nutrition program to boot! Suitable from beginners to advanced athletes.

The Best…Fat Loss Through Nutrition and Exercise:

THE TRUTH ABOUT SIX PACK ABS

This is not dissimilar to the Fat Burning Furnace, but has an increased focus on the best abdominal exercises to create your six pack. Forget ab machines, crunches and sit ups – this program defines which specific ab exercises you need to do as well as whole body workouts. Comprehensive explanations of each exercise are provided in conjunction with photos. It’s not about using fat loss tablets – the author provides a comprehensive guide to which foods you should and shouldn’t be eating.

 

The Best…NON-Restrictive Diet:

EVERY OTHER DAY DIET

I don’t believe in fad diets – simply because that they are unhealthy and they don’t work. They slow your metabolism down to a snail’s pace which is far from conducive to efficiently burning body fat. So what’s different about the EODD program. It works by using calorie shifting or interval eating. By eating what you want every other day and focusing on a set meal plan on the other days, you can trick your body into maintaining a high metabolism – and therefore burn fat!

 

The Best…Fat Loss Through Nutrition:

BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE

This product is the best-selling fat loss and fitness program is internet history. The author modeled the fat loss secrets of fitness professionals over the past 20 years and ‘summarised’ the results in this 300 page fat loss bible. The main emphasis of the program is on nutrition – simply because what you eat is the most important key to getting lean. But don’t worry, it’s not just about nutrition – the program also covers the exercises and workout routines as used by top athletes. There is also a tremendous section on goal setting.

 

The Best…Fat Loss Through Interval Training:

TURBULENCE TRAINING

Turbulence Training prides itself on rapid fat loss results for both men and women who don’t have a huge amount of time to exercise. It’s a combination of resistance and interval training used to primarily boost your metabolism so that you are burning calories and fat in-between workouts. No ifs, buts or maybes – you will need only 3 workouts per week with Turbulence Training. The primary Turbulence Training tools are a bench, dumbbells and an exercise ball – so not an expensive way to burn fat fast!

 

The Best…Goal Setting & Role Model Program:

FIT OVER 40

This program is both an inspirational and compelling read that forces you to reach deep into your core for answers and solutions irrespective of your age. Fit Over 40 is not a prescriptive workout or nutrition program – instead it is a motivational guide of how 52 people of between ages 40 to 70+ have overcome the odds to reach incredible physical condition. The motivational and mind set strategies are missed by so many other fat loss and fitness publications – and it is for this reason why so many over-fat people fail to achieve their fitness goals… instead they eventually quit trying altogether.

 

The Best…Muscle Building Program

7-MINUTE MUSCLE

This program is about how to create lean muscle with super-short workouts (7-minutes) using progressive resistance training. The package comprises a comprehensive e-book and accompanying digital workout videos. The book itself, although short (less than 100 pages) is loaded with information. The author had been researching old training manuals from the 50’s and 60’s and had been experimenting with muscle building and fat loss workouts that were as short as 7 minutes. What he noticed that that short duration programs worked well in developing muscle! He’s not just making this up… he actually cites over 100 studies in the 7 Minute Muscle program.

 

Fat Loss Program Summary Matrix:

 

So What Now?

Here’s your 7 step plan to getting started…

  1. Determine your fat loss goals.
  2. Use the mind map to understand the decision criteria to select the fat loss program for you.
  3. Use te Matrix to select the 2-3 preferred products.
  4. Read the detailed product reviews for this short list.
  5. Conduct your own research on these short listed products.
  6. Make a go-for-one decision.
  7. Commit to the program.

 

I hope you found this 2-part article useful. Now it’s up to you to take action and follow through.

Are you ready?

 

To your Leaner Body


Dave G

Filed Under: Fat Loss Program Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

1-Minute Fat Loss Tip for this Week

April 11, 2010 By 12 Comments

Note: This article was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. I have his permission to share it with you.

Got a minute? That’s all I need to share my first of many video-based 1-minute fat loss tips.

Go here for the first of many….

==>  How To Eat Your Favorite Foods And Drop Bodyfat <==

My new design is something to see too. I have my weekly live 1-minute video, tons of new features… even a “diet quiz” if you care to test your fat loss knowledge.

Plus my main presentation: “1 Fat Loss Tip To A Flat Belly!”

Just don’t laugh at my ballcap/unshaven look in the video… I wanted this to be super-casual, but I may have taken it a bit too far… ; )

Oh… speaking of a flat belly… I’d like to give you yet another reason to eat and workout the way I suggest in “Every Other Day Diet” and “7 Minute Body”…

I had to go to the hospital last week. No worries… I’m fine… just a bit of a scare. Definitely enough to wake you up from walking through life like it will never end! But fortunately for me, only a scare.

Anyway, the doctors in the hospital were amazed when they looked at my heart and lungs (they had to make sure I did not have any infection… and I didn’t.)

“Most 46-year-olds do not have these around their heart,” the doctor said as he showed me the pictures they took. You could see all these vessels around the heart and branching off the main arteries.

“Peripheral vessels… they were formed by your exercise program. Well-done! These help keep your heart strong and healthy.”

Every doc that listened to my heart said, “Wow… strong heart!” Indeed… resistance training makes it so.

Before I left, after the scare went away, I asked the doctor his opinion on my dietary plan. “Well, obviously you are very lean and in fantastic shape for a man of any age.”

Thanks doc, but I wasn’t fishing for a compliment!  Since this was a heart doctor I was curious as to his thoughts.

“If you had heart disease, or if you want to prevent it, this is the exact dietary plan I would recommend.”

While I expected to hear this, it was still music to my ears.

So, my higher-than-normal dietary fat and protein, lower-carb, and relatively frequent “fun food” dietplan is “ideal” to combat heart disease according to the good doc. And according to my family doctor.

Nice to know. Read more about my plan here…

==>  How To Eat Your Favorite Foods And Drop Bodyfat <==

Remember: A good dietplan and exercise is not always sufficient to keep you disease-freee… but I love what the doctor told me.  “People who exercise and eat like you LIVE through it and recover much faster.”

Fortunately I didn’t have a nasty virus to recover from… but if I did, I know my condition would have helped me do just that.

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , ,

Eat Fast Food & Drop Bodyfat!

February 2, 2010 By 8 Comments

Hi

Believe it or not you can get lean by eating fast food. I know, it sounds crazy… but in a few weeks I’m going to prove it to the world with the release of my newest mini e-book “Fast Food Fitness: How I Dropped 40lbs Eating Fast Food Every Day.”

Do you think I’m joking?  I’m not. Of course there’s a WAY to eat fast food and drop the pounds. You can’t just eat like everyone else does. That’s common sense. And believe me, there are more healthy ways to drop the pounds than eating fast food… for sure. But the way I figure it: Would you rather be healthier and lean or unhealthy and overfat?

Silly question… so consider “Fast Food Fitness” a path to the lesser of two evils… and one that actually got me to 10% bodyfat (that’s pretty lean!) a few years ago. Here’s how it started:

I simply hate to cook!  I have since solved that problem… I hired a part-time chef (it’s cheaper than it sounds)… but until two years ago I was eating out every single meal… I mean EVERY MEAL.

Most of the time… not all of the time, but most of the time… these meals were fast food joints like burger joints and even fried chicken places. But I had to keep my physique, so … what to do? Well… you’ll have to wait. At least a few weeks.

If you want the book for half-price, you have to own a copy of “Every Other Day Dietplan”… everyone who owns a copy before “Fast Food Fitness” hits the Internet will get half-off. So go here if you don’t have EODD yet …

click—–>  My Favorite Foods Fatloss-Plan

Here’s 3 of my top 25 fast-food diet-tips… just these 3 will take you 1/3 of the way there…

First, use my Half-n-Half Principle. Order whatever you are going to order and then have the person behind the counter cut the order exactly in HALF. Half to go… half to eat there. Eat half now…. then the other half 3-4 hours later. Believe it or not you will store less bodyfat and even increase your metabolism eating like this.

Simple trick… give it a shot. Second, ditch all the starch. That means buns, bread and anything made of flour. BUT here’s the “still tastes good” trick I use. I keep ONE of the pieces of bread from, say, my hamburger. Then I “pick” at it while I enjoy the meat and either a small diet soda or tea. Eat no more than 5 “picks” at the bread… about half a slice. You still get the exact taste of a burger with none of the stuff that makes most people over-fat.

Third, for you chicken lovers, split your order between fried and baked chicken. KFC has excellent baked chicken… try it. Then strip most of the skin off the fried chicken. Not all… most. You still get the taste, but with far fewer bad food-stuffs and calories…. make sense? Enjoy the tips… but remember, the healthiest (and tastiest) way to eat is still my Every Other Day Dietplan, which works in your favorite foods each week….

click—–>  My Favorite Foods Fatloss-Plan

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