It all started with a runny nose…a little sniffle, to be honest.

But it was one that wouldn’t go away, and one I had no reason to have, considering it started in July. Months went by and I was getting sick and tired of people asking me if I had a cold…

thinking that might be the cause.

But then I had a coaching call with nutrition expert, Isabel De Los Rios on Thursday, and she told me I was doing it all wrong.

The diet, that is.

Instead of eliminating one thing at a time, I should eliminate almost everything for two weeks and then slowly add in food that contained dairy for a few days. And then do the same with gluten, etc.

Ugh, embarrassing.

That makes so much more sense and that’s why Isabel is my nutrition coach and one of my three most-trusted sources for nutrition secrets.

She’s given nutrition advice to guys like Bill Phillips (former owner of the world’s biggest sport supplement company), Tim Ferris (NY Times best-selling author), Joel Marion, Mike Geary, and many more of the biggest names in fitness.

As Joel Marion says, “When Isabel speaks, I listen…and so should you.”

Here’s her most important info, all bundled up into a free video presentation for you.

Don’t make the same mistake I did and try to figure out this stuff on your own. Go to the experts. Go to Isabel.

Learn from Isabel here

Take a few minutes to watch Isabel’s free presentation she created for you, where she’ll expose four of the foods you should NEVER
eat if you want to lose belly fat fast.

Controversial?

Yes.

Proven to help you lose fat?

Absolutely.

4 Foods NEVER to eat (free presentation)

This video is just in time to help cure your belly fat problem from the foods you had over the Christmas break.

I listen to what Isabel says (and I watch what SHE eats),

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Certified Turbulence Trainer

Last Sunday afternoon I had my first Christmas dinner of the season. And now there are only THREE more to go. I’m looking forward to each and every one of them because I’ll survive them all – and stay lean – with these 3 rules.

Rule #1 – Use Christmas Dinner as a cheat meal.

Of course, if have 3 or 4 big dinners planned, that doesn’t solve the problem. So we need more solutions.

Rule #2 – Pick your pleasure

If your 2nd big dinner doesn’t fall on a cheat day, then you need to prioritize your preference for tasty pleasures.

At the meal, you get to choose just ONE of the treats. It could be…

- Grandma’s famous pecan pie
- extra potatoes with gravy
- a chocolate dessert
- a glass of Uncle Kenny’s hard-core eggnog
- etc.

But only ONE of the above. Pick your pleasure and enjoy it guilt-free.

Rule #3 – Be perfect the rest of the day.

From breakfast to lunch, and even with your snacks, focus on protein, fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Then enjoy your big dinner. It’s simple.

And for a proven perfect fat loss diet, use this nutrition program to plan all of your other meals to lose fat over Christmas.

The Proven Fat Loss Diet

Take a few minutes to watch Isabel’s free presentation she created for you, where she’ll expose four of the foods you should NEVER eat if you want to lose belly fat fast.

Controversial?

Yes.

Proven to help you lose fat?

Absolutely.

4 Foods NEVER to eat (free presentation)

This video is just in time to help cure your belly fat problem from the foods you’ll eat over the Christmas break.

You CAN survive Christmas dinner and end up LEANER over the holidays…if you listen to what Isabel says (and watch what SHE eats),

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

I’ll be back next week with the details on how you can win $1000 in our next Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. It starts on Monday.

I’m not going to lie to you. I really wanted to eat dessert for breakfast this week while down in Mexico, but I made a promise to you and I stuck to it. Sure I would have enjoyed it for a few moments, but at the cost of losing my integrity.

But it was hard with all those waffles and whip cream there. Well, only on the first day, and then it got easier. I’m probably the only person in our group who lost fat while we were there.

To me, there’s no need to gorge yourself…just because a trip is all inclusive doesn’t mean you need to be ridiculous and eat to the point of being sick. That’s just plain unhealthy binge eating.

If you struggle with binge eating, you need to find:

A) something to break the cycle

B) something to replace this activity

C) routines that keep you out of the exact environment that causes the binge eating

For example, maybe you have a problem with eating a bag of cookies when you get home from work. But perhaps you notice you only do it if you change into your sweats and sit in front of the TV.

What should you do?

The answers are obvious. In addition to not having the cookies in the house, you should avoid changing into your binge clothes, and you should find another activity to do.   Also, you should force yourself to eat something healthy first and to “cut you off” from binging.

Have apples or cut-up vegetables available. In fact, here’s a damaging admission. I won’t lie to you, but when I visit my parent’s house, I eat a lot of cereal after my workout. I’ll have 3 giant bowls if I don’t cut myself off.

And here’s what I do now...

After my 1st bowl, I cut myself off by eating raw broccoli. It gets me out of the “feeding frenzy”. Otherwise I’d eat too much and feel terrible for about 90 minutes.

Hopefully those tips help you out.

Now for this week’s QnA, starting with a nutrition question.

Question: Do you have your clients take in a certain amount of calories or is it just as long as they are eating the right foods and the feel full and energized? - Sheronda

Answer: Here’s what we do:

• Figure out how many they are eating.
• Improve their diet first. Look at their results. Reduce if necessary.
• I don’t use formulas.
• I base it on what they are eating now.

If you want a more structured program, I highly recommend Isabel De Los Rios’ proven diet here: provenfatlossdiet.com

Question: What do you prefer metabolic finishers or interval training. – Bobby

Answer: I like both. Bodyweight finishers are one of the most practical/portable ways to train, but you will be more sore than with intervals. So each is awesome in its own way. Plus, some days I just feel like running in a straight line or running up hills or riding a bike. Depends on my mood and environment.

Question: I’m having trouble with grip strength with some of the exercises in the TT Big 5 Fat Loss Program. You stated that I can switch movements to alleviate this grip strength issue correct? – Femi

Answer: Yes, you can use a barbell or bodyweight only version if necessary.
NOTE: The only reason I don’t include more barbell exercises in TT workouts is because most folks workout at home with little or no equipment.

Question: I’m struggling with wear and tear on my wrists and struggle with press ups. Any ideas on what to do? – Garry

Answer: Garry – You will probably benefit from pushup handles that take stress off the wrists.

Question: What is your opinion of doing metabolic workouts on back to back days as a weight loss plan.

Answer: David – That’s what is done in the TT MRT program. Day 1 – heavy, Day 2 – conditioning, Day 3 off, Day 4 – similar setup as Day 1, Day 5 uses a similar setup as Day 2, and then Days 6 & 7 are off.

You can grab the full TT MRT program here:

Question: Craig, you used to be a Grad student right? How did you manage workouts with that hectic schedule?

Answer: Good question. There were days I was in the lab for 16 hours.

That’s when I invented Turbulence Training. the story is at Turbulence Training.com

Question: What’s a basic kettlebell workout when the goal is weightloss. Thanks. – Eric

Answer: Eric – Check out the man who shares the same last name as you, Chris Lopez, and his articles/vids at kettlebellworkouts.com

Question: As a trainer, what was the first obstacle you had to overcome to see yourself as successful? And what was the most recent obstacle you had to overcome to remain successful? – David

Answer: David – Making the time for all of my projects. That is the big obstacle. Also, you need a long-term vision. It will help you tolerate short-term problems because you have long-term optimism.

Question: Yesterday I did pushups, BW rows, BW squats, dips, 0.5 mile laps around block in a circuit. I did 3 rounds. I think next time I will only do 0.25. My question is this. Is there anything I could? Do to this circuit to increase the fat burn? I didn’t have too much core work in it but I am sore as he’ll today from it. Any suggestions are appreciated. – Freddie

Answer: Freddie – I would add more resistance to the first couple of exercises, or at least harder versions (decline pushup, pullup).

Alright, great QnA session.

Have a great weekend,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – If you have a question, just drop by the TT FB page here to ask it:

“The world does not reward average people well so I will be extraordinary. – Ted Nicholas

There are many, many useless debates in the health and fitness world.

Debates about milk…

Fights about whether to eat meat or not eat meat…

Anger over whey vs soy protein…

None of these really matter.

Seriously.

If you think different, I’m sorry, but you’re wasting time and energy on these arguments.

You see, there are really only 4 Horsemen of your body’s apocalypse, and neither milk, nor soy, nor meat are one of them.

Today you’re going to discover the 4 simple things you really need to be careful about if you want to live a long and healthy life.

Fortunately, they’re not even that difficult to avoid.

The great news is that this short list will bring you a LOT less stress when it comes to designing your healthy lifestyle.

Here we go…

The first horseman is SMOKING.

Seriously, people still do this?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes, but this is one of the worst things you can do for your health.

However, smokers also teach us something about why so many “great health debates” are pointless drivel.

Look, smokers are inhaling poisonous gasses into their lungs repeatedly on a daily basiss, and yet according to research from the British Medical this cuts a smoker’s lifespan by only 10 years.

Only 10 years from inhaling smoke directly into your lungs on a daily basis for over 35 years.

So really, is one diet coke a week going to kill you and knock 10 years off your life?

What about a glass of milk each day?

Or eating whole grains?

I don’t think so.

(In fact, most research from Walter Willet at Harvard University shows that eating whole grains actually EXTENDS someone’s lifespan…but that’s an argument I’ll never get into.)

If you smoke, please try to stop. And NEVER, EVER, EVER give up on trying to quit. It may take many attempts, but you can do it.

The second horseman is excessive DRINKING (of alcohol, of course).

This horseman killed my father and for that I would like to whip this horseman’s butt. But alas, I cannot.

But perhaps I can spare your child a lot of pain and misery by convincing YOU to take a good look at your own alcohol intake.

Alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States (with smoking and obesity ranking first and second).

The bad news is that it’s really easy to drink excessively. More than two drinks per day for a man, and one for a woman, will add up into health problems over time.

Binge drinking – six drinks or more in a single session – is probably even worse.

My father died at 69 years old. Not even 70. Who doesn’t hit 70 years old in Canada in this day and age?

I mean, c’mon, right? Stupid Horseman.

Don’t make the same mistakes he did. Please.

You know the facts.

Your decision.

The third horseman is OBESITY.

Probably the most popular horseman of the four. You see it everywhere, all over the world.

Such a shame. But probably easier to overcome than quitting an addiction like cigarettes and alcohol.

However, while cigarettes and alcohol are thought of as being ‘more evil’ than simple obesity, a recent study concluded:

“Obesity appears to have a stronger association with the occurrence of chronic medical conditions, reduced health-related quality of life, and increased health care and medication spending than smoking or problem drinking has. Only 20 years’ aging has similar-size effects.”  Ref: Health Affairs, March 2002 vol. 21 no. 2 245-253.

Did you catch that message?

The author concluded that if you’re obese, then you have the health of someone TWENTY years older than you. So if you’re a 55 year old obese individual, you actually have the body of a 75 year old. (And surely NOT a FIT 75 year old.)

That’ what makes this Horseman so dangerous. You might not be buying socially unacceptable items like cigarettes and alcohol, but your body is losing an important fight.

So fight back.

Diet is your sword against this enemy, and exercise is your shield.

Take up your weapons and fight him well. I’ll be right be your side.

You’ll need me, because the fourth Horseman of your body’s apocalypse often fights in tandem with his partner.

And that fourth Horseman is LACK OF EXERCISE.

Ever so cunning, the fourth Horseman is thought to be innocuous.

What’s the big deal, right? You don’t struggle with cigarettes, booze, or obesity, so why should you worry about exercise, right?

That’s exactly what this Horseman wants you to think so you’ll let your guard down, and then WHAM!

You’ll get his trident in your back and be cut down by his gladius.

(Sorry, I’ve been watching too many episodes of Spartacus: Blood and Sand lately.)

The deadly skills of the 4th Horseman are not noticed until it’s too late. Your slim mother may have gone 75 years without health issues, but because of her lack of exercise – a lack of strength training in particular – she soon loses her ability to perform daily tasks.

One day, balance, determined predominantly by strength, fails her, and she tumbles. A broken hip is nearly impossible to overcome.

A little strength training done on a consistent basis will mean so much to us in the future. Take up exercise as your weapon today, it’s never too late at any age.

As you can see, the four Horseman of your body’s apocalypse are serious enemies. Far more serious than the annoying pests that so many “gurus” want to debate today.

Fortunately, these 4 Horsemen, your REAL enemies, can be avoided with a simple, healthy lifestyle.

I urge you, if you’re fighting with any of these Horsemen, to get weapons and support for your battle.

You CAN beat them. You CAN win. You CAN live a long and healthy life without massive sacrifices.

Let us fight these enemies together,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Certified Turbulence Trainer
Certified Weapon to Fight the 4 Horsemen -

I’m down in Mexico at a small fitness seminar with Joel Marion, Mike Geary, Vince & Flavia Del Monte, Adam Steer, John Romaniello, and a few others.

There’s also a little holiday built-in to the trip…although I just discovered something hilarious that might mess things up (see my PS below).

But even though I’m on holiday there are a few foods I will NOT eat.

The first is French Fries, or as I call them, “edible cancer sticks”.

With fries, you get deadly trans-fats and chemicals that are associated with an increased risk of cancer. No thanks.

The second is nacho chips. And this will be tough, because there will always be nacho chips on the table before your food arrives…you know, when you’re hungry and they are just sitting there. But I’ll survive  without them.

By the way, the great thing about writing a list like this is that my friends will read it and will hold me to it while on the trip. Consider sharing your goals with positive people who will give you social support.

Nacho chips have the same negative qualities as fries. I will just have to remember, “They are not-ch-yo chips Craiggy. So don’t eat them.”

Finally, the 3rd food I won’t eat is, well, it’s a category of food, and that is “dessert for breakfast”. So no waffles with whip-cream, or pancakes with chocolate chips, or muffins (i.e. mini-cakes).

I certainly won’t be eating these foods when I sit down to breakfast, lunch, or dinner with my friend and nutrition expert, Isabel De Los Rios.

Believe me, I kept an eye on what she had to eat, after all, she’s one of my three trusted sources for nutrition secrets.

As my friend Joel Marion says, “When Isabel speaks, I listen…and so should you.” Check out her video below for more foods NOT to eat.

=> Do NOT Eat These 4 Foods if you want to lose fat fast

Take a few minutes to watch Isabel’s free presentation she created for you, where she’ll expose four of the foods you should NEVER eat if you want to lose belly fat fast.

Controversial?

Yes.

Proven to help you lose fat?

Absolutely.

=> 4 Foods NEVER to eat (free presentation)

This video is just in time to help cure your belly fat problem before the holiday season, PLUS she’ll show you how to  stay lean even while on vacation or while eating big holiday dinners.

I listen to what Isabel says (and I watch what SHE eats),

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – Okay, ready for something funny?

Turns out the weather in Cancun is calling for thunderstorms for the next 4 days. Oh dear.

That means more time sitting around inside surrounded by bad foods.

But I’ve made my pledge…I’m not eating those 3 foods. But I will be working out with John Romaniello and Adam Steer.

I’ll tell you about those workouts on Friday.