calories

FAT DOGS AND FAT AMERICANS Barney's got a problem. He looks like a Wookie from Star Wars, but that's not the problem I'm talking about. He's fat. Blubbery even. When he walks around on his four legs, it sounds like two beefy men in their slippers shuffling towards the refrigerator in the hopes...

Eat More But Lose Fat and Gain Muscle Bodybuilding’s holy grail, its equivalent to the quest for nuclear fusion, has always been the diet that allows you to put on muscle while cutting fat. Oh, some of the keto people will tell you they have that covered with their diet, but aside from being...

First, let’s start with just a classic hamburger recipe then modify it three ways: vegan, high calorie, and low calorie. For our classic recipe we adapted this one from the Betty Crocker website. INGREDIENTS 2 pounds lean ground beef 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper to taste...

Did you know that there is incredible controversy over the “right” way to make chili? The debate arises over the inclusion of beans in this classic recipe. If you are from Texas, forget about including beans, they do NOT belong in chili! If you are from anywhere else, the bean issue is up for...

So you want to lose a few pounds and heard whey protein powder may be a good idea. You heard right, a good source of protein can aid nearly all aspects of weight loss. For instance: The Atkins diet is basically a high protein diet. The Ketogenic Diet requires significant protein. And high...

Given the world's rapid transition to work-from-home positions and online jobs, many people face the plight of sitting behind a computer for lengthy amounts of time daily. Intuitively, it takes more energy to stand than it does to sit, but how many calories does standing burn, exactly? Recent...

A common mistake people make when they want to get to a healthy weight is trying to lose body fat too quickly. This either results in a person sacrificing their muscle mass and/or health problems that make their eating habits unsustainable. The verb "can" has no intrinsic limit in the context...

Have you ever wondered how many calories are in a pound of fat? While this generalization is reasonable, it is not very precise. So, how many calories does a pound (of body fat or muscle mass) really contain? Does a static model make sense for projecting calorie intake to lose weight? Let's...

The ketogenic diet is one of the hottest diet trends at the moment. Not fat-adapted yet? Not putting sticks of butter in your coffee? Welp, you can't sit with us! (A sarcastic reference to Mean Girls, in case you missed it.) I don't know what's more disturbing – putting sticks of butter in...

ARE YOU DIET FLUID? I'm a "dietary agnostic." Or, if I were to use more current social parlance, you could call it "diet fluid." In other words, I don't believe any one type of eating is inherently better – from a health perspective – than another. Further, as a student of human physiology and...

If you're trying to reach a certain physique goal and you're not paying much attention to what you're eating, you're essentially playing ping pong in the dark. You might occasionally score, but mostly you'll just be swinging wildly. To save yourself years of frustration, sub-optimal gains, and...

The thermic effect of food (TEF) is the energy expenditure above the body's resting metabolic rate due to the cost of processing food for use and storage. Basically, your body has to burn calories to break food down. Your system has to work much harder to assimilate nutrients that aren't...

Gaining weight is a full-time job – NOT a hobby. At IFAST, we've got a slew of high-school football players whose goal is to get bigger and stronger for the upcoming season. Some are moving from defensive back to linebacker while others are moving from linebacker to the defensive line. The...

"CALORIES DON'T MATTER ON KETO!" Wrong. Caloric intake above maintenance will still cause fat gain. One of the most misleading statements about keto diets is that calories don't matter as long as you're not consuming carbs. This stems from the insulin-to-obesity theory. It goes something like...

It's that time of year, when even the most anti-cosmetic guy thinks a little bit less about his lifting totals and a little bit more about how he looks in his spandex lifting suit. If that just made you throw up in your mouth, or made you want to punch me in the face, you don't have to keep...

LAST TO BURN, FIRST TO COME BACK Most people have body fat trouble spots, even bodybuilders and fit people. You know what I'm talking about: the annoying pouch of fat just below your belly. Or that fold of flab protruding above your jeans like one of those oversized muffins you see at gas...

When it comes to losing weight, there are a lot of myths out there. Do you struggle to lose weight even after cutting calories? What about unable to maintain that weight loss? Have you gained some weight back after each diet? Many may say metabolic damage is the culprit, and that you are...

Cardio is important for all health and fitness goals, but not all types of cardio are equal. While there are a dizzying array of cardio options — from walking to rowing to sprinting and more — for you to choose from, the best form of cardio for you depends on your current fitness status, any...

Although steady state cardio can be great for your overall health, it probably isn't the most effective way to lose weight. Here are four reasons why you should start your weight loss journey through diet and lifting weights instead of slaving away on a treadmill. Reason #1: Doing Cardio...

How to gain weight for bodybuilding If you want to get big and grow muscle, you really need to EAT. And we’re not talking protein shakes and snacks between meals – we’re talking 5+ meals a day, six eggs for breakfast, shakes containing 1200+ kcals apiece. If you’re a hard gainer looking to bulk...