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Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle
Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is a 357 page ebook written by natural bodybuilder Tom Venuto. I got hold of the ebook some time ago, and have read it a number of times. During my fat loss phase I probably referred to the book once a week.
Apparently it's been one of the top-selling weight loss ebooks for over a year now, so I thought I'd give my spin on it.
So what's so good about it?
There are loads of weight loss ebooks out there. After a brief search, I found no less than 88 diet ebooks! Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to read a few of these. The reality is - most of these ebooks are crap. Forgive the crudeness but it's true. Many of them are cheaply produced generic diet plans that you might try for a few weeks, and then throw out.
I got hold of Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle(BFFM)after the author sent a copy for me to have a look at. The sheer size of it put me off at first - after all most diet books are formatted in a nice simple quick-to-read style - so as to make them more attractive.
After delving into BFFM I discovered this was quite unlike any other diet book. There are no promises of outstanding breakthroughs or secret methods - just simple facts about fat loss. However the book is anything but simple - there's a lot of science and a lot of reality.
What's in the book?
Everything is covered - nutrition, weight / strength training, cardio, goal-setting, dedication - in fact everything that's needed to reach a fat loss goal. My first few reads were skim reads, but I have found in my journey that I began to read all the details eventually.
What's NOT so good about BFFM?
Like any successful person, the author Tom Venuto has his critics. One person has called him egotistical. However in my emails with Tom, I've found him to be quite helpful and very genuine. But let's face it – to be a bodybuilder you have to have a certain amount of vanity!
The other thing is, BFFM is NOT a quick-fix - nor is it easy. Sounds like typical fat loss really, and BFFM makes no false promises. The program requires motivation. Also I find the concept of getting obsessive over calories, grams, portion size to be tiresome - but it is something you will need to do to get a handle on the amounts of food that work for you.
Some people also accuse Tom of being too zealous in promoting lots and lots of exercise. There certainly is a huge element of cardio training in his advice – BUT – he also talks a lot about finding what is right for you.
What's the nutritional advice about?
BFFM will completely educate you on the core nutrients - carbohydrates, protein, and fats. The appendix provides a number of sample meal plans - but the book is all about teaching you how to eat right, and make your own meal plans. I get frustrated by all the books out there that make absolute claims about weight loss methods. There is no perfect answer as we are all very different, and have to find out what works for us.
It terms of nutrient ratios - I would call BFFM a moderate carb, moderate protein, low-ish fat diet. But there is no strict formula in the book. It's all about finding what works.
The Last Word
Personally I think BFFM is a must-read for anyone who wants to lose fat. Will it be the complete and perfect answer? Of course not! But it will give you all the tools and understanding to seriously transform yourself. In fact, reading BFFM gave me a huge burst of motivation, as for once it actually seemed do-able.
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