My 68 Pound Weight Loss using Tom Venuto’s BFFM

Doing cardio seven days a week, month after month, year after year is unnecessary and will eventually lead to injury, over-training or burnout.

When I first read these words in July 2003 on page 272 of Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle (BFFM) I was overcome with a tidal wave of emotions.

Why? Well what Tom articulated in one simple sentence had just summed up 3 years of pain and burnout I experienced first-hand due to excessive cardio and a general lack of knowledge of training and nutrition.

Before BFFM: Excessive Cardio Started A Downward Spiral

Just take a look at the above picture slide to see first-hand how excessive cardio literally drained muscle from my body between June 2000 and October 2000. As you can see in my July 2003 picture I got discouraged and completely lost the plot due to a fundamental lack of knowledge.

This was just one of many “aha” moments that rocked my world as I read BFFM for the first time. Reading this book was both liberating and chilling as I finally came face-to-face with exactly why my training and nutrition methods had not been working for all those years.

The statement above in regards to excessive cardio is just one of the many nuggets of gold you can expect to find inside the covers of BFFM.

Three Years Of Darkness And Misery

Before I go any further, let me back up a little. It was July 2003 when I first purchased BFFM, exactly 3 years after my first Body For Life physique transformation challenge. Due to a fear of changing a “winning routine” in BFL I followed it day-in-day out for 10 months straight.

I Burned Out

By July 2003 I had slid down the rabbit hole to a point where I was now a caricature of my former self. I now weighed in at 105 kg’s at 27% bodyfat, which was a long way from my July 2000 ‘after picture’ of 78 kg’s at 8% bodyfat.

Truth be told my descent into 3 years of darkness and misery was not the fault of BFL. It was a combination of burnout, apathy, guilt and a lack of knowledge regarding nutrition and training as you can see from 4 picture slide above.

Suffice to say, by the time I got BFFM I was at a major crossroad in my life.

I Was Desperate For Answers…

I was desperate for answers and practical solutions so I could once again transform my body and live the life I knew I was destined to lead.

When I bought BFFM I was absolutely blown away! Not only by the vast amount of nutrition and training advice but I was also astounded by how little I really knew!

After reading BFFM for the first time it immediately dawned on me why following the same BFL plan to get back into shape hadn’t been working for the previous 3 years.

16 Fat Loss Fundamentals I Learned From BFFM.

BFFM was the first book that introduced me to the following principles of fat loss:

Counting calories (rather than portions),
Body type variables
Starvation response
Metabolic slowdown
Adopting a “habit mindset” instead of a “diet mindset”
TDEE and Harris Benedict formula
Macronutrition guidelines
Carb tapering
Carb cycling (zig-zag, re-feeding)
Foods to avoid at all costs
The truth about supplements and MRP’s (a biggie!)
Fat burning zone myth
Cardio cycling (a massive one!)
How to increase calorie burn through tweaks to cardio
Bodypart splits for weight training
Baseline diet for men (which I used)

Yes, it is true. I was a complete novice, I had never heard of any of these crucial fat loss factors before.

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I Lost 20 kg’s of Fat Over 3 Years, But…

In retrospect, my lack of knowledge of these fundamentals was a major factor why I wasn’t able to get back into shape by following the same BFL plan as before for those 3 years.

By applying the above fat loss fundamentals of BFFM over the next three and a half years I was able to decrease my weight from 105kg 27% BF to 85 kg at 20.8% BF.

However, no matter how hard I tried I always seemed to self-sabotage when I got on a roll. My progression over these 3.5 years was not a linear one. I was up and down a lot.

BFFM Chapter 1 Is Absolutely Critical

Then in late October 2006 I had to fly back to Australia for a week. During this time I had a lot of soul-searching to do because of a confluence of events both personal and external.

I had my laptop with me and I re-read BFFM again to see what other cardio and nutrition tips I could pick up. (BFFM is an encyclopedia of fat loss!)

This time I was so desperate I “even” read Chapter 1 again: Goal-Setting. I had always skimmed through this chapter because I felt I was “wasting time” by reading another chapter on goal-setting.

After reading tons of self-help books over the years and attending live events for Tony Robbins etc, I thought I knew everything there was to know about goals. I just wanted to “get busy” on the training and nutrition plan.

One Line In BFFM Changed Everything

As I was re-reading Chapter 1 on goal-setting (on page 2) one sentence literally leaped off the page and grabbed me by the throat.

“The secret to staying motivated all the time is to set emotionally charged goals”

I really took this heart especially since my whole trip to Australia was emotionally charged due to the circumstances. Truth be told I was really starting to feel like a “loser” because I had spent 6 years in Japan with nothing really to show for it.

Tom’s 11 Step Goal-Setting Formula

I then proceeded to map out a comprehensive plan using Tom’s 11 Step Formula in what became Mission 1. I went through each step of Tom’s formula and applied it to my Mission 1 overall plan.

Below are just a few of the components of Tom’s Goal-Setting Formula and how I applied it.

Specific, Measurable And Realistic:

I set a goal to get under 10% BF by February 1st, 2007 which was specific, measurable and realistic since I was starting at 20.8% BF and the mission would go for a 12-week time fame from Nov 8, 2006.

Emotionally Charged:

This goal emotionally charged me because February 1st is my birthday and I really wanted to turn my life around before I turned 33. I really felt that this was my “final shot” and living my dreams. If I didn’t make it I knew I would succumb to “old age” once I got into my mid-30′s.

To increase the emotional intensity I decided my reward would be eating a chocolate birthday cake while holding a six-pack of abs. As I had fought a 6 year-long battle with “junk food free days” this was very symbolic for me.

Accountability:

To increase the accountability factor and add “real-time tracking” to my physical progress I decided to start a (another) blog and document every day by journaling my thoughts, emotions, workouts and nutrition along with a daily picture.

(This was my second attempt at blogging a physique transformation, First one started on September 25, 2006 and ended in failure on October 26, 2006)

I mapped out this Mission 1 plan while in Australia and I when I got back to Japan I successfully implemented my plan. Below is the result.
As you can see by the results I have gotten since I took the time to map out a plan following Tom’s formula I now fully understand how critical it is to get your “head right” first.

BFFM Is The Key To Rapid (And Permanent) Fat Loss

In hindsight, the mindset/goal-setting chapter is the first chapter for a reason. Tom knows that this is the most important factor when it comes to rapid fat loss. Everything flows from your mind first: your discipline, your goals; your motivation and your “reason why”. Put simply, if you don’t get your “head right” first then how can you expect your body to follow.

By finally taking the time to not only read but also implement Tom’s mindset and goal-setting strategies was THE fundamental difference between my 6 years of failure and my recent success in not only transforming my body but maintaining a decent shape for over a year now.

At the end of the day,

Tom can only show you the door, you still have to walk through it.

Put simply, Tom Venuto changed my life through his information, inspiration, personal application by providing me with the tools to make a transformation in mind, body, life and spirit.

The Hard-Core Truth About Fat Loss

Here’s the good news, there is no reason that I know of why it has to take you years to implement Tom’s advice into your training, nutrition and mental strategies to transform your mind, body and life.

Quite simply, if you want to know the hard-core truth about rapid fat loss while also saving potentially thousands of dollars in supplement expenses then Tom Venuto is your man.

Tom also pulls no punches in regards to nutrition and supplementation (as he is not owned by any supplement company) and lays out exactly what it really takes to get in and stay in shape.

BFFM = No Theory, No Filler

Everything Tom says in BFFM is backed up his 19 years of in-the-trenches experience in the world of competitive natural bodybuilding where there is only one thing that matters…results.

And as you can see by my facial expression in my Before and After BFFM pictures results are what matter to me as well!

Tom Inspired Me To Start This Blog

One more thing…Tom’s blog at Bodybuilding Secrets was the spark for me to create this blog.

The way Tom held himself accountable to his large number of readers by publishing regular pictures of his pre-contest preparation was pure genius.

As you can see from the journey I have taken over the last 166 days one spark of an idea can lead to massive results in a short period of time.

Here’s The Bottom Line

Find yourself a mentor (Tom Venuto?) and follow exactly what he/she says.

Don’t do what I did and “cherry pick” the chapters you like the best. Be sure to read through Tom’s book thoroughly and then implement his advice that is congruent with your specific goals.

If I have any credibility with you at all please hear me on this. If rapid-fire fat loss is your goal then drop everything and buy Tom Venuto’s ebook right now.

Tom Venuto will dramatically shortcut your learning curve so hopefully you won’t have to endure the years of misery I went through before I found Tom (and trained with him!).

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BFFM Direct Order Link: Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle

Important: While I would love to guarantee results for you I cannot do that with a clear conscience. I will help you the best I can, however the results you get will be directly proportional to the effort you put in.

Shred on,
Adam Waters, NESTA-CPT

BFFM Order Link: Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle