Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Review
What Is It?
Weighing in at 341 pages, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is a mammoth work that covers all the fundamentals of weight reduction and successful weight maintenance. Nutrition, weight and strength training, cardio, goal-setting, dedication. No rock is left unturned. Bodybuilder and author Ton Venuto marshals all of this information into a format that is both a motivational read and a valuable resource for future reference.
One of the reasons for the book’s length is Venuto offers not a system, but a customizable roadmap for achieving weight loss. How, Venuto asks, could a single system possibly serve the needs of everyone on the planet? Starting with the principal that no two bodies and metabolisms are exactly the same, he provides information and advice that readers can use to create their own personal weight-loss programs.
Obviously, some people will take the customization aspect further than others. They will come closer to putting in place the sort of thinking and actions that Venuto advocates for successful weight loss. But everyone who reads the book will gain useful knowledge about the science of weight loss. And perhaps more importantly, they will increase their awareness of the challenge people face in understanding their individual dietary and activity needs – an understanding necessary for maintaining long-term, healthy weight levels.
How it works
Burn the Fat is neither a high-protein nor a low-carb diet. How could it be? Venuto’s mantra is that everyone’s situation is different (body type, activity levels, etc.), so the ideal macronutrient ratio is unique to each of us. Burn the Fat supplies knowledge that enables us to evaluate our body types (determine if we’re an endomorph, ectomorph, or mesomorph) and measure the amount of maintenance calories we require each day (that’s our Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR). It also shows us how to assess our tolerance for carbohydrates, establish training routines and incorporate cardio workouts.
Armed with this and similar information and wisdom, we can each begin to move forward with our own weight loss plans, tweaking them as we go, towards our ultimate goals. That’s Venuto’s vision – and what’s not to like about it?
That said, make no mistake about it – Burn the Fat is a complicated program. It doesn’t shy away from the science of diet and exercise. Some readers will find this hard slogging. But the explanations are clear, and Venuto serves ample helping of motivation to inspire a positive attitude. A key element of the program is goal setting. The title of Chapter One – How to Set Powerful, Compelling Goals That Will Propel You Forward and Charge You Up with Unstoppable Motivation – provides a taste of the emphasis Venuto places on this critical piece of the weight-loss puzzle.
Nutrition and meal plans
Like everything about this book, the section on nutrition is extremely detailed. Chapter Five provides not one but three nutritional programs, one for each of the major body types. It also explains the fundamentals of how the body types differ and why each body type responds best to a customized approach. The appendix provides several pages of sample meal plans, but by the time readers get this far, they should be able to develop their own plans. That’s Venuto’s goal: to teach you how to eat right and creatre your own meal plans.
Workout system
The sections on weight training and cardio workouts are equally comprehensive. There are four weight training programs, each with two schedules. One is for time-scrunched people, the other for aggressive types who really want to go for it. As for cardio, Venuto explains how to systematically manipulate cardio frequency, duration, intensity, timing and workout type to accommodate individual needs and goals.
The good
Burn the Fat is well written and cleanly laid out. More importantly, it doesn’t candy coat the challenge of weight loss. It makes no promises. No secrets are revealed. What the readers get is solid information, facts and useful advice, together with valuable psychological motivation. Burn the Fat is about learning the fundamentals, working hard and laying a foundation for lifelong weight-loss success.
The bad
Not surprisingly with a tomb of this length and complexity, the writing bogs down in parts. Some readers will not feel the need to delve into all the details provided, sometimes in page after exhaustive page. As well, for readers looking for fast results, Burn the Fat will disappoint. It isn’t a quick fix, but quick fixes sometimes are necessary.
The bottom line
Burn the Fat stands apart from the many weight-loss books on the market. Think of it not as a weight-loss program but a source of information and advice for creating a weight-loss program. Try to incorporate as much of it as possible into your daily routine. If you keep adding and keep tweaking, the results are bound to improve. If you’re motivated to lose weight – and success in losing weight can improve motivation immensely – this book should be a part of your life.