Leigh Peele, The Fat Loss Trouble-shooter, has a “shocking” message she wants to share – one that might reveal why your fat loss was not what you wanted in 2008. In this exclusive Burn The Fat interview and 3-minute video, you’ll learn what most people are doing wrong with their nutrition and one simple trick to fix it so you can enjoy consistent fat loss each and every week in 2009 without ever hitting a long and frustrating plateau… Warning: Sometimes the truth is hard to handle!
Tom Venuto: Leigh! Do you remember when I uploaded your “shocking fat loss” video to my Burn The Fat blog a few months ago? Well, you nearly blew up my server! 8,766 people visited my blog and watched the video in 24 hours! I’m not kidding — I have the screenshot to prove it. I had to pay for more bandwidth! I’m sending you the bill! Seriously, what’s the story with that video? Why do you think it hits home so much? Strikes a few nerves, eh?
Leigh Peele: Holy _______, that is crazy! You know Tom, I think that everyone has been so bombarded with low carb, low fat, points, deck of card portions, and packaged meals that they don’t realize that when all is said and done, it’s calories in versus calories out.
Tom Venuto: You mean fat loss has something to do with calories???? No kidding? You don’t say?
Leigh Peele: I watched this report on obesity last night where they profiled a man who was 380 pounds and couldn’t lose weight. They followed him around and showed him getting whole grain pasta, olive oils, leaner meats, bananas…all healthy foods. He sat there crying saying “I eat healthy, I just can’t lose the weight” and all I could do was just put out my hands and think you can get fat off of a banana if you eat enough of them. Why don’t the doctors just have him weigh his food?
Problem is, they don’t get it either.
If you haven’t seen Leigh’s “shocking” video yet hit the Play Button below
Tom Venuto: Was the message in your video strictly that you should weigh your food instead of measuring it with cups and spoons, or did you intend a message that goes deeper and broader than that?
Leigh Peele: It is much deeper. This isn’t just about oats and peanut butter. This isn’t just about measuring cups. The point is if your calories can be off by that much with an attempt at measuring your food, what do you think is happening with the food you eyeball?
Tom Venuto: What digital scale were you using in that video? Did I see nutrition facts programmed right into the scale? Where can I get one?
Leigh Peele: It’s a Chefmate ™ Nutritional Data Food Scale. You can program and it has stuff stored as well to pull up the calories for what you are weighing. 50 bucks, uses batteries that lasts forever, and travels easy if need. One of the best purchases I have ever made. Really isn’t as bad as people think.
Tom Venuto: Damn. I should have asked Santa for one of those. Of course, there’s always my birthday Leigh, hint hint. Are there any other tools you recommend for keeping people honest and accountable, like nutrition tracking software or calorie counting gadgets?
Leigh Peele: I personally use a nutrition and training software called Crosstrainer. Most veggies, fruits, cheeses, meats, and things like that were already programmed in there and by grams or ounces. It is really easy to add new items in as well to help keep you tracked. You can put it on your palm or your computer. It also does training, goals, charts.
Beyond that there are free programs like Fitday, Daily Plate, and Calorie King I think as well.
Tom Venuto: In your video you show how people can underestimate their portion sizes with simple measurement errors and so they get more calories than they bargained for. What are some other sources of hidden calories that people totally forget about?
Leigh Peele: Number one without a doubt is restaurants/eating out. First we just take into account just how ridiculous caloric content is when you eat out in the first place.
However, let’s say you give me the argument of “Well I know the nutritional data for what I am eating” then I ask you…
Do you really and why chance it?
There was an ABC report done on the difference of calories of what was reported and what it actually was when tested and some were off by as much as 500 calories for a meal. Those were also the “guiltless” style meals.
I don’t know about you but fat loss is hard enough without some greasy chef throwing me off of my game when I’m in a cut.
Tom Venuto: You’re known as The Fat Loss Troubleshooter because you help people break through stalled fat loss. Aside from measurement mistakes, what are a few of the other common ways that people sabotage their own success and stall their progress?
Leigh Peele: Well counting calories is just a small part of the equation. You can be counting great but still be not eating the right amount for what you need. Understanding your personal energy expenditure is really important. Not to mention just the psychological aspects and how we can better help them with nutrients and mental applications.
If I may steal a line from your Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle book Tom that this is simple stuff, but it isn’t easy.
My books; what I do, is I teach you “how to fish” for fat loss, I don’t leave you dependent on me or anyone for that matter.
Tom Venuto: How would you respond to people who say that weighing and measuring food is obsessive and is no way to live?
Leigh Peele: Obviously I get attacked on this right? People say, “I am sorry, I just have to live, I just won’t be a slave to a food scale and never eat out again.” These are usually the same people that have been trying to lose 30 pounds for ten years or more. What kind of life is it to always be living in a diet?
See my clients, MY readers get it done. My clients are the people you hate who are skinny and eating the desert when you are still counting carbs. THAT to me is no way to live. You just have to look at this process as a short term treatment for an aggressive problem.
Tom Venuto: Why do you think more diet programs say “DON’T count your calories” than ones that do? And how is it that some people seem to get away with eyeballing portions and others don’t?
Leigh Peele: Well you will notice a lot of diet programs that mention not to count calories have either a system of products in place that they need to continue selling or they go by a low carb method only.
Without a doubt eyeballing can work, especially when you cut out an entire food group. You know why trainers push very low carb programs so much? They are harder to mess up, and they get great fast water loss. Off by an ounce or two with a plain chicken breast? Yeah, no big deal. Off by an ounce with pasta and that is 200 more calories. That doesn’t mean I haven’t seen people feed their way out of a deficit with olive oil and broccoli because I have.
Tom Venuto: Does there come a time when this stuff becomes internalized and turned into habit, or even becomes intuitive so you don’t have to count and measure anymore, or do you think that people who have struggled with weight problems will have to weigh and measure food forever?
Leigh Peele: I say personally when in a cut leave little to chance. Meaning just get in, do the grind work, and get out. By the time you are done you really understand your needs and how much you were eating before.
The thing is, once you really start to understand fat loss and understand completely how it works, the technique is a cake walk.
The fear of the fat loss unknown is far more crushing to the soul than being self aware.
Tom Venuto: Ok Leigh, that’s it for today, thanks for the great info! But I’m warning you now that I’m going to bug you again soon for another interview, especially about the metabolic damage repair stuff. Oh and by the way. You got me. I lick the spoon too!
Leigh Peele: So do I Tom, So do I.
To learn more about “fat loss troubleshooting,” visit Leigh at:
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About Leigh
Leigh Peele received her certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine in training. She also has a Nutritional Consultation Certification and in training Special Populations and Weight Management. A nationally published author in both magazine and online, Leigh Peele is continually raising the bar on her ability to achieve fat loss under any conditions. A leader in research and study in metabolic behavior and recovery she has been deemed the Fat Loss Troubleshooter. Her clients range from college athletes and professional fighters to housewives and obese seniors. She has led those to figure wins and been the champion to those with personal battles especially with eating disorders. Check out her NEW updated (for 2009) edition of the Fat Loss Troubleshoot and new release of The Metabolic Repair Manual by Clicking Here.
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Thanks for sharing that video. It was a total eye opener. I was doing that same thing. Not really measuring sorta speak and wondered why in the world I wasnt losing weight. And I work out Monday-Friday. I would lift 4 times a week and do cardio about 4-5 times a week too. I am at 175lbs for a 5’7 person. 17% bodyfat….grrrrr. After a month of doing that its no wonder I was going insane. Now I am going to measure my food big time.
Great interview, Tom. I love Leigh, and I’m one of those who started to lose weight immediately as soon as I followed her advice and started weighing and religiously tracking my food. Thanks for sharing this!
Hello, Im just curious when you weighed your oats and peanut butter, are you considing that the cup on the scale is adding weight???JOhn
Dear Tom – I have read your article and looked at the 3 minute video, I have also looked at her website with the testimonies that have been recorded, I am not saying that this information is not of use but here is where I see my problems with achievement in fat loss.1. I have you entire book on BBFM ad have never been able to read it as I find that my dyslexia does not allow me to take in this information and I have been told by the doctors that I need to listen to things via audio.2. Every time that good information like this is available I am paying out more and more money yet not able to still get the results that I desire.3. The testimonies seem very genuine but with my lifestyle and work I do not really have the time to be measuring my foods as well as prepare them in the manner that is usually required, also the fact that I do not eat a lot of the things that are suggested.If I cannot even succeed in reading you book with all the information that it contains what chance do you think I will have in even trying to read anything else, I will be honest these kind of books I require them in an audio version that I can take around with me and listen to again and again so that it can sink into my short term memory.If you have this facility then I may be able to achieve the things that are stated in these books however, as I have stated earlier all I see is that every time this kind of information is made available it cost me more and more money, I have so many of these books including yours Tom on burning fat and yet in all the years that I have collected these boks I have never been able to read more than one or two chapters of any of these books and always have to start from scratch and still never get any further.Please I do have the desire to loss the fat but unless I can get these materials in audio format I fear I am fighting a losing battle. As I have been collecting these things for so long now I feel that I am now reaching out in all sincerity and hope that you will help me.I anticipate that you will respond to this request.
audio is becoming more and more popular and being requested more and more often, especially downloadable MP3’S, with the popularity of IPODS and mp3 players these days…so, we have listened.Burn The fat, feed the muscle will be released in an MP3 audio edition in early 2009 from http://www.burnthefat.com.My new book, the body fat solution is on audio CD’s published by BBC audiobooks america and is available from the bbc audiobooks website, amazon, barnes and noble and will be in bookstores january 8th.I believe other publishers are also puting more of their material on audio. You’ll have to ask Leigh about her program, but I did notice she has audio MP3s as wellmy very best to youtom
At 5’7″, I have just reached my goal of 140 lbs. I may go lower come Summer. I have done this by cutting out sugar and grains. Very simple, if a food has either sugar or grains, I will not touch it. I just spent Thanksgiving and Christmas by eating my raw eggs, fruits and veggies, along with fish (cooked). While the rest of the family ate everything else, I stuck to my fruits and veggies, plus raw eggs and tuna. Currently, I alternate between either running or weight training. I am 62 and am preparing to climb the John Hancock tower in Chicago for the 3rd year in a row come February. Now if I could only have some warmer weather ….
This is the best package you can get out there. I had bought it before and Leigh sent out the updates on it last night. I went through everything and it is awesome for the price. I know that the “new year” offers are coming around the corner but Leigh really is different. I highly recommend it for everyone.Tom great interview, thanks for sharing.
Hi Tom,How can you know how many calories you burn in a day? It’s easy to figure out the calories expended during exercise, but what about the things that you do as normal, everyday tasks?Marty
Great video Tom! I am VERY scrupulous about weighing and measuring all of my food intake while aggressively cutting. It really does work!Some people don’t understand this fastidous practice is necessary to achieve the results you want, but it is. Why waste your time spinning your wheels. I work too hard on the treadmill and in the weight room to not get maximum results for my efforts.Also, it’s not as if you have to do this for the rest of your life. I does this when I have a goal and deadline to meet. Otherwise, I have developed an intuitive sense of what constitutes a correct portion size or not. If I notice the number on the scale is rising, I break out my digital scale and get back to the basics. It’s that simple! This method is failproof.If fat loss or weight management is that important to you, you’ll make the requisite sacrifices. Keep spreading the truth Tom!
Wow, Tom, that scale is the bomb, and Leigh’s right on target!Yes, “eyeballing” is controversial. Some people can do it, others need more education in how to do it, and some folks really just don’t have the self-discipline so they need to either develop it or find another method.And of course, once you get used to measuring and weighing the same stuff–since most people have a repertoire of something like 6-8 meals they fix and that’s it–then they can start getting the hang of it.Great stuff, please keep it up…and link to me!
Tom, thank you for this.I don’t know why people don’t want to hear the truth and get direct pointers. It will only mean they’ll do better and get resutls faster wont it?PS-I guess I will have to work with Leigh’s stuff until your new book!J/k
Calories out is a more difficult objective to measure. While one can look at the “Calories” indicator on the treadmill or elliptical they enjoy every week, the same simplicity cannot be found during weight training regimens. Adding to the complexity of measuring calories out is the fact that the body keeps burning calories for some time after an intense workout, so we never truly know how many calories were actually burned during a workout.We can get a measurement of our BMR, which would only tell us how many calories our bodies burn when at rest, and that information could be used to calculate deficits before workouts. I one is active at work or in other ways, the calories burned in those activities only complements the intentional caloric burn through exercise.Best case scenario is to overestimate calories in and underestimate calories out. I generally add 15-20% to what I think is my caloric intake while subtracting 10-15% of what I think is my daily caloric burn. That gives me a general ballpark for computing deficits.Having said all that, it’s quite possible that Leigh will be able to completely dissect my approach, but then she wrote the book that I’ve not read yet. What I’m simply saying is that you should likely not trust even your measurements and estimations, because they’re quite likely not entirely accurate either.Be well!
Video tells nothing new. Actually if you do not follow the suggestions in the video you can lose weight. These calorie differences are not so big as the woman try to convince.If you do cardio and weight training and you are active person these calories won’t be your problem.If you do nothing then you have to count every single calorie. This is the truth.
Miroslav. youre 100% correct that one does not necessarily have to weigh and measure food to lose fat. You do not have to count calories to lose fat. And at the same time, you have missed the point Leigh was trying to make and you missed the bigger picture.What you must do is be in a consistent caloric deficit and if you acheive that decicit without counting, weighing or measuring anything (you guess), then you will lose fat.At the same time, the fact is also that most people are TERRIBLE at guessing their caloric intake.This video shows just ONE WAY that people under-estimate their calorie intake and this is only the tip of the icebergTHere are dozens of studies proving that most people underestimate their caloric intake. The classic study from the New England Journal of Medicine (lichtman 1992) showed that overweight women who swore they were “diet resistant” and had a “thyroid problem” were actually under-estimating their calories by a WHOPPING 1057 PER DAY! They were also underestimating their activity by a huge margin at the same time.I would actually go as far in agreeing with you as saying that the ULTIMATE place to arrive at in your fitness lifestyle is a place where you dont have to count and measure anything.But how to you arrive at that hallowed place that we call “unconcsious competence”?the only way is to go through all the stages of learning – from unconscious incompetent through conscious incompetent through conscious competence, then finally to that place where you can eyeball portions and adjust your activity and calories daily or weekly based on your results.that learning process can be expedited in NO better way, and perhaps No other way, than counting calories, creating menus on paper, and weighing /m measuring your food – also keeping a journal – for at least a short period of time — i recommend minimum 4 -12 weeks .I also recommend going back to your strict counting and weighing anytime you are stuck at an “unexplainable” plateau in progress, and for many people who want optimium results, you go back to counting and weighing any time you are working on a major goal… such as bodybuilding competition… just like I do, even after all these years.I appreciate your comments as you are right – one does not have to count or weigh/ measure. If youre getting leaner by guessing your caloric intake, keep up the fine work and dont change a thingBut for people who arent getting the results they want, you should take on this discipline for a while and see what happensmy very best to you
Tom, just in case your birthday is right around the corner, I wanted to let you and everyone know that I don’t think Chefmate makes this anymore. I just found the exact same scale on Amazon for $54.95, but the brand name is now Kitrics. Tom, have a great New Year and keep up the awesome work.
Keith, counting calories OUT is so difficult to measure, i never recommend trying. You dont have to. you use calorie forumulas such as harris benedict equation or katch mcardle equation (or owen, etc etc – whichever one you like), and establish an estimation and use that as a baseline.THEN, you must use a feedback loop method and adjust your approach weekly based on the previous week’s body composition results; NOT based on your attempt to see how many calories you burn every day. That said, if people want to use devices such as pedometers, HR monitors and body buggs, all can have value — i believe strongly that the more things you measure and quantity, the more you will learn and the more easily you can adjust your next input based on the last output.Even calories IN is an imperfect science… however WEIGHING food can get you EXTREMELY close on the calories in side.Body composition can be easily improved without weighing or measuring anything… but that requires that you understand the energy balance equation intellectually and you can apply it on a practical level in daily life by having great sensory acuity (noticing the changes in your results) and then making the appropriate adjustments to food portion size and activity leveltom
Tom,After reading your book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (and having incredible success following the principles you describe in it), I actually built a website dedicated to tracking calories via weighing food with a food scale.It’s a recipe/diet tracking website with a twist… it knows the exact nutritional information of any serving size of any recipe/ingredient/recorded meal on the site.So what that allows you to do is say stuff like, “I ate 100 grams of Tom’s oatmeal pancakes,” and the site figures out exactly how many calories that is, how much protein/fat/carbs, etc.Also you can look up recipes and ingredients and say, “give me the nutritional info for 50 grams of this or 2 oz of that.”It’s a website inspired by the principles of food weighing and calorie counting that I learned from reading your book.I was waiting to tell you about it via email when the site has a bit more polish, but then I read this blog post and had to comment. :)The site is live and useable, though it’s very very beta, so I don’t really want to give the address out yet. I’m a professional web developer, and this site is my “spare time hobby” so please understand it’s very rough around the edges (for now) and it takes a lot of time to implement new features, seeing as how I am one person (i.e. not a company working full time on it).I really don’t want to go public with the website until I have made some screencast which show how to use it, but if you want to preview the unfinished (but still quite functional) state that it’s in now, please email me and I’ll give you the address… :)– Christopher
christopher that sounds great; would love to look at it; you can contact me from http://www.burnthefat.com/contact.html. Leigh peele would probably like to see that too!
For the last 10 years I have been on again, off again, one of those commercial programs. I can’t tell you how much money I have spent and I never learned anything but ‘eat the food and you’ll loose weight’. I always gained my weight back as soon as I went off the program. But lucky for me I found Tom this year and used his program to keep the weight off. But I still was stuck at 150ish. As soon as I saw Leigh’s video I knew I had finally found my way! This method is so natural and you never feel like you are deprived of anything. Especially if you also eat good foods. I have never once felt hungry. It’s as though my body was just waiting for me to wake up so it could finally go where it needed to be. I have lost 12 lbs. in 3-4 weeks down to 141 (5’7″)!!!! first time since college 18 years ago. This is the only way to go!!My husband now has joined in as well, our work out program has been very productive. We have teamed up together to find the foods we can get the biggest bang for our bite! We eat healthier now than we ever have. And I can actually see some pretty nice “healthy” curves. Our energy is level throughout the day and we feel great! The only way we can explain it is your body feels only as good as nutrients you put in it. Plus you think about how bad and how much you were eating before and you feel so ashamed! But you know we can’t beat ourselves up too much for not being educated about nutrition. This is what everyone should know before they put anything in their mouths.I love you guys! Thanks for everythingKim B
This is highly motivating to go buy a real scale now that I no longer want to have a 1000 calorie a day total energy expenditure calorie deficit:”The fear of the fat loss unknown is far more crushing to the soul than being self aware. “
Totally cool video; I need the fat loss method you are talking about.