Biggest Loser

On Monday we had the final weigh in for our final Biggest Loser here at Creative. Trainer Sandra Briggs' team member Teddi Mickus (24pounds) pipped my guy Tom Follo (28 pounds) by a ridiculously small percentage of .01 percent. They both lost 12% of their total mass but it came down to a % countback! Congratulations Teddi! Teddi worked very hard for the result and was always cracking jokes with a cheeky smile. All of Sandra’s team rocked hard and ultimately lost pounds more than mine.

I am so very proud of my crew. Tom Follo didn’t want to do the challenge in the first place with wife Laura dragging him down but this guy did amazingly. The weight continuously dropped and the greatest joy I got over the whole 9 weeks was when I measured him 3 weeks ago and he was just so bloody happy. Like Tom was gaggling, like a little kid (no disrespect mate). He just couldn’t stop telling me how great he felt, how much energy he had and how the people at work were totally complimentary. I couldn’t stop smiling!!! It made my day... actually my whole year!
Laura was sensational. 5 weeks in and I am called in to the US Footy teams tour to England and the team wanted to continue on my strength training program. I needed a leader. Laura stepped up and took the reigns. I came back 10 days later to see them all performing the plank for 1 minute when they were all struggling with 30 seconds before I left. Laura, thank you for the courage to step up and take charge. Laura is now running 1 minute intervals on the treadmill when she was struggling to walk fast 9 weeks ago and has taken huge steps to her goal of being lean and healthy.

Maureen was very timid when we first started but really came out of her shell in the last few weeks. Maureen struggled with the philosophy of eating every 3 hours and wasn’t getting the results because of not eating enough. We corrected that last in the game and she dropped 5 pounds week 7 and finished with a bang.

Kelly was a rock. This little lady did everything I asked of her and killed it dropping consistent 2 and 3 pound losses. I can see her sitting legs crossed eating her egg whites at 5 am right now.

Liz, Liz, Liz!! I knew Liz before the challenge started and having a friend doing this was hard. She tested me to the limit. She walked in late, missed a session, slept in and toiled with me. But hey, when she was here this girl absolutely hammered it, she pushed, pulled ran her heart out and gave her all.

Next Saturday we are having a big dinner celebration with everyone’s spouses and I cannot wait to be with this amazing group of people.

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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Mentor Tom Venuto sent me this important letter I thought too important to stick in the Healthy Lifestyle section. Please read all, you may help yourself or someone very close to you.

''The Twin Epidemics" - a wake up call

To: Ben
From: Tom Venuto

"Big Billie," as we call him at the gym, just got the bad news. His doctor told him: "You have diabetes."

He's been feeling depressed ever since. He never thought it could happen to him.

Billie is a 43 year old powerlifter I've known for years. He's a mountain of a man with a 545 pound bench press. At 5' 9" and 265 pounds, he has muscle on top of muscle, but NOT all of that weight is lean mass. Billie is overweight.

Billie does zero cardiovascular exercise and for years, he has defiantly eaten anything he wanted. He even used to crack jokes about his "big gut" all the time.

His strength and muscle mass didn't protect him from diabetes.

For the first time in his life, fortunately, he came around asking what he should eat to lose fat and get healthy again. Dr. John Kovac, a long time Burn The Fat newsletter reader
and M.D., coincidentally, sent me an email yesterday that left me aghast.

"Tom, I just came back from a Kaiser Permanente Annual Diabetes Conference here in LA today and some of the findings are unnerving. Here are a few facts for you to think about as you write your newsletters..."

• Currently 1/3 of people with diabetes are also depressed.
• 47 million Americans have what is called Metabolic Syndrome, due to obesity.
• 40 million additional Americans have Pre-Diabetes, with abnormal glucose tolerance.
• 20 million Americans are diabetic.
• 60 million Americans are obese, with BMI over 30.
• There were 195 million diabetics in the world in 1995.
• There were 200 million diabetics in the world in 2000.
• By 2030 there will be 366 million diabetics in the world.
• Death rate from complications of diabetes has increased by 45% since 1947.
• Depression precedes diabetes.
• Depression precedes metabolic syndrome.
• Depression precedes obesity.
• Medical Doctors can impact only about 10% of the people regarding premature death from all causes, and 90% are out of control of healthcare systems and doctors.
• Smoking causes 435,000 premature deaths per year in the USA. Half of all smokers carry some mental illness diagnosis.
• 58% of diabetes is directly caused by obesity.
• 14% of diabetes is directly due to physical inactivity.
• 365,000 premature deaths are caused directly by obesity and inactivity.
• Researchers with a great idea for a new medication to treat or prevent diabetes have only about a 2% chance that their idea will ever reach the market, due to the regulations and
  constraints on such development.
• From time of idea, to time of marketing for a new medication is currently around 20 years. We don't have enough time to wait for the magic bullet.
• 50% of all drugs given to patients do not work for the patients that they are given to. That is the nature of genetic variability.
• Every 10 seconds one diabetic person dies in the USA. But in the same 10 seconds two new diabetics are diagnosed with the disease.
• Absolutely no intervention tested is effective in slowing or stopping the progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes. The only thing that appears to make any difference at all is to reduce body fat and stabilize the function of the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.

"As I said above, it was a very interesting conference, and outlined the fact that at current rates of diabetes appearance we will never impact that in the healthcare industry. We must do something to CHANGE THE BEHAVIOR OF PEOPLE. In the 1960s we did that with seatbelts. In the 1950's 50% of Americans were smokers, and now only 25% are. We still have a long way to go."

"I tell my patients that diabetes is not a disease, but a condition that requires management. If you ignore it, other bad things will happen."

Special thanks to Dr. Kovacs for sending me these statistics

Now take a look at this list:

1. Abdominal obesity (waist circumference greater than 40 inches/ 102 cm in men, or 35 inches/ 88 cm in women
2. High triglycerides: greater than 150 mg/dl
3. Reduced HDL cholesterol: lower than 40 mg/dl
4. Elevated blood pressure: greater than 130/85
5. Elevated fasting glucose: greater than 110 mg/dl

This is a list of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. If you have three or more of these symptoms, you have metabolic syndrome and you are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease as well as diabetes.

A randomized controlled clinical trial at Brown Medical School just published in September said that one third of overweight subjects had metabolic syndrome and that males and people over
age 44 were at even higher risk.

The good news is, the research also showed that even small losses in bodyweight markedly reduced the risk. For each 1 kg of weight lost, the odds of metabolic syndrome were reduced by 8%

If you have a friend or loved one who is at risk, please share this information. You can always give someone a friendly, caring nudge, although I realize that sometimes, a "slap in the face"
wake up call is needed.

If you are carrying excess body weight yourself, then I'm giving you a nudge, or consider this YOUR wake up call.

Whether you use my program (www.burnthefat.com), another program, or you just do it completely on your own, I'm urging you not to wait.

Begin to change your behaviors today. Begin to clean up your eating habits right now. It doesn't matter that it's the holidays. In fact, with this being a stressful season with many temptations,
there couldn't be a better time to start.

I also urge you to include exercise, not just diet.

Results of an Austrian study were just released a week ago which said that "fat loss depends on the energy deficit only and not the method for weight loss." It was the second study of its kind this year and the media and anti-exercise bandwagon jumped all over it and started shouting "see! You don't need exercise after all. Just diet."

"A caloric deficit from food reduction causes the same amount of body mass lost as an equal caloric deficit from aerobic exercise???"

No kidding Einstein! It's called the law of energy balance.

People who exercise, especially when they do both weight training and cardio, usually have outstanding glycemic control and fewer problems with blood sugar management, not to mention all the other health and fitness benefits.

They not only weigh less, they are stronger, fitter and more attractive.

As Dr. John Berardi recently said, "not exercising is a fool's choice."

Any energy deficit will make you lose body mass. But what is your "lighter" body going to look like after losing body mass from diet alone? A smaller version of your current body maybe? Or maybe just a "skinny fat person." what more would you expect with no exercise?

Exercise is the chisel you use to sculpt your body.

Yes, losing weight with diet alone will improve your health and reduce risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. But no amount of food restriction will get you fit and strong or give you a nice physique.

Here you have the simple 1-2-3 formula which is the optimum way to improve your body composition, get healthier, get fitter, AND get stronger:

(1) Healthy food choices with mild caloric deficit
+
(2) Cardiovascular exercise
+
(3) Weight training

If you're not using this formula, then read those statistics again, especially the ones about inactivity. I hope they serve as a wake up call to millions and I hope the message is clear:

Do not ignore this "twin epidemic." Change your behavior. Start with yourself, then help others.

About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle," which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models.

Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism naturally by visiting: http://www.burnthefat.com

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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A Note from the Universe

The greatest predicament of living in the jungles of time and space, is learning to be happy while still having unfulfilled dreams. The greatest challenge, is not looking to the illusions for meaning, definition, and answers.

The greatest mystery, is figuring out who you really are.

And the greatest reward, of living in the jungles of time and space, is having predicaments, challenges, and mysteries that you have absolutely aced, crushed, and unraveled.

Lucky you,
The Universe

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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I have always said “PAY BEFORE YOU PLAY!!”

Whether you’re going out for a night on the town or sitting down for a feast, put in the hard yakka beforehand and then you can “reward” yourself.

The following tips have some great advice. Have a fantastic holiday.- BK

5 Tips to Healthfully Handle the Thanksgiving Holiday!
By Kyle Battis (from burnthefatinnercircle.com)

Here's a handful of great tips that I use each year to help minimize the damage of Holiday meals. They work great for me, so I'm sure they'll help you stay on track towards a leaner physique as well, even during the Holidays.

Tip 1: Try The 'Pre-Fill Technique.' I employ this technique often during the Holidays. My two main tools in this arsenal are Apples and a special protein shake. First off, munching on an apple before your Thanksgiving meal can fill you up due to all of the fiber, water content and other goodies in apples. Second is a special protein shake I learned about from Coach Charles Staley. It's a simple protein shake with an added tablespoon or so of Psyllium Husks - aka Metamusil (I like Orange Flavor Metamusil mixed with Vanilla Protein Powder). This concoction is great for filling you up, thanks to the mixture of Protein and Fiber. Both contain very few calories and are known for their appetite suppressing and satiety value. Using this strategy will help keep you from overindulging on the higher calorie main courses and snacks that will be served later, because you won't be as hungry.

Tip 2: Follow The Usual Plan. Even the day of the big meal I recommend that you continue to follow the meal plan recommendations that Tom outlines in Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. Try to eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours to keep your body well fueled and your metabolism revving. If you skip meals to "save up" for the big meal, that strategy often backfires, as you can be so hungry by dinner time that you overeat and overshoot the calorie intake you would have consumed had you stayed with your regular plan.

Tip 3: Drain The Gas Tank. I have found that draining the "Gas Tank' before the big meal really helps to minimize the dietary damage of a Thanksgiving Meal BIG TIME! This is a great strategy and it works for psychological and physiological reasons. You see, an intense cardio or weight training workout for 20-30 minutes 2-3 hours before your big meal will help to drain glycogen stores so that when you eat your Thanksgiving Meal, you will be refilling the glycogen tanks and not overfilling the fat cells! Not only does the 'draining the tank' technique help to control the physiological damage of a big meal but I also feel better psychologically when I exercise intensely and then eat later. That big old meal just doesn't seem so bad after a great workout.

Tip 4: Don't Over Do It. Many people enjoy a fairly large meal for Thanksgiving. If you go a little bit overboard, well, you're entitled, especially if you "drained the gas tank with a tough workout beforehand." But one thing that often surprises me is how some people keep munching on snacks, leftovers and seconds of dessert the rest of the day and evening even after the big meal. Advice: Once you've filled up your tummy with Thanksgiving dinner, tell yourself, "enough is enough" and take it easy on food intake until you really feel physiologically hungry again. Kick back and watch a game or a movie, but NOT with more food and drink in your hand!

Tip 5: Bounce Back On Track. On the day after a Thanksgiving binge, get right back on your regular eating plan. Don't try to starve yourself or eat less than usual. Just get back on track. It will help ingrain your regular meal plan as habit, which will pay off greatly in the long run!

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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USA Tomahawks

Eric Dortone talking about the USA Tomahawks preparations in training.
(posted at http://www.wakefieldwildcats.co.uk/usa-tomahawks-i603025.html.)

American National Rugby League News (www.amnrl.com)

Tomahawks Go Down To Samoan All Star Lineup

The USA Tomahawks, under the astute guidance of Matt Elliott and Shane Millard, went down gallantly to a star studded Samoan team filled with New Zealand Internationals 42-10 at Halton Stadium in Widnes. The Samoans scored five tries on the last play and a total of twenty four points in the opening and closing minutes of each half. Along with a couple of disallowed tries and missed opportunities the scoreline could have been much closer. Although the Tomahawks bowed out of the RLWC Qualifying tournament they certainly proved that the AMNRL competition and Rugby League in America has a bright future.

With the support of eligible stars from the NRL and SLE competition, the Tomahawks bravely challenged the more favored Samoan lineup. David Myles and Ryan McGoldrick scored tries for the USA with David Marando kicking a goal. The Samoans relied heavily on their Kiwi International experience with early tries to Nigel Vagana, Hutch Maiva, and Tony Puletua.

Whilst it was the Samoans who moved on to face Lebanon and the tenth spot at the RLWC in Australia 2008, it was the Tomahawks who received tremendous support from local rugby league fans in England and around the world. The coaching staff and team management were overwhelmed by the support from all areas of the game about the development of the national team and the progress made in developing rugby league in the USA. It should be noted that of the twenty squad members on tour for the RLWCQ representing the Tomahawks, eleven players came from the AMNRL competition. Each other nation comprised of five local players from each of their leagues and it would be very interesting to note how many, if any, played any game time in the RLWCQ matches.

The AMNRL would like to thank the support of IMPACT SPORTS, and ASICS AMERICA in supporting the Tomahawks on their tour of England and RLWC Qualifying campaign.

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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When things go wrong, do you go with them?

The time is always right to do the right thing. Be driven by excellence. The true measure of a person is in the height of his ideals, the breadth of his sympathy, the depth of his convictions, and the length of his patience. Consider what the book of James says: 'Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.'

If you want greatness, then forget greatness and earnestly pursue what is right. Then you can find both. Coach John Wooden said, 'Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of being.'

Elevate your personal standards of quality. Whatever you thought was good enough for now, add 10 percent more. Stand for what's right, then you win, even if you 'lose'.

The biggest mistake you can make in life is not to be true to the best you know. George Barnard Shaw remarked, 'Keep yourself bright; you are the window through which you must see the world.'

- James Mason

May you have a blessed and safe weekend.

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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World Cup Qualifier

Friday night we played Samoa in Widnes, England and went down 40-10. Samoa scored 2 tries in the first 3 minutes to lead 12 blot so were on the chase from the word go and took about 20 minutes to really find our feet. Samoa scored 4 tries on the last play which is a real killer when you do the hard work in defense for 5 plays, and then they nail you. Overall we did very well considering the Samoans were all fully professional and we were rank underdogs in the contest.

Spending 10 days in camp with head coach Matt Elliott from Penrith Panthers in Australia was a great experience for all. The guy is a very personable Aussie who is a great tactician and loves the game....actually he lives the game. He was never above the boys, he is one of the boys, but you really know who is boss. A sign of the respect he had was when he was speaking to 3 of the American fellas about hitting the opposition after training at Castleford. What was a little 5 minute discussion around dusk turned into 12 guys circling him for 40 minutes and hanging on his every word on tactical defense, and positioning your body to drill people into the turf. It was great stuff!!

Matty Petersen our Aussie/American captain from the Gold Coast Titans in Australia was a champion throughout. I played with Matty back in '04 against the Aussies and he hasn’t lost any of his wit. He really knows how to ride the boys and along with his roommate Louis ''benny'' Tulio from Philly they both kept the boys in stitches all day long. They also both need a haircut real bad.

The rest of the Aussie pros were very approachable and always available for a motivational word or some tactical advice. The greatest game in the world Rugby League is on the up and up after spending 10 days in camp with these fulltime professionals. I know my team the Wildcats will only get stronger from the experience. Young guns Curtis, Junior and Will, will power ahead in '08. I really feel for Will being omitted from the final squad but It will only make him stronger.

Dave Niu the President of our league gave an emotional speech the morning of the match. I wanted to run out and play right then and there. Dave has been trying to bust down the door for 10 years in the brutally tough US advertising market and this tour will bring us closer to getting the recognition this phenomenal game deserves. Nothing compares to the athleticism, physicality, and sheer speed of this great game.

Rob Balachandrian from the New York Knights was our saving grace. He ran around like a blue arse fly doing everything from getting me a mouthguard on a Sunday arvo to arranging cabs and putting his hand in his own pocket to make sure everyone got there flights on time.

I left my backpack with camera at the hotel and my good tinker (mate) Curtis has it. I will post some pics when I get it back....there are some great ones.

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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USA v Samoa Update

The game will be played at www.bigpondsport.com on a delayed telecast. The time will be 7am on the 10th in Australia which will be 5 or 6pm in the USA Friday. Check it out to see some action.

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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Test Match Footy

Well the stage is set ...Tomorrow we play Samoa for the last spot in the world cup for 2008. The boys are amped right up for a big game for the whole of the US. I personally am very proud to be pulling on the red white and blue again, having been selected in the centre position for the second time in my life. The only other time was against the World Champ Aussie mob back in 2004 in Philadelphia. We had our team pics taken this morning and there is a feeling that there is something big about to happen. This game has Test Match status meaning there are only 12 interchanges throughout the 80 minutes and only 4 reserves, which I love. The game will be very, fast and extremely physical ...can’t wait. Footage I believe can be found on the internet at www.bigpondsport.com.

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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World Cup Team Building

We played a representative team from the North on Sunday and we got touched up big time. Four key players got pulled off 25 minutes in to the match and the rest of the squad was played looking at potential combinations for the test match against Samoa Friday night.

Coach Matt Elliott has us under no illusions as to the task ahead of us Friday. In his own words we are all going “to be tapped” and will need all our fortitude for the US to qualify for the World Cup to be held in Australia in October 2008.

The Samoan team has no less than 14 players that have represented superpower New Zealand and are all fulltime Professional athletes.

We are working on skills and teamwork doing 2 day sessions and the boys are looking forward to the challenge. We spent Tuesday getting split into two teams to complete a “scavenger hunt” around Leeds getting points for each task. An example of the fun things we were required to do was get a photo with one of the boys getting his hair cut and a photo with 10 locals, to getting all 10 players on the team to be photographed behind a bar. Great teambuilding day...

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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England??

Last Friday I received an urgent email from David Nui, president of the American National Rugby League (www.amnrl.com), with a call to arms for the US footy team. The US plays a World Cup Qualifier against Samoa on the 9th of November in Widnes, England. Winning that, they will play a final against the winner of Lebanon/Ireland on the 14th; to win a spot in the World Cup to be held in Australia in October of 2008.

I didn’t have to think twice about it and I am now sitting in the Holiday Inn, Wakefield in the North of England after flying an overnighter to Manchester.

I arrived at 6:30 am Thursday and waited till 10.30 for my 3 teammates Will, Curtis, and Junior from the 2006-2007 Championship winning Connecticut Wildcats (www.wildcatsrugby.com) to arrive, and then headed to the hotel. We met the 9 Aussie professional players that had traveled for 36 hours; yes 36 HOURS! to get here. The Aussie-based players have American heritage (grandmothers, uncles, etc) which makes them eligible to play for the US. The 7 Philadelphia-based players arrived late afternoon and a meeting was set for 6pm.

After the meeting you would think that the boys would be hitting the hay after all the travel but the boys were all up for some bonding, and the best way to do that was to have a few beers. Funny thing when you get a bunch of Aussie League players together, they love a social even on minimal sleep. They led the way big time and the whole squad went out on the town.

I pulled the pin around 11 and the boys partied till 4 am .There were some funny stories this morning at breaky.

We have a team meeting 9:30 with head coach Matty Elliott from the Penrith Panthers in Australia leading the team, then hitting the gym for a gym session at 11, then a field session this afternoon to work on defense and skills.

I have left my Biggest Loser team with a solid circuit routine and I am confidant after 5 weeks together that they can hold their own and continue on the healthy pathway. Having been with the crew for 5 weeks and seeing there smiley faces every morning. I really miss them already.

Keep smiling.

"eatclean-staylean" - BK

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