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Disclaimer: Before moving on to my review, I want to say that I will never promote a product on this site unless I believe in full faith it’s one of the best on the market in its field. My goal is to provide readers with honest and useful recommendations that will help them move towards reaching their goals in life more efficiently and effectively.

This E-book is NOT for men only. Women can use the information in it too. Ladies, don’t worry, you’re not going to become super muscular like the women you see on those body building contests on TV. Building muscle isn’t that easy!

In his best selling e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle”, Tom Venuto, world-class bodybuilder and fitness expert, reveals a step-by-step method to help you reach all of your fitness goals.

I know, I know. There are hundreds of books out there claiming to do the same thing. But something about this E-book caught my eye. It didn’t have ridiculous pictures of people on its website claiming they lost 100 pounds in 2 weeks. The book wasn’t pushing a crazy diet (Atkins, South Beach, Ketogenic).

It did, however, honestly state it would require hard work on your part to reach your fitness goals. And if you wanted it bad enough, the information in this book would take you to where you wanted to be. I appreciated Mr. Venuto’s honesty, and I said, “Why the hell not? I’ll give it a try!”

I purchased his E-book (with an 8-week free trial) and starting reading right away. I was immediately impressed with Tom’s approach to getting in shape. He acknowledges it’s a slow process, but keeps you hooked with his own tale of how he reached the level of  world-class bodybuilder.

The whole book is built around Tom’s commitment to honesty and hard work. You’ll feel confident in knowing that Tom has legitimately experimented with tons of different methods of fat loss over the last 14 years, so he isn’t just talking out of his ass. He isn’t trying to get off easy by selling a pricey product that delivers no real value. He doesn’t recommend that you get on some obscene diet, and he doesn’t proclaim you’ll only need to work out 1 day a week to see results. He makes it clear you will have to put forth a considerable amount of effort to see results, but reminds you the results will be worth it in the end.

How it Works

The book is titled “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” because of its approach to fat loss. Many diets and fitness programs do help you burn fat, but also contribute to muscle loss in the process. You don’t want this because muscle is metabolic tissue! It actually burns calories and fat for you while you’re sitting around. You want to keep as much muscle as you possibly can while burning fat, and Tom’s book will help you do just that!

He instructs that fat should be burned off using a combination of cardiovascular exercise, weight lifting, and nutrition. By following Tom’s advice on how to maximize your efforts in each of these three areas, you will learn how to burn fat while maintaining your current amount of muscle mass.

After reading the book, the thing I liked the most about it was its focus on good health. Many fitness books out there suggest methods that work, but at the cost of your health. Tom’s book puts you on an extremely clean diet. Even if you don’t plan on working out, you could adopt this diet for the rest of your life and see major improvements in your health. Also, the book promotes healthy fat loss, and suggests that only 1-2 pounds of weight-loss/week is healthy (sorry to all of you who were hoping for 100 pounds in 2 weeks).

Another plus is the book’s readability. Tom exhaustingly explains each step of the process in language anyone can understand. He doesn’t use boring jargon to try to stupefy you into believing him. He helps you understand why each step works (good for you doubtful types) by citing the biochemistry to back it up. The material is easy to understand, and easy to start applying right away. This made reading the book an entertaining and educational experience. I flew through the book’s 400 pages in 2 days, and began the transformation process almost instantly.

Real Results

After 8 weeks of using this program, I can honestly say it works just as promised. After just one week, I had lost an amazing 1% body fat (not typical), and the fat loss continued at this rate for about 3 weeks. After 4 weeks, I had a serious knee injury and was unable to stick to the fitness portion of the plan. However, I have stuck to the nutrition segment of the plan, and plan on starting up on the fitness portion again tomorrow (after weeks of physical therapy).

I started off at 16% body fat, and am currently at 12.5% body fat. Keep in mind all of this fat loss was during the first 4 weeks of using the program. I have been able to maintain my level of body fat percentage for the last 4 weeks without working out, simply by sticking to the nutrition guidelines laid out by Tom. If this doesn’t prove the nutritional aspect of the system works, I don’t know what will.

When I finished reading the book, I didn’t ease into things; I immediately changed my lifestyle to incorporate all of the steps Tom teaches in his book. You may be saying to yourself, “That’s too much for me Rahul,” but before you even think that thought, Tom has you covered. He lays out a comprehensive goal setting procedure that’ll help you stick to your guns, and make the transition process a smooth one.

My diet now consists of 5-6 small, spread out meals per day. Each meal is comprised of lean proteins, complex-carbohydrates, and good fats. I consume almost a gallon of water per day, and I watch my caloric intake scrupulously. I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. I’ve eliminated fast food and processed sugars from my diet. As you can see, this diet is healthy, and is quite reasonable. Also, you’re allowed to eat a couple of “cheat meals” per week. For these meals you can eat whatever you want; go nuts! I think it’s a nice touch to the program.

Tom emphasizes that changing your diet isn’t difficult; your current meal choices only require a tune-up. All you need to do is substitute some of your current meal choices with their better alternatives. For example:

• Substitute white rice with brown rice
• Substitute corn and flour tortillas with wheat tortillas
• Substitute white bread with wheat bread
• Substitute French fries with a baked potato
• Substitute fast food meat with chicken breast, extra lean steak, or fish

In the end, you ultimately choose how strict you want your diet to be. If you want results faster, you’ll have to adopt a stricter diet. If you don’t mind taking your time, you can loosen your diet up. I appreciate this flexibility, as it makes the program more doable (for the people who like to ease into things).

Taking the Plunge

Deciding to take responsibility for your health is a conscious step in the right direction. You’ll be choosing a better life overall, and will be paying respect to your body in the process. Your health should be more than just some diet, or some exercise routine; it should be a lifestyle. When you choose to lead a healthy lifestyle, you are choosing to feel better about yourself for the rest of your life.  Remember, your body is your means of expression in the physical world. Treat it properly. Don’t take it for granted.

If you feel as though you’re ready to make the commitment towards improving your health, then you should definitely check out “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle”. What do you have to lose, except for a couple of pounds? There’s an 8-week money back guarantee, so if you don’t like the book you can return it and receive a full refund of your money, no questions asked. I certainly won’t be sending mine back; this book is just too good!

Please let me know what you think of the book in the comments section below. If you’ve been using it for a while, please please please share your results and how the book has changed your life. Your fellow readers will greatly appreciate it, as will I!

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“Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.”
- Horace Greeley

Stop. Take a few moments to evaluate your character. How would you describe yourself? Are you courageous? Generous? Arrogant? Manipulative? Optimistic? Pessimistic? Resilient? Judgmental? Hateful? Loyal? Haughty? Humble? Easygoing? Respectful?

The words listed above are specific characteristics. If you were to compile a comprehensive list of your own characteristics, you would be looking at a mirror image of yourself. Take a moment to create your own list, and hold on to it. We will be using it as a point of reference later on in the article.

Evaluate Your Character

Character defines who we are. When we judge someone else, we judge them based on character. For example, when someone opens their mouth and something illogical comes out, many of us write the person off as unintelligent or “slow”. When someone always seems to do the right thing, we classify him/her as noble. When someone is constantly negative, we consider him/her pessimistic. These judgments occur in an instant, and whether they are right or wrong, they influence how we feel about a person.

If we are so quick to judge others based on character, why do so many of us fail to judge ourselves based on our character? We get caught up in what others think of us, or we lie to ourselves and convince ourselves we’re something we’re not. Many of us judge ourselves based on our accomplishments, yet fail to question our integrity and honesty in achieving these accomplishments. Instead of being so quick to judge others, take a look in the mirror and evaluate yourself. Perhaps you will see something you weren’t expecting. You may realize it’s time to make a few changes.

“The Guy in the Glass”

There’s a poem I read a couple of weeks ago which sums up the importance of character.

When you get what you want in your struggle for wealth,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn’t your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He’s the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear up to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum,
And think you’re a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass.

As described in the poem, at the end of the day the only person you have to answer to is yourself. How do you make sure the guy/gal in the glass is always satisfied with who you are?

The key is to make sure you have done nothing that unsettles your subconscious mind. As described in my previous post, at the center of your being you know who you are and you know what you want. I firmly believe we humans are good natured at our core, and that our good nature is deeply rooted in our subconscious mind. However, sometimes people get so far off track in their lives that their true nature gets buried at the bottom of their subconscious mind. This would explain why there are murders, thieves, rapists, and other criminals in our society today.

We take action and make decisions based on our character. If you are arrogant, selfish, and disrespectful, when you look in the mirror you’re not going to be happy with what you see. If, instead, you are generous, loving, and respectful, when you look in the mirror you will be happy with what you see. We can describe this satisfaction as “peace of mind”. To illustrate what I mean, here’s an example from my own life.

My father has reached a state of contentment and peace of mind. Whenever I ask him how he reached this state of mind, his answer is always the same. “I’ve lived my life in such a way that when I put my head down on my pillow, my mind is absolutely clear. I have nothing to be ashamed of.” He’s a man of integrity, honesty, responsibility, and respect. He has managed to develop these characteristics over the past 55 years, and as a result he is content and at peace with himself.

Similarly, I have been striving to mold myself into an individual who is capable of experiencing “peace of mind”. As I become more courageous, trustworthy, responsible, mature, educated, and loving, I’ve realized a shift towards serenity in my life. Whenever I look in the mirror nowadays, I find myself much happier and much more content with the person I am than I was a few months ago.

Develop High Character

Look at the list you compiled a few minutes ago. As you read each of your characteristics, ask yourself if the trait you’re looking at contributes to your peace of mind, or if it takes away from it. Does the trait bring positive energy to you and this world, or does it bring you and others down?

If you are completely honest with yourself, you will see a few of these negative characteristics as you scroll down your list. This is perfectly normal and quite fixable. The first step in developing a high quality character is the ability to acknowledge your flaws. Once you’re aware of them, you can begin the process of changing them.

Now that you’ve identified your disempowering characteristics, you must decide what you want to replace them with. Here are a few examples to get you started:

• Arrogance transforms into humility
• Self-centeredness transforms into loving and contributory
• Insulting transforms into complimentary
• Pessimist transforms into optimist
• Unappreciative transforms into gracious
• Spiteful transforms into forgiving
• Argumentative transforms into agreeable

We humans have the amazing ability to transmute negative energy into positive energy simply by shifting our thoughts. By compiling a comprehensive list of your characteristics, you are raising your awareness towards your character flaws. The next time these flaws rear their ugly heads, you will have the power to consciously replace them with the actions of their empowering substitutes. Keep this awareness up for a month, and what you’ll find is that some positive transformations have taken place.

I’ve found it’s better to pay close attention to one characteristic at a time. You can try to devote your attention to all of the traits you would like to change at one time, but it might not be as effective. Aim for gradual change, this way you will avoid feeling overwhelmed. For the first 30 days, it will take a considerable amount of focus and willpower to replace your old, negative characteristics with new, empowering ones. However, once you get past this initial stage it will be smooth sailing. Stick with it!

Observe the People Around You

I learned an exercise a while back that has proven to be greatly beneficial in my own character development. Give it a try.

• Write down the names of 3 people you despise (or dislike)
• Write down the traits you despise most about these three individuals
• Write down the names of 3 people you admire
• Write down the traits you admire most about these three individuals

The traits you wrote down about the people you despise the most are characteristics that constitute your “dark side”. They are a part of your character, and subversively influence your actions and decisions. At first I didn’t believe this to be true; however, I soon learned after doing this exercise that the above statement was remarkably accurate. If you can observe the negative traits in others, the traits are also certainly inside of you.

The traits you wrote down about the people you admire most are traits you love about yourself, but that you are repressing. These are traits which could become your greatest strengths if you acknowledge them as a part of you, and choose to develop them.

When I did this exercise a while back, I found I admired courage, modesty, and self-confidence. At the time, I was repressing these traits. I have since embraced them as characteristics of myself trying to burst out from within. The results have been remarkable. I feel as though I discovered a new path of growth. Each step I take along the way is extremely rewarding.

As you can see, doing this exercise can provide you with a great deal of insight. You can easily identify those characteristics within you would consider flaws, and discover those characteristics within you that you would consider empowering. The next time you notice yourself looking down at someone; realize the characteristic you are looking down at is also a part of who you are. The next time you find yourself admiring someone; realize the characteristic you’re admiring is also within you, waiting to be acknowledged and set free.

A Lifelong Journey

Building character is definitely a lifelong journey. There will always be some part of your character you can develop to the next level. As you make progress in this area, you will notice the quality of your life is constantly improving. Your reality is increasingly generous towards you. More opportunities arise, people are nicer to you, and the environment is more favorable for your success.

No matter who you are today, understand that tomorrow doesn’t have to be like yesterday. Don’t let your past dictate the present and the future. Make the choice to develop your character today. Make that guy in the glass happy!

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