It seems to me that the junk food industry has discovered something that we, as oversized Americans who want to lose weight should pay attention to. No, I'm not talking about some new and improved peanut butter cup but rather the concept of combining two things together to make something even better than the two are on their own. Case in point, peanut butter and milk chocolate. How about Oreos and ice cream? Or maybe cheese with tater tots dipped in ketchup. I think you get my point.

How does this tasty venture into junk food combinations help us lose weight and get fit you may ask? Well, it applies because most of us will finally discover that the best way to lose weight and get fit is to give up these poor food choices in exchange for healthier, nutritious foods and to begin exercising.

Perhaps you are thinking, "Yeah, yeah, I know all about the food part, but what about exercising? I mean all you have to do is start walking or something right?" The answer is -maybe. Certainly any exercise you do is better than none at all, but in my experience, there is a better solution.

I have discovered -after many years of helping people lose weight and get fit, that if you will combine both a cardio based activity with a weight lifting program, you will get the best of both activities and reach your fitness and weight loss goals so much faster.

Let's face it. The distance between you and your goals is a given. You either have a certain number of pounds to lose or maybe you are a certain number of sizes away from your goal. The variable in the equation is how long will it take you to get there?

You could start walking. That is good and perhaps it will take you three months to lose the weight you want to. On the other hand, you could start walking and combine that with a few weekly weight-lifting workouts and get to that goal even faster. Perhaps your thing is to take yoga classes. Add to that a few days of weight training and you have just shortened the time between you and your goals.

The secret is in the addition of lean muscle brought on by the weight lifting. When you do cardio, you are boosting your metabolism and burning calories. If you lift weights, you add muscle, which is very metabolically active. In other words, muscle burns more calories, even at rest because it is living tissue - unlike plain old body fat. By combining the cardio and weight training, your metabolism will be fired up and your goals will arrive so much sooner.

So put down the cookies & cream and start to combine your cardio workouts with some good, old- fashioned weight lifting. By doing this, you will reach your goals faster than the junk food industry can throw a new and improved peanut butter cup at you. On to success!

The question about BMI (Body Mass Index) is whether or not the resulting index number is correct. It seems that using BMI puts many people in the "obese" categry even though they know that is not the case.

How does one go about determining their own BMI? Simple. Simple math that is. The formula is as follows: BMI equals a person's weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. (BMI=kg/m2). Do your math and come up with a number then apply it to the charts below.

Underweight = <18.5 Normal weight = 18.5-24.9 Overweight = 25-29.9 Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

The problem comes in if you are a bodybuilder, weight lifter or a person with a large proportion of lean tissue. This same formula can make you fall within the 30 or greater category. You know that muscle weighs more than fat, but the BMI formula does not. Therefore, you can have a high level of natural muscle or "added" muscle from weight lifting and appear "obese" to the BMI.

I personally do not use BMI for myself because I am a regular weight lifter. If you are not, the BMI may work for you. So, use it if you are a normal, non- weight lifting person, otherwise, stick to a body fat caliper or the mirror to tell you how you are doing.

What is the difference between bars? I mean, the health food section has bars and all bars are good right? Wrong. There are bars that are better suited to give you energy, others that provide lots of protein and still others that serve other purposes.

If you are just trying to eat healthier, perhaps an "energy" bar is the right thing for you. They have alot of nutrients, carbs and calories with a little protein thrown in for good measure. However, if you are trying to add muscle, these "energy" bars are not for you.

Here is the label for one of the common "energy" bars on the market known as a Clif Bar. Serving Size (Bar) 68g Servings Per Bar 1 Calories 220 Fat Calories 20 Total Fat (g) 2.5 Sat. Fat (g) 0 Cholesterol (mg) 0 Sodium (mg) 90 Potassium (mg) 280 Total Carbs (g) 43 Dietary Fiber (g) 5 Sugars (g) 21 Proteins (g) 8 -43 carbs, 21 grams of sugar and only 8 grams of protein. Great for the healthy eater maybe, but not so good for the person trying to lose weight and add muscle.

Here, for contrast, is the label for an AdvantEdge Carb Control Bar: Nutrition Facts: Serving Size (bar) 1 Servings Per 12 Calories 200 Fat Calories 45 Total Fat (g) 5 Sat. Fat (g) 3 Cholesterol (mg) 5 Sodium (mg) 125 Potassium (mg) 85 Total Carbs (g) 21 Dietary Fiber (g) 3 Sugars (g) 2 Proteins (g) 24 -The carbs drop to 21, sugars are down to only 2 grams and the protein is at a whopping 24. This is a huge difference.

So, how do I determine the bar for me? Simple. Decide whether you need an "energy" bar or a "protein" bar. Your lifestyle and activities will determine which one you should use, but if in doubt, ask a nutritionist or a fitness instructor who is well versed in this area.

The lower the carbs and total calories (as well as fat) the easier to lose weight. If you are also working out hard, you will need the extra protein to add lean tissue. However, if you are gearing up for a day of mountain biking or playing in a softball game, the energy bar may be the way to go.

It all started years ago when I was constantly being asked to put people through the famous "Body-for- Life" program. This program required 12 weeks of training to include a total of 72 work outs. At a common rate of over $50 per session, one can easily see that the cost to complete the program was in excess of $3600. Not cheap by any measure.

What I discovered was that while BFL was very effective, there were some changes to the diet and fitness structure that could be made to make the entire program even better and more effective. I soon began to incorporate those improvements and found that I could get even better results than before.

Over time and with many more requests, I decided to implement my changes to the basic program and to make it a small group structure where I could still oversee the entire program, yet save the participant lots of money. The end result was that it went from over $3600 to $864. Huge savings.

As time has gone by, I have continued to work on improving the program, both on the financial side and on the fitness side. For example, there was a time when a participant had to pay for the entire program up front. Even though I had reduced the price by about 3/4, that was still an expensive outlay all at once.

Now, the program is much more modified than it's original form, it is now a 16 week program and participants pay by the 4 week session instead of all up front. What I ask for instead of a contract on paper is a contract of your word. You agree to 16 weeks and I take you at your word. I personally feel that this is so much better than a contract on paper.

The Body Transformation class itself involves following a specific, efficient workout plan based on the perceived intensity scales. Several days of cardio and abs are intermixed with several days of specific weight training workouts. Combine this with on-line accountability of the specific eating regimen and success is right around the corner.

Successful participants are the norm, not the exception. Countless numbers of participants have gone on to enjoy a truly new lifestyle after completing this program. Is it time for you or someone you know to get started? The future truly is up to you.

By: Ron Lyons