Q&A for: 11-Mar-07
2060. Q:
I saw the following extract on http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/bodyfatpercentage.html –
‘Sam follows a proper exercise and nutrition program. After a month or so of dedication and determination she notices her weight has changed only slightly if at all... Arrgh!
Not getting discouraged Sam has her body fat percentage measured...
Before her program Sam weighed 150lbs with a body fat percentage of 30%. After 6 weeks she weighs 148lbs. But her body fat percentage has dropped to 26%. The result?
Over 6.5lbs of highly-motivating fat loss! And she has gained 4.5lbs of healthy lean muscle. This situation is so common that you should never gauge the success of a weight loss program with the bathroom scales alone.‘
My question is how can someone lose so much fat and gain so much muscle without losing or gaining more weight than 2 pounds?
A:
The answer is that it's very possible as long as somebody is starting in a very overweight/obese condition! When you are at 30% body fat, it's fairly easy to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Things are very different when you are at, say, 15% body fat -- then simultaneous muscle gain and fat loss becomes nearly impossible.
The specific case described here is actually fairly optimistic -- 30% for a woman is only slightly overweight and it would not be easy for a woman like that to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. But if the person in the example was a man at 30% body fat, then the situation would be very typical.
2061. Q:
What are some of the signs of ovetraining? I think I may be exhibiting some of them. I am on your five day a week program and I add some extra sets for abs and I do cardio the other two days. About 8 miles of running a week. Is this too much? I am 23 aboutu 155 and 5'7 or 5'8 if that matters at all. Thanks mike
A:
Recognizing overtraining is not always easy. Look for one or more of the following: getting sick more often than usual, nagging injuries, muscle soreness that doesn't go away, lack of progress, loss of strength, sleeplessness, lack of appetite, irritability, not enjoying workouts. What you described is certainly a lot of physical activity and if you've been on that schedule for awhile it's quite possible you are overtraining. If you recognize some of the symptoms, it's a good idea to take a week or two off and then come back with a lower volume program.
2062. Q:
what is the average calorie, fat, protein, and sodium intake that and 18 year old should have?
A:
It depends on your weight. Fill out my Fitness Guide choosing 'Maintain' or 'Gain Muscle' as your goal to get a rough idea'. Its output will suggest higher protein diet than most people have since it's geared for fat loss/muscle gain -- don't worry if your protein intake is lower than suggested.
2063. Q:
Ive been slowly putting on pounds over the last couple of years and now at a stage where i really want to do something about it fast. Im 19, 5ft 11 and weight about 180 lbs. I do have a fair bit of muscle but also a bit of excess fat around my stomach and chest area. Whats the fastest way I can burn this fat and tone my upper torso?
A:
Looking to lose fat fast is usually a bad idea. You probably want to hang on to as much of your muscle as possible and to do that you want to lose weight slowly -- a pound per week or slower, ideally. Read my fat loss article if you haven't already and then fill out Fitness Guide specifying 'Lose Fat' as your goal to get a sample starter diet. Monitor your weight and adjust calories up or down to keep weight loss pace at around 1 pound/week. Your weight training routine does not need to change, but you can do more cardio if you like.
2064. Q:
If I lower my caloric intake by 400 calories a day(from 2400 to 2000) and I do intense cardio 3 times a week will I gain some weight back that I lost once I go back to eating 2400 calories while still doing the cardio?
A:
If your weight is stable now, that means your body can handle 2400 calories. So after you come back to 2400 calories and especially since you will still be doing cardio, your weight will quickly stabilize after little, if any, weight gain.
2065. Q:
How many grams of protein can our body absorb in every meal?Lets say i need more protein for my bulk up.For example i eat 6 meals now with 30 grams per protein every time.(6x30=180 daily) and i wanna go to 210.Can i add more protein to the others meals or should i add a seventh meal so my body will be able to consume the rest of protein i need.What is better?
Also,how many time do i need in bulk up before i add more calories in order to grow bigger.Is it ok to add lets say 300 calories every 2 weeks ?
A:
The amount of protein the body can absorb in one meal will certainly vary from person to person, depending on weight, diet, and genetics. A common rule of thumb is to not exceed about 40 grams in one meal so you may want to use that. But in general, if your schedule allows an extra new meal, then that's the better option then increasing the size of your existing meals. If you are already eating 6 meals and adding another is going to be a real hassle, then just increasing the size of some of the existing meals is perfectly fine -- 6 meals in a day is already very good.
As far as when to increase calories, what I usually do is monitor weight every couple days and wait till two or more weeks pass without weight gain -- that's when I know it's time to increase calories. A 200-300 calorie increase is appropriate at that time. Increasing by 300 calories every week will probably lead to overly quick weight gain and unwanted new fat. Remember, a good sustainable weight gain pace for a bulk is 1 pound every 2 weeks.
2066. Q:
Mike, how long would be advisable to stick to a 'cut' phase program for? surely the answer cannot be indefinite, due to your metabolism continually slowing down. Is 12 weeks ok? or too long/short for a relatively weak man with lots of bodyfat. I've gone down from 82kg to 75kg, but still have plenty of flab, but I have noticed that I'm not making the same losses I initially did at the start of my cut.
would now be an appropriate time to go on a bulk program? I noticed you mentioned to Adam uk, in Q:2042 that there was a necessary evil for cutting, to not gain. would this by my necessary evil for raising my metabolic rate? any tips please? KAz
A:
It really depends on each individual case -- some people are able to keep making progress longer than others. Your loss of 7 kg (about 15 pounds) is probably pretty average length cut and since, as you say, the progress is slowing you may want to consider switching to a bulk phase to get your metabolism up a bit.
As far as the 'necessary evil', in case of cutting the the evil is loss of muscle (and lack of muscle/strength gains. In case of bulking, the situation is reversed: the necessary evil becomes the unwanted but virually unavoidable fat gain. To key to minimize both the necessary evils is to make your weight changes (whether loss or gain, but especially gain) as slow as possible. I recommend losing weight no faster than 1 pound/week and gaining weight no faster than 1 pound every 2 weeks. And slower is always better. The other key is to eat as 'clean' as possible -- lots of small complete balanced meals throughout the day with healthy natural foods. Read my nutrition article if you haven't already.
2067. Q:
im 17 and weigh 135lbs im 5' 10' and work out for about 40-50min everyday my goal is to weigh a nice 160lbs by the summer (end of may) i only eat 4 normal meals a day. how can i make my goal work in the short amount of time.
A:
Gaining 25 pounds in just 2-3 months is waaaay too ambitious. It's certainly doable, but only if you are willing to gain more fat than muscle (probably not what you want). A much better goal would be to try and get your weight up to 140-142 pounds by that time -- then you'll be guaranteed that most if not all of your new weight is muscle.
As far as actually accomplishing that goal you'll need to pay careful attention to your diet to make sure you are eating enough to gain weight. If you don't eat enough you'll never gain weight, no matter how much you lift. You'll need to monitor your weight and increase your calories till you are gaining about 1 pound every 2 weeks (a good steady pace to minimize new fat gains). You may want to fill out Fitness Guide specifying 'Gain Muscle' to get a sample starter diet.
2068. Q:
another thing what is the best way to build chest muscle with only bumdbells and no bench?
A:
Focus on dumbbell flies (you can do them lying on a floor on a mat or light padding of some sort). You can also finish off a set of dumbbell flies with push ups (hands wide apart to emphasize chest over triceps). When doing pushups, try elevating your feet to make it harder and hit your upper chest more.
2070. Q:
i weight 130lbs my goal is to weigh 160-170 with in 3 months 'MAX' i am curently working out everyday for 30-50 min im not sure of my calorie intake yet but i do know i need to eat almost twice as much as i do now to gain the muscle weight and body weight how can i make this possable for me
A:
See Question 2067 right above -- trying to gain that much weight in just 3 months will only lead to large fat gains. Your body cannot build muscle very quickly -- 1 pound every 2 weeks or so in most cases. While if you grossly overeat (like you would have to to gain 30-40 pounds in 3 months) you will gain more muscle than that, you will also gain far more fat and you probably won't like the results. Rethink your plan -- I recommend you aim for 6-8 pounds of solid muscle gained in those 3 months.
2071. Q:
I am about 20 pounds overweight but I carry most of it in my upper body, even tho I am a woman. I have very skinny legs from ankle to knee and would like to bulk them up as much as possible. However, I don't want to just have well toned or even larger calf muscles, I actually want to thicken my legs as well. How would I go about doing that?
A:
Your case will be a bit difficult. It's more common for women who are overweight to have thicker legs and the fact that yours aren't indicates that you are probably genetically predisposed to have thin calves and legs.
The approach to building up calves, legs, or any other muscle group is weight/resistance training. Unfortunately to make a significant difference in building new muscle weight training needs to be combined with weight gain, which is probably not what you want right now. Good news is that sometimes calves respond to a lot of training -- so it's worth a shot... Try to walk on your toes as much possible around the house. Wearing high heels has some of the same effect as well. Your calves may get quite sore in the beginning but should adopt soon and hopefully start growing.
To try to build up upper legs, start doing squats and lunges. Again, the effect on leg size will be limited without weight gain, but they will help you lose weight and hopefully bring your legs into better proportion with your upper body.
2072. Q:
I know it's hard to tell me for sure without more specifics but what do you think my chances would be of losing 8 pounds within the next month this way: squats, lunges, and dead lifts, 30 minutes 5 days a week and an hour on the treadmill 3 days a week, with my diet being pretty good?
A:
I'd say you should have very good chance of success. 8 pounds in 1 month is more aggressive than I usually recommend, but if all you are looking to lose is 8 pounds, then it should be OK (a fast pace like that is not a good idea for prolonged weight loss, however). Your program sounds good and as long as your diet is light and healthy you should be able to lose those 8 pounds no problem.
2073. Q:
how do you lose man boobs
A:
Please read this.
2074. Q:
who can you lose man boobs naturally if your in the 13-18 year age
A:
Having some chest fat is perfectly normal at that age, so you should not worry about it too much. Make an effort to keep your weight under control, eat healthy foods, be physically active and the 'man boobs' will take care of themselves.
2075. Q:
how can you make your butt smaller?
A:
Please read this.
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