Q&A for: 14-Feb-08
2575. Q:
how many carbs per day to lose weight
A:
Simply limiting carbs is not a very good plan. You'll lose some water weight quickly but the long term fat loss may or may not take place and even if you do manage to lose some fat you'll be in danger of having it come later when you go off your diet.
Instead I would suggest a more comprehensive approach. Start by reading my articles on How To Lose Weight and How To Lose Fat to understand what it means to successfully lose weight. Then read my Diet and Exercise articles to learn how to eat and work out. Take your time to understand all that information. Then you can fill out Fitness Guide to get a starter program that you can customize to your tastes. Good luck and consider starting a Fitness Blog on my site -- it'll let me monitor your progress and make specific suggestions. Good luck!
2576. Q:
Hi Mike, Have you seen the infomercial on 'motionless exercise? Is it healthy to hold/contract the muscle for a prolonged time (I am assuming this is what it is since it says 'motionless'? Your input is greatly appreciated KR
A:
I haven't seen that infomercial, but I don't think holding muscle contraction like that would be unhealthy. A different question is why would you want to do it? You would certainly achieve better results both in body composition and in strength via traditional exercise and diet program.
2577. Q:
Let me ask something.Lets say i eat and after 1-1,5 hour i do some cardio and burn 200 calories.I ll burn calories from carbs right?Now lets say i do some cardio without eating before or after my weight training.Iam supposed to burn 200 calories of fat cause i wont have carbs to burn from before.If i burn 200 calories from carbs at the end of the day i will have still a calorie deficit of 200 calories.So i ll lose fat in that case too.If my thought is correct then what is the difference of doing cardio without eating before?
A:
I basically agree with your thinking. In either case, you eat X number of calories and your burn Y number of calories via cardio, so the net calorie balance is the same. But in empty-stomach cario scenario your body does not have a lot of immediately available energy and may therefore 'choose' to burn muscle for energy (which is of course undesirable). This is not the case if you eat before cardio. For that reason I would recommend eating something, at least a protein shake, before doing cardio in the morning. And of course if you do weight training in the morning then you definitely need to have a generous breakfast beforehand.
You can also check out Q&A #159 for more on this subject.
2578. Q:
Hi there.I read a and hear a lot about hiit and i would like to ask: I wanna lose fat slowly after bulk up.Iam not in a hurry.So i do 20 mins of moderate cardio something like brisk walking.This way i burn around 200 calories which is ok by me.I dont care to lose more daily than that.Is it ok to do only this and not hiit.Will i lose fat even slower by doing only this type of cardio.I dont care to lose fat fast i only care to lose fat slowly.What is your opinion?
A:
I do not believe that HIIT somehow jeopardizes your muscle mass compared to regular cardio. In fact, I think the opposite is true. So I don't see any reason to avoid HIIT unless you simply don't like doing it (or perhaps have a medical reason for avoiding it).
That said, in your scenario because you are taking your time with weight loss and don't do very much cardio at all the difference between HIIT and regular cardio results will probably be negligible. So if your preference is for regular cardio, that's perfectly fine.
2579. Q:
Hi Mike, I'm following your meals for cutting fat at 1930 calories. Just a few questions. For the tuna and salmon I eat the kind that's prepackaged in the pouches. For the chicken, I eat the kind that's in a can. Is this equivalent/as good as buying fresh tuna/chicken/salmon and cooking it?
A:
Yes, that's perfectly fine. In fact most, if not all, foods in my plans can be substituted with other equivalent foods. Check out the 'Create Your Own Healthy Meals' section of my Diet article to see what can be switched with what.
2580. Q:
1. I am 47. In the last month, I gained a lot of weight around my middle. I was under a lot of stress last month, and forced myself to eat. I exercise 6 days a week. 45 min. - 1 hour of cardio each time, plus strength training. It is very hard to eat 5 small meals a day. HELP. How do I get rid of my middle. 2. In 1 month, is it possible for my body to use muscle for fuel and turn my stomach to flab? HELP. Thank you.
A:
It sounds like you are doing all the right things, already. Now it's just a matter of perseverance and patience. Unfortunately getting in shape gets harder the older we get but if you stick with your program and eat enough for slow stead loss of 1-2 pounds per week then you WILL succeed. It's just a matter of sticking with the program and not giving up too quickly.
As far as eating many small meals a day, do the best you can -- instead of 5 small meals, do 4 slightly larger ones. On some days you may be too busy and be forced to eat just 3 regular meals. On other days you may only have time for a quick sandwich for one of the meals. All of that is fine, you'll still get good results. Just make sure that when you do eat it's healthy nutritious foods and not junk.
Finally, it's pretty unlikely that a single bad month made you lose a lot of muscle and gain a lot of fat all at once. More likely you simply overate and gained some new fat. As a I said, it sounds like you are doing all the right things as far as diet, weight training, and cardio. Just stick with the program to the best of your ability. Some days and maybe weeks will go bad and you won't be able to eat right or have time to exercise -- that's OK, just keep positive attitude and get back on the wagon every time you falls off! And make sure you check out my Diet and Weight Training articles to see if you can pick up any tips to improve your program. Good luck!
2581. Q:
Hi Mike, Read in the AOL health section that the amount of protein is about 1.2 to 1.8 times the weight in KG for people who exercise, and is .8 for people who don't do weight training - is this correct? Also, it had mentioned that excess protein is converted to fat (my understanding is the excess passes through and this can also be harmful to kidneys (from over work)? Thanks. KR
A:
That is generally correct. There have been numerous studies showing benefit of protein for physically active people up to around 1.8-2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight daily. I have never seen any studies that suggest that eating more protein than that can actually harm your kidneys -- unless they are already having problems. Drinking a lot of plain water helps your body flush out excess protein as waste which is another reason why everyone should always drink plenty of water. And of course, anyone starting a diet and exercise program should first get a clearance from their doctor and this especially important if the individual has existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart condition, or kidney problems.
In my experience many people, especially those trying to gain muscle, will benefit from even more protein than that -- up to 3 grams per kilogram of bodyweight daily. I also believe it is a far less likely that you can gain fat from excess dietary protein compared to similar amount of excess dietary carbs or fat.
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