Q&A for: 14-Oct-05
708. Q:
I noticed you mentioned old fashioned oatmeal quite a bit, I was wondering if eating the single packet flavored servings are ok to eat. (by the way, I'm sooo glad I came across your site. You have answered a lot of my questions!! Thanks)
A:
You're welcome, very glad to hear my suggestions are helping you! I am not a fan of those packets at all. They have around 40% of their carbs come from the added sugars (look at the ingredient label -- real oatmeal has no sugar, just the complex carbs while the packets will have something like 13 out of 33 carb grams be sugar). That's just too much. Go with the old-fashioned oatmeal and make it tastier by adding berries, bananas, apples, cinnamon, or even, heck, brown sugar! If you only add two teaspoons of brown sugar to half a cup (uncooked) of old-fashioned oatmeal, the sugar will account for only about 15% of carb calories -- much better than those packets! Of course, it'd be even better to add real fruit instead of the processed sugars, but even adding sugar in moderation is better than those flavored packets.
709. Q:
What do you reccomend as some of the top fat burning supplements that are highly effective in: 1)burning fat, 2)appetite control, 3)thyroid enhancing, and 4)metabolism boosting all in one? (examples- Hot-Rox, MAN Scorch, Animal Cuts). Thanks for your expert opinion.
A:
I really don't like endorsing any of the supps on the market. The truth about their effectiveness is very unclear with much of the 'evidence' coming from advertising hype or word-of-mouth hype (the line between the two is very blurry). I haven't come across any fat-burning type supp that everyone agrees on as being effective and certainly none that have been proven effective in a scientific study. This is in contrast to creatine or protein supplements which have solid scientific backing behind them. Plain old coffee is probably still as good as many supps out there, evidenced by the fact that caffeine or some derivative of it is one of the most common supp ingredients.
If you're a beginner or even intermediate lifter, I would encourage you to not even think about supps until you have truly optimized the heck out of your diet and exercise regimen. A good diet with no supps will take you a lot further than a mediocre diet with the best supps. It'll also be much more likely to be healthy. Few people's diets are as good as they could be. So focus on that first.
If you're an advanced lifter with many years of experience and have long since perfected your diet and training, then by all means start considering all the different supps out there but at least for now, unfortunately, I won't have a definitive recommendation for you. Talk to your fellow lifters, the ones who you know well and trust and see what has worked for them. Those recommendations are going to be just as good as mine. Sorry couldn't be more helpful, good luck.
710. Q:
can u start developing man boobs at the age of 12
A:
Yes, you can. It can happen at any age if you have a poor diet and/or are overweight. It's especially common for teenagers, even those who are not overweight (though it usually tends to happen a little later than 12 years of age). In either case your continuing growth and development will take care of them with time, but you can definitely help along by eating healthy (lots of vegetables and whole fruits) and being physically active.
711. Q:
will taking amino acids help me to lose weight?
A:
No, by themselves amino acid supplements will do absolutely nothing for you. Amino acids are simply protein building blocks and you get them when you eat almost any food, especially protein-rich ones like meats, fish, dairy, legumes, and some veggies.
If you're serious about losing fat, you need to adapt a good fat-burning diet and an exercise program, preferably including heavy whole-body weightlifting. Please read this carefully and then fill out Mike's Fitness Guide specifying 'Lose Fat' as your goal to get a complete diet and exercise prescription.
712. Q:
ok, I know that it takes around a week to burn off 1 or 2 pounds but how long does it take to add on 1 or 2 of mucsle? THANKS!!!
A:
Building muscle is a lot slower. Check out Q&A #94 for an idea of realistic muscle-building pace.
713. Q:
same person who wrote question 707, alredy got another lol. what is the average amount of pushups and situps for a 13 yearols, 95 pound male?
A:
Honestly, I am not sure about averages at that young an age. I'd guess somewhere around 35 situps and 25 pushups for boys, but it's more a guess than anything.
714. Q:
Mike, i got a Q. about 591, you said to gain 2 pounds per month, but you also said to not gain more then 1 pound per week, how do u gain 1 pound per week, and only 2 pounds per month? also my scarle is kinda old and junky, do you reccomend te electronic ones? or what kind of scale is accurate and easy to read in the mornings before my contacts are in?
A:
What I meant is that 1 pound per week should be the absolute upper ceiling. Slower than that is better, with 2 pounds per month being the perfect target pace for guys. You probably do want a new scale and electronic ones are nice in that they'll typically display the weight after you step off them, so you can look at it in peace :) They're definitely easier to read. I would get just a simple one that does that and nothing else. Many scales advertise that they measure body fat as well, but the turth is that those measures are notoriously unreliable and inconsistent. Just get a scale that weighs you and does it well.
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