Q&A for: 17-Nov-05
1054. Q:
Since Winter is starting (and you can't run outside), would running in place in my house be a good 'substitute' for running? It's like the only place and way to run during Winter. I know its not going to be AS effective as actual running.
A:
Sure, you can run in place at home. You can also try jump rope, shadow boxing, jumping jacks, dancing, or aerobics videos -- all of those are perfectly fine substitutes for running that you can do indoors. I would even consider shadow boxing and jumping jacks superior to running since they involve upper body muscles in addition to lower body.
1055. Q:
types of protein
A:
Check out my Protein article.
1056. Q:
I have lost 5 lbs and my body fat has increased by 5%. I don't want to lose weight but would like to lose fat instead. I am a women who just changed my program to a split routine 4 days a week and cardio 3 days a week. Why would I lose weight and gain fat???
A:
In general, it is possible to lose weight AND increase body fat only in extreme cases like near-starvation diet and cardio overload. But it is completely IMPOSSIBLE to lose just 5 pounds of weight and yet have body fat percentage jump up by full 5%. I'm willing to bet that your body fat measure (either the 'before' or 'after' or quite possibly both) was way off. This is all but guaranteed if you used one of those handheld devices or bodyweight scales that give you body fat percent too -- those devices are essentially worthless as far as accuracy and reliability. Even if you had body fat measure done using caliper measurements, you should allow for 2-3% error and more if it's not done by a professional.
So instead of worrying about the body fat percent numbers, look at yourself now and compare to how you looked and felt before. Most likely there's little difference, but if anything you should look a little better than before. And you almost definitely did NOT gain new fat, let alone increase your body fat content by 5%.
Your new program (4 days weights, 3 days cardio) should be perfectly fine. Don't forget that your diet is equally if not more important. Read that link to see how to structure your daily nutrition for quality fat loss. Good luck!
1059. Q:
ok i have a few questions. i am the same guy who wrote question 1050. today i traded my lunch at school (have to work w/ wat my mom gives me) my capri sun for a water, got rid of my mini apple pie, and my cheetos( i never eat em anyway) and had a water and a turkey sand wich. is that healthy. Als is ministrone and tuna fish good for you? thank you mike.
A:
Yes, a turkey sandwich is a HUGE step up from capri sun/pie/cheetos :) Good job on that! You can make the sandwich even better by using whole-wheat bread and LOTS of lettuce or other veggies. Bring some baby carrots along from home, for example. Tuna and minestrone is also not bad at all. Homemade would certainly be better than canned, but even canned is much better than your current lunch choices. If it is homemade, go for more of beans and less of macaroni in the soup.
1060. Q:
Mike I've started a weight training program and diet from the input results I recieved inthe fitness guide. It was to build muscle and according to what I've seen on here I sould gain weight qround 1-2 a week or month? I have lost weight eating 2800 rough calories, around 2.5 lbs. I've been drinking 20 oz. of water with ever meal , eating 6-7 meals/day. I still get very hungery after my last meal. I just started this diet and new split 3 day muscle/strenght on the 14th. I have cut cardio exept for running 3 sets of 10 reps on a long flight of stairs. I was woundering if it was just water although I lose weight rapidly (5-6/week) If I go on any diet slow or not. Any suggestions???? current weight 158 from 160.5 /male.
A:
Good job jumping to the whole 6-7 meals/day and lots water thing! :) It definitely sounds like my default suggestion wasn't enough food for you, though. Water weight loss can possibly happen when switching to a new diet, though it's much more common when people switch to a fat-loss diet and not muscle-building diet like you. However between the weight loss and your feeling hungry, we'll definitely need to adjust calories up. Your goal when building muscle should be gaining about 2 pounds per month (or about 1 pound every two weeks).
What I want you to do then is add about 300 calories per day (split it over several of the meals) to your current diet. Make the 300 calories be carb-heavy: oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes, or even fruits. Alternatively you can just upgrade to this bulking diet.
Then continue monitoring your weight as before and whenever you go two full weeks without gaining 1 pound, repeat the drill with adding 300 carb calories. I would guess that at that new diet or with adding 300 carb calories to your current diet you should be just about in the right range dietwise. But like I said, just continue monitoring your weight and upping by 300 calories or so for every two weeks when you don't gain weight.
1061. Q:
Mike any thoughts on losing your appetite when starting out eating so much?
A:
That's very common and almost unavoidable unfortunately. Good news is that your body will adjust pretty fast, within 2-4 weeks usually. After that the new regimen will seem normal and you'll actually feel quite hungry if you miss a meal or eat less that you're used to. If you are (or have :) a good cook, that'll help A LOT because you can introduce some variety and taste into the diet to make it more appetizing.
1062. Q:
I've noticed on your sample diets chicken is a big factor. After a while chicken and steak get old. Any other suggestions on meats or something to shake it up?
A:
Unfortunately I am not much of a cook :) But if you are then you can just search for a huge variety of grilled chicken recipes on the internet: for example!. Just go easy on oil if the recipe calls for a lot of it. You can also always substitute chicken with any other lean meat, poulty, or fish. Or you can skip meat/chicken/fish altogether and just have a whey protein shake instead of the animal product. If you're completely overwhelmed with the amount of animal protein and don't like whey, you can go with protein-rich legumes (beans, lentils, soy).
1063. Q:
Hey mike, i did a lot of pushups last night and now my shoulders and chest hurt, can still train with small weights while i recover?
A:
You can do exercises for the biceps, legs, or back, but let your chest, shoulder, and triceps recover fully.
1064. Q:
why are your muscles sore after strenous exresise?
A:
Good question! Believe it or not, there's no universally accepted answer for this, despite a ton of research. It is not due to 'lactic acid buildup' which is something you hear often. Most current theories hypothesize that it happens because of microfractures in your muscles that lead to muscle inflammation. In this way sore muscle pain is a warning mechanism just like any other pain -- it's telling you that your muscles need time to heal and that you shouldn't overuse them. However it's still an open research topic.
1065. Q:
same guy who wrote 1006, from the info you have what do you thik my body % is...just a guess
A:
It's hard to say with certainty, obviously, but you shouldn't be very far from actually having a six-pack (which appears at around 10% body fat). So I'd guess you have 12-14% body fat now.
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