Q&A for: 25-Mar-08
2610. Q:
is being 5 foot 7 189 pounds of muscle too much for 16
A:
Going by BMI chart you would be considered quite overweight. But BMI doesn't distinguish between muscle and fat, so many if not most atheletes would be considered 'overweight' under BMI. If all those extra pounds on you are muscle, as you said, then I don't see any problems with your weight. You may want to get your body fat measured and see what it comes out to. Body fat measurements are not superaccurate, but if yours come out to around 15% or less, then you certainly have nothing to worry about.
2611. Q:
why shouldnt a person consume a heavy meal before exercising
A:
Actually I recommend having a nice big meal before resistance training or other heavy physical activity. The only caveat is that you shouldn't eat foods that give you stomach discomfort in the hours after the meal and you shouldn't eat too close to the workout time so that food has time to digest and settle down. Aside from those considerations, there's nothing wrong with eating large meals before exercising. In fact, your three largest meals of the day would ideally be the breakfast and the meals before and after the workout.
2612. Q:
I've lost approx 30 pounds over the past year through diet, weights & cardio (basically as you suggest). Friends & family are now commenting that I am too thin (75 kg, 5' 10") but I feel great & feel that I still have fat to lose and would like to be much leaner. If I don't want to get any "thinner" but still have fat to lose would it make sense to do short periods of cutting/bulking e.g. cut for 2 weeks and lose 2 pounds then bulk cleanly for 4 weeks and regain the 2 pounds? It seems to me that when people lose weight a lot is lost from the face but that the face fills out after a period of maintenance - would you agree or do you think its a matter of getting used to the new look?
A:
Congrats on your weight loss!! Your current weight -- 75 kgs -- is perfectly appropriate for your height. You are certainly not underweight (and not overweight either!) and have more healthy room to lose weight if you wish. However in my experience, short cut/bulk cycles are not the best way to approach weight loss (or muscle gain for that matter). During the first week after a diet change your body will almost always either lose or gain some number of pounds due to changes in water weight (check out my How to Lose Weight article to read more about water weight). So the first week is a wash and then you realistically need a few weeks to zero in on appropriate calorie level to slowly steadily lose fat. So if you only allow 2-4 weeks per cycle you simply don't have enough time to know whether you are gaining or losing weight too quickly for best results. I would recommend allowing at least a couple of months for a cycle.
As far as your question about the face filling out after a cut, that too is more likely to be result of water retention rather than of actual fat gain. When you stop a cut and switch to a regular higher-calorie diet the new calories bring with them new water retention that can and does show in fuller face. You can observe the same effect by looking at your face in the morning before eating or drinking anything and in the evening. Chances are your face will look fuller in the evening.
2613. Q:
Ive had an achilles tear and now I have had a lot of muscle atrophy in my calf muscle. Is it possible to regrow and then develop the calf or is it nearly impossible. All i have read has me believing that its impossible.
A:
Sorry, unfortunately I am not qualified to advise on injuries like that. Your best bet would be to consult a physical therapist. Good luck!
2614. Q:
hi i am 15. is it alrite if u do weights dat r 2.5 kg and also once you finish your teenage times do you drop your teenage fat off so wil go bck 2 ur normal weight that u wer b4. and hw comes i hav rly bony shoulders yet my thighs n dat r a bit flaby does it indiacte anyfin
A:
Certainly, using light weights is much better than not using any weights at all. You could also use your own body weight as resistance by doing exercises like pushups, pullups, squats, lunges and others without any weights at all -- check out my Bodyweight Resistance Program.
As far as losing fat you accumulate during teenage years later on in life, there's certainly nothing wrong with that plan, but you should also set yourself up for success in doing that by making sure that right now, while you are still a teenager, you stay physically active and eat healthy nutritious foods and not junk.
Finally, bony shoulders and flabby thighs don't really mean anything. Your body, especially if you are female, will tend to store fat in your thighs and virtually never in your shoulders. So your situation is completely normal.
2615. Q:
HOW TO GET OUR BODY TITE
A:
Making your body tight is nothing more than simply losing excess body fat. Please read my Weight Loss and Fat Loss articles to get started and good luck!
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