Q&A for: 3-Sep-06
1757. Q:
I always hear that when people lift weights they must allow a rest period for their muscles to recover either by having a rest day between weight training or not training the same muscles on adjacent days. Its just occurred to me what about people like manual workers - whose work involves them doing the same physical labour (lifting things and the like)day after day how come they dont suffer from muscle fatigue or overstraining? Obviously, to do some exercise daily is better than none but is there a point where doing more exercise is bad for you ,or ideally should all of us ,not just manual workers be looking to do eight hours a day of some type of exercise to get optimum fitness?
A:
Please check out Q&A #1718.
1758. Q:
Whats your opinion on Green Tea to help weight loss? I mean, I read a lot about Green Tea, and it seems like it does a lot for your body. I was wondering if you would know if it actually DOES help weight loss along with exercise and diet. I also have only Decaf Green Tea, and was wondering if that affects the nutrition value of Green Tea
A:
The weight-loss benefit of green tea is mainly due to the fact that it has no calories yet fills you up somewhat, at least temporarily -- the same benefit that plain water gives you. So it's not that green tea helps you burn more fat, but simply that you tend to eat less while drinking it. If you ate the exact same amount, then green tea would have no effect or only miniscule effect on weight loss.
That is not to say that green tea is useless -- it does have other health benefits, but the weight-loss aspect of it is definitely overrated. Its primary fat-burning ingredient is caffeine and it naturally has significantly less of it than black tea does or than coffee does. Since you're drinking decaf green tea, then its caffeine content is next to nothing so it has no fat-burning effect at all. But as I said before, it will still have the psychological fullness effect on you which may help curb food cravings plus it does provide other health benefits. So if you enjoy it, by all means keep drinking it.
1765. Q:
reason why your body is not hloding protein
A:
Not sure what you mean by this exactly, but in general our bodies will always excrete some protein as waste (dissolved in urine). The exact amount of protein your body can make use of and whether the protein will be burned for energy or used to repair muscles or tissues depends on a lot of factors, so there is no one answer. But to put it simply, if you eat more protein than your body can make use of then it will discard some or all of it as waste.
1766. Q:
How do I loose the fat around my stomach 'spare tire' I have high cholesterol so I am on a high carb diet and I don't eat red meat. What do you recommend?
A:
The general approach will still be the same for you -- weight training, some cardio, and a balanced diet relatively high in protein as described in my fat loss article.
Although everyone should always consult a doctor before starting any diet or exercise program, that will be doubly important for you. Assuming your doctor OKs you for the program, the main trick will be to create a protein-rich diet for yourself with minimum animal products (I'm assuming you're staying away from all cholesterol-rich foods of which red meat is just one example).
Eating healthy carbs and fats should not be a problem for you. And to get enough protein you will want to identify and include in your diet foods that are high in protein, yet low in cholesterol. Best examples of such foods are egg whites and various beans and lentils. Egg whites are pure protein with no cholesterol while beans are up to 50% protein (depending on variety) also with no cholesterol. Bean-based products such as tofu work just as well.
So my recommendation for your diet would be to start with diet that fitness guide suggests to you and then customize it for yourself by replacing cholesterol-rich foods with low- or zero-cholesterol equivalents. And of course, don't forget about weight training and cardio assuming your doctor OKs them. Good luck!
1767. Q:
mike, i bought some all wheat bagles to eat with breakfast with peanutbutter on them, along with eggs. however, i noticed each bagle has 63g of carbs each. is that too much carbs for breakfast?
im 6'4 225, and am trying to bulk as cleanly as possible. keep in mind, i eat breakfast at 6 30, and dont get to eat again til around 11 15
A:
If you really want to bulk cleanly, then bagels are not the best food choice. Also, check the label/ingredients on them -- it should not mention 'white flour' at all (and chances are it does). On the positive side, if you are going to eat sub-par foods, then morning breakfast is the best time for that. However I would still replace the bagels with nice old-fashioned oatmeal, especially if you're eating more than one bagel in the morning. You can even mix that same peanut butter into oatmeal if you want (or the more traditional fruits). Make sure that the peanut butter is 'natural' by the way -- the ingredients on it should be just peanuts and maybe salt.
The other change I would make is to definitely make sure to fit another meal or at least a snack in between your breakfast and 11:15 lunch. If you absolutely cannot have a full meal, then something as simple as a handful of dry-roasted nuts or a piece of fruit or maybe a protein bar. But your goal should be to eat something (preferably a balanced meal, of course) every three hours or more often when you're trying for a good clean bulk.
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