Q&A for: 7-Feb-07
1987. Q:
Hi Mike, my question is does stress affect your weight loss? I've heard advertisements that say stress can make belly fat stick around.
A:
That is actually (one of the few infomerial statements that are) true! Stress makes your body more likely to hang on to fat. However you shouldn't get discouraged because of that -- even the most stressed people can make great progress in losing fat if only they have a good program and discipline!
1988. Q:
Where does this thing about having huge or bulky muscles come from? While it is healthy to have strong muscles – it is not necessary to have big muscle to be strong as you have said. I have heard about the new condition that affects men(particularly the very young late teens, early 20’s) where they become obsessed with trying to be ever bigger and even when they are already very muscular thinking they are small. If it is not necessary to have large muscle for either strength or fitness – what purpose apart from looks does it serve. I mean in order to grow muscle you have to lift heavy weights, eat very strict diet, eats lots and often, largely avoid cardio – which would include most sports and fool you body into not burning muscle. Women’s ‘ideal’ body shape is getting thinner and men’s are getting bigger – if men see body builders who are huge –how can they have a realistic view of a healthy body shape?
A:
You pretty much nailed it. Unfortunately unhealthy body image is just something that comes as part of the package of living in our society with its media and values and trends. I don't thik there's a good solution for this -- it's just something everybody needs to sort out for her- or himself.
1989. Q:
Hey Mike. I've had great success with your three day medium intensity program: M-W-F. Yesterday I was waiting in the gym for a treadmill to open up and it was so busy. So, I did every exercise I usually do over the week in one day. It felt great and I'm not sore. Can I do this M-W-F now? Do you see any downside to working all the muscle groups in one day and doing it every other day? I do the exact same exercises as the three-day routine, but all in one day. Thanks Mike! - Josh (Oaxaca, Mexico)
A:
Sure, try it out! If you look at my other programs you'll see that I have programs that repeat every day. If you take all the sets from M-W-F and do it all in one day and repeat that 3 times a week, you'll be doing a lot of sets so I wouldn't stay at such high volume for too long, but certainly trying it out for couple months will be OK and you might learn something about how your body responds to high volume programs.
1990. Q:
HOW MUCH TO SUBTRACT FOR CLOTHING
A:
Depends on how much you are wearing :) Weigh wearing just the underwear and don't worry about subtracting. Regular clothes can add up to 2-3 pounds easily.
1991. Q:
Mike, what are some good calorie burning excercises that i can do from home?
A:
Check out this program!
1992. Q:
Im trying to bulk up and lean up at the same time if possible, how much cardio should I do to lean up and not lose muscle?
A:
For most people it's not productive trying to lose fat and gain muscle at once. I would pick one or the other. When bulking I would do only minimal cardio to keep in good cardivascular shape or even none at all.
1993. Q:
Mike, hello, I had an off-the-wall question. What is a 'stone' in terms of weight. I had never heard this term used in this context until today (01/31/07). Interestingly, I was reading H.G. Wells' 'Food Of The Gods' earlier today and the term was used there. I blew it off but now I see the same term later the same day so now I am curious. Thanks, and I want to throw my hat in the ring and say thanks for the site.
A:
1 stone is 14 pounds -- it's a measure used in United Kingdom.
1994. Q:
Mike,
I'm pretty toned in the upper body, but I want a flat stomach?
A:
It's just a matter of losing more body fat -- read my fat loss article.
1995. Q:
How much should you weigh for your haeight at 17 years old?
A:
Take you height in inches (6 feet is 72 inches, for example), call it H and then use this formula: rough target weight = 0.03 * H * H. So for example, if you are 70 inches tall, then you weight should be roughly 0.03 * 70 * 70 = 147 pounds. This is only an approximation, of course, so anywhere within 20 pounds of that is perfectly fine.
1997. Q:
I keep lifting a 15 lbs weight......but its not showing too much....how do i make it more visible?
A:
You need to work on your program and probably get heavier weight -- read my weight training article.
1998. Q:
hi Mike i want to lose my weight can u plz tell me how can i lose my weight
A:
Please read my fat loss article.
1999. Q:
want to lose my weight with excersice and diet can u plz help me
A:
Please read my fat loss article.
2000. Q:
how do i lose my man boobs
A:
Please read my fat loss article.
2001. Q:
I need to lose at least 10 pounds by valentines day how can i do that safley?
A:
Sorry, I'm not able to respond to questions more often than a couple of times per month. But losing lots of weight very fast like you planned is almost never a good idea. You are unlikely to significantly improve your appearence and you are almost definitely setting yourself up for all that weight to come back with a vengeance. A good weight loss pace is a pound per week. Please read my fat loss article and start slowly but surely -- by Valentine's 2008 you can be a completely different person!
2002. Q:
Is cereal bad for your insulin levels? And does it effect your weight loss mechanism. After a work out, is green beans a good carb to eat when trying to lose weight?
A:
Most cold cereals are not the best choices. Many of them have added sugars on top of refined grain. Though there're half-decent choices like plain cheerios or bran flakes. Hot cereals vary too -- cream of wheat is not a good choice but plain old-fashioned oatmeal is, of course, terrific.
As far as post-workout carbs for fat loss, green beans is certainly a very good choice. After lifting you need not be afraid to eat some healthy starchy carbs as well -- like those same oats or brown rice. And of course don't forget to have some protein along with those carbs.
2003. Q:
hello mike i want to ask u a Q about how to lose weight with exercise & diet plz reply as soon as posible plz give also all the detail of diet and some exercise tips
A:
You should be able to find all the answers in my fat loss article. If you have some specific questions, ask them here and I'll do my best to reply.
2005. Q:
Great site. There is so much info on the net that it is sometimes hard to decipher the right approach. Especially, if you are a newbie.
Me: I am a 155# male, vegetarian that has started to workout about 4 months ago. I pretty much go to the gym about 4days week, sometimes even more. I have definitely seen changes compared to where I started. First it was intimidating, but I pretty much dont care and can do my own thing.
My goal: to be lean, gain muscle, and lose a tire and 'man boobs'
My concern is my diet. I think I would see a greater result if I had a good healthy eating lifestyle. I already eat good amounts of lentils, eggs, beans, and cottage cheese, but do not know how much to intake.
If I am trying to get lean and gain muscle at the sametime, what would be the best approach? Gain weight and then lose fat? how much should i gain above my current weight?
I already take whey couple of times a day, but could you recommend couple of supplements or bulking HEALTHY food for vegetarians.
Any chance, you can develop a starting diet plan?
thanks mike !!
A:
For protein intake, set a goal of 120-150 grams of protein daily. That won't be easy for you as a vegetarian, but it's a good goal to shoot for. When you prepare your meals notice how much protein is in each food and then multiply by however many serving you eat. For example, a 4oz serving of cottage cheese may have 12 grams of protein. If you eat 8oz of it for a meal, you just got 24 grams of protein right there. Keep track of all your meals like that for a day or two and if you find protein intake o be close to 150 grams or higher daily, then you are in good shape.
As far as your approach to getting lean and building muscle, I can't suggest for sure without knowing your height. I wouldn't recommend exceeding 25 BMI when bulking (building muscle). So you can consult BMI table to see how heavy you can afford to get without exceeding 25 BMI. So one strategy would simply be cycling between 21 and 25 or so BMI, every time gaining more muscle and losing more fat. As usual, when bulking aim for weight gain of 1 pound every 2 weeks or slower... and when cutting lose 1 pound per week or slower.
As far as diet, it sounds like you got it covered already. Whey can be a good protein source for vegetarians and you eat eggs, beans, and cottage cheese. Just make sure you eat healthy carbs and fats as well. Check out my Nutrition article for some ideas, if you haven't already. I am not a big supplement fan -- all you need is plenty of healthy everyday foods. For a starter plan, just fill out my Fitness Guide and do your best replacing fish and meat in meals with a mix of healthy protein-rich vegetarian equivalents.
Hope that helps!
2006. Q:
I am about to take a two week break from working out. I am wrapping up eight weeks of your 5 day a week workout w/cardio the other two days. I did that same routine for eights the took a one week break and just completed eight mor weeks. When I come back from this two week break, would it be ok to start on that same routine. I really think it has done a lot of good. I have notice a lot more muscle with little fat gain. I only have a little more time to bulk up before I want to start cutting for the summer. I really want to gain as much muscle as possbile before cutting. Thanks for your help mike.
A:
Certainly, if you enjoyed the program and got good results, give it another go. Glad you liked it!
2007. Q:
i need to know how tolose belly fat really fast and in my legs
A:
Please read my fat loss article.
2008. Q:
Monday - Friday I stick to a nutritional diet, but on the weekends I give myself a break and will eat whatever I want. I wanted to if this would take me backwards or is it OK to do.
A:
It's really up to you and your priorities. What you are doing is much better than eating junk all seven days of the week, though not as good as strict diet 24x7. So you are sacrificing some amount of progress but if you enjoy eating on the weekends enough, then what you are doing makes sense.
2009. Q:
I have a client who works out 5x's a week. She does workouts ranging from cycling, running, lifting, etc. She burns over +650 calories per hour. Her body fat is 23.1%, wt. 152, ht. 5'8', and BMI is 22.1. She is frustrated because her weight is not changing but she keeps reducing her body fat. She is losing inches and is very focused on her nutrition. She ranges from 1450-1750 calories per day. If you have any ideas on how to reduce her weight please feel free to let me know. We have tried almost everything. Even though she knows she is working out hard it is frustrating for her not to see the numbers on the scale change. Thanks. ~Stuck in North Dakota~
A:
If she is losing fat but her weight is staying constant it means that she is gaining muscle. For many trainees results like that would actually be highly desirable, especially coupled with losing inches. But I could certainly understand the desire to lower the weight and BMI. In this case, my advice would be to cut out most or even all lifting and replace it with yet more cardio. This will give her body less 'incentive' to gain or maintain muscle. In conjunction, lower the calories slightly -- perhaps to 1300-1500 range. With fewer calories and less incentive to maintain or grow muscle, she should see her weight start to drop.
This is an unusual situation and, as I said, I think most trainees would be happy with the progress she is seeing already. But if what she wants to do is lose some of that muscle, my advice should do the trick.
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