Q: I just started a new diet, which involved 3-4 pieces of fruit, a can of V8 1-2 puree fruit cups, a can of lentil, minestrone or chunky soup, and a small container of vegetables (such as carrots, broccoli, or peppers) I usually top this off with a dinner consisting of a chicken breast, with some brown rice or perhaps a few sandwiches with light mayo and whole wheat bread. for snacks I've started eating handfuls of raw almonds.... I currently weigh 220 LBS, with a fair bit of muscle, but a pretty large gut.. I imagine my optimum weight to be 190-200 LBS... my workout consists of 45 minutes of pretty heavy cardio, plus 3 sets of each muscle group I wish to develop... I do this minimum 3 times a week maximum 5... is there any way I can tweak my diet or workout to optimize results?

A: Most of what you said sounds good. As far as optimizing it more, here are a few suggestions... First off, eat a bit more overall. I understand you want to lose weight as quickly as possible, but by going below 1500 or so daily calories you are risking your metabolism slowing down and ultimately halting fat burning. Most of your food choices are good, just eat more of them, especially protein-rich foods like meats, chicken, and lentils. Have a good-sized breakfast, it should be one of if not the largest meal of the day. It should also have the most carb-rich meal of the day -- I wouldn't have those sandwiches later in the day, for example. A good simple breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal with milk for protein some berries for taste. Read my Nutrition article to see how you can tweak your diet more to be what's described there. Overall your diet is not bad -- just eat a little more and especially more protein.

As far as workouts, yours sound good. The only thing is to make sure you focus on big compound exercises for weight training: squats, lunges, deadlifts, rows, pullups/pulldowns, chest and shoulder presses, and core training. A lot of people tend to focus on things like bicep curls or side raises which really don't do much as far as help you burn fat (or build muscle for that matter). Also make sure you lift heavy -- you should choose weights that you can lift no more than 12 times or so before needing a break. Read my Weight training article if you are not sure how to best structure your weight training. Your cardio plan is good. You may want to search for 'HIIT' on my site and add that as a wrinkle to your cardio plan. Hope that helps!