January '07

Eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet the recommended diet for people trying to prevent heart disease may promote insulin resistance and abdominal obesity in people who already have these problems. Diets high in carbohydrates - particularly refined sugars - raise blood glucose quickly and trigger insulin release, which favors fat storage in the abdomen. Instead, eat a Mediteranean diet - one high in fish, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, olive oil and other mono and polyunsaturated fats and whole grains. This diet reduces dangerous blood fats, such as LDL, increases Nitrogen Oxide release and keeps blood glucose on a even keel.

February '07

How long should it take you to lose body fat?

The lower your body fat percentage, the longer it will take to lose weight. For example:

  • If you are a 'lean' person with a body fat of 10%-14% (man) or 14%-18% (woman) you should be able to drop one pound every 20+ days without detrimentally effecting your current lean body mass.
  • If you are an 'average' person with a body fat of 14%-20% (man) or 18%-28% (woman) you should be able to safely drop one pound every 14 to 20 days.
  • If you are a 'clinically obese' person with a body fat of 20%-28% (man) or 28%-28% (woman) you should be able to safely drop one pound of bodyfat every 8 to 14 days.
  • If you are 'chronically obese' person with a body fat over 28% (man) or over 38% (woman) you should be able to safely drop one pound of bodyfat per week.

March '07

Step On It - The scale I mean!

Step on your bathroom scale each day to help keep hard-lost pounds from creeping back on.

People who have successfully lost weight are much less likely to put the pounds back on if they continue to weigh themselves daily. Daily weigh-ins help you monitor small increases in body weight so you can refocus on your diet and fitness routine before things get out of hand. It is much easier to put on a few pounds than take them off so keep track of those pounds!

April '07

Keep changing your Training Program!

If you keep doing the same old routine week after week, not only does it become boring but also you will likely find, depending on your goals, your muscles and/or fat loss will hit a plateau. In other words, your muscles will stop growing, stay the same or you may even lose muscle tone. And if you are training to lose weight you may find that those last few pounds are very stubborn and your body fat just will not go any lower. This is the time to switch it up, add new exercises, change your routine, kick it up a few notches! Hire a trainer to help you get the most out of your training work-outs, show you new exercises and/or how to add or change the ones you've been doing as well as to boost your motivation to reach towards your goals.

May '07

Do you want to build muscle mass?

You can safely gain up to 4 pounds of lean muscle mass (not necessarily total weight) each month by following an appropriate fitness regime. In addition to having a personal trainer who provides you with specific guidelines and a focused program for intense weight-training workouts, you will also require to add 2 calories-per-pound of body weight to your daily caloric intake. These added calories should be mostly protein, and some carbohydrates. No added fat calories allowed! Spread these added calories equally, among 5-7 meals per day. Have a body composition test before you commence this undertaking, as you will want to know what your "Lean Body Mass" is, as well as your "Body Fat Percentage". Your LBM should rise, while your Body Fat Percentage should decrease depending on how much body fat you need to lose, if any. Finally, do remember that putting on muscle mass does not occur overnight, just as it is not so easy to lose weight. It takes a diligent training program and proper nutrition. Good luck and share your success with us.

June '07

Do you know your body fat percentage?

Knowing your body fat percentage is just as important as knowing your body weight. If you want to lose weight, what you are really aiming for is a loss in body fat. Many are concerned about losing overall weight; namely, what they see on the scale. However, the true marker for weight loss is body fat. Those of my clients who have their body compositions reviewed weekly, have included weight measurement and a body fat test. Occasionally, what they will note is a temporary weight gain; but after performing the body fat test they are pleasantly surprised that their percentage of body fat has actually reduced. Why? Muscle weighs more than fat and if your are weight training, you will have bigger muscles. Bigger muscles also burn more fat and calories!

July '07

Need to improve or build bone mass?

Try high-intensity weight training to increase your bone density. Use the heaviest weights which you can manage safely. Bones seem to be more responsive when a small to moderate number of large forces are placed upon them, rather than tons of small forces. Go for it; pump that iron!

August '07

Work out hard this month with your weight training

Intensity is more important than duration. When you work out with intention you are more inclined to put more energy into the muscles you are using and therfore see better results. Try this: Warm up for 5 minutes then perform 1 set each, of only 5-7 exercises. Lift as much weight as you can safely manage. Your last couple repetitions should be very difficult. With this kind of work-out, "you get more bang for your buck!"

September '07

A person trying to get back into shape can be heard saying, "I am more hungry now that I am exercising!" Go ahead and eat! That is your body naturally telling you that it needs more fuel to do the extra activities. It is absolutely ok to eat every 2-3 hours during the day! Make sure you are adding healthy and wholesome choices as extra snacks during the day. Some great ideas to fuel your body

  • 1/2 whole grain bagel with light/no fat cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup fresh berries on low/non fat yogurt
  • 4 small slices of cheese on 4 whole wheat crackers
  • 1 hard boiled egg (with pepper and paprika spice)
  • 1 piece of firm tofu with a bit of soya sauce or your favorite spice
  • 1 cup soy milk (spice it up with vanilla, caramel flavoring or cinnamon)
  • Homemade humus spread (chick peas) on 4 whole wheat crackers
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter (unsalted, no sugar) on apple slices
  • Thick smoothie shake made with yogurt or low-fat milk, fruit and ice.

Enjoy, and don't feel bad about eating more; just eat right!

October '07

Do you REALLY want to lose weight this time? Then you WILL! You must set your mind to “I WILL!” and indeed you will. When you enter the gym or start your exercise (whatever it may be) just know and believe that everything you do will help you lose weight. Do your work-out with intention and dedication, no chit-chat and only small rests between sets and exercises. Work hard but short during cardio sessions and go heavy on weights during resistance training. Stay focused during all your exercise sets and with each stride of the treadmill. Keep your mind-set to "I am losing weight!” Don’t slack on anything. 

November '07

Cardio or Weights first to burn fat? Weights first! Your body only burns fat after about 20 minutes of continuous exercise so lift heavy at the beginning of your work-out and then when you hit the Treadmill you can be assured you’ll be burning that fat away! Make your Cardio work-out intense. 

December '07

Which will help me lose fat faster - weights or aerobics? Your body burns calories during both of these types of exercise but did you know that after a weight training session your body still burns for 24 hours after you have finished? This is because you muscles are getting stronger and the stronger/bigger your muscles are, the more calories and fat you’ll burn all day long! So the answer is weights for faster fat loss. However, both together, plus a healthy nutrition plan can speeden-up fat loss even more efficiently.

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