Q. I was wondering if it is possible for an individual such as myself to lose 25lbs in about two weeks if so how can I do it. the reason I ask because I am about 200 lbs even and I just got back on the basketball team and I need to drop weight fast please tell me how I can achieve this. I was wondering if it is possible for an individual such as myself to lose 25lbs in about two weeks if so how can I do it. the reason I ask because I am about 200 lbs even and I just got bask on the basketball team and I need to drop weight fast please tell me how I can achieve this.
A. 25 lbs in two weeks is asking a lot and not a very possible goal. On a good weight loss program you can lose about 2 - 3 lbs a week. Trying to lose weight too fast with dangerous methods is not advisable. I would suggest that losing 25 lbs in two weeks is not possible with safe methods of weight loss. The best you can do is to try to Atkins Diet and you will lose a few pounds initially which will be water weight, but don't expect to have very much energy for basketball. I would suggest you try to incorporate some HIIT training every other day without weight training since you are looking to lose overall weight, and just to watch what you eat instead of the Atkins Diet. Good luck.
Q. I am a 16 year old 310 lbs. teen, and I'm trying to lose weight. My goal is to be around 250 lbs. I consume anywhere from 2500 to 4000 calories a day. How many calories and kinds of foods should I eat in order to achieve my goal? And also how much exercise, preferably I like to walk, should I perform?
A. What is your height? I never recommend counting calories because it is hard to do and takes a lot of time. In addition, who wants to count calories for the rest of their lives? I see many people fail to lose weight over and over again because they try to count calories and it takes them hours a day to do. What you need is a life long fat loss strategy that you won't end up hating. The things I notice about people who are over weight is they tend to overeat, eat too much fat and carbs, and don't exercise. If you find that you fall into this category, than a change in life style is in order. For your diet I would recommend that you time yourself for every meal and make sure you take at least 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal. Don't eat fast foods and start watching your intake of hydrogenated fats and simple carbohydrates. When I say watch I mean to pay attention and try to eat less of it.
As for exercises, your walking is ok, but not a real calories expending exercise. You can add hill walking and speed walking to increase the intensity, but I would suggest you start training with weights if you are after long term fat loss.
Q. I need to lose some fat around my mid-section most but about 25lbs total. I am burning around 800-900 calories between the precore and the treadmill with moderate resistance monday-friday. I am eating around 1600-1800 calories a day. Now I would like to add weight training and since every time I do I begin to really bulk up I need a routine that will make my muscles more long and lean. I seem to bulk very easily and end up looking like my husband. I am large boned and am built strong naturaly but I would like to shed some fat and get more defined without adding all the bulk. how can I do it and still get out of the gym in about 2 hours?
A. I know a lot of people who would love to be able to easily bulk up. To clear the air, there is NO way besides surgery to make your muscle long! Your muscle shape is largely determined by your genetics. To have lean muscles, you need to have a very low percentage of body fat and your muscles will look lean. If you think your muscles are too big, the only way to get rid of the muscle tissue is through disuse or to cause catabolism of muscle tissue, but I have never heard of anyone looking to cause muscle catabolism of precious muscle tissue.
As for your bulking problem, do you think you are too bulky or is your husband telling you that you are to bulky? I have found with women that they think they are too bulky while everyone else thinks they look great. The best way to strength train to avoid bulking up would to be to perform reps in the range of 30 to 50, which would be more of a strength endurance type of training. You should try to be in and out of the gym in about an hour not two. If you are training longer than about 90 minutes, you are over doing it. Remember, more is not better, better is better.
Q. Hello. I have been working out at the gym for about 4-5 times a week. I go on the excercize bike for about 20 minutes each visit. Are there any other ways to burn fat that aren't using tread mills or stationary bikes? Are there any good fruits that dont fatten but satisfy from your past experience?
A. The best way to lose fat overall is through strength training, not cardio. If you don't like to perform cardio, then just perform weight training instead and you will end up expending more calories overall. If you want evidence that you don't need cardio to lose fat, look at sprinters and you will see strong, lean, muscular athletes. When performing cardio you expend the calories only while and shortly after the activity. But with anaerobic activities such as sprinting and Weightlifting, you burn calories for up to 24 hours after the activity ceases. In addition, since muscle is the major calorie user, more muscle means more calorie utilizing tissue. With more muscle you will burn more calories all the time. It is the overall calories not the type of fuel used that you should be concerned with. If you look at sprinters, the lower weight class Olympic Weightlifters, and the lower weight class Powerliters, you will see that nearly all of them have very low percentages of body fat, and strong lean bodies, and most do not perform any aerobic activities.
As for fruits, you should eat as much fruit as you like. Why would you want to avoid any fruits?
Q. do you have any eating plans and excersising plans that you can send to me via e-mail. PLEASE HELP MY MARRIAGE IS AT RISK
A. The eating plans that I suggest are very simple and you won't hate them. If you are looking to lose fat you need to eat less calories. Do this by eating your carbs, fats, and proteins in moderation. Try to eat slowly and avoid hydrogenated fats and simple carbohydrates. As for exercise, start by lifting some weights and slowly increase your volume as you progress.
But I think your problem runs much deeper. Since you are starting a program because someone else wants you to, you are doomed to failure. You should only start a workout if YOU want to! In addition, if your husband is really that shallow, I think you should dump this idiot and find a real man! I hope you make the correct choices. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.
Q. Hi. I'm a 19 year old female and I'm 5'4" and weigh 125lbs. I'm trying to go down to 105lbs. If I work out on my eclipse machine every other day for 30 minutes and do about 300 crunches a day, do you think that I would be able to achieve my goal by March 2003? Also, I'm sticking to a 1000 calorie diet in which I eat anything I want such as chocolates and other junk food. Will I still be able to lose the weight if I don't go over the 1000 calorie limit eating like this or do I need to eat more healthy?
A. What a recipe for failure! First of all, what is your goal? In addition, sure, the 30 minutes a day on the whatever machine would be good, but 300 crunches a day? This is probably the worst choice for a fat loss exercises I have ever seen. I will take your question seriously and answer you seriously (but I question your sincerity) . If your goal is to lose fat, than you should do compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, etc.
As for your diet, yes, if you only eat 1000 calories a day (no matter the source), and you expend more than you eat, you will lose weight! But, with eating junk food, you will be very unhealthy and you will be hungry all the time. Your plan will lead you on a path to failure, but I doubt you were serious when you sent this, but if you were, I apologize.
Q. Hi bob, what is the best from of cardio? would the stair master be as good, or better, than say, running on the treadmill? what are your suggestions.Thanks!v
A. I would suggest that HIIT training is the best for fat loss. For an explanation of HIIT training, click here. As for the other activities, I would do the one you like the best.
Q. Doing the split weight lifting routine with cardio, and eating very healthily, how long does it usually take to see good visible results? I'm 5'5" and about 124 pds. and do you have any advice for when cravings hit!! Thanks!
A. Hello Sarah, This questions depends on how long you have been training. If you are new to weight lifting and cardio, you will see results fairly quickly, usually in about 1 to 3 months. In order to keep your body adapting to exercise you must add enough variety after the initial 3 to six months. As for your cravings, don't ignore them! If you are having a craving eat a small amount of what you are craving.
Becoming fit and losing fat does not have to be so un-enjoyable. You have to make it fun and enjoyable if you plan on sticking with it. You can make if fun by having a workout partner and doing the exercises you like. I have put many women on a powerlifting routine and they love it. They can easily measure their progress and they have fun challenging themselves every workout.
As for your cravings, you can eat a little of the "forbidden" foods, just don't eat too much!
Q. what is the best way to lose fat
A. The best way to lose fat is by combining a good resistance workout routine with good eating habits. You just have to pay attention to what you eat and exercise.
Q. Hi. I am 5'5" and I weigh abou 140 pounds. I have been trying to lose weight for the past year but nothing has worked. I tried more exercise and less caloric intake but that hasnt worked either. I would like to lose about 25 pounds. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can do that........Thanks!
A. I can sense your frustration, but with so little information, it is hard to tell you why your exercises and reduced calorie attempts have failed. If you were taken in less calories then you were using, you would have lost weight. It would be impossible not to lose weight if you were using more calories than you were eating. In addition, just because you didn't lose weight doesn't mean you didn't lose fat. There exists the possibility that you lost fat and gained muscle. This is why I do not recommend using overall weight loss as a gauge of success. In fact it is useless to use your body weight as a measurement of your fat loss results.
As for exercise, what type of exercise did you try? I would guess you tried the aerobics path. I would suggest using weight training and about 3 times a week of aerobics, with about 30 minutes a session. Remember, more is not better, better is better.
Q. If I am trying to loose weight would weight lifting be wrong to do. I currently weigh 235 lbs., and am trying to reacg 170 lbs. Should I concentrate on something other form of exercise? Can you recommend a specific form of weight lifting?
A. Not weight lifting to lose weight would be the wrong thing to do. Remember that muscle burns fat and you get the picture. I would concentrate on a good exercise routine and add some cardio, about 30 minutes three times a week. In addition, you cannot overlook your eating habits.
Q. This is my dilemma, I am 5'6", female, small boned and I weigh about 122(down from 140 in the last 2 months)I am 19 years old and I want to get in the best shape possible. The problem is my shape, since I have lost the weight, I am getting smaller at the top, I have been told that I actually look sick and am getting bony through the chest and shoulders/ribs, but the thing is that I haven't been able to lose near as much through my hips/butt and thighs. I am a spoon shape I guess.
I eat healthy/low in fat, I work out atleast 5 times a week, an hr & 1/2 of cardio everyday, and I do rowing/shoulder/bicep/abs/leg curls and extensions in the weight machines, but I have been told that by doing the weight machines, that it may actually make me bigger through the bottom. I don't want to lose anymore weight at the top, but I want my bottom half to be more lean. Is there anyway to target this? what exercises should I be doing? Thank you so much!
A. An hour and a half of cardio five times a week? Are you planning on running a marathon? This will cause you to look emaciated. As for targeting the area, the only way to target the area is to train the area. Is your bottom half fat or muscle? If it is fat, weight training would be ideal for shaping this area up. It will not make your lower area bigger. Since muscle us much more dense than fat, if you lose one pound of fat and gain one pound of muscle, you will see about a 15% reduction in the size of that area. I would suggest squats and deadlifts for this area. And if any tries to say that you shouldn't do squats and deadlifts because they give you big legs, have them look at light and middle weight powerlifters and Olympic Weightlifters. Click here to check out some pictures of female powerlifters.
Q. Bob, What is the best way to get
rid of a belly? I don't really have a big belly, but it is getting there. If I
do sit ups, that alone won't get rid of it, will it? I do eat healthy and I have
a regular exercise routine of about 5 days a week, cardio and weights.
Thanks
A. Since it is impossible to spot reduce fat, doing sit-ups will only build the muscle under the fat. You need to look at your eating habits and exercise routine to see why your belly is getting bigger. Remember, it is not how much you work out, but the quality of your workouts that count. Too much exercise will actually be detrimental to your goals. I am not saying you are doing to much, but five days a week of weight training may be over doing it if you are only lifting for general fitness.
Q. what kind of diet i have to eat to lose fat? What kind of exercises do i have to do to lose fat?
A. Its not the food you eat, but how many calories you take in. If you don't exercise, and you start now, you will start to expend more calories. To lose fat, all you need to do is use more calories than you eat.
Q. I have always been very active my whole life. I am 5'10 171 pounds, I am wanting to lose my excess fat on my waistline stomach. my goal ALWAYS has been to have a 6 pack stomach, and real toned long lean muscle in my arms, back, legs and butt. I want to lose 20-25 pounds, get down to around 145-150 pounds. I am very dedicated to working out I just need the right program to get on the right track to my goal, which is to overall lose enough fat to visibly see 6 pack ab results. so what do you suggest to get 6 pack abs and an overall toned lean muscluar body, and about how long to reach that goal?? thanks a lot
A. You already have six pack abs, but you cannot see them because they are hidden beneath your excess fat. As for toned lean muscular body, your body type is genetic, and your muscles are also genetic. There is no way to make a muscle long and lean, and anyone who says there is has something to sell you. Current research shows that you cannot shape a muscle either, you can make them grow, but you cannot shape them (although some do disagree). What you need is a good workout program and to watch your intake of calories.
Q. Hi Bob,
I am working out 5x/week usually about 4 or 5 20 min. cardio sessions and 4
weight training sessions of 30 min each, 4 day split (upper, lower, upper,
lower). I am trying to lose 35 pounds and have alrady lost about 25
pounds. I am a bit confused about my nutritional needs. I read a lot
about nutrition, but don't know if it is better to increase my protein and my
carbs, or decrease carbs, increase proteins. My body is starting to crave high
fat, and I am relapsing into old habits. I am sure it is because I am not eating
enough protien or too much carb. I am 5'10, 190 pounds, female. Since
I lift weights 4times/week, it makes me very hungry and therefore I find it
difficult to follow a low fat low cal diet. HELP!!!
A. Let me say it like it is, dieting is not a long term solution, only a short term band aid solution. Fat and carbohydrates are not bad for you, and too much protein can also lead to medical problems. You are craving fats because you are ignoring your cravings. You do not need any of these low carb, high protein diets.
You need fat because it tastes good, takes a while to digest, and makes you feel full for longer. You just need to avoid eating too much fat, and try to eat good fats such as olive oil. As for carbohydrates, if you are exercising you definitely do not want to cut them out. They are the main source of energy when exercising. In addition, glycogen is used in the process of using fat for fuel, not to mention every cell in your body needs glucose to operate. You need to try and cut out the simple carbohydrates like sugar. The only time I would recommend the low carb diet is for someone who cannot exercise to to medical reasons. You have to remember, the initial weight loss from the low carbohydrate diet is water loss.
Losing fat is not rocket science, you simply need to expend more calories then you take in. No matter the source of the calories, whether fat or carbs, if you expend more calories than you eat you will lose weight. Your problem is you want to lose weight fast. Slow down and take it easy, if you are not enjoying it, you will NOT stick with it. This is one of the reasons diets do not work. My suggestion to you is to eat a little of everything and don't ignore your cravings. Be aware of what you are eating and you will do fine. If you don't stick with it, you will never reach and keep your goals. The same goes for exercising, don't get to obsessed, start slow and build up. Good Luck, and report back to me in a few months if you can.
Q. I am finally making the
commitment to begin exercising again after several years, and need to lose
weight. The gym I want to join has an instructor that is against
running, and feels that with weight lifting alone you can lose weight....of
course you do have to watch what you eat.
Is this approach to limited, only a little time on a bike perhaps and then
weight lifting
Thank you for your time and your website.
A. Congratulations on you choice to start an exercise program. It is the most important step in reaching your goals. As for the comment about the instructor at your gym, I would be highly suspect of anyone who was against running, unless you had a medical reason why you couldn't run. If you don't have a medical reason why you can't run, I would run away as fast as I could from that gym and instructor. (pun intended);)
This approach does seem limited and you should find a better instructor. Good luck in your quest, you have taken the first step.
Q. I weigh 158 and want to get down to 140 without losing my breasts and butt region. What excercise should I do to attain this goal?
A. If you have large breasts, you needn't worry about losing them, but if on the other hand, your breasts are small, you may want to avoid doing to much chest work. Even if your breasts are small, you will build muscle under them which may even make them slightly bigger.
As for your butt region, if you already have a large butt region, you do not need to avoid exercising the area. Exercising the butt region will tighten up the area and can make your butt bigger if you add muscle to it. If you have a big butt already, you can have a big tight butt region, or a big flabby butt region, or if you have a small butt region, you can have a tight small butt region, or a flabby small butt region. I would suggest you exercise the butt region more rather than less.
Q. I am a 25 year old woman and I have been over weight for a little over 4 years.I have struggled with losing weight and no matter what I have seemed to do in the past, I can't get the weight off. I currently weigh 230lbs (5'4"). No matter what I eat or what I don't eat I have stayed at this weight for 4 years. I have currently started to roller skate for about 1/2 hour a day which is for me only about a mile and a 1/2.
I would like to know if there is any suppliments I can take to help in the process of losing weight....preferbly the fat and not the muscle. A friend suggest using "Hydroxycut".I'd like to lose about 100lbs. Before I got pregnant, my average weight was about 124lbs. I didn't really have a weight problem in the past. Also what other excercises could I do, to help aid in the weight loss. I am a large chested woman (42H) so running is out of the question. If you have any information or any suggestions could you please email me. Thank You!!!!
A. The first thing I want to make clear is there are no magic bullets, and supplements are not the answer. I would never tell anyone to take Hydroxycut or any other supposed fat losing supplement. Some don't work and others are dangerous! So, forget the supplements and save your money. You say you have dieted in the past, but diets do little when they are not supplemented with exercise.
A better and more sensible approach would be to forget about dieting all together. Diets only work for the short term, and what you are looking for is a long time solution, not a quick fix. A life style change is in order. Instead of dieting try watching what you eat. Don't eat out, and only buy foods that are healthy. Stay away from the ice creams, cakes, and other high calorie foods with little nutritional value.
At the same time, I would suggest you check out some local health clubs and find one you like. If you have never trained with weights before you may want to hire a personal trainer to teach you how to lift. Look for trainers who are certified through the ISSA, ASCM, or NSCA. They are usually the best certifications. If you can't afford a trainer, get a book called Kinesiology of Exercise and take it to the gym with you. It is an excellent book on how to perform exercises, or see our exercise descriptions and print them out. As for a workout schedule, you can become a member of my online training and I will create you a workout schedule based on your goals or you can hire a local personal trainer.
As for cardio, you can ride a stationary bike at the gym, or get a mountain bike. Try some HIIT training (see below) after you have been doing the other type of cardio training for a few months.
Q. Over the last 4 1/2 months I have lost about 45 pounds (I'm down to 175)...each day I either walk 3 miles outside or do my inside 3 mile walking tape. Every other day I also add a 50 minute toning tape. I am losing weight and I am building muscle, but I can't seem to lose the fat pockets around my waist...I'm getting smaller, but I still have those ugly rolls...will I ever be able to lose that?
A. Congratulations on your fat loss, 45 pounds is a lot of weight! Are the rolls fat pockets or extra skin? If it is fat, then you can lose the fat, and the skin will most likely tighten back up. If there is a lot of excess skin, then surgery may be the only way to get rid of the skin. But, wait and see because skin has elastic properties and will most likely tighten up. If you have hit a plateau with your fat loss, you may need to increase energy expenditure by increasing your exercise. Please see the answers below for examples on how you can increase your energy expenditure. Good Luck.
Q. I have problem cellulite on the
outside of my thighs, and back of my thighs. I know I need to increase muscle to
burn fat, and to eat less calories and fat, but, what weight training and cardio
work will get this problem area? thanks
Denise
A. Denise, As you know cellulite is lumpy fat deposits, and it does not behave any different than other fat. So your goal is to lose fat, and the only ways to lose fat is to either decrease calorie intake, increase calorie expenditure, or both. With so little information about your current training it is hard to give a reliable answer, but Ill give it a shot.
The type of weight training you should be doing is free weight training with reps between 8 to 15. As for cardio, I would suggest 15 minutes of HIIT Training twice a week after lifting weights. HIIT training is interval training where you perform about 3 minutes of warming up, and then a full out effort for as long as possible, than back to warm up speed for 30 seconds to 5 minutes and then an all out effort again, etc. Repeat for as long as possible. If on a bike you can increase the resistance during the all out effort portions of the training. I would also suggest doing 30 minutes of general cardio 2 other times a week. Good luck in your quest.
Q. dear bob! I have been trying since last one year to lose weight through exercise and dieting but in vain. Please tell me some exercise through which I can lose my excess pounds.
A. First of all you need to buy all the supplements and books on my website;) Just kidding! With so little information on your current training methods, I cannot give a very reliable answer. Please see the answer above.
Q. I am losing weight, have about 75 pounds total to lose. I am concerned about my skin "bouncing back" as I lose the weight. Is there anything I can do to help with that? Thank you for any help you can give.
A. I think you are referring to your skin "bouncing back" to mean that it will go back (tighten up) to looking like it did when you were 75 pounds lighter. Skin has elastic properties so it will shrink some as you lose weight. I would suggest not worrying about your skin "bouncing back" until after you lose the fat and see what you think. I bet most of it will tighten up as you lose the weight. I have seen many pregnant women who were huge while pregnant but who's skin was almost back to normal (except for stretch marks) after giving birth and exercising again.
Q. I am working out 4 times a week, cardio about 30-50 min. and 30 min. of weight training. I am not overweight but I cannot tighten up the area on the side of my waist and above my butt....do you know any exercises to target this area Thanks...Barbara
A. If the area you are targeting is fat, then you need to lose more fat overall. Since it is impossible to spot reduce fat, it is impossible to lose fat only in that area. Training the area in this case will build the muscle under the fat, but you will still have a layer of fat over the muscle. But building the muscle under the fat may have a tightening effect. If it is just a little flabby, exercising the area will help. Some exercises for hitting that area would be side bends, Russian Twists, squats, deadlifts, etc. Most likely you will need to lose more fat.