Q: I have been unsuccessfully trying to get in shape for  years, there are so many personal trainers,  workout programs and fitness products on the market how do I  know if a program is right for me?

 

A: This is by far the most popular question of them all. This is the reason  I  am writing this  book, to  help people to  be able  to  make  the right choices when it comes to getting healthy and fit. There are way too many people wasting their hard earned money and time on useless fitness workouts and products. I want you to  grab a friend and have that person grab a friend and read this next line to  them. There is only one true way to get in shape, embracing a fitness lifestyle. That’s it. There are no magic pills, celebrity workout routines or  one of a kind fitness machines that will transform your body in a quick and easy way. So forget about what your favorite actor is doing or your neighbor across the street, wake-up and stop wasting your time. The right program is one that teaches you on a daily basis how to eat healthy and nutritious foods, incorporates both a weight resistance and cardiovascular workout program and includes the use of supplements as an aid not a solution to your program.  If you follow a program like this, you will not only look better but you will get healthier in the process. That is the best advice I could give anyone. The only problem is that it is not a quick and easy solution and that is not what people want to hear. They always think I am holding out them. If you were to add up all the time you spent on a different fad diet program and applied it to the common sense approach I discussed, you would be looking and feeling better than you have in your life. Nothing easy is worthwhile and achieving your goal whether it is losing weight  or packing on muscle or getting a six pack of abs takes time and consistency.

 

 

Q: I have a full time job and a family. How can I possibly find the time to dedicate myself to a fitness program?

 

A: In my life I have been in many business meetings and have worked with a lot of clients who were either CEO’s, or CFO’s of their company. I would always ask them the same question, “Why haven’t you started a training program sooner?” and the majority of them answered, “I was busy making money”. I laugh every time. My response to them is simple. Life is what happens when you are making plans. You can be the richest guy in the world, but you can’t pay God to improve your health! Making money is not a legitimate reason for watching your health decay. It is an excuse. It is great that you want to make money and spend time with your family, but the one thing that will let you continue to do that for a long period of time would be your health and that is one thing you do NOT want to put in jeopardy. You have three kids, two jobs, and a 4-hour commute. My answer to you is so what? Make the time. How come every time I was training someone who was really busy, they brought up in a conversation something about a football or baseball game they saw on TV last night? They would even mention The Bachelor or American Idol. Come on, we all have the time to improve our health. Again, these are all excuses. Excuses won’t make your blood tests results come back normal. “My dog ate my homework” isn’t going to get rid of that extra roll around your mid section. We all have to stop making excuses and figure out a way to fit fitness into our day. If it means waking up an hour early, joining a gym near the office or making room in your house to workout then do it. It is all about planning. Anyone in the business world knows that in order to be successful they have to have a plan of attack. You sit down and map out how you are going to be successful in your sector. Finding the time and making the right choices is about creating a fitness plan that is conducive to your lifestyle and most importantly following through with it.

 

 

Q: How come when I eat badly the weight seems to go right to my abdominals and when I workout out my abdominals they are the last place to get in shape?

 

Everybody has a "problem area" where they seem to deposit more fat than other parts of their bodies. Diet, exercise, genetics, and your lifestyle are all contributing factors to where you store and lose fat. Unfortunately, the first place we gain weight is always the last place we lose it. The best thing that we can do to fix a problem area is to follow a workout program that encompassed the whole body and a healthy nutritional program that is going to feed your lean muscle tissue to also help you along with the  exercise program and lose excess body fat. There are no other alternatives that will help you permanently make that problem area disappear. There are still people out there who believe that if they buy that ab machine, all they have to do is workout their abs and they will have a six pack. Don’t waste your time and money on that machine if you’re not going to workout your whole body. Follow a cardiovascular exercise program and diet. The body loses weight holistically and systemically, meaning you cannot spot reduce. You can do crunches and leg raises all day long but that alone is not going to reduce that layer of fat around your stomach. You basically will be strengthening your abdominals and no one will see the result of your hard work until you lose that fat. The choice is yours, you can do nothing and complain forever about your lack of abs or you  can get on a plan and with a lot of hard work, achieve your goal.

 

 

Q: I always hear the term “hidden calories”, what exactly does that mean?

 

A: Hidden calories are calories that we don’t realize we are eating. They are calories that we eat everyday but never considered them as bad or good until we actually added them up. For example, if you were to eat a breakfast that consisted of whole wheat toast with a pat of butter and a coffee with one sugar, you would think it’s not so bad. The two slices of toast equal 90 calories and the coffee is zero calories. However, if you sat down and wrote down exactly what you ate, you would find that you missed a few calories. The pat of butter you put on each slice of bread equals 36 calories and the sugar has 9 calories. That is an additional 81 calories. If you ate this way every morning, you would be unaware that you are eating over 560 calories a week or 2100 for the month. Just from that butter and sugar alone! That is exactly what hidden calories are.  They are everywhere. Salads have a lot of hidden calories in them as well. When you start to add up the croutons, dressing, and bacon bits, that harmless looking salad has more than triple the amount of calories you thought it had in it. Barbeques are another place where hidden calories lie. Barbeque sauces and food toppings have lots of hidden calories. Even that harmless looking ketchup bottle can add up calories when you squirt it on your burger. Ketchup can add 15 calories per tablespoon. I have spoken about the importance of owning a journal and writing down everything you eat in it. That means EVERYTHING, if you want an accurate record of what you are eating on a daily basis, you need to write it all down. This is one sure way that you can stay clear of being a victim of the hidden calories.

 

 

Q: I am getting ready for my wedding. Do I have to workout in order to lose weight or can I just eat once a day?

 

A: You don’t have to workout to lose weight. You have to workout to lose body fat. Anyone can eat a small amount of food and drop body weight quickly. I don’t suggest you do that. Many of today’s “great” diet plans are based on severe calorie restrictive diets. The most popular is the liquid diet program. People drink juice all day and the weight comes pouring off them. They get on the scale and can’t believe how great it is. The problem with that is they also lose muscle. They become skinny –fat. They weigh less on the scale but there bodies are soft and doughy. However, the juice diet is better than the starvation diet. Some people stop eating all together until they reach their target weight. Remember in The Devil Wears Prada, when Emily Blunt says, “I'm on this new diet. Well, I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.” Seriously, does that sound healthy to you? If you don’t care about your health and only about dropping weight then maybe this will deter you. When you don’t eat enough food, your metabolism slows down and it will definitely be hard for you to lose weight in the future because your body will hold onto any food it gets with grim death. If you follow a healthy diet and exercise plan, you can eat more food and tone your body at the same time. Your metabolism will speed up making it easier for you to lose weight. Plus, you will look and feel much better then if you sat around counting cubes of cheese. The short answer is, YES you have to workout to look better for your wedding.

 

 

Q: My trainer put me on a nutritional program that has me eating more food than I ever have before. I am scared I will get fat. Should I cut out some of the foods?

 

 A:I am sure if you have a good trainer he carefully calculated your daily caloric intake. I would not cut anything out of the plan. Give it a chance. I know our first instinct is to eat less when we want to lose weight. However, you are not just trying to drop weight, you are trying to lose body fat. One of the things that I have people do before I put them on a nutritional plan is to write down everything they eat for at least three days. This includes the Starbucks latte and the four yellow peanut M&M's, everything! At the end of the three days I would sit down with the client and ask them how they think they did. They usually say something to the fact that they did pretty well. It is also not uncommon for many of these people to try and eat better because they know they are showing me what they are eating. Nevertheless, when I add up their total calories for the day, they are usually shocked. Foods that you don’t expect to be high in calories are. The chocolate donut and latte you thought was healthy are 600 plus calories and that “healthy salad” with bacon bits, croutons, egg yolks, and bleu cheese is over 700 calories. It’s not just the calories but when you do the breakdown of protein, carbs and fat, you realize just how bad you are eating. The diet you thought was healthy contains empty calories. Now, someone comes along and has you eating six egg whites and a half a cup of oatmeal and it seems like a lot of food, yet a meal like that is only around 300 calories. You have to reprogram your whole way of thinking. It is not about the amount of food you are eating but, what you are eating. You should be happy that you are eating more “Healthy Food” then you ever have. People laughed at me when I would sit and eat 10 egg whites for breakfast. They would say, “Oh my God you animal your going to get so fat. You do that every day, that’s a lot of food.” Meanwhile, 10 egg whites adds up to less than 200 calories.The same friends that were laughing at me were eating 3 or 4 times that amount. They just didn’t have the discipline to cook and they were programmed to think fast and easy. It was easier for them to go to McDonalds and have a sausage McMuffin than to make egg whites. Don’t worry, give the plan a try and enjoy your meals knowing that this is just part of the process that will help you achieve your goal. I am sure you haven’t followed a regimented training program before either and I am sure your trainer told you that your body is like a machine, it needs fuel to work. You will be fine, enjoy the ride!

 

 

Q:  Are there everyday things that I  can do that will help me cut calories in addition to my workout program?

 

A: I am going to assume that you are working out  and dieting and you just want to cut a few more calories here and there. There are a lot of things you can do. The first is to increase the amount of steps you take everyday. The more steps you take the more calories you will burn. Anytime you have the opportunity to walk instead of hoping in your car take it. If you go to the store and are in a safe and well lit parking area, park further away from the store then you usually do. Walking back and forth to the car will burn off some calories, you will be surprised how quickly those steps start adding up. Escalators and elevators are great but if you want to burn calories take the stairs. Stair walking is also a great way to tone your legs and butt. Many people have an office job where they sit all day long. Get up every so often and go for a short walk, stretch your legs. When you do have to sit for long periods of time, contract your stomach , leg and butt muscles. Make a mini workout out of it. Go for a walk with your husband, kids or pets. Schedule it for the same time three or four days a week, this will have a positive impact on your physique. As far as diet is concerned, drinking a lot of water can help decrease your appetite so you aren’t binge eating, that will definitely help you cut unwanted calories. Snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of fatty dough snacks and saying no thank you when it comes to dessert can also help you achieve a trimmer waistline. I believe that everyone should have a core workout program that they follow and track in their journal and then incorporate other fun physical activities into their lives.  Going to the beach or pool for a swim, surfing, volleyball or playing tennis, a yoga class or just going for a long walk while shopping are all great ways to burn extras calories and have a great time while doing so. The worst thing anyone can do is just sit on the couch, there is more to life than 200 TV channels.

 

 

Q: I hate cardio! It is so boring. I do the stepper four days a week and can’t stand it anymore. What kind of cardio should I do that will make it more fun?

 

A: Whenever the word cardio comes up in a conversation, it always conjures up images of someone sweating profusely on a stepper in a dismal looking gym. Doesn’t really sound fun or enticing for anyone to do cardio does it? It seems like the most boring thing in the world. You would rather go to the dentist then do that stepper. Well, let’s not go that far. Doing cardio does not have to be boring. There isn’t a ball and chain that is attached to you and the stepper. Variety is the spice of life, so spice it up!  Many people get it in their heads that one cardio machine is better than the other and if they don’t do that machine it’s a waste of time to do anything else. That is incorrect, you will be doing yourself a great service mentally and physically if you choose another form of cardio. Try all the machines your gym has to offer like the Elliptical, or bike. Choose a different machine everyday this week and see which one you like best. You can also try out the aerobics classes your gym has to offer. A step class might be more fun than a stepper. You can also go outside and do your cardio. Running, rollerblading or biking through the park or beach is a great way to break up the boredom of doing the stepper 4 days a week in the gym.

 

 

Q: Is there a pill or supplement that will help me lose weight?

 

A: If you were asking if there is a pill or supplement that will help you transform your body from over- weight to in shape, then I would have to say with 100% confidence that there is no such pill. If you want to lose body fat, then you have to eat correctly and follow a workout program consistently. That is the only way you will transform your body and lose body fat. I don’t care how good the marketing program may sound to you, that supplement will not give you a six pack of abdominals or a tighter butt by itself. If it did, everyone in the world would be taking it. Look around, do you still see overweight people? I thought so.  There are supplements on the market that can help you achieve your goal if you are in fact eating correctly and exercising. They are not magic potions, they assist you not transform you. I personally use supplements that I believe give me increased energy and help my body with recovery time. You have to merge everything together: your supplements, cardiovascular & weight training workout and nutritional program together. The foods that you are eating and supplements you are taking should support your workouts and of course your overall goal. For example, you wouldn’t be taking a weight gain drink with 900 calories in it. If your goal was to lose weight, you have to make sure everything is in sync. When I was trying to build more mass, I took creatine for 6 weeks but I was also eating more protein and training heavier. Everything was in sync for me to build more muscle.

Now, if you are looking for a pill that helps you lose body water then there are hundreds of them on the market. They are commonly known as natural diuretics. These pills cause an increased flow of urine and thereby aid elimination of fluids from the body.

 

If taken indiscriminately, or in conjunction with other supplements and prescription medications, these natural diuretics can have adverse effects on your body. Serious consequences can occur from the loss of electrolytes and minerals such as dehydration, potassium deficiency and a whole host of other ailments. You have to be smart when taking these types of supplements. More is not better in any case when using supplements. Make sure you always check with your doctor before ingesting anything, especially if you are on prescription medications.

 

 

Q: I was flipping through a fitness magazine the other day that said a persons diet should contain a lot of protein. Why do we need protein?

 

A: Very simple, if you choose not to eat protein you will not build or retain any lean mass. There has been a stigma especially among women that eating protein will make them fat. If you look back at a lot of the movies from the 1940’s and 50’s, the women are always eating a salad and the macho men are eating red meat; especially the boxers or football players. Maybe that’s where the  stigma that protein will make you fat came from. Who knows where it originated from but it is  totally false. Protein is the only nutrient that feeds the lean muscle tissue in the body. Why is that important? From a  physical standpoint if you are interested in achieving a toned body with a flat mid-section this might be important to you. If you don’t eat enough protein and you continue to workout, you will become a smaller, flabbier  version of the way you look now.  No protein, no muscle. From a health perspective protein is responsible for growth and repair of the cells in your body. Hmm, that sounds important, dosen’t it? Proteins are part of every cell, tissue and organ in our bodies. These proteins are always being broken down and replaced. The proteins we eat are digested into amino acids are used to replace these proteins in our bodies. How much protein an active man or woman requires has gone under great debate. Most experts believe that somewhere between 0.5 and 1 gram of protein for every pound of  your body weight is necessary. Example: 150 pound women between 75 and 150 grams of protein per day. However some athletes especially bodybuilders will take 1.5-2 grams of protein for every pound. I have always used the formula 1 gram of protein for every pound of your body weight. ! gram of protein=4 calories.