Frequently Asked Questions

May 3, 2011 by Tatianna

 

I get a lot of questions from readers via email, in this post I am going to answer the most frequent fitness questions I get:

 

Can you please help me set up a nutrition plan?

In order for me to help someone to set up a nutrition plan, I would have to know what their goals are, as far as do you want to loose weight, or do you want to gain muscle, or do you just want to stay healthy? Plus I would also need to know your level of activity.
At the moment I can only give you tips on what I do and how I eat.
I am going to pursue an in depth nutritional certification when I finish my fitness certification, and them I am sure I will be able to help more people to achieve their nutritional goals.
I would recommend you reading my blog, where I am sharing a lot of tips on health and fitness. If you have questions, you can always post a comment, and me or another friends of LovingFit can help you out. After all, we should help each other.

 

How can I loose fat off my thighs?

The good news is you can loose fat of your thighs, but you cannot spot reduce. In order for you to loose weight off you thighs you have reduce your overall body fat percentage. To do that, you have to combine Aerobic, Anaerobic and Resistance training with a balanced diet low in fat.

 

Is it OK to eat Protein Bars?

It all depends on the ingredients. I always look at protein bars as a little better for you candy bars. Always look at the ingredients, the first ingredient should be Whey Isolate Protein, and it should have no more than 5 g of sugar, and no more than 10 g of sugar alcohols.

 

How long should I work out to get a six pack?

That depends on what level of fitness you currently have, what nutrition you are following, and how much you are pushing your self during your workouts. But the most important thing you should focus on, is not a six pack but gaining a higher level of fitness overall.

 

Here are my measurements and height what is my ideal weight and body fat?

First of all, I would need to measure your body fat percentage by using calipers. I believe that a persons Ideal weight is the one they are happy with. There are graphs that tell you what you should weigh for your height, but I don’t like to use those graphs. Simply because I believe they are inaccurate. A person standard should be what they feel comfortable with and not measure up to others.

 

How do I get rid of sugar cravings?

I did it by first cutting down on sugar, and then completely illuminating it. It took me at least a few month’s to get use to it. Once you gradually reduce your sugar cravings, they will stop coming back. It is a bit tough in the beginning, but try to substitute processed sugar with fruit and raw honey instead.

 

I need to loose 10 pounds in a 2 weeks can you help me?

The truth is, to loose 10 lb.’s in two weeks in not only dangerous for your health, but you will mainly loose the water weight. Not the actual body fat. You may heard of celebrity diets that promise you magic results with some lemon juice and pepper added, to make you loose 10 lb’s in two weeks, but as soon as you eat real food again – you will not only gain all of the weight back, but you will ruin your metabolism. The more diets like that you try, to more damage you are doing to your system, and the harder it will be to loose and keep the weight off each time you do that.

 

Is there a diet you recommend?

I recommend Lean Meats, omega 3 Eggs, whole grains, organic fruits and veggies, soy milk, raw nuts, and low fat cottage cheese before bed. And a gallon of water every day. I also recommend to cook your own food. I don’t really believe in a special kind of a diet such as crash diets. It is all about good healthy food, and no processed foods.

 

Are you on a strict diet?

I eat exactly how I stated above. I don’t count calories, I find it depressing. I just eat healthy. If I am really craving something, I will have it now and then, I like to just listen to my body on what it want’s to eat. And most of the time it’s healthy food.
I never really eat burgers, pizza, chips, or drink any soda, simply because I don’t like that kind of food and it tastes weird to me. But I do have a peanut butter addiction ( Smuckers the Organic Crunchy kind 😉 ), and sometimes it get’s out of control.

 

How many days a week do you exercise?

Currently I exercise 3 days a week, but when I first started working out, I worked out 5 days a week. When you get into a desired shape, all you have to do is maintain it. You don’t have to work as hard as you did in the beginning, you just have to set your goal, reach it and then maintain it. But you have to be dedicated if you want to reach a higher level of fitness.

 

What type of workout do you do?

I do strength and resistance types of workouts, I do plyometrics and advanced bodyweight exercises for my cardiovascular training. I focus on strength, which I lost quite a bit since I haven’t been working out as much lately ( since I am at the maintaining mode, LOL, but that soon will change, I don’t really like this new weaker me ) .
I use some home equipment that I wrote a post about, you can check it out here. But I did forget to include a small resistance band I use. You don’t have to buy things to start working out, you can get creative with the things you have around the house.

 

Is it necessary to take supplements?

Yes it is. Let me explain why. Since we are living in this modern agriculture world, our food is much more deficient in nutrients then it use to be 50 years ago. The food you buy in the store, is not just a day or two old. It’s at least 1 or 2 weeks old, the older the food gets, the more nutrients it looses. Even if you do eat organic foods ( which are definitely better for your health than conventional foods ), if you cook the food it’s is going to be deficient almost all of the nutrients.
And if you are not eating fruits and veggies with all of your meals ( it would be perfect if we can all do that, but we don’t live in a perfect world ), you are not getting your daily nutrient intake. Our immune system weakens over time, and our energy levels drop, it has nothing to do with aging – it has everything to do with vitamin deficiency.
I strongly recommend multi-vitamins and depending on your activities, other supplements are necessary as well.

 

Which Protein Supplement do you recommend?

Whey Isolate is the protein I take after each of my workouts. You can find my post about why I recommend Whey Protein here.
I am still experimenting with few different brands. You just have to try some out to see which one’s you like better. They come in many different flavors. Whey Isolate is a perfect fuel for your muscles to recover after a workout. I also add Maca Powder to my protein shake and a half a handful of oatmeal. Sometimes I add leafy veggies as well. It’s the best time to take your veggie intake, because right after a workout, your body can absorb them much more efficiently.

 

I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions or suggestions feel free to write anytime.

Tatianna