Answers

Recently, people have been asking me a lot of questions about my weight loss and lifestyle change. I figured I'd dedicate this post to answering some of those questions! Keep in mind, I am not a medical professional nor am I a dietician. I can provide you with the tricks and techniques I used to get in shape for use as an example, but every body is different and every body requires different nutrients and foods based on the individual's goals and activity level. :)



Q: Do you eat clean?
A: What does "eat clean" mean? There are so many definitions floating around the internet of what eating clean means. For this reason, I don't necessarily claim to be a "clean eater." On the other hand, I DO avoid processed foods. By processed, I mean things that come in boxes, bags etc. Sometimes, processed foods are unavoidable for me since things like Oatmeal and rice come in a big 'ol container! When purchasing processed foods, I look for the brand with the fewest ingredients and the appropriate balance of carbs, fat and protein that fit into my daily allowance.

Q: Do you eat carbs?! Even after 6pm?!
A: Yes and Yes. Carbs are not the devil Carbs do not make you fat. Consuming more calories than you expend makes you fat. That being said, I do carefully track the amount of carbs I consume. If you're eating 1000g of carbs per day while trying to stick to a 1400 calorie diet, chances are you've eaten all your calories in carbs leaving no room for healthy fats and protein! It's all about balance.

If you want a booty, You better eat your carbs!

Q: I really want to lose weight in my legs/belly/arms/back/feet/whatever. What do I do??

A: Spot reducing is a lie. Those little articles in women's health that say things like "5 moves to slimmer thighs!" or "10 ab exercises to get you a 6 pack by summer!" ...all lies. Your body stores fat where it wants to store fat, and it loses fat where it wants to lose fat.  Trust me...the number of lower body workouts I've done FAR outnumbers the upper body workouts, yet I still have jiggly thighs and somehow ended up with a fit and muscular upper body. What you CAN do, is focus on building muscle all over your body. A muscular body burns more calories throughout the day. More calories burned = more fat lost. More fat lost + muscle gained = you're toned and fit! OMG!

Q: What do you do for your arms?!
A: Lift heavy.

Q: What do you do for your legs?!
A: Lift heavy.

Q: What do you do for your butt?!
A: Lift heavy. ...see a pattern?

Q: What about abs?!
A: Lift Heavy and eat healthy. Before I started lifting like the boys, I was doing ab workouts 4-5 days per week and not seeing the results I wanted. I also wasn't weighing/measuring out my portions and was eating things like pineapple greek yogurt (23g of sugar?! Huh?!) I know you've all heard it before, or at least seen it on some silly fitness meme, but it's true...Abs are made in the kitchen. Clean up your diet, and start doing things like deadlifts, squats, pistol squats and pushups. Anything that engages your core or uses your abs for balance will help you on your quest to that coveted 6 pack. (Or at least a 4 pack like Arnold.)


Q: Can you send me a list of exercises to do?!
A: No, because I am not your personal trainer. I can direct you to my FAVORITE website ever, BodyBuilding.com where you will find everything you need to get started! There's a section where you click on a muscle, and a list of exercises that work that muscle will pop up! There's even instructional videos so you won't feel lost when you walk into the gym and try these moves out. There's also a nifty feature that will set up an individualized exercise program for you based on your goals! Totally cool!


Q: How much cardio do you do?
A: Barely any. I'm lucky if I squeeze in two 20 minute HIIT (high intensity interval training) sessions per week. When I do cardio, I prefer to stick to machines that focus on the booty, like the stepmill, arctrainer, or incline walking on the treadmill.

Q: I'm eating x amount of calories a day and working out 5 days a week but I'm not losing any weight! Help!
A: Are you SURE you're eating exactly that amount ? Are you measuring everything? Do you even own a food scale?? Chances are, you're consuming more than you think you are. Keep in mind that things like sauces, dips, cooking spray, condiments etc...these all contain calories and whenever you use them, you should be accurately measuring out a serving size. I don't care how good you think you are at "eyeballing" it,  I promise that a nice set of measuring spoons and a food scale will do you (and your body) good.

This is the food scale I use. You can find it at Target or on Amazon.com

Have a question that I didn't address? Still not sure where to begin? Email me! In case you don't know, I'm studying to be a personal trainer and I need some guinea pigs to torture. :)