Ask James Fitness Questions!

[James]

Cream,

Ok. Go back on Atkins. And use this ratio of 3-1 fat to protein calories.

Shoot for 10 calories per pound of body weight distributed in 5 meals.

Shoot to lose ten pounds more than you need to . . . because you will rebound.

Change up your cardio. Do you have steps available to you? Walk up and down the steps for 20 minutes daily. Take one minute rest after the first 3 minutes, and after every 5 if you need it. Just walk. It will eat the fat off you.

KEep a log of diet and training. Train with weights. If you don't you will mess yourself up.

Do you belong to a gym? What resources do you have available?

Originally posted by Cream
It wasn't as bad as I thought. I tried on 6 or 7 and bought 3 bikinis. I actually looked pretty good in the mirror in the dressing room. I just need to tone up.

James, I could use some of your fitness wisdom so I can get those abs of steel. Thanks.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

So back on Atkins I go. I love steak and salad. Bye bye pasta, bagels, fries, and rice. How can I eat 3-1 fats to protein? I would need to saturate everything in olive oil, butter, and cream.

I don't belong to a gym. I'm a few blocks from Central Park so I can walk miles there now that I have dusted off my Reeboks. It is beautiful this time of year. I have stairs in my building. I used to walk down them daily. I could join a gym since there seems to be one on every block. I'm not really sure if I want to. I need to think about that. I think that if the weather is good, I could easily walk two miles a day. I've been taking public transportation lately instead of walking.

I know nothing about weight training. I have those 5lb things somewhere, but I think that you mean something more intense.

That's all that I can think of now. Tomorrow I am back on Atkins. Today I am enjoying my last bagel for a few months.

[XOMichelle]

Cream-
Please don't get back on the Atkins diet!!! It's bad for you... here's why:

Your brain ONLY uses glucose (sugar) as fuel. Thus, you need to eat food with glucose in order to fuel your brain (carbs, complex carbs, fruits with simple sugar, milk). If you eat no glucose, your body will make ketone bodies (glucose-like substance) to feed your brain from other protien sources in your liver. Ketone bodies are toxic, and elevated levels in your bloodsteam can be life threatening (ketacidosis is common when diabetics go into insulin shocks).

Now, most peoiple on the Atkins diet don't reach life threatening ketosis because of "hidden carbohydrates" in their food (and the acid-base buffer in our blood). However, carbohydrates are essential to your cells and metabolism and not eating them throws your body into an abnormal metabolic state.

So eat carbs! You cells need them.
The rest of Jame's advice is sound. :-)
-M
-M

[James]

I have to respectfully disagree michelle. But certainly you are not the only one to espouse this incorrect point of view.

Rather than point out that there is no literature on ketogenic diets causing damage I will point out the fact that doctors put children on ketogenic diets to control epilepsy for up to years.

And they put them much deeper into ketosis than we would be because they also limit their water. The idea that the seizures are controlled by really high blood ketone levels.

During the time they are on it, they don't even check for liver damage or kideny damage or whatever. Because it doesn't happen.

And children are more susceptible to damage of that kind than adults.

Here is a couple web sites to sink your teeth into.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/ketodi....html#Heading2

http://epilepsyontario.org/faqs/keto.html

Note: You can hurt adults but you can't have procedures that hurt kids. They get shut down.

Originally posted by XOMichelle
Cream-
Please don't get back on the Atkins diet!!! It's bad for you... here's why:

Your brain ONLY uses glucose (sugar) as fuel. Thus, you need to eat food with glucose in order to fuel your brain (carbs, complex carbs, fruits with simple sugar, milk). If you eat no glucose, your body will make ketone bodies (glucose-like substance) to feed your brain from other protien sources in your liver. Ketone bodies are toxic, and elevated levels in your bloodsteam can be life threatening (ketacidosis is common when diabetics go into insulin shocks).

Now, most peoiple on the Atkins diet don't reach life threatening ketosis because of "hidden carbohydrates" in their food (and the acid-base buffer in our blood). However, carbohydrates are essential to your cells and metabolism and not eating them throws your body into an abnormal metabolic state.

So eat carbs! You cells need them.
The rest of Jame's advice is sound. :-)
-M
-M

[texas*princess]

Some fitness advice please!

I want to work on my lower body (hips/thighs/butt/legs)

What is the best way to do this? I don't want to be very muscular, just more toned.

Would I have to follow a certain diet for this?

[CarolinaCutie]

Both sides have valid points...

I'm a Dietetics major and I will eventually be an RD. And I'm supposed to tell you exactly what XOMichelle says. The ADA does not believe in the Atkins diet... If you follow the Food Guide Pyramid, you will be eating healthily. If you lower your calorie intake and increase your exercise at the same time, you will lose weight.

That said, most people find great weight loss success on the Atkins diet... and unlike ephedra, Atkins hasn't really been PROVEN to be dangerous.

I've never really studied the Atkins program in depth, but I would give one piece of advice:
Make sure that the carbs you DO eat are nutrient dense. I know Dr. Atkins believed in whole grains, and you should too! If you aren't going to eat a lot of carb-rich food, please choose wisely so that you will still get the recommended amount of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your body needs. Animal products do not offer much in this area. Also be choosy with your fruits and vegetables... salad is low in calories but iceberg lettuce isn't really fulfilling any major nutrient needs. Same with bananas... they have potassium but that's about it.

And I would have to add this: Cream, you are a woman. Women have curves and most of the time, it's fairly difficult to get rid of that small lower abdominal roundness if you are already quite slim. You are probably the only person that notices it

[astroAPhi]

Hey James, I probably could have asked you about this on IM but I just got really frustrated yesterday.

I've been working out for soccer as I told you, but on top of that I'm trying to lose weight as well. My exercise regimen is 5 days/week weights as follows:

Physical therapy exercises for back and stomach (I have a sway back)
3 sets, 15-25 reps of the following, depending on the strength of each muscle group:
Hamstrings
Calves
Quads
Groin
Biceps
Triceps
Shoulders
Pectorals (trying to lose some boobs )

To warm up, I run 7 minutes on the treadmill, and to cool down, I run for 10. (In a few weeks the amount of running will go up.) I'll In addition to this, I run outdoors for 15 minutes 3 days a week at my own pace.

I'm gaining weight. I don't think it's muscle, because there's no change in the areas I'm working, and my clothes are fitting tighter across my stomach. I'm exhausted on a daily basis. I eat a lot healthier than I used to, drink lots of water and green tea, don't drink any more than 2 glasses of wine/week. I try to stay low carb but I take in a little so that I have enough energy. I eat only enough to fill myself, so I don't overeat.

Any ideas for another diet change, or is there something wrong with my exercising?

Ooooh, and while I'm here, are there any more back-friendly stomach exercises I can do? I don't think I'm ready for crunches yet but I've been doing some leg lifts until I fatigue.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

It's funny. Ask James fitness questions has turned into the help Cream get rid of her tummy thread.

I think that I will start back on the induction phase of Atkins for at least the next two weeks. It I will also incorporate exercise which I something I haven't done in a while. I don't have any pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease. I also was on Induction for one month in January and moved on to phase two where you slowly incorporate 5 more grams carbs into your diet each week. The type of carbs that Carolina Cutie described. I have been off the diet, but I have maintained the weight loss. I just want to be toned. Unless I make this a full time job, I think that abs of steel are only a dream for me.

Thanks everyone for your advice.

James, what type of exercise should I do besides the steps? What type should texas*princess do?

[CC1GC]

Originally posted by texas*princess
Some fitness advice please!

I want to work on my lower body (hips/thighs/butt/legs)

What is the best way to do this? I don't want to be very muscular, just more toned.

Would I have to follow a certain diet for this?

Take up badminton - singles preferably. I don't know how much you care for the racquet sports, but playing singles in any of them are great for your lower body. I think badminton is the best because it's constant lunging and jumping.

[Lady Pi Phi]

James, what do you think of Yoga. Is it effective for weightloss. I hate going to the gym, and I mean HATE!!! I do love Yoga though. I know after I complete a class it makes me feel rejuvenated, but can it help me lose weight?

[Allie]

I was iformed somewhere (and can't remember) that the government is considering revamping to food pyramid to lover the servings of carbs or to seperate into to simple and complex or something like that. I really have no idea and am just asking though, clarification please?

Also working for the health dept, we also suggest following the food pyramid to promote healthy eating and a balanced diet.

[James]

There is no way to spot reduce. Or at least not yet lol.

Usually what someone is saying when they want to be tone in a place, is that they want to lose fat from there.

Th difficulty is that tend to lose fat from all over your body as you train and diet. The areas that are considered problems usually have the thickest amount of fat. Hence they are the last parts to go.

So its just a matter of how overall lean you get.

The same basic premises apply.

Let me give you a quick example: most people want abs and will train them for crazy amounts of time. Most of the time their abs are quite tone . . . underneath the body fat. so until the fat is gone, those abs will never be visible.

Originally posted by texas*princess
Some fitness advice please!

I want to work on my lower body (hips/thighs/butt/legs)

What is the best way to do this? I don't want to be very muscular, just more toned.

Would I have to follow a certain diet for this?

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by Allie
I was iformed somewhere (and can't remember) that the government is considering revamping to food pyramid to lover the servings of carbs or to seperate into to simple and complex or something like that. I really have no idea and am just asking though, clarification please?

Also working for the health dept, we also suggest following the food pyramid to promote healthy eating and a balanced diet.

I'm not sure on the whole story, but...

From what I've heard, they're going to split the carbs section into the kind you get from pasta, white bread, etc., and the kind you get from whole wheats and those types of foods.

Also, meat will be split between poultry and fish in one section, and red meat in the other section. It looks like it will advocate a more balanced diet, and not one top heavy on carbs.

There was an article in either Muscle and Fitness or Men's Health about the change...not sure which issue though.

Collin

[astroAPhi]

You can look here, or look at the pretty picture below.



Although I don't get what the whole grains are. I tried talking to someone about it today and it sounded like I needed to go pluck wheat in Nebraska and eat it like that.

[tinydancer]

I'm waiting for the day when somebody discovers that vegetables are not good for you!

I really do not care for vegetables - just corn, potatoes, and green beans. I'll eat them, but I always eat them first, just to get them out of the way!