I do good all day and then hubby comes home...I ruin it and over eat, or snack on the couch while watching t.v. - Michelle

I feel ya! It is very hard to diet when your spouse is either not dieting as strictly, or is simply allowed more calories, than you are. The only way to conquer this is to have a plan.

I know my hankering to snack is just part of winding down and boredom, and less about being hungry. Whether you’re successful or not depends on how you shop. If you buy junk, you’ll eat junk. It’s hard to screw up when there is nothing to eat.

The question is not whether you can quit snacking or not, but can you be better prepared. This is the time to eat low calorie treats like sugar-free fudge pops, pretzel sticks, popcorn or jello.

For me, the answer is 100 calorie popcorn and seltzer water. It’s the only thing I can have that will entertain me for a while and satisfy my craving to snack. I spray the popcorn with butter spray so my seasoning stick to it better, which makes it taste less like puffed air and more like a treat. I squeeze fresh lime in my seltzer water and put it in a fancy glass so I feel extra special. Sometimes I’ll drink 3 or 4 of those drinks which keeps me occupied without added calories.
 

Is it ok to cheat occasionally? Have a cupcake once a week? - Denise

It depends on how you define cheat and what your goals are. If you are trying to lose weight and you are tracking your calories, then my suggestion is to budget room so you can cheat without it affecting your goals.

You have two choices. You can either shave off 50 calories here and there throughout the day to make room for the extra calories or you can plan an extra cardio to cancel out the additional caloric intake.

Budgeting calories is no different than budgeting money for something you want to buy. You either have to discipline yourself to save money over a period of time or work more in order to afford your purchase. Either way, if you are actively working toward a goal, you have to stay accountable, count the extra calories and balance your caloric account.
 

If were going to have a few drinks what is better to drink beer or a mixed drink? Lisa

The first thing you need to look at are the calories. The next thing you have to think about is the drinkability. Is the drink the kind of drink you’ll gulp down in 2 minutes or is it a drink you will sip on for a while? Based on that answer, you’ll need to decide how many drinks, and calories, you’ll be consuming. Lastly, you have to be honest with yourself. This goes for any treat. You need to know in advance if you can stick to the plan. The same way some people can’t just have 1 cookie, you need to know whether you can stop at one drink.

One suggestion is to choose a drink that will last the longest, like a glass of Merlot. The longer you can enjoy the beverage, the less likely you are to order more than one glass and consume too many calories. The other option is to completely abstain and opt for a glass of seltzer water with a splash of lime in a special fancy glass.

Calories in Cocktails:

Perrier or Saratoga – 0 Calories
1.5oz (shot) Vodka – 96 calories
12oz Light Beer – 110 Calories
5oz Gin & Tonic – 114 Calories
5oz White Wine – 120 Calories
5oz Red Wine – 123 Calories
12oz Tonic Water - 135 Calories
5oz Margarita – 338 Calories

How to I keep from eating chocolate even though I know it makes me fat? - Tara

We all have cravings. I crave salty snacks and you crave sweets. Cravings can be easily managed - it just requires a little thinking.

First determine if your craving is fueled by hunger or taste. If you are looking at a chocolate bar and it’s been a couple hours since you have eaten, that chocolate bar just looks even better because you are hungry. You need a meal, not chocolate.

The problem is, many time people will try to pacify their hunger while attempting to satisfy their taste buds with some sugar-free chocolatey snack only to find they are still starving and unsatisfied. When you are truly hungry, you need to eat for fuel, not for taste.

However, if you are standing in front of your pantry thirty minutes after dinner, you’re probably not hungry at all and just want to taste something sweet. In this case, you want to eat for taste and not for fuel. This means you want to find a low-calorie snack that provides you with the taste you are craving with as little calories as possible. Some of my favorites are sugar-free pudding, sugar-free fudge pops, chocolate teddy grahams, flavored coffee or even a small piece of hard candy like sugar-free Werther’s toffee can entertain the tongue without packing on the pounds.

What would a diet look like to maximize your hard work at the gym? Reduced body fat, 6 pack abs, definition. - Richard

Your diet should look exactly like how you want to look. If you want a lean muscular body, then you should eat a lean high-protein diet. If your diet is low on protein, your body will “eat” your own protein (muscle), which we do not want. However, if your diet is low on fat, your body will use your stored fat – which we DO want. So we want to put a diet together that has the right combination of low-fat and high-protein foods while giving our body the right amount of carbohydrates to help fuel us through out the day.

A good formula to go by is a 40/40/20 split. This is where you get 40% of your calories from protein, 33% from carbs and 20% from fats. Let’s say you were eating 1800 calories a day. Then you would multiply 1800 by 40%, then divide it by 4, since 4 calories in one gram of carbohydrate and protein. This would mean you should be getting 180gms of protein and 180 gms of carbs each day. Then multiply 1800 calories by 20% and divide by 9, since there are 9 calories per gram of fat, to find out how many grams of fat you should be taking in, which is 40gms a day. I have found if I get the protein I need and I stick to the calories I should be taking in, the fats and carbs typically fall right into place.
 

I am at school from 11am - 9pm 4 days a week. I get sick of packing he same old stuff to eat, because there are only so many things I can think of to put in my cooler. SOOO I end up eating bad things in a pinch when I’m starving. :(  - Leigh Anne

I see two red flags - “in a pinch” and “starving”. Preparation is absolutely vital when it comes to dieting. You know the saying “if you fail to plan then plan to fail”? Well, it totally applies to health and fitness.

You can never let yourself get in a pinch or get to a point where you are starving or you WILL make poor choices. If you are truly sick of the foods you’ve been eating, then it’s time to change things up. All it may take is one small change to have something to look forward to each day.

Ideas: Here are a few good foods to go: Cheese sticks, almonds, yogurt, fruit, lunch meat, Zone bars, South Beach high-protein breakfast bars, Cottage Cheese snack packs, sandwich wraps, frozen diet meals, 100 calorie snacks, rice pudding packs and protein drinks.
 

Is it normal to be ravenous after a workout? There are times I could catch and eat a chicken. I typically crave protein, which is a good thing?

A Your appetite will depend on your workout. If your workouts are intense, they should act as an appetite suppressant. If your workouts are low-intensity workouts, you’ll likely be hungry following your workout.

Hungry or not, since there is a specific window where your muscles are more receptive to absorption you should consume protein, along with some carbohydrates, within 30 minutes after a workout. A protein shake with a little peanut butter and a few slices of banana would be an ideal combination of carbs and protein. This will aid in muscle repair and also keep your tummy satisfied so you don’t chase down that poor chicken and eating the whole farm too.



If someone hasn't done cardio in over 10 years, how much (or how long) should one push themselves when doing a cardio class such as kickboxing or Zumba.

Our bodies are amazing machines. They are very responsive and will quickly adjust to handle the tasks we give them. Even if it has been a while, your body is probably more than capable to make it through a class, like kickboxing, but it just won’t be easy.

Think how your body builds calluses. If you rake the yard for the first time in a long time, you’ll get a pretty nasty, painful blister. If you rake your yard on a regular basis, you'll get calluses.

Exercise is no different. If you come to one kickboxing class, be prepared for it to kick your butt. Attend the class regularly, and your body will make the necessary changes to help you make it through the class.

Now, since I know you snuck out of kickboxing class early, here’s something for you to think about. One of the most common questions I get concerning our Boot Camp is if we ease people into the program - and the answer is “no”. We drop the bomb on them the first day and give their bodies no other choice but to respond. It doesn’t take your body long to realize it better get stronger and, before you know it, you are able to handle the intensity which much more ease.

If you decide to pace yourself, your body won’t respond quite as quickly. If you force yourself to hang in there and do your best through the whole class, you will likely reap the reward and find you can handle a lot more than you even thought.

If I don't have a plan, I somehow read that as license to eat whatever. I have to be OCD on everything unless I'm feeling incredibly committed on any given day. - Carrie

I tooootally know what you are talking about! It’s simply the “out of site, out of mind” mentality. It’s easy to eat poorly when you go out to eat and aren’t faced with labels and reminders of just how bad you are really blowing it.

One way around this is put yourself in a position where you are forced to face the reality behind what you are being tempted to eat. If you go out to eat ask for nutritional information before you even look at the menu. Once you see the calories in black and white, you’ll be less likely to completely blow it.

This happened to me at Ruby Tuesdays recently. I was on the verge of ordering poorly when I decided to ask for the nutritional information. Once I saw the nutritional facts it made it a lot easier to turn down the high-calorie meals and make better choices.
 

I am 5'7 and weigh about 118. Skinny, but not too skinny! My problem is this: I've been doing Zumba classes at least twice a week, I also shoot for some tennis on Saturdays. Then Sundays I try and fast walk the infamous Vero Beach bridge. I have a little pudge that WILL NOT go away, no matter how hard I've tried. I stay active so I'm at my perfect weight, but NO TONE, EVER. I swear, its like I don't gain muscle!!! No matter what I do!! ?? So I may have the skinny legs, but kinda jiggly, not firm!  - Kelly

First, don't mistake tennis as cardio. Cardio should be keep your heart rate at a constant level for maximum fat burn. Second, all your exercise is around burning calories, not toning muscles. Third, most people aren't getting enough protein in their diet so they burn calories coming from both muscle and fat. If you increase your protein, you'll hold on to the muscle you have, and even gain lean mass, while burning off more fat. Lastly, you haven't mentioned any weight training. If you want a more tone muscular body, you have to do resistance training. The good news is, with your body, if you trained hard for 6 weeks and increased your protein - you would see every sexy bump of new lean muscle being built and have a rockin' body in no time!

Here are a few suggestions. Begin a weight training routine, hitting every body part at least 2 times a week. For instance, you can do lower body on Mondays, upper body on Tuesdays, rest on Wednesdays and repeat the routine on Thursday and Friday. As you advance, you can begin breaking up your routine even more where you muscle group each day and train more often.

Concerning your protein, try to get about one gram of protein for every pound of ideal body weight. This means you should be getting 118 grams of protein in a day. I'd bet you are not near that amount of protein. This will aid in muscle repair and help you sculpt shapely muscle.

What type of workout routine should a women balance - how much cardio and how much strength training per week?

Well that depends on the woman’s goals. If she has a lot of body fat to lose, then I’d concentrate on mostly on cardio and circuit training. If she has less than 20lbs to lose, then I’d keep the two pretty balanced, burning fat with cardio and building lean mass with more intense resistance training to add shape and definition.

A training routine for someone trying to drop a lot of weight may include 5 days of cardio and 3 days of weights where someone wanting to drop that last bit of weight and reshape their bodies may do 5 days of cardio and 5 days of weight training. The routine would depend greatly on the person’s availability and how often they are willing to workout. The more you often you workout, the faster you will see results.
 

MORE OF YOUR QUESTIONS & ANSWERS STILL TO COME!

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