Question

My body is quite disproportional. I have very skinny arms, a thin stomach/waist/hip area, normal thighs and heavy calves. How do I lose weight on my legs (mostly calves) without losing weight anywhere else?

Answer

As much as we would like to spot reduce the weight and fat in our bodies, it really isn’t possible to accomplish. Your question is an interesting one, as most people want to build and strengthen their calves, which support the ankles and help define and compliment the curves of the legs.

Calf work, inclusive of stretching the fully belly of the muscle – from the origin at the knee to the insertion at the soleus – will elongate the muscle and help to define the leg. My advise is to work your legs with lunges and calf raises to define, strengthen and build the muscle. These should be followed by stretching them to lengthen the muscle.

Lastly, be conscious of your salt intake, which for many may result in the body holding water which may collect around the ankles and calves.

Question

I’m trying to lose weight but i am confused about energy, carbohydrates and fat. Could you tell me what a good quantity per day would be for each?

Answer

Energy is the calories (or kilojoules) that is present in the foods and drinks you consume each day. Everyone needs a certain amount of energy to survive. The amount of energy you require depends on the amount of energy you exert (the physical activity you engage in).

To understand your individual calorie (the energy from the food you eat) requirements each day, use the following calculator:

• Recommended Calorie Intake Requirements Calculator

The amount of the macronutrients you require each day are recommended in the following ratios (this is based on general guidelines recommended by dieticians):

• Carbohydrates – 45% of total energy intake
• Protein – 30% of total energy intake
• Fat – 25% of total energy intake

Be aware that these are guidelines only and everyone’s individual circumstances are different, so you can vary this a little for you.

In addition to this, all foods generally contain some carbohydrates, protein and fat, in different ratios (there are a few exceptions to this general rule). To give you some idea about this, take a good look at the food values section of this site (it gives the nutritional content of many natural foods) and view the carbohydrates, protein and fat content of various foods to understand this better.

We will be adding a nutrient calculator shortly, which you will be able to use to calculate your carbohydrate, protein and fat intake depending on your calorie intake, so stayed tuned for this.

Question

I have started to count how many calories my boyfriend and i intake and burn.  After realising that his golf playing does burn lots of calories, his calorie intake totalled to 1495 one day.

My boyfriend is 31 years old, 175cm tall and weighs 82kg. Would consuming this low amount of calories result in mostly fat loss or would his muscles start to shrink?

Answer

Your concern is warranted here.

The calorie intake for a male of 31 years, 175cm tall and 83kg is:

• 1854 calories – at rest
• 2700 calories – doing light exercise like golf

Basically this means that your boyfriend is not eating enough calories to ensure his body is working at optimum levels and to allow all the metabolic processes to occur in the correct manner, with all the right nutrients.

If not enough calories are being consumed on a daily basis, the body will go into a state called ketosis, where it will burn muscle tissue to gain enough energy to carry out all the metabolic processes the body needs to stay alive. If his calorie intake is at such a low level on a regular basis, this means he is basically starving himself.

Your boyfriend should monitor his calorie intake for two weeks to determine if he is eating enough on most days and adjust his intake accordingly.

If you are concerned, see a registered dietician who can help assess his situation and create a diet plan to ensure he eats enough food.

Question

I am a 14 year old girl, who weights 48kg and I am confused about what is healthy in terms of diet and exercise. I do sport at school 1-2 times a week, plus I also do dance classes (7 hours), jogging (1-3 hours), aerobics and weights (1-2 hours) outside of school each week. My diet consists of healthy, but low fat foods. Can you tell me if I need to eat healthier or exercise more?

Answer

From the information you have given about your diet and exercise regime, it seems that you may not be eating enough food and you may not be getting enough protein in your diet. Your caloric intake may be too little for the amount of physical activity you are doing each week.

Teenage girls need certain caloric and nutrient requirements every day, which can be found in the food groups section of this site. You need to ensure you are getting enough iron (teenage girls need more) and enough protein, carbohydrates and fat in your diet to give you the energy to use for all the physical activities you are engaging in.

You need to ensure that your calorie intake is adequate for your age group and activity level – teenager need a high level of all the nutrients to ensure they are getting adequate energy for all their metabolic functions. If you do not eat enough, you could be starving yourself. This is just a guideline – to ensure you are getting enough food to give you enough energy, consult a qualified dietician who will be able to monitor your diet properly.

Question

I’m a 38 year old woman, 5″6 tall and 140 pounds. I have a small frame and I’d like to weigh between 120-125 pounds before I get pregnant. I’ve been working out 5-7 days a week for a couple of years now – I speed walk on my treadmill with incline and also lift 3 pound weights around 15 minutes per day.

I drink Vega shakes in the morning or cereal and a banana, I eat a soy bar at lunch, a 100 calorie granola bar at snack-time, lots of spring water and eat a small portion of fish or chicken with big salad for dinner and a probiotic yogurt with fruits and nuts for dessert. During the week I only eat whole pasta and breads, but not very often.

I have not lost any weight but look a lot firmer. What am I doing wrong? What must I eat and what exercises do I need to do in order to lose 15 pounds? How long will it take to lose the weight?

Answer

You ask a very good question.

The scope of your question (what you need to eat every day and how much and what type of exercise you need to do each day) is too big for this question forum, so I would suggest you see a registered dietitian or a qualified personal trainer who can help to devise a diet program tailored just for you, to help you lose the weight and eat better.

You can use the recommended calorie intake calculator to help you determine if your calorie intake is at the recommended level.

Question

I have a fairly regimented fitness program including weights and cardio (which involves a fair bit of running) and abdominal exercises. I am a fairly fit and active person, but I have a small amount of fat on my lower stomach area that I simply cannot shift. Can you help?

Answer

It almost sounds like you are stuck in an exercise rut.

Cross- training with alternate exercise disciplines (pilates and yoga)
which focus on core muscles will fire up your metabolism and abdominals significantly.

If you keep doing the same old things, you will always have the same old results.  Challenging the body with new and different exercises will recruit new and different muscles – deep muscles of the transverse abdominals – in this case.

Also, you need to work out with a qualified fitness teacher/trainer that can provide consistent feedback on form, control and execution.

Question

I’m underweight and need to gain weight. I am 157cm and about 42kg – female. I do a lot of exercise at the gym and am trying to do more weights. I need to increase my diet, but I am concerned about having more fat in my food as i want to gain muscle, not fat.

I am currently drinking soya milk but don’t know whether to switch to drinking lots of skimmed milk so I can have more kcal (energy) and protein, but less fat. Similarly, I eat oatcakes rather than bread, but they are higher in fat – so would bread be better? Any advice would be great.

Answer

Resistance training, coupled with a healthy diet – inclusive of protein, complex carbohydrates and polyunsaturated fats – is essential to strength and muscle development. I advise clients to eat 5-6 small meals daily – healthy protein, dark green leafy vegetables and brightly colored vegetables/fruit and “liquid” (polyunsaturated) fats. The latter can be easily obtained from olive oils, canola oils, peanut oils vs saturated fats, such as butter, margarine, animal fat. Unsaturated (“good”) fats are also found in avocado, nuts and seeds.

Our bodies need each, protein, carbs and fats – in balance – for our systems to operate properly.

Regarding your specific question of “bread being better” depends upon the amount of energy you are expending in your strength and weight training regimen. Whole grain breads will provide needed fiber and be a great energy source for the active individual. If you are seeking to gain weight while you are building muscle, you will need to build up the fuel stores in your body (whole grain pasta and breads, whole milk can be good sources in balance with protein and fats, as mentioned earlier) so that you provide your system with enough “caloric fuel” to withstand your training and still have a surplus such that you add overall weight to your frame.

You have not identified your age, but given your height and weight, I would recommend minimizing your cardio programming and increasing your strength and resistance training to build muscle as you focus on healthy dietary habits.

Question

I am around 96 pounds and I would like to gain a good 20lbs. I am currently taking Equate (a protein supplement) which is 380 calories a bottle and eating how I normally eat.

How many calories would it take for me to gain that much weight and how long?

Answer

Sounds like it would be a good idea to seek the professional advice of your physician or a registered dietician to construct a nutrition plan that is tailor-made just for you.

There are a number of factors omitted in your inquiry (age, health history, activity levels, food intake) and while supplemental meal replacements may be beneficial in the very short term, overall balance and a long term focus on health while increasing the weight is very important. A registered dietician can work with you to ensure that you are putting on weight in a healthy way and usually without the use of protein supplements.

If you review the guidelines on the food groups section of this site, you will see exactly how much of each type of food you need to eat every day (and exactly what constitutes a serving of each).

You can also try to estimate your ideal weight with the recommended calorie calculator, but it is much more advisable to see a registered dietician who can advise you exactly on the type of healthy diet you should maintain to gain this weight and also what your weight range should be to ensure you are healthy.

Question

I have degenerative back problems, so my exercise is restrictive. When I do exercise, I feel so exhausted that I need a nap to get through the rest of the day. Can you suggest something I need to eat or drink before/after exercise that will help with this exhaustion.

Secondly, I get up at 5am and have to take medication to get through the day. What can I have that is considered ‘food’ at this early hour as I cannot face food at this time.

I am 100kg, but want to drop my weight down to around 80kg and I cannot seem to do it at the moment. Can you give me some advice on food and exercise to help me achieve my weight loss goals.

Answer

Anything you ingest in your body is considered “food.” The question is the quality and quantity of calories you choose to use as food. All of the options listed, fruit, vegetable and or protein juice/drinks are appropriate. Depending upon the amount of calories your body requires to fuel its day.

I am not familiar with Syndrome X and suggest you seek healthy, natural, nutrition-rich food which are healthy dietary choices.

Seek to balance your diet and system with a consumption of

• complex carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables whether whole or juiced),
• polyunsaturated fats,
• healthy, lean proteins (beef, chicken, fish).

Women over 40 that want to manage weight while gaining lean muscle, generally need to increase their protein intake, so I would suggest the consumption of carbs/protein/fats in the following percentages: 55/45/5.

Question

I am a 29 year old woman, who is 100 pounds. I work out 5-6 days a week – cardio (which I mix up with a variety of activities) and I also include weights. My legs are trimming better as I’m curvy but have a very skinny upper body. For some reason my stomach looks bloated all the time even though I work out and my diet is fairly good. I am a very petite woman and I have never had a problem with my abs before.

My stomach is flat in the morning but the moment I eat, it gets bloated – even if I try to avoid foods that may cause bloating. I also eat small portions often and have lots of water and green tea. I do all sorts of lower ab workouts a few times a week although I don’t do more then 5-10 minutes of it as it hurts after doing it. What am I doing wrong?

Answer

It sounds like you could have a medical problem with your digestive system that could be causing the bloating. If you are working out on your stomach doing abdominal exercises and it hurts in this area, it is most likely due to a medical condition affecting your gastrointestinal system. This seems especially the case, given that as soon as you eat, you get bloated. Talk to your doctor. It could be something simple that is easy to resolve.

Your exercise routine sounds just about right for you.