I’m not a dietician/personal trainer/doctor, and I don’t pretend to be! I answer most questions from personal experience. Also you’re more likely to get a quicker, in-depth answer if you ask me non-anonymous. My ask box is here and previously answered questions are here.

I want to:

• slim my thighs
• get rid of my lower tummy pooch
• get a great butt
• lose my muffin top/love handles
• tone my arms

If you ask anyone knowledgeable or google search for a while, the first thing you’re going to be told is that you can’t spot-reduce fat. This is true, and anything that tells you otherwise is not true.

The second thing you’re going to be told is that abs are made in the kitchen (also applies to anywhere your body stores fat, like inner thighs, back, or underarms). This is also true, in that: muscle definition in your core isn’t about the size of the muscles in your core, it’s about reducing the fat covering up those muscles. Doing crunches and other ab work will absolutely *strengthen* your core, but in order to *see* it, you’ll have to lose the fat on top of it. Similar strategy with slimming your thighs. All the crunches in the world won’t do that, but eating cleaner will. You should learn to cook good, clean food for yourself!

Losing weight doesn’t have to be the goal. The goal is to lose *fat*, which you can do with all kinds of exercise. You might lose weight in the process, or you might even gain weight (if you build muscle). That’s why the third and fourth things you’ll be told are to lift weights, and to focus on inches and what you see in the mirror, as opposed to the number on the scale.

As for your butt, your booty is a MUSCLE and obviously muscles get bigger with exercise. Do squats with the barbell, weighted lunges, deadlifts and glute bridges. There’s a collection of butt related posts and exercises here 

You should spend some more time on my blog to learn more! Good luck.

I weigh __ lbs and I am _’_” high, how do I lose __ lbs in __ weeks?
I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist, but the common knowledge is: eat at least 1200 net calories a day and do cardio for 40 mins 3-5 times a week. It’s like 80% diet and 20% exercise, it will be tough, you will feel hungry, you may need to find new things to do (stop eating when you’re bored), you will SWEAT, you will not be able to breathe, and then you will lose weight and feel amazing.

Basically, you need to carry a 500-1000 calorie deficit until you reach your goal, then maintain. Now how do you do this?

1. Calculate your TDEE for both workout days and rest days seperately. Write this down.

2. From each number, subtract 500 for 1 lb per week, 1000 for 2 lbs per week. Eat that amount of calories per day. If this number puts you lower than around 1200, eat 1200 (this number is just a guideline, you don’t want to starve yourself).

3. Count your calories with a website like myfitnesspal.com or loseit.com and try to stick to your goals. It’s good to fluctuate your calories day to day (but have your weekly average maintain the same deficit).

http://preventdisease.com/healthtools/articles/bmr.shtml

If I’m eating ____ calories per day, when will I reach my goal?

Plug the numbers into this calculator for a rough estimate and this one is much more in depth!

What is Insanity?
It’s a 2 month program on DVD that you can do at home. The videos are posted here. It’s mostly cardio, but it also builds muscle to get you toned. I highly recommend it, it’s hard and makes you sweat and it feels great! Depending on the person, the harder videos can burn 300-600 calories. It’s a lot of fun, trust me!

Is this food bad for me and will it make me gain weight?
I believe specific foods aren’t necessarily good or bad its the quantity that you eat them in! I will eat cookies, cake, ice cream, fries etc etc in small quantities and I don’t gain weight. Moderation is key!

The only way to gain weight is to eat more than you burn. It’s as simple as that, and scientifically proven. No single food can make you fat, unless you eat too much of it!! 

If you’re still unsure, look up the food’s grade on Fooducate.com

How can I get rid of my cellulite?
It is definitely possible to reduce the appearance of your cellulite! Cellulite is just fat. You should do some form of cardio, and also do strength training targeting your problem areas.

A study found that 75 percent of women who did just 20 minutes each of cardio and strength training three days a week saw a dramatic reduction in dimpling after two months. This was probably in conjunction with a very reasonable diet, too.

I googled some articles about cellulite:

Dieting in the absence of strength training can actually promote the appearance of cellulite by causing muscle loss, Westcott, author of the new book “No More Cellulite” says, so lifting weights to build and maintain muscle is key.

“Minimizing bodily fat while enhancing muscle firmness, especially in the legs, is the best approach,” he says, and a variety of workout regimens can help.

The muscles you want to train are your glutes and hamstrings, which make up the majority of your trouble areas. My favorite exercises are lunges, squats, plie squats, glute bridges, ham raises, more squats, split squats, box jumps, hill running, and squat jumps. Make sure to use weights for the biggest effect! There are more butt/thigh workouts here.

I hurt, should I work out again?

If you’re sore, it’s probably DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), which means you haven’t worked out in a while. This is totally normal and shouldn’t stop you from working out again. If it’s acute pain and lasts more than 3 days, SEE A DOCTOR.

I’m skinny fat, how do I make it go away and look toned?

Basically you need to gain muscle mass. Your body has three main visible layers on the outside: muscle, fat, skin. And you have to have all of those, right? So right now you’re mostly skin and fat with no muscle, but if you gain muscle you’ll just see muscle and skin (which makes you look “toned”).

Lifting weights, calisthenics, pilates, P90X, and any muscle building exercises will definitely help you out. Diet will also play a huge factor here, you should be eating at a surplus (more than your maintenance level) so that you can build muscle. You’ll also need about 1 gram of protein per lb of your body weight.

There’s some more info here.

I don’t want to run outside because I’m self conscious!
Honestly, no one gives a flying fuck that you’re running outside. There is no reason for you to worry what other people think when you’re running outside. Everyone else is thinking about where they’re driving, the work they need to get done, or their own personal issues. They really, really don’t care. The only thing they’d probably be thinking is “wow look at her/him being so dedicated to running, I wish I wasn’t so lazy!”

Do something good for yourself and go for it! Good luck and run hard!

How can I handle over-eating?

• Plan out your meals in advance and stick to them
• Avoid buying/having junk food around. if it’s not there, you can’t eat it.
• Make sure you’re eating enough calories throughout the day, or else you may end up snacking at night
• Try eating 4-5 small meals and healthy snacks in between to keep your metabolism running all day
• Drink lots of water. Sometimes thirst is mistaken for hunger. Drink a glass and wait to see if your cravings disappear
• If you must snack, eat fruit - it’s full of natural sugar, water, and fiber
• Use a smaller plate and never snack straight out of the box. Portion control is important
• Discipline yourself. Control starts in your head - commit to it and stay strong

What do I eat?

Most of you will either be moving out or have recently moved out of your house to college or to your own apartment and you’re going to need to learn how to take care of yourself. A healthy lifestyle includes learning how to cook, how to feed yourself, and how to maintain this balanced lifestyle.

A healthy diet includes fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats and the occasional treat. Some ideas are on my blog, from Cooking Light magazine, and Foodgawker.com. There are some meal plans here.