Ask Away Wednesday: Special Hodge Podge Edition
By admin
I hope your day is off to a great start! I am moving around pretty slow today, it seems my workout from yesterday wanted to stick around. Not that I mind, I love when my legs and arms are sore.
I feel accomplished!
- Do you like to be sore?
That soreness is giving me the perfect excuse to sit my butt down at my desk (which happens to be my kitchen table) and answer your great questions!
I received so many questions this week! Love hearing what’s on your mind. Because I did receive so many I am going to try to clump some of them together, if that doesn’t happen and I don’t answer your’s I will make sure to answer them on the facebook page over the next few days. Deal?
But keep the questions coming! The comments added below will be put in for next week’s Ask Away Wednesday!
Ask Away Wednesday Hodge Podge Edition
Not very creative this week with the name, that’s because you guys are all over the place today and I couldn’t come up with one general theme! I didn’t want to leave anyone out so we’ll call it a hodge podge.
Weight Loss/Targeting Zones:
I have lost about 45 lbs down to 119 but I cannot lose my belly! What can I do?
Congrats on the weight loss! That’s awesome. You might be one of the ladies that sees stomach results in the later part of weight loss (read below). Don’t give up, look at your current program… is it time to change up the workouts?
Make sure that its a total body workout to maximize calorie burn. Are you pushing yourself hard enough during the workouts? How is your food? Abs are made in the kitchen so make sure you’re eating very clean and avoiding high sodium foods, processed foods and sugar laden foods. You’re clearly making amazing progress! Great job.
What is a good and fast way to lose the fat on my arms? I am having a hard time losing the fat on my arms but all other areas are losing the fat faster. Can you help me or tell me what I am doing wrong or what I can do to improve n burn off this fat?
Unfortunately there is no such thing as fat targeting. Meaning you can’t aim to lose fat just in the arms. Unfortunately the body doesn’t work that way. Everyone is different in where they lose weight first. Some lose it in their boobs first, some in legs, some in face, some actually lose it all over evenly. Keep up with a good workout plan (both cardio and strength training) and you will see results! Consistency is key.
To help tone up and make the fat burn in your arms stick out more, make sure to have a good weight training workout.
Here’s an oldie but goodie:
What are the best exercises to do, if you have only a few minutes a day, to tighten your butt and reduce you hips?
Just like with arms, it’s the same story for lower body. To burn inches it takes a fat burning workout that revolved around calories and total muscle toning. But there are ways to get really fast workouts in that are proven to help burn fat. One being a Tabata workout. Here’s one I did awhile ago that can help!
Tabata Example:
Should I use the things that come up on tv to lose weight?
Always do your research first. I can’t say to never use tv products, as there are some good ones available. But in terms of pills, shakes, bars, etc… avoid these. The best way to lose weight is simply with a balanced, calorie restricted diet. You’ll be more likely to keep it off and feel better along the way.
Diet/Nutrition Questions:
I would like to hear about your favorite foods, recipes, cookbooks. Plus would you eat in a typical day.
Ooo, I like this one. I get to chat about myself, haha.
My favorite foods are: smoothies, sunflower butter (I am seriously addicted), oven “fried” okra, pineapple, and I love love love cookies. My favorite meal vegan meal is my Greek phyllo wrap, and favorite meaty meal would be scallops!
Cookbooks: I don’t use many cookbooks but love the ones I do have. My favorites are: Appetite for Reduction and Giada’s Kitchen. My favorite website for recipes is Oh She Glows.
- What are your favorite cookbooks? (I always love recommendations).
Here’s what my typical day looks like:
I have read often about how great people feel once they start eating a vegan diet. Would it be hard to get sufficient nutrition if you cannot tolerate much dairy?
As a vegan, first let me say I will never try to push someone to try veganism. Different strokes for different folks. I choose vegan because of research that had been done on the diet in terms of long term health benefits (China Study) and after giving it a go, I realized I personally felt better, had more energy and I developed a new relationship with food. No longer guilty or worried about every meal, as if I feel free. So I have continued to stick with it. Again, those are my personal experiences.
For the dairy, vegans don’t eat dairy and dairy isn’t necessary in terms of nutrition. It has vitamins and minerals but those are able to be obtained from other foods as well.
Do you have a good alternative to hamburger buns/sandwich bread? I like to make grilled chicken sandwiches but I keep running into trouble with the bread issue. My roommate is a guy and while he’s not super particular about food he’s not okay with eating grilled chicken, quinoa and kale most of the time. 
Not all bread is evil, but it is a good idea to pick the right ones. Personally, we use Ezekiel bread for burgers and all sandwiches. They also make great English muffins that can be used for buns. I have several blogger friends that love Edi’s bread, though I haven’t tried it personally. Both breads are generally found in the frozen “health” section of the store. Most stores carry both brands.
This is what the Ezekiel looks like, get the details at Food For Life.
Toning Up:
What is a solid plan for increasing % body muscle mass?
I have several great plans for adding mass over at Fit Womens Weekly. To gain mass, it’s crucial to workout hard at high intensities, cut back on cardio a bit (depending on the person) and upping calories.
The calorie part is what normally keeps women from adding muscle, but to build muscle you have to have the nutritional support to make it happen. Generally eating 200-300 extra calories per day for women is what’s needed. As your workouts become harder, this number might increase as well.
Keep foods extremely clean, high in protein and planned out.
- What questions do you have?