Fitness Q&A

By Diane Bomba

Weight loss plateaus, eating more often to burn more calories and why caffeine pills don’t work.

Plateau with weight loss

Dear Diane,

I’m 20 pounds overweight and began doing cardio exercises about 4 months ago. At first, I saw some significant weight loss, but now it seems that I’ve hit a plateau and can’t drop these last 5 pounds. I’ve even been doing more cardio but nothing seems to be working.

Brianna

Hi Brianna,

First of all, congratulations on your commitment to weight loss. It seems to me, however, that your problem is a complex one. The beautiful thing about the human body is its ability to adapt to most anything that’s thrown at it, and it seems that your body has become accustomed to the cardio and you’ve hit a plateau.

To begin, you should not be doing more than one hour of cardio per day. Anything more than that and your body begins eating away at your muscles for calories. Second, I recommend you start lifting weights. Muscle development will help you burn more calories (keep in mind that the scale numbers may actually increase, but you’ll look hotter than ever). Third, try HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training.

Recent studies have shown that interval training is very beneficial for women. What you do is exercise at a steady pace for two minutes, then increase intensity to as quickly as you can go for one. Then return to walking for two and repeat this process for up to 30 minutes.

Remember to keep switching up your routine every four to six weeks so that your body never becomes accustomed to a routine. That way, you’ll achieve the weight loss, or rather “fat” loss, and look amazing.

Keep fit,
Diane

Eat more often for weight loss

A friend of mine recently told me that I should start eating six times a day if I want to lose weight. Is she crazy?

Tina

Hey Tina,

Well, popular opinion is yes, you should ideally be eating six smaller meals a day instead of three, but people aren’t certain what a “smaller meal” actually consists of and . Dietitians however, recommend that you eat only when you are hungry and never avoid breakfast, as it is the most important meal of the day.

Signs of hunger include an empty-feeling stomach and feeling faint. The tip for success, however, is that when you do eat, you should make healthy choices and avoid eating to the point where you cannot breathe and regret having eaten. Keep in mind that it takes the stomach 20 minutes to send the signal to the brain that it is full. If weight loss is what you desire, these steps will help you.

The “eating 6 times a day” philosophy usually lends itself to people who work out quite frequently and have very little body fat. You would be better off eating when you’re hungry, making healthy food choices and eating slowly so that you know when you’re full.

Regards,
Diane

Ephedrine for weight loss

I know that ephedrine is illegal but I have a friend who was taking it and experienced dramatic weight loss. I want to start taking it but am afraid of long-term problems. Are there any studies that show potential complications?

Want the Weight Loss

Hello Want,

While there have been no studies that prove that ephedrine does cause long-term complications (I know that there were headlines of deaths due to ephedrine-use but it was likely because the individuals took more than the recommended dosage), I do think that the weight loss will only be temporary.

Ephedrine is known to cause an elevated heart beat and decrease appetite, which means that your resting heart rate will rise so that you are consistently burning more calories than you normally would, hence the weight loss.

In 8 weeks though, when the ephedrine stops working (which is when most supplements stop being effective), your heart rate will return to its normal rate and so will your appetite. As a result, your metabolism will slow down and you will ultimately regain your weight. So I recommend strength training strength training, cardio exercise cardio exercise and a balanced diet if you want to lose weight.

Good luck,
Diane

Caffeine pills for weight loss

Dear Diane,

I recently purchased caffeine pills because I was told that they will help me reach my fat-burning goals. But before I take them, I want to make sure I’m doing the right thing. Is this a good idea?

Darlene

Hi Darlene,

In my opinion, the only safe and effective way to lose weight is via a healthy diet and exercise, and while caffeine pills may work temporarily, what do you think will happen once you stop taking them?

Of course, the decision is up to you, but there are some distinct disadvantages to taking caffeine pills, so before taking them, consider this:

1- Caffeine is a diuretic, so you’ll need to drink plenty of water throughout the day.
2- Caffeine increases unsightly cellulite cellulite
3- Taking caffeine pills late in the day will keep you up all night, so you shouldn’t take any after 3 p.m.
4- Because caffeine causes the body to avoid using its calcium stores, you’ll also need to take a 5- calcium supplement.
6- You can’t stop taking them in one shot because you’ll experience withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and fatigue, so you’ll need to ease off of them slowly.
7- An increased dose of caffeine may make you nervous and agitated.

If you still think that taking them is a good idea, make sure to test your resting heart rate beforehand and during your time on them. Also, I strongly recommend you visit a doctor before you try these pills.

Good luck,
Diane

Salt Intake; Is It Making You Fat?

By Meredith Thompson

Do you know that an increased salt intake makes you retain water? Of course you did. But did you know that an increased salt intake also makes cellulite more prominent and visible? That’s right, and although salt is necessary to sustain life, chances are you’re salt intake is likely eating too much of it.

Salt, a very popular white crystalline used to make food more palatable, comes in many different forms, although the debate over how good it is for you is still on the table. Next to the pepper.

FACTOID: Salt is 40% sodium and 60% chloride.

Registered dietitians recommend that the average healthy woman consume anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams of sodium a day (2,000 milligrams = 1 teaspoon). The problem, however, is that most of us are downing anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams each day. This is way too much sodium.

There is a host of salts available on the market, the best of which is considered sea salt, as it has a softer taste.

Although salt comes from salt mines and from the sea, most of today’s salt comes from huge deposits left by dried salt lakes all over the world.

Read on to discover how much salt you’re actually eating, what type you should be eating (if any) and what to do if you end up at your mom-in-law’s and she’s serving up salted fish for dinner.

Salt causes cellulite

As aforementioned, high salt intake causes water retention, and in turn makes cellulite look even more unsightly. Now keep in mind that it doesn’t necessarily cause cellulite, but it sure as hell makes it look even dimplier and gross.

So by reducing your salt intake, you’ll be reducing the appearance of dimply skin. And that is always a good thing in my book.

For many women, the way salt is making us appear when we step on the scale isn’t very healthy for our morale, either. That said, here are some things you can do to ensure that you’re on the right track when it comes to salt intake.

Eat less salty snacks
When you’re starving, you need sustenance immediately. And when it comes to immediate foods, you’re usually left with undesirable foods like chips, pretzels, nuts, and cold cuts.

The problem with these foods is that they usually contain a whole lot of salt. If you’re going to have any of these snacks in your home, make sure that they contain no salt.

Read ingredient labels
The beauty of food labels is that all the information is right there for you, so you can see what kind of potential damage you might be doing to your body if you opt to ingest it.

That said, labels clearly indicate the amount of sodium you’ll be ingesting per serving of a given product. So be vigilant about minding your salt intake and put down the Saltines.

Go for “low-salt” or “reduced-sodium” options
If you usually buy chicken broth to put in the food you cook, opt for the “now with 30% less salt,” version of it. In all fairness, it doesn’t taste much different and it’s that much better for you.

Avoid using canned foods
Your best bet when it comes to using produce, fish or meat, is to opt for fresh or frozen varieties rather than canned because canned products tend to use a lot of salt to preserve whatever is in them.

If you happen to have many cans in your home as you’re reading this, what you can do for now is rinse whatever’s in them to wash away some of the salt content and instantly reduce your salt intake.

Pickled & smoked are bad words
I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but pickled products, such as pickles and hot peppers, become that way via salted brine. Smoked products, such as smoked salmon and smoked meat, become that way because a layer of salt is used in the smoking process.

I know they taste like heaven, but you need to reduce, if not eliminate, these items from your diet.

Use other spices
Salt is customarily used to make food taste better, but it’s time you started experimenting with spices and added some flair to your dishes. Get your hands on some garlic powder, oregano, coriander, cayenne pepper, and a host of other spices to flavor up your food.

Seasonings like lemon juice, rosemary and ginger are also great at adding some zest to your food without the addition of salt. And if people like salty foods in your family, then let them add some after the dish is served.

Make your own salt substituteIf using just garlic powder is not cutting it for you, create your own seasoning, put it in a shaker and place it on the table as a salt replacement.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

1 tsp. ground basil
1 tsp. ground marjoram

1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. savory
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sage
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. garlic powder

Reduce your salt intake

Salt is not terrible in moderation, but considering that most packaged food already contain salt, you’d do best to avoid adding anymore to your diet.

Bad Credit, 5 Ways To Improve It

By Vanessa Cohen

If you were to receive your credit report in the next 24 hours, do you think you’d be impressed with what an amazing dollar-minder you are, or do you think you’d be left wondering how the hell you let your credit turn into bad credit?

Did you know that 26% of Americans are living far beyond their means? And women are charging everything they want onto those fantastic plastic cards that magically make them the owners of every hot pair of Manolo Blahniks this side of Spain.

Well, it’s time for you to make sure that you’re not living beyond your means so that you can eventually invest in some property and acquire some assets. Do you remember that beautiful and rich man that you kept dreaming about when you were a kid? Yeah, well, he’s not coming, so you might as well turn your bad credit into good credit.

And that’s where credit scores come in. Credit scores are three-digit numbers that range between 300 and 850. The higher your score, the better, but keep in mind that only 11% of Americans rank above 800. And, unfortunately, anything lower than 620 makes acquiring a loan very difficult.

That said, here are some ways to improve your credit report so that, when you do finally need it to buy a house or invest in a business, you can get a loan at a relatively low interest rate.

Eliminate bad credit

1- Pay your bills before the due date
Considering the advancements we’ve made with technology, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be able to pay your bills on time (and please don’t say that you just don’t have the money). You have the option of paying your bills automatically each month (allowing telephone companies and the like to withdraw the necessary funds directly from your account) or you can opt for online or telephone banking to pay your debts.

Ultimately, if you have bad credit because you haven’t been paying your bills, it’s high time you began getting your priorities straight. Pay off your current debts before you accrue more.

2- Lower your debt accumulation
If you can’t pay your credit card in full each month, you can minimize bad credit by at least paying more than just the monthly charge. That way, you will end up paying less interest and can pay off the capital more quickly. And another thing: I know that the gorgeous black dress is on sale and you don’t have the cash right now, but if you can’t afford to pay for it in cash, chances are you can’t afford to pay for it with a credit card, either. Don’t make your bad credit worse.

3- Don’t cancel credit cards that you don’t use
Although popular opinion dictates that, in order to improve your credit rating, you should terminate already paid accounts, Fair Isaac Corporation (a.k.a. FICO, the company that tabulates your credit rating) reports that closing off such accounts can actually end up hurting your credit.

By closing your accounts, especially older ones, it makes it appear as though you haven’t had a very long credit history, thus making you undesirable or “untrustworthy” to financial institutions. But if you have 11 credit cards, it’s best to cancel the ones you acquired most recently.

4- Don’t apply for too many cards
While having a wallet full of plastic may make your feel important, it’s not exactly the smartest move you could be making in the world of credit. What creditors look at when you apply for a loan (or the like) is how much you could possible owe should you max out all your credit cards. And that can make you an unattractive candidate to banks because you’d be more likely to end up with bad credit if you have credit cards valued at $50,000.

So while having one of every card might look nice in your wallet, it doesn’t look so nice to lenders. Keep your credit cards down to a minimum, like say one or, maximum, two.

5- Order a copy of your credit report
While too many credit report checks can do some major harm to your credit report (it means that too many people are checking it, which might mean that you are asking for a lot of credit), it is good to take a look at your report once a year to ensure that no one has stolen your identity and that changes that you made (like canceling cards or paying off debts) have been noted in the report.

There are three major credit reporting agencies that can give you your FICO (a credit score based on the Fair Isaac Corporation model) score:

- Equifax (Equifax.com)
- Trans Union (TransUnion.com)
- Experian (Experian.com)

Eliminate bad credit for good

There you have it: Easy-to-follow tips that will help you improve your credit rating in no time. Remember that, in the future, your good credit rating will make it a cinch for you to own property (or anything for that matter). And yes, if you say goodbye to bad credit, you can even have those Manolos.