Ask the Trainer Corner

Do you have a burning fitness question for Jason that you would like featured on our website? Please email it to him at carriv@fas.harvard.edu.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

Hey Jason, I'm having trouble losing weight around my butt, thighs and waist and I can't seem to get rid of it.  I'm an emotional eater so I know that I need work on my diet but what else can I do?

ANSWER:  

Let's start with the last part of that question "I know I need to work on my diet".  If you don't get your diet under control, then you're just "treading water", working hard but not going anywhere.  If the calories that you are expending during exercise are being offset by the food you're eating, then you won't see the results you desire.

 Try keeping a food journal.  Did you know that just by journaling, you're likely to decrease your caloric intake by 25%?  Before you reach for that high calorie snack, remind yourself that you are about to completely negate the workout that you did or are going to do that day.  There are consequences for your actions...are they worth it? 

As far as the weight accumulation around certain areas of your body, you have to understand how fat deposits work.  People accumulate fat in different areas of their bodies. You have your gender and your parents to thank for that.  Women tend to carry most of their weight around their thighs, butt and hips and men tend to carry weight mostly around the abdominal region.  And even though fat is distributed evenly (for the most part) over the entire body, the places that you "hold on to weight" are the first places to see weight gain and the last to see positive change. 

A lot of people become discouraged because they want to lose weight in a specific area. And when you work really hard without seeing changes in the mirror you get discouraged.  You have to realize that you will see changes mostly in your face, arms and neck first since generally these are places that have the least amount of fat accumulation.  You have to think of weight loss as a marathon and not a sprint. Well, it's actually more like a triathlon with a sound diet, exercise and a positive attitude.  Let's talk about this triathlon of weight loss:

We touched on the nutrition aspect but I wanted to talk a little bit about how to plan out your day.  Breakfast should be the largest meal, so plan on eating a lot in the morning and then tapering off during the day.  Try to get a good mix of protein and carbs when you wake up, some eggs and oatmeal or whole wheat toast for example.  If you're always in a hurry then I would suggest making a smoothie the night before with fresh fruit, low sugar yogurt and some flax oil, it tastes great and it's portable. 

Pre and post workout nutrition are big factors too.  Make sure that you are taking in a small portion (200-250 calories) of protein and carbs about an hour before training and slightly more post workout.  By doing this you will give yourself the energy to have an intense workout and recover; starting the muscle building process and increasing metabolism.  Just make sure to factor these calories into your total daily intake.

Exercise should be composed of cardiovascular training and weight training.  The easiest thing to do is pick four exercises that work all parts of the body and perform them in a "circuit" with 20-30 seconds between exercises. An example would be Squats, push ups, planks and lat pulldowns, this way you're not working the same muscles in a row and you won't have to wait as long in between.  Do these 3-4 times each, resting 45-60 seconds between circuits to start.  Over the next couple of weeks, slowly taper the rest time down, but don't go below 15 to20 seconds.

For cardiovascular exercise, try the interval programs on the treadmill or elliptical and shoot for 15-25 minutes of intervals, and finishing with a 10-15 minute steady state moderate pace to keep your heart rate up.  This can be done before or after weight training and you'll have to see which one works the best for you.   I would suggest cardio first as a warm up but you can do either, as long as you're not too tired to keep perfect form during your weight training.

Finally, keep yourself motivated and have fun! Start a journal about what you did for exercise, how your diet was that day and what other factors may have affected you (sleep, exams, papers or a stressful work day).  This way you can see what your stressors are and plan your diet accordingly.  If you know you have a test on Thursday and you see that you continually eat more on Wednesday night, then try loading up on healthy snack alternatives like cottage cheese and fruit, low butter popcorn, calorie free Jell-O, and eat those instead.  Or better yet: try to study in a place that doesn't allow food... a local library? 

Make yourself notes about being healthy and reminders to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Remember, you can't change your body unless you change your attitude. STAY POSITIVE!!