About Lela Simon Expertise I can answer questions about eating to boost the metabolism and how to work with cravings. As a Health Counselor and a Personal Trainer I can help you line up your eating habits with your exercise for the perfect storm of wellness. I look at nutrition from the view point of Positive Eating as opposed to Dieting. I can help people with eating to fuel workouts as well.
Experience I have been working to help people lose weight and be more healthy since 2003. I started as a Group Fitness Instructor and have added Personal Training and Health Counseling to my practice. I also work with people online at http://www.LelaSImonWellness.com
Education/Credentials ACE Personal Trainer certified
IIN Health Counselor certified
Columbia University Health Counselor Certified
Question QUESTION: hello. my name is katie,im 29 years old and about 130 lbs. about almost two months ago i started an exersize program and started eating better. i want to lose at least 10 lbs. im 5'2 and it doesnt take much to look round.ive been working out at least 5 days a week. about 4 of those days i do the e.a. sports active on the wii on the hardest level. i dont know if uv heard of it but its awsome,it combines stregth training with cardio,and they always mix up the exersizes so ur muscles dont get board. after that i will usually use my elliptical machine for at least ten minutes on a pretty good incline for some extra cardio or ill jog and power walk.i also jog or power walk on the days i dont use the game.i drink 7 glasses of water a day and even cut out my beer intake,now i only let myself drink on saturday nights. and ive started to only eat three meals a day and two snacks,stopping 2 hours befor sleep. now ive also heard that counting calories isnt as important as counting fat grams so i started counting all the fat i was eating a day,keeping at about 25 grams.is that the way to go or should i be counting calories? and if so how many should i be eating? because the main problem with all this good stuff im doing is that,im not losing any weight! none.i was expecting by now to lose at least a pound or two a week. but nothing has happened. i feel a little toner,especially in my arms and back,and i know my legs r stronger but know weight is coming off and i still have a big belly! i even take fish oil,calcium,and a multivitamin. (i heard fish oil could help with belly fat)im so confused, im so commited and i thought it would pay off but nothing is happening.please help me.
ANSWER: Katie,
When you only have 10 pounds to lose and you are within a healthy weight, trying to lose 2 pounds a week is too much to ask. Aim for 2 pounds every 3 weeks and you will be a much happier, healthier bunny:)
With the strength training you are going to build some muscle, which will mitigate some of your weight loss- but don't be discouraged by that! Give it a little time and it will start coming off.
Just paying attention to fat doesn't really tell the whole story- it is super easy to OD on sugar! You should be aiming for about 1650 calories per day considering your workouts.
QUESTION: thank u for ur advice.but i wanted to say i really dont eat much sugar at all.and i have one more question,u said im supposed to be eating 1650 calories a day. well i figured it up and im eating alot less than that most days.the other day it was at 775. is that somehow stopping my wieght loss? should i be eating more? that wouldnt seem right, but ur the pro!thanx 4 helping.
Answer That's way too few calories! That is why I told you not to aim so high with your weight loss with so little to lose- by restricting your calorie intake to such a low number you are slowing down your metabolism and putting yourself on a path to gain weight in the future. Basically your body thinks you are starving, and as soon as you eat a normal amount, it will hold on to every calorie causing rapid weight gain that is hard to get rid of.
Slowly add calories in ( so you don't get that rapid weight gain) add an extra 100 calories every 4 days till you get to the right amount.
