Exercise and Nutrition Q & A - The Floor is Open

Hi:

I am almost 3 mths post-op and was using walking as an exercise, which helped me get 45 pounds off so far.  I just joined the "Y' and wanted to know the best exercises to tone up as I lose the weight.  I have good genetics so far because the "batwings" haven't formed yet and I do light hand weights 3-4 times a week on my own.  The classes offered are Pilates, Yoga, Spinning and Zumba in addition to tradition circuit machines and a pool.  Any suggestions?  I want to minimize my plastic surgery costs if I can when the time comes by being as firm as possible.  I also need protein suggestions for an increased workout, I don't tolerate meats well and basically live off of Greek yogurt, cheese, beans and fish.

Thanks!

Well for starters keep up the walking, it is absolutely the best way to shed fat. Low intensity cardio on an empty stomach is the best so if you have the opportunity to walk first thing in the morning that is the best. Just make sure to drink as much water as you can before you walk and eat your breakfast immediately after.

Next you would want to start working on improving lean muscle and that means lifting weights. So of the things you mentioned I would go for the circuit training and I would train with compound intervals. Intervals help keep your body guessing and keeps your heart rate up. There are a number of philosophies on how best to do this but if you are doing a separate cardio day or separate cardio sessions, then you can use intervals with the weight exercises. So if you working your upper body for example (bench press, flys, shoulder press, standing rows, tricep extensions...something like that, then you would want to do something like: bench press by its self (4 sets of 10 reps), then mix your interval, do 1 set of shoulder press, then 1 set of standing row (10 reps each) repeat that for 4 total sets. Rest for 30 seconds between exercises and 1 to 2 minutes between sets. Then move on to the next two, etc. Then the same thing for your lower body workout (squats, lunges, leg extensions) work your back on those days (lat pulldowns, seated row, reverse flys).

The basic strategy for weight training is heavier weight, fewer reps to build muscle and lighter weight and higher reps for strength.

For food, those are not bad things to live off of. I had a tough time with chicken and I basically had to force myself to eat them and be miserable a couple times. Now I can tolerate it ok. How about eggs, can you eat them? They are actually the best source of protein. Protein shakes are also a good way to start the day (whey) and end they day (casein) especially one weight training days.

Hope that helps, let me know if you have any questions.