My personal desire is to offer more than just a health club facility, I want  to personally offer support, encouragement and guidance. As a fitness columnist, I often use the same questions and topics discussed in the club for topics for my weekly column. If you have a question or simply need some encouragement - I am here! Just think - your questions may help someone else!

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

Q: How many calories should I be taking in if I am trying to lose weight? I have never counted calories before. After I read your article about calories, I counted the calories in my protein shake it was 805! I was shocked, I thought it was about 500. I am counting calories from now on and I see that I am going to have to seriously over haul things. I feel like I have learned more from you in one day than anyone else ever.

A: You probably should be taking in 10-12 calories per pound of DESIRABLE bodyweight AND being active AND eating clean. The days you are not doing anything, 9 or 10 calories. Once you lose weight and your in maintenance - or you are working out more intensely, you can move that up a couple of calories per pound. Also, realize that if you shoot for something comfortable, you aren't leaving room for error and extra calories. I'd shoot on the low side KNOWING you're going to miss some calories somewhere.

As for your protein shake, it really shouldn't be that high in calories. That's a TON of calories. Even if it was 500 calories, that's too much for a shake. A shake shouldn't be more like a small meal which is 300. So you really need to watch that. That's awesome though that you caught it!  Being aware of what you are eating is the first step toward success!!
 

Q: I've been dieting for about 2 months and have lost 25 pounds but now I'm discouraged because 2 days ago i weighed 225lbs - and now, today, i weigh 230! How is it i gained 5 pounds in 2 days and I haven't gone over my calories?

A: My guess is it's one of two things. You either ate more than you think you ate or you have some temporary water weight from a salty meal, girly time or whatever. I would double check your meals and calories and see if there is anything you might be missing. Also, it is super important that you are working out while dieting and eating 5-6 times a day. If you are dieting and not working out your metabolism can slow down especially if you aren't eating often enough.

Drink a ton of water and try to flush your system of salts and weigh yourself in a couple of days to see if your weight has evened back out. Of course that time of the month can also cause water retention too, which is also temporary.  If the scale doesn't change, then it's probably your diet. You'd be amazed how many people I talk to are eating a lot more calories than they think. Not because they are being dishonest but because they aren't tracking every item taken in. For this reason, make all your meals super simple with few ingredients. That way there is less room for error. Write everything down, tracking every single calorie taken in. This is a great learning process.

One last tip. Many people lose a lot of weight in the beginning of a program because ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is challenging and gets the heart rate up. BUT, as you get more fit, you have to ramp up your program to get the same results. All the sudden a simple stroll isn't burning the calories it once was because you are in better shape. It may be time to change up your program. Turn a walk into a slow jog or add short sprints during your normal power walk routine. Either way, you may be getting too comfortable with your program and need a boost.

You are doing the right thing as far as writing me and trying to find out the reason. Never, ever give up. You have to search for the answers so you can get results next time! If you search hard enough, you'll find it. Keep it up!
 

Q: I workout for a couple of weeks, and quit because I feel like I'm not seeing any change. I am skinny and would like to build some muscle. Any suggestions?

A: Two weeks is not enough time though to do something and "get buff". You're only giving yourself enough time to tear down the muscle and not build it back up...Think of it like layers...like a callous. You don't get calluses immediately. Of matter of fact, the opposite happens - the skin thins, tears and even bleeds. It's only in time that your body builds layer after layer of protective hard skin. Although, that won't happen unless you continue to stress that area. Bigger, stronger muscles only come when your body realizes it has no other choice but to get stronger so it can endure what you put it through...and perform well. It responds to the demands you put on your body. If you don't challenge it, there is no reason for it to get stronger or bigger. You must give it a bigger task than it can currently handle. Then, it's the repetitive literal wear and tear that you put your body through to get your body to RESPOND and therefore get stronger...and bigger.
 

Q: Are "two-a-days" (morning and night) cardios a good way to boost weight loss and how many days a week would you recommend doing them? I currently do cardio 6 days a week and strength training 3. If I start them is that something I will have to keep up or can I do them for a couple of weeks and then go back to doing my regular cardio workout and still lose weight?

A: Think of it this way.... Let's say you have a credit card that is maxed out at 10,000 calories and you want to get rid of this debt. You decide to suck it up, not eat out and make some sacrifices...and make some big monthly payments. Does that mean you ALWAYS have to do that? No. It's just a temporary situation. Once you pay it off, you will be freed up to live a little - unless you totally go crazy and jack up the bill (or weight) again. So, the answer is, you don't have to do 2-a-days forever, it's just an option to help give you a jumpstart. When I'm trying to lose weight, I do cardio in the morning and evening as many days as I can, but when I'm in maintenance mode, I do cardio only a few times a week.

Remember, the more you put in, the more you'll get out of it. UNLESS you goof it all up with overeating.