Hello fellow readers!

I have decided to move this blog to another domain… www.mokbel.ca where it will be transformed as a personal blog rather than only talking about fitness. Oh yes, I will continue giving trips and tricks, but not only on fitness.

Alan

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My very good friend Ryan Rowe finally decided to join the rest of us by transforming his site to a blog. He used to hard code every single page. Actually, he’s the one who encouraged me to get started with online networking and to have my own site to promote myself.

I’m so glad though that he let me set it up for him. For some reason, it’s missing a bunch of functionalities and I have the feeling it has to do with the hosting company. Anyway, Ryan is currently living in Abu Dabi and he tells his stories and adventures on his site: www.ryanrowe.com

I sincerely hope you enjoy it… he has a lot of stories to share!

Q: I do have some questions and I’ll be really great full to know their answers:

1. Is cooking with olive oil healthy , or is it better to cook with another un-saturated oil such as corn oil? and why?
2. When eating a meal, is it better to start with the carbs first or it doesn’t matter what to start with?
3. Is it true that eating cheese and drinking milk at summer time is bad for our health( i mean bad for digestive and cause stomach issues) ?
4. Does yogurt helps slim down??

A: Your questions are interesting. However, I’m scared to answer them without tell you that you are looking at maybe 1% of the whole picture.

It is important to have the basics set-up properly before wondering if carbs should be eaten first or last in a meal.

Each meal has to have all three macronutrient, carbs, protein AND fat. In which proportions? Depends on what you are looking to achieve. Then, we need to look at if you are eating enough or too much. Then, we have to look at the different foods you are eating and if they are nutritious and wholesome for you. We then take a look at your workout program and if it is suited for your fitness level and in tune with your goals.

Anything outside of that is just fluff. Don’t concern yourself with these tiny details that might or might not help. Once you have the basics covered, you’ll do just fine.

Alan

PS: Have any questions you’d like answered on our blog? Please email us with what you want to know and stay tuned to our blog. We will answer your question.

Q: I’d like to know your opinion about the effectiveness in the weight loss of these things…

• http://www.shopo.tv/Producto.aspx?IdCategoria=sh2&IdPack=4&IdPildora=186
• http://www.tevecompras.com/?o=product&c=10000&plu=2985
• http://www.tevecompras.com/?o=product&c=10000&plu=1636
• http://www.tevecompras.com/?o=product&c=10000&plu=3262
• http://www.tvofertasonline.com/ab_rocket.php

A: We don’t usually comment or criticize programs done by other trainers. Call it professional courtesy.

As for the equipment… these all look like ‘fluff’ equipment. There is nothing like a good workout in a gym or home using basic equipment. I see from the choice of equipment you sent me that you want to lose weight, especially in the belly… am I right?

If this is the case and you want to train at home, I would strongly recommend that you invest in a good cardio machine (stationary bike, elliptical machine, treadmill) and on some free weights and some resistance bands… for starters. As you become more experienced, chances are you’ll want other type of equipment.

If you want to see your abs, you have to lose fat. To lose fat, you have to be in calorie deficit. To be in calorie deficit, you need to be active and burn more calories than you eat. Makes sense?

Alan

PS: Have any questions you’d like answered on our blog? Please email us with what you want to know and stay tuned to our blog. We will answer your question.

Q: I have been following an exercise program for a few months now, and while I am losing weight and most of my body is slimming down, I still have love handles and relatively large thighs. Would there be any particular exercises that I could do in order to help slim these down?

A: Unfortunately no. Spot reducing doesn’t work. The body decides to release fat from wherever it wants. In Men, usually it releases fat in the upper body (gut area) last.

Don’t get discouraged. Keep at it. Try to focus your goals on something else, for example, to be able to do 20 pull-ups without assistance or machines. This goal is attainable and measurable. You see how I changed the focus a bit? This new goal will motive you to continue working out without focusing too much on your love handles. Next thing you know, when you are able to do 20 pulls ups by yourself, you’ll have that you’ve lost fat in the trouble area…

Alan

PS: Have any questions you’d like answered on our blog? Please email us with what you want to know and stay tuned to our blog. We will answer your question.

Q: I’m a former college football player, 50 years old, with a 38 inch waist and 48 inch chest. I weigh ten more pounds than I did when I left college. I bought your product mostly for my wife. We are using the principles, (which I’ve always known) for her and she has shown some progress. Women’s bodies are such a mystery as they don’t respond like a man’s. It is also hard for most women to go “all out” which you is needed to see results. Thanks for your nutritional tips. Keep them coming.

The biggest problem I think middle aged women have is eating up the fat reserves in their bodies. I know how to tap into mine. Hers seem to be locked up. She has been training for over a year. Had good results right away and has plateaued. We have utilized the interval approach and are seeing some improvement. I have her doing the cleans and snatches and swings. I wish there was a nutritional silver bullet for her.

A: The trick to nutrition is try different baselines. Say you had her started on 30% protein, 50% carbs, 20% fat, try to reduce the carbs and slightly increase the protein and fat. As you know, it takes a while to understand one’s body and even more difficult when it’s someone else’s body.

Don’t get discouraged. Continue with the workouts, switch them around when you see a plateau coming and look at her nutrition in more details and make sure she’s in a calorie deficit (but not too much). A low calorie diet can induce the starvation mode. It is also possible that she’s not eating enough. Without more details, I can’t help more than that.

The reason it seems more difficult with women is because they usually store fat in their lower whereas men store them in the upper body. It’s actually easier to lose fat in the upper body than lower body. Attached is an interview a friend of mine did with a woman fitness expert: Kelli Calabrese. It might help you and your wife.

Alan

PS: Have any questions you’d like answered on our blog? Please email us with what you want to know and stay tuned to our blog. We will answer your question.

Q: I have a question about your service? I’ve been working out and noticed a significant increase in my muscle mass but mostly on my right side (even though every exercise I do works both) to the point where there is now a visual difference between the two sides of my body. So I wonder if (a) my left side will catch up and (b) if this is the kind of question that your experts are able to answer.

A: Try to reduce the load such that you are working the maximum weight for your weak side. So, say you can curl 60 lbs on the right side and 40 lbs on the left, then drop to 40 lbs for each arm, even if it is too easy for the right arm. Get it?

The weak side will catch up eventually.

One more suggestion, try doing bodyweight exercises mixed in the routine. For example, a chin up, or pull up, will force both sides to work equally. If you left side gives up faster, then it doesn’t matter if the right side can…

Alan

PS: Have any questions you’d like answered on our blog? Please email us with what you want to know and stay tuned to our blog. We will answer your question.

Q: will I lose 40lbs in 12 weeks, and will I get stuck in the mood with weight loss or will it come off week by week without delay?

(Note: I love these questions.. it’s like predicting the future)

A: The amount of fat you will lose will depend really on your body and how stubborn it is to get rid of it. Usually, when people have a lot of extra weight, they then to lose quickly at the beginning but then, it slows down. Actually, it’s harder for ’skinny fat people’ to lose weight that overweight people, why? because they are already at the stubborn fat.

I don’t want to give any illusions or any guarantees on how much you can lose weight because I can give you all the recommendations in the world, the key will be how compliant you will be. I vow to do everything I can so that you lose as much as possible. In my previous email, I told you what you can expect because this is what I’ve seen from my 11 yrs of experience helping people lose weight. But realize this, losing 18 lbs in 12 weeks is A LOT… some people lose 12 lbs in one year. Think about it.

Alan

PS: Have any questions you’d like answered on our blog? Please email us with what you want to know and stay tuned to our blog. We will answer your question.

Q: My eating habbits are pretty good, I eat small meals but a lot of them. It is working for me with my weight.. I mean the only negative thing is. I cant GAIN weight.. [...] I am averaging about 175.. And my weight will flux with in a 3 lb area. 3 up or 3 down.. If you could give me some better habits to gain weight that would help. I have a high carb and high protien diet. I eat a lot of chicken and fish and also eat a lot of Pasta. I am not sure what is going on that I cant break that barrier. I want to be at around 185-190. but at my same body fat I am now. Around.. 5-6%. I work out all my muscles 1 muscle group per day except my back and shoulders is tied together. I work out on average of 6 times a week. I hope you have some suggestions.

A: In order for you to build lead muscle, we must definitely look at your workout program and nutrition. You definitely need to be in a surplus of calories, most men are between 3000 and 5000 calories a day. These calories must be high quality, clean calories. One strategy I recommend is to have 1/2 of your calories in liquid form and the rest as ‘real’ food. Does that make sense?

Alan

PS: Have any questions you’d like answered on our blog? Please email us with what you want to know and stay tuned to our blog. We will answer your question.

Q: I want a program that I can follow to burn more fats around my abs

A: This is probably not what you want to hear but there is no such thing.

Fat loss can not be specific to one part of your body. The body releases fat wherever it decides to release fat. That’s just how our body is. You can decide to build muscle or strength in certain area but the reverse doesn’t work.

What we can do is work on a nutrition plan and workout program that’ll make you lose fat and build muscle as well, giving you a stronger, leaner body. The abs will come eventually but personally, I wouldn’t set “having a six-pack” as the main objective. You’ll get discouraged quickly.

Alan

PS: Have any questions you’d like answered on our blog? Please email us with what you want to know and stay tuned to our blog. We will answer your question.