The questions and comments I get through my email are always really good questions, so I must share some of them from time to time with you all.  

Dear Pamela, I work out every day at the gym and I have a good routine where I do 30 good hard minutes on the elliptical trainer followed by weight training with 5 lb weights and finish up with 50 reps. of various ab. exercises.  I have been doing that for about 4 months.   At first I lost about 5 pounds but now nothing...what happened?   From, Tired who has had enough and is about to quit!

To TWHHE...Don’t quit...you just have to fire up your workout.   If you do the same workout day after day, your body gets accustom to the workload, so you lose weight initially, because it was an adjustment that your body was not use to.   After about 4-6 weeks of the same routine your body adjusts that is why the weight loss stops.  Change your routine every other week and most definitely go up on your weights or change to body resistant type exercises like push-ups or band workouts to get you on track again.  And most importantly, go up on your intensity, your exercise routine should be hard, not just a walk in the park. And remember, if you are really confused about what to do, first always get the OK from your physician and then hire a certified personal trainer either privately or at your gym to help you.   It is the best money you will ever spend to get you on the right track, safely. 

Dear Pamela, What should you eat post workout?  I have some friends who say protein drinks are the best, while others say carbs is the right choice, which is it?   From, Stuck On the Fence.

Dear SOTF, if you are eating a healthy balanced diet you should be getting enough protein in your diet without adding any more.  The average sedentary person, according to the Recommended Daily Allowance, needs only 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight and if you are exercising vigorously doing stuff like biking 30 miles a day or heavy weight training that might jump up to 0,55 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight.  There is no scientific evidence that any one needs more protein than that.  Too much protein leads to dehydration since your kidneys need more water to eliminate the extra nitrogen load, plus protein takes longer to digest than crabs. so recovery will be delayed.  Most people I know that work out regularly are also trying to keep their weight in check...some of those protein drinks are loaded with calories.  Here are a few of my suggestions for post workout snacks

1.   A cold grapefruit and peel it and eat it like an orange.

2.   A “Pink Lady” apple...O what a treat!  You can get them everywhere now.

3.   Low fat yogurt Smoothie made with low fat yogurt, fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries) peaches, and fresh squeezed orange juice lots of ice and blend ...do not add sugar.

4.  Fresh squeezed yourself juice and a hand full of soy nuts of almonds...make sure the nuts don’t have the H-Bomb in them...(Hydrogenated Oil should not be in anything you eat!)