Chat with Tom Williams - November 19, 2008

Tom	Hi all. We will get started in a few minutes. Thanks for joining me tonight. If you have any questions, post them now so I can start think on those answers. Who's first?
Bootcamper	If losing weight is all about calorie intake, why does Fatburn tell me that I'm not consuming enough calories?
Tom	Because you can eat too few calories. There is a minimum you have to eat to keep your metabolism running. If you don't reach that, fatburn will warn you with red. If you don't eat enough calories, that fantastic calorie burning tool, your metabolism will slow down.
Bootcamper	Dr Tom - how much water do you recommend I drink a day?
Tom	The standard is 64 ounces a day just to keep yourself hydrated. However, you do get hydration from almost everything you eat.
Bootcamper	When is the best time during the day to exercise? More specifically, will your body burn more calories during morning or evenings?
Tom	The morning is the best time. This is not because your body is operating on stored energy....most have not eaten full meals. So you are getting into the energy you want to get rid of. This is because your body is operating on stored energy.
Bootcamper	It's so hard not to overeat at holiday parties. Any tips to not gorge at a party?
Tom	This holds true almost all the time. Eat enough to feel satisfied, not til your full. We all like to try the yummy things on the plate, just have a little.
Bootcamper	I just started Bootcamp about 2 weeks ago. I'm really trying to get rid of the fat around my stomach. What would you suggest to really maximize the weight loss there?
Tom	You lose weight all over your body, at the same time. You need to think of it as a total body attack. All the sit-ups in the world will not just give you a great set of abs under the fat unless you address your diet.
Bootcamper	On my Fatburn, I can only ever seem to burn around 100 calories more than I take it or I break close to even. What little things can I do to burn some more calories? I'm a mom and don't have a lot of time. Does cleaning the house work as an activity?
Tom	It does, but you enter that in the Daily Activity section. You can climb stairs instead of the elevator, take a short walk when you get a break. Anything to get those extra calories you need. The best I ever read was take one coke from your diet and walk for 30 minutes. That adds up to 500 calories and that's your difference.
Bootcamper	I work nights and often find myself skipping meals then eating a lot late at night...what can I do to prevent this pattern and what are the best types of foods I can eat on the run when I don't have time?
Tom	Eating late at night won't matter if you are exercising enough. The old wives tale of don't eat after 7 comes from when most use to eat dinner at that time. Anything after that would just be junk. The best foods on the run are fruits and veggies. They have fiber, minerals and nutrients you need.
Bootcamper	I really want to lose 10 pounds over the next month. I know - I'm probably crazy trying to do it over Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm thinking of doing no carbs. Do you think no carbs is bad for you? Should I do carbs in moderation or just cut them out?
Tom	Ha ha. Moderation is the key. You need carbs, but good ones. You know the difference between a lolly pop and an apple. Make good choices.
Bootcamper	I am working out frequently and can't seem to lose any more weight. What do you suggest?
Tom	The formula is simple and when you stick to it on a regular basis, it will work. Just make sure that you are eating at least 500 more calories than you burn, every day, and it will happen. Your body has no choice. The other way around, burn more than you eat. dah!
Bootcamper	Hi Tom, yesterday I had pizza from the local pizzeria... the sizes were not huge. Fatburn says 140. What if I put in 140 but really the pizza was 300 and I sabotaged my whole day without even knowing? Some of the things I feel like are just guesses. Am I just trying to be as specific as possible and hope for the best ?
Tom	I understand it really is a best guess because we never know what's in our food when we don't prepare it. Just eat enough, when you're out, to feel satisfied and do your best. Fatburn will give you a lot of choices in almost any category. If you think it was more, go with that. It's always better to overestimate the calories in. It will make you work harder.
Bootcamper	How many minutes/hours in advance should you eat before an intense workout?
Tom	No less than 60 for a full meal. Your body needs time to absorb the food.
Bootcamper	I'm a total emotional eater. Food is like smoking to me. How does someone like me "quit"? There's no special patch or chewing gum is there?
Tom	I love this question! I totally agree. For any other addiction we would have a 12 step program. But in dieting we just say stop. That's why fatburn will work for you. When you see what that food is doing to you in numbers. The next time your emotions get the best of you, you have information that may lead you in another direction. When do you know you're exercising too much? An injury would be a pretty late indication. You are right. The best person I ever knew as an athlete was great at listening to his body. If he was over the edge, he just took time off to recover. That's hard to do with coaches yelling at you. Listen to your body. If you need a break, it will let you know.
Bootcamper	When I do Barry's 21 minute workout, do I put in 21 minutes or 14 minutes for the actual exercises? What is considered medium stress vs light stress?
Tom	14 minutes. That is up to you. Again, know your body and make your decision. It's different for everyone. All Barry's workouts are listed in Fatburn.
Bootcamper	I've read in so many places and heard from so many sources that losing 1-2 lbs a week is a healthy weight loss rate. Is this true? What's wrong with losing 5-6 lbs a week? What are negative effects of losing weight at a higher rate than 1-2 lbs. / week?
Tom	It's like the turtle and the rabbit. You want to lose at a rate that you can maintain and is something you can live with. There is a 95% failure rate in weight loss. Mostly because those who lose weight don't find a way they can sustain.
Bootcamper	Hello Dr. Tom. My question is: Would I burn more or less calories when weight lifting as opposed to cardio? Could you please give a somewhat in depth answer so I can understand why one would burn more calories than the other?
Tom	In the session of exercise, you will burn more calories in cardio than lifting. However, lifting raises your metabolism over the day for up to 8 hours and opposed to only one hour for cardio. They are both an important part of your fitness routine. I'm not the fastest typist, email me and I will answer more in depth.
Bootcamper	I'm nursing right now. Should I wait to start exercising and dieting until after or do you think I can start now? I can't wait to get all these extra pounds off!
Tom	Put the baby down first before you run around the block. Ha ha! Start now! You burn an extra 500 calories a day while breast feeding. That will go a long way in your net burn for the day.
Bootcamper	Hello Tom. First off, I want to say that I LOVE FATBURN.com. It really makes you much more aware of the food that you are putting in your mouth. I have come to the point where I will not put a piece of chocolate in my mouth because I think of how many minutes I need to work that off. Question: When I enter a tossed salad for my meal, how do I know what that consists of? My tossed salad includes zucchini, squash and other veggies that may not be typical. And do I need to enter the olive oil and vinegar separately?
Tom	THANK YOU! You should create your salad and save it as a meal. It takes a few minutes, but you will have it in one click in the future.
Bootcamper	How do you suggest one compensate for a hereditary slow metabolism?
Tom	Only about 3 percent of the human race has a "slow metabolism". I know this is hard to hear, but the rest of us just need to get up and exercise more and eat less.
Bootcamper	I've been losing weight steadily for 3 months but just hit a wall. I was losing 3-4 pounds a week. I have about 20 more pounds to lose but the scale isn't budging. What can I do to jumpstart my metabolism or something to get it going again?
Tom	Sometimes you just have to be patient. This will happen. Keep doing everything right. Exercise and eat so that your body needs to used stored energy to survive and it will respond.
Bootcamper	I saw that kissing and sex are listed as calorie burning activities in Fatburn. Can I really input them? How did you calculate those calories?
Tom	They were added as a joke. Practice, practice practice. But we use burn rate factors for all activities and yes, they are accurate... even for those two.
Bootcamper	I usually have a couple beers a day but read that alcohol calories are worse than regular calories. I thought a calorie was a calorie. Have you heard of this?
Tom	All calories aren't created equal. The energy in beer is carbs and acetate. Acetate, in alcohol, once it enters the system, is the only energy source your body will use until it is eliminated, so all other calories are stored until it is burned away. That's the hang over you feel.
Bootcamper	Well what I find hard is choosing the best diet for yourself to go along with your exercise plan. Are carbs bad? Do you cut back calories? Do you eat more protein? What is the great balance?
Tom	I think that is the search we are all after. Fatburn was created because we want you to choose the food you like to eat in the formula that allows you to lose weight. You have been eating your favorites for ever. To take them away would be almost impossible. You need to learn to control them. Carbs aren't your enemy. Too many calories eaten is what makes you gain weight.
Bootcamper	I would like to give you my success story. I just had a baby... she is 8 weeks old today. I gained 50 lbs with this pregnancy. I started exercising with Barry's Bootcamp and dieting by using Fatburn.com, and I have lost 44 pounds!!!!! All of this in 6.5 weeks (I started exercising a week after I delivered the baby :o Plus I am nursing , so to help answer the other question about nursing and exercising, it doesn't affect milk supply :) :)
Tom	WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You should be very proud.
Bootcamper	Can someone tell me what fruit would be good to have for a healthy snack? I have heard that some are full of sugar and you should not have them. I don't know what they are though. What about watermelon, oranges, strawberries?
Tom	Banana, yes, they are full of carbs. But that won't make you fat. Too many calories is what makes you gain weight.
Bootcamper	I'm on the go all the time. What do you think of protein shakes or bars?
Tom	Good substitutes, but not as regular meals. You need fiber, minerals, and other nutrients to be healthy.
Bootcamper	How can I deal with stretch marks? It seems like the more muscle I put on, the more stretch marks I get... How can I prevent this from happening? Is it even possible to prevent?
Tom	Good hydration and some creams at night. That's a tough one.
Bootcamper	What is the importance of stretching? There's one person I see at the gym that stretches for about a minute after EVERY set of weights... not every routine, but every set. How important is stretching? Should I be stretching like that or is he just over doing it with the stretching? And what are the effects of stretching? How will stretching effect my workout?
Tom	There is a lot of new evidence on stretching. Stretching between sets does help. However, it's very important to be warm before you stretch. Always remember, warm up to stretch. Never stretch to warm up.
Bootcamper	Can you give me examples of good carbs?
Tom	Fruits and veggies, brown rice, whole wheat
Bootcamper	I love PIE at Thanksgiving but am trying to tell myself to not even go there this year. Any low cal desserts you'd recommend?
Tom	Noooooooo. Go there. Just control yourself and have a small piece. If you over do it, work a little harder with Barrys the next day. Or a little longer.
Bootcamper	I have heard that Acai Berry Power 500 and colon clean can help losing weight. What supplement do you suggest to boost metabolism?
Tom	If you don't have your pie, you will go crazy. These are all just quick fixes. You want to lose weight that stays off. You do that by eating right and exercising.
Bootcamper	Should I eat before exercising or after as I'm hungry after?
Tom	Both but you need to eat within an hour after so you give your body the energy it needs to rebuild.
Bootcamper	When exercising, what muscles should be grouped together? I usually group chest and triceps, back and bicep, shoulders one day, then legs. Is that a good grouping or would you recommend I change that?
Tom	I think that is a great grouping. Be sure you are giving yourself enough time to recover. The recovery is as important as the exercise.
Bootcamper	How do I get rid of cellulite?
Tom	Cellulite is just a rogue fat cell that has become dehydrated and stiff. However, it has the same qualities as any other fat cell. When you lose weight the inside adipose tissue is used as energy and the cell shrinks. Drink more water, message the area, exercise more and eat less.
Bootcamper	Body cleanses seem to have a lot of hype right now. Without getting too graphic here, they just seem like a lot of pooping. Are they good for you? Is there one that you recommend?
Tom	For weight loss, they are just that... crap. Personally, I don't recommend them. We only have time for a couple of more. Don't want to end on a poop one!
Bootcamper	What is your opinion of drinking coffee? I have increased my daily "dose" from 1 cup to 3 cups (I don't make it strong, and add milk with splenda)
Tom	Just be careful all else is good. You don't have hypertension or any other condition that the extra caffeine would be affecting.
Bootcamper	Hi All! First, I love Bootcamp and LOVE Fatburn. It's become a game to burn more calories than I eat. I've lost 17 pounds in 2 months. My question is, can I burn too many calories?
Tom	Great! There are always diminishing returns. As long as you are eating enough calories, don't be too concerned. I would worry about burn out. You want to develop a program that will last.
Bootcamper	I'm getting married in a month and to be honest, I just can't find a single minute to exercise and it's killing me. Please help me with a solution? The more I don't exercise the more bummed out I am.
Tom	You will be beautiful either way. Congratulations! If losing wieght is your goal, just try to find those times in your day where you can exercise without going to the gym. Then cut back a little on what you are eating that might not be too good for you.
Tom	Thank you all for the great questions tonight and for putting up with my terrible typing. Good luck with Barry's Bootcamp and reaching your goals. Happy Thanks Giving!