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Q & A with fatburn.com's Experts |
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I have always been very active and have worked out regularly. In the past year and a half I lost about 15 lbls and went down to about 110 lbs (I am 5"6). The strange thing is that my exercise routine has not changed but I am starting to build muscle in my thighs and am getting much larger thighs than before. My exercise routine consists of running about 15 - 20 miles a week and one spinning class and a little pilates here and there. i guess my real question is at what point does your body stop burning fat and start building muscle? Is there a way to minimize the muscle building? I run with no incline at about a 7:30 minute mile and do spinning with little to no resistance. Please let me know your thoughts on how to stop this before it gets any worse. Also, my eating habits have not changed.
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| Asked By Anonymous |
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Thanks for the question. There is no point that you stop burning fat and start building muscle. The body doesn't work like that. Your body uses three sources of energy to fuel daily life and exercise - carbohydrates, fat and protein (muscle). Your first source will always be carbohydrates for your immediate energy needs. Then fat will be used when carbs run low or are exhausted. Finally, your body will cannibalize the muscle for energy when all other forms of energy are gone (we’ve over simplified this but its close enough). This will actually shrink the size of the muscle. Think of it in terms of a distance runner. They exercise constantly yet most are very skinny. This happens because they exhaust the carb and fat energy and the body uses the protein in the muscle to continue. This is why they are sometime frighteningly skinny. We wonder if the reduction in your body fat and the appearance of more definition is what could be causing the illusion of a larger muscle. Many times when a person becomes leaner they appear bigger because the muscle is more noticeable. Try this, with a tape measure find the largest part of your thigh and measure the circumference. In a month, pick the same spot and do the measurement again. This will give you a definitive answer and then you can make a more wise decision on what to do next. If you are experiencing growth the obvious thing is to change the exercises you are doing. All your aerobic work is generated by your quads and hamstrings. You may consider taking the pressure off them by choosing alternatives like swimming, the elliptical trainer or jumping rope. Please let us know what happens. If there is anything else we can help with, just ask. |
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I have bad cellulite on my inner thighs. I use those eliptical machines 4-5 times a week as well. I was wondering, if there is any exercise that I can use in order to help me lose this cellulite. Also, I eat very healthy, and do not intake a lot of calories. Thank you for your time. |
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| Asked By Carmen |
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Carmen, Thanks for the question. Before we answer the question we want you to look at the "See Results" page of fatburn.com. Look at the fourth picture down entitled "I didn't think it could happen". Read her testimonial and then come back and read our answer. The following is your our answer. Normal fat cells turn to cellulite when the body is out of balance due to stress, poor circulation and oxygenation or dehydration. This state of imbalance causes fats, fluids and toxins to be trapped deep beneath the skin. When this happens, the connective tissue between normal cells thicken and harden, resulting in a dimpling effect. Increasing their appearance is the fact that as we mature, our epidural layer (skin) thins, resulting in the more noticable rippled appearance of cellulite.
Cellulite only occurs in certain areas of the body: the thighs, buttocks, abdomen and breasts for women. The tendency is due to an abundance of lipoprotein lipase (an enzyme that is necessary for fat storage) in those regions. Women have higher concentrations of lipoprotein lipase in the thighs, breasts and buttocks while men have higher concentrations in the abdomen and back.
Although normal fat cells and cellulite have different appearences they have a few things in common. They are both adipocytes (fat cells) and both can still be used for energy. From this moment on, we want you to think of those lumps as excess energy just waiting to be used. When people lose weight, there is an energy imbalance. When you consume fewer calories than your body requires for it’s daily needs, those extra needed calories (energy for the day) are drawn from fat. The size of the cell will reduce as the energy to maintain your body functions is taken.
As a side note you should know that once a fat cell has been produced, there is no way to naturally eliminate it from the body. But, as the adipocytes (fat cells) flatten out they become unnoticeable. There are other techniques that will help in speeding up and eliminating your cellulite.
1. Proper deep breathing facilitates oxygenation of the blood and purification of the body.
2. Exercise stimulates circulation, speeds up the metabolism, and improves muscle tone and firming of tissue.
3. The skin, intestines and kidneys must work effectively to rid the body of toxins. Drinking enough water is key here. This helps flush the system and makes you sweat more. The minimum amount of water you should drink is 64 fluid ounces a day.
4. Learn to relax. The body functions best when there is less stress.
But, we can not stress enough that if you don't use the fat as energy you will never see a difference. Join fatburn and find out if your diet and exercise are in the correct ratio to achieve your goal. If there is anything else we can help with, please ask. |
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hey - just started this a week ago, was reccomended by Alanna and really like it so far! My question: you have movie popcorn down as only 90 cals/5 cups. I have told that movie popcorn is the worst kind to have so I am a bit confused by the low-cals. can you please clarify?? Thanks!
Kay-Lin |
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| Asked By Kay-Lin |
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Kay-Lin,
Thanks for joining! We looked into the movie popcorn and you were right. The calories were a bit low so we have made the adjustment. Thanks for pointing out our mistake. In a database of over 17,000 foods we are bound to have a few mistakes but are doing our best to keep them to a minimum. If you find any others, please let us know. |
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It seems that every time I start eating well and exercising alot to lose weight, I get sick. Then my whole program gets messed up because I can't exercise for a week or so. I take vitamins and eat a healthy well-balanced diet like you say. Is this typical? |
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| Asked By Karen |
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Karen,
Remember that there are three things that are very important to your overall health. Eat right, exercise and sleep. It sounds like you have the first two down but the only answer we can come up with for your illnesses is you're not getting enough sleep. When you exercise hard, you actually cause micro tears in the muscles. This is the soreness you feel in your muscles anywhere from 24 to 48 hours after a hard workout and its called DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). To repair these micro tears in the muscle the white blood cell are used. These same white blood cells are responsible for fighting off any viruses or bacteria you may come in contact with. If your body is fatigued from working out the amount of sleep you get becomes critical in repairing the tissue and fighting off disease. From now on be very aware of the amount of sleep you get post workout. We feel this will solve your problem. Keep up the good work. |
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I cannot find "grilled vegetables" on your food list. Please tell me how to count them. Thank you. |
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| Asked By Karen |
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Karen,
Thanks for letting us know we are missing something in our database. It's now there for you to use. If you find any other oversights, please let us know. |
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