adrian answers... Adrian or an expert in that area in question will answer your queries. Q: Hi, I'm a 25 year old male. I have doubts in macro nutrient partitioning for my meal planning. Is it really necessary to measure the amount of carbs, protein and fats that I consumed for each meal? I've been having whey protein and instant oat meal almost everyday and I'm getting really sick of it. Do you have any other alternatives for breakfast or an easy way to prepare my meals? A: You do not have to be too scientific when it comes to meal portions. Just ensure that your meals during the day contains moderate portions of carbs, proteins and naturally occuring fats. For example, a small bowl of rice / noodles and a palm size portion of lean protein (chicken, fish, etc). Instead of oatmeal and protein shakes for breakfast, have 2 slices of whole grain bread and an egg white omelette with low fat cheese. Try experimenting with different foods – that's the key to sustaining a healthy and interesting meal plan. Q: Hi, I'm a 26 yearr old guy weighing 78kg. I used to be overweight at 110kg. I've lost a lot of weight through cardio classes 4-5 times a week. My problem is that it's difficult to loose my body fat (the flabby skin) which still surrounds below my abs. Besides that, my weight loss routine has reached a plateau, and I seem unable to loose more. Please advise. A: The "flabby skin" around the abdominal area is challenging for many people. It is one of the stubbon areas where the body will hold on to the body fat. So do not lose heart but keep to your current cardio and diet regime. Try implementing the 10 minute abdominal workout as outlined in my Articles section to tighten up the abdominal area. If you think that you have reached a plataeu, you will need to re-evaluate your food intake. Since you didn't list your current diet, it is very difficult for me to advise on what to add or subtract from your daily food intake. What I can suggest is to get some ideas from my Weekly Tips for Fat Loss section. Q: I'm a female and I've lost 13 kg since my heaviest, and managed to reach a almost lean state. But then, my weight started to plataeu and now I've gained back 3 kg from the time when I was at my leanest. I do quite a fair amount of cardio and train 2-3 times a week, but I still do not see any improvement. Is it true that diet is 70% and exercise 30%? Should I do any other cardio besides running and classes? I've read your advise about not eating after 7pm – how do I control the urge to snack? A: Congrats on the fat loss and I admire your dedication to exercise and healthy eating. Yes, it is true that diet plays a big role in changing your body, whether for fat loss or muscle gain. You can work out 7 days a week but if have fast food and ice cream everyday, you definitely will not see much progress. Even if you do make progress, it'll be at an impossibly slow rate. Keep your meal small and portion them out into 5 meals a day. That way you won't feel hungry and start eating more than you require. If you feel peckish or hungry after 7pm (which I always do!), try having some protein from egg whites, tuna, low fat cheeses or a protein shake. That way, you'll keep your stomach satisfied until breakfast. Alternatively if you would like to keep your calories low in the evening, prepare some sugar free jello or prepare your own no-sugar added agar-agar. These can be purchased at any Cold Storage or Market Place supermarkets. Click to see an example of how Kraft Food's sugar-free jello looks like. Q: Hi, I am a 20 year female. I would like to know how to achieve a flat 6 pack abdominals? What are some of the exercises which are useful? Is it possible to achieve to within a month? A: It is possible for anyone to get a 6 pack. For many of us, the problem is our abs are obscured by a layer (or layers!) of body fat. Abdominal exercises do not have to be complex. Just choose 3 or 4 exercises, 3 sets each. Keeping repetitions 15 and above or perform to muscular failure. Also don't forget to include a good nutrition program as well as adding cardiovascular work to your training regime. The time required to acheive a flat abdominal area would depend on the amount of body fat you carry. So the more body fat you have, you may need more time. Realistically give yourself 2 - 3 months to a 6 pack perfection. Q: I'm currently training for a full marathon in December. Should I focus on lifting weights to strengthen my legs and lower back? At the same time, I am lifting weights for a total body workout. If my muscles grow heavier, will it affect my running? Please advise. A: Weight training will definitely be beneficial for a full marathon. However, your weight training should be centered around improving your speed and performance rather than for aesthetic reasons. Majority of your weight training program should include strengthening your core muscles (abdominals and lower back) as well as your leg muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings and calves). Keeping repetitions between 10-15 and limit the rest times between sets to 30-45 seconds. (3-4 sets per exercise). Also include plenty of stretching during and after workouts. Q: If I do more training for a specific muscle in a day, will it speed up muscle growth? I used to do 15 sets of a single arm exercise with 10 reps in a session. But a trainer told me that it will not enhance growth but will instead make it leaner. Is that true? A: Firstly, your trainer is wrong by saying that your arm will get leaner. If you overtrain your biceps, it will get smaller and your strength will definitely decrease over a period of time. Secondly, muscle growth occurs through intense training with the least amount of sets possible. (for me that would be 3 heavy sets). Also try to incorporate a variety of exercises working the specific muscle at different angles eg. standing barbell curls, seated incline dumb bell curls, cable concentration curls and seated hammer curls. Q: I'm a 25 year old female and I have a pudgy lower body, especially around the hips and buttocks area. I've been doing alot of work on the adductor and abductor machines that my gym has but its still not toning up? Help! A: The adductor and abductor machines do help target those areas, particularly the glutes, outer and inner thighs. But I would suggest doing them at the end of a leg workout. Focus the initial part of your workout starting with leg extensions, squats, leg presses and lunges. And then adding in thte adductor / abductor work. Reason being, the squats, leg presses and lunges will recruit more of the leg muscles, thus improving the overall shape and tone of the legs faster. No doubt these exercises are hard to perform, but the results are simply worth the effort! Q: Hi, I'm a 26 year old guy and my weight 2 months ago was 70kg. I've been on a bulking program since then and my weight is now 85kg. I've been training hard and eating anything I can get my hands on, lots of rice, bread, chicken rice, fast food, etc. But the problem is, I've put on quite abit of body fat. Is it normal for bodybuilders to get fat in the "off season" I definitely feel stronger and my strength has gone up. A: This is definitley a period every bodybuilder has gone through at least once in his life. "Bulking up" or putting on muscle mass does not correspond to adding lots of body fat along with it. That's called laziness and being ill disciplined. My take on it is, if you can't see your abs or any form of definition in the off season, it's time to put your spoon down. Remember to add quality weight, you can't be in contest shape and add muscle at the same time. So it is unavoidable that you'll put on small amounts of body fat due to the increased caloric intake. My secret to staying lean in the off season is eat the same as you would for a competition, only difference is that there would be an slight increase and manipulation in your carbohydrate intake. You can also enjoy one day a week where you can eat whatever you want. Q: Should I change my training style when its time to get leaner and more defined? Like performing higher repetitions? A: Training style should not vary significantly. Try your best to maintain your strength in your exercises, solely relying on your diet and cardiovascular work to lower your bodyfat levels. Remember once u start switching to lighter weights and higher repetitions, your muscles will shrink. And thats the opposite of what u want to achieve. You can experiment with super sets, giant sets, descending sets on occasion but always keeping the core of your training the same. Q: I'm a 28 year old female and have just gotten into a weight training program to tone up for my wedding. My question is, would training with weights bulk me up to male proportions? I definitely do not want to look like a female bodybuilder. A: Training with weights to tone up the entire body is definitely a fantastic option. Weight training will increase your lean muscle, giving your body a nicer aesthetic shape while at the same time increasing your metabolism, thus burning fat faster. As a female, your body does not produce the muscle building hormone testosterone. So building excess muscle / bulk is very difficult for the average female. If you're afraid to bulk up, what I recommend is keeping the repetitions 12 and higher for every exercise.