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Hey everyone, I’m Kenta Seki with team GNC. I’m a fitness trainer and nutritionist, and I am so excited to be bringing you my expert tips when it comes to living well. On today’s episode of GNC’s expert series, I’ll be answering the top five, the most asked questions I get asked as a fitness trainer and nutritionist. I’ve been working in the fitness industry for over 15 years, and I’ve been very fortunate to work with some amazing people. I’ve noticed that a lot of my clients tend to have the same questions. So today I’m going to be answering those questions as they relate to health and fitness.
One of the most common questions I get asked about weight loss is, “How do I burn fat from an area?” This is one of the most common misconceptions about weight loss. Unfortunately, you can’t select where your body chooses to burn fat from, it does that on its own based on genetics. You can work a muscle, but all that’s going to do is strengthen the muscle that you’re working, it won’t necessarily burn fat from that area. What you can do is focus on a daily caloric deficit, meaning you’re burning more calories than you’re taking in. If you continue to have a daily caloric deficit, then over time, you’ll start to lose fat, and hopefully from that area that you want it to.
Another common question I get asked is, “Will lifting weights make me bulky?” This is especially a common question asked by women who are scared to lift weights because they think it might make them look manly or bulky, but know that when you’re trying to bulk muscle, it’s called muscle hypertrophy. Right? Meaning you’re trying to gain muscle, and it takes a lot of effort to do that. You have to be making sure you’re doing a daily caloric surplus, meaning you are taking in more calories than you’re burning.
You also have to make sure you’re lifting heavily and consistently in order to build that muscle. It’s not something that happens accidentally, or just because you maybe do a few exercises that might involve some weights. Lifting weights and resistance training are so important, and no matter what your goal, it’s really important to help strengthen and tone your muscles as well as potentially increasing your metabolism and potentially helping you burn fat as well.
One of the most common nutrition questions I get asked is, “Will eating fatty foods make me fat?” The answer is, not necessarily. In order to gain weight, you have to have a daily caloric surplus. Once again, meaning you’re taking in more calories than you’re burning. Fat gets a really bad reputation, but it’s a really important macronutrient, and as humans, we need it to survive. Fat protects our internal organs, it helps keep our bodies warm. It also helps our bodies absorb some really important nutrients and vitamins, and not only that, but it can also produce some important hormones as well.
About 25 to 35% of your daily caloric intake should come from fat. But it’s important to know that there are four main types of dietary fat. The first one is monounsaturated fat, then there’s polyunsaturated fat, there’s saturated fat, and there’s trans fat. The first two are the good types of fat. They tend to come from sources like avocado, nuts, seeds and fish. You want to try to include those in your diet. The saturated fats are the ones that you want to try to limit to about 10% of your total daily caloric intake. And that tends to come from sources like meats, dairy and eggs. Trans fat is the one that you want to try to avoid completely. If your food includes partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredients, it’s best to avoid it.
The next question I get regarding nutrition is, “Should I avoid carbs if I want to lose weight?” Now again, if your goal is weight loss, you should be focusing on a daily caloric deficit. Once again, meaning you are burning more calories than you’re taking in. If you’re finding that you’re struggling to lose weight, maybe evaluate your caloric intake to see if maybe you’re taking in too many calories for your goal. Carbs are an essential macronutrient, and our bodies need them to survive. Our bodies convert carbs into glucose, which then powers our bodies and our brains. It’s recommended that you have about 45 to 65% of your total daily calories to come from carbs.
There are some diets that recommend a little bit lower than that, but if you want to go on one of those diets, it’s best that you work with a professional to make sure that diet is done right for you. Another common nutrition question I get asked is, “Does fruit contain too much sugar?” Now, fruit contains a type of sugar called fructose, but it’s not a type of sugar that most people should worry about. Fruit is so beneficial for our bodies. It’s low in calorie and has a ton of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fibers, antioxidants, and phytochemicals.
It’s recommended that we have about two to five servings of fruit per day, but it’s estimated that about 90% of Americans don’t meet that recommendation. So definitely try to include more fruit in your diet if you can, and focus on eating the whole fruit, including the skin, if possible. It’s important to know that if you remove the skin and if you have just fruit juice or dried fruit, you tend to lower the nutritional value and increase just the amount of sugar that you’re intaking. So try to focus on eating the whole fruits, if you can.
Thanks for watching, make sure you like this video and subscribe to our channel. I would love to know, do you have any questions that you would like me to answer? Go ahead and ask your questions in the comments below. Please continue to live well and I’ll see you next time.
