It Depends But You're Being an Askhole Right Now

As a fitness professional, I get bombarded with questions daily regarding diets and training.

"How many sets should I squat on leg days?"

"Should I take BCAA before or after my workout?"

"I need to lose weight, what's a good fat burning pill to take?"

"What do you think about juice fasts?"

My answer is always, "it depends". Seriously, it always does and yes, it can be annoying to get this kind of answer but...

Telling a 200lb sedentary overweight men to go Atkins is not going to work the same for a competitive bodybuilder at 10% bodyfat .

Telling a 12 year old tennis player to train towards squating 2x her body weight is not the optimal advice compare to a 25 year old hardgainer trying to pack on muscle.

When I get a question, Sometimes I can easily spend a hour online trying to reference someone resources I felt were helpful and directly answers their questions. 

As I become more successful at what I do and busier over time, I simply don't have time to keep up with everyone's emails with super detail, textbook explanations. While I still want to keep the integrity of my practice without becoming mainstream-like (dispensing one-size-fix-all approaches and sell e-books and 6min abs programs), I found writing articles and blog posts to reference to people a good way to save time without offering dumbed-down, superficial instructions when time is limited.

So, instead of repeating concepts to the same question over and over again, I just ask for their email and send them a more clarified and instructional version of what I think works best for them and hope they take my approach seriously.   If they are committed (or desperate) enough, I can count on them reading everything I forward them.

There are days I'd correspond with clients via email entirely by linking them articles and get the job done under 5 minute.  Articles i poured my heart into writing and a library of organized links from other great writers in the industry.  This way, I have a more contextual way of offering solutions that applies to individuals' situation without sacrificing too much of my leisure time.

This is especially useful for those seeking free advice and willing to set up their own programs without a trainer by their side. Those without the means will have access to information without having to pay a monthly fee or weekly training sessions.

What frustrate me is when ppl don't appreciate my time by reading the things I provided them, then come back weeks later and complain about the same issue.  Come to find out, they did nothing different, just spinning your wheels as always and never bother to click on the links I gave them.

Yes, i still see they posting stupid shit on facebook about how many calories they burn on the treadmill, how awesome their vegan/advocare shakes are, or how hardcore their body pump class was, which is the opposite of the things I told them NOT to do for fat loss or "toning".  

I write to help people solve their problems so they stop doing what don't work. So they don't spend hours online shopping for stupid commercial workouts and fad diets. To save people money from hiring uneducated trainers and nutritionists that dish out unsound and sometimes dangerous advice that works against their goal.

I can accomplish all that by writing so I can reach those I can't in person.   I'm allowing them to do the grunt work of setting up their diet after they understand how body metabolism and hunger works so they don't do stupid stuff like weight watchers or waste money on medifast.  Take the time to set up their own training program after they understand basic training principles so they don't get injure or burned out doing crossfit or barre.

If they don't have the means to have it done for them by a professional, they can do it themselves.

Just because it's free doesn't mean it's not valuable.

Anyways, this rant is long enough so let's explore a few qualities of what makes a pesron an "askhole", for serious.

You are an askhole because you are...
1.  An annoying individual who asks random questions with no substance or asks stupid questions without thinking.

"Can I have pizza everyday and still lose weight?"

The answer is actually, yes but it doesn't make it a good idea or something you'd want to ask anyone, anywhere, anyways.  

If I've referenced you my article "How Much Dough Does it Cost to Lose Weight" and you still come back and ask me questions like "can I have Cheetos on my diet?", I'm just gonna ignore you.

2. A person who constantly ask for your advice, yet always does the opposite of what you told them!

"I did cardio yesterday and burned 400kcal! but I was super hungry later that night and over ate my targeted calories, what am I doing wrong?!"

or

"I thought I give Crossfit a try, what do you think?"

If you already made up your mind about eating your stupid tilapia/oatmeal diet or have already purchased P90X off of amazon, please don't ask me how I feel about it.  I already reference you my opinions on all things garbage so you should know better. 

If you want me to repeat myself of what I already wrote online and having referenced you in many occasions through email and facebook and you still want me to take my sweet ass time to repeat it the same ideas again in person, please, write me a check first.

3. Someone who consistently abuses internet forums and discussion boards to post stupid questions a quick google search could have easily answered.

Askhole: "What is a carb?"
Me: "what is a internetz?

4. Wastes time asking for answers to questions that only he/she doesn't understand; thus annoying the crap out of his/her classmates and coworkers.

If you feel like it's a really, really stupid question, it probably is.  Ask after class, after meeting, or at a more appropriate time.  Or look it up yourself later so you're not wasting other people's time.   

5. Asking for advice but doesn't do anything about it.

Askhole: "I need help with my diet!"
Me: "Did you get the program I sent you?"
Askhole: "yes but i only glance at it"
Me: "why are you here? fuck off please"

Or when I lend someone a book or an exercise equipment and ask them to make good use of it, then to find out it's still in their car 5 weeks later.   that makes me real angry.

6. A person that always ask questions and never shuts their mouth.  Usually starts every sentence with "Ummm" and most people cant talk to to them for more then one minute.

If we are consulting and you know we only have 2hours, the first half of the session should be me, asking you questions to help me understand what approach works best for you.  Then, the rest  should be me explaining how things work and what approach works best to better your situation. 

If you hire me to help you set up your diet and training program and you spent the majority of our time slot asking me how to deal with ex-boyfriend's dramas, you're an idiot and please stop wasting my time.

Please be a better listener so I don't have to repeat the same idea over and over again later when I'm trying to watch a movie later that night with my gf.

7. Someone who ignore scientific evidence that goes against their beliefs when their trainer suggest it may help them reach their goal.   When they don't, they blame their trainer's method instead of their narrow-mindedness and half-ass efforts.

If a controversial topic comes up during my consultation with you and you disagree with my methods, I'm more than welcome to sent you articles to clarify my point and back it up with scientific evidence to support why things work differently than you think.   I expect you to take it seriously.

If you choose to keep doing the same thing and believing the same advice other people has given you and you still don't get the result you desire, well, you are insane.  

Let go your ego and give reading a try. 

instead of listening to what your lean friends or your doctors tell you, keep your eyes on the results they've actually produced in their patients and clients.   Not some fancy titles after their names or how big their biceps are.

Invest wisely on real world results and from professionals that are passionate about helping people. 

Not salesmen trying to get you to sign up for longer membership contracts or health/training sites with ads all over their webpage.

 8, Someone who's got the free information they needed then completely fall off the face of the earth.

If you've ever approached me about a fitness issue you're struggle with and I've helped you in some way.  When i asked you to update regularly so I can continue to help you along the way, for free, please do just that.  If I don't hear from you for 3 month and you come back to me with the same issue, I really don't want to speak to you again because I don't think you appreciate what I do nor care enough to help yourself anyways.

Be grateful to people who take the extra effort to look things up for you, for free, to make your life better. 

Be grateful to fitness professionals who goes the extra mile to show you the right way of doing things outside of the gym, even though it's not part of their paying job. 

Be grateful to people who helps you without asking any favors in return other than the respect of their time.

Thank you, askhole

Workout Nutrition for Young Athletes

One of my client's daughter plays soccer and has asked her mom that for her bday, she wants to hire a nutritionist.  So this is what I wrote her. 

This post mainly focus on mixed sport athletes like basketall, soccer,  hockey, etc, where there is a large component of conditioning and intermittent explosiveness (sprints/jumps/swings). 

For a basic understanding of Carbs, Fat, Protein, and Calories, read this
http://www.emma-leigh.com/basics.html
Carbs

For athletes that trains 6x a week, sometimes 2x a day, optimizing recovery with nutrition is definitely an important issue.  The muscle enages the aerobic and aneroabic system almost 50/50 and can deplete quite a bit of muscle glycogen (body's immediate fuel for energy, or stored glucose/sugar).    The role of carbohydrates matter the most here in terms of nutrient timing.

Protein

For kids that are not only wanting to fuel their body optimally for games and practices but for those wanting to put on more lean mass while performing some type of resistance training or explosive movements, dietary protein may varies due to muscle tearing and needing the rebuild and recover.

FatAs far as for dietary fat, as long athletes don't go under 40g/day, it should be plenty.  If athletes are gaining weight consistenly, fat is the first place to cut uncessary calories.  If you try to cut carbs, it may interfere with performance, unless they are big soda and juice drinkers, even on rest days.

If You're Counting
Now let's say a 12 years old female athletes weighs around 90lb and carry about 65lb of lean muscle mass and trains 5x/week and is wanting to make sure she's at a surplus energy balance for recovery, natural body development, and possibly muscle/strength gain.

she would want to get
1. BWx18 = 1620kcal for total calories consume each day.
2. 1g of protein/lb lean mass = 90grams of protein
3. 30% of total kcal for fat = 489kcal (around 55g of fat)
4 Carbs = total calories - protein - minus fat, which is 811kcal (or around 200g of carbs)

Intuitively Eating: Non-Calorie Counting
Since I don't want to get too technical on the calorie counting part, let's simplfy this to major do's and don'ts so the little ones reading this can understand.

1. For optimal health reasons, athletes should get at least half of their daily calorie intake from whole food just to ensure there are plenty essential vitamins and minerals being met.  Essential means nutrients are body cannot produce or produce enough of that we must get from our diet to sustain life.
A diet full of twinkies and cupcakes may not be ideal.   This means meat products such as ribs, eggs, tuna, steaks, chicken, cheese and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables (go for color) should be the foundation of their diet. 

2.  On the opposite of that spectrum, eating tons of whole food (containing lots of fiber and water) may fill up a person's stomach too quickly without getting enough calories in.  For athletes having a hard time recover or wanting to put on mass, it's a good idea to eat more frequently.  This may be counter-intuitive for those struggling with weight loss and have some experience in intermittent fasting which can aid fat loss.  

For an athlete who sometimes trains 2x a day, dealing with school, homeworks, and traveling for games, it's easy to undereat due to lack of time.  Esp. for female athletes and their dietary protein intake.  This is when protein supplements/bars can be convenient to add more calories/protein to their intake on the go.

3.  Since most athletes expend so much calories, it is sometimes hard for them to chew everything down. This is when milk, shakes, and gel capsules can be consumed pre/during/post workout and between or with meals to add more calories without getting too full too quickly from eating solely whole foods. 

4. For those running and conditioning more (soccer, cross country, basketball) as oppose to strength and power athletes (track and field, tennis, golf, wrestling), adding extra carbs in the diet from starchy sources such as corn, soy, rice, pasta is a good way to add more calories for energy and recovery.  If athlete can't chew down enough carbs, drinking gatorade and other sugary drinks like orange juice, soda, low fat ice cream, and chocaolate milk can be helpful too.

5. On rest days, it doesn't matter when they consume their meals, just go with hunger and eat more if they can.  As long as they're not getting chubbier every week, you're on the right track. But if they are, start cuttting about 100kcal a day for a week and see if the body maintain it's weight or lose weight while performance stays the same.  If performance doesn' suffer, it means what's being lost is mostly body fat, which is a good thing unless they need it for the sport (football and other high impact sports).

6. on training days, it's always a good idea to sandwich training with meals.  there are 4 windows of opportunity to take calories in:
A) 2-3hrs before training with a proper meal
B) a small and fast digesting pre-workout snack like an apple or banana or a shake 15-20min beforehand
C) during workout with performance drinks such as gatorade
D) post workout with a big meal with tons of carbs and proteinm, preferrably at a 3 to 1 ratio.

7. For supplement, other than whey and gatarade around training and for those naturally having a hard time taking in enough calories from whole foods, here are a few you should consider.

A. Fish oil - if your kid doesn't like to eat any type of marine life such as salmon, tuna, clam, shrimp, mussell, tilapia, supplementing 2-3g of fish oil daily is a good way to meet essential fatty acid needs for optimal hormonal production and cell repair.  If your kid does enjoy sea food, try to have them at least 3x/week.   A good way to avoid inflammatory fat is avoid seed oil such as corn, soy, seed, and vegetable oil.

B. Multi-vitamin - in case of deficiency, multi-vitamin may be a good insurance to correct that.  They're cheap so swallow 1-2 per meal and you're set.

C. Calcium - if your kids aren't big on dairy products, it's a good idea to supplement at least 1,000mg or 1g of calcium/day.

D. Vitamin D - if it's an indoor sport (dance, gymastic, swimming) and you rarely take or let your kids outside often, try going outdoors and get at least 20mins of direct sun exposure a day, it's a good idea to supplement Vitamin D, too if you don't.  Talk to your doctor on how much he/she should have. Sometimes a Vitamin D deficiency can be a genetic disorder.

E. Creatine - 5g/day for the first 5 days of using creatine, then 5g per workout thereafter.  Creatine delay onset of fatigueness, prevent dehydration, and improves intermittent explosiveness.  This is the ideal supplement for basketball and soccer players that are constantly cutting, short sprinting, and needs to perform those movements repeatily throughout a long game.

Summary
To keep things simple. If your kid isn't overweight and is not making gains on the field or in the weight room, maybe it's time to think about eating more foods, esp. carbs and protein. 

As long as they're not gaining strictly body fat (this means their performance goes up while physique stays the same or getting better), the diet is working. 

If they are losing strength and performance while losing weight at the same time being on a diet, perhap they are cutting too much protein and too many calories too fast. 

For most athletes, they will generally benefit from having higher carbs intake on training days and higher fat intakes on rest days, while keeping protein consistently high, all the time.

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I met with Jem around the beginning of June 2012 and within one month I have lost over 10 pounds. Jem gave me a very easy, likeable diet to follow (even while I was on vacation). I play volleyball. Other coaches and I have noticed a huge improvement in my performance. The great thing about a meal plan is Jem works to your needs and wants allowing a little wiggle room when needed.  

-Mollie Bailey, Volleyball

 

Gluten Free Diets - Marketing Scam

 http://www.hercampus.com/school/berkeley/gluten-free-diets-marketing-scam-or-healthy-lifestyle-choice

Gluten-free: you may have noticed the label now frequently found on food packages, in restaurants, and in grocery stores.

So what is gluten anyways? Gluten is a protein found in the grains: wheat, barley, and rye. What’s the deal with cutting it out of our diet? Well for people with celiac disease, a chronic digestive disorder, gluten causes an immune reaction that can damage the small intestine, causing gastrointestinal problems and deficiencies in nutrients.

As people have become more aware of this disease in the past few years, testing for celiac has become more common, and suddenly a market for gluten-free foods has emerged. Restricting gluten intake has also become a new diet tool; the idea behind it being that if you limit the amount of foods you can eat, you won’t eat as much. However, as Shelly Case, R.D., points out, “Without gluten to bind food together, food manufacturers often use more fat and sugar to make the product more palatable."

Cutting gluten does not necessarily mean cutting calories or fat, so don’t expect to drop pounds by dropping gluten from your daily diet. In addition, some studies have suggested that people who ditch gluten also miss out on several important nutrients like iron, vitamin B, and fiber. This is certainly not always the case, as a diet focused on fruits, veggies, lean protein, and gluten free grains like quinoa can actually be a whole and nutritious way of eating. But many of the ‘gluten-free’ options out there today don’t offer holistic health benefits such as the foods just listed.
The bottom line: if you have an intolerance to gluten or if you have Celiac Disease, cutting out gluten from your diet is a must. But, gluten itself is not unhealthy. If you think you suffer from a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, you should probably see your doctor to get tested. In the mean time, here are some symptoms to watch out for:

• Chronic diarrhea or constipation?
• Abdominal pain and bloating?
• Unexplained weight loss
• Anemia
• Fatigue
• Infertility

- Mark Edward Talboom from facebook
Unless you have Celiac Disease, there is really no valid reason to eat a "Gluten Free" diet. Only between Between 0.5 and 1.0 percent of people in the United States are sensitive to gluten due to Celiac disease, which is an abnormal immune reaction to partially digested protein called gliadin. There may be varying levels of gluten sensitivity, but to point a finger at a natural substance is ridiculous. Gluten in flours gives it it's elasticity and helps in the rising process.

inThis simply another way for the "health industry" and vitamin/nutrition manufacturers to make a buck. People who taken in by "gluten-free" products when they have not been diagnosed with a sensitivity or have celiac disease are foolishly wasting their money. I only wish I had thought of this scam first. A fool and his money.......

Is a Gluten-Free Diet Bad for You?

Only 15secs of air time is given for an actual Celiac Doc/Researcher, than 5mins were given to a bunch morons with no nutrition background supporting the diet, even having admitted there are no research to back benefit of cutting out gluten for people without Caliac... no wonder american's are stupid when it comes to nutrition and health.

It use to be saturated fat in the 60s, which gave rise to the vegan idiots, then sodium and trans fat was forbidden, then carbs and sugar got executed from the atkin's crowd, now the Paleo/crossfit became popular with their fear of milk and grain, and more specifically, now the gluten and fructose gets the blame... I got one question... what the hell am i suppose to eat!?

just for fun and totally unrelated...

Nutrition Program and Online Consultations

When i work with fat loss clients, I want something they can stick to, long term.  Not just addressing the dieting part but how to make their fat loss sustainable.

I use 3 options (or phases) with clients that touch on goal setting, dieting experience, activity/training level, personality types, motivation, and other factors that may influence how successful  a client lose fat and stay there.   Everything is contextual. This means I need to know everything about you before I take the best approach with you.

Whether you know you're tracking your food intake or not (counting or intuitively eating), you have to eat less or burn more relative to your current metabolic rate to achieve fat loss.  My job is to provide you strategies to help you take in less calories without you feeling hungry all the time, deprived of your favorite food items, and optimize your recovery if you're training to look and stay lean.

Option 1  Tracking Everything

After we find out your deficit, I'll give you the numbers to hit for carbs, fat, and protein, and you eat whatever you want as long as you meet those numbers.  I will give you the websites you can use for free to track your intake if you don't have a prefer calorie counter.  You really can eat all your favorite foods as long as you hit the numbers i've suggested for you.

Option 2  Tracking Protein Only

If you like to have some flexibility in your meal preparation and you don't mind measuring only the meat products, you'll basically only need to count protein while keeping everything else low (carbs/fat/alcohol/calories).   If you train, you may add more carbs and calories on certain days. You are given a list of protein rich foods to eat plus another list of healthy carbs if you wish.

Option 3: Intuitive Eating

Our initial consultation and the following weekly articles sent to you will teach you strategies on how to eat less without tracking.  You'll become more aware of what you put in your mouth and mindful of the choices you make.  When you are more educated on nutrition, you'd be able to budget your energy in/out system objectively instead of letting emotions or boredom dictate how you eat.

Once you've lost a substantial amount of body fat and reach your goal, our working relationship doesn't just end there. Now your new goal is to maintain this physique and that's actually the hardest part.   This is where most dieters gone wrong because most commercial cookie-cutter diets doesn't teach their customers nutrition principles like body metabolism, satiation of food, or environmental cues that affect ones eating habits.  Dieters on commercial diets just eat what they're told to eat like dumb sheep and when the time is up, they'll have to buy another package to stay lean or gain the weight back due to lack of better knowledge and habits.

Through my on-going correspondence, you'll learn how hunger works, what hormones are involved, and what to do in social situations.   You will learn how to shop, how to prepare food, how to fight off cravings, and how to recover from falling off your routine.   Meal plans might get you temporary results but it's education and habits that will make your transformation a sustainable one.

Our happy clients :)

http://www.jyfitness.blogspot.com/p/2011-transformations.html

http://www.jyfitness.blogspot.com/p/2012-transformations.html

http://jyfitness.blogspot.com/p/transformation-2013.html

If you like the results I get for my online clients and want to get started on yours today, this is how.   It's a one time deal, no need for renewals. I'll get you all the way til' you reach your goal.

You'll be shown step by step process of how to set up your own diet and training program, run it with minimal amount of tools or fund needed, avoid the common mistakes people make from falling off routines, and a exist strategy on how to maintain the success you achieve without complicated rules and restrictions.

$120 - 90mins Consultation, Personalized Nutrition Plan, and Follow Ups.  
($200 if you're an competitor or want to look close to one).

$120 - 90mins Consultation, Personalized Training Plan, and Follow Ups.
($200 competitor rate)

$200 - Everything above so you get the best of both worlds.
($350 competitor rate).

As soon as I receive payment, we'll schedule a 90mins talk and I'll take it from there. I'll accept cash, check, card, and paypal.  Everything can be done remotely.

Reach me at 281-433-4008 or email at jem_yeh@yahoo.com

Michelle Clegg Brewer

"I have not only found a great trainer who takes time to teach me what I'm doing, but why I should be doing it. Jem has also become my friend which is a nice bonus. I found an old picture and went and found the same clothes so it would be easier to see the start of my transformation. I hope this inspires folks for the new year."

Heather Craven Mouser

"In about 2 hrs I had a whole new view on getting & STAYING fit. His nutrition plans are simple and to the point. YOU DO NOT have to GIVE UP the FOOD you love!  You do not have to quit drinking! It was that ah-ha moment - that made me know I could really do this.  He made me realize there is no guess work to losing weight, staying fit or building muscle.  Its all science and basic math. You become aware of what you are actually putting into your body. I am ashamed to say how EASY this process is, considering what a mental block I had against it.  

He encouraged me, even as a new lifter, to compete and to push myself out of my comfort zone - much quicker than I ever would have. He believed in me from day one. I'm not just buying a ticket to watch my first competition - I'm wearing a number and looking forward to more!"

Amanda & Shelton Schmidt 

"We are feeling so happy tonight... my amazing husband is in the jeans we got married in.  I'm so proud of the progress he has made and the changes we've made together.  Thanks for helping us get here Jem!"