Author of best-selling book The F-Factor Diet, Tanya Zuckerbrot is an expert when it comes to diet and nutrition. She received her Masters in Nutrition and Food Studies at NYU, and her celebrity clients include Confidential plus candy-store owner Dylan Lauren, Ugly Betty actress Ana Ortiz, ad guru Donny Deutsch, and Jewelry Designer Judith Ripka. In this interview, Tanya talks about nutrition, fitness, and dietary supplements.
What is the best fitness advice you can give to a woman who is the perfect weight for her size, but has a hard time working out due to being out of shape?
Tanya: Strength training is usually associated with body builders and competitive athletes. However, it is the best exercise for a woman at her ideal body weight. Strength training creates strong ligaments and tendons, which serve to support our joints and decrease the likelihood of injury from other activities. It also
increases resting metabolism, which is the rate at which your body uses energy or burns calories. Regular strength training will increase muscle fiber size which results in a boost of metabolism. This exercise is the best way for a woman to become more physically fit, especially one who has previously shied away from physical activity.
A lot of people get confused about food and working out. How long before a workout should you eat, and what are the best foods to eat before?
Tanya: Exercisers who eat before they work out have more energy and are proven to burn fat more efficiently. To keep your energy level high, you should eat a light snack about one hour before exercise. Carbohydrates are the main energy source for the human body and are your best pre-workout bet. Stick to carbohydrates that are low in calories and fat, like a piece of fruit. Carbohydrates are digested in the small intestines, whereas fat and protein are broken down in the stomach. This means you are more likely to experience cramping and indigestion if you consume fat or protein rich foods before hitting the gym.
At exactly what point does muscle turn into fat and vice versa?
Tanya: As a dietitian I hear this question often. It is actually a myth that muscle can turn into fat and vice versa. The cell structure, function, and reaction to training of muscle and fat are so vastly different that they cannot be converted into each other. Body fat is completely related to calories, fat can only be reduced if the number of calories burned in a day exceeds the number of calories consumed in a day. Fat will be gained if the opposite occurs. Unlike fat, increased strength is not related to calories. Muscle reacts if the stress placed on it surpasses the everyday stress it goes through. The number of muscle fibers can’t increase, but each individual muscle fiber has the potential to increase in size, density, and efficiency.
If doing both aerobic exercise and weight training, which one should be done first?
Tanya: Both aerobic exercise and weight training are crucial aspects of improving and maintaining one’s health. Aerobics helps to increase the blood supply to your muscles and lungs resulting in increased endurance while weight training helps to increase muscle mass and results in larger glycogen stores. I recommend beginning a workout with weight training and finishing with aerobic exercise. This will allow a person to have enough glycogen stores to be able to lift weights efficiently and without experiencing muscle fatigue.
There are many formulas to calculate your RMR and with exercise. Which formula do you believe in?
Tanya: When calculating RMR or resting metabolic rate, I rely on the Mifflin-St Jeor Formula, as it tends to be the most accurate. For women, the Mifflin-St Jeor formula is: 10 x weight in kg + 6.25 x height in cm – 5 x age (y) -161.
Do you believe in supplements? If so, which dietary supplements do you suggest?
Tanya: As a dietitian, I typically advise my patients to eat micronutrients rather than supplementing them through a pill. CoTnsuming a healthy variety of food is by far the best way to meet your body’s needs because food provides a number of benefits that a pill cannot. If you eat an array of food- fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and so forth, it is unlikely that you will need a supplement. However, a once-a-day is safe for most people to take, and acts as a back-up to your current eating plan. A multi-vitamin such as this can fill in any gaps that may be present in your current diet.
You can buy The F-Factor diet at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Comments