fitness/nutrition

Question
I have recently done a 40 day fast from 'meats & sweets'.  I mainly ate whole grains, fruit, vegetables, dairy & soy products.  Although I tried to get plenty of vitamins & antioxidants as well, I was not really exercising because I didn't have the energy.  The fast was more for spiritual reasons than for health reasons.  Now that I'm off of it, I want to build myself up with healthy eating & exercise (I lost about 7 lbs on the fast - and I was not overweight to start with - just had some female problem spots around the rear & thighs).  I have access to a gym with circuit training that I would like to start - but am not sure what kind of diet will help me build up my upper body and encourage lean muscles in my legs & thighs ... any thoughts that would help me?

Answer
Congratulations on your successful fast.  I did a similar fast for spiritual reasons at the beginning of the year and felt much better physically, mentally, and spiritually.

The important component to gaining muscle while training is to eat protein.  But keep it lean.  Eat lean meats like fish and chicken.  Watching out for the fats will help a lot.  Red meat is consistently higher in fat.

Avoid cheese and high-fat dairy products in trying to get your protein.  That will lower your fat level and start to reduce the fat hiding your rear and thighs.

So, keep your protein up and your fats down.  That should help you build some muscle mass.

Thank you for the question, Angie.  I hope that my answer helps you.  I teach an 8-week online course on this subject from my website at www.JerryRyanPhD.com.  It's called 'The Answer's Right Under Your Nose,' and it's in the Personal Coaching section.  

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