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The Right Way to Lose Weight

Proper eating, weight training and aerobic exercise are key

By Peter Nielsen

Question: "I have been cutting back on my calories, and I seem to be gaining weight. What am I doing wrong?"- Shawn, Commerce Township

Answer: Shawn, you are starving yourself fat. What's happening is you're lowering your caloric intake so much for an extended period of time that you're lowering your basal (resting) metabolic rate (BMR). This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to continue shedding body fat. A lowered BMR means you will not burn calories as rapidly.

Combined with improper training, you might even gain weight. It's a vicious cycle.

You should eat four, five, even six meals a day to increase your BMR. And make sure you eat the proper amount of calories.

"The best way to lose weight is to decrease your normal calorie intake by 500 calories per day," says Katie Bradley, a registered dietitian at DMC Sinai- Grace Hospital. "This will allow a loss of 1 pound per week, since 1 pound equals 3,500 stored calories. It is not recommended that you attempt to cut more than this unless you are seriously overeating."

You also need to weight train, which builds muscles, because muscles burn twice as many calories as fat. We lose half a percentage of muscle each year after the age of 30. Make sure you weight train on non-consecutive days, three days a week. Do two exercises per body part for 10 to 15 repetitions.

When it comes to burning fat aerobically, you should do cardiovascular training after weight training. Aerobics should be done four to five days per week, 45 to 60 minutes at a time.

Remember, you need to do everything in moderation; too much or too little of anything can be bad

If you have questions on nutrition or exercise, you can reach Peter Nielsen and his staff at 888.763.4808. Listen to Peter on News/ Talk 760 WJR Detroit at 11:25 a.m. daily and 3 to 4 p.m. every Sunday, and check local listings for Peter's nationally syndicated TV series, Peter's Principles, seen locally on WDIV-TV (Channel 4). For more information on his programs or products, visit www.peternielsen.com. Have a question for Peter? E-mail it to cmnelson@dnps.com or nielsenfit@aol.com.