75
Q & A
Q. I’m pleased that I lost the fat I wanted to lose.
What do I do to maintain my new body weight?
A. Once you’ve lost your excessive fat, your next
task is to maintain that status. Here are the
adjustments you need to make to your current
practices.
Adhere to a carbohydrate-rich, moderate-calorie
eating plan.
Instead of eating from 1000 to 1500 calories a day,
you’ll be consuming from 1600 to 2400 calories
per day. Maybe you can eat even more after your
new body weight has stabilized. Trial-and-error
experimentation is a must. Women should start
with 1600 calories, and men with 2000 calories
per day. Note what happens after a week. If your
body weight keeps going down, raise the calories
by 100 or 200, depending on how much weight you
lost during the last week. Soon, you should reach a
level where your body weight stabilizes. That level
is your daily calorie requirement. Naturally, you’ll
be able to consume other foods than those listed
in the Bowflex
®
eating plan. By then, however, you
should know the value of being a smart shopper
and a wise eater. Read labels. Compare nutritional
information. Be conscious of the ideal 60:20:20
ratio for carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Eat smaller meals more frequently.
You’ve been limiting your five meals per day to 300
calories if you’re a woman, or 500 calories if you’re
a man. You may now up the calories by 100. What
happens if during a single meal you eat more than
400 calories if you’re a woman, or 600 calories if
you’re a man? Don’t panic. Simply understand that
you will sometimes backslide. Learn to anticipate
these urges and take corrective action.
Drink at least 1 gallon (3.8 l) of cold water each
day.
You should realize by now the benefits of
consuming plenty of water each day. Make your
water bottle a permanent part of your lifestyle.
Train on Bowflex
®
equipment at least twice a
week.
There are two primary differences between
maintenance and strength-building routines. First,
for maintenance, you do not have to increase
the resistance each week or so. If you can do 100
pounds for 12 repetitions on the leg extension,
then keep it on 100 pounds and do not go up to
105 pounds. You can maintain the 100-pound level
much easier that you can increase it. Second, you
do not need to train three times a week. You can
maintain your strength at twice a week.
Add variety to your Bowflex
®
routines.
Now is the time to introduce more variety to your
routines by adding some new exercises while
removing some old ones. Below are two sample
routines.
Maintenance Routine 1
1. Seated Hip Abduction
2. Seated Hip Adduction
3. Seated Straight Leg Calf Raise
4. Chest Fly
5. Incline Bench Press
6. Shoulder Pullover
7. Shoulder Shrug
8. Standing Biceps Curl
9. Seated Wrist Curl
10. Seated Wrist Extension
Maintenance Routine 2
1. Leg Curl
2. Leg Extension
3. Standing Lateral Shoulder Raise
4. Seated Shoulder Press
5. Rear Deltoid Row
6. Decline Press
7. Reverse Curl
8. Seated Triceps Extension
9. Low Back Extension
10. Abdominal Crunch
Look in your Bowflex
®
Owner’s Manual for
descriptions
of the new exercises.
Be consistent with your Bowflex
®
exercising,
healthy eating, and superhydrating — and your
accomplishments may well exceed your goals.
