ASK OUR EXPERT: Micaela Gruber (Your questions, answered)

You asked, she answered. BLR Malibu Program Director Micaela Gruber answers your questions for health & fitness.

Question 1: What is a good snack to eat?

We promote paired snacking at BLR. A healthy snack is pairing carbohydrates with proteins. Keep portion control in mind. Think of snacks as mini meals that contribute nutrient rich foods. Snack calories can fit into your meal plan without over-spending your daily calories. Snack only when you're hungry —skip the urge to snack when you are bored, frustrated, or stressed. If you can, plan and portion your snacks ahead of time! Keep a variety of nutritious ready-to-eat foods on hand; for example, whole grain crackers and low fat cheese.

Here's a list of some of our recommended snacks:

• • Single serving container of Yogurt
  • Nuts (raw) in pre-portioned ziplock bag
  • Trail Mix in pre-portioned ziplock bag (1/4-1/2 cup)
  • Fruit & Nut Butter or Cheese (1-2 oz)
  • Tuna & Avocado on Whole Grain Bread or Whole Grain Crackers (brand we like: Ak mak)
  • Peanut or Almond Butter with Whole Grain Crackers (Ak mak)
  • Greek Yogurt & Berries
  • Cottage Cheese & Berries (or any fruit)
  • Hummus & Raw Vegetables or Whole Grain Crackers (Ak mak)
  • Greek Yogurt with herbs/spices & Vegetables
  • Smoothie: Greek Yogurt, Frozen Berries, Nut Butter
  • Granola Bar (read the label, look for less than 10g sugar); (brand we like: YouBars)
  • Pretzels in pre-portioned ziplock bag (look for low or no salt)
  • Popcorn (3 cups, air popped is best)
  • Whole Grain Roll with 1 slice deli turkey and 1 slice low-fat cheese
  • Raisins (small box)

Question 2: I'm writing u concerning my sixteen year old daughter, she weighs 274lbs. The doctors wont help me help her. I try, she tries, and we get nowhere. She has metabolic syndrome. It is very hard for her. I’m so afraid I’m gonna loose her. She has recently gained 10 lbs. in three weeks. Please can you help me help her? -Tara

I would recommend trying to find something fun and active. She is young so it's important that you show her that fitness can be fun! Walking, biking, hiking, swimming, going to the park, are all ways of staying active. When children are young they will do what their parents do; so lead by example! Eat the right foods and show her you enjoy being active. You can’t force her to do anything, but getting a gym membership together could also be a fun thing for you guys to do, together! Best of luck to you and your daughter!!!

Question 3: Dear Biggest Loser, my name is Colleen and I weigh 250lbs. I've been struggling really hard to lose weight. The problem is I have an amputated right leg, a little above the knee. I'm also a diabetic & have hypertension. I also have a pacemaker defibrillator, for an enlarged heart. My weakest point is I crave the type of food that’s wrong for me. My fiancé, he's way skinnier then me. He eats just about anything and doesn't seem to gain any weight. I guess he's always walking or doing something. What I'm trying to say is he's active. Me on the other hand is not. I really want to be. I have a 2yr old so, who will turn 3 April 25th. My birthday is March 17th & I'll be 36. Everybody thinks I'm older. They sometimes think I'm my fiancé mother. It’s embarrassing & humiliating to me. I desperately need your HELP. PLEASE HELP ME. I'm just slowly killing myself. And I WANT TO LIVE.

Colleen, you have already taken the first step to getting help. Realizing that you need help to make a change, which is so very important. Congratulations, you're already on the right track! You have a fiance and son who love you dearly, so you already have a support system in place. Now, it’s time to find things that will work for you so you can be more active. One thing that instantly pops in my head would be for you to use a Krank Machine. It’s basically a bike for your arms. Many gyms have them and they are great! At The Biggest Loser Resort we also have a NuStep which is amazing for getting starting. You are basically pumping your arms and your legs at the same time in a seated position. These are both great machines for anyone with an amputated limb. Don’t be afraid to get your heart rate going even though you have a pacemaker, it can be done. Everyone craves the wrong foods; we all have our sweet tooth or our days where we want something we know is bad for us. It’s a matter of making a choice to NOT eat them. Don’t keep anything that is your weakness in the house; it's as easy as NOT buying the bad food you bing on. That way you can’t snack on it. Keep healthy snacks around the house so you reach for those. Make sure you are eating breakfast and then 2 hours later eat a small snack. Then eat lunch 2 hours after you've eaten your snack, then eat a healthy balanced dinner (lean protein with healthy fats, vegetables and a healthy carbohydrate). You want to keep your metabolism going at a steady rate, so it's important not to go too long between meals. As for your fiancé, he is a male and therefore will burn more calories than you. Males have a whole different metabolism than females do. Try not to compare what he is eating with what you are eating. You typically will eat less than him and that is OK. I hope this information helps. Remember, it's easiest to make small healthy changes in your lifestyle each day; make small goals for yourself each day! Best of luck Colleen, you can do this!!!

Question 4: Hello my name is Yolanda and I love to watch your show. I need lots of help with my kids. My 19 year old daughter was just diagnosed with diabetes and doesn't want to do anything for herself. My 15 year old son needs lots of help to lose weight. They really don’t help themselves what so ever. I need your help please, ASAP.

Yolanda, thank you for your question. Helping your kids realize why they need to make a change is extremely important. That's the first thing you need to make them understand why it's important to be healthy and how your health effects your quality of life. You need to think of exercise(s) and activities that can be fun for your 15 year old son to do to get active. Doing something with him would be great for the both of you and your relationship. If you are the one cooking the meals at the house, then you can be in charge of making sure they get the vitamins and nutrients their bodies need. It gets much harder with your 19 year old. When your daughter isn't at home, you don’t know what she is eating. Again, I would recommend finding a fun class that the two of you can take together. The more active YOU start becoming, the better chance you have with getting both of them to join you in being more active. Keep in mind, you can’t force them. Sometimes when children are forced they do the opposite of what's being asked of them. I suggest you lead by example. Show them that you're making healthy positive changes in your lifestyle (diet and exercise) and encourage them to join you! Be as supportive as you can and let them know that you are there to help out in any way they would like. Best of luck!

Question 5: I would love to hear more about how to manage the pain I endure better. As I said, getting healthy and fit is a priority but my job is very hard on my body. I take too much OTC pain medicine and it barely helps take the edge off. Some days are better than others of course. Any help would be greatly appreciated! -Tanicka

First off, I'm so sorry to hear you're experiencing pain Tanicka. Pain isn’t fun, for anyone. But when I work with a guest in a lot of pain, I usually recommend they see a chiropractor to make sure their body is not out of allignment; which can cause a lot of pain. I also would suggest stretching every morning and night as this will help alleviate pain in your muscles and joints. Foam Rolling is a great way to get your muscles to release any tension that you might be carrying. Also, YOGA!!! It might not sound appealing now, but trust me when I say you'll begin to feel the benefits of yoga after your first week. It is incredible for your body.

Question 6: I bought the Body Media armband and monitor and have been logging my food intake daily. I exceed all my targets (steps, activity, calorie deficit) to lose 1lb /week. I work out 6 days a week, doing both cardio and strength training (TRX, Zumba, Weight training). Why won't the scale move? According to the math, I should have lost at least 1lb in the first week. Nothing! While I feel stronger and my clothes are fitting better, I don’t understand why I don’t see the scale move. Can you advise? Thanks, Barb.

Great question, thank you Barb. It sounds like you're working hard! Remember, feeling stronger and having your clothes fitting better is such a great thing and is a sign of PROGRESS! The scale can be a tough thing to move. You need to remember that muscle weighs more than fat, and that your total body composition is changing. Meaning you are building muscle, putting on more lean protein (which weighs more), and burning fat; this is a good thing!. Don't forget that lean muscle burns fat so the more we have, the more we burn! You may need to change your fitness routine. Doing the same routine for 4 weeks will stop your body from changing as it will plateau. Make sure your workouts are challenging you! The second they become 'easy' is an indicator that you need to change things up. Be sure every time you exercise that you're getting your heart rate up, enough to make your body sweat. Also, look at your food, have you been on point with your calorie intake? Is the food you're eating fueling your body to help it burn calories and thus fat?

Question 7: Micaela, Thank you for taking our questions! I am trying to make small changes in my routine each week and looking at each one to determine if it is something I could sustain. I know I need to drink more water, but really struggle with it. I tend to drink a lot of diet coke instead. I replaced one diet coke each day with a 16 oz. cup of green, black or herbal tea and that seems to be working well. But, I could use other suggestions for replacing my go to drink – Diet Coke. The only thing is – I don’t want to replace it with something just as unhealthy. What are your thoughts on 0 calorie flavored seltzer water at the supermarket? I could definitely do that. Any other suggestions? -Susan

Thanks you Susan! Small changes are good. I never suggest trying to make too many changes at one time. Pick certain areas to concentrate on. As for the Diet Coke, the more you can get away from that the better. You can replace it with tea like you are doing, but I wouldn't recommend the 0 calorie flavored seltzer waters. Due to the fact they still have Artificial Sweeteners in them, unless it claims on the packaging that they are 'unsweetened'. Unsweetened is OK! But know that you are better off drinking water. Try squeezing lemons, oranges or limes in them for a little bit of flavor. This is something you will have to train yourself to be OK with. Once you stop drinking sodas all together you will lose the craving and taste for them.

Question 8: I am 58 yrs. old, in good health, and I want desperately to lose 30 lbs, so my question to you is, what should my total calorie intake be for the day and how much exercise total for the day? Right now I do the "BL" for the Wii and walk 30 minutes and I'm not shedding an ounce. Thank you. -Barb

Hi Barb! To find out how many calories you should be eating a day visit shapeup.org to use their RMR calculator. Your RMR is your Resting Metabolic Rate. This will give you an estimate as to how many calories you burn at rest; meaning, how many calories you burn everyday without exercise or activity. Once you know how many calories your body burns with no activity, you can create your plan. Use your RMR to gauge how many calories you should be consuming each day. Remember, if you want to lose weight, than you need to BURN more calories than you consume. Rule of thumb, you always want to consume calories below your RMR. However, If your RMR is under 1,200 calories, I would NOT recommend eating less than that. 1,200 calories is the limit to how little you should eat daily. You also might want to look into purchasing a Polar Watch or Body Bugg. These device track how many calories you are burning while you are working out. Try to increase your workouts as you progress for a target of exercising 4-5 days for 1 hour each day. Also, always make sure you are challenging yourself and working out to your full potential. Best of luck!

Question 9: I was at BLR Malibu in February of last year. One of the best things I did was to buy the cookbooks. Are there any new cookbooks out? What are some of your favorite foods for lunch? I love our cookbooks too! -Michelle

Michele, great to hear from you! I hope you are well! We actually do have a new menu that we are using with some new recipes. We are waiting for the final copy of the cookbooks to come in. You can give us a call in a couple of months to see if they are in. I always keep it pretty simple for lunch since I'm always so busy. I personally love chicken and quinoa, or some type of lean protein and sweet potatoes. Another pairing I love to play with is ground turkey is great with polenta or quinoa. I make all of my food for the week on Sunday, so I don’t have to think about it for the week. Don't forget to call us in a couple months for an update on our cookbooks!

Question 10: My name is Amanda and my question is about working out. I walk 5k everyday plus I do cardio workouts 3 times a week, and do 2 days of upper or lower body workouts. My question is, I have lost 100 pounds going from 324-224, and I make sure to change my calorie intake, but I am at a stand still. I will lose between 1-2 pounds every 9 days and then some weeks I will gain those 2 pounds back. What can I do to keep losing?

Amanda, CONGRATULATIONS on the 100lb weight loss!!!! That's amazing and you should be so proud of yourself. A few things to remember while on this journey, you will go up and down in weight; which is normal. Losing 1-2 lbs per week is normal. My recommendation to you would be to change up your workout routines. Your body can get use to doing the same thing each day you workout. You need to shock your system in order to see more change. I love that you are doing both cardio and strength! Make sure the calories you are putting into your body are healthy ones and you are not going long periods of time without eating.

Question 11: I am so curious, cause I have a hard time running on my treadmill at 4.0, what is the routine on the treadmill Jillian is enforcing? Of course I am not losing as fast as the contestants, but I am steadily losing at a rate of 3 pounds per week and I have lost 12 lbs in 3 weeks. -Annette

Each trainer will have their rules or ways to approach Endurance training on the treadmill. The thing you want to remember is you have to start somewhere. If 4.0 is hard for you to run at, then start a little bit slower and increase your speed and work on interval training. Example: Start at the speed of 3.8 for 4 mins, then bump up to 4.0 for 30 seconds to a minute, then bring it back down. That way you are challenging yourself and working on increasing your endurance. Losing body fat is a very hard thing to do, especially for women. Your food needs to be on point just as much as your workouts. You want to incorporate strength and cardio into your routines. Losing 3 lbs per week is great for females. That is a natural great way to lose it. Keep your goals realistic and keep it up! Great work Annette!

Question 12: When I was there at BLR Malibu, I remember talking about artificial sweeteners, but what are your thoughts on Stevia In The Raw? Also, it has been almost a year and I still want to come back. I will be watching "BL" and see something on the show and think "I remember hiking there, or the gym reminds me of where we worked out. Great times! -Michelle

Stevia is considered a non-nutritive sweetener that provides little to no energy when consumed. Non-nutritive sweeteners are many times sweeter than sugar, so they are used in smaller amounts, resulting in little energy intake. They lack some of the functionality of added sugars, which does limit their usage. Stevia is a natural sweetener that is 200-300 times sweeter than actual sugar and is found in many foods and beverages, and as a tabletop sweetener. It is a good option to use as a sweetener, but as with all nutritive (ex. sugar, honey, agave, molasses) don't consume more than 30g per day; non-nutritive sweeteners, like Stevia, should be used in moderation. There currently isn't a recommendation for the amount of Stevia one should consume per day.
Come back and visit anytime! We would love to have you!

The Biggest Loser Resort thanks everyone for participating and submitting such great questions for Micaela. We hope you found this information useful. We wish you all the best of luck in your journeys towards a healthier lifestyle.

Until next time, Cheers to health in life!
Amanda Fitz