Any food can make you fat, not just those foods high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, like protein, provide 4 calories per gram; fat provides 9 calories per gram.  Complex carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes, and especially those derived from whole grains, are the body's best source of sustained energy when they replace fats and excess protein in the diet.

Eating more calories than you work off and leading a sedentary lifestyle are what add the extra "poundage."

Change your workout every four to six weeks, or switch the order of what you do. For example, if you usually do weights and then aerobics, switch it around. Better yet, try new moves for old ones in your weight routine and try a new form of cardiovascular exercise. This way you challenge your muscles in a new way, which forces your body to work harder. This helps ward of that dreaded plateau so that you continue to see results.

In addition, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at what you're eating. Your exercise efforts won't trim you down if you eat high-fat and high-calorie foods.

If you're lacking motivation or you feel that your workouts have become stagnant, it may be time to involve a professional trainer for a short period to mix things up and push you to the next level.

This is one of my most frequently asked questions!

There's a lot of debate about whether longer, slower workouts are better as opposed to shorter, more intense ones. Technically, you burn a greater percentage of fat calories with the slower workouts (long jogs, walks). But high-intensity workouts such as running or multi-impact step aerobics burn more calories overall, so you end up burning more fat calories in total. You really can't go wrong either way, though - both approaches will help you lose weight if you're consistent.

Basically, it comes down to personal preference - do whichever you prefer -- and whether you have time for a longer workout or more energy for a shorter, very intense one.

As a professional personal trainer, I assess my client's health history and training capacity to determine a good starting point and initial workout routine. Then, if their primary goal is to lose excess body fat we coordinate an appropriate diet plan and training strategy that fits their schedule and lifestyle.

The best way to keep off pounds is to keep moving. Don't quit exercising just because you've meet your goals.  For starters, turn of that TV! Experts say the more you watch, the more you gain. When you just sit, you only burn about 1.4 calories per minute verses 9 or more when in motion. If you simply gave up one half-hour sitcom and replaced it with a walk, you'll burn 171 calories in that half-hour which will translate into 13 pounds of weight. If you insist on sitting on the couch, do some tricep dips or squats, or march in place during commercial breaks.

Sweating is how your body dissipates heat and keeps its core temperature down when you're working out. Usually the more you train, the more easily you sweat, because your body knows it is going to get hot and starts working to cool itself off. There's also the possibility of having more sweat glands than others have -- men sweat more than women do for this reason. Overall, when you find yourself sweating more easily, take it as a good sign you're really fit!

As a side note, if you find yourself sweating for no reason, for example while sleeping, it may be wise to consult a physician as it may be a sympton of a serious hormonal or glandular condition.  

What you are wondering about is often referred to as ”spot reduction“; burning off fat in a specific area. Well, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that no matter how many sit-ups you perform or how many leg raises you do, the body will not simply rid itself of fat around the muscle being worked.

Fat deposits accumulate and dissipate throughout various regions of the body based on factors such as gender, age, metabolic rate, and hormones. In other words, genetics. Women tend to gain weight in the hips and buttocks, while men see it first in their midsection. What's even worse, is that the first place you see the fat accumulate is generally the last place it comes off!

So what's the good news?

With the proper diet and exercise program you can burn overall bodyfat and increase the size of lagging body parts to give the illusion of a smaller waist or trimmer hips. A personal trainer can make the proper recommendations for you.

Once you achieve your target heart rate, your body releases adrenaline, causing your fat cells to release fat into the bloodstream. When the fat passes an exercising muscle, the muscle picks it up and burns it as a source of energy. As the body withdraws fat from the cells, they begin to shrink, eventually making you appear slimmer.

Commonly believed theory:  We are born with a certain number of fat cells that just grow and shrink when we gain and lose weight.

Is this true?

For the most part, yes. You develop fat cells between the ages of 12 and 18 months and again during puberty. After that, your 25 to 35 billion fat cells respond to weight gain by growing up to twice their size. But if all of your fat cells have already doubled in size and you continue to gain weight, your body starts making new ones. So if you have gained more tan 30 or 40 pounds since your teens, you could have more fat cells than someone who has gained less.

Eggs are an excellence source of high-quality, inexpensive protein. Eggs are also lower in cholesterol than once believed -- an average egg having about 210 mg cholesterol. The American Heart Association, noting recent research that indicates eggs don't by themselves significantly raise blood cholesterol levels, now says it is possible for healthy persons who have normal blood cholesterol levels to enjoy 1 or 2 eggs a day.

Egg whites, by the way, have exactly 0mg of cholesterol and 0mg of fat!

Salt by itself does not cause an otherwise healthy person to develop hypertension. Unless you already have hypertension problems (or are diagnosed as salt-sensitive), you don't need to restrict your salt intake. This doesn't mean you can eat your weight in salt every day. What it does mean is that you can relax and enjoy those salted pretzels, unless you already have a medical reason to control your sodium intake.

It's important to note, however, that sodium does play a significant role in water retention and weight gain. Talk to a nutritionist or certified personal trainer for more information.