I get mucho emails a day and it is virtually impossible for me to answer every single one.  If I did, I would not have a life. 

But on those rare days when I'm up until 2 o'clock in the morning... like I am right now... I'll go ahead and answer some of them.  So here are a couple for you...

Hey Jim,

I have a question, is there a way that I go on a diet that is easy to stay on and that i can loose a lot of pounds, I kind-of needs to loose aobut 30 pounds....can you let me know as soon as possible. I also need to know how much i should work out each day!

I tried counting calories, but that takes to much time and then i was on the weight watchers diet but then i found out that i had to spend more timne calulating how many points is in the food...dont get me wrong, i love math but if it takes to long i rather not spend time on it

Thanks
Stephanie

PS: Thanks for emailing me and helping me alot!

J.C. Hello Stephanie, Thanks for your inquiry.  By reading your email, it definitely appears you're in a major hurry to lose this weight! 

Well, I hate to rain on your parade, but being in a hurry to lose weight is never a good idea.

To answer the first part of your question...I don't recommend diets.  I recommend lifestyle changes. 

If you want to lose 30 pounds - The RIGHT way.  You need to understand that going on a diet...ANY DIET...is not going to help you.

Many diet companies will tell you that you can lose 30 pounds in thirty days or other absurd and ridiculous claims.  And yes, if you significantly decrease your caloric intake like they instruct you to do, you will lose weight...   

But guess what? 

The thirty pounds you will lose is primarily made up of 99% muscle tissue and water.

With this drop in muscle, so drops your metabolism...and your ability to burn calories at rest. 

Consequently, because it is literally IMPOSSIBLE to maintain the caloric requirements of a diet over a long-term period, you end up eating the way you did before the diet.

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You end up gaining all your weight back AND even worse...increasing your body fat!  I could go on and on, but I think this article should sum it up - http://www.fitnessandresults.com/articles/diets_dont_work.php   

If you want to lose 30 pounds, you need to eat for life.  Yes, that's LIFE.

A great book that I recommend to clients is called, Hey what da ya know, "Eating For Life" - www.eatingforlife.com

As far as the second part of your question, "How much should I work out each day?"

This question could have a million different answers, but let me give you one simple one: 

Work out one hour a day, performing consistent, progressive strength training 3x a week and cardio exercise a minimum of 4x a week. 

You can do cardio everyday to get the best results, but make sure you space out your strength training and cardio workouts.  Example - Strength training in the morning and cardio in the evening or vice versa.

Here is a great book that will help you with your strength training - The In-Home Personal Trainer

Best of Luck!

Hello Jim, How are you doing? My name is Keetra and I am a 21 year old that happened to come across your website.  Personally I did not read eveything on your page but I hope that you can respond to my email : ) I weigh 113 and would really like to gain about twenty more pounds. I am a little tried of being skinny and maybe its from high metabolism because I do eat but I think by the help of a personal trainer, he/she would know exactly what I need to. I would greatly appreciate your opinion. I want to gain weight and body mass or muscle definiton.

J.C. Hey Keetra, Thanks for your email.  You're right...it's tough putting on size when you're skinny.  You have what you call an ectomorph body type.  If it makes you feel better, 99.9% of my clients would love to have your problem.

No, but seriously, although I don't have great experience training people such as yourself, I can give you a general idea of what to start doing. 

To gain weight, body mass and definition, you need to start...

Slowing down and relaxing more, getting extra sleep and take more naps.
Reduce stress and worry, avoid overtraining, perform intense strength training (3x a week for 1 hour at a time), keep cardiovascular exercise to a minimum (3x a week - 15 minutes at a time), keep calories high and never ever miss a meal.

Futhermore, you must understand that gaining muscle with your body type should be a life-long commitment on your part.  Don't get frustrated if it doesn't happen overnight.  Be patient.  Be consistent and you will get to where you want to be.  Take Care.

Jim Coughlin is a personal trainer and the owner of Coughlin Fitness & Results, a nationwide personal training company. He is also the author of The In-Home Personal Trainer, a helpful guide to successful in-home personal training in addition to other products and many other popular fitness articles.

Jim is very passionate at motivating people to empower themselves to live a healthy lifestyle through consistent exercise and proper nutrition. He has free weekly success tips which you are welcome to subscribe to on his website http://www.fitnessandresults.com