Chris and I feel so fortunate to get wonderful emails, questions, and comments from so many of you each and every day. As much as we wish we could sit and pen a response to every single one of them, the fact of the matter is that?time simply does not permit us to do this. If only I had 48 hours in a day…;). Instead, we’ve got something special in store. We’re taking our most FAQs – both personal and show related – and answering them via?video for you all!
Now where on earth do we even begin? Well, in honor of the May 26th premiere of Extreme Weight Loss Season 5, we’re answering some of your most commonly asked show-related questions.?Check out?the video below to learn more about why we do what we do on Extreme Weight Loss. Enjoy!
We didn’t answer your questions? Not to fear, help is here. This is far from the last time we will share “Q&A with the Powells” videos, and would love to answer YOUR questions! Tell us what you want to know in the comments below. 🙂
Xoxo,
Heidi
74 Responses
Chris and Heidi Powell,
I am not sure if this will get to you or not but I love your show and I am truly in need of help losing weight I keep trying to lose but it seems like my depression and panic attacks take over and as always I fail. I keep trying but exercise just falls to the wayside and I gain all the weight back. I take care of my adoptive mother because she is in a wheel chair but that is hard also because I get tired out so fast. If there is any help you have would be greatly appreciated. ooxx Love,
Toni
Hi Toni: Check out Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling program in otheir book, “Choose More, Lose More for Life.” The book contains their complete nutrition and exercise program, and it’s the same one they use on the show. It will teach you everything you need to know and do to achieve your own transformation! Learn all about it here: https://heidipowell.net/9060/how-to-begin-your-transformation-journey-step-by-step/. You can do this!
From around 2013 (well 2008) I have wanted to get a flat stomach, preferably an eight pack. Last year I had a 4 pack and was solid mostly all round. I got to 13% body fat (I spent a lot of time in the gym) and then I found myself moving around my gym routine drastically dropped. I am now back living with my mum and only training at home.
The training at home is not the main problem, the main problem is getting the shopping habits of the house to change. Furthermore, I find it extremely difficult at the moment to not eat junk. I am eating most of my meals inside. (My water consumption has gone up and my calorie drinking has drastically gone down for the first time ever.) But when I wake up in the middle of sleep or late at night or early in the morning I find myself saying “I will start eating healthy again soon”. This has been going on for over 3 weeks now. Last month I had some very good days. I haven’t had a week yet (except for juicing in January) where I can say I did eat one piece of crap. Last night before my cat woke me up I ate an apple before bed, read, fell asleep and ate an apple again when I awoke, however, throughout the day today the amount of poo that I have put in my mouth I probably cant list. Its probably because I haven’t cooked my porridge in the morning and prepared my other 3-4 meals (just trying to get my plastic containers together).
Apologies for the long message. I am getting …annoyed with my lack of self integrity (one of the many things you and Chris have talked about via Youtube and shows).
Thanks for everything- Just a quick question! For foods that aren’t on the published list you’ve made, how can I tell where something fits best? For example, PB2… It’s low in fat, even in protein and carb. Is it a protein?
Thanks!
Hi Chris! I’m Winifred from Nigeria and I’m your greatest fan. I get motivated watching your program ‘extreme makeover weight loss edition’.
5 years ago, I sustained a type 2 tibia plateau fracture but I couldn’t afford surgery and so the fracture healed but I can walk really well without aids…the only problem is that I can’t run and I weigh about 140kgs (though I’m pregnant at the moment). I desperately want to lose all the weight. What kind of exercises can I do to burn the weight?
Hi Chris and Heidi,
I am a great fan of EWL and especially you guys. You are such huge motivators who empathize and celebrate each and every moment of the individuals on the show. It is so inspiring to watch the show and cherish the good words.
Coming to my part, I am from India basically a South Indian( specific mention to get an idea on the eating habits) whose staple food is white rice. We are born and brought up around rice eating people and it’s quite difficult to quit rice or isolate ourselves from surrounding rice-eaters. Most of the trainers out here ask us to stop eating rice and eat roti (Indian bread made out of wheat), this gets difficult and at times creates digestion related problems too. I am 5’5” and weigh about 170 pounds. I have PCOD and doctor suggested losing weight can better the treatment. I tried different weight loss regimes like herbalife( liquid diet mostly of a flavored mil powder for all the meals in a day), Yoga, crash diets, etc before i took to working out at Gym. It started at 80kgs (176 lbs) and lost just 6 pounds in almost 6 months. This is very disheartening and i feel demotivated many times. I work my a** off at the gym, suffer day long sore body and whenever i measure myself i desperately hope i lose at least a pound or two and it seems like forever and i don’t lose sufficient amount. I am almost ready to get married and my weight along with PCOD is haunting me.
Whenever i need motivation to continue with my workout I keep watching EWL and gain the inspiration. I have always looked up to you indirectly and now I need a clear advice and guidance from you guys. I am 24 now and working as a software professional, most of my life is sedentary but i try and keep it active by simple things as taking a break for every half an hour and have a short walk, stretching out at the desk, and walk and talk to my colleagues as much as i can, avoid fried and processed foods and sweets.
Please help me out Heidi and Chris. This would be so helpful in changing some family’s life 🙂
Love you guys and forgot to mention, Ruby is so adorable and her pic at your backyard is my mobile wallpaper 😛 Bye guys waiting to hear from you
Hi Mounika: Thank you for sharing your story with us. Chris and Heidi have made all the tools they use on the show available for all of us to use to achieve our transformation goals. You can learn all about these tools here: https://heidipowell.net/9060. And as with any nutrition and exercise program, please discuss this with your healthcare team first, and then follow their recommendations. Chris and Heidi have worked with clients with PCOS before, so their program can work for you too! We wish you the best!
Love the show, I watch while I’m at the gym on the treadmill. I’m a single mom of 2 tweens with about 90-lbs to shed, I’m only 5’1 so that is 50% of my current size. I jokingly call it my divorce weight, but it’s no joke. My 11 yr old daughter inspires me, she is a competitive cheerleader and I want to be able to keep up with her workouts and take adult gymnastics classes (broke my arm as a kid and had to quit). I’m terrified she or my son will inherit my food issues and so I have to do this sensibly and be a good role model. After gymnastics I got heavily into ballet as a kid, never really overweight but not skinny either. Nothing warps your body image like ballet can, at 16 and 100-lbs my teacher told me I was too fat and I was already doing unhealthy things to stay that weight. I quit ballet and switched to music, gained weight and developed an eating disorder that took years to put in ‘remission’. Now I’ve clearly taken the ‘food is medicine’ mantra too far! I’m the one that got me here and with focus and hard work I know I can get back down to a healthy weight this year. My goals are to take my kids on the West Coast Trail next summer or the Via Compostela!
My question is about carb-cycling with a family. Can I feed my teens what I’m eating at dinner on low-carb days or do I have to add carbs for them? They get carbs in their lunches and at breakfast. We are vegetarian, and it’s pretty challenging to carb-cycle. I just can’t eat that much tofu and tempeh. So many soy products, like simulated meat products, are heavily processed foods and I save them for my reward day if I have to have it. If you have other food ideas or recipes for vegetarians that would be helpful.
What about the maintenance phase? Is carb cycling a lifestyle that can be maintained? I don’t want to diet anymore. I want to eat, for life, like the thinner, healthier person I will become. Where are the EWL participants now, the ones who gave been successful at keeping it off for over a year? That would be very motivational for me. I loved the earlier shows where there was advice for us at home. Thanks for all that you do!
Would you ever consider helping others outside of USA. You could do an extreme makeover world edition. I think it would help others in different culture s and environments see they x can do it to. I’m waiting here in beautiful new zealand which we know you like if you ever do decide to do this.
How do you help someone who is afraid to eat? I’m 5’2″ and 310lbs. I love to work out (when I’m not battling severe foot pain), and try to eat healthy. I crave unhealthy food a few days a week and try not to give in. At work, we don’t have scheduled breaks so I find myself going 5 or 6 hours without eating. I’m in the customer service industry so I can’t just sit down and eat when I feel hungry. I’ve been trying to lose weight for 25 years. I had a personal trainer look at my food journal and apparently I’m only eating 1000 calories a day. I always added an extra 500 calories for miscalculation of measurements. I’m afraid to eat too much because I don’t want to gain any more weight! I wanted my 40’s to be so much better but it seems like it’s getting harder and harder. HELP!
Hey! Have you tried using the my fitness pal app? It’s free and can count your calories for you!
I have tried carb cycling over and over again and I think I have finally figured out my issue. I end up treating my high carb days as my “cheat” days- a true carb addict one might say.
I’m curious about your thoughts on low carb diets- say like an Atkins diet at 20 carbs a day. It takes away the temptation of any sugar (unlike carb cycling) but do you think it’s healthy? Do you personally believe that very little carbs can be beneficial or is this something I shouldn’t even consider?