Fat Loss & Breast Size

Q: I’ve been losing weight for the past year, which is great, but my breasts have gotten smaller, too, which isn’t so great. Short of getting implants, is there any thing I can do?

A: Not knowing more in the way of specifics about your body-fat levels and so forth, that’s a hard question for me to answer. But if you chronically under-eat for your body size and activity level, that could affect your breast size. Women in particular have been so conditioned by chronic dieting that they think 1,200 calories a day is sufficient, no matter how many calories they burn per day. In reality, even 1,500 calories easily could be insufficient if you’re training hard and working around the clock.

Eat according to your activity level—you might need more food to fill out. Regarding training, you can also accentuate your upper-pec muscles with exercises like incline bench presses. Building the muscle underneath will give you fuller-looking breasts.

Also, some of my female clients have told me that breast fullness improves when they supplement with essential fatty acids. More on those in the nutrition chapter.

To Eat or Not to Eat

Q: If I do my cardio in the morning, is it better to eat or not eat before doing so, assuming fat-burning is my goal?

A: You hear a ton of opinions on this one, both pro and con, but it makes little difference at day’s end. Meal timing has some small effects on how the body uses its energy stores, but the big-picture items, like your overall diet and exercise consistency, really make the difference.

The big controversy here is that although you might tap into your fat stores more by doing cardio on an empty stomach, you might not have enough energy to have a good workout. It’s highly individualized. Some people can do it, and have a great workout and push through it, but other people get so depleted that it’s not worth it.

This is one of those questions that an expert can’t answer hard-and-fast for you. You have to experiment. It’s really a matter of knowing your own body, and that’s going to take time.