Thirteen Most Popular Tips Given to my Clients by Phil Nicolaou/Personal Trainer Philadelphia SELF-MONITOR:  You need to write down what you are putting into your body.  Otherwise you'll have no gauge as to whether or not something is working.  It can be a simple diary where you record the foods you eat, the times you eat them, and the portions.  This simple tip alone can help with fat loss success.   A Personal Trainers Most Frequently Asked Questions by Phil Nicolaou/Personal Trainer Philadelphia How come the scale shows me as being heavier, yet my body fat is less? Well your muscles use glycogen to perform resistance training. So are you start to weight train, your muscles will use store more and more glycogen. This in turn can make you heavier. Also, keep in mind, while a piece of muscle and fat both might weigh 5IBS, fat takes up 3 times as much space as muscle! Would you care if you were 5 IBS heavier , yet dropped two dress sizes? Also keep in mind your hydration status can greatly effect your weight! A better gauge of your fitness level is body fat!   How To Identify a Fad Diet by Phil Nicolaou/Personal Trainer Philadelphia Many clients in the past have asked me, how is this pill? Does it work? Can I eat anything and drop weight? How about this new pill called Ali? It is supposed to block fat from being absorbed. Does it help me lose weight?   Stability Ball Core Training by Phil Nicolaou/Personal Trainer Philadelphia The stability ball has come a long way as well as the medicine ball. Both are excellent for overall general conditioning, as well as power and speed training and resistance/core training.  Stability balls started off being used for rehab, but are not a common site in many fitness facilities.   The Fat Loss VS Weight Loss Debate by Phil Nicolaou/Personal Trainer Philadelphia Our society focuses on “weight loss” and it always comes down to people loose muscle because they do not weight train. If you do not strength train, you will loose muscle, no question about it. Whether it is a weight loss center you are visiting, the best approach is to combine portion control, with variety with whole foods, fruits and vegetables, and small frequent meals with lean proteins! View all Personal Trainer Fitness Articles Here     Phil Nicolaou is a Personal Trainer in the Philadelphia area. You can contact Phil through is Personal Training Webpage for more information on his services.