Recently, we hosted a live Facebook chat with the incomparable Jackie Warner of Bravo TV fame. Jackie answered all of our readers’ pressing questions about nutrition, exercise and weight loss, and we couldn’t believe all of the amazing tips she gave out in just a short amount of time. Below, find Jackie’s top ten best workout and diet secrets.
1. Should I consume more calories a day if I’m working out regularly?
“If you increase your exercise, you need to gradually increase your calories. Typically a woman should maintain a 1500 calorie a day diet.”
2. What type of workout can I do at my desk during a break at work?
“You can do pushups, you can do squats, dips on your chair, front back lunges, mountain climbers. Really, any exercise involving just your body weight.”
3. Is it OK to just have a protein shake after my workout as dinner?
“It’s better to drink whey protein before and then a balanced meal post-workout. You need a protein and a carb source after such as two eggs, slice of whole grain toast, and one cup of fruit.”
4. What’s a good workout I can do in my hotel room when traveling?
“Pack a jump rope and a resistance band in your suitcase and do a combination of squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bicep curls with no rest in between, followed by 100 rotations of the jump rope for 5 sets. This only takes about 20 minutes.”
5. If I want thinner arms, should I focus on just training my arms?
“It’s important that you not just spot train. It doesn’t work. You need a program that works primary muscle groups, such as the back, chest, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. These are the major fat burners and they work your arms additionally.”
6. I feel thinner after I sweat in the sauna. Am I actually losing weight?
“Yeah, that’s a myth about the sauna. You’re not expending any energy, therefore you’re not losing any calories. You’re simply losing water weight. A slight amount of thermogenesis may occur, but not significantly enough to make a difference. The moment you put water back in your system, you will regain that water weight.”
7. Why is bread evil? I can’t stop eating it!
“Your body sees bread as a sugar — and sugar is highly addictive in the brain. It takes five days to break a sugar addiction. Do not eat any sugar sources outside of fructose, which is fruit sugar.”
8. Are there any carbs I can eat while I’m trying to lose weight?
“It’s fine to eat a slow-digesting carb like oatmeal, mixed berries or citrus. It’s better to add to a protein source like a Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for sustained energy — and both those foods happen to be great for weight loss.”
9. I want to lose 15 pounds. Tell me exactly what to do.
“Incorporate high intensity interval training by walking at 3.5 on a 12 incline for 2 minutes. Running at 6.0-8.0, 0 incline for 2 minutes. And then walk at 3.5, 0 incline for 1 minute to cool down. Do this for 20 total minutes daily.”
10. Can I still go out and enjoy a drink while I’m trying to lose weight?
“Drinking alcohol in the evening stunts your production of weight loss hormones such as HGH, testosterone, and progesterone. That is more detrimental to your weight loss plan than the calories. I suggest you really plan for one day that you have cocktails during the week – and consider that your cheat meal.”
Thanks for the tips, Jackie! Check back on Spa Week’s Facebook page for information about future chats with our experts :)
Jamie G. Dougherty, founder of 
Most of you are probably familiar with Joy, as she is one of America’s most beloved and trusted nutritionists, the health and nutrition expert for The TODAY Show, and is a multiple New York Times bestselling author. (The 2011 edition of Food Cures, came out a year ago and her new book, The Joy Fit Club, just hit the shelves a few months back.) Joy’s mission is to improve the health of our nation; she believes it’s never too late or too early to reap the benefits of healthy living — just like Spa Week founder Cheryl Reid set out to do in 2004. In August 2011, Spa Week and Joy Bauer presented the 
