Monica Brant
1998 Fitness Olympia Champion, Model
Between signing autographs at the grand opening of our Lindberg retail store, we managed to ask Monica a few questions.
Nutrition Express: Do you have any advice for how much to eat if you're trying to lose weight?
Monica: For the average size woman who exercises, 1,500 to 1,600 calories seems to be a good range. If you're sedentary, maybe 100 calories less. My success has been with a high protein, low carb type diet. I typically eat 3 meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner and have protein shakes between meals. I prefer cooking my main meals and using shakes when I'm more pressed for time.
NE: What protein powders do you like?
Monica: I take a wide variety, but my two current favorites are Universal Nutrition's Specialized Protein For Gainers (whey & egg) and Specialized Protein for Dieter's (whey & soy). I'll take one mid-morning between meals and one mid-afternoon. They help me not to overeat at lunch or dinner. I also supplement with a women's multi vitamin pack plus I take extra vitamin C twice a day with my shakes.
NE: What's a reasonable workout schedule that most women should follow?
Monica: I would say cardio 3-5 times a week for 30-60 minutes. I always wear a heart rate monitor and workout at 135-150 beats per minute to make sure I get into the fat burning zone. Even if you're not trying to lose weight, for overall health you should still do cardio every week. Check out my website at MonicaBrant.com for more tips.
