| Issue date: Dec 26, 1999
Q: I keep hearing
sugar is the white death. I know sugar substitutes are supposed to
be bad for you. So what's best? I'm not trying to lose weight, but
I drink sweet tea all day.
Kimberly Denise Alfonso, Bradenton, Fla.
Dr. Mitchell: I wouldn't call sugar the "white death,"
but it is a source of empty calories. Whether it's sugar in your
tea or a substitute (aspartame, saccharine, sorbitol), it makes
sense to use moderation. I recommend patients limit themselves to
two servings of coffee, tea or colas a day, reducing caffeine and,
in your case, sugar. You don't have a weight problem now, but drinking
large quantities of sweetened tea doesn't help with long-term weight
control. Even if you switched to a substitute, you'd still consume
too much caffeine. My advice? Drink water in place of some of the
tea.
The best
way to bulk up
Foreman: From time to time, I get questions about how to
build weightlifting bulk: Should you go for more repetitions at
a low weight or fewer reps at a high weight? My advice: Find a weight
at which you can do at least eight, but not more than 12, reps.
Do between one and three sets. As you get stronger, add more weight.
Remember: Rome wasn't built in a day, but it didn't take long to
tear it down, either. Take two or three days a week and give it
all you've got, but be sure to take a day off in between. Be patient;
the size will come. It's worked for me: My biceps flex at 20 inches.
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