You are experiencing the difference between weights that build muscle strength and weights that build muscle endurance.  If you use weight machines or free weights on the weight floor and it takes you 8 to 12 repetitions to get to fatigue, you are probably using fairly heavy weight.  In your weight lifting fitness class the weight is limited to smaller and lighter plates or dumbbells so people tend to use many more repetitions to get to fatigue.  If you want to build muscle strength, you use heavier weight and fewer repetitions until you fatigue.  For endurance and to overcome fatigue, use lighter weights and more repetitions.  This builds long lean muscle that tends not to fatigue very quickly.  This is especially important for cyclists and runners. For best results, mix it up and be sure to give yourself time to recover so your muscles have time to repair themselves.

First of all, you are doing many of the right things and hitting a plateau is not unusual. Hiring a personal trainer is a huge step in the right direction.

The first thing I would suggest is that you talk with your trainer so you understand the importance of your resting metabolic rate. As you lose fat and gain muscle, your resting metabolic rate will go up because lean muscle mass burns more calories at rest than fat mass. This is why your trainer wants you to consume more calories on the days that you workout. More powerful engines need more fuel! Plateaus are common and the way to move past them is to vary the intensity of your workouts, vary the types of workouts and be sure to give yourself time to recover. When muscles adapt to a familiar routine, they stop progressing in terms of fuel use and strengthening.

With that said, there are pitfalls that all of us, must always consider. Do you work out with enough intensity so you are maximizing your efforts? Do you snack without noticing? Do you eat the same amount on off days as you do on workout days when you really do need more? Do you eat more because you think you can since you worked out? This is a very common behavior that trips up many people. It’s important to make sure that you pay close attention not only to your calorie intake but the types of food you are consuming. You need a good balance and a quality diet. Make sure your trainer knows what your calorie intake is and what you eat. Don’t neglect ANYTHING that you eat when you determine your overall calorie intake. I recommend (not just to you – to everyone) keeping a journal of what you eat and when, as well as a journal of your workouts. This will help you track exactly what you are eating, how much and what types of foods you are consuming. Keeping track of your workouts, calories expended and duration will also help you see if you are working to your full potential. Your heart rate monitor can be extremely valuable for this. Log in any changes, both positive and negative and share them with your trainer.

You are so right; there is a lot of conflicting information out there on nutrition and exercise. That is the whole purpose for my website, blog and upcoming book!  I have read the book “The China Study.”  In a nutshell, I do agree with the author that a whole, unprocessed food diet coupled with physical activity is the best way to achieve a healthy lifestyle. 

It is obvious that the author favors a vegan diet over a more omnivorous diet.  This viewpoint becomes political in the author’s treatment of this subject. I believe the author compromises his research in an effort to push his political agenda and this is a source of confusion. Nutrition and politics are two different subjects.  Avoiding good sources of protein based on political reasons does not provide the body with good nutrition.  Humans are fundamentally designed or at least capable of eating an omnivorous diet. We know there is not one perfect diet that will fit all people.  Some people do better on slightly higher protein diets while other do better on slightly higher carbohydrate diets.  What does appear to be more universal is that if our diet is balanced between all the macronutrients and from whole, unprocessed sources, then a vegan, vegetarian or higher animal protein diet will achieve the same outcome. If you wish to be a vegetarian, be sure and find out how to combine the plant based sources of incomplete proteins so your diet is balanced. If a vegetarian diet is one you enjoy, it will be one you will follow. You still want it to be balanced among fats, carbohydrates and protein.

It is important to get complete proteins from the best sources you can and most nutritionists believe that is from animals and dairy products. As with all types of food sources, there are differing levels of quality.  Small family run  farms tend to produce a high quality product.  They also tend to be more hospitable to the animals.

I am familiar with the study at http://thehealthyskeptic.org/the-most-important-thing-you-probably-dont-know-about-cholesterol and with a number of other studies that support this viewpoint.  Many people think LDL & HDL’s are fats when in fact they are a delivery system.  Our body makes whatever cholesterol we need so trying to lower it can be unnecessary, and many people now believe cholesterol is not a precursor or an indicator of heart disease.  The more active a person is, the more cholesterol we tend to make so our body is adequately fueled.  Please review a question I had about cholesterol and the theory you mention. The link is  http://www.dietfitnessdiva.com/blog/2009/9/25/i-exercise-a-lot-but-have-a-cholesterol-reading-of-234-with.html

I think this will address your concerns.  On a personal note, both my husband and myself have high Cholesterol and HDL levels but very good ratios of HDL to LDL.  We also have normal levels of sugar in our blood and have normal blood pressure levels.  Our physicians have told us both that they have no concerns about our cholesterol.

Ancel Keys was the researcher who originally postulated a connection between saturated fat, cholesterol and heart disease.  By the time he died in 2004, he had reversed his original position on cholesterol, however the horse was well out of the barn by then.

Both are good. It’s great that working out has become important enough in your life that this is a concern for you. You can’t really “bank” workouts so trying to make up for a missed workout isn’t a good strategy.

Your fitness goals can factor into this so it is important to understand them. If you just want to burn calories, more time doing cardio means burning more calories. Less time means fewer calories burned but either way, you burn calories! If you are training for Endurance (like a marathon perhaps) then longer, moderate intensity workouts are important. However, one thing is always true – working out for a short time is better than not at all.

Regardless of how long you workout at a session, you will benefit from what you do and the cumulative effects of your training.  When you find you have only a little time to work out, do a quick set of weights or some intense cardio for a short amount of time. It’s amazing how much you can really do in a short amount of time if you stay focused. Some fitness clubs offer classes that are 30 to 45 minutes for just that reason.  If you find you are too stressed to take the time to work out, take a day off.  Recovery is an important part of any fitness routine.  If you find you have more time to devote to working out, take the time to do both cardio and weight training or even an extended session of one or the other.  There are many ways to freshen up or mix up your routine.  Talking to a personal trainer and having them help you devise both long and short routines will also help to keep you motivated no matter what your time frame is. What is most important is that you are active in some way every day, even if it is just out to walk the dog or do errands.