There are dozens of fitness magazines on the market and if you read any of them you no doubt have seen Obi Obadike on the cover.

After recurring hamstring injuries during his stellar collegiate track career at Cal State Fullerton, where he held the school record in the 100 and 200 meters, the 4×100 meter relay, as well as Athlete of the Year, and won All Big West Conference honors twice, he decided to get involved in sports modeling.

In the past decade, Obadike has appeared in more than 15 national television commercials and 30 national print ad campaigns; the most memorable being the Gatorade “winning formula” commercial, which enjoyed a two-year run from 2005-2007. He beat out more than 100 fitness models and athletes for the spot.

Known as the “The World’s Most Ripped Fitness Model” because of his low percentage of body fat, Obadike decided to wade into the fitness industry in 2008 and became a certified personal trainer, launching his business, Perfect Anatomy, and aims to take his message to TV.

The motivational speaker writes “Ask the Ripped Dude” and “Ripped Roundtable,” regular columns on Bodybuilding.com, as well as journal articles and authored and co-authored two fat-loss ebooks, “Ultimate Fat Loss For Men and Women” and co-author of “The 28 Minute Workout,” respectively.

He is also one of the most retweeted fitness brands with more than 1 million Twitter followers.

Obadike was named the 2012 Bodybuilding.com writer of the year and the site has named its annual awards event “The Obis.” The winner in each category will received a trophy statue of Obadike’s likeness.

His ultimate goal is to help reduce the obesity rate worldwide.

In the black community, obesity is linked to a disproportionately higher rate of health problems, including hypertension, asthma, type 2 diabetes and cancer. National statistics show approximately one in five African American children are obese. That’s far higher than the obesity rate for white children. Additionally, African American girls have the highest obesity rate of any ethnic and gender group tracked by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 29 percent of black adolescent girls were likely to be considered obese, compared to 14.5 percent of white adolescent girls.

Obadike is on a mission to help people get healthy.

“You can have great abs, great physique, money in the bank and have all the wisdom in the world,” Obadike said in a statement, “but if you don’t have the ability to share it with people, then it means absolutely nothing.”

—————-

Why always chicken breast? What about skinless thighs or drumsticks? Preference is dark meat.
An alternative to chicken breast is skinless thighs and skinless drumsticks as that is perfectly fine. Just make sure it is skinless but the reason why I said skinless chicken breast over thighs or drumsticks is because there is more protein in a chicken breast. In a 3oz chicken breast there is 26.7 grams of protein.

Is honey as bad as sugar for you?
Honey is the perfect substitute for sugar and I would advise you to put that on your oatmeal if you need flavor.

Will flaxseed oil burn fat vs. fish oil?
Yes, flaxseed oil is just as good as fish oil and will constitute your daily fats.

Which is more effective fresh garlic or garlic supplements?
Fresh garlic will always be better than garlic supplements in my professional opinion.

I am a woman over 40-years-old, how much exercise would you recommend daily and how many days a week?
I would say at least 3 to 4 times lifting weights and 3 to 4 times a week doing cardio and your workout time should be about an hour.

What’s the best way to stop starch cravings?
The best appetite suppressant for any unusual food cravings is drinking water so I would advise you to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day.

I don’t eat vegetables what is a good supplement?
This is a direct quote from Dr. Stokes that is associated with the American Dietetic Association in regards to her opinion on replacing vegetables with a supplements.
“No matter what the label says, a supplement cannot provide all the benefits of getting at least five servings of vegetables a day,” says D. Milton Stokes, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and chief dietitian at St. Barnabas Hospital & Nursing Home in New York City. Do your best to add some type of seasoning to help you stomach the vegetables. Vegetables are very important for your overall health and for digestive purposes.

I’m losing the weight but not in my mid-section. What do I need to do to lose that?
What is very important to understand is there is no such thing as a spot reduction so any weight you lose is always going to be circular. Sometimes certain areas of your body like your abdominal maybe the last area where you start to see significant fat loss improvement. A great cardio workout for abs and fat loss is sprinting. Try sprinting at least 2 times a week at 50 percent speed. Diet is the 80 percent of the battle in bringing your abs out of hibernation.

What about Broccoli & green beans? are these good for burning fat?
Broccoli and green beans are great vegetables to eat and are perfectly fine if you don’t like to eat asparagus.

What’s your opinion on tofu as protein? I’m a 59-year-old female vegetarian, work out 3-5 days a week.
Tofu is perfectly fine as a suitable substitute for protein as it is high in protein.

Is there a website with the 10 items that Dr Obie mentioned for losing weight?
The article where I wrote about the top ten fat burning foods is on the biggest fitness internet site in the world called bodybuilding.com at http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-ripped-dude-what-are-your-top-fat-burning-foods.html This is a bimonthly fitness column that I have where I talk about fat loss, nutrition, training, etc.

Can the egg whites be boiled?
Yes, egg whites can be boiled!

Hey Obie! Does consuming a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (with the mother in it) help to metabolize fat cells in the stomach area?
A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar is also a great fat burning property that helps to burn fat along with drinking green tea.

vWhat about women who are/have going through menopause and nothing works to lose weight? Will these 10 foods help?
Yes, these ten foods will help if you are in menopause.

Do you have a website that I can see what all you do? I’m interested in losing weight, eating correctly, and I like your 10 fat burning foods.
My personal website is www.obiobadike.com and I have tons of fitness articles on my website.

What is the best way to burn fat from the mid-section?
Sprinting is a great cardio workout for fat loss and abs. Plyometrics is a great cardio workout for fat loss but the most important thing you need to understand is that abs are not made in the gym they are made in the kitchen.

Does garlic POWDER have the same effect as fresh garlic?
Although both are great fresh garlic is a little healthier than garlic powder and there have been research studies that have confirmed this.

Should i weight train every day or every other day and do cardio the days that I don’t weight train?
I would advise you to weight-train at least 4 days a week.

What’s a good detox to do?
The master cleanse detox is a pretty good detox and also the top fat burning foods I suggested are foods you can still consume on the detox.

What do you think of the Master Cleanse? Do you have any advice concerning the use of it?
Master Cleanse is one of the best detox’s out there in my professional opinion. I would just do your best to follow the exact instructions on the detox.

Can a 52-year-old male with a pot belly look close to what you look like ? And how many sit up do I need to do a day?
Your abs are made in the kitchen and not in the gym and so for you to get those abs to come out of hibernation you need to be on balanced healthy diet along with a sensible diet and training program to help reduce your body fat to have your abs come out. There is not set daily sit ups you have to do as your main focus should be your diet to help your reduce your body fat to 12 percent and under to remove the fat and have your abs to be visible.

I thought baked fish was a fat burner.
Baked fish is also not a bad fat burning food.

What foods should we consider to build muscle?
Protein is the most important to nutrient to build muscle: So some good protein foods to build muscle are broiled sirloin steak, beef, baked chicken breast, turkey breast, etc.

How do you deal with hunger?
The beast appetite suppressant when dieting or to help you deal with hunger is drinking lots of water daily.

I like fish, but grilled and baked fish smells and it makes me nauseous. Fish is meant to be fried! Is Fried fish really bad for you? Is there a healthier oil I can use?
Do your best to minimize frying your foods and if you do fry your foods that would be considered a cheat meal because of the extra added fat. Broiled and baked is much healthier in terms of how you prepare your fish.

Is soy good for you? I have read that it is and then it’s not.
Yes, soy is good for you!

I have been trying to lose weight (seriously) for 3 months. I eat mainly protein, veggies, fruit and whole grains. I also exercise 4x/ week and have lost nothing. Prior to this I ate 1 meal/day for several years. I’ve been told I’m in starvation mode. Is this true? How can I reverse this?
Eating one meal a day will put your body in starvation mode which will slow your metabolism up and prevent you from obtaining your fitness goals. So what you are currently eating right now for the last 3 months and also training 4 times a week is really good. You are doing the right rights in terms of your diet and training.

Please help. I am a forty-year-old adult man. I am a vegetarian. Any tips on how to gain weight I only weigh 135 pounds at 5’ 10 it doesn’t look good.
You need to increase your daily caloric intake so if you goal is to put on some serious weight you need to be consuming at least 18 to 20 calories per pound.

I’m 45-years-old, I workout four times a week and Im in great shape “for my age. ” I have a flat stomach but not ripped. What do I do?
I would increase your daily cardio regimen and then reduce your carbs intake in your diet and also reduce your daily calories by 100 to 200 calories and see if those changes help to make you leaner and more ripped.

I’ve been working out for a while and I would like to gain weight but rip at the same time, how is that possible?
It is really hard to gain weight and to get ripped at the same time. You need to figure out to do you want to bulky and put on weight or do you want to be ripped. It is very difficult to do both at the same time.

How do you lose belly fat?
You lose belly-fat by eating healthy goods such as the top ten fat burning foods I mentioned in the radio interview such as baked chicken breast, brown rice, sweet potatoes, asparagus, egg whites, oatmeal, etc. Also you want to make sure you are working out at least 4 days lifting weights and doing cardio which will also help you burn the belly-fat.

Are Pistachios good for you?
Pistachios are fine just make sure you eat them unsalted.

How would you melt lower abdominal fat because I have my abs but they aren’t defined like yours?
I would have you on a high protein low carbs and low fats diet and I would have you on a 10 to 12 calorie per pound diet to help you get leaner to help to bring out those abs. Also, I would have you doing sprinting which is great for fat loss.

I’ve dramatically increased my fruit intake and included raspberry ketones and now I’m breaking out with some type of allergic reaction. Should I cut down or cut out the ketones?
The allergic reaction could have come from anywhere but my professional advice is if it doesn’t go away after 5-7 days to go see a doctor and find out where it came from.

What type of exercises would you recommend for a person with arthritis in both knees? I am 61-years-old, I weigh 212 lbs., I work out every week but I’m unable to do leg press or walk on the treadmill.
First of all I would increase your fish oil intake to twice a day which will help to improve any joint issues you have with your knees. If you can’t do the treadmill then I would advise you do the stationary bike which is a great cardio alternative to treadmill and it is less pressure on your knees.

Black rice vs. brown rice?
Brown rice is the healthiest rice that is out there for fat burning purposes and for your overall health.

Please give exercise tips or recommendations to accompany the diet.
First of all I am not a doctor but exercise tips are to weight training at least 4 days a week and perform cardio about 3 to 4 days a week. Your cardio can consist of the treadmill, stair master or elliptical.

Do you have a workout for us ladies in the 50 & up age bracket?
A great cardio workout for someone that is 50 years or older is the stationary bike as it is very friendly to your joints and it is a great injury preventive exercises. I would also advise light weight-lifting with dumbbell to tone your upper body and lower body which will help to burn calories. Some great weight-training exercises are dumbbell triceps kickbacks, female push-ups, Bench Dips, Body-squats, lunges and these are all exercises you can do at home.