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Exercise Questions - How Do I Lose That Last 5 Pounds?

Exercise Question:
I have been trying to lose 5 pounds for about a while now. I know I need to cut down and exercise, which I do but can't seem to lose it. I know I must be doing something wrong. I have been trying to stay at right around 1200 calories, although I go over some times. Could you perhaps, give a sample menu for at least 2 days of what I should be doing?

Exercise Answer:
To lose that extra 5 pounds, it really just comes down to really fine tuning your diet and eliminating all the excess and empty calories from your daily intake. The best way to do this is to write down everything you eat. You can download our free diet journals here:

• Diet Journals

The safest total weight loss per week is 1 pound. There is 3,500 calories in a pound of body fat, so in order to lose 1 pound, you simply need to create a 500 calorie deficit per day. Over the course of a week, this equals out to 3,500 calories or 1 pound. The best way to hit this 500 number every day is to create a 250 calorie deficit through your diet and another 250 calorie deficit through cardio exercise. Remember, you want to fuel your body with high nutrient foods and keep your metabolism "stoked" throughout the day.

The worst thing you can do is limit your food intake to severely which will cause your body to go into starvation mode and hold onto your body fat reserves. Your body is thinking its getting ready for a period of famine and will hold onto all the energy it can to survive this period. I recommend eating at least 1,500 calories per day and make sure you're eating "clean" and nutritious food. You want to make sure to eliminate all the excess and empty calories from your daily intake.

I would recommend a general "clean" diet to adhere to. I would focus on lean protein sources (chicken breast, turkey breast, egg whites) and non-white starchy carbs such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta and boiled red potatoes. If you can eat these starchy carbs and keep your body fat down, then enjoy them! Below is a 2 day sample meal plan:

DAY 1

8am:
1 chicken breast (8 ounce), 1 cup of steamed brown rice, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

11am:
turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread (8 ounces of lean turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, mustard) (NO cheese or mayo).

2pm:
8 ounces of top round steak, 2 boiled red potatoes, 1 cup of non-fat cottage cheese

5pm:
egg white omelet (8 egg whites, mushrooms), 2 pieces of whole wheat toast (NO butter)

8pm:
8 ounces of fish (salmon, catfish, trout, halibut, etc.), 2 cups of whole wheat pasta, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

DAY 2

8am:
Veggie egg white omelet (5 egg whites, 1 cup mushrooms, 1 cup broccoli), dry whole wheat toast

11am:
2 cups of non-fat cottage cheese, 1 apple

2pm:
chicken breast sandwich with whole wheat bread (8 ounces of chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, mustard) (NO cheese or mayo).

5pm:
broiled salmon with stir fried veggies (use Pam cooking spray)

8pm:
chicken breast salad (8 ounce broiled chicken breast, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, walden farms no calorie dressing)

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