My Before Pics

[stacie]

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp39/anne0613/2.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp39/anne0613/4.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp39 ... 13/1-1.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp39/anne0613/3.jpg

These are my before pics. I am really wanting to lose weight in my mid section. I weigh 161lbs in my current pics. My measurements are chest-39 inches. waist-33 inches. hips-39 inches. I would really like to get down to about 130 or 135 lbs. I want to lose the fat and tone up. I have been working out 5 days a week for 30 minutes to 1 hour and a half. I have been doing turbo jam and walking at about 3.8mph on the treadmill for about 30 minutes and hit about 2 miles. I can't seem to lose any weight though. I have been keeping my calories under about 1600 a day. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I am getting married May 9, 2009...I would love to look healthy by then! Is this possible in just 6 months? I plan to continue working out and eating right as long as possible. Am trying to make a lifestyle change...not go on a diet. Thanks!

[cassiegose]

Hi Stacie,

How tall are you? I don't think a weight loss of 30 pounds in 6 months is unrealistic at all as long as youre serious about making permanent changes and sticking to them. In order to meet that goal you would have to lose about 5 pounds per month. This is totally possible.

As far as your workout goes... have you tried weight training? I believe a total body weight training routine done 3 days a week would be a great way to jump start your metabolism and get your body to start burning fat. You could do the weights 3 days a week with the HITT 2 days a week and maybe do leisurely walking 1 day and take one day off of exercise.

As for your diet.. you said you're currently eating less than 1600 calories a day. I believe this may be too low for you and could make it even harder for you to lose weight as too few calories can force your body to hold onto its fat stores. I would start at atleast 2000 calories a day, consisting of lots of lean proteins, veggies, fruit, and whole grains. If you'd like, please post an example of your current diet so suggestions can be made for possible changes.

PS: Congrats on your upcoming wedding! That is very exciting! :)

Cassie

[Boss Man]

Yes you can make changes. I would definitely listen To Cassies words, she is talking a lot of sense .

Your calories should be up around 2,000, and you should do stuff like HIIT, Interval etc etc, as walking on a treadmill at the same rate all the time, can become a lack of a challenge for ethe body after a while, because the body gets used to it.

High impact stuff, where the intensity fluctuates will work for you better.

Again as said, Weights would be beneficial, and Cardio need only be 2-3 30 minute sessions as described above, as too much Cardio with inadequate calories can be very Catabolic, which could reduce muscle mass, lower Metabolism, and contribute to more Fat gains.

Again with the diet, it's not about limiting yourself to low Carb, or Low Protein, or having a points system, or anything like that, it's about sensible manageable alterations, with sensible foods.

It will all take a bit of time and patience to get used to, but you should be able to settle into a new workout and eating regiem in about 2 weeks.

[stacie]

Thanks for all your help! cassiegose I am 5'4. not very tall at all. How long should I do the hiit? For 30 minutes? an hour? How fast should I go and for how long? I am doing weight traing but I do it every day along with cardio. Thanks!

[Boss Man]

You only really need Cardio for about 2-3 times a week for 30 minutes.

The Cardio and weights 5 days a week is a bit overkilll potentially for what you want.

Also make sure you split the off days, so do some kind of workout for 3 days, have an off day, workout for 2 more days then have another off day, so the two off days don't happen together, as that will make you sedentary for two days straight, and eat into progress.

[cassiegose]

Hi Stacie,

For the HITT I would shoot for no more than 30 minutes. As far as speed goes... I can't really give you an exact speed or pace. When I do my HITT, I go as hard as I can for a minute (or one set of stairs if I'm running bleachers), then recover for a minute, then go as hard as I can for a minute, then recover.. and so on. You want to pick a speed/pace that really gets your heart pumping. By the end of the workout you want to be tired. If you feel like you have a ton of energy left when you get done with your HITT you're not going hard enough and should probably step it up a notch. As far as cardio and weights 5 days a week... like boss said... thats a bit much. Typically when youre doing that much cardio and weights youre getting a mediocre weight routine and a mediocre cardio routine. Instead, focus on just cardio or just weights each day and give that workout 100%! Alot of times I see people at the gym simply going through the motions and not giving their workout as much as they could. If you want to really see results, you gotta really push yourself. Like the saying goes... if you always do what you've always done you'll always get what you've always got. :)

I hope this helps Stacie, please feel free to post more questions if you have any.

[Lionsroar]

Most people see cardio and weight training as separate things. Do your weight training in circuit fashion and you will also get in a cardio workout.