What Am I Doing Wrong (excercise related) ??

well youre not the only one with problems like that...for me it seems like its really easy to lose weight the first half year or so..but then it becomes harder.
for me its the same when i started weight lifting...first 6months im improving really fast but then it just seems like the body reach a point and from there on its hard to improve.

maybe the same for you? you reached that point?

Lukas

 

What cardio program are you under? Are you just doing weight work?

Chris.

 

is the weight everything, or still working off a gut? muscle does weigh more than fat.

also, what are your drinking habits? if any at all.

 

How much do you want to weigh and why? I have lost about 42 pounds in the last year through a weight lifting and eating 5 times a day program. What happens is as you start building muscle, you stop losing weight as fast...which is good. FYI, muscle weighs a lot more than fat. Weight should not be the priority anyway. Body fat is the more important criteria. If you can get and keep your body fat below 10% you are fine. I dropped my body fat from 23% to 9% with a goal of getting it down to the 6% to 8% range. I work out three times a week for about 1 1/2 hours each time which includes about an hour of weights, 250 sit-ups and 15 minutes of cardio. Do not do cardio unless you are doing weights too. If you do only cardio, while you will loss weight, you will loss both fat and muscle. You do not want to lose muscle! Weights will build you muscle and cardio will keep your heart and lungs in shape. Sit-ups are what helps the most with the gut. Plus, as you build muscle, your metabolism speeds up which allows you to eat more. Never skip meals. Eat at least 5 times a day. When you skip a meal your metabolism starts to slow down almost immediately. If you are not experience with working out, I suggest you hire a personal trainer for a couple of months to help you with technique. I see a lot of people at the gym doing what they call "working out" and are doing nothing to build muscle. Just because its hard to do and makes you sweat doesn't mean it's helping you build muscle. You can hurt youself too if you don't use the correct technique when lifting.

 

Nice summary, parkerfe.

In addition, vary your workout.

When your body gets "used to" a certain regimen - it sets that as "normal metabolism."

 

This is a great thread. I am with you on this one. I have been eating healthy (5 meals a day) and jogging 2 miles a day. I don't really go to the gym, as I just want to be more lean.

I do some dumbells but basically at home.

My problem is I can't lose the gut and the love handles.

I do 100-120 sit ups a day, and leg ups, but doesn't seem to be really helping.

Any other suggestions? Also what aobut them love handles?

 

Martial arts, my friend. FWIW - I'm into Shaolin Kung Fu. Put your heart into it, work hard, and the pounds will drop rapidly. Maintain your healthy eating regimen. You will get very strong and with a lean muscle mass. Low body fat percentage. Of course, I'm not even mentioning the wealth of other benefits that you get with your training. Good luck to you.

Chris.

 

Chris,

At my age and lifestyle, martial arts is really not a viable option. I appreciate the help though.

 

You will not lose fat in a particular area by target training the muscle groups underneath. Don't undercut the values of developing more muscle mass. More muscle mass means you burn more calories at rest, meaning it will be easier for you to lose fat and maintain your physique.

You gotta hit the gym, man.

I'll will tell you the single best way to get in shape. Find a workout buddy. It's a lot easier to stay motivated when someone else is also depending on you to show up at the gym every day. Each of you should set your goals and you should help each other work toward those goals. It's a lot more fun to go to the gym when you have someone to make inappropriate remarks to about attractive female gym patrons (or just bs with).

Also, seek professional help where you can. A lot of trainers are also nutritionists and they can give you some good advice about how to adjust your diet. If you're on a budget, just get a training session once a month or so. Take good notes afterwards and start to build a good database to review later of what you take away from those sessions.

 

Best advice I've seen.

Run up your metabolism, weight work will help that. Burn more fat, get leaner and stronger.

Then gril your trainer for suggestions. TC is right, many know a lot about nutrition, and if they don't someone else in the gym does, and they'll point you there for the next visit.

Good luck. Keep working, you'll get there.