[Nojeel]

Thanks for this thread! I've been wanting to lose fat/weight for the past 4 months but I've been stuck on a plateau.

I'm 5'3" and weight around 130 lbs. I lost about 30 - 35 lbs from August - December of last year. Ever since then, I've been on a plateau and I KNOW I need to hit the gym to lose the excess weight. My ideal weight is 100 - 105 lbs. But b/c I have school + work going to the gym doesn't seem very possible.

You said that to lose fat, I need to burn more calories than I take in. Let's say I drop ~500 calories daily from my diet. I should be able to lose at least 1 lb in 2 weeks right? Would I be able to lose the 'fat' instead of just body weight? B/c I've realized that I can lose as much weight but if my fat's still here, it won't make much of a difference.

Since I know I need to incorporate some kind of exercise, I decided to do jumprope. How many sets/reps would you recommend and should I do jump rope while going in circles, going forward etc? I want to lose 20 lbs by July, but it's just I'm at a plateau right now

You'll just be dropping weight, not burning fat. Therefore you will not look that much slimmer say for instance you lost 5 pds. But if you dropped that 5 pds and gained 3-5pds of muscle, you'll look drastically different.

You must incorporate weight training, but since your having time issues, basically the best thing for you is to do aerobic workouts at home. Jump roping is great, don't do circles, changing speed and jumps will do just fine. Any sets on a regular basis you should do 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps generally. (You can change this depending on what goals your setting, i.e. gaining more muscle, bulking up, etc.)

Remember, eating habits are very important, have you been pretty stubborn on your diet?

Thanks for the answers! I love naps! I've heard many things about creatine.. some bad some good, is there a brand/flavor that you'd suggest?

Also (I know this is a broad question) but can you suggest a few fruits/vegetables that would promote great health/help with muscles(gain, soreness, fatigue, etc.)

Creatine, I recommend N.O explode, Cell-tech regular or hardcore(the latter is which I'm currently using), Xyience NOx-CG2. Are my personal favorites, but you can look up reviews for other creatine brands as well =)

Try not to eat a HUGE amount of fruits, they contain alot of sugar (even though their natural) I like to stick to mandarin oranges and a medium sized banana on some of my splurge days All vegtables are great for you actually, but broccolli is best, it's high in vitamin c and great source of fiber. Nuts are a good thing occasionally, especially almonds, yogurt for example (fat free may I add) I can go on and on. hope this helped

I`m 5'9", female, and I weigh 140 lbs. (gah). So according to that calculator you posted, my BMI is 20.7, and I`ve also had my BF calculated.. it`s 30% (that`s kinda sad.. ha). I know I don`t need to lose weight, because I`m in the healthy range, but I`m all flab. How do I tone my whole body? Like yoga or kickboxing or something?? Thanks in advance!!

Weight training with aerobic exercise and a strict diet

Yoga is great for flexiblity and kickboxing is a great cardio work, and you learn to kick ass ha!

OMG this is freakin awesome!! ahah okay I have a couple..........okay A LOT of questions , hope it's not a bother to answer them

So I'm korean 17 female
height: 5'9"
Weight:.......... 197 yeah I know oink! oink! lol
My body type is broader shoulders and smaller legs?? hahah yeah just like imagine a triangle upside

Anyway I just CANNOT seem to lose weight. No matter how much I cut back. I recently started eating breakfast b/c ppl always say breakfast is soooo important and it helps your metabolism or something

I run 2 miles on the treadmill at least 4 times a week, and my gym teacher told me that for the first 20 minutes you're only burning the carbs you ate, and then after that you starting burning fat. Is that true?

After running I TRY to life weights lol. Like leg/thigh machines and bicep curls or w/e they're called.

I tried pilates and liked it but just not doing right now.

My gym teacher also told me that doing activites that you normally don't do on a daily basis helps you lose weight. Like if a someones a dancer, even though they dance like eveyday their body gets use to it so it doesn't make them lose weight.But if they also included stuff like running and biking, it would help them lose weight b/c their body is now use to is. I'm not sure of this information b/c I'm not an expert but it makes sense right?

I don't eat junk food. Like I know that's heard to believe b/c when ppl see a fat person they automatically think that they eat at Mickey D's or something everyday. But honestly I'm not like that. My problem was that I use to eat really large portions but they now I eat a average amount.

Like what activites should I include to help me burn the fat??
Also like what foods should I be eating more??
Like I want to lose the weight first but can I also tone up while losing weight?? I know that my body weight will be heavier b/c muscle is heavier, but as long as you look fit and lean who cares about the number you weigh!! hahah

I REALLY want to lose the fat b/c seriously like ALL MY WEIGHT is on my BELLY!! and like prom and summer is coming so its like

I know this whole thing is one big mess SORRY!!!!!

Lol, your fine, don't worry about it. That's what I'm here for

Well first off, your P.E teacher is mostly correct, she's generally informed. Except for the whole 20min thing where you only burn the calories you ate. That really depends on how much calorie you consumed, get it? =)

If you like activities, be active. For instance if you like sports, choose a sport which you think you'll enjoy but will not get easily bored with. You need to weight train and incoporate a strong diet with cardiovascular activity to lose weight.

The foods you need to eat is alot of slow-digesting carbs throughout the day w/ protein and fiber. You really need to eat 6-7 times a day, small mealed portions I may add to increase/boost and keep up your metabolism. Your regular diets should consist of beef, chicken, egg whites, wheat, soy, whey, vegetables, and especially fish. Take multivitamins ( I personally take Centrum Performance), and drink LOTS OF WATER. Hope this was some help

Wow um thanks for doing this! I'm a girl, and I want to lose weight/get in shape in the comfort of my own home..is this possible? (Like say..a good excuse to get a wii...xD)

I'm not sure if you would need my stats but: 5' 1"/30-35% body fat (yes its high xD)/last time it was 116lbs but its likely to be 120lbs now.

I don't have an ideal weight, I just want to shed some inches around my somewhat thick thighs (and knees..that gross bulgeee >.<), waist, and arms.

The only exercise I've been having so far is dance practice once a week for around 2 to 3 hrs. Thank you so muchh! xD

Since your limiting to being home only. I suggest you do 'natural workouts' open squats, push ups, situps, crunches since you dont' have the neccessary equipment to aid you. Since your focused around your thighs/legs. Squats are a great thing for you, it targets your butt, hamstring and quads. Buy you some resistance bands to help tone your arms, and a yoga mat for your crunches, I prefer that then rather lay on carpet ya know. Hope this was some help.

If you mean the "Calories from fat" versus the Total Fat X grams, then yeah it's essentially telling you how fat there is in that food but in different units. 1 gram of fat is equal to 9 Calories. For example, if a food has 36 calories from fat, then you know that there are 4 grams of fat in that food. The calories from fat, carbs, protein add up together to give you the total calories.

Nojeel, what are your thoughts on HIIT for cardio? I've read good stuff about it, I figured it would be recommended already but hasn't.

Hi nymph.

HIIT is a great cardio based program, I'm glad you brought that up. Basically I didn't mention it because I really consider it an advnaced workout technique and it's something I think you should start gradually/slowly into. doing this 'high intensity interval training' can actually be very beneficial but I myself personally have not been on this type of program so I can't give you my honest opinions about it. I have colleagues that have performed some of the type of workouts, they seemed to enjoy it. If you want a ltitle more information on it, PM me, I'll tell what I know

Do you recommend working out in the morning or at night or maybe in the evenings? And why?

Yesterday was my first day at gym..I HAD ALMOST NO STAMINA..I aimed to lose 1000 cals per visit but only could lose 520 yesterday due to fatigue..

Anyways, I woke up today and felt like someone punched my body all over..Is that normal? BTW, I came back from gym yesterday at 9.00 pm.

Thanks much.

lol, dont' worry, it's perfectly normal. You haven't exercised in a long time obviously so your body is very fatigued after your workout. Your body is tired and basically telling you "what the hell did you do to me!?" haha

It doesn't matter what time of day you work out, it all depends on your schedule. However it is important to eat some slow digesting carbs 45min-1hr before you engage in your activities. And immediately after workout, consume some fast digesting carbs.

Hey awesome topic you made!
So im a Male who is kinda (ok really) out of shape and overweight. I really want to get of all this excess weight and get back into shape. Since summer is coming near I was wondering if you could tell me how many calories I should be intaking every day (of course with healthy food and none of the junk food im use to >.<) and if you know good exercises or things to do to help loose fat/tone in my stomach/Chest area. I plan to run atleast 2 miles a day and try to hit the gym as much as I can.

This is one of my fav calculator. Use this to lay the groundworks.

http://www.muscletech.com/CALCULATORS/CALO...ator.shtml?text

Chest workouts: Flat barbell/dumbell press, incline dumbell/barbell press, guillotines, pullovers, cable flies, dumbell flies, overlay cables, forward dips, alligator pushups, etc. If you need form advice on any particular workout, I'll send you some links with pictures and video motion.

[Brusky]

Glad to have someone else in this forum who actually understands the mechanics of the body. Great info bro; glad to see you helping dismiss a lot of the misconceptions and myths about health and fitness.

Anyway, I'm sure you work out often and since I haven't really noticed any guys posting in here, just wondering what your stats are: height, weight, max bench lifts, etc. I'm a bit of a health-nut myself, but I don't post in here much anymore.

[Nojeel]

For the ectomorph body type (for me, currently around 5'8"-5'11" and 128-132 lbs), would it be better to have a few large meals or many small ones?

If I were to go for a many small meals approach, would something like...

09:00 - Two "Activia" Peach Yogurts
11:00 - Tuna/Salmon (seasoned with a little Salt and Korean Red Pepper Powder), Rice, two Boiled Eggs, Water
01:00 - Two Slices of Whole Wheat Bread with Peanut Butter, Water
03:00 - Whey Protein Drink
05:00 - Corn Flakes in 1% Milk, Orange Juice (After Exercise from 4:00 to 5:00)
07:00 - Steak (seasoned with a little Salt and Pepper), Rice, Kimchi, Seasoned Seaweed, Plain Baked Potato, Water

...get the job done? Or would I need to eat more/less?
One thing about this answer confused me a bit...maybe because I didn't word my original question properly? When I wrote that the left side of my abdominal muscles was larger than the right, I really should have wrote that the left side of the rectus abdominis was larger than the right side of the rectus abdominis, which would mean that the asymmetry occurs within a single muscle, rather than a group of muscles. The obliques and transverse abdominis of each side seem to be equal in size, for the most part.

Is it possible to work specific muscle fibers or parts of fibers in a muscle? That seems to be the only solution unless the growth of the muscle fibers of the right side of the "six pack" will eventually catch up with the left side over time. Also, would it be possible to specifically target the lower end of the biceps and the interior ends of the pectorals too then? I'd probably put off exercises that concentrate on specific parts until I have built up a good amount of mass, but it would be good to know that I can improve upon anything I'm not 100% happy with later on.

Thanks for all the advice and pointers, I really appreciate it.

Noooo, don't eat few large meals, stick to small portioned meals. Your body will have difficulty breaking down the food. That's why you eat smaller meals so you body can easily break down the food, thus increasing your metabolism =)

Steak is a good source of protein, but honestly, Unless your trying to pack on a huge amount of mass, steak will give you extra fat your not looking for if you trying to get more defined. But in all honestly, when I'm in my mass program or my cut program, I always stick with lean, boneless skinless chicken and egg whites.

If your saying one side of your abdominals has more muscle density then the other side? Honestly that's the first time I've heard of that your rectus abdominis is one large muscle group comprised of different sections, but it's one whole muscle 'group' aside from the obliques. That's honestly new to me, in all honestly I really don't have an answer for that except if you want more muscle density for you abs in general, hook up some ankle weight and do leg raises with them, or do some plate crunches on a decline bench or roman chair situps. =) hope this helped a bit.

[Nojeel]

Glad to have someone else in this forum who actually understands the mechanics of the body. Great info bro; glad to see you helping dismiss a lot of the misconceptions and myths about health and fitness.

Anyway, I'm sure you work out often and since I haven't really noticed any guys posting in here, just wondering what your stats are: height, weight, max bench lifts, etc. I'm a bit of a health-nut myself, but I don't post in here much anymore.

I'm glad to see a fellow enthusiast as well, pleasure to meet you.

Your compliment is flattering, thank you. I don't know everything about weight training or nutrition, but everything I know will definately be passed to all the peeps with all the knowledge I do have.

My stats currently:

134pds natural, I can cut down to as much as 124-127pds without muscle loss.
Bench: 255pds 1RM
Deadlift: 355pds 1RM
Squat: 275pds 1RM
Barbell Curl: 105pds 3-4reps
Clean & Jerk: 205pds 1RM
Snatch: 175pds 1RM

I have actually don't do thesnatch or clean+ clean & jerk anymore. and yourself?

1)what do you think of HIIT for me? should i do it? try it?

2) the notorious talk about fasted cardio in the morning, what do you say about it? effective?

3) could you give me a week training schedule i could possibly follow?

thanks for the feedback. i really appreciate it.

Similar question from before HIIT is a program I think it's fairly advanced. If you been training for a while, go ahead, let me know how it goes

Not every morning, I suggest cardio should be hit in conjunction with as the same time you do your weight training, if you have the time to do then you should try it. Honestly I have not done that method so I do not have a personal opinion on that subject mattter, sorry.

Here's something to get your get your feet wet with =)

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/matt88.htm

[untungl]

Your comment isn't really related to my original question. If you like trolling, fine, but at least make sense

Sorry, I guess I'm the only one who doesn't work out best when he's feeling sick from having just eaten before hitting the gym or having not eaten in a while. My response was a more heuristic one. How are you going to perform when that food is wanting to come back up halfway through your workout? How about when your body doesn't have any food in it and has to get energy from SOMETHING (ie: your muscles: catabolism. check it out)? If you want to be spoonfed answers, that's great and all, but you shouldn't get angry when someone tries to point you in the right direction. There's tons of stuff to read on the interwebs.

One thing he also didn't mention, if your workout is longer than an hour (for whatever reason) you should bring a shake or a protein snack to eat in between otherwise your body will start consuming your muscles.

Happy?

[Nojeel]

okay i saw this comment in the get healthy by summer thread and i wondering if that was true....

Basically what he's saying is if you eat large amount of food, whatever excess calories you do not burn off will be stored as fat and slow down your metabolism. That's what it means =)

[Brusky]

I'm glad to see a fellow enthusiast as well, pleasure to meet you.

Your compliment is flattering, thank you. I don't know everything about weight training or nutrition, but everything I know will definately be passed to all the peeps with all the knowledge I do have.

My stats currently:

134pds natural, I can cut down to as much as 124-127pds without muscle loss.
Bench: 255pds 1RM
Deadlift: 355pds 1RM
Squat: 275pds 1RM
Barbell Curl: 105pds 3-4reps
Clean & Jerk: 205pds 1RM
Snatch: 175pds 1RM

I have actually don't do thesnatch or clean+ clean & jerk anymore. and yourself?

You're strong for your weight bro, no doubt. Nice job. How tall are you btw?

I'm 5'10 @ 160lbs @ ~10%bf, but trying to get back to 170 @ 8%. My 1RM on the bench is 255 too, but I haven't tried anymore (no one to spot me =T). I don't do deads or squats =X haha so as you can imagine bulking is a bit tougher for me (not to mention that I put in at least 7-8hrs of cardio/week). I'd rather be all-around than just endurance or strength though. My best on the barbell curl is 110x2.

[Nojeel]

mmm question =]

is it better two exercise once throughout the day...or twice..? say both for 60 minutes..? so two sessions of 30 minues better than just 60 minutes? =]

It really depends on your schedule and your level of fitness. If your just a average, once a day is plenty enough, no need to overtrain yourself. =)

[pawlineeee]

Hi, I was wondering...what would be the fastest way to skinny-fy my calves (:

[Nojeel]

You're strong for your weight bro, no doubt. Nice job. How tall are you btw?

I'm 5'10 @ 160lbs @ ~10%bf, but trying to get back to 170 @ 8%. My 1RM on the bench is 255 too, but I haven't tried anymore (no one to spot me =T). I don't do deads or squats =X haha so as you can imagine bulking is a bit tougher for me (not to mention that I put in at least 7-8hrs of cardio/week). I'd rather be all-around than just endurance or strength though. My best on the barbell curl is 110x2.

Impressive stats no doubt brah

Sorry, wish i was as tall as you haha, I'm 5'5. I'm a true ectomorph so it's really difficult for me to gain any mass, thus my strength can increase while not packing on mass. I'm a true hardgainer, bust my ass everyday =)

Hi, I was wondering...what would be the fastest way to skinny-fy my calves (:

Calf raises. Also while doing these, rotate your feet outward for one set, inward the next, then straight out forward, adding a little variety won't help. 3-4 sets to 12-16 reps should work for you

Oh wow I never noticed this topic before. It's awesome that you're putting your precious time in and help us.
So need a little advice. I hope you can help me with.

I'm 19 years old/ female/ weight 103lbs/ about 5 feet 2.5 in tall

I'm actually pretty tone before but I stop working out for a long period of time. So a lot of my muscles turned into fat. I started working out again a few months ago and now my body is really tone. However, I can't seem to get rid of the excess fat on my tummy. It's actually pretty flat and I can tell the muscles are under it. But it bother me so much because there's still a layer of fat there and it's so hard to get rid of. I usually do yoga, taebo, and a few reps of crunches for my workout. So is there any other thing I should do differently?

Once again thank you so much for your help! =)

Excess fat on your tummy? To actually to get your lower abdominals to 'show' out to the world, just up your difficulty level on your cardio and you should be there in no time

[swtyujah012]

I've been working out consistently for the past two weeks. Mainly running though. My friend said for weight loss, I should power walk instead of running. With running, I have seen some results, in terms of losing 5 pounds. So, is she right, or should i just continue my running?
Also, what's the best why to flatten my stomach?

[Nojeel]

how do you lose weight on your calves and the back of the arms.
most of my calves are muscles though

my stomach and thys are very toned from me working out like hell with yoga, but my thighs are just as big as my calves and looks very odd.
my calves used to be very thin but as time passed they seemd to get bigger.

my arms-- they never get smaller- i worked them out once and it got really hard, but stayed large.

is there any way to reduce the size of the arm(around shoulder) and calves?

You need to tone up by moderately lifting weights with cardio. As I always asked with everyone, are you pretty stict on your diet. Dieting is by no means easy and I understand that's why I always have to ask this question

Lift weights where you can do about 12-16 reps with strict form for 3-4 sets. Do cardiovascular activity with a stubborn diet and your good to go.

I've been working out consistently for the past two weeks. Mainly running though. My friend said for weight loss, I should power walk instead of running. With running, I have seen some results, in terms of losing 5 pounds. So, is she right, or should i just continue my running?
Also, what's the best why to flatten my stomach?

With powerwalking, your wind up burning more calories cause your walking for a couple hours rather then running for a about 15-30min. There both cardiovascular activity and they both work well. Power walking actually is better on an incline on a treadmill then running on flat ground.

Best way to flatten your stomach? Do ab workouts, watch your diet and do aerobic exercises

[itrayya]

wow!!!! you really impressed me.
you answered every post. that's so amazing grace how sweet the sound!

well, um... should i just dumbell?

quick: summer: lotts of volunteering, babysitting, summer school = studying, house chores, house sitting....

what are the little things i should do in that time to burn fat.
i know i have to run, maybe i can run at least once a week...
wait! maybe i can walk a marathon since i want to do volunteer work! yah!

any advices?

my targets: lose arm fat... (embarassed). and tighten tummy.

thank you!
you're totally the amazing grace how sweet the sound!!!

[thefunkz]

Thanks for doing this. Well, here's my situation: I gained 35 pounds since last August, I gotten fatter in my stomach but I have also gained ltos of muscles on my arms. But it's not in proportion with the rest of my body.

Whats the best way to develop shoulder and chest muscles and to lose the fat on my stomache and get a 4-pack or 6-pack?

Any muscle supplements you recommend?

Thanks!

[Nojeel]

wow!!!! you really impressed me.
you answered every post. that's so amazing grace how sweet the sound!

well, um... should i just dumbell?

quick: summer: lotts of volunteering, babysitting, summer school = studying, house chores, house sitting....

what are the little things i should do in that time to burn fat.
i know i have to run, maybe i can run at least once a week...
wait! maybe i can walk a marathon since i want to do volunteer work! yah!

any advices?

my targets: lose arm fat... (embarassed). and tighten tummy.

thank you!
you're totally the amazing grace how sweet the sound!!!

lol, thank you for the falttering compliment

Since you seem to be so busy, the best advice I can give you is just watch what you eat. Try to intake a few less spoonfuls, a few less grabs on candy, etc. Basically because it seems that you have absolutely no time to 'work out' but you stay active during the day so that's great news. If running is the only thing avaliable to you currently during your schedule then that's the best option. Whenever you can try and go for a run. If your stuck at home and find yourself nothing to do, do the 'natural workouts' push up, sit ups, crunches, dips, and stretching exercises. Hope this helped

Thanks for doing this. Well, here's my situation: I gained 35 pounds since last August, I gotten fatter in my stomach but I have also gained ltos of muscles on my arms. But it's not in proportion with the rest of my body.

Whats the best way to develop shoulder and chest muscles and to lose the fat on my stomache and get a 4-pack or 6-pack?

Any muscle supplements you recommend?

Thanks!

Basically to incorporate chest and shoulder workouts, there's tons out there. To get that 6pack you want (and your gonna want a six pack not a 4 ^^) you need to bulid the abdominal muscles first, then strip all that fat off with cardio. You need to be on a strict diet as you should know.

Well it seems like to me your looking for a more fat burner type of things. What I've found to be helpful is lipo6. It's a liquid gel cap fat burner, but remember to consult your doctor or a physician before you take any supplements ok, it's very important.

You can natural fat burners as well such as from caffeine, spicy food, antioxidents (i.e green tea)

[xSOOJI]

thanks for making this!

ok so here's my situation

i'm in weight training class..so i basically have to work out everyday for a good 40 minutes. so since i wanted some nice abs and all...i began to do a lot of ab workouts for a couple of months now..along with some cardio here and there. and i definately feel the musciles working in my upper tummy (its definately getting defined)...but around my bellybutton area, there's still that little layer of fat that i really want GONE. i feel like i'm working out my muscle's but its all under a layer of fat. what should i do?

here's my ideal tummy:



oh and another thing, my legs are really muscular..but i'd really like to slim them down...maybe an inch or two.


my work out these days consists of :
jumproping 10/15 min
bike/eliptical 15
abs

i'd like to drop 7 pounds so i can be about 112 lbs

[Nojeel]

thanks for making this!

ok so here's my situation

i'm in weight training class..so i basically have to work out everyday for a good 40 minutes. so since i wanted some nice abs and all...i began to do a lot of ab workouts for a couple of months now..along with some cardio here and there. and i definately feel the musciles working in my upper tummy...but around my bellybutton area, there's still that little layer of fat that i really want GONE. i feel like i'm working out my muscle's but its all under a layer of fat. what should i do?
oh and another thing, my legs are really muscular..but i'd really like to slim them down...maybe an inch or two.
my work out these days consists of :
jumproping 10/15 min
bike/eliptical 15
abs

i'd like to drop 7 pounds so i can be about 112 lbs

Lol, just do more cardio. Alot of people have a misconception that doing 2000 situps will give a nice defined midsection. But the truth is that's pointless unless you dont burn off the fat that's on top of it. Just boost your cardio and up the degree of difficulty = challenge yourself, make the workout hard, not easy, that's how you achieve your results. No pain, no gain<<< that is a very true statement.

It's good to have muscular legs. =) I'm guessing you mean you think their wide in diameter correct? Squats, leg presses, inner thigh+hip abductors will definately help, don't go too heavy on these exercises though, do a weight where you can do about 12-16reps on these. Watch your diet too, you can work out as hard as you want, but ifyour scarfing down choco pies and saewoo kkangs it's not going to help you =) good luck and I hope this helped you a bit.

[lalaloveex3]

like someone else said earlier in this thread, if i pm u pictures of myself.. could you give me suggestions on how to slim myselfff up?

[xSOOJI]

thanks man, your the best

[untungl]

oh and another thing, my legs are really muscular..but i'd really like to slim them down...maybe an inch or two.

You could also give it the ol' American Try* with a twist**.


*Sit on your ass all day and let your muscles waste away
** Maintain exercise and proper diet so those legs don't accumulate fat (which is to say, your body fat EVERYWHERE stays the same)