i can't recommend spinning enough!

And wheat bread!!

Based on my experience, I beg to differ. I find that alternating between moderate and speedy bursts is hard on the body. It promotes joint injury, and muscle pain. I ended up having to stop exercising to let my body heal, and I was unable to burn excess weight that was in my mid-section.

What worked for me is to eat a low-fat diet, and practice consistent, low-impact cardio. For me, this was about 30 to 40 minutes of LIGHT jogging (not running) about twice a week (I do other exercises, too, like weight training and dancing on other days, but for cardio, I do light jogging). I have no injuries whatsoever. I've been working-out like this for a few years.

My core (abs and back) is tight and defined. I have a natural corset. This is remarkable because when I have excess weight, it goes straight to my mid-section (when I'm overweight, I'm naturally apple-shaped). When I'm fit and lean (no excess weight), I'm a true hourglass (34-24-34). Yes, I've been on both sides of the fence -- over-weight and fit. Without a doubt, being fit is better for me.

Spin is amazing. it becomes very addictive, I have a major love/hate relationship with it. (and it is awesome for interval training.)

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT cardio) on the stairmill is a staple of my exercise routine. Also, I superset my weight lifting sessions every few sessions. Fat doesn't stand a chance against this combination.

After HIIT, I feel euphoric and accomplished. It works well for me because I'm able to work towards a goal by continually adding another interval or another type of challenge to the routine.

i agree that intervals work AWESOME, they got me through a major slump in my training a while back. but I don't know about the study here. Women that did 40 min of steady workout GAINED weight?????

I LOVE cycle classes for this reason. When the instructor yells sprint, I sprint! And when they say bring it back, you bet I'm slowing it down to my mod pace.

I also love doing the intervals along to the music I listen to. Sometimes I have 2 songs of fast paced music back to back so i keep the sprint going and once that slow or relazing song comes on I'm all over it.

i agree - i don't understand either .... fit - how is it that a women that does 40 minutes of steady workout GAINS weight?

Lavine-

When you do a cardio session at the same pace the whole time, your body goes into what is called steady state. Your body adjusts itself to the speed you are going and conserves energy. By shocking the body, you avoid this and burn more calories and fat.

To lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you take in.

That's it.

I'm definitely down with intervals, but for some reason spin classes always give me panic attacks. It's weird, I know, but it's a psychological response to the super fast heart rate.

THANK YOU! for this. i'm one of those 30-60 minute straight cyclers and not that i have a 'muffin top' or anything, but i always wonder why i'm not losing more, so now i'm going to shorten my time on the bike, and do sprints i hope this works!

What about cardio workouts that steadily incline such as a hill training session on a bike or a treadmill? You begin to work harder everytime that an incline occurs. Does work as well as Interval training or not?

I try to sprint for 10 secnds and then walk for about 20 in intervals for 10 minutes at a time... it works great when I can stick to it. I also use chitin at meals and a metabolism booster called Tfuel for working out, gets my heart rate up and works wonderfully. That combined is my result maker.

Requires dedication, most people give up before results happen.

The exercise is great of course, but the easiest way to lose weight is to eliminate sugar from your diet. I'm telling you it works. Try it for a month and see what happens. Now nearly everything is processed with sugar, so you have to read the labels. Now you probably think, "I don't eat that much sugar anyway". I'm tell'n ya, try to stay off it, it really works and it hurts.

No matter what your choice in workout is, 90% of losing weight comes down to what you put in your body. I highly recommend the book "Muscle Chow." I've tried most and I beleive this to be the best source out there! I've found what works for me is a fairly intense weight workout and light cardio. Usually walking or swimming laps. Not every plan is ideal for everyone. The key is to find what works for you and gradually make changes and improvements to it!

Interval training is where it's at! It works, it's easy and it works. Try combining it with weights...long, slow work outs increase appetite, waste time and do not work. Just look around the gym and see for yourself. I've 45 years old, 5'10" and a size 4 or 6. Try Body for Life, the original version, if you want real results!

I'v lost 100 pounds by doing much of the above. You can definitely gain weight in the beginning. Muscle weighs more than fat, so before fat begins to burn off (by diet and exercise). My biggest mistake is that I barely ate, my metabolism hit rock bottom, and I never lost weight. I had to completely turn my entire lifestyle around. Even though I wear a size six, I weight 145 lbs. My doctor told me it's all muscle weight. My only complaint is that when I lost weight, I lost other things and gained a lot of extra skin. If you put your mind to it, set small goals at a time for yourself, have will-power and change your lifestyle....how you eat....serving sizes....you can do what I have been able to do.

I think this work out works but it takes dedication and if you get tired easily start out with only 15 minutes instead of 30. its better to pace yourself then get hurt.

In January I was 324lbs. and this morning I weighed in at 258. I do a little bit of everything interval bike riding, running for 20-30 min. and even using a row machine. These cardio activities mixed with weight training have worked wonders. The key is consistency, you can't work out twice every couple weeks and expect to see results.

Your eating habits are important as well. Don't look at it as a "diet", look at it as a life style change. Like someone said earlier you HAVE to burn more calories than you take in. You have to burn 3,500 caleries to lose a pound. Try to have a 500 calorie deficit a day and you'll lose a pound a week.

Good Luck folks

I agree with mapdiemer; I had to strength train to get the weight off. I did a light run for cardio but nothing over two miles to prevent damage to knees and ankles; it's the only cardio that works for me. I tried working out for months with kickboxing and other tapes for 40-60 minutes and although I felt a little more toned, it didn't do a lot for me. With weight training and running I went from a size 12 to a size 4 in six months. Just like less100, when I was a size 6 I weighed 145lbs too at 5' 7 1/2" due to muscle. Then I went through several traumatic experiences and stopped working out and now I'm starting all over again. Ugh.

I beg to differ when you say that muscle weighs more than fat. Actually, they both weigh the same, it's just that fat is not evenly distributed (dimpling), and muscle is more dense and lean, and when a person has more muscle than fat on their body, they look leaner. However, they can still weigh the same as someone who has more fat on their body than lean muscle mass. So, when you "gain muscle weight", you're not really gaining weight; you're losing fat and replacing with muscle, therefore, you lose inches and look thinner without moving the numbers on the scale. IF you don't believe me, you can research it on the internet, or ask any personal trainer. Or you can take a pound of fat and weigh it alongside a pound of muscle and I guarantee you'll understand this better. And, it is what you eat and how much of it. You can do all of the interval training you want, but if you're not eating a low-fat diet and drinking your 8 glasses of H2O, it won't work. I tell this to my personal training clients and my members all of the time. But interval training DOES work as long as you're doing it properly and dieting.

i get discouraged when i don't see results within a couple of weeks and i'm talking about numbers. I joined the gym earlier this year, was going 5 days a week and cardio 30-40 minutes a day with strength training, dieting, drinking lots of water and not eating anything too late. What happened?? NOTHING!! Well except, shin splints and ended up not walking on the treadmill as fast. When i do something like to jump in head first and if there are results i continue if not....i quit. i don't know how to just change things in moderation. any tips??

Seconding what Sammath said. Sugar is huge! Cut out the sugar alone and you will probably see results. Combine that with some moderate exercise and you WILL loose weight. Sugar is evil. It's hard but you can kick the habit. Good Luck!

TRY MIDDLE EASTERN DANCE (( BELLYDANING ))

ITS A GREAT WAY TO WORK OUT.. TRUST ME!!

is the same thing true for doing intervals of cardio and strength training? i do a workout dvd that does 3 or 4 minutes of high intensity cardio with 3 or 4 minutes of strength training alternating for 30 minutes. does that have the same benefits???

Hahah, yes a pound of fat and a pound of muscle are going to weigh the same because they are each one pound! Muscle does in fact weigh more than fat because it is more dense. If you took the same volume of both and weighed them the muscle would weigh more.

SM1997,

I AM THE SAME WAY...I TEND TO GET UPSET WHEN I DONT SEE RESULTS RIGHT AWAY AND MANY TIMES I JUST GAVE UP....BUT YOU KNOW WHAT...THATS JUST NOT GONNA CUT IT....IF YOU DONT SEE RESULTS YOU GOTTA JUST STICK WITH IT AND FIND SOMETHING THAT CAN MODIVATE YOU...I EXPECIALLY LIKE TO HAVE A FRIEND WITH ME EVERYTIME I GO WORK OUT....IT DEFINITELY HELPS ALOT...WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE ALONG WITH YOU KEEPING YOU FOCUSED IN WHAT YOUR TRYING TO DO AND WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHEIVE IT HELPS ALOT...

I love to spin. Setting up the bike to fit you is very important. I also think that each person responds differently to certain diets and exercise programs.

It is also good to change up the cardio and weight training in order to shock the body. Muscle burns fat so it is very important to maintain it. I do light weights with heavey repititions. Weight bearing excercises are also great for women and maintaining our bones.

I primarily spin as I broke my foot. Running just hurts. When Ispin I work not only my legs, hamstrings, glutes but also my core.

I also ignore the scale and base any results on the way my clothes fit. It's about the inches and the tone of the muscle.

Variety is the spice of life so I may have to go on a nature hike.

To clarify on #24 / phttnessfiend - true, a pound of muscle weighs the same as pound of fat. The difference is that muscle is twice as dense per square inch as fat. Thus, with the same volume, muscle weighs more than fat.

And for that same reason, a person with 10% body fat at 5'10", 175lbs will look way more lean than the same person at 5'10", 175 lbs with 30% body fat.

Im feeling the same way. Ive been working out for almost a month and its the same number on the scale! Im really getting discouraged ugh! I workout five times a week for an hour on the tredmill and i watch wat I intake during meals and its the same number on the scale.. Someone PLEASE HELP!!!

andygurl63,

Hey gurl...yeah i understand it gets really frustrating after a while...beleive me...i know it sucks but you just gotta keep trying...if you think about it, thats the only way your gonna get anywhere...if you give up because you dont see results then what were you doing all that hard work for ya know..then it would have all been just a waste of time.....keep goin gurl..i know you can do it....because the results will come...i mean i lost 40lbs since february just from working at my job....now if i can lose 40lbs just from working then i know you can lose it from actually working out...

Change it up andygurl63. Do alternate days of cardio/abs and then on the other days work with light weights/heavy repitions.

You may also consider talking to a trainer at the gym if that is where you are working out.

Your body is telling you that it needs something different in order to respond. Try different cardio machines or classes like pilates.

Another good way to rev up your metabolism is to eat 5 small meals a day. This keeps your sugar level constant and your body will not go into starvation mode. I also have a small, light snack in the early evening.

Avoid high sugar fruits and juices. Mangos, oranges can sometimes sneak up on you. Apples are great for you. I will eat banana for the potassium and quick energy.

DO NOT get discouraged!

sm1997 & andygurl63 - don't give up. keep going! good luck!

i didn't see much change for the first couple months of consistent working out & healthy diet...minimal processed foods.
1st month: an 1hr of cardio,
2nd month: cardio & strength training,
3rd month: @least 40min cardio, yoga classes & the stepmill 30-40min, 4-5x/wk.

i was getting discouraged, then suddenly 2-3 sizes seem to disappear! that's alot because i'm only 5' tall! i feel so good, it was worth the work/wait for the big drop!

i'm going to do interval training to lose the last unwanted 5 pounds.

good call julie08!

sm1997 & andygurl63 -

i was eating a lot of fruits...TOO many at first, since it was the summertime. maybe that's why it took 3 months for the first noticeable difference...

My thoughts on the 40 minute thing is based upon a understanding that the body produces growth hormone for approximately 30 minutes in increasing and finally a decreasing beneficial amount after the 30 mintures you start to burn into the stored glycogen in the pancreas and course in the blood, generally people have tendency to desire more fatty foods after that much workout and course have greater appetite as the wearing on the bodys energy system makes us think we are hungrier than we really are thereby exceeding the required calories and / or nutrients for healing this overabundance is unused and after cooldown and or when we are sleeping at night it tends to bolster stress claims that are shown by the cortisol levels in the body, which of course converts to fat especially the midsection which has tendency to always be involved most forms of exercise, after a workout most midsections are the first to exclaim " I am so stressed out man!!" but anyways the reason why interval training is so effective is for the 20 minutes you get the most beneficial and spiked output of growth hormone and with the rest intervals and the all out output, more fast twitch muscle fibers are recruited during such a workout, the 40 minute dealio is only recruiting the slow twitch as the energy is more modulated and not accepted by the body as contunual increasing output, so it decides it only needs the slow twitch, now a 40 minute circuit training program would have the desired effect as varying degrees of movement will keep the body guessing, and when you say circuit training you might as well say interval training. Tadaaaaaa!!!

Thanks guys so much i feel inspired!!! lol! I most certainly wont give up but some days like these get realli difficult for me..Thanks for the encouraging responses! O and one more question how do u lose stubborn belly fat bc I see a slight change in my thighs and i have lost inches but this fat around my stomach seem 2b going nowhere! lol

to sm1997, try going very low carb. after 6 mos of killing myself w/diet and a rigid workout routine w/cardio & wts, burning a min of 3500 cal/wk, i only lost 10 lbs. very discouraging because i was trying so hard. however, i've since found out i have hyperinsulinism. my body does not like carbs, at all. to stay motivated i log my wt every day, and if i cheat even a little, like a couple drinks w/dinner, the scale will go up nearly 2 lbs the next morning. i have a ton of allergies, had shots for most of my life, and since giving up sugar/all carbs, my allergies have improved 95%, haven't been sick once, and, all my aches & pains have gone away! oh, and no pms give it a try for a month and see what happens. heck, give up carbs for 4 days and see what happens. anyone can commit to 4 days. lots of meal ideas out there, like a crustless quiche for breakfast, and a starbucks breve latte...will keep you full/satisfied for a very long time. try it.

andygurl63. Prevention magazine has a new eating program out that works on belly fat. With it you: 1) reduce calories 2) greatly reduce saturated fat 3) replace some of that fat with monounsaturated fat. The reasoning is this: your body only burns old fat, so you must eat some fat with each meal. MUFA's (monounsaturated fats) do not build up in your blood vessels or anywhere in your body like saturated fats do. So as you eat MUFA's your body starts to burn the old (saturated) fat without adding any new fat to your body. Because fats are high in calories, you can't eat too much and still keep your caloric count low, which means you will have to count calorie's for a while until you get into the swing of eating differently.
Those who advocate low sugar are right up to a point. Greatly limit your refined sugar. Those are empty calories and add to your daily caloric count really fast, without adding anything nutritious. And the extra calories are stored as fat. You can really start to crave sweets if your body is not given the proper vitamins and minerals that it needs to function.
The easiest way to start this way of eating is to get the book from Prevention. I think it is called "The flat belly diet," and their magazine features recipes each month that are low in calories and saturated fat, add the MUFA's that you need to start losing fat.
One other thing on this: fat is essential to your body; you need it to enable digestion of many vitamins, so going completely fat free or vastly limiting fats can be dangerous.
As I recall, they say not to look at a scale when you start on this program. Write your measurements (bust, chest, abs, stomach, hips, thighs) and every few days measure again. The numbers go down slowly, but they do go down; and even seeing 1/2 inch less somewhere in a week gives you the encouragement to keep going.
I hope it works for you!

Alright. A Lot of this is true but you really have to face the problem head on.

Exercise frequently. That means several times a week.
Include cardio exercise but also include full body lifts such as squats and lunges. Simple weight training exercises will really boost the results. If you are shooting to be slim and fit, do light weight (something you can do 12-15 reps of) and do interval training only resting about 30-60 seconds between each set. This will led to burning more calories. Lifting burns more calories than running does* but don't ease out of doing cardio it hits the core hard and promotes better health than just weight training.

Eat Healthy. And be honest with yourself.
What you do after you work out is worth more than the workout yourself. If you go for a run and then come back to a bag of chips and a soda you are working for nothing. For one drop soda completely. And drop most of fruit juices. Both are full of sugar and not necessary especially soda. If you are reading this go throw away your soda it is the worst thing you can drink. Anyway come back to a lean source of protein, low fat, and low carbs. Sounds kind of hard but not really. Prepare a grilled chicken sandwich or eat a bunch of vegetables. With vegetables you can never really go wrong. Drink plenty of water*. Actually count the number of calories you eat in a day too. Try to drop 500 or so calories a day. That doesn't mean skip a meal but just put less dressing on your salad or don't drink that soda. Make sure everything you eat is worth it too. Look at nutrition facts look for rich sources of vitamins and minerals. If you are going to eat make it quality. Also go from eating just 3 meals a day to eating 6. Eat a breakfast around 500 calories to get your day going and then a few hours later and a few hours before lunch eat a snack. Not a bag of chips but something like an apple and a two pieces of cheese. Eat another 500 calorie lunch and then another little healthy snack. By this point your should have like 1200-1400 calories. For dinner limit yourself. This is one of the most overeaten meals of the day. Go for something that again is around 500 calories. Later on a few hours before you go to bed eat a piece of fruit or some vegetables to hold you off until the morning. If you get an urge to eat later on always grab vegetables or drink cold water. Cold water will fill you up and leave nothing behind.

Take charge of your life. It isn't hard to stay away from bad choices. Just get up, exercise, and keep your goals in focus. Every mistake or "cheat" puts your back a step.

Don't get discouraged! I've lost 32 pounds since the beginning of June. I did it mainly by diet. I've been using the elliptical 5 times a week for 30 minutes for a month. So I'm a firm believer that 95% of weight loss is diet!

SusieQtee.. that's interesting. I can have a few drinks or even a big meal and the scale jumps up the next day and then takes a few days to even back out. I don't eat low-carb, and my weight loss has been successful anyway. I'd like to know more about this. Thanks!

spinning all the way, best for interval training, could not recommend it more. I do this at least once a week I wish I could do it more often, but no time

yesss i just (re) learned in my anatomy class that interval training is probably the best way your cells metabolize and catabolize fats.