Lose fat before June routine...

[jamieludow]

Hi everyone i just signed up today.

I would like to lose some fat arround waist before i go on holiday in June. I have arround 4 inches to lose i think. Not too sure as waist is not fat, but i have a slight bulge just above it. Anyway i am not overly fat, but would like to get rid of a bit of a bulge from waist.

I plan to do running to get rid of this before June and will do some training with free weights too to help this. I am a pretty good runner and use to run regularly last year. I have a 2.5 mile circuit just outside house which i will be using.

I would like to know how many times a week should i run this circuit to keep fit and lose fat? I will be eating healthy untill June also.

It takes me arround 15minutes to run round once (2.5 miles) best lap was 14min55secs and it takes around 31mins to get round twice (5 miles).

I was thinking of doing the following routine:

Monday: REST
Tuesday: REST
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday:Pressups, situps + freewights
Friday: REST
Saturday: 5 miles
Sunday: Pressups, situps + free weights

Is this training routine intense enough? Will i see good enough results by June if i eat healthy too? Thtas 10 miles a week for about 18 weeks - 180 miles plus pressups, situps + free weights.

Do i need to do this much training?

Please send me your thoughts. Also what sort of diet plan should i follow to ensure i lose the fat, but dont lose muscle. I need to gain muscle and lose fat.

Please let me know.

Thanks.

[swanso5]

I plan to do running to get rid of this before June and will do some training with free weights too to help this

it should be the other way around...cardio to help out wts for fat loss

i would add another wts day...if you can squats, deadlifts, rows, benches, chin ups and shoulder presses would be the best options...ab wise try 4 point stomach vacuums and get rid of the sit ups which are mostly hip flexors anyway also try prone ab holds

[cosmikcass]

Hi there,

If I were you I would workout 6 days of the week alternating cardio and weights.
3 days of cardio: 5 mile run is best as you only start burning fat after 20 minutes
3 days of weights: alternate between upper body and lower body, as you are aiming to get rid of the bulge above your stomach, I would suggest doing more upper body than lower (legs, butt etc)

For your diet, the best thing is to make sure to eat wholegrain stuff (better for you) 5 fruits and vegs a day, protein, carbs, good fat (avocadoes, olive oil, oily fish...) it is good fat but don't over do it, you should be eating fish at least once a week, cut out on anything that is fried and steam your veggies and poach meats rather that cook them in a frying pan, some people find that 5 small meals a day works better for them than 3 big ones, so if you have a tendency to snack, I would suggest the 5 small fist size meals. Also, very important, drink a lot of water. 2 litres a day
If you get cravings or really hungry, drink some green tea or a low calorie hot drink.
If you really need something sweet I would suggest dark chocolate with over 70% of cocoa, this should stop your craving. Don't pig out though just have a few squares and if you can one.

This isn't a diet, just a healthy way of life and it should be something that you stick with forever and not only until June otherwise as soon as you stop, you will put the weight back on. Obviously, it's ok to go out to the restaurant sometimes and have a piece of that cake that looks so delicious but it should definitely be something special and very occasional.

Hope that helps
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Cassandra

[sameey70]

Hi there,

If I were you I would workout 6 days of the week alternating cardio and weights.
3 days of cardio: 5 mile run is best as you only start burning fat after 20 minutes
3 days of weights: alternate between upper body and lower body, as you are aiming to get rid of the bulge above your stomach, I would suggest doing more upper body than lower (legs, butt etc)

For your diet, the best thing is to make sure to eat wholegrain stuff (better for you) 5 fruits and vegs a day, protein, carbs, good fat (avocadoes, olive oil, oily fish...) it is good fat but don't over do it, you should be eating fish at least once a week, cut out on anything that is fried and steam your veggies and poach meats rather that cook them in a frying pan, some people find that 5 small meals a day works better for them than 3 big ones, so if you have a tendency to snack, I would suggest the 5 small fist size meals. Also, very important, drink a lot of water. 2 litres a day
If you get cravings or really hungry, drink some green tea or a low calorie hot drink.
If you really need something sweet I would suggest dark chocolate with over 70% of cocoa, this should stop your craving. Don't pig out though just have a few squares and if you can one.

This isn't a diet, just a healthy way of life and it should be something that you stick with forever and not only until June otherwise as soon as you stop, you will put the weight back on. Obviously, it's ok to go out to the restaurant sometimes and have a piece of that cake that looks so delicious but it should definitely be something special and very occasional.

Hope that helps
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Cassandra

The 20 minutes to burn fat thing is a myth. The body is constantly burning fat, even at rest. The percentage of fat burned is higher with low to moderate intensity exercise, but the body certainly doesn't wait 20min to start burning fat.

[rjenki961]

sameey70 - you say "The percentage of fat burned is higher with low to moderate intensity exercise". Can you describe "low to moderate intensity"? I do 35-40 min. each day of intervals on the treadmill and I feel like I REALLY push myself when I am on a higher incline or faster speeds. main goal is fat loss and I am not getting it. Am I working too hard?

[swanso5]

i'm the othr way than sammey where i'd rather you do it harder and get the epoc effect...basicvaslly though the type of diet you're following should dictate what type of cardio you're doing

low carb - log duration / low intensity
high carb - short duration / high intensity