Working hard with no results

[lighunt]

I am a 36 year old and I just joined a gym earlier this year. I am 5' 9" and wewigh 200 lbs. I wouldn't say that I am obese, but I have a bit extra in the mid-section that I would like to reduce. I have been going to the gym 5 days a week. routine consists of 30 minutes on the stationary bike at a moderate to quick pace burning 210-230 calories per session. I follow this with approximately 20 minutes of weights. I start on the ab crunch (3 reps 15 each @50 lbs), then move the pulldown machine (2 reps 10 each @ 110 lbs), chest press (2 reps 10 each @ 100 lbs) and usually finish with leg press (2 reps 10 each @ 100 lbs). I will sometimes add the shoulder press and bicep and triceps machines as well if time permits. I have been sticking to this workout consistently for around 2 months and I have seen no results in abs. I feel like I am building muscle in upper body, but I am not losing any fat where it counts. diet is okay. I am sure that I should be on a reduced fat diet, but I am not too sure how to put together the right diet for needs. Is routine not correct? Should I make any adjustments to routine or is diet likely where the blame lies? I am looking for any suggestions that might help.

[lighunt]

Yes

[lighunt]

Would this suggestion still be the best choice if primary goal is to burn fat? I thought that cardio burns more fat than weights? Of course, muscle growth is important also, but I wanted to trim down waist at the same time. I just want to make sure that I am doing the best routine for the results that I am looking for.

[lighunt]

diet is not that great. I'm sure that this is where I need the most help. I have no idea what would be the best foods to eat to help with weight loss and to help reduce hunger. I have tried several different things. portions are not that big and I generally don't eat a lot during the day. I just don't think that I am eating the right things.

This is a quick snapshot of a standard day for me:

Breakfast - Cereal with whole milk
Snack - Crackers or breakfast bar
Lunch - Ham and cheese sandwich (white bread and mayo), leftovers (pasta, chicken, pork) or chicken soup
Dinner - Pasta, chicken, pork, steak, rice, chili...basically whatever wife feels like cooking
Snack - Grapes, Orange, or some other type of fruit

[lighunt]

wife does throw in some veggies with dinner depending on what she feels like making (corn, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, etc). As for the rest of the day, I will take your advice. What you are proposing doesn't seem too difficult to maintain. Thank you for all of your help and advice.

[lighunt]

I have one more question, then I promise I will leave you alone When it comes to the cardio workout, I have been sticking mainly to the stationary bike. I have bad knees, so this seems to have less of an impact. Does the machine that I use matter when it comes to weight loss? Should I mix it up a little?

[lighunt]

The only machines that I have access to are at the gym. They have bikes, eliptical, and treadmill. They do have a weight machine that is similar to a rower that I will probably add to weight days. I was thinking of alternating between the bike and the eliptical on cardio days. I usually take dog for a walk around the neighborhoods after dinner a couple of days a week. So, all together, that should (hopefully) do the trick.

[NickiAnderson]

Yeah, there are a couple of red flags I see. Number one, doing the same thing for 2 months, second, your diet. To lose fat you need two very important components, a lean diet and intensity. So first question would be, how hard are you working when you work out? For example, on a scale of 1-10, (1 being super easy, 10 being close to dying from exertion), where are you? You should be around a 7-8 for each workout. Also, stir it up. I encourage strength training prior to cardio. Change your cardio activity around as well as strength program. Try adding in some classes for variety. As for diet, if you're not sure about your diet, why not visit an RD a couple of times? It's a great way to get a sense of what you should be eating and what makes sense for your body and lifestyle.

Hope that helps.

[kirstennc4]

In addition to what Nicki says, you may want to think about changting the intensity throughout your workout. You may not be able to sustain a workout with an intensity at a 7 or 8, but you can do short bursts of higher intensity cardio. This can burn up to 3x the amount of fat as regular cardio training. For example, for every minute you do at your comfortable level of biking, you could do a minute of high intensity. Alternate intensities throughout your cardio training and you should see a difference