Help with weightloss program

nimhbal

Hi eyeryone. I'm just wondering if anyone can advise me about my fitness regime, because nothing I'm doing seems to be working and I just seem to be putting on more weight! In a nutshell, there are no personal trainers anywhere near where I live, so I've just been going to the gym and doing what I think might be right!!! Obviously it isn't, as I don't seen to be either toning up or losing weight at the moment!!!

Basically, I'm female, 5'4 and weigh approx 9 1/2 stone. I've noticed that I'm beginning to carry lots of weight on my stomach lately - downside of hitting 30?? I used to tend to carry it on my hips and thighs - and its still there too!! I know diet regime isn't great

Breakfast - yoghurt with handful cereal
Lunch - yoghurt apple
Snacks - crackers and cheese, crisps, apple
Dinner - maybe veg soup with Quorn
My worst habit is crisps - bag a day and maybe biscuit/sweets. I find I'm constantly craving sugar.

In the gym I tend to mainly focus on treadmill - interval training 10mins and crosstrainer - 20 mins with a few weights. I do this perhaps 3/4 times a week, in addition to walking 3miles a day.

I know people are prob sick of these questions, but I'm genuinely stuck and there are no professionals im my area to ask!!

Any help anyone can give would really be much appreciated as I'm getting desperate at this stage.:(

EileenG

The basic problem is your diet. Repost in the Nutrition and diet section and you'll get more answers, but the short version is that you are eating lots of junk and high carb foods, and virtually no protein or healthy fats or green veg. I won't even mention the crisps.

Weight on the belly is a classic sign of too many carbs (and in extreme cases, the beginning of insulin issues). The craving sugar is a sign of that.

Try to eat a quality protein, a healthy fat and a green veg at every meal. Something like a spinach and mushroom omlette for breakfast, a big green salad with an olive oil dressing at lunch. Fish if you eat it, something like tofu or cottage cheese if you don't. Dinner should also be a protein (maybe quorn) and piles of green veg. Make potatoes or brown rice etc something you use to fill the corners, not the focus of your meal.

Plain yogurt or cottage cheese are good, avoid the flavoured ones, even the low fat versions. Your body needs fat, and avoiding with just make you constantly hungry. Raw nuts are a good snack instead of crisps. You can buy little bags of Munchy Seeds in health food shops, which are good if you are nibbler.

Treadmill training is good. What are you doing with the weights?

nimhbal

Thanks so much for that, its a great pointer in the right direction. Know my diet is terrible, I was focusing on the amount of calories I was consuming, with no emphasis on what they came from. I'll just have to go cold turkey on the junk, it really is the only way. I feel for the amount of exercise I've been doing and quantity I've been eating, I should be losing weight but I'm only putting it on.

With regard to weights, the gym I attend is tiny with very few choices. I'm such a newbie I'm not even sure of the correct terms but I focus on weights for shoulder pull downs, side stomach obliques and thats pretty much it. I've really been trying to concentrate on fat burning, but because there are no trainers I'm only guessing. Movin to galway in near future, so if anyone knows of a good trainer and/or gym, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks so much for takin the time to give advice, when you don't know where to start its such a help

EileenG

If your gym has any sort of free weights, that's all you need. Concentrate on lifts like squat, deadlift, bench press etc.

www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBSquat.html
www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/ErectorSpinae/BBDeadlift.html
www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralSternal/DBBenchPress.html
www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/RomanianDeadlift.html
www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/DeltoidAnterior/BBMilitaryPress.html
www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/BBBentOverRow.html
www.fitclick.com/tips_Dumbbell_Woodchopper?contentID=27578

sfag31

Eileens advice is good.
Heres what worked for my missus last time she tried...

Meat with every meal including breakfast.
No bread, spuds, pasta. chocolate.
diary is fine.
basmati or brown rice.
4 small meals a day
No letup at weekends.
some wine, no snacks.

She doesent exercise and manages to lose a stone over 7 weeks (6lbs of that in the first week)
Probably wouldn't work for a second stone without exercise.
She then goes back on the bread with every meal and puts it back on.

nimhbal

Thanks so much Eileen, went to the gym this even having looked at the vids and tried it out. First day down so at least I've started!!

Sfag31, thanks for that, all advice gratefully accepted! Will throw in some exercise too, that will help I hope. We've all tried the losing and putting it back on battle - i'm an expert!!

EileenG

If you were doing those exercises today, expect to be very sore in the next day or two! Don't worry about it, that's normal. Do lots of walking or cycling to try to work out some of the soreness.

nimhbal

Actually not too bad today, will go to gym but take it a little easier. Have started the diet change, hopefully this will work. Determined to stick to it from now on

Colm_OReilly

nimhbal,

Eileen and sfag have given you good advice so far. Only thing I'd add is that being consistent, as that's what will lead to lasting changes. Don't blast into for two weeks, get exhausted/injured, then quit. Gradually build up the intensity/number of sessions per week and you'll be much better off.