Edit: I realize my title weight loss is incorrect- It's really more like 58. Apparently, I can't do math!! LOL, whoops!

Hello there everyone- I am so pleased to have found this forum!

I'll try and make this brief but with as much vital information as possible... although I can't promise anything!!

I am a 21 year old female.
5 feet, 2 inches tall.
129-132 pounds, depending on the day.
I have dropped down from 188 pounds back in July 2005, weight that I gained after a very invasive spinal fusion in my mid-back.

Basically, I am a calorie counter. I pretty much obsess over it. I have a bit of a problem with binging on crap food in small amounts and then dieting for a few weeks afterwards to "justify" it. ("Dieting" being eating twice a day, cereal and the such, and ignoring hunger pangs. It's horrible, I know, but I can't seem to help it. Food is overwhelming in my eyes.)

In any case, I have recently joined a modest gym. My main goal is to lose the "jiggle" that I have on my midsection (the classic pooch), my thighs and butt, and under my arms (what some people refer to as "Hi Helens").

The pooch is what bothers me most- I can grab a handful and shake it. Otherwise, my stomach is muscular and strong underneath the jiggle! I'm hoping to get my legs more toned so that I might be able to FINALLY enjoy the Florida beaches which are a mere twenty minutes down the road.

My gym routine usually only lasts an hour because... Frankly, I get bored. I do a mile on an elliptical machine at about 70 RPM. I'll do a mile on a treadmill at about 4 MPH because I am not much of a runner. I do a few weight machines which focus on my back muscles, my arms, glutes, and my legs. I also do about 50 or so situps with a six pound ball in my hands as leverage. Pushups I do leaning against a counter at home.

I'm wondering if this all will help me to accomplish my goals, and if anyone has any advice. I'd like to see a difference by May when I resume classes, and really start looking and feeling better by summer. Basically, what more can I do to kill this tummy flab and the leg jiggle? Do I need to focus most on cardio? How much? If Any quickie-healthier-meal recommendations? I wasn't such a poor college student, I'd get a personal trainer for a day... but alas, I've come to you fellow-forum-goers.

Thank you SO MUCH for reading my rant... I feel better getting my concerns off my chest and really look forward to all responses, no matter how brutal.

Also try the spin cycle to work up a sweat. Also follow some of what i do on a daily basis. Indulge Your Thirst

Drinking lots of water is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. Replace your thirst for beverages with clean clear refreshing water. Drinking sodas and other carbonated drinks guarantees that you will gain weight because of the high concentration of sugars or artificial sweeteners in those products. From now on consider water your best friend and now drink lots of water to lose weight.

For Christ sake move your feet. Stop three or four blocks from your house and enjoy the walk home. If you need to go three or four blocks please don't jump into your car or a taxi or a bus, exercise your feet. If you live in an elevator building, climb some stairs everyday. This little routine will work wonders for your figure by helping you lose weight.

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From a white board perspective, cardio exercses burns extra body "faster". However, "Muscle Build" exercises burns extra body fat - even when one's body is sitting idle. For example, when sitting in a chair and relaxing one's muscle still need fuel to sustain their physical size . Thus, its best to have the best of both worlds. re: Balance of both cardio and muscle build exercises.


For my body, I found the following helps "burns down" my extra body fat:

- Stationary bike - like VitaMaster bike - which has both legs and arm movements. When legs get tired, one does more arm motions. And when arms get tired, legs do more motions. And with vertical back position, this bike helps improves one's body mosture as well. As a suggestion, do keep your eyes open for a used VitaMaster bike. If its a good price, might be worth getting - and positioning infront of your TV set. re: Vitamaster 1000XT Exercise Bike review by klutsyme, consumer reports & videos

- Non-Impact Glider - like Gazelle. For someone with a fused back (like my son), this is a good machine as well. It allows legs & arms back / forth motion without jumping up/down on the spine. I like my Glider (for 2 x 500 calories burn) every day. For more details, surf: http://www.fitnessquest.com/images/gazedge250.jpg

- For toning stomach area & back area (to create more veritcal posture - that makes one's tummy area appear smaller), may I suggest floor exercises. I like using a large soft ball and do lots of core exercies. This builds "core" muscles and keeps the body moving. For a list of floor exercises you may want to try on your body, surf entire page of: Exercises Note: Click on the blue text and video example of each exercise is shown.

- TM machine. Doing "slow and steady" TM machine is ok at first. But after a while, one's body gets "too comfortable" with a slow and steady speed. For my body, I found 5 minutes of "normal fast" speed walks and 5 minutes of "super fast" speed walks works best. The Super Fast speed of 4.5 mph burns the extra fat, and the slower 3.5 mph allows my cardio system to "settle back down". Recently, I've been doing 5 minutes of normal pace and 10 minutes of "super fast" pace at 6% incline for rotation of 45 minutes - total consecutive time. At the end, my T-shirt is always soaked (from sweat overload). As a suggestion, try 5 minutes of normal pace and 5 minutes at faster speed. If your fused back can handle this "mixed pace", keep this mixture for 1 full month. Thus, exercising "above" your current comfort level.

Note: While using wireless or corded headset while watching TV, the VitaMaster Exercise bike, TM (or other noisy exercise equipment) can still be used - while watching a good movie. Works for me.


Long post short... Keep your existing daily calorie intake (if it works for you) and try changing your daily exercise. If wondering, this is how I broke my previous 4 x "extra body weight" reduction plateaus. re: Exercising "above" my body's exercise comfort level.

Hope this helps...

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I have eliminated sodas and juices from my diet. ONCE in a while I will have a coke zero. I drink V8 regularly however because I don't get enough veggies or fiber. Water and I are good friends, although I don't drink enough of it I'm sure unless I am at the gym.

I live in a well industrialized area. (Walmart 1.5 miles away, drug stoes, pet stores, everything within biking distance) I ride when I need to run to the drugstore, pick up a simple something, and even to the gym. I walk my dog a mile and a half nearly every day. I am not sedementary, I walk and bike frequently.

Thank you for the spin cycle suggestion, I will give this a try tomorrow!

To spike 99:

I won't be able to invest in any new exercise equipment, which is why I opted for a gym, but that glider is AMAZING, I might have to try and save or find someone I know who has one. It looks like a "comfortable" workout, if there is such a thing!

The website for the floor exercises is much appreciated, I will be browsing it ASAP and finding ones to do at the gym because they have plenty of exercise balls for use.

Treadmills and I... I just hate them. After a while it really does sort of hurt my spine, which I'm sure you understand seeing as your son has had the same procedure. I will give your suggestion a shot though, as it does in fact sound effective.

I appreciate your input and will give it all serious thought and trials!

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As another "keep moving forward" suggestion, may I recommend the usage of a daily diary. Within a diary, one enters the exercise tasks (&/or food items) they "plan" to implement on a daily basis. When that task is completed, they update their own post with "completed" remarks. With a free form text diary (unlike a detailed exercise task tracker), one can plan their daily exercises for the entire day (or even entire week). Planned tasks like: parking further away (thus, forcing themselves to walk further), or walk up stairs in AM but no in PM (giving one's legs a rest in PM). After 1 week or so, one can also reflect back on their diary and decide if different muscle groups should be used next. For example: Swimming on weekends (which is gentle on one's spine), or perhaps longer walks with one's dog, or perhaps long peddle bike rides in the country paved roads (assuming one has a bike rack for their vehicle)

To view my Daily Exercise Diary, surf: http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weigh...tml#post573822

For me, I like a daily exercise diary (within bullet / checklist format). Clean, simple and it allows me to proactively plan my needed exercises (for my unique body).

Hope this suggestion helps as well...

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I don't know if this has anything to do with your problem, but V8 juice has a SHIT LOAD of sodium in it. If you drink that regularly, it might be interfering with your weight loss and ability to burn fat, especially in your mid-section.

Personally, if I intake a lot of sodium, my belly gets bigger. It's almost as if I'm retaining water weight, due to the amount of sodium that I ingest.

Oh man! That's exactly how my stomach has been lately, water weight. I had no idea!!

I guess I'll finish up this bottle and be done with it. What a shame, I thought this stuff was supposed to be awesome for you. Thank you very much for that bit of insight.