I don't know the name of all the machines, but i used all the machines that worked my upper body, as i dont have to much fat on my legs. 3 sets, 8 reps i think i was doing for most things. All the weights were different depending on the machine....ranging from 25kg to 45kg. i just upped the weight if i thought it was going to be too easy.

I've actually decided to stay away from the scales for a bit. But according to my family and friends they have noticed my beer belly isn't quite so pokey outey! If you go back to my last post you'll see i edited it, and spoke of alcohol consumption.

I don't have a real problem with machines for starters. Eventually though, you'll want to work more towards free weights.

Weight lifting isn't about the fat.

You're falling victim to a popular myth that you can 'spot reduce' the fat away particular areas on your body via targeted weight lifting.

You can't.

Ideally, you should be following something like a routine that hits your entire body 2-3 times per week.

Yup, I saw that right away and commented above.

So free weights are better then? What is the difference?

Ok, i'll bear that in mind.

There's a few things. First, don't let me fool you into thinking machines are evil. They have a place and time. I use machines myself for some exercises. But many people ONLY use machines and this is what I have a problem with.

Ideally, the majority of your workout is done using free weights.

They allow you to move through your unique biomechanical planes of motion. A squat looks similar regardless of who is doing it. However, if you look closely, our knees and hips move in unique paths, maybe not even visible to the eye. By constantly locking yourself into the machine's fixed plane of motion, overtime, this can lead to injury. This disallows you from letting your joints move through their unique biomechanical planes. This is something known as pattern overload syndrome and can lead to microtraumas overtime.

Muscles respond best when they're required to control weights, not just push against them. This brings stabilizers into the picture. When you lift with free weights, small muscles that are not necessarily used to move the weight are brought into play for balance and stabilization. Basically, more of your body is called upon when using free weights. By locking yourself to machines, you take stabilizers out of the picture for the most part. This too, can lead to injury down the road when you do something in the real world that requires the use of your stabilizers.

Free weight exercises tend to improve real-world athletic functioning— running, kicking, jumping, throwing, and/or whatever sport you happen to play or activity you choose to do.

Just got back from the gym. had a moderate portion by my standards of brown rice mixed with tuna, crab meat, sweetcorn and peas.

You mentioned my dieting could do with changing. How was that meal? The right sort of stuff?

Also decided to eat slowly and drink at the same time and surprisingly enough, i was full, when normally i would go back for more.

They are decent food options, sure.

And remember, it's not just about what you eat but definitely how much you eat too.

I agree with Steve, more muscle you have, more calories you burn even you do nothing. So exercise help us to build more muscle, and I think it is the most important role for exercise, not exercise burn fat!