Not getting the results I want! Please help!!

I'm not a woman, but it is a common fact that water is more healthy than carbonated drinks, and alchohol, but also watch what types of fruits and juices you eat and drink, like carbonated drinks they are also packed with high amounts of sugar in the form of fructose. I also have trouble losing weight around my torso, i think something that no one realizes is that your metabolism slows down greatly after 6 pm, and if you eat a pretty big dinner its more than likely that you will have a hard time burning what you intake. These are statements i have read from proclaimed body-builders and the same goes for us as it does them, they just have more time to concentrate on being fit. If you would like to contact me my email address is lukemarlin55@yahoo.com

Hello Kristy,

I read your post and also by Luke Marlin, and he is right.  Eating after 7:30 p.m. is not a good time to eat if you want to lose weight.  Your body takes longer to digest and burn the calories.  It remains on the lining of your stomach wall.

My suggestion would be for you to eat smaller throughout the day and making your night meal lighter.

Cereal bars are great for on the go, but if I could suggest, read the food labels and check the calories.  You could replace the cereal bar with homemade oatmeal which takes little time; and you can add fresh or frozen fruits, and some grounded flaxseed.  This is a high energy meal.  With this, you can have some low-fat yogurt (0%) 100g container.

Check the food labels of the foods you are consuming and you may see that you could reduce the calories, carbs, fats, by replacing them with other foods of lower calories.

Such as: Catelli - Smart Harvest (Pasta); Oat-bran bread, fruit juices (no sugar added) or vegetable juice (or V8).  All these foods you can bring with you to work.

Eat vegetables, legumes, and fruits that are more filling.  Take into account what you boyfriend likes to eat and try and be creative.  Such as: A vegetarian chili on a bed of rice (1/2 cup).  Most chilis can be frozen.  Unthaw and presto!

Try snacking in between meals or smaller meals during the whole day.  You would be surprised that your stomach will always be full.  Keep cut up vegetables in the refrigerator to eat during the day; or put them in a snack bag and bring them to work.  The secret here is to eat more natural fruit and vegetables and less sauces as an accompaniment.

Do you think it's possible that you may be working out too much and that's why you are drained of energy?  I used to go to the gym, but then I would take a break and walk outside of my building.  A whole tour around the building will also burn calories and give your muscles and give a chance for you to replenish your energy.

A suggestion from me would be to center on your focused areas (love handles/bot belly); and in between work on the daily routines that you have implemented.

There has been a lot of controversy for whey protein.  The verdict is still out.  Myself personally, to produce muscle mass through ingested products is something that you will decide.  Exercising, and weight strengthening is a more natural process.

Hole this helps.

Thank you both for the advice. You are right about eating late in the evening I know the best thing to do is have dinner no later than 6pm but I don't get home from work till 7 and once dinner is cooked it's nearly 7:30/8pm before we sit down to eat!

I will definitely try to cut down on my portions at dinner time. My problem is I don't really know what foods are the healthiest and what foods will help replace my energy I use up at the gym, therefore maybe stop me feeling so tired!

I really enjoy working out on my lunch breaks and I thought that going every day is what I need to do to get trim/fit but maybe I am over doing it and I could at least cut a day out mid week. I don't excercise on the weekends so I do get a two day rest then.

As for taking supplements I think I will steer clear of them for now as no one really knows if they really benefit us or not and they are usually expensive!

I think I'm always going to have the dreaded pot belly and love handles, it just seems to be the one place I cannot shift the flab!!

Please give me a call or visit my website @ http://joshualifford.taislim.com or phone: (865) 399-4844. My name is Josh Lifford. I've struggled with being overweight for nearly all of my life. I've tried it all! What I'm offering is the only thing that has ever helped me! We even offer a No Questions Asked 90 money back guarantee, even if the bottles are empty. Plus I don't go to the gym any day of the week! I simply walk 30 minutes each day and use this product. http://www.joshlifford.com 

Hi Kirsty! Wow - that's amazing that you are at the gym 5 times a week! Good for you!!!

It sounds to me like you are probably eating too many carbs (cereal, bread, pasta) and not enough protein or fiber. Those types of carbs are essentially just sugar, and typically don't have enough fiber to slow down your body's ability to process the sugar. What happens when you eat a lot of those carbs at once is that 1) your body immediately converts it to sugar, and your blood sugar spikes, then, 2) your body then produces insulin to cope with the sugar. Unfortunately, insulin promotes fat storage... But fiber is difficult for your body to digest, so you don't process all that sugar at once - it slows down the process, thus slowing down the insulin production and decreasing the amount of insulin your body produces. I would try switching to a cereal that's really high in fiber - Kashi GoLean makes good ones - and if you don't care for the taste, try adding some blueberries. An even better option might be a protein shake for breakfast - I like to make something like a smoothie, with soymilk, strawberries, ground flaxseed, and protein powder. (something simple and vanilla flavored - again, Kashi has one, or Trader Joe's if you're near one.)

The other reason to increase the amount of fiber that you are eating is because it is more filling. When you eat things that are converted to sugar quickly, your blood sugar levels are on a constant rollercoaster, which leaves you constantly fatigued and STARVING!!! (story of my life until I started focusing on protein and fiber...) Your dinners sounds pretty good, though I would focus on mainly meat and veg instead of pasta, but my guess is that if you're like me, you're so hungry by the time you make dinner that you probably overeat.

The other big piece is to increase your protein. It fills me up so much more and leaves me satisfied for longer. Nuts, yogurt, and obviously, meat and fish are great sources. Plain yogurt is great, and if you don't like the taste, try adding a little bit of powdered vanilla and fresh fruit. Tastes just like vanilla yogurt, and some fresh strawberries, peaches, blueberries etc. tastes better than regular yogurt anyway! Maybe you could make extra dinner and eat leftovers for lunch? Or, just make sure that the bread you're eating is - whole - grain bread and is high in fiber. There is a lot of tan-colored bread out there that doesn't have any whole grains. The reason it's better for you to eat whole-grain bread is because the hull of the grains contains all of the fiber, minerals and nutrients. So some wheat bread IS made from wheat or grains, but if it has been stripped of the hull, you lose out on all the healthy stuff and are back to just eating what is essentially a sugar. Sooo.... just check the ingredients label and make sure it says whole grains, or has mostly grains as ingredients. Milton's is great.

Hope this gave you some helpful ideas!! A few small tweaks combined with your awesome willpower will get you there in no time. :)

Best,

Samantha

Late meals for me kept me from losing weight.  My motto nothing after 6:00 especially if I went to bed by ten, it's not nearly enough time to digest properly. What helped my weight loss was smaller portions........for me that means half of what I normally would eat. Sounds like the exercise is in place........drink more water....and don't give up!!!!!