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OK. i am a 14 female at 5'2. i weight about 125. i need to lose some weight. i want a six pack and i work out all the time but nothing happens. please help me

Some one in desperate need,
jaclyn

First off, having read the other answers and just so you dont go off wasting your time, you cant lose weight from a specific area of the body. Humans can only lose fat from all over (with genetics playing a role as to what gets emphasised). Muscle growth can however be targetted.

To lose fat you must have a negative calorie balance. You can work out all you want, but if your diet is poor then its very possible not to lose weight.

A proper diet implies eating frequent small balanced meals (this helps boost your metabolism). A meal every 3-4 hours is recommended. Try to eat balanced, avoid saturated fats, avoid junk foods, and eat a few hundred calories a day less than you burn. Balanced meals should have a moderate amount of carbs and protein, and a small amount of good fat.

Healthy foods include things like chicken, turkey, tuna, lean beef, vegetables of all sorts, cottage cheese (low fat if possible), fruit, oats, rice, etc. Take care to keep the carb portions moderate (even fruit). Healthy fats (in small regular doses) can be obtained from things like fish, nuts, olives, olive oil, canola, flax, etc.

A sample meal might be 100 grams skinless chicken breast, a potato, and a small salad with olive oil. Or it might be 200g of cottage cheese, an apple, and a few walnuts. You get the idea, small and balanced.

Also, eat in preparation for what you are about to do. Your slightly larger meals should be before periods of activity not afterwards.

Now, to get a 6 pack, you not only need to lower your bodyfat percentage quite a bit, and you also need to work your abs. For weight loss, cardio is the most important (e.g. running, stairmaster, certain sports, etc). Resistance training (e.g. weights) can be really great too if you have the time.

I dont really know what sort of workouts you do now, so its hard to advise you how to work your abs. However, focus first on diet and cardio, to lower your fat percentage. Start working in some ab training (e.g. crunches, leg lifts, etc) two to three times a week depending on your other activities.

Good luck.

16 year old female/5'4" 100 lbs.

i recently started being a vegan and this is what i usually have daily:

breakfast - a bowl of kashi high fiber/high protein cereal with fat free soy milk
lunch - a banana and some strawberries or an apple and some grapes
dinner - brocolli and cauliflower or carrots and asparagus
snack - watermelon or applesauce

is this balanced enough? do you think i will see weight loss or gain or maintain my weight?

This diet does not look right to me. Lunch, dinner, and your snack contains only carbohydrates (and not much of them either). This looks like undernourishment to me.

As it stands now you will probably lose weight. However, I think that you will lose muscle as well. I believe you will get health problems from this diet in the long run.

I have no experience being a vegan (though I was a vegetarian for 6 years or so), but I believe you should work in the following:

- Add a protein source to the three meals I mentioned. Apart from soy, beans are a good altenative as mentioned in the answer below.
- Increase your intake of essential fatty acids (deficiency in these is linked to many health issues). Vegan alternatives (expanding a bit on whats written below) include quality oils including flax, oilve and canola. Also olives, nuts of all sorts (preferably unsalted)- walnuts are particularly good due to omega 3 concentration.
- Increase your overall calorie intake. A banana and some strawberries is not a full meal. Again, as mentioned below, grains are a good idea as well.
- Work in a multivitamin in the morning as well to be sure.

Good luck

why do guys have to do the up and down motion if you get my drift? its like weird and im not sure how entirely self-pleasuring works or intercourse works but it sounds sick..

The up and down motion (stimulation of the penis) is what triggers the release of semen. Its the way reproduction works. Nature therefore made if feel really good, that way one would want to do it (and the species would survive).

Im not really sure what the last part of your question is. I cant tell you all that much about self pleasuring if you mean for females. For guys... well its pretty much that up and down motion you were referring to.

As for intercourse, here is a link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_intercourse

Im a male im 14 and im 5'2" and I weigh 97-100lbs, is that short for my age and am I too light, how can i put on weight? Also What are some good workouts to get better pecs,bi and triceps, and abs. Thanks!

Hey there. Your height and weight both seem a bit low to me. I tried punching your data into a BMI calculator and it said you were underweight (thats just a rough guideline though). You should be able to judge whether or not you are too skinny though... using a mirror.

To gain weight, the best thing you can do is join a gym and start pumping weights. There is really no substitute to this (unless you can afford a lot of home equipment). If you weight train, then make sure you eat frequent balanced meals (every 3 hours or so) with adequate protein. Also remember, you need a calorie surplus, so you must eat more than you burn. Together with the lifting you should have no problem putting on some pounds.

Now, I know that when people start training they are always looking for the muscle everyone sees, and everyone compares. That leads to very poor training routines.

The key is to focus on big compound lifts. Compound exercises involve multiple muscle groups (its the opposite of isolation). These kinds of exercises are much more effective at promoting muscle growth and strength. Sample exercises:
Legs: Squat/ romanian deadlift/ lunges
Back: Deadlift/ pull ups or pull downs
Chest: Bench press (barbell or dumbbell)/ dips
Shoulders: Military press/ dips

Its important to train your whole body. Training your legs will actually benefit your efforts to get a bigger chest due to the increase in testosterone levels. You will also get functional strength, and you will look better.

Then, for the smaller muscle groups, focus on exercises that require stabilizers. For example, for biceps do hammer curls or standing barbell curls. For the triceps do narrow grip bench press, or skull crushers.

Note all of these are free weight exercises. Stay away from machines.

If you do this, and stick to it, I promise you will get results, and get them a lot faster than the average person who improvises a random routine. Also you will be stronger and healthier.

Here is a link to a site that shows you how to do all of these exercises:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

Good luck.

Oh, if you want more detailed help on a routine just ask. Also remember that for the first couple of months you should lift fairly light (not to failure, and with reps in the 8- 12 bracket) so as to avoid injury and such.

I'm trying to get into a routine. I was wondering if anyone can tell me if this is good

Day one: I work on chest, biceps, triceps, running

Day two: work on back, shoulders, abs, running

Day three: running

And on top of this mondays through thursday i have football weight conditioning and i'm going ot be beggining martial arts. is this good. suggestions of workouts or routines, what i should work on would be appreciated

Hey there. Im not sure I completely understand this... you run every day during the conditioning days, and then one other day (on day 3)?

Well anyway, I have a couple of comments. First of all, good on you, its a great initiative. You clearly have drive and thats great.

Now, here are some thoughts that struck me while looking at your routine:

- You might be trying to do too much too quickly. Thats a lot of exercise, particularly if you add martial arts. In the very least remember to take one rest day every week with no exercise.

- Another thing is that you do not have any weight training for your legs. I would work in a leg day (maybe at the expense of a running day?), and do some good old fashioned squats. They are really effective not only in boosting explosive power on your legs, but they also benefit your other exercises by increasing your testosterone level. No other exercise is better for you (deadlifts come second btw).

- Im not entirely sure about your split. The most common splits tend to have arms following the major muscle groups, or divide the body according to push or pull motions. To be honest Im not sure if there are any problems with your system, just that I have never seen one like it. A more typical division would be chest, shoulders, triceps/ Back, biceps/ Legs.

Finally, remember that with a routine like this you have to eat properly. If you want to bulk you are going to need to intake a serious amount of calories. Prepare yourself to be able to eat every 3 hours, each time eating a balanced meal with 25 grams of protein or so (depending on your lean bodyweight). Supplement with shakes, but dont overdo it. You need a lot of nutrition to do the job right. Remember its one third training, one third eating, and one third sleeping.

Well, good luck. Sorry if its a bit muddled, I am very sleepy :)

Happy exercising.

hey, i had surgery on my knee & it didn't work out, so i need to really strengthen my knee. i have been running, but it gets so boring, and i really do hate it so i want to ride my bike. also, losing a few pounds would be nice too. here's my questions

1: how long/how many miles should i bike to get a good workout?

2: does riding your bike help to lose fat on your arms & stomach? since it's cardio, it should help your whole body, right?

Well one thing I am a little unclear on from what you wrote, is how bad your knee actually is. You appear to be able to run, which is relatively hard on the knee, so I assume its in decent shape at least.

1 One of the advantages with biking is that it places less stress on the knee joint. I would start with half an hour to one hour at a pace that you can handle steadily and fairly comfortably. Cant say for sure how long that is, but I would guess about 5- 8 miles.

2 All weight loss is general. Weight loss in specific areas of the body is a complete and utter myth. Cardio is one of the most effective things you can do for weight loss since it burns a lot of calories. Eventually the fat will come off your arms and stomach, thats the best any human can do. Other types of exercise (e.g. area specific things) are primarily done to build muscle.

Good luck with your knee.

you know how you hear about eating cereal for breakfast to help weght loss? well is it true? does eating cereal for breakfast rea;;y help you lose weight?

It really depends on what kind of cereal. Dont get me wrong, you can lose weight eating anything at all, if you eat little enough of it. However, if we are talking about healthy weight loss, then the kind of cereal one should consider eating includes things like oats, muesli (the kind without sugar added), bran cereal, etc.

Its definately no good if the cereal one eats has sugar added to it.

So, to answer you as best as I can, the statement is incorrect unless one specifies what kind of cereal. Secondly, the right cereal has no magical properties either, and can be easily replaced/ supplemented with other nutritious foods suitable for weight loss. It does however make eating a good breakfast easier and quicker in my opinion.

Last week I was fired from my job for having marijuana on me. The job called the police and I was given a ticket for possession of marijuana. I've been in trouble before by my mom for marijuana and now that I got in trouble the other day, it seems like I'm never going to be able to go out again or even gain any privilegs back. I am sincere about not smoking or doing anything with drugs but my mom doesn't seem to believe me. How to I get this trust back from my mom??

This will take time. Its been less than a week since you were fired. You cannot expect that, after being clean for a few days, your mother's trust in you is magically restored.

There is no easy answer here. You have to take responsibility for your situation and accept the fact that it may take a long time to be fully trusted again. I would wager that after the last time you were caught you also promised you would stop. Am I right? If I am, your mother will have even more reason not to simply accept your word.

In short though, prove yourself. Once you lose someone's trust you can only win it back the hard way. Assure your mother you have changed, and then show it to her by staying true to your word. Be patient, and respect the fact that your mother is entitled to feel this way. It may take quite a few months, but she will come to trust you again. Its the only real way to do this.

Good luck.

what kinds of things can i do to lose the fat on my face? i eat pretty healthy, (lots of fruits -- should i cut down the sugar? would drinking mor water help?) but i never exercise. would walking help or would i have to run to lose the fat? any other tips

Ok I disagree with the answers below. Now, just to explain, of course exercise helps you lose weight. It keeps you healthy, it makes you a more energetic person, and it burns calories. However, one does not NEED to exercise to lose weight.

Weight loss is a product of a negative calorie balance. If you burn more calories than you eat you will lose weight. Its simply not true that you cannot lose weight without exercise. You can lose weight without ever lifting your behind from the couch... you just have to eat less than you burn. Of course, its easier and healthier with exercise.

Now, the best exercise for losing weight is cardio. Walking is fine, running is better. Running also has more cardiovascular benefits. However the key thing here is your diet.

I agree with your suggestion to lower calories by cutting down on sugar. Eat fewer fruits and replace them with vegetables. Eat many small balanced meals every day, and then, if you can, start to incorporate some exercise. Key thing though, burn more than you eat.

Good luck.

ive been loosing weight and running. and i drink water alot. im scared that im not getting enough vitimans because i don't drink gatorade. should i drink it if i sweat alot and stuff? i dont want to have extra calories though?

I am not so familiar with this vitamin water stuff. However, I doubt its as effective as the thing most fitness athletes use... water and a good vitamin pill.

As far as I know, water is better to drink than gatorade so I wouldnt worry too much about that. So, buy yourself a good quality, slow release vitamin pill, and take one every day with a meal.

Happy exercising.

does running around a track benefit you more than running on a treadmill? or vise versa

I am not an expert on this, but I would in most cases say that running on a track would be marginally better. I think that the running motion is more natural when the ground isn't moving beneath you. I know that I have always felt that I got a more complete workout when running outside.

To be fair though, I also think that in certain circumstances the treadmill will have advantages.

If one has knee problems for example, sometimes the treadmill surface can be easier on you than what one might run on outdoors. It can also be easier on you psychologically. I know I have an easier time taking a cardio at the gym rather than going out for a run. Then theres the weather...

All in all I dont think that one should concern oneself all that much about this as long as one actually works out. I do still lean in favour of running on a track, but I doubt that the difference is all that great.

hey, i just read a question that asked how many calories are in a pound, and the answer was 3500.

if i ate a fruit that has 30 calories & worked out and burned 3530 calories, does that mean i'll have lost one pound? that's so cool!

also, i have an elliptical. what is the most calorie-burning thing i can do in a short amount of time? it doesn't have into involve the elliptical, & i can't go running right now.

thanks in advance!

Well, as Russianspy pointed out, one should be a bit careful about rushing into things, and trying to accomplish too much. Nutrition isnt just about calories and pounds. There is also the question of what kind of calories you are eating, and what kind of pounds you are losing.

If you eat 30 cals of fruit and exercise a lot, you will lose pounds. However, you will digest your muscles before you digest your fat stores. Thats bad for you in so many ways, and will adversely affect your metabolism. Furthermore, you will not have provided your body with the nutrients that it requires to operate. Everything from your energy level, your immune system, your future growth (I see you are 14), etc. All of this will suffer.

This is a case where slow and steady wins the race. You want to lose your fat not your muscle, and you want your metabolism not to suffer.

A calorie deficit similar to what Russianspy suggested is a good idea. Essentially weight loss in the neighbourhood of 1- 2 pounds a week is recommended.

As for what burns most calories per minute, well I think running, stairmaster, and eliptical are pretty much in the same category. Personally I think the stairmaster is a very good piece of equipment.

Remember to work yourself into your workouts gradually. Focus on creating a meal plan that is sustainable, and that gives you the right fuel for working out. Essentially keep the long term picture in mind.

Also, if you want to be a healthier person, and to reap the cardiovascular benefits of your training, its probably best to include some steady workouts of at least 20 minutes.

Good luck.

Will riding bike 4 times a week for about an hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours help me get a flatter tummy? thankss

Of course it will help. However, whether or not you get the tummy that you desire is also largely up to what you eat. Its an issue of lowering your body fat percentage, and for that you also need to burn more calories than you consume.

You are very much on the right track though, as the others below pointed out. Cardio workout is pretty much the best thing you can do to achieve your goal.

Good luck.

http://www.tila-tequila.info/slides/tila_090.jpg

how can i get a body like this?

obviously not the implants but a stomach like that?

Well, this girl doesnt have particularly defined muscles as far as I can see. She just looks pretty thin. That should be the result of diet and cardio, I doubt she does much of anything else.

Anyway, to get to her level you probably have to lower your body fat percentage. You can do this the right way or the wrong way (no idea how she did it).

The right way implies creating a calorie deficit of a few hundred calories a day below what you burn. Also it means eating small, healthy, balanced meals, 4- 6 times a day. It also means doing cardio exercise regularly (e.g. running, stair machine, biking, sports, etc.). Just remember to leave a rest day every week.

Of course everyone is different, and there is no guarantee that your body type can look quite like that (if you dont have a petite build for example). Also you have not mentioned your age, but if you are very young, I dont think exposing yourself to a rigorous diet is a good idea since you are still growing.

Good luck.

I've been trying really hard to like focus on loosing weight. But it's actually quite difficult. I'm at like, 200 lbs and I was wondering if anyone could give me tips on how to lose weight for the summer? Like, what helps you stop your cravings for fatty foods? And what are good foods to eat & how to excercise.

PLEASEPLEASE

Well I tend to agree pretty much with the answer below. Its good to eat often. Generally I wouldnt really define meals and snacks, I would rather just eat a small balanced meal every 3- 4 hours (for about 4- 6 meals a day).

Just to add an example or two, breakfast could be oats in skim milk and some fruit; late night meals could be something like 200 grams of low fat cottage cheese, a few walnuts or olives and an apple; regular meals could be 100- 150g grams of skinless chicken breast, 50grams of rice or a potato, and a small salad made with a good quality oil.

You should tweak the portions to match how active you are that day. Also, you should try to eat for what you are about to do, rather than what you have already done. If you have an active day, eat a few extra calories before the activity. If you plan to take a nap, eat a smaller meal.

As for exercise, you need to focus on cardio. Things like running, stairmaster, certain sports, etc are great. Try to go for over 20 minutes at the beginning (also to get all the cardiovascular benefits). Later you can step this up.

If you have time to do some weights as well, that is definately also a good idea. You could start with one day weights, one day cardio, with Sunday as a rest day for example. Otherwise cardio alone will of course also work.

I cant tell you how to beat the cravings. Its not easy. One thing you can do is to occasionaly give yourself a cheat day, where you can indulge yourself somewhat, and eat a fair bit more than you normally do (one cheat day every 2 weeks is acceptable).

Also remember to drink plenty of water. Its good for your health, and it often helps to keep ones appetite in check.

Good luck.

In an interview situation when is it appropriate to ask questions about benefits and salary?

I agree with the answer below. It seems to fall best at the end of the interview, particularly since at the beginning they ususally want to get the feel that you are interested in working for their company (for reasons other than money).

In my experience though, I have almost never had to bring it up. Usually, after the interview had neared conclusion, they brought it up. Be prepared though (depending on what kind of job we are talking about) to get the question "how much do you expect to be paid?". Personally, I hate that question more than anything.

Good luck.

i dont really pay attention to ratings because i just started but i gave someone a detailed answer and he gave me a 3. its not so much his rating its his comment:
Thank you for your answer. I would give you a 4 but you didn't capitalize. Otherwise it was a good answer.
what does capitalizing have to do with anything?

Perhaps its an age thing, although I can't say that I researched this or anything, but I also think its important to present the answer properly.

Whether or not I would rate down an answer that was not capitalised would really depend on how much it annoyed me. Certainly, as others have written below, chat speak type answers are really, really irritating.

In the end it takes so little effort to write decently. No one expects that there shouldn't be a single spelling error (I am sure I made one or two in this answer myself), just that the answer can pass as real English.

It is also a great way to practice how to write and communicate properly. People (generally those that have been here a few years) want this site to look presentable, and to have answers that one can in good conscience archive and retrieve later.

Thats my two cents anyway :)

I was masterbuting from last 3 years, due to this my ass and penis has grown and become larger and my testis has dropped down to 3 cms, can i regain my original shape of my body and pensi, Help me, this question is from my deep heart

I am no medical doctor, but I am pretty sure that masturbating has not changed the shape of your body. These developments would have happened to your body whether or not you masturbate. Its a perfectly healthy thing to do, it does not have any side effects.

Lately, my friend has been complaning to me about her weight. She said she was 96 pounds last year, and now she is 116. It has only been about 8 months, and I have noticed it on her too. It all went straight to her stomache. She came to me asking how to get a flat stomach, because I have one, but I didnt do anything to get it, so I cant really help her. Does anyone know a way for her to get a flat stomach by Friday, because our class is going to a water park, and she wants to wear a bikini, but she said that she needs a flat stomach. I feel really bad for her, so any ideas?

excercise plans, weight lose foods?

There is simply no way at all to achieve this by Friday. First of all crunches and situps do not target fat loss from your stomach (fat spot reduction is just a very annoying myth). So the only way to lose that fat is through good old fashioned exercise and a healthy diet. The best kinds of exercise for fat loss are those that burn the most calories. Therefore cardios (running, stairmaster, etc), sports (those where you run a lot), and also overall weight training are the way to go.

As for food, eat often (every 3 hours or so), eat balanced, avoid saturated fats, avoid junk foods, and eat about 500 calories a day less than you burn. Healthy foods include things like chicken, turkey, lean beef, vegetables of all sorts, cottage cheese (low fat if possible), fruit, oats, rice, etc. Healthy fats (in small daily doses) can be obtained from things like fish, nuts, olives, olive oil, canola, flax, etc.

This is something that will take a couple of months though. There is unfortunately no quick solution that will work for her by Friday.

14/f ok im 5'7 and like somewhere between 155-160. yeah i need to lose weight. i have love handles like bad and i need to get rid of them. but i have issues with the whole diets thing. i have noooo dedication its terriable. but its not like im not a phiscally fit person like i play ice hockey , field hocky, softball. i just started kickboxing. likle im not out of shape im just kindof fat. like ahh. tips and help please =]

Surfergirl is right, the problem is with your diet. Losing weight implies a negative calorie balance, there is no way around that.

I cannot give you tips on how to be more dedicated, no one can do that. All I can do is to give you an idea of how you should eat. Here are some tips:
- Eat often (every 3- 4 hours). This should translate to 4- 6 meals a day.
- Eat balanced meals containing a fair amount of protein, a reasonable amount of carbs, and a small amount of good fat (e.g. good oils, nuts, fish, etc). E.g. a meal might be a chicken breast (skinless), a potato, and a small salad with olive oil, or it might be 200g cottage cheese, an apple, and a few walnuts.
- Drink plenty of water
- Avoid empty calories from junk foods and other things that have sugar added to them, or that contain excessive amounts of saturated fats.

You are actually in very good position. Most people who try to lose weight are not used to exercising. You have that part down, all you have to do now is to modify your diet a bit and Im sure you will drop the extra pounds. Just remember to be patient and let the weight come off slowly. As a young, growing, and active person you need to get enough of the right nutrition to remain healthy.

Good luck

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