Nathan's letter

Nathan wrote:

Hi man,

Love the site. Your relationship advice is the greatest. I think sometimes you tell people what they need to hear and not what they want to hear, so if may be a bit rough, but it's the truth, so it helps in the long run. Keep up the good work.

I have a fitness question. I have started to lose weight but I can't seem to tone up my lower abdominal area. I lift weights, I do crunches, and I go for 30 minutes on the elliptical, but the gut fat stays. What gives?

Nathan


Thanks for the feedback Nathan. I have a habit of telling it like it is and I am glad you agree that telling people what they need to hear versus what they want to hear is healthy. To answer your question, we'll have to look at two things. Diet and exercise.

Diet is a big factor in losing that gut fat, as you called it. If you're working out and eating crap from Mc D's every other day, or you're downing an entire frozen pizza after the gym, you're not doing any good. Make sure you're sticking to a caloric goal. 1800-2000 calories per day is a good goal to start with, if you have led an unhealthy eating lifestyle. Cut down on your fats and up your proteins. NO FAST FOOD. This doesn't mean you can't go out with your friends or family, but just make healthy choices when out. CUT OUT HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! It's in just about everything, including bread, so cut as much as you can. Juices and pop are the big two. Try Crystal Light, water, or sugar free drinks instead.

The exercise part is working well for you I assume, since you seemed to be satisfied with the other results you're getting. I would recommend jogging instead of your elliptical machine. You need to burn some serious calories and really push that muscle work, so jogging (and eventually running), for a long period of time will definitely help. Start with a nice jog for about 12 minutes, then work up from there. Your goal should be three miles or more per workout.

Adjusting these two small things in your daily life will produce some great results. I hope it helps! Let me know how things go!

Sean