Last little bit

Question
Kimberly

I'm a 42 year old male, 5'10".  Two years ago I weighed about 230 lbs. My doc scared me with my cholesterol count, and I got serious about diet and excercise.

Today I weigh 170, and cholesterol is better than text book. I do push-ups and crunches daily, go at the weights hard three days a week, and run, walk, do jumping jacks, or do Karate on the other days.

My diet is strict:  Breakfast is either oatmeal with low fat cottage cheese, or an omlet (mostly egg whites) with half an apple.  Lunch is either a non-fat yogurt or a Balance bar.  Snacks are 12 almonds or two egg whites or a tea spoon of all-natural peanut butter. Dinner is salad, lots of veggies, and usually chicken or fish.  When I have desert cravings, I have a 4 oz no sugar pudding.  On days I lift, I have a protien shake consisting of water, whey, a teaspoon of natural peanut butter and stawberries or blueberries.  I drink lots of water (but don't track it - just know I drain 4-8 12 oz bottles a day).

My endurance is good.  I'm pleased with my muscle growth and tone, but I still carry fat over my kidneys, and no matter how much I work out or how little calories I consume, it doesn't seem to go away.

Any suggestions?  Thanks.

Answer
Sounds like you are doing all the right things.  You are at a healthy weight!  Unfortunately for some of us we carry stored fat in specific areas.  Sometimes there is not much you can do.  The only thing that gets rid of stored fat is aerobic exercise.  Sit-ups, weights, etc... will tone muscle but NOT burn fat.  Make sure you are doing your crunches or sit-ups correctly.  Sometimes if people do not do them correctly they bulk up the muscle underneath the fat layer and it makes your stored fat look much worse than it really is.  You may want to check with a personal trainer on your crunches.  It may be worth it to know if you are doing them correctly.
Kim Tessmer, RD LD
www.Nutrifocus.net

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