Targeted workouts for weight loss?

verlorenkoh
verlorenkoh Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I had a tough time figuring out if I should post this here or in the fitness/exercise forum, I think it fits better here though so it's more focused on weight loss...

So a quick background on me...I'm 5'10, started early Feb at 189 lbs, weighed myself yesterday and I'm down to 176ish. My goal is to get down to at least around 140. Also I'm 27!

The MFP app has me on a 1,200 calorie diet. Generally for breakfast (when I wake up before leaving for work) I have a bowl of Special K with the strawberries with the regular Silk coconut milk. One serving of each, I measure! I tried the Kashi Go Lean Crunch for a couple days but had to stop...if you eat the stuff you know why.

Around 10:30-11 I eat a snack, either an apple, greek yogurt, or something similar. Around noon I head to the gym and get in 40 mins of cardio in the hour lunch break I have. I'm trying to gear up for my first 5k, so Mon/Wed/Fri I do the treadmill, Tues I usually do the eliptical/cross trainer, and Thurs the stationary bike. I try to do intervals for all of these. If I have time I do some sit-ups and push-ups and some resistance training. Saturday I do yoga at my house (P90X, right now I can do half of it before it gets to difficult/I run out of steam). I generally burn about 350 cals during these sessions (I have a great HR monitor, the Polar FT60), a bit less when I'm on the bike. For lunch I'll have either leftovers from dinner or something like the lunch express pasta things that more or less gain my exercise calories back.

My husband and I have made some big diet changes as well. Eating more greens like kale and spinach, more fruits and veggies, and less meat overall. Our biggest crutch is ALCOHOL! More specifically, beer. We are big microbrew fans. I didn't cut the beer out completely but I limit myself to about 3 a week. We do have a couple glasses of red wine during the week depending on what we're eating.

So here's my dilemma on what I should be focusing on...I know everyone stores their fat differently. Mine seems to be in my stomach (which I attribute to years of beer drinking) and thighs. Are there any workouts I could be doing to help target those areas? Today I did the hip abductor which targets the inner thigh area...I have that fat there that makes it impossible to wear shorter shorts because that flab juts out where your leg comes out, this drives me nuts!

Does my regime sound good? If I just keep doing what I've been doing will I see these problem areas shrink with time? Or is there something else I could be doing or eating to help with this? I'm a very diligent logger (usually add stuff right after I eat it) so if you want to take a look at my foods feel free to friend me.

Sorry for the long winded post! I hope some people have been in my situation and can help me out!

Replies

  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    I can't comment on targeting exercises as I'm new to strength training, but one thing in your post that sticks out to me is that fact that you say you are training for a 5k and eating only 1200 calories. You need to be eating more than 1200 calories and a lot more protein. You can't build muscle without protein. Check out this calorie calculator for some guidance.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • sheyennelilly
    sheyennelilly Posts: 122 Member
    You cannot target fat from one area of your body. As you lose weight you will notice a difference, but your problem areas may be the last to go (or they may not). It's really not up to you. If you lose enough weight you will see a difference. Your "beer belly" also is probably due more to excessive calorie intake and the way your body is naturally shaped rather than actually drinking beer.

    Here's an article to read: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-beer-and-your-belly
  • verlorenkoh
    verlorenkoh Posts: 5
    You cannot target fat from one area of your body. As you lose weight you will notice a difference, but your problem areas may be the last to go (or they may not). It's really not up to you. If you lose enough weight you will see a difference. Your "beer belly" also is probably due more to excessive calorie intake and the way your body is naturally shaped rather than actually drinking beer.

    Here's an article to read: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-beer-and-your-belly

    That's kind of what I figured, just wanted to see if I was missing anything. I'll check it out. And what is beer if not excessive calories? ;)

    Thanks for the tip Wib - I wouldn't say I'm "training" to run a 5k. I don't have a time or speed goal in mind for this thing. I just want to be able to finish it - I've never participated in one before and I'm thinking it'll be a good boost to my morale even if I walk some of it. I started last month only being able to run for a couple minutes at a time at a moderate speed (4.5mph on the treadmill), and now I'm up to 10 minutes running which I feel is an accomplishment. If I was serious about running I would likely have a more specific diet.

    I'll check out both your links, thanks again!

Categories