Do you hear that sound in the background — that noise that ends in a loud thud? That's your weight-loss program dive-bombing.
When you use diet alone to lose weight, you're unlikely to maintain it. And if you're using exercise alone, the results will be marginal.
To stay aloft, combine eating less with exercise to ensure that the weight you lose comes primarily from fat, not muscle. You don't have to starve yourself, however. Eating small nutritious meals low in fat every three hours is more effective than eating next to nothing. If you have difficulty with portion control, stick to three meals a day because additional meals could actually increase your caloric intake.
If your goal is to blast fat and create lean muscle, focus on cardio and add upper-body movements to your lower-body training.
Create a circuit of eight combination exercises and do them in succession for 45 minutes to an hour. Keep your reps in the higher range — 15 to 20 — with weights that are challenging, but not too heavy. Rest as little as possible between every combination set and move quickly into the next exercise so that you keep your heart rate elevated.
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Here's a combination to add to your routine: the standing flye. Stand with one foot on the edge of a step and the other foot wide apart on the floor with toes pointed out. Grasp a 3- to 6-pound dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended out and your palms facing in. Keeping your elbows soft, move the weights toward each other in front of your chest as you lower into a plie squat. Make sure your knees keep the same direction as your toes and do not trail forward or backward. Pause at the bottom, and with your weight in your heels, squeeze your glutes to raise back up while you extend your arms to return to the starting position.