Reader’s Question: I easily gain weight, right now I am 5 6″, 134 lbs,in a good shape, but my legs are a kind of fat and I dont like it. I have to watch what I eat all the time and it makes me angry. It seems I am on diet through my whole life, and I am so tired of that. I don’t eat that much carb, almost no fat, no sugar, mostly fruits and veggies and some protein. Since I don’t eat enough, I easily get sick, I always feel cold and my immune system is very low.(BTW I am 38 yr-old). I eat every 3 hrs(small portion) to keep my metabolism high, but it seems it is very low and I am so tired of my diet. I can’t eat whatever I feel like it, because I easily gain weight. I work out 3 times per week in the gym (45 min cardio, 20 min weight). Please help me out and let me know what I should do? I used to be 130, but now I can’t bring it down from 134 to 130.

Answer: First, I would shift the ratio of cardio/weight training to 20 minutes of cardio and 40 minutes of weight training. In order to turn you into a fat burning machine, it’s essential to preserve/build muscle tissue (a few pounds of muscle won’t make you big or bulking). Performing 45 minutes of cardio 3x/week on a calorie restricted diet won’t accomplish this.

One or two of your “cardio” sessions should be composed of anaerobic interval training (Here is an article to help explain how to incorporate intervals into your workouts. While it isn’t extraordinary, it will give you the general idea. A word of warning, ease yourself into it as it can be pretty brutal.). Interval training is more effective for fat loss and will also help preserve muscle tissue. If you want to do a light cardio day on the other, that is fine. Better yet, you could skip it altogether and do 45-60 minutes of resistance training instead.

As far as resistance training goes, you should be focusing on compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, presses and pulls. I like to perform multiple sets of 8-12 reps, supesetting lower body movements with upper body movements. A superset is performing one exercise then another without any rest in between.

As far as your diet goes, you seem to be on the right track with limiting your sugar intake and consuming fruits and vegetables. Try to concentrate your carbohydrates around your workout (pre-, during, post-) and moderate throughout the rest of the day. Protein is a must, so if you think your protein intake is low you need to take it up. Another thing about diet, you need to eat well enough to support the work your body is doing. In other words, don’t restrict your calories too much or you won’t see any progress.

Also, I would consider taking a fish oil supplement and perhaps incorporating green tea as well. Fish oil is not only beneficial for fat loss, but also seems to be beneficial for helping to prevent every disease under the sun. Green tea also has other health benefits.

While this information isn’t exhaustive or super specific, it should be more than enough to get you on the right track. Keep me updated on how things work out!

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