Those last 5-10 lbs

So you've made great strides for yourself. You've been hittin' the gym, eatin' a little better, and you've lost some weight. "How come I can't get this last layer of flab off though?" is what you might ask yourself. There are a couple of things going on, really. You are right to focus on fitness and nutrition, however if you are in this scenario most likely you could improve on one or both.

As far as nutrition goes, you may be eating the most wholesome, natural foods that you can find, and even if you are eating the proper calories you should, the combination of these foods may not be optimal. Let's say that you have determined you should be eating around 2,500 calories a day. If you wanted to shed more pounds, try having one serving of carbs, one of fat, 5-6 of protein, 2-3 of veggies, a nutrition bar and maybe an after-workout drink. Since you are reducing your carbohydrate intake, your body will resort to burning more fat, and you will shed pounds more quickly and easily. In your fitness routine, it is most likely that you are getting complacent. Ask yourself, "Am I really pushing myself?" The routine or routines you may be doing may have been hard at first. Now you may be mastering it, but most likely even if you have increased your weights or reps, or you can go longer on the treadmill, it seems your results are not coming as they once did. This is referred to as the "plateau effect". Your body will get used to the workouts you are doing in as little as a few weeks, so the key is to mix it up and keep your muscles confused and always trying to recover or learning new routines. You really have to get out of your comfort zone, but this is how you will achieve great results.

These are some abridged tips you can try on your own, but I highly recommend the use of a system through your personal trainer, or through a home fitness system, such as P90X. P90X is the system that I used, and it is the most complete athletic training program. Period. P90X is based around muscle confusion to avoid the plateau effect, and get those results. Also, it features a complete nutritional system that does more than tell you what foods to avoid. I have really learned how to live a healthy, active, lifestyle, and the "proof is in the pudding". Since about a year ago, I have lost close to 80 lbs, and now have around 5% bodyfat, with the help of P90X and Beachbody. Click on the title or my link to the left to check out my coach page. Click on the products tab or contact me to learn more about P90X or if you have any questions regarding your home fitness solution. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!