The 7 Day Exercise Plan for Fitness and Weight Loss has been so popular that we have had to move the discussion to this page. There are over 1200 comments below. These comments may provide you with answers to questions that you have. The main reason for keeping them is to ensure that any readers who have asked a question can come back and re-read the replies.
No Nonsense Fitness
well i 49 years old trying to lose weight.
i drink a lot of soda and eat pasta a lot what can i do?
Hi Richard. First, stop drinking soda and eat less pasta! Follow the dietary rules here and also read Basics Of A Healthy Diet
Hey there, I’m 17 years old, weigh 71-72 kgs. I’m slightly over 6 ft, it all sounds perfect but the problem is I have a lot of lose skin. The skin on my face shakes when I run or even brisk walk. My lower stomach fat has always been there, and my hips are fat. I was 92 kgs earlier and exercised my way down to this but I want to get a nice firm body. My nutrition is a mess so please suggest me a diet and exercise plan, and a reason of my lose body. I’m a male btw. Thank you so much.
Oh and just to add, my bmi is perfectly in range but I’m guessing my body fat percentage is slightly over 15%.
OK, your BMI is 21.4, smack in the middle of normal. The big questions are:
What exercise are you doing and how often?
What is your diet like, what do you mean by “a mess”?
Both regular exercise and a healthy diet help to improve the skin.
Thanks for the quick reply.
Okay so by a “mess”, I meant its not a regular diet. I sometimes eat a lot and sometimes not as much but I do have a lot of carbs which is certainly bad. Sugary stuff like marshmallows and chocolates too. I’m ready to give up on it all, but I need quick results! My exercises are very basic, I do sit-ups and crunches for the stomach, maybe jog for some 4 kms followed by a 100m sprint and. 8kg dumbbells for some casual weight lifting. I’m not looking for weight loss, just need to shed that belly off and have harder skin! I also do a lot of sports so I’m actively active (if that made sense.)
Oh and just to add, my most important and regular exercise is this yoga move, its called “kapal-bhati”. U must would have heard about it. If not, u might want to google it or something. And also that whenever I eat, drink, anything at all, my belly tends to bloat. And I also suck my belly in most of the time to make sure I look like I’m in shape! Problems!
nutrition is a mess as in its not regular and consists of carbs, sweets and junk at times. im ready to give up on that. staerting today, ive been just exercising and am planning to go onto a fruit diet. is that ok?
also i suffer bloating a lot. whenever i eat or drink anything at all, my stomach bloats. i have to suck it in most of the day to look in shape. im otherwise atheletic and do sports.
Well, if you have excess fat then you do need to exercise more to burn that fat off. Regarding kapal-bhati, I remain sceptical about such exercises. I think that it is far more likely that experienced yogis manage their weight because they simply have less appetite from years of controlling their diet, and not directly as a result of the breathing exercise. So to be slim like a yogi, you need to eat like one as well as breathe like one.
About the fruit diet – this is not healthy, sorry. You need proteins and fats in a healthy diet, fruit alone will not provide that. Fruit is healthy in a balanced diet, but on its own it will lead to malnutrition.
so what all exercises do i do? and what about the bloating? and can u make me a diet plan? like what for breakfast lunch and dinner?
We cannot provide you with a free personalised diet plan. The article above provides both a weekly workout plan and a daily meal plan.
There are other articles on this website with alternative fitness routines and nutrition advice.
alright. last thing i’d like to know, is sucking in the belly a problem? or is it just another way of exercising the abdominal muscles by contracting them? and what do i do for the bloating?
Sucking the belly in may exercise the abdominals a little, but it is not really going to tackle to main problem, which is excess fat. This is lost through diet and exercise. As for bloating, that is usually caused by a poor diet. Too much sugar, bread, refined or processed foods. You have to experiment a little by changing parts of your diet. Keep a food diary and write down everything you eat (including how much) and make a note when you feel bloated. Make adjustments. The bloating is probably connected with the weight gain.
thank you so much! i really appreciate your help and im sure it’ll help me live a better healthier life!
cheers!
Hi there, how do?
I have been working out for about 8 weeks now, 6 times a week.
I am 29 years old, 5,7 and weigh 9.1 stone
I have no fat anywhere on my body at all apart from the belly area, I am after a flat toned stomach and can see I am getting there.. I have top abs and side abs and can feel the abs on my belly area but feel the fat over them and can not see them. I am happy with my muscles around my arms and shoulders and everywhere else… just this damn belly area still looks fat (Though not as bad in a morning) If I hold in my stomach it all looks very defined which is what i want but without having to hold it in a bit)
My Main routine is:
stretching for 5 minutes
Then 30 minutes of running on the spot with 2.5kg weights in each hand.. ( I then rotate how I am running with the weights by changing the motion every 30 secs
Abs workout for 20 minutes all areas mixing up the way I do them… I also do sets on the lower part by using my legs.
Then I spend about 20 minutes lifting wieghts.
I eat pretty much the same food each day.
6:00AM
Minibix Raisin(40g) full skimmed milk (0.01% FAT)
Whey protein shake
10:00AM
Ceral bar – oatibix 70 Calories
Banana
Pear
12:30PM
Regualy Kellogs Cornflakes(40g)
Apple or Plum / Grapes (about 6)
I workout about 2:00Pm (Followed by a whey protein shake at about 3:00 – 3:15)
5:30pm
A meal of one of these(Small portion)(with side of veg(brocli etc)
fish and beans
chilli and rice
spagetti and sauce
noodles
and always a peice of fruit about 20 minutes after I have eaten.
what else can i do to help shift this big looking belly area… It looks more odd now as it is flat with muscle at the top and shaped around the sides but the stomach itself is not flat and looks fat.
I only have 3 weeks left before my wedding arghhh
My Weigh Protein drink contains:
45G Scoop per serving (146 calories)
calories from Fat (24)
Protein (23g)
Fat (2.7g)
Carbs(11g)
of sugars(10g)
Kind Regards
Chris
Hi Chris. How much time do you have? I would suggest trying a morning cardio workout of around 30 minutes, ideally with sprint intervals. This should help you burn more fat. Then do the weight training in the afternoon or evening.
If you can reduce total calories over the next 3 weeks then do so. Cutting the rice, spaghetti, noodles and cereal bars may certainly help. Do not eliminate these, just try reducing some of the portion sizes slightly to aid further fat loss.
Ok I will try the cardio in the morning… I am afraid if I cut any more foods I will loose to much weight.. Ideally i would like to weigh 10 stone but with no fat at all.
30 mins cardio in the morning sounds doable.
Should this be before I eat breakfast?
Yeah, before breakfast.
hey there.
so i wanted to get ure feedback on the changes i’ve adopted to.
i now eat 4-5 times a day (small meals.)
breakfast(6:15)- 2 slices of thin chicken bologna with chilies, a boiled egg white and fat free milk.
snack(10:30)- 2 thin slices of brown bread with sesame with a slice of chicken bologna and some home made salsa sauce.
lunch(2:00)- a glass of watermelon and papaya + fat free yogurt smoothie.
by 7:00 i have 2 thin slices of brown bread with sesame with a slice of chicken bologna and some home made salsa sauce.
about the exercise, i do situps and crunches before every meal and before i go to bed and when i wake up. a total of around 300-400 a day.
casual dumbbells 2-3 times a day and sometimes a jog and plank.
now i’d want your feedback on if these changes are good because the results are favouring me, the stomach has lost some fat, the upper two abs are visible, no more bloating. so is all this alright?
Hiya, I wonder if you can help, I’m Diabetic, when I was first diagnosed 18 months ago I went very strict on what I should be eating as per my Diabetic nurse/Doctor, I.e Lots of Tuna, Chicken and Turkey…. for 6 months I had Tuna Salad every day, then fish or Chicken at night with salad or a small Jacket Potato …. I have got so sick of this diet that I feel if I eat another peice of Tuna I will be ill ! I lost 2 stone in weight which was great, as I’m only 5ft 1″, 57 yrs and I was nearly 12 stone, (until I was 45 to 48 I was between 8 & 9 stone, so this was the heaviest ive ever been) but I am now slowly putting weight back on, and now weigh 11 stone again, can you advise something a bit different, but will still help me lose the weight???
Hi Vishal, if the results are good then stick with it. When you stop making progress it will be time to review.
The chicken bologna may have saturated fat, so you may want to swap that for fish some days to reduce saturated fat intake. Also eating it 3 times a day may get boring? I would also keep the egg yolk, especially if you are only having 1 or 2 eggs a day, as they are an excellent source of vitamins.
Hi Christina, have you tried a low GI diet? Really any lean protein is good, and eggs should be OK too. It does not have to be all salads, although over cooking some vegetables will raise their glycemic index, which in turn will raise your blood sugar levels quicker.
Are you also doing some regular exercise to help burn extra calories? This can help lower glucose levels too. I am sure that you know already, but staying as active as possible is very important and increased blood flow should help reduce the longer term problems associated with diabetes, such as macrovascular deterioration and reduce blood flow to the extremities.
As it happens I am currently working on a new diabetes website, although it is in the early stages at the moment…. it will be announced here at some point, though the newsletter.
If you have any other specific questions I may be able to source an answer, I am studying diabetes at the moment with the Open University so have a lot of experienced people on hand through the OU forum who can help.
Thank you, to start with I didnt know if I over cook veggies it can affect my sugar level! To be honest I used to go for a walk every evening after work for about 30mins, then I also joined gymophobics, but the more weight I put back on the less energy I have and I’ve stopped everything, (except working and running the house of course!) It feels like a vicious circle.
Can I get an email when your investigations into Diabetes is complete?
One question I do have is, I love yoghurt, but dont think I can have it anymore, & to look at every single yoghurt on the market will take forever, I’ve looked for diet yoghurts but dont seem to be able to find them anymore, (I like Ski especially) and they used to do diet ski, but I have no idea where to get it now, or even if it will be any good to me.
Well, that may not be the case for all vegetables, but certainly carrots and also pasta as well. Potatoes too I think, but then who eats potatoes hard?
As for yoghurt, I think that a big problem is the “diet” yoghurt which are generally low if fat but add more sugar. If you can find a natural yoghurt then this may be better. Milk is around 5% lactose so all yoghurt will have some natural sugars in.
Do you monitor your blood sugar levels daily? On the days that you are feeling tired could your glucose levels are high / you are not taking up enough glucose so lacking energy. If this is the case then you should have a review. Are you on medication to aid glucose uptake / insulin production, or managing just through diet and exercise?
Gymophobics sounds fun, had not heard of them before.
What kind of fish? And what do I have it with? And isn’t the bologna lean meat? The unsaturated fat effects how on the body?
What kids of fish do you like? Low Gi vegetables, boiled potatoes. I thought that bologna was processed meat which can use just about any part of the animal and will have salt, sugar and other ingredients to preserve it. Saturated fat is not healthy, it increases bad cholesterol in your blood which can lead to heart disease and other vascular related illnesses.
Oh damn, it was the only interesting ingredient of my diet (chicken bologna). Canned Tuna in spring water? And what exercise can work my lower abs since that’s the only region that needs to get toned.
Well, you can do lots of things with real chicken that is tasty. For lower abs, just vary your workouts more. Leg raises, cable crunches, bicycle crunches, reverse crunches are all good ways to work the lower abs more. You also need to cut more fat if possible.
Hi I will look for a natural yoghurt maybe and see whats in it. I check my sugar a couple of times a week usually, more if I dont feel well obviously, I’m on Metformin tablet 500mg 3 times a day.
Hi, my name is Julie. I am 18 years old and weigh about 155 and I am 5’6. Everyone tells me that I should weigh about 130 for my height. I work out five days a week and I don’t really eat any junk foods cause my mom is a health freak. As well i count my calories and I keep it under 1500 a day. However I can’t manage to get 20 pounds off and I would really like to tone my stomach and butt. Can anyone help me figure out what to do to tone those areas?
Hi, I am going to start the ‘How to Lose Belly Fat in 1 Week’ plan today, but was wondering whether there would be a problem in swapping lunch and dinner around? For example, soup for lunch, fish and salad for dinner.
Hi Julie, hard to suggest much without knowing what you are doing already. Possible the best way to tone the butt and stomach is running or cycling.
Sounds like a good idea Charlotte.
Hi,
It’s quite hard for me to stick to salad and soup for lunch and dinner – is it possible to have noodles with maybe chicken? I can avoid rice though. I usually don’t have breakfast because I start work at 1030 in the morning and I have brunch then. My brunch usually is a packet of rice or noodles.
I am also okay with doing exercises at home like sit ups, crunches but my work doesn’t really give me time to go for a run or jog.
Can I lose weight within a week by doing intensive workouts (at home) and by cutting down on my diet (replacing rice with noodles etc)?
Thanks in advance.
Carrie, that may help although you could still be consuming too many calories and not doing enough exercise. Sounds like you are better off looking for a long term weight loss solution. Take a look at out articles on healthy eating, dieting to lose weight and fitness plans.
Hi,
I’m 15 y.o. I’m 171cm and I weight 60kg. I’m not really good at sticking to diets that never seemed to work for me. I’m not in a terrible bad shape or anything. Is just that I have fat in my stomach and thighs that I just doesn’t go away. Everyday I run 2km and do some ab work out. Sometimes I go and walk for about 1 hour to replace my short jog.
Is there anyway for me to lose this fat and gain some muscle without having a very strict diet?
Hi,
I’m a fifteen year old girl who has never really been fit. I’m pretty athletically challenged and I feel intimidated at my apartment gym.
I also find it difficult to control myself and go on junk food binges. I’ll eat healthily for the whole day and then I’ll see a piece of candy and think it’s a reward and then end up nowhere.
Right now I’m 118 pounds, and about 5’1″ and while I read that that is my ideal height/weight, I definitely have flab, well, everywhere. My thighs and arms jiggle, and my stomach has pretty much never been flat. I feel awful about myself, and I’m getting really worried as I need to attend a wedding in about two weeks. What can I do to get rid of this fat fast?
hi there i am 13 years old and i have a good body but im starting to gain a bit of belly fat. can you please give me some good tips to try lose lose that belly fat that im gaining.
Hi Susana, I would suggest that the first changes to make are to run further than 2km each day, try running 4km, and just make sure that your diet is healthy – no junk, no sugar, no chocolate, no soda etc. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. To gain muscle you need to do more resistance work and eat more protein (although not a lot more at this stage).
Hi Mimi, to be honest there is not much that you can do in 2 weeks, but you can get started. If you do not like to use the gym, maybe a better option would be a women’s fitness class, such as dance or aerobics? However, really you should not feel intimidated by the gym, everyone is there for the same reason – to make themselves fitter and healthier and to look better.
As for the diet – only reward yourself if you really deserve it, like 90 minutes of intensive exercise. Then make sure it is a small piece of candy only.
Maryam, just eat a healthy diet and exercise more. A healthy diet is really vital at your age, so exercise should be the solution. A little bit of belly fat should go quickly with regular exercise.
hey, so about how much weight do you lose with this plan? like how many inches weekly or biweekly?
Hi I am 27 year old guy trying to reduce belly fat .I had loss weight by doing gym but not able to reduce the belly .My stomach is 37inch but i want make it 34ich . In 3 month with abs can u help me out..
Hi, I’m 18, male, 6’1 and 224 pounds. My goal is lose my stomach fat by the end of august before school starts. Can you please help me, and tell me what to eat and how i should excerise.
It really is not possible to predict success on any fitness plan. Too many variables really. How overweight a person is, how fit they are, how determined to stick to the low calorie plan, how hard they train. A plan is only as good as the person following it. If you wish to try to lose weight quickly and have no other options at hand then try this plan. In 7 days you will know if it was effective or not.
Hi Pradeep. What have you been doing in the gym? Did you change your diet? Ultimately, you need to change your diet if you have a 37 inch waist.
Hi Nick, all the eating advice you need is here: Basics Of A Healthy Diet
For exercise, the key is to exercise every day, and alternate between cardio and weight training. Check out the fitness and strength sections here, there are many options.
Do not break the diet though, stick to healthy eating and nothing else – if you really need to lose weight. That includes beer!
thankyou sooo much:)
Hi, I’m 15 and have a little belly fat. I can see some of my abs (I really don’t know why) and I think if I lose that belly fat near the bottom I could see them all. However, my parents are strict Asians and I HAVE to eat rice everyday. Not necessarily every meal, just everyday and it’s really hard for me to do this diet. Is there a way I could get around this? I’m going to camp soon, so I don’t wanna be insecure about stomach. Please and thanks!
Hi Kacey, can’t you just take a smaller portion of rice and get more exercise? That could possibly be the answer.