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
Hi there,
I’m 21, used to be very skinny but have lately lost the blessed metabolism of my teen ages. I have a lot of roundness to my stomach and it’s very hard to the touch, not easy to hide!! I also have been feeling very lethargic and not often too motivated to exercise. Diet is also a struggle as i’m a busy working musician and therefore don’t have all that much of a regular pattern to my daily life. Routine is a struggle.
Any tips/advice are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Lewis
The lack lethargy could be an indication of a very poor diet that is energy dense and nutrient poor. First tip – diet overhaul. For 2 week stop all bread, pasta, rice, alcohol, pizza, cakes, cookies, soda. Anything with added sugar, anything high GI, anything that is junk food or processed. Drink mostly water, a little juice, ideally black coffees. Eat a variety of healthy salads, fruits, vegetables, and healthy protein sources such as chicken, fish, seafood, pulses, nuts. And do some exercise, start exercising a little everyday.
The hardest thing with this will probably be bread. If you have to eat it, which you will, then please eat wholemeal / wholegrain. White bread is almost like pure sugar as far as our digestive / hormonal system is concerned.
A solid stomach means packed in fat. Not healthy. See how you get on and feel free to ask any questions you like.
What sort of music do you play? Any Youtube clips you want to share?
hello , my name is hassan zaheer i am 21 years old my height is 6ft 5 inches and my weight is 11o kg. i am very much worried about my weight. my body structure is very bad m my upper portion is very weak where as lower portion is wide and have lot of fat in my belly. i have finished my studies and have to start my job. please kindly help me to loose my weight and to adopt a good body structure. and do tell me how much weight i have to loose according to my height. and how much work out required and which things i have to avoid during my weight loss.
i shall be very thankful to you for this kindness.
thanks ,
hassan zaheer
Hi Hassan, to be within the right range for your height, you should weigh between 156 lbs / 70.7 kg and 210 lbs / 95.1 kg. So really you should aim to lose 15 pounds to get down to 95 kg.
You need to start eating a healthy diet, and be very strict with this. It will probably mean giving up a lot of foods that you normally eat every day and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Most importantly you need to exercise. When it comes to exercise there is no set amount that “works”, you just need to aim to get fitter and stronger so that you burn more fat and build some muscle. Have you ever thought about taking up a martial art?
Hi, I was would like to know what exercises would be best to tone up only I am happy with my weight however my stomach fat is always there no mattet how thin I get!
I wonder if the 7 day diet is suitable for me?
I also have the ceoliac disease which makes me feel very tired already im wondering if I went on such a strict diet would I be able to cope with the tiredness as I do have 3 kids to look after! Please some advice!
Hi Nilufer. You really need to ask your doctor about the diet with respect to a diet suitable for celiac disease, although it seems that the general rule is to avoid gluten which is in line with the diet plan, so long as you remove all bread. Exercise and a healthy diet should give you more energy though.
Thanks very much for your reply. It was extremely helpful! I have already planned to begin eating low GI foods from next week along with sit ups, press ups and light weight training 3-5 days a week. This however is unfortunately dependent on my schedule and how it changes. When is the best time for Cardio exercise? I hear from many different people that it’s first thing before breakfast or an hour after lunch or early evening before dinner… it’s all very confusing.
As for youtube videos i’m afraid i have nothing at the moment as i’m mostly playing for theatre productions and session work. I will have some websites/videos soon and i thank you for your interest.
All the best and thanks again,
Lewis
Do the cardio when you can, if you can make it a routine it is less likely you will miss a workout, but if you have a varied schedule, then just do whenever. The idea of doing before breakfast or dinner is to “burn off” as much of the glycogen (sugar in the muscles) before the meal so that then you are more likely to store any excess as glycogen again rather than as fat. But really, it is best to do it at a time that suits you.
Hey, im 17 and i am 13 stone, i have quite alot of muscle and i am quite fit, however over the past 4-5 years i have built up a bit of a belly.
A typical day would be, porridge or a bannana and yogurt, snack-a-jack’s, a wrap with pate and salad and maybe pasta or a stir-fry. I drink orange squash but am trying to drink more water and i am thinking about starting either this week diet or the monthly diet, i do eat healthy but i tend to loose weight then regain it with in a day or so.
Any ideas of what i should do, i am also going surfing in the next few weeks and i want to lose some fat for that because most of my friends have nice flat tummys! :(
Thank you,
Jamie
Hi Jamie, to lose weight and keep it off you have to be consistent with your diet and exercise. As you are now 17 your daily calorie need will actually be reducing from now as the end the rapid growth of puberty and your height stabilizes. So you need to start to moderate your eating. Regular exercise will help a lot, but ultimately you need to just watch what you eat.
Pasta and stir-fries can contain a lot of energy, so be careful with portion sizes. Stopping the squash will help a little. Remember, the only reason you regain weight again is because you eat too much again, no other reason. Even if you do a lot of exercise you can still overeat and gain weight.
I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Master Cleanse aka. Lemonade diet but I was thinking about trying it. If you have heard of it, I was wondering if i could do it adding my protein shake? I already have a workout regiment similar to the one you have listed. I’m trying to also lose the weight.
Hi ,
I am 5.2 in height and I am 73kg. I need to lose 20 kg.
I am eating cereal for breakfast , snacks are cucumber and pear , lunch sprouts and evening snacks is low fat yogurt and for dinner I have veggies.
I am going on threadmill for 20 min and cross trainer for 20 min.
I was told that I shouldn’t be doing tonig exercises, could you please help me?
Hi Sterling, we have written about Master Cleanse aka. Lemonade diet, although our article calls it the Maple Syrup “diet”. Our advice is to lose weight and get fit with a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.
Hi Gayatri. Firstly, why can’t you do toning exercises? If a doctor advised you , no problem, but generally toning exercises help people to get fit and lose weight.
Regarding your diet, it looks far to low in fat and protein. You need protein to get fit (builds muscle) and healthy fat is essential for many functions. You should eat chicken, fish, some lean meats, eggs, pulses, nuts etc.
Exercise – keep working out as your are, but add some circuit training exercises / bodyweight exercises. If you have access to a gym then do some resistance exercise too.
im 12 i weigh 100 and am 4’11 is this bad i really dont know i tend not to eat and only it vegtables without salt or anything and drink tons of water but sometimes i eat wayyy to much on weekends like this doesnt happen alot just sometimes i wanna lose all my weight but idk what to do and i also want abs or something…
Hi Molly, you are a healthy weight. Over the next few years you will be developing rapidly, and during this time you need good nutrition to develop well. Did you know that the bone structure and density that is created during adolescence is the bone you carry for the rest of your life? Many women suffer from osteoporosis in later life due to inadequate nutrition when young. Better to start thinking about sports, exercise and eating healthy.
Hi, I’m 16 years old. I’m 5’6″, nearly 5’7″, and generally weigh 134lbs. My eating habits are very scattered.
Breakfast:
Usually nothing.
Lunch:
Sometimes a couple fries or, less often, a pizza. Cafeteria food.
After School:
A plate of something like chicken, or a sandwich.
Dinner:
Maybe pasta or another sandwich.
Mainly, I’d like to lose fat around my stomach, because even if I lose weight, the stomach stays. I don’t have gym membership or any gym equipment at home so I’d really like some convenient workouts that I can do at home and some diet ideas so that I can prepare a day ahead (or else I just eat random junk that I can find around the house).
Thanks!
Hi Krisztina,
For workouts, start with these; 20 Minute Home Workout, Circuit Training Workouts and Home Workouts (which provides some more ideas).
There is also a weekly routine here: Weekly Fitness Workout Schedule for Weight Loss – it does have weight training in there but you could swap those days for circuit training exercises, running, swimming, cycling etc.
Regarding diet, you do need to plan what you eat to avoid eating junk. Eat breakfast everyday, as a healthy muesli with milk will provide energy (slow release carbohydrates too) plus a variety of vitamins and minerals. You can at least get a healthy breakfast. It takes no time to pour muesli and milk into a bowl.
You need to eat more fruit. Maybe see if you can buy some, or get more added to the family shopping list, as at the moment you are getting none. You also need more vegetables, so evening meals should include at least 2 vegetables (in addition to potato).
At the moment your diet is very poor and it is not just your weight that may suffer. With a poor diet you are not going to get enough nutrients and vitamins for healthy growth, and this can affect you in the long term. The bones you build now are the bones you carry for the rest of your life. A healthy diet is vital. And regular exercise too. Read Basics Of A Healthy Diet – What To Eat to learn more about this.
I am 30yrs old with 3 children and i weigh about 190lbs. i am not that upset about my weight b/c most of it is proportioned better than what i used to be before children which was 110 lbs with no breasts and no hips and such. now, i have all of that but now some extra in my stomach area that i really only want to get rid of? how do i just lose the belly fat and minimal fat elsewhere? is that possible?
Hi Naombi, your best option is to get exercising, and also make your diet healthier. Start with at least 3 workouts a week, each of 30 minutes, and see what changes you make. Always try to get fitter by working your body harder.
I am 30 years old, go to the gym 2-3 times a week and try to eat healthy most of the time. I must be doing something wrong because I am not getting any fitter and do not see any results since I joined 6 months ago. I would like to lose belly, upper thigh, arm, and hip fat. Do you have a technique to lose fat in those places quickly?
Hi Lou, there are no secret exercises to lose just belly fat. What workouts are you doing? Are you doing more than you were 6 months ago?
Remember, to get fitter and to lose weight, you need to keep working harder, otherwise you will just find a “happy” balance again and stop losing weight. Also, diet is essential – good diet helps you to lose fat and also provides more energy to exercise, and more protein to build muscle. All important.
Hello-
I am a mother of two and am 5’2″ and am about 160lbs. I carry a lot of weight around my belly and am looking to lose a lot of it by summer. I am having surgery in two weeks which will slow me down for a month or so on working out. I eat fairly well I think. This is what my day looks like:
Breakfast: yogurt and 16 almonds
snack: banana
lunch: tuna, half avocado, mini light babybel and grapes
snack: mini babybel
supper: salad-spinach, chicken, apples, dressing made from viniger, honey and olive oil.
What am I doing wrong? I need to start working out again, but I am so tired when I come home from work and I struggle to get up early to workout as well. Any suggestions you can give me will be most helpful and much appreciated. Thanks, Tonia
Hi Tonia, your diet looks very low on calories, so I assume that you are losing weight now? How long have you been on this diet and how much weight have you lost?
For exercise, you just need to go and do it. Feeling tired is a mental state, your mind is tired not your body. So have a snack and then do some exercise.
Hi. I am a sixteen year old. I am a vegetarian so I stay away from meat. I have gone from 188 (January ’11) to 163 (now). Problem is, I haven’t lost anything really since March began. I was wondering what I am doing wrong? I’ve been restricting my food intake greatly to Special K Cereal, skim milk, water, Special K Protein bars, Spinach salads with light ranch & cheese. I do eat bread and that seems to be my weakness food. Any advice?
How tall are you Tiana? Have you read our article Healthy Vegetarian Diet For Teenagers? Please remember that this is a vital time during your development. The bone you create now is the same bone you carry for the rest of your life, so nutrition is vital. Also read Basics Of A Healthy Diet.
Do you exercise? You should be getting regular exercise, and also eat a more varied diet. You do not mention any fruits, nuts, vegetables or pulses – this are essential in a vegetarian diet. A diet of Special K, spinach and cheese is going to leave you deficient in many minerals, vitamins and essential fats and oils and poses future health risks. Please put healthy diet before weight for now, and then start exercising to help increase your daily calorie needs to aid weight management.
Hi i’m 14 and i don’t eat wery much but i’m just gaining weight what should i do?
Eat a healthy diet, stop all junk food, and exercise.
I am around 5’5 or 5’6. So according to my bmi, I would be overweight. I do try and incorporate fruits and vegetables into my diet as well. I usually eat bananas but its not on a daily basis since we are on a budget and can’t afford much food to keep in the house. Also, I have been doing 1-hour exercises starting with Monday. Today was a rest day, but I do plan on continuing my excercising.
Hello, i am 16 years old, height is 5’2″ and weight is 130 pounds. I go to college, and i think i have a poor diet.
I don’t eat breakfast.
For lunch, usually, i eat chicken fillet(Fried) with a cup of rice
For dinner, i usually eat pork.
My plan is:
For breakfast:
Banana + Yogurt + Athena Milk
For Lunch:
Random Fruits and Vegetables
For Dinner:
Vegetable soup
And for exercise, im gonna follow the exercise plan written here.
Any recommendations?
Hi I’m 16 years old I eat like any teenager really which is just whatever I get given I’ll eat. I’m not fat I weigh about 75kg and am nearly 6 foot. I have only a little fat around my stomach to which I say would be about 1cm and I go to the gym 3 times a week nearly all weights. I’m trying to Bring out my abs as much as possible and firm them up any ideas ?
Try to get more green veg in the house if you can, such as cabbage, sprouts, broccoli and spinach. You should ensure you get a protein replacement of some description, such as tofu, or take a whey supplement. For exercise, just keep pushing yourself, and over the weeks reduce rest days to just 1 or 2 a week, but plan your rest days so you work harder on the day before.
Hi Charmaine, I do not know anything about Athena milk, and cannot find any nutritional information about it other than what is written on the label, i.e. calcium and anti-oxidants, but I guess it will be OK.
You definitely need more protein in your diet. It seems you are planning to go from a high protein / low carb diet (really just chicken and pork every day?) to a low protein and high carb one. Are you turning vegetarian? If so ensure you are eating pulses, lentils, nuts and seeds, and consider tofu too, as these will help increase the protein and healthy fats in your diet. If you can eat fish / seafood add this to your diet a few times a week. Eggs are a great choice too, protein, healthy fats and vitamins.
Hi Elliot, for now just keep working out. Build up total strength, work your abs too, and start doing a little intensive cardio to increase your fitness levels.
Hey, so I’ve noticed that the losing belly fat in 7 days plan consists of eating 1000 calories a day and you have included meal options. What you haven’t mentioned though is snacks in between. What about fresh vegetables in between these meals? If you don’t eat for 3 hours, wont your body go into starvation mode? I ask this question, because it is stressed in this plan that “if it’s not on the list DONT EAT IT! if its not in the exercise plan, DONT DO IT!” So, can i have snacks?
Hi Sarah. If you consume enough protein you should not go into starvation mode. Starvation mode is when your body starts breaking down muscles (also called muscle wastage) to obtain protein for more vital functions.
What you do want to do is run a calorie deficit and also ensure sugar (carbohyrate / glycogen) is kept to a minimum so that you trigger a release of glucagon hormone that facilitates the breakdown of fat for energy.
If you strictly control your snacks in terms of GI and calories, then you can snack. However, if you allow your blood sugar levels to raise you will risk stopping fat burning and returning to glucose / sugar burning for energy.
Of course, this is a very restrictive diet, it is meant to be, as it is only 1 week. If you need the snacks then that is OK, just expect a slower weight loss. Probably better in the long term if you can sustain that method.
Hi, I’m 18, approximately 150 lbs and 5″7. I have a lot of fat on my belly, HInd thighs and arms. Do you have any specific exercises to help me get rid of this? RIght now, my routine is some bench presses curl ups and after, running up and down stairs . (since i dont have any machines or dont plan on going to the gym). any cardio workouts? (i cant run since my neighborhood is pretty bad and i dont want to join a gym) Also, should i do the cardio *(running up down stairs )before or after i do the other exercises. What other exercises can i do in my home ? Thank youu
Hi Jennifer, take a look at our home workouts. The 20 Minute Home Workout provides a good introduction to some bodyweight exercises. Really for exercising at home circuit training is best. Yoga is also good, although harder to learn. Kettlebell workouts are good too, as they only require 1 piece of equipment, a kettlebell.
Hi im owen, 15 years old, 5ft 9 and 64 kg, i wouldnt say im overweight but i have about 3 cm of fat on my stomach area, i dont eat much snack foods or salad, but i have big dinners (2-3 servings) do you have any advice for me? i want to gain visable abs.
i go to the gym (twice a week) mostly on arm and leg related weight lifting.
Hi, I am 18 years old, about 140lbs. My goal is to be 125 to 130. My exercises are monday, kick boxing for an hour and then weight lifting cardio for an hour, and Thursday kick boxing again. Do I need to do more? Truthfully I do not know how to tell if my meals are healthy or not. For example..as a family we are eating hunan spicy ribs, probably potatoes and some kind of veggie. Normally in the morning I would have Vector cereal or honey nut cheerios, lunch is always a mystery. I am just curious why I am not losing any weight, most of it is in my butt and legs and my stomach. Sorry for the long comment, just wanted to cover all bases so that I could get a good response.
Meghan
Hi Owen, well, let’s be clear first – you are certainly not at all overweight. Your BMI is 21.0 which puts you about in the middle of the normal and healthy weight range.
It is important that you ensure that you continue to eat a healthy and well balanced diet. As for the gym, you need to do full body workouts rather than just working the arms and legs, and also do more cardio workouts to improve your fitness. You may also benefit from balancing your food throughout the day, one big meal a day does lead to some fat accumulation. Better to have the same amount of calories but at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The reason why you are having 2-3 servings is probably because your body is craving the energy at the moment.
Hi Meghan, exercising twice a week should be adequate really. Read the basics of healthy eating to learn what is healthy. Ribs can be a bit fatty and too much red meat / pork is not ideal. The vector cereal is probably OK but the other can be a bit too high in sugar, you may be better off with an oat based breakfast such as muesli or porridge.
Keep working on your fitness for now. One option may be to move your weight lifting to another day so that you exercise on 3 days of the week.
Hi, I am 19 years old. My height is 5’8 and my weight is 143lbs. The ideal weight I want to reach is 120-125lbs. I know that according to normal health standards, I’m not really overweight as such, but I want to be entirely thin.
My main problem is my stomach, I have a lot of excess fat around the abdomen, what can you suggest for a flat stomach and a smaller waistline? Also, I have a chubby face and neck. My hips aren’t a problem at all, but my thighs and arms are a bit chubby.
I know that I need to make some drastic changes in my lifestyle as I have never exercised in my life, so I just signed up for the gym and will start working out from tomorrow. I also tend to eat foods that are high in carbs.
My breakfast normally includes 2 pieces of brown wholewheat bread with margarine. Since I live in Pakistan, I end up eating the tradition chappati with chicken gravy or a medium-sized plate of rice for lunch, and dinner is along the same lines. I know that I need to cut down on carbs, and increase my intake of vegetables, fruits and protein instead. Also, I have the habit of snacking a lot. Some days I go without eating anything at all and other days I snack like crazy.
Also, a year ago I was diagnosed with PCOS but according to my latest ultra-sounds, I no longer have PCOS. However, the doctor has been giving me glucophage thrice a day for the past three months and has asked me to continue taking it for sometime in ore to ensure that the PCOS does not relapse. I hope you are familiar with the disease. Can you recommend a diet plan that would work for me, as well as exercises? According to my gynecologists, the treadmill is the best option for now. Do get back at me soon. Thanks a lot.
Hi Zuhaira. Firstly, if you do drop to 120 pounds you will be a little underweight according to the BMI, so be careful. I would also follow your gynecologist’s advice regarding exercise as they really do know best about your condition and what you can and should not do.
Following a healthy diet will help. You say “I need to cut down on carbs, and increase my intake of vegetables, fruits …” – vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates. I guess you mean that you want to reduce refined carbs and empty carbs (bread, sugar, pasta, white rice, cakes, cookies etc.).
If you are given the all clear from your doctor to do more exercise, then consider doing circuit training exercises or even resistance training in the gym.
Hi my name is Sarah I m 21 and have one baby. My weight is 140 pounds. I wanna lose 15-20 pounds and my goal is to get a flat stomach. I had c-section, so due to that I have too much fat hanging around my stomach area. Plz help me so I can get rid of that chunck of fat. Thank you, I appreciate.
hi, for lunch my mom makes me a sandwich and i have a smoothie every morning, but my family makes pasta’s and stews a lot and also things like rice and chicken and broccoli. I dont know what to do because i cant make myself a seperate meal, should i just cut down on how much i eat? i need help with a meal plan, i dont know what food are high calories and which ones arent.
Hi, I am 23 years old and a mother of two. Unfortunately, I am 5’3″ and 190 lbs.
For the last 2 years I have been trying to lose weight. I have watched my calorie in take for the last 5 months and have completely cut out sugars. I try to avoid pasta,pizza,anything fast food.
For the last month:
Breakfast is 2 egg whites with whole grain toast.
Lunch is either a salad or fruit ( very small portions of raspberries, blueberries, black berries. Not all at the same time) and yogurt (less than half of a cup),
Dinner is typically Whiting, chicken, tofu, Limited spices (trying to use a very little amount of salt if used at all.)a salad, Little or no dressing, vegetables.
Not using any butter or oils.
I try to walk at least an hour a day. I have kept up with sit up’s, squats, jogging or running is almost impossible due to knee problems.
Any tips or advice would be very much appreciated.
Hi Sarah, you just need to start a diet and fitness plan. Exercise at least 4 times a week and eat a healthy diet with reduced calories. Let me know if you want me to recommend a plan.
Hi Sophia. How old are you, and how tall and what is your weight? Are you trying to lose weight?
As for calories and meal plans, of the foods you mentioned that only real problem apart from possibly eating too much, is eating white rice and too much pasta. Stews, chicken and broccoli can all be very healthy.
Hi Kayla, you did not say if you have lost weight in the last 5 months or not. Your current regime looks like it should help you to lose weight.
As for diet, you would do well to keep the egg yolks as there are many essential vitamins in eggs. Also olive oil is very good, so that can make an ideal salad dressing.