Expert: Kim Farmer - 9/16/2008

Question
Hi, I have been doing cardio exercise, specifically rope jumping for about a year now. I have lost 30 lbs and about 8.5 inches off my waist. I'm 5'11" and down to 158lbs and about 30.5 inches on my waist.  But recently, in the last 2 months, I seemed to be stuck on the 30.5 to 31 inch range.  I have’nt changed my food intake nor my exercise volume of 40-45mins, 4x a week of cardio. For the last 2 months, I seemed to be stuck on that range, which makes me feel discouraged to continue.

My question is, have I reached the peak of my fat loss program? I really want to have a six pack abs but as of now, I could still see a small layer of stubborn fat around my midsection.  Can you suggest anything that would allow me to finally lose the stubborn remaining fat around my waist?


Answer
Hi Jonathan-
I apologize for the delay in answering your question, but for some reason I haven't been receiving timely notification of pending questions.  Anyway, you have a common problem amongst men.  You can lose the fat around your waist, but there is a point that it takes a lot more effort and intensity. Not to mention the fact that genetics could play a role.  You should try to change they type of exercise that you are doing.  You mentioned that you have been doing jumprope for about a year, I would definitely recommend adding other types of cardio to your routine, including jumprope.  Try run/jog intervals, biking, or the elliptical machine at the gym.  Also, you should definitely include total body strength training which should include abdominal exercises (situps and other situp variations), pushups, squats, etc.  

You are doing great with the volume of cardio that you are getting, I would recommend changing the TYPE of cardio that you do and also add strength training if you don't already.

I hope this helps, thanks for the question.

Kim