JFroFro

Machete, WITH YA ON THE ICE CREAM! It's probably my biggest weakness. Well, that and cake. And gummi bears. And... Admittedly, I skimmed the replies pretty quickly, so hoping not to be redundant. But definitely would 1) start up with a weight lifting routine. Nothing burns fat like muscle; I used to hit the ol' Eliptical and treadmill for hours and never saw the kinds of results I experienced when training with weights, hands down. I lost 25 pounds and got abs in 3 mo. by finding a routine that mixed up cardio and weighted resistance training (along with a dialed-in diet) and would never do straight cardio again. Secondly, if you want to lose those last 5lbs bad enough, you need to develop your "WHY" (as in "Why do you want to lose the weight?" "How do you feel now and how will you feel when you lose it?" etc...) and write it down. Seriously...grab a pen and paper and write it down, word for word. There's something very special that happens when we write down our thoughts and we can refer back to them, verbatim, when ever we want. Thirdly, MUST dial in your nutrition. This above all. MUST MUST MUST dial in your diet. Make a meal plan and stick to that plan. And incorporate treats (SPARINGLY)...need to give yourself something to look forward to, after all. I usually reserve Saturday nights for "cheating." You CAN lose the last few pounds and you can do so while still feeling awesome about life...I know I did...but you need to make sure the necessary organization is present.

Hey bud, wanted to weigh in (no pun intended...ok, maybe a LITTLE pun intended...) Long and short, I think your two main problem areas are 1) type of workout and 2) composition of diet. As to the former, IMO, it needs to change immediately by virtue of the fact that you're not experiencing any progress. Our bodies become used to certain movements and progress slows over time; you need to mix it up to keep your body guessing. Also, I would suggest looking into a routine that emphasizes movements that utilize more than one muscle/bodypart at the same time so you can...well...SAVE TIME. I lost 25 lbs in 3 mo. last year by exercising no more than 30 min a day...I mention that to emphasize that you don't necessarily need to spend 2 hrs in a gym 5-6 days a week to get the results you desire. And if you ARE doing that and not seeing progress, it's high time to mix things up. The second thing is to dial in your diet, making sure you focus on your macronutrient ratios as well as balancing meals. In wanting to lose weight and build lean muscle, I followed a 40protein:30carb:30fat ratio and it worked fantastically. Also, I eat 5-6 meals a day and they contained around the same amount of calories more or less. Finally, you want to make sure you're eating enough. Food is fuel, and if you are starving yourself (1200 cals/day), for all intents and purposes, your metabolism is going to slow to the point where losing additional weight will be very hard. Make a meal plan, balance out your meals, and stick to it. You'll be surprised at how far a little organization goes. You can DEFINITELY reach your goals, brother and you can do it efficiently...however, the organization has to be there and you have to make sure you alter practices that aren't working.

Hey there. It sounds like you could benefit from 1) eating more frequently and 2) making sure you integrate some fat/protein with every snack so it puts something in your belly to hold you over until the next meal/snack. I eat 5-6 times a day (6:30am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 7pm) and balance my meals with a 40protein:30fat:30carb ratio. Naturally, that might be different for you depending on your goals, but I find that it helps curb my cravings and allows me to not have that "I'm not eating for another 4+ hours!" feeling. I make a meal plan each week that lists my daily meals so I can prep for them and ensure I'm eating only those foods that promote my nutritional/fitness goals (I can send you a template if you want to see it). Try a more frequent, balanced eating schedule and see if that helps!

Don't let your knee prevent you from working other muscle groups as long as you're not putting undue pressure on that knee. And DON'T work that knee until you get a diagnosis..could leave to much more severe injury; it's just not worth it in the long run. So, keep your routine minus knee-centric exercises...also, might want to try some yoga; can get a great workout without the intensity/jumping around.

It sounds to me like you're trying to take on too much too fast. I would reduce your range of motion, not try to go for the full pull-up, and bring in a chair on which to rest your feet. Start by hanging from the bar and doing the equivalent of shoulder shrugs. From there, pull your body halfway up, then back down...then halfway up, then back down. When you are comfortable with those, start integrating the full motion, maintaining proper form (elbows back, no kipping). Use a chair for assistance so you can adjust to the full motion. When you feel confident and strong enough, lose the chair for a few reps, but complete your set with the chair. Eventually ween off the chair and you'll be good to go. But, remember, start small and work up incrementally. Trying to bit off more than you can chew can lead to injury and frustration. Pull-ups feel AWESOME when you can do them but demoralizing when you can't. Work up slowly and you'll get there, lats and all.

Just brilliant, brother. If more people had this kind of initiative, the world would be a better and MUCH more successful place. Kudos!

Agree with the other two replies...you're recruiting other muscle groups and not putting the focus on your abs. Try reducing intensity and range of motion and REALLY focusing on your abs (and keeping them tight) with each movement. You really don't need to go crazy to work your abs; concentrated effort will do the trick. And to their other point, I don't do ANY ab work and have seen some really great results (i.e. I now have abs when I didn't before...see below) through more functional training. Also--and this is KEY--if you're looking to get abs, you'll find them in the kitchen, not the gym. Clean up your diet and those abs will be popping before you know it. It only took me 3 months (without doing any crunches, mind you) to get from flab to abs. Amazing transformation, but only because I ate clean at least 90% of the time.

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and wanted to introduce myself. This past year I got back into fitness, working out, and eating clean. In Jan 2014, I lost 20lbs in 90 days (pic below) and gained significant muscle and strength through P90X3, supplementing with a little running here and there. Happy to be a part of the community and look forward to offering my two cents! Jason jfrofitness.com