question about burning fat, losing weight

[Penny]

I currently weigh about 130 pounds and i am 5'5. i want to lost about 10 pounds, or at least burn 10 pounds of fat and convert it into muscle. basically i have a little lower belly paunch that i want to eliminate. i just bought a gym membership, and i want to try to go at least 5 times a week. what would be the most effective workout to burn this fat? i do cardio and abs already, but i want to know what excersizes would work the best. also, how long would it take to safely lose the weight when working out and eating right? thanks! :) Penny

[Lara]

Hello Penny! You've probably seen me say this before, but it stands repeating. 80% of what you look like comes from what you eat. Here is how to get started:
First, multiply your current body weight times 12.This will give you your total caloric intake for the day. Next, divide those calories into 6 meals daily (this will be eating about every 3 hours). Eating this frequently increases the metabolism. Make sure you're getting your proper nutrients--60% calories from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 10% from fat. Adjust your calories every few weeks to match your weight. Finally, do cardio 4-5 times weekly for about 30-40 minutes.
This should get you on your way. Meanwhile, keep weight training. The more muscle mass you have, the quicker your metabolism. A proven method of training is the three days on, one day off split. This system of training requires you to train chest, shoulders, and triceps the first day; back and biceps the second day; and legs the third day. This is then followed by one day of total rest before resuming the training cycle again.

This system allows you to recuperate completely between each body part, therefore reducing the likelihood of over training. Do three sets of three exercises per body part i.e., for chest do 3 sets of dumbbell bench presses, 3 sets of dumbbell flyes, and 3 sets of incline bench presses. Variety is important for muscular growth. Be sure to switch in and out different exercises so that your muscles don't adapt to the same exercise and quit responding.

If you need specific ideas for what exercises to do per body part, let me know and I will make some suggestions. There are also some great books out there that can show you a variety of exercises for each body part that you can incorporate into your work outs. If you are interested, I will give you some recommendations.

I hope this helps. :)