People are always trying to figure out how to lose that last 5 to 10lbs to get to their "ideal" weight. They try to be very strict with their diet and exercise correctly and adequately and still the scale does not budge as well as your body fat percentage. Most times this is more difficult for women because they have less muscle mass and their metabolism is not as high.
Well I'm about to give you a few very simple tips and explain things as easy as possible to you without using any scientific mumbo jumbo and in a way that the average person can understand. This will be geared more towards women, but men can use these same scientific principles and incorporate this into their life as well.
First things first; you absolutely have to have muscle on your body and an adequate supply of it in order to burn calories and keep you have a high metabolism. Studies have shown that one pound of muscle added makes you burn up to an average of an extra 1,000 calories a week! That's nuts. Just think if you added 5 pounds of muscle what that would do for you body.
Many women are what everyone likes to call "cardio junkies" and really don't like lifting weights that much. If women do lift weights it's just enough to get them toned and not really build any muscle mass which is what you need. I'm not saying this is the truth for every woman, but if you're having trouble losing those last pounds then you absolutely need to gain some muscle.
I'm here to tell you now to not be afraid of putting on muscle and getting that "bulky" look. It's VERY difficult for that to happen. Women need the male hormone testosterone to be able to get this look and produce less of their natural hormone estrogen. I go into the gym a lot and I see the same women never progressing with their body and doing the same thing over and over again. Exercise should be fun, exciting and challenging all at the same time. Why would you want to do the same thing all the time for the rest of your life just to have to keep those pounds away? Well if you don't put some more muscle on your body that's exactly what you're going to be doing.
Most ladies don't lift more than 5 to 10lbs on any exercise and that's just not enough for putting on muscle. Think about it; a gallon of milk weighs 8 pounds and a bag of groceries easily weighs 10lbs and you don't get "bulky" from that. So don't worry. The worst thing that could possibly happen is your start to notice you are looking a little big and then you could slack off some, but I promise that won't happen. I would take a poll if I could and I promise that the majority of men would say it's very attractive and a turn on to see a woman with a little muscle mass on them and vice versa.
Women, do you want to know the best thing about having more muscle on your body and a low body fat percentage? You can eat more of the stuff that is bad for you and that will put weight on you without gaining the weight! Now don't go telling all your friends that I'm saying its alright to eat all bad stuff all the time or more often. I'm just letting you know the advantages of having more muscle mass on your body and why it's so amazing to be fit. On top of the things I mentioned so far it will tighten and slim everything up and make you look younger. Now that's what I'm talking about ladies. Who would not want to look 5 to 10 years younger when your 40 or 50? No wrinkle cream for you!
A thing to remember in the gym would be to start lifting heavier. Find something that you can do 8 to 10 times and that has you struggling on the last 2 repetitions. Also I would suggest doing cardio 2 to 3 times a week and not 4 or 5 during this period. Trust me it will work!
Last but not least you need to make sure your taking in adequate amount of calories. At least 2,000 for building muscle. This is a generic number and doesn't fit every person. You will have to see what works for your body. Remember inches is what your looking for. If your weight stays the same at first or you gain a little that is fine. Eventually you will start burning more fat. Also one last thing. If you want to lose extra weight in a week don't increase your exercise time from 1 to 2 hours or 3 and lower your calories. You will stay at a stand still. Your body is designed to protect itself and it won't allow you to do some things that you might want. Your body knows where you need to be. Sometimes you just have to accept it and go with the flow. Your are unique! Embrace it. No one else is like you and no one can do the things you can do.