So, I need to lose my love handles...and my spare tire....and any other body fat that has accumulated on my torso and chest area.

Here's the urgency: My 15 year class reunion is coming up at the end of July.

Here's where the flabby flab came from: I quite smoking and packed on pounds...roughly 50 pounds in less than a year! The wife says she'd rather have a chubby hubby than a skinny hubby that smells like smoke. I guess I can't argue.

I went from 181 up to 225!

Ok, so, I've been exercising for like a month and a half now....running on the treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical glider, stair master then the treadmill. I recently (just this week) added in 5 more minutes of running on the treadmill in between each different exercise. That gives me a total of 2 miles running (10 minutes to start, then 5 intervals of 5 min = 20 minutes total), 20 minutes on the bike, 20 minutes on the glider and 10 minutes on the stair stepper. Then, I go sit in the sauna for 20 minutes.

That seems to work pretty well-I've managed to lose about 20 lbs already-I'm down to between 202 and 205-all of which I did the first 3-4 weeks. Now I'm stuck. I can't get below the 200 lb mark and am getting flustered. My main problem is my dieting habits: I don't eat breakfast (except for coffee), then I have fruit for lunch (sugar free, low calorie peaches usually with an apple or banana), then I eat what ever for supper. After my morning coffee, I drink water all day long until I get home. My biggest weakness comes in the form of my appetite.....man do I love to eat cake, cookies....all of the high carb, high fat, high sugar stuff that just sits in the belly....and grows.

So, any suggestions? I know I need to change my dieting habits at night...but does anyone have any miracle exercises or helpful hints to help me lose my love handles?

Change up your regimen, you have hit a plateau and the current exercises are not as effective at this point.

Check out this article its a military site so you may want to adjust reps to your fitness level

I hope this helps some. Good luck

Those look hard. Is there anything easier that I can do that I can get instant gratification from? Something that won't make me sweat?

Kidding-I actually found that a few days ago and printed it out. I was going to start it next week...I might start it this week though....

I'm still open to suggestions if anyone else has any. I've learned that a diet of light beer isn't ideal either!

I can't back this up with a link, so I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I've heard it's actually healthier for your body and better to exercise if you don't skip breakfast.

I don't exactly remember where I heard it, so you might want to check it out before deciding, but for some reason the thought just instantly popped into my head when reading this post.

Oh, and lap swimming is probably the best exercise you can do for your body. Is there a YMCA near you?

How tall are you steve?
I'm 6"3 and weigh around the same as you do know and am classed as being overweight,i dont feel overweight and the only part of me that looks fat is my stomach(beer belly),god knows how heavy i will be if i quit smoking too.

My brother quit smoking and is now around 260lbs and cannot lose the weight he has gained,the best way i know to lose weight is to play golf,lots of walking and you use muscles that you never have to use ,that's why i have the body of a greek adonis with a fat gut

I've heard the same thing, but I've never been big on breakfast. Instead, I eat a snack (fruit of some sort-usually peaches {no sugar added only 25 calories} or an apple) around 10, , then I eat toast or more fruit for lunch (noon), then more freakin fruit around 2 or 3, then supper around 7pm. So, while I'm not eating breakfast per say, I am eating a few times a day throughout the day.

I go to the gym on post here and it's got a huge pool that I can do laps in...but man, last time I swam laps I thought I was going to die it was so hard! I should probably start swimming though, I do agree swimming is good for you. Does the doggy paddle count?



I'm 6 foot even. I don't feel overweight, but I remember things being easier when I was skinny....then again, I can remember things being easier when I was younger too! LOL!

I gave up smoking last year and have piled on nearly two stone, although I'm only 5' 6", I now weigh a tad over 12 stone. The most enjoyable way of losing weight that I know is cycling regularly and I agree with Spinx that swimming is especially good.

I work outside and have always been lean and fairly fit, albeit with smoking in the past, but when I found it slightly, (and scarily), difficult putting on a pair of socks last week, I know I must begin the cycling again to lose the beer belly...

The doggy paddle is probably the most exhausting stroke there is, so go right ahead!

Nooooo....the lifeguard there is...ummm...let's just say that if I drowned and she revived me via mouth to mouth I'd probably have a heart attack!

Run 3 1/2 miles a day; 100 crunch style situps; and throw in 100 push ups for the fun of it.
I don't do pullups as I'm afraid of heights now.... Ha ha ha.

I walk that distance quickly every day (can't run much now); still pull the crunches and pushups. I'm able to stay trim at under 200 lbs.

Ouch...I'm tired just thinking of that routine Conundrum!

I changed up my routine (see above where I added in 5 minutes of running in between exercises) and have curbed my appetite more than usual....seems to be working as I'm down to 201 from 206 on Monday! I've got plans for tomorrow so it'll be Monday before I can get back to the gym.....this weekend is going to kill me....we're going to the beer and wine festival in Sackets Harbor NY. We all know how many carbs and calories are in a full beer......

Steve,
sounds to me that you have a very good routine and it has been working for you well.
My only suggestion would to put on some "^)" music and go back to doing the twist, the money, the mash, the watusi, and intergrate some opposite toe touching stretches.
You'll break through that pateau barrier!

Keep up the good work, I have faith in you!

Quick update-I keep changing my routine and now when I get on the scale it tells me says "One at a time fatty!" Kidding...I'm down to 198. Oddly enough, no matter how much I suck in my gut I still weigh 198.

So, are you still able to "handle" love?

They're still there....I've lost quite a few inches and quite a few pounds...but the love handles remain....sounds like a twisted love song!