[LondonGirl88]

I am off to the US in 4 weeks time and I am desperate to get my body in shape, I am quite heavy but I think I hold my weight quite well but I still feel flabby. Can anyone suggest how I can see optimum results in 4 weeks but not so drastic that when I spend 2 weeks in the US I put it all back on??

p.s. Im not looking for a crash diet, just the most that I can possibly do to better my body and see a difference.

[mimsyborogoves]

Everyone around here preaches exercise and weight lifting. Weight lifting will help you drop inches and shape your body, which is sounding like what you're trying to achieve.

[lm3898]

Also, keep up cardio - for max results you might want to try HIIT - high intensity interval training - a lot of coaches/trainers use this method to burn fat quickly.

Here are a few good links to describe:

http://www.intervaltraining.net/high...ltraining.html

From Wikipedia:

Aerobic benefitsStudies by Tabata,[2] Tremblay[5] and others have explored the effectiveness of this method compared to traditional endurance training methods. A study by Gibala et al.[6] demonstrated 2.5 hours of sprint interval training produced similar biochemical muscle changes to 10.5 hours of endurance training and similar endurance performance benefits. According to a study by King, HIIT increases the resting metabolic rate (RMR) for the following 24 hours due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, and may improve maximal oxygen consumption more effectively than doing only traditional, long aerobic workouts.

High-intensity interval training has also been shown to improve athletic performance. For already well-trained athletes, improvements in performance become difficult to attain and increases in training volume can potentially yield no improvements. Previous research would suggest that, for athletes who are already trained, improvements in endurance performance can be achieved through high-intensity interval training. A recent study by Driller[12] showed an 8.2 second improvement in 2000m rowing time following 4 weeks of HIIT in well-trained rowers. This equates to a significant 2% improvement after just 7 interval training sessions.

Metabolic benefits - Long aerobic workouts have been promoted as the best method to reduce fat, as fatty acid utilization usually occurs after at least 30 minutes of training.[citation needed] HIIT is somewhat counterintuitive in this regard, but has nonetheless been shown to burn fat more effectively.

There may be a number of factors that contribute to this, including an increase in resting metabolic rate. HIIT also significantly lowers insulin resistance and causes skeletal muscle adaptations that result in enhanced skeletal muscle fat oxidation and improved glucose tolerance.

HERE YA GO:
Recently it has been shown that two weeks of HIIT can substantially improve insulin action in young healthy men.[14] Similarly, in young women, HIIE three times per week for 15 weeks compared to the same frequency of SSE exercise was associated with significant reductions in total body fat, subcutaneous leg and trunk fat, and insulin resistance. HIIT may therefore represent a viable method for prevention of type-2 diabetes.

Hope that helps!

[runningfromfat]

Clean eating (cut out processed foods), lots of water and cardio+weight lifting. Check out the New Rules of Weight lifting for Women for some great routines.

Personally, I like to get in about 1-2 days of heavy lifting and 2-3 days of cardio.

[pixelllate]

I've used the Rapid Fat Loss by Lyle McDonald, along with some intermittent fasting (Lean Gains). I tend to stay away from beans cause they give me cravings for some reason (carbs...?). That along with some walking and strength training (nothing enough to cause a huge appetite where I ate what I burn, which I can easily do no matter how fibrous it is) might give good results.

[JohnP]

3x a week full body weight lifting would make the biggest difference in 4 weeks.