Hi there,

I always wonder... why some people go to gym working out all the time, eating very healthy, but they are still fat?

A friend of mine(28 yr old lady) have done all these for the past 5 years, but she is still looking the same as before. 5'7 185pt. She wasn't fat when she was a teenager at all.

She is very depressed, and I am speechless.

Anyone please help my friend!

A lot of times its genetics, doing the wrong exercises for their body type or eating the wrong foods. Some people have slow metabolisms and they have to do more exercise then they do to lose weight.

For me I have to be very strict about what I eat and exercise really hard nearly three hours a day if I want to lose weight. Everyone is different.

It is possible that she may have a medical condition that has not yet been diagnosed, such as a thyroid problem. Could she be diabetic?

These are factors also.

Thank you Glinda and J_9!

I'll ask her if there is any medical condition she has? Don't want to hurt her, hard to ask about this...

Do you think that is because she gave birth to her boy?

How long ago was that?

It can be very hard for some women to lose weight after birth.

She may not even know she has a medical condition, i.e. thyroid has very few symptoms.

She also may not be eating properly.

She eats very properly, she did give a birth about 5-6 years ago.
That's problly another reason, why woman gain so much weight after giving birth?
Any way that would assist her lose some wieght?

Tell her to get her thyroid checked it causes lots of problems. If she ever says anything I would ask her if she's had it checked. J9 is totally right. I have a thyroid problem and it makes it super hard to lose weight.

Okay, will do. Thank you Glinda.:)

This could be a very complex issue, or it could end up being very simple.

You're welcome for the insight ;P

The basic rule of thumb for fitness is that working hard is MUCH LESS important than working smart.

That doesn't mean we don't have to work hard... what it means is that working hard WITHOUT working smart will usually lead directly to injury, boredom, and lack of results. Which usually leads to giving up.

I have a great deal of respect for Phil Kaplan, so I recommend you have your friend check out his website. I also enjoy Juan Carlos Santana's body of work. Check them both out :)

My pleasure :)

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Originally Posted by Bocasean

This could be a very complex issue, or it could end up being very simple.

You're welcome for the insight ;P

The basic rule of thumb for fitness is that working hard is MUCH LESS important than working smart.

That doesn't mean we don't have to work hard.....what it means is that working hard WITHOUT working smart will usually lead directly to injury, boredom, and lack of results. Which usually leads to giving up.

I have a great deal of respect for Phil Kaplan, so I recommend you have your friend check out his website. I also enjoy Juan Carlos Santana's body of work. Check em both out :)

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That's very true. I remember I used to do the stair master and the eliptical every day for 30-45 minutes each and never lost a pound. Then a friend said to me maybe you are using the wrong equipment. Once I started running and walking I began to see a difference. Sometimes your body just responds better another type of exercise.

Maybe they have a slow metabolism. If she keeps going with a strict diet and exercises regularly she will probably raise her metabolism, increasing her weight loss.

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Sometimes your body just responds better another type of exercise.

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You're absolutely right. The human body adapts, which is exactly what we want it to do. It's what we call "training effect."

The thing is, though, that the human body adapts almost absolutely, but we as exercisers don't adapt our workouts with it. Bodybuilders adapt their workouts, calling them "cycles" but you rarely see it from casual exercisers. But even with cardio exersise, the body will adapt, so it's up to us to break our state and shock the body in new ways.

Thank you Bocasean and Glinda, you have given great insight and I think that is going to help her more than I could.
Bocasean, are you a trainer?

I was certified while I was in college... but this was back when the Spice Girls were still cool. Haha

I actually became discouraged with the field because of all the misinformation and nonsense that is peddled as "fact." It became very difficult to help people because their brains were overloaded with garbage and I guess I'm not as patient a teacher as I'd like to be :)