cardio and situps
that's what i'm trying anyway. I look at it this way: fat forms over the muscles that get the least use, hence most fairly active people don't have fat forearms or calves.
The prevailing knowledge in the exercise world is that you can't "spot reduce" your body fat. Fat forms over your entire body, its just that on men it tends to form first on the belly. So it may appear to form over the muscles that get used least, but thats misleading. You need to reduce overall body fat to get rid of belly fat. Crunches do form muscle, but your six-pack will always be hidden by belly fat if you don't reduce your overall body fat.
Weight lifting, not just cardio, is best.
Correct. Many studies have shown that resistance training and cardio is the best combination for reducing body fat.
Coffee is my big downfall though.
Although it's always black. Or very, VERY little sugar.
A cup of black coffee is only 5 calories, so no big deal there. Caffeine is a diuretic, so it will make you more thirsty. As long as you drink water and not soda, this shouldnt be an issue either. Of course caffeine has other health impacts unrelated to weight, so too much is not a good idea.
Here's the simple math: 3,500 calories equals one pound. If your body needs 2,500 calories per day, and you eat 3,000 per day, you will gain one pound per week (500 calories X 7 days = 3,500 or one pound). Same if your body needs 2,000 and you eat 2,500 per day. Similarly, let's say you need 2,000 per day, and typically eat 2,500. Then you need to burn that excess 500, plus an additional 500 each day in order to lose one pound per week. 1,000 calories is about 50 minutes on the treadmill for an average joe...EVERY DAY. I think this is why diet is so important. Its much easier to reduce intake then to burn it off after its consumed. As others have mentioned, if you can find enjoyable ways to exercise it helps, or maybe you enjoy the treadmill. If so you're a sadist.
If you want other great ideas and inspiration, check out the Fatties unite thread. My advice: Get a handle on how much you eat. I'd say that 80% of the issue is diet, and 20% exercise. You can eat all the rice, chicken, veggies, etc. that you want, but if it adds up to 3,000 calories per day you're going to gain weight. Vici and I have both had good luck using thedailyplate.com, but there are many like it out there
First step is to enter your personal info (age, sex, etc.). This generates an approximate calories per day that you need to maintain your weight. Next step is to set your weighloss goals (1 lb per week, 2 lb per week, etc.). Then they tell you how many calories you can eat per day. Last, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, you track every single thing you eat during the day on the website. You can do this all manually, but the web site is a useful interface. The site (and others like it) have a large database of most foods with caloric content. Most people find it shocking how many calories they consume in a day.
Now for a testimonial: I've lost 22 lbs, targeting 1,500 calories per day (no...i definitely do NOT hit that every day) without really changing my exercise much at all. As Silver mentioned, its not quick. My biggest week was a 3-lb loss. Most weeks are 2 or 1 lb (partially due to my own lack of discipline in not hitting 1,500 calories). I had 40 to lose, and they come off easier at first, so I'm pretty sure I'll have to add more exercise as I approach my goal. Good luck. Its disheartening at times, especially if you do weekly weigh ins and lose zero pounds. Keep us posted.
Oh and another thing: You need to eat something about every 3 hours to keep your metabolism going. You should aim for 3 meals and 2 snacks every day. Snacks should be about 80 - 150 calories to give your body something to chew on. (cheese stick, yogurt, apple, large banana)...all good choices Otherwise, your metabolism slows way down in between meals. I target about 400 calories for breakfast, 150 snack, 500 lunch, 400 dinner, 100 snack. Most days I dont feel hungry at all. As silver said, its about eating right, not eating less. If you want to have all veggies for dinner, you could gorge yourself and still hit 400 calories (but you should eat some protien also). Its all about smart food choices and getting your caloric intake correct.
Once you achieve your goals, you can up your caloric intake to the level that your body needs to maintain itself.