Losing weight.

[DEL 707]

Could do with some advice on my exercise regime.
I'm 5'10" and weight 14st 5lbs, I've been working on losing weight for about the last 8 months, I used to be over 16st. Unfortunately I was ill for a good 6 weeks and I was unable to exercise, but I'm starting to get back into the routune of things.

At the moment, I'm running twice a week, doing 2 miles each time, was 3 but I'm working back up to it. I'm can't continuously run, I do 5 min running with 1 minute walking, rinse and repeat.

I also go to the gym twice a week, I can't tell you the names of the exercises I do, so I just give the name of the machines, their technogym.

• Rowing Machine - 5min grade 6
• Cross trainer - 5min grade 1, they I do 30 seconds grade 4, then 30 seconds grade 1, I repeat this for 10 minutes, then finish with 5 min grade 2.
• Chest Press 20kg 10x3
• Shoulder press 10kg 10x3
• Leg Press 40kg 10x3
• Lat Machine 30kg 10x3
• Leg Extension 25kg 10x3
• Leg Curl 25kg 10x3
• Arm Extension 20kg 10x3
• Arm Curl 15kg 10x3
• Abductor 30kg 10x3
• Adductor 30kg 10x3
• Pectoral Machine 20kg 10x3
• Glutes 25kg 10x3
• Lower Back 20kg 10x3

I then head to a mat and do a plank for 1 minute, followed by doing 20 russian twist with a weight, twice.
To finish off I do 5 minutes on an exercise bike at grade 3.

I could use some help with direction, how can I improve to aid weight loss? Especially with helping toning my chunky theighs.

 

[DEL 707]

Not that I can be all high and mighty about it but you said nothing about your food intake?

Are you tracking it at all?

Err I rather not.
In the morning, I have 3 Weatabix with artifical sweetener, in milk, on weekends, that's normally replaced by a egg and bacon sandwich.
Lunch is normally a soup, ranging from Heinz to Tesco Finest depening on my mood.
Dinner is pure guilt, lasagna with chips, that sort of thing.

Turning to free weights can seem like a big step towards those muscly freaks and it's much safer to hide in the machines. But free weights are far superior given their natural range of motion across a much wider set of muscles.

Cardio wise, what stops you running more than 2 miles? How long have you been stuck there?

Wouldn't know what the hell to do with free weights to be honest.
Only doing 2 miles at the moment because of the break from illness, I find running pretty hard, but going to have a go at getting back up to 3 miles on Wednesday morning.

Have a question, when it comes to the weight machines, with my goal of losing weight rather then bulking it, is it better to add more weight or do more reps? Also should I do the reps fast or slow? I tend to do it slow and follow the gauge on the machine, but I've seen some people go like bats out of hell.
Also what would be the best way of targetting my theighs, even though I've dropped 4 inches of my waist, I still struggle in new trousers because of my thunder theighs.