Q: I am a female, and I gain most of my weight around the middle, which leaves me with pretty skinny legs. I've been working out for a few months and have noticed pretty good muscle definition in my arms and WONDERFUL muscle def in my quads, but maybe only a half inch to an inch has been lost from my waistline, despite the very hard muscles I can feel underneath the fat. I know you've said 'the first place you gain weight tends to be the last place you lose it'...do you think that is the case for me and that I'm on the right track to losing the last 10 lbs? Or do you think I need to maybe step it up a little to lose that fat?

A: It sounds like you are making very good progress! You're definitely seeing that 'first fat on is the last fat off' effect in action :) As long as you're making progress and losing fat, even if very slowly, I would keep at it. I would not even count the inches lost, but just go by how your body looks and feels to you -- do you feel like you're making progress, even if it's slow? If so, then things are good and you just need to keep at it. If not, then you need to re-examine your training program. This is where a good personal trainer would be invaluable -- he or she should learn from your workouts and have a plan of what to do when the progress halts. He or she should have an idea of what exercise volume, workout structure, rep ranges, etc. you tend to respond best and restructure your program accordingly. Of course, by being very mindful of your own workouts and progress you can do the same thing yourself.

The other thing that may well be limiting your progress is, of course, your diet. Optimize it as much as possible with the info found all over this site, try to cheat less and eat veggies more. But more than anything else, remember that slow steady progress is the one that will stick so don't give up and keep at it!