Q: Hi Mike, I am 29, M, 5'10' at 187lbs. I have lost approx 16lbs over the past 3-4 months mainly reducing/cutting the intake of chocolate, biscuits, alcohol etc etc. combined with Cardio. Running for half-hour would loose 600 calories (according to the machine), finishing off with a swim. (I usually visit the gym 3-4 times per week) Comparing this with the other Cardio machines this appears by far the most effective calorie burner. Is this recommended or should I spread my time but on different cardio machines for an all over cardio workout? I have recently found your website and think it is great. Your advice is extremely helpful and your articles even better. After reading your advice I have decided to follow your 3 Days/Week Full-Body Program, Muscle/Strength Mix with Circuit Training on the 4th day. I am hoping to cut down my fat levels and my beer belly. What weight should I aim for? BMI says I have another 16 lbs to lose before I get in to the 'normal' range. My Wife and colleagues say I would look ill if I loose that much more. What do you advise?

A: Congrats on your recent weight loss! As far as what cardio to do, sticking to just that one machine finished off with swimming is perfectly fine. That mixed with your new weight training program will give you very well rounded development.

What weight to aim for really is up to you. At 5'10 you can afford to be 171 pounds or even lighter without any adverse effects on your health and the program you have along with a good diet will certainly get you there. But nobody besides yourself could or should set your goals. One thing you can certainly do is just postpone the decision about your ultimate goal weight till later and simply stay with your current program and aim to lose about 1 pound a week (which is what you've been doing so far already). As you get under 180 pounds and lower you'll be better able to visualize what your goal physique may be like and set weight goals accordingly. Note also that since you are just starting weight training now you'll likely be able to build some muscle even while losing weight which tends to go a long way in making you look (and feel!) better.

Lastly, keep in mind that the better your physique gets the more difficult it will become to keep losing fat and building muscle. So if your progress slows down even with your good program, remember that the more likely place where you can make improvements is in your diet as I describe in my Nutrition article. And also make sure you always eat enough to keep your metabolism up -- at your age, height, and weight around 1800 calories/day should probably be the lowest you should go and with a good diet and training you should be able to keep losing weight even while eating 2500 or more calories daily. Great job so far and best of luck in your future progress!