Q: Mike, I am 33, 5'2", female, weight fluctuates anywhere between 125 to 130lb, mostly vegan diet except that I eat Egg. I hardly consume sugary things except fruits. I don't workout regularly. I would like to maintain my weight between 115 and 120 lbs. Sometimes I workout at home with dumbbells and exercise bands. Sometimes I go to 24hr fitness and workout on the machines where they have a small group of euipment for quick total body workout. Sometimes I go to 24hr fitness and workout in group classes like 24LIFT, 24S.E.T(which are full bosy strength and cardio combination) My point here is that I don't have a good plan and I am really confused which is better among the above exercise options. Can you please guide me. thanks in advance.

A: Sure, start by reading my Fat Loss, Nutrition, and Weight Training articles. From them you should learn how to structure your diet (as a vegetarian you'll need to focus on eggs and egg whites for protein, along with beans, lentils, and other legumes).

You should also learn that the most effective way to burn fat and keep it off is actually heavy whole-body weight training because it forces your body to burn calories around the clock repairing muscle damage inflicted in the gym. This is something that's probably missing entirely from your routine -- group classes in your gym are really cardio as far as your body is concerned -- they will not have a significant metabolic effect on your body once the class ends (their intensity is too low to cause serious muscle damage). Your machine, dumbbell, and band workouts are, I'm guessing, also too light and probably too focused on smaller muscle groups.

So those articles should get you started on putting together a good diet and a good weight training program (emphasis on large compound exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, pulldowns, presses, and rows and using heavy weights that you can lift no more than 12 times or so before needing a break). To that base you can add cardio, such as your classes, and you should be good to go. You may want to start a fitness blog here on my site -- it's completely free and I'll be able to monitor your progress, answer your questions, and give suggestions there. Good luck!