Some people still believe that exercising a certain area of the body will reduce the amount of fat in that area more than other areas of the body. This is absolutely not true. For instance, doing lots of crunches everyday will not burn away *only* the fat around your abdomen. It is true that you will strengthen the muscles in your abdominal area and cause them to hypertrophy (size of individual muscle cells will increase). But if you’ve got a nice 6-pack hidden underneath a large fat belt, well, you get the picture… What if you want a 6-pack that everyone can see and you can be proud of?

Besides time (measured probably in months), I believe it takes the following three things of equal importance: 1. A low-fat, low-calorie diet: This does not mean you have to starve yourself, only eat smartly. I hesitate to give actual caloric values, because I think that depends on many factors, like age, height, activity level, genetics, etc. Note that there is some controversy now about low-fat eating. I point out Dr. Barry Sears’ book Enter the Zone as an example. 2. Aerobic exercise: At least 3 times per week for 20 or more minutes, *consistently*. And I mean “aerobic” exercise, where you are sweating and your heart rate is above the resting rate. There are so many activities to achieve this; personally, I run and bike, and find they do an excellent job. Don’t forget to stretch before and after your workout. 3. Crunches/Sit-ups: They are so many ways to do them, and even more ways to screw them up.

I like to do them very simply, with arms crossed in front, feet unpinned and flat on the floor, knees together throughout the exercise, knees bent with heel of feet about six inches from my butt. As I crunch up, I go up only a few inches (maybe four) and mentally focus on my abs. I feel the burn, then I hold it for about a half a second, and then I go *slowly* back down. How many sets/reps/days depends on each person. My opinion on those ab machines: I say get one if you are 100% sure you will use it more than six months, and not let it become the new doorstop or abstract lawn sculpture.

I have had a long history of elevated lipids and have been on 4 different med’s in the last 4 years, none of which was very effective. Now Iam off all med’s. Being diagnosed with T2 was the best thing that ever happened to me in that I discovered the connection between carb’s, controlling insulin levels, elevated lipids, weight control and general health. Perhaps I might be very carb resistent, however I have shared my connection with others that have also benefited.

My experience was very much like yours (Triglycerides 500 to 88). We belong to a group of “responders” who get stellar results in lipid profiles by restricting carbs and exercising. I believe that fish oil or flax can make a difference too. With all the effort spent on lowering cholesterol and triglycerides, it’s a shame that carb restriction has never been taken seriously as a method to accomplish it. For those of us who respond, the results are far more dramatic than anything achieved by lowering fats or taking Lipitor.

If you aren’t exercising at all, 50-75 g per day should produce gradual weight loss and pretty good BG control without threatening your health at least in the short term. Longer term, I think 100 g/d is a good minimum figure, sans exercise. Just MHO, for my type of diet. Raw vegetables are important because you won’t be getting as many vitamins or fiber from grains. Exercise is important. My purely personal impression is that diet is responsible for about 2/3 of my improvement and exercise contributes 1/3. I haven’t mentioned that my BP is down from 140/90 (30 years) to 111/63 at last check.