Editor’s Note: Irene Lewis McCormick is a graduate student in health and human performance. If you would like to ask her a fitness-related question, submit an e-mail request to [email protected].

Q: I am trying to lose 45 pounds for a wedding I am going to attend in February. I do 30 minutes on the stair climber three times a week and four sets of 50 crunches everyday. I’ve been doing this since August. I have lost a lot of weight, but lately I have not lost anything. I am concerned that I will not make my goal. What should I do?

A: There are a few issues here. First, in regards to your diet plan, do you have one? Physical exercise alone without restricting your caloric intake does little to reduce your fat mass. However, losing more than about half a pound to one pound of weight per week through restrictive eating patterns will not result in permanent weight loss. This means that if you focus on “real” weight loss from now until February, you’ll have lost eight pounds.

It is definitely possible to lose the weight by the February wedding, but I can almost guarantee that it will not be permanent weight loss. Once you return to “normal” eating patterns, you’ll be right back where you started, having lost important lean mass with an increased fat mass and possibly a slower resting metabolic rate. This is a terrible cycle, and it’s pretty typical of most Americans who are constantly calling their restrictive eating patterns a “diet.”

Women should not restrict caloric intake to less than 1,200 calories per day, as indicated by the American Dietetic Association. Healthy eating patterns that include each of the five food groups are desirable. This coupled with regular exercise, including a cardiovascular routine and a strength component, will be the surest, most expedient way to true fat loss.

The second issue here is your exercise regime. If my calculations are correct, you have been doing the same exact exercise program for 16 weeks. It is important that you attempt to “cross train.” Cross training implies variety in your workout, a critical component of achieving a training effect and increasing the amount of calories you spend. You have to change your workout and include strength training if your goal is fat loss.

Especially for women, there is a negative connotation associated with weight lifting. When asking the average woman if she is interested in lifting weights, she may very well respond, “I don’t want to get big; I just want to tone.” This is a myth. Achieving a lean look requires strength training. It is the manipulation of the reps, sets and intensity that determines hypertrophy, or an increased muscle size.

Women also tend to make gains in muscle strength before major changes in muscle tone or size are apparent. This is a big reason women don’t think a weight training program works for their weight loss goals. However, it takes some time to notice changes in your body — if you expect the changes to be real and permanent.

Another reason women become impatient with strength training is due to the increase in body weight that usually accompanies weight lifting programs. Lean mass (everything in your body that is not fat) weighs more than fat does. Getting on a scale for other than a medical purpose will do nothing to assist people in their weight loss plans if they are strength training. Seeing an increase in weight on a scale discourages most people from continuing the strength training program. They may blame the increased weight on the strength training program — which is accurate, but the gains are mostly lean mass.

I highly recommend visiting with a registered, licensed dietitian and working with a certified personal trainer. Once the trainer designs an exercise program and nutrition issues are attended to, you will see changes in your body composition. By understanding correct exercise programming and proper eating patterns, you will achieve your goal. Keep in mind that healthy eating and exercising to achieve and maintain fitness is a lifelong pursuit, not a quick fix for a festive event.