Hi there. Welcome to the board. You'll probably get a better response if you post this in the right area - in general this part of the board tends to be a "progress" area with photos and so forth, rather than a Q&A area.
That said ... I am happy to answer some of your questions.
I work 7 days a week so it's hard for me to take the time to exercise instead of relax when I have some time off.
Well, I'll tell you my thoughts on that.
I work a full time job of 35+ hours a week. Plus I own my own business and put in another 5+ hours a day on that, plus usually at least one full day on the weekend working my ass off (I photograph weddings and portraits). There are people on here who work 70 hours a week at one or two jobs. There are people on here who work and have kids (some of them have 3 and 4 kids). There are people on here who work and go to school. There are people on here who work, go to school, AND have kids.
What I'm getting at is that we *all* have things that take up our time and put us in places where we'd rather "relax" when we have some spare time. But one thing a mentor of mine told me years ago is that you MAKE TIME for what's important to you. If you want to exercise - really want it and it's important to you - then you'll make time for it.
You don't need hours and hours and hours to exercise. You read about people who talk about putting in 2 hours of cardio a day or whatever. That's not necessary. But everyone can carve out 20-30 mins a day to walk briskly, lift some weights (even if your weights are homemade by filling a gallon milk jug with water), do some pushups and situps. Add more exercise into your regular daily routine. I know people say it all the time, but it works ... I do pushups, squats, and lunges at my desk at work. Just about once every 2 or 3 hours I knock out 10 of each - it helps me keep sharp and rest my eyes from working at the computer. I park at the very end of the parking lot when I go to the grocery store and then I carry my groceries out to the car rather than using a cart (trust me, curling 8 bags of groceries while walking 50 yards gets your heart going pretty well). I do yoga and Tai-Chi stretches while I'm watching TV at night.
If you WANT to exercise and get in shape, you will figure out a way to make it work. It's as simple as that.
I really would like to get down to 165lbs, which is completely reasonable as that was my weight about 2 years ago (when I started college haha). Do you think that I should shoot for lower? or continue once I get there.
That I can't answer w/out knowing more about you. I'd say use the scale to set a starting goal and then see where you are when you get there. My first goal was to hit 170 (I started at nearly 250). 170 was what I weighed when I got married and I figured it was the best I could do. When I got close to there, I realized I could lose more and I aimed for 135, which is what I weighed in college. I use that as a general guideline, but mostly I'm looking for a certain shape and feel about my body. I may hit that shape and feel when I'm 140 and I'll quit. Or I may get to 135 and decide to keep going (if I can). We'll see when I get closer. For me it's not about hitting an exact number - it's about a guideline that I can reassess as the time gets closer. So for you ... start with 165 and see how you feel when you get there.
Plus any good tips for someone without a lot of time (ie. what to eat, exercises I can do without a gym etc.)
Of course there are the exercise tips I gave you above, but you can also just do some basic body resistance workouts at home as well. Things like squats, lunges, pushups, dips, presses, burpees, leg lifts, etc. If you have a little money to spend, you can get a jumprope, an exercise ball, and a set of resistance bands all for under $50 at Target and that will greatly extend the number of exercises you can do. For another $40 you can get a set of dumbbells with adjustable weights that will add even more flexibility. With those things you could work out a really effective and intense routine to do at home.
As far as eating, there are a lot of different philosophies and ways to go about it. Here's my personal philosophy. I don't believe in "diets". I spent years going "on" diets and then coming "off" of diets. And every time I came "off" a diet, I gained back weight. It took me forever to learn that diets don't work - it's about learning a way of eating that you can sustain for your whole life.
So with that in mind, here's what I do. I try to avoid packaged and processed foods as much as possible. I eat real, whole foods as much as possible. I drink lots of water. I count my calories and try to make sure that my nutrients are balanced. During the summer I eat a ton of fresh fruit and veggies and I grill a lot. During the fall and winter I make a lot of soups and beans and lentils and stews and roast things.
If you were to take the same route, I'd suggest that you start off at about 1800-2000 calories a day and aim for the following split: 40% of your calories from complex carbs, 30% of your calories from protein, and 30% of your calories from healthy fats.
At that rate you should be able to drop weight healthily and safely.
Hope that helps you some ... feel free to ask questions. I'm always happy to answer them.
