Hi All,
I've suffered with confidence issues because of my weight for about 10 years now. At my heaviest I weighed about 157 lbs (a size 16-18 uk size). I wouldn't have had the confidence to go to the gym or let anyone see me exercise and I lacked motivation. Once I finished uni (I think the social drinking and eating lunch and dinner out a lot were my downfall), I started to gradually lose weight to around 137lbs ( a size 12-14 uk size). I was working in bars and moving around a lot but still eating badly, although drinking a lot less alcohol. Around 6 months ago I got my first 'proper' job - a desk job and started to put on weight again - to around 141lbs. I decided to take control of my life and start going to the gym and eating a decent diet (plus I moved somewhere new so I wouldnt bump into anyone I know in the gym!).
I've been doing this for 2 weeks now and have lost 4lbs. I eat around 1500 calories a day and spend an hour in the gym or swimming 5 days a week. I do have one off-day a week where I'll have a curry or something really unhealthy! I don't think I could sustain it if I didn't get a treat every now and then. I am not great at exercising yet and usually burn around 300 cals. I do cheat a lot with my food and buy ready prepared meals - although I make sure they are fresh and contain plenty of vegetables - I try to keep my meals to around 300 cals each so I can snack on fruit and crisps if I am hungry. I also make sure every meal is something that I enjoy and feel satisfied after - if not, I am more likely to snack after) Its working well so far- in fact, when I worked out my cal intake the other day I found I had undereaten by around 300 cals (I know this is not good, so I went and had a snack).
Does anyone have any advice on exercise or diet for someone around my weight and fitness level? I am never sure what to do at the gym so I end up mainly on the treadmill or cross trainer.
I would like to set myself some weight loss goals but I don't want to be unrealistic about them or lose weight too quickly. How many lbs should I be aiming for per week?
I've suffered with confidence issues because of my weight for about 10 years now. At my heaviest I weighed about 157 lbs (a size 16-18 uk size). I wouldn't have had the confidence to go to the gym or let anyone see me exercise and I lacked motivation. Once I finished uni (I think the social drinking and eating lunch and dinner out a lot were my downfall), I started to gradually lose weight to around 137lbs ( a size 12-14 uk size). I was working in bars and moving around a lot but still eating badly, although drinking a lot less alcohol. Around 6 months ago I got my first 'proper' job - a desk job and started to put on weight again - to around 141lbs. I decided to take control of my life and start going to the gym and eating a decent diet (plus I moved somewhere new so I wouldnt bump into anyone I know in the gym!).
I've been doing this for 2 weeks now and have lost 4lbs. I eat around 1500 calories a day and spend an hour in the gym or swimming 5 days a week. I do have one off-day a week where I'll have a curry or something really unhealthy! I don't think I could sustain it if I didn't get a treat every now and then. I am not great at exercising yet and usually burn around 300 cals. I do cheat a lot with my food and buy ready prepared meals - although I make sure they are fresh and contain plenty of vegetables - I try to keep my meals to around 300 cals each so I can snack on fruit and crisps if I am hungry. I also make sure every meal is something that I enjoy and feel satisfied after - if not, I am more likely to snack after) Its working well so far- in fact, when I worked out my cal intake the other day I found I had undereaten by around 300 cals (I know this is not good, so I went and had a snack).
Does anyone have any advice on exercise or diet for someone around my weight and fitness level? I am never sure what to do at the gym so I end up mainly on the treadmill or cross trainer.
I would like to set myself some weight loss goals but I don't want to be unrealistic about them or lose weight too quickly. How many lbs should I be aiming for per week?
I would suggest reading this article to start with... it's long, but well worth the read: http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/.