New, looking for any and all advice about exercise and diet

D

dunefan

New member
Hi!
I really want to get in better shape. I'm not concerned with actually weighing less. I would be ok with weighing more, if that was the result of losing fat and gaining muscles. I just really, really don't know how to do it. I know I need to get into a diet / exercise combo.

Exercise - I have a bike. Is this a good fat burning exercise? If so how often and how long should I ride? If not, what should I be doing instead? For strength training, I figure that I have enough of that taking care of my two year old. I lift and carry him a lot and my arms are more muscular than they have ever been.

Diet - I know I should eat veggies and less meat and bread, but how do you find time to do this? Vegetables take forever to slice, cut and cook. I should cut out taco bell etc., but between work and home I don't have time to cook all the time. I really just need a diet plan to stick to because I have no idea how to plan this stuff. Can anyone share a diet plan? Or a good one online?

I am 5'3", I weigh about 120. I would mainly like to slim down in the face and the waist. I have basically an apple shape. But like I said, I don't care about numbers so much as general fat/muscle ratio. I guess what I really am needing to do is "toning". Thanks in advance, from someone who knows nothing about fitness, to anyone who feels like helping!
 
I can't really agree with you about vegetables taking too much time to prepare. If you get some of those microwave steamer bags you can stick the veggies in there, microwave for 5 or 10 minutes, and that's it. You can buy bags of salad greens. Just dump them into your salad bowl, maybe add a few pieces of broccoli, tomatoes, or some baby carrots, whatever you like, and there's your salad.

Here is a 1200 calorie meal plan that looks fairly reasonable.
 
Vegetables take forever to slice, cut and cook.
Click to expand...
Um ... seriously? It takes forever to slice up a handful of broccoli, pop it in the microwave for 35-50 seconds, then drizzle a little salad dressing or balsamic vinegar on it? It takes forever to open a bag of baby carrots and eat a handful of them? It takes forever to wash a handful of green beans and saute them for 2 mins and eat them?

But you have time to go through the drive through at Taco Bell?

I must have been doing it wrong all this time. :)

The first thing I'd suggest is figuring out how many calories you need to be eating by reading this thread: http://weight-loss.fitness.com/nutrition/40273-how-many-calories-should-i-eat.html

Then register for a free account on FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal or Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate and start to log your food. This will let you see how many calories you're eating and how your nutrition levels are breaking down. Once you know that, you'll be able to see more clearly where you can make adjustments, cut back, change your nutrition, etc.

The next thing I'd suggest is checking out the various sticky posts in the exercise area of the forum (Weight Loss Through Exercise - Weight Loss Forum). There are some very good posts on exercise, both cardio/aerobic and on incorporating weight lifting into your exercise plans. I'd suggest the one titled "The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting" especially.

Finally, I'd say you should read as much as you can of the posts on the board, especially anything that's marked "sticky". There is a ton of good information around here and a lot of times questions that new folks have has already been answered very thoroughly - so do take the time to look around and read. :)
 
I tell you what has helped me drop 22 lbs in seven weeks - I got a Wii and the Wii Fit Plus. It makes exercise fun, and if you aren't enjoying the exercise you do then you won't stick with it. It wasn't cheap - but I figure it's cheaper than a gym membership in the long run. lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top