New to the forum. Need some advice!

[maury]

Hello all,
I recently got home from my first semester of college. Unfortunately, the experience of drinking excess quantities of Natural Light regularly and eating terrible cafeteria food three times per day (at terrible times) has given me the standard "tire" around mid area. I am a male, 19 years old, 5'8, about 175 lbs (give or take 3 pounds depending on the week). I have been running about one mile and walking around two at high inclines every day for a couple of weeks (on the treadmill, as it has been extremely rainy outside). According the the calorie counter I am burning about 600 to 700 calories per session. I'm also lifting freeweights every other day. I am not trying to get extremely skinny or extremely buff. Really I'm just trying to get back into shape. Not exactly chiseled or anything. Healthy, really. What should I be doing in terms of exercise? Is the running/walking going to help enough? I eat fairly healthily now that I am home. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks! maury

(Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this. It seemed to be the most relevant.)

 

[Guest]

Hello maury, welcome to the Forum.

Take a look at some of the Stickies here on the forum.

I am no expert on that matter, as I am still learning all about it myself. Usually you can get some pretty good suggestion/answers in the "On -Topic" sub Forum here.
It all really depends on what you're eating..?

Also since you're not going for the chiseled look, and nothing too skinny, lifting weights as well as resistance training from what I've been told will help you out greatly, just to get "shape." Since Muscle burns Fat.

Good Luck and Take Care

 

[Emiko]

Hi Maury,

Generally speaking if you move more and eat less, you will lose weight. Just make sure you don't overtrain, especially if you want to burn fat. I know lots of people who overtrain, burn out their adrenals and have trouble releasing excess fat (I'm not a metabolic expert, but it has something to do with cortisol--stress hormones--levels and burning sugar instead of fat - you don't want this scenario). Rest and recovery are every bit as important as the workouts in an exercise program. Building your aerobic muscles first will help you burn fat, then you can add resistance training and, yes, it takes more calories to sustain muscle than it does fat.

If you are eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full, and the foods you are eating are fuel (nutritionally dense - not just calorie dense and lacking nutrients), you will lose weight and be able to maintain it. If there are any emotional components to your eating (eating for comfort, reward or because you're bored), you will have some thought work to do. But it sounds like you are on the right track!