Getting in shape for my wedding.

[akrajnovich]

Hi :) I am getting married in 1 year and I am very ready to start getting in shape, not only for my wedding but for myself! I weight 140 lbs and I am 5'6. Going to the gym has always been very intimidating for me.. My goal is getting down to about 125-130 and getting toned! Would you recommend a personal trainer or does anyone have any tips or suggestions for a workout plan to do myself? Also I know diet is going to play a HUGE key in this transformation so any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

[Jenc1125]

If you can afford a personal trainer, that would definitely be a good thing.
A good trainer will put together a program for you to follow with your specific goals in mind. Especially given that you are intimidated at the gym.
Working with your trainer will help you to feel more comfortable, familiarize you with equipment and proper form, etc.
And of course proper nutrition is absolutely key to seeing results.

[JA4Fitness]

Hi :) I am getting married in 1 year and I am very ready to start getting in shape, not only for my wedding but for myself! I weight 140 lbs and I am 5'6. Going to the gym has always been very intimidating for me.. My goal is getting down to about 125-130 and getting toned! Would you recommend a personal trainer or does anyone have any tips or suggestions for a workout plan to do myself? Also I know diet is going to play a HUGE key in this transformation so any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

I would definitely suggest a trainer. Before my trainer left a commercial gym to be her own boss, I would have session on Tuesday at 5pm. Prime Time is what it was known as because everyone would flood there after work. And I wouldnt care about working out in a mass of people because she was there, instructing me, telling me what to do, talking, etc. It really helps, and its good for accountability. Whoever you train with should be able to give you a fairly focused nutrition plan and will give you "homework" assignments that are specific to what you need. I would highly suggest a trainer! Good luck! And congrats!

[jessicat5284]

First of all, congratulations on your engagement! I bet you can't wait! I always get really excited when I hear of people getting engaged (in my case, I'm always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Lol!).

But anyway, I would like to suggest sifting through the female forum and reading up on how to calculate calorie and macro needs. That may point you in the right direction. As for training, New Rules of Lifting or New Rules of Lifting for Women are great books with training programs to follow. Many people here recommend them. They even have small nutrition sections as well. I personally have seen great results with NROL.

A trainer would be a great way to go especially if you are worried about proper form and such. As for diet, though, I'm not sure. My sister is seeing a trainer who put her on a diet program which has her eating around 1200 calories a day. I'm no nutritionist, but I don't think that's enough, not even for her stats. She's 5'4 and weighs around 165. I found out, he's no nutritionist either. Needless to say, she's been at a plateau for months and is really frustrated. But again, everybody is different. If you do opt for a personal trainer and they put you on a specific diet, make sure they are certified to put you on a proper diet.

In my opinion, though, these forums are FILLED with such great information and "debates." Plus, it's free!

Jessica