Tips for a beginner :)

Hi all,

Hope this is posted in the correct place :) Anyways, I'm 5'3 female, 67kg and 32% body fat. I have lost almost 4 stone in past year with a personak trainer (mostly weight lifting).

I am doing it on my own now and am dangerously losing motivation :( Trying to get back in the game but need a bit of advice.

I want to get to 21% body fat and 57 kg by December. Is this achievable ?
I plan to do:
Monday -cardio
Tuesdays - back and biceps
Wednesdays - cardio
Thursdays - chest and triceps
Fridays - rest
Saturday - legs and shoulders
Sunday - rest

Is this an ok programme ? Or will I just scrap the cardio and do all weights with minimal cardio ??

Any help would be appreciated !! Im looking forward to getting back on the band wagon and getting lean :)

The real question is: how's your diet? You can do whatever the heck you want in the gym but if you eat more than you burn, you'll never lose weight.

Reply greatly appreciated :) well diet at the moment is horrific, I won't even horrifying you by going into detail !!

My planned diet will consist of 5 small (sideplate size) meals a day - spaced 3 hours apart:

- breakfast : 1 full egg and 2xegg whites. Tea.
- almonds
- lean meat and sweet potatoe
- lean meat and sweet potatoe/quinoa/butternut squash
- peppers and cucumber

That's a rough plan !! When I get in the zone I'm pretty strict with it !! As long as I plan for the week and am organised !!



[QUOTE=mellie369;876147311]The real question is: how's your diet? You can do whatever the heck you want in the gym but if you eat more than you burn, you'll never lose weight.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Carraig88;876151421]Reply greatly appreciated :) well diet at the moment is horrific, I won't even horrifying you by going into detail !!

My planned diet will consist of 5 small (sideplate size) meals a day - spaced 3 hours apart:

- breakfast : 1 full egg and 2xegg whites. Tea.
- almonds
- lean meat and sweet potatoe
- lean meat and sweet potatoe/quinoa/butternut squash
- peppers and cucumber

That's a rough plan !! When I get in the zone I'm pretty strict with it !! As long as I plan for the week and am organised !![/QUOTE]

You didn't list how much of "lean meat", etc. Doesn't look like enough IMO. Also doesn't look maintainable; it you are not satisfied, you may fall off the wagon. How much of each do you plan on eating?

I agree, definitely not enough food. If it doesnt add up to at least 1400 then you're likely not eating enough. Also, you are missing your essential/healthy fats.

There is a ton of tasty and nutritional foods out there so do not limit yourself to just bland and dull because thats what the general public thinks dieting is all about.

Read the stickie on calculating calories and macros and check out some of the recipe threads to get some ideas...

My faves:
Proteins: all fish, chicken, lean turkey
Fats: fish, nuts (almonds, peanuts, pistachios)
Complex carbs: sweet potato, brown rice, oatmeal
Misc carbs: all veggies, quinoa, black beans

Explore the many combinations possible..

Wow thank you so much for that information. I have been exploring the nutrition section of forum and have come up with some good ideas !!

I'm glad I stumbled upon this site - think it's the motivation I need to get me back on track !! I've come this far I would be so peeved off if I let it go again !!!

GOTTA GET MY HEAD BACK IN THE GAME !!!!!!! COME ONNNNNN :)



QUOTE=megdaig;876592701]I agree, definitely not enough food. If it doesnt add up to at least 1400 then you're likely not eating enough. Also, you are missing your essential/healthy fats.

There is a ton of tasty and nutritional foods out there so do not limit yourself to just bland and dull because thats what the general public thinks dieting is all about.

Read the stickie on calculating calories and macros and check out some of the recipe threads to get some ideas...

My faves:
Proteins: all fish, chicken, lean turkey
Fats: fish, nuts (almonds, peanuts, pistachios)
Complex carbs: sweet potato, brown rice, oatmeal
Misc carbs: all veggies, quinoa, black beans

Explore the many combinations possible..[/QUOTE]

For your cornerstone..

Motivation!

[url]http://youtu.be/z9o13qbM5Jw[/url]

[url]http://youtu.be/4vpANdygdQk[/url]

You've gotten some great advice on diet up there. Make sure you put as much effort into your gym session as you do to your diet. While the actual physical results may rely more on the diet, your overall well-being rests quite heavily on how satisfied you feel when you leave the gym. [B]ALWAYS leave wanting more[/B], even if it means [B]not[/B] doing that last set. It sounds bad, but try it out.

Good luck! :D

If your diet is horrible (not sure what you mean by that), then you have to focus on diet first, otherwise what you do in the gym has the potential to be wasted. Your "diet" has to be something you can maintain long term. Ie. subsist on for years +/- 500cal (approx). With almost no cheating. Your diet also has to be written/created by you, with the things on it YOU like to eat. If you get that sorted out then you will be off to an excellent start. Use information in the stickies on calculating macro nutrient needs and go from there.

Wow - what great advice !! Thanks guys !! I realise now that it is not a "diet" per say - but a change of eating habits which needs to be maintainable for the rest of my life really !! That's a great way of looking at it, thanks !!
Have my healthy eating and gym program started, so dying to see the inches drop :)

Thanks again all !!

Have you ever heard of Medifast? My mother does this program and has lost 23 lbs in a matter of 2 months maybe less. All it is really is a program that tells you exactly what to eat and how much to eat. The program comes with different types of foods and snacks to make sure you don't go hungry at anytime throughout the day and also eat less to achieve weight loss. The first week of it sucks but you will get used to it and see the weight loss and it will motivate you. Good luck.

[QUOTE=johnwall2;879894831]Have you ever heard of Medifast? My mother does this program and has lost 23 lbs in a matter of 2 months maybe less. All it is really is a program that tells you exactly what to eat and how much to eat. The program comes with different types of foods and snacks to make sure you don't go hungry at anytime throughout the day and also eat less to achieve weight loss. The first week of it sucks but you will get used to it and see the weight loss and it will motivate you. Good luck.[/QUOTE]

Starvation program... there are plenty others available that don't involve starvation.

[QUOTE=sonti;879903951]Starvation program... there are plenty others available that don't involve starvation.[/QUOTE]

Yup. For a while, back in the day, I worked for a weight loss physician who pushed Phen-Fen and/or Medifast. All the patients complained the soups, bars, shakes, etc. tasted like crud, and most clients were back the following year, having gained all their weight back and some.