Overweight Teen Newbie (Photos) and Gym Help

[Sashagoals]

Im a teen, around 185 lbs and 5’5. I would like to look like I have some muscles and definition on me so thought I should skip focusing too much on fat loss for the most part and really try to get stronger.
But, I’m so lost and overloaded on info on how to start.

I’m mostly vegetarian, eat fish once in a while, though I’ve been cutting dairy (cows milk products) out as well.
I just started using Chronometer to log my food.
I just signed up at Planet Fitness which I realize isn’t great, but it’s my only choice around here and it was free for the summer.

I’ve been going to gym 3-5 a week and doing 20 mins on elliptical and a mish mash of weight machines, mostly legs.

I’ve been trying to look thru the workout programs and most of them require barbells/free weights which I don’t have.

Can someone point me in the direction of a decent workout program?

Do I have to create a big deficit in calories in order to gain muscle and eventually reach a final goal weight of like 150?

[spradish]

Does Planet Fitness have dumbbells? If so, look up the Fierce 5 dumbbell routine in the Workout Programs section: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...2916931&page=1

If PF only has machines, the one here is a good start. I would suggest doing 2-3 sets of the listed exercises instead of just 1.
https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle...g-part-4.html/

You do not need a large deficit in order to lose fat. I would suggest just starting to write down what you eat and weekly weigh-ins. If you notice that your weight is stagnant, look over what you've been eating and then decrease it slightly (e.g., cut out a piece of bread or switch from whole to 2% milk, etc.) I'm not a fan of strict calorie counting or big deficit for teens. Instead, I'd rather see you develop less restrictive/more easygoing food management skills.

[Sashagoals]

Thank you very much for your wonderful advice. I will look into the programs you mentioned.

[PLANETGETLOW]

Actually you have a decent base and cutting weight isn’t easy but very doable. Start cutting ALL sugar out of your diet. Minimize carbs, maybe just consume simple carbs, and stay at a calorie deficit for a while. If you take ANY shortcuts on your diet, you will stall out on weight loss.

Cardio should be around 30-45 mins of HIT
When you train muscle groups, shoot for 4-5 set for 12-20 reps.

Make sure you keep your heart rate up (30 seconds between sets) and SWEAT

This game is a marathon, not a sprint!!

[DBC00P]

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