New to everthing & Trying to loose weight

[we5happy]

Hey there,

I am new to all of this stuff...and my boyfriend is a health nut who is at the gym 2 hours a day...

I am 5' 2.25" and weigh 185 lbs. I am in desperate need of help. I can follow any diet that is outlined with specific foods...but my workout time is limited...I have 3 kids and have an extremely busy lifestyle. Seems like there is never enough time in the day to fit in a workout that is longer than 30-45 mins. I also have added Hydroxycut to my previous routines and am now looking into Xenadrine for the extra kick in the ass it may give me.

My goal is to loose about 45 lbs then work on toning etc, but I have no idea where to start. It seems everywhere I go for help I have to fork out a fortune that I just dont have and everyone seems to give different advice. So I just dont know who to listen to...my boyfriend tries to help but only knows guy stuff...Bulking up...etc. He recommended this site.

I am extremely serious about this and desperately need an expert opinion. Please help!

We5Happy

 

[Gladiola]

Welcome to Elite! The advice won't cost you anything (you just have to deal with the pop up ads!) & you normally won't hear much conflicting advice on the woman's board (Can't speak for the other boards).

First off - as for diet - think CLEAN! Forget processed foods, such as cereal in a box, bread, instant oatmeal, white rice - definitely toss out sweets. Close to nature as possible. Here's a link to my diet:
http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=122134&highlight=critique+my+diet

As for workouts - you can do a lot with 30 min, so long as you lift HEAVY! In that time crunch, I recommend circuit training. It's not ideal for strength gains, but you WILL gain strength (you gain a lot the first few months when you begin anyway) & it can also be cardio if you work non-stop (no rest between strength sets). www.muscleandfitnesshers.com has some great circuit weight training routines.

Your man can help you with form for weight lifting - b/c it's all about form.

 

[Robert Jan]

"Hey there,

I am new to all of this stuff...and my boyfriend is a health nut who is at the gym 2 hours a day...

There is really no reason why anyone should be at the gym for 2 hours every day

I am 5' 2.25" and weigh 185 lbs. I am in desperate need of help. I can follow any diet that is outlined with specific foods...but my workout time is limited...I have 3 kids and have an extremely busy lifestyle.

You dont need to start out with some incredibly complicated diet. Just eat clean and varied and write down what you eat, the same every day. then make changes according to what changes in your body. Be sure to supplement with some vitamins as you eat the same daily

Seems like there is never enough time in the day to fit in a workout that is longer than 30-45 mins. I also have added Hydroxycut to my previous routines and am now looking into Xenadrine for the extra kick in the ass it may give me.

you can kick some serious ass in 30-45 minutes if you know how. get a lil educated on lifting specially form and volume etc.
The thermogenics you take help, but they may not be very relevant if your diet and training is not yet in good order.

My goal is to loose about 45 lbs then work on toning etc, but I have no idea where to start. It seems everywhere I go for help I have to fork out a fortune that I just dont have and everyone seems to give different advice. So I just dont know who to listen to...my boyfriend tries to help but only knows guy stuff...Bulking up...etc. He recommended this site.

Tone is another word for muscular definition, and one which you may want to avoid using amongst people who are serious about training. losing fat will directly result in more muscular definition hence you prevent losing any muscle as well

I am extremely serious about this and desperately need an expert opinion. Please help! "

Elite is good. good luck

 

[we5happy]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Thank you for responding...I really want to see results fast and worry about the toning later...

What kind of exercise will show weight loss results the fastest? Cardio is what I hear mostly... Is your diet for weight loss? or muscle building...like I said I am totally new to all of this. Any advice for specific excercises or a particular diet? What is circuit training? I feel like a nob but I really have no idea where to start. I just get frustrated....

Thanks!

 

[keiko]

HI! Good for you--deciding your direction is half the battle.

Building muscle helps you burn fat. The more muscle you have, the faster your body will work. YOu'll lose fat as you build msucle and while the scales might not show any change, your jeans will.

I have a very low thyroid and after years of being thin, one day I woke up pudgy! I swear it happened overnight, but I guess it had been building for quite a while.

SO, if it took you a while and three kids to get to where you are now, it will take you a while to reach your goal. I'm not saying that to discourage you, but many people fall off the work-out wagon because they don't see results fast enough and that makes them feel terrible and then they give up..

I use an on site called FitDay (Sorry, I don;'t have the link on this computer, but it's www.FitDay.com) which helps me keep track of my calories, carbs, fats., etc. I found that at the beginning, I wan't eating enough!

Do a search on this board or just scroll thru the past posts and you'll find a wealth of info and motivation.

 

[we5happy]

oooops!

Sorry about the misuse of the word "toning" I am new so please excuse me... my vocabulary is limited...

 

[Imnotdutch]

Re: oooops!

Sorry about the misuse of the word "toning" I am new so please excuse me... my vocabulary is limited...

I wouldn't worry about it . I'm sure that everybody understood what you meant.

 

[makedah]

Re: Thanks for the warm welcome!

What kind of exercise will show weight loss results the fastest? Cardio is what I hear mostly... Is your diet for weight loss? or muscle building...like I said I am totally new to all of this. Any advice for specific excercises or a particular diet? What is circuit training? I feel like a nob but I really have no idea where to start. I just get frustrated

This site has GREAT info for women who are new to weight lifting: www.stumptuous.com/weights.html It includes sample workouts for beginners and intermediates.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

You said you want to work on "toning" later - does that mean you plan on doing just cardio now and no weights? If that is so, please reconsider! I know that starting an exercise program AND eating better seems so overwhelming that you want to just focus on one thing at a time, but lifting weights is really important to losing weight/fat. Muscles burns more calories than fat (even at rest!) and takes up less space (so your clothes get looser!). Building some muscle will help you reach your goals quicker. Cardio is likely to be your focus right now, but don't totally rule out lifting from the beginning. Others have given you good links to workout pages. M&F Hers (and Oxygen) usually have good weight wrokouts that do the totaly body in 30 minutes or so. Good, quick, easy to do/understand workouts.

And yes, no matter where you go for information, there will ALWAYS be conflicting advice. What works for one doesn't always work for another. That's what can be both exciting and frustrating about working out (at least to me) - it's all trial and error. When you find a workout plan you think sounds good, try it for awhile and see what does/doesn't work. Every time you figure out what works/doesn't work for you is a step forward. That's why I think it is so good you are asking for advice in the beginnning - the more information the better!

Good Luck! You've got a great resource here - everyone here is super helpful and very knowledgeable...it's awesome.

 

[we5happy]

Thanks guys!

I really appreciate all of your help...and yes DaisyGirl I am asking for advice in the beginning so that I will have as much information as possible...

I was ruling out lifting because I guess I was under the impression you had to go to a gym and that I was going to end up looking gross...sorry...no offence...I didnt realize the importance of it all. I know now that I wont look gross. I am actually excited to do it...

All I need now I guess is an exact beginner workout with some instruction. When someone tells me to do back and rear delt for example...really I have no idea what you mean...could you provide me with specific exercises or something? My problem area is my rear and thighs. Although I need to loose fat everywhere. Also what would be a good weight to start lifting. Does it just depend on what you can do?

I am checking into a nutritionist's diet...I started this last thursday so hopefully this plus the excercise will show some results. I am so excited!

Thanks again for all your help and advice...keep it coming...knowledge is power!