new, confused and need help please

G

gecko99

0
Hi everyone,

Am really hoping you guys can help me out a little - I am 39, 5ft tall and weight about 130lb. I would like to weigh 110lb.

I have a sedentary office job and have not done any sort of dieting/exercise for the last five years and know that I need to slim down and tone up. I joined a gym a few weeks ago and have been going about 4 times a week. I usually do 20 mins treadmill and cycle and have started doing weights - 15 reps (as advised by gym staff), concentrating on arms, upper body and abs.

I have no idea if I'm doing anything effective. I smoke a pack of cigarettes a day (and daren't give up while trying to diet) and don't want to do anything too strenuous too fast because I know it will just put me off and give me an excuse to give up and I really want to persevere with this.

Diet wise I am totally confused - I don't like most vegetables so I'm a bit buggered there. Doubt I could stick to a low fat diet and everything I've read seems to be saying that low carb rather than low fat is the way to go, but I don't think Atkins is suitable for me.

Is it possible that I could just cut out sugar and refined flour foods and still lose weight if I continue at the gym? Am worried that very low carb diets will not give me the energy for exercising.

Also, 20 mins treadmill is just about my limit at the moment and it only burns 100 calories or so - is that insufficient?

Please advise, and sorry for the long post.

Thank you

gecko99
 
Well....that's quite the laundry list!

It sounds like you want to make some lifestyle changes on one hand, but on the other.......you don't want to do anything that may be uncomfortable or push yourself a bit. I was in the same situation (except I didn't smoke). It wasn't until I got some guidance that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and really make the changes.

What you are doing is a nice start. If you are only burning a 100 calories in 20 minutes, I have to question what kind of intensity you are working at. You are probably going to need to do a bit more.

From a nutrition aspect (which is so important), you are going to need a bit more structure. While you are going to want to keep the fat lower than normal, you really should look at your portion sizes for starters.

I hope that you are ready to make some lifestyle changes......your body will thank you for it!
 
gecko99, many people believe that they cannot give up smoking AND lose weight. It isn't true - Over the last 8 weeks, I haven't smoked a single cigarette (after a 17 year habit) and I have lost almost 14lbs so, it CAN be done. I also don't like vegetables - I force myself to eat a few and take protein supplements and multivitamins which help a lot.

Don't worry about low carb - what you need is a balanced diet. You'll be surprised at how much good stuff you still get to eat :) You need to work out your calories and create a 'calorie deficit' which means you are burning more than you're eating.

Drink lots of water every day too, not only will it help you lose weight, it stops you wanting to smoke too. Do what you can on the treadmill and gradually build it up. Read these forums, they are full of the right advice and encouraging people.

Good luck
 
If you want to take a small step with great benefits drop white bread for wheat. Eliminate processed sugars from your diet completely, including dont add any to your coffee, no candy, sweets, kool-aid , switch to diet soda etc...
 
i agree with karl here, all the things he mentioned keep out of your diet. i personally don't drink any soda at all, diet soda is just palin nasty. lots of h2o helps too, it helps flush waste out of your system. lol sounds funny but your goal should be to pee clear everyday. its good for your kidneys.
 
lol i guess thats good in a way, though i don't know how anyone can stomach diet soda. soda when i eat gives me the hiccups, lol. i just avoid it all together.
 
Thanks very much everyone.

Fit1 - I do level 6 on the treadmill - what would you recommend I do to burn more calories?

ChrisJG - now I'm more confused - I have to eat less calories than I burn? How can I burn roughly 1500 to 1800 calories without keeling over? And doesn't that mean I would have negative energy?

Sorry for my ignorance - like I said, I'm new to all this!

Thanks,

gecko99
 
gecko99 said:
Thanks very much everyone.

Fit1 - I do level 6 on the treadmill - what would you recommend I do to burn more calories?

ChrisJG - now I'm more confused - I have to eat less calories than I burn? How can I burn roughly 1500 to 1800 calories without keeling over? And doesn't that mean I would have negative energy?

Sorry for my ignorance - like I said, I'm new to all this!

Thanks,

gecko99
Click to expand...

I train by heart rate. Do you have any idea what heart rate that you are working at? You can add swimming....its a great full body workout, cardio + resistance.....no stress on the joints either. You can bike. Make sure you get variety.
 
Hi gecko. No, you require a certain number of calories just to survive. You're burning them all the time - when your heart beats, whenever you move around, breathe etc. Even when you're asleep. Everything you do requires energy. Don't worry, I am not suggesting that you need to do 1800 calories worth of cardio every day!

Imagine you burn 2500 calories every day just by doing what you normally do. If you eat 2000 calories, your body needs to find 500 calories from somewhere else....ie. body fat (thats what it is there for). Thats the defecit

However, that doesn't mean if you eat very too little, you will lose more weight. If you don't eat enough, your body will go into 'survival' mode so, anything you do eat will be immediately stored as fat as your body won't know when it will next get fuel.

That means you get to eat every 3 hours or so in order to maximise weight loss. Little and often is the key - and don't forget the water :)
 
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