dmap

Hey everyone-

I have been struggling with my weight for about 15 years now. I have never been skinny, but I have fluctuated up and down for years. I recently saw myself in a photo and I became extremely depressed. I will be getting married in a little over a year and I want to be nice fit and healthy before then. I have changed my eating habits by signing up for Nutrisystem, but I slowly fall back into the eating larger portions on weekends when I have off from Nutrisystem. It has become too expensive so I will be resorting to cooking my own foods going forward. I also have just joined the gym, I plan to work out at least 6 days a week, which is what I have been doing. But, I am not exactly sure what work out is best for me. I had a personal trainer show me a routine, but since I do not pay for their service, they are not as helpful as I would hope they would be. But anyways, I am currently 5'2 and 197 pounds, now when people look at me they assume i'm like 150 pounds, my fat is evenly distributed all over, right down to my Fred Flinstone feet I want to tone up my large arms, I only want to wave once, I don't need my arm fat to wave as well. I never wear shorts or dresses above my ankles, I have always been self conscious about how I look, as i know even the smallest of women deal with the same issues. I looked at photos the other day and it looked as though I was pregnant. If I was I wouldn't mind, but since I'm not, I cropped the photo where all you saw was from my chest up. I have done a lot of photo cropping over the years. Anyways, what I really need help with is figuring out a work out routine that I can do to work out my Upper Arms (tri-ceps), Abs, Buns and Thighs. The personal trainer told me to stay out of the tredmill room and get into the weight room. ok great, but now what?? What to do? How long should I invest a day into my work out routine? What is too short of a work out? If anyone has any advice, or a routine in mind, please let me know. Thanks so much!!!

tashaquick

I have also always had weight issues and could never stick with a diet or a workout routine until recently. I found that the no carb diet has worked wonders for me. I have never been good at counting cals or watching my portion size so this just seemed easy because you can have all the meats and cheese you want. After a few weeks and 10 pounds came off, I wanted to workout. I usually walk 2 miles a day and I can tell a huge change in the way I feel and see myself. I've lost 15 so far in about 2 months. I know this diet isn't for everyone, but its a thought. Good luck to you!

WildChild

Start walking as much as you can. Park at the far end of the lot and walk into the store, plan errands so you park in a central spot and then walk to different places you need to go for small things. Take a brisk morning or evening walk. Pack your lunch and spend your lunch hour walking. Just getting into the habit of moving around more can make a big differnce. Get a home exersize bike, rowing machine or treadmill (you can usually pick up used one cheap- people buy them don't use much and eventually just want them out of the way) Your rule? No TV unless you are the machine working it.

Get a copy of a good diet healthy diet cookbook, The Women's Advantage Diet, or The Flat Belly Diet are two that are sensible and healthy. There is a wealth of exersize info availble on line or on dvd. Check out what your local library has? I'm fan of Classical Stretch, the creator, Miranda Esmond White is a former ballerina and olympic trainer, she developed the program to correct her own severe back pain and has developed specialized programs for atheletes and for ordinary people. A breast cancer survivor, she developed an exersize program to help women recover and retain arm movement after surgery. One thing I look for is, if the instructor has a body that realistically looks likes what I would want - she does. You might check out her stuff any thing else you might try for a regular routine. THe gym is great but a lot of us have trouble keeping up with it- I certainly do.

I dropped 50 lbs and got in shape in about a year with Classical Stretch, walking and then starting to run and being more minful of what I eat. If I could do it my late 40s, you can too! Education and stick with it!