Tall doesn't have to equal BIG, does it?

[nextworldw]

Hi everyone-- newbie here desperately seeking help instead of just leading myself blind into a corner.

I am a 6'1 female (mostly in the legs), size 14, and I weigh in at about 190 pounds, which is most definitely NOT muscle. I have good dalf definition, but thighs, upper arms and waist are all a bit flabby. All the women in my family are tall, slender women, but for some reason I've always been the larger one. And anytime I've ever tried to do something about my size, people around me say "You're not fat, you're just big boned!" or "It's okay that you're a size 14, you're tall!" but, I see what I look like under these clothes and the fat that is there, the cellulite that hangs, is NOT a direct result of just being tall.

When I hit my 22nd birthday (February), to commemorate finishing college and finally start concentrating on myself rather than school, I decided that I'm finally going to get into shape.

I have tried and failed many times since high school, mostly because I get bored with what I'm doing, or seem to fall back into lazy mode. I'm looking for something that will help me lose weight and put some definition into my muscles. I'd also like to drop at least one size. Is that too unreasonable? I don't want to disappoint myself AGAIN, but I don't feel healthy the way I am now... And my wrists and ankles are very thin, almost like theres someone thin inside of me waiting to come out :-)

BASICALLY I'm just looking for a little guidance to point me in the right direction, as far as what type of workout to do, what kind of weight strength training to do, and what kind of results to expect. I have a membership at my city's rec center, and have been going every day and doing cardio (well, the elliptical machine) for 30-35 minutes. And as far as diet is concerned, I have been eating very little compared to my old habits-- I have a fruit/yogurt smoothie for breakfast, a lowfat (lunchmeat, lowfat chips, carrots) lunch, an energy bar as a snack in the afternoon, and a regular meal (chili, grilled chicken, pitas) for dinner. I get hungry later at night but I'm so confused as to how I should be eating. (I cut out fast food-- which I was eating several times a week-- as well as soft drinks, and have been drinking water, water, and MORE water).

Any advice you could offer to help me in starting and (most importantly) STICKING WITH such a lifestyle change would be so appreciated. I am moving to Los Angeles (from Dallas, where I am now) in August to start my Ph. D. work and I am trying to start completely from scratch-- so no one in LA will look at me with that "This girl is huge!" look on their face.

Thanks again, in advance.

Michelle

[cursor]

Welcome to DiscussFitness.com.

The solution to your dilemna is a balanced program of resistance training, cardio exercise, and a quality nutrition plan. By covering all three bases, you'll be able to accomplish more than just a single dress size ("big-boned" or not)! Starving yourself and doing excessive amount of cardio is not the solution.

You've come to the right place. Are you ready to get the ball rolling?

[nextworldw]

Originally Posted by cursor

Welcome to DiscussFitness.com.
Are you ready to get the ball rolling?

I am *totally* ready... I'm just lost as to where and how to start... This has to be done right-- like I said before I don't want to disappoint myself again.

What would a good resistance training workout entail for a beginner??

[Gooseneck]

I'll let someone more qualified in this area to help you out. I just wanted to say welcome to DiscussFitness.com and good luck with your new exercising endeavors. :

Persistancy is virtue.

[cursor]

Great! What access to exercise equipment is available to you (dumbbells, barbell+plates, gym membership, university weight room, etc)?

Can you exercise for an hour a day, 3 or 4 days per week?

Do you have any food-fixing phobias?

[nextworldw]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RESPONDING TO THIS! I am so nervous and skeptical about starting this but I absolutely want to be a changed girl when I get to LA in August.

*Ahem* Okay, back in sane mode now.

To start, I have a membership at the local rec center, which basically has the usual units-- several treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bikes. There are also the standard weight machines, leglifts, etc. etc. Then there is also a weight room with free weights of all sizes.

Now that I'm out of university for the time being and am only working one job (instead of the three I *was* working) I have all the time in the world to work out. I've been so motivated lately that I've been wanting to run all the time, but I don't want to be overzealous or overdo it. Additionally, I have asthma (which was the main reason I haven't done alot physically my whole life-- the parents were too scared) and I want to ease into it so that my lungs will adjust. I haven't read any proof of this, but I have a feeling that my asthma will gradually disappear the stronger my lungs get from working out, but, I can't blame the parents for being overprotective :-)

I have no food-fixing phobias :-) Honestly, I'm so ready for a change in my life that even if I DID have one I would get over it. This is a big change for me and something that will make my life even better, and I can't wait to get started.

Now then... Arm me with your knowledge!! I am learning so much already just reading through these forums.

Michelle

PS: I am currently taking Ortho-Tricyclen (birth control) as prescribed by my doctor-- a couple of friends of mine told me that it can inhibit weight loss (I guess because it's female hormones?? I dunno)... Have you read anything to that effect? Should this be a consideration in my plan??

[Wolfnatas]

Hi, and welcome to the club.

Here's a good article Jakanden posted awhile back... it's a worthwile read titled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Nutritional Programs. The ideas & principles discussed in the article are a very good start on the basics of good nutrition. Good luck in your efforts! :

Originally Posted by nextworldw

I have asthma.... I haven't read any proof of this, but I have a feeling that my asthma will gradually disappear the stronger my lungs get from working out

I have asthma too, and I in my personal experience, I haven't found this to be true. The only similar results I've seen is that after 10 minutes of cardio the asthma seems to subside for the rest of the session. Other than that, I still have it just as bad the rest of the time.

[ajarvis]

Running has helped my asthma for sure. It still bothers me sometimes when I am not running but it's no where near as bad as it was!

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by nextworldw

I am currently taking Ortho-Tricyclen (birth control) as prescribed by my doctor-- a couple of friends of mine told me that it can inhibit weight loss (I guess because it's female hormones?? I dunno)... Have you read anything to that effect? Should this be a consideration in my plan??

It won't prevent you from acomplishing your goal. It just makes you retain a few extra pounds of water weight.

You can do it!

Start by doing a whole body workout something like this one 2000-calorie meal plan Of course you may need to alter the total caloric intake for your size but this is a good guideline to start with.

Here are some other good reference material to get you started.
Protein, Carbohydrates & Fats
Vegetables
Warm-Up Lifts
Intensity & Progression

Please feel free to ask questions - Good Luck and glad to have you here!

[nextworldw]

Thanks so much, all of you for being so supportive and so quick and helpful with the information. It is SO motivating!! I have already been going through the forums and bookmarknig and printing so much useful info.

I wish I had known about this place before! What a great resource!!!

Thanks again, so much... I am definitely going to keep posting my progress (if that interests you at all).

[cursor]

By all means, nextworldw ... post-away!

What I'd recommend that you do is to

1. Structure a meal plan
2. Create a whole-body weightlifting routine (meaning that during a single workout, you'll tax all the major muscles in your body)
3. Adopt a form of cardiovascular exercise
4. Lean how to monitor your progress ... and further tweak your new direction

Will you need help in handling any/all of the above?

[nextworldw]

Cursor--

Well... I dont want to sound helpless or like a total loser, but YES I absolutely need help. I mean, every time I've tried to handle everything myself I end up failing, falling off the wagon, or discouraging myself.

I think that the cardio program will be easiest for me to handle (but of course, I could be wrong about that)... There are all kinds of machines, etc., at the rec center I go to, so having access to a form of cardio is no problem at all, it's just the how long/how often that always escapes me... And I usually end up overdoing it, then getting discouraged, and just giving up.

Additionally, with weights, I just don't know what kind of exercises to do and, again, the how many/how often adage. As far as at-home resistance training (crunches, pushups, etc.) how often can it be done? Again, because I've never had any guidance with it (and whenever I research it I confuse myself) I always ending making guesses and they are never right.

Annnndddd... Last but certainly not least, I definitely need encouragement and a point in the right direction as far as a meal plan would go. When shopping I look at the nutritional information and try to make educated guesses, but... Without proper information there's just no way for me to get my head around it. I'm not dense by any means... but in my family weight and nutrition have never been concerns. The rest of my family is naturally thin and has always eaten whatever they pleased without doing exercise-- needless to say, my different genetics and body type have always made me the odd man out.

At any rate-- anything you could offer (and I don't want to trouble yourself-- I have looked around at your posts and you are quite generous with your knowledge and experience-- and I know I speak for everyone when I say that it is SO very much appreciated) in the way of pointers or guidance, resources that could possibly help me, or ANYTHING, would be a blessing. I'm not getting encouragement from my family in this department, as they are still on the "You don't need to change, you're fine the way you are" path, which is the reason I got this way in the first place... So I really am on my own.

Anyway thanks again so much for your attention and for your very encouraging and helpful information and posts. What you (everyone) do here on the forum, by sharing what you know and what has worked for you, is just such a blessing for all of us who can't get it together on our own and need it spoken to us at the most basic of levels.

Thanks again-- I feel so welcome here. I love it!!

[MAURER]

and making a journal in the journal section (this has helped a lot of people here) and possibly posting some pictures. if you don't want to post them here, just take them anyway and use them for yourself. after a few months, you can track your progress and it can be a great motivator. as far as what you should do, just follor cursor's advice. hes the expert! and btw welcome to DF.com

[cursor]

That's one very unique thing about how DiscussFitness.com has evolved — it's helpful flavor and personality seems to attract truly invaluable advisors. At times members will disagree on technique and selective science, but there is a genuine interest in real physical fitness (not just "bodybuilding"). Dig around and you'll gain exposure to a number of very high quality sources of how-to information.

When I consider what personal fitness means to me, I have to realize that what it used to mean has evolved into something entirely different at present. I have to logically assume that tomorrow it will continue to be sculpted into something increasingly personal and meaningful (assuming I apply real effort).

Before getting serious about my personal fitness, I figured that playing serious basketball for an hour a day (three times a week) would be enough to "keep me in shape." I ate "healthy" foods ... when I could find the time to eat ... and supplemented my diet with a couple (or four) beers every night. I had no real idea what my body wanted. So, what would it take to improve? In truth, it wouldn't take much. Actually anything that I might have done to eat better would have been beneficial. Hell, just eating two good meals a day would have been a step in the right direction.

So ... where are you (ask yourself)?

If you're missing breakfast and not feeding your body until later in the day when it's totally famished, then it really won't take much to make some improvement.

If you sit on your butt all afternoon long (catching up with the soaps) with various snack-foods/desserts on your lap (mindlessly pumping them into your mouth), then it then it really won't take much to make some improvement.

Given the dollars that are spent every year on fitness related products, it's clear that most people are willing to make some effort. I really think that more people would get pumped about becoming fit if they could simply experience some reasonable amount of success — some real physical change.

So ... what really worx?

The body likes activity. You know the saying, "an idle mind is the devil's workshop"? I'll take that one step further and say, "an idle body is the devil's workshop"? Increase your physical activity — even if that means simply taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Everything will help. Certainly a well-designed plan is best ... but anything is better than nothing.

For your body to best benefit from physical activity, it needs fuel (ideally, quality fuel). Again, it can be difficult to get all the factors (selection, timing, volume, balance & flow) just right when we know relatively little about good nutrition, but making some real effort to improve will put us in a better position than where we are now.

Sliding into a program for improved health should initially consider where you are:

• "What do I eat?"
• "On what schedule do I eat?"
• "What do I currently do for physical activity?"
• "How often am I active (exercise/sport)?"
• "What has been the result of my past/present fueling & conditioning lifestyle? What do I look like, and how do I feel (both physically and emotionally)?

As part of this self-evaluation process, I would suggest actually sitting down and addressing these points in writing. Force yourself to spend some serious time and thought. With respect to the eating, in order to improve you'll need to understand your current fueling habits. Maintain a log for four days (two weekdays + two weekend days). Keep track of the following:

• Every morsel that passes your lips
• The time of day/night that you at it
• How much you ate (weight, volumetric, or macronutrient measurments)

For an example of one such project, see Gaffer's Food Experiment.

As MAURER suggests, it would definitely be worthwhile to snap a variety of photographs that clearly illustrate you current physical condition. Keep them private if you like, but take them. They will prove to be huge motivators in your journey.

Once you know where you stand, you'll be able to establish a target path to follow for personal fitness improvement.

[Lady C]

Do what Cursor suggests here and then we can help you devise a workout or exercise routine to match your goals.