Exercise and Diet Tips?

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  • Alright so I'm just going to dive into this straight away as it has the potential to get pretty long. I'm wanting to lose some weight and ideally get a flatter stomach as a result as that is really the only place where fat redistributes (I think that's the right way to word that?). I have no other places where I think "Oh, I'd like to lose weight there specifically" except the lower stomach as it's the problem area. I know you can't specifically target an area to lose weight (atleast not without medical procedures lmao) but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what types of exercises would help me with this? I'm not looking for anything drastic as I'm sort of skinny anyway and I don't really do any exercise right now so anything would be appreciated, especially as I'm kind of new to this whole thing and only been to pilates classes at my gym.

    Also, I know diet really comes into play with being healthy and fit, and I know what you should eat, vegetables and non-processed food and stuff like that. But I have Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder which has affected me by limiting the foods I can eat and at the moment I know I'm terribly unhealthy as I only really eat chicken with rice or the cheap own brand noodles that you get from supermarkets. (It's kinda embarrassing to actually admit that but it's true) So, does anyone have any tips to help expand my diet and make it healthier or any recommendations for recipes or such?

  • I can't help with the diet but on the exercise part I will recommend starting with some cardio, doesn't have to be running or jogging either. Going for a long walk with elevate your heart rate and help with burning calories and fat.
    I suggest downloading the My Fitness Pal app and logging your food and also finding your BMR ([url]http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bmr_calculator.htm[/url]) <-- one of many calculators on the internet. That will give you an idea of what you burn just by existing and you can adjust to get yourself at a slight deficit to promote fat loss. Start doing some core workouts at home (crunches, situps, planks ect) and just ease into everything in general. make it a life style change and it will be easier to maintain and not loose drive to keep up with it.

  • Depends on where you're starting from body wise.

    It takes different exercises from elliptical, weights, weighted machines and the like to get any weight off paired with a healthy diet.

    Does your gym offer a complementary health assessment? If they do I would totally ask them for am opinion on what kind of personalized plan to get you where you want to be weight wise.

  • @TheBrown

    Thanks that really helps! I'll definitely start using the app to track my food intake and such which should help me towards my goal! I'll also make sure to do some core exercises like you suggested. Thanks for all the help!

    @Colette

    Sadly my gym doesn't offer much on the individual level as it's more of a budget friendly one. It does have a whole lot of equipment and classes though that I've been trying to use but it's a bit nerve-wracking haha. I'm aiming to go to some classes though because I honestly don't know my way around gym equipment and any exercises that help, but that'll get better with time.

  • I'm a big fan of C25K. I hate running so this is a program that uses intervals and starts you off really slow. You can get the app for free and have it running in the background. I like to watch Gurren Lagann or some sort of super hero thing since they're both motivational and distractions from the fact that I'm actually running. If I'm having a bad knee day, I'll switch to the elliptical for cardio.

    I also tend to do [URL="http://www.havefoilwilltravel.com/2014/04/19/get-ripped-for-summer/"]this[/URL] when I can't make it to the gym (since I'm a mooch and just leech off of my friend's Planet Fitness membership). It's an ab challenge created by Race Imboden, who is a member of the US Olympic Foil team. It starts off slow and gives me some sort of plan of attack. Otherwise I'd just be laying on my floor. I also like to do lunges with five pound weights. At least 20 on each leg.

    With any sort of unpersonalized fitness program, feel free to repeat days if you just aren't ready for the next step. Nothing wrong with that. Just work your way up slowly. I know I have. I do like these sorts of plans and programs though just to give me some sort of fitness guidance. Before college, I had never been to the gym or seriously worked out so I'm still pretty lost when I try to go it alone.

    Next to that, I try and do some sports. I'm big into fencing but I haven't been back in a while since it's pretty expensive. If you're in college, your school might have that as a club. It's where I learned. They'll likely provide you with free equipment as well. I also try to play tennis whenever I can. That's pretty cheap as there are free courts everywhere and all you need to buy is some balls and a racket (or have a friend that has a bajillion rackets--I am that friend). Any sort of sport would be good. It just breaks up the repetition and leaves you with a fun workout. Plus I'm kind of competitive so doing sports actually motivates me to work out because I need to win.

    As for diet, it might be something you want to talk to a nutritionist about since you have a limited diet. I like to make big batch meals every week. I also eat as much vegetarian as possible. So what I like to do is find healthy and vegetarian recipes for foods that I love that can be made in big batches. I have an eggplant lasagna recipe that's pretty baller. I also make a lot of stir fry with just vegetables, a little bit of soy sauce, and mirin. I just cut up all the vegetables beforehand and make single servings as I want them. So my meals don't get too repetitive, I usually get some salad kits. Again, that's what I do and I don't have any dietary restrictions other than food allergies. Apply this to the foods that you can eat or talk to a medical professional for proper guidance.

  • I'll definitely look into that app it sounds great! Definitely need to use it when I go to the gym next week. I like the interval aspect of it as my stamina really sucks but hopefully this will help it get better!

    The fencer challenge/plan looks great and actually do-able! So many of the plans I have seen all require different equipment or push-ups and my baby arms can't cope with push-ups haha! It definitely helps to have that guidance or I'd just be lost and wasting time when I'm at the gym.

    Sadly I really don't have much access to sports as it really isn't a thing college's do over here, and I can't afford to pay for another membership to a sports club or something (plus outdoor sports would be hard in this awful weather Scotland always has). I really do like swimming though, so maybe I'll think about switching to a gym that has one, or see how much it costs at just a local swimming pool.

    I really do need to get the diet sorted and I've been meaning to go to my local GP to talk about it and maybe get referred to a nutritionist at some point. I'm really starting to try and take care of myself for once so hopefully it goes well and once I'm back at college again it'll be much easier. I won't have to worry about snacking so much and it means I'll be doing 11 flights of stairs 3 times a week at the least (finally that fear of elevators is coming in handy!)

    But thanks for all that info! It's really helpful and I'll definitely be using it for my fitness adventures!

  • The My Fitness Pal app is helpful for tracking what you eat and how many calories you should eat daily to reach your goal :)

  • If you have stomach issues look into autoimmune paleo diet. Great for health, loosing weight, building muscle, and gentle on the g.i. Stay away from grains and high sugar foods

  • Its my opinion only,but i think the best way to get good shape-is basic exercises(
    squats,bench press,deadlift, even for girls) with the weights and balanced diet (less carbs more proteins ),only together it will work.