And here I go again ^_^

[nangiggles]

So I have lost of weight to lose of course, standing 5'1 weighing 176 pounds is a very bad thing, me weight should really be around 115-120 pounds however I'm not trying to get skinny I'm trying to get healthy, I've finally joined a real gym (the sorry excuse of a gym in my apartment complex was awful) and am getting back on the horse.

Here come the questions:

* Workout, should I do cardio and then lift? or lift and then cardio? or cardio -lift -cardio?

* I love lifting heavy however it is to my understanding that given I want to burn fat then it's best for me to lift lighter and faster with short resting periods as opposed to lifting heavier and slower, correct?

* Try the circuit? my gym has one of those 30 min circuit work outs, how do you feel about those are they useful for burning fat? if done right are they really comparitive to a regular workout?

* Nutrition... here is where things REALLY suck for me because I'm not doing very well in the $$$ department, so believe me I would prefer nothing else than to eat protein and veggies BUT I really dont have that much money to be buying +$5 a pound things in large quantities so I'm a little screwed, what alternatives do I have? how do you feel about the lean cuisine type of frozen foods, I know they are not the best and dont compare to home made food but at least it's a cheap controlled amount of calories, fat, etc I can manage

* Schedule.... this is even worse.... my body is like in shut down which is why I've gained so much weight, I work from 4p.m. to midnight so my day is usually something like this

* Wake up 11a.m. sometimes later
* Breakfast anywhere between 12p.m.and 2p.m.
* All sorts of nothing from 11 to 2:30
* Work at 4p.m.
* Snack around 5p.m.
* Dinner(lunch actually) in my workstation (I work straight through and have no "lunch hour") around 7-8p.m.
* Get home around 12:30
* Sometimes may or may not have dinner when I get home
* Go to bed anywhere between 1:30 to 2a.m.

As you can see clearly I am oversleeping, under eating and have really messed up meal times, I just dont understand where to put what in this crazy schedule.

Honestly I dont even know where to begin with myself, I took the first step of getting into the gym and will start next week, any help is appreciated

 

[nangiggles]

I have a steamer where I do my brocolli, chicken and sweet potatoes so that helps me cook without using fat.

 

[musclemom]

You can save $$$ if you go to someplace like Walmart or, even better, join BJs or Costco. A year's membership is about $40 but you'll make that back in two months. I can always get monster packs of Perdue skinless boneless chicken breast at BJs for $2.75 a pound. Supermarkets also frequently have sales where you'll get chicken breast for $.99 a pound. Brown rice is cheap, so are beans and sweet potatoes. Actually, eating clean is much cheaper in the long run, just more labor intensive. The trick is precook a weeks worth of food in batches, then you just dish it up and reheat the cooked food. Really, all you need is sufficient food storage containers. I'm assuming your apartment has a stove with an oven? You can bake chicken and sweet potatoes on sheet pans (I actually bake my chicken in a sort of mole sauce, I blend pickled jalapenos and olive oil and spices then pour that over the meat. Keeps it moist without turning it fat, and gives it a kick). Get the hang of cooking rice on the stovetop or invest in a rice cooker. Whole oats are cheap. Protein powder adds up but whole food is better in the long run, anyway.

I understand you've got financial issues but the Lean Cuisine stuff is really only for emergencies IMO. It's not economical, either. One Lean Cuisine generally costs $3.00 each around here (and they're skimpy, unsatisfying and loaded with chemicals and salt). Now I can buy a whole roasting chicken for about $6.00 (give or take a bit) and a bag of rice for $2.50 and get AT LEAST four -- probably more like six -- meals out of it (more if I make a pot of soup).

Sounds like it's more a grocery/cooking thing, hun. We need to get you situated where to shop, what to shop for and how to cook it.

The classic advice for burning fat is empty stomach first thing after you wake up cardio. Personally, I wouldn't dream of trying to lift in the morning on an empty tank, but I can hit the elliptical or take a walk. I don't know how much you can get to the gym. If it's one shot, generally do weights first.

 

[AFeedz]

MM's the best. i <3 her advice.

 

[nangiggles]

Joining a whole sale food club is exactly what I was thinking, thankfully I do have a produce and meat market nearby with really good prices like $1.89 boneless skinless chicken breasts and $4.99 sirloin so those are really affordable, they are huge and thick though so I need to learn to cut them into appropriate portions

Brown rice and Beans I love and I make them too, I have a pressure cooker I make beans in, not sure which are best though (black, white, red, kidney, mixed, chick peas, black eyed, etc)

The steamer I feel is key in the whole issue because it's a digital 2 tiered steamer so I can just put chicken in one tier and veggies or sweet potato in the other tier and let it steam while I shower and get ready for work.

As per the gym, 3 days a week I have about 2 hours or more to work out and 2 days a week I have about an hour tops to work out, I can cardio and lift without a problem on an empty stomach

The lean meals I eat now and then are $1 but I do eat them on emergencies, we buy maybe 6 every 2 weeks and eat them between my husband and myself, mostly him actually... they are about 300 calories 8g fat, 15g protein, 2g sugars, 1g fiber, 41g carb but yeah as you mentioned they are a whopping 770mg sodium

I'm a person of routine and consistency, if I knew that eating X, Yand Z will get me where I want to get I dont mind eating the same thing over and over and over again, that's what herbs and spices are for so I dont mind, the problem as I said I dont know what to eat when given my schedule

 

[trex74]

My advice is to start implementing small, sustainable changes that become a lifestyle/routine for you.
Don't overthink it- just keep it simple and structured
Little things that could help are:
set your alarm for 10:00- that gives you 8 hours if you go to bed at 2
always eating a healthy protein packed breakfast first thing- you're eating too late after you get up
if i were you I would eat at 10, 3, 7, and a light snack at home after work
go to the gym in the mornings to set the tone for the day
measure portion sizes
staying away from lean cuisine in favour of eating home made meals that are prepared from whole foods. Lean cuisine will not give you good nutritional value for your dollar.
no empty snacks- cookies, crackers, toast with spreads, junky stuff.

As far as the cardio thing, I am probably not your best source of information because I rarely do structured cardio and am not really a fan. It seems like a whole lot of wasted energy as far as I am concerned. Plus, doesn't it actually raise cortisol? I have enough stress in my life
I can get my heart rate up from lifting, and feel much more exhausted from heavy lifting /compound movements than humping it on the elliptical.
I do however go for two 40 minute walks with my dog a day, and have always been the kind of person to walk around my neighborhood to just get the blood pumping.
Little things can make a big difference, and you will have a better quality of life if your body is well nourished, and the muscles are active.
Good for you for getting on it, you can do it!

 

[musclemom]

Joining a whole sale food club is exactly what I was thinking, thankfully I do have a produce and meat market nearby with really good prices like $1.89 boneless skinless chicken breasts and $4.99 sirloin so those are really affordable, they are huge and thick though so I need to learn to cut them into appropriate portions

Brown rice and Beans I love and I make them too, I have a pressure cooker I make beans in, not sure which are best though (black, white, red, kidney, mixed, chick peas, black eyed, etc)

The steamer I feel is key in the whole issue because it's a digital 2 tiered steamer so I can just put chicken in one tier and veggies or sweet potato in the other tier and let it steam while I shower and get ready for work.

As per the gym, 3 days a week I have about 2 hours or more to work out and 2 days a week I have about an hour tops to work out, I can cardio and lift without a problem on an empty stomach

The lean meals I eat now and then are $1 but I do eat them on emergencies, we buy maybe 6 every 2 weeks and eat them between my husband and myself, mostly him actually... they are about 300 calories 8g fat, 15g protein, 2g sugars, 1g fiber, 41g carb but yeah as you mentioned they are a whopping 770mg sodium

I'm a person of routine and consistency, if I knew that eating X, Yand Z will get me where I want to get I dont mind eating the same thing over and over and over again, that's what herbs and spices are for so I dont mind, the problem as I said I dont know what to eat when given my schedule

Just throwing a couple of ideas out:

1. Beans are beans, pretty much, nutrition wise with the exception of lentils and chickpeas. Lentils are different because they cook so quickly and are the highest in iron, chickpeas are so dense they're heavy to pair with meat IMO.

2. You can totally throw out the Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner menu mindset. Come up with a rotation of meals and eat food every three to four hours I mean, for breakfast today I had chicken, broccoli and brown rice (which I will probably eat again at least once today, sometimes more). Eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, things like that are actually special occasion foods for me.

3. Have you checked the sticky at the top of the forum, the one about "new to the forum"? I know you've been here a while but there is a WEALTH of information organized in one place in that post.

 

[RottenWillow]

My advice is to start implementing small, sustainable changes that become a lifestyle/routine for you.
Don't overthink it- just keep it simple and structured

perfectly said. Sage advice.

 

[nangiggles]

ok gym has been greating, I'd been down and lethargic and I feel great to be back in motion.

Question, we have one of those 30 min cycle areas kinda like in curves, they work every part, how useful are those for weight loss? or am I better off with just cardio and lifting?
P.S. No junk food yet! YaY!!! I went to CVS to buy milk and all the christmas candy was on sale and I bought nothing!!!

 

[trex74]

ok gym has been greating, I'd been down and lethargic and I feel great to be back in motion.

Question, we have one of those 30 min cycle areas kinda like in curves, they work every part, how useful are those for weight loss? or am I better off with just cardio and lifting?
P.S. No junk food yet! YaY!!! I went to CVS to buy milk and all the christmas candy was on sale and I bought nothing!!!

Excellent!
I'm doing a no sugar thing with a buddy for January, so I'm with you all the way!