Hi there,

I'm a 29 year old woman, and weigh around 220 lbs. This has to change.

There. I've admitted it.

I find the stories of weight loss and success here very encouraging and I am trying to put together a plan for myself to follow. The sheer amount of information seems overwhelming, and although I've searched around the forums a little, I'd really appreciate the answers to a few questions.

- Are the eating and exercise plans 'tweaked' for men. I really don't want to do my own body any harm by following the wrong advice. I also don't want to start developing in the wrong proportions!

- My general fitness level is poor. I'm also mildly asthmatic, although I'm not really sure how much of my difficulty with running etc is due to that, and how much due to my general fitness level. How does one start out? Should I be lifiting weights from day 1? How do I know how much to lift? What is the best way to build my level of cardio fitness?

- How can I work out what I should be aiming for? Is there a limit to how far I can get, given that I have not taken care of my body for so long?

I need to prove to myself that I can do this. No more fad diets, no more pretending the problem isn't there.

I can do this.

Ali

Hi Alistrange, and welcome! You have already made the initial step in weightloss and that is your determination to make a change. Good for you! Because you're relatively new to proper weightloss/healthy eating, I'd recommend you checking out the following thread first and foremost:

My Guide to Nutrition and Weightloss (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=1222)

After reading that, we can go from there regarding any questions that you might have.

Good luck! :claplow:

Hi there,

I'm a 29 year old woman, and weigh around 220 lbs. This has to change.

There. I've admitted it.

I find the stories of weight loss and success here very encouraging and I am trying to put together a plan for myself to follow. The sheer amount of information seems overwhelming, and although I've searched around the forums a little, I'd really appreciate the answers to a few questions.

- Are the eating and exercise plans 'tweaked' for men. I really don't want to do my own body any harm by following the wrong advice. I also don't want to start developing in the wrong proportions!



no, nothing is tweaked for one gender or another... one very important thing to remember is, the only difference between men and women (where fitness is concerned) is that men don't have boobs (usually) :p... but seriously... men have more testosterone so they tend to build larger muscles than women do, but thats about the only difference... the way I work out and the way my husband works out is exactly the same... our muscles react to weight training in the same way, with the exception that, as a woman, my muscles will never get as big as his.

- My general fitness level is poor. I'm also mildly asthmatic, although I'm not really sure how much of my difficulty with running etc is due to that, and how much due to my general fitness level. How does one start out? Should I be lifiting weights from day 1? How do I know how much to lift? What is the best way to build my level of cardio fitness?


my husband is also asthmatic... his asthma almost went away after he started working out... it will take some time, but as your fitness level gets better your asthma may also get better (almost go away). Yes, you can start weight training right away... just listen to your body... if by the 10-12 rep you feel as though you could lift that weight a few more times, raise the weight... if you can't get to 10 reps you probably tried to lift too heavy... your body will tell you what you can do... write everything down as you do it so that the next time you work that body part you can go back to your notes and see if you need to increase the weight, drop it down some, or keep it the same. the best way to build your cardio fitness is to start out slow and build up... try to keep your heart rate at about 70% of your max when you start out... when your heart rate starts to drop too low at your current level of output, increase the output... it's all about listening to our bodies. ;)


- How can I work out what I should be aiming for? Is there a limit to how far I can get, given that I have not taken care of my body for so long?

you can get as far as anyone else can... all the way ;) the only thing you need to remember is, you didn't gain the wieght overnight, so you won't be able to lose it that fast either... be patient and stick with a plan... as a women (at least for me) it will take some time for your body to get used to the change in diet and excercise... it may take 6 weeks before you see much change... on the other hand you might see some positive change right away... just don't be disapointed if the change is not instant... transformations take time... don't give up :gl:


I need to prove to myself that I can do this. No more fad diets, no more pretending the problem isn't there.

I can do this.

Ali

:gl: :tucool:

Thanks guys for taking time to help a newbie like me!

I think I've got a lot of reading to do and a lot of work to do!

I'm thinking about keeping a journel in this website, how helpful do people find doing that?

I'll check back in with my update soon.

Ali