Hi,
I am a complete beginner at all of 'this' (fitness, nutrition etc), but I would like to change that, and get healthier!
So, this is me: 18yr old female (uni student), 164cm (5.4ft) and 58 - 60kg (278lb) depending on time of year (sheepish grin).
I would like to get fitter, a more defined shape and legs, more flexible and improve my nutrition (and hopefully, energy levels!). In saying this, I am not trying to look like a fitness buff, just generally healthier with less flab and more tone (if that makes sense...).

I enjoy exercise (such as jogging and bike riding) but don't have any regular exercise program. Instead, it is more of a 'Hmm - I feel like a run" type thing. Its very irregular, and the running for example, may happen 5 nights one week but nothing the next. I am hoping to turn this 'running for fun' into 'running for fitness' and also create some type of regular exercise program (any and all help would be muchly appreciated!!!!) I also ride/compete Dressage, but I only have one horse and limited time, so this is not a huge contribution to fitness. At uni, I probably spend at least an hour walking per day (courtesy of limited parking!) 5 days a week.
I admit that I don't think I have ever set foot in a gym (we live a fair way 'out of town' and time and money are both an issue for me).

As far as my diet goes, here is a typical day (I have no idea about calorie counts, or even what balance of carbs, protein etc I should be aiming for...). Also, I typically only have 3 meals a day around uni, but understand from this forum that I should bump that up to 6ish. I should point out that this is not a diet as in meals I have planned, just what I consume in my day-to-day life. I understand that it will need to be changed!
Breakfast:
Bircher Muesli and 1/2 cup of skim milk.
1 cup of peach tea with milk. No sugar.
Lunch (eaten at varying times during class breaks):
1.5 cups of salad (mostly lettuce with celery, tomato, cheese and ham or some other type of meat). No dressing.
1 apple
Dinner:
1 to 1.5 cups of cooked vegies (three of carrot, potato, pumpkin, zucchini etc). Some form of meat (eg. 2 sausages or a piece of fish or chicken etc)
Additionally:
A few nights a week I may have a cup of lite hot chocolate (if there is such a thing!) and 1 biscuit, or maybe a small helping of ice-cream.
On Sundays, we also have a 'family tradition' of pancakes for breakfast, which I eat with maple syrup. (And do I ever feel guilty writing that in a fitness/health forum!!!:o .)

So, anyone out there, what type of diet and exercise plan would you recommend?

I was confused for quite a while until I realized that 58 kilograms is about 128 pounds, not 278 pounds.

If you want less flab and more tone, you should start building a strength training routine. Check out the advice from www.stumptuous.com for some ideas.

You diet is not too bad. I'd normally advise for you to put dressing on your salad so that your body can use those fat-soluble nutrients, but but since you're eating it with cheese, you're okay. Broccoli and spinach are your most nutritionally dense vegetables, so try to include them more often.

The kind of sausages I've seen have always been very high in fat, but maybe yours are okay. I prefer chicken.

You don't need to count your calories and macronutrients, but if you'd like to, I'd suggest that you aim to keep your fat percentage below 30% of your calories, and your protein above 20% of your calories, which it sounds like you're already doing.:tu: The stickies at the top of the forums will give an idea of what your approximate caloric target might be. (By broad estimate, it's usually close to 15 times your body weight in pounds to maintain your weight)

"I was confused for quite a while until I realized that 58 kilograms is about 128 pounds, not 278 pounds." - whoops. Sorry about that guava! (memo to self - never trust internet conversion calculators).

Thanks for the link and the advice! Both are much appreciated,
gecko

What access to equipment do you have in terms of weight training?

"What access to equipment do you have in terms of weight training?"

Currently, not much! I found a box of little tiny dumbell weights. However these feel much too light, but I tried holding 3 at once (2 x 1.36kg + 1 x .91kg). In retrospect, I might fill some empty milkbottles with water/sand for a better weight.

Apart from that, I have the weight of me that I can use in resistance training (pushups, pull ups etc).
Any other ideas?!

Hi and welcome:)

Does your university have a gym available to you? Since you're there a lot anyway, maybe you could do that. You could do yourself all kinds of good in an hour 3x/wk.

Also, there are certainly good bodyweight excersizes. This sight (http://www.combatfitness.co.uk/) is a little hokey, but lists a lot of bodyweight excercises.