New to this and would love some feed back and advise!

allison_moushey

Grocery List:
Almond Milk and/or 1% Milk
Eggs
Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Fish
Turkey and Ham for lunches
Whole Wheat bread
Vegetable Soup
Green beans
Peas
Corn
Salads
Italian dressing is best for dieting (I've read at least)
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Avocado
Carrots
Peanut Butter
Corn Flakes, Fiber One cereal and some others
Oatmeal
Almonds
Protein powder
Greek Yogurt
Strawberries
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Grapes
Blueberries

That's what I can think of right now. Any other suggestions? I have a belly pooch and fat on my hips/lower back(love handles) that i'm trying to slim down and tighten the muscles. I know you can't target fat loss, you just have to eat clean and exercise. I just downloaded this app today to help and have only started my dieting and exercising about a week ago.
I do a lot of cardio and like no strength building other than ab conditioning since I have no equipment.
I mostly jog on a treadmill at 4.5mph for 40 minutes, walk my pup, and ride my bike on a hilly park trail. I also take B12 vitamin gummies daily.

Back story, I was dealing with really heavy depression from December until March. I lost 15lbs without really noticing just from lack of appetite i guess. I was 100lbs by the beginning of March. I started taking a prescription for help and gained the weight back very quickly and with unhealthy food. I'm at 112lbs right now which is a good weight for my height (5'4), but I feel it's mostly fat and I would like to make it muscle. I'm "skinny fat" as some people might say. I will take any advice or suggestions! I've been very committed (I know is only been a week haha) and I would like to see my muscle instead of the layer of fat above it.

I love this app so far and I enjoy reading he threads on this forum

bpetrosky

If those are things you enjoy eating, that's fine. It could be all pizza rolls and hot pockets if you still ate the right amounts. Set your calorie target for a reasonable level for your stats and activity level, and log rigorously to start out with so you don't go too far over or under.

As far as "skinny fat" is concerned, it's mostly nonsense. It's an idea that certain people might be normal or thin by BMI, but are metabolically like an obese person. (MONW, Metabolically Obese, Normal Weight). Unfortunately, certain fitness guru types latched onto that idea and use it to peddle supplements and workout plans to people who are perfectly fine.

Unless a doctor has diagnosed you as MONW, you likely simply need to build some muscle tone, and you probably don't need to be at that much of a deficit caloriewise.

SLLRunner

Weight loss is not about food type, it is about calorie consumption. You don't have to "eat clean," and you don't have to exercise to lose weight, but if you simply want to that's fine.

112 pounds at 5 ft 4 is underweight, see this: url=http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm]Height and Weight Chartl[/url]

I hope you are under a doctor's care for your depression. That said:

If you eat too much overall calories, you will gain weight.

If you eat too little overall calories, you will lose weight.

If you eat about the same amount of calories you burn, you will maintain weight.

I suggest you eat at a surplus and perhaps do some heavy weight lifting and aim for body recomp.

allison_moushey

Thanks guys! I haven't done weight training but I'll start with finding a trainer and getting this show on the road! I have never used the equipment so I guess we'll see how it goes!
I was always in sports and kept in good shape doing that and the conditioning at practices but now without that I need to find another way to stay on track.
I'm eating at a slight calorie deficit and I just feel like I'm doing better by eating more fruits and vegetables and lean meat even if it's not really necessary for me.

Are there any exercises or machines you would suggest to help build the muscle tone I'm wanting to see? @bpetrosky. I feel like there's a lot I don't really know about all this

HotKanye

I agree with the suggestion to eat at maintenance or a surplus and aim for body recomposition. (Building muscle rather than trying to lose weight.) There's a lot you can do without equipment too. I strongly recommend checking out Fitness Blender as they have a ton of free body weight exercises. Many of their videos don't need any equipment at all. If you get into it it's also not that expensive to get kettlebells, dumbells or medicine ball at home.

I applaud you for wanting to get in better shape. Just because you aren't overweight doesn't mean that it's healthy for you to be sedentary. However I would just remind you that if you lost much weight you'd be considered "underweight" by many so I wouldn't make eating at a deficit your goal. You probably just need to build muscle more than anything. Eating better is a great idea too. Our body needs good fuel. Good luck to you on your journey!

galgenstrick

You don't need to eat "clean" like others have said, but you also shouldn't neglect your health. You can lose weight by eating nothing but hot pockets, but you'll feel like crap. Make sure the majority of your foods are "healthy" nutrient dense sources to make sure you get all your micronutrient needs in. But at the same time, make sure you fit in foods you like to eat and you can also splurge one in a while.

For building muscle tone, you will get the best results by focusing on compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, and presses. You want to focus on progressive tension overload (increasing weights as much as possible). There are plenty of tried and true programs you can do such as starting strength or strong lifts 5x5.

allison_moushey

@galgenstrick So I should focus more on overall muscle tone instead of just focus on the area I want to change (stomach)

booksandchocolate12

You left out chocolate and bacon.

Sounds like I'm joking, but I'm not.

Liftng4Lis

booksandchocolate12 wrote: »

You left out chocolate and bacon.

Sounds like I'm joking, but I'm not.

I'm not joking either. OP, eat what you always do, only at a deficit.

bpetrosky

allison_moushey wrote: »

Thanks guys! I haven't done weight training but I'll start with finding a trainer and getting this show on the road! I have never used the equipment so I guess we'll see how it goes!
I was always in sports and kept in good shape doing that and the conditioning at practices but now without that I need to find another way to stay on track.
I'm eating at a slight calorie deficit and I just feel like I'm doing better by eating more fruits and vegetables and lean meat even if it's not really necessary for me.

Are there any exercises or machines you would suggest to help build the muscle tone I'm wanting to see? @bpetrosky. I feel like there's a lot I don't really know about all this

It sounds like you're getting on a great start. I didn't mean to advocate hot pockets and pizza rolls for dietary choices before, I was just trying to state you don't have to obsess over "eating clean". Lots of veggies, fruit, lean meat can be a very good thing. You don't have to eliminate whole categories of food because they're "evil".

As for exercise, a good gym staff will be happy to show you how to use the machines if you're new. Any trainers working out of the gym should be happy to give you a demo session, which can be good for you to get a feel how you'd like to work with that person. If you think they're not willing to work the program for your needs, or start spouting a lot of "broscience" and pushing a lot of supplements, move on.

You might spend a couple weeks working with the machines that work your big muscle groups (glutes, triceps, biceps, quads, pecs) to zero in on what you can lift now. Focus more on your form. Start slow.

Hope this helps, good luck!

galgenstrick

allison_moushey wrote: »

@galgenstrick So I should focus more on overall muscle tone instead of just focus on the area I want to change (stomach)

I think that's really preference. But why would you want a toned stomach and not the rest of the body?

allison_moushey

booksandchocolate12 wrote: »

You left out chocolate and bacon.

Sounds like I'm joking, but I'm not.

I don't really like chocolate
I do eat quite a bit of Sour Gummy Worms and Skittles though