Starting over again, need some advice/guidance/tips...

cat_lady_x

Hi
I'm Beth, I'm a 22 year old living in the UK and my main goals are to lose some weight, gain strength and get fit! I signed up to MFP originally 10lbs lighter than my current weight which is 11 stone 7 (161lbs). It didn't take long for it to sneak up. I would like to sit somewhere around 9 stone ideally (126lbs) but my weight goal is secondary to my fitness and health goals.
I have no problem with the way I look, I'm body positive and confident in my appearance. My main problem is with how I feel I am tired all the time, get back problems, stomach aches and its even a struggle for me to pull open a door sometimes! But I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to having a better physique

I have tried to lose weight many times before but haven't really been committed but I sense that this time things are different. Before, my main focus was on the scale and dropping pounds and when I saw that it wasn't coming off as quick as I thought it should be, I gave up. I've joined my local gym, had my induction on Sunday and went again yesterday. I also did a 30 min beginners yoga video today at home. But I am not too sure what I should be aiming to do right now at the beginning of my journey...at the gym, I tried to go on the weight machines but I ended up hurting my back after only really doing a few reps on the one where you push your arms up (sorry, gym newbie, I don't know the name of all the machines yet!). Yesterday I did 5km on the treadmill jogging at 8km/h when I could and slowing to brisk walk 5.5km/h when I needed to - I can run for about the length of a song before becoming too exhausted

As far as nutrition is concerned, I have significantly cut down my alcohol intake and am counting my calories as accurately as I can, aiming for 1,400 which I think is a good starting point? I dread to think how many I was having before! what with the biscuit tin at work calling my name every 5 minutes and all the takeaways, fast food and alcohol on top of all that lot... no wonder I gained weight!

So really what I'm looking for from MFP is some tips on how to get properly started at the gym and some guidance on how to create a fitness plan tailored to a complete beginner. Some easy healthy recipes would be a good thing too as I am a bit clueless when it comes to cooking for myself so am still having a lot of convenience food (cans of soup, frozen foods, ready meals etc.) I work full time so it can also be a bit hard to find healthy meals to take for lunch.

Thank you if you read all that, I kind of rambled on...

subcounter

Well, the good news is that the weight-loss and gym goes well together. Back pains can be an indicator of number of things. Things that come to mind are scoliosis, or you simply do not have enough lower back muscles to support the spine throughout the day.

I would recommend back extensions, and deadlifts (after you have made sure that the problem is not orthopedic with your doctor). This sounds kind of counteractive but it does really work.

As for the feeling tired all the time, cardio exercises are amazing for that. I would recommend runs, cycling, and thing really to keep your heart going for prolonged time, without going too high. 130-160 mark is usually okay.

For cooking, pre-cooking your meals beforehand helps a ton. Chicken breasts, ground turkey, lean cuts of steaks, green veggies like Kale and spinach should be your good friends. Fats like Olive oil for cooking, flaxseed oil for salads, avacado oil, fish oil are all great for your body as well. They are all easy to cook (Just sear the meat on both sides, then oven bake them, you can get a food thermometer and check the inner temperature until you get used to it)

Daily calories depend on your height and how much you want to lose per week. MFP calculator is a good tool in this. I would recommend the daily calorie goals of the app, especially on your weight bracket.

P.S The push your arms up machine sounds like shoulder press machine. Try not to do moves that vertically push in your spine for now until you make sure your back pains are not caused by something other than lower back muscles.