It's all just so confusing...

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AlaskaStone
AlaskaStone Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
Hi everyone,

I've been an on and off user of MFP for a couple of years but never really stuck to it. I've lost weight and increased my fitness a lot over the past 2 years, and I am fairly active. I love hiking and cycling. It was this past weekend when I went hiking and found all my gear was too tight to fasten up properly that I got disgusted with my weight again.

A bit of background:
I've always been fat. Overall I've lost 2-3 stone in the past 4 years, going from just under 14 stone to under 11 stone (at one point). Over the winter months I've managed to gain 1 stone (stopped going to the gym and ate bad), putting me back at exactly 12. I'm 5'5".

I've been doing some reading online and come across so much information, about macros, frequency of exercise, and loads of other things that have just gone over my head! My main question is, would cleaning up my diet, adding more protein and working out more be enough to shift this final bit of weight and maintain it?

I'm just looking for thoughts and discussion points. I'm just so confused with all the literature and where to start! My aim is to make a healthy lifestyle change that I will be able to maintain for the rest of my life.

My plan
Food:
Pre workout snack - peanut butter on toast (one slice) and coffee
Post workout shake (only after weights)
Breakfast - porridge with fruit
Snack - Veg snack pot
Lunch - standard salad mix (cous cous, salad, meat, sauce)
Snack- juice/smoothie (homemade)
Dinner - home cooked meal (typically, curry, pasta, bolognese, chili con carne)

Weights workout (full body) = Mon-Wed-Fri
Cardio = Tue (HIIT)-Thur-Sat
Rest day = Sun

Thanks for reading!

Replies

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    I've been doing some reading online and come across so much information, about macros, frequency of exercise, and loads of other things that have just gone over my head! My main question is, would cleaning up my diet, adding more protein and working out more be enough to shift this final bit of weight and maintain it?

    Hi Alaska -

    The answer is yes, set yourself up a good plan and you can lose weight. You are right, there is alot of information out there and unfortunately you will find alot of different and sometimes conflicting views. Since you are new here I would just focus on getting into your workout routine and setting good calorie and macro targets. Food timing is not as important unless you are going to be a competative athlete. Make sure you get a food scale so you can measure your intake as accurately as possible. HRMs are also suggested for more accurate burn estimations. Do you have your calorie goal set?
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    This will certainly work for you. Be careful though. Even eating whole, healthy foods, you still need to eat the right amount of calories/macros. Eating too much will obviously inhibit weight loss. Also, eating too little can repress your metabolism, which will results in a plateau and you getting stuck with nowhere to cut from. Your workout plan seems good. Exercise with intensity. Realize though that most of your results will come from what you do in the kitchen.

    I'd be happy to help any time. I also would like to follow this up with a question. Do you have a group that you can go to for support, motivation, encouragement, or advice? I ask because this is probably the biggest thing that can help someone reach the health and fitness goals. I help to run support groups through Facebook that are filled with people improving their health and fitness through regular exercise and proper nutrition. Everyone has the same purpose and is helping everyone else along in their journey. I'd be happy to get you added if you would like or chat more about it with you if you have questions.

    Allan

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