Making Year 35 a Healthy One! Would Love Some Help...

dinosgirl
dinosgirl Posts: 157 Member
in Getting Started
Hello there! With my 35th birthday coming up next month, I am trying to get back on track and start my journey toward a healthier lifestyle. I am planning on incorporating both weight training and cardio into my all-too-sporadic routine (upper body twice a week, lower body twice a week, cardio 4-5 times a week, and yoga once a week). My goal is to build lean, toned muscle and lose fat. Right now I am around 152-154 lbs and stand only 5 ft tall. I’d ideally like to get down from my size 10-12 to a 6 or so. How much I weigh isn’t as important to me as how I feel and look, but I don’t think it would hurt to at least be in the “healthy range” for my height.

That said, I am looking for some assistance on what I can do to change my eating habits and suggestions for items/recipes that may suit my tastes. I have been tracking what I eat on and off (mostly off :ohwell: ) for the past few weeks. Obviously, it’s not that great of a diet. I plan to cut out a majority of the processed/frozen foods, but I don’t want to deprive myself completely of my favorite things. I’d like to go the “everything in moderation” route, but would love some suggestions for substitutions that could help satisfy my love of sweets and chips/crackers – I am sure I don’t need to eat Cheez-Its daily. :wink: I might still stick to a couple of squares of dark chocolate as my daily “dessert” though. That way I won’t binge on other sweets later on in the day.

For breakfast I figured I could change from frozen breakfast items to eggs I can microwave at work (adding in some fresh chives and a sprinkle of cheese) and pair it with fruit and either add bacon bits to the eggs or some type of chicken sausage. Would that be a good way to go? Or smoothies. Good smoothie recipes would be greatly appreciated. :flowerforyou: And I should get myself some oatmeal…

For lunch, I normally eat a frozen meal or (bad, bad, BAD!) go out to lunch and eat things that really aren’t that great for me… My willpower is weak and my co-workers are sooooo convincing. LOL I need to learn to say “no!” What are some good options that are easy to prepare and bring to the office? Are frozen meals here and there really awful?

Some dinner and snack ideas would be awesome too. Since I have to schedule my workouts around 6:30 or so, should I eat my dinner beforehand, or after? And what would be a good option for a snack and/or dinner to help fuel my body for a workout?

Lastly, I know MFP typically sets all the calorie goals at 1200. From another site that I saw someone recommend on here, I got that I should be eating around 1441 BMR and 1729 to both maintain my weight and based on my “goal” I set. That was with my sedentary desk job – so no exercise calories allotted, I guess? So I set my calories at 1450 here on MFP – kind of a combo of the two. Is this a good goal based on what I mentioned I would like to achieve? I know there are different opinions on this, but should I eat back at least a portion of the exercise calories I may have on any given day?

I know this is probably a novel, so I truly appreciate those who took the time to read the whole thing. LOL Thank you so much in advance for any help you can offer!!! :smile:

Replies

  • thegreatcanook
    thegreatcanook Posts: 2,419 Member
    1200 cals would be at the low end of where you should be if you are exercising. Feel free to add me and I'll cheer you on!
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    I didn't read alot of the top, looked like stuff about what to eat, I am a big believer in eating whatever the heck you want as long as it fits in your calorie goal. That pretty much translates to eat whatever you want but you will have to practice moderation while you do so.

    Lastly, I know MFP typically sets all the calorie goals at 1200. From another site that I saw someone recommend on here, I got that I should be eating around 1441 BMR and 1729 to both maintain my weight and based on my “goal” I set. That was with my sedentary desk job – so no exercise calories allotted, I guess? So I set my calories at 1450 here on MFP – kind of a combo of the two. Is this a good goal based on what I mentioned I would like to achieve? I know there are different opinions on this, but should I eat back at least a portion of the exercise calories I may have on any given day?

    That is a perfectly heatlhy goal. Just to make sure you understand what that means and you have appropriate expectations of your results : 1729 - 1450 = 279 calorie deficit/day x 7days/week = 1953 calories / week or about .56. You are set up to lose a little over half a pound a week. As for exercise calories it is a personal choice and something you can experiment with a bit. If you want to try to lose a little faster then you could only eat back half of them. If you feel run down doing that or would prefer to focus on exercise goals than just weight loss then eat them back. From what you said you are worried less about weight and more about body recomposition (I love you attitude about this whole thing btw, I think its spot on!). A slow loss and exercise will give you just that.
  • GunbunnyFuFu
    GunbunnyFuFu Posts: 22 Member
    Being fairly new to the program myself, one thing I have learned is to log everything. That allows me to get a handle on where I am at calorie-wise for the day. I highly recommend the following link to get started...there are others as well.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    I know how office environments go....last week someone brought in like a dozen boxes of donuts and left them throughout the building...though I certainly had the calories available to have one, I have a donut on Sundays as a treat to myself. Regardless, moderation is the key, as others have said.

    Feel free to add me!
  • chilly1470
    chilly1470 Posts: 178 Member
    I agree with the eat whatever you want mindset, after all, I am doing it. However, you must incorporate healthy choices IMO at least 75% of the time. I mean cereals, whole wheats, limit red meats, fruits, veggies, etc. This is a balanced diet. You may indulge in a cheeseburger, and later have a sensible and healthy salad with chicken and the like. I believe the balancing act is key in keeping your fat burning engine running and fine tuned. If you eat up all your calories on cookies and ice cream you haven't fueled your engine properly and will have trouble losing. By all means do not torture yourself. that is the beauty of this way of living and eating. If you make amends twice daily, you can treat yourself for a meal. Just stay in your daily numbers. I have experimented and been successful doing this. Look at my diary if you like. Also if you eat pizza and chips all day, you become sluggish and you aren't learning how to alter things. I hope this makes sense, and if you need a friend, add me.

Categories