How much weight to lose and other questions (picture)

1. How much weight or fat should I be aiming to lose? Stats and picture above.

That's really up to you. It depends on what you want to look like. If you want abs to show you're looking at more like 16 percent body fat.

2. What the heck should I be doing in the gym based off of my picture above, with a little explanation why if you don't mind? My normal routine is cardio 6 days a week and maybe a couple day of doing some weight machines.

You can do as much exercise as you possibly can, but it won't do a darn thing unless your diet is in check. Especially at your current weight. Find out what your macro percentages are suppose to be, watch the carbs, watch the sugar, and watch the sodium. Sometimes you can still be within your macros and gain some water weight because of too much sodium. I do 30 minutes of body weight exercises and 20 minutes of cardio 4-5 days a week. Here's macros calculator: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm?searchTerm=macro calculator

3. Could I get some examples of what you guys eat for snacks or even meals? I feel like my calories just get filled up so fast.

Your calories should not be filling up fast. I increased my calories to 2000 and started eating 5-6 meals a day, but because I'm am sticking to my macros and watching the sugar and sodium, I am still losing weight. When I do eat snacks I eat a protein bar because I have a hard time reaching my protein needs. Not one of those like Nature's Valley because there's too much sugar in it. You have to find one that meets your dietary needs. I like Pure Protein bars. I'll also have a protein shake. Once in a while I may have a fruit. Sometimes I'll have a very small amount of cashews because they are very high in calories. It's all about what fits your dietary needs.

The first two questions depend entirely on your goals. If you simply want to be healthy, you could argue that you don't need to lose any weight at all. Your goal determines basically what your diet and exercise regimens should be like. If you wanted to be a marathon runner I'd have a very different set of advice then if you told me you wanted to look lean with visible abs... Tell us your goals and we can answer much more accurately.

If I had your body, my goal would not be to lose weight but to lower my bodyfat and look more "toned." I'd hire a personal trainer for a few sessions with the goal of learning how to implement a progressive weight lifting program.

I can tell by your statement "maybe a couple day of doing some weight machines" that you could use more knowledge about weight lifting - not a criticism, just an observation. Checkout The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess which was available through my library system, so perhaps yours as well.

Good suggestions overall it seems. You probably don't want to lose much weight. The suggestions about getting squared away at the gym with lifting will help tone you out. The scale won't budge much but your measurements should change. Again, if that's what you're aiming for

OTk8 wrote: »

vismal wrote: »

The first two questions depend entirely on your goals. If you simply want to be healthy, you could argue that you don't need to lose any weight at all. Your goal determines basically what your diet and exercise regimens should be like. If you wanted to be a marathon runner I'd have a very different set of advice then if you told me you wanted to look lean with visible abs... Tell us your goals and we can answer much more accurately.

Hello, I definitely see what you're saying. I think I'd like to lean out all over. I'm not too concerned about visible abs, but I'd like to just have a leaner look overall. What advice would you have for that? Thank you!!

In order to look lean you must reduce body fat. The only way to do that is to eat in a calorie deficit over a period of time and lose weight. You cannot target where you lose body fat so overall weight reduction is the only strategy. In order to have a more aesthetic physique at low levels of body fat you should also engage in resistance training (weight lifting). When you lose weight you lose a combination of fat and lean tissue. Lifting weights helps minimize lean tissue losses and that generally creates a better final physique. Any proven beginners lifitng program (stronglifts, ICF 5x5, Starting strength, etc) should be just fine. After 10 or so lbs of weight loss, I bet you will be considerably more lean. At that point you can reevaluate your goals and decide how to proceed next. I'd aim for about 1/2lb a week weight loss as you are already close to your goal.