Can someone tell me where to go next???!!!!

dan_d

Hey people.
I posted here before about having planter fascitiis...well, I've got orthotic insoles now and have been wearing them for a few weeks. They've helped a lot. I'm also desk-bound for most of the day now (change in work circumstances), meaning I have a lot of surplus energy, as I'm used to walking the legs off myself as part of work everyday.
So I'm looking to lose weight and tone up a bit - I'm relatively fit, but I need to lose about half a stone...a stone if possible. I've ventured back into the gym and I'm looking for suggestions. I'm a 5ft6" female, weighing 10 stone (which is mainly on my stomach..!)
What I've been doing is very basic. A few laps (up to 10) of a running track, and about 15 mins on an exercise bike. I'm upping the time and difficulty on the bike each time (there have only been a couple of visits so far!!). I'm also swimming 40-50 lengths of a 25m pool at least once, if not twice a week.
My diet is quite good, as in, I'm very concious of eating healthily - heavy on veg, grilled chicken, lots of fruit, never eat fried food and rarely have takeaways (maybe once or twice a month) etc - but I am kind of fond of chocolate.During the week I tend to be good, but the weekend can be a bit of a disaster!!I don't really drink - maybe a glass of wine some weekends.However barbeque season is upon us aswell, and it's doing me no favours either!
I'm looking for suggestions as to what else I could do in the gym and a rough idea of for how long to do the exercises. I don't really know where to go next with my excercising and I find that I get to a stage where I can do a lot of excercise, but my weight doesn't seem to drop, and nothing else seems to change either.
Sorry, I've been rambling a bit! Any and all suggestions are appreciated!!:)

Colm_OReilly

Can you post your complete diet; morning, noon and night?

Best thing to do would be to start with weights. Learn how to squat, deadlift, press. Also, if there's an assisted dip/pull up station in your gym, start using that.

dan_d

Diet

Breakfast - small glass squeezed orange, bowl of cereal (Jordan's muesli or nut based cereal), cup of tea (light milk)

10am - bolw of cereal, cup of tea, small chocolate bar (mini snack bar)

1pm - Pitta bread with one slice of ham, lettuce, small amount of cheese or 2 slices of wholemeal toast
banana, handful of grapes, yogurt (danone activia) maybe a pear, cup of tea.

4pm - maybe a cup of tea and 2 biscuits or a nut bar (nature valley bar) if i've time

7pm dinner - varies a lot. grilled chicken with steamed broccoli/carrots/green beans, and potato. Homemade spaghetti bolognese (no jars of sauce used), ditto lasagne. Grilled pork chops with steamed veg. Stir fried beef (in olive oil) with veg - broccoli/peppers/onions etc - with rice. Homemade stew. maybe Fajitas (chicken or beef) - again heavy on veg, no sour cream or anything like that.If I couldn't be bothered cooking I'll have scrambled eggs with beans and brown toast.That happens about once a month!
Usually (not always) have a cup of tea to finish, maybe 2 biscuits.

Don't eat again after this.

Weekends, I've a bad habit of eating breakfast and then forgetting to eat until I'm practically starving, which results in eating anything handy - a muffin, a bar of chocolate, etc. I know I shouldn't. Sunday's I have a proper dinner alright, similar to what's listed above, or maybe roast chicken or something.

It seems to me my diet is pretty good, but the ol' metabolism is very slow. I am quite active, and amn't heavy on fatty foods, but could still do with shedding about half a stone. Any suggestions to change that would help.Thanks again!

optimistic_

Far from any form of expert, but while your diet isn't terrible, it certainly isn't too good either.

Breakfast - small glass squeezed orange, bowl of cereal (Jordan's muesli or nut based cereal), cup of tea (light milk) - Lose the cereal - unless it's porrdge on a workout day - switch to eggs non work out day

10am - bolw of cereal, cup of tea, small chocolate bar (mini snack bar) - Again, lose the cereal, and the bar. Snack on either low GI fruit, or small amount of nuts (advise against nuts unless you have great self control!)

1pm - Pitta bread with one slice of ham, lettuce, small amount of cheese or 2 slices of wholemeal toast
banana, handful of grapes, yogurt (danone activia) maybe a pear, cup of tea. - change lunch to lean meat, green veg.

4pm - maybe a cup of tea and 2 biscuits or a nut bar (nature valley bar) if i've time - Lose the bar, and the biscuits. Again either raw nuts, or low GI fruit

7pm dinner - varies a lot. grilled chicken with steamed broccoli/carrots/green beans,keep this and potato. Homemade spaghetti bolognese (no jars of sauce used), ditto lasagne. Grilled pork chops lose this with steamed veg. Stir fried beef (in olive oil) with veg - broccoli/peppers/onions etc - with rice. Homemade stew. maybe Fajitas (chicken or beef) - again heavy on veg, no sour cream or anything like that.If I couldn't be bothered cooking I'll have scrambled eggs with beans and brown toast.That happens about once a month!
Usually (not always) have a cup of tea to finish, maybe 2 biscuits.
Lose the biscuits again

Even with that it's not great, but that's some improtvements to make.
Eat lean meat, green veg, fish and watch portions.

Happy for anyone to correct that, but I think it'd be a start. I've only recently changed my own habits (relatively recently)

optimistic_

Start weight lifting with the cardio with as well.

Far better people than me here that can point you in the right direction on that.

Check out the stickies, work out your caloric needs and work on a defecit, use this to control your portions.

I'm really only talking about what has been working for me.