bobbles

Basically my gf and I decided to organise a gold coast holiday for around christmas time, so we decided we should both get fit. (swimmers, hot bods, etc)

So anyway, we just got a simple height, weight chart to find ideal weights. Hers is about 50-55 (110 - 121lbs) KG's and shes sitting at about 58 (128lbs) at the moment. (5'2", small build)

Mine is about 70-75 (154 - 165lbs), and at the moment im around 97 (213.4lbs) (5'10", medium build)

Guess I've got a bit of work to do! already started turning our garage into a mini home gym, but there isnt much in there at the moment (1 set of dumbells and a mountain bike)

I'm not really interested in trying to gain muscle (nothing further than i would normally get losing weight) Does anyone have tips/ideas on what I should try and do to reach my goal? (I'm starting to walk to UNI instead of drive, thats about 35/40 mins each way filled with hills, once or twice a day)

We also have a target weight loss chart made up and hanging in the garage, although due to mine having to fit on there the gf's sort of looks like a straight line

Edit: Chucked weight in pounds sicne I guess alot of people here are more used to that system

uncle_el

things to think about:

1. muscle weighs more than fat, yet it takes up considerably less room than fat.

2. muscle has a higher rate of metabolism then fat does. i really can't think of the rates, but it is part of the reason why well conditioned athletes can eat a lot of food and not seem to gain weight, whereas overweight out of shape people may not eat as much, yet gain weight.

3. a safe rate of weight loss is generally regarded as 1 to 2 pounds/week (which is 0.5 to 1 kg/week if my calculations are correct).


i would tell you to worry more about losing waist size rather than weight. that's not to say that you don't want to lose weight at all, but the key is to gain muscle while losing fat... that's the best way to keep the weight off, as well as keep the metabolism up. your body burns more calories at it's current weight, then it will in a few weeks provided you get your weight down. without gaining muscle (again, which has a higher rate of metabolism), your metabolism will get to a plateau, and you will find it extremely difficult to lose weight short of starving yourself to death.

i think a great book is "body for life" by bill phillips. it's available at wal-mart here in the u.s., and thus i'd like to think it's available in australia (you mentioned the gold coast). it provides a good story for why one's life needs to be changed in order for the changes to take effect and last. it's a very easy read.

as far as what to do for a workout, there's a few threads on here and i won't bore you with it. i'll just simply say that utilizing both cardio and weight exercises are a good way to go. if you're not lifting heavy weights and you're not taking in a lot of protein, and you're not injecting steroids, you won't gain a ton of muscle. but using weights a few times a week is healthy, and sets you up for a healthier life down the road (since as you age, you will lose muscle mass and gain fat). just make sure the exercises you choose to do (both cardio and weights), are ones that you enjoy. if you enjoy it, you'll stick with it. if you don't enjoy them, you won't want to stick with the program.

as far as diet, i believe there's also a number of threads about that as well. the key is to eat a sensible diet, cut out the bad stuff or at least keep it to a minimum (most sensible diets allow for a cheat day here and there), and up the good stuff. again, eat foods that you enjoy, find recipes for healthier alternatives so that you'll stick with it.

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R3d

easiest things to do to lose weight...

watch the diet.. dont have to eat just salads and what not.. just try and skip the fast foods.. instead of having chips/bar or somethin have an apple.. your body still needs it nutrients to give you energy or your cardio will be squat all..

lots of cardio.. running/walking/biking/rollerblading/swimming

exercises that will move multiple muscles at once.. check out the sites i listed below for different ones to try

some sites that may help..

http://www.menshealth.com
http://www.mensfitness.com

both have a lof of info that you can glance through