Need suggestions

[afinite]

Hi Everyone,

I have been thinking about working out as I am not in the best shape of my life and would like to loose weight and gain some muscle. Now I am not too crazy for huge muscle buildup but I want a decent amount that makes me look smarter.

Currently I am 230 lbs, with major fat areas being stomach/thighs. I do not eat junk a whole lot and it is my understanding that my main problem is not exercising at all.

Any tips/programs you can suggest from the fitsync libraries? I am having a hard time figuring out which is the best suited for me.

[Everett]

Hey afinite, yup, what goes in gotta come out otherwise it stays and shows.  How tall are you?  You've made the critical move in making a goal for yourself.  I'm a great fan of portion control.  Eat less of everything and if you're just 75% full (for now) that's fine.  On the exercise front, there's a 10 week program for fat loss in the FitSync program library.  Schedule that and stick to the plan!  Post your widgets so we can keep up with ya. 

[Paul]

Welcome, never too late so good that you're stepping up and deciding to make some changes.  My advice is first of all do what you love.  If you hate to run, don't run.  Do some cycling, exercise classes, swim, pickup game of hoops with the guys, whatever, and mix in some strength training maybe twice a week.  Do something you enjoy and mix it up a bit so don't do the same run or lifting routine week after week. 

If you haven't been exercising at all and start doing something 4-5 days a week you'll start to see results pretty quickly.  Once you start to lean down you'll expose the muscles you do have so you'll look leaner and fitter.  Consider doing some compound bodyweight exercises that build muscle and burn calories.  Squats are great but start light and make sure you get your technique down solid before going too heavy.  Since you don't want to become Hercules or Schwarzenegger I'd go with a rep range of 12-15 and mix in some bodyweight work like pushups and pullups. 

You didn't mention your age but that's another consideration.  You can't train at 35 the way you did at 19 especially if you've been inactive a while.  The best workout program is the one you can stick with everyday not the one that you go nuts for a week, get sore and injured and lay off for 3 weeks. 

Sounds like you eat healthy but that's a big place to start primarily with portion control.  Eat less, have some fruit and water snacks between meals, and watch the bottled juices and soda and coffees - huge calories in those things.

Important thing to keep in mind is that as you lose fat you will also be building muscle.  Don't get bummed if your weight doesn't drop quickly because you will be adding some muscle mass which weighs more by volume than fat.  Focus on getting your bodyfat percentage down rather than dropping pure weight.

Last but not least, try and do something everyday.  Your workout doesn't have to be perfect each time - can be as simple as a bunch of pushups and bodyweight squats in front of the TV before dinner or walking the stairs at the office after work.  Keep yourself moving, back off the food a bit and you will get there faster than you think.

Good luck, check in again if you want some more tips.  Try the rankings also, good way to see yourself getting stronger.