joined the gym, need diet/workout advice please

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hi, i joined the gym a couple of weeks ago, been 4times so far and its been good but now i need advice on what to eat and my workout plans.
i'm going to go twice a week to start with as i need to get fit before i really get into it.
i'm just under 17stone and about 6foot :( everyone says they think i'm about 14stone though so don't look fat, fat even though i am.

right, basically i work 6am till 2pm so i'm up at 5am.
i'll have breakfast at 8:30 which is 4round of toast and jam.
i'll have dinner at 12 which will be a jacket potato.
when i get home at about 2:30ish i'll get something to eat sandwich or something.
then maybe have tea at 8ish(maybe twice a week but not very often)
during the day i'll maybe eat a chocolate bar or a couple of biscuits maybe.

so i need to sort this out asap as i know its not enough to eat and totally not the right kind of food.

so any help with this is welcome.

when i got the gym i'll start with a 10min run which i hope will improve my fitness. then do a few of the different weights they have(not sure on the names sorry) then go on the cross trainer for 10mins.

so what should i be doing when i'm at the gym?

thanks

also i got some creatine today should i use this or should i leave it(i've started it today to try it)

EDIT: really need to sort the food out, so i need to make a 7day plan up i think so i can go shopping to get when i need over the weekend to start on monday.
i love pasta so eating that wont be a problem same with tuna if they are foods i can eat. that hardest part will be the food while i'm at work needs to be something ready cooked or something i can cook at home and warm up in a couple of mins at work(1800w microwave at work)
 
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I'm in a similar situation as you: I'm 5'8 and 12 stone, but I don't look fat.

What I'm doing is cutting down slightly on the food I eat, but doing press ups (2x25 with a 30 second break); crunches (4x12 with a 30 second break); these things similar to press ups, where you are in the press up position, but with the bit of your arm between your wrist and elbow on the floor, and you have to hold it for 30 seconds (your abs should be tense throughout if you are doing it properly); I also do that but with one arm when I'm on my side (30 seconds each arm); jackknife situps (2x25); pull ups (4x12).

This works out your upper body, putting on muscle. Muscles require a lot of calories to maintain, which means that you are burning more calories when you are doing nothing. Provided that you aren't currently putting on weight, you should start losing some, and develop a 6 pack. :)

If, like me, you don't want to be huge, you should also work out your lower body so your upper body doesn't have to have loads of muscle to effectively burn more calories when you aren't doing anything.
 
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Fraggr said:
If, like me, you don't want to be huge, you should also work out your lower body so your upper body doesn't have to have loads of muscle to effectively burn more calories when you aren't doing anything.
i would say i'm like you then, i just want to be able to run without getting knacard in 10secs and be generally fit all around really, getting back into football atm(5aside) and i just can;t do it i'm worn out after 10mins.

i have been working out my lower body at the gym, i find it quite easy to do compared to the upper body.
been doing leg curls and like a leg press where you stand on it and you have pads that go on your shoulders and you push up not sure what they are called. been doing 10x 75KG twice on that so far.
 
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@if ®afiq said:
is it body building guides i should look at?
as i want to loose weight first.
i should be 14stone really iirc but i'd be happy at 14stone if it was more muscle than fat.
will doing the weights help this or should i just do the treadmill/cross trainer/rower etc with light weights to start with?

thanks
 
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mt50 said:
is it body building guides i should look at?
as i want to loose weight first.
i should be 14stone really iirc but i'd be happy at 14stone if it was more muscle than fat.
will doing the weights help this or should i just do the treadmill/cross trainer/rower etc with light weights to start with?

thanks

To loose fat you must sort your diet out and also excercise and the sticky has many good points on both - have a read of that and then post back :)

*edit* Doing weights does not just mean static lifts that just build muscles. You could do a circuit that will not only help burn off fat but also increase your strength/stamina...it's also more fun than plodding along on a treadmill for 40+ mins. Have a read, take it in and most importantly enjoy it!
 
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@if ®afiq said:
To loose fat you must sort your diet out and also excercise and the sticky has many good points on both - have a read of that and then post back :)
ok cheers will read it tomorrow when i get home from work now.

one last question, fitness first offer a get results deal its £25 for 3 months i'm thinking about going for that as i think it would help me and isn't that muct money really.
has anyone here used it before or think its worth doing?
http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk/Succeed-With-Fitness-First-Gym/Fitness-First-Gym-Get-Results.aspx
thanks
 
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If you want to lose weight quickly, look up a weight loss diet, and exercise in the mornings before you eat, like running or skipping or whatever you want to do to burn calories. I bought Men's Health magazine a few weeks ago, and they said running is the best way to burn calories and lose weight. I hate running, so I'm probably going to use a skipping rope.

Also, you should do it for more than 20 minutes, so you actually burn long term fat stores, not the stuff you just ate. This shouldn't be a problem in the morning though, so you can do it for less to get the same results.
 
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mt50 said:
ok cheers will read it tomorrow when i get home from work now.

one last question, fitness first offer a get results deal its £25 for 3 months i'm thinking about going for that as i think it would help me and isn't that muct money really.
has anyone here used it before or think its worth doing?
http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk/Succeed-With-Fitness-First-Gym/Fitness-First-Gym-Get-Results.aspx
thanks

They are a nationwide gym but I can't comment on how good they are...£25 a month sounds really good - is there a tie in period?

(I'm paying £55p/m :()
 
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mt50 said:
ok cheers will read it tomorrow when i get home from work now.

one last question, fitness first offer a get results deal its £25 for 3 months i'm thinking about going for that as i think it would help me and isn't that muct money really.
has anyone here used it before or think its worth doing?
http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk/Succeed-With-Fitness-First-Gym/Fitness-First-Gym-Get-Results.aspx
thanks

Not worth it imo. You can become fit, lose weight, and build muscle at home with basic equipment and a good diet.

Skipping, Running, crunches, situps, press ups, pull ups, jackknives, etc.

You can probably get everything you need for less than £200 for a set of weights, pull up bar, exercise ball, and dumbbells.
 
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@if ®afiq said:
They are a nationwide gym but I can't comment on how good they are...£25 a month sounds really good - is there a tie in period?

(I'm paying £55p/m :()

i should have worded it a bit better sorry.

i joined them up(12month contract which is good as it gives me an extra motivation to go) i pay £15 a month and £1 everytime i go or you can pay £25 a month and use if as much as you like(i will do this when i start going 3 times a week)

the get results program is a separate thing you pay £25 and they give you a fitness test see what you want to achieve and then sort you a routine out and help you along the way. it lasts 3 months for the single £25 payment.
i'm thinking about it as they will tell you what to work out etc and when..
 
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mt50 said:
the get results program is a separate thing you pay £25 and they give you a fitness test see what you want to achieve and then sort you a routine out and help you along the way. it lasts 3 months for the single £25 payment.
i'm thinking about it as they will tell you what to work out etc and when..

Oh...in that case stay well clear of these! You'll pick up far more useful info/help from the itraweb than from some dodgy gym trainer. (I've seen some horrific "training" being provided at my gym)

The most important thing you need to sort out is your diet, once that is sussed you will be on easy street!
 
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@if ®afiq said:
They are a nationwide gym but I can't comment on how good they are...£25 a month sounds really good - is there a tie in period?

(I'm paying £55p/m :()

£55 a month :eek:

I pay £16 a month, no doubt due to the fact im a student. It's also a city council gym so you would expect it to be cheaper anyway. But if your a full time worker your looking at £40 a month.
 
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SK07 said:
£55 a month :eek:

I pay £16 a month, no doubt due to the fact im a student. It's also a city council gym so you would expect it to be cheaper anyway. But if your a full time worker your looking at £40 a month.
Lucky, I pay £60 a month for Cannons and they don't give any student discount or nothing :(
 
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mt50 said:
i would say i'm like you then, i just want to be able to run without getting knacard in 10secs and be generally fit all around really, getting back into football atm(5aside) and i just can;t do it i'm worn out after 10mins.

i have been working out my lower body at the gym, i find it quite easy to do compared to the upper body.
been doing leg curls and like a leg press where you stand on it and you have pads that go on your shoulders and you push up not sure what they are called. been doing 10x 75KG twice on that so far.


lol exactly the same as you. Been palying 5 a side once a week for past 4 weeks and Im getting slightly better but need fitness improving.

Went the gym for 12 weeks 2 years ago before I went to uni and reall helped with my cardio and cut oiut a bit of fat but Im lucky, whatever I eat doesnt seem to effect my weight as Im always scrawny.
Trying to get my fitness up and put a bit of muscle on personally but I find it hard to gain any muscle even with extra protein etc supplements.
Its down to my diet obviosuly but I just need to get down the gym starting tomorrow and get cardio levels up abit!

and 60quid a month !! I thought 25quid at my local was expensive considering when I went 2 years ago I didn't pay anything!
 
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ok, i've read the guide and i've looked around a bit and well i'm still lost as to what to eat. i've worked this plan out-

5am- 2x weetabix with 2% milk

8:30- ? could do with some help for this one

12- pasta with some chicken or tuna and Broccoli

4pm- chicken/tuna/beef sandwich

8pm- pasta with some chicken or tuna and Broccoli

along with my 5 fruit a day in between these.


what does that look like good or bad? would be quite cheap to get all this so thats a plus.

thanks.
 
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