MAKYAJ VE OJE

I've been wanting to lose some weight for a while. I'm not overweight, but I'm on the "heavy" side of the normal weight range for my height (I'm between 5'6" and 5'7"). I'd like to lose about 30 pounds. I'm not sure if that will be too much because I don't want to be skinny because I like my curves. I guess I just want to tone up some of my trouble areas and be in the lower range for normal weight.

Exercise:
I plan on doing 30-45 minutes of cardio, 5-6 days a week. I will be adding in some light free weight exercises in a couple weeks once I've shed a few pounds of fat. I'm afraid if I lift too much I will bulk up. When I worked in a factory building cars I developed a "man arm" because I was lifting a big bolting gun every 57 seconds putting in seat belts and airbags...etc. I got really muscular in my right arm and it was noticeably different than my left!

Every day I will be doing various kinds of abdominal work (i.e., crunches)

Every other day I will be alternating between lower and body workouts focusing mainly on my upper thighs and upper arms (which are my trouble spots I want to get rid of). Basically I'll be doing lots of squats and lunges, and TONS of tricep curls/extensions. My boyfriend made a little schedule I could follow a while ago, but I wasn't good with following a schedule. As long as I do some working out I should be fine.

Meal Plan:
Finally for my meals I tend to follow this chart (taken from "Body For Life" book):

Note: I don't eat EVERYTHING on this list (i.e., buffalo, random kinds of fish...etc.) and there are some things that I do eat that aren't on here (i.e., cereal).

For the chart, all you have do is choose a portion of protein and carbohydrate from each column to make a meal. Add a serving of vegetables to at least two of your daily meals! REMEMBER PORTION CONTROL!

One day a week I will allow myself to have a "cheat day" where I can eat whatever I want (portioned controlled of course). I couldn't live a satisfying life if I had to give up pizza. haha

For those who are interested I have an example weekly workout for when I start incorporating weights into my daily routine. I don't reps and sets down because it will be different for everyone. All exercises you can do at home w/ free weights without having to go to the gym and use machines which do pretty much the same thing!

Monday: Back and Chest
Cardio
- Elliptical 30-45 minutes
Weights
- dumbbell bench press
- incline dumbbell press
- dumbbell flyes
- one-arm dumbbell rows
- dumbbell pullovers
Abdominals
- floor crunches (upper abs)
- twist crunches (obliques)
- bent-knee leg raises (lower abs)

Tuesday: Lower Body
Cardio
- Elliptical 30-45 minutes
Weights
- dumbbell squats
- dumbbell lunges
- standing calf raises
Abdominals
- floor crunches (upper abs)
- twist crunches (obliques)
- bent-knee leg raises (lower abs)

Wednesday: Triceps and Biceps
Cardio
- Elliptical 30-45 minutes
Weights
- dumbbell extensions
- bench dips
- lying dumbbell extensions
- seated dumbbell curls
- standing dumbbell curls
- hammer curls
Abdominals
- floor crunches (upper abs)
- twist crunches (obliques)
- bent-knee leg raises (lower abs)

Thursday: Shoulders
Cardio
- Elliptical 30-45 minutes
Weights
- seated dumbbell press
- side raises
- bent-over raises
Abdominals
- floor crunches (upper abs)
- twist crunches (obliques)
- bent-knee leg raises (lower abs)

Friday: Lower Body
Cardio
- Elliptical 30-45 minutes
Weights
- dumbbell squats
- dumbbell lunges
- standing calf raises
Abdominals
- floor crunches (upper abs)
- twist crunches (obliques)
- bent-knee leg raises (lower abs)

Let me know if you wanna do this with me! I NEED MOTIVATION! Especially to get up and exercise. We can motivate each other and get healthy and fit! I will be updating every Friday with my progress. Wish me luck!