The last 15 lbs?
 

Sorry, I'm not sure where to post this.

Over the past 2 years, I stopped playing on sports teams, and gained access to more junk food and..obviously went from good shape to out of shape. I'm at 125 right now and I realllly want to get toned again and back down to about 110. If it helps, I'm 5'3".

I've been casually running for a few months, but I haven't seen much improvement. I must admit, sometimes when I get really frustrated and feel gross, I'll stop eating for a couple days, but then I'll end up eating a ton of junk food because I'm so hungry. It's really not helpful and I know that, but I don't know how to really eat.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice or example plans for eating (I'm a vegetarian btw) and excercising. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all and learning from your experience!

Welcome! I think it's really key not to skip meals. If you're really frustrated/feeling gross, how about having an arsenal of veggies to munch on? At least that will keep your body more balanced. I personally recommend a calorie based program like Weight Watchers or just plain old calorie counting. If you have an iPhone, there's a great app called LoseIt, which is free and really is great. For working out, I suggest starting out with 30-40 minutes of cardio, 5-6 days a week and 3x a week of weight training. I'd say the weights are even more important than the cardio. You could also rent some workout dvd's from the library to mix things up. A lot of people like 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels. I like it personally.

Try to take small steps. Make sure you're drinking your water (8 glasses/day). Eliminate all sodas if possible. Try to eliminate all white flour foods, opting for whole grains. I would suggest not having anymore junk food. However, if you're calorie counting, you can fit in treats occasionally so that you don't feel deprived. There are also usually healthy alternatives to junk. There are lots of options out there and you can ask for ideas around here. You can also post a typical day of what you eat and people can help you tweak it so that it's healthier and more balanced.

Consistency is key though. You absolutely CAN do this! :)

Thank you so much! I'll keep that all in mind.

Consistency IS key. What kinds of "junk food" are you eating and how much? I would start by examining your current diet (what/when/where/why) to see how you can begin making changes.

For example, if you're eating junk food for most of your meals (ie fast food combos, pizza nightly, restaurants), then I'd recommend rethinking your meals completely. But if you're eating handy "junk food" snacks that constitute only a portion of your meals (like chips or candy), I'd work on limiting those items.