I found that if you can just be consistant with a couple simple habbits you will get in great shape. It's easy to do these every once in awhile, but if you really want results these daily tips can get you to your goal.
1) Eat healthy and the right portion you don't necessarily have to "diet", your goal should be to always eat healthy and after awhile it will become the norm. That means under no circumstance should you eat fast food, your body needs good nutrition. Focus on the quality of your protein and select: chicken, fish, for steak that is grilled or baked (not fried). Second and finally, control your portions. If you want to lose weight then don't fill up your plate and don't go for seconds. If you want to gain muscle then eat seconds, your body will need the extra calories and grams of protein to build and sustain the extra mass. Eat a balanced meal, including carbs and fat, but focus on your protein. As a rule of thumb, you should eat between 1-2 grams of protein for each pound that you want to weigh. If you want to weigh 200 pounds and you are overweight then you should be eating no more than 200 grams of protein a day. That is 800 calories a day in protein (4 calories per gram). If you count calories, that 800 comes out of your daily alotment.
Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories
Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories
Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories
( If you're eating more calories than you burn your body will store those as fat. If you burn more than you eat, then you will lose weight. Want to lose weight eat less, want to gain muscle then add a meal and eat, eat, eat!)
2) Exercise If you can put 3 hours a week into exercising then you can accomplish your goal! It doesn't take anymore than that, but you need to focus on really train hard during that time. Break it up into 4 x 45minutes workouts a week is my recommendation. It's only 3 hours a week and there is no short cut. If you give the effort you will get results. Walking does not count; play tennis, basketball, lift weights, or run. Gradually increase your intensity as your body adapts over time you will need to train harder or longer, but the most importantly be consistent. I highly recommend a combination of lifting weights and cardio even for women. Lifting weights builds and tones muscles and you can control how bulky you get by how much you eat.
