Question by minnymutiny: Where to begin when deciding to get into shape?
Like most girls, I’m quite insecure of my image. I feel like I was cursed with an on-proportional body – wide hips, small waist, short in height, small breasts, etcetera.

The ‘perfect’ body in my opinion? Something like Lesley Horny. By no means am I saying she IS perfect, that’s just what I personally find attractive. Do I expect to have a body like hers? No, not at all. I don’t have a tiny waist nor do I think my legs will ever be that tiny like I wish for them to be. I do, however, want to get into shape and, for once, feel comfortable with myself.

I’m not overweight and my BMI is normal. I feel really, really uncomfortable with myself though. I don’t wear tight clothes that often and I feel huge. I’m 18, 4′11″, and 104 lbs. Doesn’t sound bad to you? Yeah, it doesn’t SOUND bad to me either, but I don’t think it LOOKS fine.I want to know where to begin to get into shape. Yeah, yeah, I know, I know – “Eat healthy and exercise”. I know that. I used to have a substance abuse problem, in which I weighed 72 lbs. I want to be toned and healthy, and not go through eating disorders or drug usage again to feel comfortable. So how do I wake up one day and all of a sudden start this change? What foods should I buy, how often should I eat, what meals are good? IMPORTANT: I am vegetarian. Not just no meat, but no chicken/fish/eggs. I know eggs and fish and chicken are high in protein but I will substitute that with something else. I hear beans are good as well as protein shakes. How else can I get what my body needs without eating chicken/fish/eggs? Because that won’t happen. I respect your choice, so please respect mine. Also, how do I rid the apathy of not wanting to exercise? I have asthma and used to have pectus excavatum, a chest deformity, before getting it fixed. Still, they both have left their mark and affect my breathing. So when exercising I tend to give up because I loathe the cramps and trouble breathing. I have never made exercising habitual. If I did it for a day or two, that’s all it was. I wouldn’t stick with it, I don’t like it to be completely honest. Does a person start to like it after making it a routine? I also work 8 hours everyday, so time is limited. I’m going to see about joining a gym, but for now, what exercises will help tone my legs, butt, back, and tummy and what tips do you have for me to stick with it?

I know I have a lot of questions, but I’m really trying to be persistent about this. I appreciate any responses.

Best answer:

Answer by Yuki
Lesley Hornby, you mean? I went and looked her up, and found out that her alias is Twiggy. It’s good that you don’t expect to have a body like hers, because she’s just naturally thin- it’s in her genes (not sure if she had an eating disorder too, but maybe not). Your weight actually makes you seem naturally thin too, though I’m not sure. You may be overestimating how you look. I’m 110 at the same height, and 14, and I think I look fine. Genetics gave me bigger legs, though not by a lot. I just don’t have straight up and down legs. I have quite some muscle from weight training, so it seems like my legs just have a bigger build.

To “tone” yourself, you’ll need to do weight training, and not endless amounts of cardio like most people think. Toning is actually just muscle, but the M-word usually scares women because it sounds so bodybuilder. If you look at Amanda Carrier, she’s toned because she has a mixture of a moderately low body fat percentage and muscle. She works out with weights. And lifting weights won’t make you pant a lot, so your asthma will be kept down Walking is also a great exercise, because it’s simple and cheap and it also doesn’t make you pant a lot like running does. And it tones your legs. You won’t get huge muscles from walking, and generally, women don’t have the testosterone for bodybuilder muscles.

Buy a pair of dumbbells and a fitness book on weight training. It should have a lot of exercises for different muscles in your body. I’m not very good with the diet thing, but beans sound good, and just cut out all junk food, etc. These foods are full of protein (this site): http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

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