Hi, My name is chris. this is my first post. i am 22yrs old, 5'6" at 160lbs

ive always tried my best to hit the gym, but stuff always seems to get in the way. my biggest problem is staying motivated and dedicated to working out regularly and eating right.
i would work out for a month or to straight, eat right... then id be lazy and eat like crap for 2 months and the cycle continues.

a couple months ago i hit 180 lbs and i knew i needed to start cutting things out of my diet. i gave up soda, and high sugar juices. i only drink water and alcohol/beer now (yea, i know). i also cut a lot of fast food out of my diet. started making sandwiches with no mayo, less cheese etc.
since then i dropped 20lbs even with my irregular gym habits.

Anyway, i made a bet with my girlfriend last night. (she has alot of the same problems as me) We both have till January 1st 2010 to reach fitness goals we laid out to each other. those include: weight loss, overall figure, maybe abs? etc. basically the person with the most improvement wins. we worked out some things between us as "prizes" that im hoping will keep us both motivated to reach those goals. ok, enough of the bio.

i go to a local gym, and my problem is that i am always unorganized in my workout. i usually start with:

>streching,

>80 diamond pushups and 100 cunches (alternating 20, 25, 20, 25 etc)

>at this point i kind of wander around the gym looking for whatever machine is open and do a couple sets. then to the next.. and the next...

>then i run on the treadmill for about 20 minutes.

i dont feel like im getting anything out of my workout most of the time. there is no structure. that is where i need some help. i have 4 days a week to work out (m-thur) after work. should i be doing 3 days full body work out, 4 days cardio? or split up into:
M: chest and back
T:legs
W: abs and arms
something to that affect?
my overall goal is turning what fat i have to muscle, drop a little weight, and i'd like to have abs and nice muscle definition (not too body builder status, but well built) is 5 months time a realistic time frame? im doing a lot of reading at the moment and trying to take in as much info as i can. thanks for any responses! and sorry for the long post.
-chris

What do you get if you win?

If you start by suggesting a night with her sister then it should be easy to negotiate her down to a BJ while you watch Baywatch

What about doing some boxing training and some bodyweight exercises?

Either go to your local boxing club or get yourself a punchbag and train at home. I think the main thing is to find something you enjoy so you don't feel like your being forced to get fit.
Same thing with the diet, if you completely take out foods you enjoy then your setting yourself up to fail. You need to have a balance

For exercises check out the Calisthenics Kingz on youtube or got to my site where there are other fitness resources, most of which can be found on youtube as well.

You should listen to Typhon, he has experience with these things. He betted with his wife and won, he started with demanding a BJ so he easily got it down to her marrying him

To help you, we need to know exactly what your goals are.

Here Workout Plans - Men's Health .... is a year long series. Drop fat, add some muscle, get in overall good shape. I did this one several years back and it did wonders for me.

lol. well getting a BJ from her isnt a problem. shes the rare type that cant get enough . as for her sister, i actually am renting a room in her house while i work about 100 miles away from my girlfriend.

we both put in some cash for a total of $500. the loser takes the cash and has to buy the winner something from their "wishlist" of items. (my idea cause that wishlist from her could come in handy at christmas time). on top of that the winner gets several perks to use on the loser at any time for example:
loser has to be DD for the night, loser has to Pay for dinner, loser has to wash the winners car, among other things . you get the idea

anyway. i will check out the link provided.

id say my goal is to be fit overall. i dont want the body builder look if u know what i mean, but i dont want to be a "skinny cut guy." 150 lbs for now is probably a good goal, i know muscle weighs more than fat so im not trying to drop too much weight if it means gaining muscle. i might look into boxing classes, its just the money would be a lot for another membership. ill try to construct a plan and post it for critisizm. thanks guys!