Hi all, new member here.

Right now I'm basically 6 feet tall and weigh close to 160 pounds. I tell people I want to start a diet and they tell me I'm crazy, manorexic, etc...

The problem I have is I look skinny from the waist up, but I have big thighs and a big butt. Honestly I think it mostly be muscle that I attribute to skateboarding every day for 10 years, but I'm not sure that's truly the cause.

A few months ago I made my own diet that was basically the following:
Cheerios with skim milk for breakfast
Salad for lunch
Grilled chicken for dinner
and occasionally a snack.

This worked pretty well, and I lost 10 pounds fairly quickly, but really nothing changed on the lower half of my body. I kept that weight off for a few months, but over the last 2 or 3 months i've basically put the weight back on. I started doing the same diet last week, and have lost about 2 pounds, but my will power is not what it used to be. I've been giving in to my cravings a lot more.

Now, I realize I can't diet and expect to lose weight/muscle in any specific spot in my body. I need some kind of diet and fitness suggestion that can help me kill some pounds and inches in my lower half.

I have never excercised or worked out in my entire life. I live in Manhattan so I walk a good deal. I basically just need to know where to get started. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

If I read you right, you just said "I know I can't spot reduce, but can you give me suggestions to spot reduce".

Don't look at your body in parts, look at it as a whole.

The diet you listed is not enough calories for you.

*google "Harris Benedict equation" - (it's a commonly used equation for getting an estimate of your BMR) - remember to work the whole equation, including multiplying by the activity level.

From there, I wouldn't really create much (if any) of a deficit, or surplus - try eating in the range of the BMR, since you don't really fall into the category of bulking or cutting.

To get a basic starting point of what to eat...
*eat w/in an hour of waking - and every 3-4 hours after that
*get a protein/carb combo each time you eat
*eat lean proteins/whole grains/fruits/veggies/lowfatdairy (check out LV's grocery list in the nutrition section)
*drink WATER (they say it's good for you)
*minimize the fast food, sweets, and junk

Look around on here for ideas on a good workout program and start exercising.

Focus on healthy eating habits and getting exercise into your life. Chances are good that you will start to see some positive changes in your body composition. Remember though, that where your body stores fat is not up to you.

What I meant to ask for was suggestions of exercises in which I can target a specific area of my body, combined with a diet which should benefit my entire body. Thanks.

Exercises that target fat loss in a certain area don't exist.

Some people decide to do unbalanced programs that target muscle growth in only certain areas, but that has nothing to do with losing inches in any one area.

As other posters said, you need to nail down what your " maintenance calories " are first.

Here's how......this article by Tom Venuto does a great job of discussing ' Calorie Calculators & Calorie Calculations ' ( including explaining & calculating your BMR, " maintenance calories ", etc. etc. ) and how you can use it to help you lose fat.......

Calorie Calculations and Calorie Calculators: How Many Calories a Day Should You Eat?



John Berardi sums up an overall sound to approach to nutrition you also should follow if you want to lose weight intelligently...

John Berardi - 7 Habits



Further info ' links ' on a wide variety of topics for beginners - i.e fat loss, basic nutrition, basic weight training, etc. etc. - can be found on this thread....

http://training.fitness.com/new-memb...nks-18741.html