This is kind of long.. pls bear with me.

Hi! I just want to know if I’m doing things right. You see, I’m new to this working out thing. I want to lose fat and reduce my waist size since most of my old clothes don’t fit me already. I’ve been doing cardio for a month already but until now, I’m still not sure if I’m on the right path.

A month and a half ago, I started seeing a dietician to help me change my eating habits and lose weight. She told me to eat at least 5 small meals every 2-3 hours everyday. I reduced my caloric intake since my first session with her but I only ate 3 times a day. It was only yesterday when I started eating 5 small meals a day. During our second session which was a month after the first, she told me to maintain my caloric intake and just do cardio to burn the fat I want to lose. So from August 22, 2007 to September 16, 2007, I did 60-80 mins of low-intensity cardio (are walking and step-ups/step aerobics low intensity?) everyday. I lost 0.5 inch the first 2 weeks. The next 2 weeks, I did not see any improvements so I figured, I must have been doing something wrong. I decided to do lots of research. I‘ve read (and still am reading) articles from the internet on bodybuilding and fat loss to help me out but it only left me even more confused. Some bodybuilders say that HIIT for about 15-20 mins is the best type of cardio but some also say that 45-60 mins of low to moderate intensity is best. I’ve also read articles stating that you only need to do 20-30 mins of moderate-intensity cardio a day and that exceeding 45 mins is bad for the muscles. They also say different things regarding strength training (number of reps, sets). Anyway, I changed my schedule based on what I’ve read:

**BTW, I don’t go to the gym. I do everything at home. I use anything heavy enough as weights.

Monday and Friday– low to moderate intensity cardio (jogging) for at least 30 mins, strength training for abs, chest, arms, shoulders

Abs: 30reps, 2 sets crunches, bicycle and lying leg lifts
Chest: 8reps, 3 sets chest fly
Shoulders: 8 reps, 3 sets lateral raise
Arms: 8 reps, 3 sets bicep curls, kickbacks

Tuesday and Thursday– moderate to high interval training (about 3.5mins of jogging then 1-1.5mins of running/sprint. I repeat the sets for as long as I can. It took me around 30 mins yesterday), strength training for the back, butt and legs

Back: 8reps, 3 sets pelvic thrust, superman
Legs and Butt: 8 reps, 3 sets squats (no weights), 8 reps, 3 sets single leg thrust

Wednesday – low intensity cardio (step-ups) for at least 40 mins, strength training for the abs

Saturday - moderate to high interval training

Sunday – low to moderate intensity cardio (walking, jogging, step-ups)

I don’t want to become huge and muscular. I just want a nice, toned body. Jessica Alba-ish.

My questions:
1. Am I doing things right?
2. Should I change my cardio exercises? Do I have to lessen the number of days that I do cardio? Minus the exercises that I do, I have a pretty sedentary lifestyle. Should I really push myself into doing 40-45 mins of cardio all the time? It can get kind of boring
3. For a beginner, is my strength training schedule and exercises okay?
4. How long does it usually take before you see results?

Another thing, since I changed my cardio schedule, I have been having a hard time breathing even hours after the workout. I’ve also been feeling kind of weak. Does that have anything to do with the exercises that I’ve been doing?

Age: 21
Height: 5’2”
Weight: 105 lbs
Waist (narrowest part): 26”
Waist (navel area): 28”
I don’t know my body fat %. I’ve tried the different body fat % calculators available in the internet but I get different results. I only used the ones which only need tape measurements. I really don’t know which one to follow.

Thanks!