Cara, welcome to the site, my girlfriend had never been a gym goer untill 3.5yrs ago and she only came to keep me company.
We had a fitness expo in May 05 which she wanted to look good for so in December 04 she started cleaning up her diet and increasing her protein, unlike many she did this by using protein shakes and Meal Reps because she would never have managed all the food and she hates cooking!
When we got to the fitness expo she actually looked better than the female athletes we sponsor and a contest promoter suggested she should compete, we went to see one of this persons events but only as a fact finder and were dumbstruck, Jo could have walked it!
The next event was 6 weeks later and she won it, then went on to win the British finals 12 weeks later.
Jo ate MORE than she ever has before, she trained weights 4 times a week and did cardio 5 times for an hour a day to get into British Champion shape.
Now my advice to you is weights 3 or 4 times a week and train so you get sore the following days, cardio should be 40 mins 3-4 times a week. Diet should be 6 meals daily,
7am, 50g Meal replacement.
9am 5-8 brazil nuts
12 noon chicken sandwich or better still take in a chicken salad in a tupperware dish, eat as many green veg, onion, mushroom, peppers, beansprouts, etc as you can, they are effectively negative calories.
3pm 50g Meal Rep
7pm chicken/steak/fish boiled/baked spud and fibrous veg or salad.
10pm 50g Meal rep
Follow this monday to friday, if need be have a "nice" meal on a wednesday and a saturday night, this way you have something to look forward to thats not too far away.
Have a look at the girls on our site, most of them are natural and got the way they are through diet and training alone, none look blokey and all are very attractive and feel more so now they are fairly well toned.
www.extremenutrition.co.uk