Ok, finally over being sick after weeks of coughing. Ready to try and do something, anything. One thing is not only am I out of shape in general, after my illness my Lungs are shot..I get winded quite easily right now.
Can you elaborate on "you get winded quite easily"? Do you mean you get out breath really quickly when you do something active? If yes, then that may not necessarily be your lung capacity, it could just be a sign that you are just a bit unfit (not trying to be bad or put you down in any way).
If you walk up a flight of stairs and are out of breath, that will mean you are just unfit, but once you start training that will get bette/easier.
If you walk up a flight of stairs and your lungs actually hurt, then it may be an issue of lung capacity and you should consult a doctor to explore your options (last thing you want to do is start doing too much too soon and compromising an medical condition).
I need to get in shape...so I can get in shape.
As I mentioned before, have a check up with your doctor first and explain to them that you are looking to get back into shape. Also, it's not possible to get in shape to get into shape. There is just getting into shape. Step one is deciding to do it. Step two is starting to do something.
When I was a personal trainer I used to see people coming into the gym who hadn't done any trainer or keep fit for years and the biggest mistake I consistently saw was them trying to do too much too soon.
Please remember: IT IS NOT A RACE and there are no shortcuts. You need to start slow and steady to begin with. Those same people I mentioned before were so desperate to lose weight and get fit they were unprepared for how much it will initially hurt when you're away from the gym.
Whichever exercises you end up doing, because your body is not used to it, you are essentially forcing your body to do something it hasn't experienced before or for a long time. During recovery (ie when you are not at the gym) you will experience pain. It is just a natural by-product of exercising. Now, there is a scale as to how much pain you will be in and also what your threshold for pain tolerance is. But, you need to be aware that this will happen (I won't bore you with all the biological reasons behind why it happens).
Mon, Wed, Fri- 30 min (even pace) on elliptical. With push ups on Wednesdays to keep strength up.
I would say 30 mins is a good target to begin with. Elliptical machines are great as they are a compound exercise (which means you use several body parts are the same time, which means you work harder and burn more calories).
May I suggest you have an aim though. So week 1, you do 30mins per session, week 2 you 31 mins etc This way you are working you body a little harder each week, but not in a crazy way, with an aim to build up to 45mins per session. Also, try and make sure that you use the same even pace in each session, so that you have consistent intensity in each session.
If the elliptical machine has digital read-outs, make sure you write down the distance covered from each session. This will help chart your progress and can be a little boost of confidence when you inadvertently find after 4 weeks that you have made significant gains.
In terms of strength, push-ups are good, but you never mentioned how many reps or sets. I suggest 3-5 sets of 10 reps. Sounds easy, but you may be surprised at how it may feel when you do them straight after getting off the elliptical machine. Don't forget to write down how many reps and sets you do in each session too.
Food is still my biggest hurdle. Cutting back on calories is one thing, its figuring out how much carbs, proteins etc I need.
Rather than focussing on calories, focus on how many meals you eat a day and what kind of food you are consuming. It's the content of the food that matters not the amount of calories. For instance, you may see a product that says it is "low calorie" but if you check the label for the contents it is high in sugars/fats/carbs. Which can be bad depending on what else you are eating.
Again, this may be something you can discuss with your doctor, but the general rule of thumb is smaller portions of food consumed over shorter period of time, no snacking on crisps/biscuits/chocolate etc. In terms of food content, the basics are
45% should be Carbs
25% should be Protein
30% should be Fat (healthy kind)
Now, this is just a guideline, not a se-in-stone hard and fast rule. Everyone's metabolism is different and reacts differently to exorcise, so it may require some tweaking.
While it's a good idea to know how much protein, carbs and fat to include in your diet, what really matters when you're trying to lose weight is the "quality" of the foods you eat. By this I mean eating food that is minimally processed and rich in essential nutrients (fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains) instead of processed foods, such as white bread, sweets, fast food and processed meats such as bacon.
For example, refined grains and whole grains are both sources of carbs, but whole grains (such as oatmeal and wholewheat bread) are a natural source of nutrients that promote health such as fibre, vitamins and minerals.
As I mentioned before too, the size of the portions you eat is essential to figure out too. Eating the right portion of food, even the healthy ones, is also necessary for keeping calories under control for weight loss.
You can google food charts that break food groups down into carb/protein/fats content but only a food and nutrient specialist/dietician will be able to help you determine how big or small your overall daily intake should be and from there you can break it down into portions per day.
I know people worry about the expense of food; it appears that buying fresh fruit and veg can be more expensive than buying processed food. In the short term that may be true (and obviously my experience is based on UK prices rather than American ones) however, if I went out and spent £20 on some frozen food and processed meals, that would last me maybe two weeks (just talking about dinner here, not breakfast and lunch). But, at my local farmers market and the local supermarket combined, I can buy ingredients that will make meals that I can have for dinner, have the leftovers for lunch the next day and will last me maybe three weeks.
So my money is going further. Yes, it's a little more effort to cook things and get containers for the leftovers, but for me, I enjoy cooking plus, if I want to look a certain way, this is just what I have to do. Some may view it as a sacrifice, and maybe it is, but I view it as a worthwhile sacrifice; I am much healthier than a vast majority of friends may age, I have more energy during, I sleep better at night, my skin is smooth and clear and I looks abut 10 years younger than I actually am.
One of many mantras I used to use with my clients when I was a PT is, you only get out of it what you put into it. That is true for both the exercising and the food you eat. Your body is a machine, powered by an engine and you need to make sure you are fuelling that engine with best possible fuel.
I know I've waffled on a bit, but I hope that helps.