Why are there so many things that are confusing??

Question

Well, I've been trying to get fit for a long time, and I could see SOME changes in my body, but not that many. I read fitness articles to see what else I can do to help myself. Some articles say I should do ab workouts everyday because they are endurance muscles and need to be worked harder than other muscles, while other articles say they are like any other muscle dont work them out so hard.
Another article says that if you workout for too long your body goes into "survival mode." Does that mean I have to limit my workouts now? For how long?
How do I keep my metabolism up while eating less? I mean, eat 5 small portioned meals a day right? Lets take a slice of bread that is about 120 calories, having two per meal totaling to 1200 for the day, and that's not including other ingredients that go with bread.
Nuts are good for you, but they have fat. Isn't fat the thing most people want to get rid of, so how are they good, besides the protein?
The more I know, the more confused I get

Also, why is it better to workout in the morning than at night? As long as you are burning your calories it should be fine, right?
And what about skipping breakfast, what constitutes a breakfast, a banana? Bowl of cereal? slice of cake? and if you skip breakfast then you aren't getting all those calories that you would be getting right? Isn't that better (to a certain extent)?

I know you should have something in your stomach when working out so you could burn off those calories instead of burning your muscles away, but when you wake up in the morning you don't have anything in your stomach. Does that mean working out first thing in the morning is bad?

Answer 1

Exercising in the morning rev's your metabolism and keeps it up all day long where as if you exercise in the evening your body is on a downward circadian cycle and then you go to bed and it goes into a rest phase so you don't burn as many calories.

You should only work on a particular muscle group every other day so that it has time to rest and the lactic acid that builds up inside the muscle can wash out. This prevents the 'survival mode' you mentioned. You don't have to limit you workouts, just do them smarter. Also remember to include cardio to maximize your aerobic metabolism. This keep burning calories for up several hours after your workout is over.
Be careful how much you cut your intake or your body will also slow it metabolism and retain as much as possible to survive. Nuts, lean protein, vegetables and most fruits are good for you. What you should limit is the bread, pasta and potato's. Eating 3-5 meals is great. Don't for great to drink plenty of plain water.
I know that it's slow going but if you keep working at it you will succeed. Best of luck.

Answer 2

For muscles to grow they also have to "rest" that's why they recommend alternating workout days. I used to lift weights one day, then power walk the next day(it is mainly cardio workout) later I would work my upper body one day & lower body the next.
Nuts you can get as dry roasted. Helps to keep the fats down in them. Moderation is all you need. Limit the bread intake, get your carbs from fruits & vegetables.
Sounds like you need a good healthy diet guide for working out. Check out Prevention Magazine. I found it very helpful.
All you can do is take in all the info you can get then take what you have learned & round that into your personal phylosophy. Sometimes what you read may be from a sales point of view if they are trying to get you to buy something.

Answer 3

Okay you are quite confused i see, abs can be trained 2/3 times a week you don't have to work them out everyday, other muscles you mustn't workout the same muscle group within 48hours...nuts have fats but they are good fats because they are natural and so is fish, i know that meat also has fats now those are the bad fats so actualy the fat from veges, nuts and fish is good for you and can be burned easily unlike fat from processed food or meat...good luck