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I know that no matter what you will gain some muscle, but since I am barely starting I was wondering what would be the best thing for me to do? I want a normal lean look, not looking to bulk up or anything of the sort. SO any help you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated!

well be glad the dearly departed CS () isn't here to berate you for lack of pictures / stats.

A caloric deficit will cause you to loose fat. So basically burn more than you eat. I would also recommend eating "clean". Eat more food that's "closer to nature." so whole grains, unprocessed foods etc. and go for the good fats - olive oil, nuts, fish.
And up the cardio.

As far as adding muscle, without some idea of where you are now, it's hard to say

NYCguy74 saidwell be glad the dearly departed CS () isn't here to berate you for lack of pictures / stats.

As far as adding muscle, without some idea of where you are now, it's hard to say

Well, Lets see, I am 5'10" weight 220lb (so I know I have to loose a lot) and have little to no exercise experience less what I had in high school and the 2 semesters of taekwon-do I took

sage_fire01 saidI know that no matter what you will gain some muscle...

Well, no that's not really true. It sounds like you just need to do traditional aerobic activity: fast walking, running, biking, swimming, etc. Don't know anything about your condition, so you have to decide the appropriate frequency and intensity to start with. Go easy at first and increase as you're able. And then, as was said, watch what you eat. Good luck--it will work!

The last thing any beginner has to worry about is gaining too much muscle. It's not like it happens so fast that one night you go to bed slim and the next morning you wake up bulky.

But to answer your question: restrict your caloric intake while doing cardio three times a week for 30 minutes at a time.

I can tell you one thing for certain, weights/resistance training is by far the best way to lose body fat. The increase in metabolism from a weight training session is still in effect 24 hours later. The metabolic increase from aerobic activity lasts a couple hours at best. Also, for each additional pound of muscle you put on, you burn an extra 50 calories a day. On a calorie restricted diet, I promise you that you will not wake up looking like a pro body builder. Also, its been shown in studies that doing cardio after a weight training session burns 9 times more body fat then cardio alone. My advice for you would be to do three full body workouts per week, using a three set 12 rep scheme. Do not skip any major muscle group, none of them will bulk up over night from this. Immediately following your weight session do thirty minutes of cardio, swimming would be one of the best options, bicycling would be another good option, and also you can jog or run. Depending on how fast you want to lose the fat, you can also do cardio workouts with basic body weight calisthenics on days you don't do weight training. In order to see best results you should get at least 5 cardio workouts per week. Make sure you rest a day in between weight training sessions. Also go to fitday.com and set up a free account where you can track your exercise, activities, and everything that goes into your mouth. You will find this very helpful.

In terms of the eating thing, fast food and fat loss are pretty incompatible. The main thing is to pre-plan your meals, if you don't do this you will find yourself eating just whatever. You can and should consider fruits and nuts as a daily part of your eating plan, the vast majority of these do not require refrigeration at all. Lean protein, moderate carbs, and moderate healthy fats are the answer. You can also look at some meal replacement bars, protein bars and the like although natural foods are always best. I would check out the abs diet, its one of the few eating plans out there that isn't a quick fix diet and can actually help you make permanent changes. You don't have to buy the ten million products available just learn the basics and apply. In fact I will give you most of what you need to know right here. Use this as the basis for planning meals and shopping.

A Almonds and other nuts
B Beans and legumes
S Spinach and other green vegetables

D Dairy (fat free or low fat versions)
I Instant Oatmeal (low sugar varieties)
E Eggs
T Turkey and other lean meats

P Peanut Butter
O Olive Oil - stay away from hydrogenated anything
W Whole Grain breads and cereals
E Extra Protein (whey protein curbs appetite as well)
R Raspberries and other berries.

I hope this helps.