documentclass{article}
usepackage{lipsum, graphicx, tabulary}
newcounter{fignum}
newcounter{tabnum}

newcommand{sator}{Sator arepo tenet opera rotas}

newcommand{lipsumfig}[2]{%
    stepcounter{fignum}%
    See figure~ref{fig:thefignum}.par%
    begin{figure}%
    resizebox{#1}{#2}{%
        lipsum[1]%
    }
    caption{sator}%
    label{fig:thefignum}%
    end{figure}%
}

newcommand{lipsumtab}[1]{%
    stepcounter{tabnum}%
    See table~ref{table:thetabnum}.par
    begin{table}
    caption{sator}
    label{table:thetabnum}
    begin{tabulary}{#1}{LLL} hline
    sator & sator & sator\ hline
    lipsum[1] & lipsum[2] & lipsum[3]\
    end{tabulary}
    end{table}%
}

begin{document}
lipsum[1]
lipsumfig{.5textwidth}{1in}
lipsum[2]
lipsumtab{textwidth}
lipsum[3]
end{document}