SKReyes1990
New member
Helloooo!
I started a journal about a month or two ago I believe, but its been so long that there would be no point in continuing it. So I'm starting fresh! A small introduction is in order I suppose: I'm Sophia, age 20 (almost 21!), and a college student looking to lose more than just the "freshman 15" I gained awhile ago.
Current Stats
Height: 5'2 (unfortunately that will never change)
Weight: 148lbs
BMI: 27.1 (not completely accurate, I got it off a standard BMI calculator, but we'll go with it)
Goal Stats
Height: 5'8 (NEVER happening..but everyone is allowed wishful thinking!)
Weight: 130
BMI: 23.8 (yet again off the BMI calc)
I unfortunately do not have a gym membership, which sucks because I used to go a lot while I still had one. While I wasn't super fit, the fact that I drove and used my precious gas to get there made sure I at least utilized the hour to two hours I spent there a few days a week. However, I've found new motivation to keep me pumped up and ready to get exercising. I'm attempting to enlist in the Navy, but I'm waiting for a waiver for a knee injury I had awhile back and won't hear any news on if I've been granted it for about a month. They're being extremely strict with enlistees since our military is already so backed-up, but in the off-chance that I am allowed the waiver, I'd like to present myself as a top candidate when I go out for the physical--I've got the ASVAB scores to prove it (92 whoo)! Now I just need the body.
Since I don't have access to a gym, and basic military training mostly involves bodyweight exercises anyway, I've looked around online for things that include that and stumbled upon the "one-hundred pushups" website, which has a 6-week routine to building enough strength to do 100 pushups (hence the name). They also have links to other "challenges" such as the 200-squats, 200-situps, 150-dips and 25-pullups (coming soon! I'm eagerly awaiting it since I have a pullup bar and can't use it!). Each is a 6-week routine, performing each exercise in sets of increasing repetition, 3 times a week.
In addition to that, I'm adding running/walking into the mix. I walk an hour 3-4 times a week on the treadmill which is better than doing nothing, but it doesn't help much. I'm starting the "6-weeks" next Monday, and have been using this week to allow myself some time to adjust to waking up around 6am so I can run outside while its still cool (if its too hot, I lose any and all motivation lol). Last year, my dad and I were preparing for a Thanksgiving 5k charity run, and I found myself losing quite a bit of weight just from running outside once a week with for about 2 months (the other 6 days I did an hour at the gym, but after I stopped running outside and moved back to the treadmill I suddenly stopped losing so much weight). Monday, Wednesday, & Friday I plan to run in the morning, since classes don't start until 11 on those days. Tuesdays and Thursdays I'll run in the evening around 7pm since I have classes at 8am those days and waking up at 6am only ensures that I have enough time to eat, change and get stuck in the morning-commute.
As for my eating, I've definitely got to get it under control. I don't eat huge amounts, but what I eat is usually calorie-dense and unhealthy. As any college student, I'd love to blame it on the lifestyle but I know that it's my own damn fault and if I want to really lose weight and stick with it, I have to take full responsibility of my actions instead of wallowing in self-denial. I put in my weight/goal weight into a calorie calculator and it said I should eat about 1380 a day, but I'm gonna bump it up to 1450 for the first week or two, just to get accustomed to eating less and then slowly work down once my stomach isn't like "OMGaah! Whyz u no feed meh?"
Well, that's about it for now. At least, that's the end of my plans. I'd like to ask a few questions, and I hope some of you can answer it.
Questions
On the days that I workout early in the morning, is it best to eat breakfast before or after. I'm only wondering because I don't want to wait for the food in my stomach to settle before going out, and by then its either too hot out and I don't want to, or I don't have as much time as I'd had liked.
Another breakfast question: what's a great, simple, cheap breakfast? Especially after working out (if thats the case, depending on the answer to #1). I hear oatmeal is good, but then I've read in some places that its not the best for blood sugar as it spikes it too quickly (I'm not diabetic, but my family has a long history and I just want to be safe).
Water, water, WATER. I know its the best thing to drink while losing weight, as its calorie & sugar free and flushes out the toxins and whatnot that have built up in your system over time. But, as much as I've tried to completely kick out flavored beverages, every once in awhile I just gotta have something else. I still drink low-fat milk and green tea with lemon and a small squeeze of honey, but any suggestions to other healthier drink options?
Lastly, does sleep really affect weight loss? I have a bad habit of either over-sleeping or barely sleeping at all and I was wondering just how much that really impacts my weight loss. I know that during sleep, the body uses that time to heal and repair itself and sleep itself ensures that the body is well rested and energized for the following day. But really, should I worry about my sleeping patterns or should I focus more on the diet/exercising aspect of things.
All right, I'll stop my wall of text here and hopefully you managed to get through all that I've said. Any answers to the above questions would be greatly appreciated, along with any extra tidbits of advice that any of you would like to share. I look forward to next 6-7 weeks ahead and I can't wait to see where it takes me!
~Sophia
I started a journal about a month or two ago I believe, but its been so long that there would be no point in continuing it. So I'm starting fresh! A small introduction is in order I suppose: I'm Sophia, age 20 (almost 21!), and a college student looking to lose more than just the "freshman 15" I gained awhile ago.
Current Stats
Height: 5'2 (unfortunately that will never change)
Weight: 148lbs
BMI: 27.1 (not completely accurate, I got it off a standard BMI calculator, but we'll go with it)
Goal Stats
Height: 5'8 (NEVER happening..but everyone is allowed wishful thinking!)
Weight: 130
BMI: 23.8 (yet again off the BMI calc)
I unfortunately do not have a gym membership, which sucks because I used to go a lot while I still had one. While I wasn't super fit, the fact that I drove and used my precious gas to get there made sure I at least utilized the hour to two hours I spent there a few days a week. However, I've found new motivation to keep me pumped up and ready to get exercising. I'm attempting to enlist in the Navy, but I'm waiting for a waiver for a knee injury I had awhile back and won't hear any news on if I've been granted it for about a month. They're being extremely strict with enlistees since our military is already so backed-up, but in the off-chance that I am allowed the waiver, I'd like to present myself as a top candidate when I go out for the physical--I've got the ASVAB scores to prove it (92 whoo)! Now I just need the body.
Since I don't have access to a gym, and basic military training mostly involves bodyweight exercises anyway, I've looked around online for things that include that and stumbled upon the "one-hundred pushups" website, which has a 6-week routine to building enough strength to do 100 pushups (hence the name). They also have links to other "challenges" such as the 200-squats, 200-situps, 150-dips and 25-pullups (coming soon! I'm eagerly awaiting it since I have a pullup bar and can't use it!). Each is a 6-week routine, performing each exercise in sets of increasing repetition, 3 times a week.
In addition to that, I'm adding running/walking into the mix. I walk an hour 3-4 times a week on the treadmill which is better than doing nothing, but it doesn't help much. I'm starting the "6-weeks" next Monday, and have been using this week to allow myself some time to adjust to waking up around 6am so I can run outside while its still cool (if its too hot, I lose any and all motivation lol). Last year, my dad and I were preparing for a Thanksgiving 5k charity run, and I found myself losing quite a bit of weight just from running outside once a week with for about 2 months (the other 6 days I did an hour at the gym, but after I stopped running outside and moved back to the treadmill I suddenly stopped losing so much weight). Monday, Wednesday, & Friday I plan to run in the morning, since classes don't start until 11 on those days. Tuesdays and Thursdays I'll run in the evening around 7pm since I have classes at 8am those days and waking up at 6am only ensures that I have enough time to eat, change and get stuck in the morning-commute.
As for my eating, I've definitely got to get it under control. I don't eat huge amounts, but what I eat is usually calorie-dense and unhealthy. As any college student, I'd love to blame it on the lifestyle but I know that it's my own damn fault and if I want to really lose weight and stick with it, I have to take full responsibility of my actions instead of wallowing in self-denial. I put in my weight/goal weight into a calorie calculator and it said I should eat about 1380 a day, but I'm gonna bump it up to 1450 for the first week or two, just to get accustomed to eating less and then slowly work down once my stomach isn't like "OMGaah! Whyz u no feed meh?"
Well, that's about it for now. At least, that's the end of my plans. I'd like to ask a few questions, and I hope some of you can answer it.
Questions
On the days that I workout early in the morning, is it best to eat breakfast before or after. I'm only wondering because I don't want to wait for the food in my stomach to settle before going out, and by then its either too hot out and I don't want to, or I don't have as much time as I'd had liked.
Another breakfast question: what's a great, simple, cheap breakfast? Especially after working out (if thats the case, depending on the answer to #1). I hear oatmeal is good, but then I've read in some places that its not the best for blood sugar as it spikes it too quickly (I'm not diabetic, but my family has a long history and I just want to be safe).
Water, water, WATER. I know its the best thing to drink while losing weight, as its calorie & sugar free and flushes out the toxins and whatnot that have built up in your system over time. But, as much as I've tried to completely kick out flavored beverages, every once in awhile I just gotta have something else. I still drink low-fat milk and green tea with lemon and a small squeeze of honey, but any suggestions to other healthier drink options?
Lastly, does sleep really affect weight loss? I have a bad habit of either over-sleeping or barely sleeping at all and I was wondering just how much that really impacts my weight loss. I know that during sleep, the body uses that time to heal and repair itself and sleep itself ensures that the body is well rested and energized for the following day. But really, should I worry about my sleeping patterns or should I focus more on the diet/exercising aspect of things.
All right, I'll stop my wall of text here and hopefully you managed to get through all that I've said. Any answers to the above questions would be greatly appreciated, along with any extra tidbits of advice that any of you would like to share. I look forward to next 6-7 weeks ahead and I can't wait to see where it takes me!
~Sophia
