A College Kid's Journey Back in Time

C

collegekid

New member
Hi all, this is my first post in this forum and my first serious attempt at weight loss. Here's a bit about myself:

I'm 19 and soon-to-be a senior in college. At the beginning of high school, I was a competitive swimmer, 5'6", and about 120 lb. Then, junior year, I quit the swim team and took up another hobby, namely, partying. By the time I graduated, I had gained about 10 lb, which doesn't sound like a lot, but really, I had lost most of my muscle tone and gained a lot of fat. Afterward, going to college didn't help and since then, I've gained about 10 lb a year. My current weight is 163 lb.

This is the heaviest I've ever been and also the most out-of-shape I've ever been. In addition, I'm tired all the time and I've started avoiding mirrors and taking pictures. I really hate how I look and feel and I am definitely ready to make a change.

I have given up alcohol and next, I want to tackle my juice and junk food addictions. I plan on switching to water and healthier food, and also start exercising. I've always wanted to try the P90X program and a friend loaned me the DVDs. I realize I have to make gradual changes, so I'm going to start doing it 3 times/week. A friend suggested I start with a water/fruit detox to start off with,so I thought I'd try that for a few days.

I'd eventually like to return to my high school weight, but for now, my goal is 145 lb. I'd like to lose 15 lb in one month. I decided to join this forum because I wanted a place to post my progress and struggles during the process. I also want to feel like I'm being held accountable so I don't let myself cheat. Any comments are welcome, even if it's only to let me know you're reading my posts. I start tomorrow, wish me luck!
 
Hi, and welcome to the forum :)

What strategies, besides those you've mentioned, do you plan to use to help you lose weight? While exercise and healthy eating are certainly very important, do you have a system to help you judge the value of food? (I'm a calorie counter, and it's the only thing that's ever worked for me)

You may want to rethink your goals- sustainable weight loss is 1-2lb a week for most people (and certainly someone in your weight bracket). I'd also reconsider that "detox"- my understanding is that there's no scientific evidence to suggest such things are worthwhile for health, and if you're doing it for weight loss, that as it's not representative of the food you'll eat in the medium-long term, any weight you might lose won't stay off (rapid weight loss is also more likely to be muscle than fat).

I wish you the best of luck in your weight loss endeavours :)
 
Hey there. welcome. Glad to see you are making positive changes. I would definitely think about counting calories, for your size you could probably do around 1,500 calories per day or so. Good luck and hang in there:)
 
Wow, all of your responses have been so helpful and encouraging, thank you all so much!

@amy + turtle - Yes, I think calorie counting is a good idea. I started an account on caloriecount.com and it's a lot easier than I thought! 1500 calories a day sounds like a lot in order to sustain weight loss, but I'll give it a shot.

@amy - Your advice was very helpful. I'm going to start with calorie counting instead and I guess losing 10 lb in a month would be a more reasonable goal?

@overactive -Wow, I've heard about Insanity and how difficult it is, props for completing it! I will definitely check out the resources you have on your blog!

First day is going well, I'm at 1100 calories, but a tub of cookies n' cream icecream in my freezer is such a temptation! I also need to establish a schedule for working out, it's hard when you come back from work and you're exhausted and hungry to motivate yourself to exercise! Thanks again everyone for your help!
 
I wouldn't focus so much on the numbers. I have fairly lofty aims for myself as well (mostly due to my measuring system- I weigh myself in kilograms (a kilogram is 2.2lb- I can't think in pounds), and would like to lose a kilogram a week, so my weight loss can seem a bit all or nothing. But if you're going to focus, then 10 is more realistic, although at 2lb a week you're looking at more like 8 for the month (if you want to look at it in kilograms- my doctor says 1kg a week is the absolute maximum I should lose- then 8.8lb).

How are you going about calorie counting? A good program is essential (fitday and myfitnesspal are commonly used around here, I downloaded a program called cron-o-meter which I wouldn't be without), as are ways of measuring your food (ideally weighing- I have a set of digital food scales and it's made a massive difference to my calorie counting efforts).
 
@amy - I'm currently using caloriecount.com but I checked out myfitnesspal and I might start using that instead. I used the goal-setting tool and it suggested a daily calorie intake of 1200 for my goals.
 
p90x is quite easy so should be a good way to get some basic exercise in with your friends DVDs.

how are you going with meeting your nutrition goals ?
 
@Trusylver - I'm aiming for 1200 calories a day, and cutting out junk food and juice. I'm trying to eat mostly fruits, veggies, lean proteins and whole wheat carbs.

Today went ok, went over my goal by 200 calories, but started P90x, and wow, that is hard!
 
I'd advise caution sticking to 1200 calories. While it's possibly healthy (depending on you- you don't want your deficit to be too large, as you risk slowing your metabolism), it's incredibly difficult. You said earlier than you found 1500 is a good number for you- that's eminently more manageable (and if you didn that you'd still be under goal, which is a result). How about pitching to eat somewhere between 1200 and 1500? 1500 should still result in weight loss, and you shouldn't eat below 1200 except under medical advice. If you have a more manageable goal, then it's easier to stick with it and not become discouraged, and there's nothing "weak" about 1500 calories- for most people it represents a cut.
 
@amy - That's a good idea, I'll just aim to be around or under 1500 calories.

Today - 1000 calories today, 500 of which was banana bread which I made :( No more baking for me! Did P90x and a short jump roping session. Overall, a pretty good day (minus the banana bread)!
 
I'm completely remiss in having not mentioned this, but you should never go under 1200 calories. Every adult needs more than that to function.

And if you screw up, don't starve yourself as a consequence. That's not conducive to staying on a diet. Every day is a new day.
 
Hi College Kid.
What's your name? I'm Carrie.
Quite frankly, I wish I was you.
You are soooo young and so sure of what you want.
145lbs is a good starting initial goal weight. You can get there.
And fast.

Pleeease track your food here most days.. that way you have to be honest with yourself and us.

I wish I was 163lbs.

Good luck. You can do this.
 
@carrie - My name is Ingrid, thank you so much for the encouragement!

1200 calories today, but I was super busy and didn't have time for P90x! It's so tempting to weigh myself everyday, but I'm resisting until Monday!
 
Just a couple things:
My whole body was so sore today, muscles I didn't even know I had hurt! P90x is amazing!

I discovered Ling Ling's frozen potstickers, they are delicious and only 260 calories/5 potstickers!

I made the most outrageous discovery today. My brother and I stopped by Taco Bell on the way home (Taco Bell is one my weaknesses, unfortunately), and I ordered 2 crunchy beef tacos without cheese for a total of around 300 calories. My brother ordered FIVE Beefy 5-Layer Burritos AND THREE crunchy beef tacos with EXTRA cheese for a total of 3230 CALORIES! IN ONE MEAL! When we got home, he proceeded to eat EVERYTHING and washed it all down with an ENTIRE CARTON of orange juice! Might I add that he is 5'11", 145 lb, and has the BMI of an anorexic girl? Sigh... if only I were a teenage boy.
 
This is going to sound spiteful, but people who eat like that get their comeuppance. Just wait. I'm 25, and suddenly all the people I've known who eat crap and don't put a thing on (and a significant portion of them have lectured me for eating rubbish and not doing enough excercise!!!) are packing on pound after pound after pound and don't know why. Some have suddenly come crawling to me with "it's not fair!!!!! how are you so thin????!!!!" (up until about a year ago they were all rakes). I've done what I can to help them, but they really struggle to give up/ cut back on their greasy fatty food- whereas I've always struggled with my weight, so I learned these habits before I was in my teens. (Don't get me wrong, I like my junk, and greasy/ fatty/ sugary food is really nice once in awhile, but the amount they would/ do eat would make me sick)
 
Lolol "the bmi of an anorexic girl".
That's funny.
It's SO UNFAIR.
I'm from a household of skinny minnys. And they aren't teenagers. They're older. And i envy them when they sit down in the evening in front of a movie feasting on sweeeties and chocolate.

Le sigh.
It's good that we're taking control of our health.
Well done on resisting the urge to weigh yourself.

Oh heeeey and i saw you're coming to London to study abroad next year? Awesome choice. I'll be your tour guide.
 
@ amy - I can only hope that one day my brother will be forced to limit his daily intake like all the rest of us mere mortals. For now, I've resigned myself to the sight of him ravenously devouring entire boxes of donuts and extra large pizzas, while I attempt to count calories and control my portion sizes. He is, however, very supportive of my weight loss and has generously offered to eat anything around the house that might tempt me into cheating. :)

Thanks, Trusylver!

@ Carrie - That would be great! I've visited before and just really loved it there, so I decided to spend a semester abroad. Hopefully, the change in location won't make it too difficult to continue my weight loss!

Today - P90x Core Synergistics, such a good workout. Am currently so sore, it hurts to laugh and sit. Fingers crossed I'll be amazingly toned by the end! 1200 calories today. I actually had to force myself to eat to meet my daily caloric goal because I got a haircut (Yay!), which meant that I had to sit in front of a mirror and stare at my chubby face for an hour (Boo). Needless to say, this pretty much killed my appetite for the rest of the day.
 
It's glad you have supportive family :) I'm hoping my family are half as supportive when I go to visit them in a month or so.

If you go to your user control panel you should now be able to add that into your signature, which means it'll show up on all of your posts from here on in, like mine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top