Active Fat Girl Looking for a Change

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PEC

New member
Here we go...

I joined this forum about 3 years ago but never became very active. At the time I signed up I was around 225 lbs. As of today I am 5'8" and 242 lbs. I'm definitely going in the wrong direction.

Parts of me "blame" my boyfriend, since we met I have gained almost 20lbs. My boyfriend is thin and so we tend to eat out more, with more fast food and more late night deserts. With that said, I can't blame it on him. I need to make an effort for my health. Even when we go out I personally need to make the right choices for my body. Sometimes it just seems so unfair that he is thin, lives more of a sedentary lifestyle than me. And most days I take lunch to work and he'll eat out--it's so not FAIR!! but I digress...this is about me and my choices.


I'm active, I run/job/walk multi 5k/10k/half marathon runs throughout the year, but my goal is to start actually training for those runs instead of using them as my exercise.


I used to not drink that much soda, but with the extra fast food, I tend to drink a soda with that food. I think my aha moment that I'm not eating well at home was the fact that I lost weight last month when I went on a cruise. Doesn't that show that I'm obviously eating (and drinking) the wrong foods at home? So soda is my first change and exchange with water. I don't drink too much alcohol, but my goal is to always drink a glass of water with each glass of alcohol.


I think the other reason i want to lose weight is because in the next five years I hope to get married and start a family. I want to feel confident and beautiful when I marry the man of my dreams. And I want to be health for my future children, during and after pregnancy.


Okay, so general goals to start:


1. Start training for runs, this will include at least 5 - 1 mile walk/job/run a week.

2. exchange soda for water

3. drink a glass of water with every alcoholic drink.
 
Alright...so today is good in some ways. I had a long hike scheduled and it went pretty well. I ate poorly yesterday (meaning didn't eat anything but a Medium McDouble meal from McDonalds while taking my boyfriend to the airport).

I tried to eat breakfast (I'm a huge breakfast fan and find it important) but for some reason my cereal didn't taste good. So after about 3 miles up a pretty steady climb hill I was out of energy. it's my own fault. I should have eaten better on Friday and had more protein at breakfast. The hike down was nice, but I didn't get my back well enough with sunscreen so I'm pretty crisp on this 90+ degree day. But my puppy and I had plenty of water so that's always important. The most frustrating part was getting a little lost on the way down making it more of a 8 mile hike instead of 6 miles. My puppy is dead to the world, so that is fabulous!


The bad news, is my boyfriend hates Papa Johns pizza, so of course after the hike I grabbed a pizza for dinner.


But I know I have to start small so I can change bad behavior and starting with big hikes on the weekend and lots of water it pretty good.
 
ASounds like you have some great goals to start with!

Oh, and 90 degree weather AND an 8 mile hike?! Holy smokes! Good job! :)
 
Thanks Jen. My body is hurting today after that hike (and sunburn).


I got up and had a nice relaxing morning, but then I realized that I wanted to clean out my closet. I took out most of my clothes that don't fit that well (which is way too many right now). I realized that one of my problems at home is that our home is dirty/messier than I used to keep my home. Living with a boyfriend is very different than a roommate or alone. My tolerance for a messy home is a lot less than my boyfriend's, so I tend to do more of the cleaning. But this works out pretty well since he works more days a week than I do most of the year.


Anyways, I have cleaned out a lot of my clothes and now just need to put them in the crawl space. I decdided not to get rid of them yet, I'm hoping that I'll be 220lbs be the end of august and many of the clothes I have put away will fit much better at that weight.


Right now I'm also typing on the computer because i don't want to eat. So writing out my plans help. For the rest of the day I have a pretty big list:


1. Put the clothes I cleaned out in basement/crawlspace.

2. Fold and put away! all clean clothes.

3. Take dog on walk to get the mail from PO Box. (round trip is a little over 1.5 miles)

4. Run dishwasher and empty clean dishes.

5. Wash bathroom mat

6. Clear off and clean bathroom counter.


Sorry for the mundane post, but I love lists and used to use them a lot more often, so i need to get back in the habit.


For me this is/was a good weekend and I'll be intredged to see what my weight is tomorrow morning. ( I like Monday weigh-ins - they tend to make my weekends more active.)
 
Hi PEC,


congrats on getting back on the horse. i hope you will find the support here as helpful as i have. just knowing there are people rooting for me has helped a bunch over the past few months. we have pretty similar goals and i have no doubt you will reach your goal with some hard work and patience. soda was a hard one for me as well. just recently i not only stopping craving it, i noticed i dont like the taste nearly as much. i have still chosen to drink it every now and then but would be surprised if i keep making that choice for too long as it doesnt taste good anymore. mind you this took 7 months and 35lbs to happen and it may be temporary.


go for the breakfast! i cant get through a day without oatmeal for breakfast and never ate oatmeal before i started my journey. it may taste funny for a bit, but if it is healthy and helps make your weight loss happen you will quickly learn to like it!


best of luck and i look forward to watching your progress :)
 
Hello there,


Sounds like you are starting down the right path, just some things that helped me and may help you:


I know how you feel about the boyfriend eating unhealthy foods, I have many friends that eat fast food every day and still look tiny, a little advice from me would be to change this habit, there are healthier fast food options such as salads or my favourite sushi! But also you should try and change his diet too, not just to support you but also to help himself, while he may not gain the weight it is still very bad for his body.


Water! Good decision, drink lots of water, I managed to lose around 40 pounds in 3 months and i feel water played a huge role. I was drinking around 2.5- 3L of water a day, a lot better than soda and it makes your body feel full, often thirst and hunger can get mixed up. Also I liked cold water, don't know if it actually does, but I liked to tell myself that my body had to use energy to warm the water to body temperature thus helping weight loss by doing nothing :)


Water can get boring though, so as a treat I drink fruit juice, delicious and sweet, but with vitamins and other goodies in it too.


Keep an item of clothing out that you want to fit into and try it on every once and a while, it seemed to help me, like a short term goal. It is very hard to notice any change to your body, because you see it every day, the only real way I found to prove that I was on track was clothing. Also then when you throw away the baggy clothes keep one item that you can try to let you know where you have come from.


Keep it up, you can do it!
 
Thanks for the replies sponge & alice!


I have been out of town for almost 3 weeks and finally am back at the computer. Most of the time was vacation and I'm happy to report only no real difference in weight. Officially when I left I was 241 and this morning I was 242. But honestly with only one weigh in day I'm not sure how accurate that actually is.


I appreciate the tips and support so much. I hope to be better at supporting you all too.


Vacation was hard, but I think over 3 weeks I only had maybe 3 sodas!! Mostly drank water and then some adult beverages as well. The thing that is also working for me is vodka with tonic and lime and lots of ice instead of vodka and 7-up. I try not to drink too much at home, but on vacation it happens. This vacation was nice because we were so active: swimming, waterskiing, kayaking, 5k fun run....all great things to make up for too much midwestern homestyle food.


As I've stated before, what I'm focusing on right now is to stop eating out so much and it's going well so far. My boyfriend is somewhat open (i'm helping encouraging him) to us sitting down on Sunday afternoon and planning meals for the week. The nice thing is i'm very vocal with him that the meal plan for the week is not set in stone but it helps me with grocery shopping and planning. It's great too because then I can control what is coming into our home and cooking with "better" foods. I'm feeling very positive about the upcoming months. I'm starting my graduate program in 12 days and cutting my work hours, so the planning should help with my budgeting for my decrease in income.


blah...sorry i just started rambling, but i'm happy with things and how they are going.


Short term, I have a wedding this weekend and so my goal is to be at 241 when I return Monday. Traveling food and alcohol are going to temp me. But I believe i have to drive to the wedding venue, so I won't be drinking too much since i'll have to drive back to the hotel too.


Thanks all for support and I'll be back more soon!!
 
I'm home...

This weekend was not good with food. But I faced the scale this morning for my Monday weigh-in: 243

I'm ok with that. This weekend included 2 travel days and a wedding, so my food and activity levels were not normal. I'm guessing that dancing my ass off in heels help a lot, but my calves sure are yelling at me. Also, I always try to walk around the airports when I have extra time. I figure, since I'll be sitting for 3 hours on a plane I should be walking lots before and after. I did ok with walking, until my 3 hour layover last night after the wedding and almost no sleep hit me and the last 2 hours I watched some netflix.


I guess I have to say that I'm happy that I haven't really gained weight, but I really need to make the scale start moving down. I'm shooting for the 239 by next Monday. I think it's kinda a big goal for someone that hasn't been losing weight, but it's my TOM right now and I usually lose a little after that.


Goals for the week:

5 Walks > than 1 mile with dog.

No alcohol

Friday hit the gym in the morning before cleaning house.

1 weekend hike or long bike ride (hopefully with boyfriend)
 
Hey PEC,

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on not gaining weight on a vacation...that's awesome!! Be careful by setting too ambitious goal...4 pounds is alot in 1 week...maybe the TOM weight will help, you know your body. Normally, the idea is no more than 1% of your body weight to lose per week... so for you it's max 2.3 pounds...and trust me, after awhile, even that amount can be tough unless you're almost starving yourself! Remember it's a journey, not a race! Hang in there...you're doing great!


Sarah
 
Thanks Sarah!

I know that 4lbs is A LOT for a week, but yeah I kinda knew that that 243 was high so I am not too worried. Hopefully I won't be too disappointed on Monday morning.


So far this week is going ok, I have 4 walks, but this mornings was not more than a mile. Friday morning I had a great workout, just did the treadmill, but it's been over a month since I've been to the gym and so sweating and running felt wonderful. However my legs are feeling it today.


I had one glass of wine with dinner last night because it was a mini anniversary (2.5 years) celebration, so I feel that one glass of red wine is fine. I've been great about drinking water this week which I feel is essential to my weight loss journey and life change.


Hopefully I'll get out for a bike ride tomorrow, but I very much doubt my boyfriend will join me. He has such bad allergies that the smoke is really making his life horrible right now, I try to be supportive but I don't get it. You can't stay inside all the time and yes you feel like you have a head cold, but you keep on living and not just sleeping on the couch all the time.
 
Congradulations on starting your journey (as I call it lol) It's hard, very hard but it will be worth it. I totally get where you are comming from on blaming your boyfriend, mine eats the most fattening things,.. everything has to be dripping with butter, or cheese, and he uses more cooking oil than I would know what to do with, and doesnt gain a pound!

I had a problem with fast food too,.. Like I was tellin my fiance Andy last night, I got a 6 inch Subway sandwich last night and it didn't fill me up as much as I would like and I said "this is why people are fat, it's cheaper to be fat!) I coul've got 3 burgers and a frie from mcdonalds for that price. It's rediculous, Small changes count too, Instead of sour cream I use Light or fat free sour cream, baked chips instead of regular,.. anything "low fat or light" you can get ,.. GET IT! It makes all the difference in the world!


You're in the right direction and you're on track with the soda thing, I've always drank diet coke even when I pig out, I just like it but I've heard and whitnessed, people who don't even change their diet at all and switch to water or diet sodas lose weight real fast because you're losing all those callories your body was use to.


Anyway Keep it up I'll be checking in on you to see how you are doing, we started about the same time so I'm eager to see how we do!

Good luck and keep it up
 
Thanks for stopping by Jessica!


So my weigh in this morning: 240.2!


It's not the 4 pounds but I'm very happy with the loss. It's in the right direction!


I got a short six mile bike ride in yesterday and a 1.5 mile walk with my dog. It feels so nice to be active again. I was sitting on the couch, doing nothing really and finally I was like "get moving" so I threw on some workout shorts, pumped up the bike wheels and went for a ride. It felt really good too because there was some tension building up in my body from relationship issues (which have since been resolved-thank havens) that I really needed to release.


My goals for this week are:

Lose 1 lb (3 lbs last week mean I'll probably only lose 1 lb)

drink lots of water.

3 times at gym - treadmill level 3 or greater doing intervals of 1 minute 5 mph, 1 min 3.5, 1 min 5.2, 1 min 3.5, 1 min 5.4....up to 6 and then back down to 5. on Random.

5 walks with dog

1 weekend hike


This week has got to be good since next week I travel over the weekend again for another wedding.
 
Yay...feeling great today. I felt like I had a really hard day yesterday with a gym workout (interval treadmill work), bike ride to grocery store (96 degrees outside), and walk 20 minute walk with dog and boyfriend. My body hurt last night, but today it feels great, which is odd since I am normally right on with getting sore 24 hours after specific exercise.


Food is going well in that I haven't had fast food since my last plane trip and I am making almost every meal at home. (Very little processed food) I'm not the best with using lots of vegetables, but slowly adding more into our diet. Slow changes are best for me, so first I'm working on meal planning and cooking at home and secondly will be adding better ingredients into food and better meal choices.


Tonight I'm meeting a couple of girl friends to go for walk. Might end up being a really short walk because we have a new forest fire nearby and the smoke is pretty thick in the valley. But I was hoping for a walk instead of couple of drinks during happy hour...


I hope everyone's week is going well!!
 
Ugh...yesterday was not that great for eating...just ate too much and then dinner was out at a restaurant/bar to watch a football game with pizza and since I was driving I decided I deserved a soda (plus I was super tired and needed a pick-me-up) so I had Mountain Dew. Now...in general terms I have to be somewhat proud of myself. I was at the bar for 3 hours and "only" had 3 mountain dews (ya know, free refills). I drank water between each glass of soda. I'm still trying to decide if I did ok. I know I should have just had water. But I was proud of myself for not drinking any alcohol because I knew I was driving. I really try not to drink and drive, just doesn't seem worth it to me. Sometimes I'll have a glass of wine or maybe 1 beer with a meal but otherwise it's not worth it.


So many of the people on this forum are SO impressive with their commitment and their will power. But for me, my path is a little slower. I have watched too many family members lose lots of weight and then gain it all back and then some. Two years ago my cousin and I were about the same weight, then she changed things up and really started working out and lost about 30 maybe 35 lbs. I think she went from around 230 to about 195. I was impressed and also a little jealous. But now a year after she had that great change...she gained 100 lbs and is really close to 300 lbs. I DO NOT WANT THAT!!


So I keep trying to tell myself that you all are amazing on here and whatever works for you is great. But I have to change my life long term, so mini steps are my path. So far I have stopped gaining weight. I am now going to the gym again, and I am in general trying to be more active. I try to park a little further away when I park somewhere. I try to take the stairs instead of elevators. I drink water, I walk my dog more. These are all great things that I want and need to continue for the rest of my life. I hope during this I will lose weight. But I need to make sure I can be consistent with this lifestyle before adding more pressures like more time at the gym, better track of food, better food choices. In my ideal world, these last things would come naturally, but if they don't that's ok. I'll make those chances once I feel confident in my first steps. I am not going to gain this weight back. I am not a yo-yo dieter, this is my life and this is how I will live it.


In other news...I had a nice workout at the gym this morning, so I made my goal of 3 times at the gym. I have 3 walks with the dog and one walk with my girl friends. Hike for the weekend is cancelled. Our air is officially at "unhealthy levels" right now from forest fire smoke. So I'm not during more strenuous activity than walking outdoors right now. If it clears up over the weekend maybe I can get a nice bike ride in or I'll just "have" to hit the gym a 4th time this week.


I have on my signature a goal weight of 170. Each week I have been giving myself mini goals. But let me state a bigger goal in my mind...I want to be under 200 lbs, by the end of march next year. That's before i turn 30. That's about 28 weeks from now...so about 1.5 lbs per week loss is what I need.
 
You're doing a great job, don't be upset over the 3 mountain dews, its not as good as just water but it's better than 6 mountain dews.. Good job with the walking and going to the gym. 1.5 pound weight loss a week is very attainable and I know you will get there in no time, probably sooner than you think, just keep it up and keep thinking about the big picture and the results!

Great job!
 
Great job on your progress! It is great to set goals both short and long term. God knows I've set so many goals since I started! Some weeks will be better than others and you will learn to love healthy food if you give it a shot! Soda now is pretty unappealing to me. I NEVER would have thought this was possible. It is soooo important to slowly cut out things like sugar.


Way to reach your exercise goals! Keep up the amazing work and you will see the results :)
 
Thanks Jessica and Alice!! I appreciate the support so much!!


This has to be quick, because I have a busy week this week.


Weight yesterday 242...two lbs up. I can't really say i'm surprised. I had a horrible weekend and almost no exercise. I'm sticking with this and I'm going to lose this weight. I still believe my small changes are the way to go. I have to change my life slowly and that's what I'm working on still.


Water! Water! Water!

Walks with boyfriend and dog.

Go to gym on weekdays I don't work. (just went part-time at work to start on my Masters!!)


My diary must be so boring, because I keep repeating the same thing. But It's helpful to me and that's what is important right now.
 
Today is a good day. I had a great workout at the gym. Just my normal treadmill intervals, but I did the fast speeds for 1.5 mins and then only a 1 min rest. I did that for about 20 minutes and then an 8 minute cool down. It's not a lot, but it's closer to being able to run for longer stretches. I got 2 miles in, but this will only be my only treadmill work this week. tomorrow is a long workday and then travel and away Friday-Sunday.


I've got a lot of school work to do right now, but I can't focus. I had a horrible sleep last night. I'm sitting at my desk with all my books laid out. I'm tempted to eat crap food or really any food even though I'm not hungry. So I'm here, writing in my "diary" trying to get focused and move onto to school.


I've been thinking about my last week and two pound gain. I think I didn't eat enough good food, I think i need to eat more. When I do track my calories (which is not often enough yet) I tend not to hit my goal and when I do it's from crap food such as fruit snacks, cookies or bread. So when I think about eating a cookie then I eat an apple, or when I want a fruit snack I'll eat a pear or some carrots.
 
Ugh...I don't really want to write this out today, but I NEED to-to keep myself accountable.


I weighed in yesterday after a weekend of practically all travel and food and wedding celebration. Yesterday I was 246!! I was so upset, it really ruined my already going to be tired day. I am not going in the right direction. I'm basically in the same spot i started what? two months ago.


To be fair, i have mostly been traveling and not home, but that's my life and i need to not gain weight just because i'm busy. I need to order a salad when burgers and fries look like the best option.


Thankfully, today i stepped on the scale and it was 244 so 2 lbs came off really easily, from probably just eating 'normally' yesterday and drinking water. But still I'm at 244...I refuse to update my signature right now. I'm am going forward not back.


On the good news, I did make myself get up and go to the gym this morning when I really just wanted to sleep in. I had a nice interval run, i'm so tired from the weekend (and my legs are still sore from all the dancing at the wedding in short heels) I did 1.5 miles in intervals withe 1:30 minute runs 5.2, 5.4, 5.6, 5.8 & 6 with 1 minute rests at 3.5. i didn't make it all the way back down to 5.2, but got the 1.5 miles in and then when you include my warmup and cool down I had 2 miles. Also I run with a slight incline so it's a little more like running outside.


Right now I'm thinking about changing my breakfast routine. I'm very much into schedules so every weekday morning I have cheerios with banana for breakfast. I know it's not the best breakfast, but it fits into my schedule so well. I used to have oatmeal with blueberries...maybe I should switch back to that. I have our mornings down to an art so unless i want to get up earlier I really don't want anything that takes longer than my bowl of cereal. I know people do it, but even adding 10 minutes earlier to my 6:26 wake up alarm seems so early.


Goals for the week:


3 treadmill interval workouts (1 already done)

5 walks with bf & dog (1 already done)

1 salad dinner night (at home!)

1 salad lunch

water, water, water...
 
Just a quick update:


scale this morning said 242 so that's down another 2lbs from yesterday!!


I'm feeling a lot better since officially Monday I weighed 246.2 and this morning 241.8. I don't usually do the tenths of a lbs since my body fluctuates so much, but that's 4.4 pounds less in two days!!!
 
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