ashanta's fat girl journal

ashanta

ashanta

New member
There is nothing more miserable than watching yourself get fatter. Looking in the mirror and wondering, “what happened?” Perhaps nothing is worse than how a person views their self in disgust; and how society can treat you completely different after a weight gain.

While building a business for the past 4 years, I gained 80 pounds in the process. Turning 30 made me realize that health is important and without it I won't be able to enjoy my success. So I purchased a Tanita Body Composition Scale and began working out and dieting. I have a long way to go still, but I'm beginning to feel better already.

I was skeptical most about excess skin. But after reading through this forum, at a poster’s recommendation, I bought the The Body Fat eBook by Ron Brown. It has some great ideas. For example, I now take my body composition and waist measurements every single morning. It helps me to monitor my lbm since I’m eating so little but so far I’ve lost only body fat- 30lbs to be exact- and NO lean body mass (yay!). And hopefully, my new way of looking at food and exercise will stop me from ever having to go through this again.

My regimen:

  • Workout every day: elliptical machine, weight station, dvd’s
  • Diet: 2 days of dairy (whole milk, yogurt), 2 days of fruit, veggies
  • Absolutely NO Pills or medication of any kind (would never even take a Tylenol). This is purely natural.
  • Sleep at least 8 hours a night
  • Drink loads of distilled water
  • No caffeine, only one cup of tea per day
  • Take in calories between noon and 6pm only


After just 30 lbs lost, I am sleeping better, my skin is clearing up and have much more energy. I’m not hungry. Best of all I’m beginning to realize what a miracle my body is and I love it! It’s amazing really.
 
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Wow! It looks like you are really working hard to help set your goals and achieve them!
What do you mean by this:
"Diet: 2 days of dairy (whole milk, cottage cheese or yogurt), 2 days of fruit and veggies"

And what is the point of this:
"Take in calories between noon and 6pm only"

They seem to be counterintuitive, so of course they sound interesting. ;)
 
Hi Qjay! Thank you for the encouraging words!

During the summer of 2002 I needed to drop weight FAST. So I went to a nutritionist and what I got out of the diet was clear skin(which is a sign of health) and I dropped the weight fast while maintaing energy. You can read about that here:

The point of this diet is to maximize energy and fatloss and minimize hunger and muscle loss. You can take in the major part of your calories during noon and 6pm every day. And during the other hours you can have sugar-free jello or anything like that which has very little to no calories.

So it's 2 days of mono dairy, each day 20 ounces from noon to night. then 2 days of a mono fruit or vegetable, each day 2 pounds... and the cycle starts over.

Anyway, I'm taking the basis of this diet and so far it's working. I'm seriously considering switching to a mostly vegan diet to maintain my weightloss.

P.S. I'm still trying to figure out why the MONO thing works. I'm assuming it has something to do with how the body digests or metabolizes food. If I find out I'll post it here :)
 
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[qote]P.S. I'm still trying to figure out why the MONO thing works. [/QUOTE]

What works is that your body is in a caloric deficit. You're not bringing in as many calories as you're burning.

How are you able to know that you are not losing muscle mass with a 30 pound drop in one month? That seems like a huge amount actually.

Welcome to the WLF :)
 
Hi M2M- thank you!

Naturally a caloric deficit will allow the body to burn calories- it's simple math! But my question was on MONO foods (taking in only one kind of food a day, regardless of amount).

I have the Tanita Body Composition scale:

I purchased the $80 scale but they have one that is $40 at sports authority. It's supposedly the best scale for measuring body fat and LBM. And it also measures water retention %, RMR, and of course weight.

The scale shows my body fat at 42% which is a lot more accurate then the online ones that only show me at 34%.. According to Ron Brown's way, I would only be at 28% body fat.. he uses waist measurements and my weight is ALL in my bootie & thighs :D
 
Measurements Update

Measurements Update

Date - 12/17/06
arm - 15.5
bust - 43
waist - 40.5
hips - 51.5
thigh - 31
calf - 17

Date - 1/21/2007
arm - 14.5
bust - 42
waist - 36.5
hips - 47.5
thigh - 29.5
calf - 16.8

I'll post before-and-after pics next month. I have no "before" pictures. Sad and pathetic, I know :rolleyes:
 
wow your waist and hgips have lost dramatically! well done you
you mst be feeling so good about yourself :]
 
it will keep going. i know by experience that it does slow down the slimmer you get but you have to accept that as a fact and not as a fault. it happenes to everyone and the key thing is not to lose motivation during those moments but know that everybody else here is going through/has gone throguth and will have to go through that too :)
i am here not because i am dramatically overweight but because as an athlete i have not been able to train for a couple of months due to a lung infection and have put on an amount of weight that has affected my performance dramatically. being only slightly over weight i am finding it so difficult to shift small amounts of weight.
i look forward to reading about more of your success and loss soon :]
 
sophie- hope you're feeling better! i know how you feel, even 10 pounds can make you sluggish. and effects stamina.

i have been exercising since I was 8 years old.. jane fonda was my first video :) and have sometimes been chubby around 150 to 160.. but have never weighed this much. my work has kept me focused away from exercise and proper nutrition.

you have the right idea by catching yourself in "the early stages". i promised myself that massive weight gain will never happen to me again- and it won't- thanks to Ron Brown's advice of daily measurements.
 
i am feeling much better now thanks - apart from the extra weight of course :p
i know it may take a long time to even lose this small amount and i know that thats the way it should be if i want it to be a lifestyle change thing rathe than quick fix weight loss - else it will all just pile on again. i think the trouble was that i was still consuming tons of carbs whilst not exercising cos it was what i was used to doing whilst i was in training.
do u keep an exercise diary? or are u just concentrating on the diet side of things for now?
 
Sophie-
I do keep a very detailed, daily journal of my calories in and calories out, as well as how I feel. I do mostly aerobics exercise and light weight training. I can’t work on building muscle for now since I’m taking in negative calories.
 
I have a new lifestyle now and have for the past 6 weeks. I eat mostly vegan food. The reason my weight loss is so accelerated at the moment is because I have a high metabolism and weigh a lot. Also my work forces me to move around and do tons of physical work. I have always been exercising so this is nothing new for me.

When I lose the weight I don’t plan on changing my eating habits except to take in a little more calories to maintain weight. You guys have no idea how helpful a body composition scale and daily measurements have been. My body is naturally not this large, this is actually out of the norm for me.

I just discovered 2 new sites that have great tasting food:

No calorie- no nothing really :) - dips and sauces:


Organic vegetarian meals:



Also, this website has great recipe ideas for alternative foods:
 
So i lost 4 pounds this week..

A couple of years ago I was watching the Oprah Winfrey show with Bob Greene. Oprah was saying how she would stop by every counter in the food court and order something. And when it was time to go to slep she'd pass out. And waking up was a disaster.

At my highest weight I couldn't even sleep. I do think I suffered from sleep apnea although I have never been diagnosed with it. I remember waking up from not being able to breathe. :eek:

Well, it's been a couple of weeks into my diet now and I am happy to say that has all changed. I now sleep when I go to bed and wake up very energized and rejuvenated.

Thanks.
 
Hi Ashanta,
You know - that sleep thing is HUGE - it took me a long time to realize how much better I am sleeping since some of the weight has come off! I don't wake up, don't toss and turn (I used to wake up and reach to the headboard to "help" turn myself over!)

It feels REALLY good to sleep now!
 
ha ha.. that headboard thing sounds pretty familiar! I used to have to pull my head to hang over the pillow to open my airways so I could sleep!
 
hey ashanata well done for all your weight loss.
glad you are sleeping better too - hope that gives you even more drive to achieve this :)
 
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