Becoming an Athlete!

C

chutzpah

New member
Hi all--this is a great forum and I can't wait to get to know all of you!

Basically, I'm turning 28 in about a week and I want to give myself the best birthday present I can think of: a healthier and happier me!

I'm about 30 pounds overweight; I weighed in today at 160.6 and the goal is to take off those pounds by becoming an athlete and making sound food decisions.

This journal is a place for me to check in and record progress, as well as getting and offering support to others on the same journey. I will post something at minimum once per week for three months.

Tools:

I bought a 2 year all club membership to 24 hour fitness last month from costco for 300 bucks. I've been going steadily since purchasing the membership.

I have a stationary bike and some weights at home, as well as tons of exercise videos for when I want a quick workout and don't feel like shleping to the gym.

The weather is gorgeous out here in California and I want to get outside and do some jogging and other outdoor sports.

At some point I'd like to experiment with the "Eat to Live diet" and maybe even intermittent raw foods or fasting, although at this point I want to focus on the physical activity aspect.

This is going to be a difficult, but fun journey :party:

edit:

BMI 26.6 (argh)
I recently bought a pair of jeans at Target that were a size 10 and fit well. I will use clothing size as another measure of progress.
 
Last edited:
using clothing size going down as a measure of progress is a great idea!!!

Best of luck! Hope you end up loving your gym!!! i know i really love going to mine... good stress relief!!
 
Hi M Marie--Thanks for the encouragement. It helps!

So last month I started a personal challenge for myself. I took a piece of paper and made 50 squares and hung it up on my bedroom wall. Each square represents a 30 minute increment of exercise that I get to put a big X on when I complete. The plan was to have all of the squares X'ed off by my birthday. So far, I have 38/50 squares done and I should be able to finish with a bit of determination.

I decided today that I really need a diet component in order to jump start the weight loss. I strongly believe that once I start to see results it will be easier to continue, however I don't want to burn out too quickly. So, I've decided to take upon a 30 day timeboxing challenge and give myself a bit of wiggle room.

So starting tonight, I'm eating fruit only after 6:00 pm for 30 days. I'll give myself 3 days off because I have plans to go out to dinner a couple of times this month and I want to be somewhat flexible.
 
I have 48 out of 50 squares X'ed out, which means that I only have one hour left of exercise to complete! After I finish writing this entry, I'm going to pop in a work out video and hopefully complete my challenge.

I ate a quart of ice cream today which was probably not the smartest move, but I've been keeping to the fruit after 6:00 pm rule and it has made me feel a lot better.

I have a new idea: I'm going to start tracking all of my workouts and my new goal is to exercise for 100 hours. I figure that it will take me 3 months to achieve this goal, which is totally doable for me. I'm going to go out and buy a huge poster board to make an activity calendar and hang it on my wall for motivation.
 
Time to update:

The exercise has been going well, but the diet has been awful. I made a new exercise calandar for March and I know I'll be able to achieve that goal.

I read the book "Eat to Live" by Dr. Fuhrman quite a while ago and it seemed like an amazing way to live and eat, provided I could take a day off each week to indulge in a few extra servings of brown rice, whole wheat bread, sweets and olive oil. Has anyone on here successfully transitioned to an Eat to Live-type diet? It seems very difficult, even though I'm already vegan.

I'm trying to think of new ways to motivate myself to go further with the diet and exercise...I really want to get strong and lean again and I love all of the extra energy and confidence that brings.
 
The exercise plan is going pretty well. I'm averaging around an hour a day of exercise.

I noticed something a few days ago that kind of bugged me: I went to visit my parents and my mom made dinner. Instead of taking the food to the table, everybody grabs their plate and heads to the couch to eat and watch T.V. I basically have been doing the same thing for most of my life and it really doesn't make sense.

If I like food and enjoy eating so much, why distract myself with T.V.? So I've decided to eat without being distracted for the next month.
 
My progress so far has been unremarkable but stable. I'm still doing exercise and watching what I eat. One thing I'd really like to do is to start running more frequently. I'm going to do some research about training programs and get started. I don't have a lot to say right now, but felt it was important to check in since it's been awhile.
 
I'm back! So I tried the running, and I was getting a lot of pain, specifically in my ankles and knees. I did all of this research on the Internet, and tried some of the solutions mentioned there, but was still getting pain. So I've decided to hold off on long distance running for another month.

What I've been doing instead is Jillian Michaels 30 day shred workout. I've done 6 level 1 workouts and 7 level 2 workouts. So my current goal is to get to level 3 and complete 30 workouts.

Although I eat relatively healthy, I could definitely make some improvements. So that is another goal of mine that I'm going to work towards.
 
I completed 17/30 workouts on the 30 day shred. I'm thinking about adding another challenge as well, which is completing 30 yoga workouts. Just wanted to stop in really fast and update.
 
I am seeing a huge difference in my appearance from doing these 30 day shred workouts, and I recommend them to everyone. On the other hand, I have had some knee pain if I try to do some of the more hardcore jumping moves.

Ideally, I'd like to spend a minimum of one hour per day exercising. Because the 30 day shred does circuit training: weights and cardio, I've decided to work on my flexibility concurrently in hopes that the stretching will help or at least not exacerbate my knee pain. I have TONS of yoga videos so boredom will not be a problem.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I have a reward for finishing the 30 day Shred, which is going out to eat at my favorite restaurant. For completing 30 yoga workouts, I'm going to reward myself by buying a couple of those cute skimpy summer dresses at Target.
 
19/30 30 day shred workouts completed
2/30 workout sessions

So I've decided to tweak the 30 day yoga video challenge, and include any exercise videos and trips to the gym lasting over an hour. I'm doing this because I don't want to lose motivation to hit the gym.

Today I did Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown DVD as well as the 30 day Shred and it was definitely different although somewhat difficult to follow.

I am seeing results with the 30 day Shred and I can't wait to finish! The diet component is still non-existant, but I'll get to that soon...
 
30 day shred: 25/30 workouts completed
exercise videos: 4/30

So I was browsing at ross and I saw this really really cute pair of calvin klein jeans marked down to $15. I tried them on in the dressing room and I could barely button them and when I was able to they were skin tight and I had a muffin top (ewww). They were a size 8, which was slightly disappointing because I've definitely lost weight since I began the 30 day Shred and my initial size was a 10. Anyway, I bought the jeans anyway to use as a motivator for this week. I am actually going to diet this week because I am wearing those jeans out on Sunday!
 
Today I will finish the 30 day Shred. I actually was exhausted yesterday and skipped the workout, so I'll do two today to make up for it (one level 2 and one level 3.)

I'm ready to start a new challenge: 40 days to a swimsuit body

Jillian's videos have transformed me more than anything else so I've decided to alternate her "No more trouble zones" "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" and two levels of "30 day Shred" giving myself one day of rest where I can go for a long walk or do a yoga or pilates video, or another non-weight training exercise video.

So I'm envisioning a schedule like this:
Day 1: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism
Day 2: No More Trouble Zones
Day 3: Level 2 and 3 of 30 day Shred
Day 4: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism
Day 5: No More Trouble Zones
Day 6: Level 3 twice of 30 day shred
Day 7: one video of gentle yoga, stretching, or pilates


Now for the diet component: I have Jillian Michaels book "Winning by losing" and I'm going to take a look at that today. I also want to incorporate aspects of the "Eat to Live" diet into my plan.

I'm going to be writing here much more frequently as well, because this is really going to be a challenge for me. Tomorrow I will weigh in at the gym and take measurements.
 
Day 1

Yesterday was supposed to be "Day 1" but I got a massive stomach ache after eating at an Ethiopian restaurant for lunch.

So Today is day 1!! :coolgleamA:

I did the "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" video this morning and I feel fantastic. It is a difficult video, but I feel that it's an excellent step up from the Shred. I actually feel like I should do another video tonight or maybe go to the gym because I have so much energy.

Because this is a 40 day challenge, I want to really step it up and push myself, while at the same time making long-term changes that I can stick to. Because I know myself, I need to have some flexibility with the plan, and if I miss a day or eat something I shouldn't I have I've set up ways to redeem myself.

These are the changes I've been making to my diet: (I normally eat pretty healthy so I can only tweak my diet so much without feeling really deprived)

No coffee for 40 days = substituting with green and white tea

No alcohol = substituting with yoga, herbal teas, and kava kava tea if I really need a mood enhancer

One meal per day is salad = I actually love salad and will be stocking up on good quality greens and some nuts to add for protein, as well as a tasty fat free dressing of some type. This way I can still go out to dinner or lunch every once in awhile and not feel deprived.

snacking is O.K as long as it is fruit

Eat breakfast daily!

------------------------------------

So that is the diet component and to me it sounds totally doable and leaves some room for cheating. I've also read Jillian Michael's book and will implement some of her suggestions. I also need to make some short-term and long-term goals and post some positive affirmations and reasons for choosing health and fitness here (I didn't make this stuff up, it's from Jillian's book ;) )
 
looks like a great plan! I love JM videos too, she's the best :) The "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" is a butt kicker! Great way to start your day. I look forward to your progress :D
 
Hi Invective--Thanks for stopping by!! Jillian Michaels has really transformed my approach to fitness. I just love the woman. Good luck with your goal also; it looks like you've made a lot of progress!

Anyway, Day 3. Still going pretty well, despite the fact that I hit the indian buffet lunch yesterday. I did limit my intake though and I exercised like a madwoman.

After my Banish Fat, Boost metabolism workout, I went to the gym and I notice that my endurance level has skyrocketed. This is huge for me and I'm really proud of myself. Giving up coffee was a really wise decision as I feel much more energetic without it.

So one thing that Jillian Michaels says in her book is to make non-food rewards for yourself in order to sustain motivation. There should be daily rewards, weekly, and monthly.

Reward for finishing 40 day challenge: pair of designer jeans and a pretty swimsuit.

This weeks reward: my teeth are a bit discolored from all of the coffee and tea I drink so when I complete day 7 I'll reward myself with a teeth-whitening system.

Daily: Today I'll put on some self tanner and sit out in the sun for 20 minutes. I generally am afraid of tanning, but I need a little bit of sun because I'm as white as a ghost :blush5:
 
I've stopped in to write before doing my daily exercise. One thing that has surprised me is that I'm not as hungry as I used to be and I can't eat the very large portions that I used to enjoy. Maybe my stomach has shrunk?

I'd like to keep track of my workouts here as well.
Day 1: Banish Fat Boost Metabolism (diet followed)
Day 2: BFBM plus 1.5 hour gym workout (diet followed)
Day 3: BFBM (diet followed)
Day 4: I'm about ready to do the No More Trouble Zones DVD. I'm scared :)

I don't want to get overzealous with myself in the beginning, but eventually I would also like to add a daily yoga practice to my workout schedule. I'm going to give myself at least another week to get used to my routine first.
 
chutzpah, you have a very good chance to reach and then maintain your
ideal weight of 130 pounds imo. How many times do you eat per day, and
what kind of food do eat in your meals?

You wrote that you are a vegan? This is very impresive!

The latest science research has confirmed that unwanted body fat that most
people have is a result of eating too many refined carbs (white flour, white
sugar) and trans-fats (margarine, shortening) -- and obviously most of this
is consumed in the form of snacks/baked goods that have these four foods
as the main ingredients.

And, what is the worst part is that scientists have also confirmed (99.9%) that
animal protein that can be found in meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy products is
the major reason behind heart problems, cancer, and many, many other health
problems that people are experiencing. The Western Diet is the culprit behind
a lot of health problems and misery that many people are experiencing.

So, if you are a true vegan, you definitely have an advantage, and can
create some impressive weight loss results, and in addition to those you
can also have a lean, healthy body filled overflowing with vitality on
a daily basis.
 
Hi Alex--Yes, I've been vegan for more than half of my life. My problem has always been portion size and eating too much rice and bread (and I only eat brown rice and sprouted wheat breads most of the time but those calories add up). My new "diet" basically consists of eating a cup of high-fiber high-protein breakfast cereal with however much soymilk I want and a handful of berries. Then, for one meal I eat salad and the third meal is whatever I feel like eating, but trying to be mindful of portion size. I snack on fruit whenever I want a snack (usually once a day.) I know myself, and If I try to be too strict at the beginning, I'll fail. Last month was all about getting used to daily exercise, and this month is about coming to grips with the fact that I have to diet a bit to see results and really pushing my limits with my exercise routine. Next month I'd like to start training for a half marathon and maybe start swimming!!
I really appreciate you stopping by; the support is a huge motivator for me!!


Anyway, I'm writing twice in one day because I just finished the "No More Trouble Zones" video for the first time and I love it. It is challenging, and a great compliment to BFBM. I think that I will do NMTZ 2-3 times per week. O.K. now I just need to avoid eating anything too bad for the rest of the day :)
 
Anyway, I'm writing twice in one day because I just finished the "No More Trouble Zones" video for the first time and I love it. It is challenging, and a great compliment to BFBM. I think that I will do NMTZ 2-3 times per week. O.K. now I just need to avoid eating anything too bad for the rest of the day
Click to expand...

You mean BFFM? By Tom Venuto?
My problem has always been portion size and eating too much rice and bread (and I only eat brown rice and sprouted wheat breads most of the time but those calories add up).
Click to expand...

Maybe you can eat 4 meals per day, and then move to 5, this way you can
provide your body with everything it needs every 3 hours, and you can eat
more, but also help your body to burn off more calories.

This has been my secret to losing over 110 pounds of unwanted body fat,
and I was born with a very slow metabolism.

I am currently not a vegetarian, but this is the direction that I am moving
toward and by the end of this year I plan to be 100% vegan. In fact, no
meat, poultry, eggs, fish, shellfish, dairy, period. I will eat only a whole food,
plant-based diet for the rest of my life as soon as I reach that point!!!

I have just discovered evidence that this is the best path for optimum health,
and I have chosen to make this my new goal.

You are lucky that you are already there, congratulations!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top