bongabonga's diary

bongabonga

bongabonga

New member
bongabonga's diary *weekly photos*

I am just going to jump in with both feet by answering the suggested questions on the sticky thread. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a long and wonderful journey.

ETA: My horrifying before photo. It was really difficult to resist "sucking it in" for my photo op but no better time than now to own up to what I've done to my body over the last 5 years. :(

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  1. What is your current height and weight? 5'7" and 215.4 lbs. My highest weight ever, a few months ago, was 226 lbs.

  2. If you were at an ideal weight now, what would that weight be? Between 130-140 pounds.

  3. At what weight would you like to be at four months from now? If I am honest with myself, put in a good effort and stop my dreadful dietary habits, I think four months from now I could be 40 pounds from my starting weight. So 180 lbs.

  4. Why do you want to lose weight? I need to be at a healthy weight for my daughter's sake. She deserves a good example and a mom that she can be proud of. I have always had weight issues, but usually I was on the thinner end of the spectrum. So I want to lose weight for myself, so I can look in the mirror and try on single-digit clothing again, and be happy with myself instead of being ashamed.

  5. Do you want to lose weight for a specific life event such as wedding or reunion? If so, when is that event? No, although some friends are getting married in Summer 2012, and it would be amazing to take photos with them at their wedding and actually want to look at them later.

  6. What obstacles could get between you and your weight loss goals? I am a heavily emotional eater, and a terminal "grazer", eating when I am bored. Those are my number one obstacles. But if I replace those habits with constructive activities, like writing or reading when I am bored, and working out or going for a walk when I am emotionally stressed, I can rewire my brain.

  7. Why do you think that you now have a weight problem? My husband and I were engaging in a very sedentary lifestyle that was causing my weight to fluctuate up and down, but never beyond about 165 lbs or so. I weighed about 140 when I got pregnant in early 2008, and gained over 60 pounds with my pregnancy. Afterward, I had major trouble losing weight. Other medical issues led me to believe I had some sort of postpartum hormonal issues. Whether I ate like a cow or starved myself, my weight never went down more than a few eighths of a pound.

    Over the past year, I gave up completely on any sort of restrictive eating or activity, and WOW does it show. Even though I weigh exactly the same, the loss of underlying muscle tone has really changed my body, causing me to gain several dress sizes. I look awful and feel even worse. A few months ago my medical issues stabilized, and I noticed that if I expended the tiniest amount of effort and restricted my eating reasonably, weight would come off. I got down to 203 at one point [after being stuck between 215-220 for almost 2 years], but had no real motivation and very real food cravings that arrested my progress.

  8. What lifestyle changes do you think would help you lose weight? Number one is an increase in my daily activity. I am going to use the 30 Day Shred 4 times a week and a stationary bicycle on the off days. Coming from no activity beyond chasing my daughter around, this will be huge!

    I also think increasing my water consumption and not eating after 6pm will alter my metabolism for the better.

  9. Have you lost weight in the past? If so, what has worked in the past to help you lose weight? I have not successfully followed a reasonable weight loss program.

  10. Why do you believe that you did not lose weight or you gained the weight back? N/A

  11. What, if anything, has not worked for you in the past in helping you to lose weight? Why do you think it did not work? N/A

  12. Would you try writing down all food and drink consumed for a given period of time? I have a calorie-counting application on my phone that has really opened my eyes to the huge amounts of calories I have been consuming.

  13. Do you cook at home often? If so, what do you cook? I cook for my daughter and sometimes for the family, and my meals are usually heavy on oil, butter, cream, and carbohydrates.

  14. How often do you go out to eat? Where do you go? McDonalds, up to several times a week. NO MORE!

  15. What are your three favorite foods? Believe it or not, broccoli is one of my absolute favorite foods, followed by bread of almost any kind, and diet pepsi. Mmmmm.

  16. What are your three favorite restaurants? There are few to choose from where I live, but I like "homestyle" restaurants that serve "American" food. French dips are my weakness at these restaurants!

  17. What are three things you can do differently when it comes to food? 1. Look at it as fuel for my body, not an activity to take up time. 2. Respect the foods that will help my body function optimally. 3. Try to eliminate high-fructose corn syrup, and cut down on refined flour, and white sugar.

  18. If you woke up tomorrow and your body was exactly the way you want it, what would be different? My energy levels and self-confidence would skyrocket.

  19. Do you eat when you are not hungry? Yes, often.

  20. Do you binge eat (large amounts at a time)? Yes, often.

  21. Do you hide your food or eat in secret? Yes, often.

  22. Do you eat when you are sad, nervous, or depressed? Yes, often.

  23. Do you eat as a reward? Yes, often.

  24. Do you eat while watching TV or using the computer? Almost exclusively.

  25. What do you normally eat for a meal? HEAVY carbohydrates. All of my meals seem to rely heavily on breads, pasta, or processed grains.

  26. What type of snacks do you eat? Sweets! They are my downfall!

  27. In terms of exercise, what, if anything, are you currently doing? As noted above, I am going to use the 30 Day Shred to tone up, and good cardio on the off-days to keep my metabolism up.

  28. Where do you go for exercise? A local public gym? School/work gym? Home? I will be working out at home.

  29. What, if anything, are your three favorite types of exercise? I despise exercise. I am a very lazy person.

  30. What is your daily/weekly/monthly/yearly motivation to move towards your goals? My husband is going to keep me motivated, and I him!

  31. Do you have rewards for certain goals? I want to implement goals for every 10 pounds I lose. I will post my prizes here once I decide what they will be!
Wow! Whew! Thanks for reading :D
 
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Broccoli is your fave food!? Wow!!! that s the first i ever hear it!!!
Good luck!!

BTW - i m about the same weight (213) right now and almost the same height (5'8) we can do it!!! :) :grouphug:
 
Good luck!! Lucky for you broccoli is super healthy so you can eat plenty of it even when losing weight :D
 
Thanks :)

Thank you guys so much for the support.

Justina, I was just looking at your before and after shots and thinking how fantastic you look!!

I am lucky to have a taste for broccoli, and though I am used to eating it with lots of butter and salt, I really enjoy it steamed with just a little olive oil for flavor and healthy fat. That is going to be one of my go-to foods for sure!

I forgot to mention in my original post that salt is another favorite food. Does salt count as a food? It certainly does in the quantities I have been eating it. :blush5:
 
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thanks for the compliment :)

& well done on posting a before pic...it will keep you motivated!

Salt...well i know. i noticed that when i had no control over salt - and other hidden ingredients: I.e.i ate out in restaurants in the last few weeks - u dont know the ingredients that go into the food - (also some fellow members here suggested that this might be the reason) i didnt lose weight - as it retained the water in my body. . so now that i eat at home again - its easier :) you do need some salt - just look at the quantity!

Again good luck! x
 
addiction

I can already see that finding the motivation to exercise is going to present my biggest problem. I just got home from work and I am exhausted, especially since I have a night full of toddler chasing and homework to look forward to. :nopity:

I can also tell, from just these two days of reasonable eating, that my compulsion to eat is frightening. It is truly an addiction. I will be going about my day when suddenly the urge to nibble on something heavily processed slowly, quietly starts unscrewing its porthole in the back of my mind. Silently, it raises the glass and glides cool-ly, smoke-like, in, pooling around my consciousness and carefully laying hints around. Like some sort of subliminal messaging, suddenly without even realizing what I am doing, I am searching for food. If I am unable or unwilling to satisfy the craving, only then does it become more insistent, gnawing at a corner of my brain, planting sensory-rich images of the numerous sweet and salty snacks of yore. As soon as I consciously put it from my mind, logically reasoning with myself that I am not even actually hungry, it immediately sneaks around to the back of my mind again and begins it's assault anew.

Paradoxically, it has been so long since I felt truly hungry, that that empty sensation is not altogether unpleasant. Of course, this might be rooted in my dark past, where the painful cramps of hunger signaled impending success, glory, visible bones; the almighty Mecca of shocking thinness. Back then it was a different demon, one who whispered of disgusting fat and self-loathing as opposed to chocolate cakes and buttery crackers. Another difference is the fact that then, it was a demon disguised as a dear friend, one whose utterances I encouraged and embraced and made my own.

I don't ever want to fall back into that cycle. But the feeling of hunger is still decidedly pleasant.
 
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progress 03.01

On the plus side, this morning I weighed in at 211 lbs! I know the first ten or fifteen pounds will be relatively easy. I am setting my sights on breaking 200 and NEVER GOING BACK. My planned reward is to make homemade California Rolls with my daughter and enjoy a glass or two of red wine. That's okay for dieters, right? Isn't it all about sustainable lifestyle changes? And what kind of a life has no room for wine? [Or maybe a light beer or two] :cheers2:
 
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Haven't you seen those commercials for light beers? 65 calories or something? IT'S ALL ABOUT MODERATION.

Also, you pressured me into changing my ticker to display my actual weight. I hope you're happy. <3
 
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bongabonga said:

I forgot to mention in my original post that salt is another favorite food. Does salt count as a food? It certainly does in the quantities I have been eating it. :blush5:
Click to expand...

LOL! That sounds like something I would say. I love salt.....siiiigh...it's so good. When I was a kid, I used to pour it in my hand and just eat it. At least I don't do that anymore...hahaha! Welcome to the forum and good luck! :)
 
Hey GIRL! It looks like YOU JUST STARTED (JUST LIKE ME!!) yay! We should make this into a little friendly competition. We are only a few pounds away from each other!!!

I totally understand on the feeling of hunger, I STILL don't know that feeling yet, I'm just trying not to go COLD TURKEY on this diet, and make small, positive baby steps! I don't want to get tired of dieting and quit! which has happened so often over the years!

Good luck!!
 
jen, Ohh yes the stolen salt grains! I used to ask my mom for an apple and dip each bite in salt!

laura, that is the argument I am having with my husband! I am all about small, reasonable changes that will last me my whole life. For me, that means eating oh, I don't know, cheesecake whenever I might want cheesecake - just having two small bites that I actually taste and enjoy rather than wolfing down two servings and barely tasting it, then cutting off a third because I ate so fast that my stomach hasn't had a chance to tell my brain that it's full.

My first and most important change has been to track my calories. Although I have to admit, the last two days I have been falling under 1,000 calories, and I know that isn't healthy. According to a calorie counting app I have on my phone, for my weight and height I should be netting 1200 calories a day. On the up side [ha] I didn't actually exercise the past two days either. As if that's something to be proud of.

Tomorrow. I am promising myself - tomorrow I will pull out that damn 30 day shred video. There are only 5 more days till my next photo and I really, really want to be able to see a difference.
 
Hi :0)

Hope your well.

I also love brocolli - I boil my brocolli and eat it when it's all mushy yum yum yum

I can totally relate to how you are an emotional eater and grazer etc. I think about food all the time at one point I was shovelling sooo much into my body and still I wasn't even really all that full that i thought I had some sort of an illness. It is embarassing to say but I used to eat kinda healty at work and then on my way home I'd eat a whole pack of fox's classic biscuits which is also a form of hiding it from others. I then would have my dinner and then sit at night watching tv with a big bag of dorito's and a dip. When I wasn't eating I was thinking about what I could eat and i'd talk myslef into waiting til 8pm before having something but then the whole time I would just think "hurry up 8pm" to be honest I am hugely surprised that i'm not heavier than I am.

For me i just have to excercise - I can't do it without it. I can't do one without the other at all. Plus it keeps me busy and by time I get home from the gym i'm having my dinner at 8pm instead of a big bag of crisps. Then I do ironing or some washing - I know it sounds lame but for me it's all about keeping busy and keeping your mind off food. I also read a lot so that helps.

And as for wine - no way should you be giving that up - at least not yet. I always every Saturday night without fail have a whole bottle of wine followed by another glass or possibly 1-2 beers. I think you cannot cut everything out at the same time. There will probably be a time where you will plateau and this is when I will change my alcohol treat. When I lost that 28lbs about 4 yrs ago I still had my alcohol on a Saturday and still everysingle week I would loose weight. Some people will tell you your just shoving sugar down your throat - which is technically right however you could try diluting it with soda water or what I do is swap my wine for weight watchers wine which is really just as nice. You can only try and see what works for you!

I look forward to reading how your getting on :0)
 
Congrats on starting to make some changes in your life! Thanks for posting a starting photo - I'm another close in height to you and your before picture is my next goal weight. :)

I used to skip meals and end up mindlessly grazing at other times. Small changes over time help. I regularly eat 5-6 times per day, no longer grazing and I am very aware of everything I eat (not really counting calories - but knowing a ballpark each day - and really deciding if what I am eating is what I really want to put in my body).

I found it helpful to have string cheese, yogurt, popcorn, pita crackers, and low sugar hi protein bars in the office for snacks - it really helps having a variety to choose from each day.
 
No time to properly respond as I am exhausted and hungry and really don't want to eat anything, so I am going to bed to avoid eating. The saltines and milk, they call to me..
 
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