Brit's Diary - One pound at a time

M

MiaBella

New member
First journal post. Very excited to start trying to loose some weight. I've tried many times before and failed due to lack of motivation and getting frustated. I hope I can find a few friends on here that can help me through this, and I can help in return too!

Like I posted in my 'newbie' thread in the other forum. I am 5ft3, 22 years old and most of my life I was 'normal' size. I've never been stick thin but about 5 years I become really sick and needed brain surgeries. From the pain I was in and the recovery time, I found myself pretty much in bed for most of the time. This is the main way I gained weight. I used to be about 150 lbs and now 5 years later I am pushing 230 lbs. which disgust me. I can't even look in the mirror or be naked in front of my husband. I am ashamed of my body and so angry at myself for 'letting' my body get this way. I am only 22 and I have horrible HUGE stretch marks that cover my torso and cellulite on my thighs and stomach..I am now noticing it start to build on my upper arms as well. I have always had big breast but now they sag really bad and just look like huge lumps of fat hanging from my chest. I am going to work on seeing a psychologist about my self esteem issues because I know I need some help in that area as well as physical weight loss. I know this is going to be a long and hard journey but I don't think I can live in this body anymore. Somedays I am so down on myself, I can't even get out of bed. I just hate what happened to my body and it feels hopeless.

I need to do this though. I am a nursing student and I know that as a nurse, I will need to be able to be on my feet alot of the time and be somewhat in shape to meet the demands of the job. That is one of my motivations, is to be able to buy medium size scrubs when I actually get into the nursing program (won't be for another year or 2..I have to finish my gen. ed classes first). I don't want to have to buy XXL scrubs and look like a huge blueberry in them.

I also would like to become a mother in the next few years. I have high blood pressure due to my weight and I know that being pregnant when I am this big wouldn't be a good idea. I want to be able to be in shape going into my pregnancy so I can have an easier preg/delivery. I want to be a mother so bad, you don't understand it. My husband and I don't even want to start trying to conceive until I am at least 175 lbs.

So my goal is to get from 230lbs to 150lbs. I'm not sure about a timeline because I don't want to set a date on which I would like to be 150 lbs and then psych myself out thinking I can never do it. I'm more of a 'here and now' person and just want to take it a day at a time. Maybe after a month or two into my weight loss I can get your guy's help on what a good goal date would be after seeing how my progress goes.

The only 'set back' I have is, I don't have extra money to buy gym memberships or diet plans and such. I will be doing this all from home. I do have a few work out DVDs that I can use, and I have the AB Circle Pro (I LOVE IT!) and my apartment complex has a treadmill I can use too. I also have 2 dogs who LOVE to go on walks so for now, until I can get a bit more money, this is the only way I can exercise.

Here are some pictures of what I used to look like when I was 'skinny'. I have these and a few others hanging on my fridge for inspiration:

*don't mind my ill expression..this was when I was in alot of pain/before brain surgery*
oldpic.jpg

l_3fb34b18373d4904b0c90ef05977bfed.jpg

choir3.jpg


I will have to get some new pictures of me and post them. I'll do that tomorrow. For now I'm going to bed. Day 1 starts tomorrow!!!!
 
Wow your story is very similar to mine. We both put on this weight in the past few years and it's time for it to go away! Keep at it and you'll succeed! :)
 
Welcome!

I suggest looking all around this site and reading the various sticky threads. They are packed with useful information to help you reach your goal.

You don't have to go to the gym to get in shape, although I admit it helps.

The first, and most important thing you have to do, is control your food intake. Diet is at least 80% of the fat loss game.

I suggest using an online calorie/nutrition tracker like FitDay.com - it can help you set a caloric target, and by carefully measuring and entering everything you eat, you can monitor your diet effectively.

As for exercise, right now anything that gets you moving is good. Walking the dogs, treadmill - all good. You are going to want to add some sort of resistance (strength) training as well, as it is critical for maintaining your muscle mass, which otherwise you will lose along with your fat. Luckily, there lots of resistance type exercises you can do at home, without a gym. Pushups, crunches, bodyweight squats, all that calisthenic stuff. The main thing is to keep active an moving. The more you do, the more you will want to do.

Good luck in reaching your goals!
 
Thanks so much everyone for the warm welcomes. Here are my (horrid) current body pictures. Sorry they are low quality and kinda small, I used my camera on my cell to take these.





And my current measurements are:
5ft 3
230 lbs
Bust: 47 inches
Waist: 44 inches
Hips: 49 inches
R upper arm: 16 inches
L upper arm: 16 1/2 inches
R upper leg: 27 1/2 inches
L upper leg: 28 inches

How long should I wait to take measurements/pictures again? 2 week or 4 weeks?

I really need to get my butt in shape. Today was a no go and I really don't have an excuse, I just kept putting working out off...now I hate myself for it. This is my main problem, I am a horrible procrastinator when it comes to getting up and working out. I know I need to do this though...why is it so hard?
 
Take measurements whenever you want. I weigh myself once a week, and take measurements once a month, if that helps.

I think, however, that measurements more than once every two weeks would probably not show enough change to be all that useful, but I admit to not really knowing.
 
Hey there! I'm 21 male myself. We're about the same age, Maybe we can support each other! I've been doing it 2 months and lost 24 lbs so far. I started at 241 and now am 217.

Here's a few tips:
When you're hungry, eat a plate full of veggies. These are very few calories compared to other foods, such as spinach, celery, carrots.
Eat lots of fiber like whole grains, or beans, these will keep you full longer. Also some fruits have fiber. Eat the whole fruit, don't buy those fruit drinks or veg juices, they don't have the fiber and other nutritions the fruits have.
Next time you go somewhere, ride your bike there, or, if you have to drive, park in the parking lot far away from the store and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

You may want to do what I did and join the Couch 2 5k running program, it gets you running 5K or 3 miles in 2 months. It's tough, but rewarding. And it gets you in shape, you can do it at home too! you can download the podcast and listen to it on your ipod, it tells you when to run, walk.

Good luck, you can do it! Believe in yourself!
 
You can do this.

Mia,

First of all - well done in making the decision.

I'm more than twice your age and have only just reached the point where I've started to act upon my size. When I read on here of young people, like yourself, starting on the journey back to a healthy size - I become very aware that I "wasted" too many years at a size I never really liked. You've NOT done that. Well Done.

When you get to my age and look back, the time you were "big" will have been such a small part of your whole life.

So it's great that you're taking action NOW. Well done.

As has been said in other replies, don't worry about the gym or even purchasing diet plans. My own journey started with me simply deciding I was going to eat "sensibly". Once I started doing that, my weight began to drop. It was only in time, when I started to "google" weight loss, did I start to think about calories and all that stuff.

I think the single most important thing you need for this journey - is motivation - you can't buy it - but I believe you have it.

So, come on in and join us.

YOU CAN do it.
 
SparkErosion said:
Hey there! I'm 21 male myself. We're about the same age, Maybe we can support each other! I've been doing it 2 months and lost 24 lbs so far. I started at 241 and now am 217.

Here's a few tips:
When you're hungry, eat a plate full of veggies. These are very few calories compared to other foods, such as spinach, celery, carrots.
Eat lots of fiber like whole grains, or beans, these will keep you full longer. Also some fruits have fiber. Eat the whole fruit, don't buy those fruit drinks or veg juices, they don't have the fiber and other nutritions the fruits have.
Next time you go somewhere, ride your bike there, or, if you have to drive, park in the parking lot far away from the store and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

You may want to do what I did and join the Couch 2 5k running program, it gets you running 5K or 3 miles in 2 months. It's tough, but rewarding. And it gets you in shape, you can do it at home too! you can download the podcast and listen to it on your ipod, it tells you when to run, walk.

Good luck, you can do it! Believe in yourself!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips! I love fruits and veggies..I'll try to keep my fridge stocked with celery and such.

I just downloaded the Couch 2 5k podcast on Itunes...I'm not much of a runner but I'll try it out.

Another daily goal of mine needs to be to drink so much water in a day. How many oz. of water should I drink in a day?

I don't have a problem with drinking soda or anything..my problem is trying to drink enough..period....which is really bad, especially because I live in Arizona where it's hot. I just need to keep a water bottle with me 24/7 and I'll hopefully start to remember to drink more.
 
BigBob said:
Mia,

First of all - well done in making the decision.

I'm more than twice your age and have only just reached the point where I've started to act upon my size. When I read on here of young people, like yourself, starting on the journey back to a healthy size - I become very aware that I "wasted" too many years at a size I never really liked. You've NOT done that. Well Done.

When you get to my age and look back, the time you were "big" will have been such a small part of your whole life.

So it's great that you're taking action NOW. Well done.

As has been said in other replies, don't worry about the gym or even purchasing diet plans. My own journey started with me simply deciding I was going to eat "sensibly". Once I started doing that, my weight began to drop. It was only in time, when I started to "google" weight loss, did I start to think about calories and all that stuff.

I think the single most important thing you need for this journey - is motivation - you can't buy it - but I believe you have it.

So, come on in and join us.

YOU CAN do it.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much BigBob. Your words of encouragement mean alot to me. It makes me smile knowing how nice people can be on here :) We can do it together :)
 
MiaBella said:
Thanks for the tips! I love fruits and veggies..I'll try to keep my fridge stocked with celery and such.

I just downloaded the Couch 2 5k podcast on Itunes...I'm not much of a runner but I'll try it out.

Another daily goal of mine needs to be to drink so much water in a day. How many oz. of water should I drink in a day?

I don't have a problem with drinking soda or anything..my problem is trying to drink enough..period....which is really bad, especially because I live in Arizona where it's hot. I just need to keep a water bottle with me 24/7 and I'll hopefully start to remember to drink more.
Click to expand...

Yes, glad its finally starting to cool down here in arizona. What I do is a basic strength training program to maintain my muscle while I'm losing fat. There is a gym nearby but it is the most dirty gym I have ever been to, and very expensive for a gym. Not anyone is there either.

I have a Nintendo Wii (It's a game system), and there's a game for it called Wii Fit. It has a motion sensitive/weight sensitive scale on it. You can do balance games on it, which improve your balance (These are the more fun games), yoga poses (Haven't tried these yet..but good for toning), and strength training excerises (Stuff like push ups and side planks, lunges, etc)

There's also a cardio part, but I don't do the cardio on the Wii.

The strength training portion really makes you wrack up a good sweat, and its hard. I usually do it for 30 minutes a day every other day, then every day I do cardio.

One day I do 1 hour cardio on the stationary bicycle while watching TV
One day I ride an 30 minutes-1 hour on my bicycle
One day I go running/walking combo for 31 minutes

None of this excerise I really enjoy, I could really use to make some friends or meet people and then play basketball, i think its important to do excerise that you enjoy. I'm not a runner either, but I think its good for cardio and its useful because you can do it anywhere, you don't need any special equipment. Swimming is good too

I don't know how much water you should drink but try and drink at least a gallon a day, maybe more? Maybe someone else can chime in.

Also try to avoid foods high in sodium, if you have too much sodium you can get water retention the next day and you will be extra heavy from excess water. You can reduce this though by drinking more water.

I'm just the opposite of you, I really enjoy soda. I used to drink a ton of regular soda everyday, before I changed my lifestyle. I still drink diet, but I try to drink alot more water too.

Also I recommend try and weigh yourself at the end of every week. Although, I weigh myself every day, most people do it at the end of every week.

Thank you for reading through my Diary as well, I appreciate that.
:biggrinjester:
 
Thanks Spark (Kevin right?..I'm Brittany) :) Yeah I've had a Wii and Wii Fit when they first came out. I had to sale my Wii and acessories when my husband and I were in a financial bind though :( I am looking into getting the Wii and Fit again though in a few months. I really miss working out on the Wii Fit..it was actually fun and I did see changes in my weight :)

Yes I try to watch my sodium intake closely. I have high blood pressure due to water retention so I am on diuretics along with watching my sodium. I really hope to ditch the blood pressure pills and diuretics after I loose some weight though..I HATE having to take pills every day!

Okay so I am having a hard time finding time to work out. I am a nursing student in college and I don't have much time at home which is where my exercise equiptment is. I try to walk with my dogs 30 mins. morning and night when I am at home but I want to be able to do more. My college has a fitness center that they offer to students..only $30 for the semester/$60 for the year. I might try them out..They have a $10 for 2 weeks try out special...I am thinking about seeing how I like it. Then I can just bring a gym bag with my work out clothes with me. I have 2 hour breaks between a few classes during the day so it would give me a good time to get some cardio/strength in. I'll have to see if I can pull together some money :)
 
Wow..I haven't posted in awhile...I got really sick with the swine flu about a month ago and that kicked my butt...it was HORRIBLE!! I lost some pounds because of that but I'm sure I have put them back on by now...

So much has been going on in my life the past few months...very stressful. I haven't taken the time to exercise or eat right. When I think about my lack of trying it makes me feel guilty and just makes me even more depressed. It's getting to the point that I don't go anywhere anymore unless I have to. I am embarrassed to go out in public with the weight I am. I know that there are people who weight TONS more than I do but I am so embarrassed of my body. I pretty much go to my classes and then straight home. I don't care to put make up on anymore or take any time to get ready. I wake up and am out the door in 15 minutes or less...not because I don't have the time to put into myself..but I just don't care. No make up or hair style is going to make me look any better..People will just think I am trying to hide my hideousness.

This is getting hard to do too because of the holidays. There are alot of people in my family (and friends) who I don't see for the whole year until Thanksgiving/Xmas. For Thanksgiving I decided to stay at home and not join in on the celebrations at a family members house because I was too embarrassed to show how much weight I have gained/not have lost in the past year. I know that this is getting really bad...I know that the only way to fix this is to take control of my body and start exercising and eating right...so why can't I make myself do these things?? One day, exercise and the next day I will do it again but around the 3rd or 4th day I will tell myself that it's no use and that results won't show for months to come and that I will never stick to it long enough to see the results so why try?....I want results now..I know that can't happen and that it takes time but I'm not a patient person. I just have no motivation...I mean, yes I do want to loose weight..but that isn't enough I guess...

ughhh :( I seriously am in the slumps right now and I can't get out.
 
Hi MiaBella - don't give up on yourself! Do you want to spend the rest of your life hiding - no? It is going to take some time and some hard work but as soon as you start to feel the results it will keep pushing you to keep going. Stay consistent with healthy eating and exercise for two weeks and I bet you will see results or at least feel them - for me I always feel it before I see it but that is just as rewarding! I have lost 75 pounds but it took me since 2003! There were a lot of downs along the way but the ups far out weigh the downs and the results are amazing what a little hard work can do! I was a size 16 almost my whole life and even went up to a size 20 but just this weekend bought a size 8 and I can't even discribe to you how good it felt - all the sweat and hard work and times I said no totally paid off. Don't get me wrong there are days where I will indulge but I just work harder the next day. Stay consistent and if you slip up just jump right back into it! Don't waste another minute of your life feeling down on yourself - do something about it - for you! you won't regret it! I look forward to reading more!:waving:
 
Thanks so much for the support!! I really do need and appreciate it! I think it would be good for me to maybe buddy up with some people on here to help support each other. The 'warm fuzzies' of people's encouragement and words always gets me in a good mood :)

Well since I posted that 'vent' in my last reply which was a week ago today, I started walking/jogging in my neighborhood with my dogs. I will admit it, I haven't done it everyday like I should but when I do go on a walk, I walk 2-5 miles at a time. Also, tonight I FINALLY got a Wii Fit which I am so excited about!! According to it, I am at 219 which is less than what I weighed a while ago at my doctor's office. The Wii Fit will be my scale from now on and I'm so excited to start losing weight!!

I have come up with a short term goal too...Yesterday was the last day of school for the semester. I don't go back to school until the 18th of January..I want to lose 10 lbs. before I go back to school. It's a small goal but I think taking baby steps at first is a good way to go :)

So here 'officially' starts my weight loss journey. I know I started this journal months ago but I wasn't ready financially or mentally to start. I am starting today though and I am so excited!!
 
Worked out for an hour (in wii fit time) on the Wii Fit doing mostly yoga and strength training. I also did lots of cleaning today and shampooed/cleaned the carpets in my house which worked out my arms alot pushing and pulling around the vacuum/shampoo cleaner.

I usually try and stay either up stairs or down stairs all day to try and avoid having to go up and down the stairs multiple times but today I've been going up and down them every 20 minutes or so while cleaning and such..which is a workout within itself..

I'm also very proud of myself..I only had one can of soda today and that was with dinner...no coffee today either (which is my downfall)...I've been drinking TONS of water though :D

I just feel really good today :) I love the energy/good feeling I get after being productive/working out :D
 
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Glad to hear you're feeling better after swine flu! ALSO glad to hear you feel good about getting back into things :) Stick with it, you'll get there :)
 
Down 4 lbs. since starting last Friday (and sticking to) working out everyday. This is so exciting!!

I don't really have any food plan. I just eat in moderation and do small meals. Oh I have been opting for veggies/fruits instead of sweets for snacks too AND drinking TONS of water and only 1 soda/coffee a day.

My work out plan for now (taking baby steps) is doing 1 hour (30 minutes at a time) of Wii Fit a day. I am going to start incorporating walk/jogging with the dogs at least a mile a day and doing so many minutes on the Ab Circle soon though. Maybe I'll start that today?
 
Down to 213 :D

I worked my butt off yesterday and I went to the grocery store and bought TONS of veggies and healthy foods. I'm so proud of myself for sticking with it. I know it's only been 5 days but I usually quit before now so everyday that I keep with it is a celebration :)
 
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