Bubs mind/body makeover

BUBS215224

New member
Hi There!

I'm here because I REALLY need some online support and accountability. I go back and forth between acting like a fit and healthy girl and a fat and inactive girl. I really want to be a healthy, balanced, energized and fit girl full time. I can do it and I will. Starting this very moment!

I'd love it if you wanted to be my buddy in this!

A little about me?

I'm 29, 5'9 and between 178 and 184 lbs
My goal is between 145 and 150

I have some MAJOR motivation over the next 6 months. I'm recently engaged and in July my fiancee and I would like to take engagement photos, then the wedding in October and before that summer including a girls trip that I really want to look fabulous in a bikini.

I have a problem with sugar and processed, starchy carbs. I eat these when I'm not hungry and when I start eating these things I don't want to stop! I know the BEST way for me to lose weight is to COMMIT to a fairly boring eating plan. The same thing week after week just mixing it up with spices and cooking methods.

I'm pretty active and I love to run in the summer. I plan to run 25 to 35 miles a week and add in circuit training/interval training. I plan on two workouts a day until I get to a goal weight somewhere in the 150's.

The FIRST day is always the toughest... and then getting through the first 3 weeks is a big challenge! I know I just have to dig deep and get through those 3 weeks and then things will start to fall into a routine.

Day One Plan!
6:30 am - Get Up
7:00 am - Hit the trail for a 5 mile run
8:30 am - Eat Breakfast (1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 scoop whey protein)
9:00 am - Prepare Lunch, Snacks and Dinner for work
11:00 am - Snack (Muffin made of 1/2 scoop whey, 3 T pumpkin & 1/2 cup egg whites
1:00 pm - Lunch (Coleslaw made with broccoli slaw, 2 T miracle whip, 1/2 red pepper & 6 chicken meatballs)
3:00 pm - 1 serving skim mozarella cheese and 3 chicken meatballs
6:00 pm - Omelette made with 1 egg, 1/2 cup egg whites, 30 g lite feta cheese, 1 cup spinach
7:00 pm - Walk the dogs
7:45 pm - Hit the Gym for 30 minutes of Circuit Training
8:00 pm - 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 cup frozen berries
10:00 pm - Hit the sack!

It seems tough looking at it but I know this is going to make me lean and get me to my goals.

Yee Haw!
 
Welcome to the forum, looking good for your day 1 plan :)

have you calculated the calories in your plan and do you really need the extra protein from the whey ?
 
Thanks

Thanks for the reply

My calories are about 1200... and I'm following a macro ratio of 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat. Plus - I love the taste of flavoured whey!
 
Hi Bubs. Welcome to the forum.

I think 1200 calories sounds a bit low for you and i mean this would probably slow your metabolism as well as see you lose too much muscle mass. I suggest you work out what would be the best number of calories for your daily consumption.

What i would do if i were counting calories is calculate your BMR using an online calculator. Work out your Resting Metabolic Rate - your RMR by multiplying by the exercise and activity factor. This gives your maintenance calories.

Then i would work it out for your desired weight. If your maintenance calories are not too much lower than your current RMR - 500 calories seems to be the usual recommendation for a good steady weight loss, then i'd go with a diet that came to that.

If it was a lot lower, i'd go with the higher number because you won't risk being too hungry.

I hope that's clear enough.

You see 1200 is said to be a minimum number of calories for women in general. And you are a tall woman. So its just a general number.

I have the same food issues as you. Sugar and stuff, just as you said it.

However, I don't believe that eating healthy means eating boring repetitive meals. You could have a look at my link if you like and see if you'd be bored eating the sorts of things i eat and maybe modifying your own meals a little bit to be more to your taste.

You see, i believe that if you don't enjoy your food, you can't really win on this weight loss game in the long run and probably also not in the short term either. I am in it for the long haul. When i reach my goal weight which is quite low at 55kg (121) (i am 5'5") i will need to continue eating really well to maintain that weight otherwise it will shoot right back up again and then I will be back at square one.

I plan to bring back some of my restricted foods such as cheese and occasionally butter but in a very controlled way. I don't plan on bringing back sweet foods because i know that will also take me back to square one.
 
I agree that 1200 is low - the ONLY time I've been successful in the last 10 years was on 1200 calorie diets - where I made each calorie count with good, nutritious food. I really want to see the kind of results I saw the last two years without rebounding. I gained the weight back because I pushed myself to do figure competitions (where you deplete yourself to be very lean and stand on stage in a bikini)

When it was over, I couldn't stop gorging and I've decided to NEVER do one of those competitions again. But I did like the process before the deplete and found that 1200 calories with lots of veggies was satisfying after I got over the first week!
 
Cant you eat the same sort of nutritious food without being so severe about it. As i said, it has other costs which may not work for you in the longer term.

If you other attempts didn't work, is that a consequence of the type of food you were eating rather than it being higher calories. I mean because you just slipped off the path through temptation, you know?

I mean my intake must be at least 1500 per day at the moment and i am losing weight and feeling good on it. Your being taller would surely mean you could lose weight on more than 1200 calories unless there was some other mitigating factor. But that's ok. I am not going to push the issue. I just wanted to put forward a different approach that should work better for you. Its all your choice in the end.
 
I know the BEST way for me to lose weight is to COMMIT to a fairly boring eating plan. The same thing week after week just mixing it up with spices and cooking methods.

Oh no not at all my dear.
There is so many varieties of healthy foods out there and if you aren't a picky eater they're all yours to discover! You can even travel to different countries in your kitchen. Prepare Korean one night, and cook up Polish another night. Chew a little of Germany and then munch over to Portugal.
Even local fruits and veggies can be exciting! It really doesn't take much creativity. If you are still finding that your imagination station is closed for renovations, try visiting recipe sites that at least have a section of lower calorie meals that you find fits your lifestyle.

Nothing needs to be boring. Happy travels! ^_^
 
ok, sounds like you have things under control, getting ready for a figure comp is tough especially in that depletion stage just before you walk out on stage.

30% fat is still probably a little high 25% may be a little better moving 5% over to carbs.
 
I'll second fortyfour and Emerald. You need to work out the calories that work for you. And surely if you're calorie counting you know that it's about calories in/ calories out- so if your maintenance is (say) 2000, then even 1900 would work (although it'd be slow).

In fact, given what you've told us about your activity, I'd suggest a diet of no less than 1800 calories a day. (I ran your stats- you have a BMR of 1617.3 at the lowest weight you gave of what you might be, you're engaging in at least heavy exercise, which leaves you with a maintenance of 2790, and you should cut no more than 1000 from that for healthy weight loss. And that's using my discretion to make that number as low as possible- both by using your lower weight and opting to describe your activity on the low end of how I would describe it).

And on what Emerald said- you do not need to eat a boring monotonous diet. Check out some recipe websites that let you search for low kilojoule/ low calorie meals (my favourites are - for that one, divide the kilojoule rating by 4.2 to get calories- and ) I've been eating on average 1585 calories a day since I started this diet (my calorie counter lets me work this out), including two binge days, and I don't eat boring food at all (some of it is repetitive, but that's because I like it and it works for me. For dinner, I'm always looking for something new and loving the variety)
 
Good luck! 2 workouts a day wow that is amazing! I just like to wake up and drink coffee lol Congratulations on the new engagement :) I feel like that's huge motivation as I think everyone wants to be confident in their dress!

I look forward to your updates!
 
I have some MAJOR motivation over the next 6 months. I'm recently engaged and in July my fiancee and I would like to take engagement photos, then the wedding in October and before that summer including a girls trip that I really want to look fabulous in a bikini.


Fall weddings are so beautiful.
 
148 Days Until Wedding - 29.8 lbs until goal!

I've listened to what you all have had to say and I have to admit - you make sense! I may have been successful at 1200 but I always regained my weight SO fast. 3 months to get off... 3 weeks to put back on.

All right so - my New calorie limit will be 1600 calories and for the first while I'll stick with one workout a day until I plateau.

My macro ratio will be 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% healthy fat

Today went well - although my 5 mile run became a 2 mile run and a 3 mile walk. My foot was sore from a 14 k race I did last weekend. Oh Well - got to listen to the body sometimes.

My eating was on point - although instead of an omelette for dinner I had a salad with turkey from Subway and instead of yogurt on my final snack I had skim cheese.

I'm at 1200 calories so I may have some air popped popcorn before I go to bed tonight.

I'm nervous that I will sabotage myself and lose sight of my goals. I'm trying to repeat positive things in my mind.

I will fuel my body with healthy food I need to create and maintain a lean, healthy body.
I'm on my way to my best body ever and I will be so confident and proud of myself on my wedding day
I'm happy to put my health first and eat good, whole foods
I'm excited to become more and more fit, to run faster and harder, to lift heavier weights, to build lean muscle and improve my concentration and flexibilty through yoga.
I deserve to have a body I respect, I deserve to feel confident and wear fun clothes and get into my jeans with ease

My starting weight is 184.2 lbs (29.2 lbs from goal
 
Glad you decided to rethink things a little bit.

Don't worry, with every passing day this will be come easier and you will become more committed. I do urge you to keep your diary daily though as it really does help. Even if you slip up, its important to log on and report.

What did you do to your foot? blisters?
 
Thanks! I will make a point of posting every day!

Just some heel pain (plantar fasciitis I think its called) because I was running with worn out running shoes - some I got new shoes, and I'm icing and stretching it.
 
My Yo Yo Photos

181 lbs on Day 2. I'm motivated after reading some of your weight loss diaries. My goal is to not only reach my 155 lb goal but to also maintain that weight.

I wanted to share some pictures to show how I've yo-yo'd the last few years. My highest weight has been 205 lbs, my lowest 155 lbs and the weight I seem to always return to 175 - 185

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View attachment 15145

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I look like picture 3 (or close to it right now!) I got a bit bigger than picture 1 and stayed there for a miserable 6 months until I started training for a fitness competition. I got down to 155 lbs for like a minute before piling on 20 lbs once I got off a super restrictive - 1200 calorie, 10 workouts a week plan.

My current weight/way of eating is really good, clean, active 75% of the time and then all out binges 25% of the time where I cancel the other out.

I'm working on this!
 
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Day 2 & 3

Things are still going well!

Yesterday I did 5 miles but only 3 1/2 miles were ran. I'm still struggling with a foot injury!

My computer died so I couldn't log my food on like usual but I kept track in a notebook and took in 1560 calories

Today I didn't workout but I spent the day giving my place a good cleaning and did a bit of yoga. I also cooked a big meal for my Mom for mother's day but it was super lean!

I had:
chicken breat with lite bbq sauce
1 small all beef hot dog (no bun)
grilled tomato, onion, mushroom & pepper kabob (no oil)
broccoli salad (WW recipe)
One strawberry dipped in chocolate
1 slice key lime pie (WW recipe) without the crust

In total the "big meal" was 500 calories

I'm also down to 179.6 lbs today (water loss) but still 24.6 lbs to goal!!!
 
A loss is a loss. Its all good.

Try to aim for about 2-3 cups of vegetables and salad a day. They are so low in calories they won't cause too much havoc in your diet and will make you feel more satisfied.

I think you'd also feel better if you could eat some bread/rice/pasta instead of dessert. The energy will go further, though it may not be quite so delicious.

I don't see any dairy food there. You need dairy for strong bones and teeth. Its the calcium and dairy is easiest way to get enough of it.

If you don't like milk there are other options but you should research it. Its very important. YOu don't want osteoporosis in your old age and what you do now makes all the difference.
 
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