Chris B's new start

T

Tempest1

New member
Hello all.

Some of you might remember me from wwaaay back, a couple of years ago. I was preping to lose weight before my wedding. I did great back then, but have since succeeding in gaining back all of my weight. :doh:

So, I decided this weekend, I've had enough of being fat. While I have definitely enjoyed eating whatever I want for the past year, I no longer enjoy looking in the mirror. I had my picture taken for an ID card and was really depressed by it. Even if the camera does add 10 pounds, I still need to lose a good 40. :)

My wife and I are going to start going to the gym after work and riding our bikes a couple of nights a week. I can't WAIT to get back into the swing of things. I'm going to reference one of my favorite quotes I've ever heard - and it came from this very forum:

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.

Now, lets see if I can survive day one!

Laters,
 
I'm hangin' in there! So far so good!

Dieting, for me, is all about willpower. Its not about weight watchers meals, low-carb stuff, or whatever. Just control portions and avoid the fried stuff!

I can't take this one day at the time, I have to take it one MEAL at the time. :p I think of it as "surviving a battle."

I made it to the gym last night, which I was really proud of. It was a light workout, 20 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weights - but I WENT! Thats something I've not been able to say in a LONG time. And I plan on going again tonight! :)

I also found out last night that the Biggest Loser starts soon! Woo hoo! Motivation!
 
I for one am glad that you are doing good but really you shouldn't view weight loss as a battle of willpower but instead a lifestyle change.

You can have the foods that you want just so long as they are controlled portions of those foods that you want lol.

This gets rid of the deprivation feeling that often causes so many to backslide and yo-yo diet throughout the years plus when you get to your goal weight and begin maintenance you can have a bit more of what you like to eat as you can up the calorie levels and even a little more still than that so long as you keep exercising.

It seems you understand portion control but yeah willpower is not the way to think of weight loss as even though some people with strong enough willpower can get to their goal they often end up right back where they started in a few months or years because their diet was unhealthy and one of deprivation and they just unconsciously returned back to their old destructive eating habits because they mistakenly thought they were now free from being overweight.

Nope.

The only way you stay free is to make this a lifelong lifestyle change that you can live with from the start of your program by doing things right and not depriving yourself.
 
Awesome, thanks for your comments CrunkChipmunk!

I agree, it definitely is a lifestyle change. Growing up, I always struggled with my weight. My junior year of highschool I got on the Atkins diet and got down to 165 - which was almost too skinny for me - plus I wasn't excercising so I was lanky... (oh, what I would give to be called "lanky" again!!!)

Anyways, now that I'm done with college and working at a desk job, I've gradually gained back all of my weight.

The "willpower" that I'm having to maintain is mostly because of my environment. I'm a software engineer, so my co-workers LOVE to go out to lunch, have beer, greesy food, etc. It seems to come with the profession, unfortunately. Finding the willpower to eat healthy while everyone else has fried / greesy food is tough for me.
 
Another successful day in the books, and the motivation train is still chuggin' along! :)

I'm a little sore this morning from my workout last night, but it makes me feel good. I just started 3 days ago, and already I feel so much better. I don't feel so bloated and sluggish.

I'm going to lunch with some co-workers today, but I'm going to get a chicken breast and veggies. Hurray, willpower! :D
 
I was good at lunch today. I went to lunch with co-workers, but I still had a chicken breast and veggies. It didn't look as appetizing as their meals, but it was good and I felt great afterwards.

Now its onto my next battle, dinner! :) I also don't really feel like going to the gym tonight, but I'm gonna force myself to make an appearance!

This is usually the turning point where I switch back to my ways, but I'm fighting it! WILLPOWER!

Wish me luck. :)
 
Well, I'm down 2 pounds this week! :)

I kinda surprised after the weekend I just had. Labor day weekend, plus my nephew's birthday party - so I essentially just ate all weekend. I had a huge lunch on Saturday, a huge dinner on Sunday, and fried chicken on Monday night... wow, I lose. :(

But, I'm back on the straight and narrow today!

Today my co-workers want to go to a hamburger joint for lunch, but I'm really hoping they have salads or a grilled chicken sandwich. Its all about making better choices, right?

My wife and I are planning on going to the gym after work, so rock on!
 
Thanks, maleficent and Tiffany23, for the support! I really appreciate it.

I watched The Biggest Loser last night, so that was great motivation - I can't wait for the new season!

Didn't make it to the gym last night and I had Panda Express for dinner. So, definitely gotta put last night in the lose column... But, tonight I WILL make it to the gym! Nights are definitely my problem. My breakfast and lunch is usually the same every day: Slimfast Shake for breakfast and a turkey sandwich with 100-calorie pudding for lunch. (Even when I'm not dieting!) So all I've gotta implement in a better night-time eating schedule and a few routine trips to the gym.

I can do this.
 
It might be helpful to grab pre-seasoned meat from the meat department. This always helps me. That way all I have to do is throw it in the oven and make a salad (or something else healthy to go with it). If you have small snacks that you can eat while you are waiting for something to cook that is helpful as well (so you are not starving when it is done!). I like having a serving of fat free cottage cheese while I wait (one of my fav's).
 
Welp, I'm at it again! :ack2:

Over this past year, I've tried countless times to get back on that horse and lose weight. After watching the Biggest Loser last night, its time once again to try.

Its gotten to the point where I'm no longer happy looking in the mirror. My face is pudgy, my gut sticks out, and its getting to the point where my shirts don't fit that well anymore. :(

I'm back up to 225, which is where I've been hovering for the past few months. I'm going to the gym today after work.

My mini goal is to be 210 by January 16th - as a birthday present to myself.

Wish me luck! I'll keep ya posted.
 
I'm still hangin' in there. :)

This past weekend, I did well. Not great, but well. I decided that I needed something to keep me in check EVERY DAY, not just a weekly weigh-in. I created a spreadsheet and each day I rate myself (Pass, Fail) on Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, then I mark whether or not I worked out, my total calories in, and an overall Grade for the day.

For example:

Date: 12/6/2007
Breakfast: Pass
Lunch: Pass
Dinner: Pass
Calories In: 1553
Worked out: Yes
Overall: A

Date: 12/7/2007
Breakfast: Pass
Lunch: Pass
Dinner: Fail
Calories In: 2389
Worked Out: No
Overall: D

As you can see, Friday night didn't go so well. :p So far this is helping and I've got plenty of motivation.

Tomorrow is my first weigh-in, and I'm going to the gym tonight. Can't "weight" til tomorrow! :D
 
In the spirit of The Biggest Loser, last night was my "Last Chance Workout." Because today was my weigh-in day. I had a really good workout. Ya know those workouts where you know you did just the right amount? You feel that you got enough accomplished, but didn't over do it to the point of puking. ;) After that, my wife cooked marinated chicken breast and wild rice, so everything went perfect!

So, this morning I weighed in, and...


:: Drum Roll ::


Holy crap, I lost 6 pounds this week! :D I'm definitely feeling good about hitting 210 before January 16th. (My birthday is the 14th, so this is a birthday present to myself.)

Stats for yesterday:
Date: 12/10/2007
Breakfast: Pass
Lunch: Pass
Dinner: Pass
Calories In: 1435
Worked Out: Yes
Overall: A
 
Last edited:
Last night was my cheat night, since I weighed in yesterday morning. I was craving Wingstop, so I figured last night I needed to get it out of my system. (oh my god, what do they put in those fries?!? They're amazing!)

Anyways, I had to sneak in some Christmas shopping after work, so I didn't make it to the gym, and because of my cheat night splurge, I gave myself a D for the day. A little more portion control would have probably bumped that to a C, but oh well. I'm headed to the gym tonight!

Date: 12/11/2007
Breakfast: Pass
Lunch: Pass
Dinner: Fail
Calories In: 2292
Worked Out: No
Overall: D
 
My motivation is still high, and I'm feeling good these days. :)

Yesterday I went to a BBQ place with some co-workers. Although I was ridiculed for my choices, I enjoyed my turkey sandwich and salad - while they ate fried onion rings, sausage, and potato salad.

Plus, I went to the gym after work. I'm going to have a busy weekend, so I knew I'm probably not going to make it to the gym until Sunday or Monday.

Last night *slightly* cheated by having 2 glasses of red wine, but according to FitDay, thats only like 150 calories. So I didn't do as much damage as I thought. :p

Date: 12/13/2007
Breakfast: Pass
Lunch: Pass
Dinner: Pass
Calories In: 1572
Worked Out: Yes
Overall: A
 
Last night *slightly* cheated by having 2 glasses of red wine, but according to FitDay, thats only like 150 calories. So I didn't do as much damage as I thought.
Click to expand...
its not a cheat if you stay within your calories... two glasses of wine never hurt anyone but you might want to double check the calories... 3 ounces is usually one glass -and it's rare you will find a red wine glass that's 3 ounces... :)

Just make sure you are aware of quantities...

but red wine is good for the heart so enjoy :)
 
I'm down another 2 pounds this week! :D

Because of the holidays, I didn't get to have my "last chance workout" last night, but I worked out on Sunday, so that helped. Tonight's cheat night, and I gotta say, I'm ready for it. I'm still going to focus on portion control, but last night I was DYING for anything that involved grease. :p

Not sure how this next week is going to go, because I still have plenty of shopping to do, and the only time I can do that is after work -- which is usually when I work out.

But! I can still eat right, so enough with the excuses!
 
Whew, yesterday was definitely cheat day for me. I had my usual Slim Fast shake for breakfast, and a Smart One's tv-dinner for lunch, but someone brought me chocolates as a Christmas gift, and of course, I had a couple. Then we had a baby shower for a co-worker and I had a small piece of cake... Then I had Wendy's double cheeseburger and a small fry for dinner. And, after that, a few cocktails. Woo, what a day! :( Needless to say, yesterday I earned a big fat F.

Date: 12/18/2007
Breakfast: Fail
Lunch: Fail
Dinner: Fail
Calories In: 2205
Worked Out: No
Overal: F

So, I'm glad I got that out of my system, and today I'm back to my healthy routine. Some co-workers wanted to go to Taco Bueno for lunch, but I convinced them to go to McDonalds. There I was at least able to get a grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo. (but its still LOADED with sodium, holy crap 1190mg!)

Tonight I'll either be walking the mall doing Christmas shopping or going to the gym, so I'm going to get some exercise either way.

P.S. I watched the Biggest Loser finale last night. The twins won it! I still would have liked to see a female winner - so close! Seeing Neil, Jez, and Kae was a HUGE inspiration.

The Biggest Loser is really helping me with my motivation, so I was a little nervous about the season ending. But, the new season starts January 1st! woo hoo!
 
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