FanGurL's Diary

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FaNgUrL

New member
Hi everyone!

So back in June I decided to diet but I didn't stick with it. On June 14 2009 I weighed 304lbs and I am 5'7". Even though it didn't last, on Oct 12 2009 I weighed in at 286lbs. I had lost weight without realizing, but I think of where I could be now if I actually stuck to my diet.

I joined this forum in June also, and it wasn't until coming back here and taking a second look at all the success so many have had with weightloss that I realized I can do this.

I have always been bigger, but not as big as I am now. In high school, I was a size 10/12 180lbs and was totally fine with that. I played 3 sports and was physically fit even though I was bigger. (I carried my weight very well).
I hope to get back to that weight and beyond.

As of 10/12/09 (at 286lbs) I began to diet and exercise again. I know it has only been a week and a day, but this morning 10/20/09 I weighed in at 281lbs! I was so excited. That's 5lbs. I know I have a long road to go, but it feels good to have dropped weight already. I'll post before and after pics once per month or once every two months and weight in weekly.

I hope my journey is successful.
 
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Congratulations on the good start!

You can do this. Just stay the course and remember that you aren't going on a diet - you are developing a new, healthy lifestyle.
 
5 pounds is a brilliant start :party:

Feel really proud of that achievement - the feeling of pride should help you on to further success.

Just believe that you can do it - and you can make it happen. Hard work is all it takes and you can do that.

Take care
Margaret...
 
Cord the Seeker said:
Congratulations on the good start!

You can do this. Just stay the course and remember that you aren't going on a diet - you are developing a new, healthy lifestyle.
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You know you're right. I shouldn't think of this as a diet because it is a lifestyle change. Hopefully I can stick on this road to, not only slimming down, but becoming healthy.

I have actually seen the progress you have made and it is amazing! I can definitely tell the difference in your body. You keep up your good work. Thats what keeps those like me just starting out hope.
 
Omega said:
5 pounds is a brilliant start :party:

Feel really proud of that achievement - the feeling of pride should help you on to further success.

Just believe that you can do it - and you can make it happen. Hard work is all it takes and you can do that.

Take care
Margaret...
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Thanks again Margaret for your encouraging words. And trust me, I was really proud, I was basically dancing when I got on the scale. I'm not going to slow down. I'm going to lose and maintain (thats me being positive...lol). And at least I have your diary to know what to expect. It is so well documented. I didn't get through it all yet, but I'm working on it.
 
FaNgUrL said:
Thanks again Margaret for your encouraging words. And trust me, I was really proud, I was basically dancing when I got on the scale. I'm not going to slow down. I'm going to lose and maintain (thats me being positive...lol). And at least I have your diary to know what to expect. It is so well documented. I didn't get through it all yet, but I'm working on it.
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I know so well how you can be dancing on the scales. LOL - You should have seen me when I got to goal... I did it at my Slimming World group and I was in tears and my SW leader (who has lost 120 pounds herself and isnt at goal yet - but understands) was in tears too.

We have to hold on to these magic moments because they make the next chunk of hard work possible. It gives us the strength to keep on. It is hard work - but we can do it...

And yes - the work doesnt stop when you get to goal. So maintenance takes work too.

But on the positive side - we can develop good habits so that much of the work is done automatically. Every night I fill my little water bottles up with a day's worth of water and put them in the fridge. Each day I plough my way through the water drinking. The work gets to be more automatic.

Much of what we eat is out of habit. The majority of us eat exactly the same thing for breakfast virtually every day. Make it a healthy something - and then you are having a healthy breakfast every day. One of your main meals is sorted out...

Things that you have to think about at first get done without really trying.
 
My diet is going well. Today I went for a walk and jogged as much as can during it. I really tried to push myself. I also did this cardio/strength video. I did an hour video today (usually I only do 30 minutes). I was really tough but I made it through it. I felt really proud that I did. I was sweating up a storm. lol.

And Margaret I know what you mean about magical moments. I was just as happy making it through the whole workout video without stopping as I did when I found that I lost 5 lbs! And the point about eating habits has already began to show. I have eaten I banana and a yogurt every mourning for breakfast for the last 5 days. I have more options, but that's what I usually pick up.

FOOD & CALORIES
Today I had a banana, yogurt, carrots, some salad, a sandwich w/ veggies, and a slice of pizza for dinner w/ veggies. I also had tons of water. I was well under my calories. I have 1254 calories today and my goal is 2000 but I find it hard to eat that many.

I know some say pizza is a "no no" but I'll count it toward my cheat day since this is absolutely the first time I have eaten anything "bad". But since this is a lifestyle change, I feel learning to eat in moderation is better. So I had a slice with salad and didn't go overboard. That's fine, right?

Well back to my calorie intake. I have only reached my goal calories once. The other days have ranged from 1200-1600. (I write down absolutely everything and if I'm not sure I overcompensate) I am scared my progress will slow down because I don't eat enough for my weight. I was told that it could happen and that 2000 calories was my minimum. Any advice?

I still have to get protein mix so that will add to my daily calorie intake. I currently just buy a pre-made shakes every other day.

Well this is the second day of week two and I'm soooo surprised how well I have controlled myself. I have not given in or wanted to give in to temptation because I see soda, candy, and eating a lot as evil and its going to make me gain one of those pounds back...lol.
 
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I have a few thoughts for you:

I was well under my calories. I have 1254 calories today and my goal is 2000 but I find it hard to eat that many.
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If you don't eat enough calories you will stall out your weight loss by slowing your metabolism too fast. When that happens, you won't have anywhere to go because you'll already have lowered your calories to the bare minimum you can have and still be healthy. Which brings me to this:

I know some say pizza is a "no no" but I'll count it toward my cheat day since this is absolutely the first time I have eaten anything "bad".
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Tell my why pizza is "bad"? Why is it a "cheat" food?

I ask the question to make you really THINK about this "lifestyle change". If you're having a hard time meeting your calories already, and you are choosing a healthy pizza (one with veggies), then why is it "bad" to eat pizza? Why does it count as a "cheat"? Did your pizza put you over on your calories? Did it add too much fat to your diet? Did it raise your carbs too high? If none of those things happened, then why is it bad?

Here's my point: We seem to develop this mindset that a certain food is "bad" - inherently evil and bad and wrong. And we obsess and structure our diets around those thoughts and consider that we've "cheated" or "failed". But 90% of the time the food that we have imbued with all these "evil" characteristics is NOT evil. Food is not inherently evil. It's how we USE food that is bad. There are a handful of things that I would classify as bad inherently - simply because they have no nutritional value. Things like potato chips, candy, etc. ... those are what I consider treat/cheat foods. But pizza? Hamburgers? Even ice cream? Those are not evil foods if they are consumed reasonably and in moderation.

And if you can make your own pizza and hamburgers, not only are they not evil, they can actually be GOOD for you.

I think you probably would have been better off having 2 pieces of pizza and raising your calories a bit for the day, than branding it "bad" and a cheat and eating 700 calories too little.

I'll be honest, this is a BIG pet peeve of mine. :) FOOD IS NOT BAD. What we do with food can be unhealthy, but food is not inherently bad, so try to start trying to change your mindset about that.

Now having said that, if a food is a trigger food for you, then by all means avoid it and think of it as evil and bad. :) Some people simply cannot eat one piece of pizza - for them, they'll eat the whole pizza w/out even realizing it. Some people cannot eat one piece of cheese - before they know it the whole package is gone. Some people cannot eat just 5 wheat crackers - they'll eat the whole box unconsciously. For those people, avoiding those trigger foods completely is a good idea - at least until they've developed an ability to eat them in moderation. But even then, those foods aren't BAD ... it's just a food that can't be a part of a healthy diet for that one person.

Ok, lecture over. :)

Just really think about why you are considering a food "bad" or "cheat". Really look at the nutritional value of that food and how it fits into your plan. I think you'll be surprised and it might give you a new point of view about your new lifestyle.
 
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PS - Even though I lectured a bit, 5lbs is a great start. Kudos to you! I didn't want you to think I was ignoring your progress! :)
 
Kara,
Your right, I shouldn't categorize food like that. It was within my range, so I ate it. I also paired it with salad and a bottle of water.

Thanks for setting me straight. I always say this is a lifestyle change, but then I still categorize food in my mind. Its a habit I need to break. This situations tells me that even though I've began to eat right, that doesn't mean that I've got it down yet. Thank God I have people like you here to help me. lol. Your theory sounds a lot better then mine.

Thanks a lot for the congratulations and the lecture, I like when people are honest. I take anything constructive, no matter if its criticism or encouragement as long as it helps.
 
Another good day for dieting. I went grocery shopping. I got fruit, vegetables, peanut butter, and some lunch meat. I was thinking of a way to add more calories to my diet, since I have been under, and thought peanut butter was a good idea. Is peanut butter something I should eat everyday? I read something about it being "good fat" or something like that. Well, it won't put me over in any category (meaning fat, carbs, cals) and I love it so I figure its okay.

I didn't exercise today yet. After dinner, I think I'm going to go on a 30 minute fast paced walk. When I come home I will probably lift some small weights. I usually do low weight high reps. (Plus, thats all I have for now)

I will be starting a new job soon so hopefully I will be joining a gym. My weight loss is going fine so far but I think going to a gym will take it to the next level. I'm a little nervous at the thought of that since most people I have seen at the gym I want to go to are mostly thin.

Curves is another gym I'm looking into. They have the little card that has your information stored in it to let you know if your working hard enough. I have heard mixed reviews about curves. What are some of you guys' opinion?

Hopefully the end of this week can be as good as the last. I'm not counting on 5 pounds every week, but a girl can hope.
 
I love peanut butter. It's a good source of healthy fats and a moderate amount of protein. When I'm low on calories I'll have a serving of pb on apple slices or even just off the spoon! :)

As far as Curves, I think they're ... ok. They're good for people who are just starting out, or for women who "scared" of a full gym or exercising in front of men. I joined one for a month and found it wasn't for me.

Once you reach a certain level of strength and proficiency, the machines and the routine do nothing for you. The machines are (or were when I was there) designed to respond to your level of effort, which is counterproductive if you're looking to work your muscles and maintain muscle/build strength. When you get to the "failure" point on the curves machines, they reduce the stress, so you can complete your set. But the point of lifting weights (or using machines) is to push yourself - if you drop the weight/resistance, then you're not pushing your muscle to it's limit.

Anyway ... I sort of digressed. Like I said, as a starter gym for women it's not bad. If you're in any way serious about working out, you'll get frustrated with it quickly.
 
My official weight loss this week was 3 pounds. Yay. That's 8 pounds in two weeks. I'm soo happy. I didn't exercise as much as the first week. I had a rest day and did 30+ on the other 6 but I didn't have a chance to work out twice a day because I was sooo busy. I usually like to get about an hour in.

Anyway, I got a jump rope last night. It a really nice one with weights in the handle. Actually my girlfriend got it for me. She knew I had been talking about that so she got it, I thought that was a nice gesture. She is very supportive.

My eating has been going very well also. I just forget to take snakes with me when I know I'm going to be out for a long time. So twice this week I got fast food. I got grilled chicken no mayo from bk for dinner on day and chilli from wendy's another day for a snack. I thought they were the best choices on both menus. I don't think there's anything wrong with them, I just prefer to eat at home because I know exactly what I use and how I cook it.

Well, I have to go, but week three here I come. My official weight loss this week was 3 pounds. Yay. That's 8 pounds in two weeks. I'm soo happy. My goal for this week is 4 pounds. I didn't exercise as much as the first week. I had a rest day and did 30+ on the other 6 but I didn't have a chance to work out twice a day because I was sooo busy. I usually like to get about an hour in.

Anyway, I got a jump rope last night. It a really nice one with weights in the handle. Actually my girlfriend got it for me. She knew I had been talking about that so she got it, I thought that was a nice gesture. She is very supportive.

My eating has been going very well also. I just forget to take snakes with me when I know I'm going to be out for a long time. So twice this week I got fast food. I got grilled chicken no mayo from bk for dinner on day and chilli from wendy's another day for a snack. I thought they were the best choices on both menus. I don't think there's anything wrong with them, I just prefer to eat at home because I know exactly what I use and how I cook it.

Well, I have to go, but week three here I come. My goal for this week is 4lbs. Hopefully I hit it.
 
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