Grace and the Jelly

G

GrapeJelly

New member
I don't just want to lose weight. Losing weight is a part of a larger transformation that I am hoping to endure. I'm not even terribly overweight...I simply just want to be better. For my entire life I have been the "ill child". I'm not sure if it is my immune system or what, but I have a knack for getting sick. It has taken a toll on me mentally and I find myself not even 20 years old and I am just completely worn out.

After all of the years of doctor visits and frustrations I have given up on them. I want to take control of my body because I truly do believe that I have the capability to become that strong, healthy person that I've always desired to be.

I hope that it is okay to use this diary not only as a way to jot down the progress of my weight loss, but also my overall progress towards becoming completely healthy. I'm sure other people on here understand what I mean when I say that I just don't feel in control of my body or myself as a person anymore. And I suppose that it is my goal to just get that control back.

As of right now I'm not sure exactly how I want to go about changing my eating habits/workout habits. If anyone has any tips, I am willing to hear advice! I was thinking about baby steps. Replacing all of the cola I drink with water. Trying to cut out some sedentary activities and replace them with active ones. Join a gym. Go to the gym. Baby steps. I tend to be one of the people who justifies not doing necessary things a lot. I want to change that too.

Anyways, thanks for listening to my rambling babble! I am excited to be starting on this journey. Especially now that I've found a community that seems truly dedicated to their goals. Hopefully this can rub off on me. When I get a more solid plan I will post it here.

Thanks!

Grace
 
Just curious if you've ever been tested for food allergies?

Your idea of substituting pop for water is a great one.. I'd also work towards an additional step of replacing all processed type foods with whole foods.. it's not as difficult as some thing but it does take some time to get used to it..

And in keeping your food journal - you might also want to make note of how you feel after eating certain foods ...

baby steps are a great way to go - it takes 28 days to build a habit so you can replace a lot of less than ideal habits with good ones in a fairly short period of time...

Much success in your journey and have fun while you're here.
 
LOVE your journal title :D And hey it's your journal...you write whatever you want! I've seen people write about everything under the sun as well as using their journals to communicate and socialize with everyone in the forum.

And I was glad to read what Maleficent wrote. I strongly suspect I have a food allergy but I haven't narrowed it down yet. All I know is since changing my diet I feel great most the time until I add in some breads or pasta.

Anyway welcome to the forum and hope to see you around often. :seeya:
 
Actually, I have not been tested for food allergies. I am under the belief that my body is very sensitive to what I eat. I have suffered from debilitating migraines for many years and no medication or specialized treatment has ever worked...and I am past all of that. I've begun to notice certain foods trigger migraines more frequently. Even a lot of healthy foods I have to be careful of...such as citrus fruits and any type of bean. I'm not certain of the science of all of this, and maybe I'm just whacko but I have noticed in the past that small alterations have helped.

Of course...I'm not going to sit here and lie through my teeth and tell you that I always eat healthy. Most of the time the migraines are triggered by things like really greasy pizza or chocolate. Being a college student it is easy to find yourself adopting certain eating habits that just...aren't too great.

I've made the mistake before of trying to completely overhaul my diet overnight. But that just doesn't work for me. My subconscious needs some coaxing and prodding...some getting used to being a healthy mind in a healthy body before I can really make some progress.

But I'm willing to take the time. For me...I love food. Eating can be extremely enjoyable and I know that when I eat healthy and wise for my personal body I feel great. Hopefully I can lose around 20 pounds, but I mean I will know what weight is right for me when I get there. I don't plan on weighing myself for awhile. And I am actually sort of excited for the "journey". I can appreciate that it's going to take time. But to me that is so rewarding.

Sorry, I rambled again. :)
 
From what you described it really does sound like food allergies. I've got friends and family with them and migraines are also a symptom. Good thing is my stepdad thought he was allergic to some foods he loved and found out it was some of the fillers/other ingredients and was able to just watch labels on somethings. I'm no expert though, lol. I do know that feeling like crap is no fun so I hope you find what works for you.
 
GrapeJelly said:
I have suffered from debilitating migraines for many years and no medication or specialized treatment has ever worked...and I am past all of that. I've begun to notice certain foods trigger migraines more frequently. Even a lot of healthy foods I have to be careful of...such as citrus fruits and any type of bean.
Click to expand...

Has your doctor never given you a list of known migraine triggers? Citrus and beans are both on that list.
 
Hmmm I have never seen a list like that. My doctors were pretty much all concerned only about getting out that prescription pad and writing me a few. :) Something helpful like that would have bypassed their thought process completely. Thank you for that. I see a lot of red flags on there that I can watch for now.

Anyways, I've decided to keep track of what I'm putting into this body of mine. I will keep track throughout the day then report it here during the evening.

Another thing...and maybe this is one of my "baby steps". I refuse to ever call myself fat. For me, I don't necessarily think that I am fat, and I always feel very negative when I think too hard about it or examine myself too closely. This causes me to eat more usually. So, I do have some weight to lose. This might sound silly but I'm making my goal date Christmas. That is a little less than 6 months (!!!!! what?!) away. I believe that that is more than enough time to lose 20-30 pounds. Slow and steady wins the race, yes? :) I have a little vacation coming up in a week and a half or so, but after that...I've got nothing planned for awhile. So I don't have to stress about losing weight for a big event or anything. I get way too flustered.

I have some weird anxiety about going to the gym to join it. Once I'm a member I would be fine, but actually GOING there to join...(okay I'm a weirdo!)...I will make it eventually.

I do have some other goals though. I want to hopefully get a job waiting tables. I know that it pays better than a lot of jobs (I have two right now) and I want to save up to move out of my mother's house by second semester of this coming year. I just moved back home from school in a different state and have decided to go to the local university here rather than go back.

Also, I just have to take a moment to talk about someone really important. My boyfriend is the best person ever. In his eyes, I am perfect as I am. But he knows that this is more of a health thing than an outer appearance thing. Our 6 month anniversary is coming up and I have never been happier. Unfortunately he's one of those people with incredible metabolisms who can eat anything that he wants and not gain a pound. He actually gained some weight this past year and looks better than ever. Must be nice. :) Haha

But my goal for the day is to try and be very positive. Positive about my food choices, positive in my attitude (which sometimes is very hard at my job), and positive in my actions. No more negative Nancy pour moi.

I will not apologize for my rambling! :-D
 
Blah OK. So I went on vacation and got back a few days ago. I knew starting a diet right before taking a trip wouldn't work so I didn't even attempt. But now I am back and ready to do this right! After I finish typing this I am going to go to the gym and sign up for a membership and USE it. As I said before...the hardest part for me is initiative. Once I have started and something I am good about sticking to it.

It's not just in my head that I want to feel better though...my body is yearning to be back in shape. I can feel it. I apologize if I am a bit obsessive with my diary at first...it seems to be what I need though.

I am going to go get info on the gym membership and I will likely be back. :) Soon.
 
Well I got the membership sheets...haha. I didn't want to stay there and fill it out so I will either take it back later today or tomorrow after I work. It's silly but I am really excited for myself that I went and got it. It's a big step for me.

Also, I don't think I am going to tell my boyfriend about my new workout plan. I will just let him be pleasantly surprised by the results. He thinks that I'm perfect already but I know a bit of toning up wouldn't hurt.

I am beginning something really great and I cannot wait. I remember how much I used to love and look forward to working out. But after I got into the habit of not going to the gym I've just become lazy. That is going to change though. It is also reassuring to me that I have no big day a few months from now that I am pressuring myself to be fit for. It's just me and however much time I need to get into shape.

I am also looking to change my diet dramatically. I have been doing lots of reading and am going to start applying some small changes at first.

Sorry for my rambles!
 
Hey lady, was just reading through. I currently am having problems with headaches, but I've come to the conclusion they are stressed related. Anyway, I think you are on the right track with staying positive, its the sure fire way to becoming healthier!

Are you planning on getting a trainer at this gym? Or just wing it? I would suggest checking out the stickies on working out. It will give you a good base of where to start and how to start.

Also! You dont have to appologize for rambeling! I do it all the time in my diary and hey thats what its for so ramble on!!!

I look forward to reading about your progress!

Cheers,
MissD
 
Thanks MissD!

Well I went and turned the membership sheets in, got my card...and now I'm a member! Woohoo. So here are some of my new goals...

Nutrition:
I want to go down to about 1700 calories per day at first and see how I feel there. I'm not sure what my daily average is now, but I know I oftentimes feel extremely full to the point of discomfort after I eat. So I will start at 1700 calories and work from there.

Water! I need more of this stuff. So long diet soft drinks.

Gym:
I have to fit this around my work schedule which changes all of the time. (Time for a new, more consistent job!) I want to try to get the the gym 5 times/week for 1.5 hours each time. I will start there and see how I feel. Mostly I am going to be running but will explore a little bit when I go tomorrow. Sometime down the road (maybe 10 or 15 pounds from now) I want to start going in the morning to swim. I haven't been swimming in a lonnnng time but I hear it is a great all around workout. And maybe down the road take some classes at the center.

I am so excited about all of this. :) But I am going to try and not do too much at one time. Little by little.
 
OK. So I'm doing a bit of more definite goal-setting. I have about 6 weeks until school starts up again. That means I have 6 weeks to completely dedicate myself to making this transition. Starting tomorrow morning I am going to weigh-in. From there I am going to have a goal of losing 2 pounds/week with a grand total of 12 by the time school comes around. I will weigh myself every Monday morning.

I want this to be a very intense six weeks because I believe that it is something that my body really needs. A sort of shock. I know a lot of people might say that is a bad thing, but without throwing myself completely into it, I am not sure that I will stick to it.

As of right now my class load for the fall is somewhat light (12 credits) and I have classes two days a week. This was mainly to leave time for a job but now it is good that I will have time to work out as well.

Also...maybe someone else has experienced this...the act of doing things you dislike for no real reason. For me one of those things is drinking alcohol. It's not that I'm "peer pressured" into doing it, or even that I have something against it. I usually just drink because alcohol is there. Maybe it is this whole "college lifestyle" mentality that I am supposed to drink. Yet, I've never awakened the next morning genuinely happy that I drank the night before. In fact I usually end up contemplating how pointless it was. It doesn't get me to that "higher level" of mindfulness that I'm looking for...so with that said...I'm not going to drink anymore. Plus...those extra calories...wow-eeee.

I think that I might go do some yoga now :) I have a headache and it helps me relax.
 
You have a really great attitude about all of this! It's the little changes that you make that will all add up in the end! I have no doubt you will be successful, and I am looking forward to reading all about it! :)
 
Thanks daisee!

So this morning I had a pleasant surprise....I weighed myself thinking I'd be around 140 or so. Reluctantly, I got on the scale and prepared myself for the number. I was amazed when it read 133! I got on and off again just to make sure and even used another scale. It was a great way to start off my day and my 6 weeks.

:) But I do know however that it's not about the number. I do know that I am still completely unhealthy. Fitness and health are my priority although the weight loss is great too!

Today after work I am going to the gym for the first time in about 6 months. Last fall I was running 8 miles a day...today I will be lucky to be able to complete 1. Also, I know I mentioned this just before, but swimming. Does anyone else out there use this in their workout. I want to know how you feel about it. How do you think it benefits you?

Food Log

Breakfast:
Cereal (with no milk...we ran out!): 140 calories
Cranberry juice: 120 Calories

Lunch:
Chicken Caesar Salad: 650 Calories
Roll: 150 Calories

Dinner:
Chicken Breast Sandwich w/ green peppers/cucumbers/lite mayo: 350 Calories

I nibbled a bit on a brownie for dessert...oopsies. : 100 Calories

That puts me at 1510 Calories for the day. I'm pretty satisfied with that even though the brownie was a bit of a setback. Now it's time to go work it off at the gym. I'm going to try and do 1.5 hours at the gym and then a 50-minute yoga workout when I get home. Feeling good!


I am so excited to get into the gym today and start working my butt off. It is going to feel great, even if it's rough getting back into it. Here I go!
 
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So I just got back from my 1.5 hours at the gym! It's nice outside so I walked there and back about 15 minutes each way. I can't tell you how much I loved it. It is the perfect place for me. I can't wait to go back there tomorrow. I love that it opens so early in the morning, I can definitely see myself going in at 5:30 or 6 eventually for an early morning workout. I've always fancied being one of those early bird types!

I did the treadmill and the elliptical today and then some ab work with the exercise ball. A bit later I plan to do a 50 minute yoga workout. I have a really beat up body. I was a dancer/gymnast for a long time and it really did a number on me. I'm always achy and what not but I always feel 300% after I do some yoga. It is definitely something I want to integrate in my daily routine. It's too good not to do it.

Everything is going great on my first day. My spirits are high and I'm just really excited.
 
DAY 2

I'm still on this transformation high. I think one of the coolest things is how my perspective changes once I'm on this road of transformation and have begun to workout and eat better. I look at my body in the mirror today and it seems like a different body. While it's highly unlikely that my body actually did transform overnight, after one day...I feel better about it. I like looking at it.

Also, I'm sort of curious/excited to see how long it will take my boyfriend to notice. I want to see how different it is from when I start to really notice and from when he does.

Yesterday I got two friends to consider joining the gym that I just joined! I told them how nice it was and they had me go take them on a tour. They both left with membership information.

The place where I go offers some free classes to its members. They have a cycling class and I think that I'm going to sign up for the Thursday morning one.

FOOD

Breakfast
Light Yogurt: 100 Calories

Lunch
Boneless Chicken Breast: 220 Calories
Serving of pineapple: 80 Calories
Serving of cherries: 80 Calories
Serving of blueberries: 80 Calories

Dinner
 
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