Hey everyone

WVUwhat

New member
O.K. this may be long and I apologize.

I am currently at the end of my Junior year at W.V.U. I am a smoker, I drink socially, I am a diabetic. 3 very bad combinations.

I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 12 (severe family history). I was always a bigger kid. I took control of my life and by the time I graduated high school I was 6'1" - 200. I was happy with that. My diabetes was under control, I was a great golfer and had many scholarship offers. Because I was playing so much tournament golf I was getting a good 10-15 miles a week walking with a 30 pound bag on my back. Things were good.

Freshman year of college was probably one of the worst times of my life. I had gained 10 pounds over the summer and having to have a student meal plan of terrible (tasting and nutritional) food it all caught up with me. I did meet a wonderful girl though. Living in the dorms I was motivated by the 200 or so people I was surrounded by all the time. I was going to our student rec center, I was playing basketball, I was going on trips. My diabetes was under control. Then, it happened...

I went out one night when my buddy on the football team got back from an away game at South Florida. We went out to eat at 4AM in the morning to celebrate the win. I came home and realized that I was going to be sick. I had gotten food poisoning...terrible stuff. Anyway, I was vomiting for 2 days straight. In the course of those two days and being basically bedridden my diabetes spiraled out of control. I went into KetoAcidosis (sp?). My blood sugar went up to 800 and was minutes away from death had my good friends not taken my keys, thrown me in the car, and driven me to the hospital.

I spent a 2 weeks in the hospital and came out weighing back at my original 200 straight out of high school.

The next semester I realized how close I was to death. Made a commitment to my girlfriend that it would never happen again and that I would take care of myself better and she would do the same. Well, 4 months after getting out of the hospital I was up to 240. I thought it would stop and kept it at 240 and got down to 230 over the summer.

The next fall (sophomore year) I moved in with 3 of my friends into a nice apartment. I was 230 coming in and wanted to get back down to 200. My diabetes was under control (actually it always has been, sans the one episode with food poisoning). This semester was very trying, very hard classes (I was attempting to get into finance). Nutrition and exercise took a backseat as well as golf. I was hovering around 235 the whole first semester. By the end of the year I was 255... I didn't get into my major, changed over to communications, and thought things would get easier. They didn't.

I decided this past year I was going to change. I hated looking in the mirror and seeing myself looking the way I did. I had fallen into the dreaded getting to comfortable with my girlfriend syndrome. I moved in with one of my other friends into a nicer apartment with a nicer gym. I had gotten a dog (golden retriever over this past summer...Brady). I figured things would end up better. Well, things started to fall apart with my girlfriend and I found myself worrying more about that than my well-being.

Over the past few months I have fallen into a downward spiral. I got rear-ended at a stoplight at 50MPH. I find myself ordering delivery food all the time (it isn't helpful that there are 50+ places that deliver to my address). My only hope was a new Kroger opening a mile from my house. My girlfriend and I broke up. I stepped on the scale and was astounded at what it said 275.

So here I am at 3:46 in the morning. I have my dog. My girlfriend and I are starting to talk and rekindle things a little bit. It's been a very trying 3 years, but I'm ready to take this and make it a positive.

I've always got my dog. I take him out a few times a day. As the mornings get nicer I find myself taking my iPhone out with me and walking around for a mile or so. I'm ready to quit smoking (after 5 years). I want to take control of my life. I want to lose 50 pounds. I really want to lose 100, but small steps...

I am glad I stumbled upon this website and it looks like it will be VERY helpful. I am going to set up a fitness plan with at least 3 days in the gym at 30mins-1hour. I am going to cut down on the diet cokes, which I have an unnatural obsession for. I am going to fill in those missing diet cokes with water. I have stopped getting fast food (I was going to Wendys 2+ times a week).

Where I am right now, I just need to get something and stick to it. I have a very addictive personality and I know if I get to a gym enough it'll just become habit. I need to make better food choices and will supplement my low blood sugars (if I get them) with orange juice and not sweets.

See it was long...I told you so. Thanks for reading and any encouragement I can get would be extremely helpful.
 
WOW...I hope this doesn't sounds selfish, but I saw SO much of myself in your post!! My situation is a bit different as I am not a diabetic, but I too went to WVU and SOOO understand the lifestyle there and went through a very similar situation on the weight gain, loss yo yo...

I don't want to post my life history on the board, but if you want to chat, PM me or give me an alternative way to reach you...
 
WOW...I hope this doesn't sounds selfish, but I saw SO much of myself in your post!! My situation is a bit different as I am not a diabetic, but I too went to WVU and SOOO understand the lifestyle there and went through a very similar situation on the weight gain, loss yo yo...

I don't want to post my life history on the board, but if you want to chat, PM me or give me an alternative way to reach you...

Yes, the lifestyle here is ridiculous. I need to get out of here this summer, get away from classes and bar scene, get back to work for a little while and hopefully train myself enough to come back for my last year in the Fall with good habits. There's a 5 post minimum as well as a 5 day minimum to use PM's, but I'll shoot you one when that is up. Thanks.
 
Yes, the lifestyle here is ridiculous. I need to get out of here this summer, get away from classes and bar scene, get back to work for a little while and hopefully train myself enough to come back for my last year in the Fall with good habits. There's a 5 post minimum as well as a 5 day minimum to use PM's, but I'll shoot you one when that is up. Thanks.

Ha! That is why I couldn't PM you...

I will keep my eyes open for us to get to 5 :)
 
Welcome WVUwhat,
Congrats on you setting your mind up for change. You have come to a great place of support. I also understand about the social drinking. I have allot of friends my husband and I get together with on the weekends and we play cards and drink. I myself don't eat badly it was the drinking that was stopping me from losing weight. I would have a beer or two at night and now I limit my drinking to one night. And soon it wont be at all.

It is important that you keep your eye on the prize. I also started really exercising and now do not feel right if I don't. It just becomes a way of life.
Good luck to you.
Tina:seeya:
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I haven't drank for 4 days, which is something to celebrate here at the number one party school. I've decided should I drink in the future it'll be Bacardi and Diet Coke if anything. Beer just doesn't do it for me anymore. I've picked up a bottle of red wine to drink every once in a while for the supposed health benefits that my Dr. even gave me the O.K. on.

I cut my calories back from 2400 a day to 1900 yesterday and it worked pretty good. Not as hungry as I thought. Hopefully, I'll be able to go lower in the future, but as I said...small steps...

Took a 3 mile walk with my dog up what should have been a mountain yesterday. He enjoyed it more than me, as always.

I actually ate breakfast today. Special K waffles with sugar free syrup. I never ate breakfast, partly because I was rushed to get to class on time before. Had my lunch a few minutes ago. Spinach wrap with oven roasted turkey breast and some low-fat vegetable cream cheese and brussel sprouts (yes, I'm fat and I like brussel sprouts...).

Like I said, I'm just trying to get into habit so that it'll transfer over to summer this year. Usually I have a hard time transitioning from college to home/work then back to college in the fall.

I really appreciate everyone posting to this thread, it gives me tons of hope. I was never really depressed about my weight. I was always the fat happy guy that was hanging around with beautiful girls and that isn't going to change, I'm just going to be the skinny happy guy that actually gets to take one of them home, instead of one of their not as pretty friends, LOL.

Again, keep things coming. Any help that you can offer, especially in the college life aspect of losing weight would be great.
 
Hey and welcome! You sure sound like you've been through a lot! College is certainly a difficult time for weight. Take a look around the forums, read the stickies and maybe start a diary as a way to keep track of your progress and get to know people.

Your calories may be a bit low, you don't want to under eat while trying to lose weight in a healthy way. Take a look at this site:

According to that, you should be taking in around 2400 (for light activity to lose weight) or 2800 for moderate activity. Don't cut yourself short of what your body needs. After all, you want to lose the weight and KEEP it off.
 
Hey and welcome! You sure sound like you've been through a lot! College is certainly a difficult time for weight. Take a look around the forums, read the stickies and maybe start a diary as a way to keep track of your progress and get to know people.

Your calories may be a bit low, you don't want to under eat while trying to lose weight in a healthy way. Take a look at this site:

According to that, you should be taking in around 2400 (for light activity to lose weight) or 2800 for moderate activity. Don't cut yourself short of what your body needs. After all, you want to lose the weight and KEEP it off.

Thanks for the site. Looks like you're right about my calorie intake. However, I have been eating around 2400-2500 most days and still maintain the ability to put on weight? I'm not too active, but I walk about 2 miles a day to and from class. I guess I'll bump it up to about 2200 and see where it goes from there. I just loaded up at the grocery store and looks like I should be able to reach 2200 fairly easily with the ability to get in all the nutrition I need. Thanks!
 
Not a problem. It's also about what types of things you eat as well. Plus, if your body is used to walking to and from classes that much, additional exercise will be needed (as when trying to lose weight in a healthy way anyway) to keep it off.
 
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