Hi everyone!

BrusselsSprout

BrusselsSprout

New member
Hi everyone, :)

I joined this forum for some support from others and to help with anything I might know. I am currently begining a training program to lose my first goal of 10 pounds. In high school my 5'3 frame hit 165 pounds and during college I lost a lot of weight (but was a bit of an excercise obsessive) to reach 115. I did not eat well enough and was not doing enough muscular training etc...So I am trying to do it correctly this time around.

After a breakup and moving in with a new boyfriend (we are talking about 4-5 years time) I weighed myself and realized that I had hit 145. I got a bit depressed so decided to hire a trainer and cut back on calories etc... I lost 10pounds in about 6 months. I am not with a trainer anymore because I moved and prefer to work out on my own. I now weigh about 132. I would like to weigh 120 by the summer. I have a friend's wedding to attend and am wearing a fabulous dress color, so would like to look great. :p

Now, the reason I joined is because I took up running recently (about a month and a half ago) and I am begining to gain weight! I think this might be normal because I am gaining muscle but three weeks ago I weighed 127 and now that I into my running flow, meaning that I do not get tired and am refreshed instead of exhausted, I gained 5 pounds that will not budge. :(

My workout routine is 6 days a week for a minimum of one hour a day. I run (trail running) for 45 minutes 3-4 times a week, sometimes followed by an easy stretch related yoga video OR abs and arms work and stretching. I swim for 45 minutes once a week with my boyfriend, followed by stretching and abs. Then I have about 4 videos that I choose from for the other 2-3 days (Pilates and Yoga videos) in order to rest in between running days.

My eating habits are the same as I had before:

Breakfast : 1 cup All Bran flakes with skim milk (I find that they taste better than special K, have more fiber and less calories - I eat the ones that have a slight honey flavor - way better than the slightly srtificial Special K flavor! Also they have one flavor with fruit and nuts, which is higher in calories that Special K, but not so much and tastes great! It feels like having a treat for breakfast.) - Breakfast for me is important so I cannot cut back on the servings here. I am famished in the morning because I go running before breakfast.

Lunch: 50 percent of my plate is vegetables or salad, small portion of meat, fish or chicken, fist size serving of pasta or rice (maybe I need to cut that out?)

Dinner: Usually at a restaurant and rich food...I think this is my problem. I usually only order fish or chicken dishes. I haveno sweet tooth so almost never have dessert, but am somtimes stuck having to order if the whole table does - usually I will have a fruit salad, or something fruit related - no sweet stuff or creams. I hate sweets. When I eat at home it is always soup and vegetables with a yogurt (three times a week maybe).

I snack on a fruit once a day, usually around 4pm.

Ok, so I think I have talked waaaay too much for a first post :p . I would love to hear any advice, especially in regards to running and diet. I am an AWFUL calorie counter, so tips on doing that would be great. I am a good fitness person but have problems controlling my daily caloric intake, especially because I am required to go out to retaurants pretty often. Maybe I should eat really small lunches? Any thoughts, anyone?

I am happy to join your community and look forward to giving and recieving support! If we all stick together, we can achieve whatever we desire!

:)
 
Brusselsprout I am loving your name! ha ha

I too am trying to start running, right now I'm a brisk walker which is a major step up for me from my couch potatoness.

As for the calorie counting there are two programs free online that others here have recommended to me. Fitday & Sparkpeople.com I have found that personally Sparkpeople has helped me realize & cut down on what I was eating.

Good luck with your goal & glad you are here.
 
Welcome. I think it's good to snack on healthy foods, like fruit. It is a way to get filled up so you don't overeat during regular meals. That way you feel full with eating less. You might even try having another healthy snack between breakfast and lunch. That way you can eat smaller lunches.

I also like your idea of varying your workouts. That in the long run will keep you interested and prevent you from getting bored. That is the key to a sustained lifestyle change that lasts a lifetime.

Keep up the good work!
 
Hi guys!

Thanks for the quick replies! I feel like working out right now...lol.

Moongoddess, I will try the site that you reccomended. I really have nio idea how to count calories.

If I can offer some advice on the walking (or any type of annoying excercise)...Take music! My first MP3 player is what made me like working out. I look at working out as "me time" with a soundtrack! I make a playlist with only songs that make me feel good and in a sexy dance sort of mood and it makes you work more because your head is in the music and moving comes naturally. Also, if you like television, I download tons of stand up comics and books and put them on my ipod, then you can listen to a book or comedy while you walk.

Glad you liked my name :)

Ahack, welcome...you're new like me! I am glad to already have people replying. Thanks!

;)
 
Well there are a few things in play here. The first issue is that you have lost weight so it takes less calories to move your lighter body than it did before so to lose weight you have to increase your calorie debt. Take an inventory of what you might be eating that could be a large source of calories, alcoholic drinks are one such thing that is often overlooked, and see what you can cut out. Be aware that the general absolute minimum caloric intake for a healthy to slightly overweight woman is around 1200 calories.

Your eating habits have a few bumps, I'd recommend a mid morning snack like a piece of fruit or some carrot sticks, etc. I'd start home cooking dinners as you have better control over portion size and the ability to use reduced fat ingredients. Also if you have to eat out and others order dessert, try ordering unsweetened hot tea (its calorie free) so your company won't feel so awkward. Carbs are fine as long as you're eating whole grain rice or pasta, they're full of nutrients and fiber.

I would start some weight training as well because this preserves your muscle tissue from being broken down along with fat during a diet, and an increase in muscle mass will keep your overall metabolism up.

Also are you consistently weighing yourself at the same time of day, in the same outfit, or on the same scale? There can be a fluctuation of quite a few pounds with these variations. Try weighing yourself once a week in the morning in the buff before your shower and you can get a better sense of what you actually weigh. Also don't take weight as an absolute guide of health, if you can fit in slimmer clothes and the scale says 132 then don't stress over it, many people say measuring their waistline is a better ego-boosting practice.
 
BrusselsSprout said:
Hi guys!
If I can offer some advice on the walking (or any type of annoying excercise)...Take music! My first MP3 player is what made me like working out. I look at working out as "me time" with a soundtrack! I make a playlist with only songs that make me feel good and in a sexy dance sort of mood and it makes you work more because your head is in the music and moving comes naturally. Also, if you like television, I download tons of stand up comics and books and put them on my ipod, then you can listen to a book or comedy while you walk.
;)
Click to expand...

I don't know how I would have ever even gotten this far without iTunes & my iPod! It was a valentine's day gift to myself last year & worth every penny. There are some really great podcast out there too that are free. I am signed up to run the half-marathon at Disney next January & find that listening to podcast about Walt Disney World also motivates me, mixed with some high energy music too!

thanks for the advice. have to add in some comedy, hey laughter is great exercise too right? ha ha
 
Ipod World!

MoonGoddess said:
I don't know how I would have ever even gotten this far without iTunes & my iPod! It was a valentine's day gift to myself last year & worth every penny. There are some really great podcast out there too that are free. I am signed up to run the half-marathon at Disney next January & find that listening to podcast about Walt Disney World also motivates me, mixed with some high energy music too!

thanks for the advice. have to add in some comedy, hey laughter is great exercise too right? ha ha
Click to expand...

Comedy is great for activities like walking and bike training. Try it. Other than looking like a crazy woman for laughing out loud at the gym I find that I work out with a huge smile plastered on my face.

That is a fabulous Valentine's day gift!

:)
 
Welcome aboard!! I think you will find that many members here have had the problems of gaining weight despite heavy workout and dieting. From what I have seen, increasing your caloric intake slowly over a few weeks, and then dropping it back down helps.

Good Luck on your journey.
 
KissMyHuman said:
Well there are a few things in play here. The first issue is that you have lost weight so it takes less calories to move your lighter body than it did before so to lose weight you have to increase your calorie debt. Take an inventory of what you might be eating that could be a large source of calories, alcoholic drinks are one such thing that is often overlooked, and see what you can cut out. Be aware that the general absolute minimum caloric intake for a healthy to slightly overweight woman is around 1200 calories.

Your eating habits have a few bumps, I'd recommend a mid morning snack like a piece of fruit or some carrot sticks, etc. I'd start home cooking dinners as you have better control over portion size and the ability to use reduced fat ingredients. Also if you have to eat out and others order dessert, try ordering unsweetened hot tea (its calorie free) so your company won't feel so awkward. Carbs are fine as long as you're eating whole grain rice or pasta, they're full of nutrients and fiber.

I would start some weight training as well because this preserves your muscle tissue from being broken down along with fat during a diet, and an increase in muscle mass will keep your overall metabolism up.

Also are you consistently weighing yourself at the same time of day, in the same outfit, or on the same scale? There can be a fluctuation of quite a few pounds with these variations. Try weighing yourself once a week in the morning in the buff before your shower and you can get a better sense of what you actually weigh. Also don't take weight as an absolute guide of health, if you can fit in slimmer clothes and the scale says 132 then don't stress over it, many people say measuring their waistline is a better ego-boosting practice.
Click to expand...

Hi!

I will try to get in a snack mid breakfast and lunch. I guess I do have large lunches and can cut back on the carbs if I eat some fruit in between. I will try that and post how it goes in about a week :). As for weighing myself, it as always first thing in the morning before I run with no clothes on, so I getting my weight pretty accurately. As for cooking at home, I would love to but it is hard for me as my boyfriend and I are constantly invited out or inviting people out for work related dinners. My boyfriend is French, so the general way of eating is that you follow dinner with an esspresso. My ordering hot tea during the dessert might work because I have recently quit coffee, so I can slowly drink tea throughout the dessert and coffee :). I am just going to refuse dessert from this point forward. I never want it anyway. I will just make up for it with charming conversation :) Thanks for the advice.
 
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