I'm New Here... Never Thought I'd Be Here...

MissErin

MissErin

New member
So, I am new to this forum...

I guess I'm just looking for ideas, support, and people who are doing the same thing I am that could maybe help me out here and there.

I am at my heaviest right now for the past 2.5 years. In 3 years I've gained 20 pounds and feel AWFUL and feel like I LOOK awful.

I originally lost a little over 40 pounds a little over 3 years ago. It wasn't the healthy way to lose it, but I was suffering from a major broken heart and the only thing I felt like I could control was my weight, i guess. It started out completely unintentional and than as I started to notice how easy it was for me to not eat and just exercise, I maintained it for a long time and lost over 40 pounds in about 5 months. Than life started to pick up, I moved to the city, started going out, still not eating A LOT and definitely not drinking A LOT, but more than I was used to. I still worked out obsessively and walked/jogged 8 miles about 4 times a week....

But than this and that happened and I slowly was working out less and eating 'normal' -- still not excessively and it just slowly packed on. Now I'm hardly going to the gym - if at all - and not eating great, and feel disgusting.

It is time to make a change. I turn 24 the second week in January and I'm having a huge party and I want to look and feel as amazing as I used to.

I know I cannot lose 30 pounds by than, but I'd like to at least get a good start on it..... And it is starting today!
 
Good for you! This is a wonderful place to get some of the support you need, mostly everyone is more than willing. :)

What are you doing to change youself? Re-joining the gym?
 
I am starting to go back to the gym daily - starting today. Even if I just do cardio for 45 minutes for now, it'll help I'm sure. And I'm starting to eat better again, too. Starting with this mornings breakfast. It's not hard for me to do either, just been struggling a lot to find that motivation in me to kick me in the A$$ and get me up and going and back into the swing of things. Seeing a picture of me last night did it! YUCK!!!!!!! If I knew how to post a picture I would post it of me when I was at my thinnest and me now... but I dont know how!
 
Sounds like, whether you know it or not, your body did what it was designed to do. Beating your body into submission (read: starving yourself and exercising ridiculously) usually ends in weight gain. The simple fact is your body doesn't deal with the mass application of stress. It responds by slowing down metabolism, reducing your drive, etc, etc.

People tend to fail at seeing the simple idea of food provides energy and exercise requires energy.

I would definitely spend some time reading the stickies so you can build yourself a foundation of knowledge.
 
You know, if my doctor/parents/friends had said to me "YOU WILL GAIN A LOT BACK" I may have stopped. But instead it was lecture after lecture that I didn't want to hear. At first it was innocent, I was heart broken. But after that, it became intentional. I got very very skinny. I had NO idea I'd gain a lot back. I thought if I just kept up working out and eating a little, It'd stay off. BOY was I wrong. Plus stress does it, too, for me. it's all in my tummy area - YUCK!!!
 
Your body lashes back against any extreme behavior. Be happy you didn't develop an all out eating disorder and need nutritional and psychological counsel.

Also be happy you're wise enough to write this off as a lesson learned the hard way.

Today is your clean slate. You have fresh chalk in hand. It's up to you to decide how and what you're going to write.

If I were you, I'd start by reading the stickies. Once read, if there are specific questions, let them fire. There are plenty of experienced and/or knowledgeable people floating around here who will gladly answer your questions.

If I were you, I'd start here:

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/topic/11337-words-wisdom.html
 
No, it didn't get too bad. I was hospitalized once for it over the 5 or so months I was doing it...


I will look into those, thanks! How do I post a picture of me?
 
I'm a mod, but a stupid one, lol.

I believe you need a certain number of posts before you can post pictures. When you're able to though, you simply click the paperclick icon in the toolbar of your post and attach it that way.
 
Ohhh, you're talking about your avatar.

Simply go to user cp in the upper left.

Then go to 'edit avatar'

In there you can upload a custom avatar from your hard drive.
 
It's hard to tell in that photo but if that's current, you look great and healthy.
 
Poisonhearts said:
I was going to say the same thing. You're looking fantastic from what I can see.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes, that is current. It was halloween. I was the Naked Chef. I'm sure everyone here can agree that we all have our own idea of how we should look/feel. For me, to be happy and feel good, it'd be 15-30 pounds less - even if I'm the only one who thinks I need to lose it. But thanks ;)
 
MissErin said:
I am starting to go back to the gym daily - starting today. Even if I just do cardio for 45 minutes for now, it'll help I'm sure. And I'm starting to eat better again, too. Starting with this mornings breakfast. It's not hard for me to do either, just been struggling a lot to find that motivation in me to kick me in the A$$ and get me up and going and back into the swing of things. Seeing a picture of me last night did it! YUCK!!!!!!! If I knew how to post a picture I would post it of me when I was at my thinnest and me now... but I dont know how!
Click to expand...

Most reputable persons in diet and fitness would agree, that what one consumes in Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats, and Calories, regulates (up or down) powerful hormones, influences metabolic shifts (up or down), and the byproducts from these hormones, and metabolic shifts (etc), can affect how you feel psychologically, emotionally, and physically, etc, and can be as powerful as a consuming an external narcotic drug.


What is the most important in a fitness program? There are 4:


1. Mechanics of the diet.


2. See Number 1 (yes, its this important).


3. "Appropriate" Fitness Program.


4. Education to adapt to yourself using 1 through 3--WISELY.


EDUCATION is "one" of the main reasons people fail so-called diets, have problems with motivation, energy, etc.

Your body is a walking pharmacy store.


A pharmaceutical factory that can mix and match its natural drugs, attempting to obtain a balance, repair, rebuild, survive; sometimes its efficient and sometimes its not.



Sometimes its on par with your fitness goals, and sometimes it is not. It can effect your brain chemistry.

But, a piece of you is always unaffected, and must deliver---on time, like UPS Mail.

Yet, it is this powerful. You are literally are walking drug store, and these drugs can "vary in strength", "sometimes rather convincing", and "very influential", dependent on several personal factors.

But, sometimes the "prescription medications" the body writes itself isn't "necessarily" in its best interest.



It can make you think resistance it is futile. However, the YOUR BRAIN within diet fitness has to counter (the body's prescription meds) with its own.


Let's take a look at this way. A person "assessed" their self as being overweight.

Implements a course of action (changes diet and activity). Let's say this person is extremely overweight (hypothetically). While you are in this change on diet and fitness and "assessing your progress", your body is "likewise assessing itself". It simply analyzes itself just as you analyze yourself......(and right here is the problem).



The efficiency meter between your "assessment of progress" and the "body's unique assessment" (based on its design intention) can be at "odds" with one another, or in line with one another, based primarily on the body's prescription writing (based on its assessment) and ones dietary/fitness habits.

For example: The body assesses body fat is high (glucose stores, full). You assess body fat is high. You both are agreeable. You start a brand new diet trend to solicit weight loss. Lets assume, this is a traditional diet where it involves a traditional deficit of -500 calories, and macro nutrients are "normal" (so-to-speak).

Since the efficiency is high (again assuming healthy person) between you and the body, weight loss is going to be good (assuming deficit diet in place hypothetically). If the diet implemented contains a reasonable deficit, the bodies "feedback production" can be very low (high in positive low in negative), and for most tolerable. But, as time passes (assuming diet continues), body fat drops (as the body senses its house), the body will down regulate (up-regulate) certain hormones, down regulate its metabolic rate--and becomes more "efficient" in its burning of calories (an use of macro-nutrients), and it "seems" the leaner one gets the more powerful the body writes prescription medications to "compel" one to eat.

There are three elements at work here, working on the body prescription medication response: 1. Body weight is lowering (body's assessment trigger), 2. The body's adaptive element in response to lower calories (which some debate even exists, I believe it does, and it seems tougher on leaner persons than ones with higher body fat), 3. The biological responses to 1 and 2 (good and bad).

Additionally, if a persons is deficit dieting and associating a very low carbohydrate (macro nutrient) intake the "prescription medications" the body writes, and the hormones (and other feedback) released by the body "can" provide additional (and "sometimes" different) but powerful side effects.



For example:

Loss of water (water retention can be reduced, and misunderstood as fat loss OR muscle gain by some fitness persons), nausea, light headed, dizziness, head aches, lethargy, lack of energy, depression, and lack of motivation, and so on. And the prescription medications written by the body, the hormones released (and lack thereof, etc, etc), are very powerful, and it can effect you physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

The degree of severity can vary per person (again assuming one is healthy), but in most cases (understanding exceptions), the feedback response to the lack of carbohydrates is short lived (but friggen powerful), and the length of these sort of symptoms can likewise vary in length.

If you are running a calorie deficit, and adjoining very low carbohydrates, it is imperative, that your proteins and fats are up to snuff.

Its important you drink water as well.

Additionally do not "operate" in a MIND BLIND.



In order to handle your biological feed back your body "always" provides, you MUST (IMO) embark on a "personal quest" to combat and fight this biological feed back...that has very high odds in coming in order to "reduce the odds" of personal failure.


And, you do this in educating yourself on "what your goal is and what you are doing".


Sometimes one has to be a "hard @ass" on oneself to bring results.


No one ever said this was going to be easy.





Read the stickies, and I wish you much luck in your goal quest.




Best regards,


Chillen
 
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Just make sure your goals are realistic. I've come across a number of people, especially women, who have goals that look great on paper. But maintaining the weight they supposedly desire would mean pretty significant sacrifices and life's too damn short for that in my opinion.

I dont' know your weight and you're right... it's all a matter of personal preference.
 
MissErin said:
Thanks. Yes, that is current. It was halloween. I was the Naked Chef. I'm sure everyone here can agree that we all have our own idea of how we should look/feel. For me, to be happy and feel good, it'd be 15-30 pounds less - even if I'm the only one who thinks I need to lose it. But thanks ;)
Click to expand...

Okay, fair enough. We do all have our own ideas about how we should look/feel. I wish you all the luck reaching your goal. It feels damn good to get there! :cheers2:
 
YOu have come quite a long ways. That is amazing!!! Congrats. I will use you as inspiration!! I posted additional pictures (fingers crossed it worked) so you could see where I was at 3 years ago vs where Iam at now. That may show you a little better. I think 15 pounds would be very reasonable and doable and I'd be happy with that - but 32 pounds would be my ideal. With my height, it would be the lowest of the 'healthy' weight - and that sounds perfect to me.
 
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