Just joined - before and afters are so inspirational!

lise1

lise1

New member
Hello everyone .... WOW I'm so glad I found this site. I have to say, the before, during and afters are amazing.

I've been relatively slim all my life though I always thought I was too heavy. It's crazy really..... the heavier I get, the more I realize just how small I was even when I thought I was huge.

I've always been small for my weight.... I was a size 6 at 130 lbs and only a size 8 at 145 (5'6"). Right now I think I'm a 12-14 at about 180 lbs. I'm so ashamed to even admit that I weigh that much and I really have to do something about it since I'm so depressed over it. My blood pressure is up and I feel so uncomfortable when I lay down to sleep, like I'm choking from the excess weight in my chin and neck. My butt actually has dimples in it.

Anyway, enough crabbing..... I know I need to control what I eat, stop snacking after dinner and get more exercise. The older I get, the easier it is to pack on the weight and the harder it is to get it off. I hope to get some more inspiration and determination from this forum.

I've already decided that today is the day. I ate a good breakfast (I think).... cooked oatmeal with a little brown sugar and milk. And coffee with milk.... I'm not sure what to have for lunch but I'll start with a tall glass of water, some cheese and something lean.

Thankfully, I love fruits and vegetables and lean meat. If I can just get out of this slump....

I'd love to hear from anybody!! My goal is to get back down to 130. That's 50 pounds - yikes. Here goes....
 
Hello and Welcome. It's a good step youre taking!! I <3 this forum and always loved looking at the befores and afters too! Still do =P
 
Welcome, I am new too! I would have to agree that the before and afters are great and very inspirational. Good luck to you and all your goals!
 
Thank you so much! After looking through this forum a little more, I realize that a makeover is in order! While alot of you are young and beautiful, one thing you mostly have in common is beautiful hair... it keeps you looking young.

I've been growing my hair now for several years (probably out of laziness and I'm getting tired of always pulling it back into a pony tail) and I can tell you that for a 48 year old woman, it's WAY to long (it's down to my waist) and outdated. I'll try to post a before picture (including hair) to go along with the weight loss goals. I'll keep the color which is strawberry blond, but an updated style will go a long way to making me feel better about myself.

I called my hairdresser and on Thursday I'm going to be a new woman. Just what I need! I'll post the after picture too.
 
Ok.... I just went to try to take a "before" picture of me and I can't believe how disgusted I am! I really admire those that can do it.... display their "before" picture for the world to see. I couldn't help but think what if some of my friends see these disgusting pictures of me on this forum? Without the "after" I don't think I can do it.

Ok, so bear with me. Small steps.... I'll see if I can at least post a before and after of my first weight loss.... about 2 pounds of hair! That's a start. I'm sure you'll see it in my face.... at least that's a start.
 
Hello Lise,

First off welcome to the site and kudos for deciding to make a change in your life. And you must remind yourself that you are making a lifestyle change and that its a process!!

You might check out the sticky threads in nurtition and exercise to get you started. From there you can build your plan of attack. Also I've found that making your goals public to your friends and family helps... it gives you motivation too!

So with that... what is your first goal?

Cheers,
Miss D
 
Thanks Miss D,

My first goal is to stop eating after dinner. I got into this habit, maybe out of boredom... of needing to snack at night. I can't say I was really hungry, it just felt good to eat. I'm going to STOP that. I didn't snack at all last night.

My intention is to also eat less food.... I LOVE LOVE LOVE vegetables and fruit. So that part's not difficult. What IS difficult is knowing when to STOP. When I eat something really tasty I just eat way too much of it, no matter what it is. Come to think of it, I usually eat until it's gone and I NEVER leave food on my plate. I don't have a physical mechanism that stops me from eating when I'm full. Even when I'm full, food still sounds delightful. Isn't that strange?

I sometimes see people push food away or leave food on their plate and I find that disturbing. So I guess the answer is to put less on my plate.

And of course, exercising will make a difference. I play golf in the summer but that doesn't seem to be enough. So I also have a goal of visiting my local gym at least 3 times a week.
 
Have you thought about counting calories at all? There are some free sites like fitday.com that keeps track for you... its the one I use and I really like it. IMO restricting calories is the best way to lose weight and in order to do so you need to know how many calories your body is buring as well as how many you need to keep it running.... for me its all about numbers!

As far as eating everything on your plate... try using a smaller plate. Its one of the tricks you can do to eat less.

When at the gym what is your plan?

Sorry for being so intrusive, but typcially these are things you have to ask yourself before getting with it... from my experince winging it doesnt always work!
 
I agree with you.

My first goal at the gym is to do at least 10 minutes on the eliptical and 15 minutes on the treadmill my first week. Is that a good start? Eventually I will add walking to the gym and back, which is half a kilometer away.

Counting calories has never excited me.... but I think you're probably right. Thanks for the recommendation of fitday.com .... I joined and tracked what I ate today so far. Interesting site....

Thanks for the good advice.
 
Your weclome. :)

Starting out slow if you haven't exercised in a while is your best bet then you can start adding time and restiance as it gets easier!

I agree about counting cals... I was too interested about it either... But I was doing Weight Watchers and just happened to be not eating enough... so I switched to counting cals... and its made a difference... you would be surprised at how much you get to eat!!
 
Well, I would think that eating after dinner, when you're the least active, is the thing NOT to do. Usually the food you eat in the evening are those packed with the most calories.

Instead of eating after dinner and adding empty calories, I should be active and burning calories instead. No?
 
It doesn't work like that. It's net energy balance that matters supremely.

So if you eat extremely lightly during the first 3/4 of the day and eat most of your calories later... yet remain in a caloric deficit.... you aren't going to gain fat. Can't create something out of nothing.

Follow me?
 
I assure you in practice it does too.

The foundation of weight loss is and always will be net energy balance.
 
Hey Lise, I am relatively new to my weight loss journey too. I finally had enough last week and began my journey to the second phase of my life :) Fellow Ontarian here too!

Counting calories is tedious at first but it has gotten very interesting to see them right there in front of you when you add what you ate to fitday.

Make sure you are drinking your water and starting the day off with breakfast. Sounds strange, but after only a week of water, breakfast and a daily 45 minute workout, I have a lot more energy now. Can't wait to see how much more there will be as my journey progresses.

All the best to you!
 
Hi Dutton,

Thanks for that. I am doing awesome..... I have high blood pressure so a good friend of mine suggested that I eat oatmeal each morning. So I have that with just a bit of brown sugar and 2% milk and I'm finding it very satisfying. I love hot oatmeal in the morning.... it's almost like a reward for being so balanced the day before!

I did join fitday and started tracking my food. You're right, it's pretty tedious but I'll stick with it to see how much it helps. I am well aware of all the important food groups and how much of each is reasonable, even without counting calories.

I've been drinking water and lots of it. I carry a bottle with me everywhere I go. Now I just need to add some exercise. I'm going out shortly to rake the last bit of leaves on our property but I do plan on doing some sort of cardio daily.

I wish you lots of success!!
 
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Ahhh, raking..... been doing lots of that here as well. Hoping that last tree would just drop its leaves so I can be done with it :)
 
Welcome... I am new too. It helps to know there are people out there who feel the same way or who are going through the same struggles as you. We all need to be commended for the steps we are taking, no matter the reason of doing so.

It doesn't matter your age or size, we are all beautiful no matter what. There are things that make us beautiful other than looks. I used to put myself down all the time, saying that I wasn't pretty or why was my boyfriend with me. I now realize the reasons why he is. I don't put myself down anymore. I have to much going on to waste time putting myself down.

If someone doesn't love you or appreciate you for who you are... they aren't worth your time.

When you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water or chewing on a stick of gum. Those help me out.

I wish you the best of luck.
 
WOW - I feel amazing. I just got back from the fitness club. Believe it or not, I've had a membership for 2 years and this is the first time I've been there. Is that sick or what?

Ok... now I didn't overdo it. I did 5 minutes on the treadmill, 1 set of 20 repetitions on the various machines (10 machines) with 20-30lb weights, then 5 minutes on the eliptical and I finished with 5 minutes on the treadmill. I know that seems like a little but I want to see how sore I am tomorrow. If all is well I'll step it up a bit. I actually feel a little bit sore already....

I am 48 years old, in relatively good shape though I feel very run down and tired. My knees sometimes give me a bit of trouble (doesn't keep me from golfing) and I sometimes have a bit of bursitis in my left shoulder. Besides that all my parts are working pretty good. My weight is 180.

If someone can give me a simple routine to start with, with that background information, I would be forever grateful! Is a soak in the hottub good to do at the end?

Thanks for all your encouragement and advice!

~Lise
 
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