Mission POSSIBLE: Swoofie's Journey to a Healthier Me!

S

Swoofie

New member
Hello,

For the first time in my life, I'm going to be brutally honest with myself. I'm FAT. NO, I am not big-boned. NO, its not just the clothes I wear. And most certainly NO, I did not give birth to twins..twice (really, who says that anyway?). I'm FAT. FAT. FAT. FAAAAT. There. I said it. I said it four times. Five if you count the one at the very beginning. And I'll say it once more for good measure. I'm FAT. I'm 19 years old, almost 20, and its time I grow up and start taking responsibility of my well-being.

I've always been somewhat heavy, even as a child growing up. The majority of my weight problems, however, started in 7th grade. I loved to play basketball and was on my school's team when one day, during a practice game, I injured my knee. In high school, after multiple re-injuries, I found out my ACL and meniscus had torn and I'd need surgery to repair it. Between sophmore and senior year, I had 3 surgeries on my knee, and as such, was limited to minimal activity, needing a 6-week recovery period after every surgery, where I was stuck in bed or on the couch with little movement. That's when I really packed on the pounds. At the start of highschool, I was about 115lbs. After graduation, I was around 135lbs and since then its only gotten worse.

My reasons for losing weight

1. My family has a history of diabetes and heart problems. My father was recently diagnosed as a diabetic, and was very healthy and active as a young man (was in the Navy for 20 yrs and ran a lot). If this could happen to someone in as good health as him, what would happen to me? I don't want to take shots every day. I don't want to be on medication. I won't let my family's history decide my future.

2. I want to be happy with the way I look. I look at myself in the mirror, and find less and less reasons to like what I see. I want to see a firm, healthy figure, not clumps of FAT.

3. I don't want to be the "big" sister anymore. I'm slightly taller than my older sister, and I can't do anything to change that, but I hate seeing family pictures of us standing together, and I'm a whale compared to her petite frame. It's about time we even up the playing field.

What I Plan to Do About It:

1. Learn better self control. My weakness is that I like to eat. A lot. I'm an emotional eater. I'm almost never without something in my mouth. I eat when I'm bored, when I'm studying, when I'm watching tv or on the computer. I don't even have to be hungry. But the need to eat is always there.

2. Make healthier food choices. Instead of a cheeseburger and fries, go for a soup and salad, or instead of cookies, have a piece of fruit. Also, instead of white bread, rice, etc, go for brown or whole-wheat alternatives.

3. Most importantly...STICK WITH IT. I've tried numerous times before to lose weight, but this time I'm serious. I'm hoping this journal will help. As people read (and hopefully respond to) it, I'll actually be held accountable for what I do.

Starting Stats

Height: 5'2
Current weight: 147lbs
Weight-loss goal: 115lbs
BMI: 26.88
BMR: 1496.55
Calories needed to MAINTAIN weight: 2057.75
Calories needed to LOSE weight: 1,418

It's going to be a long and hard journey, but I'm prepared to do what it takes to become a healthier, happier me.

~Swoofie

*Quote(s) of the Day*

"The man that conquers himself is superior to the one who conquers a thousand men in battle." - Buddha

"The dictionary is the only place that succes comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price." - Vince Lombardi
 
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The Calm Before the Storm...

Hello again,

Tomorrow starts the kick-off of my diet/weight loss plan. I've spent this weekend planning out what I hope to be my weekly routine. I decided to post it up to let people have a look at it, and also because I tend to lose things, which means if I ever lose the sheet I've written this all down on, I can look back on this as reference (though it really isn't hard).

M: Heavy Cardio
T: Light Cardio+Weights (upper body)
W: Heavy Cardio
Th: Light Cardio+Weights (lower body)
F: Heavy Cardio
Sat: Light Cardio
Sun: Light Cardio

Heavy Cardio = 1 hour eliptical, 30min bike, 30min rowing
Light Cardio = 1 hour eliptical
*Running is a no-no for me atm due to my knee.

I based this all around my class schedule lol. I know heavy cardio is gona kill me, so I planned it around days that I have enough time to relax and rest a bit before going to school. Saturday and Sunday are my sort of rest days, and so I only have light cardio scheduled for those days.

As for my eating, I've read that eating more, but in less quantities is better than eating three big meals a day. It varies from day to day, considering my eating habits also revolve around my class schedule. I won't post that up, since it'd just make this giant wall of text an even bigger wall of text, and i'm sure any readers out there would not appreciate it. Also, I'm feeling quite lazy. However, I can't be lazy to the point where I just let myself ramble on and on without progress..and so..I'll write out food options for varying meals.

Breakfast
- Eggs
- Peanut butter on whole wheat toast
- Oatmeal
- Cereal with low-fat milk (has anyone tried soymilk? is that any good?)
- Fruit

Snacks
- Fruit
- Nuts
- Cheese and crackers
- Smoothies
- Light Popcorn

Lunch
- Soup
- Salad
- Sandwich (whole wheat bread)
- Sandwich wraps (I never knew there were whole wheat tortillas till I actually looked for them lol)

Dinner is limited to whatever my Mom cooks, but she's usually good about cooking healthy food. Usually its a salad or some sort of vegetable dish with chicken or turkey. We don't usually eat red-meats except for maybe the weekends, when my Dad likes to go outside and grill. But even then, he'll grill salmon and turkey burgers, and always grills corn, asparagus, and bell peppers to go with it all.

Looking up, list looks quite pitiful..especially the snacks. I don't want to limit myself to five things. I'll look around and see what else I can add to the list later, but for now, since its convenient..does anyone have more snack/meal ideas? I could really use some help on that part.

Anywaaay, I think I've written enough for one day. Tomorrow is a big day for me, and I really hope this works. Bye for now!

~Swoofie

*Quote of the Day*

"It is possible to fail in many ways...while to succeed is possible only in one way." ~Aristotle
 
Subscribing. Itll be interesting to follow along as Im starting my next "phase" tomorrow. Good luck.

Also, Im a quote junkie as well, so here is the one that gets me goin...

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. - Robert Collier
 
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Day 1: One Small Step for Swoofie...

Hellooo,

First off, thanks to those of you that stopped by to show your support. It was a nice surprise to see some replies!

Well, today was an..interesting start. I may or may not have gotten a little over-excited at the gym last night about starting my new routine. I got there and thought to myself "Hey, why wait? Jump on that eliptical and go baby go!" So on that eliptical I went, high-inclined, high-resistance, and high-speed. An hour later, I was on the bike, riding like I was Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France (psh yeah right, like I'd EVER ride like him). Thirty minutes later, I was rowing on the machine, happily singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" in my mind. When I was done, I was sore. I was exhausted. And damn, I STUNK. But I felt good. Really good. Deciding it couldn't really hurt me, I hit the weight machines for about an hour before finally calling it quits.

Fast forward to this morning. Oh dear Lord, I was in paaain! My legs and arms ached and I think I may have strained my knee, because I know (from lots of experience) its not supposed to hurt THAT bad when I step on it. I wanted to lay in bed and mope with a giant bag of ice all over my body, but I had things to do and places to be. Shoving on one of my many braces, I popped a pain med, ate half a bowl of oatmeal and was out the door.

Going to the tax office super early pays off y'know? I had to get a form from them for a VA loan, and usually it takes an hour before my 5-minute visit at the window. But my Mom and I got there at like 8:30, only a little after they'd opened and there were absolutely no lines! I was quite happy that we could get in, get out, and go home. Until, my Mom decided, since we were already downtown, why not get a haircut at her salon? I hadn't brought any food with me since I didn't think we'd be gone long, and my half eaten oatmeal felt so long ago that I begged my to let me grab a smoothie or something before we went. Driving to a nearby shopping center, we found a Jamba Juice and I bought myself an Original Razzmataz. So I sipped on that all morning while waiting for my Mom to get her hair done.

We got home and I drove to the gym, despite my body screaming "NO! DON'T DO IT!" I started on the eliptical and my knee was just exploding in pain, so I decided i'd rather take it slow today than end up pushing myself too hard, too fast, and ending up with surgery #4. I opted for riding the bike for an hour and weights again, and although it wasn't my intended workout, it was better than nothing and served its purpose.

For lunch, I might have eaten a little more than I should have, but not that much. I'm an emotional eater and I was angry at myself for not being more careful about my leg. All together, lunch was 2 scrambled eggs on wheat bread (yeah, I know..thats totally breakfast, but meh), a peanut bar, and a handful of crackers with cheese. Not bad, but could have been better.

For dinner, my Mom made something I have absolutely no name for, as she rarely gives names for her dishes. All I can say is, its ground beef, potatoes, carrots, and peas mixed together in a pot. I'll be eating it with some brown rice and either a salad or some sliced cucumbers in vinegar (she left the veggie choice up to me). I also have to wash my car as its aboslutely filthy, so maybe I'll burn some calories doing that lol.

Well, that's all for today. I'll be icing my knee tonight and see how it feels tomorrow morning. Hopefully this is just a small, one-day setback. If not, I'll take everything in stride and do my best to keep up. Doesn't matter how, one way or another, I WILL lose weight.

~Swoofie

*Quote(s) of the Day*

"Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." ~Will Rogers

"The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs...one step at a time." ~Joe Girard
 
Hi Swoofie! Just stopping by to say good luck and congrats on making the first steps. But also I want to offer a friendly reminder not to push yourself too hard at the gym! I was nervous for you just reading your second post (with your workout schedule - no rest days?? Gotta have rest days!) and then I was sad to hear you were in pain. Make sure to let your body rest! You won't stick to anything if you equate working out with hurting. Start off slow, even if you don't feel like it's enough at first, and just gradually add more time/resistance/speed etc to your workout. Trust me, your body will thank you for that in the end!

As far as snacks go, I tend to grab fat free yogurt or pudding, sugar free jello, or no sugar-added applesauce when I am feeling the munchies coming on. I go through a LOT of spoons, haha. I do like soymilk, but it definitely has a very different taste. I refer to it as "cereal milk" because to me it kind of tastes like the milk you get from the bottom of a cereal bowl.

I'll be stopping by again, in the meantime make sure you're taking care of yourself!
 
@Laura F

Thanks for the concern and friendly advise. I do tend to get a bit overzealous when I first start things out. Saturday and Sunday are a bit more "optional" because I tend to be so busy those days that I doubt i'd actually make it to the gym as planned. But i'd hate to just sit around and be lazy. Perhaps instead of the gym, I could take a liesurely walk around the block with my dogs. Its nothing too stressful and I'm still being active.

I'm not a huge yogurt fan, but I could stand to eat it. And soymilk..maybe I'll try it. My older sister loves the stuff but I've never really had it. Anyway, thanks again!
 
So Far So Good

Hiya!

So, today has been pretty good so far. Woke up, ate a small breakfast, then sat through a two hour math lecture. Oh how I hate math...

After class I lounged around the house a bit studying for my bio lecture tonight and snacked on this "Soy Energy Blend" my Mom bought at Costco the other day. Was a mixture of soynuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, and cranberries. I didn't eat too much, maybe a handful or two. Awhile later, I decided my brain needed a break, so I drove to the gym for my workout.

The gym was good. My knee isn't hurting anymore, but I didn't risk it and overdo it like on Sunday. Nope. A simple, steady pace on the eliptical for an hour burned me about 500 calories and that was good. I came home and ate lunch; leftovers from last night. A scoop of brown rice with a mixture of ground beef, carrots, potatoes, and peas. I also ate a small pancake my grandma wanted me to try. It was this "Gluten Free Pancake" or something she bought at Trader Joes..y'know how pancakes are supposed to be light and fluffy? This was..I don't even know how to describe it. But it definitely was not like a regular pancake and the taste was very..eugh. I had to focus on the taste of the syrup just to finish chewing.

Currently, I'm putting off taking a shower as I'm feeling very lazy. I should probably take it now though, so I can take a small nap before class tonight. Bio lecture from 6:30-9:30 :cry:

Anyway, until next time!

~Swoofie

*Quote of the Day*

"Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives." ~Viktor Frankl
 
Day 3: Bad Swoofie! Bad!

Heeey,

So..today was sorta a bad day for me..kinda. I was doing quite well with my eating this morning; had a bowl of honey dew for breakfast, and a slice of homemade spinach and tomatoe pizza with wheat-crust a little later on. Swoofie was a good girl. And then I went to the gym.

Gym was really good. Did an hour of elliptical and half an hour of biking, burning off about 700 calories together. I got home and I was starving. I told myself "Ok, just because you worked out, that does not justify raiding the fridge. Just eat maybe another slice of pizza, go take your shower, and you'll be good."

I ate my slice of pizza. And then I ate a bag of chips (Baked Lays). Prooobably should have stopped there. Did I? No. I ate a cookie. And then I ate a small handful of nuts. My justification: I was hungry, and they were all "healthy...ish." The chips were only 100 calories. The cookie was a sugar-free, oatmeal cookie with raisans, cranberries, and flaxseed (where that came from idk, but it was on the box and I could definitely feel them getting stuck in my teeth). The nuts, well..they're protein right?

Bleh. I'm always so hungry after the gym, and its hard to just control yourself when you are. I'm trying to teach myself to know when to stop, and sometimes I'm really good about it, but other times, like today, I find an excuse to just eat like I don't have a care in the world. I really should be more strict about what I eat I suppose, and figure out what fills me up without it being a giant meal. Because right now, I'm hungry. Seriously hungry. I told myself I wouldn't eat anything after dinner (slice of roast turkey breast and a salad) and I've been good about it so far...but my stomach is growling quite loudly and its aching for some food. Also a tad bit dizzy, but yeah..whatever. Been drinking lots of water to try and fill that empty void in my stomach, but its just making me need to use the bathroom more than anything. Maybe I'll just go to sleep early so I don't have to feel hungry, and when I wake up it'll be breakfast! Ugh..stop thinking bout food! Bad Swoofie! I really hate myself sometimes..:banghead:

Well, that's it for today I suppose. Hoping tomorrow will be better.

~Swoofie

*Quote of the Day*

“But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for.” ~Paul Coehlo
 
Days 4-7: All is Well on the Weigh-In Front

Hello,

I haven't been on here for several days, though I really do wish I could have made even a small noting here everyday of my progress. I've been so busy though, and I just never really found the time. But hopefully after today, I can continue to write about my progress on a day-to-day basis. I really do like writing here. It gives me something to look forward to each day; something more than checking calories and going to the gym for however long.

Well the past few days, although busy, were good. I went to the gym every day, except yesterday, and I watched what I ate. Yesterday was sort of a treat day, though, since my Dad is leaving for Virgina on Monday for work and the family went out for dinner to spend some time with each other. I got a burger and fries, something I haven't let myself have in about a month, and it was delicious. Not the best meal choice, but I let it slide just this once. It was a big burger, so I only ate half, and I barely touched the fries. The rest I bagged up to take home.

Today, I weighed myself. I've lost 1.5lbs! Haha, not much, but its definitely progress. And honestly, I thought I had gained weight; just received mother nature's montly gift to all women, and I usually gain 2-3lbs when it happens. But I didn't, and I'm happy.

I plan to go to the gym later, since I skipped yesterday. Been drinking plenty of water too, which I think I should mention. I used to hate having just water, but its definitely grown on me, and I just chug down a bottle instead of grabbing juice or a soda.

Well, that's about it for now. I'll be back tomorrow.

~Swoofie

*Quote of the past few days*

"You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance." ~Lee Iacocca
 
Hi Swoofie,
I randonmly found your thread and have to say I love your quotes! I also had a read of your posts too. Sounds like your doing good! Well done! i know the trials and tribulations of knee pain....after 5 surgeries I actually got mine sorted. I'm really happy to have it sorted but means that I can now run, which I really dont enjoy. lol. Anyway...good luck!
 
Congrats on the 1.5 pounds! Even with the days you thought you were bad. I think it's so important for us all to realize that we don't have to deprive ourselves all the time. In fact, I've been reading that it's important to have some days of higher calories because you've gotta keep your body guessing.... if it starts receiving less calories, it will start burning less calories as a result. I am no scientist, but it sounds like a good argument to me. Otherwise your body goes into conservation mode.

Did you try the soy milk yet? I haven't had any in a while. I like my chocolate milk but I've been drinking regular 1% milk with it. And good job on the water, I pretty much drink that or coffee.. which is good because I have free soda and juice at my job, so I could definitely go overboard if I wanted to!
 
hey way to go! you're doing awesome
as for the soymilk, it really really depends on the brand. Some brands taste like cardboard, some are good. I never thought in a million years that I'd ever drink soymilk, but I love So Nice's Vanilla Organic Soy Milk. Very low in fat, high in calcium and not that many calories.

I'm with you on the water, I used to hate water now I just chug it down as fast as I can.

keep up the awesome work, swoofie! :)
hollyy
 
Days 8-9: Still Going Strong

Hey,

I wanted to post here yesterday, but I just couldn't find the time. But here I am now, a day late but still going strong. A small recap of yesterday; I honestly can't remember my meals but I do know I ate well. Went to the gym yesterday too, and that was good.

Today was a good day as well. For breakfast, had a piece of toast with PB. Came home after class and went to the gym. Lifted weights and did some cardio. After the gym, I wasn't totally hungry, so I skipped lunch and had a small snack instead. A banana, a small handful of Soynuts, and a bottle of water was more than enough for me. Dinner was sorta-kinda bad. My Mom didn't cook anything, and I didn't have the time to cook before rushing to night-class, so she bought a small bucket of KFC chicken strips. I ate two, with a little bit of cole slaw and a biscuit. Not my best dinner, but there's still plenty of time to burn it off before bed. I don't usually sleep till very late, so its not like I'm going to bed right after eating this type of meal. I'll work out a little extra tomorrow as well to make up for it.

Now, this is completely off-top from how my day went, but still within the top of health and nutrition. Lately I've been thinking about taking a multivitamin everyday to go with my meal at the start of the day. Been looking at the things I eat, and although I try to make my sure my food is healthy, I can't help but think I'm missing out on key nutrients. Like vitamin C, we don't usually carry oranges or OJ in the house, so I don't really get any of that. And calcium and vitamin D? I only drink milk in cereal, which I eat maybe three times a week at most. Omega-3 from fish is something I realize I'm severely lacking, as I'm not too keen on fish and other seafoods. And yeah..the list goes on and on. What do you guys think? Vitamins yay or nay?

Well, that's about it for now.

~Swoofie

*Edit: Forgot to respond to everyone! Silly Swoofie!

@ Ally6690 - Ouch, and I thought three surgeries were bad! Glad to hear you're better though. Thanks for the well wishes!

@ Laura F - Yeah, the days I tried to be "perfect" ended up with me just starving and feeling like crap, which I don't exactly think is how I'm supposed to feel. The days I ate a little less than perfect, and let myself have things I wanted, weren't so bad, and I actually had the energy to work out more effectively in the gym, and I was a lot happier on those days. I still haven't tried the soymilk, but I do have it on my list of things to buy..eventually. Lol.

@ Diehardcutie - Hm, I'll have to look at that brand you mentioned. My family and I go to Costco a lot and I always see this Organic Soymilk that I want to try, but never really got around to picking it up. Most things from Costco I've eaten or drank that I've never had before were good, so I'm hoping it doesn't taste "like carboard" as you put it.

*Quote(s) of the Day*

"The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results." ~Anthony Robbins

"The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It's your mind you have to convince." ~Vincent Lombardi
 
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Hey Swoofie,

I'm in a similar boat to you, though further along my shrinkage quest. I'm a couple inches taller than you so just add 5-10 lbs to your "before" and "goal" weights and that's me down to a T.

Do you like tofu? I am neutral to it/like it, and it makes a good substitute for empty starchy carbs like rice/potatoes/pasta by being filling but not leaving that "rock" in your stomach that eating carbs does.

It's funny how easily we get addicted to monitoring food and exercise like hawks. I don't have access to a gym in my rural town in Japan and it kills me that I don't have concrete numbers telling me how many calories I've burned in a given workout. Your workout schedule looks pretty intense - might be good to take a day off from the gym and just walk briskly outside for an hour?

I believe in you!
 
@ lacardwell

Hiya! Its always nice to know others are going through the same thing as me; its much more fun in the boat when I'm not alone.

Tofu is..er, well I've never exactly enjoyed it. Except for those tiny cubes in Miso soup. But thats about it. I've tried Tofu a number of different ways but never found it to my liking. Rice is something I used to eat a lot, as in almost every meal. But I've definitely cut back on it, usually only eating it with dinner, as most our dishes go with rice. But even then, I've substituted it with brown rice instead of white.

That sucks you can't access a gym. I would never get around to exercising unless I did have a gym to go to. And yeah, I don't actually do those workouts. I tried at first, and burned out quick. When I workout now, I go by how I feel. I always do 15min cardio minimum, no matter how sick or tired I feel (though I usually get around 30min-2hrs of cardio a day), and I love weights. I'm a girl, so I don't want to bulk up, but I absolutely loved it when I felt for the first time, hard, defined muscle on my arm rather than a big lump of fat. Excitedly looking forward to the day when I can see it more defined and less pudgy. Lol.

And thanks for believing in me! I see you're from Japan, and I just can't help myself but quote Naruto, "Believe it!" Haha, yes. I did indeed say that.

~Swoofie
 
hehe, I've never actually seen Naruto. I'm actually from upstate NY and I just work here (am in my third year of teaching English near Fukuoka)! Not having a gym is OK by me since the only thing I like about gyms is the calorie counter on the machines. It's probably better for my sanity that I don't keep meticulous count of every calorie in, calorie out - exercising outside/at home and just going by how I feel has been working so far. I do wish I had access to weights at a gym or work though - I don't have a car here either and live in a pretty rural-ish town, and bringing weights on trains and buses isn't something to get excited about.

What kind of weight training do you do, primarily? I've lost about 22 lbs since March and I have, um, a lot of stretch marks and am kind of fluffy everywhere except my legs.
 
I do a mixture of high-weight, low-reps and low-weight, high-reps. I know a lot of people here suggest resistance training (high-low), but I never felt like I got results by that alone. So I started mixing it up. I usually go 3 high-low, and 3 low-high. Say I did bicep curls, I start off with an easy 30lbs and do 30 reps. Followed by about 80lbs, and I try to do as many reps as I can. Then I just repeat the process. I'm not exactly sure if this is the "proper" way of doing it, but its worked for me and I like the results.

I think maybe you lost weight too fast? I was afraid my skin would sag if I started losing weight, but I'm going at a slow, steady pace and it seems to be shrinking with me. I'm no expert, but its a legit guess.
 
Day 10: Insert Title Here (Because I can't think of one)

Hello,

Another good day I suppose. Ate some eggs and a slice of whole wheat toast for breakfast, brown rice and chicken for lunch, and had homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner (lol, just realized every meal contained something from a chicken). Snacked on a few strawberries (yum!) and Soybean snack mix periodically throughout the day.

Gym was good as well. Did the "Weight Loss Program" on the elliptical and man, it kicked my butt! Lol, but I liked it and will probably do that instead of a full hour on the elliptical (its 30min long, with varying incline and resistance). Today's weight-training focused on my lower body. Worked out my quads, calves, glutes, hamstrings, and hips. Currently sore, as I used to neglect working out my legs because I was very paranoid over any pain in relation to my knee. But, I've gotten over that, and building up the muscles in my legs is going to be a fun challenge. As the saying goes, no pain no gain!

Decided on taking vitamins. I don't currently have any multivitamins, but we had bottles of vitamin c, calcium, and some other vitamin I can't remember (only that it helps with your joints) in the medicine cabinet. I'll be taking these until I can get my hands on a multivitamin, which I hope to get maybe this weekend during our usual trip to Costco. Also going to finally going to try out Soy milk. Hopefully it doesn't taste bad, lol.

Well, that's bout it for today!

~Swoofie

*Quote(s) of the Day*

"I make myself a bowl of instant oatmeal, and then I don't do anything for an hour. Why do I need the instant oatmeal? I could get the regular oatmeal and feel productive." ~ Mitch Hedberg

"Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." ~ Author Unknown
 
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