My diary...

Alleria

Alleria

New member
Hi, I'm new to the forums - been reading a lot of it the past hour and it seems like a really great place for support and all that nice stuff.

I am going to make a serious attempt at losing weight. So here goes!


--------------------------------
1. What is your current height and weight?
My height is 5'8. My starting weight is around 195-200lbs

2. If you were at an ideal weight now, what would that weight be?
anywhere from 130-145lbs

3. At what weight would you like to be at four months from now?
Starting now, if I can lose between 4-6lbs a month, that would take me from 16-24lbs. I'd be happy with being around 180-185lbs, ideally lower but I'm flexible.

4. Why do you want to lose weight?
Lower self confidence, I dislike the size of the clothes I werar. I used to play competitive sports in my early 20s and now only play casually. I feel my weight is a hindrance in my ability to compete. I'm just TIRED of being this size. I had also seen a picture of myself from 5 years ago and I looked so healthy!

5. Do you want to lose weight for a specific life event such as wedding or reunion? If so, when is that event?
Well, my fiance and I would like to get married within 2 years so that'd be cool too. No specific date yet. I am also due to play in a competitive sports event in California in May 2009 which I'm aiming for.

6. What obstacles could get between you and your weight loss goals?
Time. I work 80 hours every two weeks and am usually tired when I get home. I would also be my biggest obstacle, as I absolutely treasure my evenings at home. I live in an apartment, so very little room to exercise in here :(

7. Why do you think that you now have a weight problem?
Sports, I can't compete at the level I used to. I'm pretty unhappy when I see myself in the mirror.

8. What lifestyle changes do you think would help you lose weight?
Diet change, making time for exercise, and dedicate myself to it.

9. Have you lost weight in the past? If so, what has worked in the past to help you lose weight?
Yes I have, I jumped up to around 160 in my early 20s and got back down to low 140s through sports and a job that included some physical labor.

10. Why do you believe that you did not lose weight or you gained the weight back?
I went back to school, got a different full time job upon graduation and never kept up with sports as I was too mentally exhausted from school and work stress.

11. What, if anything, has not worked for you in the past in helping you to lose weight? Why do you think it did not work?
Myself - I tried a couple times to lose weight again but I didn't stay dedicated. Completely my own fault.

12. Would you try writing down all food and drink consumed for a given period of time?
I can certainly try!

13. Do you cook at home often? If so, what do you cook?
I try to cook at home. It saves money!

14. How often do you go out to eat? Where do you go?
Maybe once or twice a week. We use to go to Burger King and all the bad places. :( I'd like to try changing it to a healthier alternative like Subway.

15. What are your three favorite foods?
Potatoes, pizza, and steak

16. What are your three favorite restaurants?
Montana's, a place called Western Pizza and chinese food.

17. What are three things you can do differently when it comes to food?
smaller portions, eat more often (in smaller amounts), snack on healthier foods instead of chips and drink water instead of pepsi!

18. If you woke up tomorrow and your body was exactly the way you want it, what would be different?
I'd lose all the extra fatty parts around my thighs, stomach and chest area!

19. Do you eat when you are not hungry?
Not really, I have a bad habit of not eating for half the day then having a large supper!

20. Do you binge eat (large amounts at a time)?
I hate to say it but I probably do. I get so involved in my daily activities I often forget to eat.

21. Do you hide your food or eat in secret?
no

22. Do you eat when you are sad, nervous, or depressed?
no

23. Do you eat as a reward?
no

24. Do you eat while watching TV or using the computer?
yep

25. What do you normally eat for a meal?
whatever catches my tastebuds attention unfortunately :(

26. What type of snacks do you eat?
now? once the stores open tomorrow I'll be picking up fruits, yogurt, healthy cereals and maybe some veggies

27. In terms of exercise, what, if anything, are you currently doing?
As of right now, I've been playing my sport once a week. Its roughly an hour/hour & half of cardio/HIIT.

28. Where do you go for exercise? A local public gym? School/work gym? Home?
I have a Golds Gym membership I've been not using much for the past 6 months :(

29. What, if anything, are your three favorite types of exercise?
I use to really enjoy the spin classes at Golds Gym.. occasional interval training on the elliptical at the gym, some light weight training

30. What is your daily/weekly/monthly/yearly motivation to move towards your goals?
I'm getting older and want to be healthier. The old competitiveness in my athlete aspect is starting to get really annoyed at me lately.

31. Do you have rewards for certain goals?
I think every 10lbs lost I'd buy myself something wardrobe wise just to make myself feel and look better.
-------------------------


My goal is to weigh myself every Sunday morning when I first wake up. I'll be setting some goals and possible rewards. Haven't figured out what to reward myself yet! I'm not going to dwell on any potential non-losses, as I've done in the past because I'm doing a heck of a lot better this time around than previous attempts to lose weight. I just have this clarity of taking this seriously now and I'm incredibly happy to be doing this for myself.

Here goes!

Nov 13/08: 205lbs
Nov 23/08: 201lbs (may be off a bit as wasn't weighed in the AM)
Nov 30/08: 197lbs

--------
Goal weights and rewards:

200lbs: sweater and new pants!
190lbs:
185lbs:
180lbs:
175lbs:
170lbs:
165lbs:
160lbs:
 
Last edited:
Well you just jumped right in with the questions... fantastic!

What type of competitive sports do you play?

If I may make a suggestion, I know you treasure your evenings at home, but when you want something bad enough, things are worth the sacrifice. Maybe you'll learn to treasure your evenings at Gold's Gym too.

Good start to your diary... its a good way to keep accountability on your weight loss.
 
Hi Phoenyx, I play hockey! I was really good when I was in my early 20s (coincidentally was also in the best shape of my life then, low 140s - body fat ratio was around 12-14%!). I was offered a full tuition scholarship to attend technical school but had to decline last minute due to unforeseen financial problems - the school was 8 hours away so it was tough financially in the first place. :(

So yeah, you're right - I think rather than trying to accomplish evening exercise other than my weekly hockey game, I will probably attempt early morning before work gym trips. It would just mean I have to go to sleep earlier at nights.

Today I made my trip to the grocery store and bought fruits, vegetables, unsweetened juice, yogurts and nonsugary cereal. I've stayed away from carbonated drinks today, drinking only water.

I've also done a lot of reading of people's diaries to read their various challenges and successes. That may very well be my daily inspiration. I also put in about 40 minutes of Wii sports boxing!
 
Breakfast 7am : 1 cup Shreddies and 1 cup of 2% milk, along with an unsweetened apple juice box.

Snack, 9:45am: Strawberry low fat yogurt, and another unsweetened apple juice

Lunch, 12pm: Subway trip! 6 inch roast beef sub with lettuce and pepper. Also had a bit of italian wedding soup MMMM it was awesome

snack, 3pm: another yogurt, and another apple juice - finished off my italian wedding soup from lunch.

supper, 5:30: hot dog, little toppings and a big glass of water

after hockey snack: zucchini with a little bit of golden italian dressing
-----------

All in all, I've had maybe 2 litres of water today. Big accomplishment.

Also had 2 slivers (fingers?) of a Kit Kat. :(
 
Hockey went really well tonight, we ended up winning by a LOT. I had 2 goals and 2 assists for my first goals of the season (in game 3 - was starting to worry).

We were short about 3 forwards due to road conditions (really icy out) which meant more icetime pour moi - so it ended up like a bastardized version of HIIT.

At any rate, I feel like I'm STARVING right now but its not good to eat this late so I'll just try to replenish some water and maybe snack on a cracker or two.
 
Day 3!

breakfast 7am : 1 cup Shreddies and 1 cup of 2% milk, along with an unsweetened apple juice box.

Snack, 9:45am: Strawberry low fat yogurt, and low fat bran muffin .. and another unsweetened apple juice

Lunch, 12pm: scrambled eggs and a grilled cheese, water

snack, 3pm: zuchini and lettuce, muffin with a big glass of water.
 
Supper was.. a 6 inch sub from Subway, roast beef again - I won't lie its my favourite...

Also went to the gym tonight, woo! Spent about an hour doing various weight machines. Also signed up for a personal trainer - hopefully this will be the difference that keeps me on track.

I tried losing weight over a year ago and I was doing well for a month and just stopped going to the gym :(

Todays downer: I found out I weigh 205 not 200 like I thought or 195 like I hoped, wtf!

I have a picture of myself from 5 years ago that I've kept as my wallpaper on my desktop for motivation.. 140lbs! It kinda bums me out but also motivates me to try getting back there or close to it.
 
Don't feel too bad... When I started I was quite shocked to find I was 241 not the 220s like I thought I was.

A couple suggestions on your food...

Instead of the apple juice, eat a whole apple. That way your body gets the fiber, and has to work harder to digest the natural sugars found in the fruit. Better use of calories and carbs. Drink water instead.

Maybe a little more protein in your breakfast? I know it helps me. A hard boiled egg along with the shreddies (are those anything like shredded wheat?)

I know Subway has some great sandwiches... but be careful of the bread! That's a lot of carbs in the form of processed to death flour. And if you're letting them load it up with mayo, the oil, etc... that's a lot more calories and fat that sneak in there.

Just to give you an idea... here's a sample of what I might eat in a day...

Breakfast:
1 hard boiled egg
1 or 2 pieces whole grain toast

snack:
3/4 cup low fat (2%) cottage cheese with 1/2 of a peach, or some other soft fruit. The rest of the fruit I'll usually eat it as well, or save it for later.

Lunch:
Good sized salad consisting of romaine, spring greens, tomato, cucumber, mushrooms, celery with some of my mustard vinaigrette salad dressing. If I have leftover meat (chicken, steak, whatever) I'll cut it up and put it on the salad. Leftover salmon works well on this too. Protein! Maybe the rest of whatever fruit I put in the cottage cheese. Avocado if I have it.

snack:
yogurt with some almonds and hazelnuts. The weight watchers yogurts are awesome. Or an apple.

dinner:
salmon cooked in parchment, salad or some type of steamed veggie.

That's just a cross section, but I had it down to 1100-1200 calories a day during the really aggressive part of my weight loss. I'm in the last 7 pounds, shifting to maintenance so I've started adding in more. I might go back to fewer for a bit just because I spent a few days over the past week eating like crap. Just to get back on track.

Just be careful of the hidden calories, carbs etc. They can be quite sneaky.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, I've been eating apples instead since :)

Yesterday, breakfast and snacks were pretty much the same as before. Lunch was a hard shell taco, and supper was baked chicken and a baked potato. Minimal toppings, I'm not one for using much condiments ever.

Went to the gym last night, spent 40 mins on an elliptical doing cross country.

Today I am SORE, especially in the arms area, I assume thats Thursday nights weight session catching up to me. I bought Shredded Wheat (similar to Shreddies) and had that for breakfast along with an apple.

I am so sore I'm debating staying home from the gym for today - a rest should be fine and go back tomorrow and Monday. I don't want to overdo it first week back on the weight loss journey..
 
Another day, another good day of healthy eating. Been really sleepy/lazy all weekend, I probably got 4 hours of naps in between yesterday and today alone while getting 9-10 hours of sleep at night.

Gym trip today, another 40 mins of cardio.

I weigh a whole pound less. One. It doesn't feel like progress. In other news I don't feel as bloated lately (I hate that word). I feel better about my eating habits and exercise, morally. I don't feel guilty about sitting at home anymore. :D

Tomorrow is a weight training day.
 
Congrats on the weight loss. A pound is still a pound loss, and over time it adds up. The weight will take care of itself as long as you continue to eat healthy and exercise. Again, congrats!
 
Weight training done today, did squats, bicep curls, abs, legs, triceps, shoulders (can't remember the name of the actual exercises). Met my personal trainer and she was really nice to work with - I've already booked another 3 sessions with her until the end of next week.

Another good food day, no splurges or anything. :D
 
Yesterday was a rest day.. still ate pretty goood and on time (well timed snacks). I did eat at Taco Time and had a beef & cheese burrito along with a couple sips of my boyfriend's pepsi (at least I didn't have my own soda, weee), then at supper I had two baked potatoes. Kind of a slip up, but it was just two meals.

Today I am back on track! I was in the zone at work and completely forgot my afternoon snack and was starving by the time I got home from work. Didn't overeat though.

Tonight was another hockey game, big difference in my recovery in between shifts and by the time the last period rolled around I probably could've skated another period or two! Feels like progress!! We beat the top team in our division 5-1 and I had another goal. I'll keep improving as my fitness does and I'll be the best player on the team, maybe.

Tomorrow I have another session with my personal trainer, we meet two times a week. She showed me their resistance training system at Golds Gym, Kinesis. Pretty cool.

I hope to have her help with free weights and core once I get into better shape - I have no problems doing cardio on my own since I got such good music on my iPod. :hurray:
 
Msubball, thanks for the congrats!!

(I'm addicted to this site, everyone's stories are way inspiring!!)
 
That is an awesome goal to lose weight by the date of your hockey tournament. I used to play basketball in high school and throughout college I played in rec leagues. But since I graduated about a year ago I have stopped playing basketball. But my goal is to start playing again and I already found a league that starts this May. (May is just going to be the best month ever!)

Anyways, it sounds like you are doing great and I'm sure we can cheer each other on as we reach our goals!!!
 
Had weight training tonight with the trainer, another good session. Followed that up with 15 mins of interval training according to the cardio machine. Good times!

Food behaviour = good again today!
 
Soooo.............. after reading a lot of journals, and in their first week or so a lot of people lose anywhere from 3-10lbs. I'm a tiny bit frustrated at my real lack of progress on the whole scale thing because I'm still at 204.

I know Steve keeps saying not to watch the scale much (I've only weighed myself twice so far) .. its just a little frustrating. My calorie intake is roughly between 1500-1800, all healthy foods so its not that my nutrition is failing me. It might be the strength training that I'm doing thats building muscle, who knows right.

Hopefully its just a minor phase and it'll all melt away really fast :p

Ah well, I'll give it until end of month/first week of December before I worry.

Payday today! Wonder if I should buy a scale for home other than rely on the one that gets used a lot at the gym? Something to consider, I would like to be amused by the fluctuations of water weight - last night I weighed low 204 pre workout, mid 205 post workout because I chugged around/over a litre of water. LOL
 
Don't get to fustrated, the scales are not everything, you will gain some muscle with the weights but that is a good thing. Try taking some body measurments, inches and a healthy lifestyle mean more than weight. :)
 
That is a better idea, actually. How often should one take body measurements? Once a week, once every 1.5-2 weeks?

The benefits of my eating healthier & exercise experience thus far:

-spending less money on junk food at work

-back and neck pain practically non-existent (had to go to a massage therapist for headaches/neck and back pain 3 weeks ago).

-all around just feeling better, morale wise and physically

-energy levels have evened out, no more peaks and valleys during the day.

-despite the one pound loss, I have found some extra room in a couple pairs of pants. Minor victory :D
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top