My Story

ali2

ali2

New member
Hi! I am a 31 year old woman who beginning last January, reached 'rock bottom' and finally decided to do something about myself and take charge of my life.

From 16-31 I went from 152 to 264 pounds (there was a pregnancy in there, not that that is an excuse, it is more informative than anything else...). So my starting weight last January was 264 (size 24) and I have gotten myself down to 206 right now (somewhere between a 16 and 18).

I separated this process into two goals, first getting below 200, and second, getting to 150 (a weight that I think is appropriate for my height).

Over the years I have tried every weight loss plan on the planet, from Slim Fast, to WW, to Atkins, etc. They all worked short term, but I was never able to keep the weight off and eventually I just ballooned up to my 'starting' weight.

I started off by trying to cut out the junk food I have been eating and generally eating less. One of my bigger problems is what I call 'grazing'...where I almost blindly go from one snack to another and before I know it I have raided half the kitchen...but I digress...

So after I started eating better I (finally) realized that I needed to exercise to be successful at this so I purchased an elliptical for my home and started using it three days a week. At the beginning I could only do 10 minutes and I wanted to DIE at the end.

In my town we have an amazing community center that township residents can belong to for a ridiculously cheap rate. I joined a few years ago when it opened and proceeds to pay every month to belong and never go. Well, after working at the elliptical for 6 months I started going to the gym in the mornings before I go to work. I have a friend who goes with me and in September we started weight training. Currently I go to the gym M-F before work and on Sunday morning, w/Saturday as my off day. M-W-F I do 30 min of cardio (mostly elliptcal, although I have started running as well) and T-R-S I do weights.

The weight training is mostly done w/machines but I am able to 'break in' to the mess of people in front of the mirror to do a few free weight exercises. Now I have seen a lot of posts here that say that training w/free weights are better than using machines and I understand the logic behind that but where I go, the machines are more readily available when I am able to go...I may try working more free weights into my Sunday workout.

As far as eating goes, I am still trying to watch it, but there isn't much to it scientifically. Is there anything I could/should be doing to help myself w/all of this, either weight-wise or food wise?

I love the changes I have seen so far and want much more of the same success. It is hard but this is the longest I have maintained some sort of weight loss.

Thanks!! I can't wait to hear from everyone...
 
congrats on the free weights!!! Thats one goal I hope to be able to attain once I get used to working out on the machines
 
congrats on the free weights!!! Thats one goal I hope to be able to attain once I get used to working out on the machines
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Thanks shanifaye! Isn't anything earth shattering at this point but I have a definite interest in it and getting better at it. Right now the majority of my routine is on machines.

The eating part is what is such a challenge for me...getting that under control has been much harder.
 
Coffeebro said:
Hey look Im resurecting a dead thread! Are you still working out in the mornings? What is your diet set-up?
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Ahhh to rise from the dead....

Let's see, I will start with the workouts b/c those are easier...

I go 6 days/week - three days are cardio (22-30 mins on the elliptical) and the other three are weights. Two of the weight days are shortened versions of my Sunday weight workout, about 1/2 and 1/2. Some machines, recently, my partner just incorporated a lot of free weight work so we will have to see how that goes.

I go in the morning, 550 am or whenever the door Nazi decides to let us up (I want to tell him my taxes pay his salary but I suspect that will not be well received). I usually am done by 620, either b/c I need to be home so my husband can get to work or so my partner can get home and get himself off to work.

Sundays are a nice extended workout and I throw in things that I don't do during the week suck as squats.

As for eating, I have done a lot of talking on here about what I should be eating calorie-wise and have figured that I should be at about 1800/day. Now I don't write it down (bad), I estimate (more bad). I should be tracking my macros, which keep saying I am going to do, but don't.

I lose weight very very slowly (grrr) and I suspect that if I would just stop being so freaking lazy and count what I put in my mouth, the scale may (or may not) move a little faster.

Oh, I also take odorless fish oil.

As far as what I eat, I try to say away from overly bad foods and I read the nutrition information on everything. I have made a lot of changes in that regard which help. Although, if I really want something, I will treat myself and make adjustments accordingly. I do find that I have less of a taste for the junk and if I do push it my body punishes me :)

I'm an open book so ask away...
 
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ali.smedley said:
One of my bigger problems is what I call 'grazing'...where I almost blindly go from one snack to another and before I know it I have raided half the kitchen...but I digress...
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BRILLIANT! "Grazing!" That's what I did. I knew it was a problem when at the end of the day I couldn't account for all the different things I had ate.
 
For me it is this weird state of mind, like I know what I am doing is not the best thing but it is as if I am almost watching myself from the outside...I haven't figured out how to control it just yet but it is less frequent than before.
 
I am the exact same way.
I will eat for hours if left unchecked. I will always need to be conscious of what and how often I eat.
I know I shouldn't but sometimes it seems like my brain will shut down- how this is different from other times I do not know:D- and I am powerless to stop it.

'Grazing episodes' hardly ever happen anymore but they are a bit odd.
 
For me I am most succeptible right when I get home from work. I don't know why but I just go on a run. It isn't anything killer but it could be 200-300 calories sometimes and I don't need that.

Gotta get a handle on it.
 
Sheesh, that's nothing, for me I would need blonde hair, fake boobs, fake lips and no talent.

Well one out of four isn't bad :)
 
ali.smedley said:
I lose weight very very slowly (grrr) and I suspect that if I would just stop being so freaking lazy and count what I put in my mouth, the scale may (or may not) move a little faster.

..
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I count everything and I am the same way lately. The scale seems to rarely move if at all. We'll see with tomorrow's weigh in though. (Although TOM is here so I'm probably screwed).

I lose weight when I eat more calories and don't count. :( Sometimes then I wonder if I would have lost more weight if I had not eaten more etc.
 
JDhd said:
I'm sorry, but this is scientifically impossible.
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I believe she is referring to eating more than she normally does but still remaining in a caloric deficit.
I do not know the science behind it but have heard of this happening too many time to dismiss it.
 
Maybe its that trick of eating different calorie amounts on different days...to keep your body guessing and not allowing it to adjust?
 
I have heard of it also, that sometimes if you eat outside of your normal diet, your bodt responds with a weight loss. I think that Keith or Steve could probably explain the science behind it but I do know that if I eat like crap one day, I usually response with a leaner look and a drop on the scale.

Clearly that doesn't work long term but I think it has something to do with confusing the metabolism.
 
Oh, and congrats Ali on 77 freaking pounds! That's crazy. You should be so happy with yourself, grazing and all. You don't lose 77 pounds without amazing effort! :hurray:
 
ali.smedley said:
I have heard of it also, that sometimes if you eat outside of your normal diet, your bodt responds with a weight loss. I think that Keith or Steve could probably explain the science behind it but I do know that if I eat like crap one day, I usually response with a leaner look and a drop on the scale.

Clearly that doesn't work long term but I think it has something to do with confusing the metabolism.
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I think it has something to do with tricking your body- oh crap just realized you said that at the end- oh well.
I don't honestly know. I 'calorie cycled' for 25 years and did not look leaner. I became a 265 lb bag o' crap. :)
Define ' eat like crap' though. I doubt you look leaner after eating 2 double cheesburgers and a bloomin' onion from Chilies.
If you do though, more power to you.
 
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