SBlackburn
New member
I'm Steph, and this is my story.
I was always a skinny kid, I spent my weekends running around the yard, I loved to run, and I was active in Cheerleading and Basketball, my parents fed me healthy foods, my favorite food in the world was broccoli, but I still enjoyed the occasional sweet. As a teenager, my eating habits increased. At age 16 I was eating about 30-40 Totino's Pizza Rolls in one sitting after school each day, in addition to regular meals. (Crazy, right?!) However, I never seemed to gain weight because I played Dance Dance Revolution from the time I came home from school until I went to sleep- I was addicted.
I maintained a healthy weight for my height, between 135 and 140.
It wasn't until late my senior year of high school and all of college that I experienced weight gain- and it happened FAST. I went from 155 at the end of my junior year of high school, to 170 my senior year and freshman year of college, and finally 185 my junior and senior year of college. Very overweight, but still not obese. I got married during my junior year of college, I have a wonderful husband who is in the army, we knew each other for 5 years before we starting dating, we got engaged quickly, had a loooong engagement while he was deployed to Iraq, and then got married. I lived in my own apartment while I was finishing my classes for about 9 months, eating fast food and all kinds of junk. I had always been a fast food junkie, but living on my own in an apartment with a tiny kitchen and spending about 13 hours a day on campus working and attending class, and only being home long enough to talk to my husband for about an hour before falling asleep, I didn't have much enthusiasm for cooking. What was the point in cooking for one? I was probably eating myself to death, I felt exhausted all the time, I had no energy. I was not eating for fuel. I was no longer the active person I once was.
My husband and I have been married over a year now. I moved to Texas with him 6 months ago. I began eating much healthier, my legs got thinner now that I had stairs to run up and down, but my arms got much fatter. I had, however, stopped eating fast food as
often and began cooking healthier meals. We did, however, go out for steaks often- I always opted for broccoli instead of a less healthy side dish.
I thought maybe I was losing weight but I couldn't tell, all my clothes shrunk in the dryer except my jeans, which I hang up to dry. On a trip to our hometown to visit family over the holidays, I slipped on some stairs and broke my tailbone. Before my x rays, I had to step up on the scale. I was completely shocked when I saw what I weighed- 224! I knew then that something had to change. In hindsight, I probably weighed even more when I had my unhealthy fast food habits. But this was still a total shock.
My parents have been pretty enthusiastic about going vegan lately. I watched several documentaries with them about how stopping meat and dairy prevents cancer, heart disease, etc. I was fascinated but I highly doubted my willpower. I LOVED beef and chicken. Meat was now my favorite food. I lived for beef and broccoli stir fry with baby corn. I loved roasted chicken. I usually ate some form of animal product several times a day. I couldn't really imagine life without it.
And I could probably never go completely vegan. My parents and husband said it would be impossible for them to give up cheese. I can live without cheese, I only really like mozzarella and I usually just put it on pizza or pasta. I had been eating vegetable spread instead of butter for years, I don't really know why because I like butter better, but it just happened to be what I bought. My problem would be milk. I can't imagine life without milk.
I also had another problem- soda. This is not an animal product, but it has a severe impact on your health and weight, and I was drinking 6 or 7 diet sodas a day. Because of this, I couldn't possibly have been getting enough water. Also, the acids in the sodas had been wearing away my tooth enamel. My teeth were perfect when I was 18, but by the time I turned 20 I had six cavities.
Shortly before moving to Texas I developed acid reflux. Rather than take a pill every day for it, I decided to fix the problem with my diet. This was when I stopped eating so many deep fried foods, I cut back on soda a lot. But I still drank it sometimes.
Also at the doctor I found out I had high blood pressure. My blood pressure had always been completely normal before. This was a big wake up call that I needed to make some changes.
Two weeks ago, I decided to go "weekday vegetarian" most days I actually eat vegan but some days I will have milk or cheese, and I have decided to eat meat sparingly on weekends for a while. I wasn't sure if it would work, diets had never done anything for me before. But I was hopeful about repairing my health. This week we bought a scale so I can check my weight. My husband is joining me on this diet, he has gained ten pounds since this summer and while he is still well within his healthy weight range, he does want to lose weight and feel better. I thought it would be difficult to convince him but once he watched the documentaries with us he was convinced to try weekday vegetarianism too.
On January 9th I used my scale for the first time, and I weighed 223.5. A weight loss of one pound since my doctors visit on Christmas eve. I had been eating fast food on our trip and eating unhealthy foods cooked by relatives. My first week had not been productive I think because the stuff was still in my system. On January 10th I weighed 221.5. I was really excited to lose two pounds in a day, and I had been eating a LOT- but since it was all vegetables, fruit, whole wheat pasta, and oatmeal, I could eat as much as I needed and still lose weight! I quit soda and started drinking water. I have tried this in the past and failed, but this time was easier because with my acid reflux, soda made me feel awful when I drank it. I lost my desire for it. I still like an occasional IBC root beer once a week.
I forgot to weigh myself on Jan 11th, but today, on Jan 12th I was very excited. 218!!! I am so excited to be out of the 220's and I am definitely going to stick with it!
This diet really works. I have tried counting calories in the past and I've only gained weight because I was eating the wrong things. Eating whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole oats, and whole wheat pasta (in moderation) has really worked for me. I am so excited about my results so far and I feel great.
I am hoping to get down to my goal weight- 140 sometime this year!
Some good documentaries to watch:
Food Inc. (available streaming on Netflix)
Food Matters (available streaming on Netflix)
Forks over Knives (available streaming on Netflix)
"Eating" by Mike Anderson
If you are trying to lose weight and improve your overall health, please give at least one of these documentaries a chance. Even if you don't want to go vegetarian or vegan, at least try to watch one of these so you know how your eating choices affect your health- you might be surprised what you learn. I know I was! I still don't think going completely vegetarian or vegan is for me, my opinion might change someday. But just by giving it 5 days a week you will see the results you desire without starving yourself or depriving yourself. And like me, after you get used to it you feel great!
I'm going to continue my diet and try to reach my goal. Wish me luck!
I was always a skinny kid, I spent my weekends running around the yard, I loved to run, and I was active in Cheerleading and Basketball, my parents fed me healthy foods, my favorite food in the world was broccoli, but I still enjoyed the occasional sweet. As a teenager, my eating habits increased. At age 16 I was eating about 30-40 Totino's Pizza Rolls in one sitting after school each day, in addition to regular meals. (Crazy, right?!) However, I never seemed to gain weight because I played Dance Dance Revolution from the time I came home from school until I went to sleep- I was addicted.
I maintained a healthy weight for my height, between 135 and 140.It wasn't until late my senior year of high school and all of college that I experienced weight gain- and it happened FAST. I went from 155 at the end of my junior year of high school, to 170 my senior year and freshman year of college, and finally 185 my junior and senior year of college. Very overweight, but still not obese. I got married during my junior year of college, I have a wonderful husband who is in the army, we knew each other for 5 years before we starting dating, we got engaged quickly, had a loooong engagement while he was deployed to Iraq, and then got married. I lived in my own apartment while I was finishing my classes for about 9 months, eating fast food and all kinds of junk. I had always been a fast food junkie, but living on my own in an apartment with a tiny kitchen and spending about 13 hours a day on campus working and attending class, and only being home long enough to talk to my husband for about an hour before falling asleep, I didn't have much enthusiasm for cooking. What was the point in cooking for one? I was probably eating myself to death, I felt exhausted all the time, I had no energy. I was not eating for fuel. I was no longer the active person I once was.
My husband and I have been married over a year now. I moved to Texas with him 6 months ago. I began eating much healthier, my legs got thinner now that I had stairs to run up and down, but my arms got much fatter. I had, however, stopped eating fast food as
often and began cooking healthier meals. We did, however, go out for steaks often- I always opted for broccoli instead of a less healthy side dish.
I thought maybe I was losing weight but I couldn't tell, all my clothes shrunk in the dryer except my jeans, which I hang up to dry. On a trip to our hometown to visit family over the holidays, I slipped on some stairs and broke my tailbone. Before my x rays, I had to step up on the scale. I was completely shocked when I saw what I weighed- 224! I knew then that something had to change. In hindsight, I probably weighed even more when I had my unhealthy fast food habits. But this was still a total shock.
My parents have been pretty enthusiastic about going vegan lately. I watched several documentaries with them about how stopping meat and dairy prevents cancer, heart disease, etc. I was fascinated but I highly doubted my willpower. I LOVED beef and chicken. Meat was now my favorite food. I lived for beef and broccoli stir fry with baby corn. I loved roasted chicken. I usually ate some form of animal product several times a day. I couldn't really imagine life without it.
And I could probably never go completely vegan. My parents and husband said it would be impossible for them to give up cheese. I can live without cheese, I only really like mozzarella and I usually just put it on pizza or pasta. I had been eating vegetable spread instead of butter for years, I don't really know why because I like butter better, but it just happened to be what I bought. My problem would be milk. I can't imagine life without milk.
I also had another problem- soda. This is not an animal product, but it has a severe impact on your health and weight, and I was drinking 6 or 7 diet sodas a day. Because of this, I couldn't possibly have been getting enough water. Also, the acids in the sodas had been wearing away my tooth enamel. My teeth were perfect when I was 18, but by the time I turned 20 I had six cavities.
Shortly before moving to Texas I developed acid reflux. Rather than take a pill every day for it, I decided to fix the problem with my diet. This was when I stopped eating so many deep fried foods, I cut back on soda a lot. But I still drank it sometimes.
Also at the doctor I found out I had high blood pressure. My blood pressure had always been completely normal before. This was a big wake up call that I needed to make some changes.
Two weeks ago, I decided to go "weekday vegetarian" most days I actually eat vegan but some days I will have milk or cheese, and I have decided to eat meat sparingly on weekends for a while. I wasn't sure if it would work, diets had never done anything for me before. But I was hopeful about repairing my health. This week we bought a scale so I can check my weight. My husband is joining me on this diet, he has gained ten pounds since this summer and while he is still well within his healthy weight range, he does want to lose weight and feel better. I thought it would be difficult to convince him but once he watched the documentaries with us he was convinced to try weekday vegetarianism too.
On January 9th I used my scale for the first time, and I weighed 223.5. A weight loss of one pound since my doctors visit on Christmas eve. I had been eating fast food on our trip and eating unhealthy foods cooked by relatives. My first week had not been productive I think because the stuff was still in my system. On January 10th I weighed 221.5. I was really excited to lose two pounds in a day, and I had been eating a LOT- but since it was all vegetables, fruit, whole wheat pasta, and oatmeal, I could eat as much as I needed and still lose weight! I quit soda and started drinking water. I have tried this in the past and failed, but this time was easier because with my acid reflux, soda made me feel awful when I drank it. I lost my desire for it. I still like an occasional IBC root beer once a week.
I forgot to weigh myself on Jan 11th, but today, on Jan 12th I was very excited. 218!!! I am so excited to be out of the 220's and I am definitely going to stick with it!
This diet really works. I have tried counting calories in the past and I've only gained weight because I was eating the wrong things. Eating whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole oats, and whole wheat pasta (in moderation) has really worked for me. I am so excited about my results so far and I feel great.
I am hoping to get down to my goal weight- 140 sometime this year!
Some good documentaries to watch:
Food Inc. (available streaming on Netflix)
Food Matters (available streaming on Netflix)
Forks over Knives (available streaming on Netflix)
"Eating" by Mike Anderson
If you are trying to lose weight and improve your overall health, please give at least one of these documentaries a chance. Even if you don't want to go vegetarian or vegan, at least try to watch one of these so you know how your eating choices affect your health- you might be surprised what you learn. I know I was! I still don't think going completely vegetarian or vegan is for me, my opinion might change someday. But just by giving it 5 days a week you will see the results you desire without starving yourself or depriving yourself. And like me, after you get used to it you feel great!
I'm going to continue my diet and try to reach my goal. Wish me luck!
