Niles - weight loss is not a piece of cake!

Oh God I am sooo out of shape

You are right Caterina. Maybe waiting to start at the gym is not a good idea, but I tell you I am so weak!!! Even doing some of the exercises without weights makes my muscles ache for days. I can do 3 push ups ....... but I do it because I know I will soon be able to do 4 ! If you are so out of shape as I am ...I find that hard to imagine:eek: it is better to start slow and then push oneself a little more all time. I Just got home from my long bike ride and I tell you. Some of those hills really got me. When I came home I was sweating and my body shook from low blood sugar!! It was so hard but I did it. And I will do it Saturday again!
And go swimming that is even worse than the gym ... since men wear so little. Not that I wear Speedos ... I can only imagine the look of that:eek: and how hard it would be to pull them out of my body afterwards:rotflmao:

Dancing is a much overlooked exercise. Everybody can do it alone, and everywhere. It is actually fun!! I like something with a good beat;

5 of my favorites are:

Inner City: Big Fun:



Robin S: Show me Love:



Janet Jackson: Thats the way love goes:



Blank and Jones: Desire:



Alice DeeJay: Better off Alone:
 
Hi Niles.

So you've discovered the joys of dancing? Great, isn't it? I usually shimmy to my mp3 player once in a while, but never more than 10 minutes because I feel silly, and I don't know how to dance. So far, I can see you progressed really well, and I'm happy for you, keep it up! I wish I could swim, but alas due to my gender problem I can't really wear a male swimming suit..
 
Yes I am very happy to have lost 24,6 pounds in just 6 weeks. It is a good start on a long journey ... towards not only loosing weight but also becoming fit. I do have sore muscles since it has been so long since I was in shape. But I do know that rest is just as important as working out.

I don´t care so much about about looking silly.You can just dance and exercise in your home/room like I do (wearing headphone from my MP3). No one can see me at least I hope not:eek::rotflmao: I dance any way I like, even if I look like a uncoordinated Aerobics retard having a seizure. I hope you saw the exercise videos I posted in your thread about "What to change". I hope you will one day feel confident enough to swim in swim shorts. Even though I know what you mean. My friend used to wear tight bandages on his chest to hide them, until he had them removed.
 
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I need to take it slowly

Oh I went swimming today with a buddy. I used to swim very well (Good technique and form) ... about 10-15 years ago. So I swam twice as fast as my buddy ... just to show off. I guess it an alpha male trait. I swam twice as fast and twice as long as my buddy. I it came with a price. My arms, shoulder, neck and chest muscles are so sore and I am in so much pain I had to take anti-inflammatory painkillers. Boy I am soooo stupid. I expect to get in shape in a few weeks:rotflmao: totally unrealistic.....
I did promise myself to take it easy. So often I overdo it and end up having pains for days. It is so hard to accept being so out of shape and that it takes time to get in shape again. So now I have to pay the price of sore muscles for days.... AGAIN. :drooling:

But I do feel I am loosing weight ...my pants are looser and my belt needs more tightening. I have to start wearing smaller pants ..... I really notice my hips have become smaller.

Also I strayed a bit from my diet today and ate 3,5 OZ of an Italian Dessert (Real Tiramisu). I have found myself craving ice cream a few times lately, but reading how many calories even the low fat/no sugar varieties have is not good. I have to keep saying to myself... nothing tastes as good as being healthy and in shape!!! My Cravings is usually a sign that I have skipped a meal or some fruits ..... I have to stick o my diet and eat all the healthy stuff, so I will not get cravings.
 
I was so tired and beat today. I have had absolutely no energy for anything. I have felt so hungry all day. I did not eat my veggies and get my balanced meals today. I always fear I will gain weight if I do not stick to my diet. Actually I just got on my scale (I only weigh myself Wednesdays) and my weight was fine. I think I am so tired because I overdid it yesterday when I went swimming. Hope I will feel better tomorrow.
 
Better today

I feel so much better today, than yesterday. I worked a couple of hours in my garden and I rode my stationary bike for 30 min. I also went shopping and made some good deals on frozen shrimps, fish and chicken breasts. So filled my freezer with the good stuff. My Freezers are so full of food ... maybe I have gotten the hamster syndrome??? I have kept my diet program today! I feel great. Oh I also better post my diet plan. It does sound simple and it is:

My Diet:

I do not count calories. I eat 3 main meals and 3 smaller “meals” in between.
It is basically a low carb diet with lots of lean meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and fruits:

However there are some musts:

12 oz of vegetables for lunch and 12 oz vegetables for dinner
5-6 pieces of fruit every day or a 5-6 oz serving of berries (only limit 1 banana a day)
4 slices of 1oz of multi fibre bread every day. (1 for breakfast, 2 for lunch and 1 for dinner)
(I can exchange one piece of fruit for 4 oz of potato, pasta or rice if I want more carbs)
1 pint of low fat milk OR 3 cups full fat yogurt OR 2 cups of Greek cream yoghurt
4-5 oz of meat, fish or poultry for lunch, and 7 oz of meat, fish or poultry for dinner
(Max 5 eggs per week, eat fish 5 times every week, eat liver 1 time every week)
30 g of fat everyday (preferable olive oil)
I try to drink 8 glasses of water every day (only 1 can of diet coke allowed every day)

Typical break fasts:

1)
1 0z slice of multi fibre bread
1 egg
1 fruit (Apple or orange).
coffee

2) 2 cups of yoghurt with 1 oz of high fibre topping
1 fruit (Pear or orange)
coffee


Typical lunches:

12 oz of vegetables
5 oz of fish, meat, or poultry
2 one oz slices of multi fibre bread
I piece of fruit

Typical dinners:

12 oz of vegetables
7-8 oz of fish, meat, or poultry
1 oz slice of multi fibre bread
1 piece of fruit


I use the milk products to make different meals

I eat the one banana in the evening with a glass of milk..This way I will not be hungry during the night. I have sometimes woken up during the night so hungry, but this trick prevents it.

That is it. I know it works and I can make many interesting meals by following these principles.

I like my Chicken salad recipe I posted in the recipe section here on the forum. I also like my Tuna salad and my Shrimp salad. I also like my mini quiches (low fat high, fibre, low carb) with tomato salad. And I like a great variety of vegetables lean meat and fish. I do not eat many different dessert I make some homemade raspberry yogurt "ice cream" , my low carb cinnamon apple cake with vanilla cream, and my yoghurt chocolate "Mousse" that can satisfy any cravings for chocolate!!! I can eat dessert every day if I want to!!!

I can go out to eat (I just eat the veggies and the meat they serve).

I also know I have to learn some new recipes. I have a few books with some good ones when I need a bit more variety and gets bored with the basic recipes. I have an average weight loss of 3 pounds every week (sometimes more) when I follow this diet.
 
tired and overworked

I really stuck to my diet program today. Even used my stationary bike for 35 min . today when I got home from work. I am very tired today and I worry all the time about not losing enough weight. LESSON learned:

Only step on the scale once a week or I will become insane from worrying about minor fluctuations.

I notice my shoulders are a little less round today. I am beginning to see myself through all the fat:jump: It just overwhelmed me today ...the thought of having to loose nearly 100 pounds more. If I loose 2 pounds every week it will take 50 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek2:

I do not think It will take that long though. But even if it did I will do it. Loosing the weight is not my only goal. I will rather make it a lasting effort to get in shape and make the life style changes needed.

If I only look at the numbers on the scale and the way I look right now it makes me miserable. And I do feel better!!! I will focus on that and take one day at the time. Eat right, exercise and take good care of myself. I deserve that.
 
Niles,

Kudos to you for sticking to your diet and getting active. I'd feel like a tool dancing, especially if I were dancing alone. I think my dogs might watch while whimpering. And then the dancing would just become creepy.

You know what's really cool? My boyfriend was around 350 when we started this lifestyle change together. Anyway, prior to this, he had very little muscle in his arms. And after roughly 8 weeks, he's got muscles. Well, I guess he had them, they were just undeveloped and covered in fat! It's really cool and he's really proud of himself. I relay this story because he started out around 360 (we're not entirely sure though!) and is now down to 310.

What about using 5 or 8 or 10 pound weights?

Take care,

Tamara
 
Weekly weigh-in day

Wednesday again and time for my weekly weigh-in:

Scale reading: 127.5 kg/ 285.1 pounds I have lost 0,9 kg / 2 pounds this week

Starting weight 139,6 kg/ 307,12 pounds BMI 42,5 (08.22.2007)

I have lost 12.1 kg / 26.6 pounds in 7 weeks


Thank you for stopping by Tamara! :hug2:I keep going towards my goals ...
Did you mean I should use light weights when doing my exercises? I do that ...very light weights. I become sore even doing that. I do set short term goals and focus on reaching them. It must be so nice that you and your BF can support each other in living healthier. And it is good to hear that it is possible to get in shape again for a big guy.

It has also finally dawned on me how that I have a long road ahead of me to reach my goals. If I keep focusing on how much I need to loose more, it seems almost impossible. But I have to live each day , each week and enjoy the process! And it is going to be a lifelong process to maintain the weight loss. Being on a diet is about loosing weight, but just to loose weight weight and return to the eating and exercise habits (no exercise???) that made me become overweight over the years, is only going to make me overweight again. That is pure insanity! Doing samo and expecting different results. So I have learned from my former attempts to loose weight and gaining it all back + more. Time to walk a different road. I am walking it.....Like buff Steve here on the forum says. It´s a journey not a destination.

I have begun keeping an exercise diary to keep track of the progress of the various exercises. Of how many reps I can do of each exercise. But it really does not matter how much I can do right now. I know I am getting stronger and loosing weight. That is what matters. It is horrible to be so out of shape ... but pushing to much, too fast is worse.
 
I want my life back

I should have weighed in today instead of yesterday!! I have been a bit constipated lately ( I need to drink more water ...yes) So I don´t become so full of c... .:eek:

I also found a website where I can make a daily food diary and analyze what I actually eat. I am actually surprised to see that I have only eaten 1400 calories today. I should eat about 2100 calories to loose 2 pounds every week. But some days I eat less than that!!! I am not hungry. Before when I binged on cakes, ice cream and dessert I was always hungry!!! Go figure. I guess I was hungry for good nutrients and when I eat right I am not hungry? But I better increase my caloric intake so I have more energy to exercise. So what if it takes longer to loose the excess weight? As I said it is equally important to get in better shape than it is to loose weight (Fat). I have complete given up upon strange diets, but stick more to the philosophy of lasting lifestyle changes. What is the point of loosing weight and going back to doing all the things made me morbid obese after I have lost weight. I guess being depressed for so long made me loose myself. I forgot to observe what I ate
and the antidepressants I took over the years made me tired all the time. I just basically did what I had to but taking care of myself became a small priority. I really did not care about myself. I am glad I feel better now. I am going to get my life back and live again:)
 
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That is what I will do mal! Each good day is a blessing. It feels like I have woken up from a bad dream, only to realize it was not a dream. But I am glad I woke up before I gained more :eek:
 
It felt great to go swimming today, only noticed a slight pain in my left shoulder, that I often have had problems with and have to be a bit careful with. I increased the distance with 2 laps and mixed breast stroke and crawl. I felt stronger than last week and felt great afterwards. It also did not take so long for my heart to slow down afterwards. I ate a huge meal for dinner!!! I was so hungry ... a 24 0z mixed vegetable Japanese stir fry bag and 3 chicken breast!
I have had quite a headache tonight. Thinks it comes from actually moving those stiff neck, upper back and shoulder muscles after all those years of being a couch potato. Well a few painkillers will take care of it.

In the middle of writing this I just realized I was hungry again so ate a pear and will now eat my favorite diet dessert : yogurt chocolate mousse with orange peel. I ought to post the recipe in the recipe section, because there is no need to deny oneself the taste of rich chocolate ... even when loosing weight.:jump:
 
It´s been a while since I posted something in my diary. I had to take ibubrufen to for a few days to soothe the pain in my shoulder and be careful when I moved it. I can not believe that I am so out of shape. But I will be careful not to get injured by trying to push myself faster than my body can adapt. Push when I can, but listen to my body. A little soreness from exercise is OK.

I keep eating according to my diet plan, but I sure do not feel I loose weight at the same pace as the first 5 weeks. But that is OK. I know I am loosing weight, I can use pants size 44 now (46 before). Ten pounds more off and I will be able to fit size 42. LOL:rotflmao: I have plenty of sizes of clothes.... as I gained weight I bought increasingly large sizes.

I have been worrying a little about whether I would get a little loose skin this time on my belly. Before when I lost weight, my skin retracted and I do not have any stretch marks...so I hope it will not become too big of problem. Rather a little loose skin, than being more than 100 pounds overweight.

But I feel I have gotten more stamina. I feel much better walking. I still sweat a lot when moving around , but I sure have gotten more energy. I feel so much better actually. So things are definitely getting better:)
 
weekly weigh in day

Wednesday : Day of my weekly weigh-in:

Scale reading: 126.5 kg/ 278.3 pounds I have lost 1.0 kg / 2.2 pounds this week

Starting weight 139,6 kg/ 307,12 pounds BMI 42,5 (08.22.2007)

I have lost 13.08 kg / 28.8 pounds in 8 weeks :)
 
Thanks Mal. YES it sure feels good to be this motivated and ever so slowly beginning to feel better. The experience I have gotten from failed attempts to loose weight and make lifestyle changes was not a waste. I learned that strange diets and starving myself only lead to binge-eating. A lasting weight loss takes plenty of healthy foods and exercise I enjoy. I hope this will make me reach my goals. I do realize that it will take about a year to reach my goals of loosing the weight and get in fairly good shape and be able to run about 45 min 3 times a week. But now I enjoy each day and take one day at a time. But it is good to have goals. I sure am happy I found this on line forum. It makes me more accountable to go public.:jump:
 
in the grand scheme of things, a year is hardly any time at all - by the time I'm done -it'll be a 2 year journey - at least... day by day -you will get there... just remind yourself it's not a race..
 
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