OLUX'S Weight Loss Diary

oLUX

oLUX

New member

UPDATE 02/14/09: New photos on page 18.

UPDATE 01/31/09: Before and In Between photos on page 11.

Hi everyone!

I found the forum a few months ago and lurked around until a few weeks ago. I'm a third year student in college and have somehow managed to gain 30+ pounds over the last few years. Joining a sorority includes many nights of binge drinking and eating unhealthy amounts of food. I was home over Thanksgiving break and I finally decided that I no longer wanted to be overweight. I want to be able to put on clothes and feel beautiful. More than anything though, I want to live a healthier lifestyle.

I started working out at the gym at the end of November and have since gone to the gym every single day. I really feel that I'll be able to reach my weight loss goals because this is a change I really want in my life.

Here are some answers to questions:

1. What is your current height and weight?
I am 5'3" and when I first started working out at the end of November, I weighed in at a little over 185. After my workout today, I am now 171.

2. If you were at an ideal weight now, what would that weight be?
I want to ideally be 120, however, my short term goal is to be 165 by my 21st birthday on January 7th, 2009.

3. Why do you want to lose weight?
I don't want my weight to restrict me from being able to wear beautiful clothes and looking pretty. Furthermore, a few of my older relatives have recently gotten sick because of problems related to their health. I knwo that my body is healthy now, but if I continue to eat badly, I will suffer the consequences when I get older.

4. Why do you think that you now have a weight problem?
I drank almost every night of the week, and then would go out and eat after a long night with Captain Morgan.

5. In terms of exercise, what, if anything, are you currently doing?
My exercise routine at the moment is as follows:

DAY 1 3 5 and 7:
  • 20-30 Minutes of Cardio
  • Circuit weight training to work all my core muscle groups. 3 Sets of 10 Reps each.


DAY 2 4 and 6
  • 35-45 Minutes of Cardio

6. What is your daily food intake?
I try my best to stay around 1200 calories a day. Here is a sample of what I've been eating:
  • Breakfast: Plain oatmeal + 1 Egg
  • Snack: Almonds
  • Lunch: Mixed greens w/ red onions, pieces of chicken breast, crutons, & light dressing
  • Snack: Grapefruit
  • Dinner: Grilled salmon w/ salt, pepper, lemon & Mixed greens
  • Snack: Banana (After the gym)


I'm new to working out and trying to live a healthier lifestyle. However, I'm excited for this change in my life and I hope I can keep it up for the long haul. If you guys have any input on how to improve my eating habits and work out, please let me know! Thanks! :)
 
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Wow, it looks like you have made a great start! Isn't it amazing how that weight just sneaks up on you, but is so darn hard to get rid of. Your workout plan and eating plan look great...keep up all the great work!

It is wonderful to think about being able to wear all those beautiful clothes isn't it...I lost about 35lbs two years ago and the feeling of looking great in those fitting clothes was fantastic..makes me wonder why I let my bad habits slip back in and gained all that weight back.
 
:seeya:Welcome! Congratulations on your loss so far! Sounds like your plan is firmly in place and you are reaping the benefits of your healthy changes.

Keep up the great work! Just make sure you are getting enough healthy calories.

Cheers
ABBA
 
Thanks for the positive feedback! Whenever I start getting tired doing cardio, I start day dreaming about all the hot outfits I could be wearing out when I'm skinnier. It keeps me going and pushes me through the last few minutes of the workout. :) Haha, I'm not sure if anyone else does that.

I'm usually really good about sticking to my workout and calorie intake plan. However, when I go out with friends, it's always hard to say no when everything looks SO YUMMY! AHHH. Story of my life. Yesterday, I ate THREE egg rolls and a side of fried rice. I definitely paid for it today when I got back on the scale. Because of that, I hit up the gym twice and cut down my calorie intake today to try and make up for yesterday. Seriously though, no more cheat days. It just doesn't work for me. After I eat the bad food, I just feel like I'm off track and threw away everything I've worked hard for all week. But besides from that, I think I'm doing well!

My activity + food intake for the day:

Breakfast
  • 1/2 Small Banana 70 Calories
  • 3/4 Cup Fresh Pineapple 70 Calories

Gym
  • Cardio 30 minutes 350 Calories

Lunch "Stir Fry" (No actual oil or frying.)
  • Broccoli 1/2 Cup 27 Calories
  • Chicken 1 Cup 285 Calories
  • Onions 1/2 Cup 24 Calories
  • Garlic Powder 1 tsp 9 Calories
  • Soy Sauce 1 tbsp 8 Calories
  • Pea Pods 14 Calories
Snack
  • Honey Nut Cherrios 110 Calories
  • 1/2 Cup Fat Free Milk 45 Calories
Gym
  • Cardio 35 minutes 430 Calories

Snack
  • 1/2 Small Banana 70 Calories
  • 1/2 Grapefruit 53 Calories

Dinner
  • Salad 471 Calories

Total Calories Consumed: 1156
Total Calorie Expended: 780

Anyways, I hope everyone had an AMAZING SATURDAY!

OH PS - I also watched the season finale of The Biggest Loser today. I'm pretty sure I started crying a few times. I think it's just so amazing what those people push through to achieve their goals.
 
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I wanted to do a long workout today but I only ended up doing 25 minutes of cardio and then leaving the gym. I told myself I'd come back in the evening to do more but I'm just burnt out and did NOT feel like going again. I guess it's OK to give my body a break evey now and then.

I DIDDD however, treat myself to 20 minutes at the tanning salon. I needed to do something relaxing and now my tan looks fierce.

I have about a week and a half before my 21st birthday so I'm going to watch my calorie intake and workouts a little more strictly from now until then so I can get to my goal weight. *CROSSES FINGERS*

OHHH andd I've decided that once I hit 159, I'm going to indulge myself in some hair extensions! The sooner I lose this weight, the sooner I can have beautiful Kim Kardashian hair!

I worked off 300 Calories at the gym today and ate 1250 Calories. Hmph!

PS Does anyone like squash? Today I ate squash in place of mashed potatoes. SO BOMB!
 
I do that when I'm getting bored of working out too! I think of what I'll do when I'm at my goal weight, and it keeps me going til my workout is done!

I'm impressed that you're able to stay with the diet you set, I can NEVER do that and I end up eating well over the amount of calories I should. I understand your cheat days, too. I decided that since I can't totally limit myself from all things delicious, once a week I'll have ONE cheat meal, be it breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert, where I can eat whatever I want, but only for that meal. The rest of the day will be healthy eating. Maybe you could try that? Completely restricting foods will most likely lead you to binge one day or another. I'm hoping it works for me! :)
 
Haha thanks for the advice!

It was the first day back to the office after a few days off so I'm pretty sure I just walked around and talked to my coworkers all day. "TIME THIEF!" Haha. Does anyone here watch The Office? That show is LOVE.

I had the weirdest day. I felt like I ate a lot today and always felt pretty full or content but I didn't actually eat that much. I really don't want to go below my 1,200 calories but I also don't feel like forcing myself to eat when it doesn't sound appealing.

ALSOOO! I got my study abroad packet in the mail today! I'm going to be studying in SEVILLE, SPAIN for half the summer! A lot of my sorority sisters have gone abroad and always talk about how it's such an amazing experience, so I'm PUMPED. I'm more excited for the immersion as well as the nightlife than I am about actually taking the Spanish classes. Haha. I think it'll be such a great chance for me to work on my not-so-marvelous Spanish. OH, STORY: So I was in Cancun with my friends and every vendor there speaks English since it's such a tourist town. However, I thought I'd be slick and asked the vendor selling jewelery "Cuanto dinero?" He gave me this weird look like I was crazy. I got even more confused and said to my friends, "Wait guys, does DINERO mean DINNER? OR MONEY?" They laughed at me and just said, "Wow." MMM, always full of blonde moments. Story of my life. Anyway, VIVA LA ESPANA , son.

Calories Expended
  • Cardio 30 minutes - 350 Calories
  • Basic 8 Muscles 3 x 10 reps - Not sure how to calculate the calories expended
 
do you have a heart rate monitor ? they are great for working out how much you have burned during a weights workout :)

so when do you leave for Spain ? it sounds great.
 
Trusylver said:
do you have a heart rate monitor ? they are great for working out how much you have burned during a weights workout :)
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I don't have one! I'll look into getting one. I hope it's not too expensive. I'm so excited!

Trusylver said:
so when do you leave for Spain ? it sounds great.
Click to expand...

I fly out at the end of May. My classes only run until the first week of July, but the program is pretty affordable so I'm going to stay longer. My best friend is studying abroad a whole year in Barcelona, so once my program is over, I'm flying to Barce to visit her for two more weeks before coming home to California. I'm just so excited to get away from my daily life and experience something new!
 
oLUX,

You had sent me a welcome-pm and I tried to reply to it. I could not, the site explained that I needed at least 10 post before I could send or repsond to pm's....so I'm responding here.

You had asked about my cardio....so here is my basic program:

Mon 45min spin-class, racquetball in league 2hours
Tues Personal trainer 1hr, weight-training 1.5 hours, later 30min. elliptical
Weds Spin-class, Run on treadmill, 2nd spin-class, Swim a mile in pool
Thurs Personal trainer 1hr, weight-training 1.5 hours, later 30min. elliptical
Fri Spin-class, Run on treadmill, 2nd spin-class, Swim a mile in pool
Sat weight-training 1 hour
Sun Spin-class, Awim a mile in pool

(I'll alternate taking a full day off on Sat's & Sun's). I mix things up, but this is my general routine.

My biggest thing is what I call Triathlon Training....I like to hit the gym and do the Spin/Run/Swim thing. I realy enjoy swimming because it's one of the very few exercises that works the upper body for cardio...plus, everyone (trainers of all disciplines) all say swimming is all-around the best for working the whole body with low-impact.

What I'm doing is rather extreme....but I swear; it's about the only way I can make progress. My nutritionist says I'm pretty much the most metabolically resistant person he's ever dealt with. I see him each month and we always see a drop in Body-Fat% but the scale sometimes holds steady. I have a rather odd/freakish ability to lose fat while at the same time gain lean muscle....and that's generaly considered very difficult to nearly impossible.

What I've learned is that exercise is important, but more then anything it's diet. Why do I exercise so much? I'm kinda addicted to it and I really enjoy my gym routine with the spin-run-swim thing. Okay, I'll admit, I have a great selection of triathlon suits and I enjoy wearing them, lol. But seriously, it's really very addictive and I love the spin-class and energy.

I used to go on long mountain biking rides but when the weather turned cold I found the spin-class a great alternative, but kinda short at just an hour. So I started taking 2 classes and for fun I'd run on the treadmill in between classes...so that was spin/run/spin....then one day I just jumped in the pool afterwards and found it was a great way to stretch and get some more cardio. The thing is, once your body is burnign fat for energy, you can really play it for what it's worth so I just keep going. I have an underwater ipod player I listen to while I swim so that helps too.

Anways, to date I've lost a lot of weight and fat and I'm told I'm in pretty good shape...but I still have a ways to go and I don't have that six-pack dialed-in just yet. More then anything, I really enjoy helping other people and trying to inspire them as well. Let me know if you have any questions, I won't be able to respond to pm's for a while I guess....but I'll check back here!
 
BikeSwimLaugh, I think that's so amazing how you can work out HARD 7 days a week. I wish I could push myself to do that but I'm pretty sure I'd get burnt out. Reading through your routine though, makes me want to work out harder when I am at the gym. Need to break a harder sweat. :) PS - THANKS.

I totally did not go to the gym today. I've just been so concentrated on working out that I haven't really had the chance to enjoy my Winter Break. Instead of gymming, I went out for THAI food with some friends today. SO GOOD. SOOOOO GOOOD. I ordered Pad Thai but only ate half of the portion. AND THENNN I went into San Francisco for the rest of the day to go shopping! I love going shopping by myself because I don't feel like there is anyone to rush me. :) I went out for Sushi with some college friends for dinner -- not a big fan of Japanese. Waste of calories.

Is anyone doing anything exciting for New Year's Eve? :)
 
oLUX....

I don't do 7 days, I rotate a day off each week, just never know which day. Also, I had Thai food tonight too....best restaurant EVER! My advice: hit the salad & soup hard....get a jump on feeling full before all those great noodle-based and meat dishes show up! :D

When it comes to Thai food, I always start by telling myself I'll keep it to a healthy portion, but it's sooooo good that I often end-up eating until my stomach says it can't take anymore...ya know, about 2,500 calories too much. But it's all good, cause I skip on the little cookie that comes with the bill.


No I don't, I eat the cookie too....OH THE CALORIC SHAME!!! :ack2::leaving:
 
BikeSwimLaugh, OMG, Thai food seriously, so good. I hate going out to eat because I just want to devour everything. :D

I'm so frustrated today! ARRGGH! I've been working out almost everyday and trying to stay within my calorie limit, but I feel like my weight loss is just fluctuating between 170 and 171. I can't seem to get past the plateau and into the 160s. It also just makes me a little sad that just because I went out to eat yesterday and had a small portion, I still managed to gain weight when stepping on the scale. I feel like my body is saying, "IF YOU EAT ANYTHING BESIDES LETTUCE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE FAT."

OK, I'm over it. I'm just going to have to push harder.

I turn 21 next week and I'm going out to some clubs with my friends. Does anyone here recommend any tasty, low calorie, mixed drinks? I know Miller Genuine Draft Light only has 64 calories. Mixed drinks are preferable to beer though. Thanks in advance!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe NEWW YEAR!
 
You're doing an amazing job. :]

I wish I could do more types of exercise. Right now all I have is a tiny bit of martial arts (just the warm-ups like stretching and basic forms) three times a week and 30 minutes on the treadmill every night. I'd love to do other types of exercises but time doesn't allow me it. :(
 
Rosa said:
You're doing an amazing job. :]

I wish I could do more types of exercise. Right now all I have is a tiny bit of martial arts (just the warm-ups like stretching and basic forms) three times a week and 30 minutes on the treadmill every night. I'd love to do other types of exercises but time doesn't allow me it. :(
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Thanks so much! I think YOU'RE doing AMAZINGLY! I use the elliptical because there's NO WAY I could use the treadmill for half an hour. My flat feet would die.
 
I hope everyone's New Year was GREAT! I went out last night with friends but didn't drink! I brought along my own little water bottle and refrained from munchies and alcohol. :)

I went to the gym when I finally dragged myself out of bed this morning and did 40 minutes of cardio + weight training. I really didn't feel like doing any of it but I knew I'd hate myself later. I weighed in at 170.4. So really, I'm not far from hitting 169. Just need it to happen - soon.

I ALSO got my semester grades posted today and my grades this past semester are by far the best grades I've ever received since coming to college. Super excited for that. As a reward to myself for working out habitually and doing well in school this semester, I went shopping! OK if there's one thing I like more than eating, it's shopping. Retail therapy trumps all. I'm SUPER PUMPED for my new purchases so I took pictures of it. SO BEAUTIFUL. Enjoy -- I know the guys won't appreciate it as much as the women. Haha

Photo 1: Louis Vuitton Bag in Monogram Canvas
Photo 2: Makeup, Brushes, Cleaners from SEPHORA
Photo 3: J. Crew leather belt & COACH Wristlet
 
Oh yeah, shopping rocks! Congrats on sticking so well to your diet, and for having such amazing willpower when you went out with your friends! Those times are always the hardest.
 
Good jobs saying no to the alcohol! I know I didn't .. I love everything you bought, you deserve it! I'd say rewarding yourself with shopping is better then rewarding yourself with eating :)
 
I went to the gym this morning and after my workout, I weighed in at 169!


169​

I know this may not seem like a lot to many of you, but I haven't seen the numbers 1-6-X in YEARS. I'm so excited!
 
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