Quest towards being able to cross my legs comfortably when I sit down!

Corina1

New member
Slimmer, healthier me

I posted this in Newcomers and I thought I could quote it here as a start of my Weight Loss Diary.
Hi everyone :)

I'm Corina and I thought I'd post and introduce myself a bit.
I am 36 years old now, I used to be really skinny back when I was 18 but I have gained weight steadily over years; I was weighing 87 kilos in January. I noticed I was starting to get out of breath very easily, and on top of that I was unable to cross my legs properly, which was very annoying because that had been one of my favourite positions, so I decided I need to do something about it.

I went on a diet on 9th of January and I am happy to say I weighed myself this morning and was thrilled to see that the scales were showing me an awesome 78.5 kg. I lost 8.5 kgs in 7 weeks (almost 19 lbs) and I am very proud of myself. However, my goal is to reach 65 kgs (60 really but I'll be happy with 65!).

The way I went about it is counting calories, I ate 1200 calories a day and I was surprised to see how much you can still eat if you chose your food carefully. I even cheated briefly every now and then, for special occasions :reddevil:
I have been using a free phone app (not sure if I'm allowed to name it here?). If a mod can confirm I can post it, I would recomand it to everyone who would like to count calories but finds it a bit tedious and complicated.

The reason I registered and am posting on this forum is that, after 7 weeks, I find it a bit dull and tiresome, and I would love to hear from others and get a bit of my motivation back. Plus, it would be great to chat with people, get new ideas and share experiences. I would also like ot hear ideas of some sort of exercise, I don't really do anything in that direction and I think I probably should... the problem is that I find the gym unbelievably boring... maybe go to the swimming pool instead, but then I'm afraid I'd be floating much more than swimming really :D

Anyways, nice to meet you guys, wish me luck for the rest of my journey.

I am counting calories and watching for a balanced diet using MyFitnessPal. My usual meals consist of either porridge or 2 slices of toast with butter in the morning, a good sized salad at lunch (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber/peppers with a dash of olive oil, light salad cream and a squirt of lemon juice), and then a biggish dinner which is usually meat (beef, chicken or even pork) with sides of 2 kinds of boiled vegetables (carrots, brocolli, cauliflower or leaks) and about 100g of mash potatoes. But we also do more elaborated meals every now and then, like lasagna for instance, or go to the restaurant/pub occasionally. I don't really drink alcohol, so that's not a temptation for me.

I also get a snack every now and then during the day, which consists of either a yoghurt, a pot of cottage cheese (everybody makes faces at me when I eat cottage cheese, but I actually quite like it lol), an orange or a banana and even a Kinder egg every now and then (I used to be a huuuge chocolate junkie).

The beautiful part about my diet and the app I use (MyFitnessPal) is that I can juggle about with what I eat and plan for my dinner accordingly. I work 13 hours shifts as I said somwhere above so if I get hungry during the day and eat a bit more, or if I give in to my chocolate addiction, my husband checks my daily input and makes dinner accordingly (chicken instead of pork, more veg instead of mash) etc. My husband is huge help and support, and we went on a diet together, which is absolutely fantastic.

I believe counting calories is a great way of going about a diet (if you have the tools to help you count, like the app I am using), because you can check everything you eat and see exactly how much more you can eat all the time, without feeling guilty or wondering how bad you're doing each time you crave something. Rather than deny myself a bit of chocolate or eat it and feel horribly guilty, I go ahead and eat it on the understanding that I will sacrifice the mash potato that evening, or the 3 o'clock banana. Or when at work, I use the stairs instead of the lift as many times as necessary to burn off the same amount of calories (again, the app comes handy for that too).

The biggest changes I did when i decided to go on this diet was.. well eat less (duh!) and stop drinking coke (I used to drink up to a litre of coke a day). On the first day I logged everything I ate and at the end of the day I was horrified to see I was eating more than 3000 calories a day, and so much of it was just chocolate, biscuits or coke. I am on 1200 calories now and I hardly ever feel hungry at all. Sometimes I even have to force myself to finish my dinner, because I know my body needs it and I don't want to go into starvation mode by not having the minimum intake my body needs. All is well so far!

Unfortunately, so far I was unable to exercise much, because I find gym unbelievably boring, and I can't really do walks either because I was recently diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, so my feet hurt a lot, especially if I am at work. I would like to go to a swimming pool maybe... but I'm fairly sure I'd do more floating than swimming really, I tend to be lazy :s

That's pretty much it, I would like to go down to at least 65 kgs (about 140 lbs). I will weigh myself weekly (should I do it daily?) and I shall continue to try and find the motivation to do some exercise at some point... I know I really should...

Not sure how this diary works... should I post what I eat every day? Maybe it would give other people ideas for meals that are filling and lowish on calories (I'm thinking mainly of my dinners).

Progress so far:

Started on January the 9th, was weighing 86.9 kgs (191 lbs).

16th of January - 83.9 kgs (~185 lbs)
23rd of January - 81.9 kgs (~180 lbs)
30th of Janury - 81.2 kgs (~179 lbs)
6th of February - 81.1 kgs (~179 lbs meh!)
13th of February - 79.3 kgs (~175)
20th of February - 78.5 kgs (~173 lbs)
 
Hi Corina!

Welcome to the boards! I'm somewhat new myself but have found this site to be a wealth of great information and filled with some really nice and like-minded people. I think you starting a diary is a great place to begin. I think you should post whatever strikes you fancy. I do it because (a) It helps me process my cluttered brain, (b) It helps ensure that others can help with good advice because they know "my story", (c) I like to think that something I'm doing can be of help to another.

First off, GREAT JOB on the losses so far!! You are killing it.

I like that you are flexible from day to day and within the day. If needed, you adjust. That's a winning recipe, I think.

Looking forward to watching your progress. Keep it up!
 
Thank you, Don! yes, you're right, posting does help alot, and help and support from others is priceless!

Ok, now this is going to be difficult for a couple of weeks, because I am on night shifts and my body is probably gonna moan at me a lot. But hey, will do my best! 12 hours shifts and backwards meals for the day (night?), here we go!

Today, February the 26th:

Dinner - 412 calories

Unsmoked Gammon Steak (175 g) - 190 calories
Mashed Potato with semi skimmed milk (100 g) - 104 calories
Leeks (100 g) - 23 calories
Carots (100 g) - 42 calories
Sweet Parsnips (75 g) - 53 calories

Lunch - 204 calories


Lettuce (100 g) - 16 calories
Baby Plum Tomatoes (100 g) - 20 calories
Cucumber (100 g) - 16 calories
Sweetcorn (70 g drained) - 70 calories
Lemon Juice (10 ml) - 2 calories
Light Salad Cream (15 g) - 35 calories
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (5 ml) - 45 calories

Breakfast - 221 calories
1 sachet of porridge with semi-skimmed milk - 221 calories

Snacks - 208 calories
2 coffees with semi-skimmed milk and sweetener - 40 calories
1 pot of yoghurt (100 g) - 48 calories
2 oranges - 120 calories

Overall Total: 1045 calories and 2.2 liters of water.

My dinner was smaller than it usually is, so got some room for a biscuit as well if I fancy it later on. All in all, I'm quite satisfied with today!

I am posting pictures because I was surprised to see how big portions you can get for a small amount of calories, if you cook smart and pick things properly, so here's proof for everyone who thinks they should starve themselves or eat tiny portions in order to lose weight :)
 
It sounds like you have a great plan with the diet. i will say that diet is where you will lose your weight, but exercise has been what makes me feel better. Not at first because when you first start out it's pretty miserable. If you force yourself just few times you'll start having an easier time.

My sleep has improved and I have more energy since I started to exercise regularly. I restricted my calories until i got used to it and then started the exercise.

You're doing great so don't think I'm being critical. Just like the food, it's making the change of habits that are tough. Good luck!
 
Don't skimp on the exercise! It's an important facet as well. It is very difficult to succeed if you diet, but don't exercise; or if you exercise, but don't restrict calories.

Seems like you're doing very well with the caloric intake! Keep it up. :]
 
Your food looks great! Personally, I would have to watch out for the gammon steak (I assume it's a salt-cured ham?) because of the sodium and I couldn't have the potatoes (because of the type of diet I've chosen) but everything you're eating looks healthy!

Like you, i found that when I switched from calorie-laden prepared foods to healthier, natural foods the amount of food I could eat and stay within a reasonable limit was really large. I have not been hungry much in the past couple of months.

Are the parsnips boiled or steamed? I haven't had them either way, but I LOVE them roasted with a touch of salt and some black pepper.

Keep up your efforts and your posts. I enjoy watching you execute your plan.
 
It sounds like you have a great plan with the diet. i will say that diet is where you will lose your weight, but exercise has been what makes me feel better. Not at first because when you first start out it's pretty miserable. If you force yourself just few times you'll start having an easier time.

My sleep has improved and I have more energy since I started to exercise regularly. I restricted my calories until i got used to it and then started the exercise.

You're doing great so don't think I'm being critical. Just like the food, it's making the change of habits that are tough. Good luck!

Don't skimp on the exercise! It's an important facet as well. It is very difficult to succeed if you diet, but don't exercise; or if you exercise, but don't restrict calories.

Seems like you're doing very well with the caloric intake! Keep it up. :]

Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words, both of you! Gonna answer both of you here, as you're both saying pretty much the same thing: I knoooooow! lol

See, my problem is that I am a nurse. I work in a hospital, roughly about 4 days a week, and I'm on my feet for 13 hours shifts. When I have a day off inbetween shifts, all I want is to stay home, either in bed with a book or at my computer playing my games and relaxing :s I also have plantar fasciitis (very painful feet), so walking or jogging or anything of the kind on my days off is absolutely out of the question. Right now I keep thinking that I hsould (read must) at least go to the swimming pool every now and then... but that means getting out of the house on my day off!!! lolz
Not to mention that I am doing night shifts this week and the next, so my sleep patterns are rather messed up :( Ah well... I'll sort something out once I go back on day shifts I suppose... I hope.


Your food looks great! Personally, I would have to watch out for the gammon steak (I assume it's a salt-cured ham?) because of the sodium and I couldn't have the potatoes (because of the type of diet I've chosen) but everything you're eating looks healthy!

Like you, i found that when I switched from calorie-laden prepared foods to healthier, natural foods the amount of food I could eat and stay within a reasonable limit was really large. I have not been hungry much in the past couple of months.

Are the parsnips boiled or steamed? I haven't had them either way, but I LOVE them roasted with a touch of salt and some black pepper.

Keep up your efforts and your posts. I enjoy watching you execute your plan.

Hi again, Don!
The gammon is umm unsmoked and trimmed lol... no idea if it's cured or whatever, not sure what it means, but I looked it up and yeah indeed it has 1100 mg of sodium. It doesn't have to be gammon tho, it can be beef or chicken, we tend to vary them every day.

All the veg is either boiled or steamed, depending on who's cooking dinner that night :D My husband steams them as they "taste better" steamed, I boil them because I hate cleaning that blinkin' steamer :D As for the potatoes, I heard someone suggesting cauliflower mash? It's supposed to be really nice and I meant to try it, but never got round to actually doing it. And you can add garlic or cheese to it too!

Thank you so much everyone for posting! It's amazing to know people are trying to help and are happy for you when you are doing well
 
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The gammon is umm unsmoked and trimmed lol... no idea if it's cured or whatever, not sure what it means, but I looked it up and yeah indeed it has 1100 mg of sodium. It doesn't have to be gammon tho, it can be beef or chicken, we tend to vary them every day.

All the veg is either boiled or steamed, depending on who's cooking dinner that night :D My husband steams them as they "taste better" steamed, I boil them because I hate cleaning that blinkin' steamer :D As for the potatoes, I heard someone suggesting cauliflower mash? It's supposed to be really nice and I meant to try it, but never got round to actually doing it. And you can add garlic or cheese to it too!

Thank you so much everyone for posting! It's amazing to know people are trying to help and are happy for you when you are doing well[/color][/B][/font]

Yeah, the sodium is a deal killer for me. If I intake too much sodium, I hold water like a desert camel. I've had to drop ham, lunch meats (other than quality deli stuff), hot dogs, etc. because the sodium levels are so darned high. Later I'll slowly add some of these foods back in, but I expect to always watch my sodium from this point onward.

White potatoes are just too high on the Glycemic Index for me to eat for a long while. I do eat a bit of cauliflower and love "riced" cauliflower w/ butter and garlic. Another thing I do with it is to make a pureed, curried cauliflower soup. Yum... creamy and savory, with very little fat and NO cream.
 
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