(Re)new Journey

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You are so right, Delsid! I think my body is telling me to take it slow. I really do not want to get injured because that will slow my progress way down. Can't afford for that to happen.

The funny thing about running is that it used to be my mind telling me that I couldn't do it. I would run a quarter mile and then my mind would stop me from pushing myself further. Now my mind is all GO, GO, GO and my body is saying WOAH, SLOW DOWN! That's the way I picture it anyway haha. I think I will stick to 4 miles for my next few runs while I continue to build up my stamina and my muscles, then try to extend the distance after that.

Today my legs are very sore! I am not sure which workout caused them to be so sore. It was actually probably a combination of them all. As much as the soreness is uncomfortable, it tells me that what I'm doing is working and that my body is getting stronger. The annoying part is that I would like to rest my body a bit but I want to keep working out. Unfortunately, one's legs are needed for nearly every cardio exercise so there's really no way around it. I can actually feel my legs getting stronger and looking slightly leaner, so that's my motivation to keep going.

Tonight is step class. I think I might try out a few of the arm machines at the gym either tonight or tomorrow night. The machines I have done so far are for legs so I need to look into working out my upper body more. It's really a matter of ignoring all the men who workout right in front of those machines. It's intimidating. I sent a picture of the scene to my friend and she was shocked at the set up. She suggested that the gym make a separate area for shy women haha. Really I just need to get myself in the zone, find some confidence, and just do it.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!
 
Good Morning everyone , I started out last weekend weighing in at 321. I never dreamed I would ever weigh over 300 pounds.
I think it started when the Burger King started there dollar double cheese burgers, I would eat 4 at lunch almost every day. It is
history now. Eating food especially food I Love I would over eat all the time. My portions usually could feed 4. It is no mystery
looking back why I am this BIG!! My Sister passed away this past winter and I had to take a flight out to Boston. I sat in my seat
by the window. A man came up and sat down next to me and slammed me as he was getting in. He said sorry and I replied
that they do not make these seats for big guys like me. He looked at me with with total DISDAIN and got up and went to the front
of the plane. I saw him talking to the stewardesses and he was pointing at me and raising his voice and then one of the pilots came out
and they all marched right up to my seat. Now I will admit that there was not a lot of elbow room but I had made dam sure that
I was not invading his space. They looked at me and told him they would not upgrade his seat and he sat sideways with his feet
in the aisle. I was so embarrassed and outraged. He made a spectacle of me and asked if there was some one smaller who would
trade seats with him . When people speak of motivating factors this is mine. I would never do what he did to anyone. Ok sorry if
this has turned into a rant but truly I am more motivated than ever to lose weight.
 
My gym has a separate area for women, Kakes, but the machines are all for glutes and thighs...
Welcome to the forum Beachdude! Some people have no manners and even less empathy; I'm very sorry you had to experience that but if it leads to sustained motivation it will at least have served a purpose. Why don't you start a diary where you can keep us posted on your progress and sort out your thoughts and challenges?
 
Delsid said:
How ANNOYING!!!
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:D I know it sounds dumb. But I want to do some upper body stuff as well! Let´s face it: leg machines tend to be relatively simple to operate and rarely get hogged by aspiring body builders. So let´s share those and give us women our own upper body machines somewhere quiet where I can figure them out in peace :p
 
It's like saying: 'women, YOU should only do strength training for a good ass and legs', god forbid a woman wants to do upper body training. This contributes to women feeling intimidated. Well, that and all those macho men making all those noises ( :D )

LaMaria said:
give us women our own upper body machines somewhere quiet where I can figure them out in peace
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That'd be awesome! Have you thought about maybe asking an instructor to show you how the 'man machines' work?
 
O, I know by now. I come in at 6 am and do things at my own pace. Plus my gym has free wifi and an app which lets you scan the code on each machine to see an instructional video, which I love. But I want everyone to have that luxury (not just women either; I'm sure male newbies feel intimidated by the grunting beeffaloes sometimes).
 
No problem!! I love the conversation. I thought the term "beefaloes" was hysterical. I'm going to have to remember that one!

Went for a run last night and I was struggling hard. The weather here has really heat up in the last week or so and it's now consistently in the high 70s and 80s. I think my lack of water also caught up with me and it was not my best run. I made it probably 2.6 miles and then walked the rest of the 6.2 miles. I need to remember I am still new at running and still learning my limits as far as weather, duration, and frequency go. I'll figure it out eventually. Important to note that my walking time has decreased a lot. It used to take me nearly 19 minutes to walk a mile and now I'm probably around 15 minutes or so.

The scale has been stalled at around 155 for the last few weeks, or so it seems. Finally today I saw a number in the 152 area. I can't remember exactly what the number is but I'm happy to see the scale budging a little. I am constantly having ups and downs with my body image. One minute I feel great and then the next minute I am feeling fat. I don't think that roller coaster of emotions will ever go away so I best get used to dealing with it!

Yesterday a coworker told me that I was looking really good! She told me that a few weeks ago too but it felt even better that she felt she had to tell me again. It totally made my day.

This weekend is a holiday weekend- Memorial Day. We have Monday off too so it's an extra long weekend! I am excited but don't have any plans at the moment. Kind of disappointed in that but I'm sure some things will come up as the weekend goes. Today I spent the day cleaning, doing laundry, and organizing my bedroom and bathroom so that I could enjoy the weekend. That included moving two big dressers around TWICE, carrying things up and down the stairs, etc. I sure did break a sweat. The best part is that I went through some of my pants and made a pile of about 6 pairs that are too big for me now. I also have a big bin of clothes in my attic that I need to go through to see if they fit or will eventually fit. Exciting times! Then I got brave and tried on a pair of shorts that were too tight for me when I went to Florida in March. Well now they are too loose too! I am running out of clothes but that is a good problem to have.

Hoping to keep myself in check this weekend with my eating and my working out. I will probably make my way to the gym tonight for a bit. I'm not sure what will be on my agenda for the rest of the weekend but I will be sure to squeeze in some workouts.

Continuing the goal to try and get to the 140s on the scale by the beginning part of June. June starts next week so that's coming up quickly. May happen, may not. Either way I'll just roll with it and I'll get to the 140s eventually! Also continuing to try and drink water but it is still just such a nuisance to me. I know I need to just get over it and drink. Happy weekend everyone!
 
I had one of my best days at the gym today. I managed 30 minutes on the elliptical, 15 minutes on the stair master, 15 minutes on the rowing machine, approximately 10 minutes of my self-created ab circuit, and then two machines (hip ab/adductor and glutes). Felt really powerful throughout all and actually felt like I was working out. Sometimes I feel like I'm just going through the motions and not really enjoying it. At all. Tonight I was into it!

Came home and had a nice salad with chicken. Definitely hit the spot. I also cut up a watermelon earlier today and can't wait to have some in a little bit when I'm all settled in and relaxed. Today has been a very productive day and I'm not done yet. Still need to fold and put away two loads of laundry. It's amazing how much more energy I have now that I am fueling my body with good food instead of crap. I generally sleep much better and I am not nearly as lethargic. I used to come home from work and be in bed by 7:30pm, watching TV and being lazy. Now I usually keep myself going well past that time and spend less time just hanging out in my bed. It has done wonders for my sleep cycle.

I got a message from a friend earlier that she would like to go out to eat tomorrow afternoon. If you have read my earlier posts, you know this stresses me out. I don't like eating outside my house because I feel like I can't control things. Tomorrow, however, I am going to go out and do my best to make good, healthy choices. If I mess up tomorrow (or at any point), I will just accept it and move on. I haven't been perfect in the last few months and I have still managed to lose nearly 20 pounds!

I do have an update about my parents' eating habits for those who have been following along with my ramblings about them. I need to get to my laundry so the update will have to wait. Just know that they have been doing quite well! Will post about them tomorrow!
 
Kakes2 said:
Then I got brave and tried on a pair of shorts that were too tight for me when I went to Florida in March. Well now they are too loose too!
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THAT is the best feeling for me :D I'm always a bit suspicious when it comes to the scales, but clothes don't lie :D Well done!!!!

Kakes2 said:
lso continuing to try and drink water but it is still just such a nuisance to me. I know I need to just get over it and drink.
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Yeah, it's easy to forget. I do two things that help me: get a 750 ml water bottle and just keep it with me, in that way it's visible that two of those is the minimum I need to drink. Also, I sometimes put a slice of lemon in it, or some mint to jazz things up ;)

Kakes2 said:
It's amazing how much more energy I have now that I am fueling my body with good food instead of crap
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EXACTLY! It makes so much sense, right?

Great news about your parents!!
 
Ooo, ingrowing your clothes is THE BEST feeling, well done you! If you´re unsure about going out to eat you might check the restaurant´s menu online so as to have a plan ready when you get there. You can do this. Also I´m really glad your parents started out well.
 
Thanks Delside, Cate and LaMaria!

So a little about my parents. They started to make some changes this past Monday and seem to be doing well. They typically would eat a lot of starches and just really anything that was convenient. Two years ago before their wedding, they both went on a diet and lost a bunch of weight without even exercising. They have some knowledge of what it takes to make healthier choices so they have that in their corner.

My mom's biggest thing is the soda she drinks. She is literally addicted to it. She will be honest about how much she drinks but she has definitely made some progress in the last week. I actually saw her with a big glass of water the other night, when it would have typically been a glass of soda. They just seem to be making better food choices and that also helps me out because I have less junk around me. It makes a world of difference. I don't drink soda anymore and I am not tempted to drink it at all so that hasn't affected me. However, having them buy more fruits and vegetables has been key.

Thank you for the suggestion about going out to eat, LaMaria. Cate has also made that suggestion before as well! My friend texted me this morning and said she wants to go to a place with salads because she needs to get her butt in gear too. It made me breathe a sigh of relief because we can order healthy options together and I won't have to dine across from someone with a big tempting plate of french fries.

I slept in this morning and have enjoyed a few hours of quiet, alone time since my parents went out. I hardly ever get alone time at the house so I take advantage of it when I do. I debated trying to get my exercise in before I go out to eat (its currently 11:30am and I am meeting my friend at 1:30pm) but I figured I would be a little rushed. Therefore I am going to exercise later, after I get home from going out to eat. One thing I hate while exercising is being rushed. I really like to take my time and do whatever workouts I feel like doing without having to hurry. I'm not sure if I feel like going for a walk or going to the gym today. As always, I would like to go for a run but I have a feeling it will be really tough in this nearly 90 degree heat. I will have to save that for another day when it's not so warm.

152.1 on the scale this morning. I still have my chart hung up (where I cross off each pound as I lose it). I have yet to cross any numbers off because I want to make sure they are long gone before I do so. I know the scale can fluctuate a lot so I want to get well below the number before I cross it out. The first number on the scale is 154 so I'm looking forward to crossing that out soon!
 
Today I did some clothes shopping since I seem to not have very many clothes that fit these days. I was as high as a size 16 but today I bought some shorts and pants in sizes 8 and 10. The size 8s are a tad snug but I'm making it my goal to fit into them this summer. I know I can do it. I also bought a few tank tops in a size medium; I have been buying larges up until this point. Otherwise, I wasn't completely horrified while trying on the clothes. I was more content with the way that I look in the mirror but I also am my own worst critic. It was overall a better experience trying on clothes than it has been in the past.

Yesterday when I went out to eat with my friend, I ordered a stir fry off of the "healthier" section of the menu. It said it was 590 calories which I still thing is a little high but certainly a better choice than most of the other items on the menu. It has shrimp, white rice, broccoli and a dumpling sauce. I picked out the mushrooms and red peppers, but otherwise it was delicious and I didn't feel THAT guilty afterward. I also had a frozen margarita. When I got home, it was still too warm to run so I decided to walk my 6 miles instead. The humidity takes some getting used to but it felt good to get out and do something healthy for my body.

Today it is also very warm out so I think I am going to be headed to the gym in a little bit. The last time I ran was Thursday so I think I won't be ready for another run until tomorrow or Tuesday. Trying to space out my runs so my body can recover in between. I have yet to try out the arm machines at the gym so if it's not too busy, I will try and do that. Otherwise I will be doing some cardio and my usual ab exercises.

I went and got a whole watermelon, a pineapple, and a big container of blueberries at a wholesale store earlier today so I would be stocked up for the week. Fruit has been my go-to lately for when I am craving bad things and it's really been working for me. Otherwise I think I am doing really well with my food choices. I have lots of chicken and turkey burgers frozen in my freezer so really I just buy my fruits and veggies every few days and I'm all set to go. I am excited for the farmers markets to start up around here soon!

This weekend hasn't exactly been what I thought it would be. Usually I would have a cookout or two to attend but this weekend has been rather boring and I haven't done anything aside from going out to eat the one time. Easier for me to stick to my food choices and workouts, but still kind of a bummer!

Well, I'm off to the gym. Feeling kind of lazy today so I hope I can find some energy somewhere between my house and the gym!
 
Kakes2 said:
I was more content with the way that I look in the mirror but I also am my own worst critic.
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Aren't we all? :) I'm so glad your Mum & her h have decided to get healthy too. Well done on heading to the gym even though you did not have the energy. You are doing so well kakes!
 
Thanks Cate! You might also be happy to hear that I finally tried out some of the arm machines at the gym!! It was the emptiest it has ever been (because of Memorial Day) so I took the opportunity to try a few. Felt really great! Now next time I go, I will feel confident that I know what I am doing. So proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone and trying them. I also did a whole 30 minutes on the stair master. Wow that thing is a killer. It burns about the same number of calories per 3o minutes as other cardio machines I use but it feels like more of a challenge to me. Usually I am struggling to do 15 minutes but I really pushed myself with that too. I finished up with some ab exercises and then came home. I wasn't done yet, though. I went for a 2.75 mile walk. Now I have eaten dinner (a nice yummy salad) and showered so I am settled in for the night with a good book. My body is tired and I feel like it deserves a really good night of rest!
 
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