Renee: 30, flirty, and thriving (goal)

[Renee8865]

So, I'm 28 1/2...I've got a lot of time until I hit the big 3-0. But I want to set myself up for success. I didn't get soft and out of shape over night, I certainly won't get fit overnight.

I've spent too many years battling my body and battling food. From the time I was 15 until at least 25 I swung rapidly between restrictive eating and bingeing and purging cycles. This is something I'm fairly ashamed of, but that's my past. I also exercised heavily during my bingeing cycles to combat weight gain. I was a wreck. I'm sure it wreaked havoc on my body and metabolism as well. While my relationship with food is far from perfect, I have been healthier for the past year, but have also put on about 25 pounds and haven't been able to lose it despite my best efforts. I want to lose weight the right way now and do it in a way that is sustainable, but seeing no results has been really discouraging and there's the nagging voice in the back of my head that tells me if I just went back to my old ways, I would lose weight quickly.

This week I really tried to reign in my diet even more and make sure I wasn't eating excess sugar or carbohydrates. To see no results once again was quite devastating, to be honest. I feel like I'm doing my best, but it's still not good enough. I have so many parts of my body that I'm so self conscious of and just feel like an alien in my own skin. It's an uncomfortable feeling. I know I should learn to love myself no matter what size or weight I am, but it's really difficult for me right now. Trying on clothes...don't even think about it. Nothing looks right or feels right and as much as I love fashion, I end up dressing really conservatively because I look like a clown in anything stylish.

I want to set up some goals, but again, after seeing no results for months, I don't want to set myself up for more future disappointment. But if somehow, I start getting slimmer and start seeing the number on the scale go down, these would be my goals:

October 2017: 145-150
April 2018: 135-140
October 2018: 125-130 and maintain

A year feels like a solid amount of time to lose about 35 pounds. Sigh, here we go!

 

[Trusylver]

Firstly, welcome to the forum

It is a good idea to begin logging your food and exercise in this thread so we have more information to help make valid suggestions for you, including calories and macros.

however I am a little concerned that your goal weight may not be realistic which will set you up for disappointment and failure. How Tall are you ? what is your current weight ? or even better what is your bodyfat %

 

[Renee8865]

I will begin logging my food tonight.

I'm 5'5.5 and 163 pounds currently. I feel like 130 is not unreasonable as I'm not tall and I've been this weight before (though I was not healthy, I wasn't overly thin either).

I think my body fat is somewhere around 30% but I'm not sure because that is according to a cheap body fat scale.

 

[olz]

I will begin logging my food tonight.

I'm 5'5.5 and 163 pounds currently. I feel like 130 is not unreasonable as I'm not tall and I've been this weight before (though I was not healthy, I wasn't overly thin either).

I think my body fat is somewhere around 30% but I'm not sure because that is according to a cheap body fat scale.

Just cutting out sugar and carbs won't guarantee weight loss because you could easily make up for that by eating more of other types of food.

If you're not doing this already:
1) Enter your info into this http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
2) Cut 500 calories or a little more from your BMR and that's how many calories you need to consume each day to lose weight.

Calorie counting works, it worked for me. Don't expect results too quickly, it takes time. Good luck.

 

[Rebel lee]

Welcome

---rebel---

 

[Trusylver]

I have run through some calculations for you on the assumption that your bodyfat% in not too inaccurate.

based on this you have currently 48.9 lb of fat and 114.1 lb of lean body mass, the lowest healthy bodyfat% for females is 12%, this means that the lowest body-weight you can achieve without loosing essential fat is 127.7 lb. dropping below this number will usually result in health issues.

to achieve this, your losses will be very slow as you get closer to goal and you will need careful dedication to track and measuring. Based in the The Katch-McArdle Formula your BMR is 1491 calories/day. This gets multiplied by your activity level

1.200 = sedentary (little or no exercise)
1.375 = light activity (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
1.550 = moderate activity (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
1.725 = very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)
1.900 = extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job)

this gives you a starting point for working out how many calories you need to achieve your weight loss

The reason I have used to Katch-McArdle Formula rather than the more common Harris-Benedict equation is that it is more accurate by being based on metabolically active lean mass rather than a total body-weight which includes your fat which does not burn calories. This is important when trying to achieve very low bodyfat levels.

 

[Cate]

Tru has given you excellent advice so I just want to send you a great big welcome to the forum. This is a friendly & supportive community. We will encourage you to be healthy. Do let us know what you are eating. It is possible that you are not eating enough. 36 lbs in a year should be doable, but losing slowly but surely will be more sustainable long-term. How good would it feel knowing that you can achieve long-term success? You can do this hon

 

[Renee8865]

I have run through some calculations for you on the assumption that your bodyfat% in not too inaccurate.

based on this you have currently 48.9 lb of fat and 114.1 lb of lean body mass, the lowest healthy bodyfat% for females is 12%, this means that the lowest body-weight you can achieve without loosing essential fat is 127.7 lb. dropping below this number will usually result in health issues.

to achieve this, your losses will be very slow as you get closer to goal and you will need careful dedication to track and measuring. Based in the The Katch-McArdle Formula your BMR is 1491 calories/day. This gets multiplied by your activity level

1.200 = sedentary (little or no exercise)
1.375 = light activity (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
1.550 = moderate activity (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
1.725 = very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)
1.900 = extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job)

this gives you a starting point for working out how many calories you need to achieve your weight loss

The reason I have used to Katch-McArdle Formula rather than the more common yHarris-Benedict equation is that it is more accurate by being based on metabolically active lean mass rather than a total body-weight which includes your fat which does not burn calories. This is important when trying to achieve very low bodyfat levels.

Wow, thank you so much! This is extremely helpful! I will adjust my goal to 130-135. But that's not written in pen. My end goal will be when I look and feel more confident, whatever that weight ends up being. It could be 140, 145. I don't know. It's just not where I'm at now.

My intake for today was as follows:
Breakfast:
4 oz chicken plain(weighed it today!)
10 almonds
1/2 cucumber
10 grapes

Snack:
1/2 gluten free waffle
carrot slices
hummus
(yes, this is a weird snack)
coffee with plain coconut cream and 1 splenda

Lunch:
1/2 can tuna
olive oil (1 tbs)
salt and pepper
red pepper chopped
celery chopped
hummus
about 2 cups salad greens

Snack:
No snack

Dinner: broccoli sauteed with olive oil and garlic
steamed kale
4 oz pan seared salmon
Drank 1/3 of a san pellegrino (too sweet...blech).

Water: 3 bottles (my water bottle is 24oz)

Exercise: no exercise besides walking, about 40 minutes

In other news, I'm a wedding photographer and have some exciting travels coming up. Well, not too exciting haha! But I live in Portland and will be traveling to San Fransisco for a wedding and also to Seattle and Spokane for a couple other weddings. The one thing I'm excited about right now in my life is that my business is finally going in the direction I want it to. I busted my ass to get to this point and I'm happy to see that it's paying off. At least something is paying off! (crying emoji).

 

[Renee8865]

Tru has given you excellent advice so I just want to send you a great big welcome to the forum. This is a friendly & supportive community. We will encourage you to be healthy. Do let us know what you are eating. It is possible that you are not eating enough. 36 lbs in a year should be doable, but losing slowly but surely will be more sustainable long-term. How good would it feel knowing that you can achieve long-term success? You can do this hon

Thank you, Cate! Yeah, the information was so valuable! I hope I'm eating enough, honestly I feel super bloated when I eat more. I don't know why and I'd like to figure out that as well. Something is bothering my stomach and I can't figure out what. I my mind, 3 pounds a month (36 pounds a year) sounds completely reasonable, but I'd be happy with even 1.5-2....any movement would be good!

Thank you for the warm welcome and the encouragement!

 

[Rebel lee]

Wow, thank you so much! This is extremely helpful! I will adjust my goal to 130-135. But that's not written in pen. My end goal will be when I look and feel more confident, whatever that weight ends up being. It could be 140, 145. I don't know. It's just not where I'm at now.

My intake for today was as follows:
Breakfast:
4 oz chicken plain(weighed it today!)
10 almonds
1/2 cucumber
10 grapes

Snack:
1/2 gluten free waffle
carrot slices
hummus
(yes, this is a weird snack)
coffee with plain coconut cream and 1 splenda

Lunch:
1/2 can tuna
olive oil (1 tbs)
salt and pepper
red pepper chopped
celery chopped
hummus
about 2 cups salad greens

Snack:
No snack

Dinner: broccoli sauteed with olive oil and garlic
steamed kale
4 oz pan seared salmon
Drank 1/3 of a san pellegrino (too sweet...blech).

Water: 3 bottles (my water bottle is 24oz)

Exercise: no exercise besides walking, about 40 minutes

In other news, I'm a wedding photographer and have some exciting travels coming up. Well, not too exciting haha! But I live in Portland and will be traveling to San Fransisco for a wedding and also to Seattle and Spokane for a couple other weddings. The one thing I'm excited about right now in my life is that my business is finally going in the direction I want it to. I busted my ass to get to this point and I'm happy to see that it's paying off. At least something is paying off! (crying emoji).

Awesome on the career front. Just be careful eating on the road. It's easy to get sidetracked and snack on the wrong foods.

 

[Renee8865]

Awesome on the career front. Just be careful eating on the road. It's easy to get sidetracked and snack on the wrong foods.

Thank you, Rebel . Yeah, I will be sure about that...or do my best at least. I always find that on wedding days I end up eating gluten and tons of food I normally don't because I'm starving and just eat a plateful of the wedding food, whatever it is. I need to be more mindful of that and pack healthy snacks that I can munch on throughout the day. And water on wedding days is still a huge issue for me, I'm so bad about my water intake.

All things to be working on .

 

[Sunflower_]

Ahh my husband is from Spokane originally! How cool. He was in Coeur d'Alene growing up. We are in the UK now Welcome to the forum, looks like you've been given some great advice already

 

[Renee8865]

Ahh my husband is from Spokane originally! How cool. He was in Coeur d'Alene growing up. We are in the UK now Welcome to the forum, looks like you've been given some great advice already

Thank you for the warm welcome, Sunflower! Yeah, I've been to Spokane a few times and really liked it. I had a friend who lived in Colfax, but there's nothing to do there so we'd go into the city haha. I'm envious you're living in the UK!

 

[Renee8865]

Starting off the morning with a 1.8lb weight loss out of nowhere! I shouldn't weigh myself every day because I have a tendency to get obsessive, so I will just ride this positive moment until hopefully next Thursday. I hope I can hold off until then!

Also doing my workout alone this morning. Roommates bailed on me. But it's nice to actually feel motivated to do it even if I'm by myself, I used to always skip workouts if nobody was doing it with me. We're following Kayla Itsines workouts and right now we're on Week 7. I can say that I feel SO much stronger. Despite still needing to take a break after 10 decline pushups, I can do the rest of the workout without stopping, albeit slowly. We do the circuit two times, so it ends up being about 30 minutes.

Food....I need to go grocery shopping. I'm out of everything and I loathe the grocery store.

In personal news, since this is a diary...currently chatting with someone who I feel may be interested in me. It's been a long time since I've dated anyone, so it's a little exciting to feel some flutters and I notice myself putting a little extra effort into my outfits and appearance. It's another thing that keeps me going with this exercise and diet routine, so even if nothing comes of it, at least he's keeping me motivated to take care of my body! Hahaha!

Happy Thursday!

 

[Renee8865]

One more post for now. I found these questions in another diary and thought it would be fun to answer them.
1. What is your current height and weight? I am currently 5'5.5" and 161.2 lbs
2. If you were at an ideal weight now, what would that weight be? My ideal weight would be around 130lbs
3. At what weight would you like to be at four months from now? I would love to be at least under 150 lbs, ideally.
4. Why do you want to lose weight? To be proud of the way I look and feel more confident in myself and around others.
5. Do you want to lose weight for a specific life event such as wedding or reunion? If so, when is that event? Well, it's not that far in the future, but in August my friend is getting married. I'd love to be a few pounds lighter and a little more toned by then. Every girl dreads being the fat bridesmaid.
6. What obstacles could get between you and your weight loss goals? Being lazy and missing workouts because I just don't feel like doing them. Eating out sometimes with friends or eating food I know isn't the best for me because I don't want to take the time to make a proper meal.
7. Why do you think that you now have a weight problem? Genetics and lifestyle. My whole family is STOCKY and struggles with their weight. I am the smallest in my family. Also, I dealt with an eating disorder from 15-25 and probably did some damage to my body. I was around 142 after seeking help but after a knee injury and more stagnant lifestyle, I gained another 20 lbs.
8. What lifestyle changes do you think would help you lose weight? Right now I've been working out 4-5 times a week and it hasn't felt like a chore. I quit my gym membership and decided to work out with friends or go on runs around the neighborhood. It's been more exciting now to workout that working out in the gym ever was. I also started eating 90% paleo and stick to a fairly gluten free/dairy free diet with the exception of a few meals out, etc.
10. Have you lost weight in the past? If so, what has worked in the past to help you lose weight? Yes, one way was unhealthy and my weight fluctuated rapidly from 129-150 while I struggled with an eating disorder. After that I was able to get help and got down to 142 in a very healthy way - running, rock climbing, eating healthy until I had a knee injury.
11. Why do you believe that you did not lose weight or you gained the weight back? I was eating the same way despite working out much less after my knee injury. And then I found myself eating more junk food.
12. What, if anything, has not worked for you in the past in helping you to lose weight? Why do you think it did not work? Exercise alone does not work for me. I hate it, but I have to have a healthy diet as well! Haha!
13. Would you try writing down all food and drink consumed for a given period of time? Sure, but I actually just take pictures of my foods and remember the amounts. I'm lazy I guess haha.
14. Do you cook at home often? If so, what do you cook? All the time. I often cook in batches so I have 3-4 days of food prepared. That helps me save time and it prevents me from eating out or eating out of convenience.
15. How often do you go out to eat? Where do you go? Once a week or so? Korean food or sushi.
16. What are your three favorite foods? Korean food! Onions! Anything savory. I love this skillet I make with sweet potato, ground turkey, steamed veggies, and salsa with half an avocado and sometimes a fried egg on top.
17. What are your three favorite restaurants? Tasty n Alder, La Provence, 아라/낙원 (Korean restaurants)
18. What are three things you can do differently when it comes to food? Don't eat if I'm not hungry. This isn't usually a problem when I'm alone because even when I'm bored, I'm too lazy to get food. I end up just reading or watching a Korean drama. But when I'm with friends, I feel obligated to eat what is offered or continue to eat when I'm no longer hungry. I don't need to do that!
19. If you woke up tomorrow and your body was exactly the way you want it, what would be different? Smaller calves and thighs! My arms would be lean and toned. I'd have a hint of abs. My butt would be smaller and perkier.
20. Do you eat when you are not hungry? Only when I'm with friends.
21. Do you binge eat (large amounts at a time)? Not anymore...thank the Lord!
22. Do you hide your food or eat in secret? Not anymore, never going back there!
23. Do you eat when you are sad, nervous, or depressed? No, usually I sleep when I'm depressed.
24. Do you eat as a reward? No.
25. Do you eat while watching TV or using the computer? No.
26. What do you normally eat for a meal? Breakfast - egg, sweet potato, kale, avocado, salsa lunch - salad with ground turkey or chicken, veggies, hummus or avocado and salsa as a dressing, dinner - same as lunch or something I made in the crock pot like curry chicken or ground turkey and kale soup.
27. What type of snacks do you eat? Almonds, piece of fruit, veggies and hummus
28. In terms of exercise, what, if anything, are you currently doing? 3 workouts per week with my roommates and 1-2 other workouts on my own, either walking or running around the neighborhood and some pushups at home.
29. Where do you go for exercise? A local public gym? School/work gym? Home? Home + outside
30. What, if anything, are your three favorite types of exercise? I love bouldering and slack lining, I just haven't done it in a while. I do enjoy the workouts with my roommates, and I love snowboarding.
31. What is your daily/weekly/monthly/yearly motivation to move towards your goals? I'd like to lose about 2.5-3 lbs per month, my end goal is around 128-130lbs.
32. Do you have rewards for certain goals? Once I hit 145, I'm buying myself a new dress. When I reach my final goal, I'm treating myself to a vacation. Treat yo'self! Haha, that sounds like an extreme reward, but I've already been saving up for a trip to South Korea, so I'm really determined to hit my goal!

 

[olz]

Hey I don't know if this is helpful for you but try going to https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/

You can find other women your height at different weights and get a pretty good rough idea of where you need to be weight wise to achieve what you want visually. They usually post some info on what they're doing too.

 

[Rebel lee]

I've already been saving up for a trip to South Korea, so I'm really determined to hit my goal!

Awesome goal. south Korea is an amazing place. The food is amazing. Ummm the street food just dont ask whats in it. The people are friendly; especially in the small villages off the beaten path.