SaladMuncher is Burning It Off!

SaladMuncher

SaladMuncher

New member
I have a simple story, I've tried dieting to lose weight but never found an exercise I stuck with, the weight came back... so now I'm going to start biking for weight loss and eating better. I've always looked normal with my clothes on, but in a bathing suit I have dimples and stretch marks that make me look WAY older than I am. I've always wanted to feel comfortable in a bathing suit, but I haven't in a long time.

My main goal is to get down to 18% bodyfat by Christmas (5/26 - 12/25), but I have no idea if that's doable with just biking (I'll be looking for some advice on this). As I get my stamina up I'll increase my speed and distance, but for now it's 5 miles and a moderate pace.

My current body fat percentage is 31. That's 13% body fat in about 7 months. We'll see! Going to keep track of my bodyfat % once a month, measurements every two weeks, weight once a week, and food/exercise every day. :)

*Starting*
Height: 5ft'9in
Weight: 157 lbs
Body fat %: 31
Chest/Waist/Hip/Thigh: 35-30-40-24

*Goal*
Weight: 135
Body fat %: 18
Chest/Waist/Hip/Thigh: 34-26-36-20

I'll be back with news on a (hopefully) sweaty bike ride and a healthy day of eating! :)
 
good luck with the bike riding for exercise, 18% is achievable and not to low but as you get closer you will also need to be including some weight bearing exercise paying particular attention to maintaining muscle so it s the fat that is lost to get that % down.
 
Thanks Trusylver, I suspected that might be the case. :)

~*Journal*~

I went on a 4 mile bike ride, my stomach was a little achey and I'm more out of shape than I first thought. I'm glad I got out and did something! It felt good. Diet was easy.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal - 150
Apple - 60

Lunch:
Toast - 70
Lean Cuisine - 150
Tea - 0

Snack:
Teddy Grahams - 130
Cereal - 150

Snack #2:
Apple - 70

Dinner:
Turkey Sub Sandwich - 280
1/2 bag Baked Lays Chips - 70
Diet Coke - 0

Total Calories: 1,130

Need more vegetables, will work on that. Also got those Dessert Delights sugar free gum, and it's really satisfying. :D Great start today, couldn't of asked for better! Might add a snack later, I tend to get abnormally hungry late at night.
 
unless you have been instructed by a doctor or other qualified specialist it is not a good idea to go under 1200 cals, it also looks like your low on protein.

well done with the bike ride :)
 
I had a small snack that put me right over 1,200 before I went to bed. Thank you for the concern :) I'll figure out how many grams of protein I need a day and start making adjustments.

~*Journal*~

Ate well today except for the movies. Sugar sugar sugar.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal - 150
Yoghurt - 80

Lunch:
Vegetable Orza Soup - 200
Rice - 120

Snack:
Cereal - 140
Graham Cracker - 65

Dinner:
Subway Sandwich - 280

Snack/Movies:
Icee - 400
Candy - 190
Popcorn - 100

Total Calories: 1,725

If I had gotten diet coke instead of the icee, I would have been down around 1,300. I'm not exactly ashamed but I know the better option was there. For some reason the icee wasn't as good as I remembered... I'll get a diet coke next time, the junk food didn't "feel" worth it. Bout to drink a bottle of water to help flush it through.

I went on a bike ride, it lasted overall an hour with breaks included. I took 1-5 minute breaks depending, so I could go 5 miles. Doesn't seem like much but going against the wind really takes it out of you, plus I'm just not that in shape. I'll get there. It was a solid exercise. I have a new goal to eventually go 35 miles with a few breaks, which is down to my favorite beach and back. :) Right now it seems like a lot but I'm sure it will be a piece of cake one day.
 
I lost the food journal of yesterday, but I know the calorie amount was a little high for me, around 1,800. I know where I went wrong -- too many walnuts, snacking on cheesepuffs, and chinese leftovers for dinner.

Todays food journal...

Breakfast:
Oatmeal - 150

Lunch:
Soup - 170
Muffin - 130

Snack:
Icecream - 150

Snack #2:
10 Saltine Crackers - 120

Early Dinner:
Lean Pocket - 270

Total Calories: 990

I went on a 5 mile bike ride today and yesterday; I went faster today, to make it just as hard as it was yesterday. I'm feeling better everyday on the bike, really want to keep it up! I will probably have a second dinner or a snack later on, I eat in intervals. Just wanted to post it now while I have time. :) Feeling good. Kind of fruit deprived, but I'm seriously hoping to get to the store later today.

Also snuck onto the scale... says I'm down to 153.8!! Probably water weight, but it's good to see. I'm going to weigh myself every Thursday for the actual weight loss.

**Edit**

Snack#3:
2 pc Raisin Toast - 200
Brownie bites - 150

New total calories: 1,340

:) Munchies could have been a lot worse! I had to actively tell myself to get out of the kitchen.
 
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I'm brainstorming some good exercises to do along with bicycling. I already feel better after five days, but I feel like to lose as much fat as I want to I'll need to be stepping it up. I have high expectations for my 135lb body!

I made a list of fitness goals I've always wanted to accomplish.

- Run a 10 minute mile
- Do a military pushup in good form
- Do a pullup in good form
- Have showing abdominals (this is more like a dream at 18% bodyfat, I know)
- Bike 35 miles in one day
- Have a bodyfat % of 18

With these goals in mind, I have come to some good conclusions.

- I will need to start running to get a 10 minute mile run
- I will need to have strength training exercises to do a military pushup and a pullup
- I will have to lower my bodyfat % to have abdominals and a bodyfat % of 18
----- I will also have to exercise like an athlete to get an athlete's bodyfat %
- I'll have to increase my cycling endurance to have a chance at 35 miles in one day

So exercises I need to do:

Strength training
- Core: Abdominals, Back, Chest
- Upper body: Chest, Shoulders, Arms, Back
- Lower body: Calves, Thighs, *Hamstrings*, Glutes
Cardio
- Jogging/Running
- Cycling
*edit: Added hamstrings, thanks Trusylver.

Strength training for fat burning and cardio for endurance. People say cardio is a fat burner, but really, I think any exercise is. I'll start incorporating these exercises in little bits at a time so I don't overwhelm myself and give up. I'll say starting July 1st I'll start adding jogging, and before that I'll start light weight training. I have never liked running but I've always told myself I hate it, so next time I'll go at it with an open mind. :) I'll add a food/exercise journal later, one thing I do know is I'm going to have a bacon ranch salad at McDonalds (without the dressing) later tonight with a diet coke. Yum!
 
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Thanks! I've tried dieting and a little wimpy exercise here and there and gotten so upset when nothing magical happened. I just approached this as I would any other project - need to know what I want in my final product and figure out what needs to be done. :) I'm hoping I can stick with this good mood, and at least remember my goals for when I'm a little down.
 
on your lower body list you need to include hamstrings, if you strengthen quads (thighs) while not working the hamstrings you will cause a muscle imbalance which will cause knee injuries.
 
Thank you! I didn't know that. I'll have to look for some hamstring exercises!

Food Journal:

Breakfast:
Cereal - 150

Lunch:
Soup - 180
A snack, forgot what it was but I remember the calories! - 120

Snack:
Cereal - 150
Apple - found it hiding in the back of the fruit drawer! - 60

Dinner:
Bacon Ranch Salad - 280
A very delicious strawberry sundae - 260

Snack:
Slice of pumpernickle bread - 65

Total Calories: 1,265

I adjusted my whole day around that dinner, 'cause I had been craving it really really bad. It was SOOOO worth it! Just what I needed. I also got my 5 mile bike ride in, got it done in 42 minutes including two short breaks to shake out the legs. So overall close to 5 miles in 40 minutes. 5 days ago it was about an hour in length, including longer breaks. Getting better, so excited! :)
 
Todays Food Journal...

Breakfast:
Cereal - 200
Apple - 60

Snack:
Slice of Bread - 65

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine - 220
2 Slice of Bread - 130
Cup of Milk - 90

Snack:
Banana - 100
Apple - 60

Dinner:
Lean Cuisine - 290

Total Calories: 1,215

It's likely I'll have a snack (pudding... sugar free icecream... apple sauce) after dinner but we'll see what happens. I went on my usual 5mi bike ride, went with my dad and almost gave up part of the way because my legs were burning. He kept pushing through it so I decided if he could, I could. And we made it :) can't wait till Thursday to actually weigh in for the week (even though I cheated and jumped on the scale early)!
 
Thanks Trus, it's becoming less and less of an effort everyday :)

I woke up this morning and it was the weirdest feeling. I felt like my lungs had grown! I can breathe better for some reason. I also wasn't groggy, just jumped out of bed completely awake. Definitely motivational. Hope it lasts.

Already had breakfast, so I'm going to write out my planned food for today. I think having a plan lets me eat less instead of randomly picking things up.

Breakfast:
1/2 Grapefruit - 40
2 slice bread - 130

Snack:
Apple - 60

Lunch:
Lean cuisine - 220
Banana - 100

Snack:
Bread w/ peanut butter - 200

Dinner:
Lean Cuisine - 290
Milk - 90

Snack:
Something around 100 calories.

Gonna go on another 5mi bike-ride, might report back with an actual strength training exercise! This weekend the bike rides will probably be bumped up to 10 miles. Can't wait to see how I do.
 
That's great to hear. It's always good when you can feel a difference, to me that's far more important than what a scale or measurements tell you. Keep up the great work and I think I'll have to try creating a meal plan at the start or each day to see if that helps as well.

Might I also add...

DARRRRRRRK VENNNNNNNGEANNNCE!!!
 
Hehe! Yeah, the great energy and feeling of life should be enough to keep you exercising. It's kind of sad that a lot of women (just like me) only start exercising to look better and give up before they get the real benefits of a healthy body. This time looking good isn't my only focus so I think I'm a little better off.

Planning out the day can just give you a rough estimate of your calories and let you see if you have any room for slip ups, or if you want to accommodate a not so healthy cheat meal. Hope it works for ya :)
 
Hopefully going on a 10 mile bike ride in half an hour. I am SOOOOO hungry this morning!! I don't know why, it's not my T.O.M. or anything. Just bam! Stomach wouldn't stop growling. Even after a nice bowl of FiberOne my stomach feels empty. Gonna drink a bottle of water and see if that helps, then I'll wait a little while and have an apple; don't want to pass-out on the trail!

Planned Food Journal:

Breakfast:
Cereal - 240
Apple - 60

Snack:
Baby Carrots - 50

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine - 220

Snack:
Ensure - 250

Dinner:
Chicken and veggies - 300
Slice of bread - 65

The scale today says 152.0 lbs. :D I lost 5 lbs in my first week. I'm really aiming for 1-2 pounds a week, preferably 2 but I won't complain with 1.
 
Well done on the 5lb weight loss, thats brill! And your right about the reasons for losing weight. You shouldn't only do it to look skinnier, you feel so much more energetic when your not eating crap.
 
Thank you, I'm quite a happy camper at the moment!

I just biked 14 miles in two hours! INCLUDING breaks! It wasn't easy but definitely worth it. Makes my goal of 35 miles seem a lot less extreme. Hope my dad can keep it up with me, we'll both be superstars before ya know it :D
 
Oh my gosh. I might get on a competitive soccer team. That'll solve my jogging problems! I'm psyched, I haven't played soccer and forever and tryouts are tomorrow and Saturday. Yaaaaaaaay!
 
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