Shanika's Diary

shanikachante

shanikachante

0
Ok here goes,

-- How much weight do you want to lose? my ideal weight would be 125

-- What is the timeframe for reaching your target weight? no timeframe...as soon as it happens

-- How do you want to accomplish your goal (what methods do you want to use)? calorie counting, healthy eating and exercise

-- Who or what can support you in reaching your goal? this forum helps me out alot as far as learning but only me, myself and i can actually put it into work

-- How realistic is your goal? realistic as can be

-- When will you start? now


I'm Shanika, 25 yrs old, a mother of 4 kids. Right now i weigh 138 lbs,(recently loss 2 lbs) to some it sounds like nothing, but i'm unhappy with the way it looks. Everything is out of shape right now so its not nice to look at. During my last pregnancy, my thighs got big, and now they still are. When i stand up straight, they touch each other (something they have never did). My stomach has a big roll on it, at first it wasn't visible in clothes but now it is. So i get uncomfortable always looking down trying to fix my clothes or the way i'm sitting to tuck it in. My last baby is 10 mths now, usually with all my other pregnancies, the fat just fell off, but not this time. I guess because i'm getting older and my metabolism slowed down. I used to eat what i want but now i want to start eating healthy to lose weight but also after that. I just want to begin a healthy lifestyle and to instill that in my children also. Once i lose the fat, i want to tone up everything.
 
I've attached a pic of me.Just to show my big roll...lol Look at the stomach roll...it's really obvious. You can't really tell how big my thighs are because the pants are so tight, my butt is wayyy out of shape,( tight in those pants so you cant see how bad it looks) i want to workout to tone that too. You can also see the back of my arm needs toning.
 
The exercises that i've been doing...every other day i go jogging for 45 mins, i walk 3 miles a day, i have a pilates and tae bo tape that i do at home. I don't have the money right now for a gym membership, so i may have to search on craigslist for some home equipment. I need to add more cardio to my routine to lose the weight. I've been doing pretty good on my food as far as calories and trying to pick the healthiest things to eat. I learn alot of here from reading people's posts and the ones that know so much(such as Steve, maleficent,inform team, exercise physio, Trevor M., etc). The hardest part of all this for me is the water intake. If i put crystal lite in my water then i'm good but that gets pretty expensive. I just have to find a way to make myself drink it.


Stats as of today:

Body Fat-31%
waist- 33 in
Hips- 38.5
Chest- 34
Thighs- 23
Calf- 14
Biceps- 11
 
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Okay, so last night i went out to buy some fish. I found some for $1.23/lb. So, i got 3 lbs to start with. It's called polluck. I divided them up and put them in freezer bags. I'll try to eat a piece of this or my chicken with every meal. I don't know what it tastes like, i never had it before. But hey you can't beat the price. The sign said that it has a mild taste. So, now all i have to do is figure out how to cook it. :rotflmao:
 
So, today i'm really trying to motivate myself to exercise. I think that since i don't have a gym membership, i'm getting bored with my options. I do exercise videos (tae bo, walking with weights, exercise ball) and i run.When i used to go to the gym, i loved it. It makes you feel so productive. Maybe i should invest in some type of equipment.
 
Today my goal is to do AT LEAST an hour of exercise and drink 8 cups of water. I'm putting it in writing to hold myself accountable. I'm making a notebook full of different exercises so that when i'm home not doing anything, i can just open it up and pick out an exercise and do it. There's no excuse. I have decided that when i watch tv, i will also work out at the same time. I need to prioritize better. Alot of us make time to sit and just watch tv, or sit up on the computer but can't find time to exercise. I have opened my eyes to this and i will now begin to change it.
 
Okay, i'm doing pretty good with my water now...i'm drinking more...and i haven't even been adding anything like crystal lite to it.:) I'm proud of myself. Last night i did 65 min of cardio....taebo/dance dvd. So far so good...i've been doing some resistance training today, just need to add in m cardio.
 
Yesterday, i didn't do so good on my water....only had 3 cups so today will be a better day. I made a fruit smoothie yesterday from strawberries, peaches, grapes and canaloupe. Then i added lowfat yogurt....it was sooo good. Next time i go grocery shopping, i think i'll stock up with alot more frozen fruits....only like $1.36 a bag. Might go check around for different prices because the store i was in didn't have a big variety.
This whole new lifestyle change is giving me hope. Before it's like i hated cooking, it was just something i had to do. Now that i'm watching every thing i eat, it's actually fun to cook and to search for new food ideas. I love it. That adds to my motivation.
 
Hi Shankia :)

I just started out 2 weeks ago, so I'm kind of new here. I just stopped in and read your journal and wow.. you have a lot of motivation!

I actually read your journal last night. When I was at the grocery store today, I walked past some frozen tilapia and remembered your post about fish, so I bought some. I'm not a big fish eater---well, I like catfish, but that's about it. My husband loves fish, but I don't know how to cook it. Sure, I can fry up some catfish, but that's hardly diet food...lol. How did you make your polluck? And was it good?

I am weaning myself off pop with the Crystal Light. It taste like jello water to me, but it's a heck of a lot better than plain water. I have well water, even with a softener and the reverse osmosis....it still tastes awful to me.

Anyhow, I have one idea for a meal that you might like. My husband just got back from Malasyia and he ate a lot of cabbage over there and he asked me to make him something with cabbage in it. I remembered this recipe I had from years ago that was cooked ground turkey, shredded carrots and shredded cabbage. Season with salt and pepper and some garlic and just cook it in a pan on the stove. I guess you could add some onion, too. I think I did the cabbage and carrot first and then added the cooked (and drained) ground turkey. I haven't made it in years, but it was really good. I'm going to make it soon for dinner. Just an idea.

Ok, I just wanted to say hello and good luck to you. :)
 
The hardest part of all this for me is the water intake. If i put crystal lite in my water then i'm good but that gets pretty expensive. I just have to find a way to make myself drink it.
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I just wanted to add one thing. I don't know if your grocery store sells Spartan brand ( generic) or not, but I bought some Spartan brand ( generic Crystal Light) and it was AWFUL!! I buy the Crystal light at Walmart at $2.97 for a cannister of it. It's almost $5 for the same thing at my grocery store!
 
Time2change,

That cabbage recipe sounds good....i love cabbage. I tried ground turkey for the first time last week...it was pretty good. I don't know why i had it in my head that it would probably be nasty.
As for the fish, i just seasoned it, poured a little lemon juice, put some olive oil in the pan and cooked it. It's alright, sort of bland compared to fried catfish. I'm like you the only fish i've really ever eaten is fried catfish. I think its the fried batter part that makes us love it. Eating fish is something i'm trying to get used too. I used some of it to put inside my salad, so it would have more flavor. Next time i'll probably find a recipe that has a glaze or something to top it with. Yeah, next time i'll get the big canister and just get the kids something else so they don't mess with mine. So, how are you doing with your new lifestyle changes?
 
shanikachante said:
I've attached a pic of me.Just to show my big roll...lol Look at the stomach roll...it's really obvious. You can't really tell how big my thighs are because the pants are so tight, my butt is wayyy out of shape,( tight in those pants so you cant see how bad it looks) i want to workout to tone that too. You can also see the back of my arm needs toning.
Click to expand...

I[m not exactly a judge of women's behinds but I'll say that whatever rolls you're seeing -aren't visible in that picture -and you're butt is pretty darn fine looking to me :)
 
Mal, i guess its the angle of the pic...believe me its there...when i sit down my 1 yr old will come and grab it...it's annoying.

I've been looking around (mostly walmart) for gym equipment i can use, but also fold up.Stay in an apt and have no space. I'm thinking about getting the total gym and i want some type of cardio machine. The ellipticals up there dont fold :( So, still searching. Any ideas welcome
 
Check the stickied threads in the exercise forum your best bet is really going to be dumbbells but those youu also tend to out grow pretty quickly and the expandable ones are a little pricey - but the 5 and 10lb dumbbells aren't that expensive.. and might be a good starting point..

a jumprope is also inexpensive and will give you a great cardio workout...

I'm all about the hula hoop today - great workout and fun too.
 
Thanks for info mal. Yeah, i might just invest it that. Jump roping is a good idea, i can do it with the kids too. Thanks , i didn't even think about that
 
For some reason, i haven't been able to get on this website for days...it kept saying database error. But anyways, i can finally get on now.

I have recently discovered that all i can do is 1 pushup....it's REALLY embarrassing, but i'm documenting it anyways to be able to see my progress. I've still been getting my exercise in like i want. I need to focus more on my diet...i was doing so good but for the last few days, i've been doing too much cheating....ex. drinking soda again, not keeping track of my food.I'm just going to stop buying soda altogether. At first i would drink a cup every few days, but i'm just going to get rid of it all together, so i'm not tempted. But i'm going to get back on the right path. I found some equipment on craigslist...a treadmill for $20, an elliptical for $25...hopefully they're not sold yet...waiting for a response from the sellers.
The other day i went to the store looking at fish(still trying out the different kinds) and i got tilapia. It was sooooo good. Better than the polluck i had bought the first time. I plan on getting alot more of it.
I've been cutting up my vegetables, putting them in plain view in the fridge...hopefully that will help on my diet.
 
Shanika,

I had problems getting on here the past couple of days, too.

Man, so I know all about that soda! I have weaned myself from 4-5+ soda's every day to 1 soda every day now. What I have been doing is keeping it warm, so I have to put it in the freezer for about 20 min to get it cold. If I don't have one cold, it is less tempting, because I won't drink warm pop! lol

OMG... I started something with that tilapia. I made it for my family a few days ago, and they are begging me to make it again. My oldest daughter even made herself some for lunch today. I don't know if I mentioned that I didn't like it. Tasted like dirt to me. Someone on this forum recommended I try tuna. Not the canned stuff, but the real stuff. I tasted a bit of my brother-in-law's the other night when we went out to dinner and wow! I liked it. It is more like meat, than fish. I bet it's expensive, but once in a while it would be ok. I will have to learn how to cook it. I was really amazed at how good it tasted and how it didn't taste like fish at all! lol

Craigslist is great! I buy stuff all the time off there. You can get some really good deals on stuff. I almost bought a treadmill from there a couple of weeks ago, but joined a gym instead.

Anyhow, good luck with your exercise and weight loss. :)

See ya around.

Anne
 
Wow, yesterday i got my weighted jumprope and went outside to do some reps. That jump roping is no joke....lol. For cardio, it's really good. Today when the kids get home from school, i'm going to jump rope with them. I think by doing it with the kids, i'll last longer.
 
Today when the kids get home from school, i'm going to jump rope with them. I think by doing it with the kids, i'll last longer.
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For sure! The kids will keep you going. I used to love to jump rope as a kid. I knew all the songs/rhymes. I even have a book with jump rope rhymes on my bookshelf right now! And thanks for reminding me about jump roping. I bought one a couple of weeks ago, and I totally forgot about it. I'm going to get it out and do some jump roping.

Good to see you around. :)

Anne

Anne
 
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