Hi,
Long time listener, first time caller. I mean poster. I have been lurking here since June 2007 and have made a few scattered posts. I love the diary section of the site and really enjoy reading about everyone's experiences and seeing the support from the community. I practically feel like I know some of you personally from keeping up with your diaries! I hope that is not too creepy.
//About Me:
-Female
-24 years old
-Live in Las Vegas
-Just got engaged this past December. Getting married 8/1/09
//Stats:
5'5
This morning, 138.0 pounds
(I don't take regular measurements and the only body fat measurement I have taken is on a scale. I don't think that is accurate at all.)
Current measurements: chest - 36, waist - 27, hips - 36
//Weight History (long and possibly boring!)
I was a chubby kid growing up. The most I weighed was 167 pounds. Looking back with the knowledge I have now, it is very easy to see that the reason for my weight problem was the sheer amount of food I ate. My mother would cook dinner for us every night and we were expected to clean our plates and get seconds, thirds, fourths... as much as we could stuff into our chubby faces. According to my mom. food was the solution to all of life's problems. If you were grumpy, it must be because you needed to eat. Sleepy? Eat something. Having trouble figuring out that math problem? Have a cheeseburger.
I was always unhappy with my weight but I wasn't sure what to do. I was heavily involved in sports since I was 5 years old, but soccer practice would be negated with trip through the drive through afterward. I developed a lot of bad habits. When I was 10 years old and went to my mother crying that I was fat, she had a lot of sympathy for me. She vowed to start cooking healthier and stop buying so much junk. I didn't exercise any more than the regular soccer practices and games that I was already involved in. I ended up losing about 15 pounds from our family diet. Really we just ate less and made simple changes like skim milk instead of whole, more fat free or low cal snack foods, etc.
I kept that off for as long as my mom continued to cook more healthfully. That didn't last forever though and I slowly gained the weight back as she went back to her old cooking (and grocery shopping) habits. I started high school at around 160 pounds. The pressure of high school caused me to be even more unhappy with my body. I didn't know anything about diet and exercise though and had to rely on my mom for what she was buying at the grocery store.
I played on the varsity soccer team my freshman year and was introduced to running. It was something I always hated, but I actually enjoyed the challenge now. I had to go to soccer practices every day and lost weight in the process getting down to about 145 pounds.
After the soccer season was over, I continued to run periodically and was able to lose a few more pounds. I remember seeing 139 once and being so surprised. A few months later, I was back to my old habits again. Minimal exercise and maximum calories and bad food choices. I graduated high school somewhere between 150 and 155 pounds.
I started college that summer and it was the best thing ever. I had free access to a state of the art gym, I was able to make my own healthy food choices, and I was surrounded by people who were interested in their own fitness and nutrition.
In college, I went to the gym pretty much every day because I enjoyed it. I ate more healthfully, but wasn't stressed about eating perfectly in any means. I just really enjoy eating salads and fruits and vegetables and now had them available all the time at the school cafeteria. I lost weight without really trying. I was eating better and exercising simply because I enjoyed it.
The next year was pretty much the same. I'd estimate I was around pounds. I never actually weighed myself though. The summer before my Junior year I stayed on campus to work and take a couple classes. Hardly anyone was in town and my roommates were not moving in until the end of the summer. I went to the gym, went running, and cooked healthy meals because I had nothing better to do. Again, I lost weight without even trying. I still didn't weigh myself because I didn't really care.
After my roommates moved in and the school year started, I got too busy to cook all the time and wasn't able to make it to the gym as much. I immediately noticed I was gaining some weight and decided I didn't like that. I bought a scale and weighed 147. I wasn't that upset and just sorta maintained that until the end of that year.
Then I moved to Vegas. My boyfriend at the time was very overweight and I picked up a lot of his eating habits. I had joined a gym so I didn't gain nearly as much weight as I should have. I got up to about 157. I was not happy and toyed around with dieting and exercise a bit. I still wasn't very informed about what I was supposed to be doing so only ever lost about 5 pounds.
Then I moved into my own apartment. The next live in boyfriend that I had was super skinny and ate like a bird. Instead of me following his eating habits, I'd eat what he didn't finish. I also started skipping the gym and just generally got lazy. At this time I also started a new job and found myself snacking on office treats daily. I got back up to about 167 pounds.
I was very unhappy and I missed the few brief months back in college that I was in such great shape. I estimated that at that time I weighed 135 pounds and vowed to get back there. In March 2007 I started going to the gym every day after work and I really educated myself. I read Tom Venuto's book and learned so much about nutrition and fitness. I was researching online daily trying to educate myself (which is how I eventually found this forum).
I did HIIT at the gym and lifted heavy weights. I ran outside on the weekends. I ate more whole natural foods and cut processed foods down to nearly nothing. I really stuck with it this time instead of trying some weird crash diet and it worked. I ended 2007 plateaued at 143 pounds and completely burnt out from the gym. I took a break from the gym and decided to focus on my distance running, which had become a hobby and a challenge at that point. I also broke up with my boyfriend and was now single.
I would run 5-8 miles per day and then a long 10+ mile run on Saturday or Sunday. My eating habits stayed the same, however, I allowed myself to eat "whatever I wanted" on the weekend. I was able to break through the plateau because of all the added cardio. I probably lost some muscle along with the fat, I am aware of that. 2008 I hovered around 137-138 and a couple times popped back up to 140. I would add an extra workout or watch what I little closer and was able to get back to the 130's.
I started going back to the gym when I moved in with my fiance in August. My burnout was over and I wanted to actually get to my original goal of 135. I have since continued to hover in the 137-138 range. The lowest I ever saw was 136.2 and I'm pretty sure I was dehydrated at that time.
//Current Plan
I have re-dedicated myself to getting to my original goal of 135. The closer I have gotten, the more I think that my ideal weight is probably more like 125 or 130. I am not completely unhappy with my body, so I have been going to the gym but still eating poorly on the weekend. I am trying to correct that and get serious. If I really want to do this, then I have to put in more effort. That being said, I am absolutely thrilled that I have been able to maintain this low weight for so long with such minimal effort. This is a first for me after years of yo-yo-ing. I believe that taking the time to educate myself about fitness and nutrition was the key.
I have eaten 50% better the past two weekends and am "in the process" of committing 100%. 2-3 days of poor eating is obviously what is holding me back from losing any weight.
This is what my week in exercise looks like:
Sunday - gym
Monday - gym
Tuesday - gym
Wednesday - indoor soccer game
Thursday - indoor soccer game
Friday - break
Saturday - longer run outside (5+ miles) OR gym
What I do at the gym:
1. Warm up ~5 minutes on stair climber or elliptical
2. Abs (crunches, leg lifts, etc)
3. Treadmill. I mix it up. Either HIIT, hills, or maybe just a regular run. It depends on how I am feeling but I am on the treadmill about 30 minutes on average.
4. Upper body or lower body resistance training. I will admit that I don't really have a structured schedule or plan for my lifting. I DO lift heavy though and generally do 3 sets of 8 reps for each exercise that I do. I'm not afraid of free weights.
What I eat in a typical day at work:
8 am: Banana with cottage cheese OR plain oatmeal OR plain shredded wheat
10 am: Some sort of bar. I pick something low in sugar and high in protein. I like the South Beach and Fiber One bars.
12 pm: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, piece of fruit, yogurt OR chicken breast with whole wheat pasta & vegetables
3 pm: low fat yogurt with cottage cheese OR raw mixed nuts w/ dried fruit
-go to the gym after work, I am home around 6:30-
7 pm: Salad with lot of veggies and grilled chicken OR Turkey sandwich OR chicken breast, veggies, whole grains
-If get hungry later in the evening again I'll eat a piece of fruit or some cottage cheese.-
I used to eat a bagel with cream cheese on Friday mornings. I haven't had that for about a month. I have also been trying to make better choices on the weekends but it is rather difficult because I am home with my fiance and we just don't have as structured of a meal plan as I try to keep during the week. Basically, I think all of my hard work and dedication during the week is negated by the weekend and I am trying to get away from that so I can lose these last few pounds.
Long time listener, first time caller. I mean poster. I have been lurking here since June 2007 and have made a few scattered posts. I love the diary section of the site and really enjoy reading about everyone's experiences and seeing the support from the community. I practically feel like I know some of you personally from keeping up with your diaries! I hope that is not too creepy.
//About Me:
-Female
-24 years old
-Live in Las Vegas
-Just got engaged this past December. Getting married 8/1/09
//Stats:
5'5
This morning, 138.0 pounds
(I don't take regular measurements and the only body fat measurement I have taken is on a scale. I don't think that is accurate at all.)
Current measurements: chest - 36, waist - 27, hips - 36
//Weight History (long and possibly boring!)
I was a chubby kid growing up. The most I weighed was 167 pounds. Looking back with the knowledge I have now, it is very easy to see that the reason for my weight problem was the sheer amount of food I ate. My mother would cook dinner for us every night and we were expected to clean our plates and get seconds, thirds, fourths... as much as we could stuff into our chubby faces. According to my mom. food was the solution to all of life's problems. If you were grumpy, it must be because you needed to eat. Sleepy? Eat something. Having trouble figuring out that math problem? Have a cheeseburger.
I was always unhappy with my weight but I wasn't sure what to do. I was heavily involved in sports since I was 5 years old, but soccer practice would be negated with trip through the drive through afterward. I developed a lot of bad habits. When I was 10 years old and went to my mother crying that I was fat, she had a lot of sympathy for me. She vowed to start cooking healthier and stop buying so much junk. I didn't exercise any more than the regular soccer practices and games that I was already involved in. I ended up losing about 15 pounds from our family diet. Really we just ate less and made simple changes like skim milk instead of whole, more fat free or low cal snack foods, etc.
I kept that off for as long as my mom continued to cook more healthfully. That didn't last forever though and I slowly gained the weight back as she went back to her old cooking (and grocery shopping) habits. I started high school at around 160 pounds. The pressure of high school caused me to be even more unhappy with my body. I didn't know anything about diet and exercise though and had to rely on my mom for what she was buying at the grocery store.
I played on the varsity soccer team my freshman year and was introduced to running. It was something I always hated, but I actually enjoyed the challenge now. I had to go to soccer practices every day and lost weight in the process getting down to about 145 pounds.
After the soccer season was over, I continued to run periodically and was able to lose a few more pounds. I remember seeing 139 once and being so surprised. A few months later, I was back to my old habits again. Minimal exercise and maximum calories and bad food choices. I graduated high school somewhere between 150 and 155 pounds.
I started college that summer and it was the best thing ever. I had free access to a state of the art gym, I was able to make my own healthy food choices, and I was surrounded by people who were interested in their own fitness and nutrition.
In college, I went to the gym pretty much every day because I enjoyed it. I ate more healthfully, but wasn't stressed about eating perfectly in any means. I just really enjoy eating salads and fruits and vegetables and now had them available all the time at the school cafeteria. I lost weight without really trying. I was eating better and exercising simply because I enjoyed it.
The next year was pretty much the same. I'd estimate I was around pounds. I never actually weighed myself though. The summer before my Junior year I stayed on campus to work and take a couple classes. Hardly anyone was in town and my roommates were not moving in until the end of the summer. I went to the gym, went running, and cooked healthy meals because I had nothing better to do. Again, I lost weight without even trying. I still didn't weigh myself because I didn't really care.
After my roommates moved in and the school year started, I got too busy to cook all the time and wasn't able to make it to the gym as much. I immediately noticed I was gaining some weight and decided I didn't like that. I bought a scale and weighed 147. I wasn't that upset and just sorta maintained that until the end of that year.
Then I moved to Vegas. My boyfriend at the time was very overweight and I picked up a lot of his eating habits. I had joined a gym so I didn't gain nearly as much weight as I should have. I got up to about 157. I was not happy and toyed around with dieting and exercise a bit. I still wasn't very informed about what I was supposed to be doing so only ever lost about 5 pounds.
Then I moved into my own apartment. The next live in boyfriend that I had was super skinny and ate like a bird. Instead of me following his eating habits, I'd eat what he didn't finish. I also started skipping the gym and just generally got lazy. At this time I also started a new job and found myself snacking on office treats daily. I got back up to about 167 pounds.
I was very unhappy and I missed the few brief months back in college that I was in such great shape. I estimated that at that time I weighed 135 pounds and vowed to get back there. In March 2007 I started going to the gym every day after work and I really educated myself. I read Tom Venuto's book and learned so much about nutrition and fitness. I was researching online daily trying to educate myself (which is how I eventually found this forum).
I did HIIT at the gym and lifted heavy weights. I ran outside on the weekends. I ate more whole natural foods and cut processed foods down to nearly nothing. I really stuck with it this time instead of trying some weird crash diet and it worked. I ended 2007 plateaued at 143 pounds and completely burnt out from the gym. I took a break from the gym and decided to focus on my distance running, which had become a hobby and a challenge at that point. I also broke up with my boyfriend and was now single.
I would run 5-8 miles per day and then a long 10+ mile run on Saturday or Sunday. My eating habits stayed the same, however, I allowed myself to eat "whatever I wanted" on the weekend. I was able to break through the plateau because of all the added cardio. I probably lost some muscle along with the fat, I am aware of that. 2008 I hovered around 137-138 and a couple times popped back up to 140. I would add an extra workout or watch what I little closer and was able to get back to the 130's.
I started going back to the gym when I moved in with my fiance in August. My burnout was over and I wanted to actually get to my original goal of 135. I have since continued to hover in the 137-138 range. The lowest I ever saw was 136.2 and I'm pretty sure I was dehydrated at that time.
//Current Plan
I have re-dedicated myself to getting to my original goal of 135. The closer I have gotten, the more I think that my ideal weight is probably more like 125 or 130. I am not completely unhappy with my body, so I have been going to the gym but still eating poorly on the weekend. I am trying to correct that and get serious. If I really want to do this, then I have to put in more effort. That being said, I am absolutely thrilled that I have been able to maintain this low weight for so long with such minimal effort. This is a first for me after years of yo-yo-ing. I believe that taking the time to educate myself about fitness and nutrition was the key.
I have eaten 50% better the past two weekends and am "in the process" of committing 100%. 2-3 days of poor eating is obviously what is holding me back from losing any weight.
This is what my week in exercise looks like:
Sunday - gym
Monday - gym
Tuesday - gym
Wednesday - indoor soccer game
Thursday - indoor soccer game
Friday - break
Saturday - longer run outside (5+ miles) OR gym
What I do at the gym:
1. Warm up ~5 minutes on stair climber or elliptical
2. Abs (crunches, leg lifts, etc)
3. Treadmill. I mix it up. Either HIIT, hills, or maybe just a regular run. It depends on how I am feeling but I am on the treadmill about 30 minutes on average.
4. Upper body or lower body resistance training. I will admit that I don't really have a structured schedule or plan for my lifting. I DO lift heavy though and generally do 3 sets of 8 reps for each exercise that I do. I'm not afraid of free weights.
What I eat in a typical day at work:
8 am: Banana with cottage cheese OR plain oatmeal OR plain shredded wheat
10 am: Some sort of bar. I pick something low in sugar and high in protein. I like the South Beach and Fiber One bars.
12 pm: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, piece of fruit, yogurt OR chicken breast with whole wheat pasta & vegetables
3 pm: low fat yogurt with cottage cheese OR raw mixed nuts w/ dried fruit
-go to the gym after work, I am home around 6:30-
7 pm: Salad with lot of veggies and grilled chicken OR Turkey sandwich OR chicken breast, veggies, whole grains
-If get hungry later in the evening again I'll eat a piece of fruit or some cottage cheese.-
I used to eat a bagel with cream cheese on Friday mornings. I haven't had that for about a month. I have also been trying to make better choices on the weekends but it is rather difficult because I am home with my fiance and we just don't have as structured of a meal plan as I try to keep during the week. Basically, I think all of my hard work and dedication during the week is negated by the weekend and I am trying to get away from that so I can lose these last few pounds.
