Ways To Go - The Long Road

30PoundsDown

30PoundsDown

New member
Hey!

Just a bit of an introduction - I'm a 22 (almost 23) yr old female who, since my early teens, has always had problems with fluctuating weight. Like most, typical American children, I was raised on McDonald's Happy Meals, with birthday parties at Chuck E' Cheese, and treated to ice cream when I did well at school. Despite my less than glamorous diet, I was extremely active as a child. I would play outside for hours on end; bicycle races up and down the street, flag football, basketball games with the neighborhood kids. Everything. Again, I didn't have the greatest source of nutrition, but I was so active that it was enough keep me rather fit. Fast forward a few years and I'm at the start of high school, with a broken knee after an accident. It hurt... badly. And looking back, I now see that that was what started it all. I became afraid to do things... scared to run around or do sports because I was so terrified of getting hurt again. I went through about 4 surgeries during high school, and every time I thought I was ready to bounce back, I'd have to get something tweaked or repaired and it reiterated the fact that there was just absolutely no way I could do anything because I kept that fear inside me.

I'm a bit ashamed to say that the injury didn't just mess with my physical abilities, but it really psyched me out. I have severe anxiety and depression, with a touch of ADHD, and while not all of that can truly be blamed on my injury (I supposedly inherited it from my mother), it certainly highlighted my symptoms. For awhile, I was even afraid to let people touch me; I just didn't want anyone or anything around me that could possibly make me hurt. Years later, even though I'm doing much better in terms of my emotional state (anxiety and depression are in full remission), its definitely left its mark.

And now I'm tired. Of it all. Tired of hiding on the couch, eating my way out of my misery. And tired of being afraid. I'm just... tired of being tired.

It took me awhile, but I finally found what I want to do with my life. As ridiculous as it is, I'd love to be a firefighter - it was a silly, childhood dream that I hope to finally make reality. The odds are stacked against me, but I'm done with telling myself, 'You can't do it.' I know that even if I was in amazing shape, it would still be a long road, but for once in my life I want to say, "I can do it... I'm doing it... I did it."

I've already completed my courses as a first responder and have been registered as an EMT. I'll be taking the per-requisites at the nearby community college for paramedic, and eventually I'd like to shoot for the Fire Academy. That won't be for at least another year or two, so I'd really like to take the time to prepare myself physically. I know that there are physical requirements, and I'd hate to show up as a short, fat blob. That, of course, is the long term goal; my short term goal, for now, is wanting to get in better shape and to start actually feeling good about myself.

Here are my 'stats':
Age: 22
Sex: F
Height: 5'2 (can you imagine such a tiny firefight coming to pull you out of a burning building? :p)
Weight: 156 lbs
BMI: 28.5

According to the CDC, at my age and height, I should be around 120-126 lbs, or have a BMI of 18.5-24.9. Talk about overweight!

My goal, over the next few months, is to drop 30 lbs so that I'm able to fall into the 'normal' category. I do plan to count calories, though its more of a way for me to stay conscious about what I'm eating rather than restricting my intake. I also have a gym membership that lasts until the end of the year, so I hope to really take advantage of that before it expires. By then, I hope I'll be motivated and disciplined enough to do my own at-home workouts (will be buying equipment here or there until then). I really want to make it work this time, which is why I'm writing in this 'journal' - sharing this with hundreds of strangers around the world, I hope will keep me accountable and humble enough to keep it going.

Well, that's it for now. Turned out a tad longer than I'd intended, but I guess I got everything across. Tomorrow begins my journey to better health, so until then, adieu!
 
Oh, that sounds great! A support group would be wonderful, especially since it will start during my second week. I'd need all the support I could get, and of course, I'd love to help others keep on track as well!

As for the Firefight/Paramedic thing.. awesome! I may just have to hound you for some advice later on :)
 
Hello... Ermm... How should I call you? :biggrinjester:

In any case, I'm sorry to hear about the problems during high-school, and the mental issues.

I don't know the current state of your knee, but have you considered low-impact options for exercise? (You mentioned a gym, but I don't know what you are planning to do)

You could try walking more or swimming. I don't know if you could try biking with your injury?

I wouldn't recommend running on a treadmill or jumping.

On a side note, why don't you check our challenges? They already started, but you can still join for what's left of them;

(Simple) Weight-loss challenge.

October Challenge.

IcyStarCloud Challenge (This one may not suit you very well, but I'll link you to it).

Good luck with the new journey. :)
 
Hello! Everyone calls me 'Pia' (a nickname, since my cousin didn't know how to pronounce my real name when we were babies :p) so I guess I'll go by that here too.

My knee is actually really good now. I haven't had any major problems for a few years, thankfully. I still have the dull aches and pains every now and then (and don't get me started on cold weather), but I was told that would be normal for the rest of my life. I've been using a combination of the stationary bike, elliptical, and rowing machine for cardio whenever I hit the gym and so far have had no issues with them.

As for those challenges, I'll definitely check them out. As you can tell, I'm completely new, so I've just been taking some time to look around. Those look interesting, so I'll have to pop by sometime soon.

Thanks for the advice! I appreciate it!
 
I've had surgery twice on my left knee, yet it often seems like my right is the bad one LOL. I know the feeling of being scared to injure it again, so you just need to be careful and smart with what/how you do things. Work on strengthening your knee and legs to help reduce the risk of injuring it again. Keep a close eye on it and if it doesn't feel right then modify what you are doing or stop it completely and try something else. That's what I've done with the IcyStarCloud challenge. If it feels to much I either rest briefly or shift how I'm doing it. I'm trying to focus on my form right now which can be really hard cuz I have bad balance, worse than I thought, and not the best range of motion either. But I know that will get better with time and practice.

I find being on here and writing down the good AND the bad is great. It keeps me accountable and keeps me going and pushing and the support here is really wonderful!

You are doing great so far, just keep at it! You are already getting great results and I'm sure you will keep moving in that direction.
 
Day #1

Well, its barely 2:00PM and even though only half the day has passed, I'm just too excited to get this going and write it all down that I've decided to just go ahead and write it all now!

All right, so today I woke up at 4:30AM since I had to drive my mother to the airport. I usually don't eat breakfast, but after reading how important it is to kick start your metabolism in the morning, I grabbed a granola bar and my usual cup of coffee. I munched on that while driving through traffic and, surprisingly enough, I didn't feel as groggy as I usually do in the mornings. Who knew such a simple thing as a little bite to eat in the morning could make such a difference in my energy levels. I mean, I was practically giddy. It also helped that the radio magically read my mood and played all these awesome, upbeat songs for me to sing along to... but yeah. :D

When I got home, I still felt really good so I ran around the house and played with my doggy; I think it was actually a bit of a workout, we were practically wrestling on the carpet and ran up and down the stairs at least 4-5 times chasing each other (my doggy is the best, hehe). I have my ambulance driver's certificate test tomorrow afternoon, so I spent this morning reading through the booklet and searching for practice-tests, which have helped tremendously. I took a break for lunch and made myself a nice turkey sandwich (whole wheat roll, Swiss cheese, LOTS of lettuce and a smear of spicy mustard) and then sat down with a steamy cup of green tea to continue studying.

I'm pretty much over studying for now; my brain needs a break and I know just the perfect thing to get me energized - the gym! My usual routine is a 5-min warmup, some strength training on the machines (too scared to try out free-weights), then 45-min to an hour of cardio (elliptical, rowing machine, or bike).

After the gym, I plan to stop by Trader Joe's (local health food grocer) and stock up on plenty of fruits and vegetables. I have the whole house to myself this week, which is why I chose it to start this diet now. I plan to clean out the fridge and pantry while no one is here to interrupt or stop me and get myself into the habit of eating well before my mother comes back and tempts me with all her good cooking. Besides, she keeps saying that she wants to go on a diet too, so hopefully when she returns, I can pass my healthy habits onto her. :)

That's about it for now, but I'll probably come back and edit this post later tonight to edit in my calories and whatnot. But yeah, that's all for now!

***EDIT***

Okay, so I went to the gym and did my usual thing; it felt good to get moving, since I'd essentially sat at my desk and studied all morning. Ended up going to Walmart instead of Trader Joe's since it was literally a parking lot away and its usually cheaper. Spent roughly $16 and grabbed a bunch of those ready-made salad packages, frozen broccoli/cauliflower/peas etc, a couple cans of low sodium soup, whole wheat tortillas (plan to make some breakfast burritos and sandwich wraps with those), a large bunch of bananas, and a few containers of Greek yogurt. I have some pears, apples, carrots and celery still in my fridge as well, so I think I'll be good for now.

I didn't clean out the fridge yet because there's so much leftover food that I need to throw out, and then wash their dishes and well... I would much rather do some more studying to ensure I only have to take that test once (it costs almost $70 to take! :ack2:). When I'm done with that, I'll definitely get it really cleaned out, but for now, I made sure that all the healthy stuff was up in the front and the junk food was pushed all the way to the back! :)

When I came home and got everything put away, I was just about starving, so I prepared myself a can of soup and a salad and ate that. I was still really hungry after that, even after chugging some water and waiting 15 minutes to see if my stomach would settle - which it didn't. So I made myself a small turkey wrap with more veggies, rolled up in one of the tortillas I'd bought. That finally stopped the rumbling, so I think I'm pretty good to go for the night.

Here's my food for today:
Granola Bar - 380 calories (190 per bar, there were 2 in a package)
Coffee - 25 calories (+/-)
Turkey Sandwich - 378 calories (+/-)
Soup - 80 calories
Salad (about 2 cups, no dressing): 15 calories
Turkey Wrap - 200 calories (+/-)
Total today = 1,078 calories

That's not an exact count, since some of the stuff I had to look up online for the calories, but its a close estimate. I may be off by +/- 100, so that's not too bad. Again, I'm doing this more as a way to see what I'm eating and not really to 'limit' my intake. I know you aren't supposed to eat below 1,200 calories a day for a woman, so I may snack on some carrots and celery later, or perhaps a little bit of yogurt and fruit. We'll see. All in all, that's a lot better than my usual days. No bagel bites or instant ramen for me!

Feeling good. Feeling motivated. I know its only day 1 and I've yet to truly be tested, but I feel great so far! And I hope to keep it that way :D
 
Granola Bars: Be weary, often these will have lots of sugar and/or salt. Check the label and see. But it's good you had something and glad to hear you weren't as groggy :)
Coffee: Don't drink too much coffee in a day and be careful what creamers/sugar you put because they could add up to a lot. I don't drink coffee, but I drink black tea with too much sugar. Have been trying to cut it down but not quote fully there yet.
I love when the radio agrees with you :) There are too many times I surf the stations with no luck and it sucks!

I would have to concur, playing with pets can be a workout! And fun for both you and the dog!

Hope you get the fridge/pantry cleaned out and your mom doesn't stock the house with junk when she returns. It is MUCH easier to not eat bad stuff when it isn't around. With that said I've heard people talk about Goldfish and teddy grahams and other similar munchies. Not really good for you, but you can eat a fair bit without a ton of calories compared to many other cookies so something to think about if you think you can't go full cold turkey on some of the unhealthy stuff.

Personally my fiance still likes his cookies and junk, but doesn't eat popcorn or chips (which are what I LOVE). I have been good about the not buying chips, and the popcorn I have/make is air popped with no salt/butter (acquired taste which I acquired some time ago) and it's not so bad. But with the cookies in the house I have slipped, but made sure to have only 1-2 cookies (generally 2 cookies are over 100 cals :ack2:).
 
Why don't you try fruit for breakfast? :)

I think oranges are one of the most enjoyable fruits, so for breakfast I usually had 2 oranges, or mixed one orange with a banana. Really good stuff...

With my new carb budget, I can't afford fruit anymore, so I usually have only salads, good fats (avocado, chia seeds, maybe walnuts), and maybe I'll add some meat.

Anyways, I would suggest trying either fruit or salads before other stuff. Good luck on the gym! :)
 
In reply to both of you:

I grabbed the granola bar on a split moment decision; coffee in hand, I was a foot out the door before I decided to turn around and quickly grab one out of the pantry. Breakfast tomorrow will be a completely different story. As for my coffee, I used to be extremely addicted to it, but I've managed to cut it down to just once in the morning. I've also been slowly teaching myself to drink it black, though every once in awhile I cave and pour in a splash of cream and a spoon of sugar. I also like tea, though I usually mix in some lemon and honey to add a little more depth to its flavor.
 
Try not to eat too much fruit....it is something I believe people think is great when you are losing weight but I don't...too many carbs and sugar.
I love carrots(grated) and it is now always included in things I eat.
It fills you up even if you have a small " something you should not"...like today I had a small homemade rissole (fat gone) I just micro'ed it and the grated a big carrot with some, red, green and yellow capsicums and just a dash of what ever sauce you like...it is soo good.

Remember to use your imagination...put an egg into it, what ever as long as it is low fat and good carbs.

You can do it.
 
Tea with lemon and honey would be a good breakfast! Not too much honey but it's better than sugar. I've tried honey with tea but it gives a different taste and I don't care for it personally.

And Mrs. Woods is right about the fruit. If it's fruit instead of other junk then yes, much better choice, but more veggies are better I think. Fruit does have a lot of natural sugar which people forget about.

Take it one thing at a time and soon you will always be choosing healthy foods.
 
Mrs. Woods & icychic - thanks for the replies and the support!

I love fruit but I understand that it can be high in sugar. My family has a history of diabetes, so I've told myself to stay away from sugar if possible. I always worry that I might be next, because of my weight, but regular blood tests show that I'm at a healthy blood glucose level (thankfully). Regardless, I'm more of a 'savory' person anyway, though fruit has always been the one exception. I've been trying to eat my fruits and sweeter stuff in the morning, so I'd have more time to burn it off during the day.

As for the tea and honey, I've heard people say that agave nectar was an even better alternative. I have yet to try it, but once my honey runs out I may have to go out and grab a bottle of that instead!
 
Agave is a better alternative. Be careful with the honey you buy. Only get the ones that look nasty and gunky, you can tell the difference. Most of them at the stores are just rice syrup/sweeteners. I don't think I can post a link because of forum rules but you can research honey laundering.
 
I buy my honey from the local health food stores and its pretty 'gunky' looking as you say, so I think I'm okay with that. But yeah, I'll reach for agave next time I'm in need! If its good enough to make tequila, then I'm sure its good enough for me :p
 
Last edited:
Day #2

So, its Day 2 and I've got good news and bad news. Good news - I passed my test! After a super duper long wait at the DMV, I've finally got my ambulance certificate! One step closer to my overall goal!

Bad news, though... I didn't get to go to the gym today. It was raining heavily by the time I got back from my test and the area I live in is prone to flash floods, as well as the fact that most CA drivers seem to freak out whenever we have less than perfect weather. So, I didn't particularly feel like risking going out in this downpour, so I opted to run around and play with my doggy again. Exercise for both of us, since she didn't have the option to play outside today (silly thing is terrified of rain, won't go outside unless you physically carry her :rolleyes:). I've been doing that on and off, so while I didn't go to the gym, I still got something in.

Anyway, I sort of skipped around so let's go back to the beginning. Woke up this morning and made myself a proper breakfast. Scrambled two eggs with cheese and veggies (onions, peppers, & spinach) then wrapped it up in a wheat tortilla with a few dashes of hot sauce. Ate that and half a banana, with my usual cup of morning coffee - black, no sugar (its Kahlua flavored - no alcohol obviously :p). Same results as the day before - tons more energy! I totally didn't believe people when they told me, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" until now. Honestly, I never had much of an appetite in the mornings to begin with and always told myself to just make up for it with a snack later, or even wait till lunch time. But I suppose that was a huge part of the problem. By the time I did eat, I'd be starving and most likely ended up eating more than I should. Well, I'm a believer in breakfast now!

Did another cram session and then for lunch I made myself a turkey sandwich similar to the one I ate yesterday. I drank a big bottle of water along with it, which I've been drinking in bucket fulls lately (not really, just an expression). We don't usually keep sodas or juice in the house but, as I mentioned, I used to be a HUGE coffee drinker (4-5 cups a DAY) which was terrible, and although I can't quite kick the habit, I've replaced it with mostly water and hot tea. Its definitely helped with 'flushing' out my system and I actually feel a lot clearer than I have in awhile. I mean, who'd of thought a simple thing as more water would be such a game changer. Maybe there really is something to this 'healthy' lifestyle...*rubs chin* Haha.

After my test - did I mention I passed? Well, in case I didn't... I did! - I got home and ran around with the dog. We shared a few happy dances and played "tag" and "hide and seek" (the doggy variation, of course) and then it was around dinner time. Being cold as it was (we're in the low 50's! I was born in Hawaii and raised in California - I don't DO cold!) I popped open a can of soup, accompanied again by a salad. I didn't work out today, so that was enough to fill me up this time. I've also been munching on some carrots throughout the day, so I'm pretty good for the rest of the day. I'm not 'full' per say, but I'm 'content' and don't feel the need to reach for anything else... except a hot cup of tea, that is. Because again, I'm a child of the sun, and me + cold = BAD.

All in all, minus the lack of gym-time, I think my second day can be called a success! Yay!

PS - I got enough posts to have a signature, so now I get to have one of those fancy shmancy tickers too! I'll do a weigh-in once a week, so the upcoming Tuesday! Let's hope I can drop a few by then!
 
Tea is great to warm you up on cold days :) I like hot chocolate and have a tub of it in my cupboard at work and home, but haven't drank it yet. Saving it for a cold winter day when I feel down and need some comfort. Tastes better with milk, but water has way less calories so I'd probably do that. It's the one with the little marshmallows...YUM!.

Good luck with your Tuesday weigh-in :) Hopefully you will see some progress with all the running around you have been doing, I'm sure your doggy has been enjoying it as well!

Oh, and CONGRATS!!! on passing your test, that is awesome!
 
Day #4

I missed posting on Day 3, but it was a good day. I ate well, I went to the gym, so yeah. All good! :)

Today, Day 4, has been a little iffy for me. Its dark and gloomy outside and was freezing this morning, which put me in a sort of mood throughout the rest of the day. I really just wanted to curl up in bed and stay there all day... which, I admit, I did do for a good part of the morning. Once it started to warm up a little (and by little, I mean a fraction of a degree) I got my act together and forced myself out to go to the gym. That certainly helped get my blood flowing and made me feel slightly better. Its still cloudy and gray outside, which is still seriously putting a damper on my mood; I mean, I just feel REALLY tired today. Like I have no energy at all. Again, the gym helped, but that sort of died down awhile ago. I miss my sunshine!

For breakfast, I really wasn't up to eating, so I just had a mug of hot tea with lemon. Lunch, I ate baked halibut and a salad, though I really don't like veggies in cold weather. I still downed it in between bites of fish, and drank about half a liter of water. Dinner I have no idea what I'll have. I may just pop open some soup again. Ugh... I'm so lethargic, and COLD, and I don't even have energy to eat...

I know that I said I wouldn't weigh in until Tuesday, but I had a little peek this morning and I'm happy at what I saw. I won't actually say what I weighed in, since I don't want to jinx it before the 'official' one... but yeah. I know what I've lost is most likely water weight, but its still nice to see a decrease in the number. It makes up a little for the bad weather. A little.

Anyway, that's it for today. In terms of eating well and exercising, it was a good day. But in every other aspect, well... I can't wait until its over and I can just restart tomorrow.
 
I know that I haven't posted my daily activities and I apologize for that. Not to worry though, as I've kept up with my healthy eats and exercise. Tomorrow is the first weigh-in, so lets hope its paid off some!

By the way, I just found the most epic workout music ever. War instrumentals make you feel like a freaking beast, even if you're just taking a walk. I have never felt so epic as I did, doing my daily elliptical, with the sound of such intense and powerful music playing in my ear. Honestly, a giant, three headed dog could have summoned from the deepest depths of hell and I would have SLAIN it with my bare fists and SHEER awesomeness!

... yeah. It makes you feel that bad ass.
 
Glad to hear while you haven't been posting you have been doing well!

Good luck on the weigh in :)

Workout music, it is hard to find the right stuff depending on what you are doing. Too slow and you don't push, too fast and you go to hard and get injured or can't go as long as you should or can't keep up with it and get frustrated. Glad you found something that works well! For me it has to be fast and upbeat. Maybe that's what I'm missing with my workouts...I follow a video and there is no music but there is talking...think I need to get some background music going with it.
 
Day #7 - Weigh In!

Seven days. One week.

... five pounds down!

Weighed myself this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see myself at 150.5 lbs. I know its mostly water weight, but psychologically, this is big for me. :)
Unfortunately, I won't be able to weigh myself again until Thanksgiving. I started a challenge today and one of the 'rules' is that you can't step onto the scale until Thanksgiving day. Boo! But that's okay - it gives me extra motivation! I want to see that scale DROP the next time I weigh myself. I've got a little over a month to go, so lets see how well I can do!

Another part of the challenge is to take pictures of your food, no matter what you eat, and post it on the group's FB page. I think its a really great way to hold myself accountable, as I already stopped myself from reaching for less healthy foods because I didn't want to have to post a pic of me eating cookies or anything, lol. So, since I'm already posting the pictures there, I may as well copy+paste and post them here as well.

View attachment 21473

Oh, haha. Wow that turned out smaller than it was. Just click on it and you'll get a bigger view of it :p

Breakfast - 1/2 cup Irish oatmeal (cooked with water) sprinkled with cinnamon and drizzled with agave nectar and half a banana sliced up
Lunch - No, that's NOT a burrito (though I wish it was). Turkey slices with white cheese, tons of lettuce, and a smear of spicy mustard wrapped up in a wholewheat tortilla
Dinner - Salad (lettuce, carrots, red cabbage) with low fat ranch dressing and baked chicken nuggets on top. Probably the worst thing I ate all day, but I was pressed for time and I didn't have time to thaw out a chicken breast and prepare it.
Snack - I didn't take a picture of it, but it was just the other half of the banana I'd used for my oatmeal.

Exercise I didn't do today. I've been cleaning around the house all day since my mom comes home tomorrow and we've got family staying over this weekend. Have to make sure everything is nice and presentable for them, and that my doggy doesn't have her toys laying around where they'll be sleeping. :p

That's all for today! Until tomorrow~
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top