xtulasix's WL diary

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xtulasix

New member
Hi! I've been a silent viewer of this website, but would really like to hold myself accountable for my diet and exercise by posting here.

I'm 5'0" and 149.5 pounds. :( Based on my height, my ideal weight is 100 pounds, but for now my goal is to slim down to 110-115 pounds by the time the fall semester starts (which is 4 months from now). Ideally, I just want to be happy with my appearance by the time I turn 20.

I became overweight in my junior year of high school, mainly because I quit swimming and dance due to the time commitment. From then on, my eating choices and fitness really went downhill. Things became worse in my 1st year of college 'cause of the freshmen 15, and now I guess I'm really trying to reverse the damage I've done to my health.

I'm a college student, so it's been a challenge for me to make healthy choices instead of taking the easy route and eating take-out. Snacking is a huge weakness of mine, so I've resolved to eat fruits and drink water whenever I feel the urge to snack on Cheese-its and salty snacks in general. Pasta is another weakness of mine (I tend to overload on pasta, especially while I'm watching TV), so I'm just going to stick with bread and wheat tortillas instead.

Losing weight has been an issue for me for the past 4 years. I used to keep deluding myself into thinking that I was just fine, but I realize that's definitely not the case. I never truly realized the risks of overeating and lack of exercise until yesterday, which was when I resolved to turn things around. Reading all those articles about clogged arteries freaks me out, not to mention that I have a family history of high cholesterol, which makes things worse for me. :/

On a more positive note, it's great that this forum exists for people like me to get inspired! I started working out just yesterday (after like 3 months), and will post my meals and workouts regularly. :)
 
04/23/2011

Breakfast: a bowl of maple sugar quaker oats
Lunch: 2 wheat tortillas with legumes and mixed vegetables, ~10 tortilla chips
Snack: some cheese-its, wheat thins, and 1 Chewy granola bar
Dinner: (restaurant) 1 veggie quesadilla, ~15 chips and mango salsa
Late night snack: 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream

As you can see, I tend to snack a lot. I know I can't get rid of the habit entirely, but I'll try to at least cut back on the salty snacks. I also haven't kept track of calories lately, 'cause I'm first working on my food choices and portion control.

Workout: I did 1/2 hour of weight training (focused mainly on shoulders and arms), followed by 1/2 hour at the stationary bike. I enjoy weight training WAY more than cardio just 'cause it makes me feel powerful haha.

I have 8 AM classes on all weekdays, so squeezing in exercise sometimes becomes an issue for me. Guess I'll have to suck it up and exercise before classes! :D
 
04/24/2011

Breafast: a bowl of honey bunches of oats with fat free milk
Lunch: 2 wheat tortillas with legumes and mixed veggies, some barbecue and tortilla chips
Snack: a banana and one eggless cake rusk
Dinner: a bowl of mixed veggies and kidneys topped with mozzarella cheese, some barbecue chips, 1 cup of buttermilk
 
Hi, and welcome :)

I don't think there's anything wrong with snacking- in fact for me it's an integral part of my diet. Some people (I'm one of them, you may be too) begin to get sick if they don't eat very regularly (for me I feel giddy and faint if I don't eat often). It's just a question of making smart choices in the snacks you choose (for me it's usually fruit).

What rationale are you using for your weight loss? Are you trying to cut back on certain things, for example? I find having a rationale (for me it's calorie counting) really helps- just "not eating unhealthy food" is what I did for years and it never really got me anywhere, and I felt the need to binge a lot. Are you incorporating exercise into your new program?
 
Hi! Thank you for your reply. :) The problem with me is that I tend to snack on salty chips (e.g. barbecue chips, tortilla chips). Sometimes it's 'cause I like adding flavor to my meals, but most of the times it's just out of boredom. Over time I hope to replace chips with better options like carrots and almonds in case I feel like snacking.

Same here, I just ended up binging again when I tried totally eliminating junk food from my diet! For now I'm trying to cut back on junky snacks and keep track of calories. I've read that some people go on 1200 calorie diets, but that number seems really low to me...I have no idea how people can manage that without starving themselves! I do weight training pretty often, so I'm aiming for a range of 1400-1600 calories per day, if it'll help me get toned over time.
 
04/25/2011

Breakfast: ½ cup honey bunches of oats (130) with 1 cup fat free milk (90), ½ apple (58)
Snack: 1 banana (105)
Lunch: 2 multigrain tortillas (200) with 1 cup of mixed veggies (70), mozzarella cheese topping (45), 15 barbecue chips (160), 1 cup of buttermilk (120)
Snack: ½ apple (58)
Dinner: 1 cup of mixed veggies (70) and kidney beans (120), mozzarella cheese topping (45), 7 barbecue chips (80), 1 serving of tortilla chips (140)

Total: 1491 (round up to 1500)

Workout: ½ hour weight training (focused on legs and chest by doing lunges, leg press, chess press, calf raises, etc.), 15 minutes of stationary bike, 10 minutes walking
 
I've been thinking about my (very recently jump-started) weight loss journey, and I thought I'd list out some reasons for why I'd like to lose weight:

- I want to feel happy about my appearance
- I want to achieve a lower body fat percentage and build muscle
- I want to feel more confident about myself
- I want to look good in skinny jeans...can't forget the skinny jeans haha :)
- There's this georgette saree (I'm Indian) that I'd really, really love to wear someday, but I need to shapen up beforehand
- I want to have more energy to do daily tasks, play sports, etc
 
Thanks Trusylver! Yeah, I'm trying to wean myself off of those chips. :/ Counting calories is making me realize that everything I eat really does add up. So far, my daily meals have averaged around 1500 calories, and surprisingly I don't feel that hungry throughout the day. :O I thought about lowering my calorie level to 1300-1400, but I don't want to end up starving myself.

I probably should have had pasta for lunch instead of dinner (since carbs don't get digested as well in the evening, apparently), but I guess I got bored of making the same recipe for the same meal. So after my last midterm gets over, I'm going to try to make more interesting meals so that I don't get bored and possibly relapse.

04/26/2011

Breakfast: 1 cup honey bunches of oats (168) with 1 cup fat free milk (90)
Snack: 1 serving of kidney beans (120), 1 banana (105)
Lunch: 2 chappathis (200) with legumes, topping of mozzarella cheese (45), 1 serving of tortilla chips (140), 1 cup of buttermilk (120)
Snack: 1 blueberry Nutrigrain bar (120)
Dinner: 1 serving of enriched shell pasta (210), Ragu traditional pasta sauce (35), topping of mozzarella cheese (45), 1 vada (an Indian snack) (100)

Total: 1498 (round up to 1500)

Workout: 30 minutes weights (focused on shoulders and arms by doing exercises like the lateral raise, chest press, bicep curls with free weights, shoulder press, etc.), 15 minutes stationary bike, 15 minutes walking.

I usually stick with the 5 pound free weights, but this I time I tried out the 8 pound weights. My arms felt like they were going to crumble, haha. Also, usually when I use the bicep curl machine, I experience some pain between my forearm and bicep, and I don't really know why. The chest and shoulder press were pretty challenging...never realized that I actually had muscles there until now. :D

After yesterday's workout, I noticed that I slept much better last night than usual! Maybe it's because I usually work out between 9-10 AM...it's nice to be able to actually stay awake for 8 AM classes now! Apparently morning exercise helps you sleep better b/c it affects your circadian rhythms and improves hormonal balance...interesting fact that I learned today. :D I also noticed that I became more productive with schoolwork, coincidentally, right after I exercised. I guess that's another incentive for me to keep working out!
 
re bicep curls and pain - because your using a machine you need to remember machines do not fit everybody and a poorly sized machine can do you as much if not more damage than free weights with poor form. I would suggest swapping to a free weight curl or changing the type of curl your doing yet still target the bicep. Changing to a hammer curl is a good option as it uses a couple of extra muscles in the movement. If you still have pain even with light weights the go and see a physiotherapist, and don't take risks with a possible injury.
 
Have you calculated your calories for your needs? You may actually need more calories than you're eating, and if you eat too few calories it's ultimately counterproductive (you risk slowing your metabolism). If you search for a BMR calculator then you should be able to use it (along with a formula such as the Harris Benedict formula) to work out your daily maintenance calorie requirements, and then reduce that by either 500-1000 or 30% (unless any of those numbers are below 1200, then don't do that). It's worth looking into, at least.

I'd agree with Trusylver on the pain front (although defer to her- I think you're a she? sorry- expertise). If it hurts or feels "weird" in a way that you don't feel comfortable with (some discomfort is normal, but there are certain feelings which aren't), then stop and either ask for a different version of the same exercise or speak to a physiotherapist (physical therapist in the US) or doctor. I was curious as to what was meant by "hammer curl" so I looked it up on youtube. Here's a good video on it: I do something similar but with my palms facing forward and the dumbbells horizontal, rather than parallel (that's what I was shown at my gym).
 
I took a break from the weights today, but in the future am going to avoid using machines for my arms...I've been doing weights lately without guidance, so I guess it's just safer to stick with free weights. About BMR, mine is around 2100-2300 calories (taking exercise into account). I guess I can get a better idea of how much I should be eating by the end of this week or next week.

04/27/2011

Breakfast: 1 cup honey bunches of oats (168) with 1 cup fat free milk (90)
Snack: 1 banana (105)
Lunch: 1 serving of enriched shell pasta (210), Ragu traditional pasta sauce (35), cheese (45), sour cream and onion chips (350...probably more than that since I went a bit overboard)
Dinner: 1 cup of mixed veggies (70) and kidney beans (120), cheese (45)
Snack: 1 cup of chocolate pudding (120), 1 cup of fat free milk (90)

Total: 1448 (probably 50-100 more though)

Workout: The muscles near my shoulder have been sore lately from weight training (in a good way though!), so I skipped the weights today. I went on the stationary bike for 30 minutes in the evening.

I noticed that I was more likely to be conscious of my food choices if I exercised in the morning, versus if I exercised in the evening. Because I exercised in the evening this time, I ended up snacking on more chips during the day. Probably the added stress of an exam I had today messed up my food choices. Luckily I didn't go too overboard or feel satiated though...but that can't become a habit! Oh well, tomorrow's a new day. :]
 
Hi (what shall we call you?) tula?

I read you diary yesterday but didn't have anything to say for once. back again today and want to ask if you are vegetarian since you are indian and i think you might be. Specially given how much milk you consume. (nothing against milk. I love it too).

Do you live in india or in Canada/america somewhere? How are you cooking the kidney beans? Is it ramja or whatever its called that i can't remember?

if you are interested in more vegetable dish ideas, Feel free to join the vegie dish cooking club. We did aloo gobi the other day. I"m still eating it. Yummy. I'm am not a pure vegetarian but i don't eat much meat and have some ideas you might like to try on my page. It would be harder to try them though if you are in india because not all things are so easily available there.

How come you are always surrounded by chips? Do you buy them or are they just there? Chips are SOo000 high in fat. When you know now many calories are in a chip, its a wonder that anyone would eat them given how unsatisfying a small serve would be.
 
Hi fortyfour! You can call me tula. Yes, I'm vegetarian. Yeah, I usually have 2 servings of either fat free milk or buttermilk as my dairy quota for the day. I live in the US and usually bring plain kidney beans in a baggie so that I can eat a couple in class in case I get hungry. The Indian meal is called rajma, and it usually has more flavoring than just plain kidney beans. I'll definitely look into the veggie dish cooking club! I could use more recipes for sure.

About the chips, my roommates and I usually buy chips every week as a snack option, so I'm sorta surrounded by them whenever I go to the kitchen. I normally wouldn't buy chips, but my roommates also eat them which is why we buy them regularly. Today I put a chips bag up on a high shelf so that I could try to forget about it over time...I'm also trying to stick with snacks that have lower sodium content.

Will post more updates about my meals, workouts, etc, but have to step out soon.

- tula
 
Hey Tula! Looks like your heading in the right direction soo keep on going :) I also want to lose as much as possible before fall semester. I'm a commuter now but will be a resident in the fall. We have apartment style housing so ill be able to buy all my groceries and avoid the crap at my schools dining hall. Is this an option 4 you also?
 
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