I'm back here again. Here, as in, at this point in my health, again. For most of my life I have been overweight, and now I am apparently considered "obese" in the BMI standards. My BMI puts me at 30.5 (anything at, or above, 30 is considered obese). I am 23yrs, weigh 185lbs, with a height of 5'5. I don't quite expect to make my "ideal weight" of 150lbs, but I would LOVE to reach 165lbs. That will be my goal. I plan to lose the 20lbs by February, and I want to be down 10lbs by Christmas... so there it is, my weight loss goals.
One of my biggest (no pun intended) issues is that I tend to gain muscle when I begin a workout regime. For instance, I was happily living and working at around 180lbs 3 weeks ago. After returning to the gym (I had been stuffing my face with Halloween chocolates after returning home from a 20 day field job.. it included 8hrs+ of hard physical labor daily.. I *think* I lost 10-15lbs from that!) I managed to gain this additional 5lbs, plus my belly is now definitely a "belly" :(
So, obviously, diet and exercise will help me in reaching my goals. I've yo-yo'ed back and forth with 20-ish pounds over the past couple years. Firstly, that's a lot of weight to be playing with! It used to be +/- 5lbs in highschool, then 10 in early university... but this is absolutely ridiculous, and I'm really upset. After two very physical jobs, I've eaten back most of the weight. I believe I'm still about 10lbs slimmer than I was at my biggest (around last April this past Spring). Seeing the looming 200lb mark on the scale (I got up to 195lb at least... eeek!) was a terrible feeling. I normally avoid scales ... but no longer. I HAVE to manage my weight. Sure, I've had a rough 5 years of post-secondary education, and now I'm about to begin another 2+ years. I cannot let myself become this unhealthy again. It has affected my grades, my relationships, and my self-esteem (the most important in the long run!). The amount of time I spent (and still spend) beating myself up about poor diet and laziness is absurd. I just can't function like this anymore.
Luckily, I'm starting to wise up. Sure, today I ate like 6 chocolate Turtles (sigh..), but I just finished a snack of apple, almonds, and celery. That's something to be proud of: healthy snacks! I have never really managed healthy eating, so I need to concentrate on praising my good choices!
One interesting link I found today is: http://www.wikihow.com/Lose-Weight-Fast
This article mentioned several tips, and some info on the various options for weight loss. Rewarding yourself (in ways that don't involve food!) is a great way to keep a positive attitude. Trying to lose weight while being in a depression is almost impossible! Trust me... Depression and weight gain can go hand-in-hand, leaving you shocked 20lbs later.
Another important point is support - you need it! I'm about to go hunting for some weight loss support networks online. Maybe I can find a chat room/forum that helps people discuss their issues and support each other.
All of the weight loss talk is right. It is a lifestyle change, not a diet. A diet is temporary, while a lifestyle change is permanent (hopefully!). Although I will likely blab on and on about my diet, it will be referring to my eating habits, not some crazy 1500 calorie diet plan! Speaking of diet, there is a labyrinth of information out there about which foods will help and hinder a healthy eating plan. Let's see how I choose to eat!
Daily Food Journal:
Breakfast: (ate out) french toast, some strawberries, maple syrup, hash browns, hot chocolate and coffee
Lunch/snack: apple, hand full of almonds, celery sticks, yogurt (with sugar.. damn you Yoptimal!)
Dinner: (I will be having) spaghetti (white pasta) with homemade sauce (with vegetables, lots of vegs!), and broccoli/celery side dish
Yeeesh! I really need to makes some changes! It's been a very carb-heavy day, and I know that's an issue (I put on weight sooo easily, and my blood sugar seems to spike and plummet often). I'm glad I didn't skimp on my lunch, since waiting between big meals just makes me overeat. I'm incorporating more vegs in my meals, so that's an improvement. One of my no-no's is eating snacks after dinner/before bed, even if I'm full! (biiig no-no!). Watching TV always makes me want to eat.. so maybe I need to re-think my routine or associate drinking water with TV. I'm actually really, really good with drinking water. AND I loooove exercising. You'd think weight loss would be simple, but I always put my own needs last...
From now on: my personal health/happiness comes first, even before family and friends. That's really hard for me to say, especially since I adore everyone in my life, but this has gotten unhealthy, even dangerous. I'm at risk for so many health problems including: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and in the future: osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease. I am dedicated to bettering my own life so that I can better the lives of my family and friends, especially for my fiance. He deserves a happy wife one day, and I am determined to provide him with that :) Now.... off to exercise (lightly, since my back is super sore!)! - every step, every drop of sweat, and every second exercising is that much closer to reaching my health goals. It's not just about weight loss - it's about becoming a better me.
Sorry this post was massive! The next ones (especially next semester) will be smaller. I plan to do a sample daily food plan each post, along with what exercises have been completed recently.
Exercise: (last Saturday, Nov. 26th)
- 23min on elliptical machine at '14' setting resistance, with varying ramp settings
- ~ 4 laps walking with mom
- 5min rowing on machine - hardest setting
Anyway! Enough of this.. off to workout! - best of luck to you, and me!
