First, a quick background (I wrote about this in another thread, but some here might not have read it).
A couple of years ago, I discovered that I had obtained the impressive weight of 340lbs, and finally decided to do something about it. I drastically reduced my calories, added a moderate amount of cardio and just a pinch of weights to my weekly routine. I was hungry all the time, I dreaded the gym, but over the course of about 6 months, I lost 35 lbs-ending at 305.
Then, I...well I lost it. I stopped going to the gym, I stopped weighing myself, I stopped watching what I ate. This was in September of 2004. By the time I got back on the scale (December 17th, 2005), I had gained back not only all of the weight I had lost, but I had also added another 23 lbs to end at 363. It wasn't a great day.
But, the next day was. I sat down and asked myself what kind of person I wanted to be, and decided that I wanted to be an athletic, active, and healthy one (someone I have never been, even when young). I then spent the day looking and researching, developing the specifics that I now follow as my guidelines as to what that person is- how often does she exercise, what kinds of foods (and more importantly, how much of them) does she eat, what activities does she engage in during her free time? Finally, I decided that I was that person RIGHT NOW.
Well, that person is very pleased to report that today, she is back to 305- all of the damage that was done in my year and 3 months of neglect has gone away. Not only that, but I put on a pair of shorts yesterday (the kind with a drawstring that you tie a knot in) that I last wore when I was 305 before, and the old knot was 2 1/2 inches too lose.
It may not be 299 (which I am also looking forward to), but, for me, 305 is a special day.
I've started to sit back and look at my journey ahead...
Quote:
Originally Posted by andoreth
But, the next day was. I sat down and asked myself what kind of person I wanted to be, and decided that I wanted to be an athletic, active, and healthy one (someone I have never been, even when young). I then spent the day looking and researching, developing the specifics that I now follow as my guidelines as to what that person is- how often does she exercise, what kinds of foods (and more importantly, how much of them) does she eat, what activities does she engage in during her free time? Finally, I decided that I was that person RIGHT NOW.
Well, that person is very pleased to report that today, she is back to 305- all of the damage that was done in my year and 3 months of neglect has gone away. Not only that, but I put on a pair of shorts yesterday (the kind with a drawstring that you tie a knot in) that I last wore when I was 305 before, and the old knot was 2 1/2 inches too lose.
It may not be 299 (which I am also looking forward to), but, for me, 305 is a special day.
Congrats!!!
This is what I would like to do too! Set up some guidelines to follow and I'm just beginning to try to pull the info together.
I found alot of information from the ladies in the 3FC Maintainers forum very inspirational and very honest. They have the same story as mine. Through their struggles you can read how they got to where they are and how they are maintaining it. Everyone is welcome in the forum. The ladies are great to talk too...Besides who better than ladies who have been through it and keeping it off to ask your questions.
This journey of ours is alot of work but by the messages from these ladies and seeing before and after pictures it sure seems well worth it.
If you wouldn't mind, can I ask you what and where you got some of your information to help you on your weight loss journey?
First, I decided that I really needed to know how much food I was supposed to eat, since it was pretty clear to me that I was eating way too much. I started up Google (one of my best friends!) and typed it "daily calorie maintenance calculator". Actually, I typed in "daily calorie maintainance calculator", because I always misspell maintenance on the first try. I'm 5'11" tall, and by playing with the calculators, I found that I was pretty happy with 2000 cals/day (average)- this being the federal guidelines for the average woman anyway.
Then, I thought about nutrition: on this end, I looked at what the healthier people in the world eat. Surprisingly enough, the cultures that are known to be in much better shape then the US (on average) eat all kinds of foods-proteins AND carbs, vegetables AND fats and sugars. The difference wasn't what they were eating, but how much, and how much of each type. And, that they were doing most of their own cooking from scratch. I've taken on cooking and baking as a hobby, and now almost never buy pre-prepared meals. Surprisingly, my meals look very much like the ones my Mom fixed for me when I was growing up- a main dish, a vegetable, a starch, maybe a second vegetable. It's just that there is a lot more "white space" on the plate then there used to be.
Finally, exercise. Where do you see athletic, active people- in the gym, so I started going again. But I realized that you don't just see them at the gym- I needed a sport. Biking was out because theft is a big issue here, and I don't have a good place to store one safely. I'm not ready for running or jogging, and the hiking trails get a bit crowded on the weekends. I even considered golf for a few hours, but decided that I just couldn't afford the cost.
I did, however, remember how much fun I had as a kid hitting tennis balls against the backboards at the local courts (I'm an only child). I looked, and there are no backboards at the courts here. But wait- racquetball is just about the same thing and my gym offers racquetball at a sister location. Eureka, my sport was chosen! Almost all of the time I used to spend watching TV or playing computer games is now used playing rb or at the gym.
So this is the new me: she cooks almost all of her foods from scratch. She eats a wide variety of foods, even fats and sugars in moderation, but makes sure that she gets her meats and veggies, and that her calories are between 1800 and 2200 cals a day, (2000 cal/day average). Whe she does eat out, it's usually a salad, not a cheeseburger. She goes to the gym 4 days a week, the first 1/2 hour shaking her booty like mad at the cardio machines, the next 45 min showing the weights just who is boss. She plays racquetball or another racquet sport at least 2 times a week, for at least an hour each time. She takes walks along the ocean several times a week. She laughs every day, she can throw a frisbee, but not a football.
She doesn't do these things because she has to, she does them because she wants to- it's delicious, it's fun, it feels good. I look forward to being this person for the rest of my life.
This is a fab way to go about it! Very educated and thought through. This is the style (from reading a bunch o' different success stories here, there and everywhere) that usually results in true lifestyle changes for the long-run. Congratulations to you!
A special day for me!
I'm 5'11" tall, and by playing with the calculators, I found that I was pretty happy with 2000 cals/day (average)- this being the federal guidelines for the average woman anyway. 
