New here and wanting a chatty buddy
 

:)

Hi guys! I'm Alex, I am 23 years old, and from sunny southern california. I am looking to lose about 28 pounds in the next 4 months or so.

A little background on me...I am a southern california girl, born and raised, I LOVE the sun, love to be tan, love the beach, love everything about living here. In my free time I love to scrapbook (its a new hobby, but I am hooked on it). I am very creative and scrapbooking is my outlet, and its also a great stress reliever. I am starting nursing school in about two weeks, so my life is going to change a lot, but I am excited. I spend every moment I can with the love of my life, Michael, and I am pretty sure a sparkly ring is coming in the near future. About my reason for being here...I love fitness and health, I am passionate about it, I love learning everything I can about it, and actually I love to exercise, I just always find other things to do that push the exercise away, hence the reason I am wanting to lose these pounds. 4 years ago I lost 50 pounds, and have kept all but 5 off by just having a semi-healthy lifestyle, but I never got around to losing the last 30 (or 28 to be exact). I have just felt "comfortable" over the last few years and havent really had the drive to stick to a healthier eating plan and exercise plan. I am very knowledgable when it comes to working out, I just dont apply it to my own life. (easier said than done I suppose is the reason for that). I am going on a cruise in May and would love to drop some weight and tone up before then, but would love a buddy who has similar intrests and goals to mine. So, if thats you, send me a message :) I would love to buddy up with ya!

:carrot: (not sure what that is but its cute)

I'll be your buddy! :)
 

Hi Alex, I was just going to start a thread looking for a buddy too, maybe we can team up! I live in jersey by the beach :cool: , and I also love surf and sun... although we only get it for about 1/3 of the year here! I'm also into knitting and crafts, and I like to exercise but haven't been doing enough of it. I would like to lose 15-20 lbs. and gain muscle.... the weight just crept on as I was working a desk job and not eating well! I just got married in October to my love and now that the wedding planning is over I have more time to devote to cooking healthy and exercising.

I really want to lose the weight by this summer.... last summer I felt really self conscious on the beach... living in a beach town, we all live in boardshorts and bikini tops... no so great when you have some extra flab :o Plus I'm in my friend's wedding in August and I want to do the bridesmaid's dress justice, and look good in those pictures!

Forgot to ask
 

What type of a plan are you doing, anything in particular?

I am trying to concentrate on mostly veggies, fruits, fish, nuts and whole grains, with meat/dairy used sparingly. I have come to the realization that certain foods CANNOT be in my house.... or I will pig out on them!

Also I am running-- Right now I can do about 2-3 miles.... the trick is doing it more often! I need some consistency.

I also love yoga... I sometimes do a video and sometimes take a class at my gym. :carrot:

Im not really doing any "plan" I have realized that "diets" really dont work, its all about changing your eating to eat the things you enjoy in moderation, and incorporate healthy food into your diet as well. A typical "good" day for me would be oatmeal or kashi go lean crunch with skim milk for breakfast, an apple and string cheese for a snack, a salad with grilled chicken or a slim fast chocolate shake in the can (i love those), for another snack maybe a handful of almonds or a fruit, and for dinner a lot of times a lean cusine for convinience, or if I can cook then some sort of chicken dish with lots of veggies. and LOTS of water. and I am with you on certain foods not being able to be in the house, I will just flock right to them for a "bite" and end up eating the entire thing!!!!!

p.s. I sent you a personal message too

Hi Blue sky & Alex

I am a 30 mum of 2, just getting into fitness! and finding i do enjoy it a lot.
I love anything i can do! i Kayak, swim, run, weights.. and yes i love the beach (but with 2 kids its hard to get to the beach).
I am trying to build my fitness up to go to the police acedemy, i must pass a fitness test!
Currently i have started running (probably 2-3 miles) and i must really stick into it and make sure i keep up with my plans..

I eat moderately and healthily (i don't believe in "diet") but just try to make better choices. I have lost most of the weight, but really want to tone... I want to be lean, strong, and be able to run 10 km straight...

Maybe we can all boost each other, to getting in and doing what we need to!
Sonja

Hi guys. I am new here and would love to have some buddies! I am 26 years old and married to a great guy. We are currently trying to get pregnant. We miscarried our first in May of 04 and have finally decided to try again. Some how I put on like 20 lbs this year. I know it is because I am happy in my life but now looking at me I am not so happy..lol.. :dizzy: I would love to lose 20-30 lbs but I also know that when I get pregnant I cant really "diet" so I guess I just want to be healthy and lose it the right way. Are you all up for a new buddy?

welcome icedragon and Christian, to our buddy thread!

Looks like none of us is really on "A DIET" (the d-word!) but just exercising and watching what we eat.... trying to make healthy choices!

Christian4HIM, I am sorry to hear of your miscarriage. We all know it happens to a lot of women but that doesn't make it any easier when it happens to you, it must be heartbreaking. You are on a good track by eating healthy and exercising, I hope you and your husband get preg soon!!! :) We have similar stats.... I am at 135, want to get to 120. I remember feeling really good at 120 back in high school when I was running track.

Let's keep up the good work girls... I ran/walked 3 miles this morning.... feels great! Now if only I could convince myself to get up early and go out into the cold everyday :dizzy:

Hi Everyone.

Miscarriage can be hard! When me and my Dh first were together i fell preg. but it was an accident and we both were shocked, but came to the realisation that having a child would be wonderful! then i miscarried and felt miserable. But now i have 2 DD's and all has worked out in the end. Although i was scared to fall pregnant the second time!

I did a weights workout yesterday, but felt weak! I know that when i am excercising fairly hard, i need to eat more, but i also am worried to gain weight back. For a long time i just sort of gave up on myself, and ate anything, and did nothing. Now i want to do what is best for myself, and work on the fitness, I want to be strong, lean, and be able to go out and be proud of myself.

I have spent the rest of this week, trying to get everyone around to finish off all the christmas food! (the more everyone else eats, the less left in my path! and the less chance of me eating it) I could live happily in a house, with no junk food! but having a family, and a fit DH that can eat anything and not gain an ounce there always is temptation around! my family has never had weight struggles, and has no idea how tempting a block of chocolate sitting in the fridge is for me! I could devour it! (within 5 minutes i am sure). Sometimes i wish i could ban chocolate and chips and biscuits... and anything not healthy!

I tried getting up last winter (we are now in summer) and went for a run and nearly died! It was hard breathing in the cold air, i was hot and the air was ice! it nearly had me collapsing in pain! (kinda like an ice headache in the lungs!)

Buddying Up sounds pretty cool. I'm new here, and I know I'll need all the encouragement I can get, not to mention someone to help keep me in check; yes I'm that bad. Sort of. But serious, if there's someone that would like to buddy-up, let's go for it and see if we can get rid of some of this stuff.
Thank you for posting and suggesting.

I think this is a great place for me. I am starting to hit the gym today. I've put it off since the holidays, but now I'm going to get serious about it. A little about me: 26 years old, I got engaged in September to a beautiful man that can eat anything and not gain anything! We are getting married in October, so I want to lose some weight before then. I am really having a hard time because I've really never had an issue with weight. I think my metabolism has slowed down a bit these last few years and I have slowly gained weight and "love handles" that just don't look so hot in a swim suit. I would like to lose some weight and tone everything up. I graduated VSU in December and have since started a desk job. This has to be the worst thing a woman can do to lose weight!!! I work with some great people, but everyone loves to eat out daily. If we are not eating out for lunch we are bringing food in...and these ladies can cook.

I would love to be included in this group if there is room for one more. I need motivation and inspiration. It's so hard to force myself to go to the gym after I've spent 10 hours at my desk. But, I am going to do it. (Hopefully with your help!)

Hello to everyone...

I just have to boast!
I ran most of 5.5 km today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(took 40 min, of which only 6 minutes was walking!!!!!!)

That just blows me away!!!! I have never run much in my life, and thought the 4km cross country runs during school were ****!!!!!!!

We can do anything if only we put our minds to it!

Icedraggon,

That is great!! Congratulations. That is really something to be proud of. Everytime I push myself really hard I feel great afterwards. Keep it up!

Also new here!
 

Hi everyone. I'm new here and needing some motivation/support about losing weight. I live in the cold Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Spending much time outside going for walks, etc, during these months isn't what I call a joy. I have been trying to motivate myself to go to the YMCA every day.

I am a fulltime student and stressing it is. I will be officially done with college summer 2006 with a Bachelor's in Nursing. Never thought I'd be back to school since I have a past degree in Criminal Justice and getting older...29 :o My daughter inspired me to go for nursing, since she is legally blind and hypopituitary (meaning hormonal issues requiring daily oral medication and shots).

Pregnancy did a toll on my body. I am about 80 pounds heavier than I was before I got pregnant and 6 years later, I am still fighting with the weight. Her dad and I are getting married next July1, 2006..we have been together for 10 years. Everything is set up, even my dress is hanging up waiting for me. The dress actually is something I bought about 7 years ago, in my PRE- pregnancy weight. Now you can see the urgency for me to lose weight.

80 pounds in 6 months+ seems impossible or unhealthy to go so quick, but I am looking for it to go quick now and then looking afterwards to maintain it. I hear about how low carb diets stink and such. I have been on them before and sadly, I am partially on it now. I need quicker results. I also, though, am watching my calories (mostly), making sure I get good protein in me, and good amounts of fiber. More fruits, veggies and exercise. I just need some support to get through this and I will offer my support back.

Thanks so much!!:carrot:

valrn,

I think we can support each other. I am also getting married in 2006. I went and tried on dresses and I just felt horrible. I actually forced myself to go to the gym last night and I feel so much better. It is so hard to make myself go when I get off work, but it has to be done. Today has been hard I must admit. One of the wonderful ladies I work with brought in a peanut butter cake and it is screaming my name!!! lol I'm trying not to listen. What exercise program are you using? Congrats on the second degree. Nursing is a tough program.

Amanda

Hi Ms. Gehlhausen,

When next year are you getting married? Congrat's!! :D

My worst problem is chips. They haunt me! LOL I have always been so addicted to them. In highschool, I never had any problems because I was very active in basketball, but then over the years and then with the birth of my daughter, I just couldnt hide what chips can do to ya.

I don't have a "real professional" exercise program. I think it's okay. I know a combination of cardiovascular and weight training is a good key to help with weight loss, combined with cutting calories (and if want carb's, fat's) and drinking lots of water. I Went to the YMCA Wednesday and Today! I will be trying to go everyday though. I do about 45-50 minutes on the treadmill at a pace of about 3.8-4.2 mph. I started Wednesday with 3.8- 4.0 mph. Shin splints and being out of shape prevented me from going any faster. Today I did 4.0-4.2 mph and felt pretty good. Some shin splints on and off. Hopefully I can start slow jogging in the near future. Then, I do only about 15 minutes of weight lifting. That is all I have time for. I do upper body mostly (and abdomen) since the treadmill does a lot of lower body. I work my pectoral muscles (muscles in the front chest), deltoids (shoulders) and triceps. I also work the rectus (stomach muscles) and the sides of my stomach. I did this type of workout in the past and lost quite of bit of weight. I also try to walk outside if I can. Then again, it's cold here in Michigan. What about you? Do you have a certain plan?
My daughter's Endocrinologist Doctor also gave me a plan for weight loss. I am quite a bit heavier for you, so your plan would be different. He told me to limited Calories to 1800 calories a day, focusing on low glycemic index foods (I am not diabetic, but it helps to eat foods that will process slower and not mess with your blood sugar and insulin), 46-52 grams of fat a day and walk as fast as I can for 45 minutes 6-7 days a week.

;)

I can totally relate about the chips. My weakness is french fries. I just love them. I could eat them with every meal. I've been doing pretty good this week though. I haven't had fast food once! Yippy. I didn't really have a weight workout, so I looked one up on the internet. I just started it yesterday so I will tell you how it works later. I can tell you that I am pretty sore today!

I was very active in high school too. That is why it is so harder when we get older because counting calories and watching what we eat is new to us. I used to eat whatever I wanted and never gain an ounce. It is a totally different story now. I sit at a desk all day and dream about my next meal. How sad!!

Anyway, I am getting married in October. This is still a tentative date. I keep going back and forth between October and September. I have to decided soon though because they are both quickly approaching. Congrats on going to the YMCA twice this week! That is a great start. I went yesterday and I am going to try and force myself to go tonight. I'll tell you how it goes...

How do you stay on the treadmill for so long? I get so bored! My max is 30 minutes. I know I need to stay on longer, but I find it hard. Any suggestions would be great. Have a great day...talk to you soon.

Hi

Dont push too much with those shin splints, they will get worse! you need to totally let them heal! try doing something for the upper body cardio wise?? tae bo style work helps, like twisting/ punching across the body side to side, or using light upper body weights (even canned foods, just do some reps while watching tv)
You can lose weight fast, but be beware, that coming OFF the plan is harder! your body craves badly and as soon as you start reaching for food again, it is very very hard not to start binging, the body will try to gain some back, it is a natural reflex ( thus yo-yo dieting ) but it can be done. Also watch for your feelings! when you lose weight quickly your emotions don't adjust and you can be at your normal weight and still feel very fat? that can be confusing? Last year(2004) through Optifast (medically supervised VLCD) i lost 116 pounds (in about 8-9 months), but by the end i still hated my body? then i gained 30-40 back. Luckily i stopped it there and regained control! those pounds are nearly gone again, but this time it was diet and excercise!

I can also relate to chips! once that bag is opened it is as good as eaten. So i try not to have any in the house, which is hard with family! GROWL!!

I used to use a treadmill but got bored, i used to watch a movie, or listen to music, or even play the playstation (when only walking), but it still bores me. That is why i am trying outdoors running, but i am very self concious! (i wish i could get past being self concious, i am at "normal weight" and i still hate to wear anything tight or body hugging? )

Ms. Gehlhausen~

I like French fries too, esp. from McDonald’s. :devil: I haven’t had fast food this week either, so YEAH to us both.

Yeah, please let me know what you’re doing for exercise. As for me with the treadmill, yeah, it can be boring, but I keep pushing myself. The thing that helps me is, I take my daughter’s portable CD player with headphones and I listen to songs on a CD that I have a bunch of songs that “Inspire me”. Some of the songs are what I want at my reception next year and some other one’s just “pump me up”. It gets me to go faster…it works for me. Also, by looking at the amount of calories I burn and how far I go, it helps. I push myself to reach, like 3 miles on there and to burn like over 700 calories (which I did today), and that gets me to go farther. Hopefully this will last.

I am gonna try to get up early in the mornings to do early workouts, so I don’t have to worry so much about her dad watching her. He is busy a lot with his work and sometimes that can cause conflict with someone watching her. I could always bring her to the daycare room at the YMCA, yet with her blind issues and such, she is demanding and I would just prefer to keep her with people she knows, like her dad.

Let me know how things are going and guess what…YOU CAN DO IT!!!!:hug:

Icedragon6669~

Thanks for your advice. My shin’s hurting were not fun. I would ease up when they started to hurt. It would come and go on the treadmill. If it gets worse, I will definitely have to do more weight training instead OR something less traumatic on my legs.

In the past, I was on a low carb diet as well. I lost over 40 pounds in 2 months. (Yeah, not healthy and a lot of water loss too I am sure.) I had a goal to look good, because it was going to be my first trip to Las Vegas, and you know…want to try to look good there. I enjoyed Vegas let’s say and I had compliments from guys out there, even though I was with my fiancé. LOL Sure enough, a few months later, I fell off my bandwagon and I gained it all back, plus some. It sucks. I totally know this is going to be tricky and hard when I want to go back to eating more carb’s. I think a lot of it too is, I have cut down my portions and I need to learn to keep it under control. I am eating so little calories than I use to. I figure that if I lose too slowly, the healthy way, like 5 pounds a month, per se, I will only lose about 30 pounds for my wedding. I should have buckled down much sooner than now to lose the weight. I tried and failed and now I don’t want to, yet I am rushing.:?:

What exactly is Optifast (medically supervised VLCD)? And that is a lot of weight loss… Congrat’s to that!!:carrot:

It gets hard to buy chips and not eat them (as my daughter and rest of the family eats them). Yet I keep thinking “WILLPOWER”! WEDDING, DRESS!!!!


LOL

Opifast is like slimfast. it is dietry meal replacements. but with optifast you only eat that... NOTHING else!!!!!!!!!
you can buy it here at the chemists, in the last 12 months it is now available without perscription.(google it, they have a website)
One serve is about 200 cal! so having only 3 a day is only 600 cal!
If you use the soup ones, you can have 4 a day.
They taste nice (unlike some meal replacements) and i loved the chocolate dessert.
But it is soooooooooooo hard to stay with, I would cook the family dinner, have my shake then go for a walk so i don't have to watch the family eat!
The first 3 days you go into ketosis (starvation) you get headaches and feel really really sick, but get through that and you are fine.
It has the nutritional needs for your body, but the body then turns complety to fat! to get energy. It strips the fat off you!
You are allowed as much diet pop you want with it, and up to 2 cups of steamed veges a day (for fibre)
You lose on average 4 pounds a week! (first week i lost 15!)
I would do it again (if i got to the point where i was obese again)! but coming off it was the killer for me! it does not teach any good food habits, and once you start eating again, something fires in your brain saying eat eat eat! you can come off it slowly (2 shakes and one meal, then 1 shake and 2 meals)
I only did it because i was sooooo unhappy , and hated myself soooo much, i needed a quick fix!
But I would recommend doctor supervision, there are some side effects? luckily i came across none, some i think are dizziness, headaches, hairloss, some have said galstones! At 280 pounds i did not really care? but i also walked a lot! (although excercise is not as important, your cals are sooo low, that the body burns the fat anyhow)

VLCD stands for very low calorie diet.
I think in the USA they have it called MEDIFAST?

Not for the faint hearted though? and i hate to think what it did for my DD's seeing me live on only milkshakes, i tried not to make a point of it.

But it got my weight down, and although i regained to 214, i managed to stop myself, I really didn't want to get back to 280.
Now it is all healthy eating and plenty of tough excercise! I want the fitness! and to be lean. Not just SKINNY!

Thanks for explaining what Optifast is all about. I checked out the website. Looks tempting. Right now though, I am going to see how my plan goes. It’s funny that you mentioned Optifast and about it being lower calories. I have been consuming calories pretty low these past few days. My sister commented that I am going to kill myself, but I feel good and I am listening to my body. Like for instance, yesterday I had about 500 calories. Today I had about 650 calories. I also make sure my fat amount isn’t too high or my carb’s. I lost about 5 pounds now within a few days. Probably a lot is water, so we’ll see how it goes. I continue to exercise as well. I didn’t make it to the YMCA today because being New Years Eve, they closed at 2 pm. :( I tried going at 2:30 pm. Instead, I went for a 40-45 minute walk outside. I NEED to exercise everyday if I can. Hunger is an issue for me at times. Tonight I got hungry so I grabbed 14 baby carrots and 3 peanuts in the shell. :angel: I feel good now. I guess that is all I needed.

You lost a lot of weight in a week..WOW. If I can do what I am doing and lose quite a bit of weight a week, I am happy. I just have to stop thinking about Pizza and all those foods. My mom wanted to know if my fiancé and I wanted to go out tonight on New Years Eve and I thought about it and thought “Nah, I know at this point I have no solid willpower and will grab something to eat somewhere. I just know it. So I avoided the temptations.” :tantrum: LOL

I see that you’ve lost weight doing other than Optifast. How do you do it??

Be careful on such low cals, make sure you are getting all the nutrition you need, maybe a multivitamin is a good idea! and if you feel dizzy have something (a piece of fruit, rice crackers ) just something to pick you up a little bit.

Now i excercise like crazy (i need to pass a fitness test) now my rountine is day 1 - 1 hour hard weights, day 2 - 5.5 km run, day 3 - rest day. sometimes i will add an extra day in of something like kayaking, or biking, i just do something hard for about and hour, at least 4-5 times a week.

And eating ,i will eat 3 meals and 2 snacks.
yesterday i had.
breakfast - 2 weetbix, 1 teaspoon splenda, 1 cup no fat milk and a chopped banana
snack - i cup low fat , flavoured yoghurt
lunch - salad sandwich ( and yesterday i had a tofu burger in it! but even something like tuna, low fat ham, chicken breast)
snack - a fruit cup (made with 1 packet diet jelly/ 200 ml boiling water (dissolve the jelly then add -, i cup drained canned fruit and 200 ml yoghurt . blend it all. and put into 3 containers and left to set in the fridge.( each serve is only about 60-80 cal)
dinner - roast pork (no fat), peas, corn, carrot, brocolli.

That would have been about 1200 cal. if you change some of the snacks it can be lower. Instead of yoghurt just have a piece of fruit, cut out the corn in dinner (carbs)
Thats the way i eat now, but i am adding bits back in now, like potato, bread, but i am trying to add back in slowly. I just try to refrain from the all or nothing thinking i am so good at... Like gee i ate a piece of chocolate, might as well finish the block!.

Thanks for your advice. I am definitely keeping an eye on my body and what it’s telling me. Yesterday I got really hungry during the day, so I had an orange and I actually was getting kind of full after eating it and I felt satisfied. I think my stomach is adjusting to the smaller portions. Also…I have been so proud of myself for not indulging in chips like I normally do. I have also been keeping up with my exercise. I went for another walk outside today since the YMCA is closed until tomorrow. It was snowing out, but I bundled up my daughter in a warm jacket, snow-pants, scarf, hat and mittens and put her in the sled. I tied the sled rope around my waist and walked………for about 40-45 minutes at a pretty good pace, some uphill making me pant…and pant… Hopefully tomorrow I can get to the YMCA early to do my workout. I am so pumped now to lose weight. I keep a picture of me near my laptop of my highest weight. I was on the Scrambler amusement ride with my daughter. Honestly, I was embarrassed then because I realized the lap bar was snug around my belly. Gosh, how big I had gotten and how big I am!!! I look at that for motivation to keep going. Also, on my laptop is a picture of my fiancé and I when I was about 205 pounds a few years back when I lost 40 pounds (but gained it back afterwards) but I looked much better than I do now. That is another goal to look at to get like that and then lose more than that.:)

I should be taking my multivitamins again and my calcium pills since I am not eating as much. Thanks for reminding me.

Gained one pound since yesterday. That is frustrating to see, considering I have been eating less and exercising everyday. I keep saying it is water fluctuations or muscle gain...:( This morning I got up at 5:50 am and headed out to the YMCA at 6:10 am. I did 1 hour on the treadmill, 700 calories burned, 4 miles walked fast. AUGH..... Then some weightlifting afterwards. I am hoping to go tomorrow. I feel good right now though. I took a shower when I got back :soap: and even though I am a little tired from getting little sleep last nite, my body feels energized and refreshed. Crossing my fingers I can keep this up................:ebike:

**Sorry those little smiley icons are cute.....

Hi Guys

Had a bad couple of days!
My run made me sooo tired. And feeling down, so i have to admit to a total of 3 bad food days! SIGH!
i have trouble finding a middle road! i can eat low cal! and stick with it, but when i start upping it towards maintainance i lose it? and start eating a ton???

Not to mention the house is still full of christmas food, and with a family of small eaters, I just get sick of seeing it!

Alas back to plan tomorrow, it is a weight routine day!
I am also trying to weigh in only once a week! that is a toughie!

Sonja

Hang in there. I know it's tough finding that middle ground. Don't give up trying, even if it becomes a rollercoaster. Eventually you will find what's right!:hug:

Hello girls! Sorry I haven't replied in a few days. I've taken a little vacation. I actually go back on Thursday and I am not looking forward to it. It's hard to go back because there is temptation everywhere!!! I've been doing pretty good. I went to the gym today and yesterday. I am supposed to meet a friend in the morning. I'll let you know how that goes. I can't believe you stay on the treadmill for an hour!!! I'm going to try and work my way up to that. I've been trying the stair climber and that things just about kills me! I'm just going to add a minute everyday and see if it gets any easier. Keep it up girls...I can just feel the pounds slipping away...

Ms. Gehlhausen~

Welcome back! Keep us posted on how things are going. Keep focused.....I'm trying too.

Hi guys, things have been quiet around here!
How is everyone doing?
I am doing well, gotten in some running, and a weights workout this week!
Food has been good!

Hey girls. Glad to hear everyone is doing okay. ValRN, How can you eat so few calories???! Aren't you starving all of the time? I have been watching what I eat this week. I've been being good about going to the gym. I have to force myself to get up there or I will quit going all together. Congrats Icedraggon on such a great start this week!