Hi, my name is Jessica. I'm new on this site. I'm 19 years old, and I'm 5' 2", and I weigh right around 300 lbs. I have been overweight or obese for pretty much my entire life. I joined this site because I want some good advice and some unconditional support. Many members of my family are overweight or obese, but I have recently moved out of my parents' house and in with my boyfriend. I used to work out with my parents, but now I don't really have a workout partner to keep me going. My boyfriend always says he'll do it, but as soon as I find time to work out he's engrossed in video games, or too tired from work. And as a full-time college student with a part-time job, I don't exactly have a lot of time or money to put into this challenge, as vital as it is to my well-being.
I'm looking for some emotional support and some confidence that I can take on this challenge to become a healthier individual and I can succeed. And I'm looking for some tips that will help me to maximize my results without breaking the bank or flunking out of college.
it does have a gym, but it doesn't have a lot of equipment. like 3 treadmills and a handful of stationary bikes and some weight lifting machines and free weights. that's about it. And I always feel so self-conscious at the gym...
Eating better doesn't have to be more expensive! I know it seems that way when you go to the grocery store, but when you think about how much it actually costs to buy mac and cheese and doritos, as well as gallons of soda and candy, going out to eat, getting a pizza cause it's easy... that's far from cheap, especially when you think about how much you're paying and how little nutrition you're actually getting.
I'm 23, not making a lot of money. I make pretty low cost meals. I find that eating a lot of vegetarian meals saves me a lot of money personally, because beans, lentils, rice, eggs, etc are a lot cheaper than most cuts of meat. I buy chicken breasts in family packs when they go on sale, break them up and freeze them individually. I buy tuna by the case, cause I love it and it's low calorie. Those are things I try to keep stocked up on: brown rice, tons of different kinds of beans (black, chickpeas, garbanzo beans, lentils), canned tomatoes with green chilis, stewed tomatoes, frozen veggie mixes for quick stirfries, I buy quinoa and other grainy things in bulk and keep them in big canning jars.
Then what I do on a weekly basis is buy a three pack of romaine lettuce and some other salad fixings, and I pick up the ingredients for two or three dinners and eat those all week.
That's how I make it work on my limited budget.
I love this site because it's one of the few places I feel I can be completely honest about my problems with food and my other insecurities without fear of judgement. It's really liberating, and watching other people with my SAME struggles succeeding helps me feel motivated and accountable.
You should seriously stick around! We can be buddies.
Edited to Add: Clearly this isn't EVERYTHING I buy on a weekly basis. I pick up a thing of pitas or bread, oatmeal or cereal occasionally, but that's not every week, so I was just trying to give you an idea how I think when getting ready for the coming week.
Last edited by DaughterOfVenus; 08-23-2010 at 08:47 PM.
OH I forgot, I also buy fruit of course. I try to buy what's in season and on sale. Grapes are 99 cents a pound right now, and I think I might turn into one. I also eat a lot of no sugar added applesauce and canned peaches on top of fat free cottage cheese.
I also have a tiny little container garden in the summer.
Welcome and congratulaions on looking for support and advice. I know it's difficult to go to the gym when you don't feel at your best, but give it a try. Any activity will help. My favorite is walking. I tape classes and lectures then listen to them when I walk a track. Studying + exercise! If there isn't a track nearby, then map out a route and walk that. Slowly build up your time and distance. I'm hoping to do a 5K in October, right now I'm up to 2 miles!. Good luck!
Thanks so much for the welcome and the tips about food!
DaughterOfVenus: you make some really great points about the vegetables. My mom doesn't like veggies, so most of the time my family didn't eat them, and so I forget about them regularly! I will remember next time I go grocery shopping!
Sugarplum, you HAVE to pick up the bags of mixed veggies with like... peppers and broccoli, and water chestnuts in the frozen section! then all you have to do is add an onion all chopped up, some chicken breast and you have a stirfry. Super simple and really good.
I save the juice from a can of water chestnuts, add a little bloop of sesame oil, a lug of soy sauce, and a spoonful of cornstarch, whip that up and pour over my stirfry in the last minute and let it thicken up. Tastes like something you'd get at a Chinese restaurant. I eat that a couple times a week, seriously. LOL
For exercise, have you tried the Wii? It's not a huge amount of exercise but it's a good place to start, it definitely gets you up and moving, plus it is fun. And your boyfriend might be more willing to join in since it's a video game. I found mine used on craigslist so it wasn't too expensive. I use the Wii Fit Plus the most but also enjoy Outdoor Challenge. And Wii Sports Resort has a sword fighting part that your boyfriend especially might get in to.
Oh, I wanted to share this recipe I made today and loved! It's cheap too! It makes two servings that are like 340 calories each or so. I know it sounds REALLY weird, but give it a try, it's seriously awesome!
You take and bring a pot of water to boil and put in a cup and a half of whole wheat penne to start cooking. In another little pot start heating a cup of marinara sauce. Once it starts simmering, carefully crack two eggs into it and put a lid on to let them poach. Let them cook to your desired doneness, but i suggest letting the yolk stay runny cause it's DELISH and creamy when it mixes in.
When your pasta is just about done, throw in four big handfuls of fresh bagged spinach, mix it up and let it wilt down, then drain the whole mess.
Divide the pasta/spinach into two bowls, top each bowl with an egg, and then divide and spoon the remaining marinara over the two bowls.
I know it sounds crazy, but it's CRAZY GOOD.
I bought the marinara and pasta at Walmart for two dollars all together, the whole bag of spinach was two dollars, and I already had eggs, but a dozen is what? 2 bucks? And I have enough left to make two more servings. So that's like... 1.25 a serving. And super good for you, and filling, too.
Last edited by DaughterOfVenus; 08-24-2010 at 12:30 AM.
Looking For a Different Kind of Support
Dhani 
