[packgirl]

Hello all. I'm Josey and have been one of the bigger girls for quite a while. My mother passed away suddenly a year ago at a relatively young age, and it really hit home that I'm headed in the very same direction. I want to be healthier.

I'm not really that concerned with how much I lose, but I suppose an ideal would be to get out of that "obese" range...which means 75 pounds. Ugh.

So here is where I begin. I've been in the gym for the last two weeks and gained 10 pounds. So weighing is out. My husband (of 13 years) said my pants aren't so tight in areas, so hopefully I am making a difference... somewhere.

After these two weeks, I do feel better. The problem begins when I go back to work next week. How am I going to make myself get up in the morning?

My plan? My goals? I don't really know what to set. I guess right now, my goals are to feel better and hopefully lose weight in the process. I need some accountability and my husband and dad are being super supportive.

Strategy: Fitday (logging activity and food) and going to the gym 5 days a week. Hopefully the logging will make me more conscious of exactly what I'm eating. Consistency in logging will be hard for me.

I measured this am and will measure again in a month. So I've rambled on long enough. I look forward to motivation and support I hope I can find here.

...here goes!

[katie2689]

First off kudos for starting the change!! I know you probably know this but muscle weighs more than fat so you probably gained some muscle at the gym!! Also it is best to weigh yourself at the same time both times you do it to compare..and the best time is in the morning before you have eaten or done anything like that.

I would suggest setting a small goal to begin with...so if for instance you are 5'4, 250lbs and want to lose 100lbs to be at 150lbs you have to start smaller. Maybe a smaller goal could be 30 lbs by the end of February or something like that. Or if there are significant dates coming up use those as benchmarks for your small goals. I have 58lbs to lose and set my goal to lose 20 lbs by my bday in the end of February.

making those small goals make the big one seem a lot less overwhelming. then you can reassess your long term goal as you go along because not everyone loses 75lbs the same way...maybe you will lose 50lbs and say damn
I dont think I have 25 more lbs of fat to lose and maybe it is just about toning up and tightening up so your routine might have to change!

You might want to not weigh yourself if you think that will be a huge issue, but you have to remember that your body can lose or gain up 5lbs per day just from the normal eating habits...so don't let the number define you. If you record your eating and working out daily for a week and weigh yourself each week and something still doesn't seem right then you can look at your plan and see what needs to be tweaked if need-be.


Good luck

[InsideMe]

Well girl all I gotta say is good for you for starting off at the gym! That's amazing and takes quite the motivation to start off that way (well it was for me! I worked out at home at first) and exercise really does make you feel better and makes you accountable for your food. Try and learn about different plans, or calorie counting etc to get yourself familiar and take it day by day. That's all you can do. Your headed in the right direction and don't worry to much about the scale. It HARDLY moves for me but I have lost a lot of inches. It's how your clothes fit so if your pants are looser already your doing great! Take pictures too (I know it sucks) but as your progress you'll be happy you did! Seeing myself "melt" is pretty cool and I wish I had more pics of me when I first started and at my all time high.

[Ange120]

Hi packgirl...Its awesome that you started at the gym...you are definitely on the right track!! As far as the weight gain try not to let that discourage you. I worked out for 2 weeks (5 days a week) and didn't lose 1lbs..BUT I was able to fit into jeans I bought months ago that didn't fit before. So just keep at it and you will see that the weight will slowly but surely come off. Like katie2689said start off with mini challenges until you get to you ultimate goal.

Just remember that you CAN do this!!

[packgirl]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I have set some smaller goals. Hubby and I had a long discussion today about what I wanted. First and foremost, it's simply to be healthier. Which the gym will do. Circuit training plus the elliptical.

I've already made great progress. It was all I could do to make 5 minutes on that elliptical machine the first time. Now, I can go for more than 15 minutes.

Also, consistency. Being diligent with recording my activities and food. I don't think I eat so much, but I find terribad snacks. Having to log that will hopefully help discourage me.

I don't think poundage will work for me, so I'm going for sizes. My first goal is to go down a pant size. I'm in a tight 20 right now, so getting my clothes to fit better is first. Then, into a few of these shirts around here that are just too small. Eventually, my first big goal is a size 14.

Here's to no pocket gap!

[lmpurvis]

Lets start out with congrats on making the initial steps need to begin this journey. I have experience with working hard in the gym and then find I have gained weight weird to the wise stay away from the weights. Start with cardio. Other wise sounds like you are doing a great job.

[sontaikle]

Welcome to 3FC!

You've done amazing so far with getting to the gym. That's how I began my journey

I admire you for wanting to go by sizes over pounds, that is probably a much better measure of success over the scale.

The weight gain could be from a variety of reasons, but if you notice you're smaller (i.e. fitting into smaller clothes) then that's what really matters. You're likely building muscle and retaining water while burning fat.

I also disagree with the above poster who suggested staying away from weight lifting. Weight lifting is a great way to build and KEEP the muscle you have. You become a bit more compact and look smaller than you weigh Too often people lose muscle along with the fat when they set out to lose weight; weight lifting helps minimize that.

Healthy eating will ultimately get you smaller, but getting fit is a wonderful way to start!

Good luck on your journey!

[packgirl]

Thanks so much!

Some weight training is important to me. I want to be stronger and healthier. Weight training will help me to be stronger.