just taking the first steps.. *sigh*

  •   #1  
    mustbedreaming's Avatarmustbedreaming , 08-13-2008 11:51 PM
    Okay, so. Hi all, first of all! I'm Ashley and I'm 20. I've been heavy my whole life, and really, really down about it. No one's ever shown signs of interest in me and I really feel like it's because of my weight, since my weight makes me so self-conscious to the point where I can't even show off my personality. Ever. It's bad. When I need to let it not get in the way.. as in NEED to, like for an interview or class presentation, I can suck it up. But if there's no dire need I'm a little hermit. I've also gained about 20 pounds in the past year so that's just put a damper on things.

    Anyway, I just got a DREAM job at a publicity firm in New York for September. I decided I really really want and need to gain confidence and so I need to step it up and do something about it for once in my life. See, problem is... I LOVE to eat. I think I may have some sort of food addiction, actually. Eeek. And I rarely exercise. Currently I'm at around 240lbs. and I'm 5'7, almost 5'8. I'd love to get down to 160 but ideally, 140.

    I obviously know it's a) not healthy and b) not possible to drop even close to that amount of weight in a couple of months - I'm not here to look for that. BUT what I am looking for is some kind of confirmation by those of you here who have done it... what worked for you and if what I'm doing will potentially work.

    Right now I've started dieting, if you can call it that... but just trying to eat less and more often throughout the day. Like for instance today I had a low-fat yogurt for breakfast, some turkey and tuna fish for lunch, and some lowfat bleu cheese on toast for dinner with a few pieces of chocolate to satisfy my sweet-tooth. Stuff like that... also I LOVE cottage cheese so that's going to be my lunch for tomorrow. I also plan to add more fruit in there a bit, but I cannot stand vegetables. I will vomit if I eat them, so that's out of the picture. (Believe me, I've tried to eat salad and all that good stuff. No, not happening.)

    Also, exercise-wise I've done 45 minutes of sort-of brisk walking on the treadmill, 5 minutes of heavy pumping on the stationary bike, and some weight stuff for my arms. I plan to do this at least 5 times per week.

    Does this all sound good? I need some inspiration. The chocolate's calling my name again... errrggghhh.
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  •   #2  
    Sheila53's AvatarSheila53 , 08-14-2008 12:24 AM


    Sounds like you're starting out right by eating less and moving more! What seems to work for most people is a way of eating that you can follow for life. For me, that means eating smaller meals more frequently because I don't like to be hungry plus I had to rid myself of having trigger foods in the house. Some people can be satisfied with small portions of ice cream--I can't so I choose to not have those kinds of things in my house.

    Are there any vegetables that you like? Not even carrots? You might check out the Veggie Challenged thread and see if someone there can suggest something.
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  •   #3  
    mamaspank's Avatarmamaspank , 08-14-2008 12:27 AM
    Hi Ashley,

    Well, I think it is just too cool that you want to do something about the way you feel at 20. That is awesome. As I was reading what you said, I notice that you are sort of doing the watch-what-you-eat thing. I have read a lot of posts where people have problems with this after two or three weeks of doing it. I feel like have some sort of diet plan is the best way to go. I think it is just to easy to cheat, at least for most of us, when you are just "watching what you eat."

    Whether you calorie count, Atkins, South Beach, or WW, or whatever, having a plan, I think, just sets you up for success. Your exercise seems wonderful. I bet you will be feeling awesome in no time. I walked too at the beginning of my weight-loss journey (so cliche). I am jogging about 4 miles now four months later and 30 pounds lighter. I hope you find the inspiration you need, but just reading your post, you sound pretty inspiring yourself.
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  •   #4  
    valpal23's Avatarvalpal23 , 08-14-2008 12:29 AM
    congrats on the dream job - sounds like a dream! what plan are you going to follow? I'm a calorie counter but there are a lot of sucessful 'losers' on the other plans... it's just about finding something you can sustain forever... since a temp fix isnt whats best for our health in the long run.

    way to go you're off to a great start toss in some fruits and veggies and you'll be pretty good to go!
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  •   #5  
    mustbedreaming's Avatarmustbedreaming , 08-14-2008 12:50 AM
    Aww, thank you guys so much. Means a lot that people would take the time out and respond like you did!

    A plan... totally not sure yet. Yeah, I'm starting off with the whole watch what I'm eating thing but I may get into the calorie counting. I could probably do that easily. So yeah, maybe that!

    As for veggies... I do like cooked broccoli, oddly enough. Cooked carrots will do, too. I just can't stand raw veggies of ANY kind. I'll have to add in the cooked ones there somewhere.

    Okay so the exercise sounds okay? I think the 45 mins to an hour of cardio per day will definitely do me good. I'm excited for my new life!! =D
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  •   #6  
    NyteBeauti's AvatarNyteBeauti , 08-14-2008 01:32 AM
    Caution: I'm long winded!
    on that FIRST step! Believe it or not, it truly IS the most difficult step in this journey. It's the decision to become accountable for ourselves, and to not let food, or genes, or excuses, or anything else, dictate our bodies, our self esteem or our health. Big Hugs to you!

    Plans are definitely easy to follow, especially if you're unsure of your choices. That said, my 'plan' has been to simply cut my carbs. See, I come from a LONG line of diabetics. Every female in my family has been cursed with it. My sister and I are the next generation to inherit this, and we've both made the decision that we don't WANT it. Our biggest hurdle is that we also come from a LONG line of Carb-addicts. If it's Pasta, starch, or bread, my family will buy it, in mass quantity, and, they will serve it. Daily.

    For me, it was really quite a simple decision. I went to the grocery store, with my husband (so he could WATCH what sort of change I was wanting to make) and out loud said, "I will NOT buy Spaghetti this week. I will NOT buy Macaroni this week. We do NOT need 4 loaves of bread this week. I will buy Chicken, and fresh veggies, and fruit. I will buy BROWN rice, instead of white. And I will season with garlic, and thyme, and sage and allspice, instead of oil, and butter, and salt." For me, it was really that simple. (This is not to say it's this simple for everyone.)

    I also had to make the conscious thought to not allow myself to remain sedentary anymore. To start my day, with some activity. To get my heart rate up a little bit. So, I started the Turbo Jam series. I must admit, that right now, I'm totally addicted to Turbo Sculpt. I didn't realize how much strength I'd lost, before doing these exercises. It's really an eye opener for me. So my plan for now, is to stick with that, until it no longer is a struggle for me, then move on to some of the faster paced programs. I really want to work on my srength training. And lets face it, any exercise is good exercise! In fact, since starting this 'regime', I've lost 6 pounds! And though it's a little thing, It's so much easier on my self esteem to say, "I need to lose 92 pounds" rather than "I need to lose 98 pounds." Perhaps it's the fact that I can round DOWN to 90, rather than having to round UP to 100. That little difference has kick started my self esteem, and already, I'm starting to feel better about myself. I've also noticed my energy levels have REALLY picked up. I don't 'need' nearly as much sleep as I used to.

    As far as veggies... have you thought maybe about trying to trick yourself? A couple of ideas for you.

    1st) Try blending just a small amount into a smoothie. Let's say... A strawberry/banana smoothie. Follow the recipe, and just add maybe 4 carrot sticks. Just enough to give you the beta carotene you need. You can add other veggies, like broccoli, or tomato to other flavors.

    2nd) If you have a juicer, you could add veggies to your fruit juice. You could make an Apple/Berry blend (which is REALLY yummy) and maybe add some carrot juice (which is naturally sweet anyway) or some broccoli. HONESTLY, you wouldn't even know it's there, except.. you saw yourself put them in the juicer. lol)

    And Last idea.... I saw this on Oprah actually (and she's by far, NOT my favorite talk show)
    She had a woman (married to someone famous, but I can't think of who, at the moment) Their kids were like you, Veggie challenged. Everyone Monday, she would spend the morning cooking, and pureeing different veggies. Carrots, Broccoli, Peas, Cauliflower, etc. Each puree would get poured into a freezer bag. And then, throughout the week, she would add the puree to different entrees. If she made Mac n Cheese for the kids, she would add some pureed Carrot. She even added broccoli puree to her chocolate cake mix! And the kids NEVER knew about it, until she decided to write a book about it! Her key was to keep the colors similar.

    Those are just a few ideas to maybe help incorporate some veggies into your diet. Hope those help a little

    In the meantime, keep up the good work and know that we're all here for you! You have found a GREAT group of ladies here. I'm fairly new here myself, and can't tell you how great it is to find a group of ladies, willing to be honest about their own weight loss goals and journeys. Knowing I'm not the only one who needs to lose 100 pounds definitely makes my goal more achievable. If you need a workout buddy, or just someone to help keep you accountable, you are MORE than welcome to PM me! Lord knows we can all use someone to help keep up on track! Good luck Sweetie!
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  •   #7  
    fiberlover's Avatarfiberlover , 08-14-2008 11:39 AM
    Good luck, and welcome to 3FC!

    You might want to start logging your foods into a program like thedailyplate.com and see how much you are eating. That's a good way to keep track and get an idea of how to progress.
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