I'm 18, turning 19 in a few months- heading off to my second year in University. Things have been crazy busy but I'm taking time to push myself to improve myself and take time for myself as well, on all levels. This is a great and fun way to receive and give support to all those who are pushing themselves to become their healthiest, most comfortable and most fabulous selves. I just thought I'd introduce myself on here because I plan on reading a lot more on here and posting a lot more. I hope to come into contact with all of you
. I'll probably be asking a crap load of questions, but I am hoping I can help and answer some of yours.Ok now a little bit of weight history:
I've been overweight ever since I can remember. Same with my siblings. All chubby kids that were getting bigger and bigger with age. I have the "fat gene" as people like to say. However, my eating habits didn't improve either and I definitely wasn't active, so I can't just blame genetics. Anyway, throughout puberty, I got heavier. I was over 200 pounds in grade 8 and through most of high school. I fluctuated 10 or 20 pounds through silly crash diets or following Weight Watchers without being thoroughly dedicated during these times but it wasn't until the summer of my grade 10 year, where I worked at a breakfast buffet (Bad news... bad news. Delicious news, but bad news) and I was growing more and more stretch marks. Also, my older sister, who was nearly 250 lbs (same height), was seriously doing something about her weight, so this gave me a huge push. I can honestly say I didn't follow any diet at first, I just made healthier choices. And when you're used to eating two croissants, eggs benedict, bacon, tarts, fries and then a good hearty dinner each day, these little changes go a long way. I also have PCOS, diagnosed in grade 9, so I made huge changes with my GI intake. My doctor handed me this sheet about GI and foods, so I incorporated that into my diet. Basically I ate lean meats, fish, fat free dairy, plenty of fruits and veggies and low GI foods. No calorie counting, no nothing. But the more I lost, the more I altered. This is what I ate for the most part:
Mornings:
Egg white omelette with fat free cheese
2 pieces of pumperknicle bread w/ 67% less fat Becel
Coffee
Snack- 1 fruit, 1 fat free yogurt & veggies
Lunch- A small salad
After school (around 2)
A salad with some sort of protein in it
Dinner-
Some sort of protein and VEGGIES! Lots and lots of veggies.
I know it seems bland, but I ate a huge variety of veggies. All sorts of winter and summer squash, all sorts of greens, all sorts of cabbages. For fruit I basically stuck to an apple or an orange. When you eat like this, it really pushes you to be more creative with how you prepare- but this is what I ate basically. It was great. It worked for me.
So by the time the next summer came, summer of grade 11, I was 155 lbs. I lost over half of me. I maintained for most of the year, but once the next summer came I gained around 5 pounds and then University ruined it all... Hahaha. It does a lot of the time, right? With the boozing, late night cramming, crappy food... I was expecting it. I was at 180 lbs right when I finished exams in April. This bothered me. I only went up one dress size, but still. I felt like a balloon.
So, now I'm back at it. And it is harder than ever. So you know what I do? I turn to my weight loss goddess and genius, my sister, who went from over 250 to 120 lbs in a year. It's been three years and she's still the same size, only she is now ripped and she runs regularly. She wrote me out an extreme meal plan, because I want to lose this weight fast. I know that most people advise against this, but I know that I'm going to be dieting for awhile either way just so I can find a more balanced lifestyle that works for me when I get to my goal weight (135-125 size 4-6). Basically its a very low-carb, low calorie and high protein diet. About 600-900 calories a day, very similar to the Bernstein's diet. By Monday, it will be two weeks since I've started this. Before I started I was 175, I lost about 5 pounds SLOWLY over the summer. I weighed myself this Monday and I was 167. That's over 5 pounds!
Again, this is extreme. I know. But I'm not being a dummy or depriving myself of nutrition. I am also taking this vitamin which is amazing and that I highly recommend: Unbounded Energy. It's a multi, but its made from all natural extracts so you absorb most of the nutrients you need unlike most multivitamins. I also take extra B12 for energy, a Vitamin D tablet for overall health and 2 chromium in the morning. These vitamins make a HUGE difference.
Anyway, that's it for me. I hope I get some responses so I can be acquainted with a few of you. You are all an inspiration to me.
You guys rock!
-K
