Warning, this is gonna sound like a rant at first... but it gets better!

Well I'm back. Used to be Arthwen1985. I gave up on this place a long time ago when all the suggestions i was getting was exercise ALL the time and get rid of all your entertainment. I followed it, to a point. i got rid of my cable, played videogames less... became bored more... ended up playing my favourite game World of Warcraft more. I was doing stuff quite a bit for where i was in the plan of what i was doing for exercise... and I got on 3fc to talk about it and was told to get rid of WoW... I already got rid of my cable and now you're telling me you want me to get rid of my only other entertainment? WTH? So i left for a really long time and then things happened in my life that made me really depressed and I gained a lot of weight. *end rant*

Well now that it's done and over with and it's been a year since what is now referred to as "the indecent", I am ready to get on with my life and start exercising. Now I said exercising... not losing weight. If I lose weight, great! I'm just working on getting up and doing something for now. I hope doing just that for now will lose SOMETHING. Anyways, i dunno if any of you guys even remember me but I thought I'd come back and dink around here and see what happens.

i do apologize for that rant but that just got me so mad before... Well after all that i guess i should introduce myself. My name is Misty, I'm 25 and tipping the scales at 323 pounds. Last time i was here I was just under 300. Well I pretty much woke up this morning thinking I'm gonna change this... I'm gonna get up and do something. It was actually after i took my dog out for her morning bathroom trip and came back to zonk out that i thought, "Hey, there's a track just down the road from here... I can just walk circles there..." It was actually my friend Andrea who sparked the idea i think. She's been posting up on facebook how much she's run and how long it took her and stuff with Dailymile and it's just been her on a track somewhere (and she's not a skinny person). I thought, I can do that... It's just down the street and it's free.

First plan of action is going to the track tomorrow. It's about a mile down the road and I plan to walk there, walk around the track for an hour and then walk back and just do that every day. I think I'll do that for about a month then add a half hour for another month... idk, see what happens.

Hi Misty! I just joined here a couple of weeks ago, so I'm just getting started on my journey too. I have had very good luck with people being supportive so far, I hope you find the same! Walking the track sounds like a great beginning. Keep us posted on your progress!

Welcome back! Ive only been around here a couple months but so far Im loving all of the support. Good on you for deciding to add exercise in to your life. Let us know how it goes for you.

I used to be a wow player myself but I gave it up 2 years ago this summer. I still get the desire, especially after the last expansion came out. It was hard to resist but I do know that I gained a good 50lbs after succumbing to it. Totally my fault! I cant imagine giving up all of my entertainment though. I still play video games but they are NOT my life anymore. Big deal here for me.

Anyway...nice little side trip on my part... >.> Nice to meet you!

Hi Misty! Glad you're back. I don't play video games, but if you want my cable/DVR, you're going to have to wrestle me for it! hahaha

Your plan for the track sounds outstanding! That is a lot of extra movement, and you could certainly enjoy some couch time with your game after all that effort. But I did want to just give you a heads-up that the common equation around here is that losing weight is 80% diet, 20% exercise. I have found that even when I was really working out a lot with a trainer in the past, I wasn't losing much weight at all. Then this time I started eating better WITHOUT exercise at first and the pounds were coming off.

I just don't want you to get discouraged if you are doing all this exercise and not getting results. Diet is the key IMHO. But again, the exercise is GREAT, will make you fitter and healthier, for sure!

Yea without videogames I'd have literally nothing to do. I don't work (long story short I live on disability) and there's not really anything out there volunteer-wise i can do around here so... I don't play WoW as much as I did because it's just getting boring. Even with the new expansion (yes the world has gone down the crapper and a lot of new stuff is just waiting to be explored) it just seems like the same old thing for me. I really only get on for other people now and for my guild. I spend a lot of time sitting in front of the computer checking Animal Crossing Community, playing animal crossing and messing with my dog. When there's nothing left to do on those things i resort to WoW... I wanted to go for a walk a couple hours ago (around midnight) but my roommates who sleep in the living room are of course asleep and I probably shouldn't be going for a walk alone at this time of night anyways.

As for the whole diet is 80% thing... I know that's how everyone thinks. But I have no power over that right now. My roommates cook a meal and that's basically THE meal for the day... The rest is snacks or soup I try to cram in before everyone goes to bed. My mom gets home for her dinner at 2 and goes to bed at 5 or 6. I try to get something to eat by that time or later. Usually it's soup or ramen... then at 10 or 11 my living room roomies go to bed and I'm a night owl so I stay up and am of course still hungry and end up snacking on things like trail mix and cheese its. Working on it just being trail mix. Sometimes I'm lucky and I can grab some broccoli and ranch instead of soup or ramen.

Personally I think its good to START somewhere. I mean if exercise is what you can control right now, then great. Something is better than nothing. Something is AWESOME compared to nothing. <3

Just got back from my first hour long walk... Went 2.3 miles. Dang. Didn't know it was that far. Took my dog with me but she was scared the entire way there and back so I'm not sure I'll take her again.

welcome back! i too took a break from 3fc and am back about 1 year later, same thing, last time i was a little under 300 and now i'm definitely over it's on this time though! not sure what has happened that has lit the fire for me, but it happened and i'm doing it this time!

Hi Misty!

Welcome back! I hope you find things more agreeable this time than last.

There is NO reason to give up video games let alone exercise all the time. That is crazy talk. I am a current WoW player (although, I am alpha testing Rift more than playing WoW lately. You should sign up for the beta, it's loads of fun!) Since you are a gamer, maybe you would be inclined to some more movement if you got a wii or a kinect? You didn't mention if you have a console, or if it is in your budget to get one, but it seems to be right up your alley. You wouldn't even need a wiiFit, even games like Rayman's Raving Rabbits is all about body movement.

Another idea for something to do physical that just popped into my mind - what about doing some dog training or dog agility? That could be fun or at least a physical hobby. There are tons of books and videos online you could refer to.

For me personally, if I had gone from 0 to 2.5 miles I would totally burn out and stop exercising all together. I didn't do one bit of exercise for the first 10 months or so of my weight loss journey. I started adding walks in November, and just within the past 2 weeks am finally at a place where I started jogging, following the conservative couch to 5k routines.

In any case, good luck! Let us know how it goes!

HA I didn't even have enough money from this week's check to get the rest of the trail mix ingredients i wanted. Yea, I have like no money. I have wanted to do dog agility but that's mostly the dog doing the work, not me. And just ONE piece of equipment is like 150$... and i can't even buy raisins. Well actually I might have a few bucks left from last week to buy raisins and still have enough to get Molly's nails trimmed. I'd cut them myself if I could see the quick. I can do the ferret's nails but doggy nails... I just go and have someone else do them so i don't risk hurting her. Anyways, yea... low on cash. I DO have a wii. I got Wiifit but I didn't feel like I was getting a workout and then i got EA active and told my doctor of the time (I keep having to get new doctors, long story) about it and he said that was too much... just walk for now. Ended up getting rid of the game so i could replace something i distroyed of my mother's by accident and so I only really have two games for it... and neither of them are the get up and do something kind of games. She (mom) has an xbox 360 and I would LOVE to get kinect for her xbox and something like that dance game for it but alas, I am too poor. I had to save up for the latest expansion pack several months in advance. i do have some money in savings but I kinda want to keep it there just in case something comes up and I know in April I have to take Molly to the Vet for a shot and I plan to get bloodwork done to check for heartworms and I have no idea how much that will be.

Hello there, nice to see a fellow Oregonian!

It's awesome that you're wanting to at least work on your habits, that's a step in the healthier direction.

As for your rant, you don't need to do a complete 180 with your lifestyle to succeed. You just need to learn to balance things out and do 'lazy' things in moderation. If you completely deprive yourself, it's going to bite you in the butt sooner or later

well see, really you only need to NOT be lazy about one hour during the day to start off, right? The ladies i was talking to a year and a half to two years ago were like wanting me to spend most of my day doing something exercise related and stop watching TV and then I was going on about how much I spend too much time playing WoW i need to find some other hobby to fill up some time too and that's when they told me to just get rid of WoW altogether. That... idk that just struck a nerve with me because I had already gotten rid of my TV. Annnnd i think I'm starting to repeat myself? Did i say this all already?

I'm surprised you didn't get a work out from Wii Fit! Mine kicks my butt, lol. When I first started it, I couldn't even finish the shortest run, but I worked my way up to the 30 minute free run. I do pretty much all of the exercises (not all at once, of course) and I have a lot of fun with it. I get caught up in the game aspect and forget what I'm exercising, even though I'm sweating through it and definitely feel it afterwards!

That's about the extent of my video game playing, but I do love TV. I wouldn't cancel my cable for anything, lol. I just Tivo the shows I like and watch them when I have time. Just like food, all things should be done in moderation. You just have to find the balance that works for you! Good luck and welcome back!!

huh I don't remember mine having running... just step ups. that was it... then my board died and i said screw it i wasn't getting a workout anyways.

i can relate to you, not having money for anything, makes it rough, i live with my mom, and she is on disability, i contribute nothing, because i have nothing, when i have a job i help out and try to buy stuff i want. good luck!! i also love games, but i am more of a mario girl