Hey folks =)

I'm 22 and on a mission to fit into my winter clothes. I currently weigh somewhere between 320-325, a size 22/24 pants. I know that I've got a long way to go before I reach a healthy range but I'm feeling much better since joining a gym (it's been about 3 weeks). I'm only 5'4 so I'm carrying entirely too much weight for my frame. I'm blessed to not have any health issues so the sky is the limit in terms of working out and any other lifestyle changes I need to incorporate.

I'm a little worried about saggy skin developing in some areas on my body but I won't let that stop me. One day I'd like to run a 5K..but we'll see lol

I've been trying to make group fitness classes but can only make it once in a blue moon because of my work schedule. I'm considering personal training but don't really want to cough up the money.

I have drastically changed what I eat - trying to get in five small meals a day. Lots of veggies, fruit, salmon and chicken breast. Starting to get bored and some healthy snack/meal options would be great!

My 5-year high school reunion is 11 months away - I was always the largest one in the class so I would LOVE to go back and have this not be the case.

Any advice/support would be greatly appreciated! Let's chat! =)

Welcome, I'm new here, too

Congratulations on joining a gym and implementing healthier changes into your lifestyle. It is always hard to take the first step. It's great that you have big goals- a 5k! Wow, I have always hated running and envy those who can.

Since you mentioned fitting into your winter clothes, maybe you could hang a favorite outfit on the back of your door or next to a mirror, visual clues work well for me.

As for snack and meal options, have you tried or do you like roasted vegetables? You would be surprised how much flavor roasting brings out. I am addicted to roasted cauliflower lol. Any veggies will work- chunk them up, toss with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and add your favorite seasonings. I absolutely fresh thyme and some cracked black pepper or even red pepper if you want a little kick. Throw em onto a sheet pan and pop them into the oven at around 400 degrees and roast until your desired doneness. I like mine to get a little crispy, so I leave them for about 30 or 40 minutes, soo good. Also, homemade hummos is good- canned chick peas, a little tahini paste (found in the "ethnic" isle of the grocery store) and garlic, maybe a dash of olive oil and whirl it up in the food processor or with a stick blender, or a regular blender if you don't have a FP. You can dip all sorts of things in it-carrots, bell pepper slices ect. If you like crunchy snacks you can also make your own pita chips at home, I cut up low fat/high fiber pitas into triangles and stick them in oven at 375 for 10-14 minutes and season them with a no-salt seasoning blend, great alt. to potato chips.
If you eat pork, a boneless pork tenderloin will take in any flavor you want to marinate it in and is low fat and high protien. Plus, it cooks up super quick for a great weeknight protein. Great with a lime/soy marinade on the grill or on a grill pan inside.

Good luck with your goals! High school wasn't fun for me either, so it would be great to go and show them that you are so much than the "big girl" they portrayed you to be

Hello!
I just joined this site today. I love your story and great for you! I find that through others motivation I can get through my day. When I start my day I like to visit websites, like eatingwell.com, and plan out what I'm going th eat for that day. I love to start off with a frozen berry smoothie to get my brainy juices flowing. That receipe is:
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups orange juice, preferably calcium-fortified
1 banana
1 1/4 cups frozen berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and/or strawberries
1/2 cup low-fat silken tofu, or low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon sugar, or Splenda Granular (optional)



Preparation
1.Combine orange juice, banana, berries, tofu (or yogurt) and sugar (or Splenda), if using, in a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Serve immediately.
NutritionPer serving: 157 calories; 2 g fat ( 0 g sat , 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 4 g fiber; 19 mg sodium; 430 mg potassium

I hope you enjoy!

That smoothie sounds really yummy! Have you were tried it without the sugar? Or is that necessary?
Question about frozen fruit - is it all the same? Or would I be better off buying from Whole Foods or Trader Joes?

I love the idea of hanging up a goal outfit. I have quite a few in mind already!

I think I'm down about 12 pounds officially. My scale can be a little inconsistent (and I honestly need to stop weighing myself as often as I do).

I really appreciate your advice. It's so nice to have a place to be supported..and not judged!

Regarding fitness, is it too much for me to try to work out 6 days a week?

I love the support too! As for the sugar I use only one packet of Splenda, but the berries are usually so sweet that it would probably taste just fine without it. I can't really afford fruit lol so I went to Aldi and bought a pack of their frozen berries.

If you work out that much how long do you want your workout to be?


As for working out 6 days a week, great for you and your stamina!! I know when I work out days in a row I have to check in with my body. I recently started Zumba at my gym and I love it, but I began to notice that my knees were killing me. I found the source to be my shoes, so I'm going to buy a new pair and continue Zumba.

I love trader joes
Since it's summer, though, and most berries are either in season or just fading out of season, if you watch for sales on fruit at your local stores, you can get some really good deals! That's what I did- my local produce market had cases of strawberries for $4.99 (8 quart clamshells) and big pineapples for $1.00. I cut them up and layed em out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and let them freeze, then I just put them into big freezer bags. If you don't feel like doing this though, or there aren't an good sales trader joes fruit is a good choice. They don't add any added sugar or anything or preservatives and their frozen fruit is cheaper than anywhere else I have seen, here it's like a $1.49 for a bag of mixed berries where my normal local grocery store (meijer) is like $3.00. Also, TJ usually had good deals on their house brand yogurt- I like their greek yogurt because it doesn't get as watered down in smoothies. You can pretty much try any combo of fruits, I haven't really had one I didn't like. Bananas are usually a good thickener- When I have a few straggler bananas left that got a little too ripe, I throw em in the freezer and use them for smoothies. They do not look appetizing, but they do taste good once you get passed the weird shade of brown lol.

As for working out 6 days a week, if that's what you want to do, go for it! However, take it slow at first- I didn't and I couldn't move for a few days Start out with lower impact excersizes to save your joints- but since you joined a gym you have plenty of options there. It's all about tuning in to your body- ditch the "no pain, no gain" notion- injuries are no fun. You don't have to hurt to get results. 6 days a week is a great goal and shows that you are very motivated!!!

As for the scale- lol I know how you feel. I weigh myself everyday, but it works for me. Do you have a digital scale? Those show tenths also and it is more motivating, for me at least. At the beginning, I noticed things were a lot more whacky at the very beginning-sometimes I would be down a few pounds and then up another-it depends on the time of day, time of the month ect. I found, at the beginning, my clothes fitting was a better indicator of loss.

Hi, I'm new here too. I found this site by way of looking at threads about vitamin D3 and thyroid. I am having the darndest time with weight loss. I do not want to use the thyroid at my crutch but it was easier to lose weight before. I know it is portion control and EXERCISE! I am greatly motivated by the stories here and the lost numbers of pounds from the other members! Thanks for letting me join.

You guys have me so excited about these smoothies! lol I'm gonna try to get a little creative with it.

I have a question though. Since I'm trying this 5 meals a day thing, would the frozen berry smoothie be in place of a meal?

Trader Joe's has been taking all of my money lately! lol I don't mind much - I really enjoy a lot of what they sell.

My clothes aren't quite fitting better yet but I am feeling great. Full of energy and not at all aching like I used to.

I have some 6 pound weights that I work with at home and I'm thinking about buying some 10lbs but I don't quite know what I would do with them besides stare lol

The shakes would, most likely, take the place of one of your meals. You do have to be a little careful-it's easy to get them a little high in calories. If you use yogurt, though, it adds protein so it would keep you fuller longer- because of the sugar/carbs in the fruit, I usually have it first thing in the morning or in the afternoon when I need energy. Fortunately it tastes really good and seems more like a treat than a meal- they do you fill you up though, so probably more like a meal. But- if you make up a batch and drink small amounts throughout the day (like a scotch glass-3-4 oz.) it's not so much a meal as it is a snack and a great pick-me-up.

welcome!

also, fish oil pills help a lot with preventing sagging skin. I take about 8-12 pills per day and so far everything is staying tight.

Yay for you, Patti! You can do it. I've only lost 12 pounds so far but it's all the encouragement I need to keep going. Don't beat yourself up about ANYTHING. Just stick with it to the best of your ability. I think this online community is going to be really helpful for me as well.

That is so good to know! I'm guessing I can pick them up from a local vitamin store?

What's the reason you take so many?

I'm going to give it a try this weekend =) Maybe try some mangoes, bananas and raspberries.

Have you ever made a protein shake? I've seen protein powder in stores but I have no clue what to do with it lol

I'd like to work out for at least an hour each time. I push for 35-40 minutes of cardio and devote the rest of my time at the gym to weight lifting (not as confident with this yet). My shoes were/still are giving me shin splints so I think I need to go looking for another paid. Are running shoes the best?

An hour is perfect. I started doing this thing today that my brother calls "HITS" for my cardio. It's when you increase the level on the bike, increase the incline on the ellyptical, and increase the speed on the treadmill for a minute, everyother 2 minutes. I did this spending 15 minutes on each one today and my legs feel like rubber! The weight room is a little intimidating for me too, but my brother showed me a few things to do in there. So I go in, do them ,and leave lol. I didn't get a chance to buy my shoes today but i think I'll get another pair of Nike Shox. I made the mistake and wore some form of shape ups during a work out and that's what threw my knees into a fit. So what kind of work outs do you do? I can use somemore ticks