Well, I've decided to come out of hiding after lurking around for a bit...starting to feel like a stalker otherwise. LOL. I'm 28, from Chicago and more than a little embarrassed that I let myself go for so long. So, hello all!
Problem is, I have no idea what I weigh and have an acute fear of getting on the scale. I know I'm somewhere around a size 12-16, maybe a little larger (I’m ashamed to admit that more often than not I wear loose dresses, elastic skirts, etc. and haven’t been clothes shopping for anything else in a year or so). I just get so discouraged by looking at weight numbers knowing my body-type is a bit larger boned than others. At my skinniest (college, ironically) I was a size 0-2 and weighed about 120-125 pounds- which seems high to me being only 5'4"? In short, I had to practically starve myself (700-800 calories, tops, with at least 1 hour work out 7 days a week) to get there. I do NOT want to do that again (not only was it unhealthy it was not something anyone could maintain).
Does anyone else not measure by scales here?
Also, does anyone have any advice for fitting in a work out when you work a lot? I am at work on average 11-14 hours a day (I even have to eat lunch at my desk 9 times out of 10). I do have time to work out on the weekends, however. I know most of my weight gain has come from working such a high-stress, long-hour job (I reach for the simple pleasures after work like carbs, cheese, etc.). I'm hoping to make some healthy changes in my life, eating less, drinking less and working out more. I guess I'm just looking for a little support and advice.
120-125 seems high to you at 5'4"? I'm 5'3" and 3/4 and my lowest adult weight is like 135. 120-125 is quite low! For comparison sake, I weighed 176 at my highest in university, and I'm a tad shorter than you. Everyone's different in terms of their frame, but I think it's a good idea not to force your body back down to a number where you had to starve yourself to make it work.
I'm sure there are plenty of ladies here who don't measure by scales, and just go by measurements, or even just how they feel. Ask around, you're sure to find other people who don't want to obsess over the number.
First of all, welcome! This site will be a really useful too for you, I promise. It’s made a huge difference for me and a lot of the other girls, as well.
Second of all…there are no rules that apply for everyone. Meaning: a lot of women weigh at the beginning of their weight loss journey, but that doesn’t mean you have to. If you think the number itself might overwhelm or discourage you, don’t weigh! You can give yourself some time, make some healthy changes, started feeling more in control and confident, and then brave the scale and remember it is in fact just a number.
And you can always take measurements. Those are a little less intimidating for some reason. I just recently started doing it and it’s helped keep me motivated…sometimes you’ll lose inches when you don’t lose pounds, so it’s important to keep track of!
Good luck and I look forward to hearing about all your future success!
Hey, don't be embarrassed! you should be proud of yourself that you're making the decision to change your life now it's better now then never right? some people keep gaining and gaining and don't do anything about it.
You should try dancing. Like, what I do is usually lock myself in my room, blast on my ipod and go crazy lol you don't even notice how fast the time goes by because you're so into the music, so busy grooving to it and it burns lots and lots of cals too =) also try jogging. Maybe wake up early before work and take a nice jog outside before anyone else is awake, grab a buddy or just your ipod.
And you can always try doing lunges, situps, pushups at home wherever you are...whether it'd be waiting for your food to warm up in the microwave or your tv show to come back on or anything.
Good luck! and welcomeee you will find lots of support here
also I think it's better to not get too attached to the scale---it's good to know where you are but I know some people who check their scale like every day, and it's going to go up and down before it goes down trust me and the frustration of seeing the numbers dance like that will drive you nuts--so I think it's better to go by inches and check the scale like every 2 weeks maybe? or every other week?
Last edited by beautifulmess; 03-11-2010 at 10:52 AM.
Thank you for all the warm welcomes, I appreciate it. I appreciate the suggestions too and comparisons...I know everyone is different but at a size 0 in college everyone was amazed that I was still in the 120s, which made me feel really down and generally wary of scales. I like the idea of measuring by just that, measurements. At least for now so as not to freak myself out. I don’t want to be a 0 or 2 anymore, I was uncomfortable and couldn’t sleep because of my bones having no cushion. LOL. I’m thinking a 6 or 8 would be perfect and where I was four years ago through healthy eating and regular exercise (course, I had more time on my hands back then as well).
I also love the idea of dancing- I adore dancing. I would love to be able to jog or run but, even at my lowest weight or my fittest (which were not the same point in time, I realize) I couldn't jog for more than two minutes (I have had Asthma since age 4 that is allergy as well as exercise induced). I love walking or hiking though- its just a matter of finding the time. I'm trying to take more time off work if possible to take better care of myself, however, and think the work/healthy life balance will be the hardest for me to achieve personally. This week I've been eating healthy and trying to wake up really early to either get in weights/crunches or get into work right away so I can get home early to do a walk...can't wait for Daylight Savings this weekend though so I don't have to walk in the dark, you know?
It is really nice to meet all of you and I look forward to getting to know all of you better. Thanks again for the words of encouragement.
If you are really short on time, maybe you could try some exercise videos? The 30DS is only like 20 minutes and is a CRAZY workout (for me at least) - also, for running purposes, you should look into the couch to 5 k - it helps you to be able to job 3.2 miles and might be something interesting to you!
Hi! I live in Chicago too. One thing I do (when it gets nice out) is to bring workout clothes to work with me and walk home with my work clothes in a back pack. This of course depends on where in the city you live. I work right downtown on the river and I live in Lakeview. The walk is a little more than 4 miles and it takes an hour or so.
I realized that with traffic the bus or train sometimes takes 30 -40 minutes to make this 4-mile trek, so I'm really only sacrificing an extra 20 minutes of my personal time. And then I get home, shower and I'm done with my exercise!
i also hate weighing myself.. i'm a size 2 & weigh 131. people are usually shocked that i can fit in to a size 2, lol. i'm a pear shape so i have a little extra cushion back there ..
what i normally do is go straight to the gym after work, because if i sat down at home .. i wasn't getting back up!
Ever consider maybe cutting back on your hours? I used to work 14 hour days as well, and the stress alone probably contributed to about 20 lbs of my weight gain. I lived in NJ and I would just bring work out clothes with me and stop at the gym on my way home - it was my means of beating rush hour. Another thing you could do is work out very early in the morning, before work. I try and do that now (or am trying to get back into it) and it just starts the day off on a positive note and helps me handle stress during the day much better.
Also, there are plenty of people here who don't use the scale but use measurements.
Congratulations on making the decision to change your life!
Since you have to spend so much time at your desk, is it possible to replace your chair with a pilates ball so you're getting some core workout done while you sit? I would also suggest getting some ankle weights, so whenever you have to walk to the photocopier or someone else's office, your legs have to work just that little bit harder.
If you work in a building with many floors, take the stairs to your office, or take the elevator halfway and the stairs halfway, or some combination so that you're getting some good aerobic exercise in just getting to and from work.
As for eating, I package all my meals and snacks into individual serving containers, and plan all my meals so I never end up grazing or just grabbing something quick and fattening.
I hope you're able to balance this lifestyle change with such a busy schedule! I can't imagine working a 14-hour day! Good luck!
Wow! Some really good advice all around. Why didn’t I stop lurking several weeks ago?!
petlover- I've seriously been contemplating 30DS...it looks a little intimidating right now but I think after walking for a week or two I might try to tackle it.
Shytowngal- Nice to see a fellow Chicago gal! I work right by the river as well. I would love to walk home from work but it would probably take two hours (its about 8 miles or so north of downtown). I thought about walking for an hour on the Lake path then getting a bus/the El the rest of the way but I would need to grab the Red/Brown line or the Clark/Broadway bus to make it home and haven't been able to figure out the logistics. If you know the city better than me and have any advice, I would appreciate it. In the alternative, a street with not a lot of stop and go traffic might be a way to walk half-way then grab a bus/El.
diornotwar- Good for you! I really hate the gym so I try to walk outside whenever I can. I have a treadmill at home but hate the thing. 30 minutes on it is torture (but an hour outside passes like nothing). As far as extra cushion- I had to LOL. Even when I was tiny I had a butt J-Lo would envy.
stellarosa27- I'm trying to cut back on hours lately but its really hard to do that in my profession (though I probably should be working right now and found time to repy) Some days I have to be available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (at least reachable by the devil I call the Blackberry). I'm trying to wake up earlier so I can do 15 minutes of crunches, etc, shower, get into work ASAP and get out as early as I can so I can walk outside (weather permitting) for an hour and then work from home if need be...I'm hoping that will work at least 3 days during the work week. *fingers crossed* I agree that I might need to move all of my work out to the morning, however, if that doesn’t work.
Kirjava- Thanks! I work in a very conservative office so I think a pilates ball or ankle weights would be frowned upon. I have been trying to take the stairs however at lunch time when I go get lunch and when I get in (2-5 flights each time). I like your idea of packing meals as well- I've been doing that for breakfast and grabbing Subway for lunch but I know Subway is going to get old pretty quickly and I might be tempted to venture towards bad food.
Gosh, I really should have posted earlier...you guys are keeping me motivated.
Just a suggestion. Where do you work? Before I moved to Tennessee I worked at a newspaper. And I worked looooong hours 6 days a week. What me and some of the girls I worked with would do is take a break for a walk every day. We worked "downtown" and there was this promenade that was just beautiful and about a mile long. Sometimes we had time to walk the whole thing, sometimes we didn't. We also worked next door to a convention center that was very large so during the winter months we would walk in there. I maintained my healthiest weight working there. And it really only took 30 minutes out of my day every day. Just an idea!! Good luck!
Hey Brittany, thanks for the welcome! I work in downtown Chicago...your suggestion is a good one. I will have to think about whether I am near any buildings big enough to walk around in during the winter (I'm nowhere near our Convention Center). I'm not really close enough to the lake path to walk there but I'll have to think if there is a path along the river...you would think there would be. Hmmm, will have to do some research. Thanks for the idea.
Coming Out...and scales
I just get so discouraged by looking at weight numbers knowing my body-type is a bit larger boned than others. At my skinniest (college, ironically) I was a size 0-2 and weighed about 120-125 pounds- which seems high to me being only 5'4"? 
In short, I had to practically starve myself (700-800 calories, tops, with at least 1 hour work out 7 days a week) to get there. I do NOT want to do that again (not only was it unhealthy it was not something anyone could maintain). 
Everyone's different in terms of their frame, but I think it's a good idea not to force your body back down to a number where you had to starve yourself to make it work.
and hang around, this place is great support. 
Some days I have to be available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (at least reachable by the devil I call the Blackberry). I'm trying to wake up earlier so I can do 15 minutes of crunches, etc, shower, get into work ASAP and get out as early as I can so I can walk outside (weather permitting) for an hour and then work from home if need be...I'm hoping that will work at least 3 days during the work week. *fingers crossed* I agree that I might need to move all of my work out to the morning, however, if that doesn’t work.
