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2007/07/28, 12:32 AM
I hadn't been on the scale in awhile, not because I was scared, but because I don't own one and just hadn't needed to be weighed. I figured I had put on maybe 7 or 8 pounds. I was wrong. I've gained 25 pounds, putting me at 299. That is a VERY SCARY number. I've never weighed this much and when I heard that number I felt like I had been punched in the gut.
I've never felt like a fat person, but being 1 pound shy of 300 has really opened my eyes. I'm likely not as healthy as I feel, and I'm sure diabetes is just around the corner if I continue this path.
Needless to say, I am extremely motivated to make some changes in my life. Looking back over the past 5 months, I know that fast-food has become a staple, and I usually eat supper around 9 or 10, which is much too late. Oddly enough, I do exercise. I walk an average of 18 miles/week. I haven't been lifting weights lately, but that will change.
I need to hold myself accountable, otherwise I will not stick to my plan. I will use this post as a journal, making entries as often as I can. Feel free to read along, send encouragement, advice, or even constructive critisism.
Wish me luck!
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2007/07/28, 12:40 AM
The first change (and most important in my opinion) that I am making is NO MORE FAST FOOD. Work has been crazy so after a long day I've fallen into the drive-through trap. I will admit, I have very little self-control when it comes to avoiding this wonderfully convenient stop, so I had to come up with a good solution. I now put my purse in the trunk! That way I have no money in the car, so it is no longer convenient to go through the drive-through. I'd have to get out of the car to get the money, which defeats the purpose. So far, so good.
Second big change, is not eating so late. I'm going to try to stick with no food after 7, but some days that just may not work. Ultimately, if I can stop eating 2.5 hours before I go to bed, I'll be pretty happy. Again, so far, so good. But I must say, my stomach is rumbling now - but it's soon bedtime so I'll tough it out.
Today's Menu
Breakfast: 3 eggs, low-fat shredded cheese.
Lunch: 1/2 cup of 3-bean hotdish, waldorf salad, and a brownie (i know, I know...)
Afternoon snack: diet coke, 3 turkey pinwheels.
Supper: Grilled chicken breast, sweet corn, carrots and cucumbers.
Exercise: Walked 2 miles.
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2007/07/28, 10:24 AM
beans1 - those are both really good chnages to make! Kudos on quitting the fast food - you will benefit in more ways than one from that - I would recommend figuring out how much you used to spend a week on fast food and then put that amount in an IRA or savings account for your future!
Eating after 7 is okay if you make the right food choices - a small bowl of lowfat cottage cheese and some walnuts, or even a salad with some chicken on top and a little olive oil or flax oil dressing.
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Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.
Thomas Carlyle
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2007/07/28, 10:28 AM
Welcome, beans... and good luck with the changes.
I think you may actually need to eat a bit more. Not getting enough can hamper the process of weight loss, too.
And certainly drink some water, if you aren't already.
I'm not convinced about the not eating before bed. If I'm hungry, I'll grab some cottage cheese or some natural peanut butter for a snack before bed.
Feeling hungry once in a while won't do you any harm, but all the time is not healthy.
t
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I see the words you are typing, but all I read is *click*click*click*
\"He may be gone, but Sanjaya proved that it doesn\'t matter how talented you are - if you believe in yourself, you can annoy literally millions of people.\" Jimmy Kimmel
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2007/07/30, 12:18 PM
Tim - I will work on adding more calories and including protein with every meal/snack. Cheese should be easy enough to solve that.
Day 3 is in the books. Still doing well. I did some cooking last night and have some meals ready for the week, so if I stick to those and not eat out, I should be golden.
Meals:
Breakfast: Egg crepes with cream cheese topping
Lunch: Chili-Lime Chicken breat, corn, carrots and cucumbers
Snack: more veggies with ranch
Supper: Chicken cordon bleu (made with ham and low-fat swiss cheese, ranch dressing dry mix, egg white), Onion soup mix potatoes
Exercise:
walked 2 miles
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2007/07/29, 12:26 PM
Asimmer and TimDay - Thank you for your encouragement and advice! For me, after 7 is when I'm craving the junk food and tend to binge, so it is better to make it very cut and dry - no food late. Once I get things under control a bit more, I may be able to open that up a little, but for now I need to be very strict with myself. And yes, I do try to drink a lot of water. I have a .5 gallon jug I carry around and I've been drinking two of those. Today will be more though because it's hot and I plan to be outside quite a bit.
Yesterday went well again. My only cheat was a small vanilla ice cream cone, but we did walk about a mile to get it, so I've got that going for me at least.
I have begun donating plasma again which means I will be weighed twice a week. Just knowing that I am going to be weighed again in a couple of days helps keep me on track - I want that number to go down EVERY time I'm there! Yesterday I was at 297, down 2 pounds from Thursday.
Meals:
Breakfast - 3 eggs with low-fat shredded cheese
Lunch - large chef salad with tuna, diet 7-up.
Afternoon snack - cucumbers and carrots
Supper - Pecan crusted chicken breast, Tomato and Cucumber Salad.
Exercise: Walked 2.25 miles
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2007/07/29, 02:53 PM
I still think you might need to add a bit more food. And try to include some protien with each meal. Cottage cheese would be good with the cucumbers and carrots.
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I see the words you are typing, but all I read is *click*click*click*
\"He may be gone, but Sanjaya proved that it doesn\'t matter how talented you are - if you believe in yourself, you can annoy literally millions of people.\" Jimmy Kimmel
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2007/07/30, 03:05 PM
Great job beans! Keep up the hard work, it will pay off before you know it. I preach it all the time, but may suggest that you check out fitday.com. You can track your weight, goals, foods that you are eating, etc. (it's all free) I was shocked at how much I was eating, or the unhealthy levels of carbs, fat, etc. in the small amounts that I was eating. I no longer use fitday as my eating habits are second nature now, but it was a GREAT tool as I was learning the "tricks of the trade" in making sure that I was eating well and balanced.
It looks like you are doing a great job. Be careful using cheese as your source of extra protien. I used to do that too. I LOVE cheese. However, it can contain higher levels of carbs and fats as well. Some other good protien options are low fat turkey, or tuna or even a protien shake in water.
Also, when you are walking, but sure to walk briskly enough to get your heart rate up. Maybe pick up a couple dumb bells and start lifting a little weight each week.
Keep up the great week and thanks for keeping us posted!
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2007/07/31, 10:40 AM
Everything is stil going well. I've been trying to eat more throughout the day, but it feels a little weird. I never feel hungry, but I am eating really healthy foods and drinking alot of water. This morning I did treat myself to a cappucino, which I'm sure is horrible for me, but I was up at the butt-crack of dawn and in for a long day at work. Here's yesterday's info:
Breakfast: 2 eggs with cheese
morning snack: slimfast
Lunch: Chicken Cordon Blue, large salad
Snack: veggies with ranch, string cheese
Supper: Pecan-crusted chicken breast, onion roasted potatoes
Walked about 1.5 miles. I need to crank this up a bit so I feel tired. I would love to be able to run, but at my current weight my knees can't handle it. When work slows down I will try to do more of my cardio at the gym on the elliptical - i get a good workout on that and it is easy on the knees.
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2007/07/31, 10:46 AM
Good job beans. Try swapping out your slimfast shake with a whey protien shake in water. It is much more nutritional and cheaper too! Great job on the eliptical! I can't seem to figure out how to work those darn machines. I don't think I have enough coordination to do it and usually look like an idiot trying. ha ha.
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2007/07/31, 11:16 PM
Thanks, Amy. I will give the protein shake a shot eventually. I typically only have a slimfast when I am in a huge rush, and the convenience of just popping the top is pretty nice... I do have some protein powder though - but it needs more than just water to be bearable!
Here's todays info:
Breakfast: slimfast
Lunch: 3 bean hotdish
Supper: Chicken Cordon Bleu, large chef salad
I know - i probably didn't eat quite enough today, but it was a hectic day!! I also should add I drank a diet coke and plenty of water.
I've walked 2.5 miles so far, and will be taking the dog out for another .5 mile before bed.
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2007/08/01, 10:01 AM
Great job Beans! What is the Chicken Cordon Bleu that you keep eating? Is that a fast food sandwich (I'm thinking Arby's) or something homemade? Just curious. You did eat a little better the day before with the extra snacks in there, but still a GREAT job. I'll give you my tasty recipe to use for the Whey protien shake. I used to have it every day when I was heavier, but now that I've lost weight and have been cutting the calories back a little, I'm back to standard whey and water. Yummy (NOT!). But, while you still have a decent amount of weight to lose, I think the below would be a tasty way to start. Be sure to mix up your diet a little if you can. You dont want to get bored! Hey, and don't forget to fill out your profile so that we know a little about you. :) Keep up the great work. You are doing an excellent job and should be very proud of yourself!!! :):dumbbell::dumbbell:
Recipe for tasty whey protien shake:
One scoop whey protien
1/2 cup SKIM milk
A few frozen pieces of fruit (I like strawberries)
1 6-8 oz bottle of low fat yogurt smoothie (I liked Dannon Fit and Light Strawberry Banana with the frozen strawberries).
Mix up well in a blender, refrigerate and shake up before you drink.
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2007/08/02, 11:38 PM
Chicken Cordon Bleu
4 chicken breasts, cut in half, pounded flat (1/4")
lay a slice of ham and slice of swiss cheese on each piece of chicken breast, roll up and secure with toothpick.
dip in 1 egg white, then coat the chicken roll in dry ranch mix. Bake covered at 350 for 20 mins, then uncovered for 15 mins. Very good!
I will try out your protein shake recipe - that sounds pretty good actually. I'll try to get the ingredients this weekend.
Well, good news: I've lost 5 pounds as of today!!! I've stuck to my main two rules (no fast-food and no eating late), along with eating smaller portions and overall better food. I'm pretty happy with the results thus far. I know, I know, it was probably all water weight. But all that means is soon I can get down to losing FAT. :)
Just a side note... please keep the families of the victims and missing from the 35W Bridge Collapse in your prayers. I was born and raised in Minnesota and will always consider it home. These are trying times for thousands of people.
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2007/08/03, 10:35 AM
Congratulations Bean!!! THat cordon bleu does sound tasty. And you are right, the first 5 lbs. are most likely a lot of water, but now that you are past that, you can get down to business and start burning the fat away. Way to go! You are doing great!!!
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2007/08/06, 02:00 PM
Where are you beans? How did you do through the weekend?
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2007/08/06, 06:43 PM
Sorry I haven't posted in a few days! I have done pretty good since my last post, except for Saturday. I was to a wedding, and I did have a piece of cake. But that's not the bad part - I drank a bit too much. However, drinking that much helped me not eat much on Sunday! :surprised:
I got back on track today, starting wtih a slimfast (i haven't made it to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for the protein shake yet!), then for lunch I had a BLT. For supper i am planning on a large chef salad and probably chicken of some sort - I haven't quite decided that portion yet. And its so nice out I'll be taking the dog over to the river and back, which is 2.5 miles. I'll report back tomorrow.
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2007/08/07, 02:17 PM
A wedding without wedding cake? And an open bar without drinking? Now those are two temptations that I think anyone would struggle with. No need to beat yourself up over it, you've been doing great.
By the way, don't forget to take measurements of yourself. It will really show you how much weight you are losing. The scale can lie. :)
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2007/08/10, 06:27 AM
Well life is keeping me busy - I'm TRYING hard to keep posting in a regular basis! As of yesterday, I have lost 9 pounds. 9 pounds in 2 weeks - I'll take that!!!! Again, I know, water weight. But weight is weight. I'm pretty happy.
The best part of it is that I don't feel like I'm dieting. I just feel good. In the past I'd eat for no reason at all - maybe boredom? As I would be ordering a pizza, or making some pasta at 10pm, I'd be thinking "Why are you going to eat this - you're not even hungry?". Then I'd proceed to eat, and eat, and eat, for no reason. I'd eat until it hurt, literally. I haven't felt really full since I started this - which is a great feeling.
I was thinking last night that I would like to start going to the gym, but I just don't have time right now. I mean, I could probably squeeze it in, but literally I'm never home for more than an hour at a time these days, which means a gym session could be tricky. Anyway, back to my point, I think I want to weight to start doing hard-core training until I am more confident in my nutrition. In the past when working out hard I've used that to justify over-eating. I'm still walking 2+ miles every day, so it's not like I'm not doing anything. I just want to wait on hitting the gym until I'm confident I can maintain both working out hard and eating well. For now I think the nutritional aspect is more important to me.
Now before I get the whole shpeel about how important working out is, I KNOW ITS IMPORTANT!! But nutrition is MORE important to me - at my size, if I don't get the food under control, working out is pointless. I went to the gym 5 days a week, every week, for over a year and didn't lose a single pound. Why? Because I still ate like a pig. I can lose weight by eating healthy and not lifting, but i can't lose by lifting and eating what I want. This much I know about myself.
Well i gotta run. I'll try to post more this weekend.
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2007/08/10, 07:23 AM
well no one knows your body better then you, so I think as long as you are loyal to your diet, you will get the results you want, by the way, do you have any more specific goals then losing weight? if you already posted them, sorry i must have missed them.
anyway best of luck to ya!
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Excusses are like a**holes, everyones got one, and they all stink
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2007/08/10, 02:14 PM
Good job Beans on the 9 lb. loss. But, I'm going to have to stop you for a minute, because you asked for motivation, advice and even constructive criticism. So, here I go.
You said that you used to eat and eat for no reason. And you have stopped doing that, and you feel great. Well, the reason you aren't going to the gym, in my opinion is a list of excuses. You say that you don't have time, and you only have 1 hour a day of free time. Usually when people say that they DON'T HAVE time, what they should be saying is that they WON'T MAKE time. I used to use the same excuse, by the time I get home from work, get the kids fed, get everyone bathed, clean up, spend some time with hubby, I have no time either. So, thus the reason I now go to the gym at 4:30 in the morning. Yeah, it sucks. But, if you want it bad enough, you will FIND A WAY to get it done.
You also say that you want to be more confident in your eating habits before joining a gym. Do you really want to be more confident in your eating habits, or more comfident in yourself? I think you need to do some soul searching and determine if this "nutrition is more important to ME" argument is only a defense mechanism to keep you out of the gym where you may feel self concious and alienated? (I can assure you this WON'T BE THE CASE, but I felt that way at one time).
I'm not going to preach how important working out is, you know that. But, you've been going strong in your eating for a little over 2 weeks and have lost 9 lbs. That is AWESOME! What makes you think that you will automatically start eating unhealthy as soon as you lift weights? That's a decision that you make. It doesn't have to be a a one or the other type of thing (exercise OR workout). How about you eat healthy AND go to the gym and workout? You have time to take a 2 mile walk, why don't you alternate the time you are spending walking with a workout at the gym every other day?
Since you asked for no preaching over working out, I'm sure that you realize that 1 lb of muscle will burn an extra 50 calories (give or take) and boost your metabolism depending on your weight. I know that you think that you will use working out as a justification for eating bad. But you admit that, and you know it. So, you can stop it!!!
So, that's my lecture for the day. You are still doing a great job. Maybe you can compromise with me. When I was really heavy a few years ago (220#) I didn't want to go to the gym because I was embarassed and felt stupid. Not saying you feel that way, but that's how I felt. So, I bought a DVD, it's called "Yoga for Weight Loss". It's got 4 levels, from advanced down to "never done yoga before" (which was me). I did that for a few weeks and could really start to feel some muscles developing. I still do yoga, but it's for meditative purposes, I find that my body has advanced past being able to use yoga for muscle building and needs weights. And honestly, I do too. I am adicted to the weights. :). So, maybe give that a try. The video is only like 45 minutes long. You can get up a little early and try it in the morning. :) Or, even try a video that offers aerobic/weight training in one. There are a lot of options to incorporate weights from home until you get to a level where you are ready to go to the gym. Good luck hon and keep up the good work.
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2007/08/11, 01:43 PM
Beans--
You are definitely on the right track--congrats on the 9 lbs.! There is nothing wrong with taking baby steps--sometimes that is what it takes for your changes to stick. That is basically what I did over several years.
The walking is fantastic. How long does it take you to walk 2 miles+? I did that, too. Started walking when my ex was getting ready for work, while the kids were still in bed.
If you aren't ready for the gym, how about trying workout videos in your home? I did these for years while I was a stay-at-home mom. And I didn't have a lot of free time--I was going to school part time and shuffling kids back and forth to after-school activities.
Anyway, I had to start with Jane Fonda's aerobic videos, but there is such a huge variety of videos now. Cardio and weightlifting, yoga and pilates, swiss ball workouts--lots of stuff that will keep you moving and getting stronger. I got good results back in the day from The Firm videos, which incorporate cardio and weights. Find something that looks like fun.
Just realize--you are doing it! You're making changes, getting results and your confidence is growing by the day! Keep it up--we're right behind you.
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2007/08/15, 01:50 PM
Sorry - I don't have much time to write, but I do appreciate everyone's input! Life is so hectic - working 60+ hours, building manager duties, volunteering for Special Olympics, baby showers, bridal showers, weddings - oh, and I have a new puppy to tend to. I need a vacation!
This past weekend was rough in the food department. I cheated and had fast-food twice. and drank some. I've been trying to be careful since though - but due to my insane schedule I've been eating a little later. Hopefully that doens't throw me off too much. Get weighed tomorrow - I'll write more then.
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2007/10/14, 12:34 PM
Well, I'm back. Life has settled down and I can again focus on me. The good thing is that during the last 2 months of pure chaos I didn't gain weight- I'm at 285. Now that it's cold out (I live in ND), I'll be going to the gym again. I'm such an outdoors person, I hate going to the gym when I could spend time outside. But outside isn't as much fun when it's freezing out! So I'm going to set up a FT workout, lifting 3 days/week. I used to go to the gym 5-6 times a week and became addicted. I'm hoping to eventually get back into that schedule, but for now I need to just focus on getting there 3 times/wk. I worked out some mini goals last night - writing down the weight I want to be by certain dates. It pretty much boils down to losing 10 pounds/month. By this time next year I want to be 175 pounds. But I'll focus on the mini goals, with rewards at each goal met. One pound at a time... I'll write more later this week.
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2007/10/21, 08:23 PM
I made it to the gym 3 times last week, lifting heavy all 3 times. It feels great to be lifting again. Food intake is going pretty well too. I did go out for a lunch meeting on Friday - I got chicken fajitas with water and ate about half of what was served. I counted it as my cheat. More later.
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2007/11/15, 01:33 PM
How you doing, beans1? Was reading your progress and it was inspiring to know that you are working hard to get to your goals, keep it up!
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Veda
It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. - Mabel Newcomber
Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. - Napoleon Hill
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2007/11/18, 11:37 AM
So much for writing more often! I'm struggeling with dedication lately. The good news is I haven't gained. The bad news is I haven't lost. I hit the grocery store up last night and got all sorts of healthy food to stock my fridge and cupboards with. Now I wont' have the option of bad food at home. I had to go back to putting my purse in the trunk to eliminate fast food.
It is frustrating to me that I have such little will-power these days, and I'm not quite sure how to get it back. I used to follow the "3 D's". Dedication, Desire, and Discipline. That helped me lose weight and stay focused a few years ago. Life was so good then - I was focused in all areas of my life. I've lost that fire and am not sure why. I'm going to have to work that much harder to stay on track. Wish me luck.
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