I want to get strong, not skinny!

bicyclebee

Well, well, well, where to begin? I first joined mfp 2 years ago, weighing about what I did now, and wanting to get skinny. I ended up losing 25+ lbs by diligently (obsessively?) counting every single calorie I ate, but due to a pretty severe case of bdd, it was never enough. At my lowest weight I looked like this: (totally nsfw - http://rs33.pbsrc.com/albums/d52/onefortytwo/Untitled-6-1_zpsd9e48716.jpg~320x480) and although I expressed contentedness with myself outwardly, inwardly I was saying "just 3/4/5/etc more lbs and I'll be perfect." It certainly didn't help that on mfp I was getting multiple friends requests per day by young girls with eds, and that became the majority of my friends lists - people who berated themselves for being "disgusting fat whales" for eating 500 calories a day. Although I was proud of myself for losing so much weight in such a short time, I wasn't strong. My body wasn't actually capable of a lot, other than posing obsessively in front of a mirror.

And so, as with many unhealthy habits, it became very difficult to keep up, and at some point I eventually broke and said "screw it" and started eating everything. I gained back all the weight I lost and then some, and I became even more unhappy with myself. All in all I gained more than 30 lbs back and got to be the heaviest I had been in years, probably ever. I thought about coming back to mfp again many times, since I knew calorie counting worked, but I also knew it wasn't healthy for me mentally at that point, as I tend to get too obsessive, so I refrained.

All this time I'd been working a soul sucking corporate desk job where I was sitting 7-8 hours a day. In March I got laid off, and although it was difficult financially, it was possibly the best thing that could have happened to me at that point. With my newfound free time, I started cycling, a lot. I mean I always cycled (I don't have a car so it's my main mode of transportation), but I took it to a new level - I started cycling cross country. Now, at the end of the summer I've found my true love - I've cycled across 4 provinces and into 2 countries, and although I'm sad it's probably too cold now for any more serious trips this year, I hope this is just the beginning of my love affair.

So now here I am, the same weight I was 2 years ago when my bdd told me I was chubby and gross, but when I look at myself I feel different. Maybe my body looks the same, but now it's capable of so much more, so I feel differently about it. I have a long way to go, but now my goals are no longer in pounds, but fitness achievements.

So that might have been the most long winded intro ever, but what I'm trying to say is, hi! I'm a late-20-something from Toronto, I love cycling, I've been a vegan 9 years, I want to get strong, and my ultimate goal is to cycle across 10 countries in Europe. If you read all of this and don't find me incredibly annoying, let's be friends!

SGM_Adonis

Can you provide a condensed version of this. Reading burns calories and I need muh gainz.

Hornsby

SGM_Adonis wrote: »

Can you provide a condensed version of this. Reading burns calories and I need muh gainz.

I laughed.


OP, just make sure you are on lifting heavy.

Brittany456

I don't find you annoying. Lol! I feel the same way I'm looking to be strong and healthy, I believe in pushing our bodies to the fullest capacity. Strong is sexy!

brdnw

I try to lift for strength and everything i've ever read has me to believe to do rep ranges of 2-4 reps of weight that you can't do more than 2-4 reps of and to do many sets of it. That's how i've lifted essentially for the past 4 years and i feel like i've developed a good deal of strength.

and you'll need to figure out some protein sources especially being vegan, protein is vital.

Dumbbell69

Feel free to add me