Short girl, smoker, ready to change

elleybean
elleybean Posts: 9 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey all, I've been lurking for awhile and decided to join. You all have been such an inspiration and I'm glad that I stumbled upon this site. I'm 36, mother of 2 and I'm a smoker...I know, I know...I'm trying. I am currently using turbo jam and Jessica Smith from youtube as a form of exercise. I have also been making better choices when eating, even though I do slip up. I'm going to be honest when tracking food because I need to look my eating habits in the face.

40 will be here whether I want it to or not so I want to look and feel fab :)

Replies

  • threechins
    threechins Posts: 35 Member
    Welcome and good luck.

    Having just hit 40 it isn't all that bad (although I say that being the fittest I've been in my life, it's a great way to feel hitting that milestone).
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
    Welcome to your new life. feel free to add me as a friend.
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    Being 39 and realizing that I was going to be 40 in less than a year is what really got me motivated to make necessary changes in my life about 4 years ago. I hope you can meet and exceed all of your goals!
  • thomaszabel
    thomaszabel Posts: 203 Member
    I was in the same boat when I started taking control of my life. It's easy to say "stop smoking, work out, and eat healthier", but I found that making too many changes at once can really be difficult. You may last for a week or two and then give up.

    Here's what I did:

    1) Switched to e-cigarettes over a 1-month period. I personally recommend Buck Naked brand over others I've tried. I started the first day replacing a few cigs with the e-cig, then a few days later, decreased cig use, and upped e-cigs, until I was totally on e-cigs.
    2) After making the switch from cigarettes, I started working out. I joined a gym, and started with easy workouts so that I didn't end up in pain. The Youtube videos you can find are cheaper than a gym, and are awesome. Just don't try to go full-throttle at the beginning. Start easy and slowly increase every week or every 3-4 days, so that your body gets used to it.
    3) I increased the number of vegetables and decreased the amount of meat and pasta. I also started cooking more, and used the internet to find cheap healthy recipes. Cooking with real food instead of the processed, out-of-the-box stuff helped a ton. Once again, I started by replacing a few processed meals a week with real food, then the next week added in another day of real food, etc.

    So now I'm running 5 miles and bicycling 15 miles every day. I track all my calories through MFP, I eat almost nothing from a box or fast food, and I quit the e-cigarettes a month ago. I lost 50 pounds, but I didn't do it all in 1 day or 1 week or even 1 month. I decided to take small steps towards health and wellness, and increase the steps gradually. It took more than a year to get to where I am now, but if you take it in small gradual steps, your body gets used to the change, you will get there, and you will feel great!

    Feel free to add me as a friend if you want.

    Good luck.
  • chasetwins
    chasetwins Posts: 702 Member
    Welcome to your new life girl :)

    A little bit older than you - smoker (ugh!!) hoping to be ex before I am 40! Mom of 3 plus borrowed Mom to 6 lol (Daycare provider) - Been at this for a year now with kind of a break in Nov/ Dec.
    I too and am using Turbo Jam (LOVE it!) - excellent results. Do the best you can each day and each day forward getting better. If you slip up on a meal - your next is a new beginning do not let one small mistake turn into a big one.

    Use the boards - they have helped me so much on my journey from simple venting - getting a giggle in or hard core advice. it is all here :)
  • jackic15
    jackic15 Posts: 6 Member
    Hello and welcome, I have just returned after not just falling off the wagon but totally loosing it too! You have made the first step, just keep putting one foot in front of the other!
    Oh, and I have just given up smoking and taken up vaping!
    Good luck
    :happy:
  • Sunshine4ume
    Sunshine4ume Posts: 5
    I'm with you. It took me many tries... did I say many, well that word is an understatement. But I just kept trying and trying, and finally, I kicked the smoke habit. What works for one doesn't work for the other.. you must seek and find what is making progress with you and keep an open mind to anything. :grumble:

    I'm also with you, a deep desire for me and now goal is for me to feel the healthiest and the healthiest I have ever been by the time I'm 40. :flowerforyou:

    I was also the same as you, using youtube.. preferable yoga supermodel momma.. (I must say she is one of the most motivating sites I've ever followed) and a little cardio like jump rope. Began making better food choices, and I'm still in the beginning stages of that. And I joined MFP so I could begin facing the food choices and keeping track of what I do and hope that it adds power to my choices...

    Feel free to add me,
    Blessings
  • elleybean
    elleybean Posts: 9 Member
    Oh wow, thanks everyone for the warm welcome and advice. The smoking habit is such a monkey on my back and when I quit cold turkey 2 years ago, I gained almost 30 pounds O_O but then again I wasn't at all active and just stuffed my face. I have a weak will but like I said I'm ready for the change. Not because of the summer season, no new years resolution...I am changing inside so I want to work on the outside as well. I also don't want to have a stroke at 36.

    Thanks again to you all.

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