Unhappy.. Again.

Uptopargolf

Hi everyone, My names Chris. I've been using myfitnesspal on and off for a while.. I have been struggling with my weight every since I was in sixth grade. I'm currently 20, turning 21 in only 11 days! However, I'm unhappy with the way I look once again. I guess it would be appropriate to start with a back story first:


MY GRADE SCHOOL DAYS!
In sixth grade I weighed a incredible 242 pounds! I still to this day cannot believe that I weighed so much. I ended up going on weight watchers and had a lot of success. From sixth grade to my freshmen year in high school, I had dropped about 50 pounds. I was right about 190-195 and was very happy with the way I looked. However, just like so many others I got complacent with my diet.

JUNIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL.
At the start of my junior yeah in high school, I weighed 224. I put back on most of the weight that I had worked off. I had swore I would never let myself do that, etc etc. However, there I was. Extremely disappointed. So again I went on weight watchers, however this time I wasn't going to meetings. I was just using the program from my home. By the end of my senior year I weighed 160! I was so happy. I was barely eating at all, but I didn't care because I liked the way I looked. However, I soon realized that there was no way I could keep myself going by eating only 500 calories a day.

FRESHMEN YEAR IN COLLEGE.
I had started to put on my some weight. Nothing crazy. Just a few pounds. By the end of my second year I weighed about 197. I was not very happy with what I looked like. Not much muscle, just over weight looking. So this time I was out to try something different rather than just lose weight. The solution? P90X! I completed 2 rounds, (180 days) and was extremely happy with the results.

IN THE MONTHS AFTER P90X.
I started my own business, and was pretty successful and again, it became harder to keep a diet and work out. However, I still watched what I ate.

PRESENT DAY.
Currently, I am 192 pounds. I have been working out two days a week with P90X videos, (chest and back, and shoulders and arms) my two favorites. But even I know this is lame, and It will never get me the results I desire. I plan to start up P90X again in December. However, I want to be much more strict with my diet this time around. However there are a few challenges that lie ahead. I am currently pretty busy, and also now have a girlfriend who takes up some time. However she is very supportive of what my goals are.

I guess the reason I am writing this, is because I can no longer keep going through all of this alone without telling anyone. I hope that perhaps in some way my story will reach out to someone and give them the motivation needed to create a better life for themselves. Because that is exactly what I seek. I even plan to maybe start a blog, or a least a topic on this forum to keep everyone updated. I know if I have something or someone to report to. It will keep me more motivated.

I welcome any opinions or comments, or questions that anyone may have. I look forward to talking with everyone here and wish everyone the best of luck with their fitness goals. Thanks, Chris.

kgs0201

good luck chris! it sounds like you know what you want and you've learned from your past in terms of what is a short term fix (like only eating 500 cals a day!) and what is a long term fix (like learning to eat healthy instead of just less!). Feel free to friend me for support! I've been on here for about a month and a half and the support is incredible!

StacLegg

Welcome to MFP!!!
You will never be alone again........... this is such a wonderful community!!
We all have a story, a struggle, and we will all have a success story if we do this together!!!
Glad you are here!!

swrightqh

Hi Chris! I want to wish you luck and offer one suggestion. When it comes to working out, I have found a few different things I like to do, this keeps it interesting, instead of doing the same thing all the time. I like to mainly run, swim, and cycle (indoor spin class). It's nice because if I don't feel like running, I can go to spin or head to the pool. It's also really fun to go to group classes sometimes, because there are all those other people to share the work out with. Sometimes if I don't have time to go anywhere I'll run or do a Jillian Michaels DVD. Anyway, you get the idea, I just know it can get boring if you do the same workout program all the time. Good luck!!

robin52077

Welcome back, hope you stick with it and reach your goals this time!:happy:
And of COURSE your girlfriend is supportive of your goals, you are creating eye candy for her, so it's for her as much as for you!
I wish mine would do something about the ever developing gut, he's gone from 178 to 199 in the 5 years we've been together, and ALL of it is right there in the belly for some reason....:frown:

Uptopargolf

Wow everyone. Thanks for all the reply's and support! Some great ideas also.

Robin I know what you mean.. I actually hope to try to convince my girlfriend to workout and diet with me. She wants to lose weight, but doesn't want to put in the work. We've all been there.

Swrightqh, Thanks for the ideas. I actually work out at home, so i am limited to what I do. However, I really do enjoy the P90X dvds, so I think they should keep my occupied for a few months at least.

Right now, It is the diet that I am most worried about. I am actually trying to work on it right now as we speak.

I'd like to do 60% protein, 20% crabs, 20% fats. I have a good amount of muscle from the last time I did P90X, and want to make sure I keep it, while stripping away the fat. Now its just trying to get the right food combination.

marniehodges

Well it sounds like you are ready to get "Happy" Chris and I think you're in the right spot for that. The support and motivation here are just amazing. The tools are great too, so make sure you use them all. So happy you have a supportive girlfriend too-that helps so much. Sent you a friend request . Looking forward to going through this together!

4lafz

Welcome and good luck. I agree with the poster that said to vary your exercise. Try to get some sort of exercise in 4 days a week. Include some fun things - bike riding, swiimming, volleyball, tennis - even golf! Perhaps your girlfriend can do it with you! the one thing that sticks out for me is the word "diet". It has taken me many years of diet - no diet - a vicious circle - to finally understand I need to eat healthy and workout FOREVER! Sure - once I am on maintenance (or even once in a while now) - I may go out to eat or splurge in another way - but now I know that I have to work those calories off and not let it de-rail me. The next meal - the next day - I am back onto healthy eating. It's the "norm" for me now. So is thinking about food as "fuel" and not a "reward".

Best of luck - I know you will be successful!

Uptopargolf

4lafz, Its funny you said that. I am actually a golf instructor, so I get lots of exercise in that respect. I plan taking up mountain biking. My best friend is big into riding bikes and I'm sure he would love for me to tag along.

Thanks again everyone for the support!