Newbie with 30 pesky pounds of phat to obliterate :)

absie107 · June 2010

Hello y'all! So basically this is the umpteenth attempt I've made to lose weight through tracking what I eat. When I did Weight Watchers, I got so obsessive over points that it was unhealthy. I don't really want to go back to paying for any sort of weight loss book or program because basically it's all telling me the same(ish) stuff in different words and layouts. On some of the other food tracking sites, I either had to leave for a while and lost my progress or just didn't like the setup of the site, etc. Hopefully this will work a bit better.

Anyway, I'm a 5'3", 150ish college student and definitely have flab to drop and muscle to gain. My issue is that I just really love the sensation of eating, and I'm slightly weak and cave to the desire to eat often, and then feel bad about it because I have to record it on my little food log. Most of the time it's overeating foods that are good for me... it's just too many calories. I'm majoring in anthropology and music, and the anthropologist in me has been reading plenty about early humans and all that jazz. Good thing civilization/agriculture/domesticating animals basically has led to our obesity epidemic. We're wired to eat a lot because back in the day... we would just eat when we came upon food as hunter-gatherers, when the next meal wasn't guaranteed and we walked/moved a lot. I'm having trouble coming to terms with a society where nobody is preventing artificial crap (mostly derived from corn and soy because we overproduce these crops) from being marketed to us. I don't know whether low carb or high carb or low protein or high protein or whatever is going to work for me, but I just want to eat food that is good quality, and I WOULD eat more meat if it weren't so processed or made industrially.

Anyway... of course I will be going to Bali, Indonesia, in about three weeks FOR three weeks, and maybe their longer-standing food traditions will help me come to savor things more rather than mindlessly shovel them in my face.

Please, share your experiences, your situations, your vices and your triumphs. I would especially appreciate anything my fellow college types or older teenagers have to share but everyone's stories help contribute to the bigger weight loss picture.

:-)

sarahsmom1 · June 2010

Welcome my nephew and his wife are Archeologists and my friends daughter is an anthropologist I took some in college, Cultural and Physical and an archeology class fun

mamitc01 · June 2010

You sound like me! I was a music major too, btw. But in terms of our FDA and what is actually allowed in our grocery stores! It's upsetting, especially for those of us trying to be healthy and make good choices for our bodies, society, and environment. I'd love to hear how your Bali trip goes and about their culture with regard to food.

absie107 · June 2010

joyrobles: that's pretty awesome!! i'm glad anthropology and archaeology are gaining ground... it's so interesting to learn about humans and what makes us tick!

mamitc01: that's so cool - what instrument or did you sing? And yeah... it's just upsetting. Part of it is that the U.S never really has had a defined food tradition for hundreds of years to keep us somewhat normal, so we are now the kings of fried (insert food here). The trip should be great, because I've been outside the U.S. but only to Western countries but not to Asia or anyplace else! I'll probably post pictures of the food I eat haha. Actually, one thing I already know, rice is a major staple due to their major rice fields, and your food is only a meal if you have rice with it.

dtraylor · June 2010

I exercise to eat. If you're gonna eat richer, higher calorie foods, then the tradeoff is you have to do cardio, and lots of it, to get your metabolism up to the point where it will burn those calories. As your life changes and you become more physically fit, you will find that you crave the foods less and less, and start to consider what you are putting into your body.

mamitc01 · June 2010

Well then, I hope you like rice!

I play cello... now I'm teaching in the school setting, but am still able to keep up with some quartet gigs and other random events. I love it, but I definitely miss being surrounded by it in undergrad! Enjoy your time!! What do you play/sing?

absie107 · June 2010

I play percussion, but I love to sing and I finally joined choir this year and LOVE it!!! Our choir also does a lot of world music, Indian, Chinese, Haitian, Cuban, lots of stuff. It's great! Cello is a gorgeous instrument.

FitToBeFab · June 2010

I found I had the same probelm with Weight Watchers. I was so focused on points that I didn't exercise AT ALL! I dropped weight quickly, but it all came rushing back as soon as I lost track. My problem with weight watchers really is that it doesn't take in to concideration the balance of a healthy diet. When I did it, it was all about calories, fat and fiber, and the higher fiber, the more you could eat. Looking back, that doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Not to mention that a lot of weight watcher recipes have a high amount of sodium!

Okay, that's my weight watchers rant...

I love MFP for the shear fact that I feel in control of what I'm putting in to my body. I've cut down on my processed foods, stopped swinging through the drive thru, and may have broken my habit of reaching for fast, easy dinners over healthier choices. I say "may have" because it's only been 6 weeks. My roommate and I are in this together, and it really helps to have that support. We keep on each other about making better choices, reminding each other the choices we used to make got us in to this mess.

I think even the name of MFP makes it better than all the rest! My FITNESS Pal. It's about fitness, health, balance, all that good stuff, not dieting. I hate the word diet, and the mentality behind it. Remember, diet is a four letter word! :happy:

Newbie with 30 pesky pounds of phat to obliterate :)

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