This is NO way to live.

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NatalieBrooke88
NatalieBrooke88 Posts: 240 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey everyone!
My name is Natalie. I am a 22 year old Georgia Tech student. I am a long time boxing instructor, more recent personal trainer, and overall- forever fitness enthusiast. My problem has always been my diet. I can bust my *kitten* everyday in the gym, however that firehouse sub, or chocolate chip cookie, or sweet tea always tempts me. Last year I lost a significant amount of weight (35 pounds) and got down to 127 lbs (18 percent body fat). I worked so, so, so, so hard for this loss. I must admit, some of my strategies were unhealthy and unorthodox, but the number on the scale ruled my life... and still does.

Since school began this semester and I have gotten extremely busy with personal training, I have gotten slack with my calories. I got on the scale and I weigh a whopping 138 pounds. I am still 18 percent body fat, however, I feel disgusting. I absolutely hate this feeling. All I can think about is the way my body looks.

November 20th is my cousins wedding, and I will see all my family. I want to fit comfortably back into my size 0 and I want to look extremely fit and stunning. My diet MUST get me there. Holding myself accountable is the only way I will succeed and meet my ultimate 125 pounds goal.

We are all here for the same reason. Always remember, "CHOICE, not circumstances, determines success"

Replies

  • jimmydeanbakker
    jimmydeanbakker Posts: 333
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    Yeah. You're doing everything right except your diet. This basically means you're working much harder at looking good and being fit than you would if you had your diet under control. Since you're only twenty-two, you haven't seen the direction your hips may take when you turn twenty-five. I hope that you take this website serious, log in your calories, and stay within your calorie count. It's important to eat to live instead of living to eat. I bet in a couple of months you'll be back to 127 pounds, looking good, and happy about life. Honestly, I cannot imagine 138 pounds looking bad, but I do understand. One of the ways I keep my calorie count down is to eat fresh fruit like apples, and I stay pretty active. Good luck on your weight loss goals. I think you can do it.
  • hawaiianmegan
    hawaiianmegan Posts: 11 Member
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    Go for it, girl! I am a lot like you - 23 years old, pretty fit and active, and I don't need to lose a ton of weight but I feel gross with that extra 5-10 lbs on my (already) small body. Don't let people tell you that you "don't need to lose weight" or you "already look ok." At 5' 3'' and 128 starting weight, I know I look good ENOUGH, but I know if I start eating healthier that I can definitely look that much better. I'm trying to reach 118 lbs (about 19-20% body fat). By just following MFP calorie guidelines for 5-6 weeks I dropped 5 lbs. It's getting harder to drop the last 5 but I'm not giving up. There's no shame in wanting to be a size 0 - I'm sure you'll look amazing!!
  • chefswife1975
    chefswife1975 Posts: 75 Member
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    It sounds to me like you need to honestly determine whether or not a size 0 is a healthy size for you. If it's too small then you need to really take a look at what you're doing to yourself. If it is a good size for you, if you're built small then more power to you. I'm 5'2", but my ideal size is a size 6. I have big hips, a big butt, big boobs and big shoulders. My ideal weight is about 120 when I am fit the way I want to be fit. I love to scuba dive, so I need to have a good amount of muscle, especially in my legs so I need the weight. That may not be what you need for your lifestyle. However, you need to really take a look at what you need to fit your lifestyle and then decide if you need to make a change in your diet.

    Good luck!!

    My husband is a fine dining chef so I have a lot of temptation around me all the time. I need to live my life in balance because I won't give up what makes me and us what we are. In that spirit, please remember...you don't always need to eat to live, sometimes it's nice to live to eat. ;o) All things in moderation, including exercise.
  • NatalieBrooke88
    NatalieBrooke88 Posts: 240 Member
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    Thanks for the motivation! Half my problem is being too lazy to go to the grocery store and buying healthy food. It is so much easier to just stop by subway on my way home and grab a sandwich... however this isn't the healthiest choice. After a long day of training, I did make it to the grocery store to pick up some fruit, lean cuisines, and low cal foods I love.

    You both look awesome, and I hope you go all the way with your nutrition/fitness goals!!! You're so right megan- you should never just settle for "good enough", ever.


    "Live everyday like you're wearing your skinny jeans!!"
  • NatalieBrooke88
    NatalieBrooke88 Posts: 240 Member
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    It is realistic- I am at a size two now (pants and slacks, not blouses). I am very muscular, so my arms are much wider than I would like. Just as well, unfortunately, I store my fat in my stomach- I am an "apple" shape. I ultimately would like to become more "cut" in the stomach. Perhaps, I will never look like the fitness models in the magazines, but I know my only chance of it is to cut down my body fat as much as I can. I just want to feel completely proud of all of my body. Loving myself regardless of weight is something I will be working at, but I take fitness so seriously that right now I am just incredibly disgusted with myself.



    Good Luck! It would be SO hard being around a chef all the time!!
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Hey everyone!
    My name is Natalie. I am a 22 year old Georgia Tech student. I am a long time boxing instructor, more recent personal trainer, and overall- forever fitness enthusiast. My problem has always been my diet. I can bust my *kitten* everyday in the gym, however that firehouse sub, or chocolate chip cookie, or sweet tea always tempts me. Last year I lost a significant amount of weight (35 pounds) and got down to 127 lbs (18 percent body fat). I worked so, so, so, so hard for this loss. I must admit, some of my strategies were unhealthy and unorthodox, but the number on the scale ruled my life... and still does.

    Since school began this semester and I have gotten extremely busy with personal training, I have gotten slack with my calories. I got on the scale and I weigh a whopping 138 pounds. I am still 18 percent body fat, however, I feel disgusting. I absolutely hate this feeling. All I can think about is the way my body looks.

    November 20th is my cousins wedding, and I will see all my family. I want to fit comfortably back into my size 0 and I want to look extremely fit and stunning. My diet MUST get me there. Holding myself accountable is the only way I will succeed and meet my ultimate 125 pounds goal.

    We are all here for the same reason. Always remember, "CHOICE, not circumstances, determines success"

    How do you gain 11lbs and your bf% does not change without working out?
  • jimmydeanbakker
    jimmydeanbakker Posts: 333
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    It is realistic- I am at a size two now (pants and slacks, not blouses). I am very muscular, so my arms are much wider than I would like. Just as well, unfortunately, I store my fat in my stomach- I am an "apple" shape. I ultimately would like to become more "cut" in the stomach. Perhaps, I will never look like the fitness models in the magazines, but I know my only chance of it is to cut down my body fat as much as I can. I just want to feel completely proud of all of my body. Loving myself regardless of weight is something I will be working at, but I take fitness so seriously that right now I am just incredibly disgusted with myself.



    Good Luck! It would be SO hard being around a chef all the time!!

    Um ... to cut up like you're talking about is pretty much all diet at this point. If you want to look like a fitness model, then find a personal trainer that trains fitness models. They usually know exactly what supplements you need to take, diet, and the exact exercises you need to do. It can get real expensive.
  • jimmydeanbakker
    jimmydeanbakker Posts: 333
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    Muscle mass!
  • NatalieBrooke88
    NatalieBrooke88 Posts: 240 Member
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    Yes, muscle mass- I have amped up my strength training a lot recently. However, I will be fine with losing both muscle and fat and being a smaller person in general.

    It is all diet. And when I say "fitness model"- I am talking about the cute girls in magazine such as shape- flat stomach, slightly cut abs. Not body building. A totally doable goal!

    I currently take oxyelite pro and CLA along with other supplements such as fish oil. I had to cut down my oxyelite dose though, because it was just too much on my body. My heart rate was getting into a scary range while working out. I would recommend oxyelite, though, for the appetite suppressant effect.
  • chefswife1975
    chefswife1975 Posts: 75 Member
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    When it comes to your tummy does pilates and yoga help? It seems like those would be the best way to go when trying to get rid of belly fat. I know exactly how you feel. About 6 years ago, all of a sudden I didn't have a flat stomach anymore. I was not pleased.

    Just a suggestion on the food...processed food like Lean Cuisines are not very good for you. They don't give you all of the vitamins and stuff that you need. That might have something to do with why you're stuck at a certain weight. Your body needs fresh foods. Here's a link that will tell you what's in season for any season in any part of the country. Check out your farmers market.

    http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap

    And this book will tell you the best way to cook different ingredients and what tastes best with them. It's really inspiring and taught me a lot about cooking. It helps a lot because you don't have to worry about whether or not combinations will taste good together. It looks like it's going to be way over complicated, but it's mostly just a food, with a list of other foods below it that taste good when cooked with it or served with it including herbs and spices that are good when they're cooked together.

    http://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Artistry-Andrew-Dornenburg/dp/0471287857

    I really hope these things help you get rid of those last few pounds!
  • NatalieBrooke88
    NatalieBrooke88 Posts: 240 Member
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    Oh yes, I agree about the lean cuisines. However, in the fast/easy/cheap category, it is one of my better options. I take plenty of supplements to get in all the necessary vitamins/minerals (yes, it is better to get these though food sources). Eventually, I will like to learn how to cook, but right now it is just not in the cards of me. I am loving all my fresh fruits and salads though (also easy options for me!) :)

    Cardiovascular exercise and dieting are the only thing that can truly get rid of stomach fat (or any fat Supplementing with yoga type exercises and strength training is helpful, though. I am hoping my dieting will help to cut down on the stomach fat, as there are not many other places on my body it could really come from (I will be very sad if my boobs get any smaller... haha).

    Thanks for the link!
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Yes, muscle mass- I have amped up my strength training a lot recently. However, I will be fine with losing both muscle and fat and being a smaller person in general.

    It is all diet. And when I say "fitness model"- I am talking about the cute girls in magazine such as shape- flat stomach, slightly cut abs. Not body building. A totally doable goal!

    I currently take oxyelite pro and CLA along with other supplements such as fish oil. I had to cut down my oxyelite dose though, because it was just too much on my body. My heart rate was getting into a scary range while working out. I would recommend oxyelite, though, for the appetite suppressant effect.

    One oxypro elite and one scoop of Jack3d and I am usually good to go

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