Here goes

lewiswalsh
lewiswalsh Posts: 11
edited September 22 in Introduce Yourself
Nearly 31, been overweight as long as I can remember. Determined to do something about it now though.

Vegetarian and regular, if less than keen, gym goer. Actually quite enjoy the weight/resistance training but hate cardio. About to start the Couch to 5k program.

Food is my downfall.

Replies

  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    Welcome Lewis! I can't believe I'm the first to comment lol - You're going to do great with the C25K if you pace yourself and you're determined to get it done. Food is my downfall too - I took up cooking FULL-TIME when I started losing weight because processed food is just too high in cals for me to eat as much as I want - I am insatiable! hehe

    If you need any motivation or support, feel free to friend me :bigsmile:
  • lewiswalsh
    lewiswalsh Posts: 11
    Hi!

    It's so sweet of you to reply, I really didn't expect anyone to do so. I had a quick peek at your profile and you're a genuine inspiration, my own very personal congratulations on your success.

    I work alone most of the time and spend a lot of my free time alone. This means I tend to snack a LOT, but I've stopped that now. I joined an evening class in Italian a year ago, just to get me out of the house a bit more, something other than sitting at home eating!

    I really enjoy cooking, but it's so hard to do it just for one. Do you just cook for yourself? Do you have any tips??

    Thanks again for the support, it means a lot,
    Lewis :)
  • Beebee78
    Beebee78 Posts: 703
    Welcome to MFP! YOu will find so much support here on your journey xxx
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    Hi!

    It's so sweet of you to reply, I really didn't expect anyone to do so. I had a quick peek at your profile and you're a genuine inspiration, my own very personal congratulations on your success.

    I work alone most of the time and spend a lot of my free time alone. This means I tend to snack a LOT, but I've stopped that now. I joined an evening class in Italian a year ago, just to get me out of the house a bit more, something other than sitting at home eating!

    I really enjoy cooking, but it's so hard to do it just for one. Do you just cook for yourself? Do you have any tips??

    Thanks again for the support, it means a lot,
    Lewis :)

    I lived/worked alone for several years while I was in school and it really does impact your eating habits... Having others around tends to keep you accountable to yourself. Once I moved back with the folks (darned economy!) and started cooking for 3 instead of 1, I noticed a marked improvement in my eating habits and how easy it was to stay on track. Depending on your work situation, maybe pack your lunch every day in portion sizes and leave the office for 30-40 mins to eat in a public space. You'll find you eat slower and only as much as you've portioned out for yourself. Also, bring lots of healthy snacks and if you're ever feeling peckish at night when you're bored, leave the house and go for a walk for 30 minutes and then have a tall glass of water. If you're still hungry, use the 150 calories or so that you've burned walking to have a light snack.

    Exercise is a good way to mitigate loneliness and boredom. When I moved home last year I didn't know anyone in the city and had no idea where to start making friends. I joined a baseball league this summer and started running and it really helped to ease the loneliness. Besides - seeing yourself progress along the C25K program will make you feel SO good about yourself, you're not going to want to stop running :happy:

    Tips for cooking... Hrmmm I have TONS! hehe Depends on what you like, what you normally eat, and how much work you want to put in. When I first started losing weight last year I was totally OBSESSED with food - I found that obsessing over new recipes (with my eyes) was better than obsessing with my mouth! I spent so much time searching online for new, easy and fast recipes. I started experimenting with different ethnic cuisines (Korean, Mexican, Indian, etc) and I became really, really good at substituting ingredients to my taste to make things extra healthy. I have about a million recipes I could share with you, depending on your time/skill level restraints. Send me a message whenever you are craving something tasty or want to try a new dish and I can certainly provide you with a few ideas :happy:

    Take care Lewis and GOOD LUCK on the running. I know you're going to be great!
  • lewiswalsh
    lewiswalsh Posts: 11
    "obsessing over new recipes (with my eyes) was better than obsessing with my mouth!" - that is such an amazing way to look at it! It's exactly what I'm going to do.

    One other really important thing I took from your reply was the idea of the healthy snack, it know sounds obvious but I really can't think of many! So that's another job, research that.

    I love Thai, Indian, and Mexican food, though my diet is predominently Italian. I'm gonna get more adventurous.

    Let me just say I had no idea how interacting with total strangers on this website would keep me so motivated :)
  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
    I feel ya on the cardio. I lifted an extra 30 minutes just to put it off. Then I dusted the machines and cleaned the windows. Finally sucked it up and did it anyway.

    Welcome.
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
    "obsessing over new recipes (with my eyes) was better than obsessing with my mouth!" - that is such an amazing way to look at it! It's exactly what I'm going to do.

    One other really important thing I took from your reply was the idea of the healthy snack, it know sounds obvious but I really can't think of many! So that's another job, research that.

    I love Thai, Indian, and Mexican food, though my diet is predominently Italian. I'm gonna get more adventurous.

    Let me just say I had no idea how interacting with total strangers on this website would keep me so motivated :)
    Whatever works!

    Thai and Indian food are SOOO good - The complexity of spices make supremely tasty dishes out of very few ingredients, and the creations are virtually endless! Just beware - both tend to call for a LOT of oil and you can usually cut it down by 1/2-2/3rds and still end up with an amazing dish. Just be smart about it - surely you know how much oil is required to cook something!

    Mexican food... Oh boy! So awesome. I literally add black beans and corn to everything I make hahaha A little goes a long way, too! High protein in the beans and loads of flavour. Goes great with Korean fusion type recipes, in my experience, too. I make a super healthy version of Huevos Rancheros (sort of) poaching eggs in a tomato, corn, and black bean stew with cilantro and feta on top - totally delicious and very low cal. Lots of cumin and coriander and you've got a really delicious dish in no time at all. Makes great leftovers too if you only poach enough eggs to eat for the meal and then keep the "stew" in the fridge until your next meal. Re-heat and add eggs, and you're good to go. Here's the recipe: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/123386-eggs-poached-in-a-tomato-corn-and-black-bean-stew-with-fe?hl=eggs+poached#posts-1678575

    Healthy snacks - super important. I keep loads of fruit on hand because I know that I can grab it and eat it in a few mins, minimal work and usually satisfies a sweet-tooth. If I'm craving something savoury, popcorn is a great way to go, a handful of nuts, some dry high-fiber cereal, or even a bowl of oatmeal (if i'm really hungry!). If you want more protein and less carb, try some greek yogurt or fat-free cottage cheese with raspberries.

    Hope this helps! :bigsmile:
  • brockly25
    brockly25 Posts: 150
    you have to do exercise on what you like if you pick things you dont like your not going to keep them up
    do you like so do anything thats fun ans call exercise?

    walking a dog .... playing a sport .... riding a bike .

    if you fine something you dont mine you have a better change on doing offen :)

    and if you put down what you eat ... it will show you what you do to make your body feel the way it dose :)
    if you have 6 lg frys ... put it down ... yeah the day you do it you say why ,,, but if you have it down on the site you will see it day threw day what you did and then your mind will see how to fix it ....
  • lewiswalsh
    lewiswalsh Posts: 11
    meagalayne, I tried Greek Yoghurt and it is sooo nice!

    Thanks Brockly25, makes a lot of sense, and to binary_jester for the welcome.
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