Gotta Start Somewhere

aninn1126 · March 2017

So I realized today I weigh the same as I did when I was about to give birth. I'm clocking in at 178.1.... I think in boxing I'd be a welter-weight class, lol.

Kidding aside, this is not me. I should be at 145 according to my doctors. I eat healthy but I don't get moving. So here I am. I won't go to a gym because I hate exercising in public... I've got a weird hang up thinking I'm being judged by others even at the so called "judge free" places. So I have my treadmill that's doubled as a laundry hanger, my Fitbit and this app.
So, what do I want? To not be heavier than my husband! I know the scale tells only numbers and not to putt all my eggs in that basket but hearing the screaming from my jeans when I try to button them is hard to ignore. I was a perfect size 4 just 4 years ago. Last August a size 8...... now a 10 is getting snug. So it doesn't make sense to buy new and larger clothes. I have tons of clothes if I could just fit in them, that would be great.
I have kids, pets, a husband , and work full time. Finding time to carve out for me is almost impossible but I think I've found an hour a day mon-fri that I can shimmy a workout into where I am not bothered by the kids or disturbing the husband who works from home. Taking the the dogs out for a walk is not really exercise... they are tiny and stop for EVERYTHING! Besides, Wisconsin sucks about 9 months of the year weather wise. I'm not a fan of cold, rain, or snow.

Food, yes I love food. I cut as many preservatives from my diet and try to stay away from proscessed stuff. It's tasty but I know it's just not good for me. I am not afraid of pasta or bread and I don't want to get so restrictive that food stove being enjoyable. I love to cook and eat. I don't want to hate food and develop a disorder by restricting too much and cutting out even more. Food brings me joy. I understand pizza will go to my behind faster than a lean salad. I enjoy both, but sometimes eating out or eating less than healthy is allowed without guilt! Food is not my issue with my weight, it's my lack of moving my butt off the couch and working off whatever I do eat.

So , just looking to find others that have busy lives and are positive motivators( please save the inspirational quotes and kumbaya stuff for someone else). Anyone willing to be a check-in buddy and help hold me accountable to my workouts and yell ( politely lol) at me when I'm making excuses or getting lazy? How do you find time to make it happen? What has worked, what doesn't? What changes have you made that's made a lasting impact? What changes were a disaster?

NerdyWord33 · March 2017

Hmmm... Eating too little was definitely an issue for me the last time around. I lost loads of weight quite quickly,but put it all back and then some.
I refuse to ban anything from my plate,because I know I won't hold myself to it.
Trying to get back into working out and...Eating appropriate portions.
What has really helped...Mmm...It's my 2nd round of MFP, and, honestly, I've not made it that far yet.
If anything had stuck, I wouldn't be here.
Just changing my approach this time.
The ever increasing pants size...That gets out of hand quickly!
My size 6 rapidly became a 16/18. Yikes...
My goal, I want to be fit again. I used to kickbox and assistant instruct Kenpo... I miss it so very much.

4legsRbetterthan2 · March 2017

The best advice I think anyone can follow is to create a plan that works for you, otherwise what the heck is the point of having a plan you will not follow.

I was excited you said you have a fitbit, as I love mine, and use that to set my calorie goal off of. So I would say if you have been wearing your fitbit lately, the look at the data from that. What does it say you typically burn each day? Set your my fitness pal (MFP) goal below that. (-250 cals/day = 0.5 lbs loss, -500 cals/day - 1lb loss, or whatever you chose. I know it feels like you have alot to lose, but with a 30ish lb loss goal I would not advise trying to lose faster. I know it sounds appealing, but doing so may put you in a binge cycle where you cut too low, are miserable, break your plan, and get no where)

If you hate exercise then you don't have to do it. You can always try to get a little bit more incorporated throughout your day: when I go to the bathroom at work I take a stroll around the floor too, go for a quick walk if you have breaks, take the long way to wherever you are going. Park in the back of the parking lot, stroll around the store a little extra, play outside with the kids when the weather is nice!

You will find there are clean eaters, but alot of MFPer ascribe to the eat what you want if it fits into you calories group. I am the latter if you want a friend in that camp feel free to add me. You don't have to cut out foods if you don't want (i mean realistically there are some things that you just can't fit, but you get what I mean).

My last bit of advice: most people are eating more than they think. Even when logging. It can be time consuming and a PITA, but up front I suggest getting really strict with your logging for a few weeks, really put in the time to learn the tools, make sure you are selecting accurate entries, and make a few recipes you use often, and pretty soon it will be a breeze. Inaccurate logging was my biggest fault when I fist tried this, and it put me back several months until I really figured it out.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

aninn1126 · March 2017

Thanks for the insight. Glad to know it's not just me having issues. I only cut the processed stuff (mostly, I'm not 100% free of it, because let's face it: mac n cheese is just too good sometimes!) to help with my overall health. It's helped with my digestion issues ( I have leaky gut syndrome... gross sounding name for can't process food properly and my small intestines are messed up) and makes me think a bit more about what I'm eating. I know fast food will take it's toll as soon as I eat it but sometimes it's just what I want to eat. Hopefully we can share anything that works or what we're trying and get healthy!

aninn1126 · March 2017

Thanks 4legsRbetter, I know 30 is a big goal and it's not gonna come off right away. I like exercise....like, not love. It's hard with a full schedule to carve out the needed time (uninterrupted)to do it and then be able to clean up for the next part of my day. I've identified a solid 2 hour window to get in my exercise and shower that I think I can do 5 times a week. With nicer weather, getting outside and doing my yard work will help to sneak in the extra movement I need. Clean eating is just not a whole commitment I can do! I try my best but I like junk food once in a while. As I mentioned in my comment to NerdyWord33, I have to be careful because certain foods will make the rest of my day miserable.

Gotta Start Somewhere

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