Ex College Athlete on a downward spiral!

kbusse
kbusse Posts: 12
edited November 8 in Introduce Yourself
Hello all,

I am a 25 year old female who once was a full time varsity athlete from freshman year of high school all the way through my 4th and final year of my college scholarship for VB.

After that my weight has been on a downhill slide. I work an hour from home 8-5 and after my 60 minute ride home working out is the last thing I feel like doing.

I have a wonderful supportive husband who constantly tells me he loves me no matter what, which I think is why I haven't done a better job of taking care of myself. My clothes are getting tighter and tighter..size large is quite tight. And I hate spending time working out during the few precious hours my husband and I get together during the day, we both have such busy work schedules.

I also struggle with the fact that a lot of our social life is going out for a dinner w/ couples, or out for drinks with my friends. I feel robbed that I can't eat what my other slimmer friends or husband can eat with gaining 12 pounds..and all in my stomach. I play in 2/3 volleyball leagues that are fairly competitive but it is just not like playing on a real team again or going through a strenuous practice..half the time I barely break a sweat.

Also, It is unbelievable how much of my weight gain goes right to my waist. It has gotten to the point where I am sure it is hard on my heart and body, and I am seeing pictures of myself and just cringing. I NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE.

I am hoping I can make a change before it gets to late. Also, I have a lot of digestive issue and INCREDIBLY painful acid reflux. I am def. a high strung individual but I want to know what kind of healthy diet will help my weight and my acid reflux!

Any suggestions would be great! Thank you!!!!!

Replies

  • therapyruns
    therapyruns Posts: 164 Member
    Bummer about your commute, but what about starting with workouts at home - such as insanity, p90x, jillian michaels dvd's? that way you don't have to feel as if going out to the gym is a hassle after your workday - AND you can do the workouts in the morning or at night depending on your mood :)
  • missleah26
    missleah26 Posts: 146 Member
    I used to have a commute like yours, which was a major bummer and why I gained a bunch of weight after college. It gets better!

    As someone who's very greedy with the amount of time I can spend with my husband, I'd recommend trying to work out together. My husband and I started running together (well, he started jogging and I was close to killing myself with effort) last summer and we really enjoyed it. Motivate each other! Even if your hubby doesn't think he needs it, it doesn't hurt :)

    As someone who can always find an excuse for skipping an after-work workout, try to get in the habit of working out early in your day. Even a short exercise video or gym routine (which is what I do) is better than nothing, and you always have the feeling that you got at least one thing accomplished that day! Mark Twain has a quote somewhere about eating a frog, and if you eat the frog first thing, you don't have to worry about it the rest of the day. I make sure all my stuff is ready to go: gym clothes to change into from PJs, work clothes, shower stuff, towel, lunch, etc. so that I don't have to think much when I wake up. Getting out of bed is painful, but having my hubby get up at the same time so he can run definitely helps.

    As far as diet goes, I'm not much help there, but I recently watched "Forks Over Knives" and "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" which brought up some very provocative points about the American diet. (Are you in the States? I know there are a lot of Aussie/UK users here...) We're moving toward a whole-food plant-based diet with meat only very occasionally and potentially incorporating some juicing into our routine. I'll let you know how it goes!
  • dunq13
    dunq13 Posts: 19 Member
    I, too, have a super long commute (about an hour)...on TOP of a 10+ hour work day, plus grad school. When I get home from work I am far too tired to do much of anything...plus I think being in the comfort of my own home has a psychological effect that makes me wanna sit on my couch and be lazy.

    I'm not much of a morning person, so while I tried working out in the mornings, I'd end up setting my alarm for 4 am and hit the snooze button for an hour and a half...ugh. If you can do a work out at home in the morning, that is GREAT. But for me, I found that if I went to the gym before I went home in the evenings, I could find the energy to get a good work out in. Sometimes, the hardest part sometimes is just getting to the gym. Once you're there, though, the energy of being around everyone else may be enough to push you forward. Good luck...you can make it happen!
  • kbusse
    kbusse Posts: 12
    I am in the US, and I def. am even disgusted with some of my own diet. I love fresh veggies and fruits and organic noodles, granola, etc but often they are so pricey! Do you have any wallet friendly options you guys have found? Anything online, etc?
  • kbusse
    kbusse Posts: 12
    By the way, thank you everyone for your input. My husband is usually up at 5 am to head to work..and it wakes me up everyday..and often I am more awake at that time than when I get up at 6:30 to get ready for work. Maybe I need to start staying up when he leaves and do a video at home/ we just acquired a bowflex from a friend who is moving onto some more intense cycling training.
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