Looking for some MFP friends!

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jcbelville
jcbelville Posts: 10 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello! I've had a profile here for a long time, but I have no friends and found that trying to lose weight alone is really difficult. I need some people to kick me in the butt and remind me that snacking isn't worth it.

I'm Josh, I'm 29 as of yesterday, and I live in Portland, OR. I'm attempting my Masters in Theatre Arts at Portland State right now. Hopefully only have one more year after this one. I also very recently got into weight lifting, and really really enjoy it. But I found that trying to consume 200+g of protein a day has meant more fast food and general gluttony than I really should be participating in. Four years ago as an undergrad at Boise State I was 215 lbs (at 6'5") and now I'm at 270. I absolutely refuse to hit 275. I also have a family history of diabetes so ... yeah. I want to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand.

My biggest issue really is snacking. I find I'm really good at justifying why I need a soda, or a bag of chips. Fortunately I don't gorge on a big bag of Doritos and a two liter of Coke like I did when I was in high school. I can get by with a small bag, and a 20oz soda. But I still eat fast food, and I've been doing it a lot lately. Basically making bad choices.

My goal is to get back to 215. And also to squat 1.5x my bodyweight. Which will hopefully be 322lbs, if you get where I'm going.

Anyway, thanks for listening! :)
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Replies

  • VertigoDeath83
    VertigoDeath83 Posts: 24
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    The fast food habit was the hardest for me to break. I groom dogs for a living so my work schedule was hectic and the quickest thing was to grab some fast food. Recently I was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure so I have basically overhauled the way I eat. Very low carb diet for me. I know trying to do this alone is hard so I will definitely be there for support and encouragement. :)
  • jbilgs
    jbilgs Posts: 38
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    I'm getting my BFA in Theatre Arts/ Acting at Boston University right now! Feel free to add me :)
  • jcbelville
    jcbelville Posts: 10 Member
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    Since I'm weight lifting, I need to keep a pretty high intake of protein for muscle growth. This led to me thinking that a great post-workout meal would be a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, some fries, and a coke. So I've been doing that at least three days a week, after each workout. I'm just starting to realize that that kind of a meal is not helping me, except maybe the protein, but there are much better ways of getting protein.

    I'm lucky that I have a low blood pressure right now. I started running at the beginning of this year and that certainly helped, though I stopped running to focus more on weight training. But I think I'll reincorporate it into my life now that it's getting warm and sunny out.

    Thanks for the friending! I will make sure to help you reach your diabetes management goals as well. :)
  • imbanter
    imbanter Posts: 72 Member
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    Feel free to add me as well. I login every day and could use some additional MFP friends. I too am lifting and taking in a lot of protein. About six years ago I got on a kick and lost weight (~40 lbs) lifting weights but after about a year I slowly slipped back into bad habits. I'm sure we could share some ideas.
  • jcbelville
    jcbelville Posts: 10 Member
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    I'm getting my BFA in Theatre Arts/ Acting at Boston University right now! Feel free to add me :)

    Gah! Lucky. I just went for the BA at Boise State (it's where I'm from). Though I would say I had an excellent education there. What kind of theatre do you enjoy? Or, alternately, who is your favorite playwright?
  • JonathonMars
    JonathonMars Posts: 358 Member
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    I think you are gonna be my new MFP friend. I am gonna send you a request.
  • jbilgs
    jbilgs Posts: 38
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    Ah! I don't know how to quote your post haha. I love me some good Shakespeare. But other than that I would say that my favorite playwright(s) are Tennessee Williams, Chekhov, and Tony Kushner. What about you?
  • jcbelville
    jcbelville Posts: 10 Member
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    I think you are gonna be my new MFP friend. I am gonna send you a request.

    Haha, okay! I like your confidence.
  • RunawayDaisy
    RunawayDaisy Posts: 21
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    Feel free to add me. Im looking for friends as well to help keep me motivated on this journey. Fast food is a tough one, it's just so easy! Im learning to make better choices at fast food restaurants, and it's working. As long as I exercise daily, Im still losing the weight!
  • JonathonMars
    JonathonMars Posts: 358 Member
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    Eh, I just have been on here, and not really found many people I have much at all in common with...not that we necessarily have a lot in common. But hey, it's at least a start.
  • jcbelville
    jcbelville Posts: 10 Member
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    Ah! I don't know how to quote your post haha. I love me some good Shakespeare. But other than that I would say that my favorite playwright(s) are Tennessee Williams, Chekhov, and Tony Kushner. What about you?

    There's a "Quote" link below everyone's post. Don't worry, I was confused by it too at first.

    Aside from Shakespeare, I am a huge fan of Chekhov. I love Mamet and Albee and all sorts of other playwrights that I can't think of at the moment. My main focus here at Portland State is playwriting. I'm currently procrastinating while trying to finish a full length for class. :P
  • jcbelville
    jcbelville Posts: 10 Member
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    Eh, I just have been on here, and not really found many people I have much at all in common with...not that we necessarily have a lot in common. But hey, it's at least a start.

    Yeah! Definitely. That's why I started this thread in the first place, because I was sick of having a profile with no friends. It's hard to lose weight when you're by yourself!
  • jbilgs
    jbilgs Posts: 38
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    Ah! I don't know how to quote your post haha. I love me some good Shakespeare. But other than that I would say that my favorite playwright(s) are Tennessee Williams, Chekhov, and Tony Kushner. What about you?

    There's a "Quote" link below everyone's post. Don't worry, I was confused by it too at first.

    Aside from Shakespeare, I am a huge fan of Chekhov. I love Mamet and Albee and all sorts of other playwrights that I can't think of at the moment. My main focus here at Portland State is playwriting. I'm currently procrastinating while trying to finish a full length for class. :P

    Oh I adore Albee! I have a secondary focus on playwriting! How funny :) I know that playwriting procrastination ALL too well haha
  • JonathonMars
    JonathonMars Posts: 358 Member
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    I guess I've been alone for so long, I can't tell much difference. But maybe having friends will improve things, who knows? It's been going okay so far, until this week. I'm on prednisone, and it might be making me retain water/be hungry. Which is discouraging.
  • jcbelville
    jcbelville Posts: 10 Member
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    Ah! I don't know how to quote your post haha. I love me some good Shakespeare. But other than that I would say that my favorite playwright(s) are Tennessee Williams, Chekhov, and Tony Kushner. What about you?

    There's a "Quote" link below everyone's post. Don't worry, I was confused by it too at first.

    Aside from Shakespeare, I am a huge fan of Chekhov. I love Mamet and Albee and all sorts of other playwrights that I can't think of at the moment. My main focus here at Portland State is playwriting. I'm currently procrastinating while trying to finish a full length for class. :P

    Oh I adore Albee! I have a secondary focus on playwriting! How funny :) I know that playwriting procrastination ALL too well haha

    Have you read The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? It's one of my favorite Albee plays, just because it's such a bold idea.

    Well, we'll have to exchange plays sometime, give each other notes. :)
  • jcbelville
    jcbelville Posts: 10 Member
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    I guess I've been alone for so long, I can't tell much difference. But maybe having friends will improve things, who knows? It's been going okay so far, until this week. I'm on prednisone, and it might be making me retain water/be hungry. Which is discouraging.

    I just find that it's hard to improve myself when no one else cares, honestly. hehe. I guess that's kind of self-centered but it helps to have people who are focused the same way I'm focused, so if I screw up they can say, "Hey, you screwed up," and I can say, "Yeah.." with a big frowny face.
  • JonathonMars
    JonathonMars Posts: 358 Member
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    Eh, I've been trying really hard to be gentle with myself about everything. It's helped me to keep going. For instance--tonight, I had two squares of a 90% Lindt Dark Chocolate Bar. And I'm okay with that. Because tomorrow, I'm gonna get up and resume what I'm doing.
  • JonathonMars
    JonathonMars Posts: 358 Member
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    As for plays--I had to read Angels in America for an acting class I took a long time ago. I had seen the film already by that time, but it's of course a totally different experience. Had a summer where I read a whole bunch of Tennessee Williams. I did a monologue from Equus for that acting class, too--has some of the most gorgeously lyrical writing I've heard. Kind of disappointed when I read Amadeus and didn't find it similar. Ooo, and I love Oscar Wilde's Salome!

    It's not something I keep up with really, though. I'm very interested in postmodernism, and I've always thought I would get interested in Beckett if I tried to read him. And Pinter. But who knows?
  • jbilgs
    jbilgs Posts: 38
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    Ah! I don't know how to quote your post haha. I love me some good Shakespeare. But other than that I would say that my favorite playwright(s) are Tennessee Williams, Chekhov, and Tony Kushner. What about you?

    There's a "Quote" link below everyone's post. Don't worry, I was confused by it too at first.

    Aside from Shakespeare, I am a huge fan of Chekhov. I love Mamet and Albee and all sorts of other playwrights that I can't think of at the moment. My main focus here at Portland State is playwriting. I'm currently procrastinating while trying to finish a full length for class. :P

    Oh I adore Albee! I have a secondary focus on playwriting! How funny :) I know that playwriting procrastination ALL too well haha

    Have you read The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? It's one of my favorite Albee plays, just because it's such a bold idea.

    Well, we'll have to exchange plays sometime, give each other notes. :)

    I have! It's a great one. My favorite Albee is The Zoo Story though.

    And that would be wonderful! :)
  • jcbelville
    jcbelville Posts: 10 Member
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    Dark chocolate is fine in moderation. Isn't it even supposed to be good for you?

    And AMADEUS! I totally forgot about that play. Amazing. I haven't read Equus. I like Beckett, especially Endgame. Pinter is great. I don't really care for post-modernism, but I also don't really care for most "isms" in theatre anyway. Theatre is about presenting a story to an audience, so who cares how you do it?

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