Yeah, I know, not the most uplifting title, but it's what came to me after taking some beginning photos this morning. It's not that I didn't know that my thighs were big, it's just...wow! Seeing digital, unclothed evidence is a little harsh. There's a reason I avoid cameras when I'm not wearing a nice flattering pair of jeans (and maybe a cleavage-enhancing top to distract the eye)! But those photos have actually helped with my motivation to take my diet seriously and lose some major fat!!
I've been heavier and less fit than I am now (I got up over 200 in college) and I've been thinner and fitter (I was in the 150s for much of my 20s). Right now I'm sitting at 179ish, which means that I am now officially just overweight and not obese. I've been counting calories and weighing my food since about July 1, and have been working out inconsistently for years (cardio and weights...I know I need strength, but I'm a cardio girl at heart). I'm down from my recent high of 190, which scared the crap out of me...WAY too close to putting me back to 200, at which point I was afraid I'd just give up.
So I'm joining in on the challenge and am going to get serious about a diet & exercise plan. I'm thinking of following OPT to the letter and seeing how much fat I can lose in a cycle of that. I own and love NROL4W, but haven't been able to get past the first couple workouts in Stage 2. I think I'm going to save that for when I'm a little lighter and not as focused on fat loss/eating in a deficit.
I'm looking forward to participating more on the boards and being held accountable for my progress. I'll take any and all advice or experience anyone has to offer!
I'm scared to do this, but I want to make sure I can figure out how to post photos, so here goes...photos of me at my starting point...God help me...
Okay, gave up on using the little photo link, because no matter how I sized the photos on photobucket, they showed up HUGE in the post. Here are links instead.
Well, after getting all fired up yesterday and vowing to buckle down, a minor crisis led me to skip my workout, drink too much red wine, and stay up way too late. Way to go, me!
I still ended the day in a deficit, though, and the scale was down to 178.6 this morning. I was probably a little dehydrated, but it was still a relief not to see it spike up. My activity's been a little unpredictable lately, so I'm not entirely certain what maintenance really is for me, but I've been aiming for around 1600 calories, which should put me at at least a 30% deficit. I'm thinking of going a little more aggressive with the deficit for a while to see what happens, because I seem to have adjusted (finally) and am not feeling as starving or cranky as I first did when I cut calories.
Yesterday's food came to 1887 calories--47% carbs/24% protein/29% fat. Less protein that I'd like, but that's a challenge for me that I know I need to work on. I'll try to keep today's calories on the low side and do an easy full-body workout tonight followed by a walk.
Have you thought about getting a GoWear Fit? I got one back in March and it has really helped me understand my activity level. It is also a good motivator to get up and move! The initial cost is kinda high, but to me, it is worth 10x the price.
I actually bought one today for $119 at Dick's Sporting Goods. I am incredibly, dorkily excited! I can already imagine that it will shame me into moving more througout my day, which is usually quite sedentary.
Okay, gave up on using the little photo link, because no matter how I sized the photos on photobucket, they showed up HUGE in the post. Here are links instead.
When resizing them, try clicking on percentages, then size down to say 25%. Just make sure that when you copy the image link that you're doing the resized one, not the original.
Love the log title. That's EXACTLY how I felt when I took my first pics 3 years ago. You can do it!
Thanks, Elisabeth! It helps to hear from people who have been there/done that. And as tough as it was, I guess taking them and dealing with it is better than ignoring it, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by realcdn
When resizing them, try clicking on percentages, then size down to say 25%. Just make sure that when you copy the image link that you're doing the resized one, not the original.
Anne, thanks for the tip. I'll try that again when it's time to post them for real. Thanks also for being gracious enough to host this challenge, I didn't realize you wouldn't be participating, so that's especially kind of you!
My scale was up a little to 179.4 this morning. Yesterday's food was low...1326 calories with 43/30/27 % from c/p/f. Better balance than the day before, and I got 99g of protein...ALMOST where I should be.
I did a pretty easy workout last night, with push-ups, bent-over rows, crunches, upright rows, bicep curls, tricep extensions, squats and deadlifts. Mostly 2 sets of 12 on everything but the crunches. And I did it at home, so everything was with 10lb dbs. Nothing exciting, but I'm just trying to get some consistency back with strength training at this point. Then I walked at an easy pace on the treadmill for 25 minutes.
I got the GWF yesterday and charged it last night. I put it on just in time to unload the dishwasher, watch a little tv (I was knitting, wondering whether that'll turn out to register much of a difference from just sitting), and then I went to bed. I am unfortunately not the best sleeper in the world and last night was not a great night. I haven't downloaded the GWF yet, but I'm curious to see how it recorded the night. I tossed and turned a lot, had some periods of being awake, and ended up staying in bed an extra 45 minutes just because I was so tired. I'm pretty excited to see how my days looks after I've had it a little longer. I'm thinking of aiming for a 1000 calorie deficit, rather than a percentage, since I'm at a point where I have plenty to lose and would like to hit that 2 lbs (or so) a week.
Wow, that would be a huge deficit! Guess you'll have to see how you feel, but it may be hard to follow a hard weight lifting program on such a low amount of food.
My breakthrough revelation was that if you're not going to eat very much, you need to not exercise very much. If you're going to exercise a lot, you can't be in a huge caloric deficit. At least that's true for me.
The first few months of this year, I ate about 800 calories shy of maintenance and only had a daily walk for exercise. Worked pretty well for me. I can't do NROLFW on that big a deficit, though. Too exhausting.
Have you decided if you are going to do OPT? This is my 2nd try (starting August 31st) and I had great results (6lbs loss in 4 weeks and dropped a size) then went on vacation and never got back on track.
Love the title of your log. Whatever motivates you, right? Good luck!!!
Wow, that would be a huge deficit! Guess you'll have to see how you feel, but it may be hard to follow a hard weight lifting program on such a low amount of food.
You are probably right. After a couple of really low days this week, my energy yesterday was nonexistent. I helped out a friend at the farmer's market, and just standing around all morning had me kind of wiped out. After I've had the GWF a little longer (and man, am I loving it!), I'm going to have to see what kind of a deficit lets me lose and still work out.
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Originally Posted by clevagirl73
Have you decided if you are going to do OPT? This is my 2nd try (starting August 31st) and I had great results (6lbs loss in 4 weeks and dropped a size) then went on vacation and never got back on track.
I'm not sure, but I think so. Thanks for sharing your great results! My one dilemma, if you want to call it that, is that I can't decide whether to start it now (tomorrow, actually, same day as you!) or after a trip I have to take at the end of September. I have been at a deficit since July 1 or so, and I was planning on taking that week as a diet break. I figured I wouldn't go crazy, and I'd try to make good choices, but I also wouldn't freak out about tracking or measuring. Especially measuring. I'd really only be able to do three weeks of OPT before I left for my trip, so I'm leaning towards continuing to eat at a deficit and working on my consistency with lifting & cardio for those three weeks, taking a week-long break, and then beginning the OPT plan as written at the end of September.
My scale's bouncing around on me as usual...today I'm at 178.6. Friday's calories were at 1700 and I did really well on getting in protein. Yesterday came to 1500 and I did NOT do so well.
I have to pretty much chain myself to a computer for the next couple days to finish a work project, and it's funny how much that bugs me now that I have my brand new gowear fit! If nothing else, it's amazing how much it reminds me to try to fit in a little extra movement. Even though my job is sedentary, I found myself on Friday wanting to get up to do little things just to throw a little bit of activity into the parts of my day when I normally wouldn't be moving at all.
I have to pretty much chain myself to a computer for the next couple days to finish a work project, and it's funny how much that bugs me now that I have my brand new gowear fit!
May I suggest you try standing while doing your computer work? If you have a laptop, it should be easy to figure out a way to do this. With a desktop computer, it may take a little more ingenuity. I am always surprised how much more energy it takes to stand for 2 hours than to sit. Plus you are more likely to walk around if you are already standing. A treadmill desk would be even better, but I don't have a treadmill so I just put my laptop on a high table and stand.
The calorie balance takes some tinkering, I think. I did pretty well energy-wise on a deficit during the first 3 stages of NROL4W, but after that I felt like I was dying of starvation, so I've had to adjust. You may just have to play with it some to see what works for you.
PopcornSally, how do you maintain focus on work while walking on a treadmill? I can't even look at the pictures in a magazine while I'm walking a treadmill... I envy the mental concentration of anyone who can read and move at the same time.
PopcornSally, how do you maintain focus on work while walking on a treadmill? I can't even look at the pictures in a magazine while I'm walking a treadmill... I envy the mental concentration of anyone who can read and move at the same time.
I don't have a treadmill, but other people I've heard talk about it set it really slow, like 1-2 mph.
Me + treadmill + laptop would definitely = a HUGE disaster! I like the idea of a balance ball, though, and have definitely started taking more breaks to stand up and move around. I'm going to try to remember to stand up when I'm on the phone and don't have to be on the computer.
I'm still loving my new "toy," the gowear fit. I am learning a lot. Interestingly, might highest day so far didn't include any actual formal exercise, just a day where I had to stand a lot, paced a little and had to walk a few short distances. I burned a few hundred more that day (Saturday) than I did on Sunday when I did strength training and a half hour on the treadmill. I don't think I ever gave NEAT enough credit.
I always knew I was a poor sleeper, but it's kind of crazy to see it on a graph. I'm especially cracked up by how many "steps" I can rack up from moving around in bed at night!
I had to fast for a physical this AM, so I splurged on what I knew would be a high-calorie lunch, but I was shocked when I came home to try to tally it up and realized I'd eaten at least 1100 calories!! Today might not end up with the best deficit for me. Hopefully it will BE a deficit.
Oops! Didn't realize it had been a week. But it's been a crazy week. Unfortunately, that has meant that my workouts haven't really been all that good. Luckily, I've managed to keep the food under control and the scale was down to 177.4 this AM. Still struggling with protein, and for some reason I haven't been getting in as many veggies lately. I usually love vegetables and have no problem eating more than enough.
I'll be going to the gym after work tonight. I won't have much time, so I will probably stick to just the elliptical and then do some push-ups, squats and crunches at home later. Tomorrow I'll be lucky to fit in any exercise, but I'll be on my feet for work all afternoon, so at least I won't be sitting.
I definitely need to get into OPT or something after my trip in a couple weeks. I always do better when I'm following a formal plan and feel like I have my "homework" and a set schedule.
I'm having the same issues with protein and veggies.. oddly enough, when I do well on one, I do poorly on the other. Not so sure why they're connected like that... lol.
I'm having the same issues with protein and veggies.. oddly enough, when I do well on one, I do poorly on the other. Not so sure why they're connected like that... lol.
Me, too. Or getting the ratios right but the calorie count wrong. There are a lot of factors to balance.
Fat & Furious--Mandybee's Fall Challenge Log
Hopefully it will BE a deficit.
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