Fitness 2015

You guys are all so inspiring

Anyways, I'm trying to get back on track with a healthy diet + solid workout routine. I've always been fairly athletic (I played basketball in middle school, did track in high school, was super-involved in a ton of fitness classes and activities throughout college), so I'm lucky that working out has never really felt like a chore to me, it's always been something I've enjoyed. It's much harder for me to stick to the healthy diet aspect

After I graduated college in Spring of 2013, I became really depressed and went through a slump because I had trouble finding a job, had absolutely no direction or idea on where I was going with my life, and in turn, I put on a good thirty pounds. Right after my twenty-third birthday (January 2014), I decided to get my act together and devote myself to getting back to where I needed to be with my health, and I was able to drop around forty pounds by that summer.

In May of 2014, I started working where I work now in a part-time position, while also juggling a part-time position at my alma mater, so it became much more difficult for me to keep up with my workout routine, so I ended up gaining around ten pounds back. Not so terrible, my weight has always tended to gravitate around 130 lbs, so it wasn't a big deal.

Back in January, I began to start working out consistently again, but I have yet to be able to fall back into my old, healthier eating patterns. In the past month, I've also moved into a full-time position at my job, and the stress/second-shift schedule that comes along with it has completely wrecked my eating even further. Though I've been able to fit my workout schedule around the added work hours, I'm still struggling to get my over-eating/late-night eating under control again

I went to my doctor's appointment on Wednesday and when they weighed me, it said I'm 12 pounds lighter than the last doctor's visit, which was in January! This excites me because the weight loss was done purely by becoming more aware of what I eat and increasing my daily walking. If I keep this up and start biking/walking more, that means I can definitely lose more weight and become more healthy.

@ bellamy blake
I believe in you, Kandi! Hey, as long as working out is not a chore, more power to you it's been 12 days since you posted that so I have to ask, how is your over-eating/night time eating going? Hopefully it's going better welcome to the thread~

@ Name Of Misery.
YOU'RE DOING GREAT KATHYRN You're inspiring me to get back into action I'm glad that you're seeing results. I don't know what tastes better - that awesome endorphin high you get after a workout, creating mindful habits or seeing the number on the scale go down!

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Ah, here I am again, posting in hopes this motivates me to get myself together. Now that my AP exam is over with and it's a little nicer outside, I'm going to try my best to get back into action. Of course, I totally ate like 500 calories worth of cookies when I got home and I'm having pizza, ziti, and bruschetta for diner.... I have no excuse for my poor eating habits and my laziness All I know is I found a few workouts to "tighten my waistline" and to get a bigger butt. I'm aiming for that fit hourglass/pear shape (I'm going with pear since I have like no boobs ) within 6 months so... hopefully I can stay on track. I'M ALSO NOT GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE WHO GAINS THE FRESHMEN 50 15, I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW Ugh, I just want this so bad... I just need to remind myself every day that this is a lifestyle change, not some fad diet that will give me hope. I need to wean myself off of my chest therapies so badly. I just need to be active every single day but I'm so tired lately

But it's okay, I'm going to stay positive and just do it... like Nike and Gray tell me to

@ The Real Mitt Romney

Thanks Spencer, you're ah-mazing! Yeah, I have no qualms whatsoever with working out. If anything, because I'm stuck at a desk all day at work, I'm bursting at the seams with energy whenever I'm at home

As far as the over-eating'so concerned, I've gotten better with it. I did fine last week when I went ahead and did meal prep/had something healthy to take with me for dinner every night, but this week has been off-the-rails. It's apparently National Hospital Appreciation Week, so the hospital where I work has been having free meals/treats/ice cream for all the employees every shift this week, and the slot for second shift happens to be from 10-11, so I've definitely been partaking in the festivities So hopefully, I can kind of get my shit together next week.

YOU CAN DO IT! Just remember that the dreaded freshman 15 is not set in stone. Yeah, copious amounts of junk food is readily available in college, but most of it just tastes like garbage, so it loses its appeal rather quickly I'm sure there'll also be a ton of healthy activities/fitness classes/etc for you to participate in once you get there, so it's really all about the outlook you have going into it.

If you find a healthy/productive way to cope with the stress, you'll have no issues

So I have this thing where I absolutely cannot workout in the presence of people I know and the pollution here is shite so I've been trying to do my at home workouts only mY SISTER IS EVERYWHERE.

Clearly I'm going to have to get over this before uni... or else I've got to get me a yoga mat and hoard myself up in my room.

@ bellamy blake
It's only been a few days but how is the food aspect going?

Thankfully my college is 100% vegetarian and vegan friendly. When I toured the campus, they told us that they have vegetarian and vegan options at each food place + all cafeterias. I just I won't have to resort to pizza and mac and cheese! If I don't get the body I'm aiming for by August, hopefully I'll go through that freshmen 15 issue... except I lose it

@ scoevve
DON'T WORRY, YOU'RE NOT ALONE WITH THAT ISSUE. I cannot do much more besides stroll with people... I don't like them seeing me all sweaty and panting with my fat jiggling.

When do you start uni? You can do it ::thumbsup: Maybe just.. casually ask your sister if she could not go around the area you're going to workout as you're doing it? Or you could workout at strange hours or yes, get a yoga mat and lock the door.

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I went on the elliptical for 15 minutes... it's a sorry excuse for a workout but that's all I can make myself do after eating grossly today. I'm slowly getting back on pace, like, three months later than I planned

@ The Real Mitt Romney
HAHAHAHA THAT'S GOOD no yeah I'm the same, plus my sister is a bit of a beast, athletically, so if I were to ever workout with her... gosh. I've actually asked her to not come by but she still opens the door and goes like "[our dog] wanted you!" LIKE WHAT PART OF DON'T OPEN THE DOOR DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ugh

But yeah. I start uni in September, I think like the 21st or the 28th, although I've got orientation week starting on the 14th. My university is right next to a much bigger one and I can use their facilities (ahem ahem gym ahem) HEHEHEHE Also they have an ultimate frisbee club thing that I want to check out, maybe, idk. How bout you~*~*~*?

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I've just tried level one of Jillian Michael's 30 day shred and. Let me tell you I only got past the first 7 ish minutes and then I was like nope. Next time I try it (tomorrow, probably) it will not be right after I wake up, before I have food in my system.

@ scoevve
I guess siblings just never want to leave us alone sorry to hear that though. YOU CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY AROUND HER, I'M SURE

Ah, that's still a good time away. Yeees, use their facilities that'd be a good way to make friends. Like the uni I'm going to go to has a pretty decent set up. Whether I grow the guts to get in there is a totally different story but that's a few month away Ooooh, ultimate frisbee!? I met someone else a few weeks ago who was also interested in that. Good luck I have no idea yet they have yoga and badminton classes... I might take them (I need one physical activity credit) but I haven't looked into clubs yet.

Can I join this lovely conversation even though it's almost the middle of the year?

I recall joining last year's post but then I don't know why I didn't post anymore. I'd like to start again, this time with people who I know are seriously focused on trying to have a healthy lifestyle.

@ The Real Mitt Romney
RIGHT? aotm my sister's gone for the week, so I've been nabbing every workout opportunity I get. Plus school's over for me but not her, so there's that whole period between when I wake up and when she comes home

But dude, me too. I don't know how I'm going to man (woman?) up and actually use the gym, but, y'know. First times.

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I did Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred yesterday. My arms. 9 more days of level one to go, I guess...

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I've been trying to eat healthier but holy shit I hate salads. Like. That raw veggie taste. I just don't like raw food like those lil cucumbers and carrots and salads and sushi (this one in particular tends to offend people?). I've read people who just eat stuff they don't like no big deal but I'm very much a picky eater and (because?) a ridiculous amount of food smells make me gag a bit (a lot).

My mum's like, "You have to learn how to eat salads bc so many restaurants have salads and it's an easy thing to eat" and yeah yeah I get it except for the part where it's easy to eat. The thing is, I'd rather not vom all over a restaurant table because I decided to try the salad. :/

The biggest problem I've been having is coming home after school and deciding it's time to eat like 4 pieces of pizza, or have an extra helping of dinner when I don't need it. Does anyone have a good way to get rid of this habit?

In the past I've had some success with writing my meal plans a day in advance (like I'll write what to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) because I feel less apt to deviate from a plan if it's written out. The only problem then is if I forget the day before or if I forget about it during the day.

Other than that, now that school is over for me I'm planning to spend a fair amount of time outside. The only thing holding me back from that sometimes is when I go to bed really late, because by the time I wake up I've wasted half the day D:

@ a mimosa pudica
Anyone can join at any time welcome to the thread also, thanks for the subtle compilemt even though I've been failing

@ scoevve
Use that time wisely omg that's awesome though. You caught a break! And yeah... we will woman up eventually, I suppose we've got this. Maybe we could like, try to find friends at our uni's to workout with? We can have workout squads

Maybe throw in some nuts, fruit or cheese with your salads? Literally, pecans and walnuts taste sooooo good in salads to me. I usually chew those cherry tomatos like twice before I vomit/swallow said vomit and then counter act the grossness with nuts or cheese is it the letteuce (I can't spell that to save my life) you don't like too?

@ Name Of Misery.
One method I've found helpful is to tell myself I can have half of my intended pizza/second dinner helping if and only if I eat a serving or two of vegetables (without dressing, just so I suffer ), drink 8oz of water and wait 20 minutes. I actually just read a tip in Women's Health (which isn't very credible these days, but regardless) to take a brisk 15 minute walk before you help yourself to lots of pizza or another serving of a meal. I'm going to assume this just gives you time to effectively tell yourself no?

Oooh, I totally agree with preplanning. I do the same thing in my LoseIt app + I usually don't stray from it.

Also, don't let waking up later keep you from going outside and having fun! No one says you can't enjoy a workout at night

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Well, I've made an effort this week. I took out simple carbs for the most part, at least bread and snack wise. I've gotten on the elliptical about 20 minutes three times this week (which is nothing compared to the 5/6 hours I used to do a week) and today has been my only decent eating day. I've stopped myself from eating Kit Kats and I even ate carrots, cucumbers and raspberries for dinner instead of pizza I'm most likely going to make some brown rice or eat some cheese and spinach later on though. It feels good to get back into the routine, even if it's minimal. I suppose I should throw in another 20 minute workout session today

Is anyone else taking the clean eating approach, though? I can't let go of my flavored Greek yogurt I might substitute plain Greek yougurt + fresh fruit, but it just doesn't feel the same

@ The Real Mitt Romney

In all honesty, the food thing for me has been hit-or-miss, and I'm definitely ashamed of all the junk food I've ate over the three-day weekend Like, I was doing so well over the past week with my eating, but then I didn't work out as hardcore as I generally do because I was tired and my knee and hip have been killing me

So yeah, I definitely still very much need to get my ass back on track I've been saying that every week for the past two months or so, but I'm trying to stick to it this time because I really want to look nice in my bikini for my family's beach trip at the end of July/beginning of August.

I GOT THIS *warrior face*

I think most colleges have actually gotten a lot better with incorporating more vegan/vegetarian options. I mean, I went to a small private school in the middle-of-nowhere South Carolina, but they always had a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan options available. I have no doubt that you'll probably be even more vigilant about living a healthy lifestyle when you get to college because honesty, that's where I really learned how to eat properly/exercise outside of a sports team. My mom raised me on fast food

@ bellamy blake
Hey, you had it for a week, forget what happened this weekend and continue eating well that's my theory tbh, since I did the same. exact. thing. and I don't feel like feeling bad about it I'm sorry to hear hey, just another reason to go hard and eat well this week one week at a time

YOU CAN DO IT this is a little out there, but since I do things like this maybe put a picture of yourself in a bikini as your background on your phone? So that way, every time you look, you're like oh, right!?

Your mom raised you on fast food too?! My parents were awful when it came to feeding me. They never said no, which resulted me in being the McDonald's spokesperson my dad also lived in the Lousiana for about 3 years, and he brought the food back with him... and all the butter and oil Thankfully your college had all those options. Really though, it's like, we're paying how much... you better have some healthy food that also applies to certain lifestyles

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I'm watching American Ninja Warrior and I'm inspired so I'm going to go hard after I write an English essay, and then I'm going to go hard tomorrow too :

Does anyone want to like... hold each other accountable? I've been thinking, we could post weekly/monthly/yearly goals and check in on each other. That way you're a little more motivated to get stuff done, since you have someone you have to report to?

@ The Real Mitt Romney

I'm the same way! I try my best to view every day as a fresh start and not get so bogged down on the shittier days

Actually... I may try that one out. Maybe not as my phone background, just because a lot of people see my phone wallpaper at work, but I may snap a photo and hang it up on my wall or on my fridge or somewhere noticeable so I'll see it everyday

My mom did not cook at all when I was growing up, but at the same time, she was going through a lot of stuff in her personal life (an affair, a divorce, depression, drug addiction)/shut down completely during my childhood, so I can't resent her for it. Adding onto what you mentioned about your dad bringing food back from Louisiana, I ALSO LIVED IN THE SOUTH WHERE WE DEEP-FRY EVERYTHING So that didn't help either Really though, they better have a ton of food to choose from. I think the fact that a good chunk of the student body was Hindu or Muslim and was vegetarian due to religious reasons also kinda pushed them to provide more healthy eating options

And I'd totally be down to hold each other accountable/work to reach our goals as a team I was doing this with one of the girls I work with, but she ended up being super judgmental about it

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Ugh, I am craving some Chick-Fil-A so hardcore right now But I've been good today, so I'm trying not to give in!

If only I can make it through a week without succumbing to the fast-food temptation that's all around me at work...

@ bellamy blake
Yeah, the phone background was really a hit or miss and there you go~ a little constant reminder of what you're striving for - the confidence to strip down to that bikini at the beach

Ah, fair enough, fair enough. Hey, you learned on your own, that's the best part of it all I FIGURED THAT MUCH it tastes soooo good, but my weight and health... they are not keen on the fried foods Ahhh, that's makes me even happier to hear I'm a dweeb when it comes to seeing places help us vegetarians and vegans out. It's soooo hard to eat anything that we haven't personally made. Like, when I go over my friends' homes, they already know to let me read the ingredients before they even think about making me something to eat there have been experiences where I had to sit there as everyone else ate, just because of the small little places they go. Like, how do I know their seemingly vegetarian dishes are truly vegetarian?

YOU CAN DO IT RESIST THE TEMPTAION AND REAP THE REWARDS

Last time I weighed myself (which was a couple of weeks ago, I think) I was at 155 lbs, and I feel amazing. I'm pretty sure I haven't been at a weight close to that number since middle school, so I'm all kinds of happy right now.

Around 2-3 months ago, I decided to invest in Shaun T's Focus T25 because he was constantly bombarding me with infomercials at 1 am as I was laying on the couch feeling like a potato. Plus, the promise of an intense work out that would last for only 25 minutes pulled me in. My younger sister decided to exercise with me, and we've both seen awesome results. It was very difficult at first -- I wasn't used to the vigorous exercises and altering my diet was pure torture. I was constantly sore and hungry for foods I couldn't have...but I survived!

One of the most amazing feelings is trying on clothes that I wore in high school and having them fit extremely loose. I'm proud of myself for pursuing a healthier lifestyle since it was something I'd always wanted to do, but refrained from because I didn't know how to start and felt that if I did try, I wouldn't see any improvement.

My self-esteem and confidence have risen, which is a strange yet wonderful feeling because I've never been happy with my body or appearance. In short, I'm feeling great.

@ loverboy.
Damn, now that is results awesome job! Would you recomment T25? What exactly were your results with this program? And yay~ there's nothing like hearing someone's confidence and overall well being has improved. I'm sure it was hard but you proved to yourself you can do anything (enter the cliched "you can do anything you put your mind to!")

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Wow, it's been a while. My brother broke our scale, so I used my friend's the other day, and I was 144 I've gone hard these last 4 days. Today will be my 5 consecutive day of eating way better + working out. Of course, I made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins this morning that are 100x healthier than you usual butter + canola oil filled pumpkin breads. 8.5/10 I do rec.

I'm going to be using Blogilates from now on. I think I'm generally at a decent weight (I'm pretty skinny everywhere EXCEPT FOR MY STOMACH/LOVE HANDLES!) so I'll blast those spots via pilates and shed the fat with some what moderate cardio

Does anyone have any speciifc goals? I'd list my goals as 1. get da booty 2. shrink my waistline and 3. get off some of my medications. I used to have realy bag lung health. I'm not 100% yet but I'm way better than I used to be. I have a cough that's never left me for the past 7 (coming on 8) years now and I've gotten it pretty mild compared to what it used to be. Honestly, my real goal is to never have to use my chest vest again. I'm treated like I have cystic fibrosis (the docotrs tell me that I don't have it, but they're not sure how else to treat me, so I basically do have it, they just low key refuse to diagnose me with it), hence the habitual cough. I don't want to have to use it in college dorms, you know? I'd say this is that one thing I have that embarrasses me when just anyone knows. So, yeah, hopefully I can just substitute 40 minutes of being shaken around by my vest with 40-60 minutes of moderate cardio everyday.

Right now I haven't really worked out long enough for my cough to really subside. I'd say in another week or two, with 4/5 days of cardio a week, I'll be back to how I like to be. And with that, I'm going to stop using my chestvest and only use the medication I need via nebulizer. So, yeah, I have another lung function test in August, so I'll see whether or not my lung function has gone down, improved, or stay the same, and I'll change my routine depending upon my results.

@ The Real Mitt Romney

AGH, I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO REPLY TO THIS

But anyways, I have yet to take the picture, just because every time I think about it/have the time to do it, I happen to be on my period My family's not going to the beach this year anyway

Omigosh, I can't even begin to imagine how aggravating it must be to eat out and be vegetarian It's sort of like that with a gluten-free diet as well, because even if you go for things that aren't supposed to have gluten, such as rice dishes, it could still secretly be in there. Eating kosher is another headache altogether, which is why I'm very much lax on that aspect. I'll always say I'm Southern before I'm Jewish because I will gladly put my love of Southern cuisine over the dietary guidelines So yeah, I can sort of relate.

In response to your last post, those muffins look delish

I hope you're able to reach your goals, especially when it comes to your lung issues But if it makes you feel any better, you should definitely not feel ashamed/embarrassed if you have to use your vest in college. In my experience, people are pretty open and accepting of those things, and hey, it's something that you have to do for your health and wellbeing.

As far as goals go, I'm okay with where I am on the weight front, though I would like to drop about ten pounds. Right now, I'm at 130, which is the weight I tend to gravitate around, and I'm fine with that, but I'd like to be a little thinner.

I also want to build back up the ah-mazing muscle ass I had last year because I've very much let it go. With the way my body is, I have wide hips and thick, muscular thighs, but almost nothing on my backside, so I have to work on that

My goals are to shrink my waistline and get rid of my muffin top, and to tone my legs. I've been struggling with eating healthily but I think I'm getting back on track. I'm also doing more yoga, which is really awesome.

I also have a goal to drink more water, because I literally consume a glass maybe every other day but often less than that (coffee tastes better)... so I'm trying to drink one or more a day.

My bike got stolen last weekend (!!!!) so I can't bike as much now, but I'm going to borrow another one from my sister so I can get back to that.