Let's Get it Started (again)!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2003
Let's Get it Started (again)!
2
Thu, 06-23-2005 - 3:51pm

Hi all newbie here!!

I am, once again, embarking on a mission to get healthy and lose weight. About 2 years ago I went from 285 to 230 and was never able to get past that threashold. Like many, I got discouraged and stopped watching what I ate and gained 40 lbs back :(

Well, the first of this month I started up again and this time is different (I really don't know why, but I feel it...I WILL NOT fail this time). On the 1st I weighed just over 271 and as of last Monday (only weigh myself once a week) I was down to 264.

I have decided that there are so many diets and diet tips out there, it's almost too much to take in. So I have decided to take the best (for me) from each diet and incorperate it into my everyday routine. The first is to make a promise, or write a contract with myself...this acts as that - in front of all of you, I melaneet solemnly swear that I will adapt the following lifestyle changes:

1. Exercise AT LEAST 30 minutes (this is a minimum, not a goal) Monday-Friday - alternating cardio(eliptical/treadmill) and strength training. On Sat & Sun, power walk 3 miles/day.

2. Eat sensibly, no need to cut out entire groups of food - just be AWARE of what you eat. Look at the back of those oreo cookies and calculate how many hours of working out it would take to work off the calories in just 10 cookies (and be realistic, if you had the whole package in the house, you'd eat the whole thing). Fruits and veggies are a staple - chips, crackers and bread are not.

3. Water - at least 12-15 glasses everyday

4. No eating after 7:30pm - no exceptions

5. ONLY weigh myself once a week - same time every week

6. Don't think of it as having to lose 130lbs...that'll discourage you, rather take it 5lbs at a time and reward myself (not food rewards, that's how I got here) with a manicure, a CD, a new outfit, shoes, etc.

7. Always eat breakfast. Even if it's a yogurt smoothie in the car on the way to work.

8. Be realistic - I didn't get this way overnight and it's not going to happen in a flash. There is no weight loss miracle solution - the secret is in me and my determination to step out of this body I have been trapped in for way too many years.

9. Give into temptation before it ruins you. If I crave cookies, I will go and buy 1 really yummy cookie from a bakery instead of buying that whole bag of oreos. Having something "sinful" does NOT = "cheating." Cheating has a negative connotation and I do not need negativity in my life. Instead, I am "enjoying" a treat - as in a one-in-awhile event.

10. Don't give up. Plateaus are a way of life on the journey to a thinner me. Mix things up - take a day off to re-jump-start my metabolism, switch up exercising, etc. Just DON'T GIVE UP!!

Thank you all for bearing witness to my personal committment to myself and a healthier future. I look forward to using this forum as a means to give and receive encouragement, support, and advice. We can all do this!!!

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."
~Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow."
~Dwight D. Eisenhower

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
Thu, 06-23-2005 - 10:16pm

Hello :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-22-2005
Sat, 06-25-2005 - 9:43pm

Congratulations.. looks like you have really thought about this thoroughly and you are well and truely on your way to a new healtheier self!

Look forward to watching your progress and leaning of your motivation.. lol

Take care