Newbie in need

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2006
Newbie in need
7
Wed, 05-10-2006 - 4:23pm

Hello there! :)
I'm here hoping to get some advice and support from some like minded people ^_^. I have around 100 pounds I want to lose, and I'm hoping to make some SIGNIFICANT changes (all if not more gone) in the next year/two years.
Unfortunately I am a working university student hoping to get into med school, so I don't have a lot of time, and very little money to spare. But I'm afraid my weight will affect my chances of getting into med school, besides just being sick of my current lifestyle.
I've tried things before but have had trouble sticking to it. This time I'm hoping it will be different.
Anyone have any tips for a low time/low budget plan?
Thanks.

Laura.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-13-2005
Wed, 05-10-2006 - 5:08pm

Hi Laura! Welcome to the board! The best advice I can give is to make sure you're burning more calories than you're taking in. Not starving yourself or going overboard on the exercise, but simply being more aware of your body, what it does, and what you're putting into it. This means monitoring what you eat, which can be difficult, I know, especially for a busy university student. FitDay.com is a wonderful tool for me, and I know a lot of other people here use it. It's free, and you can keep track of the foods you eat, as well as activities you do. Really, it's a great site. As a college student, (trying for med school, no less, congrats!), I would say take the stairs instead of elevators (if possible), park as far away from your classes and walk, drink as much water as possible, and just try and make healthier eating choices. A turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread is just a quick to eat as a burger, and from what I can remember from my own college days, the cafeterias offer relatively healthy stuff, sandwichs and salads, fruit, etc. A lot of people (including myself) have found some success in eating 4 to 6 small meals each day, as supposedly this keeps your metabolism up. One very important thing is to make sure you're eating ENOUGH, as too few calories may slow your metabolism and hinder your weight loss, so you may want to talk to a Dr to determine how many calories you need.

Wow, I just realized how easy I make all of this sound, when we all know it's a terrible struggle sometimes. For myself, I try and break everything into min-goals. Instead of having to face the daunting task of losing 120lbs, I set goals in 20 lbs increments. It's not as overwhelming like that. I struggle everyday with not giving into my soda cravings (I loves my Pepsi), with not ordering out for lunch everyday, and with not stopping for McDs for dinner every night. I cringe every morning when the alarm goes off at 5 so I can hit the gym before work (except this week due to an arm injury, I've gotten to sleep in, I think I'm getting spoiled). It's HARD to lose weight and just remember that sometimes making the smallest changes can make the biggest differences. You CAN do it and we will all be here to support you every step of the way!

Welcome, sweetie!

Allie
276(heaviest ever)/258(starting point this time)/255.5(today)/238(first goal)/135(ultimate goal)

Alllison Mommy to Eleanor, born 05/11/10 Blighted ovum 08/25/11 Due with #2 09/05/12
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2006
Wed, 05-10-2006 - 5:38pm

wow thank you! those are excellent tips and fitday.com looks like a good idea, so I think I'll be trying that out. I have not been eating very much lately and that has been a large factor, every little thing counts I guess.
Thanks for the tips and support.

Laura.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-03-2005
Wed, 05-10-2006 - 7:11pm
Welcome to the board.

 
 
 
 

 
 
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2004
Wed, 05-10-2006 - 8:47pm

Hi Laura, and welcome to the board. The people here are very supportive and informative. Some of the other things I can offer are, try eating fresher foods, with summer approaching you should be able to find pretty good prices on veggies and fruit. Also, I know some one recommended fitday.com, but I also want to throw out there sparkpeople.com. Its VERY easy to use, (I couldn't figure out fitday) there are resident nutritionists that will answer your questions, you can track and set goals, and there are support groups there also. And best of all its free!!

The other thing is, if you are working out, you really have to just do trial and error about how many calories you are eating. I burn about 600 calories/day so 1200 is a little low for me. I am slowly adding 100 calories, since I have hit a plateau. Right now shooting for 1300-1400 a day. Eat mini meals. It really works. Try to eat every 3 hours, to keep your body like a furnace to keep your metabolism up. Its also a good idea to stop eating at least 3 hours before bed. Especially if you find you aren't hungry in the morning. Eating within 1 hour of waking up is also good. It gets your metabolism going on the right foot. Oh yeah, and going below 1200 is very dangereous. I know there are others here on low calorie diets, but I think most are being monitoried by a doctor. If you just try to adjust your lifestyle the little changes will add up. I hope I have helped you somewhat! Good luck! And I hope you stick around!
Tami
SW 257 1/10/06
CW 230
GW 195 (first goal)



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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-06-2006
Thu, 05-11-2006 - 4:16am

Hi Laura, I replied to your original post yesterday, I'm posting it again in case you haven't seen it



Welcome to the board Laura.. I'm crossing my fingers for you to get into medical school


Aren't students just notorious for bad eating habits? I know I was LOL. But I didn't gain any weight when I went to the university because I was super active. Actually I was super late, so I was running around campus, always taking the stairs, never found a near place to park, and so on. Believe it or not, these small bursts of fitness really helped offset all the junk I was eating. Not that I am recommending junk, just saying

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-09-2006
Thu, 05-11-2006 - 2:33pm

Thank you ^_^.
Yes, I was notorious for bad eating habits, but no more! I've been looking for alternate routes and I hope I've been making better choices. I'll take your advice, and thanks very much for the support!

Laura

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 05-11-2006 - 3:07pm

Hi Laura, welcome to the board.


I wish you all the best in your quest for med school!!!


As for low time, low budget plan, I reccomend Weight Watchers CORE plan. There is no counting of points, you just eat from a very extensive list of foods till you feel full. It is their easiest plan. If you email me, I could send you a link with some info.


With any plan the idea is to exercise out more then you put in. Do you have time for a walk during your very busy day? You are going to want to get some movement in.


I wish you the best and look forward to getting to know you thru your posts.

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 Karen