I'm not sure what happened over night, but i woke up today VERY motivated to not be a fat ass anymore!

No diets, no anorexia or purging, but a simple conscious effort to eat on behalf of what my body needs as opposed to eating just to eat, eating to socialize, eating to cope, or eating to quel boredom. I have found a great free website (www.thedailyplate.com) that helped me figure out how many calories i should be consuming. It also has a huge database of calories in all the foods i eat. The database even has restaurant calories. (Which can be a little shocking...i thought i was being healthy when i would get a 1/2 sandwhich and half salad at Panera...nope! It turns out with the choices i was making i was consuming about 1000 calories at lunch alone! OMG!) There is a daily calorie tracker that is incredibly easy to use on the site too. I think this will be a wonderful tool along my journey back to good health.

Anyway, i love myself unconditionally. I think you should know that i'm choosing to lose weight because i've realized that i'm unhealthy and that if i continue at this pace i won't get to love myself as long as i will if i take care of my body. I'm not choosing to lose weight to appease anyone but me.

So, maybe this will inspire one or more of you to make a change. Or, maybe this will just be a way for you to support me and hold me accountable for my health. Either way, i'll try to keep you updated with my progress.

**edited to correct the website info**

wow! good for you, Amanda!
more power to ya!

i quit smoking (again) 5 months ago... so i hear ya.
yay for healthy bodies!
: )
d.

congrats, amanda! i'm glad you're working toward taking proper care of yourself in all sorts of ways.





[everything personal deleted because apparently my approach to health makes me a fat ass with horrendous cholesterol levels who is bound to keel over and die any moment. all my medical test results must clearly be wrong. sorry for preferring to feed my body on demand, rather than by-the-book and on schedule.]

Hey, seriously, props Amanda.

This is very similar to what happened to me almost 2 years ago. I was just driving to the grocery store, when I said to myself, "You know, in high school, I looked (and felt) really good...and I don't anymore." And when I walked into said grocery store, I bought only things that could help me look (and feel) the way I wanted to. And it just went from there. I hear people say all the time that "it's gradual and blah blah blah" and maybe it is most of the time. But for me, the realization/epiphany was just as sudden as what you're describing.

And the best part is, it stuck. It was hard at first. There were some nights where I was just innocently reading or watching TV when all of a sudden my brain/stomach was like, "I want an f'ng doughnut." And it was hard hard HARD to say "no" sometimes. But I did. And today I am 60 lbs. trimmer than I was then.

The good news is, it eventually becomes a lifestyle. You don't eat right because it's what you're "supposed" to do, you do it because it's simply what you do. After that, maintaining your healthy habits becomes much, MUCH easier than it was the first few months.

So yeah, all that to say that you should totally follow this impulse. I would reccomend purchasing The Encyclopedia of Natural Health. Even if you read just the first 4 chapters, it will be a great motivational tool.

Thanks ya'll for the support!

Just to note, today went very well. i even had sirloin (half of the 8 oz...the other half came home) at Texas Roadhouse and starbucks for breakfast along with plenty of what i think i'll start calling "body pleasure foods" (meaning they make my body happy) So i don't feel deprived at all, AND my body is super happy with me today!!! Yay!

Libby - i agree that tracking numbers can be stressful and play all sorts of mind games. That's the problem i've always had when i've gone on diets in the past...i get consumed with what i'm consuming and feel guilty the whole time which definitely isn't healthy!!! So the calorie thing is more to give me an idea of how i was eating compared to how it feels to eat healthy. And also to remind me that i can be just as fulfilled with lower calorie foods. Oh, and that being said...i completely believe in listening to my body. I'm not limiting anything. If i decide i want to eat chocolate, i'm gonna eat it. But at least i'll know the caloric consequences of eating a truck load of it... lol

James - Congrats on your achievement! I don't think i knew you were 60lbs heavier at one time... I think it's terrific that you made a decision, jumped on it, stuck with it, and have the results to show that your hard work paid off. I'm leaving for D.C. wednesday morning so i may just pick that book up tomorrow to give me something to read on the plane! Thanks for the tip.

I'm thinking I better drop 15 lbs fast so I don't embarrass myself meeting the svelte new Chica in Austin!

(I'm actually careful about what I eat now, but I have been eating more of it lately and getting less exercise and thus have put on some weight)

Good for you, and I'm sure you'll do great with this Amanda! Like James said, before too long eating right becomes a good habit and is no longer a painful sacrifice. And I would suggest you consider arguing with your body just a little if that urge for a truckload of chocolate comes up.

Congrats on the decision, Amanda! I agree w/ Jame$ ( :: gang sign :: ) that it's a lifestyle change, and over time it's not even something you'll think about anymore.

For example, I haven't been in a drive-thru for over 3 years (Bojangle's biscuits don't count. Back off of me... this is the South) and I never even consider it when we're on the road or out and about. It's funny, what I eat now is so relatively good for me (vs. most people's diets), but I forget and end up sweating my indulgences anyway. Thoughbyn comparison, my indulgences are pretty stinkin' minor. The same will be true for you!

Two quick tips, if this helps:

• Exercise, exercise, exercise. It makes your body metabolize the calories you do eat, and there is a natural order to how you will start craving the foods that fuel your workouts. Your body knows what it needs, and if you exercise it will not tell but scream its love of the good stuff: proteins and complex carbs. The stuff of the gods.
• Don't take everything out of your diet that you like. You'll lose your mind if you do. Instead, replace most of it with the good stuff, and then for the not so good stuff let yourself indulge every once in while. Just do it with much, much smaller portions. Want a piece of chocolate cake? Have it! Just make it two bite's worth, to get it out of your system. The calorie count will be low, and your tastebuds will shut up.

Good luck!

Troy




.

i like inspiration.

i read this book earlier this year called clear your clutter with fung shui. in it, the author talks about our inspired moments and how sometimes we forget those revelations in our more everyday, "down" time. the author encourages the reader to get back to that place of inspiration/revelation... and this thread is just the place for you.

congrats!

Hey, thanks Chica! I signed on to myplate today. Nice site. Good luck to you in your future goal!

I totally support those sentiments, but wanted to add: it's not all about weight loss or clothing sizes. Eating "Whatever you want when you want" has ramifications to heart health, cholesterol, blood pressure, energy levels, muscle development/preservation, bone health, etc. It's not just a matter of controlling one's diet for sizing purposes... it's also a matter of controlling one's diet for longevity and to just feel strong and alive.

Congrats, amanda!

You've inspired me too. We all want to feel and look better... so let's do it! How hard can it be? Just kidding!

way to go, amanda!

accountability is a great way to help you in this effort!

Thank you Troy! And don't worry...even Bojangles is ok in rare moderation. I like your tips too. In fact, i forgot to mention that i've added some light cardio to my days too. Nothing too strenuous...but at least getting my body moving and heart beating for a little while every day. (And i have to admit i'm pretty freaking sore from yesterday, but got my butt-ocks on the eliptical today too...)




Very true! This is definitely part of the whole body health that i'm trying to acheive.


Ya'll are sweet! All of ya's! Much love to you all!

Annnnnnnnnna, Congrats on joining MyPlate. I love it because it's so darn easy to use!!! Good Luck to you too!

Keith, don't worry...i'm not sure i can be 'svelte' in only a few short weeks. lol

Kylie, you go girl!

Kelly, I've been thinking about Fung Shui a lot lately actually. Maybe i'll pick that book up too! thanks for the info...


Oh, and i'm not going to update every day here...but since i'm here anyway...today was a very busy day which is usually when my eating habits are far from healthy. but i did well today and am proud of myself for making body-wise decisions.

but if i don't feel strong when eating a particular way, i stop. that's the entire point. if particular foods reduce my energy levels, i stop. there's something of a balancing act to be done between head/mouthfeel/body demands, which i do, and all the "heart health, cholesterol, blood pressure, [...] muscle development/preservation, bone health, etc" gets taken care of without any further thought. "controlling my diet" in any regimented way tends to lead to ill-health. (frankly, i am entirely sick of being the eternally relapsing ed message board moderator.) eating whatever i want accomplishes everything on your list for me, allowing me to feel happy, "strong and alive." this might seem counterintuitive to you, but allowing myself complete freedom with what i put in my mouth doesn't automatically result in downing everything in sight.

I was thinking about the cardio talk...

I've been doing water aerobics (and laps some other days) for my pregnant body. And I gotta say that it's something I might keep doing once our baby is born. I love that I work all my muscles and get cardio but that it's not high impact on my joints. (And sheesh, in my current condition generally I feel like the BIGGEST CLUTZ--but not in the water happily.)

Before I got pregnant, I really enjoyed power (ashtanga) yoga (and other forms like anusara). Not only did I get cardio and toning work (not to mention better flexibility), but I also quieted my mind a lot in that sort of exercise. That sort of quieting really helps me process life and maintain perspective (which also feeds into good food and exercise decisions as well as a more positive body image). It's kind of funny how it effected my regular breathing too (I imagine this is true of exercise in general?)--I'd notice when I was breathing superficially and not getting oxygen all over my body. That greater sensitivity served me all over the place.

Peace out!

the book is light on the feng shui and heavy on the clutter clearing, amanda - just fyi. the author has a very specific view of fung shui, in which the first step to creating a "sacred space" is to clear your clutter.

Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any (wo)man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. -- Mark Twain


.

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. -- Mark Twain

So i spent 5 days in d.c. where we ate out constantly. But i made fairly decent eating decisions although i drank my body weight in alchohol while i was there. hehe. Good news is that i lost 3 pounds last week! YAY!!! And i am still very motivated and feel great.

Geez, it's been a while since i put a message up here. I just wanted to tell everyone that this is still going strong and is so easy to do because i never feel like i'm deprived of anything. Some days are a little less healthy than others, but overall my food decision making skills have improved.

That said, i've lost 11 pounds in the last month and a few inches here and there. Yay! I feel great and happy and proud of myself for actually caring about my health.

How are the rest of ya'll doing with your health goals?

I need help. I can't seem to make healthy choices no matter what I do. Case in point:

Today I ate a double texas toast burger with seasoned fries and drank two sodas. I ate a bag of M & Ms, and a cupcake. Believe it or not, today was actually one of my healthier days...

I've probably exercised the equivalent of 1/10000th of my life (in my whole life), and although eating healthy and exercising both seem very appealing when I think about them, the actual practice of it, always fails me miserably.

There are two problems I have. I'm addicted to food and cannot be trusted to make my own food decisions--as you can see from above. And I hate all forms of exercise that last longer than a couple of minutes.


I really do know what I should do to change, but I don't know how to make myself do it. It sounds like a copout and a cliche' but nothing has ever worked longer than about 9-10 months.

**edited to add that myplate.com doesn't seem to exist when I go there.

That's AWESOME. Congratulations! Doesn't it feel better to no longer be dieting but rather living a lifestyle? You should be proud!



Mark, I don't really know you very well, but since you're asking I'll assume it's OK to answer bluntly since I know a good deal about the topic.

What Amanda wrote is right on the money: it's a lifestyle change that has to occur. That means you shouldn't even WANT the double burger, two sodas and the cupcake. And it should mean you WANT to exercise, that NOT exercising is punishment, not the other way around. You need to be jonesin' for green veggies and cardio stimulation. Once you are, once it becomes something you need (not just "must do") then you know you're a healthy person.

Here's the catch: going from A to B (i.e., to there from where you are) requires discipline. You have to make a decision that you want to be at "B." Visualize it, then work at it. It will take months of pure discipline before you get to "B," and it won't be easy. You have to be strong enough to do it, diligent enough to be constant at it. No cheating on meals ever and no skipping days of exercising, for any reason... and if you DO cheat, that doesn't mean the fight is over, it means you stop right there and start over.... back to the same discipline and put the slip behind you. Focus on the end game. And nobody can do this but you. There is no trick; just Mark and his decision to feel better, look better, be stronger and live longer. Pretty compelling all by itself, though, huh?

There is help for you, too. Hire a personal trainer. Sign up at the YMCA on direct draft so you see the money leave your account, and look at the website for exercise classes... put them in your calendar. Talk to the Y about the trainer, in fact; set up a consultation and set a schedule with him/her. Go online and find a meal planner site, and plan your meals each week in advance, and then follow it. Stop eating out altogether, unless you know it's a place where you can get a healthy salad or sandwich. Lots of things like this make the mental part of it all easier, and in 6 months you won't be able to imagine doing it any other way.

Good luck!

Don't fret Mark, i have struggled way more than you know before i finally put my food...err, i mean foot...down and decided to kick my own ass!

First of all, i just call the website 'myplate' but it's actually www.thedailyplate.com

And the food that you've already consumed today...let me tell you a little story. So prior to February i would find myself hungry...and for the record, i think most of that was just boredom and not hunger now that i have a clearer perspective.

Anyway, i would find myself "hungry" and i'd roll on into the McD's drive through. Somedays i wouldn't know what i wanted so i'd get a whole selection: kids meal...to cover the fries and the nuggets, double cheeseburger plain...cuz ya gotta have iron in the red meat...and sometimes even a fish sandwhich...just incase fish turned out to be that thing that i was so desperately craving. Sometimes i'd even buy two whole value meals and the kids meal so it looked like i was buying for a whole family and wouldn't be as embarrased! The scary part is that i would start eating the cheeseburger before i got out of the parking lot and by the time i got home i'd be halfway through the food. I'd finish it, and then the guilt would set in. Why the hell would i eat that much? How can i possibly let myself be so disgusting...blah, blah, blah. And then i'd feel way past full on top of the guilt, and in the midst of it all this elusive craving would still be looming. So then i'd hit up chocolate in the house, or whatever i could find and eat mindlessly, and guilty. So, that being said, i understand exactly what you're feeling...that you're out of control and ashamed to be so, which only perpetuates the problem.

My suggestions to you are:
1) Stop beating yourself up because it will only make your situation worse.

2) When you find yourself eating, make it an occasion. Don't eat while you're doing something else...this includes driving, working, watching tv, etc. Actually take the time to enjoy your food. I think you'll find that you'll be more fulfilled after the meal and that you won't think you're hungry when you're really not after the meal.

3) DON'T EAT UNTIL YOU'RE FULL (because honestly, you've beat yourself up so much mentally and emotionally you may never fill that void if you're using food as a band-aid) Instead EAT UNTIL YOU'RE NOT HUNGRY. Pay attention to yourself, and trust yourself. It will get easier for you, i promise!

4) Do sign up at www.thedailyplate.com but know that you have to be accountable. If you go crazy and eat 3 bags of M&M's write it down. At the end of the day when you see how many calories you've consumed, don't feel guilty about the 3 bags of M&M's, but look at those calories and think of your health. There are 240 cals in a normal plain bag of M&M's that won't fill you up and has nothing in it that your body needs...but for 240 calories you could have tons of fruit that's sweet and filled with vitamins and nutrients for your body. It's little mental comparisons such as that one that have really made my journey easier.

I have a few tricks that i use now that are helping me also. I don't really want all of the bad stuff that i used to want. Occasionally i decide i want McDonald's, but now when i go i only get the 4pc chicken nugget meal for a girl with a water instead of pop and sometimes the apples and sometimes the fries. Also, if you know you're going out to eat, don't be upset at your friends that seem to eat whatever they want...let them order all that crap. Then after you eat your healthy meal (because you're going to start making healthy decisions TODAY, Mark, Today!) you can eat a french fry or two off of their plate and fulfill that "i gotta have it or i'm gonna die" mentality.

Okay, so these are the baby steps that will help you start being more healthy Today! Don't wait until tomorrow or think that you've already ruined your day because of what you had for breakfast. When you go to lunch, park in the furthest spot from the door and order what you want when you get inside. If you don't want a salad, don't order it or you'll feel like you're being punished. But if you get that burger, try only eating half of it today. You'll get there eventually...

Thanks, Troy and Amanda. I feel I'm on the brink of making a healthy lifestyle change. I just may need a push.

i think this is my biggest problem. this and that i think i eat as much out of "habit" as hunger. and both are hard to conquer.

one thing that i've done is to make a real effort to not keep crap food (like potato chips, candy, etc) to snack on around the house (that seems much easier for me than exercising self control and restraint ). plus, to make it worse, i found that i usually ate that stuff later in the evening while playing on the computer, listening to music, watching tv, etc.

good for you amanda. you should be proud of yourself.

and mark, good luck on you efforts.

Way to go Chica, I'm real proud of you!

I've gotten into the habit of eating smaller portions of mostly healthy foods. I felt like a hungry rabbit at first nibbling on fruit and vegetables and whole grains, but after a while I really came to enjoy a lighter diet and just the thought of an Egg McMuffin makes me feel kinda ill now. It's only difficult for me to eat right now when I'm traveling -- I definitely had too many burritos and Whataburgers while I was in Austin.

Go for it Mark, it only gets harder and takes a bigger toll on your health the longer you wait. And good luck!

Hey, I just stopped by in here to say that I signed up on myplate. That site is frikin awesome. It's so user friendly. I think I may even get the paid membership if it continues to go this good.

Anyway, I was almost 800 calories over my limit today (yesterday). Booo. And I tried to eat healthy too... Guess I'll have to try harder.

Thanks chica for the tip. I love that site!

Glad i could help out! And i'm proud of you for taking the first step!

And don't worry, when i first started it was quite an eye opener for me too to see how much i was actually consuming. I was like Damn! But it was good to learn that way. I also started looking up stuff if i thought i might eat it. I used to eat Panera practically every other day and thought i was being healthy with my half sandwhich and cesar salad...Oh, my! was i wrong! Cool part is that i can still eat Panera, except now i get a field salad with balsamic vinaigrette and veg soup. It's a big ol difference but i still get to eat lunch with my friends.

Baby steps...and when you start to see results you'll be even more motivated to be healthy. Just stick with it! If i can do it, anybody can do it.

Thanks, Amanda!!

Wow, who would have thought I would have consumed half my caloric intake by Breakfast?

Some chips and dip and a Sobe last night and some oatmeal this morning = 56% of what I can eat today.

News at 11:00...

This may be interesting to someone, maybe just to me. But now that I have almost 4 days of food journal to compare, my caloric intake doesn't seem to change all that much. No matter if I eat out at fast food, or if I eat frozen weight watchers entrees and supplement with other store bought food, I'm hitting about 2x the caloric intake that I need in order to lose weight.

So, I guess I have to change what I'm eating, quality and quanity...

Don't get discouraged, Mark! Just remember you may be eating twice as many calories as you need to lose weight, but as long as you're consuming less than you did before, you're on the right track to better health.

Mark, do you cook? (i'm kinda guessing not...) But you should try some fresh foods. Ya know, chicken breast that you have to cook...veggies...fruits. All are extremely low in calories and so packed full of good stuff. And it tastes a helluva lot better than boxed meals IMO!

Hey, Amanda!

Yeah, I cook, but not through the week. It's hard to find the time for it. I know how to plan healthy meals, it's just the added time involved that I need to figure out.

As a side note, it seems that no matter what or where I eat, I usually end up at about 3K calories for a day. It's weird really. I guess my body is like a spoiled little kid demanding those calories until he gets them! Bad body, bad!

I cook on Sundays for the whole week. My George Foreman grill is the best ever!

And quit yelling at your body. Just focus on the goal.

Mark -

Just some advice on that point: the easiest way to stay on track is to plan what you're going to eat BEFORE you go out to eat it. So, sit down on Sunday and plan your meals all week, looking online at menus to see what places have what food and at how many calories (if you eat out). Make your plan, write it down to the letter, then go out and execute! Don't try to account for calories as an unknown AFTER you've eaten them... that's not going to work.

T

Sometimes the shock factors are good for me. Reading certain books about health and diet/exercise have a tendency to refocus me. "Eat to Live" is a book I read (but not a program I strictly follow)--and there are other good ones out there. What I learn about potential links to cancer and other problems can be enough to jump start my discipline when it wanes.

Even the food-industry revelations at times kick my ass. It makes me want to grow everything I eat and make more of my own food in general rather than what's out there (processed). Often, making my own stuff saves me money and also pounds. And then it helps with my goals about the environment too.

Hey Troy and Amanda.

I think I forgot to mention that I'm not trying to eat any differently this week. I'm just getting a baseline of all the different things I normally eat. I will take the good and throw out the bad once I get a good picture of the damage I'm doing. Thanks for the continued support and encourgement. I really appreciate it.

M

I think that's a GREAT idea, good thinking. You can't improve it if you don't know where you started.... good luck!

I second what i Troy said!

Hey Mark,

One thing that is easy to change in your diet without cutting it out of the diet completely is changing from regular pasta to whole wheat pasta, from white rice to brown rice, from cereal for breakfast to oatmeal. Items that have more fiber in them will make you feel full with less intake. And it will make you feel full longer, reason being particularly with brown rice, it takes longer for the stomach to digest the brown rice because of hulls on the grains, something that white rice does not have because it has been removed.

Making simple adjustments such as these will make it easier to work on your diet plan.

Hope this helps some.

Thanks you guys! I am on my way.

How's this going for you Mark?

It's going pretty good. I've learned that my problem with food is two fold. I not only eat the wrong foods, but I eat too much too! Even weight watchers entres are probably not a good idea due to the portions being too small to satisfy me.

I've started to see the benefit of exercise too (thanks to some landscaping I entered in to my activity journal). I had no idea that I could eat more food if I exercised--I mean, I knew, but I didn't really know, you know? I guess I'm just an exer-tard.

Anyway, I'm slowly finding ways to cut my calories down. I haven't really lost any weight, but I do feel better, and I'm not trying to go all gangbusters in the beginning now. Just really take the time to learn how my decisions on diet and exercise affect my body.

Overall, I really love MyPlate. I wish I could track other things besides carbs, fats and protiens--namely fiber and saturated and trans fats. Do you have the gold membership? I haven't investigated what improvements upgrading would get.


Anyway, thanks for starting this thread. I really appreciate the info and support that it brings!

M

******************edited to add:******************************

Yay!!!!! This is a first!!!!!! From Myplate today (well, now yesterday):

"You could have eaten about 72 additional calories on April 23rd, 2008"

Congrats Mark! I'm so proud of you!!! It sounds like you're off to a great start.

No, i haven't upgraded to the membership that requires payment. I'm not sure what it offers but i'm just plain happy with the basic functions of the site.

Oh, and an update for me...as far as weight loss goes, i'm holding steady at -13 pounds. But the funny thing is that people have been asking me for about a week now if i'm losing weight. AND i bought some new clothes today two sizes smaller than i normally would have. So, even though i haven't lost any weight in a couple weeks, i guess my body is catching up. And i'm still making healthy choices so i'm not discouraged by the numbers at all. In fact, i think it's probably inspiring me even more because now i'm actually motivated to do a little more cardio. lol...

I'm going on a cruise in a week...that should be a real test. I have to be honest though, i'm not too worried about it because i've learned not to struggle with wanting what all the skinny people are eating, but rather eating what i know is good for my body. I am finally free from diets. And i feel great.

Awesome, Amanda! It sounds like you will have nothing to worry about on your vacation. I hope I can come as far as you have in time. Also, have you looked at that physical activity log on there? I can't believe that I can burn 565 calories every night just from sleeping! Sounds crazy.

Heck yeah! that physical log makes me feel better about sitting in class for hours on end because i'm actually burning a crap load of calories.

Cheers!
~A~

Holy Smokes, i haven't updated in a while!

I just wanted to say that i'm still going strong and i hope the rest of you who started living healthier are too! Pounds-wise, i've kinda hit a plateau at down 15 pounds. Well, actually i gained 5 when i went on that cruise back in April (in only 5 days ) But i got that back off in the couple of weeks after i got back. So, although it'd be nice to see the numbers drop some more on the scales...i'm satisfied knowing that i am at least eating healthier. And i've been lazy with the whole working out thing...i admit it...but luckily i tend to be more active naturally in the summer so maybe i'll get past this 15 pound wall and continue to lose.

Hope the rest of you are doing great in your healthier living endeavors!!

~A~