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I guess I'll answer the questions as well so some of the new members can get to know my struggles as well, good idea Carol.
1) How did you hear about the site?
I was flipping through the channels one night and came across the Biggest Loser show. I was in a really bad place at the time with my weight and found the show very inspiring. I decided to look the show up on the internet and came across this site. I read the site for awhile before joining to get a feel for the people here, then decided to join because everyone seemed friendly and supportive.
2) Reasons for joining?
I joined because I wanted to talk with other people going through the same things I was. I wanted to change my life. I wanted to learn and grow from other people's weight loss experiences. I liked the fact that everyone seemed so supportive and motivating here.
3) Current Weight
169....still, I've been stuck in this plateau for almost 4 months now
4) Current/Past Lifestyle Habits (do you exercise and if so for how long, what exercise? what is your nutrition like, what are you eating on a daily basis? do you smoke? drink?)
Past: When I was younger I was always very active and into sports. I played on a couple teams and would always be in the yard playing catch or something with my dad. In high school, I hit depression and started taking diet pills or working out excessively. When I got to college, I fell into the party lifestyle of always drinking...I also went through bouts of not eating and starving myself because I was unhappy with the way I looked. I also had rough times with relationships and kept spiraling deeper into depression, ate junk, was put on paxil which also helped me gain 60 pounds in 4 months time.
Current: After seeing the show I decided to change my life. We hired a personal trainer and worked with him for 8 months. I learned about what foods to put into my body and how to work out to get results. I don't smoke or drink anymore, except for having a few drinks on special occasions. We don't eat any fast food except for one meal a week which we keep for a cheat day to keep us sane. I eat a lot of protein and vegetables, fruits, whole grains. I drink a lot of water. I workout at the gym 5 days a week lifting weights and doing cardio. I do weight training for about 40min a day and then 30-45 min of cardio. On the weekends when the weather is nice, we also like to get out for walks.
5) Things you have trouble with in losing weight
Carbs. I am a carb junkie. I crave them at the worst times which is at night. It's terrible to eat carbs right before going to bed because your body doesn't have time to burn them off so they get stored as fat. Night eating is the worst for me. I sometimes have trouble getting enough water in as well, I can't stand the taste of it. Right now I am having trouble losing as well because my body has hit a plateau. I hit them every 15-20 pounds or so and since I have less weight to lose now, it's worse. I only have about 40 more pounds to lose which is the most critical time not to give up.
6) Things you have tried in the past for weight loss (did they work before?)
Starving myself, weight loss pills, liquid fasts. None of them worked. The reason most diets fail (from what I personally believe) is attitude, and diet. When it comes to weight loss your attitude should be first and diet second in importance. Exercise is also important, but if you aren't eating the right foods, the exercise won't work. Changing my attitude from negetive thoughts (I can't do this, this is too hard, I'll never get where I want to be) to positive thoughts (I can do this, just one more lunge, it's not going to kill me, I am making myself healthier etc) really helped me. I challenge myself inside my head everytime I work out and tell myself that I can do 10 more...or what have you. Starving yourself DOES NOT work because it slows down your metabolism which in turn makes it harder for you to burn off fat. The faster your metabolism, the faster you burn fat which is why they recommend you eat 6 small meals a day every 2-3 hours apart to keep your metabolism going. It took me awhile to learn this and understand the concept...but it really does work.
7) What do you want to change in your life?
I have already made a huge change in my life by changing my lifestyle, attitude and outlook. I surrounded myself with people who could teach me how to lose weight properly. Right now, I'd like to change my foods and exercise around to shock my body since I've hit a plateau. I also want to get my certifications to be a personal trainer so I can help others and teach them the knowledge I have learned in weight loss.
8) What are your short and long term goals for weight loss?
Short Term: Get down to 160 pounds, be able to run up and down the stairs 30-40 times in a row (I can do about 20 times right now...up AND down counts as one). Increase my water intake.
Long Term: Get down to my goal weight of around 125-130 pounds. Be okay with the way I look in a bathing suit. Have a normal blood pressure and cholesterol, cortisol (mine were high before). Be happy with myself inside and out. Get certified to be a personal trainer. Live a long and healthy life and raise healthy active children.
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