Free Online Health

First of all, i hope you find my progress inspiring.  I know there are a lot of things that can get in people's way of weight loss, fast food addiction, peer pressure, lack of results... Trust me, i've been through all of this... i had the hardest time trying to get myself up into the weight loss game.  I really hope that if your a fast food junkie or need some inspiration, you can find the help you need in this post...  Also, if your a guest just surfing the net, trying to find a get fit fast thing (i've looked and looked, honestly there are a few(sort of), but the shakes taste awful, the diets are really strict.)  You really should sign up to this site and start posting, ask for help, the members on this forum aren't going to judge you!  I know the hardest thing i had to do was START.  Posting on this site was my first step to recovery.

I began a post in the general weight loss section, this was my first post!

link:http://free-online-health.com/forums/forums/thread/47973.aspx  

Snowy182:

Hey all, first of all i'd like to say i'm new to the whole "Keep Fit" thing, i have never really been a health person, really cared about my weight...

But anyway, Here we go...

I'm around 100kg, i'm 18 years old and i have little or no motivation to eat healthily or exercise (at all)... I'm what people would call a computer nerd/geek, i just enjoy sitting at home playing games and fiddling with computers.  I used to skate for up to an hour a day when i was 15/16, and i loved it, but as i've got older, it's beginning to wear off.  I have terrible eating habits, i eat fast food all the time, simply because i need "Fast" food and i eat fast food most days (excluding 2-3 a week) - i just really enjoy the taste!!!  I'm always exhausted from work, because i'm on my feet for up to 10 hours a day, and i never want to go for a walk, and all i want to is rest (i.e. on my computer) when i'm not working.  I often find myself not eating until late hours of the day, skipping meals just because i think it could help me lose weight (even though i know it's probably not true and know i'm probably gaining weight from doing it.)  My limit to physical exercise is doing between 20 and 50 sit-ups/push-ups before bed, but that is also rarely done.  I just don't enjoy going out, not 100% sure why, i don't overly like the outdoors and i'm a little embarrassed about the way i look.  I drive a lot, i enjoy driving, cars are also a passion of mine, so riding a bike or walking/running/jogging to get places just seems really impractical to me.  I really have no idea how i'm going to get myself out of this position, no idea what i can do to motivate myself to get out and exercise, and there is no way (that i can see) that i'll be able to get myself out of my eating habits.  I have no exercise equipment in my house and i buying large things i can't do (i live with my parents - they wouldn't like it), i also can't afford things because i'm saving for a trip away at the end of the year, all my money is going towards that and my car maintenance, my limit to spare cash is probably just under $100 a fortnight.

Please! I really need help, any sort of help will do, any advice i will take on board... I just don't know how i can stop what i'm doing!

Cowgirl, Ray Kelly and Petanque Don all gave me some great help.  I actually got really far in the first few days from their great advise!

When I first started to get into things, i was still trying to do things quickly... still trying to starve myself in order to lose weight, then get so hungry and eat something massive... try to give up certain parts of food (carbs) etc...  after i posted on here, i knew that it wasn't the right thing to do.

Next few days i tried just taking in the advice that Cowgirl was so helpfully giving me (Thank you so much! ) and just giving it a try, i gotta admit, i didn't stick to it very well, but it was a slow starting process.

I'm still only early in my progress, but i now realise what i have to do! 

I'm starting to walk 20-40mins a day... A hint that Cowgirl gave me (which worked wonders) is to just set a timer on your phone/watch for 10 mins, then walk in one direction.  When the timer goes off, just walk back.  If you try not to think about it too much, it only seems like your doing a 10 minute walk.  10 minutes! that's roughly equivalent to - 3/4 songs-or-a few ad breaks on tv-or-as long as it took you to read this post - it's not much!

When i was at work one day, i needed some lunch bad, and i forgot to bring something so (*ding*fast food - pops into my head) i thought about going to maccas, or hungry jacks, or legs and breasts, i thought about what i could have that would still be tasty!  I went to praties(a place that sells baked potatoes with toppings) and i tried to figure out what i wanted, with still keeping it as healthy as i could!  I ended up chosing to have one with ham, pineapple, bacon, low fat cheese (doesn't taste that different) and light sour cream.  It tasted great and i went for the healthiest thing i could! I don't recommend doing this every day, no matter which way you look at it fast food isn't your best option.

I'm continuing with my weight loss by preparing food for the next day and trying more than anything to plan ahead for what i'm going to eat.  try to get 5 serves of fruits and veggies into me every day, and drink lots of water

My weight started at 105kg, it's been just under a week and i'm 96kg now.  I know i won't be losing that much each week, but it's something to strive for i suppose!

I'll keep posting as often as i can with my progress!

   - Matt
 

Ok, so now it's about 2:30am, i'm still up, after i typed up the above i went out to the louge to play a game... there were some malteesers sitting on the table.  I just couldn't help myself! then i had some left over lasagna.  I tried to resist, i just couldn't! i'm going to have to do a 30min(each way) walk tomorrow.  See if i can make up for what i did... I hate it when you get the munchies... those little temptations just kill you... i'm so weak to temptations!
 

Sounds like you need protein!!! Well done on deciding to walk extra to counter the midnight munchies. That's a really good thing to begin doing if you ever do have a lapse - so go for that walk today and don't think you've blown it. You haven't. You had maltesers & lasagna. The world is not going to end, I promise.

Did you work out why you ate them? Were you hungry or just bored?

If you find it hard to resist temptation, one thing you can do is to remove all of those kinds of things from the house. Another is to put them in a locked box & give someone t he key. Allow yourself a treat once a week and have them unlock it - if you're going 3 or 4 times a week and they're unlocking it, give the key to someone else !!!

Try not to reward yourself with food - a very hard thing to do if you've ever gone Whoo hoo I've lost 5kgs I can have that chocolate/champagne/fries..... nup! We've been "rewarding" a whole range of stuff that earned us nothing but that extra chub (the I'm too tired, i feel bad, no one loves me, I am not fat, who cares kinds of rewards...)

Well done on getting the journal up too!

Next time you come up with a temptation, what do you think you can do to avoid it?
Here's a few little suggestions: go for a 10 minute walk; drink a glass or 2 of water; read something; talk to someone.... there's plenty of things to do to avoid temptation....

Have a great day!

I think i just ate them cos i was bored... anyways

I didn't get a chance to update my journal yesterday, was out all day, so i'll fill in what i did!

I woke up at around 3:00pm (i know, right... ? - I was REALLY tired, too much working, not enough sleep, etc... ) I got up and went for my walk, was around 30mins long, i cut short cos the rain started really pouring down.  I went to the supermarket and got myself a selection of low fat stuff.  I bought some light milk, light cheese (is that low fat? - it's got a lower fat rating than normal cheese, so i guess that's the low fat stuff... nothing there said "Low Fat Cheese"), some wholegrain bread, and a massive selection of fruit... I headed out for a while, then when i got home around 4:30, i prepared a fruit salad for my desert, and after my yummy dinner (sausage casserole) i had my fruit salad, and it was awesome.

That was yesterday.

Today 

I had to go buy myself some new shoes for work, so i went to eastlands (Tas/Hobart's big shopping centre), and i parked in the furthest park i could get from the shops, so i could walk a bit more! i got to the shopping complex around 8:30, and nothing was open, except the supermarkets and big w and kmart n stuff.   The place i needed to go wasn't open till 9:00, i then started thinking what i could do for the rest of the day, i thought i might go to an internet gaming lounge with my cousin, so i walked there to see what time they were open (perfect 15-20min walk each way!!!) - turned out they had closed down... but i still got the walk in! lol I went back and got my shoes, came home and now i'm typing this!

For breakfast (when i got home around 9:30), i had 2 peices of wholegrain toast with margarine and vegimite and a glass of orange juice.  I then proceeded to do my normal thing on my days off and sit on my bum and play a game ... For lunch i had a -light- cheese and tomato toasted sandwich (using wholegrain bread), and a fruit platter with apple, watermelon, and kiwi fruit with a no fat 1% sugar yogurt to dip the fruit into.  I love fruit! ...... I played my game until around 3:30, then went out to pick up a friend... my friend got KFC, offered me some and i declined... It was tempting though... very hard to say no!  Then went back to their place and bummed round for a while, watched some tv/movies... they started to eat malteesers... and chips and chocolate... I was || - that close to giving in... but i didn't, and i proud of myself for that!  I had some reheated lasagna and a salad with Italian dressing for dinner.  Now i'm home again, finishing off today's report!

Will report again tomorrow! - Gunna go make my lunch for tomorrow

p.s. cowgirl taught me that thinking ahead and preparation for the next day (or two) is a great way to start!  If you can organise yourself enough to make the next day's lunch and snacks (if your at work), then your doing great!!!

Just finished making lunch for tomorrow... thought i might post before i head to bed... i made myself 2 sandwiches (one is never enough, but if i can't eat it all, i can just throw it away) they had bacon, light cheese and tomato (i kept the tomato out until i'm ready to eat it so the bread doesn't go soggy).  I put a little bit of paprika/lemon + pepper spices into one of them... just to try spicing it up a little... have no idea how it's going to taste. but like i said, i can just throw it away if i don't like it! (i hate wasting food, but i'd rather chuck it than over eat!)  I also chopped up some fruit and put a small container of "no fat, 1% sugar" yogurt in with it.  That should see me through  the day, and if i get hungry during my working hours, i can just nibble on some grapes!

Good night!!!

I think i might just update every two days... it's easier!

Yesterday - Saturday 28/06/08

Breakfast:  2 Peices of toast with vegimite

Lunch:  2 Toasted cheese, bacon and tomato sandwiches, some fruit and yogurt --- (by the way, toasted cheese, bacon and tomato sandwich with some paprika is REALLY nice! - good way to spice up a sandwich)

Diner:  Home made chicken pie - tasted awesome!

Supper: had a few extra slices of watermelon before bed. 

Exercise:  Went for a 20 min walk in my break at work... i walked in my work shoes because i forgot to take a spare pair... my work shoes were new so it screwed my feet up really bad :( 

Today - Sunday 29/06/08

Breakfast:  2 Peices of toast with vegimite.

Lunch: Left over chicken pie and a can of coke zero (only 3.5kj of energy per can!!!! omg!)

Dinner:  Shepherds pie in a big bread bun thing... white bread though! :( - it was mum's cooking, i couldn't say no... :P

Exercise:  Didn't get to do my walk today, cos my heels were buggered from the walk before, i might try and get in some push ups and sit ups before bed... but i'm so tired, i might just try and make up for it a bit tomorrow - double the walk time maybe?

Update on me

I'm feeling heaps better now that i'm starting to get back into shape, it's not that hard, and i don't feel any more tired than normal from walking!... probably feel less tired all the time!  I think i've sort of lost my appetite for fast food as well... it just seems so expensive and unhealthy now!... I don't crave fast food, i don't feel like i'll die without maccas/kfc... and its a great feeling!!!  I'm proud of how far i've come in a week or two, but i'm trying to make sure i don't start accepting the way i am, cos then i'll treat myself thinking that i can't get worse or i'll stop trying or something...

Good night everyone!!!

Please post if you think there's anything i could do to improve what i'm doing! 

I'm so pleased you're going well! Awesome news on resisting the KFC & maltesers. They're "sometimes" food - just occasionally have a bit. If you tell yourself you can "never eat chocolate" again, the only thing you will do is obsess about chocolate (or whatever it is you lurve)... so knowing you have have it sometimes, is really important, otherwise you could end up bingeing, then feeling like crap and that you've blown all your hardwork. When you know you can have it, there's not the same sort of pressure.

A good way to test this is anytime you want something, such as KFC or whatever, ask yourself if you want it now. If you learn to question, you'll begin to take much greater control of your choices. Knowing you can have something, but you choose not to have it just now, is really powerful.

Here's a little task for you Matt - over the next week or so, make up a list of what you would consider to be "sometimes" foods, and things that you can eat all the time.

Keep up the great work!