Cosplay Goals

[LivingDeadGirl]

 

This is my first time joining something like this, so I'm not really sure where to start. Excuse me if I ramble...

 

I'm a cosplayer of 10+ years, and I'm searching for advice and encouragement as I really buckle down on my weight loss goal. Previous to now, I worked at a Renaissance Festival that provided a suitable regiment of dance, swordfighting, and a 10+ hours of being on my feet to keep me in shape. Since then, I've gone from a size 12 to a size 18 and I'm struggling. More so because I have arthritis and scoliosis, which makes generic gym exercises are difficult on me. Starting this year, I've kept up a meager routine of 30-35 minutes on the elliptical/2-3 nights a week. From 2016, I've worked on cleaning up my eating habits. I intend to further improve those habits this year by sticking to a Keto-centric diet.

 

• Character Stats: Female. 5'11". 230lbs. Size 18.

 

I know that I'm capable of losing the weight, but I don't have a strong support system (plus two roommates that inadvertently foil my good intentions.) My habit is to have an earnest run of 4-6 months, then backslide entirely. Finding myself at 200lbs was a definite wake up call, worsened further by a mixture of meds, depression, and bored eating. Now I find myself unable to wear half of my award-winning costumes, and that is honestly unacceptable. It's time to try something new. 

 

 

• Current Mission: Lose 50+ lbs. Get back to a size 12. Fit back into my cosplays again.
• Future Quest: Cancel my gym membership and pick up an athletic hobby to maintain and prosper body improvement (i.e. dance, kickboxing, martial arts, etc.) 

 

I'm unsure where to begin on this site... so any advice and encouragement is greatly appreciated! 

 

 

 

 Then Vs. Now 

 

[SpecialSundae]

ERMEHGERD! I think I've seen some of your cosplay pics before!

 

You're fucking awesome!  

 

Welcome to the Rebellion and hope you settle in here well.

 

For me, I'm a big gym-goer but don't do ANY cardio there. I go in, I lift heavy shit and I leave to eat (sometimes I eat between lifts). I like the eating part.  

[LivingDeadGirl]

On 1/20/2017 at 7:44 AM, SpecialSundae said:

ERMEHGERD! I think I've seen some of your cosplay pics before!

 

You're fucking awesome!  

 

Welcome to the Rebellion and hope you settle in here well.

 

For me, I'm a big gym-goer but don't do ANY cardio there. I go in, I lift heavy shit and I leave to eat (sometimes I eat between lifts). I like the eating part.  

Ohay that's awesome!! I have a lot of social media out there (facebook, tumblr, instagram, twitter, etc) Compliments keep me alive. *^*

 

As much as I emotionally hate the gym, I think this site has really renewed my motivation and now I'm eager to get going. And in doing so, I'm finding less and less back and shoulder pain. 

I've never ever before said I was "dieting" because of the stigma and judgemental peers and empty compliments that come along with it... but doing so has made me not take it too seriously. My goal is to stay strictly Keto, but my finances aren't keeping up with how expensive groceries can be. The fact that a McDonald's burger is $1 Vs. a decent salad at $8-15 makes me cry. So I'm weaning myself in a positive direction. I haven't had fast food in almost a week. One soda in that entire week. 
 

My boss catered breakfast the other day and treated the whole office to biscuits and gravy (a southern favorite) and I wept, but I abstained. Today they brought doughnuts for everyone. Thankfully I turned them down and they were all eaten too quick for me to backslide. 

I'm still not sure what to do as far as an actual meal plan goes.... but I'm making positive, healthier choices as I go. 

[turboseize]

8-15$ for a salad? WTF?*

I do not know about price structures in the US, but that is just insane. For example, I can get a head of iceberg lettuce for 0.79€, 3 sweet peppers for ~1.5€, one kilogram of onions is 1.5-2€... Other vegetables are also cheap: 500g of carrots vary between 0.8 and 1.8€, 1kg of spinach can be had for ~2€. Rootbeet is not that expensive, and cabbage is dirt cheap, too.
Over here, protein is the expensive part: 200g of feta 1.7€, a can of tuna 2€... bacon around 10€/kg, ground meat 5€/kg, and a steak >20€/kg.

But I could also easily pay double or sometimes triple for that. It pays off to pay a bit attention where you shop. Grocery prices can differ wildly... 


Regarding sports: you should definitely keep strength training. I also have a slight scoliosis, which I could get under control by strength training. I was diagnosed when 13; but on the x-rays made for the medical examination for the army 5 years later my spine was back close enough to normal. Whenever I stop working out, be it a high-stress-phase on the job or illness or injury, I notice that my posture deteriorates rapidly and back pain creeps in. As long as I can strength train regularly, everything is fine...

Focus on stuff that strengthens your core. Planks, side planks, bridges, quadruped extensions, that kind stuff. When working with weights, prefer free weights over machines and focus on compound movements (multi-joint movements). Make sure your work all aspects of the body. Press in front, press overhead, squat, deadlift. Pull horizontally and vertically (i.e. rows and chin-ups). Muscular disbalances wreak havoc with your spine. So identify them and work on them.  You might need the help of a good personal trainer or physical therapist for this - expensive, but worth it.


Oh, and one last thing. Please don't obsess about weight. Weight alone tells you nothing about body composition. I once had a girl gain 6kg while she simultaneaously went down two clothing sizes. Eat healty** and focus on what your body can DO. The rest will fall in place, if you allow enough time. Form follows function. 


* In a restaurant, the price would not be that outrageous. There, you are paying for the service and convenience, not for the food. But if you prepare food yourself, that that price range is unacceptable.
** Lots of vegetables, some fruit, sufficient protein. Most females struggle with the protein. 

[LivingDeadGirl]

4 hours ago, turboseize said:

8-15$ for a salad? WTF?*

I do not know about price structures in the US, but that is just insane. For example, I can get a head of iceberg lettuce for 0.79€, 3 sweet peppers for ~1.5€, one kilogram of onions is 1.5-2€... Other vegetables are also cheap: 500g of carrots vary between 0.8 and 1.8€, 1kg of spinach can be had for ~2€. Rootbeet is not that expensive, and cabbage is dirt cheap, too.
Over here, protein is the expensive part: 200g of feta 1.7€, a can of tuna 2€... bacon around 10€/kg, ground meat 5€/kg, and a steak >20€/kg.

But I could also easily pay double or sometimes triple for that. It pays off to pay a bit attention where you shop. Grocery prices can differ wildly... 
 

 

$8-15 is what I find when I go out to eat, which I haven't done much since November. My boyfriend lost his job and now I'm supporting him so my finances are incredibly bleak at the moment. But when we did have the funds, I much prefer going out because I am a pretty abysmal cook. In the past, I have tried to make salads at home... and that's not too expensive, but I ran into the problems that it never tastes ANYWHERE as good (I just suck at cooking) and a lot of the salad stuff went to waste. Neither my boyfriend nor roommate will eat vegetables - buying in bulk tends to be cheaper - then I deal with cheaper vs. wasting food. It's just a mess. 

 

As I crack down on my goals, I've tried to pick 4-6 meals that I enjoy that aren't terrible for me: breadless hamburgers, tuna salad, baked chicken/fish, chicken/beef and vegetable stir fry, meatballs and mozzarella (basically a meatball sub without the bread), and a taco salad that's basically a salad with taco meat and Taco Bell sauce versus salad dressing.* 

 

*I haaaaaaaaaaaaaate 90% of salad dressing. This probably has to do a lot with my dislike of salads. The vegetables are fine, but I can only tolerate balsamic vinegar and various balsamic blends found at restaurants. 

 

Quote

Regarding sports: you should definitely keep strength training. I also have a slight scoliosis, which I could get under control by strength training. I was diagnosed when 13; but on the ex-rays made for the medical examination for the army 5 years later my spine was back close enough to normal. Whenever I stop working out, be it a high-stress-phase on the job or illness or injury, I notice that my posture deteriorates rapidly and back pain creeps in. As long as I can strength train regularly, everything is fine...

Focus on stuff that strengthens your core. Planks, side planks, bridges, quadruped extensions, that kind stuff. When working with weights, prefer free weights over machines and focus on compound movements (multi-joint movements). Make sure your work all aspects of the body. Press in front, press overhead, squat, deadlift. Pull horizontally and vertically (i.e. rows and chin-ups). Muscular disbalances wreak havoc with your spine. So identify them and work on them.  You might need the help of a good personal trainer or physical therapist for this - expensive, but worth it.
 

 

I've never participated in strength training. It's a foreign concept that I'm working on breaking down mentally so that I can wade into it and not injure myself while making sure its ineffective. My past history of exercise has only been swim team (middle school years) and then theater and dance (high school to up about 4 years ago.) The biggest struggle that I'll have to overcome is the concept of just trying. I'm fully aware that it's not that big of a deal on a mental level, but my anxiety flares up with anything that I'm not used to or unsure of and ultimately I've chickened out. It sounds stupid trying to explain it, but it's a problem that I have to work through. 

 

....just typing it out makes me embarrassed of it. I guess that's a good thing. It's forcing me to work through it.... 

 

"Planks, side planks, bridges...." that's all foreign to me. I need to do more looking into the terms and the corresponding movements. The only ones I do recognize are chin-ups, but that's way above my capability at the moment. Any strength I do have is in my legs, which are quite large (allegedly a hereditary trait through my family) and my arms are super small by comparison. Like. 1/3 the size of my legs. I have no arm strength at all, which is something I do want to work on - unfortunately, I'm unsure where to start. 

 

While I would be game to work with a trainer and/or therapist, there's no way I can afford anything like that. 

Quote

Oh, and one last thing. Please don't obsess about weight. Weight alone tells you nothing about body composition. I once had a girl gain 6kg while she simultaneaously went down two clothing sizes. Eat healty** and focus on what your body can DO. The rest will fall in place, if you allow enough time. Form follows function. 


* In a restaurant, the price would not be that outrageous. There, you are paying for the service and convenience, not for the food. But if you prepare food yourself, that that price range is unacceptable.
** Lots of vegetables, some fruit, sufficient protein. Most females struggle with the protein. 

 

My weight does concern me, but not as a number. It is startling to see that I'm over 200 lbs, but I'm luckily balanced because I am 5'11". I appear to be proportionate. Sizing, inches wise, is my prerogative. I have an entire closet of custom-made cosplays that I can no longer wear because I've allowed myself to gain on weight (my only excuse is a downward spiral of depression and accompanying bad habits) but I truly want to better myself. I don't want a crash diet or a temporary fix. My mother recently had surgery to assist with her obesity (she went from 400+ to 200lbs. She now weighs less than I do.) It's a startling reality that I'm slowly following her foot steps and I refuse to let that happen. Now is the time to take charge and forge better habits. 

[turboseize]

A good place to get started would be the NF beginner bodyweight workout. Or try my minimalist whole-body-workout. (Both can be done at home).
Take your time, read a bit, look up video tutorials on youtube regarding certain exercises. And then.. start doing something. If you are insecure, film yourself and aks for help/evaluation in the form check sections of this forum. 

On your "now" pictures, you are clearly overweight, but you somehow still manage not to look too fat. That is either a very clever clothing choice, or favourable genes. (Or both.) I'd not be surprised if you could easily gain some muscle... Girl! Go lifting! What a potential! 

 

Regarding salads, I have found that herbs and spices make all the difference. A bit of thyme and/or rosemary can make a dull salad exiting. Oregano also works with the classic oil+vinegar dressing.
Regarding dressings, here are two ideas:
1) sprinkle salad with olive oil and vinegar. Done!
2) take a bit of sour cream. Add some spoons of olive oil. Add some chopped garlic and pepper. Mix with a spoon until you get a mayonaise-like stuff. Done.
2a) you can experiment with the cream+oil template. You might add bavarian sweet mustard. Another day, you could add chili powder. Or everything else you can think of. Just play.
 

[LivingDeadGirl]

On 1/25/2017 at 10:19 AM, turboseize said:

A good place to get started would be the NF beginner bodyweight workout. Or try my minimalist whole-body-workout. (Both can be done at home).
Take your time, read a bit, look up video tutorials on youtube regarding certain exercises. And then.. start doing something. If you are insecure, film yourself and aks for help/evaluation in the form check sections of this forum. 

On your "now" pictures, you are clearly overweight, but you somehow still manage not to look too fat. That is either a very clever clothing choice, or favourable genes. (Or both.) I'd not be surprised if you could easily gain some muscle... Girl! Go lifting! What a potential! 

 

Regarding salads, I have found that herbs and spices make all the difference. A bit of thyme and/or rosemary can make a dull salad exiting. Oregano also works with the classic oil+vinegar dressing.
Regarding dressings, here are two ideas:
1) sprinkle salad with olive oil and vinegar. Done!
2) take a bit of sour cream. Add some spoons of olive oil. Add some chopped garlic and pepper. Mix with a spoon until you get a mayonaisse-like stuff. Done.
2a) you can experiment with the cream+oil template. You might add bavarian sweet mustard. Another day, you could add chili powder. Or everything else you can think of. Just play.
 

 

I've been reading through the emails sent by NF, and so I definitely want to start tip-toeing into the strength training aspect. I imagine that it will be the most difficult part of this venture, but I'm willing to give it a go!

 

My figure looks proportionate because I'm so tall. I've always had that advantage. Add that to several years of cosplay and posing for photos.. I've learned to work my plus-size without looking "fat". 

 

I so badly want to experiment more with creating food, but I'm hesitant because I'm A. incredibly picky eater*  & B. offensively low income atm. My budget is so strict that I simply can't afford to waste food by trying something that I may hate. In the future, I absolutely want to improve on this. In the meantime, I'll stick to taco (shellless) salads and venture forth into boring but safe salads. The vinegar and olive oil sounds like it could definitely work for me. 

 

Thank you so much for your advice, it really is appreciated and I hope I don't come across as though I'm rebutting your attempts to help me. 

 

 

*In addition to salad dressings such as ranch and blue cheese, I cannot stand sour cream, mustard, peppers, tomato, pickles, cucumbers, etc. This is a nasty habit that I've spent years trying to overcome, but alas, there are some foods that I just can't budge on. 

[Defining]

I like to cook....  Wanna trade? You can teach me to cosplay and I'll teach you some easy recipes for a tight budget. I've always wanted to put together a kickass costume, but would never have the figurative balls to actually wear one.

[Lord Pakku, the Unhinged]

11 hours ago, LivingDeadGirl said:

I so badly want to experiment more with creating food,

yo, cooking healthy is my jam! but not actual jam, sadly.
more like a berry compote.

it really doesnt have to be expensive. certain trade offs may need to be made tho. inexpensive, healthy, quick, tasty..... its not exactly rare to get all of those, but its certainly not the case for every meal

anyway, what do you like to eat (breadless hamburgers.. so, meatloaf)? im all for throwing in some support for a fellow cosplayer

[LivingDeadGirl]

14 hours ago, Defining said:

I like to cook....  Wanna trade? You can teach me to cosplay and I'll teach you some easy recipes for a tight budget. I've always wanted to put together a kickass costume, but would never have the figurative balls to actually wear one.

 

YES. I host costume workshops from time to time to teach people beginning skills to get into cosplay, and occasionally I'll post a tutorial on my cosplay blog http://miss-deminoir.tumblr.com/

 

 

[LivingDeadGirl]

11 hours ago, Lord Pakku, the Unhinged said:

yo, cooking healthy is my jam! but not actual jam, sadly.
more like a berry compote.

it really doesnt have to be expensive. certain trade offs may need to be made tho. inexpensive, healthy, quick, tasty..... its not exactly rare to get all of those, but its certainly not the case for every meal

anyway, what do you like to eat (breadless hamburgers.. so, meatloaf)? im all for throwing in some support for a fellow cosplayer

 

Meatloaf would actually be awesome. I've never tried to make some, but I'd give it a try. 

My regular meals consist of breadless hamburgers, tuna salad, baked chicken/fish, chicken/beef and vegetable stir fry, meatballs and mozzarella (basically a meatball sub without the bread), and a taco salad that's basically a salad with taco meat and Taco Bell sauce versus salad dressing.* 
 

This weekend I have plans to meal prep some keto appropriate meatballs, sausage/egg muffins, and oatmeal bars. For lunch, I'll make tuna salad. 


--! I'd love to see your cosplay! 

[Lord Pakku, the Unhinged]

ooh man.. i might be less help with your cooking than i previously thought. thats like.. all meat
i dont eat a lot of meat.. like, next to none.
do you remove things like lentils and beans too?

my cosplays... i have been terrible at taking photos of me in my cosplays.. and mostly ive done work for other people to wear
so, my work.. other models


im just about to finish up the metal work on a Geralt from the witcher for myself.. then its a ton of leather

are you working on anything right now?

[Lydiechan]

Here's my number one piece of advice:  Tell your roommates what's going on and ask for their help.

 

My husband did the same thing, inadvertently sabotaging my attempts at being healthy.  When I explained to him what I was trying to do and why, he jumped on track with me and started buying healthier food to keep in the house.

 

If you dedicate a time to sit down and tell the people in your life what's going on, they are very likely to support you.  Good luck!

 

Side note: I just realized I've seen your cosplay photos before, too.  Very nicely done.  I'm hoping to do something fun for DCC in June.

[LivingDeadGirl]

On 1/27/2017 at 0:22 PM, Lord Pakku, the Unhinged said:

ooh man.. i might be less help with your cooking than i previously thought. thats like.. all meat
i dont eat a lot of meat.. like, next to none.
do you remove things like lentils and beans too?

my cosplays... i have been terrible at taking photos of me in my cosplays.. and mostly ive done work for other people to wear
so, my work.. other models


im just about to finish up the metal work on a Geralt from the witcher for myself.. then its a ton of leather

are you working on anything right now?

 

Oh wow! I'm not familiar with the design on the left, bu I love it. Very nice work!! 

 

I'm currently juggling 3 different projects, because I'm better at multitasking than I am working on a singular project. I'm 90% done with Kate Bishop's Hawkeye outfit, about halfway with Zatanna Zatara, and yesterday I started on the staff for Codex from The Guild. Corsets and spandex. All the more reason to hit the gym. 

 

And as far as lentils and beans go, I've never eaten anything that's come with lentils? I don't mind most beans, but my roommates won't eat them and since they do most of the cooking (I buy, they make) it's hard to convince them to make something extra that's just for me. Plus I always face the issue of buying in bulk because it's cheaper, but will ultimately go to waste before I eat it all or I pay more for smaller amounts and my budget can't really handle that right now. It's a tight spot that I'm trying my best to manage.

[LivingDeadGirl]

On 1/27/2017 at 4:05 PM, Lydiechan said:

Here's my number one piece of advice:  Tell your roommates what's going on and ask for their help.

 

My husband did the same thing, inadvertently sabotaging my attempts at being healthy.  When I explained to him what I was trying to do and why, he jumped on track with me and started buying healthier food to keep in the house.

 

If you dedicate a time to sit down and tell the people in your life what's going on, they are very likely to support you.  Good luck!

 

Side note: I just realized I've seen your cosplay photos before, too.  Very nicely done.  I'm hoping to do something fun for DCC in June.

 

 

My roommates are fully aware, and while they do support me emotionally.... they're not going to change their habits to accommodate mine. There's three of us total, and while I do have control of buying groceries.. I still have to make sure to buy the stuff that they like and keep them fed despite my efforts to eat cleaner. Thus the high-protein diet that I've mentioned. We all agree that meat is enjoyable, and then I'll typically add vegetables with my own meal. However, they'll occasionally bring home ice cream or try to offer me cookie dough (one of the few things that I can't turn down). I can turn down ice cream, cake, cookies, brownies, etc. Cookie dough is my weakness. 

 

If you cosplay too, I'd love to see your work!

[Lord Pakku, the Unhinged]

14 hours ago, LivingDeadGirl said:

Oh wow! I'm not familiar with the design on the left, bu I love it. Very nice work!! 

 

I'm currently juggling 3 different projects, because I'm better at multitasking than I am working on a singular project. I'm 90% done with Kate Bishop's Hawkeye outfit, about halfway with Zatanna Zatara, and yesterday I started on the staff for Codex from The Guild. Corsets and spandex. All the more reason to hit the gym. 

 

And as far as lentils and beans go, I've never eaten anything that's come with lentils? I don't mind most beans, but my roommates won't eat them and since they do most of the cooking (I buy, they make) it's hard to convince them to make something extra that's just for me. Plus I always face the issue of buying in bulk because it's cheaper, but will ultimately go to waste before I eat it all or I pay more for smaller amounts and my budget can't really handle that right now. It's a tight spot that I'm trying my best to manage.

left is a crossplay of balthier from final fantasy 12

3 projects is too many projects for me. respect! cosplay is too multidisciplinary for me to have multiple projects on the go at the same time.
i was getting through the new hawkguy book, just past the part where it split to kate bishop.. but then life got in the way and my comic book reading time flew out the window.
are you gonna post photos when you finish?

as for the food.. bulk beans and lentils basically never go bad, AND they're cheap!
but it sounds like finances are your biggest obstacle right now when it comes to meals, yeah?

[turboseize]

6 hours ago, Lord Pakku, the Unhinged said:

l

as for the food.. bulk beans and lentils basically never go bad, AND they're cheap!
but it sounds like finances are your biggest obstacle right now when it comes to meals, yeah?

^ This.

Also, oats are cheap. As is  buckwheat. And millet. If kept in a dry space, all these last forever. Heat some water, throw in stuff, cook to pulp. With oats, add some fruit shortly before you're done, with millet, add some vegetables (millet + pumpkin works fine, for example). Buckwheat can be eaten as a pulp (my wife loves that, I hate accept it...) or it makes an excellent side dish - put some vegatables o the plate, two fried eggs, and some buckwheat, and you have a healthy meal with protein, carbs, lots of vitamins, fibre and micro-nutrients for less than 2€/person. Oh, and leftover buckwheat pulp may be reheated in the pan - it will take up some flavour from whatever you fried in that before and taste much better.

I'm a full time student without a job and I live solely on my savings, so money is an issue for me, too.
My lunch right now is two bowls of cooked oats with an apple, some cinnamon and a pinch of butter, plus a protein shake. 150g of oats (11.5ct), 20g butter (10ct), 1 apple (18ct), cinnamon (0.5ct), tap water (cheap and the ampount used for cooking is nothing compared to a shower etc, so ignore the price). 1 scoop of whey for the protein shake (50ct). Protein 39,9g; carbs 67.8g, fat 29.8g, 740kcal in total. Also some vitamins (less than I'd like, but I'll eat more green stuff in the evening), plenty of fiber and minerals, and a nice mixture of unsaturated (oats) and saturated (butter) fatty acids. .. all for less than 1€. 

 

[LivingDeadGirl]

10 hours ago, Lord Pakku, the Unhinged said:

left is a crossplay of balthier from final fantasy 12

3 projects is too many projects for me. respect! cosplay is too multidisciplinary for me to have multiple projects on the go at the same time.
i was getting through the new hawkguy book, just past the part where it split to kate bishop.. but then life got in the way and my comic book reading time flew out the window.
are you gonna post photos when you finish?

as for the food.. bulk beans and lentils basically never go bad, AND they're cheap!
but it sounds like finances are your biggest obstacle right now when it comes to meals, yeah?

I have a bad habit of getting halfway through a costume and then being too eager to start the next. It doesn't always work in my favor, and some costumes have been pushed to the side or dropped because of it. (I built an entire RESCUE Iron Man suit... only had to finish the helmet then paint, but I fell more in love with other projects and abandoned it for months and then ultimately trashed it.) 

Hawkeye has definitely resonated with me on a super personal level, and so I simply had to cosplay Kate Bishop. The All-New Hawkeye wasn't the best follow up and was a bit lackluster by comparison, but now Kate Bishop's "Hawkeye" solo title is shaping up to have a wealth of potential. Girls in comics are definitely kicking ass. I love it! 

I'll definitely post pics of the final product once completed, but in the mean time I've been making more of an effort to post progress photos on my Instagram. 

 

and yeah. Juggling finances is the worst. ;~;

[LivingDeadGirl]

4 hours ago, turboseize said:

^ This.

Also, oats are cheap. As is  buckwheat. And millet. If kept in a dry space, all these last forever. Heat some water, throw in stuff, cook to pulp. With oats, add some fruit shortly before you're done, with millet, add some vegetables (millet + pumpkin works fine, for example). Buckwheat can be eaten as a pulp (my wife loves that, I hate accept it...) or it makes an excellent side dish - put some vegatables o the plate, two fried eggs, and some buckwheat, and you have a healthy meal with protein, carbs, lots of vitamins, fibre and micro-nutrients for less than 2€/person. Oh, and leftover buckwheat pulp may be reheated in the pan - it will take up some flavour from whatever you fried in that before and taste much better.

I'm a full time student without a job and I live solely on my savings, so money is an issue for me, too.
My lunch right now is two bowls of cooked oats with an apple, some cinnamon and a pinch of butter, plus a protein shake. 150g of oats (11.5ct), 20g butter (10ct), 1 apple (18ct), cinnamon (0.5ct), tap water (cheap and the ampount used for cooking is nothing compared to a shower etc, so ignore the price). 1 scoop of whey for the protein shake (50ct). Protein 39,9g; carbs 67.8g, fat 29.8g, 740kcal in total. Also some vitamins (less than I'd like, but I'll eat more green stuff in the evening), plenty of fiber and minerals, and a nice mixture of unsaturated (oats) and saturated (butter) fatty acids. .. all for less than 1€. 

 

 

The oats left in my cabinet were about a year old, having been leftover from some failed Pinterest recipes I tried a while back. I'm definitely going to try out more and more ways to make use of cheaper food supplies, but a lot of it does come own to texture for me. Hence the baked recipes are working out a little better. That also allows me to eat it at a lukewarm temperature, whereas I prefer regular oatmeal heated up. The warmer it gets outside, the less likely I am to eat hot foods. 

 

Luckily eggs aren't too expensive, and I've never tired of them before! 

 

Knowing that I typically eat less in the summer (if it's too hot, food repulses me) and so I'm looking towards replacing my breakfast with shakes of some sort. I'm unfamiliar with shakes (weight-loss, protein, otherwise) and would love some good recommendations. I know Slimfast used to be a huge deal, yet that fad has more or less died out. I hear that Protein Milk is now a thing? 

 

You mentioned drinking the protein shake in addition to a full meal, but is there perhaps a shake/drink of sorts that works as an effective (and appetite fulfilling) replacement? 

[DyDy]

Never been a fan of oats too, but spicing it up with some fruit and (soy) yoghurt really made my breakfast. Try out new (cheap) recipes every week, it works.

[turboseize]

15 hours ago, LivingDeadGirl said:

 

You mentioned drinking the protein shake in addition to a full meal, but is there perhaps a shake/drink of sorts that works as an effective (and appetite fulfilling) replacement? 

I added the protein shake because I wanted more protein - the oats alone would just have provided 19g, with the protein shake I could double that. I do not have a weightloss goal, I want to get stronger. This means I need plenty of protein - by trial and error (let's call that "experience") I have found out that I need at least 1.5g protein / kg bodyweight to gain muscle. So I need >160g protein per day. Just throwing in a protein shake here and there makes that so much easier (and cheaper). 

In your case, the situation is a bit different. You want to use shakes to replace a meal. That would in theory allow you to keep protein intake high, even if you reduce your total caloric intake. However, the shake is just protein and some simple carbs. There are NO micronutrients in it.
You seem to eat very little (but still get lots of empty calories from processed stuff). If you cut out a meal and replace with a shake, you might get a enough protein to protect your muscles in a caloric deficit, and the fact that the shake is mostly protein and not much else will probably also spare calories and help in the goal of creating a caloric deficit. So far, so good. But there is the danger that the remaining few meal(s) will not suffice to provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need, especially when you are 1) a picky eater and 2) surrounded by other picky eaters.
So my advice is: do not fall for the shortcut. Get your nutrition right. Eat real food. Cut out all the empty calories. (You already eliminated soda! Good job. Now get rid of the rest.) Break the addiction to processed stuff. Start to read the small print on the labels. Learn to cook. Reprogram your taste. Build a habit of eating healthy. Then, slowly, all the rest will fall into place.
Be patient. For 25+ years you ate badly. It will take some time to reverse that. You won't see change over night. Learn a bit more every day, make one better choice every day... it will add up, eventually. Life is no sprint, it's a marathon. Slow and steady wins the race.

[LivingDeadGirl]

15 hours ago, turboseize said:

I added the protein shake because I wanted more protein - the oats alone would just have provided 19g, with the protein shake I could double that. I do not have a weightloss goal, I want to get stronger. This means I need plenty of protein - by trial and error (let's call that "experience") I have found out that I need at least 1.5g protein / kg bodyweight to gain muscle. So I need >160g protein per day. Just throwing in a protein shake here and there makes that so much easier (and cheaper). 

In your case, the situation is a bit different. You want to use shakes to replace a meal. That would in theory allow you to keep protein intake high, even if you reduce your total caloric intake. However, the shake is just protein and some simple carbs. There are NO micronutrients in it.
You seem to eat very little (but still get lots of empty calories from processed stuff). If you cut out a meal and replace with a shake, you might get a enough protein to protect your muscles in a caloric deficit, and the fact that the shake is mostly protein and not much else will probably also spare calories and help in the goal of creating a caloric deficit. So far, so good. But there is the danger that the remaining few meal(s) will not suffice to provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need, especially when you are 1) a picky eater and 2) surrounded by other picky eaters.
So my advice is: do not fall for the shortcut. Get your nutrition right. Eat real food. Cut out all the empty calories. (You already eliminated soda! Good job. Now get rid of the rest.) Break the addiction to processed stuff. Start to read the small print on the labels. Learn to cook. Reprogram your taste. Build a habit of eating healthy. Then, slowly, all the rest will fall into place.
Be patient. For 25+ years you ate badly. It will take some time to reverse that. You won't see change over night. Learn a bit more every day, make one better choice every day... it will add up, eventually. Life is no sprint, it's a marathon. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

 

I cannot thank you enough for your advice and encouragement. Every day I look forward to logging in and soaking up the new information, but also the consistent feedback feels like a pat on the back and it makes me want to try harder. 

 

From what I've read online, it seems that literally everything I eat is processed. That's a pretty steep hurdle to jump considering my living location, lifestyle, and budget. I can aim to avoid the unnecessary sugar, carbs, and such... but this is a definite work in progress. I've gone from McDonald's food 3x a week to maybe once a month, and so I can continue to improve! Now that I think about it, I can't recall the last time I ate at a McDonald's... possibly 3 months or so? 

 

In more positive news, my boyfriend has his fourth (and ideally final) interview with a cellular company on Tuesday. Assuming all goes as well as it has, he'll get hired on at $13.50 + commission. While he does has his own debts to resolve, it will certainly lesson the strain on my own budget. I'm trying to keep a positive mindset. 

[LivingDeadGirl]

Super excited to have finally updated my character page with actual quests. https://www.nerdfitness.com/level-up/my-character/