Let's get this party started: skinny wimp no more!

[Caitriona]

Hi everyone! I’m Cait, and I just found this site yesterday via a link to Spezzy’s story somewhere. And man, was it a wake-up call. Because… well, let me give you some background.

I’m 31 years old, and for the past 10 years or so, I’ve mostly been fluctuating between 135-145 pounds, all the while being what I guess people call "skinny fat". At 5’6, I’ve never been technically overweight, but I’ve always had major trouble with my body shape, and I finally figured out that my body fat percentage is pretty much off the charts, and dieting will not fix it. Most recently, I started calorie counting and walking/jogging in April or so, and I lost 20 pounds, dropping to 125. Which: yay!! I felt better, I eat well, I look better in clothes… but frustratingly, it didn't fix my biggest problems: no strength, too much fat. At 125, I have crazy stick-figure arms, okay legs (since they're the only part of my body to get a real workout), and a super squishy unhappy tire of a midsection. Which: boo! That’s not what I wanted. Stupid lies about cardio.

Anyway, I’m not gonna beat myself up for probably losing some valuable muscle. Instead, I’m ridiculously excited about developing some work-out habits that are healthier and will actually lead me to my goals. Thing is, I seriously just made the mental switch from cardio to strength training yesterday, so I’m not quite sure what my goals are, other than to develop a strong, toned body that I feel happy in. I’m 70% happy with my diet – I’m mostly vegetarian (with occasional seafood), and I make sure I get enough protein and fresh, whole, real foods. My downfall at this point are overly-processed meat substitute foods… not because I’m craving meat, but because it’s the easiest, fastest way to get some protein in. I loooove to cook, but recently the lure of fake chicken nuggets and tacos has just been too strong. I don’t know if there are other vegetarians here, since most people seem to be really into paleo (which I think is an awesome concept which I want to read more about), but I understand that this is a place of no judgment, so I hope people aren’t gonna tell me to start eating meat. =D

I'm gonna keep walking and running, because I truly enjoy it. I love hiking, and I want to start trail running more. I just know that my body is telling me it wants more than that, and I'm finally ready to listen.

Finally, I wanna say that I’ve been using MyFitnessPal.com to count calories for the past few month, and while I appreciate their counting and tracking tools, the community there was just not my jam. Over here, I feel way more at home already, and I can’t wait to get to know you guys and develop a real support system. Which: totally awesome!

In closing: hi!

[shortstuff]

Welcome, don't worry people will only tell you what they think you should do/eat if you ask for their advice, and they won't think any less of you if you don't eat meat. So long as it doesn't hurt you, keep on doing what you enjoy.

[D_chelyst]

EAT MEAT!!!

No, totally kidding! Eat what you like, there are vegetarians on the boards as well as people who used to be vegetarians or never were vegetarians. If you're looking for some workouts to spice things up, check out Steve's workouts here. I'm a big fan of the beginner body weight workout (just finished it a few minutes ago) as well as the playground workout (couldn't go today...boo to the rain!). Keep eating clean and working out, and you'll see results What are your goals, anyway?

And welcome to the Rebellion, Cait!

[NorthFloridaNinja]

Welcome!

A good way to build muscle/strength without sacrificing a lot of speed/running ability is to add a day or two of bodyweight exercises (pushups, pullups, chinups, etc.) to your workout routine. There's a lot of good resources on bodyweight exercises in the Assassin's Guild that you might be interested in checking out.

Good luck!

[mrRed]

Are you pescetarian or do you do lacto / ovo?

[SirEarl]

Eggs are a great, quick way to get some protein in. You eat those, right? You could also do protein shakes.

I do a little lifting, but lots of bodyweight and plyo to keep my muscles nice and compact. Perhaps you could do it the opposite way!

[Caitriona]

Thanks, everyone! I seriously already feel so much more welcome and in the right place than on several other forums I tried. =)

Yeah, I'm pretty much a lacto-ovo pescetarian. I eat eggs most days a week, and seafood maybe once or twice a week, sometimes less. Oh, and I totally have the occasional protein shake when I can't get to real food shortly after running. =) I'm so glad that I made it past the point where I"m using that stuff primarily for weight loss.

I did find the body weight work outs and did one round on the day I joined, and I loved it! Rested yesterday, and am ready for another round! I'll probably go walking too, if the rain lets up. Would it make more sense to alternate body weight and running days, or should I just get both those in on the same day and then have a complete rest day?

I think a little listing/lots of bodyweight sounds like what I would like! I have no idea what plyo is, but I'm gonna google right now, haha!

I think in general my goals are to be able to run farther, to significantly lower my body fat percentage and get tones, and to just generally develop a stronger, healthier body. I also need to work on procrastination issues I have. I have a hard time keeping several things in focus, so whenever I'm paying attention to my body and putting effort into that, other things fall by the wayside (umm, tidy house?), so I really need to work on developing habits that come naturally to me.

I reeeeally hope I figure out more specific goals in time for the next challenge, I'd love to take part!