Ready for a total lifestyle change, not just a new diet!

[btfanatic87]

Hello everyone!

I found NF on google while doing some research on Paleo. I am a very analytical thinker and I make all my life decisions based around logic, reason and sensibility. I am book worm and will read ANYTHING. I thoroughly enjoy Sci-Fi novels, particularly ones about magic and wizardry.

This post might be a bit long, but I have a long history with weight and eating issues.

Moving on to why I joined NF:

I have been on some sort of "diet" since I was 12. Unfortunately my mother felt it necessary to start calling me chubby around age 10, which led to me never feeling very good about how I looked. I have a long history of eating disorders. I was anorexic during my freshman and sophomore years of high school. I was 5'9 and only weighed 103 lbs. My parents were in complete denial I had a problem until the school counselor called them concerned about how thin I was. They put me in out patient therapy which helped to a point. I quickly figured out I could no longer get away with not eating dinner anymore and that's when I started to purge. I gained a lot of weight after high school due to heavy drinking and eating a diet consisting mostly of fast food. At my highest weight I was 6'1 and 210lbs. Seeing that number pop up onto the doctor's scale caused me to relapse into my bulimia at age 19. I lost 30lb in a month. Since then I have gotten down to as low as 155, but I am currently at 176.

It was only in the last 6 months I have put on those 20lbs. There are a number of factors that led to the gain:

1. I moved from the city back to the mountains (I live in a ski resort town) and I lost my gym membership. I was paying $10/month in the city, where here the cost of a gym membership ranges from $80-200. As such, I could no longer afford to be apart of a gym. So I got P90x thinking I would workout at home and that has failed miserably. It's not that I don't have time, I just haven't made it a priority.

2. I stopped dieting and I ate whatever I wanted to, fully knowing what would happen.

3. Moving back to my home town has made me rather unhappy and I started to emotionally eat, especially late at night. Thankfully I will be moving to California in 4 months and I couldn't be more excited!

I am recently engaged and I have re-found my motivation to get on track. I refuse to look like a fat blob on my wedding day. I ordered my wedding dress a size to small. If I drop this 20lbs I will fit into it no problem. I hope to lose more than that, but look toned and fit. I haven't started working out again, except when I walk to work(It's a 2.5 mile, 35 minute walk one way). I came to the conclusion that there is no point to workout if my eating habits go unchanged. Since exercise is only 20% of the fitness equation I need to get on a nutrition plan and be able to stick to it for 30 days before I add in any intense exercise routine again. Even 20lbs ago I didn't look fit. I was "skinny fat". My body fat % was 24%. I blame this on how I was eating. I kind of watched what I ate, did vigorous cardio and I lifted light weights since I didn't want to look bulky. After countless hours reading about how women do end up looking bulky, I discovered I can lift heavier weights and not look bulky as long as I don't consume 4 protein shakes a day.

My goals are:

1. Have a BF % of >20%

2. Learn healthy eating habits and kick my ice cream addiction!

3. Drink less wine

4. Look ravishing on my wedding day:triumphant:

After all that being said, I have made the commitment to Paleo. I am going into it 100%. No slowly cutting back on things or small adjustments. I've done that in the past with other diet plans and they always seem to fail. I have the mentality that if I am allowed to cheat, I always will and then I feel like a failure and give up completely. I am only one day 3 and I have lost 4lbs!!!

I hope this works out the way I want it to and I feel confident that as long as I stick to it 100% it will.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see ya'll on the boards soon!

PS:

Is there such a thing as eating too much fruit on Paleo?? I eat 4-5 servings a day and 4-5 servings of veggies as well.

Any advice on how much of what foods to eat in order to lose weight would be greatly appreciated!

[Laney]

First, you should definitely read The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf, that man is a genius!

Second, congrats on fighting your disorder. This is an extremely welcoming and supportive forum, don't be afraid to ask or share anything! You should have ordered an xsmall cause you're gonna be sexayyyy (also, congrats on getting married!)

Last, you can eat too many fruits on Paleo. It's recommended that you eat less than 80g carbs (30g sugar) for weight loss, that puts your body into full on ketosis without being harmful. When you are in a maintenance phase you should be eating around 100-150g carbs. Try to slowly focus on veggies, and use fruit as a snack (it's hard, I know)

[btfanatic87]

Thank you! He is a wonderful man

Fruit was the reason I wasn't ever going to succeed on Atkin's. If I have to give up ice cream and other sweet things, I need my fruit!

I will definitely look into the book maybe my local library has it *fingers crossed*

I think I am probably way over that carb count with my current fruit intake. Fruit is just easier to eat on the go it seems. And if you have ever reheated steamed veggies, you know how awesomely mushy they can be :/ I will find a way though! Thank you for the advice!