Kalya's Epic Weight Loss Quest

[Kalya]

Hi, I'm Kalya and I'm enlisting in the rebellion.

 

I just turned 35 recently, and have for some time now been wanting to take control of my weight problem as well as my health (being morbidly obease is part of my health problems) My co-workers have run biggest loser competitions at work in the past (I even won, one session of it), unfortunatly as soon as the group disbands, I tend to slowly fall back into a pattern, of not keeping it up, and start snowballing down the hill to weight gain again. I've attempted to goto the gym with friends, but unfortunatly getting to meet up with them is hard, schedules change, and since they aren't going, I end up not going. As a kid I always tended to play/execercise in a group (like karate), which is probably why I prefer going to work out with others.

 

I was extremely active as a kid, until I got Osgood–Schlatter disease (aka both my knees were splitting apart). Take someone who could not sit still, and tell them they have to spend 3 months pretty much off their feet, (with the only exception being swimming), and that person tends to become a couch potatoe  (since I was to young to goto the pool unsupervisied at the time) with the weight gain to match. Unfortunatly, I kept it on and added to it as I grew up afterwards.

 

I think one of my biggest challenges is going to be my diet in this journey. I am an extremely picky eater with food allergy In fact, I have to redo all my allergy testing, so I can confirm what foods my attempt to take my life if I eat them, so I can make diet changes. If it's green (unless ice cream), I tend not to want to eat it. Fruits I don't mind eating, I just need to get in the habit of buying them more often. When I'm at home, I tend to eat lean chicken, or ground turkey for my meats, since I don't really know how to cook most red meats and I make brown rice instead of white, or whole grain pasta instead of the normal variety. These changes have stuck around from previous biggest loser competitions. I need to stop with the junk food and remember to take the lunch I cook for myself to work during the week.

 

As for my nerd creds, there are too many to list, but some highlights are that I'm an avid RPG'er, both tabletop and video games. Sci/Fi fantasy fan, Whovian, Star Trek, Star Wars and LOTR fan to name a few. I also enjoy writing fiction.

 

Nice meeting you all,

 

Kalya

 

 

[iAtlas]

Welcome to the Rebellion Kayla! I definitely hear where ya coming from as far as motivation and dieting. Having served in the military I was constantly around other people whenever we did our fitness program, the weight gain piled on after I left. As you said, it was difficult working out alone. One of my motivating factors came when I started paying a hearty monthly fee for a gym membership - let's just say I hate wasting money and wasn't about to let my membership go unused. 

 

Dieting is HUGE for our weight loss goals. For the longest time I was wondering why all my hard work at the gym wasn't paying any dividends, it wasn't until I changed my diet that I was able to drop 40lbs that I had gained since the military. Finding a diet that works for you and that you actually enjoy is key so that you don't burn out on it. For me it was a cyclic ketogenic diet, everyone is different though. Good luck and again welcome!

[Kalya]

Until i research my food allergies in detail, I'm working on small changes that I can work into my diet. Ex: In the past I've replaced white rice with brown rice, and regular pasta with whole grain pasta.  I currently am going to buy fruits that I like to eat and incorporate them into my meals on a regular basis and I'm also working on the 20 minute 2nd's rule and portion sizes (using small plates for that).

[lifewithryan]

Have you dropped soda yet?

 

Or you can go hard core and try a two week sugar flush.  Basically, for two weeks if dextrose, sucrose, ****ose, or sugar related ingredients appear with in the first five ingredients of something, you don't ingest it.  I think thats what started things for my family...it was hard, but awesome in the end.

[soleil]

Welcome to the rebellion Kayla!

Once you have your allergy testing done, maybe just go through the forums and find some easy and tasty-looking meals that peak your interested and go from there? Nice habit-changing baby steps. It's super hot here in Australia at the moment and for $12 I was able to get a stack of different on sale fruits fruits and make about seventeen cups worth of fruit salad, which I froze into individual bags and have just pulled out to snack on.

 

As for vegetables, I've noticed roasting is a popular suggestion on here as it makes them taste sweeter. I am going through a roasting phase at the moment and find it's a great way to get a lot of variety (and also helps for food prep because I can make big batches at a time).

 

Anyway, just two food ideas off the top of my head - welcome again and all the best on your journey!