The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step....

[Vaalea13]

Well, after that melodramatic title, I can only imagine what you must be expecting from this post. ALAS!  This shall be anticlimactic!

 

I am at an interesting point in my life. I am 25 years old, 5'8" tall, female, a university student (Bachelor's of Science in Biology;Pre-Med), and an avid metal head. Five years ago,I weighed 320lbs. Today, I weigh ~185lbs. (read* I have lost 135lbs). This is all through diet, as I have always been fairly active. My waist measurement used to be 48 inches, and is now 33 inches. that is JUST my waist, folks... -15 inches.  Previous body fat = above 45% (doctor says the caliper test is too limited to accurately test above that) to around 28% now (adding 2% to caliper test)This seems like a great success story! But here is where it gets interesting.

 

I still need to lose a minimum of 30 pounds and 5" off my waist. Also, I would like to get to no more than 22% body fat. My body no longer wishes to respond to diet alone, and I have noticed that certain foods that I could eat and lose weight before, I can't now. Any sweetner (artificial or natural), dairy (jury is still out with greek yogurt, though), fruit, and legumes now cause weight gain. Which is fine, but the elimination of those foods also doesn't seem to be enough to prompt lipolysis.  There are also the issues of loose skin and (still) large breasts that make exercise painful (but not impossible).

I had previously tried BodyRock.tv for workouts, but I found myself unable to relate to the hosts, and also really depressed about my body, as the hostess runs around in nothing but a bra and hot shorts and resorts to plastic surgery for body modification (despite being at  about 14% body fat). So, I went in search of something else, and my friend turned me onto Nerd Fitness.

Since just after Thanksgiving, I have been reading the articles and receiving the email, and went about creating a character for myself. I want to change this. I am so close to acheiving what I have already worked so hard to acheive. But, I am afraid. I am at a point where, since I was 12, I have never weighed less than I do now. As an adult, this is the least I have ever weighed. And though my journey, I have noticed people treat me differently, and somehow this bothers me. Yes, they are treating me better. But, what does that say about people that they felt like I wasn't worth good treatment before. And what does that say about me (my personality). And how much more will that change as I become more and more physically fit.  And shoot, just the fear of the unknown.

 

So I need to conquer fear. Or, perhaps I ought to ignore it and just DO.

 

There is a lot I do not know. But, what I do know is that I need support. My husband has the opposite problem of being unable to gain weight, and he likes seeing me happy, so there is frequent "OH MAN THIS TIRAMISU IS soooo GOOD; HAVE SOOOOMMMMME!"   And because he is small (to the point people say hurtful things and tease him), he doesn't like the idea of me strength training because he doesn't want me to be stronger than he is.  [my solution was for him to suck it up and strength train too, but that didn't go over so well lol].

I also know that I need some one to be accountable to, and some type of structure that works for me. But I do not know whee to begin or what to do. I am pretty strong in my arms,chest, and legs, but not so much in my core. My core is also where I carry my fat; straight across my hips, like a skirt (the loose skin makes this a pretty accurate description).

 

I want my life to be awesome. I am already so much happier than I used to be (I was fat partially due to genetics but mostly due to unhappiness... longer story).

 

I refuse to change in anyway unless it's for the better.

 

And I am determined to get better; stronger, happier, faster, smarter, wiser, and calmer.

 

I am hoping NerdFitness is the place for me to start.

 

BEFORE

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFTER

 

[Laureleye]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH my what a transformation.  I'm lucky, my husband is also a guy that doesn't gain weight, but he never does that to me. 

 

If you don't have a plan, here's what I'd recommend as a starting point:

Beginners body weight (BBW) workout 2-3 days a week (with at least one day between).  You'll find this on the list of free resources.

Cardio 2-3 days a week.  You can do this on your "between" days for the BBW.  Intervals at least one of the days.  Also on the list of free resources.

Rest 1 day a week.  You can do a mile of easy walking or such, but pretty much rest up. 

You'll find that you don't need any equipment for the BBW, so its a good place to start.

 

That will at least get your rolling.  You can look around at the guilds, look around at what fun things they're doing and decide if you want to try something else as you  go. 

 

Welcome to the rebellion.

[lifewithryan]

As an eternally (and detrimental to my self image) skinny guy/husband, I too was guilty of bringing junk food into the house.  My wife has made 70lb transition over the past few  years and is now a ACE Certified trainer.  I'm very proud of her, and her actions are having positive effect on the entire family.   I'm down to around 156lbs as of this morning from near 170 when I started this change back in July.  I'm eating healthier, and getting leaner and more defined. My goal *was* to be able to have my wife be as physically attracted to me as I was to her...now my goal is just like what I see in the mirror as I've come to realize, you can't make someone feel something they don't -- I have to live with that, so only recently have I begun to do this for me.  It was a tough transition.

 

In any case, this seems to be the place to get things done  Good luck on your journey, you've already come a very long way, so its obvious that you can do this!  So go kick some A$$

 

Welcome aboard.