Rebuilding

[Kittie]

Ello!

 

My name is Ashleigh, but those closest to me call me Kittie. I am 25 years old, work as a manager at a retail store, and much of my life centers around my zoo. I have 4 dogs (Nanaki, Ayame, Gaara, and Storm), 3 cats (Arthas, Apollo, and The Doctor), 2 horses (Magik and Requiem.. and yes I ride, I prefer english), a snake (Solid), and a blue tongue skink (Noto). I am a part-time student, and my hobbies are mostly artistic (You name it and if I haven't tried it I probably would if given the chance). I love music (Mostly rock) and movies (No I don't do chic flicks), even the odd tv show (I am an avid Doctor Who fan, but also enjoy shows like Game of Thrones, NCIS, etc). I also enjoy reading when I can find the time (Mostly SciFi and Fantasy). So randomly Dnd, Warhammer Fantasy and 40k, ceramics, painting, tigers, casual videogamer, sketching, photography, and love to cook.

 

Up until high school I had a really good metabolism and was very active. Running, roller blading, biking, horseback riding, swimming. During high school I got sick a lot and stopped being as active. Over the years I slowly put on weight, wasn't eating right, wasn't doing anything to help myself physically except running around at work.

 

A few years ago I started making halfhearted attempts to get into shape. First I let a friend talk me into a gym membership. They went with me a few times then started making excuses, and without someone to go with, I started making excuses to myself and stopped going. This happened a few times, and recently, I finally told myself that if I was going to do this, it was likely going to be on my own.

 

About a year and a half ago I cut sodas out of my diet. I had been drinking 5+ of them each day. Initially I weaned my caffeine cravings onto sweet tea, then slowly switched to unsweet tea and water. I slowly started cutting sweets out of my diet. Just over a year ago, I started adjusting my diet. I looked into a few, starting out with the mediteranean diet. I've taken bits and pieces of different diets since then and found one that works well for me. In a year I have dropped from my highest ever weight of 220lbs to 160lbs.

 

I feel that I have reached the limit of what diet can do for me, and I know for my health I need to do more. With my family's medical history I need to take care of myself and I have not been doing near as good of a job as I should. I am only 5'3", so my eventual target is in the 125lb range.

 

I am in the middle of an early "midlife crisis" so I have been told. I switched jobs just under a year ago after working my previous one 7 years, I'm still trying to finish college without any clear focus on what I want, and not really sure who I am right now. I'm really excited about the idea of introducing a new habit each month, and I think this is something that could really help me. So 3 days ago after work I went and purchased a new bike, something I had been wanting to do for a long time, but hadn't gotten around to. Making excuses along the way, procrastinating. The last 2 days I have made sure to incorporate a bike ride into my day before work. For an activity I used to do all the time, I forgot how much goes into riding a bike. I love it though, and think it is something I will be able to stick with. The only thing that worries me is that it is taxing on the knee I dislocated 3 years ago.

 

My biggest enemy right now is myself, and while I have people who are supportive, I dont have anyone to hold me accountable or that will share these activities with me. I am a social person and would love company, but it isnt going to happen, and getting over that is going to be hard for me. Who knows, maybe this will lead to me participating outside my normal comfort zone and finding someone or a group to work with.

 

I would really love a few people to talk to, bounce ideas off of, and to have for support when I need it. Of course I am more then willing to offer these services in return^_^

[Avengerkieran]

Hi kittie, welcome im also new to this forum. Congrats on the weightloss. What is your diet like now? As i think you could definitely still improve your weight with the right food intake. What kind of exercise are you doing on a weekly basis?

[Kittie]

There is more that I could do with my diet, but I'm not going to be miserable. I love food, I love cooking. I've given up a lot already, and I am satisfied with it. I don't do sweets (except for the rare dessert now and again), I don't do sodas or sweet tea, and even stay away from juices because of all the sugar in them. I only use extra virgin olive oil in my cooking. I don't do fried foods. I've started avoiding processed meats like italian sausage and brats (Even though I really really enjoy them). My diet mostly consists of chicken, pork, and fish. I buy the unflavored frozen veggies and simply cook them with a little olive oil and lightly with spices. I've been doing more and more fresh fruits. I limit my carbs, but I'm part italian so I was miserable when I tried cutting them out completely before. I do whole wheats if I can, and just in small portions. I will have the occasional 4-6oz of red wine in the evenings. My eating habits aren't perfect, but I've found a good balance that has been working.

 

Exercise is where I have been having the trouble commiting. I enjoy walking, running, etc. But I am a social person and don't like to do it alone. I also like having someone else as I am competitive and will push myself to match or exceed them. I have come to realize alone is the only way it is going to happen with any consistency. I was doing a basic 1-2 miles up to 3 times a week as I could squeeze it in before work and around other things that I told myself were more important. I work with my horses as I can get time, but it is very inconsistant, but when I can its a good leg workout. Friday I made the purchase of a new bike, something I had been wanting for some time, but kept making excuses to put off. Since then, I have done a short ride each day. I love riding my bike, but the issue that is cropping up is old damage to my right knee. I am adjusting seat height and peddle resistance to see if these changes help. I will likely be getting a new knee brace in the next day or so.