The Viking Princess

[Maerviska]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm 24, mother of a beautiful 18 months girl and engaged to a wonderful man. I will go back to school in January in Computer Support, which is just a small part of all the reasons I wanna start working out and get healthier. I'm a non-smoker and I'm currently 160 lbs and 5'5.

 

 

I don't like how I currently look. I look at my reflection, and see that I could be more that what I currently am. Looking at pictures, I'm probably around 30% body fat, and I hate it. Since my pregnancy, I gained a lot of belly fat, and never found a good way to get rid of it. I tried, but failed every time. I hope I'll find here enough support to keep me going when I'm thinking of letting go. I hope I'll find good ways to work out and eat better. 'Cause how I look isn't the only reason. I feel tired most of the time. Can't lift much. Carrying my own daugther in my arm drains me. And I wan't to change that. I wanna be able to run a bit longer before being out of breath. And I wanna be proud of myself, and who I am.

I started taking meal substitute and protein shakes last weak. I know it's not healthy, but I figured it would be a good start, because knowing myself, I have to notice some change really fast or I'll get pissed and stop. It's just to give me a kick start, and I don't plan to use them more than a month (well, except for protein shake for when I work out). I must say I didn't know exactly how to change how I eat a week ago, except cutting on sweets. I've read about the paleo diet, but I'm not sure it's for me. I know I love cheese and milk too much to get rid of dairy entirely. So I might look up for an alternative.

 

I started working out four days ago, with the Beginner Body Weight Workout every two days and 20 minutes of cardio every day. I used to go running 4 mornings a week in my first attempts to loose weight, but since it's winter and I don't have the proper apparel to go running in the cold, I took my Just Dance game out of the dust, and I'm doing 20 minutes of that. It's easy, accesible, and it's a game, so it keeps me moving (plus it keeps track of how much I'm doing every day). In January, my fiancé and I are planning to attend a martial art class, and I can't wait. It's gonna be a great way to get me moving, plus might get me the discipline I need.

I think that pretty much say about why I'm here. And I must say I'm pretty happy to be here. I wasn't sure about joining the community, but figured it couldn't hurt.

See ya!

[Jittersthe.Clown]

Welcome to Nerd Fitness.  Can't wait to watch you progress on your journey.  Good luck out there!

[citizenkade]

There is a great community here, you'll have a lot of people cheering you on as you go!

 

Paleo isn't for everyone, but one of the best pieces of advice it gives is to cut out the processed foods in your diet. Try it! You'll find your energy level getting better pretty quickly.

 

Welcome to NF!

[Maerviska]

Thanks guys!

 

Is there a list of what would be considered processed food? I mean besides frozen meals or ready to cook stuff. Like would mayo (just to give an exemple, I don't really eat much) be considered processed food?

I guess I just have to look in the diet section.

[Creed]

Anything that has to be man made would be considered "processed" I also have tried the paleo diet and I really like it, but its hard to maintain when you cant get everyone else on board in the family haha. 

Just stick with natural things if possible, fruit, veggies things like that. Lean meats, fish(I love fish).

Also martial arts are great, I have been involved in one form or another for almost 10 years. They keep you active while you practice and your learning self defense which is a great confidence booster =) 

[Maerviska]

Thanks for the answer Creed!
I'll try to stay away from processed food as much as possible, but like you said, my family isn't going to follow my diet, so I'll do what I can without restricting them. Hopefully we all love fish and chicken, and whenever my fiancé will get a big fat steak, I'll try to get something a bit more lean.
And yeah, can't wait to start my class!

[citizenkade]

I have a rule of thumb: The more ingredients it has, the less likely I should eat it. If I don't know what the ingredient is, I shouldn't eat it. You shouldn't need a Phd in Nutrition to know whether or not something is really food!

 

I've got three other people in the family, and while they are Vegan like I am, they aren't cutting out the processed foods. That just means I get to be more creative. They have burritos, so do I, but mine have a ton of veggies and I wrap it in chard instead of a tortilla. Good stuff!

[Guest]

I agree with what's been said, if there are words in the ingredients list you can't pronounce (unless you're a chemist, but that's cheating), best to avoid it.

Paleo does dictate that dairy be left to the wayside but there are reasonable benefits from things like yogurt and milk (in moderation )

Welcome, and good luck!

[Maerviska]

Yesterday night was a good example of what I would like to stick to.

I had promised a homemade mac and cheese to my fiancé, but of course, that wouldn't be very good for my goal, even if it was homemade, but I wanted at leats to taste it. So I made myself a big ass salad, and served myself 1/4 cup of mac and cheese.

 

Would that me a good compromise? Or am I ruining the whole thing?

[Jittersthe.Clown]

Start with small changes such as not having an entire plate of mac and cheese.  It's a great start.  As you get used to those changes, the others come easier.

[Creed]

Maerviska that does indeed sound like a good start to me, your not ruining anything   and like Jitters the Clown said start small (love the name BTW) At my work they have food catered to us and it usually doesn't go in line with how I eat, but thats ok there is almost always salad and fruit available and I also cheat by bringing things from home...I really like to eat haha. 

[Guest]

It's a foot in the door, and step in the right direction Drastic changes usually are the cause of failed attempts at reforming how you eat. Keep it small and simple.

[Mdowning]

You're definitely going the right direction, as slowly clean up your diet. Make a small change per week or every 2 weeks whatever works for you. Keep in mind, in the long run several small changes made over several months that you can stick to will be better than big drastic changes for a couple weeks. You're getting the right idea on diet and you've gotten great advice already, so I'm just here as another motivator. You're doing great and keep it up.

Also, welcome to the Rebellion! We're glad to have you

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Maerviska]

Thanks a lot guys! It makes me really happy to know I'm doing good so far, hehe.

[lyricalsharon]

Starting slowly is a great idea. I decided a few years ago that changing my diet now would be better than having some health issue when I'm 40 or 50 and being forced to change it. So I started slow. At first I started eating whole grain breads instead of white, and brown rice instead of white. I started "hiding" vegetables in my foods - putting grated carrot and chopped up kale in my meatloaf, frying or baking my meat with as much vegetables as I can. Seasoning it well so it tastes good is super important, because if it doesn't taste good, I don't like to eat it. Those small changes have allowed me to change a lot in my diet - I actually rarely eat bread or pasta now, and I have quinoa instead of rice. I almost never eat cheese, and I have eliminated cream sauces out of my kitchen. (Those things, breads, cream sauce, pasta, cheese, all are killers for me!) I've Also upped the amount of vegetables I consume significantly. So I guess my tip would be slow and steady substitution does it.

[alienjenn]

hey girl!

 

welcome to the rebellion!!

 

 

small changes add up

 

as for my definition of "processed" anything that comes in a box or a can (although I do allow canned tomatoes if they are no salt added)... 

[citizenkade]

hey girl!

 

welcome to the rebellion!!

 

 

small changes add up

 

as for my definition of "processed" anything that comes in a box or a can (although I do allow canned tomatoes if they are no salt added)... 

 

Perfect! And cans are bad for you, anyway! Get your food as close to the source as possible!