Hi everyone, new here

[RedPandaOne]

Hey everyone. My name is Christina and I'm very new to Nerd Fitness.

 

I joined because I needed a new community to help me in my weight loss journey. My journey has been a long one, starting in 2004. I weighed about 215 pounds (I'm roughly 5'3" - on a good day) at my heaviest. I did join a mainstream weight loss group/company (not going to name drop) and lost 40 pounds in about 6 months. However, I've been stuck every since. I've rejoined and quit that group after 9 months with no success (after doing some real world calorie calculations I found I was barely eating 1,000 calories a day). In 2009 I joined and had minor success at a free weight loss website. At that website I was able to lose 20 pounds, but not even a year in I ended up gaining back 25 pounds.

 

I'm frustrated and ready to transform my life. I am a member of a local gym, but I hardly make it there. Half of the reason is the cold weather the other half is I end up talking myself out of going for some reason or another. I do enjoy working out once there, it's just getting there.

 

In my free time, I'm either reading, watching TV or at the archery range. One of my goals is to get stronger for archery and possibly move up to a higher draw weight, or at least not be so tired at the end of class. I would also love to start cosplaying, but I have one too many curves for my liking to be comfortable enough to cosplay as some of my favorite superheroes.

 

Chances are you'll see me lurking more than posting, but I would love to be active in this community. My friends are supportive and read my blog of my journey, but no one is actually active in helping. So here I am, hiding in the shadows, ready and willing to get to where I want to be.

[Charlando]

Hi, and welcome! I'm new here, too, so probably don't have much in the way of advice/help to give, but if getting to the gym is a hassle, I know there are a lot of folks here doing body weight exercises. You know, stuff that can be done at home with no (or not much) equipment. Check around for that stuff, and there's always the Beginner Body Weight Workout to get you started. Of course, you don't sound much like a beginner, so you might need something more advanced.

 

Anyhow, again welcome aboard, and good luck!

[RedPandaOne]

Thanks for the welcome, Charlando!

 

I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to exercise because in the past all I've done is the elliptical and treadmill. Last fall I actually took up hula hooping, but stopped when my instructor moved back to Ohio. Surprisingly, I actually lost maybe an inch or two from my waist/hips doing just that for 45 minutes once a week for 2-3 months. I have couple hooping exercise dvds, but I need to borrow the group workout room at the gym to use because my house isn't big enough to do it in front of the tv. Needless to say, I've been too embarrassed to do it in public by myself. But when it comes to strength routines, especially ones at home, I can't keep up with them. I lose interest or just end up doing something else, like watching TV. And the weight room at the gym intimidates me, even just the free weight rack. I do do an Aqua Fit Strength class once a week, but I'm not sure how effective it is. But it's fun with all the little old ladies, I don't feel intimidated at all.

[Charlando]

(You said, "do do.")

 

My wife did some sort of Aqua exercise thing back when we had a YMCA membership, and she had the same assessment: not sure about effectiveness, but little old ladies are not intimidating

[RedPandaOne]

Hehe yea. I actually did stop, chuckle and double think if I wanted to write "do do". I know I could have worded it differently, but wanted to leave it in

[Guzzi]

Hey! (Hi to you both btw )

I really get where you're coming from on this one. I decided to do something about my weight when I hit about 210lbs? I did the usual thing of "going on a diet" and I lost quite a lot, but then at some point I realised just how little I was actually eating. And it scared me. I think I would regularly eat less than 800kcal

Not good. Not. Good.

I started eating properly, changed my focus, and now I'm still losing weight, getting closer to rocking my bikini on holiday in June (please God!) and much much happier.

Hurley- I'm not sure what advice to give you about the lack of motivation with the gym. Have you read Steve's article "Putting on your hard hat" (or something like that) it's got a lot of advice. The big thing for me is to do something I LOVE. That way it's never a chore.

I remember what it was like going into the classes at the gym and everyone else was in Lycra with fake tan (ok, so not EVERYONE but you know what I mean ) and they're all super-fit. And then there was me. Fat, out of shape, couldn't run or do half the exercises properly. It was awful. But I kept at it and you know what, I started talking to people in class, and I was shocked at how many of them had a weight loss story to tell. And how supportive they were towards me as I improved.

Never judge a book by it's cover

Feel free to give me a shout if you want to chat, I have waaaayyyy too much time on my hands and don't mind in the slightest

[RedPandaOne]

Thanks Guzzi!

 

I haven't read that article yet, but I'm going to now!

 

Yea, when I realized how little I was eating it shocked me. Sort of. It really explained why I was going to bed hungry, or if not hungry, why I would all of a sudden not be able to stop eating. It really does scare you.

 

And good for you to being on your way to rock that bikini! I'm hoping I can do that on my vacation in November. Not sure if I will get the chance to actually wear one, but I would love to be able to if I do! I'm currently checking out what I should be doing to get in shape enough to be able to climb the Great Wall and not get winded and what not. I don't want to be the Fat American wandering around China.

 

I'm trying not to judge a book by its cover, but it's so hard! I see all these fit women in their Lycra and I get so jealous and intimidated. Then there is me in my sweatpants and tshirt. But I did work out today, yay! About 40 minutes on the treadmill while I watched Buffy. Man am I feeling it in my legs already. My goal this week is to get to the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

 

And I hear you about doing something fun! I think next week (when I am back from Vegas), I will dust off the hula hoops and just say screw it and not care who sees me at the gym. Maybe enough people will comment to the front desk (in a good way) and they will hire someone to do an actual class. If I was good enough I would become certified and teach it myself, but there are still basic moves that I can't do.

[Guzzi]

Good on ya, way to go! I'd love to try hula-hooping, I could never do it as a kid but my sister bought one of those weighted ones last year, and it was amazing! Hmmm... I wonder what happened to that??? 

 

Wow-wee! The holiday sounds amazing! What a brilliant motivation to have too. You can totally do it btw. Last Christmas I weighed, ohhh, lets see.... I'd gone back up to about 190lbs (same as you, I lost it then as soon as I stopped "dieting" piled it back on) which was a BMI of around 29. Then 9 months later, on September 1st I wore a size 12 dress (US size 10?) to my brothers wedding.  This time though, I'd done it the right way, eating properly, making permanent changes to how I ate and to my relationship with food.

 

So yeah, if I can do it, you can too! I have every confidence in you, now go get your Awesome on!

[RedPandaOne]

I hope you find the hula hoop. I have found it so much easier as an adult. Mostly I think because the hoops are bigger so they rotate slower and are easier to control.

 

Thanks for the confidence!