Hello everyone!

[Kasatori]

Hi! I'm Amber, a (soon to be) 30 year old married woman who's trying to get in better shape. I'm an avid gamer who played World of Warcraft for 8 years (recently quit) among other games. I spent the last several months building a huge Gothic Cathedral on Minecraft. RPGs and fantasy games are my favorites. I have a somewhat larger build and was never really skinny in school, but I still stayed within my weight range (usually around 150lbs in High School).

 

One of my biggest challenges with making diet/lifestyle changes is the fact that I have Asperger's Syndrome (now classified as High Functioning Autism), so routine is very necessary for me. Change doesn't necessarily stress me out to badly so long as I have sufficient warning to it, and I have gotten better at dealing with unexpected situations as I've gotten older. I've been working at Subway for a little over a year now, so I try to make my lunches healthy (though I still cave for cookies some. mmmm chocolate....). I'm a very picky eater, texture being a BIG issue for me, but I have slowly started learning to eat a greater variety of foods. I'm still trying to limit the AMOUNT I eat, as my weight gain seems to have stemmed in part from broadening my horizons. 

 

My weight first started shooting up around 4 years ago, I believe. I was in college studying to be an Elementary School teacher, but was removed from the program because I'd gotten confused on some instructions and didn't have everything to turn in for the board meeting. I cried when I got the e-mail. I felt worthless, stupid, and doomed to sit at home feeling useless. I have fits of depression likely linked to my autism, and coupled with stress from some problems with my in-laws, I slowly started gaining weight. At first I didn't think too much on it. But as the pounds piled on, I started getting more concerned. But I wasn't sure what to do about it. I was panicked and didn't know how to change my lifestyle. My husband tried to help me, but I seldom, if ever, followed his advice.

 

Now I've actually hit 200 (or right at the edge of it at least), and I'm done putting up with it. I want to change. I want to lose weight and avoid becoming diabetic (like my grandfather). But most of all, I'm hoping that losing weight will make it easier for me to finally become a mother. I want a family of my own, and I want to be around to see them grow. I also want to stop doubting myself as much. To feel like a fat slob. My husband has been amazingly supportive, though. He tells me all the time how beautiful I am, and he fully supports my decision to lose weight and be healthier. I hope to finally find my rhythm here with new friends to turn my life around.

 

My fitness goals include losing at least 50 pounds, building strength, and increasing my endurance. I'm also hopeful that in doing so, I will have more energy and not feel so lethargic all the time. I've taken the first step and took a 10 min walk, even after spending 4 hours on my feet at work, and I've taken my "Before" picture. I see taking these steps as being, perhaps, a bit more difficult for me than some people, but I truly want to give it a shot. Thanks for reading!

[Strickland5]

Greetings Kasatori!  I feel like I should have a exclamation point over my head or something

 

It looks like you've got all the right motivation but just need a plan. Simply adjusting your diet will produce great dividends. 

 

Before you can officially join the Scouts you get to take some time in the Recruit area - it's fun you'll make friends and such - I suggest looking at this post as its the Level 1 guidebook and filled with great info.

[Kasatori]

Thanks for the reply, Strickland5! I'll be sure to take a look at those posts. In the meantime, I'm getting a start on my new fitness goals by walking a little each day after work and cutting back on the amount of food I eat in a day. I look forward to meeting more members as I go!

[Jett]

Hi, Kasatori! Welcome! NerdFitness has its share of autistic people; there is a thread specifically for discussing things related to living with autism.

 

You seem to be on the right track with cutting down on your food and exercising more. Like Strickland said, you just need to create a plan and stick with it. Making the change can be hard, but once you have created your new routine, being resistant to change may actually be a good thing. If you can get yourself into the new lifestyle, you can stick with it and really make it work.

 

Do you have any specific questions about diet, exercise, or anything else fitness-related? You can ask them here, or find the appropriate forum to ask them in. NerdFitness people are very happy to answer questions.

[Kasatori]

I'm glad to hear there are others with autism participating in this. I've spent today reading through "The Best Diet Plan" http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/ article that I found posted in another thread and figured out my calorie goals. I suppose my biggest thing will be balancing portions and trying to track said calories. I have the My Fitness Pal app on my phone, but have generally gotten annoyed because I'm not sure how to enter the calories I've eaten in it, especially with food I've cooked myself. It helps a lot that I've never liked sodas, though I do have a chocolate addiction. I have found that a cup of coffee does wonders for my moods, and I personally have no problem sticking to a single cup a day, as I find it very filling. Otherwise, I generally drink sweet iced tea and plan on following my mother's advice of mixing sweet and un-sweet tea to get more used to having less sugar in it.

 

As far as excersize goes, I'm trying to get in the routine of walking every day, and my husband picked us up a small weights set that we can both use. I'm also considering getting into some cycling with him and a couple of friends once I get used to being on a bike again. My husband and I had a gym membership briefly with The Rush, but it got to where his work schedule didn't allow for us going together, and I didn't want to be there alone, so we dropped it. I enjoy resistance training, but I did have a question about lifting weights that came up while I was in a training session. I have no real problem doing curls, but when trying straight arm lifts (this was with a 3 pound weight, if I remember correctly) my elbows were popping. It wasn't painful, per say, but it concerned me enough to be put off trying straight lifts. I should note that my upper body strength isn't great. I can't manage pull ups nor can I hold up my own body weight (last time I tried to do leg lifts on the machine at the gym, I nearly hurt my shoulders). Should I build my arm strength with curls and resistance training first?

[Jett]

Another possible option for sweet tea is to use a zero-calorie or low-calorie sweetener instead of sugar. I did that for a while, but eventually decided not to drink iced tea anymore (because I stopped enjoying it).

 

I don't know the answer to your question about straight arm lifts, but if nobody answers it here within a few days, you can ask it on the Weightlifting forum. I'm sure someone there can help you figure out what to do.

[Kasatori]

My mom uses Splenda in lieu of sugar, but I don't care for the taste. I don't know what I'd do if I stopped liking iced tea. There's not much else I drink (water some, though it's boring XD). Sometimes it sucks having a super-sensitive sense of taste.

[Strickland5]

You might consider hot tea instead, as it usually tastes good without sweeteners (well at least to me)

 

Just a thought

[Jett]

Ew, I don't like Splenda, either! I used to use saccharin (like Sweet & Low) for my tea. It also tastes different from sugar, though. In my opinion, the zero-calorie sweetener that tastes closest to sugar is aspartame. One way to find out if there are any low-calorie sweeteners that you can stand the taste of is to order unsweetened tea when you're at a restaurant, and then sweeten it yourself with the different packets they have on the table. (Or just take one of each packet and try it at home.)

 

Iced tea used to be my main source of liquid, but now it's water. I found water to be more potable with a bit of ice in it, for some reason...

[Kasatori]

I have family members who have health issues with Aspartame, so I'd worry about that. Not sure about Sweet and Low. Also I'm not a fan of hot tea, herbal or otherwise. I guess growing up in the south spoiled me.

[Kasatori]

Ok I think I have a starter plan, and I'm gonna post it here to help keep myself accountable. On the days I work, I'm going to take a 10 min or longer walk once I get home, no sitting down, and letting myself "rest" on my off days (still doing chores to get up and moving, though). I typically work 5 days a week, around 4-5 hours a week (7 on sundays), at Subway, so I'm on my feet a lot. I'm hoping this will help break me of the constant desire to sit down and do nothing for hours some as well as ease the soreness I feel from being on my feet for so long. 

 

This week I'm going to seriously track my calorie consumption on My Fitness to see where I'm at diet wise. As I do so, I'll make small changes to my diet (skipping cookies at work, getting salads instead of fries) and watch the amount of food I'm eating. I got really used to snacking throughout the day and eating when I wasn't hungry, so I'm trying to break that too.

 

I'll see where I am in a week or two before making further changes.

[Jett]

Sounds like a solid plan to get you started. How is it going so far? Keeping track of your calories?

[Mr_Willes]

Just a quick hello

 

And some reading material here:

 

Artificial Sweeteners

[Kasatori]

The walking thing is sorta going well. Had a small setback yesterday plus my husband complained walking is boring when I asked him to join me (I wanted to smack him). Personally I'd love to find an activity I enjoy that doesn't involved constant sitting on my butt. Walking at the mall might help with that, so long as I'm not spending tons of money anyway.

 

I've spent about three days tracking my meals through My Fitness, and I've already seen at least one way that I've been sabotaging my weight loss. Day one of tracking went well. I stayed under goal even with the treat of a bowl of plain chocolate ice cream. Yesterday, not so good. I made the mistake of having a cookie at work and a bag of chips with my sandwich. I also wound up having McDonald's chicken nuggets (with a salad but still), which resulted in going over goals. I think I was still under my calorie maintenance level, but it certainly wasn't helping my deficit. The McDonald's wouldn't have been as bad if I hadn't gone with the cookie and chips. Today I went back to a bit better as I skipped the sides and just had a roast beef sandwich with little on it with no sides or dessert.

 

So I need to watch myself with sides as I didn't realize until now how BIG of an impact that cookie and chips made till I started tracking it. Which was the goal for week one, at least, and it gave me the perspective I needed.

 

Also, thanks for the link! I'm still not a soda person, though I'm trying to cut back in it with my tea and snacks. I'm such a chocoholic though, it's hard. I don't think it's sugar specifically that I crave: It's always I just really want some chocolate, specifically. Otherwise, I prefer hard candies like suckers and such. At least chocolate flavored coffee can help in that regard some.

[Jett]

Kasatori, sounds like you are doing well so far. I found that, through meal tracking, I became aware of which foods are high in calories, just as you are starting to. It's very useful knowledge!

 

Do you prefer dark chocolate, or milk chocolate? Dark chocolate is slightly lower in calories, and has a lower glycemic index than milk chocolate - which means it won't raise your blood sugar as high as milk chocolate. That means dark chocolate is a little better for you than milk chocolate. (And safer to consume if you are worried about being pre-diabetic). As long as you're eating it in small amounts, and keeping within your calorie deficit, it should be okay to still eat some chocolate.

[Kasatori]

I do prefer dark chocolate to milk, though I love both. Dark chocolate is supposed to have several good nutrients in it as well, so long as it isn't taken with milk. I may have to start making my own chocolate snacks I can keep, preferably portioned properly, so I can control the ingredients and watch my carbs more. I've done some candy making before, so it might be an option (in limited quantities, of course).

[Jett]

That's a great idea!

[Jett]

Hi, Amber. It's been a little while. How are you doing? Are you managing to keep your portions smaller and doing a little exercise every day? Did you make your own chocolate snacks?

[Kasatori]

I'm having my ups and downs with it, though I am making some slight progress. I seem to have dropped back down a pound or two. Small progress, but at least it's starting to swing in the right direction. Haven't had the time or money to make my own snacks yet, though I'm finding some chocolates with lower calories that work. I don't always get to walk, had a couple days with some bad back pain, but at least with my job I'm not completely sedentary anymore. At least I know should I ever start lifting weights, I can at minimum lift 25 pounds...since that's how big a full box of tomatoes or frozen bread sticks weighs.

[laughingoutloud]

Hi there.  Well done for trying.  Everything!  If you are serious about walking, then you should consider getting a dog!  Not only are they excellent company, but they will get you out the door and round the block (s) every day!  Ask me.  I was a couch potato two years ago when I adopted my Guunu, and we now walk (hard) for an hour and ten minutes EVERY DAY, up hills, down hills, even sometimes in the rain! 

 

Just a thought!

[Kasatori]

I'd love to, but my husband won't go for it. For one, we have no way of penning one, and it wouldn't be allowed inside. His family has had dogs get hit by cars or disappear around here (live out in the country and coyotes come around sometimes), and I'd rather avoid that. I'm also somewhat more of a cat person, but that's not happening either.