O me! O life!

[ZaraNewton]

of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill'd with the foolish, Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew'd, Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me, Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined, The question, O me! so sad, recurring -- What good amid these, O me, O life?Answer. That you are here -- that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse. 

The first thing I thought when I first came here was, "What if I drown amidst this gargantuan forum?". So many posts and threads bombarded my sight, it feels daunting to even start lurking here. Then this poem popped into my head. It portrays how I currently feel quite accurately and reminds me that as vast as life or this forum may be and as insignificant as I may feel in the face of it, I can still contribute something of myself and that makes all the difference. 

 

So hello, how are you and do you happen to love "Dead Poets Society"? Because that is my ultimate favourite movie ever. _{Omgletsgushaboutitplease.}

And you, whoever you are, strolling around the Introduction forums, be it other newbies like me who are looking to feel less alone in this huge place or regulars who enjoy greeting fresh bloods, I just think that you must be a very warm, friendly individual or in a serious need of collecting good karma.

 

Now I should probably share my health goals. Its been a long while since I last checked my measurements and last I remember it was 143 lbs, 4'9". I aim to lose 2 pounds 4 weeks from now. I know, I know, I'm starting small. I've done the beginner's bodyweight workout twice this week and I jog 20 - 40 minutes 3 times per week. So I'm not concerned about staying loyal to my exercise routines...it's my diet that I'm devastated with. I live with my family and we eat a lot of carbs and never enough vegetables. I ate a slice of pizza for dinner last night for goodness sake!

 

I need a buddy to pair up with and help keep me disciplined on eating healthier. Anyone want to be my diet buddy? Would be a bonus if you're a (South East) Asian like myself since you'll understand my palate. I'm planning on cooking for myself more and more often so I can control my nutrition and calorie intake. Also, anyone else use myfitnesspal as a daily food journal? Let me know so we can add each other and learn what good things to eat. For those of you struggling to manage a healthy diet like me, holler at me and could you please tell me how you improve your situation? 

 

'tis a pleasure to meet everyone! 

 

[MissoulaSquatch]

Hey you! Welcome to NF!

Ok, so, yes the forums seem daunting..but, not quite as daunting as the numerous facebook groups, and chat added in as well (I'm making my grand return here after being off in the FB and IRC lands fighting Ogres and such).  Whew, it can be overwhelming for sure..but, and I really like this part, everyone is or was in your boat at some point in time: starting out.  Knowing that, takes all of the edge off.  NF truly isn't a place to feel judged, but it most certainly is a place to feel belonging.

So, the diet things, some stuff to consider:

1.  Carbs are not some giant evil thing.
2.  Moderation is your friend, anything in excess without balance is a problem.  People have tendency to go from super high carbs to super low..your body needs them still for basic functions most importantly: building muscle tissue.  Carbs are your friend if you respect them.
3.  Getting family on board seems to be a reoccurring issue around here, I'll leave that one to someone else to respond to.  I'm by no means saying you have to make them adopt your lifestyle, but you do need their support..and this can be a tough thing to do.  I live on my own, so I really can't contribute further.
4.  Lots of MFP users here, I've actually gotten away from it myself..I personally got tired of weighing out everything and I found it kept me from experimenting in the kitchen..so now, I just practice "self-awareness."  For some people, food is just fuel..and for them, with that mindset, it's easier to track regularly. 

5.  You will most definitely find people on here that love having accountabilibuddies (I have no idea if I spelt that right) on MFP.

[RedStone]

Hey yo Zara! First and foremost, always lovely to encounter the >5' set. I'm 4'10"! And man, a couple of extra pounds show up a helluva lot more on wee folk.

 

I've always been quite active, but nutrition was a huge issue for me. I made some massive changes last year and have been reaping the rewards ever since. I'll offer you a two fold perspective.

 

1. PIZZA. I looooove pizza. My default answer to the idiotic question of - if you were stranded on a desert island and only had one type of food, what would it be? Pizza, obviously. When I cut processed food, (not carbs, just processed ingredients), pizza was the thing I missed the most. But I found relief in exploring new ways to cook. It can be very exciting to try new things, and I now know a good half dozen ways to make cauliflower into something that's not entirely unlike bread. (And I will splurge on a proper slice every once in awhile.) But truly, when I get the pizza crave, cauliflower crust does me right.

 

What I found was that I was more full and satisfied with food I actually enjoyed, so I ended up needing to eat less to feel full and satiated. After a little while, I was less and less hungry in general. 

 

I can't speak to your regional palette, but I imagine that could be a great jumping off point for flavors you want to incorporate. The limitations I gave myself became more of a puzzle to be solved rather than a restriction. Like, I want this flavor, how can I make it within my restrictions? It's become a game, a quest to be resolved.

 

2. Family. This is a tough one because of all the emotions involved. I come from a group of eaters that medicate with food and think it's okay to binge on anything that's labeled "low fat." What's worked for me is good old fashioned thick headedness, kind of in a live by example sort of way. I simply refused to participate and cooked for myself and ate what I thought was best. After awhile, my family got curious about my progress and good attitude, and wanted to get on board. 

 

I know that's not the case for everyone, and once I went off on my own journey they slipped back into their old habits, but while I was still there I just ignored their bad habits and did my own thing, all while looking to for other, non food related ways to connect with them. There were a fair amount of lone wolf moments, and understandable I felt a bit isolated and lonely, but I believed that what I was doing was better, and frankly, I've felt isolated and lonely my whole life, so this wasn't that different.

 

So far as the abyss of the forums, I've only been here for a few weeks and not only feel very accepted by those who have happened to be here at the same time as me, but have also made some major strides towards defining and approaching my goals thanks to the folks here. (Dude, I used a barbell like 3 times this week at a meathead gym. That was cray and unexpected.)

 

Lots of good folks and good thoughts. Good luck on your journey!

[ZaraNewton]

@Ajaxus: Point taken on the facebook group comparison. (I hear the Ogres has been growing bigger and uglier as of late. What have they been feeding on, do you suppose?) And you two are doing a swell job at making me feel belonged. So thanks! Yes, moderation, I need to figure out what that is too. And thanks again for your input and advice. I'll chalk it up to a need-to-remember. 

 

@Meredith: Yay! Someone around my height. Why are we cute hobbits so rare? Haha, you have no idea how nice it is to see someone in a similar boat as me. I've never tried anything with cauliflower crust before. I'll look into it. Where do you get your healthy recipes from usually? Do you follow some blogs or keep a pinterest recipe board?

 

I like your attitude on problem solving with food. I do love RPG games solving quests so I'm going that route too. What's the biggest factor/motivator that helps you maintain the discipline to be conscious about what you eat? I think one of the reasons why you're able to stick to your diet is because you're very informed of how certain food affects the body right? Information can be a primary motivator for me.

 

As for my family, I'm not declaring that I'm going on a diet to them. I'd rather let my actions speak. Seeing as you're able to go on your own healthier diet being as it's different than the people you're living with, gives me a lot of encouragement.

I'm looking forward to participating around the forums. Keep using that barbell girl! *hugs*

[RedStone]

@Meredith: Yay! Someone around my height. Why are we cute hobbits so rare? Haha, you have no idea how nice it is to see someone in a similar boat as me. I've never tried anything with cauliflower crust before. I'll look into it. Where do you get your healthy recipes from usually? Do you follow some blogs or keep a pinterest recipe board?

 

I like your attitude on problem solving with food. I do love RPG games solving quests so I'm going that route too. What's the biggest factor/motivator that helps you maintain the discipline to be conscious about what you eat? I think one of the reasons why you're able to stick to your diet is because you're very informed of how certain food affects the body right? Information can be a primary motivator for me.

 

 

Yes and yes! I'm a pinterest junkie, it's totally my recipe box, here's a good board with some awesome tips that I use as a jumping off point: https://www.pinterest.com/mzcaraher/good-carbing/(the banana pancakes are amazing, but I bake them on a slip pat - works better!)

 

Honestly, the turning point for me was when I decided to convince myself that I was worth it... I've struggled with insecurity my whole life and one day (well, after my last birthday) I was like, dude, you deserve better. So when I was looking at what I was putting in my body, I nixed the chemicals and processed junk that's synonymous with the western diet, cause, well, I decided I was worth it! Now when I look at the junk stuff I think of it as a detriment, it's sounds silly... but it's not good enough for me.

 

(It took me a lot of reinforcement to even sort of believe it... but that's another neural pathway story altogether!)

 

Of course research research research helped me decide what things to cut and what to keep, of course being mindful about what's in your food helps you stay on track. It's become a serious play hobby for me, not as serious as legos, but close.

 

I'm basically in the no process, no chem camp - artificial sweeteners, processed grains etc. Some people call it clean eating, others think that's silly. I just think it's nature, I'm eating the earth one little bite at a time! Mwahahahaa!!! But different things work for different people, it's just a matter of research + trial and error.

 

I think there's a buddy system somewhere in the forums, if you like I'd be happy to figure that out with you! Pixie camp