Sammie J Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 I read staci's story about how she was able to go from one end of the spectrum to the next, and the next, I'm a mother of three and I have "always" seemed to be a decent weight for my height and age. I played soccer as a small child and all through high school, Once I graduated high school, I joined the military. Had my children throughout my military career and now that I'm out (sadly ) I'm noticing the weight coming on right in my midsection (eek) I wanna tone up and build muscle like staci did, But I'm not sure where to begin, I have never eaten well, I too am guilty of starving myself or eating junk food on a binge. I want to feel good about my body going into my 30's. I don't want to look back in a year or two and say "yea I used to look good" any guidance would be appreciated. I know its a slow process but worth it in the end right?!?! Quote Link to comment
The Legendary Zoltan Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 One of the goals I have for myself which I think would be a good one for you to share is to learn exactly what food I need to eat and how much of it. There is actually a perfect number of grams of protein for us to eat everyday and we just have to find out what that is. All we have to do is find the right book or perhaps join the academy (I don't know if they go into detail about what to eat or not). Leaving it up to "how I feel" has only resulted in mistakes. Hahaha. I'm stoked that you're doing this as you are "going into your 30's" to quote what you said. I'm going on 36 and I've been a fat otaku all my life. The Staci situation is what I'm going for as well, so maybe we can get ripped together. Nice to meet you. I'm Zoltan. 2 Quote Link to comment
SirPrize Posted April 2, 2016 Report Share Posted April 2, 2016 A good way to begin, at least it's being good for me, is habit changing. I'm little by little trying to change my alimentary habits(even though I won't commit to the "paleo diet", I'm reducing carbs, sugar and liquid calories, and step by step I'm deciding what I'm comfortable to change next, like adding more vegetables, or trying a few minutes of exercise) Quote there are certain foods you refuse to give up, or you can’t afford to buy grass-fed beef at the moment. That’s okay! If you can even make a few small changes here and there (cut out liquid calories, switch out your rice for steamed vegetables, cut back on bread, etc.) you’ll start to see some changes. Remember, 20% healthier is better than 0% healthier – as you get more comfortable with the changes you can increase that percentage. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/ 1 Quote I'm not a Native English speaker, so please bear with any mistakes and gently point them out for me :smile: Intro & Log Study Hall (Accountabilibuddies) STR:8 - INT:17 - WIS:15 - DEX:11 - CON:7 - CHR:15 (Stats from AD&D Quiz) Link to comment
DumbbellDore Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Legendary Zoltan is absolutely right, you do need to figure out how much you need to eat for YOU. Take a lesson from Staci and prepare your meals ahead of time and freeze/refrigerate them. This way, you can take your time to plan out and research what you should be eating. Feeling overwhelmed? This is an easy way to break it down, level 1 nutrition: 1. Pick a lean protein (chicken, turkey, lean ground beef, fish) 2. Pick a vegetable (any vegetable! Potatoes don't count, sadly) raw or cooked, however you prefer them 3. Pick a healthy, slow-digesting starch (sweet potato, brown rice, spaghetti squash, quinoa, lentils) Combine however you choose! Sometimes I throw it all together in a stew, other times I'll oven roast my veggies (SO GOOD). How you cook it is up to you, just be sure to use healthy cooking fats like olive oil or coconut oil (there are lots of them). You can do this! It will free up so much time during the week for other activities, quality time with your kids, etc. The BIGGEST thing is forethought. Plan out your success and you will be set on the right path. Like SirPrize said, small steps are better than no steps. If you're eating ONE healthier meal per day, you're moving in the right direction. 4 Quote Link to comment
RedStone Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Hey there Sammie! I'm totally the same. Was always athletic and fit, and once I hit my 30s, was no longer able to maintain my figure with extreme measures like you mentioned (starving/binging/etc) Good news is that the process works! It's been 6 months for me, I've lost the weight, and am now toning up with strength training over in the Warrior camp! Totally in agreement with everyone about evaluation, forethought and planning, and can tell you how much more mindful I've become of my body's needs since I started lifting. Starving just won't cut it when you're under a barbell, it's like a fine tuned machine that needs certain amounts of protein, carbs and fats to run smoothly - and this was tough for me because my starting nutritional focus was more in the keto camp. (Hi fat, low carb.) Once you have your goals in mind, and your "why" (your motivation!) you'll be able to move forward with a plan, and there are lots of super friendly folks around here that will be more than happy to help you out if you don't know where to go next. Are there any particular nutritional paths and exercises that appeal to you? 1 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Sammie J Posted April 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 All of your suggestions are very helpful guys I really appreciate all the help. Now I will agree with every thing each and every one of you has said. It's just I've never been good at mean prep or knowing the right kinds of food. I'm an inner fat lid of you will. Popcorn for dinner, two slices of amazing pizza for lunch no breakfast chips sofa for snack. (I know I'm horrible) so I guess I'm starting at negative 5. Redstone in answering your question I don't know which nutritional path I wanna take, and that's simply because I don't know of any. I don't know if I can stick to the paleo diet but I do wanna do this right. Staci's story was just inspirational and I wanna get that body she as, better look butt and abs.. I also know I need to get over the "picky eater" phase I have found myself in. A lot of the foods you guys have suggested I have never heard of or may "not like" but to make this strength training work for me I'm will to try anything. Thanks again guys keep the suggestions and words of wisdom coming 1 Quote Link to comment
RedStone Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 16 minutes ago, Sammie J said: It's just I've never been good at mean prep or knowing the right kinds of food. I'm an inner fat lid of you will. Popcorn for dinner, two slices of amazing pizza for lunch no breakfast chips sofa for snack. That positive attitude will get you everywhere! I wasn't sure where to start either, but knew what I wanted, and wanted it bad! For most people starting out, getting the calorie counter and calculator out is the place to start... but to be perfectly honest with you, it's not something I could do, it brings out some pretty negative compulsive behavior for me. When I started, all I did was ditch processed foods and sugars. If it was processed, nope, didn't eat it. If it had sugar, nope, didn't eat it. In the early stages I also avoided starch which is much harder and truly unnecessary. Carbs are good fuel! Just so long as you don't over do it. I kept my meals at appropriate portions, stopped when I was full, and it worked for me, but again, tracking your intake will certainly help you understand both what you're doing now and what you need to be doing to get to your goal! 1 hour ago, DumbbellDore said: Feeling overwhelmed? This is an easy way to break it down, level 1 nutrition: 1. Pick a lean protein (chicken, turkey, lean ground beef, fish) 2. Pick a vegetable (any vegetable! Potatoes don't count, sadly) raw or cooked, however you prefer them 3. Pick a healthy, slow-digesting starch (sweet potato, brown rice, spaghetti squash, quinoa, lentils) Combine however you choose! Sometimes I throw it all together in a stew, other times I'll oven roast my veggies (SO GOOD). How you cook it is up to you, just be sure to use healthy cooking fats like olive oil or coconut oil (there are lots of them). On top of having an awesome name, DumbbellDore has a great suggestion for how to approach basic nutrition. If you're uncertain on how to approach it, I'm a total Pinterest junkie and am always adding new recipes to try. Having a freezer full of chicken breasts is a go to, and roasted veggies are always easy and amazing. I roast broccoli with olive oil, a little salt and pepper until it's crispy - so satisfying and delicious! This can be a really fun opportunity for trying new things. I love zucchini pizza crust, you get a wallop of veggies, it's totally tasty, and really interesting to make! If you'd like some recipe suggestions, I'll be happy to send a link to some of my boards. 2 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Sammie J Posted April 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Yea I'm not convinced I would do well "counting calories" either. I have a few chicken breast in my freeze I can thaw out and prep for the week. And I have those individual white rice packets I can cook up. I do need to go get some frozen veggies to put together for the week. It's going to be a huge life style change. I've never done meal prep before but it could also be fun. I hope to start my strength training soon. Just have to clean up my eating habits, and quit other bad habits so this will have the most effectiveness for me. I don't wanna bust my a** only to give up you know? 3 Quote Link to comment
DumbbellDore Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 You'll be fine! If meal prepping for the whole week seems like too much, try just a few meals this week. Let's say, Monday and Wednesday dinner. Those two meals, you would prepare yourself and make 'em healthy! Two meals isn't so bad, right? This way, you can take it slowly and learn what you like without being stuck with a week's worth of meals that you don't really like. And definitely take RedStone up on the recipe offer. There's so much good stuff out there. It doesn't have to be all bland chicken breast and steamed broccoli. 3 Quote Link to comment
RedStone Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 5 minutes ago, Sammie J said: Yea I'm not convinced I would do well "counting calories" either. I have a few chicken breast in my freeze I can thaw out and prep for the week. And I have those individual white rice packets I can cook up. I do need to go get some frozen veggies to put together for the week. It's going to be a huge life style change. I've never done meal prep before but it could also be fun. I hope to start my strength training soon. Just have to clean up my eating habits, and quit other bad habits so this will have the most effectiveness for me. I don't wanna bust my a** only to give up you know? Totally. I like to think of it as a sort of gift to myself rather than something I'm taking away from myself. If you think of fuel, there's regular and premium, why not give your body the gold treatment like a schmancy car? Premium fuel!! Here's a chicken tip, defrost a few breast, and marinate them each differently in a different tupperware. Then when it's time for dinner, you just pop it in the oven and you're good to go! Sometimes I'll do a super big prep where I have a row of freezer bags, cut up chicken and divide, then add different marinades and veggies. I'll take one out of the freezer the night before I want to use it, put it in the fridge, and should be ready to go the following night for maybe a stir fry or some such. Fresh veggies are best, though some things like peas and corn freeze well! 1 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
RedStone Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 2 minutes ago, DumbbellDore said: Two meals isn't so bad, right? This way, you can take it slowly and learn what you like without being stuck with a week's worth of meals that you don't really like. And definitely take RedStone up on the recipe offer. There's so much good stuff out there. It doesn't have to be all bland chicken breast and steamed broccoli. So second! Don't stress about over doing it, lots of people take on too much too quick and get overwhelmed. Baby steps! Here are a few collections of recipes to peruse, maybe something will catch your eye: Veggie Party Meats Good Carbing 3 Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Sammie J Posted April 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Yes... Baby steps. Ugh I hope I can turn off this picky crap. I've just always loved eating whatever I want.. Please be patient with me guys I've never had to worry about what I ate before. But I'm taking all your suggestions writing them down so I can keep em straight and starting great new chapter in my life..red stone I looked at those links you sent me I'll have to look further into them to see what is a good fit for me to make but I appreciate them thank you again 1 Quote Link to comment
RedStone Posted April 3, 2016 Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 12 minutes ago, Sammie J said: Please be patient with me guys I've never had to worry about what I ate before. No worries! One of the best things about this community is that it's a reminder that we're not alone. We've all been there, in some capacity or another, or we wouldn't be here! Everyone's story and needs are different, but you'll find that the more you reach out to the folks here, the more you'll find similar paths to your own. Keep us posted and good luck! Quote ~Peace Be The Journey~ one - two - three - four - five - six - seven- eight - nine - ten - eleven - twelve - thirteen - fourteen - fifteen - sixteen - seventeen - eighteen - nineteen - twenty - twenty one - twenty two - twenty three - twenty four - twenty five - twenty six - twenty seven - twenty eight - twenty nine - thirty - thirty one - thirty two - thirty three - thirty four - thirty five - thirty six Link to comment
Sammie J Posted April 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2016 Definitely will. Thanks again. I'm starting to make better choices already.. More water and less soda, eating a good cereal rather than not eating at all. Thinking of what's a good snack vs junk. You guys are great. 2 Quote Link to comment
Bob the Bardbarian Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 It's only worth it if you believe it is. I know that sounds a little depressing, but most people come up with a good "WHY" for the reason they want to get healthy. And yet, they continue to make bad choices. The simple fact of the matter is this: Change only comes when the pain of staying the same, is greater than the pain of changing. That being said, if you're ready to kick ass, then kick ass. Figure out what you want for your goals (stronger, faster, more agile), and go for it! You can achieve anything you want, and no one can stop you. Welcome to the Rebellion! Quote Level 4 | Character Sheet | Current Challenge | | Past Challenges | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | Educate - Entertain - Inspire Link to comment
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