I'm New. Here's Food Journal. : )

[imadinosaur]

Hello, all. I guess I will give you an intro on myself. I've been big since I was like 6 and just kept ballooning throughout years. I once lost a crapload of weight when I used to starve myself and exercise for 3 or more hours after school. doctor said I was becoming anorexic and told me I needed to start eating. I guess I took too much of his advice to heart and really started to eat. lol!

Then after high school I went through a bunch of drama and hurt that made me depressed. I got even bigger and a few months ago I had the attitude of, "I'm not going anywhere and have no one to impress so why don't I enjoy the one thing that makes me happy (food)." The biggest I've ever been is 254 lbs. Then, I actually tried to eat healthier and dance 4 times a week for 45mins. I did this for about a week and a half and ended up losing 9lbs from that. This was back in March. Then I went through a really terrible "time of the month", I'm female and I had no energy and wanted to eat everything in site. I gave up on weight loss and really hated myself for several weeks after that.

Something clicked in me about 3 1/2 weeks ago. I'm 23 going on 24 and I have nothing to show for it. I can't get a job here and I have no luck with women when I actually do get out and go to clubs. friend is in the military and seeing her come back a changed person made me want what she has. Long story short, I came to the decision that I want to go into the Navy next year.

I have been trying best to eat right and get exercise in. I feel like I'm actually not eating enough and it scares me that body will convert the calories I'm getting into fat, therefore not getting me anywhere. I've been diligent about getting cardio, though. I briskly walk 2 miles a day 6 days out of the week and try to incorporate some free weights/push ups into there as well. Here is journal for the past two days. I'd appreciate any advice on food and workouts. I am going to see if I have the money to join local YMCA this weekend.

Height: 5"10
Weight: 241

Unless a different drink is indicated in the journal, I drink water all day. More than 8 glasses sometimes

Tuesday May 31
BREAKFAST
Honey Nut cheerios w skim milk -(I try best to read the labels but sometimes I estimate.) 150 calories
beef fajitas chopped up and cooked with egg whites- 200 cals
slice of American cheese - 69 cals

LUNCH
Subway turkey sandwich on wheat w cheese 320 cals
salad w carrots and Italian dressing 120 cals

SNACK
Protein Shake 300 calories I made it with skim milk, protein powder, and a little bit of Dole pineapple & coconut juice. Full of sugar but I needed some energy for workout.

WORKOUT
Lifted weights. The only thing I know the term for is bicep curls but I did other exercises. I tried to focus on biceps this day and did this for 15 mins.

Walked 2 miles briskly in about 50 minutes. Too slow, I know.

DINNER
Salad w carrots and Italian dressing 100 cals
Serving of fajita steak pieces 125 cals
Mashed red potatoes made with some skim milk, nonfat margarine, nonfat cheese 224 cals

SNACK
Bowl of honey nut cheerios 165 cals
Then later in the night I ate less than a serving of leftover chicken fajita pieces 85 cals
about 2 hrs before bed....
Serving of turkey pepperoni 70 cals
low fat string cheese 60 cals

****Wednesday****
BREAKFAST
Instant Oatmeal packet w less than half a serving of protein powder 200 cals
Lowfat yougart cup 80 cals

SNACK
lowfat string cheese 60 cals
serving of turkey pepperoni 70 cals
glass of Dole pineapple coconut juice 120 cals

WORKOUT
2 mile walk in 45 mins. I tried best to go faster today.
8 pushups. They are hard and to do with so much weight I have.

LUNCH
Fajita chicken pieces mixed with leftover mashed potatoes. I added nonfat cheese too. 380 cals
salad w Italian dressing and carrots 80 cals
steamed broccoli 78 cals

to be continued.....

[Boss Man]

Hi there .

i'm assuming when you say you're a female that has no luck with women, that you're Lesbian?

Personally I don't mind that at all and I'm sure you're someone with all the right human qualities, to make another female really happy, so don't give up hope, because you're far too young to be permanently on the shelf, or at last chance saloon .

I'm sorry you went though some difficult things in your life, but I often find with stories like yours, a sense of beauty that permeates through the sadness. I see someone having the heart and courage to tell people about some difficult and sensitive life history and I wanted you to know, that I feel proud of you for being able to talk about clearly hard life experiences, as I can appreciate some of that stuff wouldn't have been easy to deal with, so WELL DONE for talking about this to a complete bunch of strangers, because we do care and we do try and understand someones personal circumstances .

I applaud your wishes to be in the navy and I wish you well. You're obviously choosing a great career path and you can be proud of your choice, but also proud of your decision to change yourself for the better and I get the impression, you're someone that has left some of those dark times behind them for good now and would be someone emotionally and mentally suited to a forces role .

In terms of what you have been doing to eat and exercise, I'll highlight the relevant parts I make and hopefully this will help to get the ball rolling on your new journey in life .

Height: 5"10
Weight: 241

Unless a different drink is indicated in the journal, I drink water all day. More than 8 glasses sometimes

Tuesday May 31
BREAKFAST
Honey Nut cheerios w skim milk -(I try best to read the labels but sometimes I estimate.) 150 calories
beef fajitas chopped up and cooked with egg whites- 200 cals
slice of American cheese - 69 cals

(Good)

(Add a snack in here to boost calories, so things like Low Fat Cheese, Peanuts, Sandwich etc. Another 200+ would be good, as your current calories are a touch on the low side, for someone who is exercising.)

LUNCH
Subway turkey sandwich on wheat w cheese 320 cals
salad w carrots and Italian dressing 120 cals

(Good)

SNACK
Protein Shake 300 calories I made it with skim milk, protein powder, and a little bit of Dole pineapple & coconut juice. Full of sugar but I needed some energy for workout.

(Good)

DINNER
Salad w carrots and Italian dressing 100 cals
Serving of fajita steak pieces 125 cals
Mashed red potatoes made with some skim milk, nonfat margarine, nonfat cheese 224 cals

(I'd reduce the potato portion by around 1/3 and increase the meat ot the same calories. So roughly 75 calories less Potato Carb and 75 calories more meat.)

SNACK
Bowl of honey nut cheerios 165 cals
Then later in the night I ate less than a serving of leftover chicken fajita pieces 85 cals
about 2 hrs before bed....
Serving of turkey pepperoni 70 cals
low fat string cheese 60 cals

(Fine)

I hope things change for the better for you, I really do. You seem like a really lovely, good natured person and I wish you a lot of luck and hope you achiege what yoiu want, but don't let anyone or anything put you off and keep believing. It won't all be good positive weeks and occasionally you will make mistakes regarding the eating in particular, but potentially the exercise too, but it's a case of learning from it and not getting derailed for a few days by mistakes.

If they happen, learn from them and become stronger for it, because weight loss is not something people get right striaght away. In that respect it's probably a little like parenting, in so much as it takes time to become good, at doing it right on a consistent basis.

Good luck again and do keep us posted on your progress. The more we know the more we can potentially help.

You ARE worth this, so make it count okay .

[imadinosaur]

Hi, Bossman and thank you for the reply. Yes, I'm a bit of an open book when it comes to myself except I can be shy in showing myself off in pictures. Maybe when I lose more weight I will show myself. I am also a lesbian and another reason I wanted to lose some weight is I wanted to feel fantastic for city's Pride festival which is coming up in about 3 weeks. Beach season is here too and I plan on going to the beach a lot in July. Can't wait. Anyway, onto journal. I didn't keep track of it as well yesterday or today. Things happened that I had not planned so I probably didn't make the best food choices. I'm trying best to get back on the wagon, though. Thank you for the suggestions and you are also very adept at having a sense of who a person is without even knowing that much about them.

*Thurs*
BREAKFAST
-Protein shake w half a banana, half yougart, Dole juice, pro powder, and skim milk 300 cals
- 1 Smore's Poptart (yep, not very good for me but I'm having trouble beefing up calories with the little food we have right now.) 200 cals

SNACK
-String cheese 60 cals
-Serving of turkey pepperoni 70cals

WORKOUT
Today was to be break day but since I was already at the track with family I walked about a mile and tried not to go too fast. While walking I got a call from a friend who invited me to go out to a club later on in the night.

LUNCH
-I was in a bit of a rush and I figured I'd be okay in eating some Chinese food since I'd be dancing later on.
-2 servings of Moo Goo Gai Pan with fried rice and an eggroll. Not sure of calorie content

WORKOUT
-10 minute ab workout before I left
-Danced for about 2 hours

SNACK
-An evil bottle of Sprite 200 cals
-small serving of leftover chinese food

*Today*
BREAKFAST
-Beef fajitas w egg whites and a slice of American cheese -Over 200 cals. Had a decent sized serving
-Half a muffin -not sure of cals
-Protein shake w pro powder, skim milk, and a little bit of Dole juice -Over 200 cals

SNACK
-String cheese 60 cals
-Serv of Turkey pepperoni 70 cals

WORKOUT
-2 mile walk
-10 min ab exercises

LUNCH
-Subway roast beef w cheese on flatbread 580 cals. I went w flatbread for the extra cals but I didn't realize til now how high the cal content would be.
-small serving of baked lays chips 100 cals

SNACk
-Serving of Chinese food
-steamed brocolli

WORKOUT
-Did a few mins of ab exercises again. I was bored and full of energy.

2 hrs before bedtime
- Protein shake w skim milk and pro powder 250 cals

I'll hopefully be going grocery shopping this weekend to get some healthier choices.
^Edited

[fit-fanatic-2025]

Good luck with everything! How exciting, the Navy! The YMCA does offer discounts if you cannot afford the Y too. You said if you have the money so i wasn't sure if money was an issue. Keep us posted on how you are doing!

[imadinosaur]

Thanks, musculargirl. To tell you the truth, I am worried about the food choices I'll have in the Navy. I heard they serve lots of sugary stuff and carbs. :-/

I'll save anyone reading a lot of text but I've been trying best to eat right. I'm still having trouble getting enough calories. Today I fell on a lopsided area on the track today. I busted knee open and I landed awkwardly on ankle when I fell. I was able to walk and even jog quite a bit afterward. Nothing was hurting until I am sitting here. I thought ankle was fine but now it's really stiff.

Edit: It's very stiff now. I have a hard time moving around. This sucks.

[imadinosaur]

I went to the doctor and I have a mild sprain and she actually urged me to stretch it and walk as much as possible, just pace myself. The day after I hurt it, I didn't have dr. appt yet so I tried not to move so much on it. That was a total cheat day for me because I couldn't make food for myself and mom was busy so she brought me home fried food. The next day I didn't pick the most nutritious choices but I still had calorie counts low.

Yesterday, I tried best to get back on the wagon and even went for a short and slow walk at the track. Today, I picked up the pace and don't have any pain whatsoever in ankle or leg anymore. I wanted to run sooo bad since the last time I ran it felt so invigorating and it was actually quite easy for me. I think I'll save the jog for tomorrow. I'll share food journal for today before I head to bed. Certainly didn't eat enough today, I shouldn't let friends get in the way of eating.

SUNDAY
Breakfast- Instant peaches and cream oatmeal 150 cals (it's all we have right now. :-s)

Exercise - Mile walk

Snack- Protein shake with protein powder, dole juice, and blueberries 280 cals

Lunch - Flatbread pizza with nonfat mozzarella, turkey pepperoni, and spaghetti sauce 330 cals

Snack - serving of fajita steak, boiled broccoli and carrots, and some romaine lettuce 250 cals

Snack- serving of fried pork skins 80 cals ( I know it sounds bad but it has no carbs and only 1.5 grams of fat per serving)

Dinner - Protein shake made with almond milk and choc protein powder 200 cals
2 melatonin tablets. I need help with sleep. I also saw on a health show that melatonin aids in helping muscles rebuild.

[imadinosaur]

So I'm still trying best with this new lifestyle. I just started a new job today so I have to get used to exercising in the morning before work. I haven't been eating enough at all the past three days. Now that I know workplace is a chill place, I'll bring more snacks and food I can cook in the microwave. I look noticably smaller too and shirts from two years ago fit me very loose. : ) It's a nice feeling to know I am smaller than I was 2 years ago.

[imadinosaur]

Hello, whoever is reading. I'm back and with updates. So I am 221 lbs now which makes total weight loss since May, 33 total lbs. I have been really busy with new job and have not desired to update food journal or even keep track of what I'm eating. I started to get really stressed out because I was very strict with health regimen before and then working 60 hr weeks without a microwave or fridge at work was making me less strict. I would take a lunchbox with turkey sandwiches or tuna and some whole wheat crackers and also try to fit in a protein drink. It was getting tough though, because I wasn't even getting breaks anymore to drink protein drinks. So on those days, I wasn't eating very much and then when work was over I'd get some fast food.

job started cutting hours down and then I stopped sweating over what I was eating. I eat fast food almost everyday now but still try to fit in some healthier food. I don't go to the gym 6 days a week, it's more like twice a week but I'm trying to increase that again. The funny thing is, I feel like I've lost more weight when I'm being less strict on food intake and not exercising as much. It was noticeable before that some weight was lost in clothes but now when I look in the mirror, I can REALLY see a difference. Anyway, I'm just confused with what to do. Do I go back to strict lifestyle or do I keep doing what I'm doing? I'm just afraid of getting into bad habits. I don't eat the portions that I used to so maybe that helps.

Anyway, here is some before and after face pics so you can see what I mean by noticeable fat loss:

You may want to shield your eyes because I look hideous and dorky here:


Taken about two days ago:


Taken today:

[musculArgirl2]

congrats on the weight loss! You really can see a difference in your face.

[MissJenaKay]

Congratulations on your weightloss! C:

[imadinosaur]

Thanks, you two.

[Boss Man]

Be proud of yourself and YES be more strict on the food and exercise.

What you have done so far may work, but sooner or later that fast food will start to be a hinderance.

Though even fast food can help you lose weight, think Quarter Pounder and small Fries, versus Big Mac and Large Fries, because there's still a drop in calories and the body will try to burn some fat as always, but get a small reduction in calories per day, so it can't then replace all the fat that it burns.

Calories in versus calories out.

However such a methodology would have limited potential to succeed. So what you're doing now could almost certainly never produce the desired end result(s), but merely provide some false hope, with an almost cast iron certainty of stalled weight loss at some point.

So being more dsiciplined would be better in the long-term.

You HAVE done pretty darn great through, so be proud of yourself and most importantly, keep believing in your own self worth. You ARE worth it and nothing and no one can stop you being potentially amazing unless you let it or them.

I'm proud of you and the more you let us know how you're doing, the more we can be here for you.

GOOD LUCK.

[imadinosaur]

Thank you, Boss.

I've decided that I need to try recording what I eat and exercise via this diary again so here it goes...

Wednesday
Breakfast
Scrambled eggs with sausage 400 cals

Meal 2
Plain oatmeal and a glass of Dole juice 350 cals

Workout
30 minutes on elliptical
leg workouts
ab workouts

Meal 3
Choc protein shake 200 cals

Meal 4
homemade pizza made with mozzarella cheese, turkey pepperoni,pizza sauce, and whole wheat naan bread 600 cals

Snack
Apple chips 35 cals
Pork skins 90 cals

Meal 5
Grilled chicken, brown rice, and green beans 350 cals

Meal 6
Protein shake 200 cals

One of small goals is to be down to 215 by birthday which is 10 days from now. It's been a lonnnnnnng time since I've been in the teens of weight. I don't even remember the last time I was current weight at 221.

[Boss Man]

That's not bad.

One change you could make though, is perhaps switch the Oatmeal and the Sausages around.

So you'd start off with Oatmeal and Eggs for Breakfast, then next meal have the Sausage with the Dole Juice.

This way you're not having a protein dominant Breakfast and Carbohydrate dominant snack, but you're getting a good mix of both Macronutients in both meals.

[imadinosaur]

That's not bad.

One change you could make though, is perhaps switch the Oatmeal and the Sausages around.

So you'd start off with Oatmeal and Eggs for Breakfast, then next meal have the Sausage with the Dole Juice.

This way you're not having a protein dominant Breakfast and Carbohydrate dominant snack, but you're getting a good mix of both Macronutients in both meals.

I started with the protein breakfast because I have this irrational fear of carbs being the first thing I eat. I usually take a long time to get up out of bed and by the time I eat first meal I am starving. I worry that body will store those carbs if I eat them. Is this an irrational fear or is their some truth behind this?

Here is journal for today...

Thurs. Sept 9

Meal 1
Eggs and sausage 350 cals

Meal 2
Whole wheat toast with peanut butter 280 cals
glass of Dole juice 120 cals

Exercise
45 mins of jogging/running on treadmill --I think it said I burned 336 cals

Meal 3
Choc protein shake with peanut butter, honey, and almond milk 400 cals

Meal 4
Grilled chicken, veggies, and brown rice 450 cals

Snack
rest of meal 4
Quaker oatmeal cookie 170 cals

Didn't follow your carb/protein breakfast tip because I didn't log on here til now. I'll try to have oatmeal, eggs & sausage for first meal tomorrow. I'm craving it. :p