Well, I haven't posted much around these forums, but I figure I might as well start a journal.

I'm a 19 year old college student that has been overweight since 3rd or 4th grade. I feel like I wasted most of my youth being overweight, and I just got so sick of it at the end of February that I felt it was time to get really serious about losing weight. I have been dedicated to school for much of my life, always trying to be one of the best students, and I've had some success in that. But I've always been a failure when it comes to eating and exercising, so I really want to change that, for good. My goal is to get to a reasonable weight between 170-190 by my birthday, December 19th, so I can look back and be happy with my success. I have a long way to go, but I've got off to a good start so far. In 33 days I have lost 10 pounds, weighing in at 250 this morning. I was cycling about 14 miles a day for two weeks because of my spring break, but now it's become every other day or every third day with school taking up most of my time, so I am looking forward to a long summer where I can dedicate myself to losing a lot of weight. My biggest problem is staying consistent with exercise right now. Since I had that change in mindset I have not had any craving for unhealthy foods, or desire to eat them. Thinking of gaining weight again makes me feel sick to my stomach. So enough is enough.

Anyway, I'll try to update every week. I hope someday I can be a motivation to others as many of you here are to me.

Hi Russell,

The fact that you are here at Diettalk means you are ready to start your journey to success ....

I am older than you lol by 42 years ..... but I know that you are a lot smarter than I was ... I started my weight loss journey 4 years ago .... but I hope you never have to lose weight because it is a matter of life or death ....

I know you want to lose quickly ... we all do .. but take time to lose the weight in a healthy and permanent way ... THERE IS NOTHING WE AS HUMAN BEINGS CANNOT ACCOMPLISH ... take it one day at a time ... one meal at a time.

:welcome: to Diettalk ... and to the start of your weight loss journey. Always, Monica

Hi Russell,
welcome to the journals forum...i hang out a lot here and keep my journal here plus catch up with my friends here. the support and friendship i get here from people who really understand cant be beat thats for sure.
Great job on having lost 10 pounds already.thats awesome!
exercise is something that i absolutely love...i didnt always but its a big reason why i have been at goal for 3 years now..
every month i start an exercise addicts thread in the exercise forum..everyone makes a goal for the month and seeing the awesome workout minutes keeps me inspired to keep pushing myself too..we would to see you come and post there with us..Aprils thread will be starting soon.
I look forward to seeing your continuing success Russell!
hugs bell :)

Hi Russell, welcome aboard! Congrats on the cycling and 10 lbs gone.

December is doable, but don't look at the end result as the reason to be proud of yourself. 14 miles of biking is kickass! Imagine where you'll be in a few months! You will probably take up other activities and in December, you'll be more fit and I bet the scale has a lower number on it, but be proud of what you accomplish, not only what the scale says.

Have you changed your eating habits? You're young and you're a guy so your metabolism will be a little kinder to you than us women-folk who've had kids (and we'll try not to hold it against you).. veggies, fruits, lean protein and whole carbs.. and water.

Welcome to DT and I look forward to reading and sharing your successes and here for you when you need a shoulder.

Corinna

Weighed in today at 248.5, so a 1.5lb loss this week. Hopefully I can keep it up...

CONGRATULATIONS RUSSELL ON YOUR WONDERFUL WEIGHT LOSS :cheer: Remember there is nothing YOU CANNOT ACCOMPLISH ..... take it one day at a time .. one meal at a time. As always, Monica

That's great, Russel! 1.5 pounds is a good healthy weight loss. You are doing super!! Take care and have a good week!

Hey Russell!

Just dropping in to send you some motivation. Keep your head up even when it seems impossible to. I know how you feel, although I am not extremely overweight and I think that if a lot of people actually saw me, they would think I was skinny, but honestly, it doesn't matter what size we are or why we are trying to lose weight. It's just a matter of our personal struggles and wanting to be healthy and happy individuals in our day to day life. I congratulate you in working hard and making the change and for the loss! That is awesome.

BTW what is your class schedule like? Do they have a gym on campus? You should look into that and see if they open at 6am. I know when I was in college our gym was open at 6am and I was able to work out right before class. Besides, if you do it first thing in the morning, you will have a ton of energy and you will feel like you accomplished your mini goal for the morning. OH and you don't have to be in there forever either. 20-30 minutes a day is good enough. plus you should be able to get in free with your campus ID card.

Good luck and will stop in again to send you some more motivation your way!

Melinda :D

Russell

My 17 yr old son lost 45 lb and with the help of a personal trainer gotten sorta buff.
He is 6'2" and 185 and works out 4 times a week. I really think a workout buddy helps a great deal to keep you motivated.

Will be watching your success.

Donna

Another week goes by, and I'm down 2 pounds. I'm eating about 1800-2000 calories a day right now, but the exercise is definitely hard to keep up with. Just four more weeks of school though, summer will be much easier to stay motivated.

WOOHOO, Russel!!! You are doing so well... you're losing and exercizing and that's so good for you!

Summer will make it easier time wise, I'm sure..... just keep trying to work it in during school as well, though, because it'll help you to keep seeing results! And that alone makes us want to continue losing a working out. We create a positive cycle for ourselves instead of that old vicious one we are usually in!

Take care and have a SUPER week! You are really doing well!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MARVELOUS SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS :cheer: :cheer: As always, Monica

Great job on the weight loss Russell :)

Way to go on the loss! You are doing an awesome job! Keep us posted on how you are doing!

Well, I'm down to 244 now, so that's a 2.5 lb loss this week. :) I guess what I'm doing is working very well, though I expect a busy week so getting exercise in everyday is going to be really tough, as usual. I've been exercising at night, which is something I really don't want to do, but sometimes I just don't have any other choice.

And thanks for all the words of encouragement, though I do like telling myself I'm not doing well and I should try harder, it's good motivation ;)

Good going on the 2.5 pounds, Russel.... that's great!! I think exercising at night is better than no exercise at all.... don't worry about the time of day if mornings are totally impossible. You're doing great!

Hopefully, you'll get to the point where you can tell yourself you're doing a good job and still stay motivated..... lol

Have a good week!

Excellent job Russell ... :cheer: A VERY SIGNIFICANT LOSS ... keep :up: THE GOOD JOB Success is going to happen ... BECAUSE YOU ARE MAKING IT HAPPEN. As always, Monica

Another week and another pretty good loss, 2 lbs this time, to 242. Close to the 230s :) And now I've just got two more weeks of school....though I'm worried how my exercise and eating will be affected next week during finals. If I can do well next week, then I'll be able to tell myself I'll have no problem with any other week during the year. Easier said than done...

Down 2.5 this week...239.5. :) Hopefully the 30s go by quickly. And now a tough week is ahead. I didn't exercise at all yesterday, and have no real excuse except I felt really lazy...I hope this doesn't last long.

By the way, I assume Gatorade isn't exactly good to drink, but if I reduced my calorie intake to account for its calories (say if I eat 1800 of solid food normally, then go to 1675 + gatorade), would it be alright to drink while I ride my stationary bike? Water just doesn't seem to give me any more energy when I'm in the last 20 minutes or so. Thanks...

Hi Russell.
wow you are doing so well!
Look at how consistent you are being with you losing! You must really be working hard at it, and you are getting the results. i am really happy for you..
i live in Australia and here we have flavored waters that have less calories than gatorade, not sure what you have available where you are..maybe you could find a flavored water with fewer cals than the gatorade..
Keep going strong Russell, you are doing GREAT!
hugs bell :)

Thanks Bell, I am trying very hard and am happy to see results...it would be hard to keep it up if I wasn't. This week I lost another 2.5, so I'm down to 237. I'm actually very surprised at that loss, because on Saturday I went to a bbq and ate a lot, as my sister just graduated from college, and on Sunday I went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant. But I guess those didn't ruin me :)

My school year has finally ended, which will make it a lot easier to be consistent on exercise, but at the same time, food becomes more tempting. At 237 in the beginning of May, I think I'll set a goal of trying to get to 200-210 by September. I think I could get there at this rate, but I'm guessing my weight loss will start to slow down. I think it's always best to have tougher goals than easier ones, though.

Have a nice week everyone :)

Well, this week I'm down 2.5, which is a pleasent surprise. I haven't been exactly eating healthy, though I've kept my calories down. Not to mention I didn't cycle at all on Saturday or Sunday :( But I guess I was lucky, or there's some water loss. I thought it'd be easier once school was out, but I guess I have a hard time overcoming my natural laziness ;) I'd like to exercise every day this week, but I'll probably be lucky just to do it 4 times.

Russ CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR TERRIFIC SUCCESS :cheer: .... just keep taking it one day at a time ... and SET UP AN :ex: schedule YOU CAN LIVE WITH . Make it a great day. As always, Monica

This is probably my best week yet in terms of weight loss, 3 lbs. It almost seems like that can't be true, because I exercised only twice :( I had surgery on my toe for a really bad ingrown toe nail on Thursday, and I couldn't cycle lest the clot break. Hopefully I can resume today. I did eat less than I usually do, about 1500-1600 calories a day, since I wasn't doing any exercise. That's probably the reason, that or water loss. It's encouraging to have what I considered a pretty poor weak but still lose weight. Hopefully my luck continues :)

Congrats on your loss, Russell.. Keep up the good work!!

Corinna

Well...after missing 8 straight days of exercise, I've gone an hour the past three, so it looks like I'm back on track. I'm down another 2 this week, but for some reason the lack of exercise for so long makes me feel like I didn't really accomplish much.

Also, I had a question for anyone that knows this kind of stuff, about how many grams of protein in a day should I get? I get about 80 in a day, but I've seen people recommend a lot more than that. Thanks for any advice.

Hi Russell,

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR VERY SUCCESSFUL TWO POUND LOSS :cheer: :cheer: AND FOR GETTING BACK TO YOUR EXERCISE REGIMEN .... :up:

In answer to your question .... I can only respond by saying I allow myself 50 - 90 grams of protein .... BUT I have to assume it has to be more for a man. Have you spoken to your physician regarding your nutritional goals? IMO that would be the person who could give you the proper guidelines ..... and when you do attain the info you might want to utilize the free site www.fitday.com ... and keep a record of your caloric and nutritional intake. Keep moving forward on your journey to success. As always, Monica

A 3 lb loss this week, but I didn't drink much water last night so I'm guessing it wasn't really 3 lbs. I haven't been exercising as much as I'd like to, but on friday I went to my camp and was kayaking and using a peddle boat for 3 hours on the lake, so atleast I got that :)

Monica thanks for letting me know what you eat, I also assume that I should get more, so I'll set a range of somewhere around 70-120.

Another week goes by, and 2.5 down this time. I'm still not exercising 5-6 times a week like I was when I first began, but on both friday and saturday I set my personal best distance with 16.5 miles in an hour. :) I have improved a lot on the stationary bike since I first started a few months ago, when my best was 11-12 miles in an hour. I've increased my protein intake, mainly by trying to eat a can of tuna fish a day, and I've tried out some Atkins "nutrition" shake that has 170 calories and 20 grams of protein, though I wonder how nutritional it really is. I'm always skeptical about liquid nutritional drinks. Went down to my camp again to go out on the lake, and realized how much more fun it is to exercise outdoors than on some stationary bike in a secluded dark room. Oh well, gotta make due with what I've got :)

Congratulations! :) I'm not always that motivated to do my exercise either, but I feel better about myself when it's over.

GREAT on losing 2.5 lbs ! :dn

Beth :not:

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. It's been quite some time since I've last updated my journal. This morning was a big milestone for me. I stepped on the scale and weighed in at 199.5. This is the first time I can remember being under 200 since I was a kid. I was stuck at 206-207 or so for about 3 weeks but I finally broke through it. While just an arbitrary number, it meant a lot to me to see a 1 as the first digit.

My summer has gone by well, and I go back to college in a little over a week. I hope I can keep up the weight loss during school. I eat as often as I can during the day now, to speed up my metabolism, so I'll have to bring stuff to eat during class.

When I began I didn't imagine getting this far. Now to me it's not "if", it's "when". My other attempts failed at 10-20 lbs and I was used to being very obese. I wasn't making a lifestyle change. Even when I began my dieting this third and last time, I didn't know what I was doing, looking back at old posts. I was overdoing the cardio and my diet was sub-par. I had no clue about weight training. I only tracked calories and still ate unhealthy food all the time. I'd eat tuna with regular mayo, wheat thins, fruit roll ups, even wow chips all the time. Of course I was still losing weight, but not in the healthiest way I could. Now I have gone to things like plain tuna, turkey, chicken, oats, veggies, low GI fruits, etc. I count every gram and calorie I eat and try to eat every 2-3 hours, as opposed to before. It feels good to have a healthy diet for once in my life. My meals used to be literally all junk. Fruits and veggies? Unheard of to me before. I still crave bad food of course. All the time. Right now I'd love to bite into some fried chicken :) And about once a month I'll let myself do that. However, unlike before, I am able to resist temptations. I used to eat for pleasure every single day. Now I want to eat for health, and every once in a while for pleasure.

Thanks for the support and here's hoping the last 30 or so lbs are not too hard on me. :)

199.5 is a great number, and I'd be just as excited. Like yours, my diet attempts always failed at about 10 pounds, sometimes even less. It's just a matter of how we dedicate ourselves :)

I didn't even know you had a journal, to be honest with you, but I saw it and I thought I'd just have a peek. Looks like you're making wonderful progress.

I had to figure out how I was going to keep it up during school too, but I would think it'd be easier for me next year in college than in high school. We aren't allowed to have food/drinks in class. But I'm very motivated, and you seem to be too. Excellent work.

Good Morning Russell, :wave:

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PHENOMENAL SUCCESS :cheer:

You are definitely learning ON HOW TO MAKE A POSITIVE LIFESTYLE CHANGE ... and if you continue down the same road you are now following IMO YOU WILL CONTINUE TO BENEFIT BY YOUR SUCCESSES ....

Keep planning... and BELIEVE IN YOUR ABILITY TO SUCCEED ... just as you are learning by the classes you are taking ... SO ARE YOU LEARNING HOW TO PROVIDE YOURSELF WITH A HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER LONG LIFE.

Again CONGRATULATIONS ON HAVING ACHIEVED YOUR TERRIFIC GOAL :up: I am as always, Monica

stopping in to say "hi" :wave:

and to say I hope you keep coming back :)

Beth :not: