needs motivation

[Navyhopeful]

hello everyone i am new to this site and i am usually the person who never asks for help but the last few years have been really tough on me and i need to someone who might be able to help me motivate myself to do what i need to do. i am 5'9'' 220 lbs and i need to lose about fifty pounds so that i can join the Navy it has been my dream since i was a kid. my husband is in the navy and getting out in a year i want to go i as he is getting out. he is supportive but doesnt understand because he thinks im sexy no matter what but i have to meet navy standards and they say i need to drop some extra pounds. if there is someone who can find it in there heart to help me i appreciate it and i promis that i will return your generosity in kind. and any advice anyone could offer would be more than helpful.

[Debra]

Hi Navy,

I'd be glad to help you stay motivated. My husband is in the Army and I know what you mean about the military weight standards. You have a lot going for you. You know you have a year to get in shape and you know how many pounds you would like to lose, which is 50. In about 30-40 weeks, you could reach that goal!! Just roughly 6-7 mths!

I'm trying to lose weight as well. I have about 36 lbs to go. I've been excersizing at least 20 mins and eating healthy.

What has helped me is to not starve myself. I eat when I'm hungry and I make sure to either grab a high protein/lean fat snack or a high fiber (veggie) snack when I do feel any hunger pangs.

I have learned to not rely on hubby to motivate me. Hehe, I know that sounds weird. Often, us women, want to use our hubby's/boyfriends as weight management tools. We want them to tell us that we're fat...or that they noticed we lost some weight. Some of us are lucky because we have husbands or boyfriends that won't tell us such things. I, like you, have a husband who thinks I'm perfect the way I am. Gotta love our men!!

Instead, I use scales and clothes as management tools. Novel idea ! hehe j/k It's true, it's something that I can definately use to determine if I've stayed on the right track. My progress has been slow, but it is paying off. Hope that's helped

[Navyhopeful]

Thankyou Debra i really appreciate you helping me. it means alot. do you really think i can lose 50 lbs in 6-7mnths? wow that would be perfect
i am glad you understand about our husbands. god bless em, they just dont see our "faults" the way we do. i have a scale but it makes me nervous every time i get on it. i have never been small but i was in good shape and i just have let things catch up to me. i just need to be accountable to someone other than myself.lol.
and my husband just wont be that guy who insults his wife. he loves me...poor me. lol just joking, he is the best. you seem to have gotten yourself one of those good guys too. *smiles*

if you would like to send me a private message i could give you my email, i just dont know how to do it.lol. i am electronically illitrate.

can i ask you what kind of schedule do you keep for food, i can follow a diet but i just dont know where to start. what kind of snacks do you eat?

what are the best exercises to burn calories, i know i need to run the mile and a haly in around 12 min and sit up and push ups, i just tend to burn myself out, i get excited and over work myself. got any advice?

i hope you know how much i appreciate all of your help it means the world to me and it will be nice to have someone who understands.

jessica

[Jerzeebabie04]

Hello, I recently joined this site & actually just started a diet yesterday after finding it on this site. The diet itself had about 100 pages of posts from women who tried it, it was a diet that came out in a magazine last year! Too bad I didn't find it back then, but I'm glad I started it yesterday! After reading through all of the different womens results I decided to take the plunge & try it too. I was discouraged b/c the past month I've been going to the gym a few times a week with a friend & had not lost ANYTHING! After talking to lots of other women they advised me it was probably from not exercising for awhile & building some muslce (my body was just not used to it)
I've tried lots of diets and would only stay motivated a couple days, but everyday I would feel like I was depriving myself of what I really wanted, would be miserable, have headaches & no energy. My body was just not used to the low-carb diets that it needs to lose weight. And headaches were something I'd experience on EVERY low carb diet. But reading through the posts helped me a lot, many of the women said they had more energy & felt good. Their skin started to get softer, their hair & nails were growing & healthy. So I tried it.... it's only day 2 so I'll let you know how it goes, but it truly did give me a lot more energy yesterday & today. I'm not hungry or feeling deprived. I decided to give myself 1 cheat meal a week also, not going overboard & always staying within my calorie limit for the day. I use a site called myfitnesspal that you put in your height & weight & your goal weight & it tells you how many calories you need to eat a day to lose 1-2 lbs a week. I keep my diet at 50% carb (of course the healthy kind) 30% protein (which is about 90g) and 20% fat.
To me this diet is simple & something I feel I can follow for awhile. Even though I started yesterday & plan to only weigh in once a week, today was our day to weigh in at the gym we go to. In just 1 day I lost 2 lbs! pretty exciting
well hope this helps & if you need anymore support feel free to msg me! Good luck & I hope you reach your goals

[Debra]

Not a problem, Navy

What am I doing to lose weight? Well, I'm doing it the old fashioned way. I eat a lot more veggies, sometimes fruits, and I try to eat lean meats as well. Basically a high fiber, high protein diet. I do about 20 mins of excersizing everyday for 12 days and then I take a day off. I allow myself cheat meals about once a week. Cheat meals can be a small portion of icecream or if I know I'll be celebrating, I just plan on pigging out that day.

I tried doing diets or taking special pills. But, for me, it came down to just learning how to eat healthy and doing proper excersizes.

I used to weigh myself once a week, but because I'm using weights and building muscle, I've let my clothes do the weighing. My clothes are fitting a little more looser and I'm feeling energetic and great!

If I ever get hungry, I choose a healthy snack. Snacks like cherry tomatoes, cheese, carrots, pb on celery sticks, or a rolled up lunch meat. You'd be surprised as to how filling those healthy things can be! I NEVER allow myself to feel hungry...and I drink plenty of water.

My husband has a great tip for building up your running. He'll usually build himself up to do one mile and have me time him. He might take a break the next day, but then he runs on the day following and has me time him. You'd be surprised as to how acclimated your body will become and before you know it, you'll achieve that time goal! The only way to build up your running time is to, of course, run.

Yes, I think you will be able to make your goal within 7 mths, averaging a goal of 2 lbs per week. You have 5 mths going for you if you only lose 1 lb per week. You will definately be able to accomplish this, just allow yourself a break and don't allow yourself to feel hungry!

Oh, and one more tip: Take a multivitamin just to make sure you're getting all your BASIC nutrients in.

When you become a VIP, I will message you more on excersize ideas.

Hope I helped ...sorry it was so long lol

[Navyhopeful]

jerzee

thankyou for replying it is really nice to know that you understand. i dont have much time.lol. just got off work... but i have a few questions for you. how do you measure your portions so you know your getting the 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fat? i am sure i get way too many carbs i dont eat alot and when i eat i eat alot of pasta......i'm italian and make a killer lasagna.lol.could you keep me posted on your diet it seems like both you and debra are cutting down carbs and paying attention to simple lean protein.

again thanks Jerzee for all the support any way i could find out more about that diet?


Hi Debra! thankyou so much for helping be it is nice to have support i have never used a support website so i never knew how much easier it would seem.

i understand about veggies my husband said something about negative calorie veggies stuff like celery right? really high fiber stuff but i am alittle confused about lean protein what do you think are the best lean proteins? do you think lean proteins like the protein shakes aare the same or should i stick with lean meat cuts?

wow that is a good idea for the running the timing will make me more motivated and i wont over do it. i'll let you know how my days times are getting better.



thankyou guys so much for your support i geuss only woman understand how womans bodies work.lol

[Jerzeebabie04]

Navy, to make sure I stay within my ratios of carbs, proteins, & fats I use a calorie counter website. You can enter your weight, height, and your goal weight. It then tells you how many calories you should be eatting a day & it adjusts the percentages. However the diet I am on is more of a high protein diet (but certain types of proteins since too much of 1 type of protein isnt good for the body) This particular diet says to have about 50-75grams of protein a day, so I just adjusted my percentages so that I would be having that much, but kept the fats low. I'm still having more carbs then protein as the site recommends, but it's more healthy type of carbs.
Believe me I understand the carb issue... that is my biggest problem. I love pasta, bagels, rolls, all the BAD stuff! But I think following a good diet & allowing yourself 1 cheat meal a week helps you stick to the diet longer. You aren't depriving yourself of the things you really want. The calorie counter site I use is myfitnesspal

Also the diet I am following (it's my 3rd day & I feel AMAZING!!!) is posted on this site.... it's under the weight loss category & it's the soy/whey protein diet. I actually really like it & think this diet is def my type of diet.

And believe me getting on this site for support is definitely helping me! Having men (no matter how fit they are) tell a woman how to lose weight just doesnt work. Things work better for them & they lose weight much quicker! lol

[Debra]

The lean meats I am referring to are: turkey, chicken, fish, and lean cut beef. I don't cut down on my portion, which is about the same size as your fist and about the thickness of a deck of cards.

Protein drinks are awesome for times when you need a quick snack or need protein with your meal. Either/or is considered a o k. Just try not to have too much, otherwise you'll knock your body for a loop and may not lose weight.

We have a group, located under the community tab specifically meant for women trying to lose weight or stay fit. It's called 'Fitness Group' Feel free to drop a line if you'd like...that goes for you too Jerzee if you'd like