RayRay's Weight Loss Journal

R

RayRay1

New member
Hello everyone....I just joined the site a couple of days ago and I am really enjoying it. I see that there is a lot of support and most of all weight loss on this board. And to be honest I am ready to get into the groove.

Before I go on about losing this baggage I just want to let ya'll know a little bit about myself. Well I am 25 years old and I live in Maryland about 20 minutes from Washington D.C. I have a 5 year old son, Nicolas, he is the whole reason I am trying to lose the weight in the first place. I was in shape before I had him(I was a high school basketball star). But during my pregnancy I gained around 100lbs.

Okay...now let me get to the present. Last Thursday June 9th I was sick and tired of being a big girl. I walked myself into Golds Gym and I signed myself up so that I can LOSE some MAJOR WEIGHT. On Friday(June 10) I had my first meeting with a personal trainer. He had me step on the scale that tells my weight and also body fat. But I didn't want him to tell me.....to tell you the truth I was a little embarassed. So on Monday(June 13th) I weighted myself at the gym and I weighted in at 279lbs. Now for me that is a lot of weight. So I have been back to the gym everyday since Monday(execpt for Wed. cause I overslept).I go when the gym opens at 5am it is really convient for me because I have to be at work at 7am. Today I weighted myself and I scaled in at 275lbs. So I lost 4lbs....which I am so excited about.

My workout consists of nothing but cardio for now. I do about 1 hour and 15 minutes on the ellipital machine and that is about 1000 calories. My plan is to go 5 days a week and when my weight loss starts to slow down I will start the weight lifting. As far as my diet goes....right now I really don't have one. I am just trying to stay away from breads and sugars. So my biggest downfall....soda hasn't been in my system for almost 3 weeks. I have been drinking nothing but H20.

So my workout today consist of this:
-1 hour and 15 minutes of ellipical(Burned 1005 calories)

What I Ate Today:
Breakfast-1 cup of granola w/2% milk
Lunch-small steak and cheese sandwich with hot peppers and mayo(I know I missed up on this one)
Dinner-Protein bar
And I don't want to forget the 3 liters of water that I drank.

So....thats it for today. I hope that I can get some supportive buddys here that will help me with any struggles that I may have on this long road to the new me. Also one question that I want to ask is how long will it take for me to reach my goal of 160(or somewhere in that range)? If anyone knows or has some suggestions let me know. I am so excited about this and I want it so bad.
 
Hey RayRay, glad you're here :)

We both have a lot of work ahead of us, that's for sure. Let's take it one step at a time and make this thing work. Don't let me down and I won't let you down. Deal? ;)

I've very impressed with your cardio work out. I've been content with a half hour on the stationary bicycle or a walk around the neighborhood. I'm going to have to make an effort to take it up a notch.
 
Wow, going to the gym at 5am, you just HAVE to be rewarded for that by a big loss! ;)

I think you're on the right track, and I'm sure you will be able to lose those 100lbs! Keep up the good work! :D
 
First off welcome to the forum Rayray, hope we can help you reach your goals
Im almost at the 120 lbs(lost)mark right now. ive had some pregnacies along the way and didnt do it all at once but i say, give your self a yr and a half. the longer the better i know it sounds silly but i am a firm believer that the longer it takes the better(meaning like 1-2lbs a week not like 10 lol)you make eating habit changes along the way and have a lesser chance of gaining it back, but thats just my 0.02$ :)
 
Thanks for the support guys. I am really ready for this change. And ChubbyBuddy I am there for you. I know we can do this.
 
just want to say im also impressed with the cardio. i dont have an elliptical but from what i hear, its not easy to do over an hour of it! walking is plenty for me. im sorry i dont know how long it will take you to lose your 119 pounds as i did not have that much to lose. i think i am taking much longer than most anyway...took me about 10 months to lose 42 pounds (currently 143) and then i just got stuck there and still havent reached my goal. but now im thinking maybe thats where my body just wants to be, i dont know. but at least im maintaining and havent gained any of it back :)

i wish you well and will pop in here from time to time to check up on ya! ;)
 
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Okay guys....Im ready to write my 2nd entry in my journal. Today was a pretty good day.
My workout was as follows:
-elliptical machine for 1 hour and 20 minutes(1038 calories)

When I am on the machine I want to give up so bad but I know that I have to do it or else I am going to stay FAT. So I guess that determines me even more. I feel so good when I get off of that machine....its like this refreshing feeling. One thing that I wanted to ask you guys was..."how long does it take before you start to see results in your workouts?" I know that I am not going to lose 100 lbs over night but I want to start seeing some results for my hard work....now is that too much to ask?

My diet was as follows today:
-breakfast:2 cups of granola and 1 cup of 2% milk.
-brown rice and chicken breast
-coconut shimp and steamed broccilli
-I drank about 3 and a half liters of water
Im not too sure if my diet is that good. I wasn't that hungry today(I think the water has a factor to play with that). I know that I should be easting like 6 times a day but I can't seem to do yet. I was so proud of myself today at work(I work in a child development center...when the kids had smores for snack and I didn't eat one myself. I also felt good when we went out to eat and I ordered a water instead of soda with my coconut shrimp). It is becoming less hard to fight the temptation.

Well....I am feeling good and I can't belive that things are starting to look up. I weighed myself today and I lost a pound so I am at 274lbs. Im just so ready for the weight to roll off. But I know that it takes time.
 
Hey RayRay,

Nice job turning down those Smores. That in itself is a MAJOR victory in my opinion ;) .

I think the time it takes to see results is going to vary depending on who you ask. But personally, even if I don't see my pants sizes dropping I still see positive results right away. Some areas seem a little firmer than before, certain tasks are a little easier, and I have more energy from eating right to name a few. I too am ready for the pounds roll off, but like you said, "it takes time." Can't lose sight of that.

Congrats on your weight loss and keep up the good work! I'm still very impressed by your cardio :D
 
Good for your RayRay. i have an elliptical and i love it. im very impressed with an hour 20 min w/o way to go!! as for results i think in the first week your start to feel better and look better and just have a better outlook on life. that reflects onto other ppl and they notice and that always good. takes a little longer for other ppl to notice weight loss maybe 2-3 weeks, its probably the same amount of time before you notice some sort of change (hopefully sooner ;) )but youll have more energy thats for sure.
i suggest you measure your self bc some weeks the weight doesnt come off but the inches do.
your diet looks good granola is good for breakfast so is oatmeal or egg whites(hmmm maybe try 1% or skim milk just a sugg. :) )
lunch is excellent chicken and brown rice is very very good for you
supper is good too, congrats on choosing water over soda and not being tempted by the kiddy snacks :) your doing good keep it up :D
 
i understand about wanting to stop working out really bad. when i first started on my treadmill it was so hard to MAKE myself stay on there, so i kept telling myself your gonna stay fat if you get off of here! i put up a picture of a thin woman for motivation in front of my treadmill so i was forced to stare at her whole time lol. cept it dint work anymore when i started walking outside.

i think you should add some protein to your diet but im not the expert. a 6 oz can of tuna is a good choice and not that many calories. and would DEFINATELY switch to 1% and then skim milk. i know skim taste like water but you do get used to it over time i swear.

btw, i lost 12 pounds my first month and i figure since you have more to lose, you should probably lose more than that by the end of your first month (just to try and give you an idea)
 
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Hi Ray Ray! Glad to see you on board! Did you take your measurements? Sometimes if you don't loose weight you'll loose inches and thats just as rewarding!

You should eat however you feel comfortable, but for me, I found that if I stay in the 1200-1300 cal range, I loose weight quicker.

The best piece of advice I can give you is to just know that this will take time and patience! Don't give up if you hit a plateu, I know they are frusterating,but keep at it!! I recently went 5 whole weeks w/o a weight loss! Talk about wanting to give up, but I didn't and I lost 4 pounds last week! So don't be in a huge hurry, it will come off.

One last thing, don't compare yourself to others! I know wonderwoman lost 12 in her first month,and thats fantastic! I only lost 9, so everyone is different! Everyone's metabolism is faster or slower than someone else's ...SO if you do'nt loose 12 or more pounds right away,don't let that discourage you! As long as you know you did your personal best, thats all that counts!!

Good luck RayRay, we are here for you!!
 
Hey Ray Ray..welcome to the forum! I totally understand the frustration that is inherit in dieting and exercising...You just really almost want to wake up and go..wow..yeah now i see a diff...but it subtle and then it starts happening. Your doing terrific and if you just really pay attention to the quality of the foods you put in..and the exercise you put out..you will be there little by little and then there will come a day when your there & it will all be worth it. At least thats what I tell myself. You look at some of the people here and the amazing amts of wt that has been lost...if they can do it..so can we!! Go get em! We are all here to support you
 
Hey guys....Im back. Im sorry that I didn't write this weekend. I spent most of my time asleep and spending time with my family. Right now I am soooo tired. I just found out today that for the next 4 weeks I am going to be working 55 hour weeks. I don't have a problem with it on one hamd because that is a lot of overtime and I could use the extra money. But on the other hand I know that I am going to be worn out. But hey....you do what you have to do to pay the bills(in this case have some nice extra cash).

But anyway let me tell you about today. I went to the gym this morning @5am. My workout consisted of:

-65 minutes of cardio(ellipical) I burned 951 calories.
-I added some weight training in today. I did this machine called the hip abduction which will help out with my big thighs. I did 3 sets of 15 reps.(80lbs)
-then I did some arm curls. I did 1 set of 15 reps(30lbs)

If anyone has any suggestions on some things I should do then I would appreciate it. Actually I am not too sure if I should even start weight training. I don't know if it will burn the fat more or not....Im kinda of a newbie when it comes to this. At first I was thinking that I should just lose the weight first and then once I did that then I could firm/tone muscles by lifting a little. Im not sure....but like I said I would love suggestions and also tell me what you guys did that you found successful.

What I ate today:
-1 1/2 cups of granola w/skim milk(thanks for the advice guys. I use to drink skim milk up until my son was born. he can't drink skim milk at all so I have gotten use to buying 2% milk. But I bought my own milk so it is all mine.)
-I had 2 tacos that my boyfriend made for dinner last night
-for snack I had about 14 pretzels(they were the little ringlets) and a spoonful of peanut butter.
-of course I drank my H2O(2 liters)

Im not eating dinner tonight because I am full from my snack. Plus once I finish writing this I am going to jump in the shower and then take my big butt to bed. As far as tomorrow goes I think I am just going to do straight cardio. I'll write tomorrow....holla at ya'll later!!!
 
Oh girl YES!!! add those weights, i waited til i lost weight bc i didnt understand the whole muscle building thing and boy am i ever sorry i didnt start earlier. I love it.
when you add muscle you burn more cals at rest.(muscles burn more cals at rest than fat :) ) they say muscle weighs more than fat but a lb is a lb no matter how you look at it. muscle is more compact and takes up less space bc its more dense so you loose inches too.
Stuff you can try and add to your routine: squats and lunges with added weights.(im not familiar with the equipment at a gym i dont go to one)bicep curls, hammer curls,tricep extentions,rows for back,military press, lat raises, abs too........these are all done with free weights. they should be heavy enough that after you do 12-15 reps your muscles are tired(this is important to muscle building)(i only do 6-8 reps but i lift very heavy well for a girl lol)you rest between sets do a little stretch, and go for 1 or 2 more sets(2-3 sets total of each exercise)weight training is excellent for women and you dont have to worry about turning into the hulk or anything it wont happen ;)
ok the guy is a little scary looking but this site has great exercises on it and tells you how to do them.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

if you have any other questions just ask :)
 
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Today was a rough day.....to start off I woke up late which meant that the whole day was going to start off bad. But boy did it feel good to sleep a little later. Anyway.....I got to the gym this morning and all of the elliptical machines were being used.

So my workout today consisted of:
-30 minutes of the treadmill at 3.5 speed(I only got a good 210 calories off of this)
-Arm curls(3 sets of 15)
-Chest Press(3 sets of 15)
-Rows(3 sets of 15)....thanks for the suggestion smiley :)
-Overhead Press...I think that is what the machine is called. It helps your shoulders and the back of your arms(3 sets of 15)

Everything I ate today:
Breakfast:
-blueberry muffin
Lunch:
-macaroni and tuna salad
-about 10 ringlet pretzels
Snack:
2 fig newtons
Dinner:
-Ham(I know it isn't that god for you but it isn't often that I eat pork)
-Greens
As usual I have been drinking nothing but water(so far I am at 2 1/2 liters but by the end of the night Im sure I will get 3 liters in.

I have stayed off of the scale because I spoke to one of the trainers and he told me that at first you may not lose a lot of weight but your dress sizes will go down. And to tell you the truth....after I worked out today I showered and then put my pants on and I swear that they felt a little bit looser. Or maybe I am just imaging things. Oh well....what matters is that I feel better and I can somewhat feel my body changing.
 
Its so hard when you get a rough start but whats important is you still got out there & worked at it! Good for you!
You are doing great!
 
Your welcome :) i love everything to do with weights. your trainer is right dont worry about the scale, but i do recomend measuring your self(if you havent all ready ;) )its amazing how much the inches can go down every couple of weeks.keep up the good work :)
 
Hey girl, don't get down on yourself your doing great! Did you see the 20 pd club is starting up again? check it out!! btw...stay away from the mac salad! ;)
 
Howdy....
I am so tired...but I bet everyone else is also. The good thing is that this week is going by relativley fast so I feel good about that. And to top things off it is pay week. So anyway today I didn't go to the gym. I told myself that I at least have to have one day out of the work week where I wake up @ 6am instead of 4:30. So Wedneday is my off day. But trust me I don't think that I slacked off as far as the diet goes. In fact Im trying to stay away from the word diet. Because I don't really consider it that. So far I have been staying away from the things that I really love, like soda and just trying to make a lifestyle change. I stay away from the junk food(no chips, but I do like pretzels at times) and also sweets. But other than that I try to just eat smaller portions of what I normally eat.

What I Ate Today:
Breakfast
-Wheat Bread w/apple jelly
Lunch
-rice w/chicken and low fat cheese
Snack
-2 sourdough pretzels
As always I had 2 liters of H2O and Im still counting(will most likely be 3 by the end of the night).
Im not eating dinner tonight because Im not hungry at all. Im to lazy and tired to even think about food right now. I know I shouldn't skip meals but I don't want to force myself to eat.

Thanks for reading....and I hope everyone is staying strong and trying to stay happy. Tomorrow I am back to the gym. I have an appointment with my trainer at 5 am so I know he is going to work me...but for some strange reason I can't wait. Is that crazy or what?
 
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