So ... who else woke up and said, "How did I let this happen?!"

Hi!  New guy, here (obviously).

I'm Asher: your typical young, dedicated software engineer who spends waaaaay to much time at work.  At the moment, I weigh around 194 lbs.  I'm 5' 9" with a very light build, so that's a lot of extra weight for me -- though I guess I carry it pretty well.  My goal is to get back down to 150.   I don't really have a time frame in mind, because I'm afraid I'll make it too narrow.

Historically, I've been more active than most -- I used to bike 30 miles a day religiously, and when I couldn't bike, I ran 5 miles or so daily; most of my free-time activities were outdoors (hiking, horseback riding); I was involved with martial arts.  I also had a pretty great diet -- I rarely ate out, only had sweets once or twice a month (in reasonable quantities), and I ate lots of fresh vegetables, salads, and so forth.

Almost four years back, I got a pretty serious lung infection that knocked me on my tail for about two months, after which I spent another six months working back up to 'normal' day-to-day function (I have pretty serious asthma and live in Louisville -- aka Asthmaville, LOL -- so it took a while to really recover).  By then, I was working really long hours.  I found it harder to fit exercise into my schedule, and much harder to cook real food -- so I started eating a lot more fast and processed foods.

Suffice it to say that, while I've had some weight fluctuations (which organize themselves around how much exercise I'm getting), I woke up one morning recently, looked at myself, and thought, "How did I let this happen?  Where's the svelte 145-lb athlete I was not that long ago?"  (This was shortly after I weighed in at 194 lbs at my doctors' office -- eek!)

Thus, I've decided to stop making excuses.  At the moment, I work sixty-plus hours a week -- but that doesn't mean I can't fit some exercise in and greatly improve my diet.  I just got new asthma controller meds, which should make exercising outdoors possible (since I don't seem to have the 'gym' gene), and I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new bike within the week (my last one was stolen :( -- my fault; I was in a hurry and just locked it with a cable lock).

I've started tracking my daily food intake with the Food Log here, which I love.  I have doubts about my own ability to keep that up over the long run, but my hopes are high -- it's actually kind of fun, and great for someone like me who likes clear, visual feedback.  I love being able to look up the food I'm eating and really get a fairly concrete idea of my caloric intake.

Ultimately, I want to get into a field that will offer a slightly more normal schedule, so I can participate in martial arts and horsemanship again -- right now, I'm at work 12 hours a day most of the time, plus Saturday mornings, and most places are closed by the time I get home and change out of my work clothes. 

Until then, I plan to use my bike and my feet to get in as much exercise as I can.  I have one hour a day for lunch, so my plan is to take a good solid ride along the riverfront daily, as well as commuting via bike (this will total about 1.25 - 1.5 hours daily).

I'm glad I found this place, and I wish everyone here the best -- whether you're trying to lose, gain, or maintain, everyone here has a challenge worth meeting.

kokorozashi...thanks for the encouraging words.  Yes, it's been difficult within my work environment, but I've found over the last few weeks that it's getting easier.  I HAVE indulged in the new Vietnamese restuarant (how could I not??) but I've learned that I can still enjoy a meal there without the spring rolls and actually it's not that bad for calories.  I've also managed to get my  husband on board which helps alot, he's still making pasta, but only once every other week or so, and only whole grain pasta.  We used to have regular white pasta at least twice a week, sometimes more, so these little changes are making a difference.  I'm down 10 pounds since I started in mid January, so I'm happy with that pace and as long as I keep working at it I should reach my goal by summer!  This site has definitley helped!

Asher, how are you doing?

Guidoson -- I'm glad to hear your husband is on board (and that the Vietnamese place is turning out not to be a diet disaster)!

I'm doing pretty well -- I still haven't gotten an accurate weight reading, but between eating more reasonably and getting a lot more exercise, I'm definitely starting to feel better.  I think I also look slimmer, but I'm not very good at judging my own weight visually, LOL -- inevitably, when I'm skinny, I think I'm fatter than I am, and when I'm fat, I think I'm thinner than I am.

Many congratulations on your weight loss -- 10 lbs since mid-January is a big drop!

Original Post by ducttapedhalo:

This is great! See, my big thing is, I would have ate the whole thing or had the leftovers for breakfast. I have to admit the past week has been hell on me. I have been in severe pain, and well, to be honest I have gotten pretty depressed and have yet again turned to food for comfort. I wont even say what I ate, not because I am embarrassed (although very ashamed of myself) but because it seems to tempt others, and I don't want to do that. I have gained a few pounds this week back. I was up to 80 pounds lost, now back to about 75 pounds. My family says "That's ok, you will lose it again!" I say "It isnt acceptable for me to turn to food again when I have strived so hard NOT to do so. Six months of working on my eating habits and a few days of binging, that is NOT alright, and to be honest, it also isnt ALRIGHT for you to tell me it is. You are my support group, you are supposed to hold me accountable for when I screw up."

I am proud of you for not ordering that pizza! That is willpower! Tomorrow, I have promised myself that no matter what is in the fridge, I am going back to MY WAY of eating... the RIGHT way. Oatmeal and yogurt sound pretty good for breakfast :)

 

Hope yall have a good one!

Michelle

 It sounds like you hit a rough spot there.  It can be really hard to stay on track when you're not feeling well -- I know I've been there.

I know what you mean about wanting your family and friends to hold you accountable, LOL.  Mine are very much of the, "Oh, a little ice cream won't kill you," mind-set -- and they're right, up to a point.  A little ice cream isn't the end of the world; it's just that I have to be very careful that a little ice cream doesn't turn into a lot of ice cream, a pizza, wings, half a baguette ... LOL.

Well, I hope you're feeling better!  Even if you gained a little back, your weight loss is still really impressive and inspiring to me!