I just turned 19, and I realized (came to acknowledge) that I am overweight.
I'd like to say, "it's not as bad as it sounds," but really, it is.
I am 5'5" female and weigh 165 lbs (hence the url, 165 and losing... it was supposed to be a play-on-words-like thing on the 19 Kids and Counting... did it work?). The normal or "ideal" weight for my height, gender, and age according to a BMI Calculator App from the Android App store (BMI Calculator - Weight Loss) is between about 115 - 144. So, really, to be "normal" weight, I'd only really need to drop 20 lbs, right?
Well, that's the thing.
I used to be a dancer and for a long time weighed between 115-120 lbs. And at the time, it didn't matter at all what I ate, because I was very active because of my dancing. But then after my freshman year of high school, my studio closed and I didn't have the strength to find another one (it was essentially a really bad break-up in my head). So, I became essentially sedentary. And thus, the weight slowly started adding itself on.
Now, I go to college in SD, so let me tell you how discouraging it is to look outside and see 2 or more feet of snow every day to do anything. But, here last week, I decided to do something about the added weight (because my new pants that my mom bought me didn't fit and I about cried).
Before I go into my whole How-I'm-Doing section, let me tell you some things about my university.
1. The food sucks. And by that, I mean it's so good, but it's so bad for you! Believe me, if I could still live off of noodles and Einstein Bro's Bagels, I SO would. But, unfortunately, my body is telling me otherwise. How much are we allowed a day for food according to meal plan? About $7 per day. How much does one meal at These And Those Noodles cost (which is average across the entire university)? About $8. How much does a salad from the salad bar cost? About $10. How much does a two-oz. container of yogurt cost? About $6. Catching my drift? A single piece of fruit costs $2! You'd think that roughly $1300 would be more than enough, but if you're trying to eat any bit healthy more than once a day, you're already screwed. And, as many other college Freshmen, I don't have a job yet. Because I wanted to get used to the idea of college life and being away from the Parents before I thought about working (and let me tell you how much I needed the majority of the semester to adapt!)
Case-in-point: If you wanna eat more than once a day while staying healthy but eating more than 300 Calories, it's not gonna happen. Not for the price we want, anyway.
2. The Wellness Center (clinic/pharmaceutical needs and workout facility) at my University is about a 5-minute walk from my dorm. During the early fall, that is not a problem. But try walking over there in sub-zero weather. It is no fun or easy task! That's pretty much my point on that.
Okay. Progress time.
I've been going to the Wellness Center for four consecutive days. Though similar, I have not done the same workout, though, as I'm losing weight, I'm sticking to a treadmill, bike, and 3-in-one machine that you can use like a stair climber, "treadmill" (kind of), or elliptical.
Treadmill:
|
Incline
|
Speed
|
Time
|
|
6
|
3.0
|
0:00-5:00
|
|
3
|
3.5
|
5:00-10:00
|
|
0
|
4.0
|
10:00-15:00
|
|
5
|
3.5
|
15:00-20:00
|
|
2.5
|
4.0
|
20:00-25:00
|
|
0
|
4.5
|
25:00
|
|
Incline
|
Speed
|
Time
|
|
6
|
3.0
|
0:00-5:00
|
|
3
|
3.5
|
5:00-10:00
|
|
0
|
4.0
|
10:00-15:00
|
|
3
|
3.5
|
15:00-20:00
|
|
6
|
4.0
|
20:00-25:00
|
|
0
|
2.5
|
25:00-30:00
|
So, what I do is, if I have time, I go for about 45-60 minutes. The first half hour I usually spend on the treadmill, doing one of these routines. If I don't have as much time (or enough patience to stay on the treadmill for half an hour), I'll do half of one of these routines so I only go for 15 minutes. Then I'll move on to the recumbent bike (it's easier on my hips and back). I don't like the whole count-down time, so I usually look at how far I've gone in counting up time. I usually go for about fifteen minutes with the resistance up to level 5 and usually am able to "travel" about 3.5 miles. Our Wellness Center doesn't have those bikes though where it's truly set up to feel like real terrain -- I've tried it and I hated it. Because it was hard. Finally, I'll either stop there or, if I go an hour, I would do the bike for only 10 minutes and then do the stair climber machine thing I mentioned for another 10 minutes.
My Progress? I'm actually doing well. Since it hasn't been a full week, I haven't re-weighed myself, but I can feel my size 8 Women's jeans getting looser -- a lot looser. The outer appearance is pretty much still the same, but the way my clothes are fitting is already changing. I'm not saying this happens for everyone and I'm not saying I know anything. But, for me at least, I personally find this more encouraging -- that my "fat pants" are starting to feel looser. I'm not trying to squeeze into my size 6s any time soon, but the 8s are fitting less and less and that is the kind of encouragement I need.
Comment or email me with any questions!
