New healthy hot me :-)

I'm 25 and have spent most of my life overweight. Things really got out of hand during a 6 month bout of chemotherapy. My weight ballooned from steroids and me justifying the rubbish food with 'oh I deserve it cos I've been sick'.

I'm better now and my confidence is lacking since my hair still hasn't regrown and I don't like my body.

Time to turn things around so as of Monday, I've been eating well and going to the gym. I hope by setting up this diary, I can learn to change my eating and exercise habits.

Weight on joining gym 2 days ago: 300.8lb :cry:

Example of new healthy eating plan:

Breakfast:
Chopped up strawberries, handful of grapes, mandarin orange, apple with Muller fat free yogurt on top and a tbsp of Kelkin triple berry granola on top.
Pint of water with a dash of sugar free berry cordial

Lunch:
Small tin of salmon, lettuce, tomato, grated carrot and ginger and one slice of homemade brown bread with no butter/mayo
Pint of water

Afternoon snack:
30g bag of Manhattan popcorn (is this healthy)
500ml bottle of flavoured water

Dinner:
3tbsp of turkey mince, tsp of olive oil, 5mushrooms, half a red and yellow pepper, half a carrot, handful of bean sprouts, tsp chopped ginger,1/2tin of chopped tomotoes
Pint of water

Evening snack:
Piece of fruit or maybe a Muller fat free yogurt

Note: I don't really like plain water so tend to go for flavoured bottle water (no cals on side of bottle so I assume this is ok) or water with a dash of cordial.
Snacking is my problem... suggestions for more exciting snacks welcome


Gym Routine:

I'm really out of shape (obviously!) so gym is hard work... I'm not doing that much, but it's all I feel I can do without having a heart attack! Heart rate is at 170-180 during exercise btw.


10 mins on cross trainer at med intensity
2000m on rower at highest instensity..takes around 11mins
i use weights too, just dont know what exercises are called!
walk on treadmill til i get to about 1km
another 10mins on cross trainer

Any tips would be fab

Flip, you sound organised, well done! Your menu sounds good, extremely low carb, but maybe that's the idea.

I tend to have a salad at lunch time but am adding in two small new potatoes, keeps me going a lot longer and yet for minimal calories.

Good luck with your plan, look forward to your updates.

Barb said:

Flip, you sound organised, well done! Your menu sounds good, extremely low carb, but maybe that's the idea.

I tend to have a salad at lunch time but am adding in two small new potatoes, keeps me going a lot longer and yet for minimal calories.

Good luck with your plan, look forward to your updates.

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Thank you. I think this site is really going to help... keeping a diary will keep me motivated hopefully

My eating plan seems to be very low carb, mainly cos I have no will power when it comes to not having that second slice of toast/portion control for pasta etc so I've started to avoid...

dont worry about the heart rate, i aim to get mine up high! amusing when the machine tells me its too high

your food sounds great, very nutricous and tasty!

your gym routine looks good too, mine is similar to yours when i use the equpiment, the only difference is i dont use the rower!

Hello and welcome

How nice to hear you are on the mend, I wish you well.

You are starting at the same weight as me. I started at 299 and am just doing it 'my way' all by myself!!! Healthy eating and exercise.

I don't know about popcorn sorry, I think I may have read the salted variety is okay in small portions, but I don't eat it, though I am sure someone will come along and advise you.

I write my menu every day in my diary if you are ever looking for ideas? I only exercise by walking, and exercise bike for the moment.

I look forward to chatting with you, keep posting and keep on track!!!!

Good luck

Afternoon all

I feel fab... all this healthy eating and exercising is lifting my mood and my skin looks great

I'm only on day four so I'm wondering is it wishful thinking that my chinS have gotten smaller and my arms too? Most of my exercise is around weights, cross trainer and rowing machine so that may account for it.... I had to resist temptation to get on scales, Monday is D day!!

I'm going to post my diary a day behind so I can say exactly what I've scoffed!

Breakfast: strawberries, grapes, mandarin orange, blueberries all chopped up with muller fat free yogurt and a tbsp of granola on top

Lunch:half a chicken breast, beetroot, lettuce in a wholemeal pitta

Dinner: small baked potato, small tin baked beans

Snacks: fat free yogurt, apple
Drinks: about 3 litres of water & can of diet coke

Yesterday was a bit crap, gym I joined is full of posers and a couple of guys were looking at me smirking ... I know I'm unfit, and I wear a headscarf in the gym so it's blatantly obvious that I'm bald and fat but seriously.. on what planet do people think it's ok to be so judgemental??

Rant over... I'm over it anyway... I can lose the weight... they can't do much about their crappy attitudes

Morning all

Thanks Capricorn for posting

This is going to be a very quick update of what I ate yesterday....

Breakfast: fruit, fat free yogurt, water
Lunch: nothing cos breakfast wasn't til lunch time
Dinner: met friends for tapas... had a small spicy grilled chicken skewer and about 3/4 tbsp of chicken paella and around 5 glasses of water!
Dessert: strawberries without cream/ice cream

I'm just back from the gym and a little puzzled... couldn't resist jumping on scales to see if I'd lost anything, put on 0.5lb... how?????? I'm going to the gym every and eating well... Bit frustrated cos this week TOTM, just at end now, and I hoped that I'm one of those who carries an extra 5lb during their period and it would have dropped off by now.:cry:

It's odd cos I definitely see a difference the number of chins I have... wondering why it's not reflected on the scales

Maybe I'm just feeling a bit healthier eating good food and exercising and the decrease in chin numbers is all in my head cos I'm in a good mood?

Inspiring words please folks

Afternoon all

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend

I'm getting on well with sticking to my eating and exercise plan. I've decided that I'm just doing the gym during the week... hope that's alright.... 5 times a week should be enough right? I'm conscious of doing too much as I'm still run down from being ill.

Brekkie: fruit, fat free yogurt, granola
Lunch: homemade veg soup... really chunky with chicken added
Dinner: grilled chicken breast, beans and 2 scoops of potato

Lots of water during the day and a can of diet coke
Snacked on mandarin orange and banana

Any suggestions or tips would be fab

5 times a week is fantastic, so very well done on that. Good to have a healthy soup - that really keeps you going whilst doing you good!
Great snack choices too - you are really on your way! No doubt about it.

mmmm i love homemade soup! its so much tastier and a nicer texture than the tinned kind, i dont know how to make soup, but my mum does a lovely pea and ham soup, really thick and just delicous!

gina_b said:

mmmm i love homemade soup! its so much tastier and a nicer texture than the tinned kind, i dont know how to make soup, but my mum does a lovely pea and ham soup, really thick and just delicous!

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If you're looking for a delicious soup recipe... this is yum

1/2 medium sized onion
2 cloves garlic
2 sticks of celery
1 leek
2 medium carrots
4 medium mushrooms
200g sweet potato
2 pints stock
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp paprika
sprinkling of chilli flakes
salt & pepper to taste

Cook off the veg in a saucepan, once they start to soften, add in stock & chopped tomatoes & seasoning.
Bring to boil.
Reduce heat and leave to simmer for 20-25 mins or until veg have softened to your taste.
Use hand blender if you prefer a smoother texture, but I find this yum if you leave it chunky.

Note:
For the stock I usually use veg stock but you can use chicken/beef or fish.

With the chicken/beef I add in some leftover chicken/beef chunks to the soup to make it extra filling.

If you add fish stock, add some cod/salmon or any other fish for a delish chowder. So filling and yummy

i might have to steal that recipe! i love a good vegetable soup but the tinned ones arnt the greatest out there...

More than welcome to steal it... enjoy

ill probably get my mum to cook it, im a terrible cook and im prone to burning myself!
i can only cook chilli's, curries and cottage pie sucessfully

hello, don't get disheartened by the scales. Our weight fluctuates throughout the day and during totm. It is so tempting to scale hop, but I have taught myself to only weigh in once a week on the same day at roughly the same time for a true result!
As I have mentioned before, on a previous diet, i asked my hubby to hide the scales from me to stop me hopping on during the week and feeling disappointed Now I just resist the urge until monday mornings.

You will be losing inches around your body, and in my case, the face is the first place the excess came off (and my hands ) so it is not wishful thinkig or imagination, your body and face will be changing

Have you thought of measuring yourself? I only started to measure myself last week, with hubby's help! I intend measuring myself every 4 weeks. I think if the scales should disappoint me after trying so hard, then the tape measure might cheer me up!

5 times at the gym is fantastic and remember even housework counts as exercise and walking, so don't ever think you haven't done enough!..you are still recovering, so don't overdo it, take care WHEN i get to the gym, i hope to go TWICE a week, you are putting me to shame

I love homemade soup, and in fact am having it tonight. My fave is lentil and carrot.

Have a good day Good luck for weigh in.

Thanks RainbowRose

I think you're right about scale hopping... I hopped on my mums scales yesterday and according to that I've lost 10lb since Monday.... I suspect her scales may be weighing differently to the scales in the gym though... hmmmm I'll weigh myself tomorrow in the gym and go by what that scales has to say... Week 1 nearly over.. hopefully scales tell a good story tomorrow

Any chance I can steal your recipe for the carrot and lentil soup? It sounds yummy

So here's my food diary for yesterday...

Brekkie: Fat free yogurt, banana and granola on top
Lunch: Bowl of veg soup and 2 small slices of homemade brown bread
Dinner: Turkey stir fry

Lots of water during the day, can of diet coke and snacked on mandarin oranges

Recipe for the stir fry if anyone's interested .... it was yum, really really tasty

1 diced turkey breast
about 1cm of chorizo sliced thinly
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 red pepper
1/2 medium onion
4 mushrooms
handful of beansprouts
1/2 grated carrot
tsp grated ginger
tsp paprika

Add chorizo, ginger, onion first. The chorizo will give you all the oil you need for cooking and gives everything else a gorgeous colour and flavour.
Add in veg and cook til softened...season to taste

It's a new week everyone... good luck, I've a feeling it's going to be a fab one

Yes, definately stick to the gym scales each time, then you are not left wondering if strange scales are correct or not!

Good luck for today's weigh in

You are welcome to the recipe, it is very simple and I make it many times.

A cup of red lentils, soaked overnight and drained.
Add to 1-2 pints of stock, using water and 1-2 stock cubes, vegetable, ham or other.
Add 4 carrots, sliced and chopped.
Add 4 grated carrots.
Add 1 chopped finely onion, or red onion. (or/and half a leek)

Mix ingredients, boil for an hour, then simmer for 30 mins - 1 hour. Add pinch of salt and pepper and serve.

alternatively, add grated turnip and parsnip for added flavour or to thicken.

Have a lovely day, good luck with those scales and the gym!

Off to the gym now... fingers crossed for when I step on that scales

That recipe sounds great... must pick up lentils...thanks

One week down... 4lb 2oz gone forever

Best feeling in the world... I'm thrilled

It even spurred me on to do a little more in the gym. Even after a week, I already feel like I'm able to exercise more without an impending heartattack

Good luck to everyone else with their weigh ins.... it can be done