Pages

9/15/11

Help Me!

It is almost 8 a.m. and I am:

1. Officially awake for the day.

and

2. Rested up because I actually slept. At night.

This is a good thing. I have been staying up all night and sleeping most of the day. Or staying up all night and well into the day - then sleeping from noon to 10pm. Rinse and repeat.

I am very anxious to get back on the good girl track - eating right, starting an exercise routine, all that jazz.



I have no plan. Yet. I'm not quite sure where to start. I live a completely sedentary life. I am an official couch potato. I love to blog, watch TV and play video games. I'm thinking of going with the whole watch some TV while I work out thing. Or a different work out a day. What do you think? I could really, really use some help. So if you have a good piece of advice, or a workout routine, or some great links to share - please do.

What's a good way for a 300lb. gal to start working out without killing her self?
Is there a good (free) program anyone knows of?
How do you eat healthy - and keep it cheap?
What's a good way to avoid/curb cravings (esp. for sugar!)

Let me add a side note - since it explains my reason for starting again. This past May, my son's biological father (my ex-husband) killed himself. I suddenly found that I was that parent - the one who has to tell their child that their father is dead. It was the single hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. My 10 year old son is an old soul. He asked me that day if I would die next. Over the last few months, I have found my self thinking that I could quite possibly die next - if I didn't get my health under control. I need to get my health under control. I am a 33 year old walking time bomb. I can't let my son be an orphan.


So that is why I'm asking for help. I have to get serious, so any advice is truly welcome! Leave me a comment, large or small, so I have much advice to choose from. Thanks in advance!

5 comments:

Lisa said...

Oh, wow! You've had a hard year!

If you have a treadmill, walk while you watch TV. Walk at home DVDs are awesome, too! Those are both good ways to ease into more activity.

Cut out pop (soda - whatever you may call it!) and drink more water.

That should get you started.

Good luck!!

Monica K. said...

I agree with Lisa, cut out soda and drink as much water as you can. Try and avoid fast food and eating out, it's easier to control portion sizes and what goes into your food when you make it yourself. As someone who is trying to eat healthy on a budget, I know it's hard. Try and see if you can find somewhere other than a grocery store to get your fruits and veggies. A farmer's market, flea market, roadside stand...you'll save a lot right there. If you have a meat store/butcher in the neighborhoood those can be good as well for cheaper meat then the supermarket. Cut coupons, look for sales, buy in bulk. Instead of buying individually portioned snacks, buy one bag and then portion them out when you get home. If you buy treats for yourself, put them on a higher shelf or somewhere you won't see them all the time. It also helps to plan as much as possible. Look at menus on-line when you can before going to a resteraunt. That way you can check out the nutritional stats before you get there. I plan my meals for the week on Sunday and take lunch with me every day to work. I also have healthy snacks stored in my desk in case I get the munchies.

For starters as far as exercise goes, find little ways to change things...take the stairs, park as far from the store as you can. Walking is a good way to introduce yourself to exercise. Is there anything physical that you enjoy doing or were always interested in trying? The trick is to find something that you enjoy, otherwise you won't want to stick with it. And listen to your body. You want to push yourself, but not so much that you end up in pain. Try to find someone to exercise with too. It's harder to skip days when you've got someone who is relying on you to be there with them. Do you have any community centers close by to you? The county I live in offers a memebership for $20 a year to have access to the gyms that a couple of them have, and they also offer exercise classes. Don't be intimidated by exercise. Everyone started at the bottom and worked their way to where they are now. Marathon runners didn't start out running 26 miles without any training. At some point in their lives they couldn't even finish one. Just take things slow and do as much as you can. Eventually you'll be able to do more and more. And as long as you're moving, that's all that matters.

As someone who was a little over 300 lbs several years ago, I can tell you this won't be easy, and it won't be a quick fix. However it is possible and you will feel so much better about yourself and life in general. Try to make small goals for yourself along the way to the big one at the end. And find ways to reward yourself that don't center around food. A new video game, or a massage...There will be times/days that you will slip up. Accept that you had a bad day and move on. Just because you had one bad meal doesn't mean the rest of them need to be as bad. Keep going and get back on track as soon as you can. Enlist in friends/loved ones to be your support group. Tell them your successes and your failures. Don't be afraid to ask for help or to speak up when something someone else has control over is hindering your progress. And believe in yourself and know that you can do this.

Here's a website that I subscribe to for daily e-mails. It's centered around eating healthy, and I've found a lot of things they've posted to be useful. www.hungrygirl.com

Good luck, you can do this!

Anonymous said...

What a year, huh? Well dear, onward and upward because you're not the only one who needs you to succeed!

Adalita said...

You have had a busy one. Slowly add low fat foods - weigh all your foods, cut out soda and caffiene, keep a diary of what you eat and why you ate that particular thing. Start slowly with walking. Walk around you block, aim for 500m incrememnts each day. start with some easy interval training too. Squats, lunges, sit ups and star jumps. do 10 each them build up to 20 each. I hope this helps.

MB said...

I'm so sorry things have been so hard for you but I have faith they will get better. They always do.

My advice is to make up your own plan. Find what works for you, stick to it and change it up if you need to. First thing - GET OFF THE COUCH! Go for a walk or even just walk in place while you are watching your favorite shows. Try to add more fruits and veggies and limit the white empty carby stuff. Once you get off the sugar high roller coaster you won't crave that stuff as much.

I think the biggest thing is to forgive yourself for where you are, keep making small steps in the right direction and don't worry about slip ups because they WILL happen, forgive yourself and move on. You will get there. I have faith in you.

Rock on!