Lindsay's Not Hiding From Cameras Anymore Journal- comments/questions/support welcome

[LindsayDunn228]

Hi all!! This is the beginning of my WISH journal. Part of my problem staying healthy and eating well is I don't have any accountability. I am hoping using the journal will help, not to mention be a place for venting, marking success, etc.

A little background about me to begin with.

I am 28 years old and a paraplegic. I have been since I was 6. I have been gaining weight the past couple of years and I am really starting to feel it. Paras are susceptible to Type 2 Diabetes and if I get it, it's not going to be because I didn't take care of myself. Also, long-term paras start to get shoulder troubles from pushing a chair for so long. Mine are already getting crunchy and I don't want added weight to make it worse.

Here's the kicker: I have been working out 3 times a week for almost 2 years now with a personal trainer. She totally kicks my butt. That's the good news. The bad news is that I don't eat healthy. I am a compulsive eater. I eat just because it's there and I can. Sad isn't it? My endurance, cardio, and muscle tone has gotten AWESOME with all the workouts I do, but I am overweight. And that's my fault. Oh one other thing, I work at this personal training studio. How pathetic is that?

Due to my injury, I will never have Janet Jackson abs. I am cool with that. But I would really like to see myself in smaller clothes. I titled my journal "Lindsay's Not Hiding From Cameras Anymore" because I HATE seeing myself right now. I am obviously overweight and it's embarrassing to look at. We have a family trip to WDW planned for next November and by dang I want to be proud of the pictures I am in, not to mention just being in better health.

So I am starting my goals early. Just so I have a round starting point I am beginning (like everyone else) on New Years Day. I have 309 days to get in ship shape.

I have to go for now, but I going to make an actual list of goals that I can keep on this first post and go back and look at. I helps if you have things to work toward, not a generic "I want to lose some weight."

I thank you all for any and all replies I get. Please, feel free to post questions, comments, and encouragement. I will reply to all. Folks, I need and want accountability.

A great day to all!

ETA: Since I cannot weight, I judge my weight loss by how my clothes are fitting. So if you notice I never post my weight it's because I simply can't

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Ok, here are some goals.

• I have a HUGE mug I bought in WDW on my honeymoon (2004). I want to keep it full of ice water and always at my side (while I'm at home). Seeing Disney characters on it will motivate me to drink it.
  
• *going along with that first one* Keep my drinks to water, cranberry juices (helps my urinary tract), my energy drinks (will explain that one if anyone is interested), and no more than ONE sodium-free drink a day (such as Diet Rites, I'm partial to the tangerine). I bought a couple of generic Crystal Lites to flavor my water with just to get me drinking.
  
• Eat a piece of fruit with my breakfast.
  
• When eating out, split the entree with my husband (we've already discussed this and he's totally on board)
  
• When away from home, make sure I have a bottled water with me. If it's there I will drink it and not have the excuse of having to go get one.
  
• Brush my teeth after eating.

 

[CJK]

Welcome to WISH!!! I sort of feel like I know you from some of the other boards! I hope you enjoy yourself over here and find that we're a great group. Thanks for sharing your story. You have such a wonderful attitude and you seem to know what steps are necessary to take in order for you to achieve your goals.

Similarly to you, I was always able to motivate myself to exercise, but my eating was out of control! Through subtle changes in diet, I've enjoyed a lot of success this year. I hope you will find the same. Posting a journal is a WONDERFUL way to be accountable. We all support each other during hard times and help lift each other up. We are also each other's cheerleaders and are genuinely thrilled for each other when we are doing well. Please jump in to any of the threads. We're all part of this journey together as we try to become healthier and happier. Happy New Year to you and here's to a healthy 2007!!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Thanks so much for your kind words, CJK (sorry, don't know your actual name!!). You don't know how much they mean to me.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Bumping because I added some goals. Not done yet though!

 

[goldcupmom]

Welcome to WISH, Lindsay!

Your goals sound very doable and your motivation is GREAT! Glad your DH is on board with you!

Have a Healthy, Happy New Year!!

 

[blue_eyes5212]

HI Lindsey,

When you commented on my journal I didn't notice that you had one of your own! Believe me, I know about hiding from the cameras. Looking at pictures of myself is one of the times when I have to look and think "oh my goodness....why have I let myself get that big?" It's embarrassing!!

One thing I have to work on is exercise! Basically, I don't! It's bad to be so lazy! This week I am concentrating on my eating and next week I hope to incorporate a few days of exercise. One thing at a time!

I'm glad that your husband is supportive! My DH is overweight and understands what it is to be big......so he can sympathize and encourage!!

I look forward to talking to you more!! Good luck!! We will do this!!

~Amanda~

 

[LindsayDunn228]

*Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day....*

Happy New Year everyone!!

I am so pumped this morning. I am ready to get on the ball and get moving, so to speak. I know what works for me as far as shedding pounds, it's just a matter of doing it.

I went to the grocery store yesterday and stocked up on a buttload of fruits and veggies. If it's there, I will eat it I also got a good variety of things so I wouldn't get sick of anything. Anyone else have that problem??

My husband is such a Pooh (he really is! that's my pet name for him!!). He is a computer programmer and I asked him if he could write a program for a vacation countdown clock for our desktop. And he did!! Now I have a countdown clock on my computer so I can see it every time I go into our office. How's that for motivation??

Hmmm, this is turning into more of a general post than a journal entry. Oh well.

My name is Lindsay. I am 28 years old. Dang it, I am still young. The older you get, the harder it is to do this. I cannot wait until I have type 2 diabetes before I get my butt in gear. I will not be a health burden to my husband.

Sorry about that. I needed a little butt-kickin' in my journal My poor mom has battled her weight her whole life. She's not fat by any means, just needs to lose about 10-15 pounds and it's so hard for her to keep it off. I am going to try to win this battle while I am young. I DO NOT want my poor mother worried to death about my health. Good grief. I am not even 30 yet.

***NOTE TO WHOEVER IS READING: I should have put this in my OP. Sometimes my journals may be a lot of free association. If I type anything and everything that comes to mind, it's a bit of a therapy to me. I would gladly do a hand-written journal, but writing a lot makes my poor hands cramp, thanks to 22 years of pushing a wheelchair.***

I am currently enjoying my one cup of coffee I have every morning. I am drinking it out of a Contemporary Resort mug I am having a breakfast bar for breakfast (anyone wants to know about these I will be glad to tell you). I am going to go cut up an apple to go with it and share with Pooh.

Have a great day all!!! Stay well!!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

*Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got, I'm still, I'm still Jenny from the block* (sorry, for some reason that song just gets in my head from time to time, don't know why)

Yesterday was a good day. Today will be even better. My husband and I went out to eat and to a movie. We went to the Macaroni Grill, one of my favorite (local) restaurants. Instead doing my usual Create Your Own dish, I chose the smart option of grilled salmon. Ohhhhh, it was sooooooooo good and I left not feeling guilty. And I didn't make a pig out of myself with their bread either. I just tore off a little piece and tried to make it last. We then went and saw "The Prestige" at the cheap theater. I hadn't gotten to see it yet. Talk about a rocking movie!!! Not to mention, Christian Bale is a nice little piece of eye candy

I did well yesterday. I was proud of myself. No bad foods, no binging. It was a good day. Today will be even better. I get to work out today. My trainer (Laura- remember her name readers, you will hear a lot about her) was out of town for the holidays, so I had other trainer who are not as kick-*** as she is. She's back and I'm going to tell her to kill me, and kill me good today

This morning's journal was quite smiley-filled, wasn't it?

Have a great day!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

I am so proud of myself. I am doing awesome.

I made us a really cool dinner last night. I made black bean soup and a nice salad made with hearts of romaine, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. It was a small salad, though. It was really good comfort food. Soup and salad, who doesn't love that?

My trainer was still out of town yesterday. She will back for my workout tomorrow. I can't wait. I need a really good butt-kickin' workout and I know she'll give it to me. Hee hee, she'll really crank it up if I tell her to She won't admit it, but she likes it when I make those requests.

Woo hoo, my tummy's growling. That never happens. I usually am grazing on unhealthy food all day long my poor stomach doesn't have a chance to growl. This is so cool.

I think I will go get my breakfast now. Sorry I'm not writing much today. I will come back later when I am more awake.

 

[blue_eyes5212]

HI!!!

It sounds like you are doing a great job! I'm impressed that you made such good choices while dining out!! I have such a hard time with that!!

What type of exercises do you do with the trainer? I wonder how much a personal trainer at my gym would be?? I would just like one for long enough to get me started so that I know what I am doing and to get me into the habit of working out.

I am going to weigh in at my WW meeting tomorrow and will post my results afterward. Check out my journal to see what happens! I'm a little nervous since it is my first weigh-in since I rejoined. I've done pretty well especially compared to all the junk I used to eat!

Continue to do well......and I will talk to you soon!

~Amanda~

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Hi Amanda!!! I am just checking in on the DIS. I will answer your question about the training first thing in the morning. Hope you have a great night

Thanks so much for posting

 

[CJK]

Sounds like you're on fire girl!!!! GREAT JOB!!! You're sure starting the new year off right by developing some great food and exercise habits. Keep up the fantastic work!!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Another wonderful day!!! It's good to be alive! (said somewhat sarcastically; I am NOT a morning person, but if I say things like that it helps me have a better attitude first thing in the morning).

I have really tried to make my journaling part of my morning. I always DIS with my morning coffee anyway, and I make WISH the last place I visit. A good way to start the day, IMO

I had a good day yesterday. I ate well and managed to get 2 pieces of fruit in. Cool, eh? If I'm not careful, my system can have, shall we say, clogged pipes?? So I really try to work in some fiber in my diet. So far, so good. I also take a fruit and vegetable supplement which helps A LOT.

Laura (my trainer) will be back at work today. I'm SOOOOOOOO glad. I'm really excited to tell her how good I've been doing, not to mention get a good workout. I'm prepared to sweat and get all sore. I don't want to go to work though. My boss is a turd and I really don't want to deal with him today.

I've been trying to incorporate salads into our dinners (me and hubby). So far, so good. I splurged and bought some hearts of romaine, instead of the usual Salad in a Sack. Mmmmmmmmmmm, I love it!! If you prefer a crispy salad over a leafy one, you will enjoy it.

What type of exercises do you do with the trainer? I wonder how much a personal trainer at my gym would be?? I would just like one for long enough to get me started so that I know what I am doing and to get me into the habit of working out.

I do a little of everything with my trainer. Being a paraplegic, I was worried I wouldn't be able to do any cardio. I mean, really, what is there for me to do? I shouldn't have worried. Laura was light years ahead of me For cardio, I use a punching bag. Cool huh? It REALLY makes you work up a sweat and a high heart rate if you do it right. For toning, you name it, I do it. A LOT of work with dumbbells, lat pull downs (close grip, wide grip, both under- and overhand), rows, use of exercise bands, etc.

See the difference in the YMCA, for instance, and where I work out is that it's ONLY personal training. You can come in and workout on your own on your off days, but you are paying for personal training. I'd be careful of personal training at other places unless I knew for sure that person was educated in personal training/fitness. At our local YMCA, the trainers are high school/college kids who don't have a clue what they are doing.

I hope I was of some help

Have a great day all!!

 

[r3ngels]

Hey Lindsay,
I am just jumping on here to say Hi... you were on my journal a couple of days ago and I haven't sent you a PM but I could use support with eating. You have a great goal with your fluids.

I seem to go from Coffee to Diet Coke... I need to get other fluids in.

I am so glad you are doing great... I will stop by again.

 

[blue_eyes5212]

Hey Lindsay,
I am just jumping on here to say Hi... you were on my journal a couple of days ago and I haven't sent you a PM but I could use support with eating. You have a great goal with your fluids.

I seem to go from Coffee to Diet Coke... I need to get other fluids in.

I am so glad you are doing great... I will stop by again.

As a Diet Dr Pepper addict I completely understand!! I know that it is not the best choice that I could make, but luckily it is 0 points on Weight Watchers. I'm trying to work on one thing at a time and my goal for this week is EXERCISE!

My first week at weight watchers = a LOSS of 6.6 pounds!!! YAY!! GO ME!!
GO ME!! (Can you tell I'm excited?? )

Good luck to anyone reading this and have a great day!! Make good choices!!

~Amanda~

 

[LindsayDunn228]

I am SOOOOOOOO glad it's Friday!!!!

I work out at 7 a.m. on Friday mornings so my journal will be a little later than usual. I had a pre-workout bar in my way and am now enjoying one of my energy drinks (root beer flavor).

I am doing so well. I put on a pair of jeans yesterday that wouldn't not zip last week. WOO HOO! I don't think I'm down a whole jean size yet, but I'm getting there.

My boss switched my hours on me and health-wise it's going to benefit me. Instead of working the mornings and ending with my workout, I will be beginning with my workout and then working the afternoon. So before I go to work in the mornings I will have time to thaw, chop, and prepare things for dinner that night, take my lunch to work with me, and not be tempted nor have the time to snack on unhealthy food. Cool eh??

My trainer was back at work yesterday. I asked her to please kill me (workout wise). She said, "I'm so glad you asked!!" She's hilarious. I am mega sore today though, which is awesome. I got a good hard workout out of her.

I used to be Coke/Pepsi addict. I promise, it does get better. Just takes time

I'm off to go pick up my house a little bit. Have a great day all!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh, I am still so sore!!! I can't complain. Being sore for me is a good thing. It really shows me I had a tough workout. It's odd though. My deltoids are MEGA sore. That's rare for me.

I had a good day yesterday. My cousins were in the process of driving to Chicago from here (Tennessee) and called me midmorning to chat. I was on the dang phone with them for over 2 hours!! Thank goodness I have a headset!

The only downside of my healthy eating (meh, not really a downside, just a bit of inconvenience) is my colon is doing a little bit of a detox. Eating salad and having veggies every day caught up with me yesterday. Let's just say I got a lot of reading done! But getting excess poo out of you is a very good thing. Just icky sometimes.

My cravings are slowly tapering off. Let me explain. I only work a few days a week. On the days I was home, if I got a hankering for noodles and spaghetti sauce for breakfast, by heck, I would fix it!!!! Sad isn't it?? That's what I want control over more than anything. We all have choices. I made bad ones. I chose to completely binge on things like that even at breakfast, when I could have chosen to eat fruit and toast (or something) instead, but I didn't. I hope and pray I don't battle this the rest of my life. I need to nip this in the bud while I am young and diabetes-free. Someone please tell me I am not the only one struggling with things like this.

Sorry for the rather graphic story first thing this morning. I am off to finish my coffee and my breakfast. Have a healthy day all!!

 

[r3ngels]

you're funny this morning...

I am glad you are sore today... that is always good when you are trying to get back in shape.

My backend is a little sore today... either to much DISing or from working out for the first time in awhile. Hopefully it is the working out.

BTW, where in Tenn? My parents live in Nashville.

Have a great day Lindsay.

 

[CJK]

Happy weekend to you!!!!! I know exactly what you mean about the soreness! You feel a weird mix of pain and thrill from that pain! It means that you're working hard and should be proud!

Sorry about the detoxing going on! I know EXACTLY what you mean though! Your body is probably thanking you for the changes.

I completely empathize with you about the cravings. For me, it seems to go in phases. I'll have weeks of very few cravings and then suddenly I want everything I can think of (or at least everything advertised on TV!!). The good news is that your body eventually doesn't crave things in the same way anymore. I ALWAYS ate fries with my veggie/chicken sandwiches when at fast food places, but I'm finding it easier and easier to have a side salad instead. That's not to say I'll never have fries again, it's just becoming easier not to crave them to the point of running old people down to get to my fries.

Enjoy the weekend!

 

[blue_eyes5212]

That's not to say I'll never have fries again, it's just becoming easier not to crave them to the point of running old people down to get to my fries.

I'm laughing because I can totally relate!! I don't want to get to the point where I just don't ever want fries or pizza or whatever, I just want to feel like I can control it, instead of feeling like the food controls me!

Thanks for posting on my journal, Lindsay!! If you will notice my new weight loss ticker I just added, that shows how I'm doing so far! And I am sticking with the program, so I feel optimistic! I feel like I can really do this!!

Have a great weekend!!