Stressed Out Student
05-27-2010, 08:08 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Posts: 359
Stressed Out Student
Hello ladies!
I have a few things to combat with my weightloss goal (to lose 40lbs in 11 monthes). I have PCOS, am a full time college student, and am living with my anti-exercise & dieting girlfriend. Whenever I have a break through regarding weightloss, I either end up craving everything under the sun or feeling guilty about either leaving my girlfriend alone for half the day or dragging her to the gym.
Do you ladies have any tips as to how to fight off the cravings or an easier way to convince my girlfriend that going to the the gym is fun?
I have a few things to combat with my weightloss goal (to lose 40lbs in 11 monthes). I have PCOS, am a full time college student, and am living with my anti-exercise & dieting girlfriend. Whenever I have a break through regarding weightloss, I either end up craving everything under the sun or feeling guilty about either leaving my girlfriend alone for half the day or dragging her to the gym.
Do you ladies have any tips as to how to fight off the cravings or an easier way to convince my girlfriend that going to the the gym is fun?
05-27-2010, 01:42 PM
#2
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: IL
Posts: 17
My advice as far as cravings go is to eat small meals and snacks every 2-3 hours. You can also incorporate a lot of protein into these snacks around the time that you usually seem to crave, and you'll be left fuller for a lot longer. Drinking a lot of water consistently throughout the day also helps to feel full. And also, make sure you're not depriving yourself... if your body really is hungry, give it a healthy snack. It's hard to go wrong with a piece of fruit or something else light that's within your calorie range and/or diet.
As far as the gym goes, maybe consider doing something else together that might be fun for the both of you? Biking, going walking on a hiking trail, swimming, dancing, etc. There's a lot of exercise that you can do together that's fun for couples.
But assuming that you'll also want to visit the gym as well - explain to her how important this is for you and your well-being, and ask for her support with it. You're important and your health is important, so make sure that you're taking care of yourself too.
As far as the gym goes, maybe consider doing something else together that might be fun for the both of you? Biking, going walking on a hiking trail, swimming, dancing, etc. There's a lot of exercise that you can do together that's fun for couples.
But assuming that you'll also want to visit the gym as well - explain to her how important this is for you and your well-being, and ask for her support with it. You're important and your health is important, so make sure that you're taking care of yourself too.
05-28-2010, 12:39 AM
#3
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 41
I understand how difficult it is when you are student I have been through it.. infact most of my weight came on me in my college years as well. So here is what I am trying to do (through the advice of fellow fit day members). If you crave something take a small bite first.. I do this to see if I really want to eat it or not.. most of the time I bite is satisfying enought even if it is cheesecake. I am going to try to eat 1500 calories a day.. and one day a week I am going to let myself have something that I crave for being good. I think the overall goal is to not deprive your body of anything but try to eat healthy. Keep up with whatever exercise you can get. I generally try to go for 3 days a week plus I am going to try to add an hour of yoga once a week in to this. hopefully both of us can achieve our goals.
My weight right now is 147 and my goal weight is 125 so I have quiet far to go as well. Wish you all the best!
My weight right now is 147 and my goal weight is 125 so I have quiet far to go as well. Wish you all the best!
05-28-2010, 05:14 AM
#4
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Posts: 359
@veixsus: Thank you so much for the tip about the biking, hiking, dancing! I had forgotten that those qualify as exercise! Opps! What kind of snacks would you recommend for increased protein? My go-tos so far are peanutbutter, whey protein shakes, and individual packets of tuna. I would love to be able to add to this list!
@myrasalman: How on earth can you handle only having one bite of cheesecake?! If I'm going to cheat and eat the cheesecake, then gosh darn it I will devour my (carefully measured) slice! Good luck with your weight goal! You seem to have your ducks in order!
@myrasalman: How on earth can you handle only having one bite of cheesecake?! If I'm going to cheat and eat the cheesecake, then gosh darn it I will devour my (carefully measured) slice! Good luck with your weight goal! You seem to have your ducks in order!
05-28-2010, 02:20 PM
#5
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: IL
Posts: 17
I'm glad you liked the suggestion. Hopefully you two will have lots of fun together being out and about.
High protein snacks for me are kind of limited (vegan), but here's some things that I can think of off the top of my head that might work out well for you: cottage cheese, yogurt, string cheese, nuts, hard boiled egg, protein bar, oatmeal. I really love peanut butter and like to put it on top of a plain rice cake or celery, etc. I also enjoy shakes like you, and I'll mix something like vanilla protein powder, soy milk, banana, with a 2-3 ice cubes to give it that smoothie consistency - so delicious!
Keep your head up though, it sounds like you're doing great... it's amazing that you're so motivated to go work out, and it seems like you're taking all the right steps to get where you want to be. I know it can be hard sometimes too, especially as a working student myself. I feel like there's never enough hours in a day... if I'm not at work, I'm at class, and if I'm doing neither of those two things then I'm most likely doing homework... and somehow in the middle of all of that I still fit in my workout. x.x It can be tough though and sometimes I find days where I'm really unmotivated, but it's important to take care of ourselves. Thankfully it's summer though! 
High protein snacks for me are kind of limited (vegan), but here's some things that I can think of off the top of my head that might work out well for you: cottage cheese, yogurt, string cheese, nuts, hard boiled egg, protein bar, oatmeal. I really love peanut butter and like to put it on top of a plain rice cake or celery, etc. I also enjoy shakes like you, and I'll mix something like vanilla protein powder, soy milk, banana, with a 2-3 ice cubes to give it that smoothie consistency - so delicious!
Keep your head up though, it sounds like you're doing great... it's amazing that you're so motivated to go work out, and it seems like you're taking all the right steps to get where you want to be.
I know it can be hard sometimes too, especially as a working student myself. I feel like there's never enough hours in a day... if I'm not at work, I'm at class, and if I'm doing neither of those two things then I'm most likely doing homework... and somehow in the middle of all of that I still fit in my workout. x.x It can be tough though and sometimes I find days where I'm really unmotivated, but it's important to take care of ourselves. Thankfully it's summer though!
05-31-2010, 07:46 AM
#6
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
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@veixsus: Oh my goodness! I've always been curious about what kind of diet a vegan person would follow! How do you meet your daily nutritional requirements of vitamins, minerals, and protein? Cha, school is the focus of my life at the moment, as it should be. That's intense, girl! What kind of workouts are you doing?
06-02-2010, 10:59 AM
#7
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 206
mhibdon, just wanted to chime in on the high-protein snacks. I like some of these:
-greek yogurt and an apple or graham crackers (greek yogurt has about 15g of protein per serving and the low fat varieties are under 100 calories)
-hummus and carrots (the beans have lots of protein, and fiber too)
-oatmeal is great, sometimes I mix in some protein powder
-lunchmeat, either plain or rolled up with a piece of cheese. A little mustard or other no-calorie condiment will spice it up a little (just watch the sodium levels in the lunchmeat and pick low fat cheeses)
Something else I do is buy lots of veggies and spend a little time cutting them all up. Then I can take some with me wherever I'm going and have a snack that's satisfyingly crunchy, plus veggies are full of water and a little carbs to help fill you up. I'm also a fan of 'batch cooking' so I make a big pot of soup or mix up some turkey burgers and cook them all at once on the weekend when I have some time, then you can portion everything out and have a few premade meals for during the week when you're crunched for time. Make a whole pan of lasagna, just portion it out, put in the fridge what you can eat now and put the rest in the freezer for later. The batch cooking saves time in the long run and helps me control my portions and calories.
Best of luck!
-greek yogurt and an apple or graham crackers (greek yogurt has about 15g of protein per serving and the low fat varieties are under 100 calories)
-hummus and carrots (the beans have lots of protein, and fiber too)
-oatmeal is great, sometimes I mix in some protein powder
-lunchmeat, either plain or rolled up with a piece of cheese. A little mustard or other no-calorie condiment will spice it up a little (just watch the sodium levels in the lunchmeat and pick low fat cheeses)
Something else I do is buy lots of veggies and spend a little time cutting them all up. Then I can take some with me wherever I'm going and have a snack that's satisfyingly crunchy, plus veggies are full of water and a little carbs to help fill you up. I'm also a fan of 'batch cooking' so I make a big pot of soup or mix up some turkey burgers and cook them all at once on the weekend when I have some time, then you can portion everything out and have a few premade meals for during the week when you're crunched for time. Make a whole pan of lasagna, just portion it out, put in the fridge what you can eat now and put the rest in the freezer for later. The batch cooking saves time in the long run and helps me control my portions and calories.
Best of luck!
06-02-2010, 12:16 PM
#8
FitDay Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: IL
Posts: 17
Sorry for the late reply, I've been literally driving across a few states. :P
It's actually not too hard to get in all of my vitamins. There are many sources for protein, and wannabefitgrl mentioned some great options too. I don't have too much trouble getting my other vitamins as most of my meals and/or snacks consist of a lot of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. I do have a multivitamin that I can take too for days where my meals aren't quite as balanced - like most recently when I was stuck travelling in a car. :P
As for my workouts - I'm an avid biker, and I also take my dog for a walk/jog every day. Then I'll usually try to either weight lift at my university gym or at home with a workout DVD a few times a week. Aside from biking and dogwalking though, my workouts vary. My boyfriend and I workout together quite frequently, so we'll go on hikes together or go swimming, dancing, etc. I want to try rockclimbing out sometime too, but I'm not quite sure that I have the strength yet. :P Luckily my boyfriend has been very supportive though and wants to be in a better shape too, so it's been nice to have the extra motivation.
How has everything been working out for you since you last posted?
It's actually not too hard to get in all of my vitamins. There are many sources for protein, and wannabefitgrl mentioned some great options too.
I don't have too much trouble getting my other vitamins as most of my meals and/or snacks consist of a lot of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. I do have a multivitamin that I can take too for days where my meals aren't quite as balanced - like most recently when I was stuck travelling in a car. :PAs for my workouts - I'm an avid biker, and I also take my dog for a walk/jog every day. Then I'll usually try to either weight lift at my university gym or at home with a workout DVD a few times a week. Aside from biking and dogwalking though, my workouts vary. My boyfriend and I workout together quite frequently, so we'll go on hikes together or go swimming, dancing, etc. I want to try rockclimbing out sometime too, but I'm not quite sure that I have the strength yet. :P Luckily my boyfriend has been very supportive though and wants to be in a better shape too, so it's been nice to have the extra motivation.
How has everything been working out for you since you last posted?
06-19-2010, 01:28 AM
#9
FitDay Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Posts: 359
Opps! Sorry for not posting in so long! I'm taking a couple of summer courses and have been able to think about nothing but Physics for the last four weeks!
I bought a whole bunch of carrots, lettuce, and a box of those "Raw Revolution" bars that are supposedly raw, vegan, organic, kosher, and full of other popular-health-fads! ..though the carrots quickly just became treats for my rats, lol!
I joined the local gym for the summer and FINALLY found a work out buddy! Fortunately for me, evening though he is around double my height and triple my strength, he likes to lift and take aerobics classes! Plus he's married so I don't have to worry about him being skeezy!
Fall semester I'm going to be taking a "Leisure Skill" called "The Principles of Training" as well as being allowed into the super awesome "Dungeon" so that I can lift!
Though here is the kicker of ultimate neediness: 1.) Should I join Rugby or Crew? and 2.) How would you guys recommend that I find a female weight-lifter?
PS: Thank you ladies so much for the encouragement and advice! Your words are not falling on deaf ears!
I bought a whole bunch of carrots, lettuce, and a box of those "Raw Revolution" bars that are supposedly raw, vegan, organic, kosher, and full of other popular-health-fads! ..though the carrots quickly just became treats for my rats, lol!
I joined the local gym for the summer and FINALLY found a work out buddy! Fortunately for me, evening though he is around double my height and triple my strength, he likes to lift and take aerobics classes! Plus he's married so I don't have to worry about him being skeezy!
Fall semester I'm going to be taking a "Leisure Skill" called "The Principles of Training" as well as being allowed into the super awesome "Dungeon" so that I can lift!
Though here is the kicker of ultimate neediness: 1.) Should I join Rugby or Crew? and 2.) How would you guys recommend that I find a female weight-lifter?
PS: Thank you ladies so much for the encouragement and advice! Your words are not falling on deaf ears!
