Alright, so I've been a member of these forums for a while. I always get motivated.... go buy some healthy food at the store.... eat well for about 3 days, and then once the weekend comes and sink back into my usual routine. This time it will be diff. because I'm going to document my progress. I lost my digital camera, but hopefully my webcam will be enough.

Here's a little background: For 8 years (high school and college) I was on the rowing team at school. In college, Division I athlete... about 30 hours exercise/week year round. I graduated May 2003. Since then I've been running on and off (competed in a 5k run March '04) and exercising at my company's gym. But this hasn't been enough. I haven't done much weight training since college, so I want to get back into that.

I think I must have a pretty good muscle base already (you just can't see it due to all the fat) because most people can't believe I weigh that much. I'm looking to lose about 15-20lbs., but I don't care as long as I look fit. I've been tracking my calories on fitday.com for the past week and I'm not very consistent. Sometimes I consume 1400 cals, sometimes 2300. So that's something I need to work on.

If you read through all that congrats :lol: I'll try to put up a picture later tonight (after work). Right now I'm making a nice grocery list and am looking for some cheap whey protein online

It'll be easier to post input after I post a pic and my fitday journal gets going, but feel free to comment. :bow:

my weight spiked in '00 when I suffered an injury and was not rowing (but was still eating the same amount of food) I lost 30lbs that summer/fall from getting my tonsils removed and just starting to exercise again. nothing special.

I think I must have a pretty good muscle base already (you just can't see it due to all the fat) because most people can't believe I weigh that much. I'm looking to lose about 15-20lbs., but I don't care as long as I look fit. I've been tracking my calories on fitday.com for the past week and I'm not very consistent. Sometimes I consume 1400 cals, sometimes 2300. So that's something I need to work on.

I like your strategy. You don't know how much you want to lose, and I don't know how other people manage to pull a number out of the air. Just keep at it until you like how you look and feel. Doesn't look like you'll need much. Could be just the photo, but you look a little frail in the 95 photo with the black dress. I think you look better in the 01 photo with the light blue shirt on. Or take the high school photo and add some muscle.

I don't think it's absolutely essential to be consistent in your calories. A lot of people have had great success busting through plateaus by zig-zagging their calories, so if that's what you do normally, I wouldn't sweat it.

Could be just the photo, but you look a little frail in the 95 photo with the black dress. I think you look better in the 01 photo with the light blue shirt on. Or take the high school photo and add some muscle.

I don't think it's absolutely essential to be consistent in your calories. A lot of people have had great success busting through plateaus by zig-zagging their calories, so if that's what you do normally, I wouldn't sweat it.

yes, in the '01 photo i was around 145lbs..... too skinny in my opinion. i hadn't started rowing, once i did i immediately gained about 10lbs. i like how i look in the light blue top but perhaps leaner. i had nice muscle definition but rowing doesn't help in cutting. tracking my food intake on fitday.com is helping me see how many cals i actually consume -- very helpful!

I just purchased Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey in Chocolate Mint... I'm excited because that is my FAVORITE FLAVOR :jumping:

at the grocery store I also purchased: canned tuna, tomatoes, cottage cheese, oatmeal, frozen chicken tenderloins, sugar free jello cups, sugar free popsicles, frozen vegetables, and fat free yogurt. It's hard for me to buy fresh stuff because it takes me a while to eat it (and then it just rots).

I cooked some chicken on the george foreman and made a small salad, it was delish' !! If anyone has any suggestions of other foods, let me know.... especially if they're good items for newbies. I'm also searching through the recipes threads.

Okay, this is what I've had to eat today. I actually managed a 40/40/20 ratio on fitday.com which is usually pretty hard for me. I haven't gotten my whey protein delivered yet... should be here in a couple days, but please check out my diet today and let me know what you think.


10:00 fruit yogurt w/ nonfat milk
sugar free jello cup

11:00 package plain salted pretzels

12:30 1 diet soda + 1 packet instant oatmeal

2:00 salad w/ cottage cheese, tomatoes, raw spinach, calorie free
dressing + 2 slices Turkey luncheon meat

7:30 3 Chicken tenderloins + Baked beans + Corn

haven't eaten yet.... 1 Can Tuna with onions + sweet pickles
1 tbps Peanut butter

all of this = 1832 cals. 721 carbs/709 protein/352 fat

I'm very new to this, so any feedback is helpful!!! thanks

i thought that this forum was good about responding to people's questions :( perhaps i need to post my diet in another forum?

i thought that this forum was good about responding to people's questions :( perhaps i need to post my diet in another forum?

Usually people don't comment on diet on the journal section. Try posting it in the nutrition section if you want a critique. People don't usually read the journal posts that often.

Just looking quickly, your diet doesn't look too shabby but I would try to eat more protein. For breakfast, for example, try something made with eggs (Egg Beaters omelet or scrambled egg whites with fat free cheese). Snack of pretzels is okay, but you get more bang for your calories if you eat foods that are not so dense. Vegetables are good choices, with a little fat free salad dressing (I like Just2Good). The instant oatmeal is only 160 calories--this is not enough for a meal, and it's all carbs. I would buy the plain instant oatmeal that comes in a to-go cup or those packets, and make it with Atkins syrup (no sugar) and milk for protein. The salad is a great choice--add some more turkey though. If you do 4 oz of turkey, it's only 150 calories and you it's very filling. For dinner, corn is a poor choice because most of the carbs come from sugar. I like the chicken and beans, but maybe you could make your vegetable something with more vitamins and less sugar like broccoli, spinach, or green beans. Tuna is good, peanut butter also good--but you like eating them together? I guess that's your choice :)

Hope that helped!

thanks... i'll post in other forums more often when i have questions! ;) and btw, i eat the peanut butter later at night for a spoonful of something sweet (it's the chunky style pb).


i'm not much of a chef, so i need to work on figuring out how to make quick, healthy meals. also, i'll be able to get more protein once my optimum nutrition whey is delivered.

I'm not a diet expert because I don't count calories, but I'm a great cook and know loads about recipes.

The instant oatmeal is not as good for you as regular quick oats, or, better yet stone cut oatmeal. Instant oatmeal has less fibre, a higher glycemic index, and usually a bunch of added sugar.