Here I go:
A few years ago, when my body was younger and more pliable, I started working out 5-6 days a week (cardio and weight training). I made no change in my diet and visited Buck Pizza night once a week for some cheap grub and lots of beer. Despite all that, I lost about 3-40 lbs?!? I never weighed myself but I know I went from a size 16 to a size 10. I kept that off for a few years but then moved in with my Italian overweight father who makes a mean chicken cutlet. I stopped exercising all together. That same year I was also diagnosed with a hypothyroid. I put on about 50 lbs in less than a year. Topping me out at about 214 lbs at my highest. I'm 5'8". Jan 4th of this year I started tracking my calories on a very helpful site. I worked out 4-5 days a week and dropped 11 lbs in a month. Then I lost interest, moved, got busy... whatever excuses I can throw out there. I had my thyroid removed in April and took a few weeks to recover. I'm back at the gym again and ready to amp up my workout. I'm tracking my calories daily. I'm the type of person who in order to suceed, has to become obsessed so here I am. I have to get myself a scale. I'll do that next week. My favorite work out is triceps and chest. I want to incorperate more free weights into my routine but I hate that f*)$^&@$ mirror in the weight room. It's discouraging! I have pretty low self-esteem and it all revolves around my poor body image. I'm not looking for a bodybuilders body and I have a medium to large frame so I'm not trying to get rail skinny. I like a little meat on me, right now I just have waaaay too much jiggle. I like to push myself and compete so I think about those things when I'm working out. I do the elliptical for 30 minutes 5x week and then weight training 3x week. I'm going to throw in some HIIT very soon to get my cardio up and because I've used it before to shave fat off - it works great! My boyfriend is very encouraging, he even bought himself a gym membership to keep me motivated. He's skinny and very fit already but he also like to push himself so it works out good. I feel bad for him sometimes because my poor body image keeps me from gettin' busy all the time. I know that he's attracted to me but if I look down and think "that's gross" then he ain't gettin' any Poor guy! I do a lot of research and I know a lot about nutrition and fitness, I just have to implement it. I've made all the obvious changes in my diet already. No white flour, low sugar, high protein, low fat, good fats etc etc. I do have trouble getting my 5 a day sometimes but I've adjusted by just buying more fruit and veggies at the store and the "eat it or it will go bad" usually works for me. I've tried supplements in the past, namely Green Tea, Xyience Fat Burner, Farenheit. Not sure if I'll throw those in this time. Alcohol is a tough one. Sometimes you just need a drink. I've been doing Cran-Grape light and vodka when I do drink to keep it low cal (yeah right). Hmmm, I thought I wouldn't have much to write about in this diary thing but wouldn't ya know, they don't call me motormouth for nuthin'. Let the journey begin!!

Hi Sadukes...welcome and all that jazz ! You're already off to a great start: having a partner to motivate you, gettin' in both the weights and the cardio right off the bat, understanding your nutritional needs, yada, yada.

I hear you on the stupid mirror in the weights room...I started off wearing big ol' tees and baggy sweats (the better to hide behind)...and little by little the gym "wardrobe" changed along with my body....I have no doubt that in a couple of months you'll be standing in front of that mirror in "show me what you're working with" attire.

Hi Sahdukes,

Welcome to WLF and your diary. I have found I always have more to say than I think I will. You're off to a great start changing your diet and having a plan for the gym. Having a support system to motivate you is also wonderful.

Have a good afternoon
~Jenna

welcome to WLF! home of inspiration!

you can do this and people on here can help you! check out the sections and read up some great info and tips!

whenever i think i cant do this i go to the before and after section.. pics me back up knowing they did it with hard work so can I

Thanks for the welcome and words of encouragement!

I'm searching for motivation this week. Sort of fell off the wagon this wknd with ice cream and the new Baconater at Wendy's. Road trips are so fun until you get home and try to put a pair of jeans on. I'm back on track again and because of a rough night with pitchers of beer, I have sworn off alcohol all together for 2 months (until mid Sept). My poor liver is thanking his lucky stars right now. Such garbage for your body! I'd love to be able to eat "clean" whole foods, but it's just not convenient. I know that my South Beach cookies are processed and evil but they are low in sugar, high in fiber and conveniently portioned for someone on the go.

I want something to be passionate about. I wish I had the drive to train for something. I wish I didn't have a ceiling made of reinforced concrete and I wish I could hang a heavy bag from it. Anger is great fuel.

I tried to make a collage of hot bodies to visually stimulate some motivation but that backfired and made me cry. I wish trainers weren't so damn expensive. I need that threat of embarrassment to keep me going. I can't wait for my bf to get his license back so that I can go to the gym in the morning. Going at night is so difficult. By the time I drive home from work, after screaming at old people and nearly running a few of them off the road, the last thing I want to do is drive back out to the gym. I need a change. I have that Gemini personality creeping up again and it's bored with my current gym. My routine is cool but I hate Bally's. I have never once seen the cable cross without a bunch of wife beaters around it shooting the shit. I might sign up at the local Anytime Fitness. It's small but the people there are serious about working out. The Bally's "trainers" are subpar to say the least. One guy is a good 285 lbs (and it's not muscle).

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... frustrated!!!

you can make any snack conveniently portioned, pick up a supply of ziplock snack size baggies and portion out your favoritehealthy snacks for grab and go bags - saves money too

I understand your frustration with Bally's...When I was looking for a gym I went to all the big franchised corporate ones and then went and visited a small local gym and I felt more at home there. The trainers and employees were nicer, the gym was set up better, and the overall feel was much better.

I hope your frustration begins to subside

Hey Boam, where in Boston are you from? I grew up on the South Shore before I moved to Tampa, FL two years ago.

I live in Braintree now and go to Northeastern University... I lived in quincy for awhile...I'm from NY

That's funny, I did the opposite Grew up in MA and went to Fordham for school. Good luck in your classes, Northeastern is a great school, fun and challenging.

I did HIIT yesterday and kicked my own ass! I discovered that I'm going to need to head to the gym a few mornings a week which means my boyfriend doesn't get the most out of his membership but it's important to keep me going consistently so he'll have to deal. I like working out in the morning, I have more energy at the gym, more motivation, and I feel accomplished for the rest of the day.

I have to watch my water intake more closely. I am not getting nearly enough water. I started making myself drink a bottle before I can have coffee in the morning. My body will not like it if I work out hard and then only drink 2-3 glasses of water per day.

I have a mountain bike with flat tires that I want to get geared up again. In FL we have all kinds of trails to ride on. It would be fun to see nature, get a good workout and have some fun on the wknds. Problem is, I have no place to store the bike. Right now it's at my Dad's. Nor do I have a bike rack on my car to transport the bike around town. Hmmmmmmmm.

I also want to start either Yoga or Kickboxing. Here comes my Gemini again... I need a routine to stick to but I need variation to keep boredom at bay. I also love competition and winning and I think both classes would be challenging and fun. I want to be obsessive about it. I want to train like an ultimate fighter. Having a personal Rich Franklin to keep me motivated wouldn't be shabby either

I definitly prefer going to the gym in the morning! Its a much better atmosphere.

Getting enough water is important your body needs it... drinking a bottle befoer coffee is a good start

Variation isn't a bad thing... you can even have organized chaos with your workouts... make a plan with lots of different things in it

I checked my weight finally and I gained 1 pound. I'm not going to sweat it too much because both my boyfriend and I have noticed good changes in my body. My waist is slimming, my legs are more muscular and my confidence is higher. I do a lot of weight training so I suppose I'm gaining muscle which weighs more than fat. Still, I can't help but be a little frustrated that I'm not progressing towards my goal. I started HIIT and have been throwing it into my routine 2xweek. Any more than that and I'd be drained and sore every day. I want to try to lower my carb intake. I already cut out almost all sugar and refined carbs. I only eat whole grain pasta, bread, wraps, brown rice etc. But I feel like the majority of my diet now consists of these in order to steer clear of fat. I've been getting 5-6 servings of fruit/vegetables a day which is good. I wish I knew some more ways to sneak in some veggies into my meals. The other night I made an omlette with 2 whole eggs and 1 egg white, corn, peppers, onions and part skim mozarella cheese. Threw some homemade salsa on top and it was delicious. I've been drinking tomato juice A) because it tastes good and B) because it gives me 2 servings of veggies. The site I use to track my calories isn't too fond of the stuff because of the sodium content but seriously, there's a lot worse things I could be drinking. I don't have high blood pressure so I'm really not worried about my new habit. I bought my poster board for my motivational picture board I want to make to remind me of why I'm doing this. Yeah, health is cool but I'm really motivated by a hot body and new clothes. My best friend is getting married next Sept. and I'd love to be in great shape for the bride's maid dress plus all the pictures.

OK, I found a printable tape measure on a tracking website and had my boyfriend (lucky boy) take my measurements last night. After about a month of dieting, there has been no change in my weight but these are my semi-starting measurements:
Waist 36.5"
Hips 45.5"
Thighs 24.75"
Chest 40"
Bust 46.75"
Calves 17.25"
Upper arm 14"

I'd like to mention that I've had some great conversations with the men and women that work at GNC. One guy in particular actually talked me out of buying high priced fat burners and talked me into a simple, cheap green tea supplement. He talked about the importance of eating 5 small meals and increasing my protein intake. He showed me that the high priced "Active" multivitamins are actually lacking B vitamins and I was better off just going with the lower priced regular multi. It was refreshing to talk to someone who knew their information and was not pushy about selling.