New To The Boards: You Guys Rock!

[werrrkgurl]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been on my own personal fitness journey for just about 18 months now and finally decided to bite the bullet and participate in the forums.

Okay, so first question: I want to get abs but not lift weights and get bulky, what do I need to eat? (Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to y'all)

I wanted to share a little bit of my experience in the hopes that other people who are feeling a bit lost could gain some help from it. The Oprah of the Gym, if you will.

At the end of 2012 I was probably in the worst shape I've ever been in my life. I had graduated university April of that year and had seriously succumb to the student habits of recreational alcoholism and poor eating habits. I was about 145lbs hanging out at 30-35% body fat, and I looked sick. Gross waxy pallor to my face, constant puffy body, and not to mention just the general biological disgusting processes that go along with a poor lifestyle. I saw pictures of myself at Christmas in 2012 and decided that I. Had. Enough.

Being in a relationship with a former NCAA level hockey player helped. I told him that I was tired of hating myself and that I needed help to keep myself on track. Coming from a household with a single mother who was constantly dieting I never really learned how to eat without associating 'good foods' and 'bad foods'. I did what most early twenties girls who don't want to educate themselves did: 1200cal a day, retarded amounts of cardio (1-2hours a day, 6 days a week) with little to no lifting (because it will make me biiiiiiiiiig). I lost weight, anyone would. But I wasn't losing size and I was getting frustrated (and freaking cranky because I don't think my dog can even live on 1200cal a day).

This is when boyfriend suggested weight lifting. I look back and laugh at myself now, but The Struggle Is Real. I was a girl who had never been athletic and everything I knew came from Cosmo's "10 tips to a skinny you" and Self Magazine 3 hour ab circuits. I didn't want big legs. I certainly didn't want big arms. And I certainly did not want to work out on the co-ed side of the gym. Why? I guess I thought people would laugh at me struggling to squat a 45lb bar. No one did, obviously, because no one really gives a crap about what other people do at the gym. And so began my love of weight lifting and my journey from Cardio Queen to Lift Chick.

Within 3 months I had shed 2-3 clothing sizes and made significant progress. At this point I had stopped tracking food and weighing myself. I needed to focus on feeding my body when it was hungry as opposed to following a number. I needed to not get hung up by numbers on a scale. I was a lifting baby at the time, I needed to learn to crawl before I could run. I started a slow bulk in May 2012 after reading pretty much every thread I could find on here. I began at 130lbs at 5'4" and have slowly progressed to 150lbs with significant gains (especially in the last 2-3 months). I stopped caring about what the scale says and actually start finding it humorous. It's freaking hilarious to see people's faces when they ask how much I weigh (well, and when I don't feel like being snarky and going "300lbs, why the eff does it matter?!")

I'm toying with the idea of competing in the next 1-2 years, not sure whether to go figure vs bikini but I'm not going to worry about it. I've never really had to focus on taking practical progress photos, so that's my next step I think.

And if you made it this far into my long-winded story about Nothing In Particular, thank you.

(Oh, but I'm serious about that ab question. Ha. Ha.)

[megdaig]

Awesome!! And welcome out of lurkedom.

Hopefully new ladies will read your experience and trust the process; that they won't turn hulkish after a few heavy weight training sessions.

Keep it up and definitely keep working toward competing if that's what you want.

[mcbourque]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been on my own personal fitness journey for just about 18 months now and finally decided to bite the bullet and participate in the forums.

Okay, so first question: I want to get abs but not lift weights and get bulky, what do I need to eat? (Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to y'all)

I wanted to share a little bit of my experience in the hopes that other people who are feeling a bit lost could gain some help from it. The Oprah of the Gym, if you will.

At the end of 2012 I was probably in the worst shape I've ever been in my life. I had graduated university April of that year and had seriously succumb to the student habits of recreational alcoholism and poor eating habits. I was about 145lbs hanging out at 30-35% body fat, and I looked sick. Gross waxy pallor to my face, constant puffy body, and not to mention just the general biological disgusting processes that go along with a poor lifestyle. I saw pictures of myself at Christmas in 2012 and decided that I. Had. Enough.

Being in a relationship with a former NCAA level hockey player helped. I told him that I was tired of hating myself and that I needed help to keep myself on track. Coming from a household with a single mother who was constantly dieting I never really learned how to eat without associating 'good foods' and 'bad foods'. I did what most early twenties girls who don't want to educate themselves did: 1200cal a day, retarded amounts of cardio (1-2hours a day, 6 days a week) with little to no lifting (because it will make me biiiiiiiiiig). I lost weight, anyone would. But I wasn't losing size and I was getting frustrated (and freaking cranky because I don't think my dog can even live on 1200cal a day).

This is when boyfriend suggested weight lifting. I look back and laugh at myself now, but The Struggle Is Real. I was a girl who had never been athletic and everything I knew came from Cosmo's "10 tips to a skinny you" and Self Magazine 3 hour ab circuits. I didn't want big legs. I certainly didn't want big arms. And I certainly did not want to work out on the co-ed side of the gym. Why? I guess I thought people would laugh at me struggling to squat a 45lb bar. No one did, obviously, because no one really gives a crap about what other people do at the gym. And so began my love of weight lifting and my journey from Cardio Queen to Lift Chick.

Within 3 months I had shed 2-3 clothing sizes and made significant progress. At this point I had stopped tracking food and weighing myself. I needed to focus on feeding my body when it was hungry as opposed to following a number. I needed to not get hung up by numbers on a scale. I was a lifting baby at the time, I needed to learn to crawl before I could run. I started a slow bulk in May 2012 after reading pretty much every thread I could find on here. I began at 130lbs at 5'4" and have slowly progressed to 150lbs with significant gains (especially in the last 2-3 months). I stopped caring about what the scale says and actually start finding it humorous. It's freaking hilarious to see people's faces when they ask how much I weigh (well, and when I don't feel like being snarky and going "300lbs, why the eff does it matter?!")

I'm toying with the idea of competing in the next 1-2 years, not sure whether to go figure vs bikini but I'm not going to worry about it. I've never really had to focus on taking practical progress photos, so that's my next step I think.

And if you made it this far into my long-winded story about Nothing In Particular, thank you.

(Oh, but I'm serious about that ab question. Ha. Ha.)

What a great story I wish more young women had such a healthy attitude about their bodies!
Welcome!
(And you are a great writer BTW)

[dawnmsaunders]

What a great story I wish more young women had such a healthy attitude about their bodies!
Welcome!
(And you are a great writer BTW)

Second this. Oh hai werrrkgurl

[werrrkgurl]

Thanks for the lovely compliments ladies! Its certainly flattering to hear praises from a group of super badass women.

I attribute my flair in writing to the hours upon hours I spend writing papers for my degree. You start going mildly insane after awhile and have to make it interesting somehow!

[SeeskoGirl]

Thanks for sharing. you are an inspiration.

[mcbourque]

Thanks for the lovely compliments ladies! Its certainly flattering to hear praises from a group of super badass women.

I attribute my flair in writing to the hours upon hours I spend writing papers for my degree. You start going mildly insane after awhile and have to make it interesting somehow!

I just noticed you are from Victoria, BC. I lived in Sidney for 7 years! I used to work for Golds Gym in Saanishton and Panorama in Sidney and also for the UBC gym. My husband went to UVic.
Where do you workout?
Best place ever to live! Lucky

[werrrkgurl]

I just noticed you are from Victoria, BC. I lived in Sidney for 7 years! I used to work for Golds Gym in Saanishton and Panorama in Sidney and also for the UBC gym. My husband went to UVic.
Where do you workout?
Best place ever to live! Lucky

I workout at Goodlife, fortunately I live very close to the downtown one as well as the Tyee one. I'm currently doing my MSc at UVic, small world!

[mcbourque]

I workout at Goodlife, fortunately I live very close to the downtown one as well as the Tyee one. I'm currently doing my MSc at UVic, small world!

Very small! Goodlife must be new. I've been gone for 15 years
Good luck on the MSc (BTW in the US they call it MS - it's still trying to get use to that lol)

[sonoramorin]

Loved this! Thanks for sharing. It is humours when people react to "scale weight". Keep posting pls.