Young Calorie Counters

For those in college, or those quickly approaching it, beware!!! The Freshman Fifteen - the bane of college calorie counters everywhere - is ready to take a new group of victims on campuses nationwide this fall!

For those who have felt the pain of the 15lbs of cafeteria food, hanging out in the dorm, not having your highschool extracurriculars, and just being too darned lazy to get out and about, join me in losing that weight! :) As an upcoming junior in college, i'm still waging war against the last 10lbs - who's with me?!?

*EDIT*

August 4th, 2008

To anyone just seeing this topic, please know that you're still welcome to join us! There are voluntary weigh-ins each Wednesday if you're interested. Whether you're headed to college, in it, or leaving it we're happy to have you! :D

Hahaha size 4, I can't imagine wearing that! Lol send the 7s this way! =P

Thank you for the tick advice! I will DEFINITELY have some nail polish remover on hand, just in case. That makes me feel way better... see, you're nicer than a mean boy who thinks it's cute when you're scared. As for the weights, I've been reading a lot on the fitness forum here and a few other sites, and I feel best about the 8-12 rep thing. The lower weight/higher rep routine does work, but it isn't as efficient apparently? I dunno, I used to do it that way, but I don't have enough time to fit everything in if I'm doing more than 2 sets with each exercise. It's working really well for everything else, but these biceps are poop! I've been considering a switch to the lower weight/higher rep but just for the arms. I have 5 pound weights at home, so maybe supplementing my training with some lifting there will be good enough. We'll see!

Carrie, that's a great loss! What kind of puppy do you have? I have a mini poodle, and he is the best motivation in the world to go walking. He's so full of energy before and after the walk, it really makes me want to get up and go. Puppies are fun! Do you have any reward for 5 pounds? Haha I love rewards, they definitely keep me focused. Rewards and this group :) I'd hate to say to all you guys that I was really lazy and ate 3000 calories a day... it'd be embarassing for me, so knowing that I'm talking to all of you keeps me accountable.

Aww... poodles are wonderful dogs :) I have a standard (the full-size kind) named Jake - he's such a sweetheart! Too bad I can't take him for walks in our neighborhood. There are no sidewalks and its so hilly/curvy, we'd probably get hit by a car. 0_o

And on the tick thing -  it doesn't even usually hurt when they bite you. Lots of people won't even realize they have them for a day or two. Just check yourself all over (especially the scalp) when you get out of the woods and you should be fine. :)

Maybe I'll start trying the 8-12 thing for my back. I haven't been noticing much change there. Couldn't hurt to try :D

What kinds of rewards do you guys plan for yourselves? :) (Just curious)

She's not really a puppy anymore, I just call her my puppy.  She's a yellow lab.  It's funny, because my mom used to raise labs so she'd only want to keep the really pretty/good quality ones, but then she stopped doing that when I was younger.  Last summer she started fostering dogs for a shelter, and the first one we got was this really ugly yellow lab (yellow eyes, long, skinny head, plus she was emaciated), but our entire family fell in love with her, especially my mom, and we had to keep her!  My mom used to be a huge stickler about obedience too (no dogs on the couch, no begging at the table, no rides in the car except in a crate), and now this dog is spoiled rotten!  I love taking her running with me though, except she basically drags me for the first half, lol.  Focusing on keeping her out of the road helps keep my mind off of the actual running.  We don't have any sidewalks either, but there's a road near my house that's not very busy, so that's where I run :).

I hadn't really planned any rewards for myself, except for back to school shopping at the end of the summer.  I'm going to try not to go shopping very much throughout the summer, so that I can buy lots of new clothes come fall :).

Yay for dog lovers!

My first reward was running sneakers, something I really needed. When I reach 130, I'm going to *finally* going to use this really nice salt scrub and body lotion. At the goal of 125, it's new exercise clothes baby! I imagine the ones I wear now will be fairly worn out by then =P

It sounds like your mom is a really sweet lady! I'm guessing you live in the country... you get to ride horses AND your mom fosters dogs. Any ticks? =P

I will definitely be checking for them... but this is encouraging, hharis. Really encouraging. I think it's a silly fear. I mean, moths are the same thing. They really bother me. Gimme a snake, spider, worm, anything! But moths.... blech! Now I will conquer the ticks. Oh before I forget, what exercises are you doing for your back? I've been rowing, and I can feel it like mad. I can't wait until I can manage a chin up or pull up =D

Haha! I'm the same way with jumping bugs (except crickets), roaches, and silverfish. Let's see - a couple of free weight exercises and a lateral pulldown. I definitely need to start doing more for my back. I still want to shave down those love-handles a bit :)

I like you guys' ideas for rewards... I rewarded myself at 130 with a few new clothing items (a dress, a pair of shorts, some flip-flops, and a shirt). I think that when I finally hit 125, I'm going to get myself a month's worth of tanning or 15 visits - whichever will last me longer. (depends on how busy I am at the time). And, yeah, I pretty much don't have a choice - I've got to get at least 2 new pair of pants for work. I just look unprofessional and sluggish. Which kind of stinks because I'm trying not to spend a lot of money this summer! lol. Oh well :)

...and I have another reward for myself that IDK if I have the guts to do, but I might. I need to be really really in shape before I do it and have maintained for a little while (and who knows if I'll ever actually get to that point). lol, this one is a little more hypothetical, but I've always wanted one and never been fit enough/had the guts to get it.

It'll probably seem goofy after all of that build up, but if you want to know what it is, you can message me.

I'm trying to come up for a reallllllly good reward for 110. At 105 I'm getting my belly button pierced and then I'll be at my goal! I've been so good with working out lately my only problem is not making my defecit smaller. I have a problem justifying eating back calories. I dunno I'm weird.

Like for example by the time I get back from my rollerblade (which I'm leaving for as soon as I hit post) I'll have burned 2300 cals today...but by the time I'm done eating my planned dinner I'll only have eaten 1400 so I'll have a 900 cal defecit, which is ok, but yesterday I had 1000 cal defecit. I think it's contributing to my plateau

What do you guys think I should do? I just feel so bad eating more.

I do the same thing with the calories. I have a hard time getting to 1200 on normal days. When I work out, I don't eat anything back and its usually up to 2050. I figure that that's only 800cal, but I just can't eat more than my 1200!

What I have been trying to get myself to do is to eat denser good-for-me foods like these peanut nature valley bars that I've fallen in lust with. A good 170cal gives me a decent boost, and I don't feel like i'm gorging myself. Sometimes when I get back from working out, I have one and then shower and then usually go to bed. I feel guilty about eating too close to bedtime too! hehe.

Hmm... well, have you ever wanted to take a class or something? Yoga, belly dancing, salsa, etc? Something like that would make a good reward :)

Orrr... what about a weekend trip with some friends? Or maybe something cool that you could use at school next year to help you stay in shape? (A set of free weights, some ankle weights, anything like that)

Just pick something that you have always wanted that you've never been able to justify buying for yourself :)

One of the things I'm looking forward to - not really a reward, but hell - is buying a fun new party dress for my (co-ed) fraternity's formal next year! ;)

Yeah, I kind of live in the country.  No ticks, though, thank goodness :P.  

Laf, I would say that if you think it's contributing to your plateau, you should probably eat more.  I've seen it kind of a lot on here where people are working out a lot and not eating enough and not losing, and then when they up their calories a little they start losing again.  Or, you could just try and eat maintenance for a couple days to shock your metabolism a little bit (I'm not sure if this actually works, as I've never tried it, but it seems to be recommended a lot).

On the other hand, if you don't have more than a 1000 calorie deficit, I think you should be okay :).  

Okay, just a general question because I'm kind of new to this site - if you scroll over someone's picture, and they have their real name as their display name (for example, when you scroll over mine it says Carrie) do you think it's weird to call them by their real name?  Should I still use their screen name?  Just wondering what you guys thought, lol.

I think that its fine to use their real name, provided its someone that you've talked to a few times. I didn't even notice you could do that! Otherwise, I'd just respond with their SN. (You guys are all free to call me Heather if you don't already, lol.)

About the upping your calories thing:

I'm about to try that too if my body hasn't righted itself by tomorrow. I'm back up to 130 today, and I've been sticking to my 1200 for sure. The deal is that  the human body is incredibly efficient. I, for example, burn about 1700cal/day. Just to live. Sedentary. When I only provide my body with 1200 calories, and consistently, it becomes more efficient. It begins storing more of what I give it as fat, and it uses that to run my body at fewer calories. (Fat metabolises calories slower than muscle does.) So, what many people do is, rather than reduce calories further because their body now runs on 1300 or 1400, they eat up to maintenance for about 2 days. This teaches your body to expect a higher amount of fuel, so that it does not store your calories as fat, but instead uses them as they are recieved. This is how people "kick-start" their metabolism, and often, what causes a "plateau".

When you see people "cycling" calories, this does the same thing for them. Typically, I eat up to 1500 on the weekends, so that I will lose more during the week. Hope that helps?

On another note, I have to have a CT Scan on my abdomen tomorrow and am totally dreading drinking the barium... has anyone else ever had to do that? What's it like? I'm hideously nervous.

Ahhh barium swallow! I had to do that... blech. It isn't awful, but definitely isn't pleasant either. Imagine pepto bismol without the pink flavouring, and three times as thick. Be sure to really wash your face afterwards too. I had the unfortunately experience of being a little dopey, and came out of the room with this chalky white substance all around my mouth... my mother and grandmother thought it was hillarious. Me, not so much. It's just strange having a bunch of pictures taken of your stomach as you drink liquid chalk... not awful, but bizarre.

Yeah, I keep reading a lot about it being chalky, but that makes me feel a lot better about it. I was afraid I was going to vomit it up or something! :) Thanks, Jecca!

Please call me Lea! It feels a lot more personal, plus Laf is my initials so it feels kind of like, professional or something, I dunno.

I'm graduating today!!! I'm very very excited :)

Not that it matters, but from a weight loss perspective this will be the day I need eating at maintenance. I don't have time all day to work out and I'm going out to dinner with my family tonight, so maybe I'll finally break this dreaded pleateau.

Also, I've discovered that rollerblading is the best excersize! I'm still not seeing the pounds drop, but I get back and I'm SO sore and I swear my stomach looks tighter already. My boyfriend noticed too :). I think it's so great because it combines cardio and strength training, so you're burning a ton of cals while you're doing it and it ups your metabolism for the rest of the day. yay for rollerblading! I highly recommend everyone buy a pair. It's fun and it doesn't seem that difficult while you're doing it, you just feel the burn when you stop so it's easy to go for a long period of time. I bladed 10 miles in an hour yesterday!

Good luck everyone with their goals, hopefully my weight will be going down next weigh in, if not, I'm not too worried because my body looks better and better everyday :)

Heather, good luck with the barium and the CT Scan!!  I hope everything turns out okay.

Lea, congratulations!!  Graduation is so exciting!  And if you're building muscle and losing fat, who cares about what the scale says? :)

Oh, and I was wondering, does your metabolism really increase after you exercise?  

Oooh yes it does! Kinda. See, it really depends on the exercise. I know there are some articles about this somewhere on the fitness forum because I read a bunch of them, but I forgot to tag them =S

Essentially, I gathered that strength training is the most effective form of exercise for weight loss because of its effect on the metabolism. You don't just burn calories while you work out, you continue burning a higher rate of calories for the next day or so. On the other hand, cardio is more "in the moment". You burn calories at a higher rate, but it stops about 90 minutes after your workout stops, and your burn-rate goes back down to normal. So if you combine the longer-lasting strength training with the in-the-moment cardio, you're a fitness machine.

If I can find the article, I'll post a link here.

Oh, and my name's Julie! I like the idea of names, it works for me too :)

Thanks, Carrie :) I appreciate that! Congratulations, Lea!! Enjoy your graduation - I remember it being both a relief and horrifying, lol.

Rollerblading would be so much fun... /curses the lack of sidewalks and all of the hills! It might be worth getting a pair when I get back to school, though - there'd be loads of sidewalks there, and it would be a blast to do with friends! :) I'm super excited about getting back into rock climbing too - I feel so much stronger and I want to see what I can do! hehe.

Julie, I was completely making you a "Jessica" in my head - I guess I was just slanting "Jecca", lol. (My younger sister is a Jessica, and that's how my youngest sister used to say her name before she could pronounce it correctly.)

Hehe yeah it would seem to fit, wouldn't it? I dunno, I was 12 years old and trying to come up with an online nickname back in the good old days of ICQ. Jecca came to me, and alas, it stuck!

I miss graduation. There are other summer students working here, two of whom are graduating this week. I remember feeling like a million bucks, all week. It was fantastic! Graduation was one of the best nights of my life. *sigh*

This is my goodbye until Monday... if I'm not back posting bright and early that morning, you can bet there's a tick to blame... =P Hope to hear about how you all did! Have a blast Lea but stay safe! Heather, swallow that barium with dignity and grace. And Carrie, don't you be saving any horses! (Lame joke, but seriously, I like the song and I don't know anyone who rides horses...)

UPDATE.

With semi strict dieting, tons of water and lots of exercise (hockey, soccer, plyometrics and weight training), I've got back to 188 pounds this week.

Guess what I'm doing tonight? Going out and getting bombed off spiced rum and diet cokes!

Guess what I'm doing the day after? Not caring about that (besides my potentially massive hangover tomorrow at work) and doing kenpo to get some cardio and fix it up.

You get what you give.

LIVE.

PS: People who have questions about weight training feel free to direct them my way, I'd be glad to help.

Have fun this weekend everyone!! :)  Julie, avoid those ticks...and I like that song too, lol.  Apparently I have a horse show this weekend...the little girl who leases my horse wants me on her team, sooo I guess I'm showing.  It's pretty nice though, they're getting everything ready so all I have to do is show up with my clothes.  If I don't post a lot this weekend, that's why...except I still probably will because I'm completely addicted to CC.

okay so weigh-ins are on wednesday!

awesome!!  I will join in this wednesday. Congrats everyone, it seems as most of you had a great week. Its so encouraging to see others do well !

ahh so finally, the dreaded weekend
so tomorrow night, im going to see one of my university friends who i havnt seen in over a month. And we're going to this super chic club where guys fly drinks into your hands and then in half hour you are hammered (not to mention for CC -- consuming over 500 cals ahh)

So im probably just going to save up my calories for tomorrow, ugh stressful. And then im going to the movies with some old friends on saturday ..(ah popcorn). I'll probably just get a diet coke.

What do you guys get when you go to the movies?/ Any some-what healthy suggestions?

You could always bring your own low cal popcorn with fat free butter or something :).